A man told the ringmaster that he was interested in joining the circus as a lion tamer. The ringmaster asked if he had any experience and the man said, "Why, yes. My father was one of the most famous lion tamers in the world, and he taught me everything he knew."

"Really?" said the ringmaster. "Did he teach you how to make a lion jump through a flaming hoop?" "Yes he did," the man replied. "And did he teach you how to have six lions form a pyramid?" "Yes he did," the man replied. "And have you ever stuck your head in a lion's mouth?" "Just once," the man replied. The ringmaster asked, "Why only once?" And the man said, "I was looking for my father."

One Sunday morning about two thousand years ago, some women were looking for Jesus. They knew where his body had been buried. They knew the exact location of the tomb where they laid Him. But He was nowhere to be found. The body was gone. Jesus had come back to life. His badly-beaten, bruised, cut-up body had been wrapped up in funeral cloths on Friday afternoon. But that was Friday. On Sunday, He was alive.

What happens after I die? Is there life after death? Great questions that people everywhere are asking. And I'm going to answer them for you today.

We're continuing our studies on "Seven Wonders." We've been looking at provoking questions that people often wonder about and have been using the seven wonders of the ancient world as a spin-off for answering these questions.

One of the seven wonders is the Great Pyramid of Giza. Contrary to popular belief, even though there are three pyramids, only the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Giza (Cairo area of Egypt) is considered to be one of the seven wonders. It was built by the Egyptian Pharaoh Khufu around 2560 B.C.

This structure is enormous, amazingly so. To this day, experts still don't know for certain how the builders could have possibly placed these huge stones with such mathematical precision. The structure consists of approximately 2 million stones, each one weighing 2 tons, enough blocks to build a 10-foot high, and 1-foot thick wall around the entire country of France.

There are many theories as to why Khufu built the pyramid. But by far the leading theory is that he constructed it as a tomb where his body could be placed after death, the place where he could start his mystic journey into the afterlife. In 1954, a boat was discovered on the south end of the pyramid. It is believed that this mysterious boat was used to transport his body to the tomb and may have served him as a means of transportation in his afterlife.

So, you see, even as far back as 2560 B.C., people have asked the question: Is there life after death? Where will I go after I die? These two questions serve as the basis for my message today. But I will conclude with a third question that affects you very directly. I believe God brought you here today, not just because it is Easter. No, He brought you here today because He wants to talk to you. For some of you, I promise, you're going to fill some tugging going on in your heart. And I believe some of you today are going to make decisions in your heart that will change your life forever. So let's get going with the three questions.

First, is there life after death? The answer—yes. Now let's move to the second question. Just kidding. The Bible speaks very clearly in answering this question. One of the key chapters which deals with this issue is 1 Corinthians 15. It is a very long chapter; so let me read just some of the verses. [Read vv. 12-25.]

These verses are wrapped with very complex theological truths. Let me unwrap them for you and present them to you in a very simplified manner. The resurrection of Jesus on that first Easter morning serves as the foundation for my belief in life after death. Jesus was the person ever to die, come back to life, and never die again. His resurrection defeated the enemy of death. And because He conquered death, you and I can also. Because He lives, we can live for eternity also.

One day some weeks before the crucifixion, Jesus spoke these same truths. His friend Lazarus had died. Before raising him from the dead, Jesus talked about the resurrection and living forever. He said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25-26). Did you catch that? If you believe in Jesus (not just intellectually, but in your heart), when you die, you will keep on living. In other words, when your heart stops beating, you keep on living in your eternal existence.

Going back to the 1 Corinthians 15 passage, if Jesus did not come back to life, then all of this stuff I'm telling you is a lie. Christianity is dead. If the resurrection didn't happen, we wouldn't need atheists and Hollywood and The Da Vinci Code telling us that our Christian beliefs are based on myths, legends and cover-up. If Jesus had not been raised, Christianity would have never started. But eyewitnesses saw Him alive and they spread the good news.

Not too long ago I was conducting a graveside service. While we were waiting for all the family and guests to get to the tent, a gentleman approached me as I stood next to the casket and asked, "What if all that you said (in the service) is not true? What if it's all just a joke?" I told him, "Then we're all doomed." Then I proceeded to tell Him that my beliefs are not based on wishful thinking but on the solid evidence that Jesus died and rose from the grave, making valid His claims to be the Messiah-God. Yes, there is life after death.

Let's talk about the second question: Where do I go when I die? Great question. Don't be embarrassed for asking it because the people sitting in front of you and behind you are asking the same question. The Bible says, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). So, clearly, wherever it is you go, it happens as soon as you die. When you die, you will stand before God the Judge. He will ask, "What did you do with my Son Jesus? Did you have a personal relationship with Him? Did you live for Him?" If the answer is yes, you go to heaven. If the answer is no, you spend eternity in hell.

I want to clear up some beliefs that are erroneous. These are common beliefs about what happens after we die but are not taught in the Bible. Some people believe that when you die, you just simply cease to exist. There is no life after death. You're put into the ground or you're cremated—buenes noches, bon soir, good evening—that's it. That's not what the Bible teaches.

Others believe in a concept called soul sleep. This belief does not negate eternal life. But it says when you die, you don't go immediately to heaven or hell. Your soul goes to sleep until the end of time. It will be at the end of time as we know it that your soul will wake up and then you will be judged. That's not what the Bible teaches.

Others believe in purgatory. This is a prominent Roman Catholic teaching that there is a place between heaven and hell called purgatory. People still can go to heaven or hell when they die. Purgatory is for those who have some sins still hanging; they haven't done penance for all their sins. Others still living can pray for them. Their prayers can help them move from purgatory to heaven. That's not what the Bible teaches.

And then others believe that everyone goes to heaven. This belief is usually based on the idea that a loving God could never allow anyone to spend an eternity in hell. The Bible doesn't teach this.

The Bible does teach very clearly that there are only two locations where people go when they die. Heaven is for those who follow Jesus Christ. Hell is for those who choose not to follow Christ.

The New Testament is loaded with these teachings. Just in the gospels we find Jesus teaching about the narrow gate and the wide gate. One leads to eternal life, the other to eternal destruction. He talks about separating the wheat from the tares. He uses the analogy of separating the sheep from the goats and the bad fish from the good fish. He tells the story of the rich man in hell and poor Lazarus in heaven. He talks about hell being like a fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Is there life after death? Yes. Where will I go when I die? That depends. But it is either heaven or hell.

So the third question is: How can I go to heaven when I die? Do you know of a question more important than this one? God has a plan whereby you can spend eternity with Him. Think about it. We all like to do things our own way, don't we? But when it comes to an issue like eternity, don't you think it makes common sense to go to the One who created us all and see what His plan is? You might not like the plan. Or you may think you can improve on it. But get real. Don't you think God has done a better job of figuring all this stuff out? And, by the way, His plan is always the same. It never changes.

Jesus explained it this way: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He stated that there are not multiple ways to get to heaven when you die. There is only one way. And that way is through Jesus Himself. Do you want to go to heaven when you die? Then you need a personal relationship with Jesus.

He promised that we could have the gift of eternal life if we simply placed our faith in Him. He said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). That doesn't mean that you just need to believe that Jesus existed and that He died on the cross and came back to life on the third day. No, "believe" means that you put your trust in Him. It means you surrender your life to His control. He becomes the C.E.O. of your life.

But before you can make that kind of decision, you must understand that you are a sinner and that your sin separates you from God, preventing you from having a meaningful relationship with Him. The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). In order to appease God's wrath which results from your sins against Him, someone had to pay a penalty. Jesus Christ, when He died on the cross, paid that penalty for you. When He rose again, He paved the way for you experience the gift of everlasting life, with your sins completely forgiven.

On my computer I have certain default settings. When I click on an internet link, my computer automatically goes to Internet Explorer because it is my default browser. When I compose email, my computer sends me to Microsoft Outlook because it is my default e-mailer. My default media player is Windows Media Player. If I want to change the default, I have to go into the settings and make a couple of clicks to change it. Very simple.

I don't know if you've ever thought about it this way, but when it comes to heaven or hell, every human being has a default track. And that default is hell. The reason you're on the track to hell by default is that you came into this world with a nature that is bent toward sin. To change the default requires action on God's part and your part. God's already done His part. He allowed His Son Jesus to die on the cross. He conquered death and sin by coming back to life. The question is: have you done your part? Your part is you must call upon God to save you and to change your default to heaven. The Bible says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).

I've attended and conducted a whole bunch of funerals in the last two months. Life is short. We're not promised a tomorrow on this earth. Don't you want to be certain that when your time comes, you will go to heaven and live your eternity there? I plea with you today to come to Christ. That's the only way you can know for certain that you will end up in heaven. Give Him your heart. Watch and see the difference He will make in your life.