Unless you can otherwise prove it, everyone dies! What is death? Death is when a human being’s heart stops beating, lungs stop breathing, brain stops functioning and the body becomes inanimate (no signs of life)! Next. the body starts to decompose and turn, ultimately, to dust. For the moment, we are talking only of the material facts. The living no longer enjoy the dead person’s company!

So, when you die, either something happens, or nothing happens. If nothing, then it’s over, fine, the end, es todo, you bought the bullet, long gone, hasta la vista etc. But, if something, then what?

If something, then it has to be some form of afterlife. There are many stories, traditions and narratives to include reincarnation (coming back as something or somebody else to reoccupy a different body in time and space), or an afterlife of some sort.

There is no empirical evidence ever documented (to the best of this writer’s knowledge) of reincarnation, so we will dispense with that for this discussion. That leaves an afterlife. If there is an afterlife, then there must be someone or something responsible for, or in charge of, that afterlife. It also means that that afterlife has been going on since the beginning of mankind. It also means that some form of valuation – i.e. good and evil, reward and punishment must be present under that entity that is in charge of the afterlife – otherwise it would amount to nothingness and refute the existence of an afterlife. Some thoughts HERE!

For the moment, let’s focus on one belief system that claims to have truth about the afterlife, and even claims to have evidences and witnesses. That would be Christianity which declares itself, VIA the Bible, to be from the beginning and to be under the Authority of GOD, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in them and all that was, is, or shall ever be.

That GOD created man in His image (a spiritual being) to Glorify, love, honor and obey Him with all of man’s heart, soul, mind and strength. Yes, that GOD created man with a reasonable soul – an eternal nature that would transcend his temporal body. Man was created to live forever, but was told if he disobeyed GOD, that he would “surely die”! Man disobeyed GOD in the Garden of Eden, and he ended up dying, and all subsequent men (human beings) have inherited death – no exceptions. This narration from the Bible’s book of Genesis is absolutely no more fantastical than any other story or narrative from any other source be it Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, Darwinian et. al.

What makes this story so compelling is that the Bible was written over several millennium, and yet, it has a thread of continuity and consistency that far and away exceeds any other teaching. For one thing, all reason has to come from either the GOD of the Bible, or from man. If reason comes from man, then it is flawed and consistently breaks down over time.

The Bible is, by far and away, the most scrutinized writing and declaration of truth ever examined. It has been documented in its historical aspects to be true hundreds of times. Although there are some claims in it that may not have been documented yet, nothing in the Bible has ever been proven to be false.

So, what happens to you when you die? Hebrews 9:27 answers that question. So, what is “the judgment”? Now, you have to get into a lot of Theology and Biblical evidences. Not to belabor the point, the bottom line is that the judgment will lead one to either spend eternal life in Heaven with GOD, or in Hell without Him. Heaven is described as a place where there is no night there, every tear will be wiped away, there is a mansion for you there, GOD is present and is worshiped and surrounded by a crowd too big to number. It is a place of indescribable joy with no downside.

On the other hand, Hell is described as a place where the worm never dies, there is wailing, weeping and gnashing of teeth, there is constant thirst and intense heat from fire and the stench of sulfur. There are only two destinations described in the Bible – Heaven and Hell. There is no reference, as Roman Catholics would have it, of Purgatory – a middle earth where people wait to go to their final destination after the Pope releases them, or their family buys their way out. That kind of nonsense led to the Protestant Reformation.

The bottom line is; as long as you are alive (the thief on the cross being an excellent reference point, but not an example to follow), you have the potential of being “born again” by the HOLY SPIRIT (and not of yourself Ephesian 2:8 that you might boast). There are those who are nice people who will end up in Hell. There are also some people who may not be so nice who will end up in Heaven. The final decision is up to GOD as Romans 9:21, and that’s the bottom line!

Pensiamento Peligroso