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| Mike Hosey, An Elder |
The
standard definition for eternity is usually some variation of
infinite or unending time. And while this definition works in most
ways that we apply it in our everyday speech, it is inadequate by
itself for helping us understand what the bible really speaks of
when it teaches about eternity.
Eternity
in the bible is always seated in the midst of eternal life and
eternal death. For instance, the bible tells us that Jesus came to
give us eternal life (Romans 6:23), but it also tells us that those
who never allow God to change them will have an eternal death – a
second death after their physical body dies (Daniel 12:2, Matthew
25:46, Revelation 20:14).
The
second death is one in which a person has eternal separation – that
is an infinite and unending time – from the presence of God. They
are never to have God again, which means they are now separated from
everything that makes life worthwhile, because God is the source of
all good things (James 1:17).
But
those who submit their will to God and allow him to change them have
eternal life (1 John 5:13). Notice how that verse is in the present
tense: so that we may know
that we have
eternal life.
The moment that Jesus becomes your Lord you have an unending,
infinite life. You will be eternally paired with God, the source of
all good things! The interesting part of that truth, though, isn't
just the “eternity” aspect of it, but the life
aspect of it.
Things
that are alive grow and reproduce. They are vibrant, full of motion,
energy, and constant change, while also remaining at their core, the
same.
The
person who does not know Jesus loses forever all vibrancy when they
die. And even while they are alive, they cannot experience true
life. The person who submits to Jesus allows an already dying and
non vibrant life to cease, and gains a true and eternal life marked
by a constant connection to God.
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