Introduction
Immortality. For many it is the ultimate goal. To live for ever and never die. Woody Allen said “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying.” In many works of fiction immortality is on offer, probably, the most famous of which is the Highlander movies and TV series. However, in fiction it is not true immortality as the immortal characters can be killed, in Highland by chopping off their heads. Immortality though is still seen as a good thing. However, there are other works of fiction that depict immortality as a curse or a problem. The most recent of those is of course Pirates of the Caribbean where as a result of a curse a group of pirates are condemned to live forever, but without feeling, without being able to eat or drink or do any of the things that they as pirates wanted to do. For those of you who have good eye or memory for detail, will also remember that the immortal elf, Arwen, from the Lord of the Rings comes to view here immortality as a curse rather than a gift as she has to outlast her husband, family and all she knows and comes to be the last of her kind left in middle earth. And there is of course Queen’s famous song for the movie Highlander, “Who wants to live forever?” with a resoundingly loud “no” as the answer.
However, even given all these negative views of immortality, most of us still like the idea of immortality, of living for ever. There were many and varied view of Immortality in different religions and different philosophies. The ancient Greeks, believed in the immortality of the soul. So while this body died, the soul lived on forever and was actually a good deal better off without the body. Hinduism similarly believed in some sort of immortal soul, but it was condemned to be reincarnated over and over again until it could loose itself in a merger with the universe and or god.
But what does the Bible have to say about immortality? What should we as Christians believe about immortality? Is it something to be seen as a blessing or a curse? Is it on offer as a reward or a punishment? Do we agree with the Greek’s that we posses an immortal soul? What exactly is going on.
A blessing and a curse
Rather unexpectedly for some the Bible does actually portray immortality as both a blessing and a curse. It does so in too places, on in the very first book of the Bible in the very first section and when talking about a final judgement. But we’ll leave the judgement bit for a bit later in the sermon. For now let’s look and see what God says about immortality when He created us. In the story we are told that God created man and woman and placed them in the garden of Eden. Amidst the paradise where two special trees, the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Adam and Eve are told that they can eat freely of any tree including the tree of life but they may not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. However, being the disobedient humans we all know and love, they do precisely the one thing, that God has told them not to do, they eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
In response to this God announces several curses. At the end of this bit God comments that if they eat of the fruit of the tree of life, they will live forever. In their present fallen condition this is regarded as a bad thing. Why? Well, its certainly not because God is worried about humanity challenging his position, of them becoming gods. He is the sole creator God, the one and only. With the benefit of the rest of scripture we can at least speculate, that the reason this was a problem for God was that immortality with sin, is not a pleasant thing or something to be looked forward to. Immortality in relationship with God and without sin, seems to have been what humanity was created for, but immortality with sin was not something that could be enjoyed. Thus, death is seen not as a curse in itself but rather as a release. However, death is still an intruder, not the thing that humanity was created for, it is still an enemy to be opposed.
So what becomes of the goal of human immortality? Does it disappear into the mists of time as the location of the garden of Eden was lost and perhaps the garden itself destroyed in the flood. Has humanity lost its chance at immortality in that one tragic event? Well at least on the surface that appears to be the case. The old saying goes the only two things that are certain about this life are death and taxes. Anybody who goes around either claiming to be immortal or offering immortality is pretty easy to disprove when they die.
The immortality of the soul
So what about immortality of the soul. Could we just change what’s on offer to meet up with the Greek idea. You’re not immortal, you will die, but your soul will survive. Issues of justice can be answered by talking about what happens to your soul after death. This ones less easy to check up on, because we can’t even prove whether a person has a soul never mind prove what happens or doesn’t happen to it after death. This is actually, a very popular belief among most of the western world, even those who don’t normally practise any religion. They talk about a deceased loved on looking down on them or they talk about them being happy now. But is this really immortality, is this a good thing or a bad thing and is this really what the Bible teaches. Let’s look at these questions in reverse order.
Firstly, is this really what the Bible teaches? Well there are least hints of this in the New Testament. When Paul is facing execution in jail he contrasts being present in the flesh with going to be with the Lord. Or Jesus comments to the thief dying on the cross who asks Jesus to remember him, is that today you will be with me in paradise. However, the main story from the New Testament that gives us this kind of picture also gives us an answer to our second question as well, is this a good or a bad thing.
Jesus tells the parable about the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man is the kind of stereotypical nasty selfish rich man. If you can imagine all the worst stereotypes about movie stars and singers. I was watching airport earlier in the week and there was one person who came off concord to board their own private jet. I think it was some designer or other by the the name of Giovanni, I think. Anyway, they seem to have given more attention to this one passenger, than it feels like they usually give to an entire aeroplane. Did she seem appreciative? Not in slightest all she could do was point out the problems and appear aloof and not interested in the people who were there to help her or they effort they went to. The rich man was like this. Lazarus, however was a poor man and a beggar. They both died. Lazarus went to paradise, while the rich man suffered terribly, he was literally in hell and there was an uncrossable gulf between them. So is this kind of immortality a good thing or a bad thing. Well it kind of depends on your circumstances. For the righteous it is a good thing, but for the unrighteous it is literally hell.
But is this really immortality? Is that the best we can hope for? Given that we all die, is there no real immortality on offer? Have we really represented the Biblical picture if we are looking at a disembodied immortality in heaven or hell or have we missed something crucial. We have the Biblical evidence of this life after death but is there something more to come?
Life after, life after death, real immortality
Well, according to the Bible there is a real immortality on offer, but there’s also a question of whether this a good thing or a bad thing. But first, what’s on offer. In popular culture the question is always is there life after death. But the Bible talks about something even greater. Something so utterly amazing that few people outside of the Christian church and a fair number with in it, really want to talk about it. That is the hope of life after, life after death, resurrection.
Unlike the Greek idea we are not at our best when our soul separates from our body. We are not a pre-existence eternal soul that had to put up with a body for a while. We were created as a complete person with a body and that is how we are meant to be. As we say when we looked at Genesis, death is the aberration, the thing that was not meant to be there. We were always meant to live for ever, but sin came in and messed it up. If God is to truly deal with sin and set things back to the way they are supposed to be then he is going to have to deal with this death thing as well. Simply existing disembodied as a spirit in heaven is not dealing with the issue. To be resorted we need to be re-embodied. We need resurrection and that is what is on offer. Life after, life after death.
The picture of our souls going to be with God when we die if we have faith in Christ, is true. The Bible confirms it, but its only the first half of the story. We have resurrection to look forward to afterwards, life after, life after death. Daniel is the first book of the Old Testament to unequivocally hold out this hope in an unambiguous manner. But to understand this hope properly we need to see it in the context of what has gone before. If you remember from when we looked at the book of Daniel, it’s all about giving hope to those who are being oppressed because of their faith and trust in God. We have the stories at the start of the book, which hold out the hope of God rewarding and protecting in this life, with the rider that God’s people are trust even when God does not protect in this life. Then we move on to the second half of the book where the hope is not so much for the individual but for the nation of Israel, your descendants and the purpose of God. You might suffer and even die for your faith but God will restore the fortune and land of the people and your descendants will enjoy prosperity. But then comes this extraordinary claim for resurrection. Not only will the vindication and the reward be for the nation and your descendants but it will also be for you, even if you die. Resurrection is the ultimate hope. At the time when God will restore and nation and put the world under his rule, Daniel holds out the hope that you will be resurrected to enjoy it. Thus, resurrection is not an end to the hope for the nation or your descendants but it is an extension of it. The nation will be restored, God will rule but you will be resurrected to be part of it.
You will be made whole. God has conquered death. You will be resurrected. We often have this idea about the ultimate goal of Christianity being that of our soul spending eternity with God in heaven. However, this isn’t the picture that the Bible paints. Revelation ends not in heaven but on the new earth. The closing scenes and of the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven to earth. Finally, the dwelling place of God is with man on earth. We do get to spend eternity in the presence of God, but it is not in heaven. It is on a renewed earth. Remember, God’s creation was good and his purpose in redemption was to restore it to what it should be, that of God coming to dwell with his creation. The Kingdom of God on earth. The fulfilment of the promise to Israel, of a nation ruled by God, centred in Jerusalem and God dwelling with man. But the promise has been widened, the Kingdom of God is not limited to ethic Israel but to all who have become the true Israel through faith in Christ. And it is not in the old Jerusalem but the new Jerusalem descended from heaven. Heaven on earth become a reality and all made possible through resurrection and because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ who was the forerunner and first fruits of those who are risen from the dead.
But again the question is, is this good or bad? Well again it depends. Daniel teaches us that we will be resurrected to face judgement. Like the disembodies state we looked at earlier this is not just resurrection to paradise for all, but resurrection to judgement, with eternal consequences. Those who are righteous will rise to paradise, to life eternal with God. While those who are not righteous will be resurrected to life in hell. Resurrection for all but resurrection to judgement. Again whether resurrection is a good or bad thing depends on whether a person is righteous or not. But who are the righteous? They are those who trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and that he will make them righteous. The unrighteous are those who refuse God’s offer of forgiveness and to make them righteous.
But isn’t this a bit harsh? Condemning everyone who doesn’t believe in Jesus to eternal condemnation. Doesn’t the punishment seem to outweigh the crime. Well possibly, but lets look at it from another angle. If we look back at the story from Genesis, remember we suggested that the reason God forbade access to the tree of life for humanity after they had sinned, was because eternal life with sin is not something which can be enjoyed, rather the end result is suffering. Some theologians suggest that this is precisely what hell is. Rather than a place where God has devised torments for those who oppose him, rather it is a place where God respects human freedom. He has provided everything necessary for forgiveness and righteousness but he also respects our decision to reject it. If we reject it, he honours our decision and hell is simply the result of human sin and being completely cut off from God. The fire is a picture of how terrible and awful the suffering would be. Imagine all the worst of human atrocities, the 2nd world war, the holocaust, Stalin’s reign of terror, Saddam Hussein’s regime and all without the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit. C. S. Lewis was a proponent of this view, as can be seen from the last of the Chronicles of Narnia, the Last Battle. As we have already mentioned this view of a bad immortality has been raised by works of fiction. Queen sang ‘Who wants to live forever?’, with the implied answer of no. And others saw the corruption inherent in humanity as making immortality a misery eventually. Is this position true, I don’t know but its least a possibility. And it showcases how it is human sin that makes the prospect of eternal life either good or bad.
Conclusion
So what can say. Immortality is reality. We will all be resurrected. Life after, life after death. However, the question is will this be a good thing or a bad thing. The answer is that that depends on sin. Human sin literally makes immortality hell. However, Jesus came to deal with human sin. To bring forgiveness for sins past and freedom from sin future, to bring righteousness both in terms of standing before God and also in terms of actual righteousness. Of course the final act of being completely righteous will have to await that final resurrection, but the decisions we make now will determine what happens then. We have the option to refuse Jesus forgiveness and offer of righteousness. If we do then we are deciding that our resurrection will be to eternal suffering as a consequence of our sin. However, we have the option to accept forgiveness, to allow God to work in our lives to make us righteous, to choose to live a life devoted to God and if that is the case then we can enjoy immortality and creation the way God intended it to be. Life eternal with God and without sin, paradise. Life after, life after death. Good or bad the choice is yours. I urge you to avoid an eternity of sin and hell and choose a eternal life of paradise. Accept God’s forgiveness and righteousness.
