Setting Sail on a Quest(ion) about Heaven and Hell – An Afterlife of Resurrection (Part IV)
Sermon Title: Setting Sail on a Quest(ion) – An Afterlife of Resurrection
Good News Statement: Jesus invites us to experience the reality of an afterlife
Preached: Sunday, June 22nd, 2025 at Dogwood Prairie and Seed Chapel UMC
Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.
Scripture (NRSVUE): Luke 18:18-25 Heaven and Hell: two words that have captured the curiosity, imagination, and wonder of millions of people across several centuries. One of those words brings forth comfort and peace, an image of green pastures and still waters, and hope and eternal salvation. The other word subjugates fear, darkness, and a feeling of being at the lowest point. Today, we are given a choice. May the hearing and understanding of this scripture add a blessing to your life.
The Rich Ruler
18 A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.’ ” 21 He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 23 But when he heard this, he became sad, for he was very rich. 24 Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”
The following Sermon Series will be drawn from the words of Biblical Scholar, Alan W. Gomes, who explores 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell in his book 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell.
Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018.
Introduction:
In the ethereal[1] expanse of the cosmos, there exists a realm beyond mortal comprehension: it’s known as heaven. It is not a place dictated by religious dogma or mythical tales but rather a destination for all souls after their mortal journey concludes. In this celestial sanctuary, souls find themselves liberated from the constraints of physical existence: those who were tired, weak, and carrying heavy burdens have found rest (Matthew 11:28). They are met with an abundance of peace, harmony, and boundless opportunities for growth and fulfillment. Yet, amidst this infinite splendor, a conflict simmers—one not of divine decree, but of existential choice. Among the myriad of souls that populate Heaven, there exists a divergence in belief regarding its nature. Some perceive Heaven as a utopia, a paradise where individual desires reign supreme, and personal satisfaction is paramount. Others hold a different perspective. They believe that Heaven’s true essence lies in collective goodwill, in the shared bonds of love, empathy, and compassion. Is that really what Heaven is like?
For some, the opposite of this heavenly celestial sanctuary is Hell: the abode of the “unredeemed dead.”[2] In its archaic sense, the term Hell refers to the underworld, a deep pit or distant land of shadows where the dead are gathered. From the underworld its most terrible precincts sinners pay—some say eternally—the penalty for their crimes. The underworld is often imagined as a place of punishment rather than merely of darkness and decomposition because of the widespread belief that a moral universe requires judgment and retribution—crime must pay. More broadly, Hell figures in religious cosmologies as the opposite of heaven, “the nadir[3] of the cosmos,”[4] and the land where God is not. Hell itself is the preeminent symbol of evil, alienation, and despair. Is that really what Hell is like?
Heaven and Hell: two words that have captured the curiosity, imagination, and wonder of millions of people across several centuries. One of those words brings forth comfort and peace, an image of green pastures and still waters, hope and renewal, grace and eternal salvation, empathy and compassion. The other word subjugates fear, worry, devastation, darkness, despair, and a feeling of being at the lowest point—walking in the shadows of the valley of death. These two words have caught the attention of both religious and non-religious persons throughout the ages: asking what is heaven like and what is hell like? Even those who have chosen to believe in the words of Jesus Christ wonder about heaven and hell: asking what do I need to do to be in heaven and what do I need to do to avoid hell?
For the next few weeks, with the help of Alan W. Gomes, a professor of theology at Talbot School of Theology, we will be taking time to examine both Heaven and Hell from a biblical perspective. In his book, 40 Questions about Heaven and Hell, Gomes asks questions such as: “What should we conclude about those who claim to have seen heaven or hell?, What will the resurrected body be like?, What is hell like?, What is heaven like?, and How can a God of love send people to an eternal hell?” Most of us are familiar with the concepts of Heaven and Hell, but yet we still have questions. The time has come to examine a few of those questions as we explore the celestial sanctuary and dive into the abode of the unredeemed.
Body:
One of the foundational principles of Christianity is the belief that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died and was resurrected into eternal life. The Bible promises that those who believe in God will also experience a life after death. Eternal life is clearly present in the scriptures, though the specifics remain a mystery to those of us still living. Have you ever thought about the afterlife? What it looks like? What will be there? Who will be there?
For centuries, theologians, scholars, and believers and non-believers alike have been fascinated—at least curious—about the afterlife—the “life” that happens after death, postmortem. Some have proclaimed to have witnessed and even been to some sort of an afterlife, suggesting that there is something after one takes their last breath. Others openly confess that there is no such thing as an afterlife; when one breathes their last breath that’s it.
For the past two weeks, we have looked at two places upon which the Bible describes as being abodes for the dead, places defined as “the afterlife.” Hell is the place for the wicked—those punished for eternity by agonizing flames that burn but never consume. Heaven is the place where perfection and completion reside in the presence of God’s throne and glory. We long for the day to experience an afterlife in heaven, and we pray for those who will be experiencing eternity in the afterlife of hell. For us who have chosen to follow Christ, the concept of the afterlife is not new to us; rather, it is something that we are preparing today to experience when our time comes to “fly away.” We know that when we close our eyes and breathe our last breath there’s something else.
This leads us to the next question in our sermon series. The question, proposed by Alan W. Gomes is “What are the most common views of life after death?” To answer this question, we must answer the following questions: What does the Bible say about the “afterlife” in general? How do people view the “afterlife”? And how are we supposed to approach the “afterlife”?
Movement One: How People View “Afterlife”
Let’s begin with the question of “How people view the ‘afterlife’?” In order to answer this question, I want to share with you a few statistics that were published several years ago concerning American’s views of the afterlife. Let’s begin with one of the most current and large-scale surveys that provided a window into American religious opinion: The General Social Survey or The GSS, conducted between 1972 and 2014. The data from this survey showed that a solid majority of American adults retain at least some commitment to such core issues as belief in God (78 percent) and prayer (85 percent).[5] This is good news, considering that belief in Christianity was below 60% just a few years ago. Today, the belief in Christianity is on the rise. According to a recent Pew Research[6] survey, “After many years of steady decline—[from 2007-2022]—the share of Americans who identify as Christians shows signs of [growth] at slightly above six-in-ten people.”[7] To give you an idea of what this means, the study highlights that in 2007 those who thought Christianity was important was 78%, it dropped to 71% in 2014, then dropped again in 2019 to 63%, and then dropped yet again below 60% in 2022. In the span of 15 years, the importance of Christianity—faith, belief, trust in God, attending religious events, etc.—decreased almost 20%: that’s over one percent each year. And there are several factors feeding into that decline.[8] But today, the belief in Christianity has increased from below 60% to 63% and people have a higher belief in and God and prayer as a result. People do believe, but why do they believe?
However, the General Social Survey did indicate that in 2014 there were “eight-times more 18 to 29 year-olds who never prayed versus those who prayed in 1980.”[9] The survey also suggested that “American adults in the 2010s were less religious than those in previous decades… [And] Americans in 2014 were less likely to say they believed in God: in the late 1980s, only 13% of U.S. adults expressed serious doubts about the existence of God…. By 2014, 22% expressed doubts…”[10] which is reflected in the decrease in Christian belief in the Pew Research survey. Despite a decreasing belief in God, prayer, and religious doctrine overall, “Americans now register a slight increase in affirming the existence of an afterlife.”[11] And believe it or not, this increase also includes those who are otherwise nonreligious and of other belief traditions.
For example, based upon a 2008 study of the “afterlife,” about six-in-ten American Hindus believe in reincarnation also known as “transmigration of souls.” Reincarnation refers to the belief that the atman, the real or core self, lives on after death and takes on a new body. Thus, a single soul will live a succession of existences in different forms but is itself eternal. Furthermore, Americans who identify with the Buddhist tradition, about six-in-ten profess belief in the attainment of nirvana at death, understood as the ultimate state transcending pain, greed, hatred, and desire within a person. Thus, nirvana signifies the end of a perpetual cycle of death and rebirth. Lastly, it has been stated that American Muslims believe in heaven and hell in greater numbers than the population as a whole. Most Muslims believe that the soul will enter Barzakh, a state of waiting, until the Day of Judgment. When a person dies, their soul is taken by Azra’il, the Angel of Death. God sends two angels to question the waiting soul. This is all to say, that Christians are not the only ones who think about the afterlife as part of their religious experience. So we are not alone when it comes to the idea and concept of an afterlife.
Drawing back to the Pew Research Center, a survey of 35,000 Americans, updated in 2014, found that a strong majority of Americans (72%) believe in an afterlife, specifically heaven; and 58% of Americans affirm a belief in hell which is understood as a place “where people who have led bad lives and die without repenting are eternally punished.”[12] The Baylor Religion Survey conducted in 2006-2007 also concluded similar findings: 82% of Americans believe in heaven, while 73% believe that hell absolutely or probably exists. Based upon these two surveys, it’s interesting to note that the belief in heaven is just slightly more common than a belief in hell, which could stem from a variety of factors.
The last statistic I will share with you regarding how some people view the afterlife may be surprising to some of you. The General Social Survey, found that many Americans have a “friendly” posture toward the afterlife that correlates to a self “entitlement mentality”. Essentially, many Americans expect the afterlife to grant them special privileges without effort. They want the afterlife to be what they want it to be, to have everything they want it to have, and to be something that is all about them. And, they want to receive this afterlife without any sort of effort. It’s almost as if they see themselves as deserving spiritual rewards or blessings due to their special status.[13] We will return to this idea towards the end of this message.
Needless to say, Americans overwhelmingly believe in an afterlife. They have some sort of view or idea of what happens to them when they breathe their last breath. The next question we need to look at is “What does the Bible say about the ‘afterlife’ in general?
Movement Two: Biblical Afterlife
For the past two weeks, we barely scratched the surface of how the Bible defines and describes both heaven and hell, and what we need to do to live in heaven and what we need to do to avoid the eternal flames of agonizing punishment in hell. Although we barely scratched the surface, what was shared was enough to get us thinking about how we need to be living our life today so that we get the opportunity to live with God for eternity in the “land that outshines the sun” and is way “beyond the blue.” God has an afterlife waiting for us, but how does the Bible portray the idea of afterlife without referencing heaven or hell? To this, we now turn to some Biblical passages.
The Bible doesn’t specifically use the phrase “the afterlife” when talking about what happens when one dies. Actually, the Bible, on several occasions, mentions that when we die, we go to Sheol, the grave, and wait to be resurrected in a new “spiritual body” that is not temporal but eternal when Christ comes to “judge the living and the dead” (2 Timothy 4:1). Here is what the Bible says about the afterlife, though: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all” (Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 146:4). Those who are alive will know that they will die. If the writer of Ecclesiastes is speaking the truth about death, then when we die, we no longer exist. We can’t think, act, or feel anything. I wonder if that is why we are given a new resurrected body (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).[14]
But death is not the end of everything. The Bible teaches that God can awaken the dead as if from sleep and give them life again. God selects a limited number of faithful Christians who will be resurrected to life in heaven. They will serve alongside Jesus as kings and priests for 1,000 years according to Revelation 5:10 and 20:6. They will form the “new heavens,” or heavenly government, that will rule over the “new earth,” or earthly society (2 Peter 3:13). Those heavenly rulers will help restore humankind to the conditions that God originally intended. So God will awake—will resurrect—faithful believers of Christ to join with Him in the afterlife. They will “live” again!
This resurrection to life in heaven, is called “the first resurrection” and “the earlier resurrection”. Both expressions imply that there is another resurrection to follow. The Bible says in Acts 24:15 that “there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”[15] The resurrection to life on earth will occur during the Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ, when the earth will be transformed into a paradise, the place Jesus promised to one of the criminals on the cross (Luke 23:39-43). Therefore, the afterlife we talk about—specifically, the one we long to experience as believers of Christ—is a form of resurrection, a new life in and with Christ. It’s where we “live” again!
Furthermore the Old Testament offers a few verses regarding the afterlife. Hosea 13:14 states, “Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from Death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your destruction? Compassion is hidden from my eyes”; and Psalm 49:15 asserts, “But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.” The beginning of our afterlife begins when God rescues us from the “power of Sheol”—from the power of darkness, destruction, pain, suffering, and worry. A few chapters later, the Psalmist wrote, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26). We may fail on this earth, but God is always with us guiding us to a resurrected afterlife. Jesus would call this salvation. John Wesley would call this “Christian Perfection”—a moment in our life where we have been forgiven of our sins and have overcome the temptations of this world and have been set free.
Moving to the New Testament, we are given additional views of the afterlife from the Apostle Paul and John. Paul notes in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.” According to Paul, those who die for Christ will not die with grief in their heart or lack of hope in their faith, but will rise again, as Jesus did, in God’s presence.
Paul wrote on the afterlife in his first epistle—letter—to the people of Corinth. First Corinthians notes, “For since death came through a human, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human, for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). Because of Christ’s death, a human but also divine, we may die as a human but live again in righteousness in Christ. First Corinthians notes again, “So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:42-45). We may die as a perishable, dishonored, weak, having a physical body, human, but in the afterlife with Christ we will be resurrected as an imperishable, glorified, powerful being with a spiritual body. We will be clothed with the newness and righteousness of God. Lastly, 1 Corinthians 15:54-55 tells us, “When this perishable body puts on imperishability and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” The promise of an afterlife with God conquers the victory and sting of death: death is no match for the glory and power of God if you believe in him and trust in and have faith that he is doing something in your life to change your life. If you don’t believe me, then just think how death had no victory over Jesus but how Jesus had victory over death. Jesus died on the cross but was resurrected three days later and walked out of the tomb. We are victorious in the afterlife with Jesus.
Moving to John, we hear similar words. In John 14:2-3, Jesus says, “I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Jesus is willing to take us where he is. Jesus wants us to be with him in the afterlife, but do you want to be with Jesus in the afterlife? John 11:25-26 shares, “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” His words sound congruent with the 23rd Psalm: “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me…” (Psalm 23:4). The afterlife we long to experience is found in the belief we have in Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, and who allows us to live through him overcoming fears and evil. To die with Christ in your heart is to live with Christ where he is. However, we must believe in him. Do you believe in Jesus?
Before reciting Jesus’ description of himself, John quotes Jesus in John 5:25 when he says, “Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.” For those who hear Jesus calling will be saved. For those who hear Jesus calling will be given a new life. For those who hear Jesus calling will be resurrected in the afterlife. Do you hear Jesus calling? Lastly, we are reminded of those famous words from John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” If you believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, if you believe in his message, if you believe in his saving grace, if you believe in his unconditional love, you will not perish but have eternal life with him in the afterlife. Do you believe in him? Do you hear him calling?
The idea or concept of the “afterlife” is not directly mentioned in scripture. However, we are given countless ways to make sure that we can be resurrected in the presence of Jesus Christ. Last week I shared several scripture passages that help us get into heaven. Luke 4:18 encourages us to care for those less fortunate than us. Isaiah 1:17 informs us to “learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.” First Thessalonians 5:17-18 motivates us to “pray without ceasing [and] give thanks in all circumstances.” King Solomon notes in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Paul told the people of Ephesus in Ephesians 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” And Mark 12:30-31 provides us with two of the most important tasks to make sure we are resurrected in the presence of Jesus Christ: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Scripture also tells us to seek repentance of our sins, ask for forgiveness and give forgiveness, to let go of those things that are keeping you from experiencing the fullness of Christ, to make sure that your faith is strong enough to make you well, that your faith is committed enough to lead to salvation, and that your faith is hopeful enough to get you to other side, and take time to be holy, worship the Lord, be in fellowship, and find ways to be the hands and feet and body of Christ. And now, to experience a righteous afterlife, we are called to believe in Jesus Christ: so that everyone who believes will not perish but have eternal life with Jesus.
Scripture is loaded with ways to make sure that the afterlife you experience is an afterlife of resurrection. Scripture is packed with instructions upon which need to be followed to experience an afterlife of resurrection. Scripture is brimming with reminders of what can happen in our life if we listen and live out the teachings of Jesus Christ—a promised afterlife of resurrection is in our future. And scripture is filled with hope for an afterlife of resurrection if we truly decide to believe in Jesus Christ. There is an afterlife of resurrection waiting for you, but what are you doing to make sure that God’s promise becomes a reality? What are you doing to let God know that you not only hear Jesus but that you believe in Jesus? This leads us to asking the question “What does this mean for our faith?”
Movement Three: Why are you Seeking a Resurrection in the Afterlife?
What does all this mean for us today? Why is it important to view the afterlife in Christ as a means of resurrection? I want to return to a finding that I shared about the afterlife. The General Social Survey, found that many Americans have a “friendly” posture toward the afterlife that correlates to a self “entitlement mentality”. They want the afterlife to be what they want it to be, to have everything they want it to have, and to be something that is all about them. And they want to receive this afterlife without any sort of effort. Based upon what we have found in scripture, to have an afterlife of resurrection in Christ, it is not effortless but hard-work. It is not what we desire but what we need, and it is not a reflection of self-entitlement but a reflection of God-entitlement—a belief in Him.
I was thinking about this finding and my thinking led to the story of the Rich Ruler. The story of the Rich Ruler is found in Luke 18:18-23: “A certain ruler asked [Jesus], ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery. You shall not murder. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.’ [The Rich Ruler] replied, ‘I have kept all these since my youth.’ When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when he heard this, he became sad, for he was very rich.”
Notice that this Rich Ruler was living a life by which the commandments were being followed. At this point, he probably felt pretty good about being able to inherit eternal life. But then, Jesus calls him out: Jesus needs the Rich Ruler to sell all that he owns and distribute the money to the poor. In doing so, the Rich Ruler will have treasure—a new life—in heaven. However, as the text says, the Rich Ruler “became sad, for he was very rich.” The Gospel of Matthew says that the Rich Man left “grieving,” and in the Gospel of Mark, the Rich Ruler is said to be “grieving” and “shocked.” The Rich Ruler did not like hearing what Jesus needed him to do to inherit eternal life. Sound familiar to any of you. Being told to do something that you really don’t want to do….
I would make the case that the Rich Ruler viewed eternal life—the afterlife—as a means of self-entitlement with special privileges. The Rich Ruler was already doing good, but Jesus needed him to do more and he couldn’t do it. The Rich Ruler viewed eternal life as a place where all of his wealth, where all of his riches, where all of his earthly possessions would be: whatever he earned and bought on this earth would be in the afterlife. Depending on how rich he was, he probably had servants; therefore, he more than likely thought that his servants would be there too. He wanted to inherit eternal life on his own terms, his way, with his own methods, without any additional effort. He wanted to inherit eternal life without fully believing in the power of Jesus Christ. He believed more in his earthly possessions and wealth than he did in the new life that Jesus would give him.
I think sometimes we can be like the Rich Ruler. We think we are living a good life and are on our way to inherit eternal life, but when Jesus needs us to do more we back off. We don’t want to do it. We don’t think we can do it. We can’t see the outcome in a way that benefits us. We envision the afterlife—eternal life—through our own eyes instead of through the eyes of Jesus Christ. We want eternal life to be what we want it to be instead of what it needs to be—a place of resurrection, a place of new life, a place of new beginnings. We get self-absorbed in “special privileges” that we forget what Jesus is calling us to do. We are promised eternal life, but we are also told to set aside the treasures of this life so that we can have treasures in heaven. We are promised eternal life, but we are also told we need to make an effort—like Zacchaeus did when he climbed that sycamore tree to see Jesus.
I see the story of the Rich Ruler being played out in a blogpost shared by Lori Schumaker, an associate at Amazon. In her blogpost titled “How Jesus Saved Me and Showed me My True Worth and Hope,” she highlights the story of a person named Erica Dunomes. Dunomes shares her testimony of how Jesus saved her from a life of self-destruction, shame, and hopelessness. Jesus gave her a new name and a new destiny, transforming her life completely.[16] Dunomes wrote:
Life got better for me after Jesus came into it. I started spending time with Him, getting to know him through reading His Word. I would pray and ask Him to reveal Himself to me and help me to understand what I read….In spite of the new changes, life in Christ did not get easier. Satan got busier. Many issues arose…. Yet, through all of it, God remained unchanging. Having been saved for almost twenty years now, I’ve come to realize that all those years ago, it wasn’t really about what I needed. It was all about Who I needed. I needed Jesus…
Did you catch what she said? She said, “…it wasn’t really about what I needed. It was all about who I needed. I needed Jesus.” When it comes to inheriting eternal life, we must realize that it takes work, it requires effort. When it comes to inheriting eternal life, we must realize that it’s not about us doing things to benefit us; rather it’s about realizing that we what we need to do is what Jesus needs us to do. When it comes to inheriting eternal life, we must realize that eternal life comes from believing that we need Jesus. To experience a resurrected life in the afterlife, we must not be the Rich Ruler, but rather be the faithful servant that God needs us to be. We all want eternal life with Christ, but our need for eternal life is more prominent than our want because all that we need to live a life eternal is already in heaven. And if we live as if heaven is in our heart, then we have what is needed to be resurrected in Christ. We can’t think of the afterlife as something that we want because it benefits us; rather we must think of the afterlife as something that we need because it changes us and draws us closer to Christ.
Conclusion:
There is an afterlife. There is an afterlife with Jesus Christ. And based upon the surveys shared earlier, a good majority of Americans believe there is an afterlife. However, how we interpret the afterlife is left to our discretion. Scripture wants us to interpret the afterlife as a means to being resurrected with Jesus. Jesus wants us to be made new. God wants us to begin our journey of eternal life with him. In order to make that happen, we must believe and trust in him and realize that the afterlife we want to have may not be the afterlife that we need. As you continue to think about what you need to do so that your journey will begin with Jesus, keep in mind the story of the Rich Ruler who failed to see what was needed to inherit eternal life: he was blinded by the possessions of his earthly life. Don’t become the Rich Ruler. Instead, become someone who lives their life today in such a way that demonstrates to God that a resurrection is possible tomorrow. Seek the treasures of heaven. Believe in Jesus. And seek an afterlife where Jesus lives, today, tomorrow, and always. Maybe, what we need to do is think of the afterlife with Jesus as our “journey’s just begun”? Hear these words:
Don’t think of me as gone away, My journey’s just begun
Life holds so many facets, This earth is only one.
Just think of me as resting from the sorrow and the tears.
In a place of warmth and comfort, Where there are not days and years
Think how I must be wishing, That we could know today
How nothing but our sadness, Can really pass away
And think of me as living in the hearts of those I’ve touched
For nothing loved is ever lost and I was loved so much.
I read this poem at my grandmother’s funeral back in 2022, and I have used it several times since then. I personally believe that the opening line should make us think about the hope found in what it means to believe in an afterlife that allows us to be resurrected in Jesus. The opening line is, “Don’t think of me as gone away, My journey’s just begun.” However you envision, think about, ponder, or wonder about the afterlife, Jesus invites us to view the afterlife as not something that ends our life but begins our life with him. An afterlife with Jesus is not the end but the beginning. An afterlife with Jesus is not short lived but eternal. An afterlife with Jesus is to be resurrected, it is to have your journey just begun. The afterlife is real; but will you be resurrected or will you go away sad when Jesus tells you what you need to do to inherit eternal life? Do you believe in the afterlife that he promises you or do you want something else?
Let it be so…
Closing Prayer:
Let us Pray… Dear God, help us to hear what you say when it comes to experiencing an afterlife where we are resurrected with you. May we seek the treasures of your Kingdom as we believe in you. In your name we pray, Amen.
Benediction:
There is an afterlife. In the afterlife with Jesus, we will be resurrected as our journey just begins: we will be made new, we will be set free. Don’t become the Rich Ruler and miss out on experiencing a new beginning with Christ. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth making choices that lead toward a heavenly tomorrow. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.
[1] Ethereal: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.
[2] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[3] Nadir: the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization
[4] Carol Zaleski, “Hell,” Britannica Online, updated 16 May 2025 and accessed 28 May 2025: https://www.britannica.com/topic/hell/Greece-and-Rome
[5] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 25.
[6] The Pew Research Center is a non-partisan American think tank based in Washington, D.C. It has been providing information on social issues, public opinions, religious understanding, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the world since 2004.
[7] Pew Research Center, “Decline of Christianity in the U.S. has slowed, May have Leveled Off,” published February 26, 2025. Accessed March 20, 2025. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/02/26/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off/
[8] Ibid.
[9] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 26.
[10] Ibid., pg. 26.
[11] Ibid., pg. 26.
[12] Alan W. Gomes (edited by Benjamin L. Merkle), 40 Questions About Heaven and Hell, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2018, pg. 27.
[13] Ibid., pg. 27
[14] When God spoke to Adam, after he was disobedient, God said to him: “Dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Before God created Adam, Adam did not exist. Likewise, when Adam died, he ceased to exist. The same thing happens to those who die now: “all returning to the dust.” (Ecclesiastes 3:19,20), to a form of “afterlife.”
[15] This later resurrection will be to life on earth, which will apply to the vast majority of those who have died.
[16] https://lorischumaker.com/how-jesus-saved-me/