How to Get to Heaven???

If you ask most people this question, they will say something like, "If you do more good things than bad things, God will probably let you into heaven." The above thinking will reserve your place in hell. You need FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS. There are no good deeds that you can do on your own that will erase the sins that you have committed. Jesus SHED BLOOD for you sins. He came to save you from the GUILT of past sins and the POWER of sin over your life. You are about to read the most important information that you will ever read. It is called the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The word "gospel" means "message"*. The gospel is God's message to mankind. If you will yield to the gospel, you will be reconciled to God and you will escape eternal damnation in hell and the lake of fire. Besides all of this, you will have abudant life right now as you walk with the Creator of the universe--in spite of all the woes the world will throw at you. If you are full of doubts, ask Jesus to help you to understand and to be willing to be saved.

The Bible teaches that the ONLY way to have eternal life is through the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I John 5:11 ...God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

I John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

*many say the word gospel means, "good news" but in actuality it is only good news for those who receive it with singleness of heart. To others it is the stench of death...eternal death. REPENT ye and BELIEVE the gospel!

The Bible says that nobody is good enough to get into heaven. Each one of us has broken God's commandments--not one person is excepted. You have personally lied and committed other sins. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23) [L]et God be true, but every man a liar...( Romans 3:4) The Bible teaches that even your righteous acts are like filthy rags to God. It does not matter how many good deeds that you do, you still cannot go to heaven based on your deeds. The Bible teaches that your good deeds do not commend you to God in any way. You've ignored him choosing to live life the way YOU see fit. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isaiah 64:6) According to the above verse, we still come up short even when we try to do good deeds BECAUSE we are not doing them under God's authority. We do them because we think they are good. We ignore what God says. "But I never killed anybody and I'm not a dope addict!" You're still a spiritual crook. YOU HAVE BROKEN THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT IN THE BIBLE and you are as guilty as a harlot, a whoremonger, a killer, a thief and a liar. What is the greatest commandment? Matthew 22:36-38 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind. THIS is the first and great commandment. It doesn't take much thinking to know that the unregenerate man has broken this commandment every day of his miserable life. Ungrateful, unthankful to the God that made him and hath provided life to his carcass. The Bible teaches that if we could earn our way into heaven, Jesus died for nothing! I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. (Galatians 2:21) But he did not die for nothing. Righteousness does NOT come by the law and good works prescribed by false religions like Catholicism, Islam, etc. We need Jesus to pay the price for our sins. We can't do it. God will not accept our made up religions and attempts to please him. THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO PLEASE GOD AND THAT IS THROUGH HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, JESUS CHRIST. Not the pope, the Roman priest, Buddha, Muhammad, et al. God is holy. We are sinful. By his very nature, God cannot have fellowship with us sinners. There is no amount of "good" that we can do to make up for our crimes against God. They must be punished. And the wages are DEATH. Somebody has to DIE. Oh, you'll die physically, sin requires that. But you've got a choice about that SECOND DEATH where a man goes to hell and the lake of fire.... We deserve the death penalty. This includes both physical death (the casket) and spiritual death (when the soul is cast into hellfire). [T]he wages of sin is death...(Romans 6:23) God doesn't want to remain your enemy and he does not want you to go to hell. As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die... (Ezekiel 33:11) The Lord is...not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9) In spite of your wickedness and rebellion, God loved you enough to send His ONLY BEGOTTEN Son to die for your sins. The Bible says, "... and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people FROM their sins." (Matt 1:21). Jesus did not die so that you could keep sinning and go to heaven (this is an heresy that many churches teach). Jesus came to save you from both the GUILT and POWER of sin. Jesus DESTROYED the works of the devil on Calvary (I John 3:8). When you are unsaved, sin has dominion over you. Sin is your boss and you cannot do anything BUT sin. You are justly under the wrath of a holy and just God. Murderers, thieves, fornicators, witches, liars, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, rebels, and all other spiritual lepers will not inherit the kingdom. The blood of Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. That means the blood took away the guilt of the sins we've committed AND it has ushered us into a Father child relationship with the Lord. Through the blood of Jesus, we are to serve sin no more, rather we serve righteousness. Again, the Father sent His only begotten Son, Jesus who is God, to die in your place so that us scoundrels can have eternal life. Remember that the wages of sin is death--that is why Jesus died, to pay YOUR wages so you can live. The Lord Jesus Christ was your substitutionary sacrifice. The world's greatest love story is summed up in the following verse-- For God so loved the world, that he gave his ONLY BEGOTTEN Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) How can you show more love than giving your very life for someone else's life? You can't. What is more amazing is that Jesus died for us WHEN WE WERE HIS ENEMIES! I mean vile, wicked, pitiful, wretched, unclean, unholy, ungodly, prideful, spiritually leperous. Romans 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ...Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6) The love of God for you was demonstrated on that cross 2,000 years ago! God is not hateful, he is loving. He gave His Son for you even though you are dead in tresspasses and sins. But God is still quickening the dead. He is still resurrecting men, women, boys, and girls across the face of this whole world-- Ephesians 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 2:3 Among whom also we ALL had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Jesus Christ, the ONLY begotten Son of God, came to this earth to (1) save you from the GUILT and POWER of your sins and (2) RECONCILE you unto God. Through faith in the blood of Jesus you will escape the wrath to come, have abundant life now, and heaven as your home. God will be your Father instead of your enemy--but ONLY through the blood of Jesus. King Jesus is the ONLY means appointed by God. ..the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (I John 1:7) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.. (Romans 6:23) JESUS CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD. After His death, our precious Lord's body laid in the grave three days, but praise be to God, it did not remain there. Death could not hold him back--it was not possible that he should be hold of it (Acts 2:24). Jesus Christ is the life and God manifested in the flesh. Death could not hold him. On the third day Jesus arose from the dead and was seen by over 500 people (I Corin 15:6) before He went back to heaven. Jesus Christ came to earth to give his own blood for your sins. That is what he came to do and he was and is the only one qualified to do it. After he accomplished this tremendous feat, he rose from the dead just like he said he would: Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again... (John 10:17-18) ...Christ died for our sins...and he was buried, and...he rose again the third day... (I Corinthians 15:3-4) Are you ready to repent of your sins? To repent means to forsake your evil ways and do God's way according to his word. Are you ready to listen finallly? All your life you've been your own authority concerning what is right and what is wrong. You've made your own decisions while ignoring what the Lord says in His holy word, the Bible. You've served yourself and not God. To repent means that you turn to GOD AND THE BIBLE AS YOUR AUTHORITY. It means you can say, "Lord everything you say in the Bible is right. If my feelings contradict the Bible I AM WRONG. Lord I want to live under YOUR AUTHORITY, not my own. Help me, Jesus to do right." And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to REPENT. (Acts 17:30) ...TURN TO GOD, AND DO WORKS MEET FOR REPENTANCE. (Acts 26:20) Repentance is not lip service. Are you prepared to live for the Lord? Jesus said this-- "And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27) Realize that you have lived under your own authority. You've lived the way YOU have wanted to. You have lived without regard for God's precepts. Understand in your mind that you've lived in sin against God's word. Think it through and count the cost. Jesus made no promises that you will have an easy life. In fact, the Bible teaches that all that will live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Are you willing to live as one of the despised, saved, holy, overcoming, victorious ones? If so, come on to Jesus. Be determined that you want God to be your Father and not your enemy. Decide that you WANT the Lord and His ways. Satan and this world is doing nothing but kicking your hind parts all up and down the street. They will leave you destroyed and with your part in the lake of fire. God will lift you up if you submit yourself to him for his superintending care. Friend, you have a choice to make, keep on pursuing Satan and the fleeting pleasures of sin; or, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Further the kingdom of God with power from above. In due time, He will lift you up to places you never even knew existed. The Holy Bible is the word of God, specifically, The AUTHORIZED (King James) VERSION. The Bible is the ONLY way that we know about the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not know about our precious Lord Jesus through, "the church fathers, the magisterium, the pope, councils, decrees, canon laws, the Quran, the Hadith, the Baptist statement of faith, John Calvin, Martin Luther, Ellen White, the Watchtower, Joseph Smith, the New World Testament, etc." In the Bible, God testifies that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was buried; and that He rose from the dead on the third day. You must believe and confess this in order to be saved. [I]f thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED. (Romans 10:9) Jesus waits with open arms for those that want life. The choice is yours. If you're sick of being alienated from God, if you're ready to save yourself from this untoward generation, if you are ready to reject what this wicked and perverse world has to offer, if you want Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, if you want to be reconciled to your Creator, if you want to go to heaven, if you want to escape hell -- put your faith in the One who can do something about it! Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for you? Do you believe that He rose from the dead? Do you repent of your sins? Do you want to follow Jesus? If so, REPENT of your sins and talk to the Lord in prayer in your own words right now. Ask God to forgive you of your sins and to help you to do what is right. BELIEVE in the Lord Jesus. CONFESS the Lord Jesus with your mouth. This is not a long, drawn out hard process. Do you believe in the blood of Jesus? Do you want God to pass over you in the day of his wrath so you are not cast in hell and the lake of fire with the wicked? Do you want to be saved? You don't need a preacher, you have head the gospel here. Do you BELIEVE it and want it? Are you ready to be under God's commands or do you want to keep on doing what you want to do? This decision is yours and you future depends on what choice to make. If you know that this is the truth, you I counsel you to make your decision today because, you see, tomorrow is not promised to you. Not only that, people's hearts get hard when they keep on rejecting the truth. You don't want your heart to turn to stone to the gospel because if it does, you will go to hell. That I can guarantee you because the Bible says so. Hell is real notwithstanding the fake preachers and theologians and "doctors" that would tell you otherwise. Some people don't know how to pray. Praying is just talking to the Lord. If you want to be saved, talk to Jesus about it. You don't have to repeat these words, but someone may say something like this--"Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and I want to be saved. I repent of my sins, every one. I don't want to do evil anymore, I want to do righteousness through the blood of Jesus. I'm asking you to please forgive me of my sins against you. I want a new life in the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to be everything that You created me to be. I believe that Jesus shed His blood and died for me so that I could be saved from my sins. I believe that He rose from the dead on the third day. I want to be your child and follow the holy scriptures. Thank you for being merciful to me, a sinner. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving my soul from sin. Please fill me with your precious, Holy Spirit so that I can live a righteous, self-denying life for you. I'm giving you myself. Please show me what you want me to do. Please help me to understand and walk in your word. Please guide me for Jesus' sake. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen." If you have placed your faith in Jesus, you are a Christian. If you continue in his word, then are you his disciple indeed (John 8:31). Now begins your new life of freedom and obedience to the Lord. Now you need to (1) start reading the Bible (Authorized King James Version of 1611--begin with the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and (2) pray that God would lead you to a Christian fellowship so you can get baptized and discipled in the way of Christ. Today is the day of apostasy. The tv preachers are false teachers and prophets. I do not know one good church.

What about Heaven and Hell?

Heaven: Our Intended Destination

Based on Jesus' teachings and other sources of revelation, Christians believe that God created human beings to live eternally in fellowship with him. The future as described in the Bible includes the resurrection of all people, a judgment, and eternal life in either heaven or hell.

All of the descriptions of heaven and hell in the Bible are strongly metaphorical. Most Christians think of heaven as a realm of some sort out of normal space-time. However the Biblical description often suggests a renewed earth. This could either mean that the heavenly realm is separate, but with a certain degree of similarity to our current world (the most common Christian view), or that God will renew and transform the earth.

Christians are not agreed on the exact details of how this will happen. However the differences tend to involve details of timing, and other issues that don't seem worth dealing with here.

The fact that human beings are created with an eternal destiny should have a significant impact on our priorities. It often seems that governments, nations, and other institutions are the enduring feature of human history, and people are transient elements. Christianity says that this is radically wrong. One cannot treat people as disposable adjuncts to the nation or other institution: ultimately it is the people who matter.

Note that there is a subtle difference between resurrection and the existence of an eternal soul. Many religions have held that human beings have an immaterial soul, which does not die when the body does. Christians generally agree with this (although a small number do not). However the distinctive Christian doctrine is not the eternal nature of the soul, but the resurrection of the body. Humans are unified beings. The body is an essential part of the person. In heaven there will be some analog of the body.

Judgment

Christians believe that there will be a judgment. In this, everyone's life will be evaluated. Those who depend upon Christ for salvation can be assured that they will pass this judgment. However the quality of their lives will still become known, and everything in their lives that was not built on Christ will be purged. The Bible talks of their work being tested with fire.

The Bible says that there are two different outcomes for eternal life: heaven and hell. There is not a precise description of either heaven or hell, nor are we told how many people will end up in each. They are described using terms that seem metaphorical: a city built of gold in heaven, a lake of fire for hell.

Accountability

All major Christian traditions say that in the end everyone will end up in either heaven or hell. At first glance, it sounds like we won't be held accountable for what we did, as long as we manage to meet the minimal criteria for ending up in heaven. In fact there are several ways of maintaining some kind of accountability.

Catholics believe in something called "purgatory". This is a "place" (not necessarily an actual physical place, of course) where those who will end up in heaven are purified. Traditional Catholic theology says that when God forgives sins, he removes the guilt. However there may still be consequences. One of those consequences is that "temporal punishment" is still owed. The goal of this punishment is to be cleansed, and made fit for heaven.

Note that purgatory only applies to people who will be admitted into heaven. It is not part of hell, nor is it some kind of intermediate state between heaven and hell. It is in a sense the entranceway into heaven.

Traditionally, Catholics believe it is appropriate to pray for those that are in purgatory. These prayers, as well as masses said for them, etc, may in some way ease their process of purgation. This is one aspect of the general Catholic concept that those on earth and those in heaven retain a spiritual connection with each other. (This is called the "communion of saints".) Those on earth may ask for intercession from the saints, and may intercede for those in purgatory.

Protestants do not normally accept the concept of purgatory. There are several objections. Among the most important are

• It implies that Christ's death for us isn't enough.
• The Bible says in several places that any interaction with the dead is forbidden.

The concept was also discredited by various abuses with which it was surrounded in the 16th Cent. These made it look like the Church was selling salvation, or at least release from Purgatory.

Thus Protestants normally object to anything that looks like Purgatory, as well as prayers for the dead. It is often said that prayers for the dead suggest a lack of trust in God, since God will judge them justly.

You can see the difference clearly if you attend both Protestant and Catholic worship services. When someone in the congregation has died, Catholics will ask for prayers for them and their family, while Protestants will ask only for prayers for their family.

Despite the rejection of Purgatory, many Protestant groups are still concerned to maintain accountability for what has been done during life. Many Protestants believe that there will be different levels of honor in heaven. Many Protestants also believe that even saved people will go through a process where their entire lives are reviewed and judged, even though their final destination is not in doubt. This is sometimes described as the "bema seat judgment". As a result of it, Christ's followers will be rewarded according to the quality of their work. This is contrasted to the "great white throne" judgment, which determines whether someone will spend eternity in heaven or hell.

(I should note that the terms "bema seat judgment" and "great white throne judgment" are not standard among all Protestants. They are based on one specific eschatological system.)

Note that Protestants do believe that those who are in heaven have been freed from sin. However the way in which this happens is thought of somewhat differently. For Protestants, our righteousness comes from Christ, because we are united to him in faith. When our nature is perfected in heaven, this happens because our union with Christ is perfected, and his righteousness fills us fully.

The same difference occurs here as in the doctrine of justification: Catholic theology tends to envision the Christian life as due to the growth of grace in us, while Protestant theology tends to envision the Christian life as due to an increasing transparency to the presence of Christ. The doctrine of Purgatory seems oriented towards the Catholic description.

Why Does Hell Exist?

Currently there is a good deal of discussion among Christians about the morality of hell: it is said that a good God would not condemn people to an eternity of torture. However that has been the belief of most Christians through most of Christian history. It seems to be supported by the Biblical account. The alternative seems about as bad: that God will force himself on people who do not want him.

Note that it is not necessary to say that God imposes hell as punishment. It may be the automatic (indeed logically unavoidable) consequence of rejecting God. It is not clear that God makes it intentionally unpleasant. It may be the nature of the people who are there, and the fact that they are finally given what they want: freedom from God.

Many criticisms of judgment suggest that it is arrogant to say that Christian ideas are true and others are false. "How can you be so arrogant to believe that Christians will go to heaven and everyone else will go to hell." As we will see below, most Christians don't believe this. However the idea that this is arrogant seems odd. We do not criticize mathematics teachers for saying that 2 + 2 is always 4, and that believing sincerely in 5 is not acceptable. Either there is a God or there isn't. Either Christ died to save us or he didn't. If he did, it's hard to see how it can be arrogant to say so. If he didn't, then Christians are wrong, but not arrogant.

I would say that ultimately hell is a result of the "hardness" of created reality. Let me try to explain: Christianity believes that the universe has a real existence, and that it is distinct from God. (This is a specific position, which not all religions and philosophies accept. For some, there isn't a real distinction between God and the universe.) In order to provide us with a region in which we can make our own decisions and take our own actions, God set up a universe that operates under dependable laws. Possibly there are other ways he could have worked. But we don't know of any other way to set things up so that we have real lives of our own.

The existence of a real universe with dependable laws has consequences. One of those consequences is the fact that people can have incorrect ideas. If they misunderstand the way the universe works, damage may result. Most of us understand this in the realm of science and engineering. There is no reason that theology should be different. If there weren't any distinction between truth and falsehood, nor any consequences to error, we would be living in an amorphous mess (the metaphysical equivalent of "gray goo"). There would be no way to live sensibly.

The standard Christian position is that salvation is only available through Christ. This isn't because God is biased towards Christians. Rather, it's a consequence of the way the universe works. Heaven is by definition eternal life with God. But Christ is God's way of establishing relationships between human beings and himself. He is the divine logos, the agent of creation. It is inherently impossible to be with God without being in Christ. If a human being somehow managed to be in God's presence bypassing Christ, that person would be unmade.

The only alternatives I can see to hell are for God to arrange for everyone to accept Christ, or for him to destroy everyone who does not. As you'll see below, each of these alternatives has its supporters. However most Christians believe that if everyone ends up choosing God, human existence is a sham: God loaded the dice to such an extent that there were no real human decisions. Most Christians also believe that a part of us is immortal. For God to destroy it would be an interference in the created order that would seriously violate its integrity.

Before judging these issues, I'd ask you to look at some additional considerations.

Is Hell Unfair?

The standard Christian position is that anyone who rejects Christ will end up in hell. Does this mean that only Christians can be saved? The Catholic church and many Protestant churches don't think so. They believe it is possible that Christ can come to someone in an inward and spiritual way, even if they've never heard of Christ. Thus someone can be an "anonymous Christian." That is, they can know Christ spiritually without realizing it it Christ.

Most Christians also believe that God's judgment will take into account the sorts of opportunities a person had to learn the truth. A person who has never heard the Gospel can't be said to have rejected Christ. An even worse situation occurs when Christians have persecuted other groups. A person who sees Christ as a persecutor has hardly had a real exposure to the Gospel.

[Historical note: It's worth noting that two major classical Protestant writers thought it was possible for non-Christians to be saved: Zwingli and Wesley. Calvin did not.]

Alternatives to Hell?

There is a substantial minority view, which says that God will find some way to reach everyone. This is called "universalism". A few 20th Cent thinkers have also suggested that those who are not destined for heaven are simply destroyed. This is called "annihilationism".

Most Christians think that both of these alternative views are ruled out by teachings in the Bible. Jesus himself speaks of judgment, and of "Gehenna" and "the outer darkness".

While most Christians reject universalism and annihilationism as doctrines, many orthodox Christians hold positions that are very close. Let's look at them briefly:

There is no statement in the Bible about how many will be damned. When someone asks Jesus this, he deflects the question. He does say that the way to salvation is narrow, and that many follow the road to destruction. However we can still hope that in the end God will deflect those on the easy road to destruction. I believe universalism as a doctrine is unorthodox, but hope for all is possible.

A number of orthodox 20th Century writers point out that those who are in hell are not the same kind of people as those in heaven. Human beings are designed to live with God. In heaven our humanity is perfected. Hell is not described in any detail in the Bible. The descriptions that most people hear are based on speculative fiction, such as Dante's. However if humanity is created to be with God, then it is reasonable to believe that those who are finally separated from God in hell are less than fully human. Several writers refer to them as equivalent to "ashes", the remnants of what used to be a human life. Thus we may not have two groups of people living next to each other, with the saved watching the damned living in torture. Hell, whatever it is, has less reality than heaven. This is suggested by Jesus' most common way of referring to it. He calls it Gehenna. This was the garbage pit outside of Jerusalem, although the term also was used in discussions of the last judgment.

Could Hitler end up in Heaven?

Heaven and hell are not a matter of totaling up good deeds and bad deeds and seeing which predominates. From the Christian perspective, if it comes to merit, no one merits heaven, and we've all done enough bad for hell to be justified. However God doesn't want anyone to end up in hell. Anyone who depends upon him for rescue will be saved from hell.

There are several questions that are asked so commonly that I think they're work looking at here. Here are two examples:

• Could Hitler end up in heaven if he repented at the last minute?
• It seems unfair for God to save people just because they are Christians. There are lots of rotten Christians and lots of good non-Christians.

I'm going to try to deal with that whole class of questions here. Note that in doing so I'm going to make my own opinions a bit more obvious than I do elsewhere in these essays. I am quite sure that there are answers from Catholic and Orthodox perspectives, but I'm not in a position to argue convincingly from those viewpoints.

First, the Bible doesn't give us precise information as to who will end up in heaven or hell. We are warned particularly not to judge other people (except to the extent that we have specific responsibilities for church discipline or as officials involved with the legal system). This means that discussing specific people such as Hitler is dangerous. We don't know what is going on with individuals. Hitler looks particularly evil. But someone completely unremarkable may be just as evil, but may not have had enough political power to have the terrible effect that Hitler did. Perhaps Hitler was completely insane, and not responsible for his actions. (I seriously doubt it, but we don't know for sure what was going on in his heart.)

However more important, I need to warn you that heaven isn't a reward for being good. The basic Protestant model for salvation is as follows:

• God chooses us
• We respond with faith, which basically means that we rely on God for salvation
• God forgives us, and simultaneously starts renewing us and getting rid of our sin

There is certainly a connection between faith and being good: Faith is our side of the bond that connects us to God. God will use that connection to regenerate us and get rid of our sin. The process isn't finished in this life, but it certainly is started. Christians should be better than if they weren't Christians. Jesus said that you will know his followers by the fruit that they bear.

It would be nice if we could say that the best half (or whatever) of mankind are Christians and the worst half are non-Christians. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it isn't going to be quite that neat. Some people become Christians late in their life, and so the process has only started when they die. Some Christians may be in more dangerous positions than non-Christians. Some Christians may have been born with really bad tempers, etc, which makes them look more evil than they actually are.

So I'd say that there should be real evidence of regeneration operating in the lives of Christians, but you shouldn't expect that all the people who look good are Christians and all those who look bad are non-Christians.

Here's one thing to think about: What happens to someone who is relatively good in this life, but who does not have faith? Unfortunately, he may end up in hell. In theory this person could be the best person who ever lived (except Jesus, who was without sin). The problem is that by not having faith, they do not have the connection through which God will take care of their remaining sin. Even though there aren't very many visible problems, they (and the underlying addiction to sin of which they are symptoms) can't be dealt with. Thus this person can't be made fit for heaven.

Now the obvious response to this is: so why shouldn't people just go ahead and be evil, if heaven isn't based on being good? While heaven isn't a reward for reaching a certain quota of good acts, you won't get in unless you have a relationship with God through which you can be renewed. Someone who says "let me be evil for my whole life, and repent at the last minute" almost certainly isn't going to be capable of repenting in any way that does him any good. In having that intention, he has already rejected the kind of faith that is needed for salvation.

Strictly speaking, heaven isn't even a reward for having faith. It's not that God is rewarding you for faith and punishing you for not having faith. Rather, it's that God uses a certain kind of relationship in order to make you fit for heaven. Faith is a key part of that relationship. If you're sloppy about building a bridge it may fall down. Nature isn't consciously punishing you. It's just the way the universe is built. In my view, one of the spiritual laws of the universe is that in order to end up in heaven, you have to have justifying faith (not just intellectual belief in the Trinity -- justifying faith means that you rely on and commit yourself to God as your savior).

THE END

What Does the Bible Say About Death, Eternal Life and Heaven? What Happens to Believers When They Die?

One reader, while working with children was presented with the question, "What happens when you die?" He didn't quite know how to answer the child, so he submitted the question to me, with further inquiry: "If we are professed believers, do we ascend to heaven upon our physical death, or do we 'sleep' until our Savior’s return?"

Most Christians have spent some time wondering what happens to us after we die. Recently, we looked at the account of Lazarus, who was raised from the dead by Jesus. He spent four days in the afterlife, yet the Bible tells us nothing about what he saw. Of course, Lazarus' family and friends must have learned something about his journey to heaven and back. And many of us today are familiar with the testimonies of people who have had near-death experiences. But each of these accounts are unique, and can only give us a glimpse into heaven.

In fact, the Bible reveals very few concrete details about heaven, the afterlife and what happens when we die. God must have a good reason for keeping us wondering about the mysteries of heaven. Perhaps our finite minds could never comprehend the realities of eternity. For now, we can only imagine.

Yet the Bible does reveal several truths about the afterlife. This study will take a comprehensive look at what the Bible says about death, eternal life and heaven.
What Does the Bible Say About Death, Eternal Life and Heaven?

Believers can face death without fear.

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (NIV)

1 Corinthians 15:54-57
Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:
“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT)

Also:
Romans 8:38-39
Revelation 2:11

Believers enter the Lord's presence at death.

In essence, the moment we die, our spirit and soul go to be with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8
Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. (NLT)

Philippians 1:22-23
But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. (NLT)

Believers will dwell with God forever.

Psalm 23:6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (NIV)

Also:
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Jesus prepares a special place for believers in heaven.

John 14:1-3
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (NIV)

Vinnaithandi Varuvaya - VTV Special

Vinnaithandi Varuvaya - Lengthy Love story

‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’, (VTV) and you know what its like to cross the sky and get into another dimension called love. ‘Vinnaithandi Varuvaya’ is a popular lyric from the ‘Vennilave Vennilave’ song from ‘Minsara Kanavu’ directed by Rajeev Menon and all of you know that. So director Goutham Vasudev Menon has rightly acknowledged Rajeev Menon in the first card of the Titles. How humble!

Right from the time, the word ‘action’ was told, the film has been creating the ripples of expectation among director Goutham’s fans. He has surely tried his maximum to live up to the expectations. Captain Goutham and his team- comprising of editor Antony, art director Rajeevan, director of photography Manoj Paramahamsa and music by A R Rahman, just look at that combination, have always given us that feeling of modern cinema.

Well technically, the movie is made with high values- Exceptional music, background score, re-recording, classy camera work, foreign locations, etc. All the technicians involved must receive that imperative appreciation for they have done their work with much finesse.

The first in the list of technicians who have to be appreciated would be, undoubtedly, A R Rahman. Man! Isn’t he a creative genius! His 1st movie after the Oscar phenomenon. His music is one of the main reasons to the much acclaimed hype. The re-recording and the background score are really amazing. If you’ve listened to his songs in your personal stereo, then its only half of the magic you have experienced.

The picturisation of the songs is simply remarkable and they complete the magic. God knows how Goutham gets his ideas and the eye of Manoj Paramahamsa who’s done ‘Eeram’ before, not just his eye that thought of those exotic locations but his ‘lens eye’ as well that caught all those beautiful locales. Watch those videos even with half opened eyes and you’ll realize he hasn’t used a camera but a paint brush with the palette of colours from Mother Nature. The colour tones in the movie have been brought out quite amazingly. The songs especially, ‘Hosana’ and ‘Omanna Penne’ shot at Malta, are worth the watch at the cinemas. Songs get major attention in the movie and the other technician we are going to talk about is Rajeevan and his art-work in the sets of a few songs is fascinating. The D.O.P (director of photography) Manoj has used minimal artificial lighting in the movie, showing his signature style.

We’ll come back to the people behind the camera a little later. Now is the time for the people in front of the camera. Trisha and Silambarasan as the lead pair, and quite a few veterans in the movie like Kitty as Silambarasan’s father and Bob Antony as Trisha’s father. All artists have done well especially Ganesh, also one of the producers, who plays Silambarasan’s friend, has acted well, and his dialogue delivery must be appreciated. Lets talk about- Silambarasan! We’ve seen him as a college student, as a mass character and we’ve seen him dance in the middle of the road, typical Chennai style, but can you imagine Silambarasan in formals, as a simple, regular guy-next door, decent and at his best behaviour? Well, he has proved he is not just the normal run-off-the-mill commercial hero but an actor who will mould himself into any character that a story demands. He’s come out of that commercial image with VTV. All were apprehensive about the fact that Silambarasan working with a classy director like Goutham. But the director has been persistent about Silambarasan and he hasn’t let the director down. Silambarasan has been in front of the camera since he was a kid and such a role as ‘Karthik’ in this movie is really not demanding or impossible to him. He hasn’t acted in this movie, but has been himself. His dialogue delivery appeared to be simple, just like how he would talk to anyone in his real life. He is an ambitious and aspiring film maker in the movie and in real life, he really is.

Opposite Silambarasan is pretty lass Trisha. Trisha as Jessie has portrayed her character brilliantly, she hasn’t over acted or under acted, and she’s done it perfectly. Director of Photography, Manoj has prettified Trisha, and she looks prettier than her previous appearances. Saree clad in most of the movie, Trisha has pulled off a terrific performance. Nalini Sriram’s costumes might start a cult with the ladies from now on.

Now we’re moving in to the ‘story, screenplay and dialogues’, by Goutham. Don’t expect us to be spoilsport and reveal the storyline and the cute screenplay of the movie. The first half till the interval will grab your attention as it has been nicely written and well taken. Some cute scenes between Silambarasan and Trisha look really candid and the camera man has managed to capture that cheeky chemistry between the two. According to the film promos, theatrical trailers, etc ‘VTV’ is a love story ‘with a difference’. There wasn’t anything particularly different to talk about, except for Simbu being younger to Trisha by one year, and the screenplay that won’t tell you till the end if they’ve fall in love and live happily ever after?

Silambarasan wooing Trisha, their second pairing after ‘Alai’, is not at all impractical and you can relate their characters to real life. Their chemistry is enticing and they actually appear a cute pair. Silambarasan’s attitude in the movie is straight forward while Trisha is homely and conservative. The one thing you can’t relate to life or even agree is the hero meeting the heroine at her house, at his will without anyone noticing. Cinema has grown of age, or have people!?

The screenplay in the first half is slow and cute but the screenplay in the second half is even slower.

A faster screenplay might spoil the feel of a romantic movie. Back to technicians, Editor Antony has done a decent job but could have advised his Captain to chop off a few reels. Some of the audience thought the movie got over and they got off their seats when a song was being played! but the movie continued for 10 more minutes after that.

Silambarasan, we all know fights well and dances amazingly. There is just one stunt sequence in the movie and that’s designed by Shiva who’s handled the fight scenes very well and Silambarasan is the demi-god we know, sustains not a single scratch on him. Silambarasan’s dance is admirable. Keeping in mind that most of the songs are not dance numbers, you’ll still see him sway to those tunes convincingly.

Dialogues in the movie and especially Silambarasan’s dialogue delivery is worth mentioning. The dialogues make you giggle at times, and sometimes they make you feel- how one can be so romantic.

Director Goutham has tried something ‘different’ but the audience is perplexed at the end. You wouldn’t know how to react after the climax. Weird! If you’ve been following all his movies and know his style of film making, then you would appreciate his work. There were rumours about two climaxes to the movie. The version the audience saw on the first day is not really lively.

Finally a disclaimer: If and only if, you have all the time in the world, and you like the slow romantic genre, you’ll enjoy this one.

VTV- a feel (long) 'good' film!