ANNOUNCER: JERUSALEM,
OFTEN CALLED THE ETERNAL CITY. NO OTHER PLACE ON EARTH
SPEAKS SO CLEARLY TO QUESTIONS
ABOUT OUR OWN MORTALITY. WILL I JUST CEASE TO EXIST? WILL I COME BACK AS
A DONKEY IN THE NEXT LIFE? IS THIS LIFE CONNECTED
TO THE NEXT LIFE? AND JESUS FACES
THAT ISSUE DIRECTLY. THE PROBLEM ABOUT
LIFE AFTER DEATH... GOES BACK TO THE MORE
FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE OF
LIFE BEFORE DEATH. WHAT JESUS DOES
IS HE CONNECTS THE TWO. ON THIS DAY OF DISCOVERY. MART DEHAAN: THIS IS JERUSALEM'S
BEN YEHUDA STREET. AS A RULE, IF YOU WANT TO SEE THE CITY, THE LIFE OF THE CITY, THE YOUNG PEOPLE, THE FAMILIES,
YOU COME TO BEN YEHUDA. BUT TODAY IS THE END
OF A HOLIDAY. NOBODY'S HERE, BUT IN A FEW HOURS,
AT SUNDOWN, THIS STREET
WILL FILL UP AGAIN WITH LIFE, WITH YOUNG PEOPLE,
WITH FAMILIES. IN SOME WAYS BEN YEHUDA STREET
TODAY IS A LITTLE BIT LIKE
JERUSALEM OVER THE CENTURIES. PEOPLE HAVE LOOKED
AT IT AND THEY COULD SAY,
"WHERE'S THE PROMISE? "WHERE'S THE ANTICIPATION
OF JERUSALEM?" THIS WAS TO BE
THE CITY OF MESSIAH, A CITY OF
RESURRECTION, A CITY OF LIFE. AND MANY PEOPLE WOULD SAY,
AND NOT ONLY JERUSALEM, BUT THE SCRIPTURES OF JERUSALEM, OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. AND WHAT ABOUT THE SCRIPTURES
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT AND
FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST? WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF
THE RESURRECTION, OF THE LIFE? WELL, THAT'S A QUESTION THAT
WE WANT TO THINK ABOUT TODAY. IN FACT, THE PEOPLE WE'RE
GOING TO BE HEARING FROM HAVE
THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THE PROMISE, THE PROMISE OF IMMORTALITY,
OF RESURRECTION, AND OF
EVERLASTING LIFE, AND THEY'VE ALSO CONSIDERED
THE QUESTIONS, THE KIND OF
DOUBTS THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD. I THINK A LOT OF FOLKS
ARE RELUCTANT TO BELIEVE
IN LIFE AFTER DEATH, BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T BEEN
GIVEN ANY GOOD REASON... THAT THERE IS SOMETHING
BEYOND THE GRAVE. THEY'VE BEEN TO A LOT OF
FUNERALS BUT THEY'VE NEVER SEEN
ANYBODY SIT UP IN THE CASKET. AND THAT HAPPENS IN
SCI-FI AND IN CARTOONS. IT DOESN'T HAPPEN
IN THE REAL WORLD. MY PERSONAL DOUBTS DROVE
ME TO DISCOVER ANSWERS. AND SO I STARTED READING
THE LITERATURE WRITTEN BY
PROFESSIONAL SCIENTISTS, AND SCHOLARS WHO WERE NOT
CHRISTIAN, AS WELL AS CHRISTIAN, EVEN THOSE WHO WERE MUSLIMS,
AND TO SEE WHERE DOES THE
EVIDENCE ACTUALLY POINT? AND I WAS READY TO GO WITH
WHEREVER THE EVIDENCE POINTED
BECAUSE THIS IS TOO... ETERNITY IS TOO IMPORTANT
A QUESTION TO MESS AROUND
WITH OR TO TAKE LIGHTLY. HUMAN BEINGS LIVE WITH
A VERY BROAD HORIZON, AND THEY HAVE A SENSE THAT
THEY ARE HEADING SOMEWHERE. JUST EXISTING IN TIME
GIVES THEM THAT SENSE. THEY KNOW THAT THEY'RE
BEING THRUST FORWARD. THEY CAN'T STAY WHERE THEY
ARE AND SO THE QUESTION
ARISES, WHERE AM I GOING? AND THAT QUESTION RAISES
THE FURTHER QUESTION, WHO AM I? WHAT KIND OF THING AM I? WHICH IS REALLY THE DEEPER QUESTION. AM I JUST A PHYSICAL OBJECT OF
SOME SORT, A BRAIN OR A BODY? AND THEIR EXPERIENCE TELLS
THEM THEY'RE NOT BECAUSE WHAT
MAKES UP A HUMAN LIFE IS... IS EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE OF
SEEING, OF HEARING, OF THINKING,
OF FEELING, WILLING, DECIDING, CHOOSING,
THINKING ABOUT LARGE ISSUES. AND THEY GET AN EDUCATION
AND THAT BROADENS THEIR HORIZON, AND SO THEY ASSOCIATE
THOSE TWO QUESTIONS:
WHO AM I? OR WHAT AM I? BECAUSE WHERE I'M GOING
IS GOING TO DEPEND ON HOW
YOU ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS. I AM ON MY WAY SOMEWHERE. I THINK...
ALL OF A SUDDEN MY MOTHER
FLASHED IN FRONT OF MY EYES, BECAUSE SHE'S A SCIENTIST
AND SHE HAS TOLD ME FROM
THE TIME I WAS A CHILD... THAT WE GREW UP
FROM POND SCUM. AND NOW THAT SHE'S
OLDER SHE DOESN'T WANT
TO BELIEVE THAT ANYMORE. YOU KNOW, THERE HAS TO
BE SOMETHING OUT THERE. I THINK THE THING THAT
STRUCK ME THE MOST WAS THAT
I HAD NO MEANING TO LIFE. I REALIZED THAT IF THE UNIVERSE,
YOU KNOW, EMERGED OUT OF JUST
BLIND MATERIAL FORCES, AND LIFE EMERGED, YOU KNOW,
BY COSMIC ACCIDENT, IN OTHER WORDS, IF THERE
WAS NO GOD AND ALL WE HAVE
ARE BLIND MATERIAL FORCES, THEN HUMAN LIFE REALLY
HAS NO MEANING. AND THAT WAS THE THING THAT
WAS HARDEST FOR ME WHEN I WAS
WRESTLING WITH, IS THERE A GOD? OR, YOU KNOW, IS
EVOLUTIONARY... EVOLUTIONARY
NATURALISM ALL THAT REALLY... IS THAT THE TRUTH?
IS THAT REALLY TRUE? AND I REALIZED
THAT IF THAT'S TRUE,
THERE'S NO SENSE OF MEANING. THERE'S NO SENSE OF PURPOSE
AND WHAT... WHAT HAPPENS
AFTER YOU DIE? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I GREW UP,
AGAIN, I GREW UP WITH A
CHILD'S FAITH AND IT'S... IT'S VERY SIMPLE AND YET... AND YET YOU DON'T REALIZE HOW
PROFOUND IT IS UNTIL YOU GIVE
IT UP AND WHEN YOU REALIZE... I KNEW I WOULD
GO TO HEAVEN WHEN I DIED.
I KNEW I WOULD BE WITH GOD. WELL, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IF YOU'RE NOT A CHRISTIAN,
WHAT DOES HAPPEN WHEN YOU DIE? YOU KNOW, IS THIS...
YOU DIE, YOU ROT? IS THIS ALL THERE IS TO LIFE? AND IF SO, WHAT MEANING IS THERE TO EVERYTHING YOU DO RIGHT NOW? EVERYTHING YOU DO RIGHT
NOW WILL BE FORGOTTEN. EVERYTHING... EVERYTHING YOU ACCOMPLISH WILL BE UNDONE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU START A SCHOOL,
YOU START A MAGAZINE, YOU CREATE WONDERFUL THINGS,
IT'LL ALL DIE. IT'LL ALL DECAY. ALL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WILL...
EVERYONE YOU... YOU LOVE WILL
DIE AND THEY WILL DECAY. WHAT... EVERYTHING YOU CHOOSE, THAT YOU PUT YOUR LIFE INTO WILL... IS TEMPORARY. WHERE ARE THE ETERNAL THINGS? WHAT'S GOING TO REALLY LAST? HOW CAN I MAKE SURE
I'M BUILDING MY LIFE ON
SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST, THAT WILL HAVE SOME KIND OF
ETERNAL OR COSMIC SIGNIFICANCE? I REALIZED THAT
THERE WAS NOTHING. THAT WAS THE HARDEST PART. I REALIZED THAT EVERYTHING
I DID HAD NO MEANING IF
THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, NO... NO SPIRITUAL REALM,
NO AFTERLIFE, NOTHING
BEYOND THIS WORLD. MART: PERSONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT
LIFE BEYOND THIS LIFE HAVE GIVEN
MANY REASON TO WONDER... ABOUT THE INTRIGUING
THINGS THAT JESUS SAID
ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH. WHEN YOU READ WHAT JESUS SAID
AND TAUGHT, A COUPLE OF THINGS
BECOME REALLY OBVIOUS... THAT TURN OUT TO BE A LITTLE
POLITICALLY INCORRECT. FOR EXAMPLE, JESUS WAS NOT
AN EASTERN MYSTICAL GURU. HE WAS A TORAH-OBSERVANT JEW.
HE BELIEVED THERE WAS ONE GOD, AND THE GOD THAT
HE BELIEVED IN WAS DIFFERENT
THAN THE CREATION, ALL RIGHT? HE... HE DIDN'T BELIEVE IN IDOLATRY. HE WASN'T A PLURALIST. HE SAID, "ALL THAT CAME BEFORE
ME ARE THIEVES OR ROBBERS, "BUT I CAME THAT
YOU MIGHT HAVE LIFE AND
HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY." SO IT'S IMPORTANT WITH
REFERENCE TO ALL OF THESE
QUESTIONS THAT COME UP... IN RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH OR OTHER FAITHS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REALIZE
THAT YOU'RE NOT JUST DEALING
WITH ONE ISSUE: YES OR NO. YOU'RE DEALING WITH
A SET OF ALTERNATIVES. MART: THIS IS
JERUSALEM'S EASTERN GATE. CLOSED FOR CENTURIES,
IT STANDS TODAY AS A BACKDROP
FOR A MUSLIM CEMETERY. THIS EASTERN GATE
STANDS DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM
JERUSALEM'S MOUNT OF OLIVES, WHERE ACCORDING TO THE HEBREW
SCRIPTURES, THE MESSIAH WILL
COME IN THE LAST DAYS... TO BRING RESURRECTION
AND EVERLASTING LIFE
TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE. AND ALL AROUND ARE
CEMETERIES, MUSLIM CEMETERY,
DOWN BELOW, CHRISTIAN GRAVES. A CEMETERY STANDS IN
FRONT OF WHAT IS, TODAY,
THE CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS. AND THEN COVERING THE SLOPES OF
THE MOUNT OF OLIVES ARE ANCIENT
AND MODERN JEWISH GRAVES... OF INDIVIDUALS WHO
HAVE BEEN BURIED HERE... IN HOPE OF THE RESURRECTION
OF A COMING MESSIAH. NOW, DO SUCH CEMETERIES
AND HOPES REALLY MAKE SENSE? OR IS THE..THE THOUGHT AND
THE ANTICIPATION OF EVERLASTING
LIFE JUST WISHFUL THINKING? WELL, THOSE WE'RE...
WE'RE HEARING FROM TODAY
HAVE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THIS, AND THEY'VE CONCLUDED THAT IT... IT MAKES SENSE TO
BELIEVE WHAT JESUS SAID
ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH. THE PROBLEM ABOUT
LIFE AFTER DEATH... GOES BACK TO THE MORE
FUNDAMENTAL ISSUE OF LIFE
BEFORE DEATH. WHAT IS IT? AND THE REAL QUESTION...
THAT'S THE REAL QUESTION. IS THERE LIFE BEFORE DEATH
AND WHAT IS IT? AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY
PEOPLE REMAIN FASCINATED WITH... THESE THINGS CALLED NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES IS BECAUSE THEY GIVE THEM A SORT OF GLANCE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU MAKE
OF THEM ULTIMATELY, INTO THE PROCESS OF PASSING
OVER AND WHAT IT MIGHT BE LIKE. ACCORDING TO SURVEYS,
FOR EXAMPLE, AMERICANS BELIEVE THAT
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES ARE
INDICATIONS OF AN AFTERLIFE. THEY DO THINK THERE'S AN
AFTERLIFE, HIGH PERCENTAGE. IN FACT, SURVEYS SHOW THAT
EVEN PROFESSIONALS, EVEN PEOPLE
WITH GRADUATE DEGREES, EVEN... I MEAN, THIS IS A GENERATION
THAT FOR ALL THEIR LACK OF
BELIEF IN SOME AREAS, THEY'RE OF A GENERALLY
RELIGIOUS ETHOS AND THEY
KIND OF BELIEVE IN GOD, AND DO GOOD AND BELIEVE
IN AN AFTERLIFE. AND I THINK NEAR-DEATH
EXPERIENCES KIND OF
RAISES THAT AND... AND THEY'RE BROUGHT
FACE TO FACE WITH THINGS LIKE, WOW, YOU KNOW,
THERE COULD BE AN AFTERLIFE, OR WE MIGHT BE CONFRONTED AFTER
DEATH BY WHAT WE DID IN THIS
LIFE AND SOME OF THOSE ACTIONS. AND I'D SAY,
FOR THE PERSON WHO SAYS, "I JUST CAN'T GET THERE FROM
THE KIND OF WORLD I BELIEVE IN," I'D SAY, "DO YOU BELIEVE
IN GOD?" MOST OF THEM DO. I SAY, "YOU BELIEVE
IN AN AFTERLIFE?" AND MOST OF THEM DO AND
IF THEY DON'T, I'D GIVE THEM
SOME NEAR-DEATH EVIDENCE. I SAY, "CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS?" AND THEY'LL MOSTLY SAY, 'CAUSE THE NEAR-DEATH
EVIDENCE IS HEAVY. IT...
IT IS REALLY GOOD AND SOME OF THEM WILL SAY,
"YEAH, I THINK YOU'VE GOT ME.
I MEAN, I... "I KIND OF WOULD LIKE
TO BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH
ANYWAY AND THAT'S PRETTY GOOD." AND THEN I'LL SAY, "LOOK,
THE KIND OF WORLD THAT YOU THINK
IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE NEWS, "NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
AND SO ON, IT SAYS THAT
SOMETHING'S GOING ON. "THERE'S ANOTHER WORLD
OUT THERE, BUT HAVE YOU
EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THIS? "THE WORLD THAT NEAR DEATH
EXPERIENCES EVIDENCES, I.E.,
AN AFTERLIFE, "IS THE WORLD IN WHICH
JESUS WAS RAISED. "IN OTHER WORDS,
A NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE IS NOT
THE RESURRECTION AND VICE VERSA, "BUT IF THERE ALREADY
IS AN AFTERLIFE AS INDICATED
BY YOUR PRIVATE BELIEFS... "OR BY NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES, "THEN WHEN I TALK ABOUT
RESURRECTION IT SHOULDN'T
SOUND SO INCREDIBLE TO YOU, "BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW
ABOUT INDIVIDUAL MEN
RISING FROM THE DEAD. "THAT JUST TELLS ME JESUS IS
UNIQUE, BUT YOU DO KNOW ABOUT
THE CATEGORY CALLED AFTERLIFE, "AND YOU ENJOY READING
THOSE STORIES WHEN THEY
POP UP IN THE PAPER, "BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE
IN THE AFTERLIFE. "I'M TALKING ABOUT THE REALM
THAT YOU THINK DOESN'T EXIST... "WHEN I TALK ABOUT
THE RESURRECTION, "BUT YOU THINK DO EXIST
WHEN YOU READ ABOUT
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES. "SO IF THERE'S AN AFTERLIFE,
WELCOME TO THE WORLD
OF RESURRECTION." MART: JESUS SPOKE A LOT
ABOUT RESURRECTION AND WHAT'S
AT STAKE IN THE LIFE TO COME. NOW, THESE THINGS ARE
PROMISED BY JESUS CHRIST,
BUT WHY BELIEVE HIM? WE HAVE A LOT OF ADMIRATION
FOR JESUS BUT WHEN IT COMES
TO THINGS LIKE THIS, WHY SHOULD WE BELIEVE HIM?
HOW WOULD HE KNOW? WELL, HE DIDN'T LEAVE US WITHOUT
A REASON TO THINK THAT HE KNEW
WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, BECAUSE HE PRESENTED EVIDENCE
THROUGH HIS OWN RESURRECTION
FROM THE DEAD... THAT THERE IS LIFE AFTER
DEATH FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE, AND THIS LIFE HE DESCRIBED
AS BETTER THAN THIS LIFE,
SOMETHING TO BE HOPED FOR. SO WE LOOK AT THE
RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
AND WE SEE A TOMB AND A... A HEAVY STONE THAT WAS
ROLLED IN FRONT OF THAT TOMB. WE SEE ROMAN GUARDS. WE SEE ALL OF THESE PEOPLE THAT... THAT... THAT ARE THERE
KIND OF KEEPING FROM HAPPENING
ANYTHING RELATED TO JESUS... THAT THE DISCIPLES
CAN CAPITALIZE ON, AND THEN WE HAVE
A REAL RESURRECTION. WE HAVE A PHYSICAL JESUS
WHO APPEARS TO THEM. NOW, AT FIRST WE CAN SAY,
"WELL, OH YEAH, BUT THEY... "THEY JUST WERE SUPERSTITIOUS
AND SO THEY PROJECTED A BELIEF." NO. IN FACT, THE BIBLE
SAYS THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE. THEY... THEY SPECIFICALLY
SAID, "THERE'S NO WAY
THAT THIS HAPPENED," UNTIL JESUS ACTUALLY
APPEARS TO THEM AND
ACTUALLY SAYS, YOU KNOW, "TOUCH MY BODY," AS HE SAID
TO HIS DISCIPLE THOMAS. BUT THEY'RE STUNNED.
THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED. BUT HERE HE IS, PHYSICALLY
RESURRECTED, AND THE BOOK OF
1 CORINTHIANS IN THE BIBLE... SAYS THAT HE AT ONE
TIME APPEARED TO MORE
THAN 500 PEOPLE, AND MANY INDIVIDUALS ALONG
THE WAY, THE DISCIPLES ON
THE EMMAUS ROAD, AND HIS APOSTLES
AND MARY AND THESE OTHER PEOPLE
ARE SEEING HIM AND TOUCHING HIM, AND EATING MEALS
WITH THE RESURRECTED JESUS. NOW, TO THEM THAT WAS PROOF. THAT WAS PROOF OF WHO HE WAS. THAT'S PROOF OF
ETERNAL LIFE, THAT YOU CAN
COME BACK FROM THE GRAVE, AND WHAT A GREAT CONFIRMATION
OF THE WORDS THAT JESUS HAD
SAID ABOUT LIFE AFTER DEATH, TO CONQUER DEATH HIMSELF. NOW, THE EXPERIENCE OF PEOPLE
WITH CHRIST BEFORE AND AFTER
HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS, HIS RESURRECTED LIFE, WAS ONE
THAT MADE THEM VERY CERTAIN
THAT HE CONTINUED TO EXIST, AND THAT HE WAS GOING TO
SEE TO IT THAT THEY DID. AND SO FOR THE... FOR PAUL,
FOR EXAMPLE, HE JUST SAYS,
IN 2 TIMOTHY 1:10, THAT CHRIST ABOLISHED DEATH
AND BROUGHT LIFE AND IMMORTALITY
TO LIGHT THROUGH THE GOSPEL. HE ABOLISHED DEATH AND
BROUGHT LIFE AND IMMORTALITY
TO LIGHT THROUGH THE GOSPEL. IN OTHER WORDS, THE GOSPEL,
WHICH IS LIFE IN THE KINGDOM
OF GOD IN DEPENDENCE ON CHRIST, THE GOSPEL SHOWS YOU WHAT LIFE
AND IMMORTALITY REALLY ARE. AND ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT,
YOU REALIZE WHAT HE SAID, THAT, WELL, FOR EXAMPLE, IN JOHN
8:52, I THINK IT IS, HE SAYS, "THOSE WHO KEEP MY WORD
WILL NEVER SEE DEATH." AND AGAIN, WILL NEVER
EXPERIENCE DEATH. SO I OFTEN SAY TO PEOPLE,
IF YOU'RE A CHRISTIAN AND
YOU'RE PLANNING TO DIE, YOU'LL BE DISAPPOINTED. THOSE WHO ARE STILL HERE WILL
HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE LEFTOVERS,
BUT YOU'RE OUT OF HERE! OFTENTIMES WHEN
WE TALK ABOUT LIFE AFTER
DEATH VERSUS THIS LIFE, WE WANT TO SEPARATE THE TWO
TO SOME DEGREE. WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT,
YOU KNOW, WELL, WHAT REALLY
MATTERS IS ETERNITY. I MEAN, AFTER ALL, THAT'S
GONNA BE A MUCH LONGER TIME
THAN THE PRESENT LIFE. BUT WHAT JESUS DOES
IS HE CONNECTS THE TWO, AND THIS, I THINK,
IS WHAT SOME PEOPLE MISS. AND SO THE WAY
IN WHICH I AM ABLE TO ENJOY
AND EXPERIENCE ETERNITY... IS VERY MUCH RELATED TO
HOW I AM RELATING TO GOD
IN THE PRESENT LIFE. THIS IS WHY JESUS SAYS
LAY UP... WHEN YOU LAY
UP TREASURES FOR HEAVEN, YOU'RE LAYING UP TREASURES
FOR HEAVEN NOW BY THE WAY
YOU'RE RESPONDING TO GOD. AND SO THIS LIFE OF FAITH THAT
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A LIFE... YOU KNOW, FAITH IS NOT
A ONE MOMENT DECISION: I FLIP
THE SWITCH AND IT'S DONE. FAITH IS A WAY OF LIVING AND
IN THAT WAY OF LIVING GOD IS
HONORED AND GOD IS PLEASED, AND HE RESPONDS TO THAT
AND HE EMBRACES THAT... THROUGH THE CONTEXT OF JESUS' FORGIVENESS ON THE ONE HAND, AND THROUGH THE CONTEXT
OF OUR RESPONDING TO WHAT
IT IS GOD HAS PROVIDED... THROUGH JESUS IN THIS
ENABLEMENT TO WALK WITH HIM. SO THAT MAKES THIS LIFE
CONNECTED TO THE LIFE TO COME
AS OPPOSED TO BEING, WELL, I'VE GOT THIS LIFE
AND THEN I'VE GOT ETERNITY. AND OF COURSE, THAT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS THAT CHARACTERIZED THE
EARLY CHRISTIANS, ESPECIALLY, THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY FEARLESS
IN THE FACE OF DEATH. A FEW MONTHS AGO I FOUND
MYSELF WITH A... THE VIRTUAL EQUIVALENT
OF A HEART ATTACK, AND WAS IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM
AT OUR LOCAL HOSPITAL. MY CARDIOLOGIST SAID THAT I
PROBABLY HAD HAD A HEART ATTACK
TWO OR THREE DAYS EARLIER. AND WHEN THE SPECIALIST
CARDIOLOGIST CAME IN, HE LOOKED AT MY WIFE
AND HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, "THE RESULTS ARE IN.
YOU COULD DIE TODAY." APPARENTLY I'D WAITED
TOO LONG AND... BEFORE COMING
INTO THE EMERGENCY ROOM, AND BLOOD CLOTS WERE FORMING
AND IF ONE WENT TO MY LUNGS,
IT WOULD KILL ME. IF ONE WENT TO MY BRAIN,
I WOULD BE PARALYZED,
PROBABLY, FROM A STROKE. NOW, AS HE SAID THAT, IT WASN'T
EXACTLY THE BEST BEDSIDE MANNER. MY WIFE WAS FREAKED.
WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? BUT I HAD THE MOST TREMENDOUS
SENSE OF PEACE, BECAUSE FOR MOST OF MY LIFE
I'VE ADDRESSED DEATH AND
I KNOW WHAT'S BEYOND THAT. AND THAT... AND THAT'S WHAT JESUS WANTS TO OFFER PEOPLE. THAT'S THE WAY THAT WE CAN
APPROACH THE DEATH THAT WE'RE
ALL GONNA EXPERIENCE SOMEDAY. WELL, I THINK THE REMOVAL OF
THE FEAR OF DEATH CAN BE SEEN... IN PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST
FAMOUS SCENES IN JESUS' LIFE. IT'S WHEN HE'S BEING CRUCIFIED
AND THE THIEF ON THE CROSS SAYS, YOU KNOW, BASICALLY,
"CAN I BE WITH YOU IN PARADISE?" AND WHEN THE THIEF ON
THE CROSS ASKS THIS QUESTION, HE'S THINKING ABOUT,
"IN THE JUDGMENT TO COME DOWN
THE ROAD, CAN I BE WITH YOU?" AND JESUS' REPLY WOULD
BE A SHOCKING ANSWER. IT ISN'T SO SHOCKING TO
US BECAUSE WE'VE HAD... A COUPLE THOUSAND YEARS OF
THEOLOGY TO HELP US WITH THIS, BUT BASICALLY, WHAT HE
SAYS IS, "TODAY YOU WILL
BE WITH ME IN PARADISE. "YOU AREN'T GOING TO
HAVE TO WAIT FOR THIS. "THIS ISN'T WAITING
FOR SOME JUDGMENT DOWN
THE ROAD, WHENEVER IT COMES. "YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A SENSE
OF BEING WITH... IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD
ONCE THIS PART OF THE STORY
IS OVER, IMMEDIATELY." AND THAT TRANSITION,
THAT IMMEDIATE TRANSITION
IS PART OF THE HOPE, THAT YOU COME DIRECTLY INTO THE
PRESENCE OF GOD WITH A SENSE OF
HIS PRESENCE AND HIS FELLOWSHIP, EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE ELEMENTS
OF WHAT HAPPENS AFTERWARDS... THAT YOU RECEIVE LATER DOWN THE ROAD ALONG WITH EVERYBODY ELSE. AND DON'T ASK ME EXACTLY HOW
THAT WORKS 'CAUSE I DON'T KNOW. ALL I KNOW IS ON THE ONE HAND
WE'RE TOLD WE HAVE A SENSE OF
THE PRESENCE OF GOD... AS SOON AS WE DIE AND YET
THERE ARE THINGS TO COME, THAT COME DOWN THE ROAD,
THAT WE RECEIVE FROM HIM
AT THE FINAL JUDGMENT. EVERY SINGLE PERSON ON
THIS EARTH HAS AT LEAST
ONE THING IN COMMON, AND THAT'S WE'RE GONNA DIE. AND SO EVERY SINGLE ONE OF
US, WE FACE THAT QUESTION. WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME? WILL I JUST CEASE TO EXIST? WILL I COME BACK AS A DONKEY
IN THE NEXT LIFE? IS THIS LIFE CONNECTED
TO THE NEXT LIFE? AND JESUS FACES
THAT ISSUE DIRECTLY. IN ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN VERSES
AMONG MANY, MANY PEOPLE, JESUS SAID,
"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD
THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON, "THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES
IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH
BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE." HE KNEW THAT THAT
WAS A PRESSING QUESTION
THAT EVERYBODY ADDRESSES. AND WHAT HE WAS DOING IN THAT
IS THAT HE IS TELLING US THAT... WHEN WE ENTER INTO
A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, IT ISN'T JUST FOR
A TIME OF LIFE HERE, BUT IT'S GONNA STRETCH ON
INTO THE FUTURE, AS WELL. AND... AND WE CAN HAVE
A TREMENDOUS PEACE
AND CONFIDENCE... ABOUT WHAT LIFE IS
WHEN WE KNOW WHAT'S BEYOND. BOCK: WELL, THE HOPE THAT
JESUS BRINGS ABOUT CROSSING
OVER INTO DEATH, OF COURSE, IS THAT IT'S NOT DEATH, THAT IT MOVES FROM ONE FORM
OF LIFE TO ANOTHER FORM OF
LIFE AND EXISTENCE, AND A... AND A LIFE
AND EXISTENCE THAT IS IN
DEEP FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, THAT IS DIRECTLY
IN CONTACT WITH HIM... IN A WAY THAT EVEN
TRANSCENDS WHAT GOD
PROVIDES FOR US NOW. IT'S... IT'S... IT'S ANOTHER LEVEL OF LIFE, IF YOU WILL. AND SO IN ONE SENSE DEATH IS
A DOOR THROUGH WHICH ONE PASSES. IT'S A PASSAGE.
IT'S NOT A TIME. AND... WHEREAS WE TEND TO THINK
OF DEATH EITHER AS AN
END OR A TIME OR... OR SOMETHING MORE PERMANENT,
AND THAT'S PART OF THE HOPE. AT LEAST, IT'S HOPEFUL
IF YOU KNOW THE PERSON YOU'RE
SPENDING ETERNITY WITH... AND HAVE A RESPECT FOR THEM.
I TELL MY CLASS ALL THE TIME... THAT IF GOD TOLD ME I WAS GONNA
LIVE FOREVER WITH CERTAIN PEOPLE IT MIGHT SCARE ME TO DEATH, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND,
WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO LIVE
WITH SOMEONE WHO... WHO CARES FOR YOU AND LOVES... LOVES YOU AND WRAPS HIS ARMS AROUND YOU FOREVER, THAT'S PART OF THE HOPE THAT
IS PART OF THE CHRISTIAN HOPE. "OH, TO BE YOUNG AGAIN!
TO BE CAREFREE AS A CHILD." THIS TOMBSTONE HERE IN THIS
JEWISH CEMETERY OVERLOOKING
THE OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM... REFLECTS A... AN INDIVIDUAL,
A FAMILY WHO... WHO BURIED THEIR LOVED
ONE HERE IN ANTICIPATION
OF A RESURRECTION, OF A COMING DAY OF MESSIAH. BUT IT RAISES ALL KINDS
OF QUESTIONS FOR US. IS THAT JUST WISHFUL THINKING? IS IT SENTIMENTALISM? OR IS IT, AS THOSE WE'VE
HEARD FROM TODAY, IS IT
ROOTED IN... IN EVIDENCE... NOT ONLY OF WHAT JESUS SAID
ABOUT THE RESURRECTION,
BUT ABOUT WHAT HE DID? DID HE ACTUALLY LEAVE AN EMPTY
TOMB TO GIVE US REASON TO... TO LOOK FORWARD TO A...
A REAL DAY OF RESURRECTION? THAT'S THE KIND OF QUESTION
ALL OF US ARE GOING TO HAVE
TO THINK ABOUT AND WEIGH, LIKE THE MEN AND WOMEN
WE'VE HEARD FROM TODAY.
