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Eternity Now!

Life after death has always fascinated humankind. For example, “Christian Book Distributors”, an online bookstore, has more than 2813 books on its website that have to do with heaven, hell or life after death. From the Egyptians with their pyramids and mummies, to all the movies and books that our culture produces, we want to know what is to come.

1 Corinthians 15 gives us some answers, sort of anyway. In this chapter, we are told that life after death is real (verses 20-28). We are assured that our physical death will not be the end of us and that our Spirits will live on. “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (verses 51-52).

Now, the Bible does not answer all our questions about death. For example, it never tells us where heaven will be, what our new heavenly bodies will look like, or even exactly what we will be doing in heaven. In fact, the Bible’s discussion of life after death has less to do with “curiosity” and answering all of our questions as it does with “motivation”. When the Biblical writers think about eternity, they see it as a reason to live a different kind of life here.

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (verse 58).

Old time preachers used to say, “Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people”. In other words, this is our time to get ready.

“One day I am going to die and most of what preoccupies me and drains me will recede into nothingness. But the dead in Christ will rise” – John Ortberg.

If we are living in God’s kingdom now, we will continue to live in that kingdom in eternity.

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