William Shakespeare was born and buried in Stratford-on-Avon, England. Walking through the cemetery where he is interred, you see many ancient tombs—but his is the feature. As you leave the cemetery and approach the banks of Avon River, a small tombstone might catch your eye—that of Shakespearean actor Norman Rodway. It displays his name, his years of life, and then the odd phrase “hello forever.”
This turn of phrase is worth thinking deeply about. It is especially meaningful if you know actual biblical truth about life after death.
I don’t know what Mr. Rodway believed on that subject. Many people assume that Christians go to heaven after they die—that the soul in us already has immortal life, and it will continue to live on in some celestial afterlife.
The serpent convinced Eve of this in the garden of Eden, saying: “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). The Hebrew reads more like: “You will not die die.” The tragedy is that she and her husband were actually being offered an eternal future through the “tree of life.” But the serpent convinced her that wasn’t necessary, because, you won’t really die anyway! Humanity has been deceived on this ever since.
If only they would acknowledge these clear words of Jesus: “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven” (John 3:13).
The Bible teaches that we are a soul (Genesis 2:7), that the soul can die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20)—that our thoughts perish at death (Psalm 146:4). Norman Rodway has no idea that he is being discussed right now.
The Bible also teaches that resurrection is coming for all who have died. Some will be resurrected to eternal life. After God’s saints die and are resurrected, they truly can say “hello” forever, and hello to forever. That is something that God, in His timing, will offer to everyone who has ever lived.
John 5:39 reads: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life …” and that is exactly what we will do here. Let’s search through some of the great many verses discussing this stirring subject.
Born Twice?
Forever is an attractive concept. Everything in this life is temporary. Whether it’s a phase of life, a home, a friendship that’s grown apart because of distance or time, an activity you looked forward to for so long only for it to end too quickly, and even this life itself—everything has an end.
God is offering us something permanent—a place in His eternal Family. The Bible reveals how spectacular that potential truly is.
We began by reading Christ’s words in John 3. To whom was Christ speaking? John 3:1-2.
A couple other verses in John indicate this man became a disciple (see John 7:50; 19:39), which stands to reason since John doesn’t keep this particular exchange anonymous.
Christ brought up a profound subject with this individual—that of being “born again.” What is being born again a requirement for? Verse 3.
Verse 4 shows that this concept was a little difficult for this Pharisee to understand, but verses 5-6 show it is not being born of the flesh, but “of the Spirit.” What natural phenomenon does Jesus use to describe being “born of the Spirit”? Verse 8.
Christ used an invisible phenomenon to describe those born into God’s Family.
Beating Death
When Christ said no man had ascended to heaven, he was speaking to this pharisee named Nicodemus. Right after that, He made a really intriguing comparison.
What comparison is made between something that happened in ancient Israel and the promise of eternal life? John 3:14-15.
As an educated Jew (verse 10), Nicodemus would have been familiar with this history (and Christ gave it little explanation). What does this action of Moses have to do with living forever? What does the original account record? Numbers 21:5-9.
This particular physical object was “lifted up,” and by looking on it, a snake-bitten Israelite would live— He would not die physically from a snake bite.
What is the exact comparison Christ made? John 3:15.
God would “lift up” Jesus. John 12:32-33 uses the exact same terminology in describing the method by which Christ would die: crucifixion. But beyond that, He would be risen from the dead after that, allowing Him to “draw all men” to Him (see also Acts 2:33).
Truly living requires more than just looking at a brass snake on a pole. It requires having faith that the Jesus who was lifted up on a tree and crucified was also resurrected and lifted up to the third heaven where He sits on the right hand of God. Faith in that is the starting point for your life being saved spiritually. You can be saved from the “bite” of the serpent Satan, so to speak—and live forever.
This exchange leads into one of the most famous verses in Christianity, 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.”
The Scoop in John’s Gospel
This hope of eternal life is definitely a dominating theme in John’s Gospel.
How does Christ use the analogy of a physical well and water to depict everlasting life? John 4:12-14.
What physical activity does Christ liken to the labor necessary for eternal life? Verses 36-38.
How do other verses describe this labor? John 6:26-27; Galatians 6:8.
Christ described how a person could pass from death to life.” When can this happen? John 5:24-29.
In one of those verses, He says this means having “life in himself.” What God is offering is real life—life inherent. That means it is not dependent on anything to keep it alive (unlike right now, when we are dependent on air, water, food, etc.).
“Man is now composed of flesh—material substance—matter,” Herbert W. Armstrong wrote in The Incredible Human Potential. “When born again he will BE spirit—a spirit being, no longer human. He will be composed of spirit—of spirit composition—with life inherent—with self-containing life—not then existing by the breath of air and the circulation of blood.”
Christ compared obtaining eternal life eating which specific food? John 6:47-58.
Many were offended at this teaching! Christ lost followers by saying that. He asked Peter if he would leave too. What was Peter’s response? Verse 68-69.
The fundamental question is, who has the words of eternal life? Are you sure? Do you believe it?
This means more than just believing in something, but actually laboring for the spiritual sustenance. It is also listening to and following Christ if we are to qualify for eternal life—as John 10 described. To what are these followers of Christ compared here? John 10:27-29.
Eternal life for someone doesn’t just mean “they shall never perish.” It also means no one can “pluck them out of my hand” or “my Father’s hand.” There will be no more “goodbyes” to those in God’s Family.
This passage also describes this promise as something Christ can give. John 17:2 and Romans 6:22-23 similarly describe eternal life as a gift of God.
What Will Eternal Life Be Like?
In addition to his Gospel, the Apostle John wrote three profound epistles—the first of which starts by describing Jesus Christ this way: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us” (1 John 1:1-2).
Christ lived a fleshly life, died and was resurrected to “eternal life.” Revelation 1:18 quotes Him as saying: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen ….” He was only the first to go through this process (see 1 Corinthians 15:20-23).
John points out that the disciples interacted with Christ in a special way—not just as a human being, but for some time after He was resurrected. How many days did the resurrected Christ—now possessing eternal life—interact with His disciples? Acts 1:3.
Those interactions are recorded in the final chapters of each Gospel account. The morning after His resurrection, John records how Mary Magdalene tried to touch Him. What was His response? John 20:14-17. Could people touch Him later that day? Matthew 28:9.
Christ had been “born again”—into the God Family! Having eternal life, He could travel to the third heaven and back in the same day!
Later that day, what supernatural feat did He accomplish for a couple of His disciples? Luke 24:30-31.
When He showed up around mealtime with the disciples that night, what was so startling about His presence? John 20:19.
Not only that, He was able to literally eat a meal with them. Verses 26-27 show that, eight days later, the disciple Thomas was able to touch some of His more significant crucifixion wounds! He didn’t have all His wounds of course (as His beating had been beyond human recognition), but He was able to manifest some of them to allay Thomas’s doubts.
Everything you’ve just read indicate that someone born into God’s Family has more than just eternal life; he also has some incredible superpowers.
Psalm 16 contains an Old Testament prophecy about Christ that shows what His (and, by extension, our) eternal life would be like (see verses 9-10). What final three words of this Psalm indicate what eternal life will be like? Psalm 16:11.
In Mystery of the Ages, Mr. Armstrong wrote: “It will be an eternal life of accomplishment, constantly looking forward in super-joyous anticipation to new creative projects, and still looking back also on accomplishments with happiness and joy over what shall have been already accomplished. We shall never grow tired and weary. Always alive—full of joyous energy, vitality, exuberant life and strength and power!”
Incredibly “Incorruptible”
For humans who are born into God’s Family, eternal life also means something else.
In what form does the Bible say the “dead shall be raised”? 1 Corinthians 15:52-53.
For those still alive at Christ’s coming, how quickly will their death and resurrection take place? Verse 51.
Think about this: The dead in Christ are raised with the inability to be corrupted.
This ties to a verse in 1 Timothy 6:16, which says that “only [God] hath immortality.” In the English language, our words “eternal” and “immortal” are interchangeable (Mr. Armstrong uses either to describe, say, the undying lives of the angels and demons.) But a special Greek word is used to describe what only God has (it is never used to describe the angels). That word is also used in 1 Corinthians 15—translated “immortality” (verses 53-54)—to describe the essence of those born into the God Family!
Can someone born of God sin? 1 John 5:18.
Not only are we destined to live forever, it will not be possible to corrupt us. This perfect character will last forever.
Let It Grow
The vision of this future is what actually motivates us to yield to God’s creation in us and grow spiritually. John’s first epistle elaborates on this.
It is easy to get wrapped up in the world we can see, but what kind of individual “abideth for ever”? 1 John 2:15-17.
Of course, we aren’t “eternal” just yet. When will this literal, eternal life be available to those qualified? Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30. Elsewhere the Bible uses terms like “inherit” or “heirs”—meaning that it’s basically ours (unless we disqualify ourselves), but it just is not a reality yet.
What is promised exactly for those who do God’s will? 1 John 2:24-25. (This promise is also mentioned in Titus 1:2.)
The next chapter of John’s epistle gives us another detail about being born as a spirit being. What kinds of things will we be able to see? 1 John 3:2.
How does this vision motivate us? Verse 3.
To be born as a spirit being means we need to be begotten as a spiritual embryo (possible through indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit). Just as an embryo must grow inside the womb, looking more and more human every day, so must this spiritual life grow and grow—looking more and more like God in character.
Temporal Vs. Eternal
The Apostle Paul said this “inward man is renewed day by day”—even while our physical body ages and deteriorates (2 Corinthians 4:16).
We certainly do not have the power within ourselves to gain eternal life. As stated, it is a gift of God. But there are things we can do to either qualify or disqualify to receive this gift.
The Apostle Paul then uses certain terms to compare the temporary and the eternal. What is the unit of comparison Paul uses? 2 Corinthians 4:17.
Eternity is much weightier than this temporary life—as heavy as some of its trials seem.
We can add to things weighing us down. What kinds of things do that? Luke 21:34. (Note: the word “overcharged” mean weighed down.)
God is offering us something far more weighty. But living forever as He does is hard to comprehend—since God inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15). The Apostle Peter tries to break down this concept into a more comprehensible measurement. What comparison does he use? 2 Peter 3:8.
Using that ratio, a 70-year life span is nearly an hour and 41 minutes. The seven years of being a “teen” last just over 10 minutes. A three-week youth camp, at this scale, is not quite five seconds!
Never forgot how temporary this life is!
Mr. Armstrong put it in perspective in The Seven Laws of Success: “The ‘successful’ of this world all had goals. But their goals led to material ends. They sought happiness in vanity, pride of status, material acquisitions, physical activities and pursuits. They sought the approbation of people. But people are human, and their lives are temporary. Material objects, too, are not enduring, but wax old until consigned to disuse. … Oh yes, of course there were pleasures, moments of excitement, periods of enjoyment. There were occasional thrills, temporary sensations of delight. But always they were followed by periods of depression. Always a gnawing inner soul-hunger returned. This in turn drove them to seek satisfaction in the thousand-and-one events in the world’s whirl of material pleasures and pastimes.”
This is hard to keep in perspective because we cannot see the eternal. But this is exactly what Paul admonished us to do: “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
Lay Hold on Eternal Life
We’ve just studied many promises in the Bible about living forever—how that promise of “eternal life” puts this temporary life in perspective. We have studied what kind of life it will be—“pleasures forevermore,” as the Psalm reads. It will be living forever righteously and happily—unable to be corrupted.
Though a gift of God, there are things we can do either to qualify or disqualify for that gift. At the most basic level, it requires believing who Jesus Christ was, what He came and did, and who sent Him. It also requires being begotten with the Holy Spirit and growing in the spiritual womb. There is a certain “labor” or “sowing” to the Spirit—that is, daily effort, renewing our relationship with our heavenly Father. Then we grow until we can be born as a Spirit life—either at the resurrection or changing from mortal to immortal life in the blink of an eye.
For someone not quite to adulthood yet, that means maturing to the point where you can receive that indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit.
1 Timothy 6:12 reads: “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” The “profession,” or business, Timothy was in had to do with “eternal life.” It requires a fight, and it is something we are told to grip or seize. (Hebrews 6:18 tells us to “lay hold upon the hope that is set before us.”)
In the Seven Laws of Success, Mr. Armstrong writes: “IF one could discover such an overall purpose—a definite purpose for which humans were put on Earth—IF one could discover a human potential greater than mere temporary existence, one would think that purpose would be the goal that should excite dynamic ambition!”
In this booklet, he defines “eternal life” as part of his discussion of “real success.” Therefore it defines the “right goal” which should arouse ambition and inspire us to work for it. To use Paul’s terminology: to “seize” it!
A few verses later, the Apostle Paul addresses this again. Verse 17 reads: “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.” Timothy was told to help Church members keep the material things in perspective.
“That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life” (verses 18-19). There is the same phrase again.
Those who are “rich in good works,” and ready to share those, are saving up for forever—laying a foundation for something permanent. That is, in fact, how we lay hold on eternal life!
Understand this promise—this hope—now. Say “hello” to the forever God is offering us, and soon you will be born into God’s Family and truly be able to say hello forever.