You’re thinking… which college should I go to? Should I switch jobs to raise my salary? Do I need a bigger house? Should I buy an electric car? Is my partner the one or do I have to keep looking for Prince Charming?
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However, you rarely or never think… what happens after we die? Is there an afterlife? Why does God allow suffering? Why do we die?
These existential questions may appear in someone’s life after a tragedy (e.g., the death of a loved one), but, because it’s hard to answer them, most people will quit looking for answers and will switch back to worrying about earthly matters.
Are there any good answers to existential questions though? Let’ take a look.
Why does God allow suffering?
Wars, natural disasters, pandemics, poisonous animals, poverty, hunger, diseases and pain… If there is a God, why does he even allow suffering?
Why didn’t he create everything to be perfect? Or at least a bit better than what we now see in this world?
Did God fail when He created humanity? He actually didn’t… in the beginning God created man perfect who lived in a perfect world. It was literally heaven on earth at that point.
But then God cursed the earth because Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the forbidden tree. In the Bible we can read the following:
Why do we die?
Death is horrifying. One day you are healthy, joyful and surrounded by loves ones and the next day you are dead inside a coffin buried 2 meters under the ground.
Why is it like this? What did we do to deserve death?
There is a famous Bible verse that gives us the answer. It says:
In other words, God is paying us in death for our sins. It’s like a judge who sentences a criminal to death, because of the crimes he committed.
Similarly, sin is so serious to the eyes of a holy God that he has given us the death sentence.
What happens after we die?
So, you are in that coffin… What happens next? Do the lights simply go off? Is it an eternal sleep? You strived and achieved so much in your life for this blackout?
That’s a depressing thought, isn’t it?
The Bible is clear on that our body indeed dies, but our soul lives on. And after we die God becomes the judge who will judge us according to our deeds. Here comes the Bible again with another answer:
Is there an afterlife?
The court takes place, and the Judge makes a decision. It will either be heaven or hell. But where are you going? Hopefully to heaven, right?
But don’t you want to know for sure where you will spend eternity?
All you must do to find out is to ask yourself a couple of questions. Have your ever:
- Lied?
- Taken something that belongs to someone else? (Irrespective of the item’s value or size)
- Used God’s name in vain? (By saying, for example, “OMG” or replacing the word sh*t with the name of Jesus when you want to express disgust)
- Desired something that belongs to someone else? (i.e., being covetous)
- Hated someone? Did you know that Jesus said that whoever hates his brother is a murderer? (1 John 3:15)
If you have ever done any of the above, then God will declare you guilty and sentence you to go to hell where to worm does not die and the fire is not quenched (Mark 9:48).
Of course, God does not want anyone to go to hell and that’s why he provided a Savior. Jesus of Nazareth was born off a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, was buried and rose again after 3 days.
The good news (aka the Gospel)
I am sure you have heard of Jesus's story, but what does this mean for us 2000 years later? What does “died on the cross for our sins” mean?
It’s simple… you and I broke God’s moral law (i.e., the 10 commandments) and Jesus came and paid the fine.
Do you remember his last words before he died on the cross? He cried out: “It is finished!”. He was saying in other words that the debt has been paid.
If you are in court and there is a stack of speeding fines against you that you cannot pay you will go to prison.
But if someone else comes and pays those fines then the judge will legally let you go.
And all you must do, in order to avoid hell and go to heaven is two things:
- Repent of your sins (i.e., ask God for forgiveness and turn away from your sins).
- And trust in Jesus
Trusting in Jesus is different than just believing in Jesus. You must trust in Jesus like you trust an elevator, a pilot or a parachute. You don’t just believe that the parachute exists… you put your trust in it.
And the moment you do these things you have God’s promise (and God cannot lie) that he will grant you everlasting life (i.e., going to heaven) as a gift.
Not because you are a good person, but because God is good, kind, rich and merciful.
Can we trust what the Bible says?
Throughout this article I keep quoting verses from the Bible, but how do I know that the Bible is true?
First of all, I know it personally because the main message of the Bible (i.e., the Gospel) has changed me to a person that hates sin and loves righteousness.
In the following video you can see how God can change your heart in an instant, if you are ready to accept Him:
Have you ever bought a piece of furniture from IKEA, and you started to assemble it yourself without looking at the instructions?
Only to find out halfway through that you messed up and you need to start again from scratch?
This is how it feels to live your life without looking at the Bible for answers.
There is a reason why the Bible is the most selling book of all time…
It’s because it’s the manual on how to live your life. It tells us how the world was created, why we are on this planet, where we go when we die and how to find everlasting life.
What is my motive?
Please examine my motive for writing these things… Why am I writing such an article?
Do I want your money? Not really, this website is not even monetized anymore.
Do I want you to join a church? Nope.
Am I doing this to gain followers or more friends? Not even close… In fact, I might even lose friends by telling them they are going to hell unless they repent and trust in Christ.
My sole motivation is love.
I feel like a doctor who has found the cure for cancer, and I must tell everyone.
Wouldn’t you do the same?
Until next time.
Source of inspiration for this article: Living Waters ministry
