What happens to us when we die?
Do we just cease to exist? Do we get reincarnated to take another lap? Do we live forever in heaven or hell? Everyone has an opinion, but how do we know?
Jesus (who knows better than anyone on the subject) told a fascinating story that gives us a peek at what happens after death (Luke 16). There was a rich man who had it all and lived a life of luxury, and a poor, starving beggar, covered with sores, begging outside his gate.
Both die. The beggar goes somewhere identified as at Abraham's side. The rich man goes to Hades, a place of torment.
Jesus emphasizes three points in his story: 1. There is conscious existence after death. They not only continued
to exist, they knew what was going on.
2. It matters where you go. There is a good place and a bad place, one that is pleasant and one you want to avoid at all cost. The rich man is in such agony he begs for the beggar to just dip his finger into water and come to him so he can lick the tiny bit of moisture off his finger.
3. The decisions we make in this life determine where we go in the next.
This is a serious story warning us to make the right decisions in this life while there is still time. Jesus tells us how. "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24, NIV)
