BY GREG CHANDLER
“Where has your favorite destination been?” This question is often asked in the conversations of people who love to travel. Travelers love the thrill of seeing new places and many will readily admit that part of the thrill is in the planning. Choosing what places to visit, what sites to see, and which restaurants to try all share in the overall theme of making the visit the very best possible experience. During the planning, hope abounds; however, regardless of whether the trip is enjoyable or disappointing, hope ends when the destination is reached. Reality determines whether earlier hopes have been realized.
The Bible abounds with messages of hope about eternal life. Far from something as minor as a vacation, this hope looks forward to living with God in a reality that is free from the enemies of righteousness; it looks to a life where purity and holiness flourish. As Paul pens his letter to Titus, he begins with a grand thought that includes this very idea: “In the hope of eternal life, which the God who cannot lie promised from all eternity” (1:2). Later in the same letter he writes, “Having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (3:7). Hope is based on trust that better things await!
Genuine hope transforms life. If the Bible promises are believed, an individual will receive God’s wonderful invitation by confessing belief in the name of His dear Son (Romans 10:9) and being baptized for the remission of sin (I Peter 3:21). Having been placed in the family of God, one’s life is transformed into a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1), with a total transformation in both attitude and behavior. This concept is well illustrated by Paul’s statement to the Colossians, when he wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (3:1). A life of developing spiritual maturity through seeking to be like Jesus and allowing the Father to be glorified through good works will place flesh on the bones of hope.
One day the Lord will call this present part of life to a halt. Paul put it like this: “We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed” (I Corinthians 15:51b-52). Separation will occur. Jesus states that those who followed Him through a life of devoted service will be told, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). To those who did not follow, He will say, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (41). While the eternal destinies for these two groups will be different in the extreme, one thing will be the same: Hope ends.
For those saved by the grace of God, reality will not be disappointing! Sometimes when asked about a trip, a traveler will reply, “It was better than I ever imagined it could be.” Amplified many times over, this will be the attitude of those joined in the eternal moment with God. Surrounded by saints from all times and beings from the heavenly side of God’s family, all will gather in adoration around the Father, Son, and Spirit. Hope will end in joyous, never-ending reality.
For those who never placed their hope in God, another type of hope will end. The Bible writers use strong language to describe eternal condemnation. Fire, darkness, pain, and eternal union with those who rejected God are some of the descriptions. What will this eternal destiny look like? No one on this side of the grave knows. It could even have much of the same appearance as the present life, but with two major exceptions: No good will exist and there will be no hope that this life void of good will end. As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he spoke the most frightening aspect of being lost: “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might” (II Thessalonians 1:9). Removed from God’s goodness and from the good works of His people, hope will end in agonizing, never-ending reality.
Now is the time to determine the eternal destination. While saints will face trials, difficulties, and persecutions, hope in God will sustain the journey. As the writer of the old hymn, When We All Get to Heaven, wrote, “Just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay.” Conversely, rejection of God will also seal one’s eternal destiny. Ironically, eternal destruction is God giving to some humans what they want: Life without Him. What a sad moment it will be when many realize where their journey has led.
May every reader seek God while He may be found. May each have hope as an anchor in eternity, always leading closer to the moment of ultimate joy when He welcomes His faithful into eternal life.
