There’s no guarantee of coming back, but passing on, that’s dead certain… or so says Captain Barbossa in the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It’s an interesting statement, especially considering that both he and Captain Jack Sparrow found a way to come back from the dead. Their conversation about death and eternal life reflects a desire within us all. No, not our desire to be a swashbuckling pirate, but our desire to live forever, to actually cheat death. Despite what the good (or… actually… he’s really not so good) Captain had to say, the fact is you can guarantee life after death, and you don’t have to go to the world’s end to do so.

When does eternity start? That may seem like a rather deep question to ask in an article that’s examining the ruminations of pirates, but it’s a question we should all consider. Some might say eternity starts with death, or that it starts when you arrive in heaven or unfortunately when you arrive in hell. However, Jesus Christ reveals a very interesting and different insight to when eternal life begins. In John 17:3 Jesus says, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, who you have sent.”

Did you catch that? Eternal life is to know God and to know Jesus. That’s pretty simple, and it indicates that eternal life can start right now. Imagine; you can cheat death before it ever has a chance to shadow your doorstep. You can begin eternal life this very day, without having to pay a debt to Davy Jones (Jesus paid the debt for you), travel any great distance (Jesus walked the hill of Calvary for you), or mix and match various tokens, potions, or other magical nonsense (Jesus shed his blood for you, the only potion you’ll even need).

Captain Jack Sparrow would love nothing better than to sail the seas forever as an immortal pirate. Captain Barbossa and his crew would like to find a way to live forever without having to use cursed Aztec gold or serve on the crew of Davy Jones. The end of At World’s End suggests they may pursue such a thing in yet another adventure as they race to find the fountain of youth. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to such measures, and you don’t have to live a superstitious life lived in fear of death like some scallywag of a pirate. You can know eternal life, right now, today, simply by knowing Jesus Christ.

Or, if you’re someone who already knows Jesus and is already experiencing eternal life, you can help set others free from the clutches of Davy Jones or the curse of Aztec gold or a reliance on botox or whatever other contrivances people may find to try and live forever. You can show them what life was really meant to be: eternal, fulfilling, and free.

If you’ve seen Pirates of the Caribbean, you know that the crew of the Flying Dutchman wasn’t exactly a happy lot despite the fact they had cheated death. There is a better way to live forever, and it isn’t fiction and it won’t cost you anything and you don’t have to look like a barnacle or a squid face (which is, quite frankly, just an outward manifestation of how ugly sin can be). The question is, as Davy Jones so eloquently put it, “Do you feaarr deathhh?” Yeah? What are you going to do about it?

For more Christian perspectives on pop-culture, check out The Frequency Podcast, available here: