Life, Death, and Eternity

 

It is unfortunate and misleading that our existence after death is so often presented as terrifying and dark. So much of what is believed about our state after death was fabricated in the last 500 years by those who did not understand the nature of God and the nature of his relationship with man. Jesus Christ, because of his resurrection and ascension, defeated the power of death, freeing us from its grasp.

Our state after death is based on two things. First, our life after physical death is eternal. Death was defeated so death will never overpower us. We will never cease to be. Second, the way that we choose to live our lives in this lifetime will form our souls into the state we will be for eternity. If we have chosen to serve only ourselves, if we have chosen to seek after pleasure, and if we have chosen to ignore the pursuit of holiness, we will endure an eternity in the presence of the one holy God that will feel unbearable. If we spend our mortal lives ignoring God and living in selfishness, our eternity in the immediate presence of the one holy God will be contrary to how we have formed ourselves.

When we read of an eternity in the fires of hell, it is important to remember that this is a metaphor, an illustration to help us understand how unholy men will feel in the presence of holiness. It is not literal fire, it is not suffering at the hands of demons, and it is certainly not suffering under the wrath of a vengeful God. God is love and the suffering we will endure will be because we neglected to receive the love and relationship that he offers us.

Our state after physical death is eternal life, temporary disembodied but eventually reunited body and soul. But the quality of that experience is our own responsibility. Whether our eternity feels like heaven or feels like hell our eternal state is simply the fruit of a lifetime of response to the love of God.