Death the final destination

 Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’ John 11:25 – 26.

Death like heaven and hell is not usually a subject discussed in Western society if at all possible. Yet as J John says the most undeniable of all statistics is that life is 100% fatal.

However despite its certainty, most people will go to any lengths to not just avoid talking about it but also to avoid the event as well. When it becomes inevitable people will usually be overcome by fear based on uncertainty.

The one group of people for whom this should not be the case are Christians. Thanks to Jesus we can have full assurance that the grave is not our final destination – heaven is.

However it is amazing how far people will go to try to ignore God in their beliefs.   Many today confidently assert that there is nothing after death. Not only does life end, so does existence. The problem with nothing after death is that when the believer of this hypothesis dies, it will be too late to find out they were wrong. If there is indeed life after death, their eternal destination is settled and it may not be the choice of their dreams.

Someone told me the other day all about the aura or incandescence lingering around a dead body for three days after death. What is the evidence for this?

The evidence for heaven or hell however is great. The Bible frequently talks about death and the afterlife in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus very clearly explained that heaven is the eternal destination for those who believe and trust in him.

In addition there are many many people who have had ‘out of body’ or ‘near death’ experiences. All of these seem to back up the Bible’s version of life after death. No one talks about their aura hanging around the body for three days and no one says everything just went black and I ceased to exist. 

However visions of heaven, Jesus, family members who have already died and yes even hell have been told by far too many people to be ignored. It might be nice to think they are all wrong especially if you are determined to ignore God but the evidence is pretty overwhelming.

The comfort that comes both to the dying and those remaining that heaven is not just a reality but also their own destination is too good to ignore. Anyone who believes that Christians are deluded should read the Scriptures and any of the many books about ‘out of body’ experiences. The details these people include are too compelling to be dismissed.

Heaven is too marvellous a place to take a chance on getting there. Hoping that our good works will open the door is a risky strategy as is ignoring death and hoping for the best. Assurance is what we all long for and as Christians we have that assurance.

Unfortunately many Christians are not only shaky about going to heaven but very shaky about what it will be like. I believe as we read the Bible and other books on the subject by authors grounded in the Scriptures we can start to get revelation on just how truly amazing heaven is.

Not only is it far better than our wildest imaginations – it is also too wonderful a place not to talk about to others. Everyone needs to know not just the reality of the wonders of heaven but also how to get there. As Christians that is both our responsibility and our joy. 

Heaven or hell

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.  John 3: 17 – 18.

Hell is not a word much in evidence these days except perhaps as a euphemism for a hard time; I had a hell of a day or it was hell.  However no one mentions hell as a place, a destination. It is considered at best politically incorrect or at worst downright rude to talk about hell.

Yet the reality is that hell is the eternal destination for most people because they have not chosen the alternative. Everyone will go to hell unless they receive God’s gift of eternity spent with him in the wonders of heaven. This gift comes free because Jesus paid for it completely.

No one wants to believe hell exists which is hardly surprising but if it does exist then people hope it will be a place of partying and doing everything ‘miserable sinners’ love to do together. Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that hell is a place of eternal punishment and torment. The worst thing is that this will be away from God and everyone else. There is no partying in hell – partying is in heaven with Jesus, the angels and all the other believers. 

The tragedy is that no one needs go to hell. Everyone can go to heaven but only if they accept Jesus’ gift.  Most people hope to get to heaven by their good works but the truth is that no one can ever do enough to satisfy a perfect God – only Jesus did that.

As Randy Alcorn recounts in his book Edge of Eternity: I (Jesus) loved you as you were but I loved you too much to let you stay that way. Rather than give up on you, I gave myself up for you. I chose to go to hell for you rather than go to heaven without you. The gift I extended to you is free but not cheap. It costs you nothing. It cost me everything.

Christians used to be happy to talk about hell but I think it usually came liberally laced with condemnation, judgement and hypocrisy. No one wanted to listen to that.

People need to know how much God loves them and has a wonderful plan and purpose for their lives. They do not need or want to be told they are sinners – they know that. What they need to know is that there is a Saviour who came to rescue them from their sin and its consequence.

Christians who know the love of God and live in it are a powerful witness to those still struggling to make sense of life. They can talk about the terrors of hell and the wonders of heaven with Godly conviction and love.

Christians have been intimidated and become embarrassed to speak about hell for fear of offending people. The thing is though that thousands are going to hell daily because we have been frightened into not talking about it.

Today I believe as Christians we need to learn afresh how to speak about heaven and hell in love and grace and talk about the wonderful gift  of eternal life in heaven that Jesus holds out to all who come to him.

I believe the Holy Spirit will help us if we trust him to be our teacher and guide. Let’s not be put off from declaring the truth but with great grace let’s promote truth about eternity as God gives us opportunity.