Have you ever thought about what you will be doing in eternity or how to get to heaven? Most people are so busy with life they don’t take time to think about eternity. We have a tendency to think eternity is something that won’t happen to us and we are going to live on this earth forever. We know this to be false, but somehow, we don’t want to think about that part of our future.
How People Think They Get to Heaven
Many people think they will get to heaven because they were good people, did more good deeds than bad deeds, or a loving God would never send anybody to hell. But what does Jesus tell us? Remember you can sincerely believe something, like all people go to heaven, but that does not make it true.
There is no escape for the person who wastes their opportunity to prepare to meet God. God made man different from the other creatures. He made him in His own image, a living soul. When our body dies and our earthly existence ends, our soul lives on forever. One thousand years from this day, you will be more alive than you are at this moment. The Bible teaches that life does not end at the cemetery. There is a future life with God for those who place their faith in Jesus as their Savior. There is also a future in hell for those who reject Jesus.
How Jesus Says We Get to Heaven
John 3:13 Jesus said, “No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.” [1]
Jesus, the Son of Man, was lifted up on the cross where all of our sins were poured out on Him. 1 Peter 2:24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. [2]
In order to go to heaven after we die, we need to ask Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. It is about having a personal relationship with Jesus. Knowing is not just knowing about God, or simply admitting that God exists. Knowing God means being intimately connected with Him in an ongoing relationship. Though Jesus promises heaven to all who trust in Him, eternal life is not just about getting to heaven. Eternal life begins today as the Lord begins to shape and mold us into transformed people here on earth.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and the life. Help me to find true life today in my relationship with you and your Father. In your name I pray. Amen.
Listen here to learn more about Nicodemus and his encounter with Jesus: https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/encountering-jesus-with-nicodemus
[1-2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2013). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.