Does life ends at death? This question comes up because death is inevitable. Every human being once born is bound to die one day. In a previous post, we talked about a very important question: What happens when you die?
In this post, we want to look at the two destinations beyond the grave – Heaven and hell. Where will you spend eternity, Heaven or Hell? Many people, especially atheists and evolutionists don’t believe in a hell or Heaven. While it is possible to live a life of disbelieve in hell or Heaven, such unbelief does not change the reality of these two destinations beyond the grave.
Dr. Donald Whitaker, a physician atheist-convert who had a near death experience, acknowledged, “It is easy to be an atheist, but it very difficult to be an atheist on your death bed. You start to think, ‘What if truly God exists and there is a hell and a heaven?’” Dr. Whitaker after considering the possibility of a hell and a heaven repented and received Jesus Christ as his Saviour at the hospital and got healed from a deadly disease.
Heaven and hell are very real. Let’s consider this true story:
There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
The scripture tells us that the bodies of the rich man and Lazarus were buried; nevertheless, they had all the features of a normal human being in the afterlife. The rich man still had eyes to see (Luke 16:23), he could also cry, and had a tongue that he wanted cooled because he was in great torment (Luke 16:24). Most importantly, he also had a mind to remember that he has five brothers back here on earth.
Surely, the rich man’s dead body was buried and had decayed. Who then was the rich man in the afterlife? That is the soul. The soul is the real you. The body is just like a container which inhabitrd by the soul. When someone calls out your name, it is the soul that responds, not the body. Dying signifies the moving out of the soul. This explains why a person is unable to respond to their name when they die. The real person (the soul) vacates the body at death and goes to God for judgment (see Hebrews 9:27).
At death, the body may be buried but the soul lives on either in God’s presence or in His absence. In Luke chapter 16, we find real life examples of a soul (the rich man), living in God’s absence, and another soul (Lazarus), living in God’s presence.
Where will your soul spend eternity? Is it in hell, full of torments, agony and gnashing of teeth? Or in Heaven, where God will live forever with all His Children? The choice is in your hands. I wish to remind you however, that your decision today (even right now), will vibrates into eternity, and will determine where you spend your eternity.
Accepting Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who came to this earth to die to cleanse us from our sins(see John 3:16) and make us right with our Maker and Creator of the Universe, the LORD God Almighty, is the only way to be saved. Why is Jesus the only way to God? You may ask. He is the only way because He was the one that died on the Cross as atonement for you and me. He is therefore the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. No one goes to the Father except by Him (John 14:6).
Ever since I gave my life to Jesus Christ, I can tell you without shame that I have enjoyed great peace I never knew existed. God has been so good to me, and had blessed me on every side – physically, academically, emotionally, financially, and the LORD keep increasing me every day.
Your decision to accept Jesus and surrender your life to serve Him is one of the greatest and most important decisions in your entire life. God loves you and He desires only the very best for you (See 3 John 2 and Jeremiah 29:11). Although God loves you so much, there’s sin between us and God, and that’s where Jesus Christ comes in. God sent His son (Jesus) to the earth and He was crucified on the cross and died to save us from our sins.
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11.
1 John 5:11-11 says that, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” Eternal life comes through confessing and believing in the Son of God – Jesus Christ.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – Romans 10:9-10, 13.
Dear friend, God is calling you. He want to save you from spending eternity in hellfire. Christ died for you and for me. If you will believe in Him and ask Him to direct your life according to God’s Word, then He will make your life joyful and you will have peace you never thought existed. You can be saved today; don’t wait till tomorrow because tomorrow may never be yours. Call on Jesus right now.
Say this prayer with all of your heart:
Dear Lord Jesus, I come to you today.
I thank you for loving me and dying on the Cross to save me.
Please forgive me of all my sins, and cleanse me with your blood
That you shared for me.
Today, write my name in your Book of Life.
Help me to live my life to please you.
All the days of my life, may I worship you and honour you.
Thank you for saving me, In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!!!
Congratulations if you just prayed the above prayer. I welcome you into the family of God. Find a Bible-believing church near you, and fellowship with other Christians to help grow your faith. If you have any questions, feel free to email us: theyouth4christ@hotmail.com. You can also drop your message on our Facebook page.
God bless you!
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