If you were to die today, what would happen? Revelation talks about a day of judgement, both for believers and unbelievers. What happens between now and then? Do you float around in some disembodied form or “soul sleep” until the day of final judgment? For loved ones who have passed on, are they already in Heaven, waiting for the rest of us? What about the thief on the cross who was told by Jesus that he would be with him in Paradise today? The answers to these questions are better understood when we look at the concept of eternity.
What is eternity? First, we must understand that eternity exists outside of time. It is not an extension of time, but something that is completely separate. Time has a very specific beginning (Genesis 1:1) and an ending (Revelation 21). Eternity is not restrained by time. It has no beginning and no end – no past and no future. There is only now. Ray Stedman, in his book “Authentic Christianity”, has an excellent chapter on the concept of eternity. He notes that, because time does not exist in eternity, every believer is there at the same time.
“But what is even more amazing is that, in the experience of that believer, he does not leave anyone behind. All his loved ones who know Christ are there too, including his Christian descendants who were unborn when he died! Since there is no past or future in heaven, this must be the case.” (Ray C. Stedman, Authentic Christianity, pg 147, Discovery House, 1996.)
For me, this creates an interesting question. If eternity has no beginning or end, have we already been there? Are we there now? I’ve often had an interesting experience where I craved a food that doesn’t seem to exist on this earth. Am I craving something that I am experiencing in eternity? I don’t know the answers, but it is interesting to consider!
But what about the words of Jesus when he said he was going to prepare a place for us? Is Heaven not finished? How does this work with eternity? Stedman interprets this for us by looking at the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians.
For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 5:1-5 (NLT)
So if it is our heavenly bodies that are being created, what are they being created from? Paul answers this for us as well.
For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
2 Corinthians 5:10 (NLT)
But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
1 Corinthians 3:13-14 (NLT)
As Christians, we are saved by grace, and we will not have the horror of appearing at the Great White Throne Judgement of Revelation 20, where unbelievers will be sentenced to eternal loss. Believers will stand before the throne of God and be judged based on Christ’s righteousness. In addition, whatever acts we did for the right reasons —that is, to glorify God — will survive and be rewarded, but anything that we did for our own glory will be burned up. Stedman asserts that this work is what will make up our Heavenly bodies as well as any suffering that we have endured for Jesus.
The concept of eternity is beyond our human ability to understand, much the same as the concept of infinity. But then, God is also beyond our ability to understand. I heard someone say the other day that if God were small enough for us to understand, he would not be worth worshiping. We cannot fully understand these things, but we can stand in awe of the God who does!
How does the concept of eternity change your perspective on your life here? Based on Paul’s words, what kind of heavenly body are we clothing ourselves with? Are we acting to bring glory to God or to ourselves?
With all of this in mind, we turn now to today’s article. “Worthy” takes us to the end of the Bible, where we look at the Biblical truth of Heaven and Hell as well as the new Heaven and new earth.
Songs of Victory
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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