Lessons From Paul: Happily Ever After
“And they lived happily ever after!” That lovely phrase evocative of childhood fairy tales illustrates a hopeful desire within us. There is a perpetual desire within the human heart for things to turn out good, not only in time, but in eternity.
In the first Lord of the Rings movie “The Fellowship of the Ring,’” during a quiet moment, Frodo Baggins and his friend, Sam Wise Gamgee, ponder a better time and place, should they be delivered from their reality of conflict, pain, and death. Frodo says, “How would this do: and they all settled down and lived together happily-ever-after?”
“It will do well, if it ever comes to that,” Sam replies, “Ah! And where will they live? That’s what I often wonder.”
Yes, we as human beings do dream about a happily-ever-after, but right next to us sits the realist who seeks to squash that dream by shouting, “There is no happily-ever-after.”
Therein lies the rub. Our present reality is not “and they lived happily ever after,” but rather a cold hard statistic—one out of one die. We live in a sin-cursed earth where nothing turns out good. In fact, all things ultimately die. Can any experience be more final than death? NO.
In spite of this sobering statistic, there is a paradox within the human condition that bears exploring. How is it that we who are trapped in time think about eternity, pondering existence beyond the grave? The writer of Ecclesiastes gave us a hint in Ecclesiastes 3:11 where the scripture states, “He has set eternity in their hearts.”
Throughout human history, philosophers, theologians and thinkers have addressed the afterlife. The theories, legends and ideas run the spectrum of thought, but ultimately there is no consensus about what happens after we die. In spite of this uncertainty, there is a singular figure who is the authority on the afterlife, Jesus, our risen Lord!
There was no more powerful demonstration of His authority and power over death than the resurrection of Christ on the third day.
As we discussed in our last entry focused on the good news of Jesus, we noted the resurrection is integral to the gospel message itself:
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Jesus died for our sins, satisfying God’s demand for justice, that the sin of man be paid in full. The gospel message also must include the resurrection, for if there is no resurrection, there is no true gospel, no good news. Why? Paul explains later in 1 Corinthians 15:14-17:
“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!”
Christ is risen. Therefore, resurrection is not a great idea, it’s an inspiring reality—a reality that offers hope for tomorrow, a hope for an actual “happily-ever-after.”
We mentioned earlier that resurrection is clearly taught in the Old Testament. Passages such as Job 19:26, Psalm 16:10, and Daniel 12:1-2 refer to resurrection.
Abraham believed God would raise the heir of promise, Isaac, from the dead because he believed in resurrection. For Hebrews 11:19 tells us Abraham “considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead.”
In John 11, we find Jesus raising Lazarus, who had been dead four days! In this narrative, after Jesus told Martha Lazarus would rise again (He spoke of that present situation) in John 11:23, she stated: “I know He’ll resurrect at the end of days,” referring to the future. Martha believed in resurrection because of the Old Testament revelation.
Today, many believe the greatest problems people face today include race relations, concerns related to past or future pandemics, and fear about global war and climate change. Others feel the greatest enemy to people is lack of food, money, and other resources necessary for living. While these are all legitimate concerns, the one universal enemy of the human race is death.
Paul spoke of resurrection’s ultimate victory when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:26, “the last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” Resurrection is final proof of God’s victory over the power of death and is assurance that there is a reality in the universe characterized by the words “and they lived happily ever after!”
John described a bit of this “happily-ever-after” in heaven, when he wrote:
“God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).
On the present and future hope resurrection brings, Josh McDowell states: “While the resurrection promises us a new and perfect life in the future, God loves us too much to leave us alone to contend with the pain, guilt, and loneliness of our present life.”
In our twenty-first century post-modern world filled with skepticism and cynicism, there will be many a “doubting Thomas.” Remember, it was the Apostle Thomas, after being present at the raising of Lazarus, who later said about the resurrection of Jesus, “I will not believe unless I see!” When the risen Lord showed Himself to Thomas and Thomas believed, Jesus uttered these words that reverberate throughout history. He said in John 20:29, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
[Recommended Books: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona; Evidence for the Resurrection: What It Means for Your Relationship with God by Josh McDowell & Sean McDowell; and The Case for the Resurrection: A First-Century Investigative Reporter Probes History’s Pivotal Event by Lee Strobel]
Jesus is the resurrection and the life and whoever believes in Him, though he may die, he will also live (John 11:25). And therefore, “and they lived happily ever after” is not a fairy tale, but a very truth! That truth is evidential and historical—the tomb is empty!
As we share the wonders of the gospel with people and the hope found in the resurrection of Jesus, let us pray the Holy Spirit would give sight to the blind and ears to the deaf, that they would trust in His promise, believe in His provision and experience the “happily-ever-after” that only life in the resurrected Christ can provide! Hallelujah!