Some people believe death is the end, but many seem to believe in a wishy-washy afterlife where loved ones will be waiting.
Christians have the Bible to tell them what looking forward to eternal life should look like.
It’s easy to see why people might be uninterested in the afterlife.
‘What will Eternal Life be like?’ 3rd September 2021. IVP Books 1
Yet we can’t quite bring ourselves to throw the whole idea out.
We still like to think that our loved ones have gone somewhere better.
We’re just increasingly unsure about where what and how.
I seldom attend a funeral at which there isn’t a mention of a deceased loved one who is ‘looking down’, is in a ‘better place’ or is still ‘with us’ in some way.
It all raises the question: if there is eternal life, what is it like?”
So is eternal life going to be boring?
Well, no according to the apostle Paul:
‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’ – the things God has prepared for those who love him – these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV
There are two sides to this subject:
- Knowing what eternal life would be like.
- Living in this world now with the reality that eternal life is more important.
Table of Contents:
1. What will eternal life be like?
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
Revelation 21:3-5 NIV
‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them.
They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’
He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ “
Firstly, we learn that God will live amongst His people.
There will not be any more tears, no more dying, no more mourning or weeping or pain.
So what sort of bodies will we have in eternal life?
The most reliable way to look at this is to see what Jesus was able to do after his resurrection:
As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them…
Luke 24:15 & 36-43 & v51 NIV
While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.
He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.
And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’
They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence…
While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.
Jesus had a resurrected body that could walk along the road with his disciples, within the confines of natural laws.
But then he suddenly could appear in front of them which was definitely not being governed by nature’s laws.
The disciples could touch his body, meaning he was solid and not a vapour or a spirit.
But more than that, his body had flesh and bones.
His body showed the holes from his crucifixion but was not painful or limiting in any way.
Presumably, Jesus wanted to show that he is the Saviour, the Lamb of God, and hence show his wounds.
That does not mean that we will look the same as the moment we die.
Everyone will recognise us, but our appearance will have none of the ravages of old age.
Jesus’ body could enjoy food.
But this body was not restricted to walking a certain distance, because Jesus’ body could travel vast distances and fly through the air.
Will it be possible to fly from planet to planet and into the vastness of space?
The Lord created a massive universe which we only know a fraction of.
Presumably, when He creates a new heaven and Earth, it will be on a similarly massive scale, so surely it would be good for us to see all these amazing wonders and diversity.
Revelation tells us that we will have responsibilities, it states that believers will reign on the earth:
And they sang a new song, saying:
Revelation 5:9-10 NIV
‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.’ “
Jesus tells us that he is planning and preparing a special place for his followers:
My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
John 14:2-3 NIV
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
In Revelation, we are told about a beautiful city with outstanding features and there will be a wonderful river with fruit-laden trees
Obviously, this has been written in a pictorial way and is just a glimpse of what will be there.
2. The importance of eternal life
Do you feel that this world isn’t really you?
You find no resting place in your spirit, you’re like a stranger in this world.
If this is the case then you may have a lot in common with the dove that Noah released from the Ark after the Flood had subsided.
If not – then you may be like the raven that Noah also released!
Let me explain:
(This article is based on Genesis 8:6-12 which is included at the foot of the page)
When Noah had been in the Ark a long time and the flood waters had been receding, he sent out a raven and then a bit later a dove to see what they found.
The word ‘raven’ that is used here is a loose term.
So let’s think of those big black birds which you see grabbing at a flattened creature on the road.
The raven did not return to the Ark, which was God’s place of safety – a place of provision.
The dove found nothing good in the aftermath of the Flood, so it returned to God’s safe place until the Earth resprouted with fresh green foliage and fruit.
Pictorially the judged, flooded world speaks to us of this world now.
The raven and the dove represent two types of people:
The raven is content with the rotting world
Where would this raven, that Noah released, rest, and what would it eat?
It could rest on the floating debris, and it could feed off the floating, decaying rubbish.
They can feed off any old scraps and carcasses.
There is no reason why it should return to the Ark because it had all it needed.
It found a resting place in this rotting world directly after the flood.
The dove is content to wait for the new world to emerge
Can you imagine the dove doing the same thing – being satisfied with the rotting debris?
No, it would be totally out of the dove’s nature to do such a thing!
It would find no resting place.
A dove in the Bible speaks of the working of God’s Holy Spirit, or the godly life of a believer – a life washed by the Holy Spirit.
The dove would find no resting place on the filthy debris and it would fly back to the Ark.
The dove would wait for the new world to appear with its fresh green foliage and fruit.
It was not interested in the disgusting carcasses, the rotting remains of the old, judged, world.
We can relate that to Christians.
As believers, we will not find a true resting place in the world.
By that I mean, that the world cannot satisfy the yearnings of a believer.
The Christian cannot find fulfilment FROM the world.
We can have fulfilment IN the world, by having our focus, and our affections upon God.
But not from the world.
The world is not a source of life, God is.
The non-believer is like the raven.
Remember that the raven had no reason to return to the Ark because it had all it needed.
The non-believers also have no reason to look to God because they have all they need in this world now.
Why should they look towards another world, when they seek for things that are available now?
The world, with all its attractions, and pleasures, can dominate the mind that is not devoted to the Lord.
So the question to ask ourselves is:
Are we satisfied with what this world can give us now?
Or even worse, are we besotted, and infatuated, with the things of this world?
No? Perhaps a little?
3. Living now with the certainty of eternal life
We can live knowing that our true home is in heaven.
We can appreciate the pleasures of this world, but we should make the Lord our delight.
Whenever we have a spare bit of time, our mind ought to return to the things of God.
Do we feel that heaven is our true home, rather than the Earth?
It is recorded in Hebrews that men like Noah and Abraham:
…admitted that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13-16 NIV
People who say such things, show that they are looking for a country of their own…
they were longing for a better country, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.”
What we need to feed on to prepare us for eternity.
Let’s return to what these two birds fed on.
The raven fed off the floating scraps of rotting debris.
The dove could not find anything decent to eat, so it returned to the Ark where there was clean, dried fruit, nuts and hay.
By saying that the dove would not eat the rotting debris, we can relate that to Christians.
Those rotting scraps of debris represent the world’s wisdom.
We must not feed on the world’s wisdom, and use it as our guide, and our authority.
It is below God’s wisdom as displayed in the Bible.
We need to feed on God’s Word. It is Heavenly wisdom.
It is the Lord God Almighty’s wisdom.
With that wisdom, we can view the world correctly.
Upon that wisdom, we stand.
Here is the Bible passage that mentions the raven and the dove:
After 40 days Noah opened the window he had made in the ark, and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.
Genesis 8:6-12 NIV
Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.
But the dove could find no place for it’s feet because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark.
He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.”
[1] Does God change His mind?
[10] What God says about patience
[11] How to please God – a sweet-smelling life
[12] Being consistent with God
References – open in new tabs:
Images: Thanks to The Pictorial Dictionary published by The Educational Book Company, London