One thing that most of us fear but cannot escape from is death. It's been said that there are only two things that are inevitable in this life: taxes and death.
Death is feared by many because of the uncertainty it holds. What comes after death? Is there really a continuation of existence after we leave this world?
What does the Bible say about the afterlife? Does it exist?
God promises eternity to those who put their hope in Christ and the love He displayed on the cross (John 3:16). This promise directly suggests that life goes on even after we die in our physical form.
Jesus spoke about the afterlife many times. Jesus told the Sadducees once about believers of old, "Regarding the fact that the dead rise again, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken." (Mark 12:26-27)
Jesus also spoke to His disciples about a place that was being readied for them and all others who believed Him. Before departing, Jesus comforted the disciples about their fate as martyrs of the gospel, saying in John 14:3-4, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going."
As far as destinations are concerned, the Bible is also clear about the paths available—eternal paradise in God or eternal suffering apart from Him. Matthew 25:46 says, "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
So what determines our afterlife destination? At the core, what determines it is our compatibility to God's nature. Because God is purely holy and righteous, He can only co-exist with holy and righteous people.
Because God is loving and doesn't want mankind to be eternally separated from Him, He made another way: the sacrifice of His own Son Jesus as atonement for our sin. Now He calls us to simply believe in the work of Christ to give us access to eternal life with Him.
There is clearly an afterlife as God has destined it to be that way. The question we should ask ourselves is: Which of the two destinations do we find ourselves heading to?
