"I am telling you the truth: whoever hears my words and believes in him who sent me has eternal life. He will not be judged, but has already passed from death to life. I am telling you the truth: the time is coming - the time has already come - when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will come to life. Just as the Father is himself the source of life, in the same way he has made his Son to be the source of life. And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice and come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned."

John 5:24-29

Civilizations will fall, but the human soul will live on forever. And because every individual will one day stand and face God's judgment, the most important question is how each of us will spend the endless ages stretching before us. Will we be with God in indescribable glory and joy? Or will we be exiled from God, lost forever in a condition too horrible for language to describe? What a responsibility rests on believers! We must tell people that the only way to spend eternity in God's presence is to accept His offer of forgiveness and reconciliation.

When you open your heart to Jesus, heaven is open to you.

Our Daily Bread - August 30, 2003