“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27
A recent Pew Research poll shows that
90% of American say they believe in God or some kind of ‘higher power’;
56% percent of those believe in the Biblical God, and another
33% say they believe in a ‘higher power or a spiritual force’. There are about
10% who say, ‘I do not believe in God or the Bible’.
A Roper public opinion poll showed that
66% of respondents said they believed in heaven and hell,
11% of respondents believe in heaven only, and
17% believe in neither heaven nor hell.
It is interesting that most people who believe and trust what the Bible says, get their views of life and death, from the Bible.
The Bible, was written by 40 authors and offers approximately 1,500 years of history on the study of God (theology) and Spiritual matters (pneumatology) and on life and death matters, dating back as far as 1400 B.C.
The Bible contains over 450 prophecies telling of the coming of Jesus Christ. A study shows that Jesus fulfilled at least 300 prophecies in His earthly ministry. A statistical study by Professor Peter W. Stoner, past Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College and Chairman of the science division at Westmont College, in his book, Science Speaks, outlines the mathematical probability of one person in the first century fulfilling just eight of the most clear and straightforward Messianic prophecies. He shows that the odds against Jesus fulfilling just 48 of the 456 prophecies is 1 to 10 to the 157th power. Written out, that is 1 in 100, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000.
In order to give you some perspective, electrons are very small objects. They’re smaller than atoms. It would take 2.5 TIMES 10 to the 15th power of them, laid side by side, to make one inch. Even if we counted 250 of these electrons each minute, and counted day and night, it would still take 19 million years just to count a line of electrons one-inch long. 19 MILLION YEARS!
On the other hand, people who don’t believe the Bible, draw their views on these same matters, from ‘feelings, personal unsubstantiated opinions, uncorroborated science, fiction or from agnostic or atheistic sources‘ – and, they bet their lives, futures and eternity on feelings or a guess.
The Bible clearly teaches that, “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment”, and that there is no such thing as ‘dying and visiting heaven and returning to earth’ to tell others. The Bible also clearly teaches there is a ‘life after physical death’.
John 11:25, says, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live,”
John 5:24, says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”
John 3:16, says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
(More Bible verses on Life after Death.)
If we ‘live on’ after death, what happens then? The Book of The Revelation tells us what happens at the end of all things.
At the End of The Age, when all ‘earthly’ things cease, the existing earth and heavens will dissolve or melt with a fervent heat, Revelation 20:11-15, tells us,
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them; and they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 21:1 tells us,
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. Verse 2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Verse 3. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,verse 4, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” (John the Apostle).
We are born, we live, then we die. But, that is not the end of things. The Bible teaches that your soul and spirit continue into eternity. Even if you reject the Bible or reject the Biblical teachings on eternal life, YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART, MIND AND SOUL that something happens after you die. YOU KNOW IT.
The Bible, which gives us indisputable evidence of its veracity and accuracy, tells you that one of two things will happen to you after your physical death:
- You will go to heaven and live eternally with God. (John 14:1-3, Revelation 21:1 – 22:9), or,
- You will be cast into the lake of fire, (hell), and be tormented for eternity. (Revelation 20:11-15)
You have to comprehend the gravity of what you are being told. If you do not believe in God, I implore you to change your mind and call out to Him, now.
If you are calling yourself a Christian, and are practicing things which are not of God and are not of the Bible, there is a chance you have been deceived and are not born again. Please, repent and turn fully to God.
Don’t misunderstand. You cannot earn your salvation by what you do or do not do. It is by faith in Christ, alone, by God’s grace alone. If you do not know God and have not made Jesus your Lord and Savior, please, call on him right now! He is merciful and full of grace for you.
Whether you are a Christian or not, if you are licentiously practicing, (continually doing), ‘deeds of the flesh’, or if you are changing or adding to what the Bible teaches, your eternal soul may be in danger. Please, repent, today. Call out to God for forgiveness and restoration.
I am not judging anyone. I am not being condescending. I am pleading with you to come to God and start living again!
Time is short. “The Day” is at hand. Please, repent now, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
PS: A True Christian, a Follower and a Disciple of Jesus, acts like Jesus – and when he or she does not, they “confess and repent of their sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.” You will know them (and yourself) by their fruits.
Whitestone Fellowship 