What is next? Is there life after death?

This last week, I responded to the home of a 73 year old man who died in his bedroom while his wife was sitting in the living room. It is always a strange feeling to stand over a dead man and realize that only moments ago he was a living breathing human being with family like my own. Trying to understand the moment between life and the finality of death is difficult to grasp and yet it is guaranteed for each one of us. In times like this, cops focus on getting the job done, completing the investigation, and moving on to the next call but inside we cannot help but contemplate our own mortality. Does anything exist beyond?

Like many of my brothers and sisters behind the badge, I have responded to numerous death scenes. It does not matter whether one is rich or poor, homeless or living in a mansion, each of us will come to the same fate – death looks the same to all. So what is next, after death? The Bible tells us we are destined to die and face judgment (Heb 9:27). All good cops, deputies, and detectives are prepared to testify in court but how many of us are prepared for our final court date, where we are the defendant.

If we are going to face God’s judgment then by what standard are we being judged? In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus gives a discourse on God’s law. The law of God has been written upon our hearts and is known to all men (Rom 2:14-15) and when we violate God’s law we have sinned. Most people assume they are good people but when we compare our thoughts and deeds to God’s perfect holy standard, we all fall short of His glory (Rom 3:23). To see how good of a person you are, take the http://www.goodpersontest.com/. We all stand guilty before God (Rom 3:10-18, 19) and God must punish the unrighteous (Rom 2:5-9, 1 Thess 4:6a, 2 Thess 1:8, Heb 10:31).

If we are all guilty, then what hope do we have? Imagine a courtroom scene: The felon has just been convicted of a heinous crime. An innocent stranger walks into the courtroom and takes the place of the felon receiving the felon’s punishment. The felon leaves while the innocent person remains and is punished. This is what God has done for us. In God’s grace, mercy, and love He sent Jesus Christ to be our substitute and receive our just punishment. He paid a substitutionary death on the cross to pay for your sins, my sins, and the sins of the world. Paul, writing to the Romans, said, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) Through His death, He reconciled us to God (Rom 5:10). Through His death we are saved from punishment in Hell and will live with God in heaven for eternity.

However, not everyone is saved from the horrors of hell. Jesus Christ called for sinners to repent (Matt 9:13, Luke 13:3, 5 – NKJV). “Repent means to confess sin and forsake it – to agree with God that it is wrong to turn and go in the opposite direction.”1 Being saved from hell and having eternal fellowship with God is only possible by repenting of your sins and having faith in the work completed by Jesus Christ on the cross. Evidence of our faith will be witnessed in our lives as we conform our ways to His ways. God wants your desires and your will to be aligned with His desires and His will (Rom 8:5). Yes, there is life beyond! Choose your eternal destiny.


Why is this my first Blog? Everything discussed on this Blog can only be understood within the context of a believer’s relationship with Jesus Christ. This means we live in submission to His will and not our own. Without understanding or believing these things, the remainder of the Blog is pointless.

I pray you consider these truths. If you do not accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, as God, then you are not a Christian. I pray you accept Christ as your Savior and then in light of your faith determine if you are living in the faith. This Blog is designed to help us live Scriptural truth within our profession.

Be Blessed and Stay Safe!

1. Cameron and Comfort, The School of Biblical Evangelism, Bridge -Logos, pg 111.