Have you ever stopped to think about just how long eternity is? This is a concept that is not above our heads, for "God set eternity in our hearts" (Eccl. 3:11). All men, even those who have corrupted themselves to deplorable depths, are ones made in His image and in whom have "the breath of life" (Gen. 2:7).
I once was asked in a training class to give a practical way on how I would illustrate just how long eternity was. Here is what I came up with:
At some point in its orbit, Pluto is 2.6 billion miles away from Earth. If we were interested in transferring Earth to Pluto, we could have a bird take 1 grain of sand at a time, fly towards the Sun, make 100 orbits, fly to Pluto and deposit that grain and return to Earth and repeat this process until all of Earth has been transported. The length of time to complete this would only be a blink of the eye in eternity.
All of us need to soberly live each day in view of eternity. Eternity is only a heartbeat away. It awaits us all, for it is this "seemingly endless, infinite duration of time" that we will spend either in the presence of God, or in separation from Him.
What does the Scripture teach about eternity?
w Christ will judge all men, and each person will either enjoy everlasting life, or be subject to eternal punishment (Mt. 25:46)
w Only Christ has the words of eternal life (Jn. 6:68)
w Eternal life is a free gift and a promise from God (Rom. 6:23; Titus 1:2)
w Believers who read what has been written and practice it may know they have eternal life (1 Jn. 5:13)
Eternity is a long time to regret a life lived rebelliously against God. It is also a huge comfort when you think about how long you'll have to enjoy the results of living faithfully to what God said in His word. Are you ready for eternity?
