Everybody procrastinates. When we’re young, we learn to procrastinate with chores and homework. As we get older, we procrastinate about emails, exercise and taxes. So, it’s not surprising that we would procrastinate thinking about death and what comes afterwards. You may be putting off thinking about a will or your funeral planning, but let me explain why waiting until after this life to think about the afterlife is such a bad idea. Better yet, let me share how Jesus explained it and the reasons that He gave.
In Luke 16, Jesus told a story about what happened after two people died, and in so doing gave one of the most vivid depictions of the afterlife that we have in the Bible. The first person lived a life of comfort and ease, while the second, named Lazarus, lived a tragic life. When they died, Lazarus was carried by angels into a place of comfort and relief, while the other man went to a place of unimaginable torment. The details of the account give us reasons why we shouldn’t procrastinate about the life to come.
1. The afterlife won’t just be an extension of this life.
Jesus was deliberate about His choice of people in the story. One lived a successful life and enjoyed the benefits of his hard work and talent (v. 19). The other was a pitiable character who suffered physically and lacked economically (v. 20). When things are going well in this life, our tendency is to think that God must be smiling on us. When we’re down and out, we think we’re on God’s B-Team. Jesus makes it clear that that’s not the case. Your comfort in this life is no predictor of your comfort in the next.
2. The stakes are higher than people like to think.
We often have vague, non-descript thoughts about the afterlife. We figure that heaven is just clouds and harps and that doesn’t sound very satisfying. And people say, ‘Hell is where everyone I know will be, so it couldn’t be so bad.’ But according to Jesus, the stakes are much higher than that. Lazarus is wonderfully comforted in heaven (v. 25), but the other man is described as being “in torment” (v. 23) and “in anguish” (vv. 24, 25). In agony from the flames, the man asks for Lazarus to “dip the end of his finger in water and cool [his] tongue” (v. 24). It’s a terrifying picture of God’s judgment.
3. There are no second chances in the afterlife.
If you’ve ever failed a test and had it dropped or the marks bumped, you may hold out the hope that even if your experience of life after death is a rude awakening, maybe there’ll be an appeal or a do-over. But Jesus’ teaching doesn’t allow for one. In Luke 16, not only can the man suffering in hell not get a transfer into heaven, but when he asks for water to relieve his burning tongue, the answer is, “between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us” (v. 26). It seems that the time for second chances ends as we pass from this life. As Hebrews 9:27 says, “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
4. God has already done all He can to convince you to prepare.
In Jesus’ story, as soon as the person realizes that it’s too late for himself, he begs for someone to be sent to his family to warn them about “this place of torment” (vv. 27-28). The response is that God has already provided the Bible. If people won’t listen to the warnings of Scripture, then it’s unlikely that they can be convinced. Interestingly, the last words of the pleading man are, “if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent” (v. 30). It’s fascinating to hear these words from Jesus because, of course, He did rise from the dead as evidence that His words were true.
5. Receiving a pardon from the judgment to come is easier than you might think.
As final and as terrible as hell is, the Bible says that you don’t avoid it by just trying harder or seeking to impress God with your morality or religion. We can’t erase the penalty of our sins ourselves, but according to Jesus, we can be spared judgment by putting our trust in Him because He took our judgment upon Himself at the cross. In John 5:24, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” By placing your life in His hands as your Saviour and following Him as your Lord, you can be spared God’s judgment and assured of the comfort and relief Lazarus experienced in the afterlife.
There are many things I still procrastinate with, but Jesus gives me many reasons not to procrastinate about this one. If this got you thinking, why not read the passage and hear it in Jesus’ words for yourself: Luke 16:19-31.
In awe of Him,
Paul
