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Getting to heaven - how hard can it be? · Fifteen Minutes With Fritz - Where Scripture Meets the Sidewalk

• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: Good morning, everyone.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: I've missed the privilege of sharing these podcasts with you for the last three weeks.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_01: Our grandkids were here for two of those weeks, and last week Linda and I took a mini vacation driving around the great state of Ohio.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: We tried to see the big boy locomotive in Fastoria, Ohio, but never got closer than two and a half miles away.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: Too bad, but I did get to see it when it came through Painesville on june eighth.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_01: We then visited Wright Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton and then went to the Ark Experience and the Creation Museum near Cincinnati, both of which I would highly recommend to anyone interested in a clear affirmation of what the Bible says about Noah's Ark and about God's creation.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: Very informative, very well done, and very biblical.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, I'm glad to be back in the routine of sharing fifteen minutes with Fritz on a weekly basis where Scripture meets the sidewalk.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: We're nearing the end of our book The one hundred most asked questions about heaven, hell and the afterlife.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: And while we haven't covered all one hundred questions from the book, we have tackled the ones I felt were most relevant to those who listen to these podcasts.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: We've covered the topic of what happens to us immediately after death.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: We've answered the question about babies and animals in heaven.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: We've looked at what we will do in heaven and what we will look like in heaven, whether we will sleep, whether we will eat, even whether we'll be naked in heaven, and whether we'll be married.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: We then turned our attention to hell.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: Does it exist?
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, of course it does.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: We asked whether there are different levels of punishment in hell, and we tackled a very important question how can a loving God send anyone to hell?
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: We discussed some of the judgments we will face and our rewards we may receive, and last time we covered the topic of purgatory from a biblical perspective.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_01: All of these are available to listen to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: Just search for fifteen minutes with Fritz.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: But I think it's appropriate at this time to go back to the very beginning.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_01: We started this study in January by asking the most fundamental question of all is there an afterlife?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: Now since I've posed this question to you, I've grown in my understanding of how AI works, when I can depend on its answers and when I should be skeptical of what it says.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: With that in mind, I decided to pose this very question to AI and see what comes back.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: I framed the question purposefully because I was hoping AI would answer it in a manner similar to how our book answered it, which was in this way When we want an accurate answer to a particular question, we should ask an expert, one who can speak with authority on the subject.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: And so I typed the following into Gemini, which is Google's AI engine.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: Who can best answer the question is there an afterlife?
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: And the results were quite interesting.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: Here's what it said.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: The question of whether an afterlife exists is something science cannot currently test or prove.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: Because there is no objective empirical data, the best answer depends entirely on the framework of knowledge you trust most.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_01: It then went on to list four leading authorities on the subject.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Neuroscientists and biologists can provide an answer based on research of the brain.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: Their conclusion When brain activity stops, consciousness ends.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: In other words, there is no afterlife because the brain is dead.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: Philosophers discussed whether conclusion whether consciousness continues after death, and they answered the question this way more debate is needed.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: Not surprising, but not very helpful.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: Medical researchers have talked to people who have had near death experiences, those who have died for a short period of time and were revived.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: These people report a collection of vivid memories and out of body perceptions, but they could not conclude whether there is an afterlife.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: And finally, AI suggested that theologians and spiritual leaders can interpret scripture and religious experiences and therefore can offer specific parameters for accountability, salvation, or reincarnation.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_01: This is what I find frustrating about AI.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: It researches online information in the blink of an eye and quickly summarizes what it finds.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: But its answers are only as good as the sources it looks at.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_01: It cannot create its own original thoughts.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so for my question, it found four experts and drew conclusions from each one of them.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_01: But it could not give me a definitive answer to my question Is there an afterlife?
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Now I want you to contrast this with the AI engine from the gotquestions.org website.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: This is the website that is the source of all of the answers in our book.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: It only researches its own biblically based data, and when I type the same question into its AI portal, who can best answer the question is there an afterlife?
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: The answer it provided aligned exactly with my own beliefs.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Listen to how they answered my question.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: The one person who can truly and authoritatively answer the question is there an afterlife is Jesus Christ.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I was looking for one name and one name only Jesus Christ.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_01: Listen to the rationale for their answer.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: According to Scripture, Jesus alone has firsthand knowledge of life beyond death, because he came from heaven, died, rose again, and returned to heaven.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: He declared no one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the Son of Man.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: No other religious leader or philosopher can make that claim.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus not only spoke about the afterlife, he demonstrated its reality by conquering death.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: After his crucifixion he rose bodily from the grave and appeared to many witnesses.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: His resurrection is the ultimate proof that life continues beyond the grave.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: In short, there is an afterlife, and Jesus Christ, who has conquered death, he alone has the authority to tell us what it's like.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: Now that's an answer.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: They stand firm on their source, the Bible, and they unashamedly rely on one person, Jesus Christ.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_01: He experienced death, he experienced the afterlife, and he spoke about it with absolute authority.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: This is a perfect segue to how I want to wrap up our study of this book.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus alone has the authority to tell us what the afterlife is like.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: But to be honest, nearly all religions give us their unique perspective on the afterlife, and they provide specific and detailed instructions on what to do in this life and how it impacts the afterlife.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: Let's briefly look at a few of them.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: Let's start with atheists.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_01: They don't have a single coordinated doctrine, but they generally believe that there is no afterlife.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: So this life is all there is, and when it's over, it's over.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: I find that depressing and rather hopeless.
• 8:59
  SPEAKER_01: There are between three hundred and twenty and five hundred million Buddhists worldwide.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Their version of the afterlife is determined by being obedient to an eightfold path of behavior.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: If one is faithful to the eight steps they will return to God after they die.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: In other words, a works based philosophy that will determine how one spends eternity.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: A billion people practice Hinduism, the world's oldest active religion.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: They believe there are thousands of deities as well as a continuous cycle of birth, death, and reincarnation.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: The physical body is temporary, but the soul is eternal, and it moves from one body to the next in reincarnation.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_01: There is no single correct path to breaking out of this cycle, but eventually if they are good enough, a person will achieve purity.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Turning our attention to the Muslim faith, two billion people around the world adhere to the teachings of Muhammad, who they consider to be the prophet and messenger of God.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Their five pillars of faith are foundational.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: One of the pillars covers the afterlife.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: They believe physical death is not the end of existence, but a gateway to eternity.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_01: Two angels await everyone who dies and they question each person about their faith.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_01: Based on their answers, the soul experiences whether they will the soul experiences whether they will enjoy a peaceful resting state or a painful foretaste of judgment.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: Again, eternity based on works.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: These four faiths, beliefs might be a better term, number about five billion people or sixty percent of the world's population.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: And they all have two things in common.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: First, except for atheists who don't care, they all rely on works.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: The good must outweigh the bad if I want to spend eternity in comfort rather than suffering.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: They all have their own scales to weigh good versus bad which will determine what I should focus on during my life on earth.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_01: Second, in each religion I enter the afterlife not knowing where I will end up.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: In other words, I don't know where I'm headed when I close my eyes in death.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: Will I be suffering forever?
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: Or will I enter into another reincarnation cycle to try again to achieve holiness?
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: This isn't very reassuring, is it?
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_01: To be honest, I want more from my faith.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: I want assurances that my final destiny is determined without a shadow of a doubt.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: I want to know for sure where I'm going to spend eternity.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: This is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: This is why I have trusted my eternity to Jesus, not to Mohammed, and not to a myriad of Buddhas, not to a list of ancient divine rulers, but to Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now why am I so confident in him?
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because I'm relying on a true authority, a person who has been to the afterlife and returned to tell us about it.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: Christianity is based on someone who has conquered the only absolute that everyone on earth faces death itself.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: And so in closing, what does Jesus, the one true authority, say about the afterlife?
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: Let's count them down.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: He says there are three things to do.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: One, there is something to admit I am wrong before God.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: The New Testament tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: And if you think this concept is just a New Testament admission, listen to Isaiah sixty four six.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: Two, there is something to believe my sins have been paid for.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: The apostle Paul writes God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_01: In other words, I am no longer sinful in God's eyes because Christ took away all of my sins on the cross.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: three, there is something to do repent and believe.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Jesus clearly told us in Mark one fifteen, The time has come, he said, the kingdom of God is near.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_01: Repent and believe the good news.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: He says there are two possible destinations unbelievers will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_01: There are no in between or temporary destinations, only heaven for believers and hell for unbelievers.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: He says there is only one way.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: I am the way and the truth and the life, Jesus said.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: No one comes to the Father except through me.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: And finally he says there should be zero concerns, because Jesus told us and hold told us that he holds us in his hand.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: No one will snatch them out of my hand.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: Paul confirms this with the comforting words, for I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: This is the faith that fully satisfies our needs.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: We have three things to do, we have two destinations, we have one way, and therefore we have zero concerns about the afterlife.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: Let's pray.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_01: The only one who loved us so much that he gave his life for us.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: The only one who provides a pathway to heaven that doesn't rely on me, a weak and sinful man.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: You alone, O Lord, deserve all the praise and honor and glory.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name we pray.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: Amen.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: This concludes our study of the one hundred most asked questions about heaven, hell, and the afterlife.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: Feel free to drop me a line at fifteen minutes with Fritz at gmail.com if you have any questions or comments.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: This is the end of our podcast, but it's not the end of our story.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for listening.