We Are Immortals

Dunno if you remember this show. Duncan MacLeod is the Highlander. For over 400 years, he constantly faced other immortals in a combat to the death. The winner takes his enemy's head, and with it his immortal power. One by one, immortals will fall as their heads are decapitated.

In the end, there can be only one. May it be Duncan MacLeod, the Highlander!

And the theme song goes, “Who waaants… to liiiiive… foreveeeeeer…”

We are all made to live forever. Christians and non-Christians alike. Every single one of us! Do you find this surprising?

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29).

What happens after death is, there will be a resurrection. ALL who are in the graves will come back to life. Either to the resurrection of life, or to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I have hope in God… that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Acts 24:15).

Yup, there it is again. Both the just, AND the unjust, will be called back for a reckoning.

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2).

In that day of reckoning, some will awake to everlasting life, and some will awake to everlasting contempt.

We are all indiscriminately made to live forever. Still not convinced? Logic itself says so:

We say that after we die, we go to heaven or go to hell.
If we go to heaven, we will have everlasting life.
If we go to hell, we will have everlasting death, right?
In hell, there will be suffering. So that means we can feel pain, right?
So if we can feel pain in hell, how can we be dead?
So that means in hell, we have... Everlasting life!

There you go. Actually, the discussion boils down to this. What really is life? What really is death? Is life a state of existence, and death a state of non-existence?

The bible defines life and death rather differently. Life means “being in a relationship with God.” Therefore, everlasting life means “being forever with God”. Death means “separated from a relationship with God.” Therefore death, in its most final meaning, is “separated forever from God.” In other words, Christian jargon calls this spiritual death.

Let’s hear Jesus Himself define what eternal life is:

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

Therefore, life is not merely a state of existence, and death is not a state of non-existence. Life or death is defined in terms of a person’s relationship with God. Either we know God and are eternally in a good relationship with Him. That is life. Or, we don't know God and are eternally in a bad relationship with Him. That is death.

If we have life, we will be in heaven where God is present. If we have death, then we will be in hell where God is absent.

So who says death is really the end?