Everlasting Life is Forever Page 3 of 3
The Book of Genesis is a book of firsts. Genesis 1 is a book of beginnings. And the firsts and beginnings were in God alone. He, alone, knows the beginnings and endings of all things, including us as individuals. He is the “… everlasting God … “, Genesis 21:33. And we, the good, the bad, the ugly and the pleasant are everlasting also. We have this in print toward the end of the Book:
Revelation 20:15; “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
This verse and those verses around it tell us that man, that is the living and feeling soul of unbelieving man, does not die. It is eternal in its punishment.
And many will take the position, based on these same type verses, “Who wants to serve a God like that?” Considering these two choices, as Jude 1:22-23 presents, only a fool would chose to go against God. But, then, what is a “fool”:
Psalm 14:1; “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.”
But then comes a look at what is ahead for the believing man:
Revelation 21:4; “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Man does not have to be perfect to make it to Heaven. In fact, he never can or will be this side of Heaven. He need only recognize he himself is a sinner and believe that the God of the Bible is faithful. Based on the alignment of natural history and the Bible, I believe both are true.
Many things in the Bible are “everlasting” based on conditions, earthly conditions, spiritual conditions, compliance conditions, location conditions, etc., all or any at one time. And most are contractual, you do your part and God will do as promised.
Mankind is an ever changing species because he is fickle, easily redirected. He is always looking for “something better.” This is why charlatans and their promises are able to capture the minds of men so easily.
But the everlasting God is never changing:
Malachi 3:6; “For I am the Lord, I change not;”.
Titus 1:2; “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;”.
Now, like many other issues of God, salvation is conditional. But the only condition to salvation is “believing.” So, “Yes, it is conditional.”, though many may disagree with this. Nowhere do I find in the Bible that God chooses one and not another based on a whim or interest. One need only believe God in all ways by faith to be saved.
Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, as the hymn says. Faith in God means that a man believes what God has said and that He has, is and will continue to do as He said He would, Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17. We need only believe and confess this to be found in faith, Romans 10:9-10.
God will bring all those that believe Him into His Heaven at a point in the future, Deuteronomy 7:9 and 2nd Peter 3:9.
And equally, God will not bring everyone into His Heaven as some believe. We have the verses from Revelation, above, to attest to that.
And this is the message of John 3:16. But more, Jesus also said, neither you nor me nor any other can void this contract, John 10:28. Nor will God void this contract, Hebrews 13:5. This is a conditional agreement with two parts, belief and faith on our part and God’s word on His part, Titus 1:2.
There is one other item we must consider regarding God’s word being everlasting. This promise of everlasting life was made evident and clear by His word way back in Genesis 17:7. The believers are that seed. And more, they always have been, even in the times before the Flood.
So we have a choice based on God’s conditions; believe and be saved or reject and be lost. And we must be mindful that this is not just another daily choice. It is “everlasting”:
John 3:16; “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.”
9-28-00