No One Can Know What Happens After Death

I recall witnessing to three young men on the Boardwalk at Ocean City, MD.

The Boardwalk is a great place to share the gospel for several reasons, mainly because it is crowded most of the summer.

One evangelist said, "Let others gather the lost, we'll witness to them."

The beach, the sun, the sand... God's creation helps gather so many people, but so do the bars, the prospect of meeting people of the opposite sex, late nights out, and other not-so wholesome activities.

This particular night was clear and warm. I began the conversation by handing these teenagers a tract and asking if I could ask them an interesting question. When they said, "Sure." I asked, "What do you think happens when you die?"

This is a great way to share the gospel, originally taught to me by Mark Cahill (markcahill.org). Mark's book, "One Thing You Can't Do In Heaven" is filled with stories and tips for sharing the gospel.

One of these teens, clearly a skeptic, replied sarcastically, "No one can know what happens when you die. No one has ever come back to tell us."

Really?

The Bible says that after placing Christ's body in a tomb and sealing it with a rock that could only be moved with significant effort, two Roman guards were placed at the entrance. This was a time when guards knew that any prisoner who escaped meant they would be punished in the same way the prisoner was scheduled to be punished. In this case, the guards would be put to death. These guys were motivated to do their best to ensure no one moved the stone and disturbed this grave site!

But what happened three days later? The tomb was empty. Christ was gone!

This was astounding enough. But the Bible also tells us that Jesus appeared several times after this, including once when Peter looked closely at His wounds, and once when Christ stood in front of more than 500 people.

These facts were written down and disseminated at a time when these witnesses were still alive, meaning they could be interviewed for verification, or they could dispute the reports. None ever did. No doubter at the time challenged these facts either.

So, the next time someone says to you, "No one can know what happens after death..." just give them the facts.

One did!

See Matthew 28:9-10; Mark 16:12; John 20:11-18, 20:24-29, 23:1-23; Luke 24:13-32, and especially Matthew 28:16-20 and I Corinthians 15:6

Do People Think About Death?

I met Tyler and Emily on the Boardwalk of Ocean City, Maryland.

The scene shown here is a typical late afternoon on the Boardwalk. As afternoon fades into night, families move down to the amusements. Teens and young adults line the storm wall (shown at far left) to watch and meet other night-owls.

This is a great place to witness to the lost. They have spare time, they're usually approachable, and if one person does not want to talk, you need to move only a few feet to begin a new conversation.

One this particular night I walked up to a young couple and offered a Million Dollar Bill tract. After a short conversation about how nice it would be if real, I moved on to one of my favorite questions: "What do you think happens when you die?"

I love this particular question. It gets right to the point, most people have thought about death and don't mind sharing their conclusions.

Not this time.

Tyler replied, "I don't know, I've never thought about it."

Emily, who was sitting by his side, holding his hand, apparently shared his lack of inquisitiveness. When I asked, "What about you? Have you thought about what happens after death?" She echoed his answer. "No, not really."

There was a time when I would have frozen when suddenly faced with someone who "never thought" about death. Oh. Well. Never mind then!

See, I'm the kind of person who tries to prepare for these conversations. Not only do I pray, but I also run through imaginary conversations in my head over and over, coming up with new challenges people might have and what responses I could give.

But once in a while, I'm thrown off. I remember one of my first witnessing encounters. I had prayed, read books, and gone through hundreds of conversations in my mind. I knew exactly how the conversation would start. Shortly after meeting a young man in the local mall, I asked, "What do you think happens when you die?"

I was all ready for the reply I just knew was coming. Once he said, "I'll go to heaven." I would move to my next question, "What do you think it takes for someone to make it into heaven?"

Unfortunately, he did not follow the script I'd neatly worked out in my head. He said, "Your body goes into the ground and rots."

"Oh. Umm. Uh..."

My mind was racing. He was not supposed to say that. He was supposed to say "Heaven" Now what?

I stammered something, then had a horrible conversation, and finally said "goodbye." I wondered if I'd ever try to share the gospel again.

Thankfully I soon recalled something Mark Cahill once told me: "The reason Michael Jordon is an amazing player now is that he dedicated himself to the sport, and practiced every chance he had."

So, I went back out. I started more conversations. I rehearsed more in my head. I learned from every rebuttal and question. Now, when someone like Tyler throws me a curve, like "I've never thought about it." I don't freeze.

Instead, I followed up: "Adolf Hitler. Is he in heaven, or hell today?"

"Hell" Tyler immediately responded.

"What about Mother Teresa? Do you think she's in heaven or hell?"

"Um, probably heaven," said Tyler. Emily agreed.

"So, you do think about it?" I was so glad that my practice was paying off.

Tyler, Emily, and I had a wonderful conversation. Before I told them good-night, they understood that they were liars, thieves, blasphemers, and adulterers at heart. They clearly understood that on Judgment Day they would stand guilty before God, and they were both very concerned. They also understood that their only hope of salvation was repentance and faith in Christ as Lord.

Please pray that Tyler and Emily have placed their trust in Christ.

Now get out there and practice!

Life Is Great... And Then?

People say the most interesting things.

I used to work with a man, let's call him Bob, who would answer a morning greeting of "Hello, how are you?" with the matter of fact reply, "Still vertical."

It's early in the day. Everyone is getting down to work. Most people are in a good mood. It's all smiles and greetings.

Then Bob brings up death!

What were Bob's parents thinking? Didn't they teach him that people don't like to begin their day thinking about the last minutes of their life? Here I am enjoying my bagel and trying desperately to finalize a project, and Bob tells me that the best he can do is remind us that he's still alive. Maybe not tomorrow, or even later today, but at least for now Bob is upright and breathing. Well, yippee.

But, maybe Bob has it right. Maybe we should think about death early, so that we don't have to worry about it.

I'm not talking about worrying over the hospital bills, funeral arrangements, travel plans, announcements, thank you cards, etc. The people who are 'still vertical' will worry about all those details for you.

But what about preparing for the eternity that awaits after you take your last breath?

What will you be doing while your friends and family are gathering to remember your life?

Nothing? Reincarnating as a butterfly? Do you think you'll come back to live again as a different person, until you get this thing called life right? Or will you face a Creator who's a bit upset that you ignored all the signs and wonders He showed you, and now requires that you give an account for all the things you did to disobey Him?

Next time, we'll look at a few of these possibilities, and explore if any one is more probable than the others.

In the meantime, stay vertical!

Why Start the Faith-Full Witness Blog?

Everyone has a story to tell.

Rather than tell you my story, at least right off the bat, let me tell you two conclusions that I've reached as a result of my story.

1) The Bible is true. Literally.

2) We're all going to die.

In fact, in the time it takes most people to read to right here... twenty eight people took their last breath and died.

What if... fourteen seconds from now, you were one of those people?

What would happen to you?

Would you go to heaven, or hell?

How could you know for certain?

Perhaps you're not sure. If you keep reading, you'll find that this blog is written for you, but indirectly.

Perhaps you are certain. This blog is definitely written for you. Directly.

Stay tuned, and you'll both understand.