I suppose we could argue that heaven is “real” in that it exists and is something where our souls float around and such. But we don’t mean it is “real” in any meaningful sense. And you could argue rather convincingly that there will certainly be a time when our experience of heaven is not embodied. Maybe in that sense, we might say that for a period, heaven isn’t “real.” But I don’t believe that is what people mean. Rather, they mean that life after death does not exist meaningfully. And that, I do not believe, can be defended with Scripture.

But why does this matter?

If you want to believe in “soul sleep” or something that happens before the resurrection of the dead—there isn’t much harm in this. You need to develop some sort of meaningful existence in the presence of Christ, though. But if you can do that, I suppose there isn’t much harm.

The real harm comes if you deny the resurrection or the reality of eternity. It seems that Paul had a few enemies arguing about this very thing. In 1 Corinthians 15:12-19, he plays a game of “what if.” What is the consequence of denying the reality of heaven—of life after death?

If there is no resurrection, the implications for our faith are devastating. First, our preaching would be in vain, as the central message of the gospel would be rendered meaningless. Second, our faith would also be in vain because it rests on the truth of the resurrection. Third, we would be misrepresenting God, as the Scriptures that testify to Christ’s resurrection would be false. Fourth, we would still be in our sins, with no hope of forgiveness or redemption. Fifth, Christians would be the most pitied of all people, having placed their hope in a false promise. Finally, those who have died in Christ would have perished with no hope of eternal life.

These devastating consequences paint a bleak picture of what life would be like without the resurrection. Without it, there is no hope, forgiveness, or future. All the good that has been done in the name of Christ would be meaningless in one fell swoop. And death would have the final word. But, as Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 15:20, 

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 

This assurance flips everything on its head. Because Christ is risen, our preaching is not in vain, our faith is secure, and we are no longer in our sins. We have hope beyond the grave, and death has lost its sting. The resurrection assures us that all our labor in the Lord is not in vain, and we can live with confidence in the victory that Christ has won for us.

This means that Christ has the last word in our lives. If heaven isn’t real, well, death has the last word.

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