Eternal Life
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
According to an article by Larry Gordon, published on March 17, 2013 in the Orlando Sentinel, Professor John Martin Fischer has been given $5 million dollars to do research on determining if eternal life exists or not (all information is from page A16). Why would the John Templeton Foundation spend so much money on a question to which the answer is already known? The head of the project is himself a philosopher, who has already written or edited, among others, two books dealing with this subject: Our Stories: Essays on Life, Death, and Free Will and The Metaphysics of Death.
However, he is an atheist, “who considers the afterlife unlikely—although he won’t rule it out.” It may seem a little bizarre to hire an atheist to conduct a study on something he does not believe in, but perhaps the people with the money think he is a better choice than someone who already believes and might manipulate the evidence accordingly. Of course, there is no need to spend such a vast sum when the truth of the matter is already available.
What kind of proof is being sought? Half of the lump sum will be divided into ten “research awards” of $250,000 each. The recipients will be “neuroscientists, physicians, psychiatrists, sociologists and others to conduct experiments and studies….” Although these experiments seem to possess an aura of failure, two of them might actually have some value.
“Life After Death” Experiences
Legion is the number of recorded experiences that people have communicated when near death or when they were declared dead. In fact, Eben Alexander recently had a best seller—Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, in which he claims to have glimpsed heaven while in an induced coma. According to him, a beautiful woman assured him, “You are loved and cherished, dearly, forever.”
Almost everyone who reports these incidents sees beautiful lights and receives a warm welcome from either angels or loved ones—except for Bill Weise, who wrote 23 Minutes in Hell and also the more simply titled book, Hell. Most people do not experience torment in near-death situations; so he is an anomaly. He has lectured in various parts of the country and has enjoyed favorable responses from some who, for the first time, have given a serious evaluation of their spiritual condition. Those with heavenly experiences do not make such an indelible impression on others.
What some researchers will be doing is to try to simulate those experiences with people not in danger of dying. If such feelings and emotions could be provoked in a certain part of the brain, that discovery would explain how it is that so many people have those experiences. Of course, many would be greatly disappointed since they rely on them for validation of the next life. But those descriptions are suspect anyway because they are similar and seem to occur whether the people are Christians or not—whether they have obeyed the gospel or not. It is simply not possible that everyone who thinks he has a glimpse of heaven actually does (Matt. 7:13-14). Therefore, research along the lines proposed might actually prove helpful. If some natural phenomenon does produce these sights, it will not hurt the truth of Heaven because these visions have never been the basis of our faith.
Beliefs Versus Behavior
The other value of the study is to see how belief in the afterlife affects behavior. Will a belief in heaven and hell cause people to commit fewer crimes? Let them gather their data, but the answer has already been demonstrated—in Liberal, Missouri. The community was founded in 1880 to promote atheism; no ministers of any kind, and no churches were allowed. It was to be an atheistic paradise (pardon the incongruity).
It failed to live up to what the founder had in mind, but even without that experiment, common sense would dictate that those who have no fear of God or an afterlife will not behave as well as those who hold such views. Even a child misbehaves if he knows that no real punishment is coming his way. Does that mean that all atheists behave worse than all Christians? Not at all. Some atheists behave quite morally, but it usually relates to the values that they were taught—often by godly parents.
The love of God and the fear of God are powerful motivating forces. If we want a great reward, we look for ways to please the One who bestows them. If we want to avoid punishment, we refrain from the transgressions that would cause us to be lost. Of course, the human will and stubbornness can afflict Christians. There may be a day when a follower of God is out of sorts and says, “I don’t care what happens, I am going to….” He ought to repent of such thoughts and any evil actions that result from it.
If the studies are conducted fairly, they should reveal that a belief in the afterlife will affect people’s behavior now. Much more data can be supplied as it relates to the history of the world. Consider civilizations not living by Christian principles—how often they are rough, crude, insensitive, and immoral—seldom possessing any respect for human life. Have not scholars already noted the impact that Christianity had on the Roman Empire? Almost any measurement of a faith in the afterlife will yield positive results—unless a religion teaches that those killing themselves and others is rewarded with something like 70 virgins.
Philosophers and Theologians
Another $1.5 million dollars of the grant will go to fifteen philosophers and theologians to finance “research for essays and books about differing aspects of immortality.” How valuable will all of this be? Will it not invite a hodgepodge of humanistic thought, such as the world has already been treated to for centuries? At the risk of sounding pessimistic, it seems unlikely that anyone will produce an original line of thought that has never been heard before—that is rational.
Some have already advocated that reincarnation might be “based on the laws of physics.” Good luck with that. We are not dealing with physical formulas—but the spirit of a human being. When the spirit departs from the body (James 2:24), it does not return to another body; it returns to God who gave it (Ecc. 12:7). God assigns the spirit to dwell either in a place of torment or one of bliss, based on certain criteria that He has set forth, and the spirit abides in that place until the judgment (Luke 16:19-31).
Some philosophers have thought that eternal life might be boring; their imaginations do not rival God’s, Who revealed His in the creation of the universe with various sizes, shapes, and colors of animals, fish, and birds. The incredible beauty that He has shown us in the physical world is only a foreshadowing of the beauties of heaven. As for activities, there will be more to do than the usual erroneous picture of saints sitting around on clouds, playing harps. God has not informed us of everything that will occur in heaven. We know some things, such as that we will praise and honor Him. We also know what will not be there: pain, suffering, death, or sorrow. God will provide what is meaningful to each one of us, and we will experience continuous joy. Boredom will not be a problem.
The Truth of the Matter
The New Testament is a familiar document, and it declares repeatedly that eternal life does exist. In fact, it mentions both eternal life and eternal death. The passages are numerous. Many of them contrast the two options. Jesus described the fact of the afterlife in Luke 16:19-31. The rich man was in torments while Lazarus was in Abraham’s bosom. Jesus also taught that some would enter into eternal life while others experienced everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46). He further declared a day was coming when all who are in the graves shall come forth—those who have done good to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil to the resurrection of damnation (John 5:29).
The apostle Paul echoed the Lord’s doctrine of the afterlife when he wrote that Jesus would descend from heaven in “flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:8). He will reward with rest those who are His, but the remainder will be punished with “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power” (v. 9). John adds a few words about the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the inhabitants will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life, however, will be rewarded instead (Rev. 20:11-15; 21:1-27).
Many other verses could be listed, but these are sufficient to show that the New Testament plainly and frequently teaches the eventuality of the afterlife. So, how valid is the New Testament? The entire Old Testament looks forward to it. As early as Genesis 3:15 God promised that ”the seed of woman” would bruise the seed of the serpent. Jesus fulfilled that promise when He arose from the dead. But God also made a spiritual promise to Abraham that through his seed all the nations of the world would be blessed, which is likewise fulfilled in Christ (Gen. 22:18; Gal. 3:16). Jesus was also the fulfillment of the one who was prophesied to be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:21-23).
Not only was Jesus (and things relating to Him) prophesied in 300-plus passages; the new covenant itself was foretold. These two covenants are contrasted in Galatians 4 and throughout the book of Hebrews. “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second” (Heb. 9: 7). Other passages contrasting the two are Galatians 5:1-4 and Hebrews 2:1-4, 10:26-39, and 12:18-29.
Validity
“Why should the researchers consider the Bible as a valid document?” someone might ask, and it is a fair question. The answer is that no other resource like it occurs anywhere in the world. “But surely there are a plethora of religions and assorted accompanying books.” Yes, but not one of them compares to it. First of all, how many of them were written over a period of 1,600 years by as many as 40 different authors? The fact is that most religious books in the world were written in one locale at one time.
Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; his successor wrote the book of Joshua, but then there is a gap of 400 years before more is written. At that time various men recorded history, prophecies, and poetry for 600 years, after which another 400 years went by. Can anyone name another book in which centuries pass between sections being written? The New Testament writings complete this book and were written in less than 50 years. Despite this piecemeal arrangement, the Scriptures harmonize perfectly between the Old and the New. Men could not have written anything in this fashion, let alone attain the level of agreement between writers.
Suppose an uninformed person were to argue, “How do we know it was written over such a long period of time? Maybe one writer just said so.” There was just one author—the Holy Spirit of God, which is the reason the Bible is the marvelous Book that it is. But there is undeniable proof that the time gap is correct. The entire Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek about 275 B.C. (the Septuagint). This historical fact proves that a gap of at least 300 years exists from the Old to the New. Even if there were only one human writer of the Old (which is not provable), how would he have known that what he wrote would even be around in 300 years—let alone fulfilled? Who would dare write something today in hopes that it could be built upon or fulfilled three centuries from now? The answer is, “No one.” Nor would anyone have done so three centuries before Christ.
Evidence
The Bible is like no other book because of its fulfilled prophecies. To this day many writers describe fantastic things, but the problem for most of them is a lack of evidence. Moses foretold what would happen to the Israelites when they forsook God. Other prophets joined in with their own warnings, but Israel was taken captive—as promised. They also returned from captivity (which seldom, if ever, occurred) just as it had been foretold! God brought the Ten Plagues upon Egypt to show His power. Elijah won a great contest over Baal with a demonstration of power so indisputable that even the ungodly king Ahab was convinced. Daniel and his three friends made an indelible impression on the kings of their era and were promoted to the highest of the king’s advisors.
Jesus made claims that no fraud would even consider making—to be the judge of the world (John 5:27-29), the light of the world (John 8:12), the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), the resurrection and the life (John 11:25). Furthermore, He claimed to be the Son of God and possess the power to forgive sins (Mark 14:61-62; 2:9-11). Who, in his right mind, would utter such things—unless they were true? No one is going to believe such extravagant claims without overwhelming proof. Yet they did believe—all over Judea and Galilee, even in Samaria. What is the explanation?
It might have been the truth He preached that caught people’s attention—that He was not like the other religious teachers of His day. But the miracles probably played the biggest role—since He healed everyone, whether in “villages, cities or the country” (Mark 6:56). Despite all of these outstanding deeds, one would think that all the notoriety would have come crashing down once He was crucified as a common criminal. Why did so many people change their minds and become followers of Jesus? How did the apostles of a dead leader become re-energized? They saw Jesus resurrected! Although they doubted early reports they heard, nevertheless, they could not deny the evidence, and they faithfully proclaimed the Word until their own deaths.
It would not be easy to convince those in Jerusalem that Jesus had risen from the dead, but they did so by appealing to prophecies that had foretold the wondrous event. Christianity spread throughout Jerusalem and then throughout the world. That fact is undeniable. Someone might point out that the Muslim religion likewise spread rapidly, which is true, but it did not make all of those gains because Muhammad proved anything; he only claimed he was God’s prophet. He did not do so much as one miracle. He did prophesy that he would return to Mecca, which he did. His religion spread through conquering and force, and it remains a religion of violence. Christians did not take up arms; they persuaded people with reason and miracles.
Jesus’ resurrection proves the afterlife. More than 500 people saw Jesus after He was raised from the dead. Not one of those witnesses has ever been impeached. Saul of Tarsus believed Jesus was a blasphemer and a phony—until he met Him on the way to Damascus. Afterward, he became the apostle Paul. The truth of the resurrected Christ has been motivating souls to trust in Him since the first century. He is not buried in a tomb somewhere but is on the right hand of God. How open-minded is a Jew going to be toward that historical fact?
The New Testament gives an abundance of evidence of the afterlife. All of the essays written by theologians and philosophers will be worthless if they ignore this fact. How many will actually devote themselves to a careful consideration of the truths presented above, which anyone can know who has read the Scriptures? Mr. Fischer need not send the $250,000 to the South Seminole Church—unless he just wants to. We are happy to call attention to the truth for free.