Gateway To Jesus Ministries - Bible Study #2. Average Reading Time: 9 minutes.
We all know we will die someday, and we all have a survival instinct desire to live beyond death, yet most people reject the only proven and verified way to do it. They reject and ignore the only person who ever died and actually rose from the grave with an immortal body that will live forever! They actually reject the way that their Savior offers them to be able to do exactly what He did...... rise from the grave with a new, perfect, immortal body. A Christian has the promise from God that they will live forever just like His Son!
"it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:44)
People actually turn their back on the very gift of eternal life that the Lord offers, a gift He can offer to us that He proved is true by His own resurrection. Why? Survival is the strongest instinct we have, yet the vast majority of people on earth reject life and choose to sin which results in permanent and eternal death instead.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
If we didn't have a verified and proven way to rise from the grave, then when we die, as we all will, that's the end of us. We are dead forever! Jesus, the only person ever to actually rise from death to life again, tells us He is the only way for us to do the same thing He did.
"Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
The only person to actually rise from the dead Himself is clearly the only person with the authority from first-hand experience to tell all human beings the only way to really live forever! No other religion in the world has someone like our Lord who actually died and came back to life, witnessed and confirmed by hundreds of people who knew Him, who has the authority to promise with a certainty that you can be resurrected too! Confucius, Krishna, Buddha and Mohammed all died and no one ever saw them alive again. There isn't a single witness to their resurrection from the grave because they are all still dead. None of them rose from the dead and walked and talked and ate with their disciples and friends. Jesus did!
For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. They said, Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, I came down from heaven? Stop grumbling among yourselves, Jesus answered. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. (John 6:40, 44)
"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31)
"If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."(Romans 10:9)
"And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." (1 John 3:23)
"We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, I know him, but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person." (1 John 2:3-4)
"In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome." (1 John 5:3)
It's actually that simple! Anyone can do it! If your survival instinct is strong, if you want to cheat death, if you want to live forever, you can have all your sins forgiven now, then you can rise from the grave later, and live with your Savior forever with a new, perfect, spiritual body. You won't have any more pain, any more suffering, anymore illness or disease with your new spiritual body.
"For the Lamb at the center of the throne. will be their shepherd and he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Revelation 7:17)
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
Best of all you won't have to fear death if you are a Christian. It will have no power over you anymore. A Christian KNOWS they will live forever in God's Kingdom. A Christian KNOWS they will never see the fires of Hell. A Christian has a peace in their life that really surpasses all understanding.
"Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6)
So when you ask yourself "Why should I become a Christian now?" think about what it would be like to live forever, with the one being in the universe that can make it possible....Jesus Christ! Becoming a Christian will change your life!
Here is an eyewitness account from the Bible of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, just as He said would happen.
"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you." (Matt 28:1-7)
This was witnessed by many people who knew our Savior when He was alive. There was no mistaking Him for someone else when they visited with Him and ate with Him after His resurrection. They knew what He looked like. They knew His voice. They knew His mannerisms. Eyewitness Roman guards documented and verified He was dead on the cross.
"The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe." (John 19:32-35)
Many eyewitnesses confirmed and verified that Christ came back to life three days later and talked and ate with His disciples.
"Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen." (Mark 16:12,14,)
"It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon." (Luke 24:34)
"Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee…... This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead." (John 21:1,14)
"After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3)
"With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all." (Acts 4:33)
So why don't more people do what the Bible actually says and become a Christian so they can live forever? It's a good question. It's not like God requires super human effort, making people do extraordinary things to be able to live forever. There are many reasons people don't know about Christ and His soon coming Kingdom of Heaven. There are many negative distractions in our lives. Maybe your life is so full of worry, pain, suffering, and troubles right now that you don't know which way to turn. Maybe you are filled with loneliness, doubt, or anxiety, or tormented with some illness or disease. Maybe you are looking for answers to various life problems and just can't find the answers. Maybe you are just someone who has never even heard about the Son of god until today. Jesus is the answer, and it’s actually quite simple to become a Christian. The Bible says if we want to live forever with our Lord in a perfect, Heavenly kingdom all we have to do is believe in Him and accept Him as our savior from all our sins and then show our continuous love for Him by obeying His commandments.
Do you have any kind of spiritual belief? Do you think there is some kind of life after death? If you died right now do you know where would you go? If what you believe were not true, would you want to know it? So when you ask yourself "Why should I become a Christian?", think about what you just read about what it would be like to live forever with God in Paradise. Becoming a Christian will really change your life both now and for eternity
You did not come to this web page by accident. God really loves YOU, and He wants you to have a relationship with Him and Jesus. He wants you to live forever with Him in His Kingdom. God brought you here! The problem is that most people have never even really thought about God, His Kingdom, or His wonderful gifts. A false gospel has been preached about Jesus that has taken the focus off the King and His Kingdom. People are so busy with their everyday activities that they don't even think about the most basic spiritual matters of life, much less think about what will happen to them after they die. How about you?
So what's next? Do you really know anything about Jesus? Go to this page to find out the answer to a 2,000 year old question. “Who Is Jesus And Why Do I need Him?”
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