There is a known fact that says “Man has an insatiable fascination with the hereafter and the afterlife”
People get caught up with Channeling –A desire to communicate with the dead – This occurred all through ancient times and is spoken of in the O.T. yet it was forbidden by God according to Deut 18:10-12, 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD:
Then there is the belief in Reincarnation where many believe that we live more than one life some even believing that we come back in other forms such as animals or insects. Someone coined this phrase don’t step on an ant, it might be your aunt.
There was a story about a frog that consulted a fortuneteller. The fortuneteller was gazing into a crystal ball, and he says to the frog: You are going to meet a beautiful young woman. From the moment she sets eyes on you she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you—you will totally fascinate her.” The Frog: replies “Where am I, at a singles club?” No No the Fortuneteller says you are in her : “Biology class.”
One minute he thinks he’s in heaven the next he’s headed for hell. In today’s world there appears to be a religion for every persons idea, ideal, fancy, or fascination. Just believe something and there is a religion to fill the bill. No thoughts as to whether it totally violates the word of God.
Christian Science, founded by spiritist Mary Baker Eddy, teaches that “there is no death.” “Heaven and hell are states of thought, not places. People experience their own heaven or hell right here on earth.”
Edgar Cayce, a spiritist and New Age prophet, said that “the destiny of the soul, is to become One with the Creator” and that no soul is ever lost.
Mormonism, founded by occultist Joseph Smith, argues, “The false doctrine that the punishment to be visited upon erring souls is endless…is but a dogma of unauthorized and erring sectarians, unscriptural, unreasonable, and revolting.”
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Jehovah’s Witnesses, founded by Charles T. Russell maintains that the wicked are forever annihilated because “the teaching about a fiery hell can rightly be designated as a ‘teaching of demons.’”
Unitarian Universalism confesses the following: “No Unitarian Universalist believes in a resurrection of the body, a literal heaven or hell, or any kind of eternal punishment.”
But in spite of all these religions and philosophies, In 1991 a Gallup poll showed that 78 percent of Americans expect to go to heaven when they die. The problem is, many of them hardly ever pray, read the Bible, or attend church. They freely admit that they live to please themselves instead of God. The fact is no one thinks they are going to Hell even though they live for themselves rather than God. My thoughts are why would these people even want to go to heaven.
We must understand that God has placed us here for a reason. That reason is to choose eternal life or eternal death. The word Eternal means – Having no beginning or end, existing outside of time, forever, perpetual, a unlimited duration, everlasting.
The Truth of God’s Word teaches us… that God is Eternal
1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. Not only that but God is The Great “I AM” – The forever Present Self-existent One, The One who Is (Ex 3:14; John 8:58) and the word says that God is Light (1Jn 1:5) Einstein’s E=MC2 formula says essentially reach the speed of light and time stands still…
In the beginning God-before time God, In matter & space God- You must understand that God existed long before anyone can imagine… He is a Transcendent God.
Not only is God eternal but written within the Truth of God’s word we are taught that God Created Man as a Eternal Being
Genesis 1: says So God created man in his own image…
Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul. Since Man was created in the natural likeness of God with intellect, emotions and a will… man was also created in God’s moral likeness but this was lost when he chose to sin by disobeying God/s command.
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Adam became a living soul/being… distinct from all other creatures – because of God’s image & God’s breath of life
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Listen to this This is an amazing discovery, Dr. Wernher von Braun, says he has “scientific” reasons for believing in life after death. He explained: “Science has found that nothing can disappear without a trace. Nature does not know extinction. All it knows is transformation. If God applies the fundamental principle to the most minute and insignificant parts of the universe, doesn’t it make sense to assume that He applies it to the masterpiece of His creation—the human soul? “
A Swedish doctor says he discovered the human soul weighs 21 grams. He placed beds of terminal patients on sensitive scales and saw the numbers drop when the patients died.
Jesus tells of two men who have crossed over into eternity… in Luke 16: One is named as Lazarus and the other is described as a rich man. Both of these men’s destiny was determined by what they had done in this life. One went to the bosom of Abraham and the other to hell. Both crossed over and ended up either in Hell or paradise.
According to this story every unsaved person goes directly to hell (hades, sheol) a holdng prison awaiting his court appearance before the judge at the Great White Throne Judgment. There the unsaved will be found guilty and sentenced to eternal death in the Lake of Fire forever. Which was Prepared for the Devil & his demons. Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Remember the movie “Ghost”… an evil man died & demons came and dragged him off? In the bible, God uses phrases like: fire is not quenched, where the worm dies not, everlasting destruction, flames of fire, torment, outer darkness, weeping, gnashing of teeth where the real you is still alive (your body had dropped dead but you continue to live)… at the blink of the eye, you’re there… same personality, same cravings, same addictions, same lust, same emotions of fear, same memories of sitting in church… But now it’s Too late .
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In the 18th century, Archibald Boyle was the leading member of an association of wild and wicked men known as “The Hell Club” in Glasgow, Scotland. After one night of carousing at the Club’s notorious annual meeting, Boyle deemed he was riding home on his black horse. In the darkness, someone seized the reins, shouting, “You must go with me!” As Boyle desperately tried to force the reins from the hands of the unknown guide, the horse reared. Boyle fell down, down, down with increasing speed. “Where are you taking me?” The cold voice replied, “To hell!” The echoes of the groans and yells of frantic revelry assaulted their ears. At the entrance to hell, Boyle saw the inmates chasing the same pleasures they had pursued in life. There was a lady he’d known playing her favorite vulgar game. Boyle relaxed, thinking hell must be a pleasurable place after all. When he asked her to rest a moment and show him through the pleasures of hell, she shrieked. “There is no rest in hell!”
There was seen on a bumper sticker in Spokane, WA the following words Eternity—Your Choice: Smoking or Non-smoking!
The facts are that there is no truth in the false teachings of : Universalism, Annihilation , or Limbo / Purgatory – which allows a second chance to merit heaven – Remember you only have one chance to choose.
There was an old Scottish mountaineer who had lived a full but not exactly saintly one and now was on his deathbed. He summoned his weeping wife. “Sara,” and he said, “go to the fireplace and take out the third stone from the top.” She did as instructed. “Reach in there,” said her husband, “and bring out what you find.”
Her fingers touched a large Mason jar, and with some effort she pulled it up. The jar was full of cash.
“Sara,” said the old man, “when I go, I’m going to take all that money with me. I want you to put that jar up in the attic by the window. I’ll get it as I go by on my way to heaven.”
His wife followed his instructions. That night the old mountaineer died. After the funeral his wife remembered the Mason jar and went to the attic. There was the jar still full of money and by the window.
“Oh,” the widow sighed. “I knew I should have put it in the basement.”
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Revelation 21:1-4 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
A week ago there was a new discovery. What was it? A new planet with the ability to allow life to live on it. Could it be ? Will it be ? Is it? I know only one thing for sure Scientists says its so far away man could never reach it in this lifetime. What about the next life? Well I know this that if it is and we are to go we will need a passport. You see even Crossing into Heaven Requires a Passport
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,. We must understand that we can only enter heaven with the correct credentials… proving our citizenship is there.
We must be Spiritually Born into God’s Family in order to receive ~ Our Passport!
In John 3:3 Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” Romans 8:17a Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ… we may also share in his glory.
Death is not extinguishing the light from the Christian; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
On his deathbed, British preacher Charles Simeon smiled brightly and asked the people gathered in his room, “What do you think especially gives me comfort at this time?” When they all remained silent, he exclaimed, “The creation! I ask myself, ‘Did Jehovah create the world or did I?’ He did! Now if He made the world and all the rolling spheres of the universe, He certainly can take care of me. Into Jesus’ hands I can safely commit my spirit!”
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Former Senator Dwight W. Morrow searched in vain to find his railroad ticket as he was on a train leaving New York City. “I must find that ticket,” he muttered. The conductor, who stood waiting beside him, said, “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Morrow. We know you had a ticket. Just mail it to the railroad when you find it.” “That’s not what’s troubling me,” replied Morrow, “I need to find it to know where I’m going.”
In Alice in Wonderland, when Alice comes to a junction in the road that leads in different directions, she asks the Cheshire Cat, “Cheshire-Puss…would you tell me please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to go to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where,” replied Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
But I hope today it matters to you where you are going. Today you need to choose because tomorrow may be too late.
Mark Twain Said Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.
Lets make the undertaker sorry today. You are here today but tomorrow eternity.
