How long is Eternity?

n our human life, all things have a definite beginning and ending.  There are 9 months of pregnancy before a child is born.  We go through 4 years of high school.  Our total education lasts, on average, 17 years.  Our careers typically last at least 20 years.  And, ultimately, our human life expectancy is about 87 years.  In all cases there is always a definite ending.  All things are finite and will eventually have an end.

But how long is eternity?  According to the dictionary, eternity means having infinite duration without interruption, meaning it is forever and forever without end.

Man’s Eternal Destiny

ccording to the Bible, man has only one of the following two eternal destinies.  The first destiny is to become kings and priests to God.  Revelation 1:5-7 says,

“And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.  To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.  Amen.”

The other destiny is to be tormented in the lake of fire forever and ever as it says in Revelation 20:10, 15:

“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.  And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever…And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”

Which eternal destiny are you headed for? So far, you’ve spent 30 seconds of your life reading up to this point. Why not invest another 3 minutes to consider which eternal destiny you will choose?

God’s Eternal Plan for Man

od’s eternal plan is evident in the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 1:26:

“Let Us make man after Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

God desired man to express Him, and to exercise His dominion over the earth.  This was God’s eternal plan for man.  God had only one requirement for man.  Genesis 2:16-17 says,

“And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ ”

God wanted man to be dependent on Him by partaking of the tree of life and not of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Satan’s Deception

nfortunately, God’s enemy, Satan, deceived man.  In Genesis 3:4, Satan deceived man by saying, “You will not surely die.”  Man disobeyed God and partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  From that time forward sin entered man.  Romans 8:23 says,

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The penalty of sin is death.  No matter how hard man tries, he cannot escape death.  Man is ultimately destined for the eternal lake of fire.

God’s Eternal Solution

od did not want man to end up in the eternal lake of fire, which was originally intended for His enemy, Satan.  God loved man so much, yet God is also righteous.  How could He save man, and still fulfill His righteous requirements?  God needed to send someone to die in man’s place.  In Romans 5:8-9 we see that

“God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.”

God became the man Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect human life on the earth.  He was cruelly crucified as our perfect Sacrifice.  By dying for man, He became man’s Substitute.  The shedding of His innocent blood cleanses us from our sins.  Thus, our penalty is paid in full by Christ’s death on the cross.

Not only that, but Christ resurrected to become the Spirit to give us eternal life and make us His children.  John 1:12 states,

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

His goal is not only to cleanse us, but also to make us His children.  God desires us to grow up in Him and become kings and priests in His kingdom forever and ever,  ultimately fulfilling His eternal purpose.

Changing Your Destiny

od has made it simple for us to be saved.  Romans 10:9-10, 13 says,

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus 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.  For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ ”

It’s a simple decision that will affect your eternal destiny.  Friend, do not wait or postpone your decision to receive Christ.  Choose Him now.  Open up your heart to Him and pray: “Lord Jesus, I repent of all my sins and receive you as my Savior and life.”