Life After Death

Philippians 1:21-26

         Paul is acknowledging the concern of his friends.  He addresses the uncertainty of his future.  In so doing, he has something to say both about life and death.

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INTRO:  Thursday night most of us are going to have visitors knock on our doors.  Depending on your particular disposition you may or may not be particularly happy to have them.  But keep this in mind.  These visitors will be content with a couple pieces of cheap candy and a remark about how cute or scary they are.  Many who knock on our doors at other times during the year expect you to go looking for your checkbook or reach for your wallet.

Some of those candy greedy visitors will appear as beautiful princesses or as brave superheroes.  You know Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella or characters like Flash, Wolverine, Storm, Superman, and Super Girl.  Well, around here maybe you won’t have a Wolverine but who knows.

But I suspect a good many of your visitors will come as ghosts, zombies, and vampires.  Ghosts are always popular at Halloween.  We were once caught short at Halloween and sent the boys out with ghost costumes made with flowered sheets.  We told them to explain that they were “designer ghosts.”  Of course, the vampires won’t be old-school vampires; these “undead” will will be just fine out in the sunlight, except for some twinkling maybe.

Right now, the walking dead (zombies) and vampires are big.  The “Twilight Series” has made millions of dollars exploring the lives of history’s most beautiful vampires and even Brad Pitt has made a Zombie movie.  What’s up with that?

Sociologists and anthropologists might have a different answer but I think it all reflects the hope that somehow death is not the end.

A 2005 survey of American opinion revealed that nearly 80% of us believe there is a life after death.

Of course, not everyone believes that.  Many Americans, including some liberal theologians believe that this is it, that there is not life beyond the grave, that the Biblical talk of heaven is a “metaphor”.

A sizable number of Americans fall into a category we might call “the naturalists.”

According to these folks, driven by radical Darwinism,  what we see around us is all there is.   Death is the end;  there is no soul to live on in eternity.  You’ve heard it before.  Remember Carl Sagan’s “The cosmos is all there is, or ever was, or ever will be.”  You hear the same notion echoed on Bones and even The Big Bang Theory from time to time.  

To believe anything else is absurd and unscientific.  Of course, not every scientist believes that; some remember that the Biblical worldview is the source of modern science.

These naturalists may say that if you're lucky, you may 'live on' in the memories of your friends.  That’s as close to immortality as you can expect.

 I remember a TV program about a young woman who was suffering from a terminal illness.  A naturalist, she had no room for God in her worldview.  

As the story unfolded she was seeking permission to be frozen, stored in a cryogenic chamber until a cure for her disease could be found.

The problem was that if she waited until the disease had taken its natural course, there would be little left of her mind to revive.  So she sought permission from the courts to be killed so she could be preserved before the disease had ravaged her brain.

I don't remember the outcome, but at one point in the courtroom debate she pleaded with the judge, "This is my only hope!"  

I was disturbed by the story, but I realized that, given her world-view,  the deep cold of that chamber was her only hope.

 This viewpoint is really quite ancient.  Epicureans of Paul's day would say, "Eat, Drink...for tomorrow we will die."

Throughout history men and women have asked themselves some variant of the following questions.  Can you believe that death is truly the end?  Don't you feel that there is something within you that death cannot destroy?

Louis Pasteur was one of the greatest scientists of his age;  his accomplishments saved millions of lives, but he could not stop the death of his daughter.  Listen to his words spoken at her deathbed: "I know only scientifically determined truth, but I am going to believe what I want to believe, what I cannot help but believe--I expect to meet this dear child in another world."

Wishful thinking?  If it is, it is the 'wishful thinking' of almost every race and culture.

Before we move on to the Biblical view of life after death, I need to say something about the notion of reincarnation.

In 1999 some reports suggested that 30% of Americans believed in reincarnation.  I’m not sure how much we should rely on that figure.  The concept of “serial rebirth” as taught by Eastern Religions is a little more complex than it’s portrayed in popular literature and movies.  Far too many women and a few men have believed they were the reincarnation of Cleopatra.

Of course, not every person who embraces reincarnation believes they were once someone famous.  I read about a woman who always felt guilt about her conspicuous consumption. With the help of a medium she 'discovered' that she had once been a slave and the unconscious memory of that austere life created her guilt.  Graciously, the medium told her it was okay to spend in this life.

To some degree the belief in reincarnation in America reflects how many of us are willing to treat religious issues like the items on a salad bar.  It's like those people who pick and eat the pepperoni off a sausage and pepperoni pizza because they don't like sausage and cheese.

In Eastern religions, reincarnation is not something to be celebrated;  reincarnation is a burden because it prolongs our association with a bleak and broken world.

Then, too, I question the statistic because I’m sure some confused “reincarnation” and “resurrection.”  In reincarnation you die and come back several times, each time as someone else or something else.  In resurrection, you die once and come back as you--only different.  

 Let it suffice to cite the writer of Hebrews:  "...each person is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment." (9:29)  The word "once" means "a single time" and should make it clear that the Bible does not support the idea of reincarnation.

The Bible tells us we live once, we die once, and what happens after that death is determined by the decisions we make in this life, in particular, the decisions we make regarding Jesus Christ.

We could explore other options but I want to spend my remaining time looking at the Biblical notion of life after death.

As we begin, let me share another statistic.  Rodney Stark cites a study conducted by Baylor University which reports that 63% of Americans are certain heaven exists and another 19% are “pretty sure” heaven exist.  By the way, that belief doesn’t vary with the age of those answering.  Young and old believe in heaven.  Interestingly, Muslims were not included in the survey but they, too, believe in heaven.  By the way, some of the media’s portrayal of the Muslim heaven is not necessarily what all Muslim’s believe.

Statistics can be enlightening but let’s look at what Paul says.

 Paul knew he would face death one day, whether in prison from the axe of a Roman executioner, in a storm-tossed sea, on a dusty road at the hands of highwaymen, or in a borrowed bed in the home of some hospitable saint.

 Paul had some uncertainty about the outcome of the trial he was to face.  But he knew that the matter was in God's hands, so he did not wish to be presumptuous.  

Still, he had no uncertainty in the face of death.  He makes a confession filled with assurance:  "To depart and be with Christ is far, far better than this life." 

Keep in mind that believing in heaven, believing that through Christ we will spend a joyous eternity with God, is not a denial of the good things of this life.  Yet, Christians have consistently believed that heaven is “a better place.”

That declaration reflects the fundamental perspective expressed in the words "to die is gain."   These are not the words of a world-weary escapist, who can't handle the demands of life.  No, he makes it clear--"to live is Christ".  

He is saying, "As rich as my fellowship with Christ is here, I know it will be richer beyond the grave."

 The word translated "depart" is the same used for a ship setting out on a journey or for troops breaking camp and setting out to a new location.  The Christian who dies is going somewhere, going to be with Christ.

Paul does not use many words to make his point, this is no theological treatise on what happens to us after death.  One thing is clear, however, Paul is convinced that upon his death he will be immediately in the presence of Christ. 

We don’t have the time to explore all that Paul means when he refers to dying as "gain."  It's a big issue and I don't claim to have all the answers but I do believe the notion of spending eternity in a heavenly choir is too limiting.

Several words come to mind that I think will apply to that life beyond this life.  Those words include worship, service, fellowship, discovery, and rest.  

 This is the substance of Paul's assurance--why he could look death in the face and not blink.  It was this assurance which enabled him to shout, "O Death, where is your victory."

IMPLICATIONS

What are some of the implications of what Paul has to say about dying, about life after death?

1)  The Christian hope of life after death does not preclude feelings of ambivalence about death.

Paul knew that if he lived, he would continue to be actively involved in ministry and enjoy a constant, enriching relationship with Christ.  He also knew that if he were executed he would have a richer, fuller relationship with Christ, a relationship not possible this side of death.

Paul could have said, "In the matter of living and dying, you can't lose when you're in Christ."

We might be tempted to face death with regret about work left undone or regrets about leaving behind loved ones.  It seems a very human thing to do.  As with Paul, this is a time for committing ourselves to the sovereignty of God.

2)  The Christian hope of life after death does not negate the reality of grief.

 Alec Motyer: 

          "The fact that [our deceased loved ones] are experiencing 

          the supremely best lightens but does not take away 

          the fact that our experience is loss, loneliness and

          great joys now irretrievably gone--however   

          much we know that they will be transcended 

          by the 'joyful reunion in the heavenly places.'"

Over thirty years ago my father died.  I still miss him.  I still wish he could see how his grandsons have grown; meet his delightful great-grandson.  Grief knows no statute of limitations.  If you've lost a loved one, you  know that--even years later--your loss can reach out and touch you with a twinge of pain.

The antidote to such pain isn't time or denial;  it's the hope we have that allows us to release our loved ones into the care of a gracious Savior.

3)  The Christian hope is focused more on a Person than a place.

For all the Bible may tell us about the architecture of Heaven, it continues to bring us back to the fact that we will be in the presence of God.

John makes a key point about the new heaven and new earth with these words:

 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! 

God's dwelling place is now among the people,

 and he will dwell with them. 

They will be his people, 

and 

God himself will be with them and be their God.

Paul celebrates the fact that to die is to be with Christ.  

We should never forget:  That Person is supremely trustworthy.  

As he stood near a friend’s tomb, he said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live....”

The confidence we have in Christ shapes our view of death.  Recently, I heard a Muslim scholar speak about the Islamic view of death.  The Muslim believer who has died comes to a place of judgment, where his or her sins will be measured against his or her good works.  Despite a lifetime of attempting to live as a faithful Muslim, it remains a moment of uncertainty.  No one knows how the scales will tip.

That is such a different picture than the one which Jesus suggested the night before his crucifixion.  

JN 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 

 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have 

told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.  

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

 I will come back and take you to be

with me that you also may be where I am.

4)  The Christian hope of life after death may give us a new courage as disciples.

Throughout the history of the church, men and women have found courage in this promise of life beyond death. 

In 1984 Mehdi Dibaj was arrested by the Iranian government for the crime of apostasy (he had converted to Christianity from Islam--a crime punishable by death).  He spent ten years in prison awaiting his trail.  Finally, in late 1993, his case came to trial.  In 

his written defense he made the following statement:

        "[Jesus Christ] is our Saviour and He is the Son of God.  To know 

Him means to know eternal life.  I, a useless sinner, have believed in His 

beloved person and all His words and miracles recorded in the Gospel, and 

I have committed my life into His hands.  Life for me is an opportunity to 

serve Him, and death is a better opportunity to be with Christ.  Therefore 

I am not only satisfied to be in prison for the honour of His Holy Name, 

but am ready to give my life for the sake of Jesus my Lord...."

        On 12 December 1993 he was sentenced to be executed but under extreme pressure from the US State Department, he was released in January 1994.  Seven months later his body was found in a Tehran park.  He was the third Christian murdered after his release and some Christian groups suspect complicity by the Iranian government.

Conclusion

The vampires and zombies who will come to your door Thursday night will be having too much fun to think deep theological thoughts.  But I think they represent a universal human longing when the question of death is raised.  That longing can be met with one word.

The Christian view of life after death gives us a new perspective on death, a perspective summed up in that word "hope."