Eternity! What About It?

Two of my brothers-in-law passed away within the last year. They were both Christians who are now in the presence of the Lord. “ To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (II Thess. 5:8).  One can only imagine what kind of existence it is, but in John 11:25-26 Jesus says, “ I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? The death of the one who dies as a Christian means they have passed from their temporary physical life to a permanent heavenly one.

Whatever kind of existence it is, it is commonly believed that one who passes away will be with those who have gone before. I will never forget the words of one of my uncles when  years ago I was visiting him with only a few months to live. He said to me, “ I have people waiting for me.”

There is hope in the hereafter. Are you sure of your eternal destiny? Each and every day the unexpected can happen that can take our life, if not by natural causes or old age. It all begins with the acknowledgment that there is one true God, and living Savior Jesus, who is your Creator and Redeemer. Then a person must realize that they are a sinner in need of God‘s grace. Being a sinner simply means you have fallen far short of God‘s righteous standards for entrance into heaven, no matter how good and moral of a person you might be. You will be saved from a life of spiritual darkness and deception without hope.

There is life after death. An example of this is found in Matthew 17:1-8 during the transfiguration of Jesus when He revealed His glorified body. Appearing with Him were Moses and Elijah, two men who had lived during the Old Testament times. This is not some fairytale. This was witnessed by three of Jesus‘s disciples.

The death of a Christian is a celebration of life. Will your life fall into that category? It all depends on the personal choice you make about accepting Jesus as your Savior. The Bible does not teach that when a person passes from this life they totally cease to exist. What is the alternative to being in the eternal Presence of God? First Thessalonians 1:9 speaks of an eternal place of destruction and darkness. Whatever state you are in when you pass away, whether it is in the Kingdom and Presence of God’s love and grace, or in the kingdom of darkness and destruction, is the same kingdom in which you will spend eternity.

This may not be a very positive way to end my article, but your life can end in a positive way if you make the decision to invite Jesus to be your Savior, who died for your sins and rose again from the grave that you might have eternal life with him. Then you will cross over by the blood of Jesus from the kingdom of darkness to His Kingdom of light, before it is too late.