In The Story of Mankind, the eminent Dutch historian, Hendrick Van Loon describes the length of eternity:

High up in the North, in the land called Svitjoc, there stands a rock. It is one hundred miles high, and one hundred miles wide. Once every thousand years, a little bird comes to this rock to sharpen its beak. When the rock is finally worn away, then a single day of Eternity will have gone by.¹

This story provides just a glimpse into the eons of eternity. But even here it falls short of the real thing because every effort to explain eternity must use measured pieces of length for our mind cannot comprehend what time without end is like.

And yet the very definition of eternity is time without measure.

As hard as it is to comprehend, eternity is as real as the nose on your face. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that God has set eternity in the heart of all people. This means that every person knows there is a life after this life.  The very fact that humans can even ponder such a topic is proof that the concept of eternity is instinct to humanity’s nature.

But have you ever wondered, “Where will I spend eternity?” God’s Word gives only two ultimate destinations for all humans. The first one is called hell:

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15).

If you are found guilty on judgment day, this is the place you will go. What I now share may at first sound harsh, but if you were in a car headed for a cliff and I refused to warn you because I didn’t want to appear harsh, my withholding of information would be hate, not love. Hell is the place of eternal punishment (Mat 25:46). This means that if you go there, your time there will not last for a few painful moments and then end when you have vaporized into gas. Hell is a living death, a death that never dies. This is why the Apostle John says that its citizens will be “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20:10).

Throughout the centuries, thousands of tortured victims have tried to kill themselves to end their pain. But even the luxury of suicide is not granted in hell. Your body, soul, and spirit will consciously (Luk 16:23-24) suffer the unrelenting torment of God’s wrath, the guilt of your sin, and burning flames of unspeakable agony as you live the rest of all eternity separated from God (2 Thes 1:9). And after a thousand years have slowly crawled by, the sun will have not set on the first day of eternity.

Hell is the chamber of the second death (Rev 21:8), and the home of darkness where you will weep and gnash your teeth (Mat 25:30). It is the house of shame and everlasting contempt (Dan 12:2). The Bible calls it a residence where worms do not die (Isa 14:11; Mar 9:44), an indication that maggots will never finish feasting on the rotting flesh of its tormented inmates. Hell is a pit of darkness (2 Pet 2:4; Mat 8:12) where no mercy is given (Mat 3:12; Mat 25:46; Heb 6:2), and where a lake of fire rages with unquenchable brimstone (Rev 19:20), releasing upon its victims unbearable physical (Mat 13:41-42), mental (Luk 13:28), and spiritual (2 Thes 1:6-9) torture too great to be imagined. And the only sound besides the rage of flames and the gnashing of teeth will be the agonizing screams of your fellow inmates: unbelievers, false teachers, the antichrist, his False Prophet, demons, and Satan himself (Mat 25:21; Rev 10:10).

But that is only half the story. The Bible describes another ultimate destination called Heaven.

 

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away (Rev 21:3-4).

If on the Judgment Day you are found righteous and forgiven, you will enter Heaven with unspeakable joy and happiness. Heaven is the Father’s house (Joh 14:2), the ultimate Paradise (Luk 23:43; 2 Cor 12:4; Rev 2:7), and the location of the great new city of Jerusalem decked with brilliant stones (Rev 21:10-21) illuminated by God’s glory (Rev 21:23-26). Not a single sin from the heart or tear from the eye will find its way into heaven, for it is a country like no other, a country men and women will die for (Heb 11:14-16).

The greatest gift of heaven is the absence of sin and the presence of God. Write down every sorrow, every heartache, every pain, every dark moment of your life and you will never see them again when you pass through the pearly gates of God’s abode. Not even your mind can entertain a single thought of sadness or sin in this ultimate Paradise. Combine the fascination of witnessing the most exquisite sunset, enjoying the warmest friendship, delighting in the most intimate marriage, or sensing the most liberating moment of your life all into one instant and you have only tasted a drop of the ocean of perfect happiness found in heaven.

In heaven you will never again suffer an unsatisfied want or be forced to endure an unmet need. And all your desires will be free from the stain of sin or corruption. In heaven you will know not the happiness of a fun weekend or a momentary pleasure, but a lasting happiness that does not change with the tides of life or promise more than it can deliver. It will be a real happiness. A happiness that is as intense as it is permanent.

So which place are you going? It all depends on whether or not your sins have been removed by the grace of God and the righteousness of Christ has been given to you.

To answer this question, consider your current state. Have you ever lied? If your answer is “yes” than what does this make you? A liar (Psa 116:11). Have you ever lusted after someone? Christ said that if a man looks after a woman lustfully he has committed adultery with her in his heart (Mat 5:27-28). Have you ever hated someone? If you have, then the Bible says you are a murderer at heart (1 John 3:15). Have you ever stolen something? Even something small? If you have, then you are a thief (Ex 20:13). Have you ever loved anything with greater devotion and affection than the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are honest, your answer will be “yes” which means you are an idolater (Exo 20:3) and a breaker of the first and foremost of all the commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mat 22:37). I have broken all these and more, so left to myself, I stand where you stand.

At this point, it’s tempting to try to escape our conscience with the retort, “But I haven’t broken all of God’s commandments.” But the Apostle James says, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (Jam 2:10). This means that if you’ve broken one of God’s laws, you’ve broken them all.

If you answered the above questions honestly, by your own admission you are a lying, murdering, adulterous, thieving, idolater. In Ecclesiastes 12:14, King Solomon writes, “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” On Judgment Day what can you possibly say for yourself?

“I’m not as bad as the child molesters”? “I’ve never shot somebody with a gun”? God does not measure your righteousness by other’s deeds. He does not see you in light of the world but in light of His Word. This is why Christ said, “You are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is prefect” (Mat 5:48). God judges you with a perfect standard, the standard that reflects His perfect character. Many people have told me, “Because God is good he’ll forgive me on the Judgment Day.” But they don’t realize that by declaring God’s goodness they declare their own condemnation. The very goodness of God they are trusting to save them, will condemn them. Because God is good, He is only right and just to punish you and me for our sins.

This leaves us stripped of all hope. But there is more!

God is not only just. He is also gracious. And that is why he sent Jesus Christ to this earth over 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ did not just come to die on a cross. Jesus Christ did not just come to do miracles. He came to pay the price of your sin in full. That is why He cried out before taking His last breath, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). By paying for your sins, God is still just to save you, for the full price of all your sins were paid for on the cross.

This leaves you with one of two options: You can admit that you are a sinner and cry out to God for his grace and mercy to forgive you. You can embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven, understanding that it is by His work alone that you can be saved from the wrath of God.

Or, you can reject Christ. You can turn against Him and despise His sacrifice. But you cannot remain neutral. That is why Christ said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters” (Mat 12:30).

Don’t wait. Decide today. This may be your last. And then, your destiny is sealed for all eternity. And eternity is a very long time.

Endnotes

1. Paul Lee Tan, The Interpretation of Prophecy (Winona Lake: BMH Books, 1974), 358.

High up in the North, in the land called Svitjoc, there stands a rock. It is one hundred miles high, and one hundred miles wide. Once every thousand years, a little bird comes to this rock to sharpen its beak. When the rock is finally worn away, then a single day of Eternity will have gone by.¹

This story provides just a glimpse into the eons of eternity. But even here it falls short of the real thing because every effort to explain eternity must use measured pieces of length for our mind cannot comprehend what time without end is like.

And yet the very definition of eternity is time without measure.

As hard as it is to comprehend, eternity is as real as the nose on your face. Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:11 that God has set eternity in the heart of all people. This means that every person knows there is a life after this life.  The very fact that humans can even ponder such a topic is proof that the concept of eternity is instinct to humanity’s nature.

But have you ever wondered, “Where will I spend eternity?” God’s Word gives only two ultimate destinations for all humans. The first one is called hell:

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15).

If you are found guilty on judgment day, this is the place you will go. What I now share may at first sound harsh, but if you were in a car headed for a cliff and I refused to warn you because I didn’t want to appear harsh, my withholding of information would be hate, not love. Hell is the place of eternal punishment (Mat 25:46). This means that if you go there, your time there will not last for a few painful moments and then end when you have vaporized into gas. Hell is a living death, a death that never dies. This is why the Apostle John says that its citizens will be “tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev 20:10).

Throughout the centuries, thousands of tortured victims have tried to kill themselves to end their pain. But even the luxury of suicide is not granted in hell. Your body, soul, and spirit will consciously (Luk 16:23-24) suffer the unrelenting torment of God’s wrath, the guilt of your sin, and burning flames of unspeakable agony as you live the rest of all eternity separated from God (2 Thes 1:9). And after a thousand years have slowly crawled by, the sun will have not set on the first day of eternity.

Hell is the chamber of the second death (Rev 21:8), and the home of darkness where you will weep and gnash your teeth (Mat 25:30). It is the house of shame and everlasting contempt (Dan 12:2). The Bible calls it a residence where worms do not die (Isa 14:11; Mar 9:44), an indication that maggots will never finish feasting on the rotting flesh of its tormented inmates. Hell is a pit of darkness (2 Pet 2:4; Mat 8:12) where no mercy is given (Mat 3:12; Mat 25:46; Heb 6:2), and where a lake of fire rages with unquenchable brimstone (Rev 19:20), releasing upon its victims unbearable physical (Mat 13:41-42), mental (Luk 13:28), and spiritual (2 Thes 1:6-9) torture too great to be imagined. And the only sound besides the rage of flames and the gnashing of teeth will be the agonizing screams of your fellow inmates: unbelievers, false teachers, the antichrist, his False Prophet, demons, and Satan himself (Mat 25:21; Rev 10:10).

But that is only half the story. The Bible describes another ultimate destination called Heaven.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Rev 21:3-4).

If on the Judgment Day you are found righteous and forgiven, you will enter Heaven with unspeakable joy and happiness. Heaven is the Father’s house (Joh 14:2), the ultimate Paradise (Luk 23:43; 2 Cor 12:4; Rev 2:7), and the location of the great new city of Jerusalem decked with brilliant stones (Rev 21:10-21) illuminated by God’s glory (Rev 21:23-26). Not a single sin from the heart or tear from the eye will find its way into heaven, for it is a country like no other, a country men and women will die for (Heb 11:14-16).

The greatest gift of heaven is the absence of sin and the presence of God. Write down every sorrow, every heartache, every pain, every dark moment of your life and you will never see them again when you pass through the pearly gates of God’s abode. Not even your mind can entertain a single thought of sadness or sin in this ultimate Paradise. Combine the fascination of witnessing the most exquisite sunset, enjoying the warmest friendship, delighting in the most intimate marriage, or sensing the most liberating moment of your life all into one instant and you have only tasted a drop of the ocean of perfect happiness found in heaven.

In heaven you will never again suffer an unsatisfied want or be forced to endure an unmet need. And all your desires will be free from the stain of sin or corruption. In heaven you will know not the happiness of a fun weekend or a momentary pleasure, but a lasting happiness that does not change with the tides of life or promise more than it can deliver. It will be a real happiness. A happiness that is as intense as it is permanent.

So which place are you going? It all depends on whether or not your sins have been removed by the grace of God and the righteousness of Christ has been given to you.

To answer this question, consider your current state. Have you ever lied? If your answer is “yes” than what does this make you? A liar (Psa 116:11). Have you ever lusted after someone? Christ said that if a man looks after a woman lustfully he has committed adultery with her in his heart (Mat 5:27-28). Have you ever hated someone? If you have, then the Bible says you are a murderer at heart (1 John 3:15). Have you ever stolen something? Even something small? If you have, then you are a thief (Ex 20:13). Have you ever loved anything with greater devotion and affection than the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are honest, your answer will be “yes” which means you are an idolater (Exo 20:3) and a breaker of the first and foremost of all the commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mat 22:37). I have broken all these and more, so left to myself, I stand where you stand.

At this point, it’s tempting to try to escape our conscience with the retort, “But I haven’t broken all of God’s commandments.” But the Apostle James says, “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all” (Jam 2:10). This means that if you’ve broken one of God’s laws, you’ve broken them all.

If you answered the above questions honestly, by your own admission you are a lying, murdering, adulterous, thieving, idolater. In Ecclesiastes 12:14, King Solomon writes, “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.” On Judgment Day what can you possibly say for yourself?

“I’m not as bad as the child molesters”? “I’ve never shot somebody with a gun”? God does not measure your righteousness by other’s deeds. He does not see you in light of the world but in light of His Word. This is why Christ said, “You are to be perfect as your heavenly Father is prefect” (Mat 5:48). God judges you with a perfect standard, the standard that reflects His perfect character. Many people have told me, “Because God is good he’ll forgive me on the Judgment Day.” But they don’t realize that by declaring God’s goodness they declare their own condemnation. The very goodness of God they are trusting to save them, will condemn them. Because God is good, He is only right and just to punish you and me for our sins.

This leaves us stripped of all hope. But there is more!

God is not only just. He is also gracious. And that is why he sent Jesus Christ to this earth over 2,000 years ago. Jesus Christ did not just come to die on a cross. Jesus Christ did not just come to do miracles. He came to pay the price of your sin in full. That is why He cried out before taking His last breath, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). By paying for your sins, God is still just to save you, for the full price of all your sins were paid for on the cross.

This leaves you with one of two options: You can admit that you are a sinner and cry out to God for his grace and mercy to forgive you. You can embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way to Heaven, understanding that it is by His work alone that you can be saved from the wrath of God.

Or, you can reject Christ. You can turn against Him and despise His sacrifice. But you cannot remain neutral. That is why Christ said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters” (Mat 12:30).

Don’t wait. Decide today. This may be your last. And then, your destiny is sealed for all eternity. And eternity is a very long time.