One second after you die, you will be more alive than you have ever been. Let that sink in for a moment. You close your eyes here. And before you can take another breath, before your heart has finished its final beat, you open them again somewhere else. Fully conscious, fully aware.

 What happens one second after you die? Are you afraid of what comes next? Do you lie awake at night wondering, ” Will I just stop existing? Will I sleep for thousands of years? Will I see my wife again? Will I be alone? Will I be forgotten? Is there anything on the other side?” You are asking what every human heart longs to know. The very fact that you wonder about death, the very fact that the question haunts you, is evidence that you were made for more than this life.

The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that God has set eternity in the human heart. Think about that. God placed eternity inside you. He put a hunger there that nothing in this world can satisfy. He put a longing there that no possession, no relationship, no achievement can fill. Why? Because you were made forever. The skeptic says, when you’re dead, you’re dead. That’s it, like a candle snuffed out. Like a computer shutting down. Nothing more. But if that’s true, if death is the end, then why does every culture, every civilization, every human being throughout history have some belief about life after death? The ancient Egyptians built pyramids and filled them with supplies for the afterlife. The Greeks had their Elysian Fields. The Norse had Valhalla. Native American tribes spoke of the Happy Hunting Ground. Every people group, every tribe, every nation from the beginning of time has believed that death is not the end. Why? Because God put that knowledge there. He placed eternity in your heart. C.S. Lewis, the great thinker, said it this way. “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” You have a hunger that nothing on earth can fill. That hunger is not an accident. It’s a clue. It’s a signpost pointing you towards your true home. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:1: “For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.” That earthly tent is your body. It gets old, it gets sick, it wears out. It is temporary, like a tent you might camp in for a night or two. But when the real you, the part of you that thinks and feels and loves and remembers, that part does not die. It goes home. One of the great saints of the church, D.L. Moody, said on his deathbed, soon you will read in the newspapers that I am dead. Do not believe it for a moment. I will be more alive than ever before. He understood what I want you to understand. Death is not the end. It is the beginning. The apostles, those who walked with Jesus, who saw him die, who saw him risen, they had much to say about what happens after death. The Apostle Paul wrote more about this than anyone. And what is remarkable is that Paul faced death constantly. He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned. He knew he could die at any moment. And he wrote about death with a confidence that staggers the imagination. In Philippians 1, Paul was in prison, facing possible execution. He wrote, for me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Think about that. To die is gain. Not loss, not tragedy, not the end game. He went on, I am hard pressed between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far. Better by far. Paul compared life on earth with life after death. And he said, being with Christ is better by far. Not just a little better. Not just marginally better, far better. Why? Because in this life we see through a glass darkly. We see glimpses of God’s goodness. We taste hints of his love. We experience moments of his presence. But on the other side, we see him face-to-face. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul wrote, for we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Notice, he says, “We know not. We hope not, we think not. We wish. We know. And then he says, ” We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” Away from the body, at home with the Lord. Paul didn’t believe in soul sleep. He didn’t believe in purgatory. He didn’t believe in reincarnation. He believed that the moment a believer leaves this body, they are instantly in the presence of Jesus. One second after you die, if you belong to Christ, you will be with him. The Apostle Peter wrote about this, too, in his second letter. Knowing that his own death was near, he wrote, I think it right if I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off my body will be soon. He called death the putting off his body, like taking off a coat at the end of a long day, like laying aside a garment that has served its purpose.

The Apostle John, exiled on the island of Patmos, was given a vision of heaven. And he saw something extraordinary. He saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God. Souls, conscious souls. Souls who could cry out to God. Souls who could ask questions. Souls who were aware, alive, and awake in the presence of God even before the final resurrection. The testimony of Scripture is consistent and

clear. Death is not the end. It is a transition. It is a doorway. It is a homecoming. Dying believers speak of life, speak of music, speak of loved ones who have gone before, speak of Jesus himself waiting for them with open arms. Now, the skeptic says it’s just the brain releasing chemicals. It’s just hallucinations caused by a lack of oxygen. The great evangelist D.L. Moody was on his deathbed with his son standing beside him, and he said, “Father, it’s getting dark. Can you see your way through?” Moody opened his eyes and said, ” Earth is receding. Heaven is approaching. This is my coronation day. I have been within the gates. I have seen the children. I have seen the King’s face. And then he was gone. One second after he died, D.L. Moody was more alive than he had ever been. I’ve thought about my own death many times. I’m an old man now. I won’t be here much longer. And I want you to know I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid because I know what’s waiting for me. Someday you will read that Jack Bell is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God. That’s the hope. That’s the confidence. That’s what the Gospel gives us. One second, you’re here, maybe you’re in a hospital bed surrounded by family. Maybe you’re in a car accident. Everything goes dark. Maybe you’re old and frail like me, and your heart stops beating. And then light. Not the harsh light of an operating room, not the dim light of a lamp as you’ve never seen, seen. Light that seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Light that is warm, welcoming, alive. And in that light, a figure. At first, you can’t see clearly. The light is too bright, too pure, too glorious. But then he steps forward, and you see his hands. There are scars in those hands. And you know. You know immediately who he is. He’s the one who died for you, the one who carried your sins, the one who was pierced for your transgressions. The one who loved you enough to leave heaven, become a man, and suffer a criminal’s death so that you could be here right now, in this moment. And he opens his arms, and he says, welcome home, good and faithful servant. Enter the joy of your Lord. That’s the first second for the believer. But it’s not just Jesus. There’s more. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:1 that we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. That means those who have gone before us are watching. They’re aware. They’re present in some way we don’t fully understand. Maybe your mother or grandmother, who prayed for you every day, is there. Maybe your child who died too young is there. Maybe the friend who led you to Christ is there. Maybe the martyrs who gave their lives for their faith are there. And they’re cheering. They’re rejoicing. They’re welcoming you home. The Bible says in Psalm 16:11, in your presence there is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Fullness of joy. Not partial joy, not occasional joy, not. In this life, every pleasure, every relationship, every moment of happiness is just a shadow, a foretaste, a hint of what awaits you in his presence. No more pain. No more tears. No more goodbyes. No more loneliness. No more fear. No more sin. No more shame. No more regret. Complete and total joy forever. That’s what awaits the believer, the very next second after death.

 But I would be unfaithful to God’s word if I didn’t tell you about the other side. The Bible speaks of another destination. And Jesus himself talked about it more than anyone else in scripture. He spoke of a place where the fire is not quenched. Mark 9:48. A place of weeping and gnashing teeth. Matthew 25:30. A place prepared for the devil and his angels, but also for those who reject God. He spoke of a great chasm fixed between heaven and hell. A chasm that no one can cross. The rich man in Luke 16 discovered this just seconds before he died. He opened his eyes in torment. He could see Abraham far away with Lazarus in his arms. And he cried out for mercy. But it was too late. The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 1:9 that those who do not know God will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction. Away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might. Away from the presence of the Lord. Think about that. The worst part of hell is not the fire. The worst part is the absence of God. The absence of love, the absence of joy, the absence of hope, the absence of everything good. CS Lewis wrote: “The doors of hell are locked on the inside.” People choose it. They choose separation from God. And God honors their choice. But here’s the thing. You don’t have to choose that. God has made a way. He has provided a door. He has opened a path. The Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9 that God does not wish that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. He doesn’t want you to be lost. He doesn’t want you to be separated from Him. He loves you more than you can imagine. That’s why he sent his son. That’s why Jesus died. That’s why the Gospel is preached to every creature, because God wants you with him forever.

So, I ask you today, and I ask you with all the love in my heart, with tears in my eyes, with the urgency of a man who has known too many people die unprepared. If you were to die tonight, where would you open your eyes one second from now? Would you be in the presence of Jesus, with angels escorting you safely home, with loved ones welcoming you with joy unspeakable and full of glory? Or would you be in that place of torment, crying out for mercy that can no longer be given, begging for one drop of water to cool your tongue? You don’t have to guess. You don’t have to wonder. You don’t have to live in fear and uncertainty. God has made a way. He has provided a door. That door is Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. He didn’t say a way. He said the way. Not because God is narrow or exclusive, but because Jesus paid the price for your sins. Only Jesus took the punishment you deserve. Only Jesus rose from the dead and conquered death forever. And he stands today with arms wide open, waiting for you to come home. The Bible says in Romans 10:13, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Everyone. Not some, not a select few, everyone. No matter what you’ve done, no matter how far you’ve strayed, no matter how many times you fail, no matter how old you are or how young you are, if you call on His name, He will save you. That’s the promise. That’s the gospel. That’s the good news. I am now asking you to do something that may be the most important thing you’ve ever done. You may be in your living room. You may be on your phone, scrolling, and something made you stop and read this. You may be in a stadium somewhere, surrounded by thousands of people, but wherever you are, God sees you. God knows you. God loves you, and he’s calling you today. The Bible says in Hebrews 3:8 today: ” If you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Not tomorrow, not next week. Not when you get your life together. Not when you’re on your deathbed. Because none of us is guaranteed tomorrow, none of us knows what this day will bring. The only moment you have is right now.  Bow your head, close your eyes. If you want to be ready for that day, if you want to know beyond any doubt where you will spend eternity, pray this prayer from your heart.

 “Oh God, I am a sinner. I have lived my life for myself. I have ignored you, rejected you, pushed you away. I have broken your laws. I have fallen short of your glory. But today I turn from my sin. I repent. I believe that Jesus Christ died on that cross for me. I believe he took the punishment I deserved. I believe he rose again from the dead. Right now, I open the door of my heart. I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior and my Lord. Forgive me. Cleanse me. Wash me in your blood. Save me. Write my name in Lamb’s Book of Life. And when I close my eyes in death, receive me into your eternal kingdom. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.”

 If you prayed that prayer and meant it, if you truly turn from your sin and put your trust in Christ, the Bible says you are saved. You are forgiven. You are a child of God. And one second after you die, you will open your

 eyes in his presence. The angels in heaven are rejoicing over you, right now. The whole host of heaven is celebrating, and I rejoice with them. Don’t let this moment pass. Don’t walk away from this decision. Eternity is but a breath away. Come to Jesus. Come now. Come home.

With Christian love,

Presenter: Billy Graham

Editor: Jack Bell