The quick answer is, yes, when our Lord Jesus comes to take us home there is life after death but it is not immediately after death. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 states, “For this we say unto you by word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (REMEMBER this because it is important: JESUS CHRIST will not step foot on this Earth when He comes; we will be caught up to meet Him).
Is there life after death? That question was asked of me recently by someone I did not know and I must admit I hesitated in answering and here is why. There is only one answer to that question and that is with Bible Truth as shown above, but so many others are following false doctrine these days. The individual wanted a yes or no answer but if I had answered “yes” and left it at that, would the individual think I was a spiritualist or have some other doctrine?
In this instance it’s a “yes” with a caveat. It is only when our Lord Jesus comes to get us and bring us home that there is life after death. But because some individuals believe a person goes to heaven or hell right away, still others may believe there is a purgatory before heaven or hell, or still others think there are ghosts (their loved ones in limbo here on earth before moving on), I hesitated to just say “yes” without clarification. All these other doctrines are not Biblical and amount to immortality for the soul. The Bible clearly states there is only one immortal being and that is God. 1 Timothy 6:14-16 reads, “That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in His times He shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
The deceitfulness of Satan is such that many believe that life after death means that when a person dies, he or she will ascend to heaven right then. Really? That is not what the Bible teaches and we either believe what the Scripture says, or we don’t. There is no in between.
So, let’s think this through, if a family member is in heaven looking down on us, how happy would they really be if one of their family members was suffering? And why if they were happy and comfortable would Jesus then bring them down to this earth to raise them up to heaven if they were already there to begin with?
Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 states, “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.”
So let’s go to the story of Lazarus. I would say if there was life immediately after death Lazarus would have said something about it later. John 11: 1-4 reads, “Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother was sick.) Therefore the sisters sent unto Him, saying, Lord, behold, He whom thou lovest is sick. When Jesus heard that, He said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.”
When we choose Jesus as our Savior, His gifts to us are amazing. We can fully trust in His promises. Our sickness is the sin that wants to control our lives, but with our Lord Jesus we can overcome. He became like us and went through what we go through to give us the gift of peace (see Isaiah 53:5). Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Continuing on, John 11:5-10 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus. When He had heard therefore that he was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was. Then after that He saith to His disciples, Let us go into Judea again. His disciples say unto Him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and thou goest thither again.” Jesus was always teaching the disciples and so, “Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumblelth not, because he seeth the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him” (also see Isaiah 8:20).
Jesus is the Light of the world and people needed to see and hear Him in order to believe. Continuing on in verses 11-20, “These things said He: and after that He saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said His disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that He had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent that ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. Then said Thomas, which is call Didymus, unto his fellow-disciples, Let us also go, that we may die with Him. Then when Jesus came, He found the he had lain in the grave four days already. Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem about fifteen furlongs off: And many of the Jews came to Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him: but Mary sat still in the house.”
This same Mary who sat at Jesus feet and as stated above anointed His feet and wiped them with her hair did not go out to meet Jesus. Why? (Carlos Perla speaks her of “Disappointments” – Desert Cove Church Live Stream – September 4th, 2021 to see other sermons, click into Sermons on this website).
Continuing on in verses 21-29, “Then Martha said unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto Hm, I know that He shall rise again in the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this? She saith unto Him, yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world. And when she had so said, she went her way, and called Mary her sister secretly, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto Him.”
When we have losses or things that trouble our souls, Jesus calls us to Him. That is what he is all about. He loves us so much that he will help us through our troubles. He promises us this with the words, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest…” (Matthew 11:28).
Verses 30-44, “Now Jesus was not yet come into the town, but was in that place where Martha met Him. The Jews then which were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose up hastily and went out, followed her, saying, goeth unto the grave to weep there. Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying unto Him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping and the Jews also weeping which came with her, He groaned in the spirit, and was troubled (deeply moved), And said where have they laid him? They said unto Him come and see. Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how He loved him! And some of them said, could not this man, which opened the eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not have died? Jesus therefore again groaning in Himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it.
Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of Him that was dead, saith unto Him: Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus Saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? And they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up His Eyes, and said, Father, I thank Thee that thou hast heard Me. And I knew that Thou hearest Me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me. And when He thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth.”
Notice that previously Martha had said that she would see her brother again but was thinking later at the resurrection at the end of time. So by the statement of Martha, Lazarus was one of the individuals covered by Jesus’ righteousness. So if Lazarus went straight to heaven, wouldn’t Jesus have said Lazarus come down and why if he was already in heaven would Jesus bring him back to this sinful world once again.
Verse 45, “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes: and his face was bound with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did believed on Him.”
It is always nice to have Bible references to look up.
