Five things the Bible says about what we should expect at the moment of death and beyond. [Spirituality & Religion]
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[/center] First, believers will be taken into the presence of Christ in heaven. Christ is in heaven now (Acts 1:2; 3:21; 1 Thes 1:10; 4:16; 2 Thes 1:7), and believers will go to be with Him. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). And on two different occasions Paul spoke of death as ushering us into the presence of Christ.
Second, heaven is a place of resplendent glory, and being with Christ in the glory of heaven will be far superior to our present earthly lives. (Philippians 1:23) Being in heaven with the Lord, is referred to as being "at home." One of the things that will make heaven so great, is that we will finally feel that we are in our true home.
Third, when in heaven we will be looking forward (as we should be already in this life) to the resurrection of our bodies from the dead. Disembodied existence is not God's ultimate and final and greatest purpose for us. As great as it will be to be in heaven after we die, God has something greater in store: being resurrected from the dead, so that we will live soul and body, forever in the new heavens and new earth.
Fourth, we are in these bodies and still sin, however, at the moment of death, believers will be made perfect and cleansed from ALL sin. This follows from the point that believers are taken to heaven immediately at death. Heaven is fully pure and free from all tarnish and sin, and therefore when God takes us to heaven, He makes us fit for the experience of it by making our hearts perfect in holiness. This agrees with His purpose to make us completely like Christ (Romans 8:29) and, at the return of Christ, to present us to Himself, without spot or wrinkle or sin (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Ephesians 5:27).
And finally, we can see from all these things, that death is not the end of our existence. We have bodies and souls. Death is the separation of body and soul, not the end of our personhood. When we die, our bodies become lifeless and are no longer the place where we "reside," but we continue to exist as souls, either with Christ in glory, or separated from Christ. The decision is ours.
Are there many paths to God?
John 14:6
6 – Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [c=#BF0000]except through me[/c].
Acts 4:12
12 – Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 – For there is one God and [u]one mediator between God and men[/u], the man Christ Jesus,
6 – who gave himself as a ransom for all men–the testimony given in its proper time.
John 3:16
16 – “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.
Why Jesus?
Because we have no access to God our Father in heaven, without Jesus. Ephesians 2:18 - “For through Him we have our access in one Spirit to the Father.”
John 14:6 - “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
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The Bible might say that but who wrote it? What was their mental state at the time of writing it? How reliable a commentator were they? How accurately was it translated? Are they a first hand witness? Did they have an agenda? Was it passed on through many generations by word of mouth before being eventually written down?
Just because something is written down does not mean it is reliable, accurate or.....true.
Right, but God was the One translating it. He did not entrust the writing of His Word to just anyone. It is too precious for that. God promised to preserve His Word, and that has been done.
Psalm 12:6-7 says, "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Then we read in Psalm 100:5 that ". . . . his truth endureth to all generations," and Jesus said in John 17:17 that God's WORD is truth.
He promised to preserve His words, and we believe that He has done just that. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). The Holy Spirit Who inspired the word of God not through just anyone, but through [b]"holy men of God"[/b] (II Pet. 1:21), is quite capable of guiding His servants to KEEP the words which Jesus told us to keep (Jn. 14:23). God is very capable of using anyone He pleases as His very own instruments of righteousness in order to preserve His word.
Billy Sunday is said to have led over one million people to Christ. Spurgeon, Moody, Whitfield, and Wesley and the list goes on. God has richly blessed the ministries of such men as these because they stayed busy OBEYING His word rather than questioning its authority.
We must be careful when we question God’s Word, that we do not call God a liar. The Bible was inspired and given by God:
God did not entrust His precious Word to just anyone. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit ." (II Pet. 1:21) "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, ..." (II Tim. 3:16)
The Bible was greatly reverenced by the prophets... Jewish scribes would take a bath & get a new quill before writing ‘Jehovah’. There are 3800 references in O.T. alone, to the Bible being called the Word of God.
The Bible will guide us through life .. Psalms 119:105, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.. Matthew 4:4, (Jesus) answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
The Bible is the source of truth (Jesus said).. John 17:17, Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth. (II Tim. 2:15 mentions; the Word of truth.) People are searching for the truth. The Bible is our Creator's instruction manual on life. “It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible.” George Washington
The Bible is the pathway to find God ... Romans 10:17, faith [to find God] cometh by ...the Word of God.
The Bible will show us what is ‘missing in life’ ... Hebrews 4:12, The Word of God is powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword ...and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. *After winning three Super Bowls, football quarterback Tom Brady still said, ‘there has got to be more to life than this!’
The Bible is God's Word .. 1 Thessalonians 2:13, When ye received the Word of God ...ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God. II Timothy 3:16, [u]All scripture is given by inspiration of God[/u], and is profitable for doctrine ... for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
No need. Everything I teach is backed up by the Bible which is the infallible word of God. I’m sorry you don’t believe that, but the followers of Christ, do. God has no sin in Him. That means He is incapable of error. @MarkA
Of course....there is still absolutely NO proof for ANY of this. It is still a load of stuff written down by 'someone' and that constitutes evidence or proof of absolutely nothing. And as long as believers continue to peddle their beliefs as FACT or PROOF I will continue to deride them for doing so, because it is WRONG to pretend you have a shred of evidence. All it does is to con gullible people. How very un-Christian.
If you were to preface every ridiculous statement you make with 'I believe that......' then I would respect you and your beliefs. But you don't. You make out that you deal in fact, which is untrue and deeply offensive
It’s only ridiculous to unbelievers. It’s a given, that I believe it. It’s fact, because Jesus said it, not me. You only think it’s untrue because you’ve not experienced it. There’s plenty of evidence, and many who will never believe. That’s their prerogative; not to call my statements ridiculous or my beliefs. To you, none of it is true. That’s fine. I’m only sharing, which is what people on this site,do. Nothing says you have to believe it. All the proof in the world wouldn’t be enough for some, but I personally experienced God, so I know it is true and Jesus is real. Of course the response to that, is always that that’s not evidence, but it is. While some do not care for the content, there are others who genuinely would like to know Jesus as their personal Savior. There’s nothing wrong with that. And you cannot prove that Jesus is not real. Let’s leave it at that.
They are when experienced. And they are because Jesus is real and cannot lie. There is no sin in Him. So when people disbelieve, they’re calling God a liar. @MarkA
To thousands of believers, it is truth. Only God can turn around lives that are headed for disaster and ruin, in a second. I’ve seen it happen. Prostitutes, drug dealers, alcoholics, tons of lives transformed by the healing and saving grace of Jesus. Never to go back to what they were without Him. Happy in Jesus. People who don’t believe Jesus is our Savior, would never die for a lie. But Jesus’s disciples did, because they knew He was real. They saw His miracles first-hand. As hundreds of other’s did. Over 500 people witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus. They weren’t all delusional. Just as people are healed and their lives completely transformed, proves that Jesus is real. Why does believing in God make you angry? Christians are not claiming that they are right; they are saying they believe in God and that He is right and His words are life and truth. We are not anything without Christ. Jesus said our “righteousness” is as filthy rags. That there is NONE who can measure up to His standards of righteousness, but through His forgiveness of our sins, we can be brought back into fellowship with God. The same sins that separated us from Christ, are the same sins that can bring forgiveness, and then a restored relationship and fellowship with God in Heaven. That’s all it’s about....having our sins forgiven, and none of us are any better than the other here. Jesus said we ALL need our sins forgiven. And then when we become right with God, in turn, he gives us eternal life in heaven. @MarkA
Anybody can write anything. Anybody can say anything. Anybody can CLAIM to have witnessed anything. None of that makes anything true or real. There were liars 2000 years ago, same as there are now. People saw what they wanted to see then, as they do now. People had agendas then, as they do now. Thousands of 'believers' does not make anything a fact or a reality, except to those people. I GENUINELY have nothing against anyone who believes, but the whole religious scenario is based on a Belief system, not a FACT system. All I ask of any religious person is to stop claiming things which they BELIEVE to be true or real, as actually being true or real, because in my world they are not. You used the word 'concrete' at the start of your post. There is nothing 'concrete' in a BELIEF system, except to those who believe. And THAT is exactly the kind of thing I find hugely offensive and arrogant, peddling a belief as an irefutable 'fact'. We will never agree. We will never reconcile our differences. You may not think so, but I genuinely respect you and I'm glad you get a lot out of what you believe so fervently in, but.....to me there are too many holes, inconsistencies and contradictions for me to be able to take ANY religion seriously. All religions seem to claim to worship the ONE true God. There will be a lot of embarrassed people around one day.... but I won't be one of them.
You’re right. Anyone can claim anything, but Jesus’s claims to be the Savior of the world were backed up by His actions. Even by prophecy, archeological finds, and history.
This is not about religions of this world. It’s about a relationship with God. Anyone can have religion. Islam says that Allah is the only true God, and that anyone who says Christ is the Son of God [b]will be condemned[/b] (Qur'an, 5:72, 9:30). Followers of Christ are not saying that their personal ideas are true, but that God exists, and His words are true. I’m a Christian. That word simply means I’m a follower of Christ. No better than anyone else. Christianity is unique, because it addresses the fact that we can never be good enough to be in the presence of a perfect, holy God. [If sin entered heaven, it wouldn’t be heaven, right?] In order to be perfectly good, we would have to be doing good all the time. If we do something wrong, we can't undo it, and we can no longer be considered perfect. Nor can we do more good to make up for our wrongs, for perfection requires doing the most good possible at all times - we can't be more than perfect, to make up for when we're less than perfect.
Others teach that we can somehow do enough good to earn heaven or nirvana, but they don't address the fact that we continually make mistakes. Christianity teaches that our sins were paid for by Jesus' death on the cross, and that by accepting his payment and believing in Him, we can be forgiven; we don't have to earn our way into heaven...which is a good thing, because we can't do it. We believe Christ is the only way to God, because without the forgiveness that comes through his death and resurrection, there's simply no way for us to be able to stand before a holy God. However, as you’ve said, we must make up our own mind. To each his or her, own.
You have the privilege to say no to the Lord. If you're not willing, there are not enough angels in heaven to drag you to Jesus. God did not leave us to guess about what happens to us when we die. He tells us with certainty and clarity in His Word, what takes place when we die, so we are **without excuse**, as far as knowledge of that. Romans 1:20. Contrary to belief, our consciousness does not just float away somewhere, out in the universe. It goes back to God. Ecclesiastes 12:7. To deny our need for Jesus, is to deny our need for a Savior. It’s to deny the sinful state we are in, separated from God, with no hope to fix things in our own strength. If you keep the position you presently have, you may find yourself sliding into eternity with your fingers crossed, hoping you do not find the unpleasant truth that eternity does indeed exist, and God is **very** real. It isn't about men, telling people how to live. It is God, telling people how to get right with him.
@MarkA [quote]All religions seem to claim to worship the ONE true God. There will be a lot of embarrassed people around one day.... but I won't be one of them.[/quote]
Mark, the difference is this: There are two things that all religions hold as truth:
(1) Humanity is separated from God. (2) Humanity needs to be reconciled with God. The differences come in how that reconciliation is acquired.
Many religions focus on rules and rituals. When those rules are followed or those rituals are performed, the person is attempting to be made right with God or gain His favor. For example, in Islam there are five pillars that one must do in order to show surrender or submission to God. Other religions focus more on observing rituals, rather than following rules. After those rituals are performed, it is taught that God will accept the person who performed them, yet no one can tell you how long that will be, when asked, so one is always in a continual state to earn God’s favor, which is an insecure way to live, whereas with grace, one already has God’s favor.
The determining factor of one's authentic faith relationship with God is not one's denomination, religious practice or performance in Christian disciplines, but rather the presence of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, upon confession of faith. As it is written, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Rom.8:9) Jesus' invitation always stands open for anyone to receive forgiveness, be welcomed into his family, and live eternally in heaven. Religion didn’t die on the cross to pay for our sins. Jesus did.
I am 100% comfortable with my position in regards to God and religion, as I'm sure you are. It's always interesting debating and arguing from our respective perspectives and I wish you well. I hope your 'afterlife' is everything and more than you believe it is. But please be circumspect how you present religious ideas and beliefs as 'facts' to a wider audience, because it is that aspect of any religion that causes huge amounts of trouble, not just on here but around the world as a whole and is one important reason why so many people have turned away from organised religion and faith. Best wishes Mark
@MarkA God is not a liar and what he says in His Word is the truth, the Way, and the Life, no matter if anyone believes it or not. I am certainly not doing anything that others are not doing on this site. And certainly nothing wrong. I never ever push beliefs on anyone, but I do share them. It's the same as anything. If someone wants to believe whatever they read, that's up to them. I will never be ashamed of Jesus and I will never stop sharing His Word. That's the whole reason Jesus came to earth, to share the good news, so that people could be saved. And he told his disciples, which are believers today, as well as in His day,to spread the good news. That's what I do and I'll never apologize for it.
Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's wrong. The Bible even says that if one was to come back from the dead and tell people that God and heaven and hell are real, they still wouldn't believe. One either believes God's Word or they don't. The Bible IS our proof, But some want to call God a liar.They don't need proof…they need faith. God's Word also says that until one has been "born again" and experiences that for themselves, they will call the gospel foolishness .
Experiences do count as proof. Someone experienced it, just like if you fell in love with someone and experience that , nothing would be said, because that was your experience and of course they are not the recipient of that love. Yet people would accept that. They wouldn't question your experience. But let a believer say that they experienced God, and all of a sudden it doesn't count. That's nonsense. None the less, it's a true experience they cannot disprove.
Again, religion is not the same as a personal relationship with God. Religion is nothing but man made philosophy. Religion did not die on the cross for our sins. God isn't interested in denominations. He's interested in those who choose to have their sins forgiven, so they can live with their father in heaven, forever.
I'm not turning anyone away from Christ. They already made that decision in their heart. It is the phonies on television and real life and those who say they are a Christian, but do not live their faith by word or deed , that turns people from Christ. Everything I say is backed up by God's Word. However, there are false teachers out there that do not speak God's Word and turn people away from God. They are the ones Jesus warned people about. I share my faith. If people don't accept what I share, they can move on. Nobody forces them to read it. But it's really rude to criticize something they know nothing about and don't want to know anything about. Everything you criticize me about, was wrong. I spoke nothing but God's truth that is in His Word. The Bible is very clear that the reason people don't understand and criticize God's Word is because one cannot possibly understand the meaning of spiritual things until they receive the Holy Spirit to help them understand it. Of course, people always criticize what they don't understand. That is why, when people ask for proof about God and they are given that proof, like in 2nd Timothy 3:16 that says "all scripture is given by inspiration of God", right away they say it's a lie, so that tells me and other followers of Christ that they do not want to know the truth, but only argue about it. They have not carefully studied nor searched out the truth of God, yet they are very quick to criticize what they don't even understand. Some don't find Christ , for the same reason a thief can't find a cop. They're not looking for God. Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them. Man puts God in a box of their own making and rules. He also mocks God and God will not be mocked.
The truth is, this world needs a Savior. It needs rescue and total transformation. To deny our need for Jesus, is to deny our need for a Savior. It's to deny the sinful state the world is in , separated from God, with no hope to fix things in our own strength. People came to Jesus because they believed he had the cure for their sickness and sin. But Jesus wasn't saying that only weak people came to him, or that only some people had sin. He was saying that all people have sin, and that only some are willing to admit their need and come to him for the cure. If you have a broken leg, then getting it reset and casted, is necessary to be able to walk normally again. The cure is necessary and good. The cure that Jesus offers for sin, is true and good, and necessary for all.
Many will reject my message and that is certainly up to them , but what they are really rejecting, is God's invitation for salvation, and He will honor their decision.
As for the Bible, the few menial errors penned by man in translation and in contrary to the whole Bible, are expected when you have something handed down over thousand of years because man is fallible, but not the Holy Spirit. However, if naysayers would devote their time to careful Bible study, they would see proof of no contradictions at all. The author, the Holy Spirit, is incapable of making errors, so the original manuscript was without flaw, just as God would have it. Regardless of man's error in transcription through the ages, the key thing to remember is that the main theme of the Word has never changed, and that is, the most important thing to know ... how to have eternal life.
Most of us express our views . But I find it odd that only when "religious" people do it, is it called "pushing beliefs on others". Every human thinks their views are right views, or they would not hold those opinions. Anyone who thinks only those we call "religious people" can be zealous for what they believe, are fooling themselves. If you are referring to the fact that Christians make their message public, there is nothing imposing about this, no more so than any belief system which makes its views public , and they almost all do. It's odd that people can come on this site and give their beliefs and opinion on sex, porn, wichcraft, philosophies, drugs.... show cakes with private parts, display nudity, talk filthy and act rude and disrespectful to each other, curse, criticize, hate, and everything from soup to nuts, and pretty filthy stuff at that, yet no one says a thing. None are offended at that, but just let the followers of Christ simply share their beliefs, and all of a sudden we're "Religious zealots", "haters", and "delusional". Yes, we are really a danger, and such a threat, sharing Jesus's love life that! This just shows how far our society and morals have decayed. I would say that is a pretty hateful attitude to have towards people. Some need to grow up and act their age, instead of hating certain groups or races. There is nothing wrong with stating my beliefs, and it certainly is not what you've called "un-Christian". I'm asked about them all the time. Some , in fact many, have told me they enjoy my posts and to keep them coming. If people wish to discuss or ask questions about what I believe and why, I'll gladly answer, but I believe it should be done peacefully and respectfully by each party, or not at all. Others won't agree with what I share, and that is fine. I do respect their beliefs and feel "to each their own". Not ONE of my posts have exhibited force, as you say.
I do not feel I'm any better or smarter than anyone else here. If someone can prove that my beliefs are wrong, I'm all ears.
Man thinks of himself a lot higher than he should. I've yet to find anyone that is wiser or smarter than God and what He shares in His Word of truth and wisdom. Man cannot even save himself. That's why we need Jesus.
Thanks for your feedback and thoughts. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this subject. Best wishes to you, as well.
I admire your conviction and in future I will try to leave you to post your beliefs in peace, but it genuinely is hard for me not to feel strongly about this subject. It has been forced upon me for years and years by numerous folk, including close family members, as a reality. With absolutely no thought, consideration or restraint for my feelings and opinions. And I'm sure it is THEIR reality, but not a reality that I can recognise, or have any interest in recognising. Anyone who tries so hard to convince me of something must have an agenda, otherwise they would respect me and my own beliefs, or lack of them. It's not as if these people do not know me well enough by now, but still they go on and on and on about a subject which I have consistently told them I have no interest in. Perhaps you have received the backlash from those irritating people, for which I apologise. I wish you well in your future.
Mark, I respect your beliefs. Naturally when people ask questions, I’m going to respond. Everyone has a right to respond, including you. I welcome all responses, whether they believe or not. I just ask both parties to respond in a respectful manner.
Because I love God and what He has done for me in my life, including saving my life, I promised God I would share what He means to me with others...no hidden agenda about it. I’m not paid to do it...I get cursed at about it...criticized about it...belittled about it, and called every name in the book 😆, so no....it’s not easy, there’s no agenda, and though I know what I know, I’ll only quit sharing, when I close my eyes for one last time, because that’s how much I love Him. He didn’t have to save me, but He did. He’s always given me His very best. I cannot give Him less. He deserves it. I just naturally share, since I love God. I’ve done it for the last 40 years, so you can see how much He means to me. No one has to listen and I think it’s awful how you were treated. That makes me sad. It was not right. No one is no better than the other, follower of Christ or not! I’m so sorry you experienced that. Once you told them you were not interested, they should have left it alone....and you.
Peace and love. I think you’re a pretty special guy.
Even if we are on diametrically opposed sides of the whole belief debate, it doesn't mean I can't respect you, and I certainly do, even if I may not always have shown it during the course of our conversations, which I am somewhat embarrassed to admit, and which I regret. Maybe we ought to converse about something less controversial in future. What is your opinion of Donald Trump's Mexican wall? (I'm joking. Seriously!!!) 😉
😂 I couldn’t agree more. I hope I didn’t offend you in any way during our discussion. That was not my intention. We’re good. I don’t think we better discuss politics though, for the same reason we won’t discuss our beliefs on spiritual matters. 😆 Yes, something less controversial will do. 😆 Take care, Mark. @MarkA
