Weekly Devotional 4-28-25 The Continuance of Life
Is there life after the death of one’s physical experience or does life continue? This question has been the subject of many discussions over the years, some concluding that when one’s body dies, that is the end of conscious life, and others concluding that there is continuance of conscious life. Many of those I know or know of are in their advance years (I, myself am 82 years old) and the question of life after death or not, is quite relevant. The purpose of this devotional is not to continue the argument but to present the Biblical perspective.
From 2nd Samuel 12 we read about the consequence of David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the death of the child born of that union. The child died and David greatly mourned while the child lay dying, but when the child had passed David ended his mourning because he believed that he would see his child again. His testimony was, He cannot come to me, but I shall go to him. (See 2nd Samuel 12:1-23). David believed in life after death.
From the conversation between Martha and Jesus we are assured that there is life after death. Lazarus had died and his death prompted the mentioned conversation. “21 ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’ 23 Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24 Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ 25 Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ 27 ‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.’” (John 11:21-27). Jesus words “whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (Vs.26) looks past the physical part of man to his spirit. Man is body, soul, and Spirit (See 1st Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12). Jesus said that those who believe in Him would never die. He could not have been referring to man’s physical nature, because Lazarus believed in Him, yet he had died. Jesus therefore was saying to Martha that those who believe in Him will never experience the death of their spirit.
The apostle Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthian church wrote of being absent from the body but present with the Lord. Consider…. “1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him” (2nd Corinthians 5:1-9).
These wonderful assurances only apply to he or she who has believed (trusted) in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Life after death is also assured to those who have not believed, who have not trusted in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, but it is a continuum of life recognizing what they have forsook. Please read the account of the rich man and another man named Lazarus recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 16:19-31). According to the account when Lazarus died, he was transported into Paradise, eternal bliss. When the rich man died, he was transported into Hades, a place of eternal pain and anguish. The point is, there was a continuum of life for both. It is the same for you and me, for all people. The question is, where will you, where will I be in our continuance of life? Paradise (heaven) or Hades (hell)? Everyone who has believed God and trusted in Jesus will be with Him in eternal bliss. Everyone who has not believed God and trusted in Jesus will eternally experience pain and anguish.
“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 3:18)…..“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” (John 3:36). Blessings!
Transforming Power; The Work of God on Behalf of Man