Weekly Devotional 1-27-20 What Happens After Our Last Breath
When we draw our last breath, and someday we will, what then? Is death the end of one’s existence, or does life continue? With certainty, it can be positively stated that every person who has reached the age of understanding and is not mentally impaired has wondered about this, admitted or not. Some claim that there is no afterlife and that such a belief is a fairy-tail but is such a claim provable. The body does die that cannot be denied, but is that all there is to man?
The Bible says otherwise. For instance, the writer of the book of Hebrews makes a clear distinction between the body soul and spirit of man. Consider: “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Jesus told Nicodemus that one must be reborn spiritually (not reborn physically) to see or enter the kingdom of heaven (See John 3:1-8). The reason for this is that man is spiritually dead toward God until being regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
The apostle Paul affirms this in his letter to the Ephesians. He wrote: “1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:1-7). In this letter, Paul clearly distinguished between body and spirit.
Atheists believe this physical universe is all that exists, and that human beings do not have a spiritual aspect to our existence. The idea of an afterlife requires the existence of a spiritual aspect of human life. Therefore, atheists deny the afterlife because they deny the existence of God. They recognize that an afterlife is only possible if there is God who created humanity with a spiritual aspect that carries on after physical death. Denying the existence of heaven (and hell) is a necessity for atheists because they recognize that belief in the afterlife ultimately must lead to belief in the spiritual, which ultimately leads to belief in God.
So, in that man is more than just a corporal body, we come back to the question, what happens after we draw our last breath?
Jesus answers that question for us in his account of the rich man and Lazarus: “19 There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. 20 But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, 21 desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. 26 And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’ 27 Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead'” (Luke 16:19-31).
As to man’s corporal body, the Bible also affirms that there will be a resurrection of man’s corporal body, and he will stand before the Lord either to receive a reward or condemnation for how He lived during this lifetime. We read from Revelation 20:11-15: “11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
The question is, has your/my name been written in the Lamb’s (Jesus’) book of life? Romans 8:1-8 tells us that “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
I close with these two verses:
John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com