My Sunday School teacher started the lesson with a joke that hit so hard I had to do some digging. “The Politician’s Afterlife” is the original title and it’s been floating around in various versions for years. I’ve tweaked it a little myself, a humorous tale with a profound lesson.
The Afterlife Interview
A man died and stood before Saint Peter at the gates of heaven.
Saint Peter said, “Before you make your final choice, I’m going to give you a glimpse of both places — then you can decide where to spend eternity.”
The man nodded, and in an instant, he was standing at the gates of hell.
But what he saw surprised him — green lawns, music playing, tables filled with lobster and caviar.
All around, people laughed, danced, and toasted one another.
He even recognized a few old friends waving him over.
He thought, This doesn’t look so bad at all.
Moments later, he was back before Saint Peter.
“I’ve made up my mind,” the man said. “I know this will sound strange, but I want to go to hell.”
Saint Peter raised an eyebrow but opened the door. “As you wish.”
When the man arrived this time, everything had changed.
The grass was gone — just fire and smoke.
The people he’d seen yesterday were covered in rags, shoveling ashes, and crying out in despair.
Shocked, he turned to the devil and said, “Wait a minute! Yesterday I was here and it was beautiful — music, laughter, feasts. What happened?”
The devil smiled and said,
“Yesterday, we were just campaigning.”
faith unfaded 
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