Am I of That Number or Where Is My Eternal Home?

By Martin Murphy

In the Christian's eternal home no one goes to church but everyone is in worship. Eternal life is joy unspeakable. Life is not mere existence, because the wicked will exist forever, but under the hand of God’s divine justice. “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). There is an eternal life for the believer and everlasting life for the unbeliever. Eternal life for the believer is difficult to contemplate with our sinful minds. Jonathan Edwards explains eternal life for the believer with graphic language. “They shall eat and drink abundantly and swim in the ocean of love, and be eternally swallowed up on the infinitely bright, and infinitely mild and sweet beams of divine love” (Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 2, p. 29). On the contrary, to exist under the mighty wrath of God and endure the everlasting punishment is for the unbeliever. The Word of God describes it as everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2). Those who belong to Jesus Christ not only have life, they have a blessed eternal life of joy and peace.

Daniel’s prophecy is an awesome truth found throughout Scripture, but there is another passage of Scripture that should cause everyone to think about eternity. “Many are called but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). Such a profound inspired statement should cause every person to ask the question, “Am I of that number.” If we seriously ask that question and answer it honestly, it will help us understand the difference and desire for eternal life in heaven or everlasting life in hell. The glorious nature and character of heaven is inexpressible because everything in this secular life is merely a shadow, type or figure of the full expression of God’s redemptive plan. In the heavenly home Christians will know God perfectly thus they can love Him perfectly, not out of mere desire, but out of utter delight in His being. Think about what it will be like to be perfect and live in a perfect environment. Perfection means no sickness, no weariness, and no need to stop and rest or take a nap. Perfection means using the human mind to the fullest degree. It has been said that even a genius employs less than ten percent of his brain. In our eternal home our minds, not our brains, will function at a hundred percent level. People talk of 20/20 vision. The book of Revelation describes the splendor of the beautiful colors in our perfected state. The glorified child of God will experience perfection of all the senses.

Have you ever experienced loneliness? In our eternal home the sin that separates us in this secular life will be removed so that we will have perfect unending communion and fellowship with one another. Think of every mystery you’ve ever pondered and every passage of Scripture that never was fully understandable. In our eternal home all of it will be revealed to perfection. Every Christian should desire everlasting life. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord” (Romans 6:23). The eternal home is not free. The Lord Jesus Christ paid a heavy price, so that the eternal home could be called “a gift” for those saved by the grace of God.