The Gift of Eternal
Life In The New Heavens & Earth
22 As
surely as my new heavens and earth shall remain, so surely shall you always be my
people, with a name that shall never disappear. 23 All mankind shall
come to worship me from week to week and month to month” (Isaiah 66:22–23).[1]
The Last Days of Human History Will Usher In The
Wonderful Gift of Eternal Life
At this point, the Lord’s true followers will be the only members of the human race left. In this climactic end of history, God will create a new heavens and earth. And the new heavens and earth will be permanent, will never pass away. Neither will those who have truly trusted Christ and obeyed His commandments, living righteously. They will inherit eternal life and always be God’s people. Their names and their descendants who have also trusted Christ will never disappear from God’s presence. All the descendants of Abraham—all who have truly followed in his footsteps of faith—will live eternally before the Lord. They will live forever. From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, they will all worship the Lord on a regular basis. Worshipping Him both “in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:24), they will bow before the Lord in praise and thanksgiving for all He has done for them.
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OUTLINE |
SCRIPTURE |
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The Gift of Eternal Life In
The New Heavens & Earth a) God’s people will have names &
descendants that endure eternally |
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will
make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your
name remain. |
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b) God’s people—the only humans alive at the
end—will bow & worship the Lord: Regularly, month to month &
Sabbath to Sabbath |
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to
another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. |
V “Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and
followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man
that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the
kingdom of God’s sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present
time, and in the world to come life everlasting” (Lu. 18:28–30).
V “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so, must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn.
3:14–16).
V “He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the
wrath of God abideth on him” (Jn.
3:36).
V “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto
you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to
harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life
eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together” (Jn. 4:35–36).
V “And I give unto them eternal life, and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand” (Jn.
10:28).
V “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and
he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal” (Jn. 12:25).
V “And this is life eternal, that they might
know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (Jn. 17:3).
V “To them who by patient continuance in well
doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life” (Ro. 2:7).
V “But now being made free from sin, and become
servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting
life” (Ro. 6:22).
V “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the
flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit
reap life everlasting” (Ga. 6:8).
V “Laying up in store for themselves a good
foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (1 Ti. 6:19).
V “In hope of eternal life, which God, who
cannot lie, promised before the world began” (Tit. 1:2).
V “And this is the promise that he hath
promised us, even eternal life” (1 Jn. 2:25).
V “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21).
V “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Da. 12:2).[2]
ETERNAL LIFE
(Heaven, Resurrection, Salvation)
What Are The Characteristics of Eternal Life?
BIBLE READING:
Isaiah 32:1–20
KEY BIBLE VERSE: And this righteousness will bring peace. Quietness and confidence will fill the land forever. (Isaiah 32:17)
Eternal life is
complete peace. God acts from above to change man’s condition here on
earth. Only when God’s Spirit is among us can we achieve true peace and
fruitfulness (Ezekiel 36:22–38; Galatians 5:22–23). The settings
described here will happen in full only in the end times. But we can have God’s
Spirit with us now, for he is available to all believers through Christ (John
15:26). The outpouring mentioned here happens when the worldwide kingdom of
God is established for all eternity (see Joel 2:28–29).
BIBLE READING:
John 3:1–21
KEY BIBLE VERSE: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Eternal life will be
radically different from this life. Some people are repulsed by the idea of
eternal life because their lives are miserable. But eternal life is not an
extension of a person’s miserable, mortal life; eternal life is God’s life
embodied in Christ given to all believers now as a guarantee that they will
live forever. In eternal life there is no death, sickness, enemy, evil, or sin.
When we don’t know Christ, we make choices as though this life is all we have.
In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity. Receive this new
life by faith and begin to evaluate all that happens from an eternal perspective.
BIBLE READING:
2 Corinthians 5:1–10
KEY BIBLE VERSE: For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down—when we die and leave these bodies—we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)
Eternal life begins
in this life. Paul contrasts our earthly bodies (“earthly tent”) and our
future resurrection bodies (“an eternal body made for us by God himself and not
by human hands”). Paul clearly states that our present bodies make us groan,
but when we die, we will not be spirits without bodies. We will have new bodies
that will be perfect for our everlasting life.
Paul
wrote as he did because the church at Corinth was in the heart of Greek
culture, and many believers had difficulty with the concept of bodily Resurrection.
Greeks did not believe in a bodily resurrection. Most held that the real person
was the soul, imprisoned in a physical body and that the afterlife was
something that happened only to the soul. They believed that at death, the soul
is released—there is no immortality for the body, and the soul enters an
eternal state. But the Bible teaches that the body and soul are inseparable.
The Holy Spirit within us is our guarantee that God will give us everlasting bodies at the Resurrection (2 Corinthians 1:22). We have eternity in us now! This truth should give us great courage and patience to endure anything we might experience.
How Can Someone Know He Or She Has Eternal Life?
BIBLE READING:
John 17:1–26
KEY BIBLE VERSE: And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. (John 17:3)
Eternal life is ours
when we know God. How do we get eternal life? Jesus tells us clearly
here—by knowing God the Father himself through his Son, Jesus Christ. Eternal
life requires entering into a personal relationship with God in Jesus Christ.
When we admit our sin and turn away from it, Christ’s love lives in us by the
Holy Spirit.
BIBLE READING:
John 6:60–71
Key Bible Verse: Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68–69)
Eternal life is ours
through Jesus Christ. After many of Jesus’ followers had deserted him, he
asked the twelve disciples if they were also going to leave. Peter replied, “To
whom would we go?” In his straightforward way, Peter answered for all of
us—there is no other way. Though there are many philosophies and self-styled
authorities, Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. People look everywhere
for eternal life and miss Christ, the only source. Stay with him, especially
when you are confused or feel alone.
BIBLE READING:
Luke 18:18–30
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Once, a religious leader asked Jesus this question: “Good teacher, what should I do to get eternal life?” (Luke 18:18)
Eternal life is not
something we earn. This ruler sought reassurance, some way of knowing for
sure that he had eternal life. He wanted Jesus to measure and grade his
qualifications, or to give him some task he could do to assure his own
immortality. So, Jesus gave him a task—the one thing the rich ruler knew he
could not do. “Then who in the world can be saved?” the bystanders asked. No
one can, by his or her own achievements, Jesus’ answer implied. “What is
impossible with men is possible with God.” Salvation cannot be earned—it is
God’s gift (see Ephesians
2:8–10).
BIBLE READING:
1 John 5:1–12
KEY BIBLE VERSE: And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. So, whoever has God’s Son has life; whoever does not have his Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11–12)
Eternal life belongs to those who trust in Jesus. Whoever believes in God’s Son has eternal life. He is all you need. You don’t need to wait for eternal life because it begins the moment you believe. You don’t need to work for it because it is already yours. You don’t need to worry about it because you have been given eternal life by God himself—and it is guaranteed.
Some people hope that they will receive eternal life. John says we can know we have it. Our certainty is based on God’s promise that he has given us eternal life through his Son. This is true whether you feel close to God or distant from him. Eternal life is not based on feelings but on facts. You can know that you have eternal life if you believe in God’s truth. If you aren’t sure that you are a Christian, ask yourself: Have I honestly committed my life to him as my Savior and Lord? If so, you know by faith that you are indeed a child of God.
Prayer:
Father God, that you that we can know we have eternal life. We pray that we will
be bold with our faith in you as we share with others that do not have the same
confidence. Please, Father God, help us to speak up for you without fear of
consequence to ourselves as we share your love for this lost world.
In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Related Topics: Heaven, Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven, Salvation[3]
Pics by Ansel Adams https://www.anseladams.com/
What Are The Characteristics of Eternal Life? & How Can Someone Know He Or She Has Eternal Life?
[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible,
Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2005. Isaiah: Chapters 36–66. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Wilson, Neil S. 2000. In The Handbook of
Bible Application, 189–91. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc.
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