There are No “Do-overs” after Death

Published 11/29/2016                     Updated 7/18/2019

There are only three places that a human being can exist. Those places are here on Earth, in Heaven or Hell. The type of life that you live on Earth will determine where you will spend eternity. We all get one life on Earth, so we’d better get it right because there are no “do-overs” after death.

Rev. 22:11 says, He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. This Scripture tells us that as a man lives, he dies, and in this condition will he be forever. In the words of the Late Apostle Lobias Murray, “You cannot expect to lay down and die a sinner and get up a Saint.”

No “do-overs” after death

What does the expression “do-over” mean? If a child made a mistake while playing a game, the player who made the error could call out, “I want a do-over.” If the other players agree, the player has another chance to throw his marble or bounce his ball or reshoot his hoop. He is given a second chance. How many people today wish they could have a “do-over” for some of the critical errors of their lives?

Examples of people who might wish for a “do-over.”

The Smoker

For example, how many who smoked cigarettes for years wish they could have a “do-over” after a lung cancer or emphysema diagnosis is declared? If the “do-over” were granted, they would run so far from cigarettes that even second-hand smoke would have trouble reaching them.

The man who abandoned his wife and children

Scenario: The late Apostle Murray would relate to us a story in which a man decides to walk away from his family, leaving his wife to raise six little children all by herself. The six children grow up without their father. One day the aged father has a stroke, is unable to take care of himself, and one of his abandoned daughters steps up to the plate and agrees to take care of him when no one else will. Can’t you imagine that man wishing he could ask for a “do-over”? Every time that daughter lovingly spoons soup into his mouth or every time she turns his frail body in bed to make him comfortable, he bursts into tears of regret for the way he treated his children. Oh, how he wishes that he could have a “do-over” for his errant behavior towards his family.

The streetwalker who aborted her babies

And what about the young streetwalker who used abortion as her method of birth control? She had so many abortions she couldn’t keep up with the number. The last count that she could remember was twelve. But one day, Miss Streetwalker grew old and wound up with no family to help her in her old age. Do you think that if she could have a “do-over,” she would make different decisions about those babies that she threw away? She realizes too late that those babies could have grown up to be her lifelong friends and caregivers for her final years. I’d say yes, many “would-have-been mothers” would gladly endure the shame of an unwed pregnancy if they were allowed just one little” do-over” concerning abortion.

Souls in Hell

But, worst of all, what about the souls who are burning, rolling, and crying in Hell, wishing they could have a “do-over” for the sinful lives that they lived? They remember the chances that they had to be saved with every tormented breath, but they turned down. “Why didn’t I get saved?” they cry. “Ah,” they say, “if only I could have one little “do-over.” But there is no “do-over” coming.

They think about all of the churches that they passed during their lives. Then they wonder, “Why didn’t I go inside instead of walking past those Houses of God?” Or they think about the little Holiness Street Service Team that came to their apartment complex, offering them a chance to be saved? They heard the Saints tell their testimonies about how God changed their lives. They enjoyed the music and even enjoyed the messages they preached but never responded to the altar call. “Why”, they cry, “didn’t I listen to the Street Preachers? Oh, if only I could have a “do-over”.

Lazarus and the rich man

Jesus tells a parable about a rich man named Dives and a beggar named Lazarus. We can read it in the 16th chapter of the Book of Luke. Both men died, but their destination was not the same.

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in Hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

The rich man would probably give all of his money if he could have just one little “do-over”. But that was not to be.

Death is inevitable for us all.

Hebrews 9:27 (KJV) says And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

We are all going to die one day. And we are going to wind up either in Heaven or in Hell. I encourage all readers of this post to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then Hell will not be your final destination.

How you live your life is critical.

What happens to the soul of each individual is an individual affair. Where your soul spends eternity is based on repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Titus 2:11 tells us that every person will be allowed to be saved.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.

Romans 10:13 says For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Dear Hearts, please prepare yourselves for life after death. Live for the Lord here on Earth, and you will not be one of the lost, wishing for a “do-over”. Please don’t wind up in Hell wishing that you had made a different response to this message and other messages concerning salvation. It is my prayer that you will receive God’s offer to live with Him in Eternity. Salvation is through Jesus Christ alone.