Some background:
My dad died when I was 17. I never thought about death before that……I thought about it a lot after…….and I was terrified. I worried a lot about my death……at age 17. I decided to live my life in such a way that, if I died at age 40, I’d have gotten my money’s worth. I became a practicing secular humanist. This went on for a decade or so. I married a great woman and had 3 sons……who were challenging. I had a good hard look at Christianity. I decided that there was enough hard evidence for the resurrection of Christ that it was true. And if the ressurection was real, then the teaching of Christ was very important. I became a practicing Christian. And here I am.
So……..what is death. Death is a curtain that we approach at the end of this life. And at age 70 that approach is getting close for me. We cannot see through the curtain. We cannot know with absolute certainty what lies behind it………no matter how confident we are. It is a drastic change. Scientists would call it a singularity.
What is behind the curtain? There are three possibilities: nothing, something good, and something bad.
Nothing means nothing. No person, no place, no you, no creator. In a word, when you die, your friends and family put you in a hole and cover you with dirt. This is the end point for secular humanists, who believe that if you can’t see it, measure it, or manipulate it…….it cannot be real. The implications of nothing in our daily life are profound. Because you are the highest life form (you personally…..not mankind in general) you get to define what is right and what is wrong. You can do as you please. All you have to do is define your appetites as being right……..define your personal morality as being right……..you can even define your sex however you want. The problem is that everyone else is doing the same thing and they demand that you honor their definitions. Your decision to give the money in your pocket to the guy with the little cardboard sign on the exit ramp is no more valid than the thug’s decision to kill you and take the money. The pro life advocate’s belief in the value of life is no more valid than the abortionist who spends his day killing unborn children. In practice, this is how our culture works. And don’t bother committing the unforgivable crime of our culture……..telling the other guy he is wrong. His definition of right and wrong is every bit as valid as yours. The irony is that he will waste no time in telling you that you are wrong. Tolerance seems to be a one way street. The good news is that “nothing” is pretty safe. No matter what you have done, there is no lasting consequence.
Something, on the other hand, is a whole different kettle of fish. It could be temporary or eternal. It could be very good or very bad. The good news, if you are a Christian, is that you get to choose your fate. Recognize Christ……or deny him. Choose eternal goodness or eternal badness.
The irony is that, purely by accident, Henley was right in his poem “Invictus”.
“I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.”
“Invictus” by Henly
And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:7, ESV
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4, ESV
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
Psalms 23:4, ESV
“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Jesus, talking to a bad man who recognized his divinity, Luke 23:43