Eternity

Eternity defies man’s imagination and

comprehension. It is not an object, nor a
place, it is not a period of time. It has no
beginning and it has no end. All men from
Adam to the last one born will be in it.
The word eternity is used in Isaiah
57:15 where it states that God inhabits
eternity. He is eternal with no beginning and
no end. This can be said only of God, for
man has beginning but his soul has no end.
The dictionary agrees with the Bible that
eternity is a duration without end; the state
into which the soul passes at death and in
which it remains forever and ever.
The opening statement of the Bible, “In the
beginning God created the heaven and
earth” (Genesis 1:1), has reference to the
creation of the heaven and the earth and all
things therein (Colossians 1:16-17). God
has decreed that all things shall cease to
exist: “the heavens shall pass away with a
great noise, and the elements shall melt with

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fervent heat, the earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter
3:10).
Man is a creature of time-he takes time,
uses time, and depends on time. His life is
controlled by time. Time, however, as
important as it is, has no relation to eternity.
Eternity is unique and incomparable. It has
no measurable length, breadth, depth nor
height. It offers no opportunity to change the
eternal destiny that was chosen in life. It is
everlastingly the same.
In all of creation, only man, clothed with a
changed and immortal body, will make the
transition from time into eternity. Man is the
only creature who has the “breath of life”
(Genesis 2:7), which lasts forever as God
does.
With the end of time, eternity will reveal
many wonders and miracles that cannot be
understood in our day. When the Lord
returns all eyes shall see him (Revelation
1:7). He will sit on a throne and “all nations”
shall be gathered before Him in judgment

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(Matthew 25:31-32; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
There God will judge according to His record
of every man’s works (Revelation 20:12-13)
the skeptic finds these matters impossible.
“All eyes” means multiplied billions, those of
every land and sea, the resurrected dead as
well as the living. It boggles the mind to think
of all nations gathered in one before the
judgment throne. Those who think it
incredible must note that time has fled and
eternity has no limitations. The restrictions of
distance and time found in earth life are
absent in eternity.
Eternity, as the Bible reveals it, has three
aspects-the judgment, the dividing of the
righteous from the unrighteous, and the
everlasting. This judgment will be final, with
neither appeals nor reviews. During man’s
lifetime God places before him the choice
between right and wrong, endeavoring to
bring him into a right relationship with his
Creator. Those who will not give heed will, in
the final judgment, receive their sentence
and then be sent to an eternal punishment.
Those who yielded to God in life will have

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their sins judged before, while those who did
not yield will have their sins follow them into
the final judgment (1 Timothy 5:24).

After the judgment every man shall be

rewarded according to the record in the
books, including those whose names are in
the book of life (Revelation 20:12). The term
reward as used here, is a recompense for
acts performed, good or evil.
Eternity will know only two classes of
people-the saved and the lost. God will
classify them as such by their acceptance or
rejection of His great saving plan for
mankind while in their earth life. There are
only two destinations in eternity for all
people-Heaven for the saved and hell for the
lost.
To those whose names are found written in
the book of life, the eternal Judge will say,
“Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the
world” (Matthew 25:34); and to those whose
names are not in the Book, the Judge will
say, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into

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everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and
his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
To some these words will be shocking, and
again others will expect them. There are
those who pass from time into eternity
through death who have prepared to meet
God; they died with an assurance in their
hearts that they will be with the Lord in
eternity. They expect those welcome words,
“Come, ye blessed.”
There are also those who in life are already
condemned and pass over not prepared to
meet God. They have a fearful looking for of
judgment (Hebrews 10:27). At that great day
they will call upon the mountains and rocks,
“Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of
him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16).
This immense throng will also include the
disappointed-“Many will say to me in that
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? And in thy name have cast out
devils? And in thy name done many
wonderful works? And then will I profess

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unto them, I never knew you: depart from
me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23).
What all eternity holds for the immortal
beings is not detailed in the Bible. Jesus did,
however, say that those who overcame shall
sit with Him in His throne (Revelation 3:21);
they will be robed in white, and will have no
need whatever (Revelation 7:14-17). They
will enjoy every blessing prepared for
immortal souls.
Those to whom the Judge will say, “Depart
from me” shall go into outer darkness with
weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew
8:12), into hell fire that shall never be
quenched (Mark 9:43); they shall have part
in a lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation
20:15; 21:8). These souls will be mentally
alert, knowing people (Luke 16:23); they will
feel the torment of hell fire (v.24); they will
understand (v.26), and they will remember
earth life (v.28), but for the lost there will be
no benefits in eternity.
Eternity will see Satan, the old dragon,
totally and eternally defeated, and an

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everlasting punishment meted out which will
become his gross wickedness. For this
purpose hell was primarily prepared
(Matthew 25:41). What a gruesome lot to
share an eternal place of torment with that
most hideous and wicked being, and with all
his damnable, evil spirits!
The third aspect of eternity, which is the
state of finality, is beyond human grasp.
Man’s mind is limited to beginnings and
endings. Because of this, man must rely on
the truthfulness of God’s Word. God is the
author of all things and also of eternity.
If a bird would pick up one grain of sand and
carry it to the moon, and in that fashion
would eventually carry all of earth away,
eternity would still have just begun, but
would be no nearer the end. For the wicked
this is the most distressing thought possible.
However for the righteous, who will be in
eternal bliss in Heaven with God and all the
holy angels, it will always be welcome.
Now in life, while there is yet time, our
eternal destiny can be decided.

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Are you ready for eternity? This question
demands your answer in this life. Today is
the time to prepare for eternity.
One prepares for this great meeting by
accepting Jesus Christ as the Savior of man,
who died on Calvary’s cross for man’s sins
and was raised for his justification (Romans
4:25). This acceptance must be more than a
mental resolve; it must be a heart matter, a
total surrender to God. This also makes one
a follower of Jesus-one who walks with Him,
obeys His teachings, and is led by His Spirit.
Failing to so receive Christ will result in
eternal banishment from God. Life is too
uncertain, death is too sure, and eternity is
too long to further risk delay. God’s Word is
to be accepted now.

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Where Will You Spend Eternity?

“Eternity!-Where? It floats in the air:

Amid clamor, or silence, it ever is there,
The question so solemn: “Eternity!-Where?”

“Eternity!-where?” oh, “Eternity!-where?”

With redeemed ones in glory or fiends in
despair?
With one or the other: “Eternity-where?”

“Eternity!-where?” oh, “Eternity!-where?”

Friend, sleep not, nor take this world any
share,
Till you answer the question:
“Eternity!-where?”
-anon.
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