The 5 Keys of the True Faith (2- What Awaits Us Beyond This Life?)

1.The Christian Concept of Eternal Life:

In Christianity, the afterlife is a core belief centered on the eternal destiny of the soul. It promises eternal communion with God for believers, characterized by perfect love, joy, peace, and the absence of fear, pain, or sorrow. Heaven is seen as a state of eternal fulfillment in God's presence. Conversely, those who reject God, face separation from Him in a state of spiritual anguish.

The afterlife is not about material pleasures but about a transcendent relationship with God and the fulfillment of humanity's deepest spiritual longings.

This eternal destiny reflects God’s justice and love, offering every person an outcome aligned with their choices in life.

"They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat" (Revelation 7:16)

2.The Nature of the Afterlife: 

Could the afterlife be purely physical? Would such a notion truly satisfy human aspirations?

 Physical pleasures, no matter how abundant, are attainable on Earth. However, they fail to fulfill the soul’s deepest desires. What we truly yearn for is a life filled with righteousness, one marked by absolute and complete love and peace and happiness a life free of fear, danger, and sorrow.

This is the life God promises to believers, as stated in His promise: "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes"

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Corinthians 2:9)

"For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17)

3.The Necessity of Reward and Punishment: 

The concept of reward and punishment is a fundamental part of human nature. 

Conscience and human thought naturally lean toward believing in ultimate justice that balances actions with their consequences, reinforcing the idea that life has a meaning and purpose beyond the present moment.

"Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28-29)

"Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

4.The Spiritual Growth of Humans:

Human growth naturally tends toward reducing reliance on the body and focusing on the soul, which suggests the existence of a life centered on the soul rather than the body after this one.

Every religion offers its followers a certain promise after death, whether it be the idea of becoming "gods on Earth" or another life resembling this one. Yet the essential question remains: do these promises align with the spiritual aspirations of humanity?

In contrary God Jesus Christ warned the non-believers and said:

"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out" (Luke 13:28)

5.Conflict with Human Conscience:

The idea that life just ends & vanish is fundamentally at odds with human conscience and sensibility. By nature, humans are inclined to seek a deeper meaning to life that goes beyond its material end, reflecting an innate desire for eternity.

In Christianity God (Jesus Christ) promises that every effort and service has eternal value:

Actions dedicated to serving God and others are not in vain; they are recorded and hold significance in heaven.

Eternal reward:

These treasures are not material but pertain to eternal joy, peace, and the delight of being in God's presence.

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19-20)

"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27)

6.What our body would be like in eternal life:

We will have a spiritual body that doesn’t feel materialistic things like thirst or hunger or boredom.

"Physical pleasures are not the currency of eternal life."

Happiness increases immensely because the joy tied to physical pleasures is far less than the joy found in pure divine love, which is higher and more beautiful than any earthly pleasure. 

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)