Not long before his death in 1990, the British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge wrote, "I see my ancient carcass, prone between the sheets, stained and worn like a scrap of paper dropped in the gutter and, hovering over it, myself, like a butterfly released from its chrysalis stage and ready to fly away.
Are caterpillars told of their impending resurrection?—How in dying they will be transformed from poor earth-crawlers into creatures of the air, with exquisitely painted wings? If told, do they believe it? I imagine the wise old caterpillars shaking their heads—no, it can't be; it's a fantasy."
And so it is with us. We've been told in the Bible what happens—or at least what can happen—to our souls, the "real us," when we come to the end of this life and shed our earthly bodies. And like those caterpillars, we have been given the choice to believe it or not.
That's the crunch, the pivotal point, the one condition on which the door to eternal life in Heaven hinges—belief. "I am the resurrection and the life," Jesus said. "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25).
The miracle of Easter is that because Jesus didn't remain in the grave, we don't have to either. We don't have to suffer eternal separation from God as the payment for our sins. After taking that punishment for us, Jesus rose to life again. And because He lives, we can live also (John 14:19).
All it takes is belief in Jesus' redeeming sacrifice.
If you believe, you're good to go! If not, we hope this message will help you to believe.
And you just might be surprised at how little faith it takes. If all you can muster is the prayer of one desperate man in the Bible, "Lord, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24), you're opening your mind and heart to Jesus and giving Him a chance to prove Himself, and He will.
—By Keith Phillips
Are caterpillars told of their impending resurrection?—How in dying they will be transformed from poor earth-crawlers into creatures of the air, with exquisitely painted wings? If told, do they believe it? I imagine the wise old caterpillars shaking their heads—no, it can't be; it's a fantasy."
And so it is with us. We've been told in the Bible what happens—or at least what can happen—to our souls, the "real us," when we come to the end of this life and shed our earthly bodies. And like those caterpillars, we have been given the choice to believe it or not.
That's the crunch, the pivotal point, the one condition on which the door to eternal life in Heaven hinges—belief. "I am the resurrection and the life," Jesus said. "He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25).
The miracle of Easter is that because Jesus didn't remain in the grave, we don't have to either. We don't have to suffer eternal separation from God as the payment for our sins. After taking that punishment for us, Jesus rose to life again. And because He lives, we can live also (John 14:19).
All it takes is belief in Jesus' redeeming sacrifice.
If you believe, you're good to go! If not, we hope this message will help you to believe.
And you just might be surprised at how little faith it takes. If all you can muster is the prayer of one desperate man in the Bible, "Lord, help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24), you're opening your mind and heart to Jesus and giving Him a chance to prove Himself, and He will.
—By Keith Phillips
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