Where are you going to spend ...
Where are you going to spend your eternity?
It is very easy to think that life is only what we are living here on earth: being born, growing up, going to school, having a career, working, eating, getting married, having children for some, rejoicing and dying; everything is finished there, nothing much.
This is a very big mistake.
In fact, the human being is an eternal living being; made of an eternal spirit, having a soul, and dwelling in a temporal mortal body. We did not choose to be born. We come unto existence from the desire of God, the Creator of all living beings, who decided once according to His own design, for His own glory, that :"man shall be". And so it is.
In spite of the perfect condition of life in which humans have been created, the arrival of sin in mankind brought a tragic shifting in the destiny of man on earth and leads the human race to an end of two opposite ways of destination after leaving this earth.
It is an absolute truth that sin introduced on earth brought death with it. Consequently, we will die one day physically; but all of us, spirit and soul without this physical mortal earthly body, will return to the direction from where we came from, to continue our existence as immortal beings this time, and face our eternity.
Two ways will be opened before us immediately after physical death; with all conscience, we will directly go:
-- either into the joy of the Lord, where forever with Him we shall be,
-- or with the devil and his angels in the lake of fire, burning and suffering forever.
- The Bible says: - "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thess. 4:16, 17).
- "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ... ... ...
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ... ..." (Matt.25: 31-41).
- The Bible makes a clear distinction among the people of God between those who obey His commands and those who do not. That is why Jesus declared in Matt.7: 21-23:
"Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness! "
Even about talents that we receive from heaven, we will have to give account on the way that we used them.
That is why it will be said to one:
- "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.
To another:
- Cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt.25:14-30).
The Bible, talking about the end of this world and all things, says in the Book of Revelation: - “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ... ...
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev.20:11-15).
- “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. … … And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. … …
He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone.” (Rev. 21:1-8).
God does not desire that anyone should perish; that is why the Bible says in John 3:16 “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.”
Now, we have before us two ways for eternity:
a) Choosing Jesus Christ Who is the Salvation of humanity, and having Eternal life with God, forever and ever.
b) Rejecting Jesus Christ, and being separated from God forever and suffering with the devil in the lake of fire for eternity; which is eternal death.
"And this is the testimony: That God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:11-13).
-But, if you died today, what we do not wish, where would you spend your eternity?
The Bible says:
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, Because He has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom he has ordained (Jesus Christ). He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." (Act.17:30,31).
“He who believes in the Son of God (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life; And he who does not believe the Son of God shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36).
“If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame. … … For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Rom.10:9-13).
Today is the day of salvation. While we do not know about tomorrow, let us not save for later the opportunity to spend our eternity with the Lord our Creator in eternal happiness. Think about it !!!
-If you are ready now, let us say this simple prayer together:
Dear Lord God, I know I am a sinner; I know that if I die now, I have no provision to spend eternity with You. That is why I need to be saved. Lord Jesus, You Who died to save humanity, I call upon Your grace; save me now, wash me by your blood. I surrender my life to You; my heart, my soul, my mind, my all. Be my Savior forever. Help me to obey you and to be faithful to you always; I belong to You from now to eternity. Thank You Lord.
In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.