Forever
by Tim Archer on Sep.15, 2008, under Hope
“99¢ refills forever!” That’s what the ad for one restaurant claimed. Seemed like a pretty good deal, so I went ahead and bought one of the special cups from the promotion. Once I had the cup in my hand, I noticed some small letters along the side of the cup: “Promotion may be changed or cancelled at any time.” Wait a minute! What happened to “forever”? Apparently forever can be changed or cancelled at any time. Not only with soft drinks, of course. How many pledges to “love forever” fall by the wayside? Does anyone really expect that everyone who claims to be “best friends forever” will remain lifelong friends? When pop singers sing about loving someone “till the end of time,” we know that statement is merely poetic license. In today’s world, “forever” just isn’t what it used to be. At best, forever means “a really long time.”
So when does “forever” mean “through all of eternity”? When God is doing the talking. God can speak confidently about eternity because he has always existed and always will. If a human being wants to promise me something “forever,” I take it with a grain of salt. That person won’t live forever, so they won’t be around to make good on their promise.
When God speaks of forever, he can do so because he doesn’t change. His essential nature will always be the same. The local restaurant doesn’t know what can happen in the future, so they protect their offer with an escape clause. God needs no escape clause. His promises don’t carry fine print. He will always be around to fulfill his promises, and he will never change.
When Jesus was on earth, he made the statement: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). Centuries before Jesus, the prophet Isaiah wrote: “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). What God has promised us, we can believe. When he speaks of forever, we don’t have to worry about changes or cancellations. The apostle Paul wrote: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). That’s a promise we can believe in.
If you’re not confident about forever or have doubts about God and his promises, I’d like to talk to you about your relationship with him. Just leave a comment.
Grace and peace,
Tim
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I never looked at it that way. That’s also probably why I have such a hard time grasping the fact that I will hopefully live forever after Christ’s return (and all that good stuff…) It seems impossible, even though I know its not. It’s just something I haven’t experienced, so I can’t fully understand it.
Sara,
Your comment makes me think about what Paul says in Romans 8:
“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:24-25)
Our eternity with God is something that we hope for, in the sense that we haven’t seen it yet and have to wait for it. But we can be fully confident of our eternal destiny, because of what Jesus has done. In the original language, the word “hope” can also be translated “expect.” We haven’t received it, but we confidently expect it.
Keep on hoping!
Grace and peace,
Tim
Thank you for your leter The last Letter. I am in fear of death and need to get right with Jesus Christ. I have done so much evil that I’ve lost faith in God’s ability to forgive me. Please pray for a pure heart before the Lord and that He fully forgive me for serving the devil and persecuting and trying to destroy His people. I humbly ask the Lord to save my soul and give a purpose for my life that is His will. Life is hell on earth without the presence of the Father and the SOn and their love and forgiveness.
Please pray for me and for those whose lives I’ve hurt and tried to destroy especially Marhorie and her family and my family as well. I read that God’s mercy covers a multitude of sins. I pray that this includes mine.
Thank you for Hope in Jesus.
I want to spend eternity with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and my loved ones. Its encouraging to read what you have written. I am recently born again but sometimes i feel like am not, sometimes am scared about tomorrow/the future and i know i shouldnt because i have Christ in me. Please remember me in your prayers that i may grow stronger in my faith in Christ and also be a bold witness of Christ/the gospel.
Yes, Bill’s article on “The Last Letter” was very insightful. Robin, please don’t doubt God’s ability to forgive. His grace is limitless. He is so much greater than us that our sins are nothing when compared with him. He loves you and wants you to be with him forever.
Father I pray for Robin; may Robin know your peace. I pray for Marhorie and others that may have been hurt by Robin’s actions. May the pain and suffering, hardships and worries cause us all to move closer to you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Grace and peace,
Tim
Father, I pray for Mburu. Please help him to know your peace. May he grow stronger in faith and be a bold witness for you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Take some time to look around our site. If you would like, we can see if we know Christians in your area that might encourage you.
Grace and peace,
Tim