Have you ever heard the old saying "Ignorance is Bliss." It is based upon the idea that something can't hurt you if you don't know about it. Certainly there is an element of truth to it because if you don't know about something dangerous you are not going to worry about it. However the truth is that even if you don't know about it, that doesn't mean that eventually you will not face the difficulty anyway.

Imagine a hermit living on an island with no television or radio or means of communication with the outside world. A category 5 cyclone is bearing down on the island and everyone else leaves because they know it would be dangerous to remain, but the old man stays on unaware of what is coming. Would you call this ignorance bliss? Well he is happy because he doesn't know there is anything to worry about, but its only a matter of time when he will have some serious problems.

That is why I have concluded that the statement "Ignorance is not bliss" is actually a far more truer saying.

In some circumstances its best that we don't know so much. I guess if we knew about people who hated us and disliked us and wanted to hurt us that would only make us worry a lot and feel unimportant. So its best not knowing about these people and their thoughts and feelings. Also if we knew about what some foods were made from (like sausages for example) we might not eat them, so in this case ignorance is certainly bliss.

I was watching a television show recently where people where discussing what would happen to them after they die. One guy said "I believe that I will come back reincarnated as a chicken." Then a girl said, "I just believe that when we die its all over and there's nothing after that." A third fellow said "I guess we will find out when it happens." That was the end of their conversation on the matter. None of them were overly concerned about it and I guess they thought that it didn't matter whether they knew about it or not.

This is definitely one of those situations where being ignorant is not bliss. Sure you might have little to worry about NOW, but it will be a short lived happiness.

It is important that we do know what is going to happen to us after death.......don't you agree.

There are many situations in life where we know that we must have knowledge in advance. For example we never set out on a road trip without knowing where we are going. We make sure the road we are on is the right one. Or we don't go ahead and marry just any old person without getting to know them well and making sure they are the right kind of person for us. In the same way we don't buy a house without examining it thoroughly for termites or structural faults. If we didn't inform ourselves about these kinds of things we would be certain to face problems down the track.

So it is definitely important that we inform ourselves about what will happen to us after we die..........it's a serious issue.

The Bible tells us that "It is appointed unto mankind to die and then face judgment." The Bible also tells us that each of us are guilty of sin, which is basically living for ourselves with no regard for God. The Bible says in Romans 6:23 that "The wages of sin is [eternal] death, but the gift of God is eternal life." So the way we have lived and the decisions we have made will be judged and if we have sinned, we will be punished with eternal death. Jesus described this punishment in Matt 22:13 saying that it was a place of "everlasting darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth." I have never seen anyone gnash their teeth and I can only assume that the punishment described is horrible and terrible....a place of horror.

The name we have for that is called Hell. In the original Greek language in which that part of the Bible was written, the word "Gehenna" was used which means a "place of everlasting punishment." Not a nice place to be according to the Bible.

The Bible also refers to Heaven as a place of rewards for people who have lived a certain different kind of way. So there are definitely rewards and punishments for the way we have lived in this life. Some people will be punished (probably most people) and some will be rewarded. There is no bliss in ignoring such vital important information as this.

The Bible says in Romans 14:10 that "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

I wonder what you will be thinking when you stand there?

I wonder what judgment will be handed down?

It seems you have two options........you can continue to assume that ignorance is bliss and decide not to worry about it. Or you can decide that obviously this is a serious important issue and you can begin to seek God and find some assurance for you soul. I can tell you what you should do, but only you can make the decision to do it.

Let me tell you anyway.

What you should do is to hand your life over to God, to put your trust in Him and to begin to live the way God wants. The Bible tells us that Jesus died a cruel death so that we could be spared........a sort of proxy punishment. He wanted to spare you from the punishment of your sins, but only you can choose to receive it, and you can only do that by an act of trust in Him.

You need to come to God and confess your sins, ask to be forgiven and ask that Jesus would save your life from the eternal punishment just described. Then you need to decide to become a true disciple or student of Jesus' and learn and inform yourself about His teachings. Don't be content with being ignorant about spiritual issues but seek the find the truth. The Bible has the answers you need. Not only should you inform yourself, but you should develop a friendship with God and with other disciples (usually called Christians). The life of a disciple is the life that leads to salvation.

If you know that you need to begin a walk with God and need to be spared from eternal punishment, don't wait.........here is a prayer you can pray to help you come near to God.

"Heavenly Father, I pray today and admit that I have sinned many times in many ways. I know that I deserve to be punished but I also don't want to be. I want to be saved from the consequences of living the wrong way. Please forgive me for my sins and save me. Come and make my live your own and begin to help me to follow you. I want to be a disciple of Jesus' and live the life you want for me. In Jesus name, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer and would like people to pray for you, or you would like information to help you live a life of faith, please leave your details with us and we will try to help you if we can. Over the years I have helped many people begin faith in Christ and I would be delighted to help you if I can.

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