There are many who believe that there is no life after death. That once you die, you remain in death’s grip, meaning there is nothing more. Many base their lives on that belief and live their entire lives with no hope, living only to please themselves. This is not new to our culture, even Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:32 says “If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”. That is the agony of death, that once we die there is nothing more. Death would keep us forever, and that is hopeless. It is in hopelessness that people decide to live only for themselves, to “eat and drink, for tomorrow we die”. Philippians 3:18 tells us, “For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.”
We who follow Jesus, follow someone who actually defeated death. We are told in Acts 2:24 “But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep Him in its grip” BSB. God released Jesus from the agony of death. Because of the power of God, it was impossible for the grip of death to hold Him. Jesus also had to power to raise Lazarus from the dead! Jesus defeated death! Life after death!
Is that not a wonderful hope? That we too will raise from the grip of death! There may still be sorrow in dying, being separated from loved ones, but that agony of death that we will go thru will not hold its grip on us! We will be raised to Heaven and there will be a new earth! There is life after death. Philippians 3:20 tells us, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself”. All things, life and death, are subject to Him. Let us live with Heaven in mind! We are a part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
2 Corinthians 5:4 “While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life”. NLT
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