What Happens When You Die According to the Bible

Benjamin Franklin said, "In this globe aught can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." His words, though slightly humorous, remind us of a very real truth: One of the things nosotros all take in common is that everyone dies.

At i time or another, virtually people wonder what volition happen when they die. Death feels frightening and mysterious, and perspectives on what happens and what information technology ways vary significantly.

To assistance you find some answers to this question, let's explore some different views on this topic, including what the Bible has to say nearly it.

If you already know what you're looking for, you lot tin apply these links to get straight to the topics that are well-nigh relevant for you:

Historical Beliefs About the Afterlife

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

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

Even before recorded history, people buried the dead with food, weapons, valuables and other useful items. The living apparently thought the dead would need these things later on expiry, implying a belief in an afterlife.

A Option of Perspectives

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There are many means to arroyo the question, "What happens when yous die?" People have looked for answers through science, philosophy and religion. Even within those schools of thought, people accept a wide variety of beliefs about the afterlife.

Science and Medicine

People who report science and medicine have come to very dissimilar conclusions near the afterlife. Some call up that to believe in science means the supernatural, including life after death, is not possible. Others believe that science proves, or at least points to, the possibility of life after death.

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

In dissimilarity, Nobel-Prize-winning physicist Max Planck believed physics shows that consciousness is non a product of concrete matter (such every bit encephalon cells). Since it exists outside of physical matter, it could outlast physical death.

Others argue that the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy and affair cannot exist created or destroyed, ways life cannot terminate at death.

Doctors and scientists take also studied the experiences of people who take been declared clinically dead, simply to exist revived later. I big-scale scientific written report, by a team from the University of Southampton in England, found evidence of consciousness during a period of cardiac abort and no encephalon activity.

Based on research and example studies like this, some scientists accept ended there must exist life subsequently death.

Philosophy

Philosophy also has a lot to say on this subject. Ancient philosophers similar Socrates and Plato believed that when the body died, the soul lived on. Years later, Immanuel Kant ended that morality requires life later expiry likewise every bit the existence of a just approximate.

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

Religion

Faith is one of the most mutual ways people answer the question of "what happens when you die?" There are many dissimilar religions and almost as many beliefs about the afterlife, fifty-fifty if it's that no afterlife exists.

Though the specifics differ, many religions have similar themes, such as reincarnation, heaven, hell, enlightenment or some combination of these. Some religions have very consistent beliefs across all followers. Other religious teachings leave more open up to estimation, which tin can result in a broad variety of beliefs among members.

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

People try to reach God through being very moral, doing practiced deeds, or behaving in ways they think of as very religious. Merely 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 footing of our own endeavour is really function of the trouble the Bible refers to as sin. This is the problem Jesus' death and resurrection solved for anyone who trusts in Jesus.

But why do we need Jesus to solve the trouble of sin?

Christians believe it's because we've all chosen to go our own way, or insubordinate against God, so do not deserve to be in heaven with Him forever. Trying to earn your way to heaven or make yourself good enough for sky is essentially an attempt to be your ain god. People remain imperfect, despite their best efforts.

Because God is perfect, imperfect people cannot spend eternity with Him in heaven without ruining its perfection. Only a perfect God tin make imperfect people perfect again. He did this by 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 merely way to God, they volition be given the righteousness of Christ and so they can spend eternity with God (starting with a personal relationship with Him in this lifetime). Those who decline Jesus reject God. Since sky is eternity with God, this means they will be separated from God for eternity.

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

Find out more nearly what Christianity has to say.

Islam. Muslims believe people have immortal souls. After death, the destination of the soul depends on a person's expert and bad deeds. Islam teaches that everyone will be resurrected (be raised to life once again) and face up final judgment. People who are faithful and good will enter paradise. People who are unfaithful and wicked will enter hell.

Judaism. At that place are different beliefs about the afterlife within Judaism. Well-nigh sacred Jewish texts draw some grade of afterlife. The Hebrew Bible talks about "Sheol," and the Talmud describes "the Earth to Come," though what exactly these are is not clear.

Some Jewish people believe only the true-blue and expert will enter the afterlife just that the afterlife is open up to good people of any worldview. Others believe in that location will be a resurrection of everyone that will include a judgment of every person's skilful and bad deeds to determine their eternal fate.

But many Jewish people practise not believe in hell. Some do non believe in an afterlife at all, but place value on preserving civilization and living on through future generations.

Baha'i. The Baha'i faith teaches that at death, the body dies, simply the immortal, rational soul continues on in the spiritual realm and grows toward perfection. The prayers of people still on earth and expert deeds done in the name of the person who died can help a soul make progress in the adjacent world.

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

Buddhism. There are several types of Buddhism with distinct teachings virtually the afterlife. In general, Buddhism teaches that eternal, individual souls do not be but that later expiry, people usually experience reincarnation based on their actions and desires in this life. The ultimate goal is to end the cycle of reincarnation and reach an enlightened land called Nirvana. This is accomplished through meditation, religious exercise and the elimination of want, hatred and ignorance.

Nirvana is characterized by freedom from suffering. Information technology'due south not a physical location, only a college state of beingness than the concrete world.

Hinduism. Hinduism includes a large diverseness of behavior and practices and is both a religion and a culture. The core Hindu conventionalities well-nigh what happens after decease focuses on reincarnation. Most 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 automatic and cannot be avoided.

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

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

Sikhism. Sikhism emphasizes both living a proficient life in community and meditating on God. Sikhs believe a person experiences reincarnation until they resolve all of their karma and attain mukti, or liberation. This happens when 1 focuses their attention on God instead of self and attains a total understanding of God.

Only God tin crusade someone to attain mukti, but people should strive to be close to God. When liberated, the private becomes one with God.

Shinto. Shinto includes a number of different 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 next.

Nigh Shintoists do not necessarily believe in an eternal soul, but many do believe people can become kami, or sacred spirits who can protect their descendants. People often worship their ancestral kami and award them through festivals.

Many Shintoists practice both Shinto and Buddhism and view decease in a more than Buddhist sense.

Taoism. Taoism, also known as Daoism, teaches well-nigh the Tao — the central energy of life. At that place are a wide diversity of beliefs and practices within Taoism. In full general, Taoists seek to achieve immortality through rituals and pursuing harmony and oneness with the universe.

Unitarian Universalism. Unitarianism does non have a cadre set of beliefs and does non promote universal truth. It emphasizes tolerance and rational thought. Unitarians may or may non believe in God or the supernatural, and its focus is on this life. Some Unitarians believe that people cease to exist later on death, while others believe at that place is some sort of afterlife or unification with God or the universe.

Unitarians do not believe in hell or eternal penalty. "Universalism" refers to the belief in universal salvation.

Other Views. People who follow Jainism, Scientology, New Historic period Religion, Wicca and Hare Krishna believe in some form of reincarnation, but the specifics vary. Indigenous Chinese and Tibetian religions accept similar, only singled-out, beliefs near the afterlife to Buddhism. Members of the Unification Church believe in a spirit world with God and eternal families.

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

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) believe that people were office of the spiritual kingdom before coming to earth and will render to their spiritual state when they die. Immediately afterward expiry, peoples' spirits enter the spirit world. The faithful will be in paradise, but others will be 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 true-blue volition enter the Celestial Kingdom with God and their eternal families. Those who are good but did not have God until the spirit world will live in the Terrestrial Kingdom. Those who are not good and rejected God will be in the Telestial Kingdom. Countless punishment is reserved for the devil, his angels, and those who served him or totally reject God.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe the soul is not divide from the physical torso and dies with the torso. For most, death means nonexistence. A pocket-size group of the almost faithful (144,000) volition exist office of the first resurrection and reign with Jesus in heaven. Others who choose to serve God volition be function of the second resurrection and live on a new earth forever.

Non-Religious Worldviews

Agnosticism. The discussion "doubter" can refer to someone who does non know if God or anything supernatural exists or to someone who does not believe it is possible to know if God or the supernatural be.

Atheism. Atheists exercise not believe in God or gods and generally exercise not believe in an afterlife. Most believe that at death, a person simply ceases to exist. Some people who do non believe in God, and are therefore technically atheists, exercise yet believe in some sort of afterlife.

Confucianism. The Chinese philosophy of Confucianism is more of a philosophy and a style of life than a faith, and it does non promote the idea of an afterlife. The focus of Confucianism is on this life, with an accent on family and social club likewise every bit respecting the wisdom and traditions passed downwards from previous generations. Ancestor worship is important in Chinese civilization in general and is skilful by many who follow Confucianism.

Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a motility that came out of Prc in the 1990s and does not claim to exist a faith or promote a belief virtually 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 physical earth is all there is and in that location is no life later decease. Humanists believe people should focus on the human being experience because at death they will cease to be.

Going Deeper Into What Christianity Says Well-nigh Life After Decease

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The Bible teaches that God has gear up eternity in the hearts of humans (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This is i reason why expiry makes us sorry; we were not made to stop. There are many passages in the Bible that go far clear nosotros exercise not end to exist when our earthly bodies dice.

Daniel 12:2 says, "Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried volition rising up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace."

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

When people die, their souls go along to live on. Where their souls go is based on whether or not they have 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 culling where God and all the skilful things that come from God are completely absent.

What Happens Immediately After 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 chat betwixt one of those criminals and Jesus: "And so [the criminal] said, 'Jesus, call up me when You come into Your Kingdom.' And Jesus replied, 'I assure y'all, today y'all will exist with Me in paradise.'"

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

Sky will be an amazing place, merely information technology's not designed to be the eternal home of God'southward people. That even more amazing place is ordinarily referred to every bit "the new creation" or "the new heaven and new world."

Judgment Day

The Bible describes a time when all people volition come back to life, or exist resurrected, and volition stand before God to exist judged. This is often referred to as judgment 24-hour interval. This is when God volition declare who will enter the new cosmos and spend eternity with God and who will spend eternity with Satan in a place of eternal suffering.

Revelation twenty:11-15 describes judgment day:

And I saw a neat white throne and the one sitting on information technology. The earth and sky fled from His presence, but they establish no place to hibernate. I saw the dead, both slap-up 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, as recorded in the books. The sea gave upwardly its dead, and death and the grave gave up their expressionless. And all were judged according to their deeds. And then expiry and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of burn is the second death. And anyone whose name was non found recorded in the Volume of Life was thrown into the lake of burn.

God's Standard

The key question is, What will be the standard on judgment day? How skillful do y'all have to be to go to sky?

Many people remember that equally long as your good deeds outweigh your bad, or as long as you brand a good effort and do not do anything too bad, yous will go to heaven. In reality, God's standard is much higher. He requires perfection.

Simply Romans iii:23 says, "Everyone has sinned; nosotros all fall short of God'due south glorious standard."

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

No one can meet the standard of perfection on judgment 24-hour interval by their own efforts, but God made a way for people to spend eternity with Him. Jesus lived the perfect life that we cannot, and then died in our identify to take on the penalty nosotros deserved for our rebellion confronting God.

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

God presented Jesus every bit the sacrifice for sin. People are made right 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 do in this nowadays time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and but, and He makes sinners correct in His sight when they believe in Jesus.

Can nosotros boast, so, that we have done anything to exist accustomed by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So nosotros are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the police force. (Romans 3:25-28)

If y'all have Jesus' sacrifice on your behalf, y'all're forgiven for your sins and can begin a personal human relationship with God.

God does not forcefulness you to have a relationship with Him; every person must make up one's mind whether they want that.

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

God showed His bang-up love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God'south sight past the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God's condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were however His enemies, we will certainly exist saved through the life of His Son. So at present nosotros tin rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made usa friends of God." — Romans 5:8-11

The New Heaven and New World

Revelation 21:one-8 describes the ultimate destination of those who accept Jesus' sacrifice and have eternal life with God:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the quondam heaven and the former earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming downwardly from God out of heaven similar a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Expect, God'due south habitation is now among His people! He will live with them, and they volition exist His people. God Himself volition be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more than death 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 then He said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you lot is trustworthy and truthful." And He also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega — the Kickoff 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 nigh the new creation is that people will get to spend eternity in God'due south presence. In the new creation, God's people volition live in a beautiful place gratuitous of pain and suffering and experience the joy of a perfect relationship with a perfectly loving God.

The 2d Death

Those who do not have God's free gift of forgiveness through Jesus will spend eternity abroad from God. Since God is goodness and love, being apart from Him will mean being in a place of suffering and pain.

The Volume of Revelation also describes this destination:

And so the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the animal and the faux prophet. There they will be tormented 24-hour interval and night forever and ever. (Revelation twenty:x)

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

Whether at that place is literally burn and burning sulfur or not we cannot know, but it'south articulate that hell is not a identify you lot want to be.

All of u.s.a. practice things we know are incorrect or immoral to some extent or another, and we choose to get our own manner instead of following God. If yous take this passage out of context, it seems rather hopeless.

But God has made a style through Jesus to receive forgiveness for all of these things. Without Jesus' sacrifice, each person is responsible for their own choices and as a result will never be good enough to enter into eternity with a perfect God.

Thankfully, God tin can wipe out our wrongdoings and brand people worthy of eternity with Him. Nosotros tin 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 in a higher place, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things in a higher place, non on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will announced with him in glory. (Colossians three:1-4, New International Version)

Bodies and Eternity

Information technology is natural to wonder what people will be like in eternity. The Bible makes it clear that eternal bodies will be different from earthly bodies. Paul, an early on follower of Jesus who wrote much of the New Testament, wrote about this in his kickoff letter to the church building in the metropolis of Corinth:

Someone may ask, "How volition the dead be raised? What kind of bodies volition they take?" What a foolish question! When you put a seed into the ground, it does not abound into a plant unless it dies starting time. And what you lot put in the basis is not the plant that will grow, but only a blank seed of wheat or whatever you lot are planting. ... Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they volition exist raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, merely they will be raised in strength. They are buried as natural man bodies, but they will be raised as spiritual bodies. For just as there are natural bodies, there are also spiritual bodies. (i Corinthians 15:35-37, 43-44)

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul explains further that our new bodies will exist better, stronger, and non subject to affliction or decease like our earthly bodies.

Nosotros know that when this earthly tent we alive in is taken down (that is, when we dice and leave this earthly trunk), we volition have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for u.s. by God Himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new wearable. For we volition put on heavenly bodies; nosotros will non exist spirits without bodies. While nosotros live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, simply it'due south non that we desire to die and go rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. (two Corinthians 5:1-4)

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

Other Views Within Christianity

Though most Christians concur on the bones beliefs about the afterlife described higher up, in that location are some differing views on aspects of life later on death.

Catholicism. The Catholic church building teaches the doctrine of Purgatory, that Protestant Christians exercise not usually accept. According to the official teachings of the Cosmic church, called "The Catechism of the Catholic Church," Purgatory is a "final purification of the elect, which is entirely unlike from the punishment of the damned."

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

Catholicism teaches that those who take a human relationship with God just are not fully purified will take eternal salvation just still demand further purification after death. Afterwards purification in Purgatory, they achieve the perfect holiness required to exist 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. It also draws this concept from a passage where Jesus said that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will not exist forgiven in this age or the age to come. The Canon of the Catholic Church further states, "From this judgement we understand that certain offenses can exist forgiven in this age, merely certain others in the historic period 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 farther purification after death.

Universalism. There are some people who identify as Christians who claim there is no literal hell. They believe that everyone goes to heaven. These people are called universalists (though they shouldn't exist confused with Unitarian Universalists).

Religious and Nominal Christians. There are a significant number of people who self-identify every bit Christian but have their ain individual views on the afterlife. They may take grown up going to church regularly or simply for religious holidays and may or may not proceed attending church.

They practise not necessarily accept all of the Bible as true, so their beliefs vary most sky and hell. Many people in this category think that every bit long as you lot're a pretty expert person and do not do something as bad as, for instance, killing someone, yous go to heaven. Others believe hell is only for especially bad people or that there is no hell, and people who do not go to heaven simply stop existing.

Though these views are mutual, they do not correspond what the Bible says about life after expiry.

Dissimilar Views About the Terminate of Days in Christianity

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

The Bible makes the well-nigh important things clear in the Bible: What God is like, why we can trust Him, what Jesus has done for usa and why that matters to every person on globe. These are the fundamentals on which Christians agree, because the Bible makes them very articulate.

Only some details about the afterlife remain unclear enough for Christians to concord differing beliefs most them. This does not hateful they differ in their understanding of how you tin know God personally.

So how do Christians reconcile themselves to believing in things that are not completely articulate to them? Christians do non trust God because He always explains Himself only considering they know He is practiced. God Himself is beyond the level of our understanding. But we tin can 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 means, Christians sometimes understand the afterlife with slight differences.

In that location is a whole branch of theological study called eschatology, which is the study of the end of time, life after death, and Jesus' render.

The Bible talks about Jesus returning at some time in the future. Jesus' render someday is a doctrine shared past all true Christians, and the Bible teaches it conspicuously.

After maxim this, He was taken up into a deject while they were watching, and they could no longer see Him. Every bit they strained to see Him rising into heaven, 2 white-robed men all of a sudden stood among them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are y'all continuing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, simply someday He will return from sky in the same way you saw him go!" (Acts 1:ix-eleven)

Christians have unlike views about when exactly that volition happen and what it will exist like before, during and afterwards Jesus' return.

Some, just non all, Christians believe the Bible teaches that there will be a fourth dimension of swell persecution for people who follow Jesus. This time is ofttimes referred to equally the tribulation. These Christians as well believe that at some point before Jesus returns, He volition take His followers abroad to be with Him and leave other people on earth for a fourth dimension. This is chosen the rapture. Many of these Christians believe that before all people reach one of the final, eternal destinations described above, and after the tribulation, there volition be a period of grand years, called the millenium, when Jesus' followers volition prosper and dominion on world. Among the Christians who believe these things, many differ in their beliefs about what order the events will happen in.

Some believe that prophecies in the Bible that talk near the terminate of the globe, including the book of Revelation, actually 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 futurity 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 most heaven really are beyond our earthly understanding. These can only exist described metaphorically by comparing them to earthly things nosotros tin can understand. For case, when the Book of Revelation describes the new Jerusalem, the beautiful city of the new world, it compares it to a gem, jasper and crystal. The writer, John, could non fully capture what he saw in his vision because it was unlike anything he had ever seen.

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

The Ultimate Question: Where Will Y'all Go When You Die?

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

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

The Eternal Dilemma

Because God is perfect and good, He cannot let u.s., imperfect people who have rebelled against God, to enter eternity with Him in our current country. The Bible teaches that all of humankind has fallen brusk and missed the mark of perfection, which is referred to as sin (Ecclesiastes vii:20; Romans 3:23).

Left to their own devices, no one will go to sky when they dice. Although most people presume they will go to heaven unless they are specially bad, the Bible explains that everyone is especially bad in comparing to God's standard of goodness — or holiness — and needs to exist rescued.

Fortunately, God does non leave the human race without promise.

God's Solution

Christianity's primary message is that God loves us so much He was willing to send His just Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty nosotros deserved.

This is what John 3:16, one of the virtually well-known verses in the Bible, explains: "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and simply Son, then that everyone who believes in him will non perish but accept eternal life."

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

The Bible tells us we earn eternal separation from God because of our decision to live life apart from God. This is why the story of Adam and Eve that nosotros read in Genesis is then significant. They chose to consume the forbidden fruit considering they thought it would requite them equality with God. The consequence of their action was that death came into the world.

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 us to come up back into the relationship with God we were designed for. Jesus altered our eternal fate, merely we still take to cull our eternal destination.

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

What Will You Choose to Believe?

Then, how will you answer? You can choose to have God's invitation to spend eternity enjoying His love and forgiveness, or you can decline 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 choose not to receive the gratuitous souvenir of heaven?"

None of the states knows how many days we have left to live, then nosotros cannot know how long we have left to accept God'southward offer of eternal life.

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

So how will yous respond the question, "What will happen when I die?"

Where Tin You Go From Here?

Do you want to choose to spend eternity with God? You can begin a human relationship with God right now and know for sure where you lot will go when you die.
- Read a more detailed caption of how to outset a relationship with God, including a prayer you can employ to express your decision.
- If you lot have committed your life to Christ and desire help getting established equally a Christian, sign upwardly for our "Spiritual Starter Kit."
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Read almost the changed lives of people who chose to commencement a relationship with God
- A skeptic who asked "Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going?"
- A woman who constitute hope and purpose in the midst of severe low.
- A grad student who feared death considering of the violence he witnessed in childhood merely is now certain he'll spend eternity with God.
- A scientist whose studies have helped convinced Him God is real.

Read more about heaven and hell.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale Business firm Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale Firm Publishers, a Sectionalization 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