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Jesus called afterlife “heaven.” He said that it’s “at hand” (Matthew 4:17). He also said that it’s “within” (Luke 17:21). He called it “paradise.” Jesus told dying thief on cross that he would be with Him in paradise today (Luke 23:43). That clearly indicates that there is no waiting period between life and afterlife. Your loved one is in heaven, or paradise, right now. And that paradise is “at hand” and “within you.”
The New Testament says that we have a natural body and a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:44). It says that things we can see are temporary, but things we cannot see are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Jesus referred to spiritual body when He said that people who live in Him and believe in Him would never die but have everlasting life.
As for logical culmination of evolution, logic requires that there be an afterlife. Nature naturally selects characteristics of living creatures. Qualities that insure survival are chosen over other qualities. If life ends at grave, why have humans evolved so many qualities that they have little or no use for on earth? Altruism, charity, honor, patience, fidelity, etc. have little value in a society where materialism, war, and self-interest prevail.
Humility and service do not generate financial gain or acquisition of power. They are a handicap, if anything. Yet, they persist as character traits in majority of people. Man is driven more by abstractions like love, loyalty, accomplishment, curiosity and discovery than by simple biological directives. Why?
An unborn child develops arms, legs, eyes, and lungs because it will need them to function in world into which it will be born. Man develops compassion, devotion, generosity, hope, understanding, and trustworthiness (to name but a few) because he will need them to function in world into which he will be born when he leaves physical body.
And in same way that an unborn child is not separate from world of his family, we are not separate from loved ones that have passed through veil.
And what if quantum physicists are right? What if we really do live in a world with multiple dimensions…a holographic world? The mystics and prophets have insisted that this world is an illusion for millennia. A holographic universe would mean that our bodies, our houses, our cities, and even stars above us are a mirage. Those dimensions are all around us as physicists are discovering, and those dimensions really do influence our world. What if other dimensions are “mansions” that Jesus referred to?
Your loved one is still here with you. He’s part of a dimension that you cannot perceive—yet. You are a spiritual creature having a human experience. You have spiritual senses that you can use to communicate with and become aware of your loved ones in heaven. It’s done through focused prayer and meditation. In Matthew 5:4 Jesus said, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” That’s His promise. Believe it. Experience it.
©Copyright 2005 Robbin Renee Bridges
RobinRenee Bridges has been a chaplain and officer in The Sanctuary for more than thirty years. She is the author of “A Bridge of Love between Heaven and Earth: Self-Induced Contact in the Afterlife.” For more articles about death, dying, and the afterlife visit her web site at: http://www.spirit-sanctuary.org