Eternity with the Eternal One

Is.57:15 - For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Jn.17:2-4 - As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

Eternity. How can we who are imprisoned by the temporal actually grasp the concept of eternity, to say nothing of its reality? To meditate upon and to imagine a place which has no time is an exercise that surpasses the human intellect. It is most beyond us, and the implications of such a concept, of such a reality, are monumental. Who among us would not sell all that we have in order to be assured a place in eternity with Christ? So the merchant man sells all to buy one precious pearl.

But we are inundated with the temporal every single day, and under the weight of such a burden we lose any eternal perspective, and most importantly we lose sight of the Risen Christ. For a few bowls of pottage and few morsels of earthly bread, we surrender our energy to seek the face of God. We are all on a journey to eternity. And we all must one day give an account of our lives. And yet we continue to trudge through this life as if there are two lives - this one and the one to come. But we fail to realize that they are one in the same.

We are living in eternity. And if you know Christ as Lord and Savior, our life is embedded in Him. The “days are evil” declares the Scripture, and although we live in eternity we only have a precious few days here on earth. And if we all will live forever with Christ, and if some will live forever separated from God, what else can matter? Jesus did not come to die to enhance our earthly lives, and if we experience a greater fulfillment after we are born again, that is residual.

Many times sinners who believe on the Lord Jesus begin to experience a comparatively worse earthly life, and some will be persecuted and even martyred. But to the Spirit filled believer, this life is a joyous sacrifice for Christ. What can tempt a man who has eternal life? When a man has eternal life, what can make him discontent? It is evident that to the degree we succumb to the temptations and dictates of this earthly life is to the degree we do not believe.

But when we think about eternity, do we think primarily about a sinless place of bliss? Do we look forward to a new body which is not susceptible to sickness? Do we think about meeting loved ones and friends? Do we think about legions of angels? If so, we are missing the paramount truth. We will be spending eternity in the presence of the Risen Christ! We will be spending eternity with our God!

Man takes vitamins to increase his earthly life. He exercises and eats right to lengthen his days. He takes medicine and sees a doctor. He observes certain safety requirements. He takes out some life insurance. All these things are directed at this temporal existence. But for the believer, eternity is not looming overhead; it is here.

I Jn.5:11-13 - And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
13 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.

To be sure, walking in the light of eternity, to say nothing of living within that absolute reality, is most difficult while being so pressured by this time and space reality. Heaven seems like some distant promise, and we measure everything by days and years. But we are eternal creatures, and those that are Christ’s are creatures with eternal life. Nothing in this world can change or affect that reality. The present and earthly realities must be subordinate to eternity.

Col.3:1-4 - If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

This should be a shocking truth. We are dead? And yet so much emphasis is placed upon the abundance in this life. But if our very lives are hidden with Christ in God, and knowing the security and unspeakable joy that is found in Him, why then are we so imprisoned by the things of this world? Worry and pressure and scheming and doubt and pleasure seem to be the driving forces in our lives. But that is completely incongruous with the ultimate reality that we as believers have eternal life and should be walking in that life.

If you knew for certain that Christ would bring you to heaven tomorrow, what about this life would concern you? Would you worry about the economy? Would the election concern you? Would you be filled with anticipation, or would you relegate His arrival to the doctrinal checklist?
There is nothing that can compare with knowing and walking with Jesus Christ. And not just walking “with”, but walking “in” Christ. But that kind of living experience does not come through the spiritual drive through window. That surpassing life comes through diligent seeking through prayer and God’s Word, as well as a conscious awareness of the passing and temporal nature of everything upon this earth. To be sure it a swim upstream.

But how can we understand eternity? Without our systems of measurement we are left adrift in the realm of the infinite. And think on this, we will be spending eternity in the presence and power of the Risen Christ, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and the Lamb of God. How would you feel about spending one hour with Jesus today? What if you were granted one entire week in heaven in the presence of our Savior and Lord? Would that thrill you? What if Jesus promised to visit you personally one particular day each year?

But what God has promised surpasses human knowledge. Jesus will not visit occasionally with us in eternity. Not just one day, and not just one week, and even not just one million years. We have been granted an eternal dwelling place that is His and has been prepared for us. Does it seem like so much fairy tale? Oh, my friends, it is far beyond any fairy tale. This promise cannot be measured by quantity or quality. This promise is the promise to which all other promises must bow.

To miss this promise is to miss everything.

To gain this promise is life everlasting.