"WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT ETERNITY"

In Job 14:1 the Bible says, "Man <who is> born of woman is of few days and full of trouble." The Bible also says in Psalm 90:10, "The days of our lives <are> seventy years; And if by reason of strength <they are> eighty years, Yet their boast <is> only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

Because man in his fleshly state on earth seems so finite, eternity is a difficult concept to grasp. However, it is one that is repeatedly taught in scripture.

The Bible says that God is eternal (Revelation 1:8; Job 36:26; Isaiah 44:6; 9:7; Deuteronomy 33:27; Romans 1:20; 1 Timothy 1:17). His Word is eternal (Psalm 119:160; 1 Peter 1:25). The life that He offers to mankind is eternal (John 4:14; 5:24, 29; 6:27; 17:1-3; Romans 6:23; Mark 10:29-30; Matthew 19:29). By definition this is life without end. As the old hymn says, "When we have been there 10,000 years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise, Than when we first begun."

Conversely, the Bible says that those who do not inherit eternal life will continue to exist eternally, but in a state of punishment or torment (Matthew 18:8; 25:41-46; Mark 3:29; 9:43-44; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Luke 16:22-26). In Jude 7 the Bible compares the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah to eternal punishment for the wicked: "as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Though many may scoff at the idea that a loving God would allow such punishment to exist, it nonetheless is taught clearly in God's Word.

In 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 the Bible says, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding <and> eternal weight of glory, {18} while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen <are> temporary, but the things which are not seen <are> eternal."

This is the hope that every christian has and wishes to share with others.

David Decker              

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