WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH- RWCC 10/3/2010

I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Before I begin today’s sermon, I would like to add a postscript to the series of sermons on Jonah. Jonah, you remember was the reluctant prophet, chosen by God, to preach to the sinful people of Nineveh. He rejected God’s call twice, ended up in the belly of a fish where he prayed a prayer of thanksgiving, preached his sermon, converted the whole city and was angry that God had spared the people. I meant to tell you the name Jonah means “a dove” and I am not quite sure why? Anybody know? A dove usually means a sign of peace. For example after the flood, Noah is reported to have sent out a “dove to check the water level of the flood.” All I can say is, if Jonah is to represent “Israel”, then Israel is to be a “peacemaker” and Israel is far from that in today’s world as it begins again to build new houses in the Gaza strip. Something to think about.

I do have a story “about the dove of peace” that you might enjoy. It seems a preacher wanted to emphasize a point in his sermon, so he instructed one of the boys to go up to the balcony, and be prepared to let a dove out of a cage as the preacher said, “And de dove of peace flew down.” Everything was arranged. The preacher started preaching and he said, “And the dove of peace flew down.” Nothing happened. Thinking the boy hadn’t heard, he said it a little louder, “And de dove of peace flew down.” Again nothing happened. Frustrated the preacher yelled out “And de dove of peace flew down.” The small voice from the balcony replied “De cat done ate de dove- shall I throw de cat down?”

Today we begin a series of three sermons on Faith and Eschatology. Sorry, I did it again. I gave you a new $5 word to learn. Eschatology is defined as “belief about or in the end of the world, or the last things as in Christ, Resurrection, and Judgment.“ Eschatology. Sermon I is “What Happens after Death?” Sermon II is “Are You Ready for His Coming?” and Sermon III “Will You Serve the Lord Faithfully Until He Comes?" Hopefully we can come to an agreement that pleases everyone. It would be great if we end up- all on the same page.

I begin with the fact that everyone will face death at some time in their lifetime.

All of us may face death, some sooner than others. And all of us will have to deal personally with the death of a loved one or comrade in battle. Death can occur either by stages or in an immediate moment. The more sudden, the more traumatic. After the initial shock, we may call for help, wait for the medical examiner, the funeral director and for some, the pastor. For those who plan, the procedure will be routine, following out the wishes of the deceased. For others, it could be quite painful as the procedure is determined “step by step.” We can know what is possible and make choices. Afterwards, we grieve some for a short time and some for a long time, which may seem forever.

Tragically, when it comes to life after death, we have two extremes, One, I believe is a fanatical approach, which attempts to interpret every world event as a fulfillment of prophecy. The other extreme exhibits a profound ignorance or indifference to the subject. Both are misguided.

When the people of Thessalonica asked “what happens after death?” they were confused. Paul offered “Hope”. Death and grief may be real but there is hope for any Christian because of Christ’s triumph over death and the grave. With that in mind –“Are you ready now to preach at a friend’s funeral?”  Suppose you were asked to “say something” in the event there is no clergy present. You may be asked to “say something” when your friend’s ashes are caste into the sea? Would you be able to offer Hope in Christ?

The people of Thessalonica had other questions as well. What would happen to those who died before Christ’s return? In I Thessalonians 4:13, Paul told them, they “should not grieve as those who do not have hope.” This was an answer to the pagan world for whom death was grim and filled with despair. They asked “where were their deceased loved ones? Would they ever see them again? Is there really a heaven or hell?” Modern Christians ask the same questions.

To calm them down, Paul described the coming of Christ and the place of both the living and the dead at that time. The basis of our hope is in Jesus’s death and Resurrection. The God who raised Jesus from the dead will raise up the followers of Jesus from the dead.  We have these truths from vs. 15-17. First the dead in Christ will be raised from the dead, and join the Lord before the living arrive. Second the Lord’s descent will be accompanied by a loud command, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. Finally those who are dead and the living “will be caught up in the clouds together” and “will be with the Lord forever.”  Granted the details are lacking, and the sequence sparse. Keep in mind that Paul’s writing was to comfort “grieving Christians”, not to give a detailed account of the Second Coming. No time span was given since everything will happen “in the twinkling of an eye.” I Corinthians 15:52.

The eternal state of the believer is clear. What is not clear and is much debated is “what happens between death, the Second Coming, and the eternal death.” Scholars of all sorts and theologians are still uncertain. People have been known to ask me if I am a pre-millenialist, a post millenialist or an amillenialist. A millenialist believes in the thousand years of peace- is it before or after Jesus returns? It might be nice to know the answer to the question but I refuse to get into that argument-especially since it divides the unity of the Body of Christ and has been known to create new denominations. I am Pro-God and God can decide to bring in the Kingdom anyway God wants to. All I know is that when I die, I go to be with the Lord. When Jesus was upon the cross, he said to the repentant thief, “Today, you shall be with me in Paradise.” Do you believe that? In Old Testament thought, the dead went to Sheol- the place of the dead where life was shadowy and distinctions between good and evil were negligible. About 200 years BC, this was changed by a belief in the Resurrection of the dead- Yes, before Christ- the idea of the Resurrection of the dead appeared – at least some of the dead. There was a growing conviction that it would be like the Garden of Eden or as some called it “Paradise.” The corresponding place for the wicked was Gehenna. In a book called II Esdras 7:36- (one of the books of the Apocrypha and not found in our Bibles) it reads: “The furnace of Gehenna shall be made manifest and over against it the Paradise of delight.”

What happens to the dead between death and the Judgment? Catholic Christians have a place called purgatory where people go immediately after death- a place or state of punishment wherein the soul of those who die in God’s grace may expiate venial sins or satisfy divine justice for the temporal punishment still due for remitted mortal sin. This is a place “for a second chance.” Protestants say this is not in the Bible; hence we do not have to believe it. Where the Bible is quiet, we are quiet. However Psalm 16:10 teaches “For you do not give me up to Sheol or let your faithful ones see the Pit.” God  (Jesus for Christians) seeks us out.

In my experience as a pastor when a person dies, “everyone is graduated to heaven.” No one admits to a hell. Most liberals would adhere to the Greek thought of immortality. There is a separation of the body and soul. The body is buried while the soul goes to heaven. Paul seems to say “there is a natural body and there is a spiritual body.” And even as “We have borne the image of the earthly but we can also bear the image of the heavenly.” The Jewish people teach there is a unity between the body, soul and spirit- to be resurrected together when the resurrection occurs. Hence they and some others do not approve of cremation. A third position is found Psalm 16 which does not seem to worry about what’s going to happen. Vs. 11 “You show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

I once had the experience of standing with a widow at the casket in the funeral home. People were going by and offering their sympathy. After the last one passed by, she said to me, “Do you really believe that there is life after death?” I was surprised but answered with real conviction, “Yes, I do.” “Yes, I do.” Like Paul, I try to be a person of Hope- I try to speak the word of encouragement to a grieving soul. Paul was so confident of this that he is known to say in II Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”  OK Paul- you’re prepared to die, but I am not ready yet. Some of us still have a lot of living to do.

Yes, we do- we have a lot of living to do. This life is often defined as a preparation for the next. Those who make a confession of faith in Jesus Christ as a “personal Lord and Savior” believe they have the assurance of eternal life in Jesus Christ. Paul would agree with this. In fact, he taught that. For him to live was to live “in Christ.” Let me push the image of “preparation” a bit further.  In essence, everything important that happens to a person after death is determined by what happens to an individual before death. Now “We may see through a glass darkly, but then I shall know.” ( I Corinthians 13:9) That is enough for us. Questions?

Additional Details

Sample Sermons are posted here.

All sermons are available in printed form during the Worship Service.