Famed physicist Stephen Hawking died at age 76. Hawking has an incredible story of courage, perseverance, and determination. He was diagnosed with ALS at age 21 and given just years to live. He lived what some to believe the longest of any other person diagnosed with ALS. His work on the theories of the black hole was second to none. He went against the scientific community which believed that black holes were entirely inescapable of all forms of matter and energy. He proposed they emitted radiation, later known as Hawking radiation. Here are two of his most important quotes of his life from my perspective.
He famously remarked:
“There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that, I am extremely grateful.”
He called the idea of an afterlife a fairy tale:
“I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”
He gambled with eternity.
Hawking determined to risk all of eternity on what he could know from his present. As a scientist, he could not wrap his mind around what he couldn’t account for with numbers, logic, and human reasoning. Because of his dependency upon his own ability to think, he reasoned that God and the afterlife couldn’t exist. In his mind, it was impossible to accept what the Bible taught as true. In essence he was willing to risk an eternity in hell because he rejected God and the afterlife as fantasy.
What he wishes he knew now
Today, what was unknown is known. Although he regarded the brain as a computer which will stop working and then nothing, the Bible teaches it as something different. The Bible says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Essentially, every person has a day of death and then will face the judgement of God.
How does God judge people?
Jesus made it clear that there will only be two groups of people in eternity: 1) People who accepted the love of God and believed in Jesus Christ while on earth, trusting him with eternal life or 2) People who rejected the love of God and did not believe in Jesus Christ while on earth. Jesus said in John 3:16-18…
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
God so loved the world that He sent Jesus into the world to save sinners. Because of sin, man could not have a relationship with God (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23). Therefore, God sent Jesus to die in order to pay the price for sin by giving His own life (1 John 2:2). Jesus willingly died on the cross to do everything necessary to offer eternal life to any who believe in Him for salvation (Philippians 2:8). Jesus made it simple. He who believes is not condemned but instead has eternal life; He who does not believe in the name of Jesus is condemned. In every case, the Bible teaches eternal life is next. The issue is will that eternal life be one of condemnation to eternal hell or no condemnation with eternal reward.
The whole world will eventually all agree.
The Bible sums up all future ages in the following verses (Philippians 2:9-11):
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
My knee. Your knee. Stephen Hawkin’s knee. We all will eventually recognize that Jesus Christ indeed is Lord. For some, that recognition will look like an eternity of joyful bliss in worship of God. For all others, sadly that recognition will look like an eternity of damnation in rebellion of God.
Hawking was right on life today.
Hawking was right to challenge people to enjoy the life you have today and make the utmost of your opportunities. His motivation for that statement was wrong – because this is the best it gets. Instead, we make the most of our opportunities because we know that now is the time to live in appreciation for God’s grace of life and seek to serve those around us as best we can. Live today in the glory of God because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
So I sit here this morning having read of Hawking’s death with a deep sadness. As a believer in the Bible, Hawking now agrees with me. The Bible is real. The problem is that it is too late to go back and change his mind. Since you are still living today, it is not too late for you. Consider the Gospel of John in the Bible. Go read through it. Read the story of Jesus. Consider becoming a follower of Jesus today while there is time.
Pastor Kevin’s Blog | Walking together through life as friends in Christ sharing wisdom along the journey