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"If" When we die, if we are good we go to heaven, or if we are bad then we go to hell?

to be tormented by the devil... yet the bible say's at Psalms 146:4 His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; In that day his thoughts do perish

and at Ecclesiastes 3:20 All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.

Then at Genesis 3:19) In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.

Jesus Christ spoke about the condition of the dead. He did so with regard to Lazarus, a man whom he knew well and who had died. Jesus told his disciples: “Lazarus our friend has gone to rest.” The disciples thought that Jesus meant that Lazarus was resting in sleep, recovering from an illness. They were wrong. Jesus explained: “Lazarus has died.” (John 11:11-14) Notice that Jesus compared death to rest and sleep. Lazarus was neither in heaven nor in a burning hell. He was not meeting angels or ancestors. Lazarus was not being reborn as another human. He was at rest in death, as though in a deep sleep without dreams. Other scriptures also compare death to sleep. For example, when the disciple Stephen was stoned to death, the Bible says that he “fell asleep.” (Acts 7:60) Similarly, the apostle Paul wrote about some in his day who had “fallen asleep” in death.—1 Corinthians 15:6.

So why do some say otherwise when the scriptures tell us what really happens to us when we die?

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  • 9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Ecclesiastes reflects God-given wisdom, which affected Solomon’s heart and brain. Having the time, resources, and insight to do so, Solomon examined “everything that [had] been done under the heavens.” He saw that most of it “was vanity and a striving after wind,” which is an inspired assessment that we should bear in mind when thinking about our purpose in life. (Ecclesiastes 1:13, 14, 16) Solomon was being frank, realistic. For example, reflect on his words found at Ecclesiastes 1:15, 18. You know that over the centuries men have tried various forms of government, sometimes sincerely attempting to solve problems and to better people’s lot. Have any, though, really straightened out all the “crooked” things of this imperfect system? And you may have seen that the greater a person’s knowledge, the more keenly he realizes that in a short life span, it is impossible to correct things fully. Such awareness brings frustration to many, but not necessarily to us.

    The divine wisdom reflected in Ecclesiastes can further help us in considering our purpose in life. o? In that Solomon focused realistically on other truths that we may seldom think about. One involves similarities between humans and animals. Jesus likened his followers to sheep, yet people generally do not enjoy being compared to animals. (John 10:11-16) Still Solomon brought up certain undeniable facts: “The true God is going to select [the sons of mankind], that they may see that they themselves are beasts. For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; . . . so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity. . . . They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.”

    (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) For everything there is an appointed time, even a time for every affair under the heavens: 2 a time for birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted;

    (Ecclesiastes 3:18-20) I, even I, have said in my heart with regard to the sons of mankind that the [true] God is going to select them, that they may see that they themselves are beasts. 19 For there is an eventuality as respects the sons of mankind and an eventuality as respects the beast, and they have the same eventuality. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast, for everything is vanity. 20 All are going to one place. They have all come to be from the dust, and they are all returning to the dust.

    Source(s): The Holy Scriptures
  • They need a carrot & a stick to make them Christian.

    Far be it from Christendom to teach the truth.

    What Do Many Fear?

    “You don’t have to be a religious believer to think that we’re headed for disaster.”—STEPHEN O’LEARY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.*

    DO YOU agree with the above statement? This series of articles will review some of the reasons why people fear the future. But it will also show why you can be confident that life on earth will not end. There is good reason for optimism, despite the sobering facts you are about to read.

    The threat of nuclear war remains high. In 2007, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned: “Not since the first atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki has the world faced such perilous choices.” Why the concern? The Bulletin reported that in 2007, some 27,000 nuclear weapons still remained and that 2,000 of those were “ready to launch within minutes.” If even a small percentage of those weapons were detonated, the effect would be catastrophic!

    Has the threat of nuclear war decreased since then? The five most prominent nuclear powers—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—are all “either deploying new nuclear weapon systems or have announced their intention to do so,” says the SIPRI Yearbook 2009.** But the yearbook claims that those countries are not the only ones to own nuclear weapons. Researchers estimate that India, Pakistan, and Israel each own from 60 to 80 nuclear bombs. They also state that, worldwide, a total of 8,392 nuclear weapons are now deployed, just waiting to be launched!

    Climate change may bring disaster. “The dangers posed by climate change,” states the above-mentioned Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, “are nearly as dire as those posed by nuclear weapons.” Respected scientists, such as Stephen Hawking, professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge, and Sir Martin Rees, Master of Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, echo those stark warnings. They feel that mismanagement of technology and the human impact on the environment may irreversibly change life on earth or even end civilization.

    Predictions of doom worry millions. Type the phrase “end of the world” and the year “2012” into one popular Internet search engine, and you will discover hundreds of pages of speculation about the end coming in that year. Why so? An ancient Maya calendar, known as “the Long Count,” is calculated to end in the year 2012. Many fear that this somehow signals the end of civilization as we know it.

    Many religious people believe that the Bible teaches that the literal earth will be destroyed. They feel that all faithful believers will be taken to heaven, while the rest of mankind will be left to suffer on a chaotic earth or be thrown into hell.

    Does the Bible, in fact, say that the earth will be completely ruined or destroyed? “Do not believe every inspired expression,” warned the apostle John, “but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God.” (1 John 4:1) Rather than merely accepting what others say, why not open a copy of the Bible and see for yourself what it says about the end of the world? What it teaches may surprise you.

  • 9 years ago

    sleep means you will wake up again

    it does not mean when your dead your dead

    Psalms 146:4 is talking about the physical body in relation to what happens on earth as does and at Ecclesiastes 3:20

    the spirit how ever after leaving the physical body goes to god

    Ecclesiastes 12:7 King James Version (KJV)

    7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

    Ecclesiastes 12:7 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

    7 Your body came from the earth. And when you die, it will return to the earth. But your spirit came from God, and when you die, it will return to him.

    Hebrews 9:27 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

    27 Everyone must die once. Then they are judged.

    2 Corinthians 5:6-8

    King James Version (KJV)

    6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:

    7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

    8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

  • 9 years ago

    “There is a difference between wrongdoing with no premeditated desire to hurt someone and intentional evil. The degrees of harm to others from mischief to malevolence are carefully evaluated. A guiding principle in the spirit world is that wrongdoing, intentional or unintentional, on the part of all souls will need to be redressed in some form in a future life. This is not considered punishment as much as an opportunity for karmic growth. THERE IS NO HELL for souls, except perhaps on Earth.”

    Destiny of Souls - Michael Newton

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  • ?
    Lv 6
    9 years ago

    Don't want to burst your bubble, bubbles but the bottom line is: Religious dogma and tradition created the concept of hell and many other negative beliefs besides. Christ is all about Love, Abundance, Liberty, Reconciliation, Peace. Distinguish between Christ's message of Unity and Religious Teachings.

  • 9 years ago

    I believe that all humans were angels once. When the rebellion occurred, God knew there were many others among the angels. So he gave angels human spirits and the chance to prove their honor and love to God. This is what I believe is the reason for human existence.

    Source(s): Christian
  • 9 years ago

    The bible is talking about our bodies, and not our spirits. Psalm says 'His spirit goes out'. So the spirit goes out before or while the body goes to dust.

    It's the flesh the bible is taking about. Don't misunderstand that.

  • FIRE
    Lv 4
    9 years ago

    When a person dies, his body sleeps and his spirit lives. Jesus told the criminal who was crucified with him that "you would be with me in paradise, today". That means, his spirit will be with Jesus. When Stephen was stoned to death, he cried out "Lord, please accept my spirit". Man is a combination of body and spirit. When we die, our body sleeps until the day of resurrection. On that day, Jesus will resurrect every body and will unite it with our spirits. We will receive new heavenly bodies if chosen by God to live forever. But until then, our spirit is alive and we will either be with God or with Devil until resurrection day.

  • 9 years ago

    Basically the bible is a bunch of mistranslated garbage and is a stupid fairy tale. I feel sorry for the stupid born again christians who believe every stupid word abour jezbus and heaven/hell!

  • Anonymous
    9 years ago

    Sinners go to hell.

    Only those who avail themselves of God's only means of salvation - the grace of God received through faith in Jesus Christ, can escape the punishment for their sins.

    No one is good enough for heaven. God makes bad people good enough through grace.

    http://www.born-again-christian.info/how.to.be.bor...

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