04/05/2026 Weekly Bible Lesson: The Future Life

Nevertheless, Jack persisted. He faithfully served Christ. In time, he was seized by thieves and carried off in the night, shot, and beheaded. A witness later described how earlier she had seen Jack threatened by a thief with a gun who said to him, “I’m going to kill you! Aren’t you afraid?” “No,” Jack said, “I am not afraid; if you kill me, I will go right to God.”

A poem was written in his honor, from which many Christians drew confidence while facing hostility and possible death. “Afraid? Of what? To feel the spirit’s glad release? / To pass from pain to perfect peace, / the strife and strain of life to cease? / Afraid of that? / Afraid? Of what? / Afraid to see the Savior’s face, / to hear His welcome,/  and to trace the glory gleam from wounds of grace? / Afraid of that?” 

Jack Vinson was confident of his future resurrection with Christ. It is a blessing as Christians to live with such hope.

Understanding the Text —

John 14:1-6. Jesus Gives His Disciples Hope. Here, Jesus, on the eve of His crucifixion, is preparing His disciples for what comes next. This is the occasion of the Last Supper, the foot washing, and the betrayal of Judas. Jesus would be arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, be crucified, and three days later rise from the dead. Jesus knows what’s coming, but His disciples do not, so He prepares them to face their hardest test yet—His death.

The Fact of the Resurrection. Jesus tells His disciples their hearts can be untroubled by looking to Heaven with Jesus. He has prepared a place for them. The disciples, upon hearing this, must have wondered what Jesus meant. How would Jesus come back? Where are these rooms? From our perspective, we know what Jesus meant. Jesus came back from the dead. Jesus conquered the grave. He ate with them again, talked with them again, Thomas touched Jesus’ side, and, for forty days, they saw the risen Lord Jesus. This fact of history changes everything. The disciples were changed by it, and so are we.

The disciples, after meeting the Risen Christ, were bold to the death. Unbelieving brothers like James and Jude became convinced. Peter was bold to proclaim Christ and serve the church until his martyrdom. Tradition says he died by crucifixion upside down, because he said he did not deserve to die right side up as Jesus did. All the apostles went on to face life, hardship, and death with confidence. Why? Because they met the Risen Lord! They learned to take comfort and “untrouble their hearts” because He had prepared a place for them.

Confidence for the Future Life. How can we build confidence for the future life? Jesus told His disciples to not only trust in God, but to trust also in Jesus. In other words, believe. Building up our faith makes our hope enduring. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Go to the Word of God to study, to pray, to seek, and to find.

We can also take time to meditate upon what Jesus has done in our lives. Remember the day when you were baptized into Christ. Remember the times Jesus brought life into you by the reading of His Word. Remember the changes Jesus has brought into your life. Who would you be today if not for Jesus?

There was a Christian named Polycarp, and he was facing Roman execution for believing in Christ. He was 86 years of age, and the Romans were asking him to give up his faith in Jesus. Polycarp said, “For 86 years, my Lord has been so good to me; how can I blaspheme my Lord?”

If we meditate upon Christ’s work in our lives, we can build confidence that Jesus indeed lives, and because He lives, we will live with Him.

1 Corinthians 15. The Apostle Paul lived with great confidence in the future life.

Not only have we personally experienced Jesus in our lives, but the resurrection is the grandest fact of all of history. History bears all these facts. Jesus was publicly crucified, then resurrected from the dead. In any court of law, if you have two or three eyewitnesses to an event, the judge can feel good about pounding his gavel and declaring the verdict. There were over 500 eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection. These 500 eyewitnesses were willing to serve, to suffer for their testimony, and die for Christ. Why? Because what they saw was worthy of their life and death. They met the risen Lord Jesus, and they knew He prepared a place for them.

Discussion Questions: What reasons give you the most confidence that Jesus is risen? What is one small step you can take this week to live with more confidence in Christ?

May we all take to heart today that Jesus died for us, was raised, and has a place in Heaven prepared for us. Let us press on for Christ with confident hope, knowing what is ahead. When we die, we go right to God!