Where will you spend eternity?

ETERNITY

After death, where will a person go? Will the end of a person’s existence be when his body is burned or buried? Many have the opinion that the grave or the funeral pyre is the end. They think that existence ends after death. But God’s word, the Bible, says that physical death is not the end. Mankind lives forever. mankind lives for eternity. A person’s physical body will die and come to an end, but the real person (the soul) will always live. The human soul does not die. After physical death, the human soul begins its eternal journey. That journey will either be toward joy or toward eternal pain, to heaven or to hell. To help us understand these things more clearly, Jesus told the following parable:

The Rich Man and Lazarus 

“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously everyday: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores. And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lifted up his eyes, begin in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot: neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.’ Then he said, ‘I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ Abraham saith unto him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.’ And he said unto him, ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”‘ (Luke 16:19-31)

A man’s death is not the end of his existence. Physical death is rather a journey and the above-mentioned passage shows this face. Now let us analyze this passage. There were tow men, the rich man and poor Lazarus.

The Rich Man and Poor Lazarus

The rich man wore fine clothes and feasted sumptuously every day. But poor Lazarus was a beggar “full of sores.” These two men spent their lives this way. One man lived a life of ease and entertainment, the other man lived in a constant state of pain and difficulty. But both man died. And instead of being in the same condition after death, they are described as being in different situations.

The beggar Lazarus died, and was carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom. The place where Lazarus was carried was the place of rest, or the heavenly dwelling place. It was a place of joy. The rich man died, too, and was buried. But the place the rich man went to was a place of torment. It was Hell. It is the place where men have to suffer punishment from God; where there is everlasting fire, torment, and gnashing of teeth.

It is written in the Bible, “if any man worship the beast and his image, and received his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)

Abraham is a historical figure who lived on earth around B.C. 2000. He was a righteous man. He believed in God and lived a righteous life. By the grace of God, he went to heaven. The rich man recognized him from a distance, because Abraham was recognized by many as a righteous man who believed and followed the true God. The rich man’s conversation went like this:

Conversation Between Two Men 

Rich Man: (he cried and said) “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue: for I am tormented in this place.”

Abraham: “Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they wish would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

Rich Man: “I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house, for I have five brethren, that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.”

Abraham: “They have Moses and the prophets: let them hear them.”

Rich Man: “Nay, Father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.”

Abraham: “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.” (Luke 16:19-31) (Here, when the rich man said, ” If they hear not Moses…. ” he was talking about the Old Testament part of the Bible that Moses wrote. He meant, if they will not believe the Bible that was given by God through Moses, then they will not believe even if someone rose from the dead right before their eyes.)

The discussion is short, but very important. It reveals the truth that mankind is eternal. No matter how a person lives on earth, this physical life is only temporary. But eternity is permanent.

There are two eternal places: heaven and hell. One is a place of rewards and the other is a place of punishment. The Creator made His creation for a purpose, and it is His will for us to live according to that purpose. With his own free will, Man can choose to glorify God and live an acceptable life. Without this freedom, man would just be a robot. But if men misuse their lives and refuse to obey, believe in, and follow the God that created them, God will be displeased. That is why the punishment has been made so harsh. That eternal punishment is dreadful.

The dialogue has revealed many more facts.

And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eyes, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: where their worm deith not, and the fire is not quenched. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels;

“And as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this judgment.” After Lazarus died, He was not re-born, but for eternity he entered another state of existence. In the same way, the rich man also entered another state of existence. The truth is, after a person enters one place, under no condition can they enter the other place. A person who has already reached heaven cannot go to hell, and a person who has already reached hell cannot go to heaven.    

The fact is, in eternity all people will receive the results of whatever they did in their earthly life. Even in his poverty, Lazarus was without guilt. The Lord was his hope. Other than God, no one was close to him. The nights were usually tasteless for him. The sleep of a poor man is unpleasant. There is a lack of adequate warmth for him. He cannot provide the basic things his body needs. For Lazarus, only God was his support. Lazarus stayed focused on eternity, and not on the hopes of this earthly life. His earthly life may have seemed to be a complete failure and full of despair. But he was looking to God’s salvation. They condition of his daily life caused him to pray this kind of prayer, “O Lord, quickly bring me into your presents.” “On Lord, have mercy on me.” He didn’t cheat people. He didn’t give trouble to people. He lived a righteous life. His only hope was God. He had put his trust in God’s Sacrifice, Jesus Christ the Saviour. His eternal rewards were much different than his earthly life of suffering. He received great rewards.

But the rich man’s condition was different. His earthly life was one of t luxury. He was very prosperous. He was famous and well-established in society. The lord was heaven for him. He could have anything his heart desired. Everyday he entertained himself with feasts. He received excellent things in his lifetime. But he didn’t believe in the existence of God. He didn’t believe that there is a heaven or hell, either. His motto could be expressed this: “Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you will die.” He only lived for the flesh. He loved himself above all, only himself.

But in eternity, he received the rewards for his way of life. He was told, “Oh Son, remember! In your life time you received your excellent things, and Lazarus received evil things; but now he has receives comfort, and you are in torment.” Even now, he is still in torment.

Here we find the kind of suffering, where the fire continues burning forever. It is such a horrible place that the rich man in hell begged for just one drop of water. The fact that even just one drop of water could be such a big gift shows us that hell is indeed a terrible place. From the Statement, ” And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments,” we can take a guess at how dreadful hell is.

We find another truth here: the other place in eternity, heaven, is a resting place. We can only guess what this rest must be like. As dreadful as hell is in suffering, heaven is just as marvelous in joy. Just as it is written, “Eye hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) Lazarus was completely satisfied. He forgot all the sorrows of his life. He was in indescribable peace and comfort. He was able to see and enjoy such happiness which he had never even imagined. Praise be to God for his love and eternal plan. After this analysis, one important question stands out: Where will you spend eternity?

The Definition of Saving Faith

What does a person have to do in order to spend eternity in the kingdom of heaven? People asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:28,29) In receiving God’s salvation, I have to believe on Jesus Christ (have faith in Jesus Christ). But what does that really mean? It does not mean only believing with your mind. People usually have the view that “faith” means to have knowledge about something.

For example, in World War II, Hitler ruled Germany. George Washington was America’s first president; Mahatma Gandhi lived in India. People believe these facts. But this kind of belief does not affect or make any difference in the life of the believer. In the same way, many people believe that Jesus lived a long time and did many miraculous and amazing works. But this kind of belief does not have a meaningful effect on the believer. It does not change the believer’s life in any way. True saving faith (belief) is a different kind of faith.

Characteristics of True Saving Faith:

1. True Saving faith is a repentant faith.

Jesus warned that people who want salvation must repent (turn away from their sins). He said, “I tell you… except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:5) “Repentance” means to change your mind in order to turn around. It means to change direction. For a person to receive salvation, his sinful heart and mind must change. That person must be willing to turn from arrogance, worldly pleasures, idolatry, false philosophies, self-will, hatred, greed, and other wicked ways.

In he Bible are three excellent examples of repentance. One of these is the example of King Nebuchadnezzar. He was very proud, but after his salvation he turned away from his pride. (Daniel 4) There was another man named Zacchaeus who was rich because he used to cheat people of their money. When he accepted Jesus Christ, he stopped living selfishly and dishonestly. (Luke 19:1-10) Another good example is the people who lived in Thessalonica. These people worshiped idols, but when they heard about Jesus Christ they stop worshiping their false gods and goddesses and began to serve the true God. (1 Thessalonians 1:9,10) This is the meaning of true repentance. When they believed on Jesus Christ, these people turned away from their own wicked ways.

2. True saving faith is an undivided faith.

The Bible says that apart form Jesus Christ there is no other Lord of Redeemer. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts:4:12)

To receive salvation, I have to believe that Jesus is the only Lord and Saviour. Some people try to worship idols and at the same time try to worship and follow Jesus. But no one can be saved this way.

3. True saving faith is a trusting faith.

“O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.” (Psalm 7:1)

The word “faith” found in the Bible means “to trust in, rely on, and to surrender oneself. “In order to obtain salvation, a person must truly and completely put his trust in Jesus Christ. In order to have my sins forgiven, in order to have a right relationship with God, and in order to go to heaven, I have to rely on only Jesus. To trust in the Lord Jesus is just like trusting in a boat that will take me to the other side of the lake. Have you, in reality, believed on the Lord Jesus? Have you believed that He will take your sins away?

4. True saving faith is a confident faith. 

To receive salvation I have to be completely confident that Jesus is Lord and Saviour and that He will fulfilled His promises to me. True salvation is a salvation that can be known for sure. The disciples of Jesus had this kind of faith. “We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:69)

How can a person be sure that salvation is in Jesus Christ?

• God has promised, “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:” (Hebrews 6:17) God has promised eternal life and forgiveness of sins to everyone who has received Jesus Christ. Can we not also receive God’s promises?
• The Bible says this, “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. ” (1 John 5:11-13) The Bible, God’s Word, promises eternal life to everyone that accepts the Lord Jesus.

• Jesus died and then returned to life. “Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” (Romans 1:4)) The Bible (God’s Word) Promises that eternal salvation is for those people who receive Jesus Christ.

Jesus died and then returned to life. “Declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” (Romans 1:4) The Bible (God’s Word) Promises that eternal salvation is for those people who receive Jesus Christ.

5. True saving faith is an unmixed faith.

”For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9)  These two verses are among the most important verses in the Bible. These verses teach us that salvation is not the result of our own good works. Instead, it is a free gift that we must receive. After receiving God’s free salvation, I will serve Him with a thankful heart. I do not serve Him in order to get salvation, but I serve because I am already saved. Today, are you living in the joy of God’s free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ, or are you still trying to earn salvation by yourself?