Where Will You Spend Eternity?

Where will you spend eternity?

Prepare for Eternity

God‘s inspired word tells us how brief our life is on this earth compared to eternity. “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away “(James 4:14). Death is an appointment that cannot be avoided and with it comes an unavoidable judgment. “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment “(Hebrews 9:27). At that moment, we will either experience the everlasting joy of heaven or the eternal fires of hell. Thus, preparing for eternity is the most important issue to consider in this life. We can be wrong about a lot of things and still survive, but if we are wrong about eternity, we will pay for that mistake, forever, and ever!

Man’s Greatest and Most Serious Problem

We have all sinned against our God and creator, who cannot let the guilty go unpunished (Romans 3:23; Exodus 34:7). Man’s failure to obey the law of God is sin ( 1 John 3:4). The punishment for sin is death and separation from God in the eternal lake of fire (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14). Our God is majestic in holiness and righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne (Exodus 15:11; Psalm 97:2). Divine justice must be satisfied. The guilty will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power ( 2 Thessalonians 1:9). There is even more bad news. There is absolutely nothing we can do to save ourselves. Good works, and religious activity can never save us from sin’s punishment (Romans 3:20; Ephesians 2:8–9).

The Horror and Reality of Hell

Hell is a real place of fiery torment where unforgiven sinners undergo the punishment they deserve for their sins. This eternal punishment is called the second death, where divine justice is meted out forever in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Unrepentant sinners consciously suffer pain and thirst from an unquenchable fire, and the horror is so great. They want to warn their loved ones on earth, but cannot (Luke 16:19–31; mark 9:43). There is weeping and gnashing of teeth because the eternal state of God‘s just punishment is irreversible; there is no second chance, no escape, no hope, no rest, and no relief (Luke 13:28; 2 Thessalonians one: 8–9).

God Provided Only One Way T0 Be Saved

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death “(Proverbs 14:12). But God, in His infinite wisdom, devised the only way he could save sinners while upholding his own holiness, righteousness, and justice. As a demonstration of his love, mercy, and grace towards sinners, he sent his only son to die as a substitute (Romans 5:8). In this way, he would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans, 3:26).

Jesus Christ, God‘s eternal son, was conceived in the womb of a virgin and lived in perfect obedience to God‘s law. He was crucified as the perfect sacrifice to satisfy divine justice for sinners. He bore man’s sins, suffered God‘s wrath, died in man’s place and was raised on the third day to show divine justice was satisfied. God “made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of him “ ( 2 Corinthians 5:21). Christ “died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that he might bring us to God. “ ( 1Peter 3:18).

Two Groups of People and Two Eternal Destinies

According to God‘s word, all of humanity is divided into two groups. We are either one of the few on the narrow way destined for heaven, or one of the many on the broad way destined for hell. We either stand forgiven and justified by God‘s grace and mercy, or guilty and condemned by God‘s justice. We are either reconciled to God by mediation of Jesus, or separated from God. We are either spiritually alive with Christ or spiritually dead in sin. We either trust Jesus or reject him. “He who believes in the son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him “(John 3:36).

How Will You Respond?

Will godly sorrow for your sins bring you to repentance that leads to salvation ( 2 Corinthians 7:10)? “How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation “(Hebrews 2:3)? God is declaring “that all people everywhere should repent, because he has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17: 30–31).

Every tick of the clock is bringing us closer to our eternal destiny. Are you ready to meet your God and Creator? Will He be your sin – avenging judge or your merciful savior? Today is the day of salvation (2Corinthians 6:2). Do you desire to be in the presence of God in heaven forever where there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain( Revelation 21:3–4)? Will you confess you are a sinner and trust Christ alone as your Lord and Savior to cancel your eternal sin debt and reconcile you to God (Colossians 2:13–14; 2 Corinthians 5:18–20)? God‘s word tells us we can have assurance of eternal life right now( 1 John 5:13).

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