Are you struggling to keep wanting to go on with all the pain, heartache and injustice in this world? Fixating on what eternity in the Bible will be like can help you during this hard time to have hope for the future.
It can allow you to continue to persevere, knowing God will bring justice for you, he will redeem all things, renew all things, and you will be fully remade into a new creation.
He has conquered it all and you will see it. His promises will be fulfilled.
Life on this earth is only temporary; being with him will be forever. Place your hope in him. He will rescue you from it all.
Holding an eternal perspective will allow you to keep going and continue to remain faithful to Jesus, despite it all. You will see this in his creation of the New Heaven and New Earth.
When Does Eternal Life Begin?
Eternity with Jesus started when you put your faith in him. When you did this, you gained salvation in Jesus and that means you will spend eternity with him.
You don’t have to fear death any longer because now death is the beginning of a great new life with him. It’s not a scary thing, it’s a joyful thing knowing you will be forever in his presence.
You are going to your forever home. You are not subject to death any longer. Your body dies, but your soul is really who you are… and that lives on with Christ. You will get a new body.
You can experience eternity on this earth, too. This is through focusing on eternity in the Bible, as this brings so much joy—a taste of that which you will encounter in being with Christ forever in eternity.
Intentionally focusing on God’s presence with you is to encounter eternity in the Bible, as this is like being in it all the time.
Living for him on this earth, obeying him, is living in eternity as you experience his presence. This allows you to get free from sin.
What Is Eternity in the Bible?
When you consider the biblical interpretation of eternity—meaning in the Bible—it is living with Christ forever.
You will be with him, face to face, when you leave this earth. You will be in the New Heaven and New Earth upon Christ’s return.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’” (Revelation 21:1-3, ESV)
God has kept you and all his people safe because that is what he does for the faithful to him.
These eternity verses show God fulfilling what he said in the Old Testament would take place, as he is a promise keeper.
He will honor you living right for him in the hard times. Remember these Bible verses about eternity to know that.
Also remember the answer to this question: how long is eternity in the Bible? It is forever.
Being with God forever is the best thing ever, and it is worth the suffering you are enduring now. He will make things right. You can keep holding on when you have an eternal perspective.
Eternity in the Bible
When things on this earth feel so hard and trying, and the suffering just feels so bad that you can’t bear it any longer, remember that this is your temporary home. Eternity in the Bible is what you need to focus on.
You will be Christ forever and that is the best thing ever. He will make all things new. God is a God of justice and he will make all things right.
What does the Bible say about eternity? Below, you will find four eternal things in Revelation 21:4 that you can focus on; you will experience them with Jesus in eternity.
Central is being with him; because you are with him, all these other things happen for you. This is your hope. Don’t give up. Keep faithfully following Jesus. The reward is so great.
1. Jesus Will Wipe Away Every Tear
Being in the presence of Jesus in eternity means no more crying.
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
He will wipe away every tear. Your sorrow will be gone.
The pain in this world you are experiencing right now, that is making you weep, will be a thing of the past. Only joy will be had in his presence.
Joy will always be there. Remember this, as it is what forever in the Bible looks like.
2. There Will Be No More Death
In the presence of the Lord there will be no more death.
“… and death shall be no more…” (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
There is only triumph in him. This brings hope. No more people dying: just forever with him.
This means no illness in your body or others’. No more sin, as sin is death. You are free from it all.
3. No More Mourning or Pain
Eternity in the Bible will include no more mourning or pain.
“… neither shall there be mourning… nor pain anymore…” (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
Whatever you are mourning over or suffering in pain from will be no more. You will not be in this body in the pain you are in.
The mourning from your financial troubles, or your children, or from your marriage will be no more. You will not be hurting—the pain and suffering on earth is not a thing in eternity.
4. The Former Things Have Passed Away
In eternity with Christ, you will come into the fullness of being a new creation in Jesus.
“… for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4, ESV)
Everything from this earth that was hard will be gone. All things are new, including you. The pain from the past, the things you are holding on to, the things that you dislike about yourself, and the things you did—they’re all in the past. All things are new.
When things feel so hard and trying in this world, remember eternity in the Bible. The meaning of “eternal” in the Bible is being in Jesus’s presence. And Revelation 21:4 tells us it is Jesus wiping away the tears, that there is no more death, no more mourning, crying or pain, and the former things will have passed away.
Focus on this. Our hope is in him. Having an eternal perspective will allow you to persevere and continue to remain faithful to him.
Paul, Ian. Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic, 2018.
Willard, Dallas. Living in Christ’s Presence: Final Words on Heaven and the Kingdom of God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2017.
