“After life” or “Life after”. These two words have baffled us throughout centuries. Since the beginning of time, we have wondered about “how we came into being” and “is there anything beyond this life”?
When we say “After Life,” it means something different than “Life After.”
“After Life” leaves us with questions like:
Is there anything beyond one’s death?
What goes on after we die?
What is going to happen to us after we are done with this life?
Notice, the questions that we ask in relation to “After Life” could possibly be answered by physical science. Physical science can explain the decomposition of body and how it decays, what happens to the body after burial and what takes place once we are in the belly of the ground or the cremation process and how the fire consumes the body.
However, when we ponder about “Life After”, it takes a whole new U-turn in terms of questions that we should be asking ourselves. Questions like:
Is there life after we die?
What kind of form we are going to exist in?
Are we going to see our loved ones or even the ones that we came in contact with on this earth?
Are we going to retain our five senses and form in altogether a different fashioned body?
This is a mystery that no one is able to resolve but many have experienced it and lived to share it.
Since I’m not a scientist or a Bible scholar, I’ll avoid deep explanations found in scientific or biblical texts. However, as a humble reader of the Holy Book and a believer in Jesus, I can attempt to answer some of these questions in my own way.
Why would I meditate on a subject like this? I am glad you asked.
Although some people have shared their near-death experiences, I have not seen anyone truly return to life to discuss what happens after death. Therefore, it’s even more important for me to learn about this life and the spirit of life to come through scriptures.
Many people who have near-death experiences share their stories of seeing unexplained lights. While I haven’t heard all of these accounts, I’ve heard enough to think there may be some truth in them. Most religions also offer hope of life after death.
Fortunately, when our senses and logical reasoning fails, God has given us “Measure of Faith” that we can rely upon as Hebrews 11:1 says that “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” None has seen the life after but we have hope through the faith.
Until I started my journey through the pages of the Bible,
I did not understand the meaning of this life and the importance of the life to come. As the journey gets interesting day by day,
it gets more brittle with the reality of death
and brilliantly radiant for life to come.
Both Old and New Testament draw our attention to scriptures where life came back from the dead or their death. Let’s take a look at them:
- Life of widow’s son in Zarephath was returned when Elijah cried out to God after stretching himself out on the boy three times. (1 King 17:17-24).
- Shunammite woman’s son opened his eyes after sneezing seven times (2 Kings 4:18-37).
- Israelite man came to life and stood up on his feet after touching Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20–21).
- Jesus told the widow of Nain’s son to get up at the funeral procession (Luke 7:11-17)
- Jesus asked Jairus’ daughter to get up and the spirit returned (Luke 8:49-56).
- Lazarus was raised from dead (John 11:1-44).
- Jesus came back from dead. (You got to search and read about this yourself).
- Peter after falling on his knees and praying brought back Tabitha (Acts 9:36-42).
- Eutychus came back to life after Paul threw himself on his body (Acts 20:7-12).
All of the above mentioned in the Bible died again in their physical bodies except Jesus. He was resurrected with his body. Please DO NOT misunderstand that “Resurrection of Jesus” is similar to “bringing back others to life”. Perhaps, topic for another message.
But, what is interesting in all of the above is that; all who came back to life, came back through different means and from somewhere. Their spirit or life returned from somewhere. So when people say that this life is all there is to it, I am not sure if I need to believe that. Yes, it has not been proven in this age that we live in, but I prefer to see it as hopeful rather than bleak, especially through the scriptures that have been standing the testing of times.
Looking at the above biblical examples, we know that there is more to come after we all die. We all go somewhere. To some it may sound or seem strange, but clearly some have experienced it? Can we say that, there could possibly be some truth to it?
I have had my share of knowing something extraordinary from my parents about my grandparents.
My grandfather lost his beloved friend. Bawny was his name. As long as I can remember, Bawny lived with my grandparents as he did not have any immediate family besides them. After he passed away and entered into a life unknown to mortals, he was felt and seen by my grandfather for almost a week. For first few days after his passing, his presence was only felt. On the last day before he was gone forever from this Earth, he was seen sitting at the feet of my grandfather by my grandfather on the terrace where my grandfather used to sleep at night. You know, in olden times, people use to sleep in open in fresh air.
Something similar happened to my grandma as well. She did not want to leave her house where she spent all her life with my grandpa because of all the memories. But, after she felt and saw my grandfather after he passed away to the life unknown, she waited anxiously to be with my grandfather because she came to realize that there is more to life after we die.
My wife, as well, speaks of her grandma’s experience that in her last days, she saw her husband and angels like white butterflies right outside the window by her deathbed.
Once we realize that our time is limited in this life and unlimited or eternal in life to come, our perspective towards life, everything and everyone changes dramatically and drastically. It’s a self-realization that there is more to look forward to, instead of just passing by within the limited boundaries of this great planet that we live in. This overwhelming connection with our mortality shapes us into a spiritual being that we truly are from the beginning.
Sometimes, I wonder, how come Adam lived over 900 years of age and Methuselah lived to be 969 years. How come Sun, Moon and Stars still exist in this universe without the expiration date known to man? God not only controls time but have something so profound to say in 1 Corinthians 15:35-49.
35 But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”
36 You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
37 And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.
38 But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.
39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.
40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.
43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.
44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.
47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.
48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
With this I will let you ponder about it yourself and pray that
believing in the steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
your labor will not be in vain.
Desire Life. Desire Love. Desire Light and Stay Blessed.
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