Willing to Bet Eternity?

There are a lot of people who claim to have died and gone into the afterlife and specifically Heaven. Usually, they describe a beautiful, bright light and how they felt such great peace.

People find a certain measure of comfort from that, especially those who aren’t believers. It seems hopeful to them that it will be okay on the other side. But are they willing to bet eternity on that?

The concept of Heaven comes from the Bible. In fact, we wouldn’t even have the word Heaven without the Bible. The only reliable source on the afterlife is the Bible, which tells us a lot about what’s coming on the other side. I believe in Heaven because God said there is a Heaven.

Heaven is the dwelling place of God. And because of the resurrection of Jesus, if you are a Christian, you will have life after death in Heaven. But Heaven isn’t the default destination of every person; it is only the destination of the person who has put his or her faith in Christ.

If you are a Christian, you will go straight to Heaven when you die. The apostle Paul said that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 5:8). That is what happens when a Christian dies: his or her spirit goes directly into the presence of God. As 1 Corinthians 15:22 tells us, “For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (NKJV).

There will be a bodily resurrection of your loved ones who have died in faith. And there will be a bodily resurrection for you, too. Jesus has overcome death at the cross.