Lesson #3 - Eternity

There is only one of two places in eternity that we can go: heaven or hell. Each one of us will be placed in one of these two places on judgment day to be there forever and ever. Our Lord in speaking of eternity in Matthew 25:46 says, "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life". Notice that the duration of the lost in Hell is exactly the same as the duration of the saved in Heaven, "forever and ever". It is hard for us as mortals to grasp how long eternity will be, but after we have been there a billion years, eternity will have just begun.

Hell

We do not like to think about eternal punishment. For a few moments let us consider what the Lord says about eternal punishment and then we will turn our attention to a more pleasant thought, heaven. Our Lord in describing how horrible that hell will be for the many who will end up going there, says in Matthew 13:42, "And will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth". This definitely will be a horrible and terrible place beyond description. Jesus says in Mark 9:45-46 concerning those who are lost, that they will be "cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched: where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched". There will be no reprieve or appeal to a higher court, because we are being judged by the highest. The Lord is trying to get our attention and to give us fair warning. He is pleading with us not to go there, but we make the choice. The choice is ours. We will bear the responsibility and the consequences.

In Luke 16:24 Jesus is describing a man who went to hell and is pleading, "Then he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame". How much relief, and how long would a drop of water last on the tongue of those who are being tormented forever? It would not last even one second. We must wake up and heed our Lord’s warning!
The many who end up in eternal punishment will not be there alone. They will have company. Revelation 20:10, "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever". Not very good company to be in. Notice that the torment goes on "day and night forever and ever".

There are many people who scoff at the idea of eternal punishment, but they are scoffing at what God says. The fire will burn forever and those who are lost will be there in it for eternity whether they want to believe it or not. In eternity their scoffing will quickly change to weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. We must take what our Lord says in the Bible seriously. Hell is real! There is no way for the horrors of hell to be adequately described in human language. Many people do not realize the danger of eternally loosing their souls. This is very serious!

We read in Revelation 14:11, "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest day or night." But reading further we see in Revelation 20:15, "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire". It is imperative that our name be found in the Book of Life. Is your name in that book? Do we know for sure, or are we making an assumption? It will be too late on the Day of Judgment to find out that it is not there.

Heaven

Now let us turn our attention to something more pleasant, heaven. Our Lord says in John 14:2-3, "In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also". Heaven will be a very wonderful place. For the few who go there it will be beyond their wildest dreams and they will be totally surprised and amazed. There is no way that the glories of Heaven can be adequately described to us mortal beings. The only way will be to see it.

Heaven will be the very opposite of eternal punishment. Revelation 21:4 says, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away". There will be no weeping, and no wailing, and no gnashing of teeth as will be happening in eternal torment. But there will be nothing but joy, and peace, and happiness, beyond description. What a wonderful place Heaven will be. But again, the choice is ours. We cannot escape the consequences if we make the wrong choice. We will not accidentally end up in Heaven. Heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. Our Lord says in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness." Going to Heaven has got to be our number one goal in this life. We must want to go to Heaven more than anything else.