Some believe it.  Some do not.  But what if it’s really true?

You may believe it’s true, but then again on the other hand you may think it’s not true.  I have considered, on a number of occasions, what the logical conclusion would be if it’s not true.  That scenario is not pleasant because you are literally staring into oblivion.

In the first part of the Bible people lived a long, long time, but they eventually died.  The average lifespan today, depending on certain factors, is around 78 years old. But again, regardless of the average, people still eventually die.

Is this life all there is, or, is there something more?  Many different beliefs exist concerning what happens to you when this life ends.  Do you come back as a butterfly? Do you suffer eternal flames? Do you spend time suffering for your sins and then enter the pearly gates? Are 72 virgins waiting for you?

On the other hand, what if when this life ends, that’s it – the end of you?  That would truly be oblivion.  Actually, in the Bible there is a word used to describe just that – it is the word, “perish.” It means the total and complete end of something; to be obliterated and gone forever.

Building A Legacy?

It’s interesting to me that in the book of Ecclesiastes it talks about how the memory of someone who dies is forgotten.  That’s true for almost everyone, unless they are extremely influential, like Abraham Lincoln, or someone else with written books about their life.  And, yes, families do remember members who are no longer here, but eventually the memory of them is gone, no matter how hard they worked to build a legacy.

That’s why in Ecclesiastes it talks about living today and doing all that you can today, because the day will come for everyone when they go to the grave.  And it’s very clear in Ecclesiastes, as well as other places in the Scriptures, that once you go into the grave, you do and know absolutely nothing. There is no work, no wisdom, no gaining rewards, no nothing.

If that is true, then there are no butterflies, no flames, no pearly gates, and no virgins waiting for you when you die.  To some that may sound like heresy. But according to what you read in the Bible, the dead are dead and know nothing.

That’s It?

If it were not for a grand magnificent plan by God Almighty for something more than perishing, what would be the point of this life?  Live, do your best, and then die?  You perish, and soon the memory of you is gone too.  What would be the point of anything?

The Bible states that “if we in this life only we have hope, we are of all people most miserable.”  In other words, if this life is all there is, why even believe in Christ?  Again, there would be no point.

The most popular verse in the Bible holds a fantastic key that many have overlooked.  It says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  “Should not perish” is the key.

We all know people who have believed in Christ who have died.  But it doesn’t say that those who believe in Christ will not die, it says that they will not perish.  Those who choose to believe and accept Jesus Christ as their lord and believe God raised him from the dead shall be saved from perishing!

The antithesis of perishing is everlasting life.  By accepting Christ, God grants you everlasting life.  The everlasting life we have been given will be realized when God sends His Son back as He has promised.  Until then, those who have died are simply “asleep.”

You and I know too well the physical body we have today will not endure forever, right?  That’s why God has promised that when His Son does come back we are all going to be changed.  Those who have accepted Christ will receive a new body that will be like Jesus Christ’s resurrected body, the Bible says.

So, What Do You Choose To Believe?

Everyone believes what they choose to believe. God gives us all free will.  You can believe and expect butterfly wings, fire, pearly gates, or virgins.

Or, you can also choose to believe what the Bible clearly states.  When you die, you are asleep and know nothing until Christ returns.  On the day he does come back, if you are asleep, you are raised incorruptible with a new body. If you are alive on that day, you also get a new immortal body, and we will all meet Christ in the clouds on that great day!

The Bible also says that God does not want anyone to perish!  He has offered everlasting life to everyone. We can choose to accept His offer which is to simply believe in His Son, believe he is lord of all men and that God raised him from the dead.   It is that belief and acceptance that grants you God’s promise of everlasting life!

What if it’s really true?

Mike Verdicchio
2012

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