I had a friend challenge me recently in my thoughts on the afterlife. I have never shared this with him but for sometime I have been starting to think of the afterlife more as a different realm of what we now know as life rather than as floating around on a cloud playing a harp which is the general understanding that many of us in America have grown up with. In general, though, I have never thought a lot about what God promises after this life. I have sort of been a "take it by faith that it's gonna be great and something way beyond what I can comprehend now" sort of guy in regards to this issue. But, lately, I have been thinking ...

I Corinthians 15 is Paul talking about God's promise of life after death. There are numerous Old Testament references in it and as you read it, though it hits on many points, there is no real obvious timeframe to everything.

The friend I mentioned earlier has introduced me to some of N T Wright's thoughts on this subject. An interview with Wright appeared in Christianity Today a few years ago and it is a great primer on his thoughts. Check it out and then bounce back here to comment what your thoughts are.