The majority of people are focused on this life with present and tangible rewards, while giving little thought to the future which will never end.
Yes, our future will never end. The question is how we will spend eternity.
Every person will ultimately die.
“And as it is appointed for men to die once…” Hebrews 9:27
And then after death, everyone will be resurrected.
“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth…” John 5:28
There are some who believe that death ends everything. The Bible refutes that claim. Physical death is just one step in our eternal journey.
Perhaps the most widely known and memorized verse in all the Scriptures is found in the Gospel of John.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever (whosoever) believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
This verse is the summation of man’s invitation for eternal life, i.e. the offer of God’s free gift of salvation.
The term ‘believe;’ however, means much more than intellectual assent. The word is from the Greek pistis and synonyms include ‘faith’ and ‘trust.’ Individuals must place their total trust for eternal life on the vicarious death of Christ, while recognizing their own total impotence to earn God’s favor.
The word ‘life’ in the term ‘everlasting life’ means eternal life with God, and begins for true believers the instant they commit their lives to the person and work of Christ.
John 3:16 reveals the alternative to everlasting life is ‘perish’ from the Greek apollumi which means ‘destruction.’ In no way does ‘perish’ indicate cessation of being. Physical death never ends man’s existence. For rejecters, however, it means eternity without God.
Does John 3:16 imply that perish is the destiny for those who do not believe, as defined above, in the reality of Christ and His death? Indeed it does, according to the Bible.
The gift of eternal life is free for anyone who will humble themselves, confess their sins, ask God to forgive those sins, and then forsake such sins. The Bible reveals that Christ paid for those sins by dying in our place on the cross.
God’s grace defies man’s logic. How could anyone reject the free gift of eternal life with Him?
The truth is; however, that the vast majority of mankind will reject God’s gift, and instead rely on their own abilities to prepare for the endless future.
Recall, when Jesus was asked about this very issue, He replied:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:1-14
‘Destruction’ is from the same Greek base as ‘perish.’
And then, what does Christ’s resurrection mean for those who commit their lives to Him?
“But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (died).” 1 Corinthians 15:20
Those who are true believers in Christ will be raised from the dead, just as He was, to spend eternity with Him.
There are many events and issues in today’s world that capture our attention causing many to give little thought to the most critical decision in our lifetime.
Several catastrophic events that have caught our attention in recent times include the coronavirus and the events on 9-11-2001.
These two significant events are meant to get our attention. They are wake-up calls to alert us of future events.
Just as the virus should bring to mind the fourth horseman in Revelation 6:7-8, the collapse of the World Trade Center should remind us of the future commercial center of the world in Revelation 18:1-18.
Take some time and consider what is really meaningful, and give proper priorities to what really matters.
Therefore, today is the day of decision. Choose life!