Are You Prepared for your
Future?
...Your future after
you Die?
... It is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment.
Hebrews 9:27
Whether you want to accept it or not, everyone will die!
But then what's next?
Is that the end of our existence?
Will we be recycled back to this earth in some form of reincarnation?
Or will we be accountable to our Creator?
These are some of the questions that we all must face. No one will be exempt from dealing with this important matter – are you ready?
The average life expectancy for a person today is about 70-years-old. Every day, approximately 152,000 people will die, and 55.5 million per year.
Death is a reality!
We may be efficient planners for our lives and future here on earth. But what about our future for all of eternity? Jesus said in Mark Chapter 8:36:
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
How long do you have?
Are you ready for eternity?
Some people may be in denial. "I'm too young. I have my whole life in front of me." "I exercise regularly, eat a good diet – I'm in perfect health." "Modern science will find a cure for all our diseases like cancer, aids, or heart disease."
Jesus told a story about a very wealthy man who thought he was in control of his destiny. We read about it in the Gospel of Luke Chapter 12, starting at verse 16, and following:
The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
No one has a guarantee on his or her next heart beat!
The fact is that death is all around us: on our highways and through natural disasters, murders, illnesses, and tragic events that we read about every day. Are you ready?
What happens to us after we die?
The Bible is very clear about death and beyond. In John 5:28 & 29, Jesus describes what happens to our bodies from the grave:
... for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Two events are described: the resurrection of life for those who have done good, and the resurrection of damnation -- judgment -- for those who have done evil. Revelation 20:12-15 give us a frightening description of God's judgment upon mankind:
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
For those who Christ has saved from this awful sentence, there is a wonderful future awaiting them! In 1Corinthians 2:9 we are told: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him."
God describes His salvation provision in John 3:16 and the following verses:
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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. We read in 1 John 4:15 that: "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."
We are also told that when one of God's children dies, in our soul existence, we go immediately to be in the presence of God:
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8
We also have a wonderful description of what it will be like to be with God:
It is eternal in time and will not end:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
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. John 3:36
It is a place of perfect harmony, peace, and happiness:
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:4 -5
In summary, when we become saved, we are given a brand-new resurrected soul in which we have eternal life. Physical death is the separation of the soul and body; so our soul leaves our body, which goes into the grave, and our soul goes to live and reign with Christ in heaven.
When Christ returns to this earth, He will come with all His saints -- all those who have believed on Him -- who have died, and live with Him in heaven in their soul existence. On that day, their bodies will be resurrected from the grave, and be rejoined again as a whole personality.
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1 Corinthians 15:52 & 53
On the other hand, an unsaved person who dies has not received eternal life in his soul; so he cannot go into heaven when he dies (or ever), but his soul will separate from his body. His body will be put in the grave just as the believer's body is put in the grave when he dies, but the unbeliever's soul goes to a place of silence. He has no conscious existence until judgment day, when he will stand as a whole personality at the judgment throne of God, as was stated above in John 5:28-29.
Those who die unsaved will be resurrected to stand for judgment, and they will be judged along with all the unbelievers who are still living on the earth when Christ returns. They will all be judged and sentenced to eternal damnation. The unsaved cannot go directly to hell when they die because they have not been officially judged yet; they will be judged on judgment day.
This is what it means to be saved and why the term "salvation" is used! Christ has paid the penalty for the sins of those He has saved when He died on the cross; and they, through Him, pass from the sentence of death to life eternal! Jesus declares in John 5:24-25:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
This is why we desperately need salvation -- because the alternative is too horrible to contemplate.
So, how can I prepare for my future with God?
You can't! The Bible is clear that it is impossible for us to "earn" our way into heaven -- by being good, or by doing good works:
There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Romans 3:10 & 11
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
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
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8 & 9
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 16:25
God can! – If we will seek Him with all our hearts:
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6 -7
Jesus is God's provision for our salvation:
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved ... Acts 16:31
When is the right time to get right before God?
...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2Corinthians 6:2
For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death. Psalm 48:14
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
Discover for yourself God's wonderful future in eternity by reading His Word the Bible:
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17
Suggested topics:
The Nature of Sin:
Psalm 51:5
Isaiah 53:6
Romans Chapter 1
Romans 3:23
Romans 5:12
James 4:17
1 John 1:18
1 John 3: 4
Need for New Birth:
John Chapter 3
2 Corinthians 5:17
1 Peter Chapter 1
1 John 5:1
Salvation Only Through Christ:
Isaiah 53:6
John 20:31
Acts 4:12
Romans 1:4
Galatians 3:13
1 Timothy 2:5
1 John 5:1, 5
Repentance and Confession:
Psalm Chapter 51
Isaiah 55:6-11
Luke 18: 13
Romans 10:9 & 10
Complete Forgiveness From God:
Psalm 103:12
Isaiah 1:18
Romans 8:1
1 John 1:7
God's Love For Us:
Zephaniah 3:17
John 3:16
Romans 5:6, 8
Romans 8:38 & 39
2 Corinthians 13:11
Ephesians 2:4 & 5
Ephesians 5:2
1 John 2:5
1 John 3:1
1 John 3:16
1 John Chapter 4
Jude 1:21
God's Justice and Judgment:
Ecclesiastes 12:14
Matthew 25:34-46
John 5:28-29
Romans 2:6-8
2 Corinthians 5:10
Hebrews 9:27
Revelation 20:12
Death:
Ezekiel 18:4
Romans 6:23
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
2 Corinthians 5:8
Philippians 1:23
Christ's Return:
Matthew 24:14, 21-22, 44
Acts 1:11
1 Thessalonians 4:16
1 Thessalonians 5:2
1 John 2:18, 22
Resurrection:
John 5:28-29
Acts 24:15
1 Thessalonians 4:16
Eternal life:
John 10:28-29
Romans 8:38-39
1 Peter 1:3-5
Heaven:
Matthew Chapter 18
Matthew 22:30
Luke 23:43
John 14:2-3
Colossians 1:5
1 Peter 3:21 -22
1 John 5:7
Revelation 21:1-35
Hell:
Matthew 13:41-42
Matthew 25:41
Luke 16:23-26
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9
The Need For God's Word:
Psalm 25:5
Psalm 119:11
Psalm 119:105
John 16:13
2 Timothy 3:14-17
2 Peter 1:21
If you have questions, or if you would like us to pray for you, you can contact us at:
uninews@uninews.com
The Ministry of UNI
P.O. Box 92311
Pasadena, CA 91109
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