Tag Info

I'm reminded of the story of two twins inside a mother's womb. They are discussing what things might be like on the other side of "birth". One wonders if there really is a "Mom". Neither can conceive of what life will be like, though, since neither has ever been there. They've heard that it's a painful trip, but that there's a wonderful world of ...

The Catholic Church is very explicit in it's teachings that "all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church". The only way to enter the Church and become part of the Body of Christ is through baptism. Thus, baptism is necessary for salvation. This is not meant to be interpreted as only Catholics can attain salvation. Rather, the Church ...

Memories: Romans 14:12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God I am under the impression that yes we will have memories of our lives (because without such memories how could we give account?). We would not be able to give an account if we did not have consciousness. Conscious Experience: I think that this Scripture gives us a ...

I will risk an answer, though I too hold these things to be very sacred. I will also offer this disclaimer: This is my understanding, having been a life-long member of the LDS church. If a lack of references and citations means this answer needs to be deleted, I fully understand. My question is, according to LDS teaching, when does a person have to ...

We don't know The Bible doesn't tell us. The only answer I can give is a tautology - if they were saved, then they went to heaven. But the Bible doesn't tell us whether they were saved. However, it should be noted that the nature of their punishment does not rule out the possibility of their salvation. Consider 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NASB): It is ...

The Bible says nothing about this. The closest you can come in Scripture is Luke 16:19-31 19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his ...

According to scripture, hell is real, and anyone who was not born again will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. 41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43I was a stranger and you ...

Many passages from the Bible have been used as the basis for people seeing and hearing from heaven. I think that I have now rounded up all the major points. I could be wrong, perhaps there are even more. Below I give the 7 major biblical points that I have seen brought up as supporting this view. Some of these points are related, but they all approach the ...

That hell is a literal place as is understood by Western Protestants is far from settled. Byzantine (Greek) Orthodoxy, for example, adheres to a conception of Hell very similar to that espoused by Bell: Hell not a physical place but the state of not experiencing God's love, one can leave it at any time by accepting God's love, and those who live a righteous ...

As Mason Wheeler mentioned, LDS members consider the answers to these questions sacred, and thus you're probably not going to find much "official" information on this subject. However, there is one quote that comes to mind, and my responses will be in light of this: Let me give you the definition in brief. Your endowment is, to receive all those ...

I'm going to try to answer this from a purely Scriptural point of view, rather than a particular doctrinal stance. The short answer is, according to Scripture, no. But there are a few points to address in the question. and not sinned by our definition Everyone on earth has sinned, save Jesus. Romans 3:23 (KJV) For all have sinned, and ...

Jesus Himself said Abraham was in heaven, in the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus: Luke 16:19-31 NIV1984 (I have highlighted the six references to Abraham.) “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell ...

The answer is yes. As well as the Old Testament accounts of Abraham's life he is also mentioned a few times in the New Testament - namely in Romans 4, Galations 3 and Hebrews 11. It's in the first two of those that we find our answer: What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:3, NIV) ...

They can, it seems. The clearest example is from Luke 16:22-25: 22 When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have ...

First off, eschatology (the study of last things) is rarely subject to a definitive answer, because there is simply a wide range of opinion on how to interpret these things. The best that I can do is repeat theories I have seen before. The answer below presumes a pre-milennial dispensationalist reading, meaning that the timeline is what Tim LaHaye ...

I think you could make a pretty solid case from the Bible that the spirits of men, once dead, stay dead to this world and are are only active* in another place. In fact, no mainline traditions I know of teach specifically in the existence of ghosts, and quite a few teach against such a thing being possible. There are of course a few exceptional groups ...

I will answer it vaguely. Hebrews 11 has a list of many People of Faith from the Old Testament who already died and are in Heaven. Hebrews 12 (NIV) 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked ...

First of all, Christianity doesn't teach that some get to go to heaven because they are "smaller sinners" than everybody else. Likewise those in hell are not their because they are "bigger sinners" than anyone else. In fact as humans we all stand on pretty equal ground as far as that is concerned, and if that were the standard we'd all be in hell. Secondly, ...

As the commenters have already pointed out in response to other answers, the various points in the Bible which might be seen as answering this question are ambiguous. The only passage that I've seen that claims to answer it definitively comes from outside of mainstream Christianity. In the book of Doctrine and Covenants--a collection of revelations and ...

Preparing for Exaltation Teachers Manual - Lesson 41: Eternal Marriage Explain that in the temple, through the power of the priesthood, Chris and her husband could be married for eternity, not just until death. Their children would then be “born in the covenant,” which means that they could be sealed together as a family forever. If you are married in ...

There are two major schools about the place, whether it is eternal or whether there is annihilation. Most of the time, Jesus refers to being 'destroyed' in hell. With this definition, only two groups will have an 'eternal' hell. First, Satan and demons. In terms of people, then according to Rev. 14:11: And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ...

Sure they can. Matthew 17 (NIV) 1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with ...

The first thing that comes to mind when I see this question is the post-Resurrection appearance of the Savior to the disciples: Luke 24:37-39: 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands ...

First off I'd like to state that this is, in my opinion, clearly not a parable because the Bible does not state it as one like it does in these many citations: Matthew 13:18 Luke 6:39 Luke 12:16 Luke 15:3 Luke 18:1 Luke 18:9 Luke 19:11 If Jesus was speaking of reality then 'The End' had technically already come. Is this correct? So, to answer this ...

Assignment to heaven and hell indeed imply certain states of mind. (Cf. the excellent novella by C. S. Lewis treating this very topic, The Great Divorce.) However, the traditional understanding of the afterlife is that those who have died experience a foretaste of what awaits them in the general resurrection occurring upon the second and glorious coming of ...

First you have to understand God's nature which is that He is just and right. Deuteronomy 32:4 "The Rock, his work is perfect; For all his ways are justice: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is He." God is just in creating Hell since God can do nothing apart from his nature and God justly gave us free will and "all have ...

In Revelation 21, the future new heavens and new earth, I would conclude there will be communication based on this description. 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The ...

TL;DR The answer seems to be a clear "Yes" on this matter. David Legg has an excellent sermon on the subject here, from which I obtained much of this research. Many people have heard the passage about there being no marriage in Heaven: Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection ...

There are a few theories about this, and I will try to explain the general categories. Animals do not have immortal souls (they do not have the image of God given to man when he was first created) and thus cease to exist when they die. There is nothing that can befall them after death such as condemnation or eternal salvation. Animals are not immortal, but ...