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In week 4 of Life’s Big Questions, we consider the question of destiny. It’s the question we ponder we’re reminded of our own mortality. What question is that? Where am I headed after this life? Is there something after this life? What happens after I die?
Over the last few weeks, we’ve dealt with some rather deep questions about life. Where did I come from? Why am I here? How should I live? But I would imagine that if we ranked these questions in terms of how heavy each of them are, they would likely all be ranked below the question we’re going to consider today: where am I headed after this life?
What happens when we die? Where do we go? Do we cease to exist? Is it the ultimate and personal the end on the last page of the story of our lives?
Beliefs — Most Americans and Christians
According to a study that Pew Research conducted in 2014, 7 in 10 Americans believe in heaven as a place “where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded.”
That same study revealed that 58% of Americans believe in hell—a place “where people who have led bad lives and die without being sorry are eternally punished.”
Notice the difference between belief in heaven and hell? Even among self-professing Christians, more people believe in heaven than believe in hell.
According to research done by the Barna Group, those who are born-again Christians who believe that their eternal destination after this life is heaven because of what Jesus has done also believe a number of other things about death, those who are dead, and the way to heaven.
10% of born-again Christians believe that people are reincarnated after death.
29% of born-again Christians believe that they can communicate with those who are dead.
And most staggering of all, 50% of born-again Christians believe that a person can earn salvation upon doing good works.
Beliefs—The Rest of Americans
And while most Americans believe in heaven and even more than half of Americans believe in hell, there are plenty of people out there who, if they were answering the question, where am I headed after this life?, they would have much different explanations.
Some people believe that life after death is a ceasing to exist all together. When your body fails to keep going, when your brain “powers down” everything that makes you you ceases to be. Death is the end. There is nothing else.
Others believe that life after death will consist of some kind of existence as a “state of mind” more than anything physical.
Hindus and Buddhists believe in various doctrines of reincarnation with the goal for Hindus being to reach mokṣa which is a release from reincarnation and an experience of utter bliss and the goal for Buddhists is to reach Nirvana.
And many New Age belief systems combine a buffet line of different religious beliefs, kind of piece-mealing things together and this often includes some form of belief in reincarnation.
Many others, thought, aren’t sure what they believe about life after death.
The Overarching Belief in Our Culture Today
Nonetheless, the quickest growing belief in our culture today that is pervading the minds of young people and old people alike is that all paths lead to God.
That as long as you’re a good person, it doesn’t matter what religion you believe in, it doesn’t matter really, we’re all headed to the same place.
The really bad people? Those people might be sent to hell.
But at the end of the day, if you’re a halfway decent human being, you’re headed to heaven.
But is this belief valid? Is it true? Does it have any ground to stand on?
Here’s the interesting thing to me…Vince Vitale puts it best:
“‘All paths lead to God’ is a tempting sentence. It has a certain positivity to it. But in actuality only Christianity even claims to lead to God.”
Islam doesn’t claim it. Modern-day Judaism doesn’t claim it. The Eastern religions? They don’t claim it.
So what gives? Why do we believe that there is a heaven and that there is a hell?
Why do we desire to live beyond this life? Why does death feel so weird and misplaced? Why does it feel like it wasn’t meant to be this way?
It’s because it wasn’t supposed to be this way.
Isaiah 59:1-2 — Sin and Separation
Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save,
and his ear is not too deaf to hear.
2 But your iniquities are separating you
from your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not listen.
With God to Separated From God // Heaven and Earth Together to Separated
Let’s go back in time a bit to the beginning.
Where did I come from? Remember, I told you that our first question will impact all the rest.
In the opening chapter of Genesis, it tells us that God created man in His image and in Genesis 2, it shows us a beautiful picture of God dwelling in the same place as Adam and Eve. In a real way, heaven and earth were together. These two different realms were one. They were together. God was with man and man was with God.
But Genesis 3 shows us that sin separated man from God because man missed the mark of living out the image of God. Man was removed from the Garden of Eden, the Temple where man and God were together.
And let me propose something:
What if what we see in Genesis 1 and 2 is what things were supposed to be like? Heaven and earth together. God and man together. No sin. No death. No separation.
This would explain why we’re not satisfied with how things are. This would explain why we yearn to know God. This would explain why our desires go beyond what can satisfy in this world. This would explain why human beings, from that point and on, have been on a quest to experience transcendence.
It’s because we were made to live with our Creator.
Genesis -> Exodus -> Temple -> Incarnation -> Holy Spirit -> ???
The thrust of Scripture shows us time and time again that God continues to pursue us and seeks to bring heaven down.
The garden of Eden, God came to earth to be with Adam and Eve.
When the Israelites were rescued from being slaves in Egypt and began their exodus in the wilderness, God told them to build a Tabernacle. And what happened there? God was present with them in the Tabernacle and through the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire. In the holy of holies, heaven met earth.
When King David came into power, he desired to build a house for God. Eventually his son, Solomon built it and it was called a Temple. And what happened there? God was present in the Temple. In the holy of holies, heaven met earth.
Then what do we see? The word was with God and the word was God. And the word became flesh and tabernacled (dwelt) among us. In Jesus, heaven met earth. God stooped down to earth. God became man. And at His death? The veil that surrounded the holy of holies was torn from top to bottom.
Then what happened after that? We talked about this a lot last week. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in His church. The Temple went from a garden to a tent to a building to a people. In the holy of holies, the church, you and me, heaven has met earth once again.
So what is next?
What if I told you that your understanding of heaven might be vastly wrong? What if I told you that the truth about what is to come after this life is far better than what you have believed up to this point?
Let’s look at it.
Revelation 21:1-7 — Heaven Comes to Earth Again
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.
3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.
5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.
In the End, God Will Undo What Was Done in the Beginning
Doesn’t this sound familiar? It should. Because God is undoing what was done in Genesis 3. He’s extending into eternity what was meant to be when He created all things.
God will, once again, bring heaven down.
A new heaven. A new earth. He is making everything new.
In fact, if you take the time to do a wonderfully beautiful Bible study, read Genesis 1-2 and then read Revelation 21-22.
Where am I headed after this life? Well, through Jesus, we will enjoy the reality of a new earth with God dwelling with His people of which we will be a part. Instead of experiencing evil, sin, and death, we’ll experience Him, the source of all things that are good. We’ll be His children.
Stairway to Heaven — Escalator Coming Down
This corrects so many of our wrong beliefs about what “heaven” will be like.
I believe that most American’s concept of the after life is more shaped by Led Zeppelin than it is Scripture.
What do I mean?
Well, there isn’t a stairway to heaven. But there is an escalator and it’s coming down toward us because heaven is coming down.
That’s right. Once again. God is bringing heaven to earth. This time it’s a new earth, but it will be earth nonetheless.
Not Floating on Clouds
We won’t be floating on clouds playing harps.
We won’t be simply existing in some transcendent state of mind.
Our bodies will be raised, we will be given new bodies, and we will fully exist as new creations in God’s new creation with Him as He dwells with us and we dwell with Him.
Revelation 21:8 — This isn’t for everyone
Unfortunately, this beautiful place of no more death, no more tears, no more pain, and no more grief is not for everyone.
8 But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Verse 7 says those who will inherit the new heavens and new earth are those who conquer. And how do we conquer?
Through Christ, we are more than conquerors. It is only through Jesus.
So for those who are still in their sin and not covered by the blood of Jesus, there is a different destination. It’s one that doesn’t sound pleasant in any way shape or form.
And the unfortunate thing is that this isn’t only a place for the really bad people. It’s a place for all sinners. Because when we understand the depth of even the smallest sin, the lake that burns with fire and sulfur is what we deserve.
We don’t deserve new heavens and new earth. We don’t deserve to be made new. But because of God’s grace, all people have an opportunity to receive eternal life. But not all receive it.
And Scripture is clear: the world will be judged.
Acts 17:30-31 — God commands all people everywhere to repent
Interestingly enough, Paul said these words when he was speaking to pagans who had no foundation for the God of the Jews.
30 “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
Sometimes in our efforts to be relationally driven in our witness, we never share the hard truth of what God is commanding of us.
Those who repent and surrender to Jesus will enjoy eternal life with God. Those who don’t?
Scripture describes a graphic reality:
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 — Eternal Destruction
5 It is clear evidence of God’s righteous judgment that you will be counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also are suffering, 6 since it is just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted, along with us. This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his powerful angels, 8 when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength 10 on that day when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marveled at by all those who have believed, because our testimony among you was believed.
This isn’t a fun thing to talk about. It’s not a fun thing to preach. But the bad news of what we deserve without Jesus makes the good news of what’s in front of us through Jesus all the more beautiful.
Make no mistake: our rebellion and our running away from God, our fighting against God and our denial of God has a penalty that none of us will escape on our own.
That penalty is eternal destruction. It’s described as a lake burning with fire and sulfur. It’s described as a place with the gnashing of teeth, suffering, and punishment. It’s a place described as the second death.
Those who deny God here will get their goal for eternity—separation from Him. Separation from light. Separation from goodness. Separation from life. Separation from love. Separation from joy. Separation from hope.
Jesus Describes a Scene of Judgement — Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus, the king, will return. Angels will be with him. And he will take a seat on his throne. All people will be gathered before him. And everyone of us will be taken to the left or the right.
Some will be taken to his right and some to his left.
Then Jesus, the King of kings, will tell those on his right to come to Him for they are blessed by His Father and they get to inherit the kingdom that has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world, the new earth.
The reason being because they fed Jesus when He was hungry, they gave Him something to drink when He was thirsty, they took Him in when He was a stranger, they clothed Him when He was naked, they took care of Him when He was sick. And those people who are being welcomed into the kingdom ask Jesus, when did we ever do that for you? When did we see you and do that for you. And in response, the King says that whenever they did those things for the least of his brothers and sisters, they did it for them.
What does He mean by that? There’s a beautiful reality that happens when we are rescued by God through Jesus. Scripture uses this wording all throughout the New Testament saying that we are “in Christ.” And since the church is the family of God and the body of Christ, when we serve our brothers and sisters, we are serving Jesus. More on that in our next series.
But then there is a group of people on the left of the King. And instead of saying come to me, He says to them, depart from me, you are cursed, and go into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Why? Because I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, I was naked, I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t do anything to help me.
And they will be surprised. Because in their eyes, they never saw Jesus in need. They never thought that the serving the least of these was serving Jesus.
And Jesus says that those on His left will go away into eternal punishment and the righteous will go into eternal life.
Implications — Faith Works, Selfishness Destroys
What we see here is Jesus judging the world. We see that without Him, selfishness will rein. But with Him, we will be changed and will become people who live by the fruit of the Spirit. We will be people who serve those in need. Why? Because God has given us a new heart. As He has loved us, we love others.
But opposed to the love of Christ is selfishness. And it destroys. It is like pulling the pin of a grenade and letting that explosive fall to the ground at our feet without moving away. It doesn’t end well.
Bring it All Together — Where am I headed after this life?
So… Where am I headed after this life?
There seems to be two options: with God or without Him. Eternal life or eternal punishment.
God, from the beginning of humanity’s existence, has shown us time and time again His intention to dwell with us. He showed us in the garden, in the tabernacle, in the temple, in the coming of Jesus, in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and He will show us once again, in the end, when all things are made new, and out of heaven comes a new city on a new earth where God will dwell with His family, His people, the church. No longer will we be separated in any way from our Father. We will be with Him.
There isn’t a stairway to heaven. But there is an escalator and it’s coming down toward us because heaven is coming down.
But for those who rebel against Him, who ignore Him, who fight Him, who rage against Him, who sin against Him (even a little), their path is a place known as hell. What will it be like? We don’t know for sure. We have pictures, though. A lake of fire, sulfur, eternal punishment, the second death, and separation from God. Separation from light. Separation from goodness. Separation from life. Separation from love. Separation from joy. Separation from hope.
And because of our sin, hell is what we all deserve. But because God loved us so much, He gave His one and only Son so that we wouldn’t perish, but have eternal life.
How to respond to God’s Grace
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were lost, He came and found us. While we were sick, He came as the Great Physician. And He has remained patient with us.
Today is an opportunity to respond to God’s grace. Today is an opportunity to surrender to the King of kings. Today is an opportunity to draw near to the God who desires to be with you. But sin has separated you from Him. But the good news is that Jesus was victorious over sin and death. And He has given us a gift—salvation in His name. But we must receive that gift.
And all throughout the New Testament, we are told how we should respond to God’s grace.
We are to surrender to Him in faith and trust. We confess our sins to Him because we see that we’ve rebelled against Him. And we turn away from the path we’ve been going down. We turn our attention to Him and let Him take over our lives. And then we take part in a powerful act of submission where we are baptized into Him. We go down into the water, immersed in it and this signifies Jesus’ death and in so doing, we are joining Him in His death. Then we are brought out of the water and joined with Him in His resurrection.
The apostle Paul, a man who did all kinds of things wrong in his life—he persecuted Christians, taking part in arrests, beatings, and murders of Christians was confronted by Jesus as someone who was persecuting HIM—was given a chance to respond to God’s grace and after it was made clear to him who Jesus was, a man named Ananias asked him:
“And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” — Acts 22:16 (CSB)
And so I extend that same question to you. Why are you delaying? What are you waiting for? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name. Because it is only at the name of Jesus that you can be saved.
Where am I headed after this life? Jesus has made a way for you to be with Him.
