We've all heard stories of people who described near-death experiences into the beyond. In fact, a Gallup survey revealed that some 8 million people have claimed to have experiences like this. It has become a popular subject for movies and books, and we wonder if these stories are really true.
There is something beyond the grave. We know it, and we talk about it. In fact, many cultures believe in life beyond the grave. The ancient Egyptians built their great tombs for the pharaohs. Ancient Greeks placed a coin in the mouth of the deceased to pay the fare across the mystic river of death into the land of immortal life.
Norsemen buried a dead hero's horse along with him so he could ride proudly into the afterlife. And children who died in ancient Greenland were buried with their dog, who would help guide them through the wasteland of death.
As Christians, we know what happens beyond the grave. We don't have to guess, and we don't have to merely believe in traditions. We have God's Word on it. He tells us exactly what happens beyond the grave. Now, we don't have all the details about every aspect of eternity. But we have the big picture.
In Jesus' day, certain Jews had some bizarre and aberrant views of life after death. A group of religious leaders known as the Sadducees did not believe in life after death. They didn't believe in a resurrection.
The Sadducees were the aristocrats of Judaism, largely in control of the Temple and the operation of the priesthood. It was primarily through them that the Temple concessions of money changing and selling sacrifices took place, and that is how they obtained their wealth.
Jesus certainly did not endear himself to them when he went into the Temple, overturned their tables, and accused them of turning God's Temple, the house of prayer, into a den of thieves. They wanted to stop Jesus, and they wanted to destroy him.
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So, they came up with a special question in an attempt to trap him: "Moses said, 'If a man dies without children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother's name.' Well, suppose there were seven brothers. The oldest one married and then died without children, so his brother married the widow. But the second brother also died, and the third brother married her. This continued with all seven of them. Last of all, the woman also died. So tell us, whose wife will she be in the resurrection? For all seven were married to her" (Matthew 22:24–28 NLT).
Interestingly, the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection of the dead because they believed that only the Pentateuch was inspired. The Pentateuch consisted of the first five books of the Bible, which were written by Moses.
So, in his rebuttal, Jesus quoted Moses. He said, "Your mistake is that you don't know the Scriptures, and you don't know the power of God. For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.
"But now, as to whether there will be a resurrection of the dead – haven't you ever read about this in the Scriptures? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' So he is the God of the living, not the dead" (verses 29–32 NLT).
Jesus was saying, essentially, "You have it all wrong. You don't know the Scripture, nor do you know the power of God. You are mistaken." They were deliberately misinterpreting Scripture to their own ends.
People do the same thing today. They twist Scripture to support their views. Instead of conforming their views to the Bible, they want to conform the Bible to their views, to what is politically correct. They go to Scripture with a belief system intact, and they try to find verses to support it. So, people are retranslating the Bible to fit our culture rather than trying to conform our culture to what the Bible teaches.
Cults do this quite often. They have been taught the writing of an individual or group of individuals and then go to Scripture and twist it to fit their views.
That is what the Sadducees were doing. They had a narrow focus as they misinterpreted Scripture.
Let's also note something Jesus said to correct a misunderstanding that some people have: In our new, resurrected bodies, we would be like angels (see Matthew 22:30). He didn't say that we become angels. Some people think that when loved ones die, they become angels who are watching over them. It's a sentimental thought, but it isn't true. Once the spirit leaves the body and is taken into eternity, that is where it stays.
Some teach that when Christians die, we go into a suspended state of animation and are later called into the presence of God. But in my understanding of Scripture, when believers die, they go directly to Heaven, into God's presence.
Remember, at the crucifixion, the criminal on the cross next to Jesus said, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:42 NKJV).
Jesus replied, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise" (verse 43 NKJV). Today. It would happen for him right away.
The apostle Paul wrote, "So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:6–8 NKJV).
As a Christian, once you leave your body when death occurs, your spirit goes into the presence of God. The moment you take your last breath on Earth, you will take your first breath in Heaven. That's great to know, isn't it? You don't have to be afraid.
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