Afterlife’s Fascinating Impact on How We Live

This is most commonly associated with scientific thought. Some believe death is the ultimate end, a swift trip to oblivion. The idea that death brings a complete annihilation is not new.

In our modern world atheism promotes this thought. If there is no God, logic follows there cannot be an afterlife. Of course, it also implies there is no judgment, and no right or wrong. Men are free to do as they wish. Only facing penalties for bad behavior, if they get caught. And only receiving rewards for good behavior if it is announced publicly.

We see a new movement in this philosophy. Many people without religious ties still tend to believe the spirit lives after death. In 2014 only 38% of millennial’s considered themselves moderately or very religious, yet 80% still believed in life after death.

Those who have lost a loved one, are more likely to find comfort in the belief that they will see them again, lessening the sting of death. Yet, this movement continues to dismiss God as well as a final judgment.   They want the comfort of believing the soul continues to live as an individual, maybe even with family and friends.

The irony is believing in an afterlife, while eliminating God, creates the “Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die” philosophy found in the days of Noah. (Mathew24:38)

The benefit of rejecting God and judgement is it permits people to do whatever they want, believing they don’t have any responsibility, there is no truth and there are no penalties. Of course, there are no rewards either.

The vast majority of people still believe in some form of life after death. But many imagine we are all consigned to a miserable existence after death because of our sins. The Bible teaches us that we are all sinners, and most people will admit they frequently make mistakes.

The question is: can you ever repair your mistakes or do your sins consign you to eternal misery?

The Greeks and Romans thought the afterlife was a shadowy existence in Hades. For example: Homer describes the afterlife as a murky world filled with lunatics. Only a few individuals escaped Homer’s Hades.

While people may dismiss life in hell due to the sins committed on earth, many have embraced the ancient philosophy of reincarnation. This belief continues today in most Eastern religions.

The Wheel of Life teaches that death is a release of the soul from its mortal prison. The soul is then free to enter another body. Karma or Fate determines the next incarnation. The cycle is eternal, so each time you die, you return in another form or body.

Your behavior and actions in this life determine the body you will qualify for in the next. This encourages followers to live good lives.

The highest level of achievement on the Wheel of Life is Nirvana, which is reserved for those who are supremely righteous. In this state, the soul joins a great spirit essence.

The primary issue I have with reincarnation is the loss of identity. In most cases the soul would get a body of some sort. So, the spirit lives on. But in different forms, eliminating an individual sense of identity.

Then if you achieve the highest level of righteousness, the spirit is completely and eternally lost, being absorbed into a supreme spirit essence.

To embrace this belief, you must ask the question; is the soul a specific individual or is it simply a spirit essence void of independent thoughts and feelings.

In ancient times, Jews were the only religion to believe in an afterlife that included a physical resurrection.

Clear statements about the resurrection are rare in the Old Testament. But one example is found in Daniel 12:2 “and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. Some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting shame and contempt.

Several scriptures have been found in the Dead Sea Scrolls which substantiate Jewish belief in resurrection. (2 Maccabees 7:11 and Mishna Sanhedrin 10:1)

During Jesus’s time, the Jewish people were deeply divided on the topic of resurrection and the afterlife. The Sadducees had adopted a Greek philosophy which denied an afterlife altogether.

The Pharisees on the other hand, believed in a physical resurrection.

 We see an example of this conflict in the Easter story. The Jewish leaders were so concerned that Jesus’s disciples would steal the body and claim Jesus was resurrected, that they requested Roman soldiers guard the tomb.

The Jews believed the spirit and body combined would live through eternity. The body would be perfected and without blemish. The blind would see, the lame walk. There would be no death, disease, or mental illness. We would live eternally in a perfect body.

The Hebrews believe in a final heavenly judgement. They study the prophets who advise them to follow the ten commandments and live righteously.

It seems the belief in a last judgement produces the greatest impact on our actions. Because you have a yardstick to measure your behavior. When life is not fair, there is hope for a future remedy that is currently beyond our control.

Those who believe there will be no final judgement feel free to do whatever they want, provided they don’t get caught. But in exchange, they give up any hope of a future reward for living an honest and responsible life.

The idea of a future accounting changes that. It declares if you do something good and no one sees, God still knows. If someone hurts you and no one knows, it still matters. Because in a future judgement liars and thieves will be held accountable. Not by some corrupt or arbitrary system filled with flaws. But by a God who knows all, sees all, and has the ability to make things right.

When I know my actions have consequences, in both this life and the next, it encourages me to become a better person.