Eternity

Eternity is a blissful thought for the Christian.  The thoughts of being in the presence of our Savior, reuniting with loved ones that have passed before us, and seeing the grand sights of Heaven are the theme of many of our songs.  Believers have no fear of death, but rest assured that death only ushers us into the presence of Christ.

While eternity is anticipated by the believer, it should also bring fear and trembling to our hearts.  For while we will enjoy praising Jesus Christ for all eternity, those that do not know Him as Savior have a very different future.  The lost will be condemned to a Christ-less eternity in Hell.  Forever, in the flames of Hell, they will be tormented day and night.  They will be in complete outer darkness, never to see the light of day.  It will be an eternity of complete agony.

In order to put eternity into perspective, let me give the following illustration.  Imagine an eagle landing on the Rock of Gibraltar once a year and clawing the rock once with his talon, and then leaving until the next year.  When the eagle finally wears the rock down to ground level, eternity would have only begun.  The soul that is lost in Hell will only have begun the torments.  The screams of Hell will only have begun.  Two thousand years ago, Jesus gave the account of a rich man that was cast into Hell, and that man has still not received a drop of water to cool his tongue.

While it is good for us to look forward to eternity in Heaven, let us not forget the destiny of the lost around us.  During His earthly ministry Jesus preached more about Hell than He did Heaven.  He know we need to be reminded of the reality and severity of Hell.  Let us ponder the reality of eternity, and the reality of Hell.  Then, let us go to a world that is dying, and tell them how they can be saved so that they do not have to spend eternity in Hell. 

Pastor Jim Kohr