Whether you believe in the existence of heaven and hell or not, you will have to admit that what lies beyond death is uncertain. No concrete, reliable account by anyone who has been there exists, as far as I know. In the absence of any factual evidence about life after death, that is as far as coming from any human source, it may seem that we are free to think and believe what ever we choose on the matter, after all no one really knows. So why not believe what we like? Many people in fact do feel exactly this way and it would be difficult to find fault in their approach to human mortality if it were not for one simple fact. That fact is the Bible.

The Bible is real and makes extraordinary claims. It offers a glimpse of life after death which challenges our imagination. It even claims to be a product of the same power and authority that created us and all of the universe around us.

Ultimately, each one of us will decide for ourselves how we will face death and whatever consequences that it brings. It may be that death is simply the end and nothing follows it, in which case we are all alike and no preparation of any kind will have any effect.

But what about the Bible? Can we simply discount it? Of course we can, as many certainly will. But is that a reasonable thing to do?

What it boils down to is this. If the Bible is true then we actually do face heaven or hell after death.

However, if the Bible is not true then no one really knows anything for sure and one opinion is a good as another.

It would seem entirely appropriate to at least consider whether or not the Bible is true. After all the mere thought of an eternity in heaven or hell is the most awesome thing that can be imagined. Obviously any reasonable person will want to test the Bible to see if it is true. The consequences of not doing so are just too great.

At this point it would seem that the Bible has passed one important test of truth. This would be that truth can not be ignored. The consequences of doing so are, again, just too great. One can not deal with the world around us based upon lies and misconceptions. It simply will not work. We must acknowledge and incorporate truth into our lives if we are to succeed and this principle applies to all aspects of our lives and also to our death it seems.

Another test of truth the Bible passes is its very existence. It claims that it will never pass away (Matt 24:35) and it is still with us today and shows no sign of going out of existence. In fact the Bible is the most widely published book of all times.

Send comments or questions to the Clintwood Church of Christ, POB 746, Clintwood, Va. 24228 or E-mail me at bryanwa@ntelos.net Check out our web page at clintwoodchurchofchrist.com