5 Minutes After Your Death – Dale Black FEB 2023-
What happens after you die? Death is unavoidable. But death is not the end. Our eternal destiny waits for us within minutes after our death. Unless you experience the Rapture first, death is something every person alive right now will experience. Do you want to know what’s in your future?

Mental reason tells us we’re going to die. Experience tells us we’re going to die. It’s something we don’t like to think about but we were all have to admit it’s in our future.

If you’re not prepared to die… then you’re not prepared to live. No man is every ready for life until he is no longer afraid of death.

Death is an unpleasant subject for most. But it’s real and unavoidable. Although we try not to think about it… we never forget it’s waiting for us. Isn’t it interesting that animals don’t realize death is waiting… they simply live until they die. Man is the only creature who knows he’s going to die and he’s trying desperately to forget it.

Let’s look at Luke 16:19. Jesus deals with three great issues in this passage.

“There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

“Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’ ”

This is a story Jesus used to teach several truths. It’s a story of contrasts. He contrasts two men—their lives, and their deaths. He is also contrasting their destinies. These men are very different from each other. One is rich, one is poor. One had more worldly wealth than his heart could wish for. The poor man did not even have enough to survive on.

We see these inequities in life—the rich and the poor. But then Jesus goes on to look at the contrast in death. The Bible does not say whether the poor man was even buried. But it does say “the rich man was buried.” And because he was so rich, he likely had the best casket and the best eulogy from great speakers saying wonderful things about this rich man in his death.

But the Bible says, “There is none good, no, not one.” And all the fancy and flowery words spoken could not… and would not… change the rich man’s destiny. Jesus tells us this man who was thought much of on earth but had a destiny he could not buy. So, when he entered death, he went straight to hell.

There is also a contrast in eternity. Verses 22 and 23 tell us, “The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.” 

Now, Jesus does what no one else can do. He pulls back the curtain and let’s us look at what happens on the other side of death. First, we see the glories of heaven. The beggar died and was carried by angels to “Abraham’s Bosom.”

Prior to Jesus dying on the cross and providing a path directly to heaven, there was a place called Abraham’s Bossom where the faithful and godly waited for the ultimate price to be paid for them, allowing them to enter God’s presence in Heaven.

Jesus goes on to describe the contrast in eternity of these two men, and how the tables turned. Now the man who had been rich on earth was calling for Lazarus to bring him just a drop of water to ease his suffering in the tormenting flames. But he quickly learned that it wasn’t possible for Lazarus to cross the great divide between the two places. And again, by contrast, in death, Lazarus had entered a wonderful place of rest, fellowship and comfort.

Jesus is sharing this story with those alive on earth at the time, who were still in a position to make a choice about their eternal destiny.

Of course, I’d like to spend a lot of time today talking about heaven, but I’m afraid we speak too much about Heaven and not enough about hell. So, I’m going to mention somethings about both.

What is Heaven? Heaven is all about the loving heart of God and His desire for you to be blessed. God made a home for His family that is more perfect than you can imagine. Scripture describes it this way, in 1 Corinthians 2:9. “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Long ago, Billy Graham was on the Johnny Carson show and Johnny asked him, “Billy, if I go to heaven, will there be golf in heaven?” And Billy answered, “Johnny, if you get to heaven and golf is necessary for your joy, there will be golf in heaven.”

The point is, that Heaven is created for your ultimate enjoyment and life. God knows you better than you know yourself and created a place perfectly designed for you. What I am trying to communicate to you is that you will not have a longing that heaven will not fulfill.

If you would like to learn more about what I experienced following a fatal airplane crash, check out my new book called: “Visiting Heaven: Heavenly keys to a life without Limitation.” It’s available to order through Amazon. In the book I discuss being out of my body and watching people below me at the crash site and that I am still very much alive and aware of things, even though I am no longer in my body. Then I describe my journey to heaven and what I learned about God and how it changed everything for me still to this day. Heaven is a real place that is so magnificent, I continue to look forward to returning to such a place of love… a place where I belong.

Heaven is beyond words and infinite in its glories. But for now, let’s talk about the alternate destination: hell. Many people talk about all the fun they’ll have in hell. They joke about the parties they’ll enjoy and the freedom they’ll experience. Now that kind of untaught and ignorant thinking is the real tragedy. Hell is anything but those things.

Scripture tells us that in hell, you are alone—with no fellowship, except with demons who torment you without end. There is no party or hanging out with friends there. Only solitary torture, burning and agony.

People often say, how could a good God send anyone to hell? The short answer is: He doesn’t. Every person chooses where they will go. God gives them the free will to make their own choice.

And then there are some who teach that there is no hell. But if you believe the Bible, that cannot be true. Jesus talks more about hell than He does about Heaven.

Jesus doesn’t only reference hell, he describes it in great detail. He says it is a place of eternal torment in Luke 16:23; of unquenchable fire in Mark 9:43; a place where the worm does not die in Mark 9:48; where people will gnash their teeth in anguish and regret in Matt. 13:42; as a place from which there is no return—even to warn loved ones according to Luke 16;19:31. Jesus calls hell a place of “outer darkness” in Matt. 25:30; then compares it to “Gehenna” in Matt. 10:28, which was a burning trash dump outside the walls of Jerusalem. There’s no denying that Jesus knew, believed, and warned about the absolute reality of hell and wanted us to know, so that we could avoid it.

There are at least a 162 texts in the New Testament that speak about hell and the judgement of the spiritually lost. Over 70 of those references were made by Jesus Himself. If you believe in Jesus and the Bible, you must accept the reality of hell. Jesus came to earth and died a horrible death out of love and mercy to save people from hell.

If there is not a hell from which people need to be saved, why did Jesus die? Jesus paid the price of a horrible death—including betrayal, ridicule, being whipped to the bone, thorns in his head, nails through His hands and feet, and the agony of being hung on a cross to die—all to pay the debt owed in order to save you and me from hell.

But God is not only loving… He is holy and just. He demands a penalty for sin. He requires that if you do not accept His payment for your sin, then your sins require you to pay.

Looking back at the Scripture in Luke 16, do you know what verse 26 teaches? It teaches us that there are no second chances. Once you die, your destiny is final. Hebrews 9:27 confirm this truth when it says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

There are no second chances. There is no reincarnation. That is a deception from Satan through the use of demons to cause people to think they don’t have to deal with God or their sins.

Even when the rich man pleads with Abraham to send someone back to warn his five brothers, he is told, “No, they have Moses and the Prophets. If they don’t believe that, they won’t believe, even if someone rose from the dead.”

Now that Jesus has risen from the dead, does the world believe? Most still do not. So, I want to say this with emphasis. Heaven and hell are real places and they are the only two destinations after physical death. Every person who is alive today will ultimately arrive in one of these two destinations.

Jesus died for every person who ever born… and paid the price for every sin. If we want to enter Heaven—a holy place without sin, then sin must be answered for. Consider these Scriptures:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12.

For those of you who already know Jesus as Savior and Lord, please share this message with someone who does not. And for those who are uncertain, or have never dealt with God and their sin, if your heart is stirred, please pray the following prayer now:

“Father God, thank you for providing a way to Heaven through the death of your Son. Thank you, Jesus for dying in my place… for paying my debt. Please forgive me of my sins. I want to change my course and live the rest of my life for You. Please come into my life and take over the controls and help me to know You. Thank you for receiving me into your kingdom and for making heaven my eternal home. Amen.”

If you would like to know more about how to be saved from going to hell and how to get to Heaven, visit the following link to learn more: https://daleblack.org/book-flight-heaven/

With God nothing is impossible!

Dale & Paula Black
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