Eternity in Heaven?

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If your life should end today, are you, without any doubt, sure that you will be spending eternity in heaven?

Are you saved? Are you born again? Are you sure that your name is written in the Book of Life?

The Gospel is the message that tells you how to be sure of this.

So, if you can’t say yes to any of the above questions, I believe that God has led you to this page. Why? Because it is not His will that you should perish. 

In love and obedience, I have taken the time to write this. Please take the time to read it.

Okay then, first of all, what do I need to be saved of?

You are a sinner and the prize to be paid for sin is death. The second death. Eternity in hell. (Rom. 6:23, Rev. 21:8) You need to be saved from that second death. You need salvation.

Whoa!  I’m not that bad you know? I’m actually the good guy here!

Perhaps that’s true. But let me ask you, have you ever told a lie? According to Rev. 21:8, liars are destined for hell.

Have you ever committed murder? No? Well, Jesus said that you are guilty of murder when you are angry with your brother. In fact, if you insult him and call him a fool you are destined for hell (Mat. 5:21-22).

Have you ever committed adultery? No? Jesus said that you have already committed adultery if you only as much as look at someone with lust (Mat. 5:27-28). 

The Bible tells us that if you fail at one point, you are guilty of all (James 2:10).

The thing is, there is no one on earth who does good and never sins (Rom. 3:23, Eccles. 7:20).

In other words, without salvation, we are all destined for the second death.

That’s a pretty depressing realization! What hope do we have then?

The price of sin is already paid.

Who paid it? Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

He had spent the last three years of His life on earth teaching us about God’s Kingdom, before willingly laying down his life to pay the price of sin on our behalf. (John 3:16, John 1:1, John 1:14, Luke 1:35, Matt. 3:17, 1 John 5:20, Rom. 1:3)

He took all of our sins upon Himself and offered Himself as a sacrifice for all the sins of the world (Isa. 53:5-6, Rom. 5:8). There is a curse on all mankind because of sin. By dying on a cross, Jesus took that curse upon Himself (Gal. 3:13).

The final sacrifice for all the sins of mankind was God himself. That is love…

Okay, wait! Why a sacrifice?

Because, the prize to be paid for sin, is death.

In the Tabernacle and the Temple of God, there was an area called the Holy of Holies, which symbolized the presence of God. It was a representation of heaven itself, where God dwelled. Only once a year the high priest was allowed to enter through the veil into the Holy of Holies. Before he could enter he had to undergo a ritual of cleansing. This ritual symbolized the cleansing of his sin, because you cannot stand in the presence of God if you have sinned. He had to confess all of his sins with his hand on the forehead of a ram. In other words, all of his sins were laid on the ram. This ram then paid the prize for his sins by being sacrificed, because, the prize of sin is death. The blood of the sacrificed animal was then sprinkled on him to symbolize that he had been cleansed by the blood of the ram that paid the prize for his sins. Only then could he enter the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:7).

When Jesus had died, the veil that had separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. This was symbolic. It meant that He had paid the price and that all believers were now cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ, free to enter into the presence of God. (Heb. 9:24-26, Heb. 10:19-22, Rom. 3:23-26, Rom. 5:1-2)

So, we see that Jesus had offered Himself as a sacrifice by dying on a cross, and so paid the price of sin on our behalf.

But it did not stop there! After His death He was laid in a tomb. The entrance to the tomb was covered by a giant stone and sealed. When two of His followers arrived at the tomb on the third day, the Sunday morning, they had found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty.

The resurrected Jesus appeared to them, the disciples and many more people over a period of fourty days. At one stage He appeared to over five hundred people at once (1 Cor. 15:6). He was not dead anymore. He is alive.

He did not only die for us, He also conquered death by His resurrection from death! (1 Cor. 15: 55-57, Rom. 1:4)

And what about being born again? What does that mean?

Jesus said that unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3).

You are born again when the Spirit of God calls your spirit to new life in Christ. That is how you become a child of God (John 1:12-13, 1 John 5:1, 1 Pet. 1:23).

That is how you become a new person. You are then recreated into what God had intended for you to be all along. He has a wonderful plan for your life, and good works for you to do. You need to be born again to step into that plan (2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 2:10, 1 John 3:9, 1 Peter 1:3).

This is how you obtain the abundant life, promised by Jesus in John 10:10. This is what makes you an over comer (1 John 5:4).

I want to be saved and born again! What must I do?

Go to Jesus. Cry out to Him.

Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that He is the Son of God who had died on the cross to pay the prize for your sins. (Rom. 10:9)

Confess, repent, and turn away from your sins. Ask Him to cleanse you with His blood.

Then the miracle will happen. Your spirit will be called to life in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and you will be made new. That is what it means to be born again. Only then will you be finally alive. (John 3:3-8, 1 Pet. 1:23)

Only then will your name be written in the Book of Life. (Rev. 20:15, Rev. 21: 27, Luke 10:20)

Only then can you go boldly to the throne of God in prayer.

Only then can you spend eternity in Heaven.

Then, obey the command of Jesus and be baptized as a proclamation that the old you are buried with Christ and the new you are risen from the dead with Him. (Mark 16:16, Matt 28:19, Rom. 6: 3-5, Acts 2:38)

Remember… you cannot be saved and born again because of what I say or because of what anybody else says. Only the Spirit of God can do this. (John 6:63, 1 Cor. 2:4, 1 Cor. 2:14, 1 Thess. 1:5, Rom. 8:9, Col. 2:8)

There is no other way.

You can come to Jesus just as you are. You will never be good enough or holy enough, no matter how hard you try. That is why you need Jesus. You will be saved by grace (Rom. 5:8, Eph. 2:8).

Don’t delay. At any moment in time, you are one breath away from eternity. Just the fact that you have read this page thus far is prove that God is calling you. He is standing at the door of your heart, knocking, and asking to come in (Rev. 3:20).

Let Him into your heart today.

 

 PS: If you have believed and confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour after reading this post, please don’t keep it a secret! Tell others! Share the Gospel! Be sure to get in touch with a believer and join your local Church. Also let me know by leaving a comment or by completing the contact form. I would like to give you further guidance in your walk with Christ.