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Some time ago when I stopped at a fuel station to fill my motorcar, a man was sitting smoking next to one of the fuel pumps. I rebuked him, stressing that he was risking his own life and those of others. His reply was brief: "I am not afraid to die!" How sad that he was actually prepared to die for a lie! He was under the impression that death would end his misery!
There are many people in this world who are not afraid to die, you may be one of them! The question however is, on what premise is your fearlessness based? Is it based on truth? If not - you should be afraid of death! There are basically three reasons why some people do not fear death and only one of them is valid.
1. The first is because they believe that death will end everything!
2. The second is because they believe that good religious deeds will pave their way to heaven!
3. The third is because of the truth.
1. The Lie that death ends everything!
How do we know there is something like eternity? How do we know there is life after death? Since life after death is a spiritual life, there is only one way to be convinced of it's truth, and that is spiritually - and the only way to achieve that is through a personal relationship with the Creator!
On the other hand, there are some who believe they are on the brink of proving life after death scientifically! You may visit this website if you are scientifically oriented and need more convincing: http://www.near-death.com/evidence.html.
In the mean time, if you want to know whether there is life after death, you will have to believe somebody who is speaking from personal experience and standing in a living relationship with the Creator. I am one such person of millions of others living on planet earth! I therefore testify to you on behalf of millions of other believers that life after death and eternal life is without the faintest doubt, an absolute certainty!
I am sorry that for the time being, you are forced to take my own and millions of other's word for this, but I can promise you that when you stand in the same relationship with the Creator as I do, you will voluntarily agree with me, fully convinced and persuaded that I am right!
You may of course disagree with me on the basis of absence of physical evidence. May I ask you a question? If life after death is spiritual, what evidence do you have that death ends everything? Just think of the huge risk you will be taking that I may be right! If I am right, then you will be losing your entire life - if I am wrong, you will be losing nothing!
There are many people in this world who are not afraid to die, you may be one of them! The question however is, on what premise is your fearlessness based? Is it based on truth? If not - you should be afraid of death! There are basically three reasons why some people do not fear death and only one of them is valid.
1. The first is because they believe that death will end everything!
2. The second is because they believe that good religious deeds will pave their way to heaven!
3. The third is because of the truth.
1. The Lie that death ends everything!
How do we know there is something like eternity? How do we know there is life after death? Since life after death is a spiritual life, there is only one way to be convinced of it's truth, and that is spiritually - and the only way to achieve that is through a personal relationship with the Creator!
On the other hand, there are some who believe they are on the brink of proving life after death scientifically! You may visit this website if you are scientifically oriented and need more convincing: http://www.near-death.com/evidence.html.
In the mean time, if you want to know whether there is life after death, you will have to believe somebody who is speaking from personal experience and standing in a living relationship with the Creator. I am one such person of millions of others living on planet earth! I therefore testify to you on behalf of millions of other believers that life after death and eternal life is without the faintest doubt, an absolute certainty!
I am sorry that for the time being, you are forced to take my own and millions of other's word for this, but I can promise you that when you stand in the same relationship with the Creator as I do, you will voluntarily agree with me, fully convinced and persuaded that I am right!
You may of course disagree with me on the basis of absence of physical evidence. May I ask you a question? If life after death is spiritual, what evidence do you have that death ends everything? Just think of the huge risk you will be taking that I may be right! If I am right, then you will be losing your entire life - if I am wrong, you will be losing nothing!
There is only one certain thing about this life - and that is death!
"If your faith is not worth dying
for - it is not worth living for!"
"If your faith is not worth dying
for - it is not worth living for!"
Oh, by the way, I have not yet introduced myself. My name is Elmer Grobler and this is my wife, Nansie. We are South African. We, together with other Christians will be praying for you.
If you want to read the following page but do not want to include your name on the prayer list, click here.
If eternal life is spiritual, then eternal death must also be spiritual! To clarify the meaning of eternal life and death in our minds, let us think of some non-physical concepts that are associated with life and death. The following concepts are associated with life: happiness, joy, peace, love, fulfillment, success, achievement, liberty. The following concepts are associated with death: misery, unhappiness, depression, conflict and inner-conflict, feeling of failure, hatred, condemnation and self-condemnation, reproach and self-reproach, hurt, soul-agony, suicidalness and the desire to die.
How can death be eternal? Death can be eternal when only the body dies, while the spirit lives for ever. However, the difference between eternal life and eternal death is that after physical death, the spirit of a person continues to live in constant, continuous, never-ending, everlasting misery, unhappiness, depression, conflict and inner-conflict, feeling of failure, hatred, condemnation and self-condemnation, reproach and self-reproach, hurt, agony, suicidalness and the desire to die! A sacred writing describes eternal death like this: "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched." This is a description of hell.
The fact of the matter is that both eternal life and eternal death - either the one or the other is the undeniable destiny of every single person that ever lived on earth! Unless you are absolutely sure (based on the truth) that you are destined for eternal life, you can be absolutely sure (based on the truth) that you are destined for eternal death! Are you still not afraid to die?
But the second reason why some people do not fear death is:
2. The Lie that good or religious deeds will buy your ticket to heaven!
For reasons that will become clear to you as we proceed, I will discuss this point a little further.
The third reason why some people do not fear death is:
3. The Truth
What is the truth? How will you know the truth? More than 9,000,000 people are searching for the phrase "what is truth" just on Google every month!
As a young man I also searched for the truth. Although I was brought up in a Christian home I rebelled against Christianity as a teenager. I refused to accept the Bible or Jesus Christ as the truth. At the age of 26 I began searching for the truth. I refused to speak to any Christian and avoided contact with Christians at any cost. However, an inner conflict raged within me and I began searching for the truth by reading various books and articles - anything but Christian!
How can death be eternal? Death can be eternal when only the body dies, while the spirit lives for ever. However, the difference between eternal life and eternal death is that after physical death, the spirit of a person continues to live in constant, continuous, never-ending, everlasting misery, unhappiness, depression, conflict and inner-conflict, feeling of failure, hatred, condemnation and self-condemnation, reproach and self-reproach, hurt, agony, suicidalness and the desire to die! A sacred writing describes eternal death like this: "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched." This is a description of hell.
The fact of the matter is that both eternal life and eternal death - either the one or the other is the undeniable destiny of every single person that ever lived on earth! Unless you are absolutely sure (based on the truth) that you are destined for eternal life, you can be absolutely sure (based on the truth) that you are destined for eternal death! Are you still not afraid to die?
But the second reason why some people do not fear death is:
2. The Lie that good or religious deeds will buy your ticket to heaven!
For reasons that will become clear to you as we proceed, I will discuss this point a little further.
The third reason why some people do not fear death is:
3. The Truth
What is the truth? How will you know the truth? More than 9,000,000 people are searching for the phrase "what is truth" just on Google every month!
As a young man I also searched for the truth. Although I was brought up in a Christian home I rebelled against Christianity as a teenager. I refused to accept the Bible or Jesus Christ as the truth. At the age of 26 I began searching for the truth. I refused to speak to any Christian and avoided contact with Christians at any cost. However, an inner conflict raged within me and I began searching for the truth by reading various books and articles - anything but Christian!
My soul was dark, without a ray of light. One day I came to breaking point and I just drove off in my motorcar to nowhere. While I was driving I came under the conviction of my sin. I suddenly realised that I was running away from God, and for the first time in my life I spoke to God as if He was alive and real! I confessed that I was running away from Him and I asked Him for forgiveness. Nobody spoke to me and I did not even read anything that pointed me in the right direction, but a miracle happened. Suddenly the light of God shined into the dungeon of my soul, my burden was lifted and I was free!
Without anybody telling me, I suddenly realised who God was! Jesus Christ was revealed to me as God the Son, God in a human body, and I accepted Him as my Lord and Saviour. I was born again by the Spirit of God and my life was changed completely. I started reading the Bible and through its pages the God of heaven, Creator of heaven and earth, was revealed to me as a living reality. This was no indoctrination or educational exercise! This was a supernatural revelation!
After three years I went through a serious crisis in my life and this shook my faith to it's roots. I could not understand why God could allow such a destructive thing to happen to me and I began doubting God. For seven years I lived a back-slidden life until God in His immeasurable mercy, once again revealed Himself to me. I once again surrendered my life fully to Him and He restored my faith. Once again He revealed Himself to me through the pages of the Bible - and I have since been living a victorious Christian life for more than 25 years!
How do I know that the Bible is the truth?
Without anybody telling me, I suddenly realised who God was! Jesus Christ was revealed to me as God the Son, God in a human body, and I accepted Him as my Lord and Saviour. I was born again by the Spirit of God and my life was changed completely. I started reading the Bible and through its pages the God of heaven, Creator of heaven and earth, was revealed to me as a living reality. This was no indoctrination or educational exercise! This was a supernatural revelation!
After three years I went through a serious crisis in my life and this shook my faith to it's roots. I could not understand why God could allow such a destructive thing to happen to me and I began doubting God. For seven years I lived a back-slidden life until God in His immeasurable mercy, once again revealed Himself to me. I once again surrendered my life fully to Him and He restored my faith. Once again He revealed Himself to me through the pages of the Bible - and I have since been living a victorious Christian life for more than 25 years!
How do I know that the Bible is the truth?
The question is, how do I know that the Bible is the truth? Although there are many more, I am going to give you only ten reasons why I believe that the Bible is the true and infallible Word of God:
1. The first and foremost reason is because God, the Creator of heaven and earth, was revealed to me through its pages. Nobody told me that the God of the Bible was the true God - this was a revelation! This revelation was not only a mental revelation, but a spiritual revelation to such an extend that to this very day I have a personal and intimate spiritual relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.
2. The second reason is that nobody in the world who have ever searched for the truth with an open and honest heart and mind, have ever failed to find the truth of God in the Bible! Millions of people have found it over the centuries and millions of people are finding it at present! This is the reason why some religions prohibit their followers from reading the Bible, because they know that a huge danger exists that they may lose them! If you are really looking for the truth, read the Bible alongside your own sacred writings - and decide for yourself! Christians have no problem if their followers read other religion's sacred writings - the truth will prevail! The Bible has no competition - it is in a class of its own!
3. The third reason is the miracle of its compilation. The Bible is not the fruit of only one prophet. If the Bible was written by only one prophet, it's authority could have been challenged. The Bible was written over a period of 1400 to 1800 years by more than 40 different authors, containing 66 books, 1189 chapters and 31,240 verses - consisting of one coherent message, beginning with creation in Genesis chapter 1 and ending with consummation in Revelation chapter 22 - each book and chapter forming a vital part of the coherent whole, without a single contradiction in its context. What do you think the chances are that a book written by 40 authors over a period of 1800 years would produce such a result?
4. The Bible was finally compiled in 387 AD and has to this day been accepted by the entire Christian church world wide as the inspired Word of God without any division! It is also the greatest selling Book in history and the Book that has been translated into the greatest number of languages in the world. It is the only sacred writing that can be read by the majority of the world population - and will within a short number of years be translated into all 6,900 languages of the world!
5. The Bible has no barriers. Millions of people are discovering the truth of the Bible across the globe in every country of the world. The message of the Bible has no national, cultural, class, language, racial, or political boundaries. It is God's Word for every person, of every nation, culture, tribe and tongue through all the ages!
6. The Bible reveals God's true purpose in creation and His true purpose and plan for every one of His creatures. The Bible also reveals the reason for the state of this world. It not only contains God's perfect solution for the social problems of this world, but above all contains the only and perfect plan of restoration from the fall. The Bible is the only book in the world that provides a solution to the problem of sin and the fall, and offers assurance of salvation for everyone who believes!
7. The New Testament of the Bible reveals the history of Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Saviour of the world, His crucifixion, His resurrection from the grave and His ascension into heaven. These are indisputable facts that were witnessed by multitudes. While many people over the centuries have attempted to disprove these facts - none have succeeded! While there is overwhelming evidence to prove these facts historically correct, nobody have ever succeeded to prove them wrong! At best critics have succeeded to spread unreliable rumours that are believed by some who have no courage to face the truth!
8. The 'Prophet' of the Bible is the only 'prophet' of any faith with an empty grave! The graves of all other prophets are occupied with dead bones! If it can be proved that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, Christianity will die! If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, the Christian faith is worthless! However, if the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true - that changes everything! Millions of people around the world are coming to the indisputable conclusion that Jesus Christ really is alive and reveals Himself alive to every single person who seeks Him in truth!!
9. The Bible is the ultimate source of all progress, advancement, development, prosperity and liberty in the world. The political systems of democracy, freedom of choice, education and free enterprise are inherited from Biblical principles. Where the Bible is honoured, there is progress and development! Where the Bible is absent or suppressed, there is regression, poverty and bondage. That's the reason why 53% of the world's income belongs to 33% of the world's Christian population.
10. Christianity cannot be killed, because it is built on the eternal principles of the Bible. The more Christians that are killed the more the Church grows! "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." This was proved in China where little more than 60 years ago, in 1949, there were less than 4 million Christians after all foreign missionaries were expelled and Christians brutally persecuted by a most repressive communist regime. Today China has the largest Christian population in the world, having exceeded the 100 million mark, and growing!
1. The first and foremost reason is because God, the Creator of heaven and earth, was revealed to me through its pages. Nobody told me that the God of the Bible was the true God - this was a revelation! This revelation was not only a mental revelation, but a spiritual revelation to such an extend that to this very day I have a personal and intimate spiritual relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.
2. The second reason is that nobody in the world who have ever searched for the truth with an open and honest heart and mind, have ever failed to find the truth of God in the Bible! Millions of people have found it over the centuries and millions of people are finding it at present! This is the reason why some religions prohibit their followers from reading the Bible, because they know that a huge danger exists that they may lose them! If you are really looking for the truth, read the Bible alongside your own sacred writings - and decide for yourself! Christians have no problem if their followers read other religion's sacred writings - the truth will prevail! The Bible has no competition - it is in a class of its own!
3. The third reason is the miracle of its compilation. The Bible is not the fruit of only one prophet. If the Bible was written by only one prophet, it's authority could have been challenged. The Bible was written over a period of 1400 to 1800 years by more than 40 different authors, containing 66 books, 1189 chapters and 31,240 verses - consisting of one coherent message, beginning with creation in Genesis chapter 1 and ending with consummation in Revelation chapter 22 - each book and chapter forming a vital part of the coherent whole, without a single contradiction in its context. What do you think the chances are that a book written by 40 authors over a period of 1800 years would produce such a result?
4. The Bible was finally compiled in 387 AD and has to this day been accepted by the entire Christian church world wide as the inspired Word of God without any division! It is also the greatest selling Book in history and the Book that has been translated into the greatest number of languages in the world. It is the only sacred writing that can be read by the majority of the world population - and will within a short number of years be translated into all 6,900 languages of the world!
5. The Bible has no barriers. Millions of people are discovering the truth of the Bible across the globe in every country of the world. The message of the Bible has no national, cultural, class, language, racial, or political boundaries. It is God's Word for every person, of every nation, culture, tribe and tongue through all the ages!
6. The Bible reveals God's true purpose in creation and His true purpose and plan for every one of His creatures. The Bible also reveals the reason for the state of this world. It not only contains God's perfect solution for the social problems of this world, but above all contains the only and perfect plan of restoration from the fall. The Bible is the only book in the world that provides a solution to the problem of sin and the fall, and offers assurance of salvation for everyone who believes!
7. The New Testament of the Bible reveals the history of Jesus Christ, God the Son, the Saviour of the world, His crucifixion, His resurrection from the grave and His ascension into heaven. These are indisputable facts that were witnessed by multitudes. While many people over the centuries have attempted to disprove these facts - none have succeeded! While there is overwhelming evidence to prove these facts historically correct, nobody have ever succeeded to prove them wrong! At best critics have succeeded to spread unreliable rumours that are believed by some who have no courage to face the truth!
8. The 'Prophet' of the Bible is the only 'prophet' of any faith with an empty grave! The graves of all other prophets are occupied with dead bones! If it can be proved that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, Christianity will die! If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, the Christian faith is worthless! However, if the resurrection of Jesus Christ is true - that changes everything! Millions of people around the world are coming to the indisputable conclusion that Jesus Christ really is alive and reveals Himself alive to every single person who seeks Him in truth!!
9. The Bible is the ultimate source of all progress, advancement, development, prosperity and liberty in the world. The political systems of democracy, freedom of choice, education and free enterprise are inherited from Biblical principles. Where the Bible is honoured, there is progress and development! Where the Bible is absent or suppressed, there is regression, poverty and bondage. That's the reason why 53% of the world's income belongs to 33% of the world's Christian population.
10. Christianity cannot be killed, because it is built on the eternal principles of the Bible. The more Christians that are killed the more the Church grows! "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." This was proved in China where little more than 60 years ago, in 1949, there were less than 4 million Christians after all foreign missionaries were expelled and Christians brutally persecuted by a most repressive communist regime. Today China has the largest Christian population in the world, having exceeded the 100 million mark, and growing!
The Lie that good or religious deeds will buy your ticket to heaven!
Earlier I promised you that I would discuss this point later. Now that you understand that the Bible is the truth of God, you will accept the truth when I quote from the Bible. You cannot earn your own salvation in any way! Not even by dying a martyr's death! Salvation is a free gift of God to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Saviour. No measure of good works, however great in any person's view, will ever earn you a ticket to heaven, because the Bible says: "... knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." Gal 2:16; and "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eph 2:8,9 (NKJV )
This of course does not mean there is no profit in being a martyr - but then you have to be a martyr for the truth and the right reason! We read in Rev 20:4: "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."
We said in the beginning that if your faith is not worth dying for - it is not worth living for! I am personally willing to die for the truth of the Bible! Are you willing to die for your beliefs? I have no fear of death! And when I say to you that I have no fear of death, I am not suicidal, worn down with a load of bitterness and hatred, sitting next to a fuel pump smoking, or carrying a load of dynamite on my body or in my motorcar and a detonator in my pocket! If I should have to die for the truth of the Bible, I will take no one else with me - I will die alone - I will not kill myself, I will be killed by someone else who hates the truth - I will not die in shame, alienating others from the truth, I will die triumphantly, turning millions of others to the truth - I will not be dying for a selfish motive and a lie, I will be dying for the truth and the benefit of a world searching for truth!
Are you searching for the truth? I want to guide you in a short and simple, but systematic manner through the truths of the Bible in such a way that you will discover God's truth and purpose for your life!
One of the great truths I discovered when I found God's truth and purpose for my own life, was that I possess spiritual power and authority through prayer. I discovered that I can influence and change people's lives and the world for the better through prayer. In fact I learned that God changes the world and establishes His Kingdom on earth through the prayers of His children. You can too when you discover the truth of the Bible!
So, while we guide you through an exploration of the central truths of the Bible, we would like to pray for you that you will find God's truth and purpose for your life.
Earlier I promised you that I would discuss this point later. Now that you understand that the Bible is the truth of God, you will accept the truth when I quote from the Bible. You cannot earn your own salvation in any way! Not even by dying a martyr's death! Salvation is a free gift of God to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ as Saviour. No measure of good works, however great in any person's view, will ever earn you a ticket to heaven, because the Bible says: "... knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified." Gal 2:16; and "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Eph 2:8,9 (NKJV )
This of course does not mean there is no profit in being a martyr - but then you have to be a martyr for the truth and the right reason! We read in Rev 20:4: "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."
We said in the beginning that if your faith is not worth dying for - it is not worth living for! I am personally willing to die for the truth of the Bible! Are you willing to die for your beliefs? I have no fear of death! And when I say to you that I have no fear of death, I am not suicidal, worn down with a load of bitterness and hatred, sitting next to a fuel pump smoking, or carrying a load of dynamite on my body or in my motorcar and a detonator in my pocket! If I should have to die for the truth of the Bible, I will take no one else with me - I will die alone - I will not kill myself, I will be killed by someone else who hates the truth - I will not die in shame, alienating others from the truth, I will die triumphantly, turning millions of others to the truth - I will not be dying for a selfish motive and a lie, I will be dying for the truth and the benefit of a world searching for truth!
Are you searching for the truth? I want to guide you in a short and simple, but systematic manner through the truths of the Bible in such a way that you will discover God's truth and purpose for your life!
One of the great truths I discovered when I found God's truth and purpose for my own life, was that I possess spiritual power and authority through prayer. I discovered that I can influence and change people's lives and the world for the better through prayer. In fact I learned that God changes the world and establishes His Kingdom on earth through the prayers of His children. You can too when you discover the truth of the Bible!
So, while we guide you through an exploration of the central truths of the Bible, we would like to pray for you that you will find God's truth and purpose for your life.
Having experienced something of the power of prayer, my own greatest need is for Christians to pray for me! The greatest gift anyone can give me is to pray for me! We herewith offer to pray for you, and if you have the faintest idea of the value of this offer, you will grab it with both hands! It's free!
If you want us to pray for you and you want to read more about how to discover and find God's truth and purpose for your life, please enter your name and email address below and you will be directed to Part 2 of this article. There is no cost or obligation whatsoever involved. We will treat your information with the utmost confidentiality and will not coerce you into anything. (You may also proceed to the next page without entering your name on the prayer list if you prefer, by clicking on the link provided.)
If you want us to pray for you and you want to read more about how to discover and find God's truth and purpose for your life, please enter your name and email address below and you will be directed to Part 2 of this article. There is no cost or obligation whatsoever involved. We will treat your information with the utmost confidentiality and will not coerce you into anything. (You may also proceed to the next page without entering your name on the prayer list if you prefer, by clicking on the link provided.)
If you reject this invitation, it will have certain definite negative consequences in your life - and if you accept it, it will have certain definite positive consequences - but the choice remains your own! You may continue to live in spiritual and emotional poverty and darkness, in which case you will probably die for the sake of a lie; or you may decide that you want to discover the truth of God and how you can be what God made you to be and how you can fulfill God's purpose for your life, today! This could undoubtedly be the most important decision you have ever made and will ever make in your entire life! I beg you, for your own sake and benefit, do not consider this invitation lightly!