Why do some Christians have trouble with the concept of non-existence?
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Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:8)
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:46)
11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5)
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. (John 11:11-12)
From these and many other verses, Christians weave together their concept of death. The analogy of sleep does not match non-existence, but a different state of consciousness. The analogy of leaving this world to be with the Lord conveys a change of location. The idea of eternal life is one without interruption. And the fact that we who have faith already have that eternal life means that we do not wait for a future time after a period of non-existence to be remade. We have it already and so we expect no interruption in our life going forward.
Also, eternal punishment is not possible if the object of judgment is gone. So divine justice demands the eternal existence of the reprobate.
The preceding lays out the case for an eternal existence, but as for why we have trouble with the idea of non-existence, that is simple. Our heart shrinks back in terror from the idea of ending. It is part of being human. Job cried out to God for someone to walk with him to the grave and his most passionate prayer was that after he died, in his own flesh he would see God. "I know that my redeemer lives" is a confession of faith in a bodily resurrection. Job was righteous and knew God as a friend. The man knew what he needed and that is what he prayed for. Likewise, all who know God long to be with him forever. That is the eternity that God has set in our heart, as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3. That longing goes beyond words, doctrines, and religion.
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