Eternal Life

Thoughts About Eternal Life

During the week as I was studying about eternal life, I began to think about the times that Jesus was approached by someone who asked about how to get eternal life.

Matthew 19:16 NIV

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

Luke 10:25 NIV

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

The famous passage of John 3:16 was in answer to Nicodemus who didn’t understand the statement of Jesus that a man must be born again to have eternal life.

John 3:16 NIV

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus knew that the way to eternal life was through Him and having a relationship with Him. But, I suppose He realized that they hadn’t had an opportunity yet to know Him.

I’ve been reading a couple of books this week, 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and Imagine Heaven by John Burke. I want to share a little from the story of George Ritchie. It was 1943 and George was preparing to go to the war. In training camp he developed double pneumonia and was clinically dead for 9 minutes. He wrote…

From that loneliest moment of my existence I had leaped into the most perfect belonging I had ever known. The Light of Jesus had entered my life and filled it completely, and the idea of being separated from Him was more than I could bear.”[1]

You may recognize his name. After his service in the Army George got a medical degree, then a psychiatric degree, and founded the precursor to the Peace Corps.

Eternal life is a benefit of knowing Jesus!

An Eternal Life is Not Conjecture

We may feel, at times, that the idea of an eternal life is too good to be true. The truth is, when you look at the evidence, it is impossible NOT to believe! We, as believers, are on the winning side of the great spiritual battle, and evil will be punished. The Bible offers remarkable accuracy. Just a couple of examples are:

The birth of Jesus – Not even counting the Genesis 3 prophecy - 700 years earlier (Micah 5:2, 4-5)

The triumphal entry – 500 years earlier (Zechariah 9:9)

Betrayal of Jesus and His death – 500 years earlier (Zech 11:12-13; 12:10)

The crucifixion – 1,000 years earlier (Psalms 22:14-18)

Christ’s suffering and ministry – 700 years (Isaiah 53:4-7, 9, 11-12)

One biblical scholar, who has categorized all the prophetic statements in Scripture, lists 1,817 predictions in the entire Bible: 1,239 in the Old Testament and 578 in the New Testament. And, another scholar adds this, “Because approximately half of the prophecies of the Bible have already been fulfilled in a literal way, it gives a proper intellectual basis for assuming that prophecy yet to be fulfilled will likewise have a literal fulfillment.”

Recently, a team of researchers led by a mathematics professor did a study with the objective of computing the chance of eight prophecies being fulfilled in one person. The result was an unfathomable ratio – one in a hundred quadrillion (100 with 15 additional zeros). Yet Jesus, the center of all biblical prophecy, fulfilled more than 110 Old Testament prophecies.

On the other hand, the idea is of such great comfort for us as we grieve the loss of loved ones. Prophecy provides incentive to conduct our lives in a way comparable to the character of God himself. Through the fulfillment of the prophetic we see another example of God’s power and glory.

Isaiah 48:5–6 NIV

Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, ‘My images brought them about; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.’ You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? “From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.

Discovering Things About Eternal Life That God Wants Us to Know

Christ is the Central Figure of the Great Things to Come

Keep the main thing the main thing. Even the title of the Book of Revelation, tells us that the things to come are all reveled to us by Jesus Christ and that His words are true. In another Near Death Experience from another part of the world, Hazeliene unknowingly describes Jesus. In her words she says,

…from that very dark tunnel, it has changed to very bright light. I had seen a very bright light, I thought it was the sun, but it was not. I don’t have an idea where that light came from. Someone spoke to me for a shile, I heave, and tha voice came from that light. You know what I felt when I saw that light? When I saw that bright light, I gelt that someone loves me very much (but no idea who it was). I was very overwhelmed with that bright light. And while I was there, I felt the love, and that love I never felt before. That light welcoming me very warmly and loves me very much.[2]

The Bible’s teaching on eternal life, the millennial reign, heaven and hell, and all the events of Revelation help us see God’s greatness through another aspect of His nature.

Some are attracted to the study of biblical prophecy, with the hope of hearing a teacher name the Antichrist who may already be on earth. Or they may desire to hear what countries or nations in the world today fulfill the veiled references in Scripture. There is nothing wrong with that but remember that our focus should be on God and His Son Jesus Christ, the central figure of all Bible prophecy.

Keep in mind the important role of Christ in the events that lie ahead:

1. In the Rapture, Christ catches away those who have accepted Him as personal Savior and await His coming

2. In the Tribulation, Christ overcomes the evil activity of Satan and the Antichrist.

3. At the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, Christ is forever united to the righteous ones who have joined Him after the Rapture and the resurrection of the righteous dead.

4. In the Millennium, Christ is King over the entire world. His Kingdom is a peaceful and righteous society.

“The story of the gospel is the story of eternal life. My life is unique and will endure eternally in God’s presence. I will never be ‘no more’. I will never be lost because I will be with the one who saves me.” – Ravi Zacharias

Eternal Life Begins When You Accept Jesus Christ into Your Life

John 3:13–17 NIV

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

I love the story from history of a particularly fiery debate on the floor of the Senate during the presidency of Calvin Coolidge.

Once when Calvin Coolidge was Vice President and presiding over the Senate, an altercation arose between two Senators. Tempers flared, and one Senator told the other to go straight to hell. The offended Senator stormed from his seat, marched down the aisle and stood before Mr. Coolidge, who was silently leafing through a book.

“Mr. [Vice] President,” he said, “did you hear what he said to me?”

Coolidge looked up from his book and said calmly, “You know, I have been looking through the rule book. You don’t have to go.”[3]

We have a choice of being eternal damnation in hell or eternal life in heaven. The point of departure is the person of Jesus Christ. If you believe in Him and do what He says (afterall, even the devil and his demons believe in Jesus) you will enjoy eternal life. C.S. Lewis commented on the value of thinking of eternity. I’ve heard portions of this quote but never the entire quote. Listen to this

Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth “thrown in”: aim at earth and you will get neither.[4]

What is your motivation to live in this life? If we are motivated properly, it must be Jesus and with Jesus comes all the blessings we need for this world and the world to come.

One Day Soon, We Will Be Raptured with Jesus

What does ‘raptured’ mean?

Let’s get ‘teachy’ for a few minutes. In the Church there is a term that we frequently use, the ‘Rapture’. Like the word ‘trinity’ it is never found in the Bible but it is a word that represents a biblical reality. The word ‘rapture’ literally means “to seize”.

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 NIV

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

When is the Timing of the Rapture?

📷I want to show you a graphic that shows the biblical events leading into eternal life.

Post-tribulation

The belief that the true church will be on earth during the entire seven years. They apply all references to the Rapture and Second Coming as one event at the end of the Tribulation.

Mid-tribulation

The belief that the first 3 ½ years of the tribulation will be fairly peaceful. When the two witnesses are killed (Rev. 11:12) they will ascend into heaven. They believe these represent the entire church and assume the Rapture takes place at the same time.

Pre-tribulation

These folks believe that born-again believers will not have to face the severe judgments poured out in Tribulation because the Rapture will take place previously. The Assemblies of God and most other Pentecostals believe in the Pre-Tribulation theory. Among other reasons, the imminence of Christ’s return and the emphasis of readiness in the teachings of Christ seem to lean in favor of pre-tribulation.

Regardless of opinions on pre/mid/or post tribulation, it would be a mistake to try to set a specific date

1 Thessalonians 5:1–2 NIV

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

Readiness Plays a Vital Part in the Believers Life

In Luke 12 Jesus shares a parable of both responsibility and unimaginable excitement. To teach the disciples to be ready He compares His return to the return of the master of a home:

Luke 12:35–40 NIV

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Are you ready? We shouldn’t be ready out of fear, but out of excitement. Having eternal life is like awaking from a dream into perfection. Imagine the overwhelming love that was described earlier by people who experienced near death experiences!

Eternal Life is Such an Amazing Truth that We Ought to Spend More Time Thinking About It

These days we hear a lot about death. The CDC tallies the numbers for us. The governors, mayors, and judges tell us what is acceptable or unacceptable. But, you know what is truly unacceptable? It would be failing to enjoy the eternal life that is in store for us. I want to conclude with a short description of one man’s experience in heaven.

It happened just up the road from us on the north bridge of Livingston Lake. Rev. Don Piper’s car was hit head on by a tractor trailer that had gone out of control. Don was declared dead for 90 minutes. Here is a glimpse of heaven from Pastor Piper:

In my next moment of awareness, I was standing in heaven. Joy pulsated through me as I looked around, and at that moment I became aware of a large crowd of people. They stood in front of a brilliant gate. I have no idea how far way they were; such things as distance didn’t matter. As the crowd rushed toward me, I didn’t see Jesus, but I did see people I had known. As they surged toward me, I knew instantly that all of them had died during my lifetime. Their presence seemed absolutely natural.

They rushed toward me, and every person was smiling, shouting, and praising God. Although no one said so, intuitively I knew they were my celestial welcoming committee. It was as if they had all gathered just outside heaven’s gate, waiting for me.[5]

Eternity! What a thought! Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people. Are you prepared?

Burke, John. Imagine Heaven. Baker Books; Grand Rapids. 2015.

[2] Burke, John. Imagine Heaven. Baker Books; Grand Rapids. 2015.

[3] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2003). Practical Illustrations: 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude (p. 27). Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.

[4] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, Harper edition, 2001), pp. 134-135.

[5] Piper, Don. 90 Minutes in Heaven. Revel; Grand Rapids. 2004.