Death is one of the great mysteries of life. Since the beginning of time, man has wondered whether life exists beyond the grave. Atheists believe that no life exists beyond the physical realm while many religions teach that life continues on after the physical body expires.
So who's right? The Bible, which has a flawless, evidential, historical-prophetic track record, tells us that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment", (Hebrews 9:27) which means that life indeed goes on after physical death. If it doesn't, then that scripture recorded in the Book of Hebrews makes no sense. If there is no life beyond the physical realm, then there isn't any judgment and thus, a despicable mass-murderer such as Adolf Hitler fares no worse in death than Pope John Paul II.
But life indeed exists beyond the grave. Where then do the spirits of the deceased go when they leave their mortal bodies? According to the Bible, they go to one of two destinations; heaven for those who have been born again in Jesus Christ and hell for those who rejected Christ and have died in their sins. But how do we know this? By over 300 specific prophecies recorded in the Bible's Old Testament that revealed Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah hundreds and thousands of years before he came. Those prophecies, such as the virgin birth of Christ, (Isaiah 7:14, Eighth Century B.C.) his birthplace in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Sixth Century B.C.) and his resurrection from the dead (Psalm 16:10, 1,000 B.C.) all verify Christ's teachings on the absolute reality of heaven and hell.
Interestingly, Christ taught more about the awful reality of hell than he did about heaven. Why? Because hell is a horrible place of damnation and eternal torment. If you've ever experienced a terrible nightmare, hell is far worse than your worst nightmare. It is such a horrible place that a group of demons that Christ drove out of a demoniac one day begged him not to send them there. (Luke 8:30-31) It is a place, according to Christ, of eternal fire and intense pain and suffering. (Mark 9:48) In fact, Christ gave us a glimpse of the horrible reality of hell with his account of a greedy rich man who mocked God and lived a selfish life on earth before he died and was thrown into hell. (Luke 16:19-31)
What is important to understand about Christ's account of the rich man who was thrown into hell is the fact that the man retained all of his mental faculties and physical senses that he possessed while he lived on earth. Oh yes, he also experienced the intense pain of torture from the heat of hell's never-ending fire.
Have you thought about your own mortality? Where do you believe you'll go after you die? Do you believe you'll go to heaven because you've done more good things in your life than bad things? How can you be sure that will get you into heaven? Do you believe you'll go to heaven because you're devoutly religious and faithfully attend a church, mosque or synagogue every week? Again, how does that guarantee you eternal life? Where's the evidence for that?
In fact, no amount of good deeds, charity, or devotion to a religious system will earn you a trip to heaven. If you die in your sins outside of Jesus Christ, you'll spend eternity in the same place where that rich man that Christ spoke of is spending eternity. Heaven isn't about religion--it's about faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for your sins on Calvary's Cross to keep you out of a horrible place called hell. All you need to do is believe that Christ came into this world to die for your sins; confess that with your mouth and believe that God raised Christ from the dead and you'll be saved. (Romans 10:9-11) It's that easy.
Don't put off that decision, for tomorrow is promised to no one. Make that decision right now and be assured that you'll be spending eternity in the most beautiful place in the universe--a place called heaven. As Christ famously stated: "For God so loved the world that he gave his One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) Make that decision right now while you still have the time. You won't regret it.
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