Prince and Pavo
Songster
- Apr 4, 2023
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Who will go to heaven when they die?
How do you know if you’re saved or not?
Is hell a real place?
These are questions that I’ve asked myself many times. I’ve since found the answers, but there used to be a lot of questioning, doubt, and fear in my mind. I would like to try and explain the gospel message as clearly and invitingly as possible, so that everyone has a chance to hear the best news ever.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1
Every person that has ever lived was made in the image of God. The first humans to ever live, Adam and Eve, came into existence as perfect people, and the world was flawless. God had made a beautiful creation, and He Himself called it “very good.”
Then Satan, a fallen angel who wanted to be more powerful and honored higher than God, came in the form of a serpent to Eve, deceiving her into disobeying God’s command. Even though Satan, also called the Father of Lies, convinced her to disobey God by creating doubt in her mind, Eve was still the one that made the choice. Then she told Adam, her husband, to do the same, so he did. This event is known as the Fall (of mankind), and is marked in history as the first sin. This is what corrupted the world and caused us as humans to be separated from God, not only here on earth, but after we die as well. Sin cannot be anywhere with God, so anyone who isn’t saved that dies must live in separation from God forever. If a person is not saved when they die, they will go to a real place called hell, which is a place of eternal torment and punishment. I believe that words cannot do the extreme seriousness and grievous awfulness of hell justice, and I would never wish anyone to go there—and neither would God.
Now, God loved His creation, and He hated to see the path of destruction that we were headed towards. So, He told us that He would eventually provide a way for us to be with Him, and that would be through the Messiah, which means ‘anointed’ in Hebrew. This promise was fulfilled through Jesus.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
-John 3:16
Jesus came to earth as a human baby miraculously through a virgin birth, to grow up and walk through what every person goes through, including the pain, feelings, desires, and even just life altogether, yet He did it all without sinning a single time. He stooped down to our level that falls short of His own glory, and humbled himself by becoming a servant.
Jesus was thirty when He began His ministry, and He went around preaching, discipling, and performing miracles for three years, after which He was betrayed by one of His own disciples, who the Bible tells us that Satan himself entered into and used. Judas delivered Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees who wanted to kill Him.
They decided to crucify Him, one of the worst, most excruciating, slow, painful, and torturous methods of death used by the Romans, who controlled the Jewish nation at the time. They beat Him, spat on Him, mocked Him, and put a crown of thorns on His head before nailing His hands and feet to two wooden beams: the cross. This was a common criminal’s death, yet they used it to murder the Savior of the world.
While Jesus was on the cross, and people were watching and mocking Him from below, He wasn’t angry like we’d think He’d be. Instead, He cried out to God the Father in heaven, and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What?!
As Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross, He said three simple, declarative words: “It is finished.” That moment marked the end of our separation from God, as the sky grew dark, there were earthquakes everywhere, and the veil in the temple (which represented separation from God’s presence) tore in half from top to bottom, symbolizing unity with, and access to, God.
Now you may be thinking, “How on earth can that be good news?” I’ll answer that in a minute, but the story doesn’t end there. After three days of being buried in a tomb, Jesus rose from the grave, proving that He was exactly who He claimed to be! After the resurrection, He spent 40 days longer on earth, making appearances to many people, before ascending into heaven.
The answer to that question is that, because He lived a perfect life, and then died an extremely brutal death as a result of sins that He didn’t commit, this action of ultimate love and sacrifice is God’s gift to us which allows us to come to heaven and live with Him for eternity.
Now I said it’s a gift, which means that we didn’t and can’t do anything to earn or deserve it. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is given to us freely, but we have to accept it. All you have to do to have eternal life is believe that Jesus truly did come to earth and die for you and me, believe that He rose from the dead and proved that He is God, and place your faith and trust in Him for your salvation. That’s it! Super simple right? That’s what a gift is: something freely given from one person to another, with no payment, and nothing in exchange.
God tells us that we can know if we are saved by reading His Word, which is the Bible. Everything in the Bible is historically accurate, and all of its precepts and the things that it teaches prove true.
I put this thread in the “emergencies/diseases/injuries and cures” section because I believe that a person’s state of spiritual life is an emergency, sin and corruption are diseases, and past experiences of abuse or one’s own behaviors, habits, and actions may be considered injuries. I believe that God’s free gift through Jesus is the cure for all of it.
NO PERSON IS TOO FAR GONE OR HAS DONE TOO MANY BAD THINGS TO RECEIVE THE GIFT THAT GOD IS OFFERING. No matter what you’ve done or the things you’ve experienced, Jesus provides redemption through His sacrifice, and all people are invited to accept it!
Jesus fulfilled approximately 350 prophecies, 27 of which were in a single day! He is so influential in history and modern life that you can’t even write the date without acknowledging His birth! Time has been divided into two sections: BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini—in the year of our Lord), BC meaning before Jesus came to earth, and AD meaning after He was born as a human. Sadly, society has tried to change these terms to BCE (before the common era) and CE (common era), however the dates are still the same and are based on Jesus’ human incarnation.
I would greatly encourage everyone to investigate and dig deeper into the Bible and history’s account of Jesus, as well as to search for evidence of the Bible’s accuracy. (You’re sure to find more the harder and farther you look!) This is an invitation to accept the gift that God has offered to every person!
Thank you for reading this far!
I would be happy and grateful to answer any questions that anyone has on this subject, so please do not hesitate to ask me anything!
How do you know if you’re saved or not?
Is hell a real place?
These are questions that I’ve asked myself many times. I’ve since found the answers, but there used to be a lot of questioning, doubt, and fear in my mind. I would like to try and explain the gospel message as clearly and invitingly as possible, so that everyone has a chance to hear the best news ever.
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1
Every person that has ever lived was made in the image of God. The first humans to ever live, Adam and Eve, came into existence as perfect people, and the world was flawless. God had made a beautiful creation, and He Himself called it “very good.”
Then Satan, a fallen angel who wanted to be more powerful and honored higher than God, came in the form of a serpent to Eve, deceiving her into disobeying God’s command. Even though Satan, also called the Father of Lies, convinced her to disobey God by creating doubt in her mind, Eve was still the one that made the choice. Then she told Adam, her husband, to do the same, so he did. This event is known as the Fall (of mankind), and is marked in history as the first sin. This is what corrupted the world and caused us as humans to be separated from God, not only here on earth, but after we die as well. Sin cannot be anywhere with God, so anyone who isn’t saved that dies must live in separation from God forever. If a person is not saved when they die, they will go to a real place called hell, which is a place of eternal torment and punishment. I believe that words cannot do the extreme seriousness and grievous awfulness of hell justice, and I would never wish anyone to go there—and neither would God.
Now, God loved His creation, and He hated to see the path of destruction that we were headed towards. So, He told us that He would eventually provide a way for us to be with Him, and that would be through the Messiah, which means ‘anointed’ in Hebrew. This promise was fulfilled through Jesus.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
-John 3:16
Jesus came to earth as a human baby miraculously through a virgin birth, to grow up and walk through what every person goes through, including the pain, feelings, desires, and even just life altogether, yet He did it all without sinning a single time. He stooped down to our level that falls short of His own glory, and humbled himself by becoming a servant.
Jesus was thirty when He began His ministry, and He went around preaching, discipling, and performing miracles for three years, after which He was betrayed by one of His own disciples, who the Bible tells us that Satan himself entered into and used. Judas delivered Jesus into the hands of the Pharisees who wanted to kill Him.
They decided to crucify Him, one of the worst, most excruciating, slow, painful, and torturous methods of death used by the Romans, who controlled the Jewish nation at the time. They beat Him, spat on Him, mocked Him, and put a crown of thorns on His head before nailing His hands and feet to two wooden beams: the cross. This was a common criminal’s death, yet they used it to murder the Savior of the world.
While Jesus was on the cross, and people were watching and mocking Him from below, He wasn’t angry like we’d think He’d be. Instead, He cried out to God the Father in heaven, and said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What?!
As Jesus breathed His last breath on the cross, He said three simple, declarative words: “It is finished.” That moment marked the end of our separation from God, as the sky grew dark, there were earthquakes everywhere, and the veil in the temple (which represented separation from God’s presence) tore in half from top to bottom, symbolizing unity with, and access to, God.
Now you may be thinking, “How on earth can that be good news?” I’ll answer that in a minute, but the story doesn’t end there. After three days of being buried in a tomb, Jesus rose from the grave, proving that He was exactly who He claimed to be! After the resurrection, He spent 40 days longer on earth, making appearances to many people, before ascending into heaven.
The answer to that question is that, because He lived a perfect life, and then died an extremely brutal death as a result of sins that He didn’t commit, this action of ultimate love and sacrifice is God’s gift to us which allows us to come to heaven and live with Him for eternity.
Now I said it’s a gift, which means that we didn’t and can’t do anything to earn or deserve it. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” It is given to us freely, but we have to accept it. All you have to do to have eternal life is believe that Jesus truly did come to earth and die for you and me, believe that He rose from the dead and proved that He is God, and place your faith and trust in Him for your salvation. That’s it! Super simple right? That’s what a gift is: something freely given from one person to another, with no payment, and nothing in exchange.
God tells us that we can know if we are saved by reading His Word, which is the Bible. Everything in the Bible is historically accurate, and all of its precepts and the things that it teaches prove true.
I put this thread in the “emergencies/diseases/injuries and cures” section because I believe that a person’s state of spiritual life is an emergency, sin and corruption are diseases, and past experiences of abuse or one’s own behaviors, habits, and actions may be considered injuries. I believe that God’s free gift through Jesus is the cure for all of it.
NO PERSON IS TOO FAR GONE OR HAS DONE TOO MANY BAD THINGS TO RECEIVE THE GIFT THAT GOD IS OFFERING. No matter what you’ve done or the things you’ve experienced, Jesus provides redemption through His sacrifice, and all people are invited to accept it!
Jesus fulfilled approximately 350 prophecies, 27 of which were in a single day! He is so influential in history and modern life that you can’t even write the date without acknowledging His birth! Time has been divided into two sections: BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini—in the year of our Lord), BC meaning before Jesus came to earth, and AD meaning after He was born as a human. Sadly, society has tried to change these terms to BCE (before the common era) and CE (common era), however the dates are still the same and are based on Jesus’ human incarnation.
I would greatly encourage everyone to investigate and dig deeper into the Bible and history’s account of Jesus, as well as to search for evidence of the Bible’s accuracy. (You’re sure to find more the harder and farther you look!) This is an invitation to accept the gift that God has offered to every person!
Thank you for reading this far!
I would be happy and grateful to answer any questions that anyone has on this subject, so please do not hesitate to ask me anything!
