[Byte1]

Reading through all the answers, it appears that one will not have to worry about Heaven being over crowded. Of course, this is just my opinion, because it may also just mean that many "believers" are just not into these discussions on controversial subjects.
Perhaps another appropriate thread would be titled "what is Faith?" More than half the answers on this thread seem to indicate a huge lack of FAITH. A 2021 Pew poll found that only 63% of Americans consider themselves Christians. That is way down from years past. Maybe the lack of Faith and the lack of fear of one's judgement after death is a contributing factor in all the violence in the world, especially in the mass increase in criminal activity in the U.S.
When I was in Vietnam in the middle of several firefights, I found the old saying that there are a lot of believers created in the foxhole to be very true. Some folks that believe that they are close to impending death suddenly find remorse for their less than honorable lives. Ever notice how many charity drives there are in the Villages? How many food drives to collect food for food pantries and soup kitchens? How many volunteers for school mentors, VA clinic, neighborhood drivers, etc? Perhaps, folks are exploring different means that they hope will buy their way into heaven if they are worried about the possibility that Heaven exists and that they might be excluded for their less than stellar lives in the past?
I believe that I have been blessed to have always believed in GOD since as far back as I can remember. I never understood the concept of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus until the early '70's. I won't go into the "how" but I suddenly saw the proverbial "light" and felt the relief that I now knew that my past sins were forgiven. It's a great feeling. Now, I promised that I would not argue my "faith" or religion. I am just expressing my thoughts, and maybe it will give some an itch to learn more, or maybe it will just make some think about the OP's subject of "what happens when you die."
Let me just ask one question related to the subject. If you don't believe in salvation through Christ, what if you are wrong? If I am wrong (I have faith that I am right) then what happens to me? According to those that do not believe, NOTHING would happen because I would just be dead. If I am right (my faith says I am ) then I will live an infinity in GOD's glory. I have a saying that I like to use, that I have LIFE insurance. I don't like to use the threat of eternal damnation to HELL when I speak about the evils of sin, because I think that most folks already know that sin is wrong. The Bible says that "ALL" have sinned. It also states that the only way out of the punishment for sin is for Jesus to be there for us as our mediator upon our final judgement. He died a sinless death of torture upon the cross to pay for our sins and will stand before GOD the Father for us with a promise that our debt has been "paid in full." If someone offered to take your place for something you have done wrong, wouldn't you accept that great gift? All GOD requires of you is to accept HIS gift. So, you don't believe? I am sorry. That's what is great about having a FREE WILL. I am not judging anyone. The Bible says that ALL are sinners. Accept it or not, that's your option. What have you lost for accepting GOD's gift?
I apologize for the long post. It was not my intention.

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by fastboat

To all the nonbelievers: We are NOT human beings with an immortal soul, we are immortal souls with a human body. At the time of death our soul lives on, our body returns to the earth from which it came. I for one would rather go thru life thinking there is a God and an afterlife and be disappointed to find I was wrong than to go thru life denying God only to find at the time of death that He does exist.

Outstanding post!

[Djean1981]

Originally Posted by deej012160

John 3:16 says it all. "For God so loved the world (all of us) that He gave His only begotten son (Jesus) so that whoever believes in Him will not perish (be banned to an eternity away from God, in Hell) but will live everlasting life (will live in eternal paradise with God)." Think about it, Jesus left Heaven to come down to earth, live a perfect, sinless life as a human, then in obedience to the Father went to a terrible death on the cross to pay the price for all of our sins so that we would not have to pay the price for our sins. ---posted in love from a Bible-believing Christian---

Amen!

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Ptmckiou

Is your cell phone made from atoms? Is your cell phone made from everything else in the universe? Energy? Consciousness is everywhere. “God”. is everywhere. Is there anywhere God is not? All that IS….collectively is God. Nothing but God, who is experiencing through zillions of aspects of itself…some aspects have forgotten who they are and drifted far away from the main godhead of most divine energy (God/heaven), and the 3D game is to find your way back to knowing who you really are, because nothing in 3D can harm the REAL you…soul divine energy.

Huh? "God is everywhere. Consciousness is everywhere". Ok! So when you talk to God you are actually just talking to yourself. Makes sense, sort of.

"The main godhead"?? "Aspects" (of God?) "have forgotten who they are" sounds like universal consciousness does not equal universal awareness. God has amnesia? Or dementia? No wonder the world is in such a state. This does not make sense to me. Sorry.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Huh? "God is everywhere. Consciousness is everywhere". Ok! So when you talk to God you are actually just talking to yourself. Makes sense, sort of.

"The main godhead"?? "Aspects" (of God?) "have forgotten who they are" sounds like universal consciousness does not equal universal awareness. God has amnesia? Or dementia? No wonder the world is in such a state. This does not make sense to me. Sorry.

The world is in such a state because of Godlessness.
I guess people are reaping what they are sewing. Have a blest day!

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Byte1

Reading through all the answers, it appears that one will not have to worry about Heaven being over crowded. Of course, this is just my opinion, because it may also just mean that many "believers" are just not into these discussions on controversial subjects.
Perhaps another appropriate thread would be titled "what is Faith?" More than half the answers on this thread seem to indicate a huge lack of FAITH.
What have you lost for accepting GOD's gift?
I apologize for the long post. It was not my intention.

Don't apologize, I thought you expressed yourself quite well. And don't worry about over crowding in Heaven. According to one old tv evangelist, only 144,000 Kings and priests are all that are getting in.
"Seem to indicate a huge lack of FAITH." Do not confuse faith with religion. Just because one does not exhibit your brand of Christian faith, does not mean they are without faith. I, for example, have absolute faith that when I am dead, the energy in this body which powers my brain which creates the sense of self, or ME, will be dispersed into the ether and I will be no more. The best sleep never known by a living person. Yes, "never".
Even atheists have faith that God does not exist. I consider myself a "spiritual agnostic". My way of saying that I don't believe in God or any god(s) in the traditional sense. But, I do believe or suspect that there is something more, unknowable, inconceivable, without thought or emotion for us, unlike the gods of human religions.
As for accepting God's gift, I say "Thank You". But I don't think he is likely there to hear. And, after all, a true "gift" is something given without thought of reward, praise or even thanks. A true gift comes with No Strings Attached!
Peace! 🙏

[ThirdOfFive]

"Reading through all the answers, it appears that one will not have to worry about Heaven being over crowded. "

Heh. I once remember reading a comment (can't remember who made it) to the effect that when he died he preferred going to hell over going to heaven. His reason? In hell he'd get to meet kings, popes, lawyers, etc. Heaven on the other hand would be populated with lepers and monks.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

"Reading through all the answers, it appears that one will not have to worry about Heaven being over crowded. "

Heh. I once remember reading a comment (can't remember who made it) to the effect that when he died he preferred going to hell over going to heaven. His reason? In hell he'd get to meet kings, popes, lawyers, etc. Heaven on the other hand would be populated with lepers and monks.

That is assuming people would be visiting with each other in Hell. BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time, Hell

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by Taltarzac725

That is assuming people would be visiting with each other in Hell.

I was told many years ago, that the punishment for going to hell, was to stand in eternity in a sea of poop. Evidently is wasn't as bad as new arrivals thought, until they found out The Devil went water skiing on it daily!

[fdpaq0580]

Originally Posted by Aces4

The world is in such a state because of Godlessness.
I guess people are reaping what they are sewing. Have a blest day!

Since time immemorial humans have fought and killed one another in the name of and with the blessings of their gods. Not only other religions, but different groups of the same religion.

[Taltarzac725]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Since time immemorial humans have fought and killed one another in the name of and with the blessings of their gods. Not only other religions, but different groups of the same religion.

Very true.

[Byte1]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

I was told many years ago, that the punishment for going to hell, was to stand in eternity in a sea of poop. Evidently is wasn't as bad as new arrivals thought, until they found out The Devil went water skiing on it daily!

I heard a different version of it, where Satan was giving a newbie a tour and everyone was standing knee deep in manure drinking coffee. Just before moving on, Satan shouted "OK, coffee break is over. Back on your heads.

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Don't apologize, I thought you expressed yourself quite well. And don't worry about over crowding in Heaven. According to one old tv evangelist, only 144,000 Kings and priests are all that are getting in.
"Seem to indicate a huge lack of FAITH." Do not confuse faith with religion. Just because one does not exhibit your brand of Christian faith, does not mean they are without faith. I, for example, have absolute faith that when I am dead, the energy in this body which powers my brain which creates the sense of self, or ME, will be dispersed into the ether and I will be no more. The best sleep never known by a living person. Yes, "never".
Even atheists have faith that God does not exist. I consider myself a "spiritual agnostic". My way of saying that I don't believe in God or any god(s) in the traditional sense. But, I do believe or suspect that there is something more, unknowable, inconceivable, without thought or emotion for us, unlike the gods of human religions.
As for accepting God's gift, I say "Thank You". But I don't think he is likely there to hear. And, after all, a true "gift" is something given without thought of reward, praise or even thanks. A true gift comes with No Strings Attached!
Peace! ������

Interesting post.

For me, the existence of the watch proves the existence of a watchmaker. I accept the idea that the Creator exists/existed because the more scientific advancements and discoveries we make, the more those advancements indicate to me that we, as with all life on this planet, are NOT an accident. The proof? I read recently that one molecule of human DNA contains something like 215 petabytes of information. One petabyte is equal to about 500 BILLION pages of typed text. The Library of Congress contains only (only?) about 20 petabytes of information. ONE molecule of our DNA contains more data than eleven equivalent Libraries of Congress. I have a hard time envisioning such a number. And that molecule, aside from being just a blueprint, is also in effect a computer program designed to run for about 70-80 years before self-terminating--and each individual "computer" is that of a person unique from all the billions of other "computers" both dead and alive--well, to believe that all of that happened by accident beggars the imagination.

But that is only half. The other half, that of salvation and the assumption into an eternal life in a place with an all-good and all-caring God, is based purely on faith, and no direct proof of that "place" exists. I do however think that there is indirect evidence: miraculous events that cannot be explained by science, for example, or of lives changed upon acceptance of a benevolent higher power. That fact has been part of AA since it's inception: the second step of the 12-step program follows the step where the addict admits that he or she is powerless, but in the second step acknowledges that reliance on a higher power is needed before the addiction is controlled. AA is no surefire cure, but many, many lives have been changed for the better because of it.

We have no hard answers, but when one looks at the evidence, the existence of a benevolent watchmaker is hard to refute.

[Worldseries27]

Originally Posted by byte1

reading through all the answers, it appears that one will not have to worry about heaven being over crowded. Of course, this is just my opinion, because it may also just mean that many "believers" are just not into these discussions on controversial subjects.
Perhaps another appropriate thread would be titled "what is faith?" more than half the answers on this thread seem to indicate a huge lack of faith. A 2021 pew poll found that only 63% of americans consider themselves christians. That is way down from years past. Maybe the lack of faith and the lack of fear of one's judgement after death is a contributing factor in all the violence in the world, especially in the mass increase in criminal activity in the u.s.
When i was in vietnam in the middle of several firefights, i found the old saying that there are a lot of believers created in the foxhole to be very true. Some folks that believe that they are close to impending death suddenly find remorse for their less than honorable lives. Ever notice how many charity drives there are in the villages? How many food drives to collect food for food pantries and soup kitchens? How many volunteers for school mentors, va clinic, neighborhood drivers, etc? Perhaps, folks are exploring different means that they hope will buy their way into heaven if they are worried about the possibility that heaven exists and that they might be excluded for their less than stellar lives in the past?
I believe that i have been blessed to have always believed in god since as far back as i can remember. I never understood the concept of salvation through the death and resurrection of jesus until the early '70's. I won't go into the "how" but i suddenly saw the proverbial "light" and felt the relief that i now knew that my past sins were forgiven. It's a great feeling. Now, i promised that i would not argue my "faith" or religion. I am just expressing my thoughts, and maybe it will give some an itch to learn more, or maybe it will just make some think about the op's subject of "what happens when you die."
let me just ask one question related to the subject. If you don't believe in salvation through christ, what if you are wrong? If i am wrong (i have faith that i am right) then what happens to me? According to those that do not believe, nothing would happen because i would just be dead. If i am right (my faith says i am ) then i will live an infinity in god's glory. I have a saying that i like to use, that i have life insurance. I don't like to use the threat of eternal damnation to hell when i speak about the evils of sin, because i think that most folks already know that sin is wrong. The bible says that "all" have sinned. It also states that the only way out of the punishment for sin is for jesus to be there for us as our mediator upon our final judgement. He died a sinless death of torture upon the cross to pay for our sins and will stand before god the father for us with a promise that our debt has been "paid in full." if someone offered to take your place for something you have done wrong, wouldn't you accept that great gift? All god requires of you is to accept his gift. So, you don't believe? I am sorry. That's what is great about having a free will. I am not judging anyone. The bible says that all are sinners. Accept it or not, that's your option. What have you lost for accepting god's gift?
I apologize for the long post. It was not my intention.

amen and thank you

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Since time immemorial humans have fought and killed one another in the name of and with the blessings of their gods. Not only other religions, but different groups of the same religion.

Absolutely! Which is why I detest all religion(s). In the end, all of them manipulate their devotees to the ends of the manipulators.