ONE HEARTBEAT AWAY - 2

 ONE HEARTBEAT      AWAY    2

Mark Cahill's book - the pictures used are not in Mark's book


Introduction continued - 

When you die, what do you think will be on the other side?   There are many different beliefs. For example:

*  Hinduism teaches that an individual is 
    almost  endlessly reincarnated , based     
    on the law of karma, which says that 
    the good and bad deeds and thoughts  
    a person sends out  in one lifetime are    
    done to them in a later reincarnation.

*  The Jewish Bible (called the Old
    Testament by Christians ), as well as
     The New Testament , teach that 
     there is a heaven and a hell. Jews 
     believe that there is some form of
     reward or punishment after death.
     As do Christians.

*  Islam teaches that there is a paradise
    and a hellfire, with martyrdom the only 
    sure ticket to paradise.

*  Buddhists believe that, through
    enlightenment, the soul is 
    continuously  reincarnated until it
    reaches an ultimate state of non-
    existence, called nirvana.

*  Atheists believe that there is  no 
   consciece afterlife. One atheist refers 
   to death as a "celestial dirt nap."

*  The New Age movement
    encompasses many varying beliefs, 
    including the belief that people 
    keep being reborn until reaching 
    oneness with God.


 There are many              possibilities, but              which is the one              that will happen  to you?                                                                   How can you know what is out there after you draw your last breath?  Is it even possible to know?

Although the majority of people believe in the soul and life after death, many are unsure of their own destination.

One in four adults admits he has " no idea "  what will happen after he dies. An amazing two-thirds of atheists and agnostics accept the existence of an afterlife, so it's obvious that many people have not carefully thought through what they believe and why. More importantly, they  haven't considered  whether there is any evidence to support that belief.

Suppose I was in the northern U.S.  in December, and after a few days of below freezing temperatures, ice begins to form on a nearby lake. I've enjoyed walking on a frozen lake before, so let's say I decide that I would like to walk on this one.. But then I get a better idea, I decide to take a snowmobile out onto the ice. I have seen people do that on T.V.  and it looks like so much fun. Even better I am going to build a snow ramp so that I can launch the snowmobile into the air, and land it on the ice, and slide for a good distance. Now that sounds like a lot of fun!  There is only one problem: No matter how much I believe I can do that , no matter how much faith I have, I would go right through ice, because it would still be very thin. That is reality.

Now suppose it is February at the same lake, and we have  had over 2 months of below freezing temperatures. Although I really want to walk out onto the ice  I'm afraid to do it because a friend fell through the ice a few months earlier. So, I'm only willing to take one foot and step ever so lightly onto the ice to make sure it will support my weight. The ice not only holds me up but would have supported  a snowmobile being launched into the air and landing on it.  Why?  The ice is many inches thick  by this time.

What is the difference between these two scenarios ?  In the first I had all the faith in the world, but the object of my faith wasn't what I thought it was.: the ice was too thin. I would 
have been taking a blind leap of misplaced faith.

In the second  scenario, had I considered the evidence, I could have placed only a small amount of faith into action and I would have been fine.

Although we may not realize it we all have faith in something. In fact, you place your faith in many things every day. You have faith when you drive that other drivers will stop at red lights. You have faith that the chair on which you are sitting will continue to hold you.
Every time you fly you excerise faith that the pilot is not suicidal and planning to crash the plane.

The key is not the amount of faith we have, but the object of that faith. That is, are we believing and trusting in something that is actually true?

So, it doesn't really matter what we believe about life after death . But it does matter whether the object of our faith is trustworthy and will support our trust. Are you taking a "blind leap"  onto some "thin ice"  for eternity or is the "ice" you will be landing on many feet thick? 

No matter what your answer to that question, your answer is based on faith or belief in something. So, ask yourself what evidence you have to support that belief? 

Oprah Winfrey said that her favorite question to ask show guests is : "what do you know for sure?"  Well, one thing we all  "know for sure "  is that we will die , but the question now is: "where will we go after that?"  

We are all one day closer to eternity than we were yesterday. No matter what or whom you have chosen to place your faith in , you are betting the only life you have  - your eternal well-being - on your decision.

Have you examined the evidence to ensure you are making the right choice? For your own sake, you owe it to yourself to fully explore the options. You don't want to be wrong for all eternity just because you didn't take the time to consider the evidence. 

So, before your journey into eternity begins, please take a brief journey with me on a search for evidence of eternal truth. 

Is there a God ? Or isn't there?  Is there life after death?  Or not?   And how trustworthy is the object of your faith?

Sir Winston Churchill said, " men occasionally stumble over the truth , but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." 

I hope you won't just stumble over the truth and ignore it, but that you will actively seek it - and place your faith in it.

Let's take a look at some of the evidence to see "just how thick the ice will be "  on the day you die. Let's research the depths of the mystery of eternal truth and see what we find.


Next post tomorrow 27th June