John 6:51, "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

John 6:57-58, "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. (58) This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."

Psalms 37:25-28, "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging bread. (26) He is ever giving liberally and lending, and his children become a blessing. (27) Depart from evil, and do good; so shall you abide for ever. (28) For the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. The righteous shall be preserved for ever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off."

Revelation 14:9-11, "And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, (10) he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. (11) And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

Psalms 23:1-6, "A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want; (2) he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; (3) he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. (4) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. (5) Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows. (6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

Psalms 132:11-12, "The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: "One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. (12) If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies which I shall teach them, their sons also for ever shall sit upon your throne."

Isaiah 25:8, "He will swallow up death for ever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth; for the LORD has spoken."

Luke 20:34-38, "And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; (35) but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, (36) for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. (37) But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. (38) Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him."

John 5:24-29, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. (25) "Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (26) For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself, (27) and has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. (28) Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice (29) and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."

John 11:23-27, "Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." (4) Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." (5) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, (26) and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (27) She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world."

John 14:18-20, "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. (19) Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. (20) In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you."

Romans 1:17, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live."

Romans 6:8, "But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him."

Romans 8:12-13, "So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- (13) for if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live." 2Corinthians 5:1, "For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

Galatians 3:11, "Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live";"

Luke 16:1-31...
One of the best life after death stories in Holy Scripture is the story of the rich man and Lazarus.
Take the time to read the whole chapter.
Here is the gist of some of what is presented therein:
1. It is the story of two men, one rich and one poor.
2. The poor man, Lazarus, died and was taken to the 'bosom of Abraham' (Heaven).
3. The rich man died and was languishing in hell.
4. Not only does this story illustrate that there is life after death, but it also speaks of where their living souls will spend eternity.

Philippians 1:21-23, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (22) If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. (23) I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better."

Those are three profound verses that require a closer look:
Verse 21 as interpreted in other Bibles:
'If I live, it will be for Christ, and if I die, I will gain even more.'
Or:
'Christ means everything to me in this life, and when I die I'll have even more.'

Verse 22 as interpreted in other Bibles:
'If I continue to live in this life, my work will produce more results. I don't know which I would prefer.'
Or:
'If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell.'

Verse 23 as interpreted in other Bibles:
'I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.'
Or:
'I find it hard to choose between the two. I would like to leave this life and be with Christ. That's by far the better choice.'

Elucidation of Philippians 1:21-23: 
1. (21) St. Paul has said as long as he is alive he can do good works for Christ.
2. But if he died, it would be a plus for himself.
3, How could it be advantageous for himself if there is no life after death?
4. (22) He said as long as he lives, his good works for Christ will increase.
5. Yet he has indecision between doing good works for Christ in this life or being with Him in the next.
6. (23) He finds himself in a dilemma, but much prefers (to die) and to be with Christ.

Which choice would you make?
Obviously those who do not believe in life after death are not Bible reading or Bible believing persons.
However there is mounting scientific evidence that they are in error in their beliefs.

Here are some memorable one-liners from my dear unforgettable Fr Dwyer (1923-2005).
I include them here in order to possibly exercise your thinking:

If death were the end, then every grave would only be a king sized ash tray.
Once you open the door to error, you cannot close it.
There was only one person born to die, CHRIST.
HE said, "I Am The Life". They killed life and life conquered death.
Our brain is too small, too puny, too tiny, too finite, too limited, to grasp the meaning of eternity.
Death makes all people equal.
Truth is one. The opposite is error, and error can be sincere and earnest, but it is still error and is still wrong.
Atheists and agnostics are sniping at the religious front.
Do not give them the answer. Instead, let them reason it out for themselves.
This world is not our home.
This world is not where it's at.
If we do not pay close attention to GOD, there could be sudden death and we end up in the wrong eternity.
Which is in control, the body or the soul?
Children (babies) swallow things, pins, coins, screws. Adults swallow heresy, cliche's, error, and why not, everyone does it.
One day we will all go to the cemetery and not come back.
The dead man in the casket said to the mourner, "As I am now, so you will be".
Be stepping stones, not stumbling blocks.
We have the worlds way, and we have GOD'S way. Which will you choose?
We have bodily needs and spiritual needs, take care of the whole person.
Success doesn't come in buckets, cups, or glasses. It comes in CANS.
Death is a bridge to the eternal shore.
If we die turned away from GOD, then we are turned away forever.
You live for eternity and you have to choose where you want to live.

A priest visited a rabbi in the rabbis' home. When he entered the house he noticed the rabbi had hardly any furniture.
He asked the rabbi where his furniture was. The rabbi asked "Where is yours?"
The priest answered "But I am only a visitor here." The rabbi answered "So am I."

The world will end someday but our spirit will last for all eternity.
How can a unique creature like man exist for only a few years?
We are citizens of Heaven, not of earth.
To do great things a stream of thought must rush through the mind.
Each one of us has a soul to save and GOD to obey.
In eternity, second best is hell.
If we are citizens of Heaven, then we have the right to all that Heaven has to offer.
The only street out of life is the dusty one at the end of which CHRIST is holding the scales of life.
There is none so blind as those who don't want to see.
It is impossible, impossible, impossible, to be happy without GOD.
We are as fickle as a feather, blown by every wind of temptation.
Many are on the broad highways to hell.
Our limited minds cannot grasp an unlimited GOD.
HE lets us free to go to hell if we want to.
Don't be anxious about the future or the past. We have only now, one second at a time. I might not have the time to finish this homily.
Religion is necessary to let us see what we are and what we should be.
After CHRIST rose from the dead, Peter said, "Lets go fishing". He did not get the message. JOHN 21:3
Sincerity will not change 'error' into 'truth'.
How many exercise the body and forget the soul?
We are going to heaven. In this life we are just packing our bags for the journey.
The devil hates everyone who is on their way to Heaven.
If you praise GOD too much, snipers will shoot at you and sharks will snap at you.
Now more than ever, the greatest persecution you will have is ridicule.
If a person is close to GOD and won't go along with the crowd, his friends will tell him his halo is on crooked or his angel wings are sticking out.
You are not fooling me. You can't fool GOD. You are only fooling yourself.
You will never see a U-haul following behind a hearse.
If you want to do something you will find a way. If you don't want to do it you will find an excuse.
The hardest thing to open is a closed mind.
The closed mind of a person can only be opened by himself.
Along the street of knowledge, some men knock at every door except GODS'.
I cannot save your soul. Only you can do that.
We go to nothingness if HE should leave us.
Your way is not the way. HIS way is the way.
God won't let us have the past. It is gone. GOD will not let us see the future. All we have is this moment now.
Face the sun (light, CHRIST). Turn your back to the sun and you see your shadow (darkness).
GOD gave us two ears and one mouth so we would listen to HIM twice more than what we say to HIM.
Once you find CHRIST, to lose HIM is hell.
I cannot take a breath without HIM. HE gives one breath at a time. One day HE will tell me, "HERE IS YOUR LAST BREATH."
I will pass this way but once.
What one little match can do. The smallest things can cause the biggest problems.
I came in with nothing. I will go out with nothing.
The letters after your name (a degree) mean a lot, but it is the letters before your name (ST) that count.
Life is a journey and like any journey we must prepare for it.
If you do something for GOD, HE will repay you a hundred times over.     
Sin lit the fires of hell, closed the gates of Heaven and nailed GOD to the Cross.
We take with us only what we send on before us.
Don't protect others from problems. Instead, help them to resolve them.     
Greater love hath no man than to give his life for his friend, but GOD did. HE gave HIS life for HIS enemies.
It is absolute necessary to keep GOD in focus if we want to live forever with HIM in eternity.
You have to plant a seed and let GOD make it grow.
There is a way of saying these things and no other way will do.
How casually we take the incredible for granted.
One ounce of mother equals one pound of clergy.
The headstone is ahead of us.
The only way to describe Heaven is to say it is indescribable.
We travel on the rocky road to Heaven with many bumps along the way.
We don't know. GOD doesn't let us know, who goes to Heaven.
Ask yourself, what would CHRIST think of the things you want to do.

What others had to say:

Quotation:
      "None can become fit for the future life, who hath not practiced
      himself for it now...." St. Augustine (354-430), Ps. CXLVIII

Quotation:
       "The world is rapidly being divided into two camps, the comradeship of
       anti-Christ and the brotherhood of Christ. The lines between these two
       are being drawn. How long the battle will be we know not; whether swords
       will have to be unsheathed we know not; whether blood will have to be
       shed we know not; whether it will be an armed conflict we know not. But
       in a conflict between truth and darkness, truth cannot lose."
       Bishop Fulton J.  Sheen...

Quotation:
       "If you're not a thorn in somebody's side, you aren't doing
       Christianity right." Mother Angelica

Quotation:
      "If there were no GOD, there would be no atheists."
       G.K Chesterton

The Bible contains:
       "The mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of
       sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its
       precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are
       immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice
       it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you,
       and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler's map, the pilgrim's
       staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword, and the Christian's
       charter. It's where paradise is restored, Heaven opened, and the
       gates of hell disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good its
       design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory,
       rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and
       prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river
       of pleasure. It is given to you in life, will be open at judgment,
       and be remembered forever. It involves the highest responsibility,
       rewards the greatest labor, and condemns all who trifle with its holy
       contents."  Author unknown

Quotation:
       "Wherever we turn in the church of God, there is Jesus. He is the
       beginning, middle, and end of everything to us. There is nothing
       good, nothing holy, nothing beautiful, nothing joyous, which He
       is not to His servants. No one need be poor, because, if he
       chooses, he can have Jesus for his own property and possession.
       No one need be downcast, for Jesus is the joy of heaven, and it is
       His joy to enter into sorrowful hearts. We can exaggerate about
       many things; but we can never exaggerate our obligation to Jesus,
       or the compassionate abundance of the love of Jesus to us. All our
       lives long we might talk of Jesus, and yet we should never come to
       an end of the sweet things that night be said of Him. Eternity
       will not be long enough to learn all He is, or to praise Him for
       all He has done--but then, that matters not; for we shall be
       always with Him, and we desire nothing more."
       Frederick W. Faber (1814-1863), All for Jesus, London:


Quotation:
      "Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will
      vibrate in eternity...." Edwin Hubbel Chapin (1814-1880)

Quotation:
      "When we are troubled with temptation and evil thoughts, then we see
      clearly the great need we have of God, since without him we can do
      nothing good... No one is so good that he is immune to temptation;
      we will never [in this life] be entirely free of it."
      ...Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Of the Imitation of Christ.

Quotation:
      "We were made for action, and for right action--for thought,
      and for true thought. Let us live while we live; let us be
      alive and doing; let us act on what we have, since we have not
      what we wish. Let us believe what we do not see and know. Let
      us forestall knowledge by faith. Let us maintain before we have
      proved. This seeming paradox is the secret of happiness. Why
      should we be unwilling to go by faith? We do all things in this
      world by faith in the word of others. By faith only we know our
      position in the world, our circumstances, our rights and
      privileges, our fortunes, our parents, our brothers and
      sisters, our age, our mortality. Why should religion be an
      exception? Why should we be unwilling to use for heavenly
      objects what we daily use for earthly?"
      ... John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)

Quotation:
      "God wants us to know that when we have Him we have everything."
      ... A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

Quotation:
     "Life is like a cash register, in that every account, every thought,
      every deed, like every sale, is registered and recorded."
      ...Fulton John Sheen

Quotation:
      "Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he
       will pick himself up and hurry off as if nothing had happened."
       ...Sir Winston Churchill

Quotation:
      "Lazarus is permitted to see what he believed, but the rich man is
      compelled to see what he did not believe." Helmut Thielecke 1908-1986

Quotation:
      "We shall never learn to know ourselves except by endeavoring to know
      God, for, beholding His greatness, we realize our own littleness;
      His purity shows us our foulness; and by meditating upon His humility
      we find how very far we are from being humble."
      ...Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), The Interior Castle (1577)

Quotation:
     "The believer in God has to account for the existence of unjust suffering;
       the atheist has to account for the existence of everything else."
      ...Rabbi Milton Steinberg

Quotation:
      "An elderly rabbi was once on an airplane to Israel sitting next to a
      self-professed atheist. They were amicably chatting the whole trip.
      Every now and then, the rabbi's grandchild, sitting in another row,
      would come over to him, bringing him a drink, or asking if he could get
      anything to make him more comfortable. After this happened several times,
      the atheist sighed, "I wish my grandchildren would treat me with such
      respect. They hardly even say hello to me. What's your secret?"
      The rabbi replied, "Think about it. To my grandchildren, I am two
      generations closer to Adam and Eve, the people made by the hand of G-d.
      So they look up to me. But according to the philosophy which you teach
      your grandchildren, you are two generations closer to being an ape. So
      why should they look up to you?" Rabbi Moss

Quotation:
      "The life of the early Church lay in constant intercommunication between all
      its parts; its health and growth were dependent on the free circulation of
      the life-blood of common thought and feeling. Hence it was first firmly
      seated on the great lines of communication across the empire, leading
      from its origin in Jerusalem to its imperial center in Rome. It had already
      struck root in Rome within little more than twenty years after the
      Crucifixion, and it had become really strong in the great city about thirty
      years after the Apostles began to look round and out from Jerusalem. This
      marvelous development was possible only because the seed of the new thought
      floated free on the main currents of communication, which were ever
      sweeping back and forward between the heart of the empire and its outlying
      members. Paul, who mainly directed the great movement, threw himself boldly
      and confidently into the life of the time; he took the empire as it was,
      accepted its political conformation and arrangement, and sought only to
      touch the spiritual and moral life of the people."
      ...Sir William M. Ramsay (1851-1939)

Quotation:
      "If your every human plan and calculation has miscarried, if, one by one,
      human props have been knocked out, and doors have shut in your face, take
      heart. God is trying to get a message through to you, and the message is:
      "Stop depending on inadequate human resources. Let me handle the matter."
      ... Catherine Marshall (1914-1983)

Quotation:
       "Faith is to the soul what life is to the body. Prayer is to faith what
       breath is to the body. How a person can live and not breathe is past my
       comprehension, and how a person can believe and not pray is past my
       comprehension too..." J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

"Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil - it has no point."
Author unknown

Quotation:
    "Several times in history the Church seemed to be done and destroyed. But
      it is still here. It has survived its own death, because
      it had a God who knew his way out of the grave."
     ...G. K. Chesterton

You cannot repeat something that never ends.

We walk by faith and not by sight.

Written by Bob Stanley, February 11, 2010

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