LIFE CHANGE 4 JESUS

What makes you sure you will go to Heaven? If you should die right now, where would you go? There are only two choices… Heaven or Hell. You may want to believe that there is no life after death. What if you are wrong?

The Bible teaches what you need to know so there are four important issues that must be faced to settle this matter of your eternal home:

You must accept that you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one can escape from this judgment. Everyone has sinned. SIN is telling GOD, “No! I am going to do it my way.”      

Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” No one can live up to God’s perfect standard. We are sinners by our fallen nature that seeks to do its own thing. You must accept that as a sinner you owe a penalty. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a) Because of our sin we owe a penalty that we cannot pay. The penalty is spiritual death and total separation from God. The final destination will be in a place that was made for the devil and his angels, in the lake of fire known as Hell. Hell is not a figment of someone’s imagination! Hell is very real. It’s not a place where you and all your rowdy friends will celebrate. It is a dark, lonely, seething, burning place, and it will never end.

Jesus came to take your place, to die in your place, to give you a new destination. You must accept that Jesus Christ has already paid our sin debt. “But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ was sinless and willingly took the entire penalty for our sin on himself. By placing it on the cross, He bore the sins humanity committed. God punished Him in our place to pay the penalty we can not pay. Why? You ask why God would do such a thing. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Jesus Christ has already paid your sin debt because God loved you. You must accept by faith what Jesus Christ did for you. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). In this verse, the world is divided into two groups: those who believe and those who do not believe on the Son. Those who believe have everlasting life, and those who don’t believe shall not see life. The word “believe” means to trust, to depend on, and to rely on. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means that you accept the fact that you are a sinner; you owe a penalty that you cannot pay. You trust Jesus to save you from this penalty, if you repent which means [turn away from] the sin you know about and confess to Him and the sin that may be hidden from your knowledge you have at this time. You will learn to trust, obey, and follow His example and live the life He would teach through His Word, and His Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and arose again on the third day to pay the penalty you owe.  Your salvation is in His hands as you depend on Him alone for the gift of everlasting life. God promises you: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).    

Pray this simple prayer from your heart:

ARE YOU AFRAID TO DIE?

If you had 5 minutes to live … then what? What happens to your self awareness? What about the soul? God’s Word states that there will also be a resurrection of the body from the dead. We also know from the Bible that at death the person does not cease to exist but that the spirit and soul continue a conscious existence in Heaven or hell until the resurrection day. (Luke 16:19-31).

The word death as applied to man in the Scriptures means separation or cutting off from relationship with God for whom we were created; it never means annihilation or ceasing to exist. In the Bible, Revelation 20:12-15 speaks of “the second death.” Here the second death is described as being cast into the lake of fire.

Three Kinds of Death –

1. Physical Death. The separation of the soul and the spirit from the body
   James 2:26.
2. Spiritual Death. The separation of man from God by sin. One spiritually dead can be alive physically.
   Isaiah 59:2; Matthew 8:22; Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13; 1 Timothy 5:6. 
3. Eternal Death. Eternal separation from God because man chooses to remain separated from God in sin. ( Matthew 10:28; 25:41, 46, Revelation 2:11; 14:9-11; 20:11-15, 21:8; 22:15; Isaiah 66:22) And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)

   Jesus came to make a Way but …which way will you go?

Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Webster Dictionary – Definition of Death Physical Body: “a total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions.”

Death begins when the heart stops beating. Deprived of oxygen, a cascade of cellular death commences. It begins with brain cells and finishes with the skin cells. Death is therefore a process, rather than an event. Some of the changes, which happen within the body:

1.   Heart stops beating and/or lungs stop breathing.
2.   Body cells no longer receive supplies of blood and oxygen.
       •   Blood drains from capillaries in the upper surfaces and collects in the blood vessels in the lower surfaces.
       •   Upper surfaces of the body become pale and the lower surfaces become dark.
3.   Cells cease Aerobic respiration, and are unable to generate the energy molecules needed to maintain normal muscle biochemistry.
       •   Calcium ions leak into muscle cells preventing muscle relaxation.
       •   Muscles stiffen and remain stiff Rigor mortis until they begin to decompose.
4.   Cells eventually die and the body loses its capacity to fight off bacteria.
5.   The cells’ own enzymes and bacterial activity cause the body to decompose – muscles lose their stiffness.

Timing?
Brain cells can die if deprived of oxygen for more than three minutes. Muscle cells live on for several hours. Bone and skin cells can stay alive for several days. It takes around 12 hours for a human body to be cool to the touch and 24 hours to cool to the core. Rigor mortis commences after three hours and lasts until 36 hours after death. Forensic scientists use clues such as these for estimating the time of death.

What is Rigor Mortis?

Rigor Mortis refers to the state of a body after death, in which the muscles become stiff. It commences after around 3 hours, reaching maximum stiffness after 12 hours, and gradually dissipates until approximately 72 hours after death. Rigor Mortis occurs due to changes in the physiology of muscles when Aerobic respiration ceases. Muscles are made up of two types of fibers. These fibers have connections between them that lock and unlock during muscle contraction and relaxation.

These connections are controlled by a biochemical pathway within the cell, which is partially driven by the presence of calcium ions. The concentration of calcium ions is higher in the fluid surrounding muscle cells than it is inside the cells, so calcium tends to diffuse into the cell. High calcium levels inside the cell drive the biochemical pathway in the direction that maintains muscle contraction. To relax, muscle cells must expel the calcium ions from the cell and this requires energy molecules to pump them across the cell membrane. After a body has died, the chemical reaction producing these energy molecules is unable to proceed because of a lack of oxygen. The cells no longer have the energy to pump calcium out of the cell and so the calcium concentration rises, forcing the muscles to remain in a contracted state. This state of muscle stiffening is known as Rigor Mortis and it remains until the muscle proteins start to decompose.

Thus the body ceases to exist and eventually decays to the dust from which we are made. This does not answer the ultimate question what happens to our soul, our self awareness, our senses…………….??

The Bible talks about death as related to the human race, a distinction shown between physical and spiritual death.

Genesis 2:7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Death is separation. A physical death is the separation of the soul from the body. Spiritual death, which is of greater significance, is the separation of the soul from God. In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam that in the day he eats of the forbidden fruit he will “surely die.” Adam does fall, but his physical death does not occur immediately; God must have had another type of death in mind—spiritual death. This separation from God is exactly what we see in Genesis 3:8. When Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord, they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God.” The fellowship had been broken. They were spiritually dead. In the day the first humans disobeyed the commandment of God and ate of that tree they immediately died in a spiritual sense and entered into a condition in which physical death was inevitable.

This word clearly establishes human sin and disobedience to God as the reason for death. Death was God’s judgment upon humans as a result of their fall into sin. Genesis 3:19 “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

Every human being will experience physical death. If a person has not been spiritually reborn, to life through the regeneration and justification from sin brought through Christ, at physical death they will be separated from God eternally.

Ephesians 2:1&5 And He has made you alive, who were once dead in trespasses and sins, [5] (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved),

Even while alive physically, a person can be spiritually dead. Spiritual death is a condition of in which the soul is separated from God by acts of Sin and has not been made alive by his Spirit. Before we knew Christ we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God made us alive together with and in Christ.

John 10:28 And I give to them eternal life, and they shall never ever perish, and not anyone shall pluck them out of My hand.

Romans 5:12 Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed on to all men.

In as much as all sinned: clearly stating this penalty for sin.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Only those who have rejected Christ through unbelief will experience the ultimate “second death”

Revelation 20:12-15 And I saw the dead, the small and the great, stand before God. And books were opened, and another book
was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead in them. And each one of them
was judged according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. 15 And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.

When Jesus paid the price for us by dying on our behalf due to the curse of sin. Even though He is the Son of God, He still had to suffer the agony of separation from the Father as He hung and died on the cross. After three hours of supernatural darkness, He cried, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” Mathew 27:46. This spiritual separation from the Father was the result of the Son’s taking our sins upon Himself. That’s the impact of sin. Sin is the exact opposite of God and God had to turn away from His own Son at that point in time.

If your eternal destination depends on TRUTH, what then?

Your life depends on knowing what is, and how to determine, “Truth.” Just because you have decided to accept or believe a certain position or belief does not make it True. Below are some common questions about “truth.”

1. How was life was created and by whom?

2. What is my purpose here in this life?

3. Am I accountable to God for the way I live?

4. Will Sin send me to  Hell?

5. Did Jesus really exist and if so what does He have to do with me?

6. Who wrote the Bible and how do we know it is true?

The list goes on and on but the basic questions must be answered. The Bible is God’s instruction; given through men who wrote it, inspired by the Holy Spirit, so we could know what is true and what is expected from us. The reason why we are here and where we will go when we die is explained through the history, prophets, and instructional books on living a life pleasing to God. 

Everyone dies and when we do… Then What?

If your Eternal destiny depends on the answer then you need to know the Truth! Accuracy in each of these areas gives us a basis to know the Bible speaks truth. There may be other books, people, and beliefs that tell you there is another way but none of these are supported by the tested methods of finding truth. You can find someone who will tell you anything if you look for it but does it really give you life or truth?

Evolution is unproven and found to be false with no scientific or historical evidence but who tells you that? If living a good life and being kind is not all that is needed, who then is the Judge of good or kind?

Some say “when I die then I will cease to exist”. How do you know that is true? Is it easier to accept a convenient lie; than the fact that one day you will face Judgement? How can all religions be right? They can’t… so it would be in your best interest to find the Truth!! Are you Seeking Truth? Or just something to justify the way you want to live?

The Bible is the only Faith that has a claim to a risen “Savior”. All other faiths were started by someone who died and stayed dead in the grave. The Bible is the only Faith based on “Hope” for those who believe. The Bible is the only Faith based on what claims to be “Inspired” by God Himself. All other faiths, beliefs, or ideas concerning what happens to those who die are not able to produce as much evidential proof that the claims are true. Many require the believer to produce certain works, certain acts, or sacrifice to gain a hope for anything and not necessarily a better future. So it is imperative that “Truth” as it has been shown is investigated and then accepted in application to life.

CAN TRUTH SAVE YOU? 

Think carefully on this soul-searching question: If you should die right now, do you know for sure that you would go to Heaven?

If your answer is anything other than, “Yes I’m absolutely certain that my sins are forgiven and that Heaven will be my home,” then this important message is just for you. The Bible teaches that you need to know and believe four things to settle this matter of your eternal destination:

1. You must accept that you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one is exempt from this indictment. Everyone has sinned. Romans 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” No one is perfect and no one can live up to God’s perfect standard. We are sinners by nature.

2. You must accept that as a sinner you owe a penalty. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). Because of our sin we owe a debt. This debt is a spiritual death or separation from God in the lake of fire known as Hell. Hell is not a figment of someone’s imagination or only a figurative term. Hell is very real. It is a literal burning place. It’s not a place where you go because your friends will be there and you want to have a good time. It is a dark, lonely, seething, burning place, and it never ends. It continues to burn for all time. The worst part is, there is nothing you or I can do on our own to avoid it. Outside of Jesus, it is our final destination. If you are depending on your church membership to get you to Heaven, beware; it’s not enough. If you pray a lot hoping to get to Heaven, don’t depend on that; it’s not enough either. Even if you give a lot of money to a church, it’s not enough to gain Heaven. Many people think if they are good enough, they will be able to slip in through the gate when no one is looking or find a hole in the gate somewhere. Please, my friend, don’t depend on something so shaky. It can’t happen that way. There is only one way to get to Heaven. How?

3. You must accept that Jesus Christ has already paid our sin debt. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ was not a sinner, and the Bible teaches that God took all of our sin and placed it on Christ. While Christ was bearing all our sins in His own body, God punished Him in our place to pay the debt we owe. This is not something God promised to do. It is something He has already done. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). It is a fact: Jesus Christ has already paid your sin debt.

4. You must accept by faith what Jesus Christ did for you.  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). In this verse, the world is divided into two groups: those who are believing and those who are not believing on the Son. Those who believe have everlasting life, and those who don’t believe shall not see life.

The word “believe” means to trust, to depend on, and to rely on. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means that you accept the fact that you are a sinner, that as a sinner you owe the sin penalty, and that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and arose again on the third day to pay the debt you owe. But it means going one step further: it means that you will completely trust Christ to get you to Heaven, that you will place the matter of your salvation in His hands and depend on Him alone for everlasting life. The moment you do this, God promises you are not condemned but have everlasting life and that you will never perish in Hell. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

Now, if you will trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, pray this simple prayer from your heart:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I know I am a sinner and that I cannot clear myself from the penalty of death. I believe Your word that if I confess my sins to You and accept you as my Lord and Savior that nothing can separate me from You. Today, the best I know how, I trust You to be my Savior. I will depend on You from this moment for my eternal life and I thank You for my salvation. Amen.

IS THE BIBLE TRUE?

Actually, the Bible is a compilation of 66 books written by over 40 separate authors from a variety of backgrounds (from lowly peasants to noble kings) over a period of at least 1,600 years. These 66 books are divided in two principle parts, the “Old Testament” (39 books) and the “New Testament” (27 books). The Bible was completed in its entirety nearly 2,000 years ago and stands today as the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity with over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts discovered thus far. Compare this with the second best-preserved literary work of antiquity, Homer’s Iliad, with only 643 preserved manuscripts discovered to date.

“By inspiration of God”
The Bible candidly claims to be “given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16). Of course, the Bible is not the only book to claim divine inspiration, but it is unique in that it offers substantial evidence to back its claims. It even goes so far as to challenge its readers to put it to the test, exhorting us to “Test all things” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).

The Test of Prophecy
The single greatest evidence lending to the veracity of the Bible’s claims of divine inspiration is the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. The Bible purports to contain more than a thousand inspired prophecies. The Old Testament verses are the prophecy; the New Testament verses proclaim the fulfillment. Check them all out for yourself!

Jesus:
1. Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23)
2. A descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16)
3. Of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:23, 33; Hebrews 7:14)
4. Of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Matthew 1:1)
5. Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7)
6. Taken to Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15)
7. Herod´s killing of the infants (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18)
8. Anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16-17)
9. Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (John the Baptist) (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3)
10. Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35)
11. Would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21)
12. Would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16)
13. Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13)
14. Would first present Himself as King 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25; Matthew 21:4-11)
15. Would enter Jerusalem as a king on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-9)
16. Would be rejected by Jews (Psalm 118:22; I Peter 2:7)
17. Die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) involving:

• rejection (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11; 7:5,48)
• betrayal by a friend (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:3-4; John 13:18)
• sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14-15)
• silence before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-14)
• being mocked (Psalm 22: 7-8; Matthew 27:31)
• beaten (Isaiah 52:14; Matthew 27:26)
• spit upon (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:30)
• piercing His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Matthew 27:31)
• being crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38)
• praying for His persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34)
• piercing His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34)
• given gall and vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34, Luke 23:36)
• no broken bones (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32-36)
• buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)
• casting lots for His garments (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24)
• would rise from the dead!! (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31)
• ascend into Heaven (Psalm 68:18; Acts 1:9) would sit down at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3)

The vast majority of these prophecies have already come to pass and can be verified by secular history. One example of Biblical Prophecy is found in the Book of Ezekiel. Chapter 26 of the Book of Ezekiel claims to have been written in 586 BC, the 11th year of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah. On nine separate occasions throughout the chapter, the writer claims to have been inspired by God with statements such as “thus says the Lord GOD.” The text describes the fall of mainland Tyre to the armies of Nebuchadnezzar the following year. It further describes the events of Alexander the Great’s siege against the island fortress of Tyre (a half mile off the coast of mainland Tyre) 253 years later.

The chapter describes how the invaders would tear down the ruins of mainland Tyre and throw it into the sea. That they would “scrape her dust from her and leave her as the top of a rock” (v4). That “they will lay your stones, your timber, and your soil in the midst of the water” (v12). “I will make you like the top of a rock; you shall be a place for spreading nets” (v14). Secular history records that Alexander the Great laid siege to the island fortress of Tyre in 332 BC. His army demolished mainland Tyre and threw it into the sea. In their effort to construct a causeway to the island, they scraped even the dust, leaving only bare rock. “Alexander the Great reduced Tyre to ruins in 332 BC. Tyre recovered in a measure from this blow, but never regained the place she had previously held in the world. The larger part of the site of the once great city is now as bare as the top of a rock — a place where the fishermen that still frequent the spot spread their nets to dry”.

Archaeology – Cities of Abraham’s Time

Bible Archaeology often begins with the early cities of Abraham and the Patriarchs. Abraham’s ancestral home of Ur, a powerful city-state of southern Mesopotamia, is mentioned four times in the Old Testament. Located in modern Iraq, Ur has been excavated on and off since the 1800s and has revealed a wealth of information about the pagan culture of Abraham’s time. In Genesis 11:31, Abraham’s father, Terah, moved his family north to Haran, an ancient city that exists in modern-day Turkey. Also found in that same area of Turkey are villages that still have the names of Abraham’s grandfather and great grandfather, Nahor and Serug (Genesis 11:22).

Cities of Ancient Empires

Bible Archaeology includes the capital cities of the major ancient empires. For instance, the Hittite civilization is mentioned throughout the Old Testament as ruling the area of present-day Turkey, Syria and Lebanon, yet nothing was known of these people outside of the Bible. About 100 years ago, ancient Boghazkoy was discovered east of Ankara, Turkey, which revealed itself as the expansive capital city of the Hittite Empire. Since then, archaeologists have uncovered a wealth of information about the history, language and culture of a people considered “imaginary” to many scholars prior to that time. Babylon, the ancient capital of the Babylonian Empire, covers nearly 3,000 acres about 55 miles south of current-day Baghdad in Iraq. The ruins include the famous ziggurat structures (ex., the Tower of Babel), the Palace of King Nebuchadnezzar, and the enormous walls that measured 80 feet thick (wide enough to allow a four-horse chariot to turn).

The Bible tells us that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC and exiled the Jews to Babylon for 70 years. The Philistines were known as one of the “Sea Peoples” that constantly warred against the Israelites for control of early Canaan. Mentioned over 200 times in the Old Testament, the Philistines had a major fortified seaport at Ashkelon on the Mediterranean Sea, which was discovered just north of present-day Gaza. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Ashkelon in 604 BC, as predicted by Jeremiah and other prophets. And the list continues to support the places, peoples, and events recorded in the Bible.

The Authors

The integrity of the Bible’s authors — men who claimed to be inspired by God. Take for example Luke, who authored approximately one-quarter of the entire New Testament. Luke is regarded as an authoritative historian — one of the greatest of antiquity. “The general consensus of both liberal and conservative scholars is that Luke is very accurate as a historian. He’s erudite, he’s eloquent, his Greek approaches classical quality, he writes as an educated man, and archaeological discoveries are showing over and over again that Luke is accurate in what he has to say.” consider the martyrdom of many of these authors.

According to sources and traditions outside the Bible, many of the Bible’s writers died brutal and horrible deaths in defense of their written testimony. In fact, all but one of the New Testament’s authors were executed for proclaiming and defending their testimonies (John was spared, but forced into exile by Roman Emperor Titus). Of course, martyrdom in itself is not unique — many people throughout history have died willingly for their beliefs.

What makes the New Testament authors’ martyrdom special is that these men were in a position to know the truth of their written accounts. Think about it — no one knowingly dies for a lie! To prove the Bible is true, we don’t need to look far. Hundreds of books with historical, scientific, and archeological data have supported the Bible’s credibility. The studies for these truths are called apologetics.

Most people today, unfortunately, have not even read the Bible. As a result, many people tend to go along with the increasing delusion that the Bible is full of mistakes and no longer relevant to present times. Their searches have been from a surging atheistic desire to disprove the Bible. All in a vain attempt to live life independent from the God who created them.

IS HEAVEN A REALITY?

Heaven – An Everlasting Life
The promise of a heavenly home was made by Jesus in John 14:1-4: Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.

A New Quality of Life
Jesus also gave a promise related to Jesus’ sacrificial death. Jesus said that upon believing in Him, a person is “reborn” by the Holy Spirit. When you accept Jesus as your Savior and believe in His death or cross as being yourprovision for forgiveness, the Spirit causes our spirit to be reborn or made new. Heaven will be the fulfillment of all of the desires and wishes of the heart of man. There will be no pain or suffering, and it will be an eternal morning where Christians bask in the illuminated glory of God.     

Twenty things you will want to know about Heaven:
1.  Heaven is the dwelling place of God (Deut. 26:15; Matt. 6:9).
2.  Heaven is the dwelling place of God’s angels (Luke 2:15; Matt. 28:2; Heb. 12:22).
3.  Heaven is the dwelling place of God’s saints from earth who have died and now live there in his presence 
(Rev. 4-5; Luke 16:22, 25; Heb. 12:23).
4.  At death, the human spirit leaves the body (Ec. 12:2) and goes either to heaven or hell (Luke 16:22).
5.  There is immediate conscious existence after death, both in heaven and hell (Luke 16:22; Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8;
Rev. 6:9-11; Phil. 1:23). There is no “soul sleep” or period of unawareness preceding heaven. (“Fallen asleep” in 1 Thes. 4:13 is a euphemism for death, describing the spirit’s departure from the body, ending our conscious existence on earth.)
6.  Heaven is an actual place, to and from which Christ (John 1:32; 6:33; Acts 1:2), angels (Matt. 28:2; Rev. 10:1) and in rare circumstances people, even prior to their deaths, have traveled (2 Kings 2:11; 2 Cor. 12:2; Rev. 11:12).
7.  Heaven is consistently referred to as “up” in location (Mark 6:41; Luke 9:51). We do not know whether it is a place “in the heavens” (the universe beyond the earth) or entirely outside the space/time continuum. We do know heaven is someplace, and presently that place isn’t earth.
8.  Heaven is where Christ came from (John 6:42), where he returned after his resurrection (Acts 1:11), where he now is and from which he will physically return to earth again (Acts 1:11; Rev. 19:1-16).
9.  Heaven is described as a city (Heb. 11:16; 12:22; 13:14; Rev. 21:12).The normal understanding of a “city” is a place of many residences in near proximity, the inhabitants of which are subject to a common government. “City” may also connote varied and bustling activity.
10.  Heaven contains for believers a permanent inheritance, an unperishing estate specifically reserved for us. (1 Pet. 1:4).
11.  Heaven is the Christian’s country of citizenship (Heb. 11:16; Phil. 3:20). Christ is our King. We are his ambassadors, representing his agenda on earth (2 Cor. 5:20). While on our brief stay here, we are aliens, strangers and pilgrims (Heb. 11:3).
12.  God’s people should long for heaven. This pleases our Lord, who has prepared a place there for us (Heb. 11:13-16; 2 Cor. 5:2). We should be ever-motivated by the anticipation of heaven (Phil. 3:14; 2 Tim. 4:8).
13.  Heaven and all that it represents should be a central object of our attention in this life. Our hearts or minds are to be continuously set on these “things above” where Christ is in heaven, not on “earthly things” (Col. 3:1-4).
14.  Heaven will provide us delivery from the present conditions of material decay and corruption (Matt. 6:20).
15.  Heaven will provide us delivery from the current sinful human condition (Rom. 7:24).
16.  Heaven is a place of great joy and pleasures for the redeemed (Psalm 16:11).
17.  The names of Christ’s redeemed are written in heaven (Luke 10:20; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 20:15).
18.  When in his presence, Christ will give new names to the righteous, known only between him and them (Rev. 2:17). This implies some level of privacy.
19.  The wicked, those whose sins remain uncleansed by the blood of Christ, will be excluded from heaven (Gal. 5:21; Eph. 5:5; Rev. 22:15).
20.  The hope of heaven is our anticipation of continued and unhindered life, and ultimate reunion with Christian loved ones who have died before us.  (1 Thes. 4:14-18).       

IS HELL A REAL PLACE?

What you are about to read is hard to believe…
We’re going to examine the evidence for the place the Bible calls Hell. Don’t take what you’re going to read lightly.  YOU COULD BE IN SERIOUS DANGER!

Several years ago a book was published, entitled Beyond Death’s Door by Dr. Maurice Rawlings. Dr. Rawlings, a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, resuscitated many people who had been clinically dead. Dr. Rawlings, a devout atheist, “considered all religion ‘hocus-pocus’ and death nothing more than a painless extinction”. But something happened in 1977 that brought a dramatic change in the life of Dr. Rawlings! He was resuscitating a man, terrified and screaming — descending down into the flames of hell:  

“Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, “I am in hell!” He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death! This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling — he looked as if his hair was “on end.”   Then still another strange thing happened. He said, “Don’t you understand? I am in hell. . . Don’t let me go back to hell!” . . .the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before.”
(Maurice Rawlings, Beyond Death’s Door,(Thomas Nelson Inc., 1979) p. 3).

Dr. Rawlings said no one who heard his screams and saw the look of terror on his face could doubt for a single minute that he was actually in a place called hell! The Bible continually warns of a place called hell. There are over 162 references in the New Testament alone which warns of hell. And over 70 of these references were uttered by the Lord Jesus Christ!  Luke 16:22-28, Jesus Christ gives a frightening picture of hell:
 
. . . the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes,being in torments, and seeing 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 received 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 would 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.

Hell is a Place of Fire
Luke 16:24 man cries: “. . .I am tormented in this FLAME.”
Matthew 13:42, Jesus says: “And shall cast them into a FURNACE OF FIRE: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 25:41, Jesus says: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting FIRE,. . .”
Revelation 20:15 ” And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the LAKE OF FIRE.

The Bible clearly teaches that Hell is a literal place of eternal torment where all Unsaved people go after death. Granted, this biblical teaching on Hell is not a popular one, — even for professing Christians.  Christ described the fate of the wicked in Matthew 25:46,  “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”  Jesus used different images to describe hell. He used the images of torment (Matthew 25:46), a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12), a place of outer darkness (Matthew 8:12), and a place of fire (Matthew 3:12). Revelation 21:8 describes it as “the lake which burns with fire and brimstone…” Hell is a place of continual, eternal torment, Revelation 14:11 states: “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”

It is real…don’t go there!!!!

GOD LOVES YOU

#1 Spiritual Truth: John 3:16  

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not die but have eternal life.”

What prevents us from Believing? 

• We have never heard.
• We have heard and don’t want to change how we live.
• We have heard and don’t think we can change.
• We have heard but don’t understand what it all means.

John 10:10 gives us the reason that Jesus came, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

How can I get a right relationship with God? We must first understand what is wrong. The answer is sin.

Rom 3:10-18  As the Scriptures say: “There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one. Their words are full of deadly deceit; wicked lies roll off their tongues, and dangerous threats, like snake’s poison, from their lips; their speech is filled with bitter curses. They are quick to hurt and kill; [16]  they leave ruin and destruction wherever they go. They have not known the path of peace, nor have they learned reverence for God.”

The penalty for sin is death. The soul that sins dies not just a physical death – but eternally separated from God.

Rom 6:21-23  “What did you gain from doing the things that you are now ashamed of? The result of those things is death! But now you have been set free from sin and are the slaves of God. Your gain is a life fully dedicated to him, and the result is eternal life. For sin pays its wage—death; but God’s free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Acknowledge, repent, and turn away from your sins to God.

Romans 10:9-11 What it says is this: “God’s message is near you, on your lips and in your heart”—that is, the message of faith that we preach. If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.”

The scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”