After Death

Believers in Christ acknowledge that our time on earth is not all there is - there is life beyond the grave, and we are alive in Christ now and will be alive with Him in eternity.  When we think deeply about eternity, one should ideally reckon how that will be spent. We have been saved from the power of sin and death through Jesus, and that is borne out with the promise of eternity with Him.  The Bible says in Hebrews 2 (ESV):
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Bobby Ross of the Religion Unplugged website used the premise of a movie called, Eternity, to offer some statements about the nature of the afterlife.  He wrote:

You die and go to … well, it’s complicated.

You wake up on a train. At the station, you follow the crowd. You connect with your afterlife coordinator.

You have a week to decide where to spend eternity.

And, by the way, your wife of 65 years must choose between you and her first husband — a war hero who’s waited 67 years to see her again.

That’s the intriguing plot of “Eternity,” a new romantic comedy starring Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen and Callum Turner.

Ross cited his colleague's review of the film, Joseph Holmes, who said, “While organized religion is on the decline, more Americans believe in an afterlife today than they have since the 1970s,” adding, “So it’s inevitable that we would start to see more creative interpretations of the death — and what happens after — in the stories we tell, unmoored by the need to be faithful to religious tradition.”

In the movie, Ross says, "Each person picks the afterlife theme that fits them."  He actually laid out some possible choices about what types of eternity would be appealing.  And, admittedly, he was very candid that he, as a Christian, in some aspects he doesn't quite know what to expect.

The PG-13 movie certainly presents content concerns, in addition to the undoubtedly questionable theology, according to the Plugged In review, in which Bret Eckelberry writes: "...the entire film holds a cynical and dismissive view of faith."  He notes:

And it’s that divorce from spiritual reality that robs this film of greater impact.

Early in Eternity, when a character asks where he should spend his afterlife, the only response he is given is a shrug and an unhelpful, “You do you.”

That’s the problem here: Eternity cannot deliver a definitive statement. Is love really more than happiness, as the movie suggests? If so, what makes it that way? Is there a source of love that goes beyond our fickle humanity? Is that the truth—unchanging and unshakeable—or a truth, which ebbs and flows depending on individual?

Shrug. “You do you.”

Ultimately, Eternity delivers some niceish messages but has no answers on eternal truth or purpose.

And, a Christian who has been in his share of movies has seemingly departed from a Biblical view of punishment in eternity, and has attempted to nuance his original comments. A Christian Post article related on Thursday, December 18:

Actor and evangelist Kirk Cameron has responded to controversy surrounding a recent discussion on the doctrine of Hell, emphasizing that he fully believes in Hell, judgment and conscious suffering, but is openly questioning whether that suffering is eternal.

In a video posted to social media Wednesday, Cameron addressed the "swirling" controversy sparked by his Dec. 3 podcast episode with his son James, where he voiced support for the theological position of conditional immortality, also known as annihilationism.

The article stated: "Cameron clarified that the discussion originated from questions posed by his own son and has led to mixed reactions, including thoughtful responses from groups like Answers in Genesis, evangelist Ray Comfort and apologist Wes Huff. However, he expressed disappointment over critical responses that he believes mischaracterized his views based on out-of-context clips."  He also said:

"So, let me be very clear. I believe in Hell. I believe in judgment. I have not denied the authority of Scripture," he declared, describing the debate as an "honest theological question" debated by Christians for centuries regarding the final fate of the unrepentant.

While I admire Kirk Cameron and understand that he is asking theological questions, I think on this issue the Bible is clear - I agree with Kirk's former colleague, Ray Comfort, who said, "While we believe Kirk is sincere, we believe that conditional mortality and annihilationism are erroneous views, and that the Bible's clear teaching on Hell is known as 'eternal, conscious torment'...We firmly believe this is the only correct biblical view.”

The Bible actually tells us quite a bit about eternity, and our decision on where to spend it. It's not a smorgasbord of options, as the movie I mentioned points out.  It's a place prepared by Jesus for the believer in Jesus to be in the presence of Jesus forever.  We can choose to go there by accepting Jesus as the Lord and Savior of our lives.  Or we can make the decision to reject Christ and spend eternity in fiery, eternal punishment.  It's a binary choice.

And, because we know that our loving God who keeps His promises has promised to us this incredible place, we can rejoice in that prospect.  We, along with all who have called upon His name, can be certain of where we will spend eternity.  It's like I used to say at Judgment House night after night - "you can know."  With that assurance in the faithfulness of God, we can have hope in Him about what happens when we leave this world.