Eternal Life Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Welcome to the final episode of Eternal Life; the free, short podcast series exploring the life of Jesus for anyone from devout Christian to curious skeptic. If you have ever struggled with believing in the miracles of the Bible without having evidence, then this series is for you! Today, we are delving into part four of question seven: What do we know about Heaven – our inheritance? 

Previously, we discussed Heaven versus Hell, what Heaven may look and feel like, and the true nature of Heaven. Today, we continue exploring misconceptions about Heaven; namely, the belief that our entrance to Heaven is based on our deeds. It is important to understand that our salvation and entrance into the New Earth are merely a matter of Jesus, our inheritance, however, is disproportionate when we are there. Your life's choices shape your existence, and experience, in Eternity. Join us for this incredible discussion and the opportunity to come to know, accept, and be secure in a confident, eternal life. 

• Debunking the common misconception that your entrance to Heaven is based on your deeds. 
• Why our inheritance is disproportionate in the New Earth. 
• What grants you entrance into Heaven and eternal life. 
• Why being a Christian means recognizing your imperfections and need for Jesus in your life. 
• The importance of making decisions about your beliefs while you have the chance. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Heaven: A Comprehensive Guide to Everything the Bible Says About Our Eternal Home

How to Multiply Your Time | Rory Vaden Ted Talk

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X

Eternal Life Podcast 

Welcome to another episode of the Eternal Life podcast, crafted for those earnestly exploring the path to truth even if they occasionally grapple with embracing the extraordinary and mystical facets of the Christian faith. Today, we continue our exploration with part three of question seven: What do we know about Heaven? What is it like?

In part one of question seven, we compared Heaven and Hell. In part two, we discovered that Heaven is far from the stereotypical image of clouds and harps and instead, it resembles the Garden of Eden, capturing the essence of the best parts of life on Earth. Today, we dive deeper and explore the scriptures to inquire about the true nature of the New Earth. Will it include animals, food, books, and clothes? Or, perhaps even more excitingly, redeemed bodies, intimacy with God, joy, justice, peace, provision, and purpose? Join me as we delve into the Bible and paint a vibrant picture of what eternal life truly looks like, in the presence of God.

• What the Bible says about the New Earth: what will we experience?
• We look at pragmatic characteristics of what eternal life will look like.
• We delve into the intriguing and supernatural aspects of eternal life.
• An eternal decision: being 100% convinced of what you believe, no matter what that is.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X

Welcome back to Eternal Life, a special series that explores the life of Christ through seven questions and is created for anyone earnestly seeking truth, even if they grapple with accepting some of the more miraculous and supernatural aspects of Christianity. Today we delve into the first part of question number five: What Evidence is there that Jesus Rose from the Dead? 

Did Jesus truly rise from the dead? How can anyone believe it? How can I believe it? These are crucial, fair, and honest questions, and perhaps the most important when examining the evidence for Jesus as a savior, messiah, or divine figure distinct from all others in history. The resurrection is central to Christianity and since the entire Christian faith hinges on this event I believe it is worth exploring. There are eight reasons underpinning my belief that Jesus rose from the dead. Today I examine the first three so that you can learn more about this event and decide what you believe for yourself! 

• The fact that Jesus’s tomb is still empty, the four theories as to why that is, and the evidence this provides for His resurrection.
• Jesus’s predictions about His own death and resurrection and why this matters.
• The power Jesus demonstrated over death while He was alive.
• What the Bible tells us about the many documented eyewitness sightings of the resurrection.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Eternal Life Podcast Resource

The Case for Christ: A Journalist's Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus

Rory Vaden

Rory Vaden Blog

Rory Vaden on X

In the Eternal Life series thus far, we have wrestled with three of the seven questions that every intelligent skeptic should ask themselves about Jesus of Nazareth to try to understand the facts and historical accounts that support the narrative we’ve been told. Admittedly, there are some things that are very difficult to believe and understand on the surface about Christianity and Jesus is the lynchpin and cornerstone of it all. That’s why, in today’s episode, we tackle question four: What evidence is there that Jesus was a deity?

There are two major reasons that someone might believe that Jesus is indeed the son of God and not simply delusional. The first is that He performed miracles, at least 35 of which are recorded in the New Testament, and the second is that He not only fulfilled numerous prophecies but even accurately predicted His own death. At some point, it requires more unfounded realism to believe that Jesus was not the Messiah than it does to believe that He was but take a listen and decide for yourself!

• Why you can’t discredit the existence of miracles just because you’ve never seen one.
• Reasons that you don’t have to be a Christian to believe in the supernatural.
• Accounts of healing and other phenomena that can’t be explained by naturalistic causes.
• Recorded predictions about Jesus’ life, death, and birth that were ultimately fulfilled.
• Perspective on the truly awe-inspiring odds of these prophecies coming true.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Eternal Life Podcast Resources

The Verdict of History: Ancient Evidence for the Life of Jesus

Dr. Gary Habermas

Science Speaks: Scientific Proof of the Accuracy of Prophecy and the Bible

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X

Welcome back to Eternal Life as we continue to explore the seven questions that when answered, will ultimately reveal the true wonder of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This series is for anyone who is looking for facts and evidence about Jesus and His life, from the hardened skeptic to the emphatic believer. Today, we dive into the third of our seven questions: Was Jesus just a good teacher or something more? 

Three things set Jesus far apart from other prophets, thought leaders, and respected speakers of the time: What Jesus said, how He lived, and how the world responded to Him. After examining these three areas of His life, you will find that Jesus was indeed far more than we could ever imagine. But, what do you think?  

• What Jesus said, and how His words prove that He was more than just a good teacher.
• How Jesus’ proclamations of being God confirm that He’s always been so much more.  
• Taking a look at how Jesus lived and how that pertains to His character as better than good. 
• What we can learn from the way people and the world responded to Jesus and His teachings. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Eternal Life Podcast Resource

Dr. Gary Habermas

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X

Welcome back to Eternal Life, the podcast exploring the life of Christ through seven questions that hard-core Christians and anyone who may find it difficult to believe in the miracles of God should ask. Today we delve into question number two: Was Jesus a real person? This is a simple question but a very important one for Christians to explore because ultimately, if there was no Jesus, then there could be no Christianity. 

Before we question if Jesus was the son of God, if He did truly have powers of healing, or if Heaven exists, we need to figure out if He was actually a real person. There are three different types of corroboration that prove Jesus’ existence: historical documentation, archeology, and prophetic predictions. Whether Jesus was the son of God comes down to a decision of faith but after this exploration of evidence, it is clear, that the question of his existence has been corroborated a million times over! 

• What historical documents corroborate the existence of Christ and why we can believe that they are true. 
• Archeological facts suggesting that the Bible is historically accurate and therefore a trustworthy source of fact. 
• Who wrote the gospels and how they help us accept the Bible as a source of truth. 
• How the minor discrepancies in the Bible make it easier to trust, believe it or not!

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Free Resources
The Case for Christ

The Annals of Imperial Rome

Josephus: The Essential Writings

The Iliad

The Antiquities of the Jews

The Verdict of History

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X

Welcome to the Eternal Life Podcast, a series looking at Seven Questions every Intelligent Skeptic should ask about Jesus of Nazareth. This is a special free podcast series, created for anyone who genuinely seeks truth, but sometimes struggles to believe in the miraculous and supernatural elements of the Christian faith. I am Rory Vaden, and I hope this is a safe space for you to belong, without necessarily having to believe. I aim to objectively explore the logical, historical, and academic facts and circumstances surrounding Jesus's life, whom many have come to call, Christ. I aspire to convince each and every listener, my sons included, to dive in deep and spend time exploring this topic. Delve into and research the foundational elements of Christianity, which include exploring whether Jesus was a real human living on the earth, that He truly was the Son of God, and that Jesus indeed was raised from the dead (dead in human form). This series is an exploration of the facts, from my source of truth, the Bible. I strongly believe that the Bible contains confident and clear answers to questions many of us have. 

As we embark on this journey of critical thinking, exploration, and the pursuit of truth, we will delve into seven pivotal questions. Each episode will contain a factual investigation into potential solutions for the following thoughts:   

1. What is Your Strategy for Defeating Death?

2. What Evidence is there that Jesus was a Real Person?

3. Was Jesus Just a Good Teacher or Something More?

4. What Evidence is there that Jesus was a Deity?

5. What Evidence is there that Jesus Rose from the Dead?

6. How do you get into Heaven?

7. What do we know about Heaven?

So as we dive into our first episode, we take a look at the first of the seven questions: What is Your Strategy for Defeating Death? Another rendition of the same question could be, "Is it Worth the Time to Explore Eternity?” Allow me to guide you through three compelling reasons that, in my opinion, make a strong case for at least considering the exploration of Christianity. We will look at each of these reasons in more detail, and they encompass:

Reason 1: It could carry eternal implications for you. 

Reason 2: The Bible provides answers and can be a source of truth for your life.

Reason 3: If the story of Jesus is real, and there truly is a resurrection, then that means there is a heaven; an eternity. In short, should the account of Jesus prove to be accurate, then it’s possible you’ll never be separated from those you love.

I am not a pastor, nor a studied theologian. I am a New York Times bestselling author, an 8-figure entrepreneur, a Hall of Fame speaker with a TEDx talk that has more than 4 million views, a researcher, and simply, a husband and a father. So, from the perspective of a curious entrepreneur, a lifelong student, a pragmatist, and skeptic, and someone who believes this is a topic we need to look at, I dive into an exploration of the facts. I may have minor discrepancies in the things that I share on the podcast, and I will try to use plain, non-jargon terminology, however, I have taken a great deal of time to verify the factual stability of what I plan to present in this series. I want you to know that I will always seek truth — even when it’s inconvenient or it creates conflict. I highly encourage you to proceed with an open mind and supplement this with your own exploration of the truth. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Eternal Life Podcast Resource

Andy Stanley

Rory Vaden

Rory Vaden on X

The Eternal Life Podcast is a safe place where you can belong without having to believe as we aim to explore the logical and historical facts and circumstances that surround the life of Jesus, whom many call Christ. Today, we’re taking an objective look at what we actually know about Heaven.

In part one of question seven, we defined and compared Heaven and hell according to the Bible. Today, in part two, we get a little more specific and ask: where the heck is Heaven anyway? Is Heaven where we will spend eternity? Is it really fluffy clouds and angels playing harps forever? To answer these questions, we take a look at the evidence that shows us it’s actually a lot closer (and more familiar) than we think!

• Proof that Heaven is not where we will spend eternity.
• What the Bible says about the New Earth, which will be inherited by the righteous.
• How eternal life is more like the best parts of life on Earth than it is angels and harps.
• The important choices we have to make if we want to go to Heaven.
• Why the New Earth is not just a vision or a dream, it’s a promise.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Left Behind

Heaven

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X

In this free podcast series, we take an objective approach to examining the life of Jesus of Nazareth with logical and academic evidence. We are glad to welcome you back to Eternal Life as we dive into question seven: what do we know about Heaven? Today’s episode is all about defining and comparing Heaven and hell. 

Many people aren’t excited about life after earth because they do not have a clear picture of Heaven; they don’t actually know what eternal life entails! Even if you don’t believe in God, understanding both Heaven and hell should change the way you think about what happens after death. So, let’s take a closer look at what the Bible says about Heaven and hell. 

• Why so many of us don’t know that much about Heaven. 
• How having a clear vision of Heaven makes it easier to live a sacrificial life on earth. 
• What the Bible says about Heaven and hell.
• How Heaven and hell are final destinations without any redos, crossovers, or take-backs. 
• The greatest choice.   

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Jeff Henderson  

Heaven

Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success 

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X

Welcome back to Eternal Life, the free podcast series where everyone belongs, even if you don’t believe. We are exploring the life of Jesus Christ by objectively examining historical, logical, and academic evidence that documents the existence of the greatest man to have ever lived. Today, we are continuing with part three of question six: How do you get into heaven? 

So, you’ve prayed the salvation prayer and you now know that your eternity is secured, now what? Well, it’s time for you to live your life as a Christian, and The Bible proposes seven ways to live a life that is aligned with Christ (there are definitely way more than seven, but these are the core ones that I’ll be focusing on). As we get into these God-given suggestions, just remember that you are already saved. Your place in heaven is already secured. We are now moving from salvation to sanctification: the gradual purification of your heart, and learning to live as Christ did. 

• An introduction to sanctification.  
• Baptism: the next step.  
• The seven behaviors of sanctification. 
• Why your life should look different after sanctification. 
• How sanctification improves the quality of your life.  

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Confident Eternal Life

Eternal Life Podcast Resource  

‘How To Multiply Your Time | Rory Vaden | TEDxDouglasville’ 

Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success 

Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time

Rory Vaden 

Rory Vaden on X