St Nicholas

Eternity

Dear friends,

Greetings to you all and I hope you are looking forward to some sunshine to dry our gardens and roads after so much rain in the last few months.

I would like to talk to you about eternity. A n important subject for all of us. Have you ever thought about where you will spend eternity? Our quality of life and life expectancy is up compared to previous generations. People are living into their eighties, nineties and some are going to live over a hundred years. The advance of medicine and medicines and all the rest means that we're going to be living longer. But, of course, no matter how long you live, it doesn't compare to eternity. Have you thought about where you will spend eternity? The Bible reminds us that what we decide today regarding Christ and our future with Him will determine where we spend our eternity. Your decision determines your destiny. The Scriptures reminds us that there are two destinies. If you know Jesus as a friend and you obey Him and His word while you are still on this earth, then you will spend eternity with Him in heaven forever. And if you do not know Jesus, if you reject His word the gift of eternal life, then your eternity will be spend at a place called hell.

One of the most well-known verses in all the Bible is John 3:16. And John 3:16 says it clearly: "For God so loved the world". Start there, For God so loved you. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish". There's the potential, there's the possibility of perishing and perishing eternally. But when you believe and obey God and His word you will not perish but have eternal life.

I know this: every day we all live closer to eternity. And if you die in your sins, without Christ, then you are facing a future and a fate that is sealed forever because there are no second chances in the life to come. The word of God says in Hebrews Chapter 9, verse 27 that, "It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment". God gives us the opportunity to give an account of our lives on this earth to Him then He decides where each one of us will spend eternity. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 25, verse 46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” The righteous are those that are following Christ and His word and the rest are those who follow their own hearts, hence eternal punishment. So, the destiny of the dead, those who die in the Lord or die in their sins is totally different. Heaven is for real. But hell is also for real. Please remember that God is a fair judge and in Jeremiah Chapter 17 verse 10 He says, “I The Lord searches the heart and test the mind , to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

What will Heaven Look Like? Heaven is a real place where the people of God will live one day. In fact, heaven is where God and the angels live and it has streets of pure gold, gates of pearl, and foundations adorned with every kind of precious stone. Throughout Scripture, heaven is depicted as a place of ultimate peace, joy, and the presence of God. Revelation chapter 21 and 22 provide a vivid description of heaven, portraying it as a new Jerusalem descending from heaven, prepared like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. It is a place where God will dwell with His people, wiping away every tear, and there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.

What will hell look like? There are normally two descriptions of hell in the scriptures of the Old and New Testament Bible. Jesus said hell was a place of fire, worms, maggots, and trouble (Mark, chapter 9, verse 48) and a lake of fire reserved for the devil and his Angels (Matthew, chapter 25, verse 41). It is not God’s intention to sent human beings to hell . But the ones who choose to reject God will one day follow Satan to hell and share eternity and destruction with him. The second description of hell is outer darkness . Here the image is one of terrible loneliness. Those who are consigned to hell will be put out into the inky blackness of eternity, with nobody to turn to, nobody to talk to, and they will constantly be alone weeping and gnashing their teeth (Matthew, chapter 8, verse 12 and Matthew 22, verse 13).

Those who have heard me preach about heaven and hell will remember me saying that the journey to ‘Heaven and hell’ begins on this earth. We start our journey to Heaven when we confess our sins and invite Jesus Christ in our hearts as Lord and Saviour, obey Him and His word. And the journey to hell begins when we fail to invite Christ in our hearts as Lord and Saviour.

For those of you who have not considered or decided where you will spend eternity the time is now. Will you kindly consider saying the following prayer?

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin.

If you have said this prayer with sincerity, then you have become a Christian and started your journey to Heaven . Let your family, friends and neighbours know that you have become a Christian. Read your bible starting from Genesis to Revelation, say your prayers, look out for a good weekly bible study group and a bible-believing parish church so that you may grow in the things of God.

Wishing you every blessing.

Rev David Kaboleh

St Nicholas

St Nicholas

Get in touch

Anita Tansley

Pentecost / Whitsunday

Pentecost / Whitsunday

What does the future hold?

St Nicholas

St Nicholas

Get in touch

Anita Tansley

Pentecost / Whitsunday

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