Answers

This page is intended to answer questions many persons have asked about the Bible. If your question does not appear here, you may email our pastor at priegel@yahoo.com or you may visit the website www.christiananswers.net which answers more questions than we have included here.

The questions that appear on this page include:

1. How can I be sure the Bible is true?

2. How can I be sure I'm going to heaven?

3. Why do I doubt my salvation?

4. What happens when you die?

5. What will heaven be like?

6. If Jesus is God, why did He pray to God the Father when He was on the earth?

7. Why do Christians believe that they are the only ones who are going to heaven?

8. If Christians are the only ones going to heaven, how were people saved before Jesus came to earth?

9. What happens to people who never got the chance to hear the gospel?

10. Can a person reject Jesus all their life, live a very sinful life and still go to heaven if the person asks Jesus to save them just before they die? 

11. How can I know for sure if my loved ones will be in heaven?

12. When I go to heaven, will I miss my loved ones who rejected Jesus and are not in heaven?

13. Why would a Loving God send people to suffer in hell forever? 

14. Why would a loving God create the Devil and Demons when He knew that they would torment people on earth?

15. Why would a loving God allow infants, children and good people to suffer?

16. If a Christian is forgiven forever the second he or she calls upon Jesus to save them, why did Jesus command His believers to pray "forgive us for our debts" by praying His Lord's Prayer every day?

17. Can a person be reincarnated?

18. Are there ghosts on earth?

19. What about dinosaurs?

Now for the answers:

1. Question: How can I be sure the Bible is true?

Answer: There is overwhelming evidence that the Bible is true. Click on the above icon "Evidence" or go to the website: www.carm.org/questions/other-questions/how-do-we-know-christianity-true-and-we-are-not-deceived  

2. Question: How can I be sure I'm going to heaven?

Answer: The Lord in the 1 John 4:13 says: "These things are written that you may know that you have eternal life." You can be sure you are going to heaven by believing the gospel of Jesus.To read what you must believe to go to heaven and receive eternal forgiveness, click on the icon above entitled, "How to Become a Christian." Once you have believed the gospel, pray and believe for Jesus to forgive you forever and surrender to Jesus as your God and Master, the Lord Jesus gives you His gift of assurance that you will go to heaven when you die. The Lord said in Romans 10:13: "Whoever calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved." True saving faith is the Lord's gift of assurance that He saved you and forgave you forever when you asked Him to. 

In addition, the Lord said there will be evidences that you have received eternal life:

a. You will have assurance that Jesus paid the penalty for all of your sins on the cross and that you are forgiven forever. Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16-18.

b. You will have assurance that you began a personal relationship with Jesus when you asked Him to forgive you; you continue to know Jesus personally through prayer as your God, Savior and Friend. John 17:3-5.

c. You will have assurance that after you received the Spirit of Jesus into your heart you became a different person; you now have the desire to live for the Lord by obeying His commands in the Bible; you have conviction when you disobey your Lord; you are led by the Spirit of Jesus to daily turn from sin and become more like Jesus in how you think, how you prioritize,how you act and react toward others. John 3:3; John 14:15; John 15:14; 1 John 2:3-6. 

d. You will have assurance that after you received the Spirit of Jesus into your heart you have professed Jesus to others by telling others you are a Christian. Matthew 10:32-33.          

3. Question: Why do I doubt my salvation.

Answer: There are many reasons Christians doubt their salvation:

a. Satan. The father of lies, Satan, loves to lie to Christians. When you begin to believe the lies of the enemy, go to the Bible to replace lies with the truths of the Lord. Romans 10:13; Ephesians 2:8-9; Hebrews 13:5.

b. Sin. When we sin (disobey God) we often listen to the lie of Satan that if we were true Christians we would not have sinned. The Bible states no person can be perfect; this is the reason Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins at the cross. As Christians, we can know we are saved because we receive the conviction of the Spirit of Jesus to turn away from our sin. Christians often mistake conviction of sin for guilt (if you were still guilty for your sins you would need to pay the price for your sin). Jesus paid the price for our sins in full at the cross. Matthew 12:6-8; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9.

4. Question: What happens when you die?

Answer: The Lord says in 2 Corinthians 5:8 that the very instant we die, our spirit leaves our body and instantly we are in His presence. Christians know Jesus and believe in His forgiveness. Christians know that after we die we will stand in the presence of God with Love for Jesus; joy that we are forgiven forever; we know that we will remain in His presence forever and we will remain in heaven and in His Love forever; Christians maintain peace that we are right with the Lord forever as our God, Savior and Friend. Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 3:12; Hebrews 10:19-20; 1 John 4:7-19.

The Bible gives other evidences that we are completely conscious and alive in our spirit immediately after death. Jesus stood on the mount speaking to the living, conscious spirits of Moses and Elijah. Matthew 17:1-3.

Jesus said that He is the God of the living; Jesus referred to Abraham, Isaac and jacob as living persons (in spirit)not dead persons. Matthew 22:32. Jesus said that His children will never spiritually die. John 11:25-26.

In the DVD "The Evidence For Heaven" (hosted by Jerry Rose and produced by Grizzly Adams Productions, Inc.) many Christians give accounts of their after death experience. They were all medically dead (documented as truth by their medical doctors and medical centers where they died) and came back to life to tell about heaven. They all confirmed that it is true that when your body dies, your spirit goes to heaven to be with Jesus; after seeing Jesus they were all greeted by Christian family members and close friends who welcomed them to heaven. All Christians should watch "The Evidence For Heaven" DVD because it joy in all we have to look forward to in heaven.

Some have asked the question: "If persons go to heaven immediately when they die, what does the Bible mean that at the time of the rapture, the dead in Christ will rise first?" Most conservative Christians believe that at the time of the rapture, those who have died will be conscious, alive spirits with the Lord. Our Lord Jesus will come to earth in the clouds, surrounded by angels and the spirits of those who are Christians. The dead in Christ, the bodies of those who have died, will become perfect bodies and rise to meet their living spirit in the air. Then all Christians alive on earth will receive perfect bodies and rise up to meet the Lord in the air. All who are Christians at the time of the rapture will not experience the plagues that come upon the earth as the earth comes to a destructive end. After the present earth is destroyed, the Lord will create a new earth and a new heaven. See Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:1-3.      

 5. Question: What will heaven be like?

Answer: The Lord said in John 14:1-11 that in heaven we will always be in His presence. Our Lord Jesus knows exactly what type of dwelling place in heaven you would enjoy most and He is personally overseeing and preparing your beautiful mansion for you to live in that is built especially for you. Heaven is described as our heavenly home where there is the eternal, unchanging awesome Love of God, His Light, His awesome beauty in all He has perfectly created; His joy, peace and fulfillment; He will provide our every need; there will be no more sin, death, sadness, pain, tears nor darkness. For more information on heaven read Revelation chapters 21-22.

6. If Jesus is God, why did He pray to God the Father when He was on the earth?

Answer: The Bible states that Jesus said He is God over and over again: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. Before Abraham was born, I AM. If you do not believe that I AM the great I AM, you will die in your sins. If you had known Me you would have known My Father also. He who has seen Me has seen the Father. The Father who dwells in Me does the works. I and My Father are one. He who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me. All should honor the Son just as they honor the Father; he who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (Luke 10:16; John 5:23,39,45-46; 6:37; 8:24,56,58; 10:30; 14:6,9,23). 

Jesus said that a person must believe that He is God and surrender to Him as God before he or she can be saved (John 8:24-58; John 5:23). The Bible states that Jesus was the part of God that created all things (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:16). When Jesus came to earth, His body was 100% human (Son of God, Son of man) and His Spirit was 100% God (see above Scriptures). Jesus had the weaknesses of the flesh while on earth: He had pain, hunger, temptation, tiredness, weakness; therefore He needed to pray to the Father (the greater part of His Spirit while on earth: John 14:28) to overcome the weaknesses of the flesh. Although Jesus was tempted in every way, He showed evidence He was God by being the only human that never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). The Messiah had to be perfect, without sin in order to be the sacrifice for our sin and pay the penalty for our sin (Isaiah 53:3-5). 

After Jesus was resurrected, He had a perfect body and no longer had any weaknesses of the flesh. He is worshipped in heaven as God with equal glory and equal power with God the Father and God the Spirit (Matthew 28:18; John 5:23; Revelation 5:13) . God is one God who has revealed/manifested Himself in three ways: Father, Son Jesus and Spirit. When the Spirit comes into a person's heart to save the person, the Father and Son Jesus come into the person by their Spirit as one God (John 14:23). When we enter heaven, the Father will be the Great Spirit of God, Jesus will be at the right hand of God (in His perfect body as one with God the Father) and the Spirit of God will proceed from the Father, through Jesus and into every believer, so we will all be with the Lord forever (Romans 8:34; 1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Many cult members try to prove Jesus was not God by mistranslating John 14:28 when Jesus said: "My Father is greater than I." As mentioned above, when Jesus spoke these words, He was in the weak flesh of man, He had the pains and weaknesses of the flesh and He had a dependency upon the greater part of His Spirit who was the Spirit of the Father in heaven. Therefore, the Father was greater than Jesus only while Jesus was in the weak flesh of man on earth and only because Jesus was in the weak flesh of man; Jesus always had equal glory with the Father, this is the reason Jesus always received worship as God from man (Matthew 8:1-4; 9:18-26; 14:33; 28:17; Luke 24:52-53; John 20:28-29) . As mentioned above, after the resurrection, Jesus had a perfect body with no weaknesses and had equal power and glory with the Father and will eternally have equal power and glory with the Father (Matthew 28:18; John 5:23; Revelation 5:13).

7. Question: Why do Christians believe that they are the only ones who are going to heaven?

Answer: The Bible states that Jesus Himself said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Some persons argue that Jesus was not saying in John 14:6 that He was the only way to heaven, but if one would look at the preceding words of Jesus in John 14:1-5, one would clearly see He had been speaking to His disciples about heaven and therefore He was referring again to heaven in John 14:6. In addition, there are other verses in the Bible that clearly indicate that only those who surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord God will enter heaven. Jesus plainly spoke in John 5:23: "All should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him."

Other relevant passages:

John 17:3: Jesus was praying to the Father when He said: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." 

John 8:19,24,58: Jesus was speaking to unbelieving Jewish leaders when He warned them: "You neither know Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also. If you do not believe that I Am He (the true God, Father God in the flesh of man) you will die in your sins. Before Abraham was born, I AM."

Acts 4:10-12: The apostle Peter was preaching to thousands of people in Jerusalem by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when he confirmed this important truth: "...By the Name of Jesus Christ...this is the Stone which was rejected by you builders...nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 

John 3:16,18: Jesus said: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe (in Jesus as Savior and Lord God) is condemned already because he has not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God."

Please know that Jesus said that "whoever believes in Him" will receive eternal life in heaven. "Whoever" includes all persons of all religions, races, ages, income levels, etc. In other words, whoever includes anyone and everyone who chooses to surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord God.

All a person must do is believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for all of their past and future sins, that Jesus is God and the only way to heaven, be willing to surrender to Jesus as God by turning from sin to obey Him by the power of His Spirit and then be willing to ask Jesus to forgive them forever and take control of their life. If a person truely means this prayer, Jesus will enter their heart, forgive them forever and empower the person to obey Him. The new believer meets Jesus when he or she says the prayer of surrender and will continue the relationship with Jesus every day throughout life. A new believer may choose to remain a member of a non-Christian church (usually in order to help others come to surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord God) but the new believer will continue to believe the gospel of grace and the other truths from the Word of God (and oppose the false teachings of man, such as salvation by good works, as referenced in Ephesians 2:8-9).

Therefore, Christians believe that anyone of any religion, those of no religion, those of every race, ANYONE and EVERYONE can go to heaven IF they choose to surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord God.       

8. Question: If Christians are the only ones going to heaven, how were people saved before Jesus came to the earth?

Answer: The Bible states that people were always saved by grace: faith in the Messiah for eternal forgiveness. God revealed to every generation, beginning with Adam and Eve, by His Spirit and through His prophets, how to be saved by trusting in God to forgive forever by the atoning death of the Messiah (Romans 4). Jesus said that Abraham and Moses believed in Him for their forgiveness (John 5:45-46; John 8:56). Peter writes that the prophets who lived before Jesus came prophesied of the grace of God (they trusted in the atoning death of the Messiah) and the Spirit of God was in them (1 Peter 1:10-11). All people of all time were led by the Spirit to seek the truth, and if they followed the Spirit, they found the truth that salvation comes only by surrendering to God as Master and trusting in His gift of eternal forgiveness through the atoning death of the Messiah, who would be God in the flesh, the only way to heaven.

9. Question: What happens to people who never got the chance to hear the gospel?

Answer: Infants, young children who die, persons with mental handicap: Jesus said that the little children will go to heaven (Matthew 19:14).

Baptists believe that children are safe and go to heaven until they reach "the age of accountability." The age of accountability is the time when the child becomes old enough and mentally mature enough to understand the gospel. The age of accountability is different for every person. The great preacher Charles Spurgeon stated that he reached the age of accountability when he was three years old. Most children who hear the gospel every week at home and at church reach the age of accountability at about age four. Other children who do not hear the gospel much are unable to understand until about age nine. For some children, their age of accountability may be later.

Our church recommends for parents to keep the gospel simple for children: Believe Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for all the bad things you've done, believe that He will forgive you forever, ask Jesus to be your boss and help you live for Him. A child must be able to understand they are forgiven only because of Jesus being punished for them on the cross and that we cannot go to heaven by being good (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

Baptists believe that most of those with mental handicaps are safe and would go to heaven if they died like young children. 

Adults who never hear the gospel: The Bible states that all persons have the chance to seek the truth and find the truth, therefore, man is without excuse. Every person has the Spirit of God calling them to seek the truth but most persons choose not to obey the Spirit and refuse to seek the truth (Romans 1:18-21). Jesus said He is the only way to the Father and the only way to heaven (John 14:6).

All people on earth derived form Adam who believed the true faith, from Noah who had the true faith, but many people chose to reject the true faith, reject the true God, choose to believe their parents' faith, or believe lies about God rather than seek the truth on their own. Even those in the darkest parts of Africa could seek the truth and find it. 

The answer is: persons who die without hearing the gospel have chosen to reject God forever because they chose not to obey the Spirit of God to seek the truth of the gospel.                             

10. Question: Can a person reject Jesus all their life, live a very sinful life and still go to heaven if the person asks Jesus to save them just before they die?

Answer: Yes. The best example in the Bible of this happening is the thief on the cross. The thief that was being crucified on a cross beside Jesus had rejected God and Jesus all of his life, lived a very sinful life and then asked Jesus to save him just before he died. The thief was being crucified because he was caught stealing from others too many times. The thief said to Jesus: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." Jesus replied to the thief: "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:39-43). Jesus was God who created the thief and He loved him regardless of his sin. The crucifixion of the thief is evidence that sin always has consequences while we are on planet earth. Regardless of the earthly consequences of our sin on earth, Jesus always stands waiting to forgive you forever and shower you with His Love!

Please know that it is not wise and a very dangerous thing to wait until the end of your life to surrender to Jesus as Savior and Lord God because many people die quickly and unexpectantly (car wreck, heart attach in sleep, sudden accident, etc.) and never have even a second to surrender to Jesus. It is wise to surrender to Jesus now while there is time! Why miss a lifetime of blessings in knowing Jesus and building up reward in heaven?!!!     

11. Question: How can I know for sure if my loved ones will be in heaven?

Answer: The Bible states that the only way you can know for sure if your loved one will be in heaven is if you have knowledge that your loved one, at some time in his or her life, surrendered to Jesus as Savior and Lord God (1 John 5:13; Mark 1:15; John 3:16; John 8:24). If you have no evidence that your loved one ever surrendered to Jesus, then you can never know for sure if your loved one will be in heaven. On the positive note, your loved one may have, at some time in his or her life, surrendered to Jesus. Even if your loved one said a heart felt prayer  (even in his or her mind), like "Jesus save me" at the second before death, they went to heaven when they died and they will be forgiven forever. The Biblical example of this is when the thief on the cross asked Jesus to remember him when he came into His kingdom and he was saved instantly moments before his death (Luke 23:39-43). 

On the other hand, if a person says "Jesus save me" and does really believe that Jesus will forgive them forever, if the person does not believe Jesus is God, if the person does not believe that Jesus is God and/or if the person does not surrender to Jesus as his or her God, Master and Boss, then Jesus will not forgive them and He will not give them His Spirit in their heart. Matthew 7:21-23; Mark 1:15; John 3:16-18; John 5:18,23; John 14:1-9,15,23-24; John 15:14; John 20:24-29.   

12. Question: When I go to heaven, will I miss my loved ones who rejected Jesus and are not in heaven?

Answer: No. The Bible states there is no sadness nor grief in heaven (Revelation 21:4). Therefore, most conservative, Bible believing Christians throughout the ages have believed and taught that, in heaven, we will not remember our loved ones who chose to reject Jesus.

13. Question: Why would a loving God send anyone to hell to suffer forever?

Answer: The Bible states that God does not send people to hell, rather people choose to reject Jesus and heaven before they die on earth (Romans 10:13, Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:23; John 8:24-58). People who choose to reject Jesus on earth would not be happy in heaven with millions of Jesus lovers praising Jesus and serving Jesus forever.

The Bible states that hell was created for all angels and humans who choose to reject Jesus and choose to be their own god and live by their own selfish standards. In hell there is no Jesus, love (God is Love), no light, no happiness, no peace, no joy, nothing that is good because God is the giver of all good gifts. Hell is the opposite from heaven in every way (Ezekiel 28:15-19; 31:16-17; Matthew 8:12; 11:23; 16:18; 25:31-46; Luke 10:15-16; 16:19-31; Revelation 20:12-15).                   

14. Question: Why would a loving God create the Devil and Demons when He knew that they would torment people on earth?

Answer: The Bible states that when God created the Devil and Demons they were originally angels. As angels in heaven, they chose to rebel against God and reject God. In doing so, God changed their appearance and forced them to leave heaven to rule over hell. Hell is created for all angels and humans who choose to rebel against God and reject Jesus Christ as God, Savior and Friend. Although God knew the Devil and Demons would torment people, He created them for many reasons. God was loving enough to give them life and choice; they chose to reject Him and chose hell. God will always give humans and angels the choice to love, serve and obey Him or reject and disobey Him and serve self. Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:15-19; John 5:18,23; John 14:15; 15:14; Revelation 12:9-12; 20:10.     

15. Question: Why would a loving God allow infants, children and good people to suffer?

 Answer: The Bible states that before humans chose to sin, no one suffered on earth. After humans chose to sin, all humans and all mankind has suffered. Suffering is the natural consequence of sin present on earth. God created all humans and loves all humans. God is grieved when anyone suffers. God gets a bad wrap on suffering. God does not cause suffering. God is the giver of all good gifts. God enjoys giving His good gifts and He has joy in giving His good gifts to show His humans how much He loves them. Even Jesus Himself suffered when He was on earth. God grieves whenever His creation suffers. Genesis 1:26-31; Genesis 3; Exodus 34:6-7; 2 Chronicles 36:15; Psalm 86:15; Psalm 145; Matthew 9:36; Matthew 14:14; John 1:1-4; John 3:16-18; Colossians 1:16; James 1:17; 1 Peter 5:7.     

16. Question: If a Christian is forgiven forever by God the second he or she calls upon Jesus to save them, why did Jesus command His believers to pray "forgive us our debts" by praying His Lord's Prayer every day?

Answer: When Jesus commanded His believers to pray "forgive us our debts," He never intended for them to mean by this "forgive us for our sins today so we can have a better chance to go to heaven." Matthew 6:12. The Lord intended "forgive us our debts" to mean "forgive us for the sins we have committed against You today so our relationship can remain strong and so I can have Your power to overcome the temptation to commit this sin in my future." Jesus never commanded that we say this prayer or the entire Lord's Prayer every day. The Lord's Prayer was intended to be a model prayer; one way to pray to God but not the only way to pray to God. 

"Forgive us our debts" is referring only to temporal, relational forgiveness. In other words, we are trusting Jesus to forgive us for the specific sins we confess are wrong so we can restore our close relationship to Him and receive His temporal power to overcome that sin.

Jesus gave us His parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32 to give us an example of "relational forgiveness." The prodigal son was a child of his father from birth. Even while deep in sin, the prodigal remained a child of his father. When the son "came to his senses" and returned home, his relationship with his father was fully and unconditionally restored. He received relational forgiveness (his "positional forgiveness" as a child of his father was never changed).

We receive "positional forgiveness" when we choose to call upon Jesus to save us (click on the above icon entitled "How To Become A Christian"). We instantly and eternally become a child of God and that position as a child of God will never change. A person cannot become a child of God until the person believes Jesus to forgive them forever and surrenders to Jesus as Lord, God, Master and Friend. Read John 3:16 (eternal life is eternal...it begins and can never end). Other passages to provide evidence that the above is true: Mark 1:15; John 6:37; John 10:28; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 4:10; Ephesians 1:13-14; Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 8:33-39; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Timothy 1:12). 

If our entrance into heaven depended on our memory of all of our sins no one could make it to heaven. It is a wonderful gift and blessing from God that our entrance into heaven fully depends on the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross and nothing else (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Peter 2:24; John 3:16).     

17. Question: Can a person be reincarnated?

Answer: No. People must reject the truth of the Word of God to believe in reincarnation. The Bible states clearly: "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement." Hebrews 9:27. Reincarnation advocates teach that when a person dies, their spirit leaves the body and enters the body of another human body (a fetus in the womb, a new born baby or a person of any age). This belief denies the above Biblical truth that all persons die only once. To be reincarnated a person would have to die twice or more times. In addition, the Bible clearly teaches that when a person dies, the spirit of the person leaves the body, goes to heaven to stand before God (Father, Son Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit: the One true God revealed in three different manifestations) to be judged. Matthew 25:31-46; Philippians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 John 4:17. Those who are born again Christians, who know Jesus in a personal relationship as Savior, Lord God and Friend have had the penalty for their sins paid in full by Jesus on the cross and will remain in heaven with Jesus and other Christians forever.

On the other hand, those who have rejected Jesus as Savior, Lord God and Friend have chosen to be eternally separated from Jesus in the place Jesus called hell, where there is eternal punishment for all who have rejected Jesus as Savior, Lord God and Friend (Matthew 23:33; Matthew 25:46; John 5:23; 8:24). Reincarnation also teaches a works salvation: for a person to go to heaven and be with God they must be reincarnated over and over until they live a "good enough" life, "free from bad carma and negative relationships," in order to be "worthy" to go to heaven. This teaching rejects the Biblical truth that a person cannot be saved by good works but only by the work of grace (Jesus' atoning death on the cross that pays the penalty in full for all our sins). Ephesians 2:8-9.  

18. Question: Are there ghosts on earth?

Answer: No. People must reject the truth of the Word of God to believe in ghosts. Most people define a ghost as a person's spirit that leaves the body when the body dies and then the person's spirit remains on earth and can be occasionally seen by humans. The Bible clearly states that when a person dies their spirit immediately goes to God to be judged. Hebrews 9:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Philippians 2:10, 1 John 4:17.  If the person has been born again, knows Jesus in a personal relationship as Savior, Lord God and Friend, the person is welcomed into heaven to remain in heaven eternally. Matthew 25:31-46. The person who has rejected Jesus as Savior, Lord God and Friend chose to be eternally separated from God in a place Jesus called hell. Matthew 25:31-46; Matthew 23:33; John 5:23; John 8:24. Persons are unable to leave heaven or hell once they die. 

The spirits or ghosts that people see on earth are:

A. a figment of their imagination;

B. a demonic angel that appears to look like someone they knew;

C. an angel from the Lord. Matthew 17:18; Matthew 28:1-8.

There are only two occasions in the Bible that the Lord allowed the spirits of the prophets to return to earth for special purposes. Matthew 17:1-8; 1 Samuel 11:8-20. 

19. Question: What about dinosaurs? 

Answer: The following explanation of dinosaurs, creation and the flood are the Biblical views of most conservative Christians. God created the world in seven twenty-four hour days. Dinosaurs were created by God on the fourth and fifth days of His creation (Genesis 1:19-25). Before the fall of man, dinosaurs and all other creation were vegetarians. After the fall of man, dinosaurs and all creation changed. This is when dinosaurs and many animals became carnivorous (Genesis 3).

Dinosaurs were still living when God commanded Noah to build the ark. God miraculously led all animals, including dinosaurs, birds and "all creeping things" into the ark, two by two, male and female (Genesis 7:7-9). God miraculously caused all the animals to become passive and vegetarian on the ark. In the years after the ark, after the population of creation increased, many animals became carnivorous again.  

All animals, including dinosaurs, were created by God to benefit mankind in one way or another. God's exact purpose for the various dinosaurs is still a mystery. Many answers we will not know until we ask God in heaven. This will be part of the joys of heaven. We can make intelligent assumptions based on facts and existing evidence.

Perhaps the larger dinosaurs kept certain types of lush plant life under control and cleared paths through the forest. Using their long necks, some dinosaurs could have eaten foliage at the tops of tall trees. In a thick forest, this would let light come down to the ground so smaller plants would have a chance to grow. God brought many animals to Adam for his personal inspection; the dinosaurs may have been included. God watched to see what Adam thought of all these wonderful creatures. He waited while Adam gave a name to each one (Genesis 2:19). Each new animal must have been an interesting surprise, displaying their Creator's power and creativity.

Why did God invent so many different kinds of beautiful, interesting and surprising animals? Perhaps because He wanted to delight Man with His power, wisdom and love.

Part of God's purpose for creating the particular types of dinosaurs that become very large was surely to impress man. Dinosaurs showed the great power of the Creator. No matter how big these creatures got, Adam knew God was always far greater. God designed every part of them, right down to the smallest cell. Even the largest dinosaur was like an obedient puppy in God's wise, powerful hands.

There have been many ideas to explain why dinosaurs became extinct. At least 55 different theories have been suggested and then thrown out because of problems. For instance, a theory that works for the large animals usually does not explain the extinction of the small animals or sea creatures. Whatever happened to dinosaurs, scientists agree, must have affected the entire planet.

There is some evidence that a few dinosaurs and great marine reptiles could still be alive, teetering on the edge of extinction. Scientists are still discovering unknown animals each year. Natives in a very remote jungle in Africa repeatedly told of seeing large animals that looked much like the sauropod dinosaurs. The sauropods included the Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Diplodocus and others like them. A group of natives claimed to have killed a small one in 1959. Scientists studied the reports and made trips into the deep jungle in hopes of finding a dinosaur still alive. None has been found so far.