Are you REALLY ready for eternity?

[Keith]

The Bible also says that we can't observe only some of God's commands and then think we will have confidence on Judgment Day. It says we must carefully observe all of His Word so that the love of God is matured. All means all. Ouch! That seems impossible! Especially for me! But that's why God gives us grace. His grace empowers us to obey His Word completely and in a way that is acceptable to God.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably." -- Hebrews 12:28

The key is to know what God desires and looks for, not what seems good to society or our own reasoning. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." -- Romans 12:2. What might seem good to culture and society may very well be an affront to God and His eternal Word. I don't think that statement surprises many of us.

An example that John Bevere uses in his book, DBE, is this: In the Netherlands, it's not against the law for someone to possess or smoke marijuana. They can smoke it freely without fearing the law or any penalties. However, in Singapore if you're caught with a certain, small amount of drugs, you will be arrested and severely punished with death by hanging! It's written right on the entry card, "Death to Drug Traffickers under Singapore law." Now, imagine a young Dutchman who regularly smokes marijuana travels to Singapore and shares his pot with Singaporeans? He says, "Hey guys, this stuff is great! It'll give you a great buzz and take all of your frustrations away! Would you like some? I'll gladly share it with you."

He's immediately arrested and in shock. He doesn't understand why he's being arrested. Judgment day arrives and he stands in the court before the judge believing with all his heart this is some kind of fluke. The judge pronounces him guilty and issues his punishment. The man, still in shock, says, "Your honor, where I come from it's fine to share marijuana with your friends."

The judge then says, "You're not in Holland, you're in Singapore, and in this nation it is against the law!"

The Dutchman's confidence is gone; he has nothing to stand on. There can be no recourse as he is standing before the highest court of the land, doomed with no defense.

The young man broke the laws of Singapore and had to serve his sentence.

All of us will stand before the highest court of the universe. God's judgment is eternally final. As I said earlier, many will be shocked, but they don't have to be. Are you ready? The Bible says that we can go before the Judgment Seat with confidence! That's what John Bevere's book, Driven By Eternity is doing, helping all of us prepare. If that Dutchman would have taken the time to learn about how to enter Singapore, he would have avoided his mistakes and the severe penalty. How much more important is it for us to learn how to prepare for and enter eternity?

In the next post or two I will talk about the Rewards in eternity. Remember, this study is a very short and incredibly condensed version of what's in the book, DBE. As we progress here, I'm sure you'll understand why I'm so passionate about this!

[Keith]

As I mentioned in the previous posts, now I want to move into the rewards a bit.

There will be more than one judgment. There is one for the unbeliever, one for the believer and even one for the angels. There will be loss and punishment and there will be rewards. I will get a little more in depth later on, but I wanted to mention again that the decisions that will be made will be eternal. I can't overemphasize this! Why? Because that is the true focus of this study! The decisions we make now will have a very direct effect on the eternal decisions later on as to how we spend our eternity, whether that's in the Lake of Fire or with God in the New Jerusalem!

God wants us to know in advance, it's His will for us to know that we labor for the rewards.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but [only] one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] and make it yours. Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we [do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness] that cannot wither. Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary. But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it." -- 1 Corinthians 9:24 - 27 Amplified

Paul says that we definitely do not run this race without an aim or a prize. We have purpose in every step we take. This is what we are supposed to be doing; running with certainty and purpose to win. The great thing is, we are not in competition with each other, only ourselves.

[Keith]

Just thinking everything is going to work out for the good at the Judgment Seat isn't enough. We'll have no excuse because God has made His will available to us. There are going to be quite a lot of people who will think they've done quite well in relation to those they've compared themselves to, but they've not allowed the eternal to direct their lives. That's why John Bevere calls his book, Driven By Eternity. He is urging us to let everything we do, say, think and the reasons and attitudes behind all of it to be purposed - or driven - by these eternal directives. Since how we are living right this very moment will decide how we will spend eternity, he wants us to be propelled and guided by what God says is eternal. To ask ourselves some questions

[Keith]

Now, I have good news and I have bad news. The good news is that so far, what I've covered (the very abridged, brief version of the book) is only the foundation. It's the part that gets you in the line of thinking for the rest of the information, which is very exciting, somber and will beyond a shadow of a doubt, stir you into action!

The bad news is that at this point in the book, John Bevere has written an incredible allegory (given to Him by the Holy Spirit) which forms the crux of the rest of the book. I received permission to share this book in study format like this but I cannot type out the allegory. It's called Affabel (www.affabel.org) and is several chapters long. It's very amazing and moving and emotional. If you visit the above website, you'll see that it's been done up Hollywood style on 4 CD's with professional actors doing the voices. The trick is going to be continuing this study effectively without telling the allegory. It deals with some of the greatest misconceptions in our society that causes men and women to grow further from the One they profess as Savior. Please check back soon because I'm sure the Holy Spirit will guide me in this process. In the meantime, I do highly recommend everyone who calls themselves a Christian to get this book. Its well worth the money and you will be shocked, shaken and even chastened by it at times, but you will most certainly be blessed by it because it's all followed by promise, hope and comfort!

This study is not for those who aren't seeking the truth. If you desire truth and have a heart for God, then you'll be glad you followed along in this study!

"God's gift has restored our relationship with Him and given us back our lives. And there's more life to come -- an eternity of life! You can count on this. I want you to put your foot down. Take a firm stand on these matters so that those who have put their trust in God will concentrate on the essentials that are good for everyone." -- Titus 3:7-8 Message Bible

[OpenSky]

"I know it wasn't the whole truth, but it will help them (the business deal, a friend, family member, etc.,) in the long run."

This Sunday, (4-16-06)

I heard that half truths are even worse than lies.

When satan lied to eve, she didnt die right away. But our bodies started to decay after the original sin. Satan told her a half truth.

The Bible tells us to stop lying to each other.

Thanks for your posts.

[cymba22]

This study is for those of you desire truth and have a heart for God.

Am I ready to give an account before the Judgment seat for the stewardship of my life here on the earth?

Am I ready to answer for every word and deed during my life?

Am I ready to give an account for what I did with the gifts and resources that God gave me?

Are we ready to answer for what I did with the call God placed on my life?

How many lives have I influenced for His Kingdom?

What about the rewards God promised Christians? Who gets them?

What determines how I am rewarded?

Are we all rewarded the same?

Can I plan for my eternity? How?

Do these questions make you nervous, scared, anxious, or terrified? Have you had a lot of these same questions but haven't found Biblical answers for them or were maybe even afraid to ask them?

Eternity is coming. For the Christian, it's not where we will spend eternity, but how. Scripture is actually pretty clear about this! And what we do with our lives right now dictates how we will spend eternity.

You haven't seen me on the boards in some time, and that's because the Lord has gotten my attention with something that has been on my heart for years. His timing finally came around for it and now He's placed a burden in my heart for the following: Are you really ready for eternity?

As I said, I've had nagging questions in my heart for so many years regarding eternity and our part in it. What will we do in eternity? What are our rewards? What about eternal judgment? Who is rewarded and who isn't? Who even gets to heaven? How do our lives right now affect eternity? What's heaven like? What's hell like? When I've prayed about these things, I've always gotten the response to wait and I'll know when the time is right for these questions. The time has finally come!

God started bringing these questions to my mind again for quite awhile and had me praying about them. So I prayed and kept praying. When He started revealing the answers to me, He led me to a new book that is coming out as confirmation. As a matter of fact, the publishing date is TODAY! Many bookstores aren't even carrying the book yet, but you can order it directly from the ministry, if you want a copy. It will be in bookstores very soon. The book is called Driven By Eternity by John Bevere. (Author of The Bait of Satan, The Fear of the Lord, Drawing Near, etc.,) For those who were put off by the Purpose Driven Life book, don't let the word Driven in the title scare you off. It's not the same. Unfortunately, some will equate them to be the same because they both have the same word, Driven, in their titles.

NOTE: I am not here to promote John Bevere or his ministry, but I will be giving him his due, earned credit for his work. I am starting this study because of the reasons I stated above: I've had these questions for years and the Lord has finally said the time for the answers is NOW. It's become a burden in my heart to help get this message out to people. I will be reviewing some of the points in John's book here and I invite anyone who is sincerely interested to participate in respectful, honest discussions of how our lives right now are deciding how we will live in eternity.

I will not debate or argue with anyone. Naturally people are free to disagree and state why they do. Please be respectful if you do. If you want to debate/argue a point, please start a separate thread for that purpose. Discussion and debate are two different things and this thread is for discussions and questions. If you find yourself in complete disagreement, as you are free to do, please just move on from this thread.

My Personal Opinion: I whole-heartedly believe that ANY person who remotely considers themselves a Christian and believes they will live their eternity heaven MUST read Driven By Eternity! I do not say this lightly. It's a very important and timely book on a very important subject that will absolutely change how you live. A Christian cannot read this book and remain unchanged by it.

I will leave it at that for the moment. Much more to come shortly!

very good post, I like the food for thought and hard hitting questions...only one glaring error(I have not read the entire thread so do not know if this has been bought up) but the Bible says we will in fact spend our eternity on a new heaven and earth...not this heaven and not just heaven....but other than that great post.

[Keith]

very good post, I like the food for thought and hard hitting questions...only one glaring error(I have not read the entire thread so do not know if this has been bought up) but the Bible says we will in fact spend our eternity on a new heaven and earth...not this heaven and not just heaven....but other than that great post.

Thanks for the question, cymba22! And you're correct! As the study continues, it gets discussed. From here on out, it really gets to be an eye-opener! This study (and this book) are not for those who are looking for disagreements or debates. (Not at all saying your post resembles that at all!) I just mean that this study/book is for those who are seriously searching with their whole-heart what God has to say about how we should live our lives now and how it affects how we live throughout all of eternity! If I lived to be 100 years old, that is such a short period of time compared to forever and ever without end! And if the decisions I make and the words I speak now have an affect on my life in eternity, I WANT TO KNOW! This world is temporary, but the next one is not!

Opensky, I think what people consider lying and what the Bible considers lying is one of the biggest problems facing us. God takes it just as seriously as any of the "big" sins, such as murder and adultery.

[Guest gophgetter]

On Judgment Day, decisions are going to be made based on how we lined up our lives with His eternal Word. Those decisions will determine how we spend the rest of eternity! Again, there will be no changes to those decisions because they are called eternal judgments.

Judgment Day is speeding towards us and it's incredibly sad that so many people haven't investigated this. People have false hopes in concepts, ideas and doctrine that aren't found in the Bible. A lot of people think God will take into account all of the good they've done and measure it against the bad things they've done, hoping the good outweighs the bad and that they'll find favor with God. Others who profess being born again think that they won't have to stand before the Judgment Seat because they proclaim Jesus as their Savior. They think they'll be exempt from any kind of judgment. I think these are the people who are going to be the most surprised

[Guest leesw]

I hope it doesn't seem tacky for me to promote myself here, but I just want to maybe get some feedback on my new book.

It's about this topic (eternity).

It's called, The Real Heaven. If you'd like to read a blurb about it, it's at http://www.gracecentered.com/The_Real_Heaven.htm

I'm wondering if someone might consider starting a study group about it here. I'm willing to participate.

Thanks

[zokiz]

i am raedy...no questions asked.

I'm ready to face the lords judgement.

I did bad things in my life...I'm not afraid to admit.

I made my peace, my regret.

Now it's up to HIM!

God bless you all!