Where will we go when we die? by Our Daily Bread Ministries

where will we go when we die?

Q3518

odb.org

Where will we go when we die? Will we go to heaven? Does heaven even exist in the first place? If it does, what does it look like?

These may be some of the questions on your mind right now.

hether we are young or old, many of us wonder what will happen to us after

we die. Some of us worry about dying because we are not sure what happens next. Or, we are grieving because a loved one has passed away, and we want to know that he or she is in good hands.

While some dismiss the idea of an

afterlife, most people welcome it. We like to think that we’ll go to a place of peace and happiness when we die, that there’s a

place where loved ones and close friends can be reunited forever.

The idea of heaven seems to be set

quite deeply in human hearts. In fact, many of us want to believe in heaven.

If we knew it existed, we might be less fearful of death. We might also be able to find some comfort while we mourn the loss of a loved one. We’d be able to think of how he or she is now in heaven, full of joy and at peace, and no longer suffering from pain. We’d have hope, knowing that our own existence will not end even when we leave our earthly bodies.

The idea of heaven also gives us

the feeling of justice and fairness. We

want to believe that a good person will go to heaven, and be rewarded for his or her good deeds. Or that a person who has suffered injustice while on earth will receive

compensation in the afterlife. So is heaven simply an ideal that we hold on to? Does it actually exist? Many of the world’s main religions believe in the afterlife, although they differ on what it looks like and how to get there. For some religions, getting to heaven is dependent on how people

behave in this life. Hence, their followers try to be good on earth so that they can go to heaven when they die.

There have also been reports of

people having “near-death experiences” and getting a glimpse of the afterlife during a severe illness or an accident. Others have reported dreams about heaven or about loved ones being in heaven after they die.

Is it possible that many of us have an innate sense of heaven because it actually exists? And if there is indeed a heaven, what does it look like?

Heaven is where people will enjoy an everlasting relationship with God, and there will be no more suffering or pain.

Heaven Is A Home Forever

here are many different ideas of heaven, depending on whom you talk to. Some base their

knowledge on interpretations of religious books or works, while others may rely on dreams, visions, or personal near-death experiences.

But what if we were to hear from someone who actually claimed to have come from heaven?

Jesus—the God whom Christians

believe in and follow—claimed to have come down from heaven to live as a man

on earth. He described heaven as a place of joy and feasting, where people would live forever. He told his followers that he would go back to heaven to prepare a place for them: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.”

We are also told this about heaven: “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

These beautiful descriptions suggest

that heaven is like a perfect home. It is where people will enjoy an everlasting relationship with God, and there will be no more suffering or pain. What’s

more, Jesus himself is offering to bring us home to be with God when we die.

Some people might dismiss Jesus’

description of heaven as just one opinion among many. But we could also consider this: Could it be that Jesus knows what he is talking about, because of who he is and where he comes from? The

Bible says that he is God, and that he came down from heaven to earth 2,000 years ago to show us the way back to God’s home. Historical records show that

there really was such a man who lived in the Middle East at the time. He was sentenced to die on the cross, even though he committed no crime. Three days later, he rose from the grave, which showed that he was no ordinary man and was able to fulfil what he had promised.

Jesus said that whoever believes in him will not die but will receive eternal life.

Getting To Heaven How can a person get to heaven? The comforting news is that you don’t have to be a “good” person or perform certain things to earn a place in heaven. Rather, Jesus said that whoever believes in him will not die but will receive eternal life. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

If you believe in Jesus and follow

him as God, you will have his promise of heaven. When you leave this earthly body, you will be brought home to be with God forever. This means that you can live in certain hope right now, knowing that this mortal life is not the end of your existence.

Would you like to go to heaven? Consider turning to Jesus.

If you want to know more about Jesus, talk to a Christian friend or visit our website at ourdailybread.org/tell-me-more

Do you want to find out more about the Christian hope? You can read A Story of Hope, a short and easy to read booklet that can tell you more.

Scan the QR Code to read it online, visit ourdailybread.org/tell-me-more, or use the form to request for print copy. Check out odb.org for more print and digital resources by us!

where will we go when we die?

Q3518

odb.org