Even if I Die I Can Be Born Again

Benjamin Franklin said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." His words, though slightly humorous, remind us of a very existent truth: One of the things we all have in common is that everyone dies.

At one time or some other, most people wonder what will happen when they dice. Death feels frightening and mysterious, and perspectives on what happens and what it means vary significantly.

To aid you observe some answers to this question, permit's explore some dissimilar views on this topic, including what the Bible has to say about information technology.

If you already know what yous're looking for, you can use these links to get straight to the topics that are most relevant for you:

Historical Beliefs Well-nigh the Afterlife

When you ask, "What happens when yous die?" you lot are joining generations of people who have asked that question throughout history.

The afterlife has historically had an of import role in cultures all over the earth. Greek and Roman mythology described information technology as an underworld. Vikings talked about Valhalla, a paradise. Chinese mythology refers to the Diyu, or hell. Many of the Great Plains tribes saw it as a "happy hunting ground."

Fifty-fifty before recorded history, people cached the expressionless with nutrient, weapons, valuables and other useful items. The living apparently thought the dead would need these things after death, implying a conventionalities in an afterlife.

A Choice of Perspectives

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In that location are many ways to approach the question, "What happens when you die?" People have looked for answers through scientific discipline, philosophy and religion. Even within those schools of thought, people take a broad variety of behavior about the afterlife.

Scientific discipline and Medicine

People who written report science and medicine have come to very different conclusions most the afterlife. Some think that to believe in scientific discipline means the supernatural, including life after death, is non possible. Others believe that science proves, or at least points to, the possibility of life after decease.

Physicist Stephen Hawking compared death to a computer that stops working when it breaks. He thought of the afterlife as a fairytale.

In dissimilarity, Nobel-Prize-winning physicist Max Planck believed physics shows that consciousness is not a product of physical matter (such equally brain cells). Since it exists outside of physical thing, it could outlast physical death.

Others argue that the offset police of thermodynamics, which states that energy and thing cannot exist created or destroyed, means life cannot end at decease.

Doctors and scientists have also studied the experiences of people who have been declared clinically expressionless, merely to be revived later. One large-calibration scientific study, past a squad from the University of Southampton in England, found evidence of consciousness during a flow of cardiac arrest and no encephalon activity.

Based on enquiry and case studies like this, some scientists have concluded in that location must exist life after death.

Philosophy

Philosophy also has a lot to say on this subject. Ancient philosophers like Socrates and Plato believed that when the trunk died, the soul lived on. Years later, Immanuel Kant concluded that morality requires life after decease every bit well every bit the being of a just guess.

Atheist philosophers similar Marx, Lenin and Nietzche did not believe in an afterlife. They viewed belief in an afterlife as in disharmonize with living life to its fullest.

Religion

Religion is one of the virtually common means people answer the question of "what happens when you die?" There are many different religions and near as many behavior about the afterlife, fifty-fifty if information technology's that no afterlife exists.

Though the specifics differ, many religions have similar themes, such equally reincarnation, sky, hell, enlightenment or some combination of these. Some religions accept very consistent beliefs beyond all followers. Other religious teachings leave more open to estimation, which can result in a wide variety of beliefs among members.

Christianity. Followers of Jesus believe that there is an afterlife and that Christ is not only the cardinal to life and love on this earth, He is the primal to what will happen when yous die. The Bible teaches that when people die, their souls live on. People volition spend eternity either with God (unremarkably chosen heaven) or separated from God (commonly called hell).

People try to achieve God through being very moral, doing skillful deeds, or behaving in means they think of every bit very religious. But the Bible teaches that no i is actually worthy of spending eternity with God based on their own efforts. In fact, trying to get to heaven on the basis of our own endeavor is actually part of the problem the Bible refers to as sin. This is the trouble Jesus' expiry and resurrection solved for anyone who trusts in Jesus.

Simply why do we need Jesus to solve the problem of sin?

Christians believe information technology's considering we've all chosen to become our own way, or rebel against God, and so do not deserve to be in heaven with Him forever. Trying to earn your style to heaven or make yourself expert enough for heaven is substantially an try to be your own god. People remain imperfect, despite their best efforts.

Considering God is perfect, imperfect people cannot spend eternity with Him in heaven without ruining its perfection. Only a perfect God can make imperfect people perfect once more. He did this past coming to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, living a perfect life and dying on behalf of all people so their wrongdoings and rebellion can be forgiven.

When people accept Jesus as their only way to God, they will be given the righteousness of Christ so they tin can spend eternity with God (starting with a personal relationship with Him in this lifetime). Those who reject Jesus reject God. Since heaven is eternity with God, this ways they will be separated from God for eternity.

People who practice not trust Jesus cannot go to heaven because of what heaven is.

Find out more than about what Christianity has to say.

Islam. Muslims believe people accept immortal souls. Afterward death, the destination of the soul depends on a person'due south good and bad deeds. Islam teaches that everyone volition exist resurrected (be raised to life over again) and face up final judgment. People who are faithful and good will enter paradise. People who are unfaithful and wicked volition enter hell.

Judaism. There are dissimilar behavior almost the afterlife within Judaism. Most sacred Jewish texts describe some form of afterlife. The Hebrew Bible talks most "Sheol," and the Talmud describes "the World to Come," though what exactly these are is not articulate.

Some Jewish people believe only the faithful and expert will enter the afterlife merely that the afterlife is open to good people of whatsoever worldview. Others believe there will be a resurrection of anybody that will include a judgment of every person'southward good and bad deeds to determine their eternal fate.

Simply many Jewish people do not believe in hell. Some exercise not believe in an afterlife at all, but place value on preserving culture and living on through future generations.

Baha'i. The Baha'i faith teaches that at death, the trunk dies, but the immortal, rational soul continues on in the spiritual realm and grows toward perfection. The prayers of people all the same on earth and adept deeds done in the name of the person who died can assistance a soul brand progress in the adjacent world.

Though Baha'i teaches of the truth of all religions, it does non promote the idea of a concrete heaven and hell. Instead, references to heaven and hell are to be taken figuratively and symbolically. Baha'is do not believe in reincarnation.

Buddhism. At that place are several types of Buddhism with singled-out teachings about the afterlife. In general, Buddhism teaches that eternal, private souls practice non exist only that after death, people usually experience reincarnation based on their actions and desires in this life. The ultimate goal is to end the bike of reincarnation and reach an enlightened state called Nirvana. This is accomplished through meditation, religious practice and the elimination of desire, hatred and ignorance.

Nirvana is characterized by freedom from suffering. It'southward non a concrete location, merely a higher state of being than the physical world.

Hinduism. Hinduism includes a large diversity of beliefs and practices and is both a religion and a civilization. The core Hindu conventionalities about what happens afterwards death focuses on reincarnation. Near Hindus believe in an eternal, immortal soul that is reincarnated at death based on its actions in life, known as its karma. The consequences of karma are automated and cannot be avoided.

A person may suffer in one life for bad karma from the current life or a previous life. The ultimate goal in Hinduism is to achieve moksha, or liberty from reincarnation. This is achieved past eliminating bad karma through good actions, meditation, spiritual devotion or liberty from ignorance and desire.

Once moksha is achieved, the soul becomes one with (or acknowledges that it and everything else is already i with) Brahman, the ultimate reality or universal God.

Sikhism. Sikhism emphasizes both living a skillful life in customs and meditating on God. Sikhs believe a person experiences reincarnation until they resolve all of their karma and achieve mukti, or liberation. This happens when one focuses their attention on God instead of cocky and attains a full understanding of God.

But God can cause someone to achieve mukti, but people should strive to be close to God. When liberated, the private becomes one with God.

Shinto. Shinto includes a number of unlike beliefs and practices but does not emphasize the afterlife. Expiry is seen as impure in Shinto religion, and the focus is on this life, not the adjacent.

Most Shintoists practise not necessarily believe in an eternal soul, but many practice believe people tin become kami, or sacred spirits who can protect their descendants. People ofttimes worship their ancestral kami and honor them through festivals.

Many Shintoists do both Shinto and Buddhism and view expiry in a more than Buddhist sense.

Taoism. Taoism, also known as Daoism, teaches well-nigh the Tao — the key energy of life. In that location are a wide multifariousness of behavior and practices within Taoism. In general, Taoists seek to achieve immortality through rituals and pursuing harmony and oneness with the universe.

Unitarian Universalism. Unitarianism does not have a cadre set of behavior and does non promote universal truth. Information technology emphasizes tolerance and rational idea. Unitarians may or may non believe in God or the supernatural, and its focus is on this life. Some Unitarians believe that people stop to exist later on death, while others believe in that location is some sort of afterlife or unification with God or the universe.

Unitarians practice not believe in hell or eternal punishment. "Universalism" refers to the belief in universal conservancy.

Other Views. People who follow Jainism, Scientology, New Age Religion, Wicca and Hare Krishna believe in some form of reincarnation, only the specifics vary. Indigenous Chinese and Tibetian religions have similar, simply distinct, beliefs about the afterlife to Buddhism. Members of the Unification Church believe in a spirit world with God and eternal families.

Some religious groups that accept some basis in the Bible or who self-identify as Christian but have boosted sacred texts paint a different picture of the afterlife than the one institute in the Bible. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are 2 of these groups.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe that people were part of the spiritual kingdom before coming to world and will render to their spiritual state when they die. Immediately afterwards death, peoples' spirits enter the spirit world. The faithful will be in paradise, but others will exist in spirit prison, where they can choose to accept God or non.

Mormons believe in resurrection for all that reunites body and spirit. After the final judgment, the faithful will enter the Celestial Kingdom with God and their eternal families. Those who are good simply did non accept God until the spirit earth will alive in the Terrestrial Kingdom. Those who are not good and rejected God volition be in the Telestial Kingdom. Countless penalisation is reserved for the devil, his angels, and those who served him or totally decline God.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe the soul is not separate from the physical body and dies with the body. For most, decease means nonexistence. A small group of the almost faithful (144,000) will be function of the first resurrection and reign with Jesus in heaven. Others who choose to serve God will exist part of the second resurrection and alive on a new earth forever.

Non-Religious Worldviews

Faithlessness. The give-and-take "doubter" tin can refer to someone who does not know if God or annihilation supernatural exists or to someone who does not believe it is possible to know if God or the supernatural exist.

Atheism. Atheists practice not believe in God or gods and generally practise not believe in an afterlife. About believe that at death, a person but ceases to exist. Some people who do not believe in God, and are therefore technically atheists, do however believe in some sort of afterlife.

Confucianism. The Chinese philosophy of Confucianism is more than of a philosophy and a way of life than a religion, and information technology does non promote the idea of an afterlife. The focus of Confucianism is on this life, with an emphasis on family and guild as well equally respecting the wisdom and traditions passed downwards from previous generations. Ancestor worship is of import in Chinese culture in general and is practiced by many who follow Confucianism.

Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a movement that came out of Mainland china in the 1990s and does not claim to be a religion or promote a belief about the afterlife. It does promote attaining a form of conservancy or enlightenment in this life through the exercises and teachings of its founder, Li Hongzhi.

Humanism. Humanism teaches that the concrete world is all there is and there is no life afterwards expiry. Humanists believe people should focus on the human experience because at death they will cease to exist.

Going Deeper Into What Christianity Says About Life After Death

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The Bible teaches that God has set up eternity in the hearts of humans (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This is ane reason why death makes us sad; we were not fabricated to cease. There are many passages in the Bible that make information technology clear we do not end to exist when our earthly bodies die.

Daniel 12:ii says, "Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried volition rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace."

Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent Me take eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, merely they take already passed from death into life" (John 11:25).

When people die, their souls continue to live on. Where their souls become is based on whether or not they accept Jesus' sacrifice on their behalf.

Where Do People Spend Eternity?

Heaven and Hell. The Bible teaches that there are two alternatives: eternity with God and eternity separated from God, often referred to as heaven and hell. From an eternal standpoint, to be present in one is to be absent from the other.

Eternity with God is safe, peaceful and void of all evil. Hell is the terrible alternative where God and all the good things that come from God are completely absent.

What Happens Immediately Later Death?

When Jesus hung on the cross where He was existence executed, there were two criminals being crucified on either side of Him. Luke 23:42-43 describes a conversation betwixt ane of those criminals and Jesus: "So [the criminal] said, 'Jesus, remember me when You come up into Your Kingdom.' And Jesus replied, 'I assure yous, today you lot will exist with Me in paradise.'"

The paradise Jesus mentions is where people who have a relationship with God go immediately afterward they die. When people say "sky," this is often what they hateful.

Sky will be an astonishing identify, but it's non designed to be the eternal home of God'south people. That even more astonishing place is ordinarily referred to every bit "the new creation" or "the new heaven and new earth."

Judgment Mean solar day

The Bible describes a time when all people volition come back to life, or exist resurrected, and will stand earlier God to exist judged. This is often referred to as judgment day. This is when God will declare who will enter the new creation and spend eternity with God and who will spend eternity with Satan in a place of eternal suffering.

Revelation xx:11-15 describes judgment day:

And I saw a great white throne and the 1 sitting on information technology. The earth and sky fled from His presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both peachy and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, equally recorded in the books. The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of burn is the second death. And anyone whose proper noun was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of burn down.

God's Standard

The key question is, What volition be the standard on judgment twenty-four hour period? How good do y'all have to be to go to heaven?

Many people recall that equally long as your good deeds outweigh your bad, or equally long as you make a proficient effort and do not practice anything besides bad, you volition go to heaven. In reality, God's standard is much higher. He requires perfection.

But Romans three:23 says, "Anybody has sinned; we all fall brusk of God'south glorious standard."

Since everyone falls curt, how can anyone go to sky? The respond is in the side by side verse: "Yet God, in His grace, freely makes u.s. right in His sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed u.s. from the penalty for our sins" (Romans 4:24).

No ane can encounter the standard of perfection on judgment day by their ain efforts, but God made a way for people to spend eternity with Him. Jesus lived the perfect life that we cannot, then died in our place to have on the penalty we deserved for our rebellion against God.

No one can make themselves perfect; only God can exercise that:

God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made correct with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held dorsum and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would exercise in this nowadays time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.

Can nosotros avowal, then, that we have done anything to exist accepted by God? No, considering our acquittal is not based on obeying the police force. It is based on faith. Then we are fabricated right with God through faith and non past obeying the law. (Romans 3:25-28)

If you lot accept Jesus' cede on your behalf, yous're forgiven for your sins and can begin a personal relationship with God.

God does non force you to take a relationship with Him; every person must decide whether they want that.

You tin accept that what Jesus has done is sufficient to save you from an eternity apart from God, or you lot can reject it and rely on your own efforts to relieve you.

God showed His great love for u.s.a. by sending Christ to dice for us while we were still sinners. And since we take been made right in God'southward sight by the blood of Christ, He volition certainly save united states of america from God'southward condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored past the decease of His Son while we were withal His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. So now nosotros tin can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." — Romans v:eight-eleven

The New Heaven and New Earth

Revelation 21:1-viii describes the ultimate destination of those who have Jesus' cede and accept eternal life with God:

Then I saw a new sky and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had disappeared. And the ocean was also gone. And I saw the holy metropolis, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her hubby.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, God's home is now among His people! He will alive with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will exist no more expiry or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever."

And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making everything new!" And and so He said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and truthful." And He likewise said, "It is finished! I am the Blastoff and the Omega — the Beginning and the Stop. To all who are thirsty I will requite freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will exist their God, and they will be My children.

One of the most amazing things about the new cosmos is that people volition go to spend eternity in God'due south presence. In the new cosmos, God's people will live in a beautiful place free of pain and suffering and experience the joy of a perfect relationship with a perfectly loving God.

The Second Death

Those who do not have God'due south costless gift of forgiveness through Jesus volition spend eternity away from God. Since God is goodness and dear, existence autonomously from Him volition hateful being in a place of suffering and pain.

The Book of Revelation also describes this destination:

And then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the fauna and the false prophet. There they volition be tormented twenty-four hour period and nighttime forever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who do witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars — their fate is in the fiery lake of called-for sulfur. This is the 2d expiry. (Revelation 21:8)

Whether there is literally fire and burning sulfur or not nosotros cannot know, but information technology's clear that hell is not a place you want to exist.

All of u.s. exercise things we know are wrong or immoral to some extent or another, and we choose to go our own style instead of post-obit God. If you lot take this passage out of context, it seems rather hopeless.

Simply God has made a fashion through Jesus to receive forgiveness for all of these things. Without Jesus' sacrifice, each person is responsible for their ain choices and equally a result volition never be good enough to enter into eternity with a perfect God.

Thankfully, God can wipe out our wrongdoings and make people worthy of eternity with Him. Nosotros can be resurrected into a new life if we trust in Jesus.

Since, and then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Ready your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you lot died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians three:one-iv, New International Version)

Bodies and Eternity

It is natural to wonder what people will be like in eternity. The Bible makes it clear that eternal bodies volition be unlike from earthly bodies. Paul, an early follower of Jesus who wrote much of the New Testament, wrote almost this in his first alphabetic character to the church in the metropolis of Corinth:

Someone may ask, "How volition the expressionless be raised? What kind of bodies volition they have?" What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it does non grow into a plant unless it dies start. And what you lot put in the footing is not the plant that will abound, but but a bare seed of wheat or whatsoever you lot are planting. ... Our bodies are cached in brokenness, only they will be raised in celebrity. They are buried in weakness, but they volition exist raised in strength. They are buried as natural homo bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For only equally there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. (ane Corinthians 15:35-37, 43-44)

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains farther that our new bodies will be amend, stronger, and not subject area to illness or decease similar our earthly bodies.

We know that when this earthly tent we alive in is taken downwards (that is, when nosotros die and go out this earthly torso), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal torso made for the states by God Himself and not by human hands. We abound weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new article of clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; nosotros will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, nosotros groan and sigh, but it's non that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies volition be swallowed upward by life. (ii Corinthians 5:1-iv)

Unlike the cartoon version of heaven, where people get spirits with wings that float around on clouds and play harps, people in heaven will have real bodies. People will not become ghosts or disembodied spirits.

Other Views Within Christianity

Though most Christians hold on the bones beliefs well-nigh the afterlife described above, in that location are some differing views on aspects of life after death.

Catholicism. The Catholic church teaches the doctrine of Purgatory, that Protestant Christians practice non usually accept. Co-ordinate to the official teachings of the Catholic church building, called "The Catechism of the Catholic Church," Purgatory is a "terminal purification of the elect, which is entirely unlike from the punishment of the damned."

Pope John Paul II said Purgatory "does not indicate a identify, but a status of existence."

Catholicism teaches that those who have a relationship with God but are not fully purified will have eternal conservancy simply even so demand farther purification after death. Afterwards purification in Purgatory, they attain the perfect holiness required to be in the presence of a perfectly Holy God.

The Cosmic Church partially bases the doctrine of Purgatory on Scripture passages referring to a cleansing burn down. It as well draws this concept from a passage where Jesus said that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven in this age or the age to come. The Catechism of the Catholic Church farther states, "From this sentence we understand that certain offenses can be forgiven in this age, merely certain others in the age to come."

Most Protestants believe that Jesus' cede fully paid for all of our sins and fully purified all who believe in Him, so there is no need for further purification after death.

Universalism. At that place are some people who identify as Christians who claim at that place is no literal hell. They believe that anybody goes to heaven. These people are called universalists (though they shouldn't exist dislocated with Unitarian Universalists).

Religious and Nominal Christians. There are a significant number of people who cocky-identify equally Christian but have their own individual views on the afterlife. They may take grown upwards going to church regularly or just for religious holidays and may or may not continue attention church.

They do not necessarily accept all of the Bible as true, so their beliefs vary most heaven and hell. Many people in this category think that every bit long equally you're a pretty expert person and do non do something as bad as, for example, killing someone, you go to heaven. Others believe hell is but for peculiarly bad people or that there is no hell, and people who do not go to heaven just stop existing.

Though these views are common, they practise non stand for what the Bible says about life after death.

Dissimilar Views About the End of Days in Christianity

Christians generally hold on the ultimate destination of people and that trusting in Jesus' sacrifice of His own perfect life is the simply way to spend eternity with God.

The Bible makes the most important things clear in the Bible: What God is like, why nosotros tin can trust Him, what Jesus has done for us and why that matters to every person on earth. These are the fundamentals on which Christians hold, because the Bible makes them very articulate.

But some details about the afterlife remain unclear enough for Christians to agree differing beliefs about them. This does non mean they differ in their understanding of how you can know God personally.

So how do Christians reconcile themselves to assertive in things that are non completely clear to them? Christians practise not trust God considering He always explains Himself but because they know He is good. God Himself is beyond the level of our understanding. But we tin know Him and trust Him without completely understanding every aspect of His nature or the way He has designed this life and the next.

Because there is room for interpreting the Bible in different ways, Christians sometimes empathise the afterlife with slight differences.

There is a whole branch of theological study chosen eschatology, which is the study of the finish of time, life after death, and Jesus' return.

The Bible talks well-nigh Jesus returning at some time in the future. Jesus' return someday is a doctrine shared by all truthful Christians, and the Bible teaches it clearly.

After saying this, He was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see Him. As they strained to see Him ascension into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are yous continuing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday He will return from sky in the same way y'all saw him go!" (Acts 1:ix-11)

Christians have different views nigh when exactly that will happen and what it will be like before, during and after Jesus' return.

Some, but not all, Christians believe the Bible teaches that there will exist a time of nifty persecution for people who follow Jesus. This time is oftentimes referred to as the tribulation. These Christians also believe that at some point before Jesus returns, He volition accept His followers away to be with Him and exit other people on earth for a time. This is called the rapture. Many of these Christians believe that before all people reach i of the final, eternal destinations described above, and after the tribulation, there will exist a catamenia of 1000 years, called the millenium, when Jesus' followers will prosper and rule on earth. Among the Christians who believe these things, many differ in their beliefs about what society the events will happen in.

Some believe that prophecies in the Bible that talk well-nigh the stop of the world, including the book of Revelation, really refer to historical events that have already occurred. Others believe some of these prophecies refer to events that have happened but that other prophecies refer to future events. Still others believe all of these passages refer to events that will occur in the future.

Some believe most or all of the things written in these passages are literal, while others believe they are metaphorical.

Some things about heaven really are beyond our earthly understanding. These can only exist described metaphorically by comparing them to earthly things we can understand. For example, when the Book of Revelation describes the new Jerusalem, the beautiful urban center of the new earth, it compares it to a precious stone, jasper and crystal. The author, John, could not fully capture what he saw in his vision considering it was unlike anything he had e'er seen.

And then he took me in the Spirit to a corking, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of sky from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled similar a precious stone — like a jasper as articulate as crystal. (Revelation 21:10-11)

The Ultimate Question: Where Will Yous Go When You Die?

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Though views differ and questions remain nearly the afterlife, in the finish each person must find for themselves the answer to the most important question: Where will you go when you die?

Co-ordinate to the Bible, every human being that dies will spend eternity either with God or separated from God. A natural response might be to wonder why in that location are ii options.

The Eternal Dilemma

Because God is perfect and expert, He cannot allow us, imperfect people who take rebelled against God, to enter eternity with Him in our electric current country. The Bible teaches that all of humankind has fallen short and missed the mark of perfection, which is referred to equally sin (Ecclesiastes seven:20; Romans 3:23).

Left to their ain devices, no one will go to heaven when they die. Although nigh people presume they will go to heaven unless they are peculiarly bad, the Bible explains that everyone is especially bad in comparison to God'south standard of goodness — or holiness — and needs to be rescued.

Fortunately, God does not leave the human race without hope.

God'due south Solution

Christianity's master bulletin is that God loves us so much He was willing to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the punishment we deserved.

This is what John 3:16, i of the nigh well-known verses in the Bible, explains: "For this is how God loved the globe: He gave his i and only Son, so that anybody who believes in him will not perish simply have eternal life."

The concept of dearest might feel like a contradiction with the idea of eternal hell. How tin a loving God send people to hell?

The Bible tells us we earn eternal separation from God because of our conclusion to live life apart from God. This is why the story of Adam and Eve that we read in Genesis is so significant. They chose to eat the forbidden fruit considering they thought information technology would give them equality with God. The consequence of their activity was that death came into the globe.

The natural consequence of choosing to live your earthly life apart from God is that God will respect that option and not bring you into an eternity spent with Him.

Jesus' death paid for our sin, creating a manner for united states of america to come back into the human relationship with God we were designed for. Jesus altered our eternal fate, but nosotros notwithstanding accept to choose our eternal destination.

Information technology is no longer a question of, "Why would a loving God transport people to hell?" Instead, the real question becomes, "Why would yous cull not to receive the free gift of heaven?"

What Volition You Cull to Believe?

Then, how volition y'all respond? You tin choose to have God'south invitation to spend eternity enjoying His beloved and forgiveness, or you can reject Him.

It is no longer a question of, "Why would a loving God send people to hell?" Instead, the real question becomes, "Why would you lot choose not to receive the free gift of heaven?"

None of u.s. knows how many days we have left to live, so we cannot know how long nosotros have left to accept God's offering of eternal life.

If yous, or someone yous know, has yet to accept God's invitation, consider your options. God provides a style for you to know for sure where you'll spend eternity.

So how will you reply the question, "What will happen when I die?"

Where Can You Go From Hither?

Do you want to cull to spend eternity with God? You tin can begin a human relationship with God right now and know for sure where you will go when you die.
- Read a more detailed explanation of how to start a relationship with God, including a prayer yous can utilise to limited your decision.
- If y'all have committed your life to Christ and desire help getting established as a Christian, sign upwardly for our "Spiritual Starter Kit."
Notwithstanding have questions? Sign up for the "Learn More than About God" email serial.
Read nigh the changed lives of people who chose to start a relationship with God
- A skeptic who asked "Who am I? Why am I hither? Where am I going?"
- A woman who found hope and purpose in the midst of astringent depression.
- A grad educatee who feared death because of the violence he witnessed in childhood merely is now sure he'll spend eternity with God.
- A scientist whose studies have helped convinced Him God is real.

Read more near heaven and hell.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 past Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale Business firm Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Ballad Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Source: https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/core-christian-beliefs/what-happens-when-you-die.html