I was asked to write about suicide from a Biblical perspective because so many are asking about this online because they are so discouraged and feel hopeless, especially in our present circumstances. This is a difficult topic, and I am not an expert, nor a doctor or psychologist. I would suggest, first of all, that you go online to a Bible believing site which has experience in this and professionals who can help you and direct you on how our God can and will help you.

Here are some sites which I think are very good:
1. https.//answersingenesis.org. Look up Christian answers to suicide. This is a very good site that has many other resources.

2. gotquestions.org gives a list of people in the Bible who killed themselves:
Abimelech – Judges 9:54
Saul – I Samuel 31:4
Saul’s armor bearer – I Samuel 32:4-6
Ahithophel – 2 Samuel 17:23
Zimri – I Kings 16:18
Samson – Judges 16:26-33

3. National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK

4. focusonthefamily.com

5. davidjeremiah.org (What Christians must understand about suicide and mental health)

What I do know is that God has all the answers we need in His Word, and He is always there for us to call upon Him for His help. He loves and cares for you. He wants us to experience His love, His mercy, and His peace.

His Word, the Bible, teaches us that each of us is created for a purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” It also shows us how we should live. God’s Word is truth (John 17:17) and the truth will set us free (John 8:32). It can help us with all our anxieties. 2 Peter 1:1-4 says, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to glory and virtue…Through these He has given us His very good and precious promises, so that through them you might be partakers in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is the world through lust (evil desire).”

God is for life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that they may have life and they might have it more abundantly.” Ecclesiastes 7:17 says, “Why should you die before your time?” Seek God. Go to God for help. Don’t give up.

We live in a world filled with trouble and evil behavior, not to mention bad circumstances, especially in our present time, and natural catastrophes. John 16:33 says, “I have spoken unto you that in Me you might have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

There are people who are selfish and evil doers and even murderers. When the worlds’ troubles come and cause hopelessness, Scripture says evil and suffering are all the result of sin. Sin is the problem, but God is our hope, our answer and our Savior. We are both the cause and the victims of this. God says all bad stuff is the result of sin and that ALL of us “have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That means ALL. It is obvious that many are overwhelmed by the world around them and wish to escape due to desperation and discouragement and see no way to escape nor to change the world around them. All of us suffer the results of sin in this world, but God loves us and gives us hope. God loves us so much He has provided a way to take care of sin and to help us in this life. Read about how much God cares for us in Matthew 6:25-34 and Luke chapter 10. Read also Romans 8:25-32. He cares for you. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”

Scripture clearly shows us that the starting point is that God had to take care of the sin problem. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to fix this problem. John 3:16 says this VERY clearly. It says, “For God so loved the world” (all of the persons in it) “that He gave His only begotten Son, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” Galatians 1:4 says, “Who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God our Father.” Romans 5:8 says, “But God commends His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

One of the major causes of suicide is guilt from wrong things we have done, which, as God says, all of us have done, but God has taken care of the penalty and the guilt and forgives us for our sin, through Jesus His Son. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus paid the penalty when He died on the cross. I Peter 2:24 says, “Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed.” Read Isaiah 53 again and again. I John 3:2 & 4:16 say He is the propitiation for our sins, which means the just payment for our sins. Read also I Corinthians 15:1-4. This means He forgives our sins, all our sins, and the sins of everyone who believes. Colossians 1:13&14 says, “Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son: in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” Psalm 103:3 says, “Who forgives all your iniquities.” See also Ephesians 1:7; Acts 5:31; 13:35; 26:18; Psalm 86:5 and Matthew 26:28. See John 15:5; Romans 4:7; I Corinthians 6:11; Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25 and 44:22. All we need to do is to believe in and accept Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” Revelation 22:17 says, “and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely.” John 6:37 says, “him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out…” See John 5:24 and John 10:25. He gives us eternal life. Then we have a new life, and abundant life. He is also always with us (Matthew 28:20).

The Bible is true. It is about how we feel and who we are. It is about God’s promises of eternal life and abundant life, for whoever believes. (John 10:10; 3:16-18&36 and I John 5:13). It is about God who is faithful, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). Read also Hebrews 6:18&19 and 10:23; I John 2:25 and Deuteronomy 7:9. We have passed from death to life. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” We are forgiven, if we believe.

This takes care of the sin problem, forgiveness and the condemnation and guilt. Now God wants us to live for Him (Ephesians 2:2-10). I Peter 2:24 says, “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, for by His wounds you were healed.”

There is a but here. Read John chapter 3 again. Verses 18 & 36 tell us that if we do not believe and accept God’s way of salvation, we will perish (suffer punishment). We are condemned and under God’s wrath because we have rejected His provision for us. Hebrews 9:26&37 says man “is destined to die once and after that to face judgment.” If we die without accepting Jesus, we don’t get a second chance. See the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:10-31. John 3:18 says, “but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son,” and verse 36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” The choice is ours. We have to believe to have life; we have to believe in Jesus and ask Him to save us before this life is over. Romans 10:13 says, “whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This is where hope begins. God is for life. He has a purpose for you and a plan. Don’t give up! Remember Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the plans (thoughts) that I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, to give you hope and a future.” In our world of trouble and sadness, in God we have hope and nothing can separate us from His love. Read Romans 8:35-39. Read Psalm 146:5 and Psalms 42&43. Psalm 43:5 says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Philippians 4:13 tell us that God will give us strength to carry on and bring glory to God. Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Read Psalm 37:5&6 Proverbs 3:5&6 and James 4:13-17. Proverbs 16:9 says, “Man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.”

Our HOPE is also our Provider, Protector, Defender and Deliverer: Check out these verses:
HOPE: Psalm 139; Psalm 33:18-32; Lamentations 3:24; Psalm 42 (“Hope thou in God.”); Jeremiah 17:7; I Timothy 1:1
HELPER: Psalm 30:10; 33:20; 94:17-19
DEFENDER: Psalm 71:4&5
DELIVERER: Colossians 1:13; Psalm 6:4; Psalm 144:2; Psalm 40:17; Psalm 31:13-15
LOVE: Romans 8:38&39
In Philippians 4:6 God tells us, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” Come to God and let Him help you with all your needs and cares because I Peter 5:6&7 says, “Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you.” There are many reasons people contemplate suicide. In Scripture God promises to help you with each and every one of them.

Here is a list of reasons people may contemplate suicide and what God’s Word says He will do to help you:

1. Hopelessness: The world is too evil, it will never change, despair over conditions, it will never get better, overwhelmed, life is not worth it, not successful, failures.

Answer: Jeremiah 29:11, God gives hope; Ephesians 6:10, We should trust in the promise of His power and might (John 10:10). God will win. I Corinthians 15:58&59, We have victory. God is in control.Examples: Moses, Job

2. Guilt: From our own sins, wrongs we have done, shame, remorse, failures
Answer: a. For unbelievers, John 3:16; I Corinthians 15:3&4. God saves us and forgives us through Christ. God is not willing that any should perish.
b. For believers, when they confess their sin to Him, I John 1:9; Jude 24. He keeps us forever. He is merciful. He promises to forgive us.

3. Unloved: rejection, no one cares, unwanted.
Answer: Romans 8:38&39 God loves you. He cares about you: Matthew 6:25-34; Luke 12:7; I Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6; Matthew 10:29-31; Galatians 1:4; God never leaves you. Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 28:20

4. Anxiety: Worry, cares of the world, Covid, home, what people think, money.
Answer: Philippians 4:6; Matthew 6:25-34; 10:29-31. He cares for you. I Peter 5:7 He is our Provider. He will supply all we need. “All these things will be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33

5. Unworthy: No value or purpose, not good enough, useless, worthless, can’t do anything, failure.
Answer: God has a purpose and plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11). Matthew 6:25-34 and chapter 10, We are valuable to Him. Ephesians 2:8- 10. Jesus gives us life and abundant life (John 10:10). He guides us to His plan for us (Proverbs 16:9); He wants to restore us if we fail (Psalm 51:12). In Him we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). He gives us everything we need
(2 Peter 1:1-4). Everything is new every morning, especially God’s mercy (Lamentations 3:22&23; Psalm 139:16). He is our Helper, Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 121:1&2; Psalm 20:1&2; Psalm 46:1.
Examples: Paul, David, Moses, Esther, Joseph, everyone

6. Enemies: People against us, bullies, no one likes us.
Answer: Romans 8:31&32 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us.” See also verses 38&39. God is our Defender, Deliverer (Romans 4:2; Galatians 1:4; Psalm 25:22; 18:2&3; 2 Corinthians 1:3-10) and He vindicates us. James 1:2-4 says we need perseverance. Read Psalm 20:1&2
Example: David, He was pursued by Saul, but God was his Defender and Deliverer (Psalm 31:15; 50:15; Psalm 4).

7. Loss: Grief, bad events, loss of home, job, etc.
Answer: Job chapter 1, “God gives and takes away.” We need to give God thanks in all things (I Thessalonians 5:18). Romans 8:28&29 says, “God works all things together for good.”
Example: Job

8. Illness and Pain: John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
Answer: I Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks,” Ephesians 5:20. He will sustain you. Romans 8:28, “God works all things together for good.” Job 1:21
Example: Job. God gave Job blessings in the end.

9. Mental Health: emotional pain, depression, a burden to others, sadness, people don’t understand.
Answer: God knows all our thoughts; He understands; He cares, I Peter 5:8. Seek help from Christian, Bible-believing counselors. God can meet all our needs.
Examples: He met the needs of all His children in Scripture.

10. Anger: Vengeance, getting even with those who hurt us. Sometimes people who contemplate suicide imagine that it is a way to get even with those who they think are mistreating them. But ultimately although the people mistreating you may feel guilt, the person who is most hurt is the one who commits suicide. He loses his life and God’s purpose and intended blessings.
Answer: God judges rightly. He tells us to “love our enemies…and to pray for those who despitefully use us” (Matthew chapter 5). God says in Romans 12:19, “Vengeance is mine.” God wants all to be saved.

11. Elderly: want to quit, give up
Answer: James 1:2-4 says we need to persevere. Hebrews 12:1 says we need to run with patience the race set before us. 2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Life And Death (God vs. Satan)

We have seen that God is all about love and life and hope. Satan is the one who wants to destroy life and God’s work. John 10:10 says Satan comes to “steal, kill and destroy,” to prevent people from receiving God’s blessing, forgiveness and love. God wants us to come to Him for life and He wants to help us. Satan wants you to quit, to give up. God wants us to serve Him. Remember Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind.” Satan wants us to die; God wants us to live. Throughout Scripture God shows that His plan for us is to love others, to love our neighbor and help them. If a person ends his or her life, they give up their ability to fulfill God’s plan, to change the lives of others; to bless and change and love others through them, according to His plan. This is for each and every person He has created. When we fail to follow this plan or quit, others will suffer because we have not helped them. Answers in Genesis gives a list of people in the Bible who killed themselves, all of whom were people who turned away from God, sinned against Him and failed to achieve the plan God had for them. Here is the list: Judges 9:54 – Abimelech; Judges 16:30 – Samson; I Samuel 31:4 – Saul; 2 Samuel 17:23 – Ahithophel; I Kings 16:18 – Zimri; Matthew 27:5 – Judas. Guilt is one of the primary reasons people commit suicide.

Other Examples
As we have said in the Old Testament and also throughout the New Testament, God gives examples of His plans for us. Abraham was chosen as the Father of the nation of Israel through whom God would bless and provide salvation to the world. Joseph was sent to Egypt and there he saved his family. David was chosen to be king and then became the ancestor of Jesus. Moses led Israel from Egypt. Esther saves her people (Esther 4:14).

In the New Testament, Mary became Jesus’ mother. Paul spread the Gospel (Acts 26:16&17; 22:14&15). What if he had given up? Peter was chosen to preach to the Jews (Galatians 2:7). John was chosen to write Revelation, God’s message to us about the future.
This is also for all of us, for each person in their generation, each different from another’s. I Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Read Romans 12:1&2; Hebrews 12:1.

We all face trials (James 1:2-5) but God will be with us and enable us when we persevere. Read Romans 8:28. He will bring our purpose to pass. Read Psalm 37:5&6 and Proverbs 3:5&6 and Psalm 23. He will see us through and Hebrews 13:5 says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Gifts

In the New Testament God has given special spiritual gifts to each believer: an ability to be used to help and build up others and to help believers to become mature, and to fulfill God’s purpose for them. Read Romans 12; I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4.
This is just one more way God demonstrates that there is a purpose and plan for each person.
Psalm 139:16 says, “the days that were fashioned for me” and Hebrews 12:1&2 tells us “to run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.” This surely means we shouldn’t quit.

Our gifts are given to us by God. There are about 18 specific gifts, differing from others, specifically chosen according to God’s will (I Corinthians 12:4-11 and 28, Romans 12:6-8 and Ephesians 4:11&12). We should not quit but love God and serve Him. I Corinthians 6:19&20 says, “You are not your own, you were bought with a price” (when Christ died for you) “…therefore glorify God.” Galatians 1:15&16 and Ephesians 3:7-9 both say that Paul was chosen for a purpose from the time of his birth. Similar statements are said of many others in Scripture, such as David and Moses. When we quit, we not only hurt ourselves but others.

God Is Sovereign – It Is His Choice – He Is in ControlEcclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born; a time to die.” Psalm 31:15 says, “My times are in Your hands.” Ecclesiastes 7:17b says, “Why should you die before your time?” Job 1:26 says, “God gives and God takes away.” He is our Creator and Sovereign. It is God’s choice, not ours. In Romans 8:28 He who has all knowledge wants what is good for us. He says, “all things work together for good.” Psalm 37:5&6 says, “Commit your way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday.” So we should commit our ways to Him.

He will take us to be with Him at the right time and sustain us and give us grace and strength for our journey while we are here on earth. As with Job, Satan cannot touch us unless God allows it. Read I Peter 5:7-11. John 4:4 says, “Greater is He that is in you, that he that is in the world.” I John 5:4 says, “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” See also Hebrews 4:16.
Conclusion

2 Timothy 4:6&7 says we should finish the course (purpose) God has given us. Ecclesiastes 12:13 tells us our purpose is to love and glorify God. Deuteronomy 10:12 says, “What does the LORD require of you…but to fear the LORD your God…to love Him and to
serve the LORD your God with all your heart. Matthew 22:37-40 tells us to, “Love the Lord your God…and your neighbor as yourself.”

If God allows suffering it is for our good (Romans 8:28; James 1:1-4). He wants us to trust in Him, to trust in His love. I Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” Job is our example that shows us that when God allows troubles, He does it to test us and make us stronger and in the end, He blesses us and forgives us even when we don’t always trust Him, and we fail and question and challenge Him. He forgives us when we confess our sin to Him (I John 1:9). Remember I Corinthians 10:11 which says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.” God allowed Job to be tested and it made him understand God more and trust God more, and God restored and blessed him.

The Psalmist said, “The dead do not praise the LORD.” Isaiah 38:18 says, “The living man, he shall praise you.” Psalm 88:10 says, “Will you work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise you?” Psalm 18:30 also says, “As for God, His way is perfect,” and Psalm 84:11 says, “He will give grace and glory.” Choose life and choose God. Give Him control. Remember, we do not understand God’s plans, but He promises to be with us, and He wants us to trust Him as Job did. So be steadfast (I Corinthians 15:58) and finish the race “marked out for you,” and let God choose the times and path of your life (Job 1; Hebrews 12:1). Don’t give up (Ephesians 3:20)!

Jesus taught us in the Scriptures (the Bible) in John 14:6 that He is the way to heaven. He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” The Bible teaches us that Jesus died for our sins. It teaches us that we must believe in Him to have eternal life.

I Peter 2:24 says, “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree,” and John 3:14-18 (NASB) says, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up (verse14), so that whoever believes may in Him have eternal life (verse 15).

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (verse 16).

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge (condemn) the world; but that the world should be saved through Him (verse 17).

He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the only begotten Son of God (verse 18).”

See also verse 36, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life…”

This is our blessed promise.

Romans 10:9-13 ends by saying, “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Acts 16:30&31 says, “He then brought them out and asked, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’

They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.'”

If your loved one believed he or she is in heaven.

There is very little in Scripture which talks about what occurs in heaven before the Lord’s return, except that we will be with Jesus.

Jesus told the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43, “Today you shall be with me in Paradise.”

Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that, “if we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord.”

The only clues I see which indicate that our loved ones in heaven are able to see us are in Hebrews and Luke.

The first is Hebrews 12:1 which says, “Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses” (the author is speaking of those who died before us – past believers) “surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” This would indicate they can see us. They witness what we are doing.

The second is in Luke 16:19-31, the account of the rich man and Lazarus.

They could see each other and the rich man was aware of his relatives on earth. (Read the entire account.) This passage also shows us God’s response to sending “one from the dead to speak to them.”

God strictly forbids us from trying to contact the dead as in going to mediums or going to séances.
One should stay away from such things and trust in God’s Word, given to us in the Scriptures.

Deuteronomy 18:9-12 says, “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out these nations before you.”

The whole Bible is about Jesus, about His coming to die for us, so that we might have forgiveness of sins and have eternal life in heaven by believing in Him.

Acts 10:48 says, “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His Name everyone who believes in Him has received forgiveness of sins.”

Acts 13:38 says, “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”

Colossians 1:14 says, “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His Beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Read Hebrews chapter 9. Verse 22 says, “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

In Romans 4:5-8 it says the one who “believes, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,” and in verse 7 it says, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered.”

Romans 10:13&14 says,” Whoever will call upon the Name of the Lord wills be saved.

How shall they call upon Him in Whom they have not believed?”

In John 10:28 Jesus says of His believers, “and I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish.”

I hope you have believed.

Although Samuel’s body died, the spirit and soul of someone who has died do not cease to exist, that is, die.

The Scriptures (the Bible) demonstrate this over and over again. The best way I can think of to explain death in Scripture is to use the word separation. The soul and spirit are separated from the body when the body dies and begins to decay.

An example of this would be the Scriptural phrase “you are dead in your sins” which equates to “your sins have separated you from your God.” To be separated from God is spiritual death. The soul and spirit do not die in the same way as the body does.

In Luke 18 the rich man was in a place of punishment and the poor man was at Abraham’s side after their physical death. There is life after death.

On the cross, Jesus told the thief who was repentant, “today you will be with me in paradise.” On the third day after Jesus died He was physically raised. Scripture teaches that someday even our bodies will be raised as Jesus’ body was.

In John 14:1-4, 12 &28 Jesus told the disciples that He was going to be with the Father.
In John 14:19 Jesus said, “because I live, you shall live also.”
2 Corinthians 5:6-9 says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Scripture teaches clearly (see Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Galatians 5:20 and Revelation 9:21; 21:8 and 22:15) that consulting with spirits of the dead or mediums or psychics or any other form of magic is sin and grievous to God.

Some believe this may be because those who consult the dead are actually consulting demons.
In Luke 16 the rich man was told that: “And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”

In 2 Samuel 12:23 David said of his son who had died: “But now that he is dead, why should I fast?

Can I bring him back again?

I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

Isaiah 8:19 says, “When men tell you to consult mediums and psychics, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God?

Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?”

This verse tells us we should seek God for wisdom and understanding, not wizards, mediums, psychics or witches.

In I Corinthians 15:1-4 we see that “Christ died for our sins…that He was buried… and that He was raised on the third day.

It says this is the gospel.

John 6:40 says, “This is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.

Many people believe that if a person commits suicide that they automatically go to Hell.

This idea is usually based on the fact that killing yourself is murder, an extremely serious sin, and that when a person kills himself there obviously is not time after the event to repent and ask God to forgive him.

There are several problems with this idea. The first is that there is absolutely no indication in the Bible that if a person commits suicide that they go to Hell.

The second problem is that it makes salvation be by faith plus not doing something. Once you start down that road, what other conditions are you going to add to faith alone?

Romans 4:5 says, “However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

The third issue is that it almost puts murder into a separate category and makes it far worse than any other sin.

Murder is extremely serious, but so are many other sins. A final problem is that it assumes that the individual did not change his mind and cry out to God after it was too late.

According to people who have survived a suicide attempt, at least some of them regretted whatever they did to take their life almost as soon as they did it.

None of what I have just said should be taken to mean that suicide is not sin, and a very serious one at that.

People who take their own life often feel their friends and family would be better off without them, but that is almost never so. Suicide is a tragedy, not only because an individual dies, but also because of the emotional pain that all who knew the individual will feel, often for an entire lifetime.

Suicide is the ultimate rejection of all the people who cared about the one who took their own life, and often leads to all sorts of emotional problems in those affected by it, including others taking their own life also.

To sum up, suicide is an extremely serious sin, but it will not automatically send someone to Hell.

Any sin is serious enough to send a person to Hell if that person does not ask the Lord Jesus Christ to be his Savior and forgive all his sins.

We have had another question that we feel is related: The question is, “How do I escape Hell?”  The reason the questions are related is because God has told us in the Bible that He has provided the way to escape the death penalty of our sin and that is through a Savior – Jesus Christ our Lord, because a PERFECT MAN  had to take our place.   First we must consider who deserves Hell and why we deserve it.  The answer is, as Scripture clearly teaches,  that all people are sinners.  Romans 3:23 says, “ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  That means you and me  and everyone else.  Isaiah 53:6 says “all we like sheep have gone astray.”

Read Romans 1:18-31, read it carefully, to understand the sinful downfall of man and his depravity.  Many specific sins are listed here ,but these are not even all of them.  It also explains that the start of our sin is about rebellion against God, just as it was with Satan.

Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  Verse 25 says, “They exchanged the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” and verse 26 says, “They did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God” and verse 29 says, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity.”  Verse 30 says, “They invent ways of doing evil,” and verse 32 says, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.”  Read Romans 3:10-18, parts of which I quote here, “ There is none righteous, no not one … no one seeks God …all have turned away … no one who does good … and  there is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Isaiah 64:6 says, “ all our righteous acts are as filthy rags.”  Even our good deeds are soiled with bad motives etc.  Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”  Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.”  We deserve God’s punishment.

Revelation 20:13-15 clearly teaches us that death means Hell when it says, “Each person was judged according to what he had done…the lake of fire is the second death…if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

How do we escape?  Praise the Lord!  God loves us and made a way of escape.  John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”

First we must make one thing very clear.  There is only one God.  He sent one Savior, God the Son.  In the Old Testament Scripture God shows us through His dealings with Israel that He alone is God, and that they (and us) are not to worship any other God.  Deuteronomy 32:38 says, “See now, I am He.  There is no god beside me.”  Deuteronomy 4:35 says, “The Lord is God, besides Him there is no other.”  Verse 38 says, “The Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below.  There is no other.”  Jesus was quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13 when He said in Matthew 4:10, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.”  Isaiah 43:10-12 says, “ ‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He.  Before Me no god was formed, nor will there be one after Me.  I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from Me there is no Savior…You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘that I am God.’ “

God exists in three Persons, a concept we can neither fully understand nor explain, which we call the Trinity.  This fact is understood throughout Scripture, but not explained.  The plurality of God is understood from the very first verse of Genesis where it says God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.  Elohim is a plural noun.  Echad, a Hebrew word used to describe God, which is usually translated “one,” can also mean a single unit or more than one acting or being as one.  Thus the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God.  Genesis 1:26 makes this clearer than anything else in Scripture, and since all three persons are referred to in Scripture as God, we know that all  three persons are part of the Trinity.  In  Genesis 1:26  it says, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,” showing plurality.  As clear as we can possibly understand who God is, Whom we are to worship, He is a plural unity.

So God has a Son who is equally God.  Hebrews 1:1-3 tells us He is equal to the Father, His exact image.  In  verse 8 , where God the Father is speaking, it says, “about the Son He said, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever.’ “   God here calls His Son God.  Hebrews 1:2 speaks of Him as the “acting creator” saying, “through Him He made the universe.”  This is made even stronger in John chapter 1:1-3 when John speaks of the “Word” (later identified as the man Jesus) saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning. ”  This person – the Son – was the Creator (verse 3): “Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made.”  Then in verse 29-34 (which describes Jesus’ baptism) John identifies Jesus as the Son of God.  In verse 34 he (John) says of Jesus, “I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God.”  The four Gospel writers all testify that Jesus is God’s Son.  Luke’s account (in Luke 3:21&22) says, “Now when all the people were being baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form, like a dove, and a voice came from heaven saying, ‘You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.’ “  See also Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:10 and John 1:31-34.

Both Joseph and Mary identified Him as God.  Joseph was told to name Him Jesus “for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21).  The name Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) means Savior or  ‘the Lord saves’.  In Luke 2:30-35 Mary is told to name her Son Jesus and the angel told her, “the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.” In Matthew 1:21 Joseph is told, “what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”   This clearly puts the third Person of the Trinity into the picture.  Luke records that this also was told to Mary.  Thus God has a Son (Who is equally God) and thus God sent His Son (Jesus) to be a person to save us from Hell, from God’s wrath and punishment. John 3:16a says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”

Galatians 4:4&5a says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law.”  I John 4:14 says, “The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.”  God tells us Jesus is the only way to escape eternal torment in Hell.  I Timothy 2:5 says,” For there is one God and one Mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for us all, the testimony given at the proper time.”  Acts 4:12 says, “nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other Name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved.”

If you read the Gospel of John, Jesus claimed to be one with the Father, sent by the Father, to do His Father’s will and give His life for us.  He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man comes to the Father, but by Me (John 14:6).    Romans 5:9 (NKJV) says, “Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him…we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son.”  Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”  John 5:24 says, “Most assuredly I say to you, he who hears my word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment but is passed from death to life.”

John 3:16 says, “he that believes on Him will not perish.”  John 3:17 says, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him,” but verse 36 says, “whoever rejects the Son will not see life for God’s wrath remains on him.”  I Thessalonians 5:9 says, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God has provided a way to escape His wrath in Hell, but He provided only ONE WAY and we must do it His way.  So how did this come to pass?  How does this work? To understand this we must go back to the very beginning where God promised to send us a Savior.

From the time man sinned, even from creation, God planned a way and promised His salvation from sin’s consequences.  2 Timothy 1:9&10 says, “This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus.  See also Revelation 13:8.  In Genesis 3:15 God promised that the “seed of the woman” would “crush Satan’s head.”  Israel was God’s instrument (vehicle) through whom God brought to all the world His eternal salvation, given in such a way everyone could recognize Him, so all people could believe and be saved.  Israel would be the keeper of God’s Covenant Promise and the heritage through whom the Messiah – Jesus – would come.

God gave this promise first to Abraham when He promised He would bless the world through Abraham (Genesis 12:23; 17:1-8) through whom He formed the nation – Israel – the Jews.  God then passed this promise down to Isaac (Genesis 21:12), then to Jacob (Genesis 28:13&14) who was renamed Israel – the father of the Jewish nation.  Paul referred to and confirmed this in Galatians 3:8 and 9 where he said: “The Scriptures forsaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham. ”   Paul recognized Jesus as the person through whom this came.

Hal Lindsey in his book, The Promise, put it this way,  “this was to be the ethnic people through which the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would be born.” Lindsey gave four reasons for God choosing Israel through whom the Messiah would come.  I have another: through this people came all the prophetic statements which describe Him and His life and death which enable us to recognize Jesus as this person, so that all nations may believe in Him, receive Him – receiving the ultimate blessing of salvation: forgiveness and rescue from God’s wrath.

God then made a covenant (treaty) with Israel which instructed them how they could approach God through priests (mediators) and sacrifices which would cover their sins.  As we have seen (Romans 3:23 & Isaiah 64:6), we all sin and those sins separate and alienate us from God.

Please read Hebrews chapters 9&10 which are important in understanding what God did in the Old Testament system of sacrifices and in the New Testaments’ fulfillment. .  The Old Testament system was only a temporary “covering” until the real redemption was accomplished – until the promised Savior would come and secure our eternal salvation.  It was also a foreshadowing (a picture or image) of the real Savior, Jesus (Matthew1:21, Romans3:24-25. and 4:25).  So in the Old Testament, everyone had to come God’s way – the way God had set up. So we must also come to God His Way, through His Son.

It is clear that God said sin must be paid for by death and that a substitute, a sacrifice (usually a lamb) was necessary so the sinner could escape the penalty, because,  ” the wages {penalty} of sin is death.” Romans 6:23).  Hebrews 9:22 says, “without shedding of blood there is no remission.”  Leviticus 17:11 says, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”   God, through His goodness, sent us the promised fulfillment, the real thing, the Redeemer.   This is what the Old Testament is about, but God promised a New Covenant with Israel – His people – in Jeremiah 31:38, a covenant that would be fulfilled  by the Chosen One, the Savior.  This is the New Covenant – the New Testament, the promises, fulfilled in Jesus.  He would  do away with sin and death and Satan once and for all.  (As I said, you must read Hebrews chapters 9&10.)  Jesus said, (see Matthew 26:28; Luke 23:20 and Mark 12:24), “This is the New Testament (Covenant) in My blood which is shed for you for the remission of sins.”

Continuing on through history, the promised Messiah would also come through King David.  He would be David’s descendant.  Nathan the prophet said this in I Chronicles 17:11-15, declaring that the Messiah King would come through David, that He would be eternal and the King would be God, the Son of God.   (Read Hebrews chapter 1; Isaiah 9:6&7 and Jeremiah 23:5&6).  In Matthew 22:41&42 the Pharisees asked of what line of ancestry the Messiah would come, whose Son He would be, and the answer was, from David.

The Savior is identified in the New Testament by Paul. In Acts 13:22, in a sermon, Paul explains this when he speaks of David and the Messiah saying, “from this man’s descendant (David son of Jesse), according to the promise, God raised up a Savior – Jesus, as promised.”  Again, He is identified in the New Testament in Acts 13:38&39 which says, “I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,” and “through Him everyone who believes is justified.”  The Anointed One, promised and sent by God is identified as Jesus.

Hebrews 12:23&24 also tell us Who the Messiah is when it says, “You have come to God…to Jesus the Mediator of a New Covenant and to sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”  Through Israel’s prophets God gave us many prophecies, promises and pictures describing the Messiah and what He would be like and what He would do so that we would recognize  Him when He came.  These were acknowledged by Jewish leaders as authentic pictures of the Anointed One ( they refer to them as Messianic prophecies }. Here are a few of them:

1).        Psalm 2 says He would be called the Anointed One, the Son of God (See Matthew 1:21-23).  He was conceived through the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 7:14 & Isaiah 9:6&7).  He is the Son of God (Hebrews 1:1&2).

2).        He would be a real man, born of a woman (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14 and Galatians 4:4).  He would be the descendant of Abraham and David and be born of a Virgin, Mary  (I Chronicles 17:13-15 and Matthew 1:23, “she will bear a son.”).  He will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

3).        Deuteronomy 18:18&19 says He would be a great prophet and do great miracles like Moses did (a real person – a prophet).  (Please compare this to the question of whether Jesus was real – an  historical figure }.  He was real, sent by God. He is God – Immanuel.   See Hebrews chapter one, and  the Gospel of John, chapter one. How could He die for us as our substitute, if He were not a real man?

4).         There are prophecies of very specific things which occurred during the crucifixion, such as the lots being cast for His garments, His pierced  hands and feet and none of His  bones being broken.  Read Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 and other Scriptures which describe very specific events in His life.

5).         The reason for His death is clearly described and explained in Scripture in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22 . (a)  As a Substitute :  Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was pierced for our transgressions…the punishment for our peace was upon Him.”  Verse 6 continues, (b)  He took our sin : “The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all  “ and (c) He died :  Verse 8 says, “He was cut off from the land of the living.  For the transgression of My people was He stricken.”  Verse 10 says, “The Lord makes His life a guilt offering.”  Verse12 says,”He poured out His life unto death … He bore the sins of many.” (d) And finally He rose again : Verse 11 describes the resurrection when it says, “after the suffering of His soul He will see the light of life.”  See I Corinthians 15: 1- 4, this is the GOSPEL.

Isaiah 53 is a passage that is never read in the synagogues.  Once Jews read it they often

admit that this refers to Jesus , although Jews in general have rejected Jesus as their Messiah.  Isaiah 53: 3 says, “He was despised and rejected by mankind “.   See Zechariah 12:10.  Someday they will recognize Him.  Isaiah 60:16 says, “then you will know that I the Lord am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob”.   In John 4:2 Jesus told the woman at the well, “Salvation is of the Jews.”

As we have seen, it was through Israel that He brought the promises, the prophecies, which identify Jesus as the Savior and the heritage through which He would appear (be born).  See Matthew chapter 1 and Luke chapter 3.

In John 4:42 it says the woman at the well, after hearing Jesus, ran to her friends saying “Could this be the Christ?”  After this they came to Him and then they said, “We no longer believe just because of what you said: now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this MAN really is the Savior of the world.”

Jesus is the Chosen One, the son of Abraham, Son of  David, the Savior and King forever, Who reconciled and redeemed us by His death, giving us forgiveness, sent by God to  rescue us from Hell and give us life forever (John 3:16; I John 4:14; John 5:9&24 and 2 Thessalonians 5:9).  This is how it came to be, how God  made a Way so we can be free of judgment and wrath. Now let us see more closely  How Jesus fulfilled  this promise.

There are some things that the Bible teaches that I absolutely love, such as how much God loves us.  There are other things that I actually wish were not there, but my study of Scripture has convinced me that, If I am going to be completely honest in how I handle Scripture, I have to believe it teaches that the lost will suffer eternal torment in Hell.

Those who would question the idea of eternal torment in Hell will often say that the words used to describe the duration of the torment do not exactly mean eternal.  And while this is true, that the Greek of New Testament times did not have and use a word exactly equivalent to our word eternal, the writers of the New Testament used the words available to them to describe both how long we will live with God and how long the ungodly will suffer in Hell.  Matthew 25:46 says, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”  The same words translated eternal are used to describe God in Romans 16:26 and the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 9:14.  2 Corinthians 4:17&18 helps us understand what the Greek words translated “eternal” really mean.  It says, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Mark 9:48b “It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.”  Jude 13c “For whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.”  Revelation 14:10b&11 “They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.  And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.  There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”  All these passages indicate something that does not end.

Perhaps the strongest indication that punishment in Hell is eternal is found in Revelation chapters 19&20.  In Revelation 19:20 we read that the beast and the false prophet (both human beings) “were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”  After that it says in Revelation 20:1-6 that Christ reigns for a thousand years.  During those thousand years Satan is locked up in the Abyss but Revelation 20:7 says, “When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison.”  After he makes a final attempt to defeat God we read in Revelation 20:10, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.  They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  The word “they” includes the beast and the false prophet who have already been there for a thousand years.

In answer to your question, people who believe in Jesus Christ, in His provision for our salvation go to heaven to be with God and unbelievers are condemned to eternal punishment.  John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him,”

When you die your soul and spirit leave your body.  Genesis 35:18 shows us this when it tells of Rachel dying, saying, “as her soul was departing (for she died).”  When the body dies, the soul and spirit depart but they don’t cease to exist. It is very clear in Matthew 25:46 what occurs after death, when, in speaking of the unrighteous, it says, “these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous unto eternal life.”

Paul, when teaching believers, said that the moment we are “absent from the body we are present with the Lord” (I Corinthians 5:8).  When Jesus was risen from the dead, He went to be with God the Father (John 20:17). When He promises the same life for us, we know that it will be and that we will be with Him.

In Luke 16:22-31 we see the account of the rich man and Lazarus.  The righteous poor man was at “Abraham’s side” but the rich man went to Hades and was in agony.  In verse 26 we see that there was a great gulf fixed between them so that once there the unrighteous man could not pass over to heaven.  In verse 28 it refers to Hades as a place of torment.

In Romans 3:23 it says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Ezekiel 18:4 and 20 say, “the soul (and note the use of the word soul for person) who sins shall die…the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”  (Death in this sense in Scripture, as in Revelation 20:10,14&15, is not physical death but separation from God forever and eternal punishment as seen in Luke 16.  Romans 6:23 says, “the wages of sin is death,” and Matthew 10:28 says, “fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

So then, who can possibly enter heaven and be with God forever since we all are unrighteous sinners.  How can we be rescued or ransomed from the penalty of death.  Romans 6:23 also gives the answer. God comes to our rescue, for it says, “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Read I Peter 1:1-9.  Here we have Peter discussing how the believers have received an inheritance “that can never perish, spoil or fade away – kept forever in heaven” (Verse 4 NIV).  Peter speaks of how believing in Jesus results in “obtaining the outcome of the faith, the saving of your soul” (verse 9).  (See also Matthew 26:28.)  Philippians 2:8&9 tells us that everyone must confess that Jesus, who claimed equality with God, is “Lord” and must believe that He died for them (John 3:16; Matthew 27:50).

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the Truth and the Life; no man can come to the Father, except through Me.”  Psalms 2:12 says, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way.”

Many passages in the New Testament phrase our faith in Jesus as “obeying the truth” or “obeying the gospel,” which means to “believe in the Lord Jesus.”  I Peter 1:22 says, “you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit.”  Ephesians 1:13 says, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.”  (Read also Romans 10:15 and Hebrews 4:2.)

The Gospel (meaning good news) is declared in I Corinthians 15:1-3.  It says, “Brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried and that He rose again the third day…”  Jesus said in Matthew 26:28, “For this is My blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”  I Peter 2:24 (NASB) says, “He Himself bore our sins in His  own body on the cross .”  I Timothy 2:6 says, “He gave His life a ransom for all.”  Job 33:24 says, “spare him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom for him.”  (Read Isaiah 53:5, 6, 8, 10.)

John 1:12 tells us what we must do, “but as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”  Romans 10:13 says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  John 3:16 says whoever believes on Him has “everlasting life.”  John 10:28 says, “I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish.”  In Acts 16:36 the question is asked, “What must I do to be saved?” and answered, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”  John 20:31 says, “these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ and that believing you may have life in His name.”

Scripture shows evidence that the souls of those who believe will be in Heaven with Jesus.  In Revelation 6:9 and 20:4 the souls of righteous martyrs were seen by John in heaven.  We also see in Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:2 where Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up a high mountain where Jesus was transfigured before them and Moses and Elijah appeared to them and they were talking with Jesus.  They were more than just spirits, for the disciples recognized them and they were alive.  In Philippians 1:20-25 Paul writes, “to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.”  Hebrews 12:22 speaks of heaven when it says, “you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and the church (the name given to all believers) of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven.”

Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

The Holy Spirit is both everywhere present and especially present in believers. Psalm 139:7&8 says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there: if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” The Holy Spirit being everywhere present will not change, even when all believers are in Heaven.

The Holy Spirit also lives in believers from the moment they are “born again,” or “born of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8). It is my opinion that when the Holy Spirit comes to live in a believer he joins Himself to that person’s spirit in a relationship that is much like a marriage. I Corinthians 6:16b&17 “For it is said, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” I think the Holy Spirit will remain united with my spirit even after I die.

The best passage to answer your question comes from Luke 16:18-31. Judgement is immediate, but it is neither final or complete immediately after we die. If we are believer in Jesus our spirit and soul will be in heaven with Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:8-10 says, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.) Unbelievers will be in Hades until the final judgment, and then go to the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:11-15) Believers will be judged for their works which they have done for God, but not for sin. (I Corinthians 3:10-15)  We won’t be judged for sins because we are forgiven in Christ. Unbelievers will be judged for their sins. (Revelation 20:15; 22:14; 21:27)

In John 3:5,15.16.17.18 and 36 Jesus says that those who believe that He died for them have everlasting life and those who do not believe are condemned already. I Corinthians 15:1-4 says, “Jesus died for our sins… that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day.” Acts 16:31 says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” 2 Timothy 1:12 says, “I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.”

In answer to the question of remembering “past” life, it depends on what you mean by the question.

1).        If you are referring to re-incarnation the Bible does not teach it.  There is no mention of coming back in another form or as another person in Scripture.  Hebrews 9:27 says that, “It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment.”

2).        If you are asking whether we will remember our lives after we die, we will be reminded of all our deeds when we are judged for what we did during our lives.

God knows all – past, present and future and God will judge unbelievers for their sinful deeds and they will receive everlasting punishment and believers will be rewarded for their works done for the kingdom of God.  (Read John chapter 3 and Matthew 12:36&37.)  God remembers everything.

Considering that every sound wave is out there somewhere and considering that we now have “clouds” to store our memories, science is barely starting to catch up to what God can do.  No word or deed is undetectable to God.

A Letter From Heaven

A Letter From Hell

A Love Letter From Jesus

An Invitation to Accept Christ

Biblical Answers to Spiritual Questions

Heaven - Our Eternal Home

Our Relationships in Heaven

Overcoming Pornography

The Dark Night of the Soul

The Furnace of Suffering

There is Hope

What Happens the Moment After You Die?

Will We Know Each Other In Heaven?

Alfred, New York

Amish

Autumn Scenes

Birds

Flowers:

Blue

Orange

Pink

Purple

White

Yellow

Guest Gallery

Lakes

Old Houses and Barns

Rustic

State Parks:

Gettysburg National Park

Letchworth State Park

Robert H. Treman

Stony Brook

Watkins Glen

Woodlands

Zoo Animals

The angels came and ushered me into God’s presence, dear mama. They carried me like you did when I would fall asleep. I awoke into the arms of Jesus, the One who gave His life for me!

It’s so beautiful up here, so beautiful like you’ve always said! A pure river of water, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God.

I was so overwhelmed with His love, dear mama! Imagine my joy seeing Jesus face to face! His smile – so warm… His face – so radiant… “Welcome home my child!” He tenderly said.

Oh, don’t be sad for me, mama. Your tears fall like summer rain! I feel so light on my feet like I’m dancing, mama. The curse of death has lost its sting.

Although God called me home so early, with so many dreams, so many songs unsung, I’ll be in your heart, in your cherished memories. The moments we had will carry you through.

I remember when at bedtime I’d crawl up in your bed? You would tell me stories of Jesus and the love for us He had.

I remember those nights, mama ~ your treasured stories. Mama’s lullabies that I tucked in my heart. The moonlight danced on the wooden floors when I asked God to save me. 

Jesus came into my life that night, dear mama! In the darkness I could feel you smile. Bells rang for me in heaven! My name written in the Book of Life.

So don’t cry for me, dear mama. I’m here in heaven because of you. Jesus needs you now, for there are my brothers. There’s more work on earth for you to do.

One day when your work is over, the angels shall come to carry you. Safely into the arms of Jesus, the One who loved and died for you.

“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. ~ Luke 16:23-24

A Letter From Hell

Dear Mom,

I am writing to you from the most horrible place that I have ever seen, and more horrible than you could ever imagine. It is BLACK here, so DARK that I cannot even see all the souls I am constantly bumping into. I only know they are people like myself from the blood curdling SCREAMS. My voice is gone from my own screaming as I writhe in pain and suffering. I cannot even cry for help anymore, and it is no use anyway, there is no one here that has any compassion at all for my plight.

The PAIN and suffering in this place is absolutely unbearable. It so consumes my every thought,  I could not know if there were any other sensation to come upon me. The pain is so severe, it never stops day or night. The turning of days does not appear because of the darkness.  What may be nothing more than minutes or even seconds seems like many endless years.  The thought of this suffering continuing without end is more than I can bear. My mind is spinning more and more with each passing moment.  I feel like a madman, I cannot even think clearly under this load of confusion. I fear I am losing my mind.

The FEAR is just as bad as the pain, maybe even worse. I don’t see how my predicament could be any worse than this, but I am in constant fear that it MIGHT be at any moment.

My mouth is parched, and will only become more so. It is so dry that my tongue cleaves to the roof of my mouth. I recall that old preacher saying that’s what Jesus Christ endured as he hung on that old rugged cross. There is no relief, not so much as a single drop of water to cool my swollen tongue.

To add even more misery to this place of torment, I know that I deserve to be here. I am being punished justly for my deeds. The punishment, the pain, the suffering is no worse than I justly deserve, but admitting that now will never ease the anguish  that burns eternally in my wretched soul.  I hate myself for committing the sins to earn such a horrible fate,  I hate the devil that deceived me so that I would end up in this place.  And as much as I know it is an unspeakable wickedness to think such a thing, I hate the very God that sent his only begotten Son to spare me this torment. I can never blame the Christ that suffered and bled and died for me,  but I hate him anyway. I cannot even control my feelings that I know to be wicked, wretched and vile. I am more wicked and vile now than I ever was in my earthly existence. Oh, If only I had listened.

Any earthly torment would be far better than this. To die a slow agonizing death from Cancer; To die in a burning building as the victims of the 9-11 terror attacks. Even to be nailed to a cross after being beaten unmercifully like the Son of God; But to choose these over my present state I have no power. I do not have that choice.

I now understand that this torment and suffering is what Jesus Bore for me. I believe that he suffered, bled and died to pay for my sins, but his suffering was not eternal. After three days he arose in victory over the grave. Oh, I do SO believe, but alas, it is too late. As the old invitation song says that I remember hearing so many times, I am “One Day Too Late”.

We are ALL believers in this terrible place, but our faith amounts to NOTHING. It is too late. The door is shut. The tree has fallen, and here shall it lay. In HELL. Forever lost. No Hope, No Comfort, No Peace, No Joy.

There will never be any end to my suffering. I remember that old preacher as he would read  “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: And they have no rest day nor night”

And that is perhaps the worst thing about this terrible place. I REMEMBER. I remember the church services. I remember the invitations. I always thought they were so corny, so stupid, so useless. It seemed I was too “tough” for such things. I see it all different now, Mom, but my change of heart matters nothing at this point.

I have lived like a fool, I pretended like a fool, I died like a fool, and now I must suffer the torments and anguish of a fool.

Oh, Mom, how I miss so very much the comforts of home. Never again will I know your tender caress across my fevered brow. No more warm breakfasts or home-cooked meals. Never again will I feel the warmth of the fireplace on a frosty winter’s night. Now the fire engulfs not only this perishing body wracked with pain beyond compare, but the fire of the wrath of an Almighty God consumes my very inner being with an anguish that cannot be properly described in any mortal language.

I long to just stroll through a lush green meadow in the springtime and view the beautiful flowers, stopping to take in the fragrance of their sweet perfume. Instead I am resigned to the burning smell of brimstone, sulfur, and a heat so intense that all other senses simply fail me.

Oh, Mom, as a teenager I always hated having to listen to the fussing and whining of the little babies in church, and even at our house. I thought they were such an inconvenience to me, such an irritation. How I long just to see for a brief moment one of those innocent little faces. But there are no babies in Hell, Mom.

There are no Bibles in Hell, dearest mother. The only scriptures inside the charred walls of the damned are those that ring in my ears hour after hour, moment after miserable moment. They offer no comfort at all, though, and only serve to remind me of what a fool I have been.

Were it not for the futility of them Mom, you might otherwise rejoice to know that there is a never ending prayer meeting here in Hell. No matter, there is no Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf. The prayers are so empty, so dead. They amount to nothing more than cries for mercy that we all know will never be answered.

Please warn my brothers Mom. I was the eldest, and thought I had to be “cool”. Please tell them that no one in Hell is cool. Please warn all my friends, even my enemies, lest they come also to this place of torment.

As terrible as this place is, Mom, I see that it is not my final destination. As Satan laughs at all of us here, and as multitudes join us continually in this feast of misery, we are constantly reminded that some day in the future, we will all be summoned individually to appear before The Judgment Throne of Almighty God.

God will show us our eternal fate written in the books next to all of our wicked works. We will have no defense, no excuse, and nothing to say except to confess the justice of our damnation before the supreme judge of all the earth. Just before being cast into our final destination of torment, the Lake of Fire, we will have to look upon the face of him who willingly suffered the torments of hell that we might be delivered from them. As we stand there in his holy presence to hear the pronouncement of our damnation, you will be there Mom to see it all.

Please forgive me for hanging my head in shame, as I know I will not be able to bear to look upon your face. You will already be conformed into the image of the Savior, and I know it will be more than I can stand.

I would love to leave this place and join you and so many others I have known for my few short years on earth. But I know that will never be possible. Since I know I can never escape the torments of the damned, I say with tears, with a sorrow and deep despair that can never be completely described, I never want to see any of you again. Please don’t ever join me here.

In eternal Anguish, Your Son / Daughter, Condemned and Lost Forever

I asked Jesus, “How much do you love me?” He said, “This much” and stretched out His hands and died. Died for me, a fallen sinner! He died for you too.

***

The night before My death, you were on my mind. How I desired to have a relationship with you, to spend eternity with you in heaven. Yet, sin separated you from Me and My Father. A sacrifice of innocent blood was needed for the payment of your sins.

The hour had come when I was to lay down my life for you. With heaviness of heart I went out to the garden to pray. In agony of soul I sweat, as it were, drops of blood as I cried out to God… “…O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” ~ Matthew 26:39

While I was in the garden the soldiers came to arrest Me even though I was innocent of any crime. They brought Me before Pilate’s hall. I stood before My accusers. Then Pilate took Me and scourged Me. Lacerations cut deeply into My back as I took the beating for you. Then the soldiers stripped me, and put a scarlet robe on Me. They platted a crown of thorns upon My head. Blood flowed down My face… there was no beauty that you should desire Me.

Then the soldiers mocked Me, saying, ” Hail, King of the Jews! They brought Me before the cheering crowd, shouting, “Crucify Him. Crucify Him.” I stood there silently, bloody, bruised and beaten. Wounded for your transgressions, bruised for your iniquities. Despised and rejected of men.

Pilate sought to release Me but gave in to the pressure of the crowd. “Take ye Him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.” he said to them. Then he delivered Me to be crucified.

You were on my mind when I carried My cross up the lonesome hill to Golgotha. I fell beneath its weight. It was my love for you, and to do My Father’s will that gave Me the strength to bear beneath its heavy load. There, I bore your griefs and I carried your sorrows laying down My life for the sin of mankind.

The soldiers sneered giving heavy blows of the hammer driving the nails deeply into My hands and feet. Love nailed your sins to the cross, never to be dealt with again. They hoisted Me up and left Me to die. Yet, they did not take My life. I willingly gave it.

The sky grew black. Even the sun stopped shining. My body wracked with excruciating pain took the weight of your sin and bore it’s punishment so that the wrath of God could be satisfied.

When all things were accomplished. I committed My spirit into My Father’s hands, and breathed out My final words,”It is finished.” I bowed my head and gave up the ghost.

I Love you… Jesus.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” ~ John 15:13

Dear Soul,

Today the road may have seemed steep, and you feel alone. Someone you trust has disappointed you. God sees your tears. He feels your pain. He longs to comfort you, for He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

God loves you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die in your place. He will forgive you for every sin you have committed, if you are willing to leave your sins and turn from them.

The Scripture says, “…I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” ~ Mark 2:17b

Soul, that includes you and me.

No matter how far into the pit you have fallen, God’s grace is greater still. The dirty despondent souls, He came to save. He’ll reach down His hand to hold yours.

Maybe you’re like this fallen sinner who came to Jesus, knowing He was the One who could save her. With tears streaming down her face, she began to wash His feet with her tears, and  wipe them with her hair. He said, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven…” Soul, can He say that of you tonight?

Perhaps you’ve looked at pornography and you feel ashamed, or you’ve committed adultery and you want to be forgiven.  The same Jesus who’s forgiven her will also forgive you tonight.

Maybe you thought about giving your life to Christ, but put it off for one reason or another. “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” ~ Hebrews 4:7b

The Scripture says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” ~ Romans 3:23

“That if 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

Don’t fall asleep without Jesus until you are assured of a place in heaven.

Tonight, if you would like to receive the gift of eternal life, first you must believe in the Lord. You have to ask for your sins to be forgiven and put your trust in the Lord. To be a believer in the Lord, ask for eternal life. There’s only one way to heaven, and that’s through the Lord Jesus. That’s God’s wonderful plan of salvation.

You can begin a personal relationship with Him by praying from your heart a prayer such as the following:

“Oh God, I’m a sinner. I’ve been a sinner all of my life. Forgive me, Lord. I receive Jesus as my Savior. I trust Him as my Lord. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

Have you been considering whether or not there is a higher power? A power that formed the Universe and all that’s in it. A power that took nothing and created the earth, the sky, water, and living things?Where did the simplest plant come from? The most complicated creature… man? I struggled with the question for years. I sought the answer in science.

Surely the answer can be found through the study of these things all around that amaze and mystify us. The answer had to be in the most minute part of every creature and thing. The atom! The essence of life must be found there. It wasn’t. It wasn’t found in the nuclear material or in the electrons spinning around it. It wasn’t in the empty space that makes up most of everything we can touch and see.

All these thousands of years of looking and no one has found the essence of life inside the common things around us. I knew there must be a force, a power, that was doing all this around me. Was it God? Okay, why doesn’t He just reveal Himself to me? Why not? If this force is a living God why all the mystery? Wouldn’t it be more logical for Him to say, Okay, here I am. I did all this. Now go about your business.”

Not until I met a special woman who I reluctentantly went to a Bible study with did I start to understand any of this. The people there were studying the Scriptures and I thought they must be searching for the same thing I was, but just haven’t found it yet. The leader of the group read a passage from the Bible written by a man who used to hate Christians but was changed. Changed in an amazing way. His name was Paul and he wrote,

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

Those words “grace” and “faith” fascinated me. What did they really mean? Later that night she asked me to go see a movie, of course she tricked me into going to a Christian movie. At the end of the show there was a short message by Billy Graham. Here he was, a farm boy from North Carolina, explaining to me the very thing that I had been struggling with all along. He said, “You can’t explain God scientifically, philosophically, or in any other intellectual way. “You simply have to believe God is real.

You have to have faith that what He said He did as it is written in the Bible. That He created the heavens and the earth, that He created the plants and animals, that He spoke all this into existence as it is written in the book of Genesis in the Bible. That He breathed life into a lifeless form and it became man. That He wanted to have a closer relationship with the people He created so He took on the form of a man who was God’s Son and came to the earth and lived among us. This Man, Jesus, paid the debt of sin for those who will believe by being crucified on the cross.

How could it be so simple? Just believe? Have faith that all this was the truth? I went home that night and got little sleep. I struggled with the issue of God giving me grace – through faith to believe. That He was that force, that essence of life and creation of all that ever was and is. Then He came to me. I knew that I simply had to believe. It was by God’s grace that He showed me His love. That He was the answer and that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for me so that I could believe. That I could have a relationship with Him. He revealed Himself to me in that moment.

I called her to tell her that I now understand. That now I believe and want to give my life to Christ. She told me that she prayed that I would not sleep until I took that leap of faith and believed in God. My life was changed forever. Yes, forever, because now I can look forward to spending eternity in a wonderful place called heaven.

No longer do I concern myself with needing evidence to prove that Jesus could actually walk on water, or that the Red Sea could have parted to allow the Israelites to pass through, or any of the dozen other seemingly impossible events written in the Bible.

God has proven Himself over and over in my life. He can reveal Himself to you also. If you find yourself seeking proof of His existence ask Him to reveal Himself to you. Take that leap of faith as a child, and truly believe in Him. Open yourself up to His love by faith, not evidence.

Living in this fallen world with its heartaches, disappointments and suffering, we long for heaven! Our eyes turn upward when our spirit is bent to our eternal home in glory that the Lord Himself is preparing for those who love Him.

The Lord has planned the new earth to be far more beautiful, beyond our imagination.

“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing… ~ Isaiah 35:1-2

“Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.” ~ Isaiah 35:5-6

“And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” ~ Isaiah 35:10

What shall we say in His presence? Oh, the tears that shall flow when we behold His nail scarred hands and feet! The uncertainties of life shall be made known to us, when we see our Savior face to face.

Most of all we shall see Him! We shall behold His glory! He shall shine as the sun in pure radiance, as He welcomes us home in glory.

“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

“And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. ~ Revelation 21:2

…”And he will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.” ~ Revelation 21:3b

“And they shall see His face…” “…and they shall reign forever and ever.” ~ Revelation 22:4a&5b

“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.” ~ Revelation 21:4

Many people wonder as they turn from the grave of their loved ones, “Will we know our loved ones in heaven”? “Will we see their face again”?

The Lord understands our griefs. He carries our sorrows… For He wept at the grave of His dear friend Lazarus even though He knew He would raise him up within a few moments.

There He comforteth His beloved friends.

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” ~ John 11:25

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with them. 1 Thessalonians 4:14

Now, we sorrow for those who fall asleep in Jesus, but not as those who have no hope.

“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.” ~ Matthew 22:30

Although our earthly marriage will not remain in heaven, our relationships will be pure and wholesome. For it is but a portrait that served its purpose until believers in Christ shall be married to the Lord.

“And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.

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 shall be past away.” ~ Revelation 21:2

He brought me up also out of an
horrible pit, out of the miry clay,
and set my feet upon a rock,
and established my goings.

Psalm 40:2

Let me speak to your heart for a moment.. I’m not here to condemn you, or to judge where you have been. I understand just how easy it is to get caught in the web of pornography.

Temptation is everywhere. It’s an issue that we are all faced with. It may seem like a little thing to look at that which is pleasing to the eye. The trouble is, looking turns into lusting, and lusting is a desire that is never satisfied.

“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin, and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.”  ~ James 1:14-15

Often this is what draws a soul into the web of pornography.

The Scriptures deal with this common issue…

“But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”

“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” ~ Matthew 5:28-29

Satan sees our struggle. He laughs at us deliriously! “Art thou also become as weak as we?  God can’t reach you now, your soul is beyond His reach.”

Many die in its entanglement, others question their faith in God. “Have I wandered too far from His grace? Will His hand reach down to me now?”

Its moments of pleasure are dimly lit, as loneliness sets in having been deceived. No matter how far into the pit you have fallen, God’s grace is greater still. The fallen sinner He longs to save, He’ll reach down His hand to hold yours.

Oh, the dark night of the soul, when we hang our harps upon the willows and find comfort only in the Lord!

Separation is sorrowful. Who of us haven’t grieved the loss of a loved one, nor felt its sorrow having wept in each other’s arms no longer to enjoy their loving friendship, to help us through the hardships of life?

Many are passing through the valley as you read this. You can relate, having lost a companion yourself and are now experiencing the heartache of separation, wondering how you will cope with the lonely hours ahead.

Being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart… We are homesick for heaven and anticipate the reunion of our loved ones as we long for a better place.

The familiar was so comforting. It’s never easy to let go. For they are the crutches that have held us up, the places that have given us comfort, the visits that have given us joy. We hold on to what is precious till it’s taken from us often with deep anguish of soul.

Sometimes its sadness washes over us like ocean waves crashing over our soul. We shield ourselves from its pain, finding shelter under the wings of the Lord.

We’d lose ourselves in the valley of grief if it were not for the Shepherd to guide us through the long and lonely nights. In the dark night of the soul He is our Comforter, a Loving Presence who shares in our pain and in our suffering.

With each tear that falls, the sorrow nudges us towards heaven, where no death, nor sorrow, nor tear shall fall. Weeping may last for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. He carries us in our moments of deepest pain.

Through teary eyes we anticipate our joyful reunion when we will be with our loved ones in the Lord.

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” ~ Matthew 5:4

May the Lord bless you and keep you all the days of your life, until you are in the presence of the Lord in heaven.

The furnace of suffering! How it hurts and brings us pain. It is there that the Lord trains us for battle.  It is there that we learn to pray.

It is there that God gets alone with us and reveals to us who we really are. It is there where He prunes away our comforts and burns away the sin in our lives.

It is there that He uses our failures to prepare us for His work. It is there, in the furnace, when we have nothing to offer, when we have no song in the night.

It is there that we feel like our life is over when every thing we enjoy is being taken away from us. It is then that we begin to realize that we are under the wings of the Lord. He will take care of us.

It is there that we often fail to recognize the hidden work of God in our most barren times.  It is there, in the furnace, that no tear is wasted  but fulfills His purposes in our lives.

It is there that He weaves the black thread into the tapestry of our life.  It is there where He reveals that all things work together for good to those who love Him.

It is there that we get real with God, when all else is said and done. “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him.” It is when we fall out of love with this life, and live in the light of eternity to come.

It is there that He reveals the depths of love that He has for us, ” For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time  are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”  ~ Romans 8:18

It is there, in the furnace, that we realize ” For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17

It is there that we fall in love with Jesus and appreciate the depth of our eternal home,  knowing that the sufferings of our past won’t cause us pain, but would rather enhance His glory.

It is when we come out of the furnace that spring begins to blossom. After He reduces us to tears we offer liquefied prayers that touch the heart of God.

“…but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.” ~ Romans 5:3-4

Dear friend,

Do you know who Jesus is? Jesus is your spiritual lifeguard. Confused? Well just read on.

You see, God sent His Son, Jesus, into the world to forgive us of our sins and to save us from everlasting torture in a place called hell.

In hell, you are by yourself in total darkness screaming for your life. You are being burned alive for all eternity. Eternity lasts forever!

You smell sulfur in hell, and hear blood curdling screams  of those who rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. On top of that, You’ll remember all the horrible things that you have ever done, all the people you have picked on.  These memories are going to haunt you  forever and ever! It is never going to stop. And you’ll wish that you paid attention to all the people who warned you about hell.

There is hope though. Hope that is found in Jesus Christ.

God sent His Son, the Lord Jesus to die for our sins. He was hung on a cross, mocked and beaten, a crown of thorns were thrown upon His head, paying for the sins of the world for those who will believe on Him.

He is preparing a place for them in a place called heaven, where no tears, sorrows or pain will inflict them. No worries or cares.

It’s a place so beautiful that it’s indescribable. If you would like to go to heaven and spend eternity with God, confess to God that you are a sinner deserving of hell and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.

Who of us hasn’t wept at the graveside of a loved one,
or mourned their loss with so many questions unanswered? Will we know our loved ones in heaven? Will we see their face again?

Death is sorrowful with its separation, it’s hard for those that we leave behind. Those who love much often grieve deeply, feeling the heartache of their empty chair.

Yet, we sorrow for those who fall asleep in Jesus, but not as those who have no hope. The Scriptures are woven with the comfort that not only will we know our loved ones in heaven, but we will be together with them also.

Although we grieve the loss of our loved ones, we’ll have eternity to be with those in the Lord. The familiar sound of their voice will call out your name. So shall we ever be with the Lord.

What about our loved ones who may have died without Jesus? Will you see their face again? Who knows that they haven’t trusted Jesus in their last moments? We may never know this side of heaven.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ~ Romans 8:18

“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18