Like most people of my generation I was sent to Sunday School and thought that made me good enough to go to heaven when I died. In 1959 I heard an American preacher Billy Graham say, "The bible says, 'All have sinned and come short of the glory of God', 'The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord'

I realized that I wasn't the good Sunday School boy I thought I was. I had broken God's law and the penalty for that was death. At that time I believed hell was a place where you burnt forever and I didn't want to go there. I had learnt John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotton son so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life"  but did not understood it's full meaning. I thought I understood it then, believing in hell being a place to live forever in torment and I didn't want to go there.

I didn't understand that "for ever" didn't necessarily mean without end and in fact the bible uses the term 56 times in connection with things already ended. It simply mean as long as a person lives. The everlasting fire can not be extinguished until those thrown into it are dead. This is called the second death after the judgment of those not written in the book of life. (Revelation 20v14) I do not fear man who can only destroy my body. I have a reverential fear of him who can destroy my body and my soul in hell. (Matthew 10:28) not someone who who will make people suffer for ever and ever.

God's judgment is fair. You may not agree with what I believe, that's fine, it is good to have friends who do not think as you do, it challenges your thinking. If am wrong and there is no life after death I have at least found happiness and contentment here in this world. In the meantime I have no reason to be superior or inferior to any person. It doesn't matter which commandment we break the penalty is still the same. I am not to proud to receive the free gift offered now.

I am not interested in any form of religion which tries to control people and give them a fear of living in hell forever. The reality is that the sentence of death is upon us all. We do not want to think about death and are deceived by 'crafty' interpretation of God's word or of the Quran, which quotes from it.

We think we can deliberately disobey God's word and live forever. Hell is a place of destruction, not somewhere to live forever. The only place we can live forever is the place where there will be no more death or destruction, a place where people love to keep God's commandments. If I do not want to keep God's commandments here, why would I want to go to heaven?

Jesus gave a clue to the rich young ruler who wanted to know what good thing he could do to get eternal life. "'Why do you ask me about what is good?' Jesus replied 'There is only one who is good. If you want to enter life,  obey the commandments'"  (Matthew 19:17) The rich young ruler did not take the hint and pretended that he was good. Money did not give him the happiness that comes when we realise that we are not good and that God loves us so much that he allowed his own son to be a substitute for our sins. Then we can naturally keep his commandments as a response to his love as he changes us from the inside out.

John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, so that whoever believes in shall not perish (it does not say be punished forever) but have everlasting life."

The trouble is most of us believe Satan's lie that it doesn't matter if we disobey God, we will not die, we can become like God and set our own rules. In the middle of the garden of Eden was the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. A simple choice, Life or Death.

Our first parents didn't die as soon as they disobeyed. God is merciful and not willing that any should perish. He had a plan of salvation. Jesus is the lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world. Our first parents tried to cover their sins by their own effort, but God covered Adam and Eve with garments of animal skin, showing that there needed to be a substitute to die in their place.  There was no death or dying before Adam's sin.

Dinosaurs were living with man when the book of Job was written and have since become extinct as many animals have. That's why the translators didn't know what a Behemoth was

.

The first book of the bible describes the reason for death and dying and the new testament confirms it. Romans 5:12 "As by one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned." Romans 5:14 "For if by the trespass of one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and the gift of righteousness reign through one man, Jesus Christ."

Adam lived 130 years before Seth was born as a replacement for Abel who was killed by his brother Cain.  Adam lived 800 years after his son Seth was born to Eve because he had been created perfect and had not inherited any genetic defects. He had many sons and daughters but only 3 sons are mentioned. Abel accepted the substitute lamb slain for his sins but Cain tried to come to God as a result of his own effort. His jealousy caused him to kill his brother. 

The rest of the genealogy in Genesis 5 describes the number of years before one special son was mentioned. I believe those special sons were adopted by God because they recognised they deserved to die for their sin and accepted the shed blood of the animal who died in their place like Seth did. That's why it often took a number of years before that one special son was mentioned.

When these adopted sons of God  in Genesis chapter 6:2 saw the daughters of men were beautiful and took whoever they fancied, the wickedness of man became so great, the creator of the universe decided to destroy the world with a flood that would cover the whole earth. However he did not do this without warning the people through his servant Noah whom he revealed the dimensions of the most stable craft that would survive the catastrophic event.

Things have not always been the same. People lived longer before the flood when vegetation was abundant because of the glass house effect. People who had not seen rain did not believe it would rain for 40 days and nights. That the waters under the earth would spring forth. That there would be volcanoes and the whole earth would be flooded for a whole year.

If there was a world wide flood you would expect to find billions of dead things buried in rock layers all over the world, which is exactly what we do find.

When a fish dies it floats to the surface or is eaten by scavengers on the ocean floor. To be fossilized in rock layers on mountains it needs to be buried quickly with water and a form of cement that will set it before it decays. This  fossil evidence confirms that just as God judged the world before he will judge it again. That's why men deliberately forget that long ago the world was deluged and destroyed and scoff at the coming of Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:3-7)

Jesus believed in Genesis and quoted from it. He said, "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days of Noah before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:37-41)

Jesus also warned specifically about famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places and says they are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:7,8)

Sin is not something to muck around with. It cost God the death of his own dear son. I  discovered that I could not keep God's commandments out of a fear of going to hell. I respond much better to love than threats. I know God loves me and that his way is best. Every time I break Gods commandments, I am driving another nail in Jesus' hand. I can not blame the Israelis or he Romans for crucifying my Lord. It was my sins that nailed him to the cross. He loved me, even when I was dead in my trespasses and sin. I can not help responding to that kind of love. See the Passion of Christ

I am not God, nor am I Jesus Christ, just seeking to be a humble follower of his example. He is a true friend to me and understands me like no other. Jesus taught us how we could have a relationship with the creator of the universe when we stop making excuses, recognize that we deserve to die for our sins and accept the substitute slain before the foundation of the world.

Jesus taught us to call God father. I have chosen to be adopted by God so that I naturally call him my father and want to keep his commandments, which are not burdensome, just a better way of life. I do not know what is best for me, my creator does. I can not say I have no need of him.

How is your Self Esteem?
Is your Love Cup FULL?
For Promises to Fill Your Love Cup click here

This article was written before my divorce, which happened because I took my first wife's love for granted, just like we can take God's love for granted. The difference is, He doesn't stop loving and caring for us, no matter what we do.

As long as we have breath it is not to late to turn to him in response to His love. It is only because of the hardness of out hearts that God allows us to Divorce Him.

To see my 2nd marriage and my favorite Christian sites Click here

To see what the Bible says about money Click Here