Page 149 - Advanced Apologetics and World Views Revised

The Lesson …

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Is there some kind of life after someone dies?

The existence of life after death is a universal question. Job speaks for all of us by stating, “Man born of
woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting
shadow, he does not endure... If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:1-2, 14). Like Job, all of us have
been challenged by this question. Exactly what happens to us after we die? Do we simply cease to exist?
Is life a revolving door of departing and returning to earth in order to eventually achieve personal
greatness? Does everyone go to the same place, or do we go to different places? Is there really a heaven
and hell?

The only true source of information about eternity comes from one who is eternal: Jesus Christ and His
Word. So here is the Bible answer to these questions.

The Bible tells us that there is not only life after death, but eternal life so glorious that “no eye has seen,
no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1
Corinthians 2:9). Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to the earth to give us this gift of eternal life. “But
he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us
peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus took on the punishment that
all of us deserve and sacrificed His life to pay the penalty for our sin. Three days later, He proved Himself
victorious over death by rising from the grave. He remained on the earth for forty days and was
witnessed by hundreds before ascending to heaven. Romans 4:25 says, “He was delivered over to death
for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

The resurrection of the Christ is a well-documented event. The apostle Paul challenged people to
question eyewitnesses for its validity, and no one was able to contest its truth. The resurrection is the
cornerstone of the Christian faith. Because Christ was raised from the dead, we can have faith that we,
too, will be resurrected. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ultimate proof of life after death. Christ
was only the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again. Physical death came
through one man, Adam, to whom we are all related. But all who have been adopted into God’s family
through faith in Jesus Christ will be given new life (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). Just as God raised up Jesus’
body, so will our bodies be resurrected upon Jesus’ return (1 Corinthians 6:14).

Although we will all be eventually resurrected, not everyone will go to heaven. A choice must be made
by each person in this life, and this choice will determine one’s eternal destination. The Bible says that it
is appointed for us to die only once, and after that will come judgment
(Hebrews 9:27). Those who have been made righteous by faith in Christ
will go into eternal life in heaven, but those who reject Christ as Savior
will be sent to eternal punishment in hell (Matthew 25:46). Hell, like
heaven, is not simply a state of existence, but a literal place. It is a place
where the unrighteous will experience never-ending, eternal wrath from
God. Hell is described as a bottomless pit (Luke 8:31; Revelation 9:1) and
a lake of fire, burning with sulfur, where the inhabitants will be
tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelation 20:10). In hell,

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