Death Is Just The Beginning

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” – John 11:23-26

Yesterday, we began talking about the first of three things that Jesus has to say about death and life after death. I firmly believe there is more to life than this life. And while death brings the end of our physical lives, that’s not the end of the story. Death is also a beginning, and that’s what we’re going to dive into further today.

The second thing Jesus says about life after death is that death translates to spiritual life. Whether you are a Christian or not, you are going to live somewhere forever. For those of us who are believers, we are going to receive a brand new body that will live forever, and the truth is, with few exceptions, we all want there to be life after death.

That desire is not just a false hope. It is not just a dream. It is not just a figment of our imagination. Death does indeed translate into spiritual heaven. Yes, our bodies will return to dust, but the spirit that God has given to all of us will live forever somewhere.

Finally, the third thing Jesus says is that death can celebrate eternal life. If you are a believer and you die, you go into the presence of God. If you are an unbeliever and die, you will be forever out of the presence of God.

This reality should be at the root of why we share the gospel with others. For believers, death is only the beginning. It’s the start of our eternity spent with Jesus. And don’t we want everyone we know to be there with us? Don’t we want heaven to be a more crowded place?

Dear Lord, thank you for this reminder today that there is more to life than our time on earth. We have eternity to think about, and I want heaven to be a crowded place. Help me to be bold in sharing the gospel with others so that more people can go to heaven and spend eternity with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.