THE PROMISE

THE PROMISE LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE

IF A MAN dies, will he live again? In answer the atheist says, "No." The philosopher says, "Maybe." Only a believing child of God with determination and certainty can answer, "Yes." A believer can say yes because he bases his answer on faith in Jesus Christ.

It was Jesus who promised, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." Shall never die? Haven't we stood at the grave of a dead loved one? Don't we see death waiting for us too?

Certainly our bodies must die and be placed in a grave. But, as we learned, man also has a soul. Death is the separation of the soul from the body. The soul lives on after the body dies. The soul of the unbeliever is delivered to a place of endless punishment called hell. There it remains with the devil and the evil angels. There it endures eternal torment.

The soul of the believer, on the other hand, immediately goes to heaven, the place of God's special presence. There it lives with God and all the believers as well as with the holy angels.

On the last day of this world, Jesus will come again to judge all the living and the dead. On that day the bodies of all who have died will rise from the dead. They will be reunited with their souls. On the one hand, the body and the soul of the unbeliever will be sent to the eternal torments of hell. On the other hand, the glorified body and soul of the believer will live eternally in the joys of heaven.

We don't know exactly what heaven will be like. But the Bible does tell us many things about what it will be like in heaven. It tells us that we will be in the presence of Jesus. Heaven will be a place of great joy and happiness. In heaven there will be no more pain or sorrow or death or crying because all the evil we experienced on earth will be gone. It will be a place of eternal pleasure. There we will be reunited with all our loved ones who have died in the faith of Jesus Christ.

In heaven our voices will join those of the holy angels around God's throne. We will sing the praises of our God and Savior and say,
   "Worthy is the lamb, who was slain,
   to receive power and wealth and
   wisdom and strength and
   honor and glory and praise."
   Together with the angels we will join in joyfully singing,
   "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty
   who was, and is, and is to come."

<Previous Page - Next Page>
1. The Beginning of All Creation
2. The Promise is Made
3. The Promise is Kept
4. Jesus Fulfills the Promise
5. The Promise - You Are Justified
6. The Promise - You Have Peace
7. The Promise Leads to Eternal Life
8. Conclusion

copyright 1998-WELS-BWM. Author Harold Essman.