"What If It's True?"

To be, or not to be. According to William Shakespeare, that is the question.

Oh, really?

Some of us have more important things on our minds. Like:

• Is God real?
• Why are we here?
• Do our lives have a purpose?
• What happens when we die?
• Is the Bible really what it claims to be--absolute truth and the word of God?

These questions are so vital; the answers will determine how we live our lives--not to mention our eternal destiny.

So where do we start? Let's go straight to the horse's mouth--the Bible. It claims to have all the answers. If the Bible is proven false, then we've got nothing to worry about. Let's eat, drink and be merry, because our lives are pointless and then we die. On the other hand...what if it's true? What if the Bible is exactly what it claims to be:

• The infallible Word of God from Genesis to Revelation
• explaining God's plan for us and for all of mankind
• laying out God's expectations for us
• revealing His plan of salvation and exactly what we need to obtain everlasting life.
• The ultimate "How-to" book on family, marriage, finances and living worthwhile lives.
• A book of prophecy "declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done" (Isaiah 46:10). Which means telling us the future, not just to satisfy our curiosity, but to authenticate that the Bible is indeed a supernatural book. Why would anyone not want to read a book like this?

Let's think this through. If the Bible is false, then no-harm, no-foul. But if the Bible is true (and the greatest minds in history believe that it is), and we refuse (or don't bother) to live our lives according to its dictates, there are the gravest possible consequences!

The Bible says that everyone of us will someday stand before God and give an account of our lives. "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account" (Hebrews 4:12-13). No wonder Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6). Revelation 20:11-15 describes what happens to people who don't have faith at the judgment. It uses words like "second death" and "lake of fire"--stuff we don't ever want to experience.

What does that mean? Faith in what? The gospel of God's grace, the Good News that God Himself came to pay for our sins. All we need to do is:

• believe
• repent (the crucial step of turning away from our sin and living God's way)
• and repeat as necessary

Maybe you've seen the bumper sticker that says: "JESUS: Don't leave earth without Him". Good advice, because once we are dead, it's too late. The choice must be made now. In a nutshell, this is what the Bible says.

Therefore, to believe or not to believe--that, dear reader, is the question.

Words to the wise: "He who provides for this life but takes no care for eternity is wise for a moment but a fool forever." -- John Tillotson

News:

• Iran renews threat to close critical oil waterway, Strait of Hormuz
• Massive solar flares disrupt aviation communications and cell phones
• IMF expects Eurozone to slip into "mild recession"
• Study reveals 90% of young Germans do not know Auschwitz was a Nazi death camp
• "Wide is the Gate" Conference--Feb. 3& 4th in San Bernardino, CA. See link at the top of page