Who are We? Where are We Going?

Who are We? Where are We Going?

From the Garden of Eden (Genesis) to the New Heaven and New Earth Revelation

What Happens when this life ends?

Most people coming to this blog are familiar with some concept of heaven or the hereafter. To Christians it may mean one thing, to others it may have an entirely different meaning or no meaning at all. But, the question remains: Is heaven real? Is it an actual place? For those who believe in the Bible, the answer is "yes" heaven is a real place. Which raises the question, "What happens to the soul when someone dies?" Do all people go to heaven? The Christian Church is adamant that there is a heaven, but somewhat vague on the details regarding what heaven looks like. Part of that vagueness is that the Bible doesn't describe heaven in detail--the reason being, it is beyond our knowledge and understanding; almost like trying to explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity to a third grader. But, what about the New Heaven and New Earth mentioned several places in the Bible? We will attempt to explore that question and not contradict Scripture in doing so.  

But first things first. What happens when we or a loved one dies? Though our body dies and is laid to rest, our spirit lives on and goes before God at which time our eternal destiny will be established--either with God or alienated from God forever. Christ assured the thief on the cross of this with these words in Luke 23:42-43 (NIV)
42 Then he [the thief] said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."