Bertrand Russell, the well-known philosopher of the last century, wrote: “When I die, I shall rot.” He did not believe in any form of existence after death, to him death was total annihilation. Yet many feel uncomfortable about this position: after all why has mankind through the ages always buried their dead with great respect, and with obvious hopes of a life hereafter. The Christian faith has always believed in a future existence, but not in the idea that people after death float on clouds playing harps. The reason for this belief is founded on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After his crucifixion, he appeared to his followers in bodily form. He said: “Touch me and see, a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” To confirm this, he then asked for some food and ate a piece of fish before their eyes, so that after he had gone they could check and see that he’d left the bones on the plate, to assure them that they hadn’t been hallucinating. All followers of Jesus believe that there will be a second resurrection. People will arise with new physical bodies, that have all the special qualities of Jesus’ resurrection body. We were created to inhabit an earth, not clouds. But Jesus also made very clear that everyone had a choice of two very different futures. One brought infinite joy, the other infinite regret. Which of these applied depends entirely on one’s response to Jesus invitation to live life as he did.