“Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment” Hebrews 6:1-2.
It is in the nature of man to have an idea of Eternity, but what is Eternity? There are competing views on eternity: Those who believe in Annihilation do not prepare for eternity because they believe that there is no life after death. People who believe in Reincarnation are careful not to hurt other creatures, including cockroaches in fear that these might be one of their reincarnated ancestors or loved ones. They believe that they can come back in another life-form if they did not perform well in their current life. Those who hold on to the view of Resurrection believe that eternal life is a given, but it is where we will spend eternal life that truly matters – either we live it with God in heaven or be eternally condemned. It is important that we have the right view of eternity because how we view eternity dictates how we live our lives now.
“my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6.
“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” John 8:31-32.
The book of Revelations state that those who trust in Christ will live (Revelations 20:4-6). The resurrection of Christ is at the center of the Christian faith!
BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT FAITH & ETERNITY:
1. Life is short.
“The length of our days is seventy years— or eighty, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away” Psalm 90:10..
What are we living for? Many people prepare only for the temporal future. We need to fix our eyes on the eternal things of God.
2. Death is certain.
“Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him” Hebrews 9:27-28.
We are all destined to die. How we treat Christ in our lifetime will determine what will happen to us on judgment day. It is our sin that separates us from a holy God. The good news is that Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sins. He rose up again to save us and if we call upon the Lord, we will be saved. If we ask him, he will forgive us of our sins. The names of those he saved will be written in the Lamb’s book of life and nothing can blot it out from it.
3. We will all face judgment.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” John 5:28-29.
On the Day of Judgment, the righteous will be separated from the sinners.
1. Great White Throne judgment (Judgment of the Unbelievers).
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books” Revelations 20:12.
“If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” Revelations 20:15.
Those whose names are not found in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. This is the final judgment. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), our works cannot save us.
2. Judgment seat of Christ (Judgment of the believers’ works).
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” 2 Corinthians 5:10.
The judgment for our destination is no longer about our salvation. Our salvation has been given when we put our faith in Christ while we were still here on earth. It is our good works that will be tested. Any way we serve God will go through fire to test if it is built on sticks or if it will stand. Our words, actions and motives as Christians will be judged. Will you receive a reward?
YOUR VIEW OF ETERNITY WILL DETERMINE HOW YOU LIVE
“If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” 1 Corinthians 3:12-15.
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