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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.
(John 3:16)
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What sort of life is this eternal life? Long ago the
prophet Daniel was taken captive to Babylon where
he was made an official of that country. One day
while he was living there, he received a command
from God.
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But you, go your way till the end; for you
shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance
at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:13) NKJV
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These words indicate that some day the eternal promise
would be fulfilled. Daniel died in hope because of
this promise that he had received from God.
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And at that time shall Michael stand up,
the great prince which standeth for the children
of thy people: and there shall be a time
of trouble, such as never was since there
was a nation even to that same time: and
at that time thy people shall be delivered,
every one that shall be found written in the
book. And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt. (Daniel 12:1-2)
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God promised the many people of Old Testament
times who followed His will that He would give them
eternal life when this world came to an end. Then,
when Jesus came to this world, He promised an
entirely different eternal life to those who listened
to His words.
Let's think again here about what is written in John
chapter 3 verse 16. When it says "that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting
life," it means that God has forgiven us
who are sinners.
I was once a sinner, but I came
Pardon to receive from my Lord:
This was freely given, and I found
That He always kept His word.
There's a new name written down in glory,
And it's mine, O yes, it's mine! 5
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As this hymn says, we have been pardoned for our
sins.
What promise has God given to us?
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Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on Him
that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall
not come into condemnation; but is passed
from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto
you, the hour is coming, and now is, when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of
God: and they that hear shall live.
(John 5:24-25)
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How can the dead hear the voice of the Son of God?
Common sense tells us that the nerves of the dead
decompose, and there's no way that they can hear.
Let's think about the words that God spoke to Adam:
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But of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in
the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:17)
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This death meant the breakdown in communication
between man and God. Even after Adam ate
from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, he lived for a very long time, didn't he? But
what happened to his eyes? They became opened
to the world, and he came to know that he, too,
belonged to the world. Before this happened, he
had belonged to Paradise. Adam and Eve were naked
as they lived in the Garden of Eden, but they
weren't embarrassed or ashamed. This was no problem
in Paradise. Once they had eaten the forbidden
fruit, however, their eyes were opened. They became
aware that someone was looking at them and
they became aware of themselves. On that day,
mankind died to God. It's to man in this state that
God has given the Bible.
5 Charles A. Miles (1868-1946),
A New Name in Glory, 1905
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