Bible Word of the Day
Eternal Life (Everlasting Life, Eternity to Come)
Meaning
Eternal life is an important concept to understand, because it helps us to understand the importance of the Gospel message and the life that awaits all people. The first important point is what qualifies us for eternal life. And the answer to that question is conception and not birth. Once life is conceived it becomes a human life and will live forever. All people great and small, born and unborn will live forever. There is no person ever conceived in the history of mankind who does not live forever. That’s the important point to understand. So in other words no one ever ceases to exist, we all continue living forever. In addition, we must understand sin is when we act against the laws of God in both thought and deed.
The second point is we will then see things clearly when we die. This means our existence here in this world is the dullest and most ignorant part of our existence. As a matter of fact the Bible tells us now in this life “we see poorly as in a broken mirror. However, when we die we will know as we are known.” In other words, when we die that’s when the blinders come off. Social agendas, personal biases, all that falls away and we see things as they truly are. Moreover, once we die there are no second chances. Once we die it’s too late to change our mind and make other decisions. So what does this mean for us? The Bible tells us all, those who accept Jesus will spend eternity with Him. In addition, at the end of this age all those who place their faith in Christ will dwell with Him on the New Heavens and the New Earth.
However, all those who rejected Jesus (and thereby rejected God) will spend eternity in separation and punishment for their sin. In other words, when a person dies they will not only spend eternity in Hell, but they will be separated from God and everyone else. They will suffer punishment, recalling every second of every moment throughout their lives where they rejected Christ. In addition, they will remember every moment where they failed to seek after God. This refers to those moments when we look at the awe and wonder of the world around us, and we fail to ask or seek after the one who created it all. God promises to make Himself known to those who seek Him.
“Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” (Book of First Corinthians 13:12)
“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.” (Gospel of Matthew 18:8-9)
“So He said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God,who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.'” (Gospel of Luke 18:29-30)
“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.” (Gospel of John 3:16)