May/June 2003 Good News Table of Contents

Cover Feature Do Good People Really Go to Heaven When They Die? Most churchgoers believe that when they die they will go to heaven. But will they? If heaven truly is a place of such everlasting happiness, why do so many do all they can to postpone going there? The Bible reveals some astounding and little-understood truths about heaven, the mystery of life beyond the grave and God's great plan and purpose for us. People Believed in 'Going to Heaven' Long Before Christianity God's Awesome Purpose for Those in the First Resurrection

From the Editor: Will God Forget the Dead? An editorial from the President of the United Church of God.

Predestination: Are You Just A Pawn? Is there really such a thing as fate, a set destiny that reaches even beyond the grave? Are only a few destined to be saved and the rest lost? Or is this idea a distortion of what the Bible really teaches about "predestination"?;

Dictatorships: Why Are They So Common? What would it be like to live under a dictatorship? This firsthand account is a sobering reminder of the all-too-common corrupting lust for power and how humanity desperately needs a new vision of leadership.

Iraq's Liberation: A Foretaste for the Entire World The incredible images from Baghdad of Iraqi citizens trying to topple a statue of Saddam Hussein with a rope and sledgehammer captivated the entire world-and offer hope for the end of a greater tyrant's rule. A Contrast in Leadership

Noah's Flood: Did it Really Happen? It's an amazing story: God warns a man to build a giant ship so he and his family can escape a coming catastrophe that will engulf the entire world. But did it really happen? What evidence can we find? Serious Problems With Dating Methods Did the Noachian Flood Cause Global Catastrophe?

"All Those in the Tombs Will Hear His Voice" Jesus of Nazareth made a number of puzzling statements affirming a future resurrection of the dead-puzzling, that is, if we try to reconcile them with the traditional view of heaven and hell held by most of Christianity.

Choosing Movies and Music: What's Going Into Your Mind? You wouldn't deliberately choose a diet of trash, would you? Yet far too many eagerly swallow the message promoted by popular movies and music. What guidelines should you set for what goes into your mind?

Profile of Faith Noah: An example of Righteousness Serious Problems With Dating Methods Did the Noachian Flood Cause Global Catastrophe? A colossal testimony to God