But there is another aspect of life after death. It is that, independently of Hell, the outer darkness, or the Lake of Fire, our record of life on earth will follow us. The people we have wronged cannot harm us or exact revenge on us, it is true. But how about the effects of our reputation on the attitude of other people toward us?

Those who lie and manipulate do so under the cover of darkness. But what if all of this is brought to the light of day?

What if all the great politicians of history, when they die, discover every secret action of treachery and scheming is made clear for everyone to see? Would they prefer the fires of Hell to the shame of being seen by other people as the traitors they have been?

I have read what some historians have said about the self-seeking well-fed, warmly clothed politicians in Congress who were seeking their own advantage while Washington was pleading for supplies for his starving, freezing men at Valley Forge. I hope these historians are mistaken.

What about the rich "Christians" who made money from the slave trade, or prostitution, and stole land from the Indians, while they were serving as elders of their churches?

The rich man was in Hell because he was selfish. Were there people other than Lazarus who witnessed the torment of the rich man, becoming aware of his selfishness? By not being generous with the poor he was violating the Law of Moses.

There are so many instances of treacherous, self-seeking, hypocritical behavior on the part of "successful" people and leaders that one indeed could grow cynical. The wealthy acquire more money than they possibly can spend while there are millions of children in the world who go to bed hungry every night.

Injustice abounds in the world, and armed revolution sometimes provides a temporary solution; but then the leaders of the revolution spend their lives in luxury while the poor continue to starve.

This world is a playground for the devil. The only reason Jesus Christ permits it to continue is that from this dunghill the flowers of overcomers are growing who one day will govern the world in righteousness. This the Bible clearly teaches in both the Old and New Testaments.

The above is historically and biblically factual.

In the meanwhile, the rich and the poor are dying each day and each enters the spirit world. They do not bring their wealth or their rags with them. One thing they do bring, however, is their reputation—the record of what they did while living on the earth.

Our personality and our biography cannot be hidden in the land of endless day. What we shall be then will be what we have become while on the earth. There will be no hiding. The liar will appear as a liar, waiting for the Day of Judgment.

In fact, it may be true that the liar will still be bound with a spirit of lying but be unable to deceive anyone. The lustful person may burn with the fires of his or her lust and be unable to touch anyone.

The faithful servant will appear as being a faithful person, waiting for the Day of Judgment. Isn't that perfect? Doesn't that keep you from worrying about the treacherous behavior of people?

Some visionaries, such as Sundar Singh, have portrayed life in the next world. His account agrees with what we are stating.

To be continued.