How important is eternity? Very important! The reason is that in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve obeyed him, the enemy of God, Satan, became the ruler of this present world. Yet the devil has been convicted for his rebellion against God,
‘…Depart from Me, you [rebellious people] who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels [the rebellious angels].’ Matthew 25:41
That illustrates why it is so important to remember eternity. It is because there are different destinations:
- The Kingdom inheritance for God’s people. Matthew 25:34b
- The eternal lake of fire for those who refuse God’s grace and mercy. Revelation 22:15
God loves the people He created in His image and wants them to spend eternity with Him,
‘…God the Savior, who wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.’ 1 Timothy 2:3b
As one reads through the Old Testament, one aspect that is often in stark contrast to God’s loving character is His anger. Why? It is because people refuse to understand what He knows: eternity in hell is terrible – fit only for the demonic who saw Him and rebelled. It is not really meant for people made in His image. He wants to shower His generosity and love eternally on people.