Eternal Hope
How can finite beings ever understand what it is to be infinite? How can we, as mortals—most of whom will not live beyond 80 or 90 years—ever understand what it is to be immortal and live forever? Eternal life is not simply a continuation of our present life. That would in many ways more resemble "hell" than "heaven." Eternal life has an altogether different quality. While we are still in our present mortal state, we will have to be content with a glimpse of what the future holds: We see but "a poor reflection" and "know [only] in part" (1 Cor. 13:12, NIV).
In what ways will eternal life differ from our present existence? 1 Cor. 15:42, 43, 52; Revelation 21. What things will be similar?
We are left with lots of questions as we contemplate the life that awaits us, questions that will never be fully answered here and now. But we can learn from Jesus' own resurrection. It is important to note that the Christ who was raised from the dead was the same person as the One who a few days earlier died on the cross. He arose with a "glorified" body that was no longer subject to the laws of nature in the way our present mortal bodies are. Yet at the same time, He possessed a continuity with the "human form" that He had prior to His death and resurrection. He was the same Person, recognizable by His outward appearance, His voice, and His gestures. That gives us good reason to conclude that in our new "glorious bodies" we will be recognized by those we knew in this life and who will enjoy the life in the beyond with us.
And yet, we can also experience some of that eternal life now. Paul explains to us (Rom. 8:10) that the Spirit will enter the person who has turned to Christ. The believer, therefore, is already touched by the eternal life that will become a full reality in the world to come. The presence of the Spirit is the pledge of our eternal salvation (Eph. 1:13, 14).
| Try to imagine what life will be like in a new heaven, a new earth, with new bodies. Let your imagination soar; write out a paragraph based on what we find in the Bible, about what this new life will be like. How foolish to throw it all away for anything that this life offers us. |
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