Have had two open heart surgeries. 2005 post surgery dream encounter was a woman dressed in a long white gown that as I was sinking, pulled me out of the finest, softest gold dust you could ever imagine. For Believers, the streets of Heaven are paved in gold so pure you can see through it. 2019 had Cath Lab gone bad. Last word before the first Code Blue episode was "I feel dizzy!"

To this day and everyday I can still see the complete and utter darkness. A pitch black, lights out darkness that is like no other darkness you have ever seen. When you close your eyes light still passes through your eyelids and the brain and mind is still processing. I was brought back to life again. I did not "see or walk toward the light" nor did I experience hell. Though I did not have a heavenly encounter in 2019, I have not lost my faith in God's eternal promises.

GOD gives FREE WILL. To each their own on how they use it. For me, I choose to worship the Lord.

Don't worry about it.
 

It doesn't matter if there is anything after you die you deal with it.
I'm not a believer. I always looked at the promise of a better place was to keep people in line.
If you're good boys and girls Santa will bring you gifts.
I've signed up to donate my organs after I die.
Does that mean if there is a better place, I will show up missing body parts

Ecclesiastes 9:10 - Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

So, there you go. Your body is buried and your consciousness ceases completely. You do not go to heaven. You sleep and await a resurrection.

John 3:13 - No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Revelation 20:4-6 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

Anything else any church teaches is lies and deception. Read your Bible. There is a good chance that what you have been taught is not in there.

Nope, there is going to be NOTHING but a extremely big pile of ashes! Then I get to see everyone passed before me!

I appreciate the lightheartedness in some of the answers to this very important question. “Laughter is good medicine”
However, I feel I must interject to say that if we are honest with ourselves we somehow know that there is more after this life. I’m convinced in that same awareness that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life; and no one gets to Heaven except through Him. Please take time to connect with Him, and His Word, on a regular basis.

Some people think when you die it's like turning off a light switch, nothing. Others believe in heaven and hell. None of us are going to change what will actually happen by believing or not believing something. It's up to us to seek the truth. Eternity is a long long time. Claiming ignorance after the fact sounds like a poor strategy to me. I chose Jesus.

Try reading the whole BIBLE before picking out small parts that suit your view. I am no expert, even though I have studied the Bible in college. You can make up your own mind what it is for you, but that doesn't mean that your opinion is correct. But, before announcing that it is incorrect, at least know something of it; read it.
In the Bible, GOD promises salvation from sin by man repentance and the belief that Jesus is is LORD. Paraphrasing, "All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of GOD." "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. " And Jesus said "I go to prepare a place for you" speaking of heaven. There's much more to it than just that, but it really is simple. The Bible states that you cannot get to heaven by "works alone."
So, what does it mean to me? I believe that I will go to a BETTER place when my body ceases to work. That's my choice to believe. I consider this my "Life" insurance. For those that do not believe, then what happens to them once they die really shouldn't even matter, right? Some say, nothing happens and you just cease to exist. I believe in an after life. If they are right and I am wrong, then I have lost nothing. If I am right and they are wrong, then they have a problem. I have lost nothing by believing.
I won't argue my faith. I only say what I believe.

Everything else stops...you go on.

Actually the Bible tells you to share your faith. Make sure you do as you were “told”.

///

We can't know--for sure--but there is plenty of evidence not only of a level of existence and self-awareness that continues after our bodies die, as well as of a higher power that controls access to it. You can call that level of existence "Heaven" and that higher power "God". Other faiths have other names. But the general idea is always the same.

I'm no great God guy. My wife, on the other hand, is a person of great faith. Some years back we were at a seminar. While there, I sprained my thumb. Pretty painful, as well as discolored and swelled up. My wife asked if she could pray for me. I agreed, figuring I had nothing to lose. So she did. Right before my eyes I watched the swelling go down. In a matter of minutes it was completely back to normal. I know all about psychosomatic conditions but there is no way a sprain can be classified as that. Higher power?

About 20 years ago my dad died. He and Mom were living in Las Vegas at the time. We lived in Minnesota. On morning when I was out mowing the lawn, I felt my dad's presence. There was no vision. No miraculous manifestation. It was just "you can make your rows straighter than that", a quiet laugh and he was gone. A pleasant experience on a beautiful May morning. But in that instant I knew he had died. The phone call came about an hour later, confirming it. He had died about an hour earlier--at the precise time I felt his presence. I told Mom about the experience some time later and she remarked "that's EXACTLY what he would have said". Life after death?

About the only thing we CAN know for sure is that there is an overwhelming amount that we DON'T know.

Like a food at a potluck dinner, by all means bring something to share. But, it would be rude to insist or demand that everyone eat only what you brought and that all the other offerings were poison.

This is a very important question. And there are so many beliefs. I believe Heaven is a glorious place. There is quite an interesting book “ Proof of Heaven” by E Alexander. A neurosurgeon disbeliever in heaven, who faces brain cancer and researches and interviews those who have died for a period of time and came back to life. What they experienced. It’s a cross selection of people to rule out religion. I found the book fascinating and comforting.

Ohiobuckeye
 

Well we better have a strong belief in god. I guess nobody really knows for sure if we come back as another baby or what. I don’t know anybody that died & reappeared. Good question, I often wondered about this to, but I do believe in god, & my life is rapidly coming to an end. I just hope everything we’ve been told is true!

Then you should have given him a serious answer instead of a silly one.

Faith, it is knowing, not thinking. I KNOW what will happen when I die. Therefore, I have no fear of death.

What happens when you die? They change the sheets and give someone else your bed.

Just because you wish for people who don't agree with you to go to hell doesn't make it the Truth.

Mormons might be the most hypocritical organized religion of all. Your spiritual life doesn't matter to them nor do you, so long as you are contributing to the coffers of their church.

You live on thru others...

"At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them. At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them. As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as We remember them. When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them."

I’ve always suspected that I agree with you. So we are “manipulated” into behaving better…lol…if it works….

Personally, I think there maybe many ways to “heaven”. I don’t think the Lord left anybody out if they are good people. The Buddhist have enlightment as sort of heaven equivalent. The Muslims have several different heavens. The Judeo Christians have the same set of guys waiting for them. Speaking personally, no way I’m not going to see if I can meet Moses and Isaiah if they have time for me. And since I fail in my good intentions so often, I will need help from Jesus to get there in the first place. Just saying….

According to Google there are over 4,000 thousand religions in the world and even though today many religions tolerate each other's existence they all claim to be the true path to God. Which means the other religions are dead ends, this will continue to create divisions among us. I believe religion and politics should be a personal thing. They should not intermingle, and they should not be thrusted on people who do not want to conform with their views. Religious institutions should not get banket tax breaks to promote their beliefs period.

You cannot take passages out of context in the Bible. Ecclesiastes is written from the perspective of the ungodly man! Read all of Ecclesiastes.

The John passage refers to Jesus being the only to go to heaven and come back down. Son of Man is an Old Testament reference which refers to Jesus.

The Revelation passage refers to the first resurrection being for the believers waiting to go to heaven. The second resurrection is for the ungodly. If you continue reading, verses 11 - 15, this is described. The second death is for the ungodly who will be with the devil. Revelation is hard to understand because of its symbolism. John could not speak directly because he was isolated on an island, but wanted to get his message out without it being intercepted by the Romans. The Bible has overarching themes from Genesis through Revelation with many many Old Testament prophesies pointing to Christ. Please start by reading the Gospel of John and continuing through Revelation, and then the Old Testament. The Law (Old Testament) was fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament, the Gospel.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.

After John, read the rest of the Gospels.

Where spirituality and science blend
 

For me, I combine spirituality (not structured religion) and science because they support each other. Physics states energy cannot be created, or destroyed, but only change molecular structure.

Energy is all that is…all matter in the universe is made from energy. Energy has always been, and will always be. Energy can’t be destroyed. Energy can’t die. Thereby, since I am made of matter (atoms, molecules, quarks etc), then when mu body stops functioning, the energy that made me is still there. I see collectively, all that is, as….God. God being an intelligent energy. The soul, is a small aspect of God, that collective divine intelligent energy that has always been, and will always be….because “energy cannot be created or destroyed…”

To answer your question my consciousness (also energy) will continue past the demise of the vessel it’s temporarily housed in.

There are 4 'heavens' to choose from. Don't worry about choosing the wrong one, you can always submit a 'Heaven change order' and try one of the other 3. Everything you could ever want is there. You are continually immersed in conversation with God who will nurture you over eternity. There is no pain only warm, happy, pleasant feelings. You are never alone for God is always at your side. You'll have a beautiful house made of gold and the finest of things. You will want for nothing. When you get there you'll be able to discuss and debate politics all you want. Its a grand and glorious place with pickleball till you drop and parties every night. You're going to love it!

Yes, PLEASE do.

I love this thread, so happy to hear your various views!

What is love?

"Five feet of heaven in a pony tail". The Playmates, 1959

Always wondered...
 

I like to think there is an afterlife. And I do believe in evolution. But at what point did evolutionary man develop an ever lasting soul? Are Neanderthals in heaven?

Truth so Overlooked
 

I was in my late teens having been raised in a Methodist Church, saved and baptized in a Baptist Church, and attended a few other denominations, participating in Bible studies at each. This, IMHO, is the most puzzling overlooked truth of the Bible that became clear the more I studied. When the Bible speaks of death, it speaks of sleep. Yet in my experience, when a friend or family member dies, those left behind continually say that they are now in heaven. But I find more comfort in knowing that the very next instant they DO know (if they invited Jesus into their lives) is their resurrection and then heaven. Kinda like (as one already noted) after being put to sleep - next thing you know you're back, and it only seemed like a second. So whether you are a believer or not, death yields sleep. I pray that all of you who read this thread will find the joy of Jesus in your life! There is nothing like it, and trust me, when Christians do stray (and they definitely do), their joy is diminished and getting back to Jesus is the only thing that can bring back that same joy. Nothing like it!

So when my cell phone battery dies, or gets run over by a truck it is still operating on another plane of existence ?

Oh no, now I lost all hope, my everlasting life is over...........:cry:

I hope wherever I go , I can get a great slice of pizza

I what they are true, and you can't take it with you, can I take a blank check along??

"If they have time for me". Of course they will have time for you. They and you will have have FOREVER. Time never ending in an existence where even the concept of time is meaningless.

Only 4 heavens? 😠 Surely there will be an unlimited number to move through as you like.

Witness
 

… some say ‘don’t talk religion’. By my faith I am commanded to by the Lord Jesus, and I do it boldly!

Matthew 28: 19-20

[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

… I honestly pray that God open the hearts & minds of people!

Why not? Plenty of room for everyone and everything.

With or without anchovies? 🍕