God has graciously revealed to us in the Bible what the future holds for all of us so that we might live out our lives more wisely in light of His plan for humanity. To do this clearly requires a biblical look at the way God has designed each one of us.

A Look At God's Design of Man

The Bible is very clear that man is made up of three distinct parts which are spirit, soul and body as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

The Body...is the part of man that can be seen by others. It is the shell in which the real person lives. It is the material or physical part of our being consisting of flesh, bones, organs, blood, water and so on. It is the container for the soul and spirit. Scripture tells us that the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7a)

The Soul...is the real person without the body. It is the immaterial part of man as we think of a person. The soul is made up of at least three major parts: the mind, the emotions, and the will. That is, our soul is what we think, what we feel, and what we decide. This is why so many Bible passages refer to people simply as souls. (Genesis 2:7b)

The Spirit...is the part of man that comes from God and communicates or relates directly with God. The Bible states that God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and He said "let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.... So God created man in His own image... He created him; male and female..." (Genesis 1:26-27)

Initially, the spirit of man has no life of its own, therefore, it is referred to as dead in sin (Ephesians 2:4-5a) and man cannot understand the things of God for they are foolishness unto him. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

However, if the person wishes to and receives God's Gift of Life, his spirit receives all of its life directly and immediately from the Spirit of God and is then able to discern the things of God. (Ephesians 2:5b)

The Future...

The Bible says there is a time to be born and a time to die. (Ecclesiastes 3:2)

The Bible gives two circumstances that truly define death: the departure of the soul. (Genesis 35:18) The departure of the spirit. (Genesis 25:8) In light of this, it is clear that death occurs when a man's spirit and soul leave his body.

When we die, what happens to our body, soul and spirit?

The Body...of every man, woman and child will die and return to dust. (Ecclesiastes 3:20)

The Soul...does not die but departs from the body at death and continues to exist for eternity either in heaven or hell.

The Spirit...does not die, but returns to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

Now...The Question is Where Will You Spend Eternity?

Most people, when asked that question, say something like..."I've led a pretty good life. I hope I'd go to Heaven." But they're not really sure. This is the greatest risk anyone could ever face. If they are wrong they could end up in hell forever. It is humbling to face the fact that we are sinners in need of Jesus Christ and His salvation.

The Bible says that all fall short of God's glory. (Romans 3:23) In our natural state none of us is pure enough to enter Heaven. Thats why we need God's forgiveness before we can come before Him.

You don't need to risk your future when the Bible tells how you can know for sure where you will go after death. Forgiveness happens when we sincerly repent of our sins and invite the Lord Jesus Christ to come into our lives.

The Good News will show you how to receive God's forgiveness and be assured that your going to heaven rather than hell.