What happens when this life ends?

Most of the people coming to this blog are familiar with some concept of heaven or the hereafter. To Christians it may mean one thing, to others it may have an entirely different meaning or no meaning at all. But, the question remains: Is heaven real? Is it an actual place? For those that believe in the Bible, the answer is "yes" heaven is a real place. Which raises the question, "What happens to the soul when someone dies?" Do all people go to heaven? The Christian Church is adamant that there is a heaven, but somewhat vague on what heaven is like. Part of that vagueness is that the Bible doesn't describe heaven in detail--the reason being, it is beyond our knowledge and understanding; almost like trying to explain Einstein's Theory of Relativity to a third grader. But, what about the new heaven and new earth mentioned in the Bible? We will attempt to explore that question and not contradict Scripture in doing so.

But first things first. What happens when we or a loved one dies? Though our body dies and is laid to rest, our spirit lives on and goes before God at which time our eternal destiny will be established--either with God or alienated from God forever. Christ assured the thief on the cross of this with these words in Luke 23:42-43 (NIV)
42 Then he [the thief] said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
43 Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." 

The Bible also states that there will be "a new heaven" and "a new earth," which is the focus of this study.
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Pet owners have yet another question. "What happens to my pet after death?" Again, we will attempt to answer that question as well, and hopefully, you will find comfort in the answer; so read on...  BUT, in order to understand God's eternal plan for our pets, we need to understand His eternal plan in general. A view of the afterlife of pets is toward the end. So, if you're here out of concern for a lost pet, feel free to scroll down to "Animals." But, do come back--you do want to spend eternity with your pet, don't you?

Please feel free to add your opinion to the comment section provided at the end of the blog. Your comments and opinion are welcome.