The Question of Eternity
The Lord, as the eternal being, created us in His image and placed the seal of eternity on our lives. We were made to worship Him and to be in relationship with Him forever. Without the Lord, man is empty and looks for ways to fill the emptiness temporarily and to be distracted from the pangs of meaninglessness.
The Lord loved us so much that He gave humanity free will. That meant that man could choose to reject God and follow his own will. This is what allowed Adam and Eve to reject God’s boundary and decided to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Their rebellion opened the door to sin and death, and they lost the privilege of being in the presence of the Lord.
Those who believe in evolution, have no hope of eternity and no vision of eternal life. To them, this life is all there is and once they die they would cease to exist. It is logical for this kind of mindset to create two patterns of extremes. One pattern may result in hopelessness and frustration with life. The other pattern could lead people to live very selfish lives where all they could care about is to keep themselves happy.
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:27-28
The good news of salvation is that God saw us so valuable that He was willing to send His only son to die for our sins, so we can have eternal life and not perish (See John 3:16-17). Jesus opened the door and invited us in. Humanity has a choice again. People don’t have to be doomed to destruction and judgment, but they can receive Jesus and His work on the cross on their behalf.
There will still be a day of judgment, but for those who are in Christ, God receives them because of what Jesus did on the cross. However, those who choose to reject Christ ‘s invitation of Salvation, there comes the judgment of God and damnation through eternity.
Why is eternity with God important?
First of all, time on this earth and pleasure are temporary. Regardless of how much one gets to enjoy his/her life on this earth, life without eternity with God is hollow, meaningless, and short-lived. The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us of this truth.
Secondly, there are people all over the world who have suffered for variety of reasons. When they have hope of heaven and a perfect future with God, it gives them peace and contentment in this life. It allows them to continue to live a life pleasing to God and not lash out at others for their lack in this life.
Thirdly, eternity with God gives purpose and meaning to life that is greater than just serving self. Every follower of Christ is called to reach others, love their neighbor, and invite people to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
God in His mercy always had the desire to be in relationship with His people. We are so valuable to God that He didn’t just create us and left us to fend for ourselves. He didn’t bring us into the world and leave us as orphans. Instead, He designed us to have meaning in our lives. He desires to show His love and care towards us and accept us in His presence. We begin to understand our value when we develop a childlike faith and get to know the God of the Bible. Then we gain the view and the perspective of the Designer of life!
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