Eternity

[English | Vietnamese ]

Have you ever felt like you’ve been stuck in traffic forever? Imagine what it was like to be in one of the 18 MILLION cars in the longest-ever reported traffic jam, along the East-West German border on April 12, 1990.

Maybe you’ve clapped and clapped after a wonderful concert, not wanting the performers to leave the stage—like the audience that applauded for opera singer Placido Domingo for a record-breaking hour and twenty minutes, with 101 curtain calls!

When you were a child, did you ever try to balance on one foot for as long as you could? A man in Sri Lanka did it for 76 hours and 40 minutes.

Have you ever had a sneezing fit that seemed like it would never end? A twelve-year-old girl in England started sneezing on January 13, 1981, and didn’t stop until September 16, 1983. That’s 978 days! (Read more about these facts at www.guinnessworldrecords.com)

Sounds like an eternity, doesn’t it? The dictionary defines eternity as “an infinite, endless period of time.” Something that goes on and on—and on—forever. You know, the Bible says that God has “set eternity in the hearts of men” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He created us to live for an eternity—forever. It’s true our time on this earth will come to an end. Our physical bodies will die. But our souls—our spirits—go on living forever. Without end.

Mind-boggling, isn’t it? Difficult to comprehend. Everything we experience in this life sooner or later comes to an end. But we ourselves don’t. We will always exist, for all eternity. It’s not something we choose—it’s the way we were made.

One thing is up to us: where we will spend that eternity. The Bible tells us, “Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). The Scriptures explain that every one of us has sinned—we’ve all fallen short of God’s righteous and holy standards. That sin is what ultimately leads us to death and hell, being forever separated from God, cast out of His presence, spending eternity alone in misery and pain.

In His goodness and mercy, God created a way to save us from that torment. John 3:16 explains: “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.”

God sent Jesus to take the punishment in our place—to die on the cross and pay the penalty for our sin. In John 11:25-26, Jesus promised, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

Because of Jesus, we can choose to spend eternity with God in Heaven, a place so beautiful it defies description. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). There we will experience unspeakable joy and peace and love forever!

Where do you want to spend eternity? The choice is up to you! If you want to know for sure that your sins are forgiven and that you will live forever in Heaven, pray something like this:

Dear Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Thank You for sacrificing Your life to save me, then rising to life again that I may spend eternity in Heaven with You. I turn now from my sins and invite You into my life. Help me to live in a way that pleases You, for whatever time You give me here on earth. Amen.

© 2002 - 2007 Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
Translated by permission of Good News Publishers
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