An unavoidable consequence of getting older is the need to attend an increasing number of funerals and memorials.

It reminds us of the fragility and fleeting nature of our lives. One minute a close friend is vital and present, and the next minute she’s gone.

Unless you concentrate, it’s hard to even remember what she looked like. The shock and grief of unexpected death fades into a wispy memory, as though the person never existed.

He Is a Fool, Whose Plans End at the Grave

It’s amazing how many divergent notions about death are held by otherwise intelligent and practical people.

At funerals, it’s not uncommon to hear people gaze longingly upward and say, “Oh well, he/she is in a better place now.” How exactly do they know that?

Atheists, fatalists and secular humanists are even more certain, claiming that, at death, we just go “poof,” gone, annihilated, out of existence.

They believe as Christian author Randy Alcorn writes, “we have no essence beyond our body, and at death we will cease to exist entirely. In short, we came from nothing and are going nowhere.”

Whoop-de-doo!

To the Buddhist, Hindu or New Ager, death just ends one life (usually in pain and sadness) only to immediately begin another “joyous voyage” in a seemingly endless cycle of reincarnation — ending up for the better or worse (e.g. rat or roach) depending on how they lived the previous life.

If such a person reaches the ultimate state, “nirvana,” they get to simply disappear into the great nothingness.

And that’s the good news?

In their search for meaning, some thoughtful people adopt a materialistic world view, relying on science, culture and/or academia to explain it all, often discarding the notion of a higher creator-power in the process.

Others embrace one or another flavor of religion, seeking refuge among the rituals, supposed holy teachings, submission to leaders and their faith community.

Still others abandon the search for meaning and plant their feet firmly in thin air for the remainder of their lives.

Well, who is right here? The stakes are incredibly high …

Someone Who ‘Crossed Over’ and Came Back

There is an old Chinese saying, “To find out what is down the road, ask someone who is coming back.”

But what if we could find someone who had crossed over into death and came back to talk about it?

One man did. And, not a single critic in 2,000 years has been able to disprove it. The evidence is too overwhelming.

In 1 Corinthians 15:5-8, the Apostle Paul, formerly a sworn enemy of Christ, solemnly declared, “He (Jesus) appeared to Cephas, then to the 12. After that He appeared to more than 500 brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”

Brooke Foss Westcott, an English scholar, said: “raking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ.”

We Get to Come Along for the Ride

So why is Christ’s resurrection such a big deal? Because it can be our resurrection, too. According to Romans 6:6-11:

“Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life — no longer at sin’s every beck and call!

“What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in His life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word.

“When Jesus died, he took sin down with Him, but alive He brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.”

How About You?

Bottom line: Death is no big deal IF — and this is a big IF — you will allow Jesus to take you through death, hand-in-hand by a personal act of faith. In fact, you don’t have to wait to die to go through death.

What if you stepped out of your comfort zone before that fateful day arrives and take God up on His offer for a divine personal appointment? Suppose that encounter could usher in undreamed-of possibilities for you — possibilities that stretch out into eternity?

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