Bread for the JourneySample

For All Eternity

So many things don't last; we wish some of them would last forever, but that's just a desire that can't be fulfilled. On the other hand, knowing that not everything lasts forever can be a relief. Yes, because there are things we desperately want to end—things like sickness, a bad relationship, a huge debt, an unexpected problem, and so on.

For many people, this sense that everything is temporary, that everything will end, is incredibly strong. They simply see life, and everything in it, as having a beginning and a final stopping point. A good example is the lyrics from a famous song titled "Everything Has Its End": "Everything has its end, nothing lasts forever, we have to remember that eternity doesn't exist."

For many, this thought is the central pillar of their lives. They are the ones who also say: let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. “If I fought with wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Corinthians 15:32, NIV) These are people without hope; for them, life is a light that will be put out at some point, and that's all there is.

How wrong those who think this way are! What great ignorance, and how far they are from the truth! They definitely don't know Christ, His words, or His promises. These are people in darkness whom the light of Christ hasn't shined upon yet. Believe it or not, they are living in darkness and lack the precious knowledge that has been revealed to us in the Word of God.

They don't know that God has put eternity in the human heart; they ignore the fact that life will continue for all eternity. Sadly, these people will only realize it when eternal condemnation welcomes them, after their earthly life has ended. By closing their eyes forever, they will have lost the great opportunity to have eternal life and to be with the Lord forever.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." (John 5:24, NIV)

It's true that everything has its end, but only when we're talking about what is earthly and temporary. Thank goodness there is a truth that goes beyond what is fleeting and doesn't last—it's the truth of eternity. "He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NIV)

That's why it's so important for each of us to take the vital matter of eternity seriously. Because many are building their lives on what perishes, earning an eternity of condemnation for themselves. For them, there is no hell, no condemnation, and certainly no eternal life. And even though they believe everything will end, they will meet the harsh reality that their lives will continue, and there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:49-50, NIV)

The wonderful thing is that this isn't so for those of us who have believed in Christ as our Savior, because we will share in the full inheritance that has been given to us in Christ and will enjoy it for all eternity.

“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” (Romans 2:7, NIV)