I am amazed at how every person desires to live as long as possible. Even the atheist wants to go on living though he says that he doesn’t fear death. Whenever some disaster takes place such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or a terrorist bombing, every news station gives full coverage to the rescue efforts and the search for survivors. Just recently there was daily news broadcasts that chronicled the rescue efforts of a boys’ soccer team that was trapped in a cave due to a flash flood. This striving for life from when a newborn gasps for his/her first breath to when someone takes his/her last breath, the desire to live forever is a part of what it means to be human.
When God created man in His image, He did so by breathing into man His breath and man became a living soul. Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, talked about this unique characteristic of all human beings in Ecclesiastes. In chapter 3, verse 11 we find these words.
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. (NKJV)
In every human soul there is the awareness that there is something more than this life here on earth. This is what gives man the hope that one day he can find fulfillment and satisfaction that is unattainable in this fallen world. We must remember that man was never created to die. Death was a result of the Fall. However, even after sin entered the world, man still had that God-given awareness that he was designed to live forever.
Man was made for eternal things because we were created in the image of an eternal God. Even though man was made for eternity, he cannot know what all God’s plan is from the beginning to the end. This is because man was made by the only eternal being — God, Himself.
Because every soul will live forever, it is important that we educate our children to know that there are only two options for where they will spend eternity — heaven or hell. If we give them the best education possible and they find great success in life but don’t know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, their education is worthless. A biblical worldview education is aimed at preparing them for both this life and eternity. Our children must know that they were created for eternity and because of what Christ did on the cross, they can receive the gift of eternal life and know that they will spend eternity in His presence.
You are a very wise man Glen. Thanks for the reminder and the encouragement to continue to point our kids and those around us to the eternal God.
Glen, I was thinking of the Kingdom Living great purpose you addressed (above) as I was reading Renald Showers book “What On Earth Is God Doing? – Satan’s Conflict With God”. The thrust of the book is the great conflict of the ages between God and Satan. Hence two opposing Kingdoms and Satan’s tactics to thwart God’s plan(s).
I share the author’s pre-trib rapturist and pre-mill viewpoints which seem to be consistent with the primitive church and early church teachings and from a literal interpretation of God’s Word…to include dispensationalist background as well. I say that to indicate a point of reference from what I am about to state/ask.
It seems to me that there is a general and willful ignorance or avoidance of biblical teaching concerning the “imminence” of our Lord’s return in the pulpits and Christian homes. This is to the point that people rarely even know the terms much less how to make sense of them.
My question is that if our Bible teachers/pastors are not willing to carefully teach eschatology (not just to talk about the latest prophecy guru), but to challenge our families to know what the end game of history and our life on earth is–how do we motivate believers young and old to focus on our Lord and Savior’s imminent return? And that we will stand before Him to give account for our time on earth.
A part of my concern is that Sharon and I are updating our will after almost 40 years. I asked her what we should put in our will should the Rapture take place while we are still living? We discussed the Rapture with our lawyer who had never heard of such. The law firm has offices ( approx 1200 lawyers) in many large cities in the USA. He said he had never heard of that question before, but he would check on the corporate website to query any of his fellow partners with that question.
I asked a Messianic theologian and he had no real answer to that question.
So, are we Christians so living comfortably in the “now” and our spiritual leaders so uncomfortable teaching about eternity, heaven, hell, Christ’s imminent return to keep us watching and working that we are not even motivated to consider Kingdom education living?
I was ashamed that I have not even considered our will directives should the Rapture take place in our time. However, I still am responsible for the Gospel to go forth even after I am not on earth … with the resources God has given me.
Thanks for listening and thanks for your ministry.
Paul