If I died today....where would I stand before God?

An atheist, would argue that thinking of immortality are only dreams. He says, that man and animals are products of chance and are destined to be extinct upon death. A skeptic would be confused on the issue. A Marxist would call all religion explanations of life and God mere illusions. Karl Marx, in fact, said that religion was just "the opium of the people" - a way of getting us "high" on hope and ignoring the cold emptiness of life and death. A Hindu thinks this life is just one of many lives in a cycle of births, deaths and rebirths. When someone becomes good enough, he will finally achieve eternal happiness that is consumed into a universal spirit. A Buddist lives a strong disciplined life in order to extinguish all desire and to attain a vague impersonal existence he calls nirvana. A Jewish person would try to live a good life and try to atone for his/her own sins (Click Here if you are Jewish to read L'Chaim- To Life). A Muslim devotes his life to the teachings of the prophet Muhammad in an attempt to make himself worthy of acceptance (by being a "good person") into paradise and to escape the torments of hell (Click Here if you are a Muslim and if you would like to learn "How to Get to Paradise!"). A Roman Catholic tries to earn his way to heaven through religious rituals (Click Here to learn more about the Roman Catholic Religion). A hardened criminal may scoff at the idea of hell, saying, "I'd just as soon go the hell, since that's where all my friends are going to be." An abused person may believe that he/she is enduring hell right now, or that our life on earth is hell. A playboy may laugh at any thought that God would judge him because he was told that God is love, and so he lives only for the pleasures of the moment.  A young child probably is more worried about being punished by Mom or dad than he does with his future encounter with God. A college student may be so overwhelmed by all of the religious beliefs on campus that he/she loses all interest or certainty of where he/she is going in the next life. An unrepentant person may be trusting in the fact that since they go to church; or have at one point said a decisional prayer, or was baptized as an infant that their salvation is secure and they are going to heaven. 

People often joke that only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. But that impression is not accurate, for many have been known to cheat the tax collector and avoid payment. Death, however, can't be cheated. Another inaccurate impression is that death ends all of our problems. While it's true that after we die we will not have to face the tax collector, listen to an angry boss, or deal with problem children, we will have to face God. Death is not the easy way out. It will be gain for some and loss for others. And many people are in for a big surprise when they die.

Who is right? How do I measure up to God's standard of judgment? What is God's standards to get into heaven? Will I be with my loved ones in heaven after I die? Am I going to be allowed into heaven? If everyone goes to heaven, who goes to hell? Some people claim to know what will happen when they die. But how can they be so sure? This answer will NOT be found in an archaeological dig site; probing in space, or be found in any form of science. The answer can only come from God -- the One who created life and holds all people accountable to Himself. He has spoken to us through the Bible, a book we can trust. The author, God Himself, is an expert on life and death. We believe the Bible only has the answer to life's most important question... 

What happens after I die?