The radio programme was one of a series on infinity and dealt with the issue of human existence: does it go on for ever? Is it eternal? The presenter referred to two ancient Greek philosophers, one of whom was Epicurus, of whom the Epicureans (referred to in Acts 17:18) were followers. Epicurus believed that there was no afterlife and so, he argued, death cannot be an experience to worry about. Also quoted was the twentieth-century British philosopher Bernard Williams, who spoke of “the awfulness of being perpetually alive”. On the other hand, the contemporary American philosopher Thomas Nagel was cited as taking an opposite point of view. He has said that, if he had the choice of dying within five minutes or of living for another week, he would always want to live; so he took this as evidence that he would want to live for ever. In the end, the issue was not resolved; it was left an open question.
Yet there is absolutely no need for anyone to remain in doubt. While we cannot expect to find evidence from one of our contemporaries who has died and returned to life,1 we have what is far better than any such evidence. The infinite God has given mankind a revelation which includes the truth that death is not the end; every individual continues to exist afterwards for ever; eternity is a reality. This revelation has God’s authority behind it; the Bible is totally reliable in everything it says.
In fact, no reference was made in the radio programme to Scripture, something that is typical of today’s secular media. There seems to be a universal fear of offending people of other religions, and of none, by bringing the Word of God to bear on any discussion in the public domain. In any case, there is a general unwillingness to submit to God and to the authority of what He has revealed. No doubt the presenter of the programme shares that unwillingness with those who control the BBC, and with most, if not all, of those who have positions of responsibility in other media organisations. In the same spirit, a BBC radio news report stated with total confidence: “No one knows how
1Some indeed claim to have been to heaven and to have come back to earth; others speak of “near-death experiences” involving views of heaven. These claims can be discounted.
life started on earth”. This too is a rejection of God’s revelation in Scripture – and not only what we find in the early chapters of Genesis. Indeed God’s work in creation is repeatedly referred to both explicitly and implicitly throughout the Bible. How good it would be for this generation to learn the relevance of Archibald Alexander’s advice: “Look upon the Bible as the only source of infallible instruction upon earth”.2
Let us return to Bernard Williams’ reference to “the awfulness of being perpetually alive”. This depends entirely on how one occupies oneself. If one cannot escape from unpleasant or tedious activities, the thought of having to continue in them for ever would be most unwelcome; and most certainly eternal suffering will be totally awful. But if we listen to God’s revelation, we find that sin is the root of all the unpleasantness and awfulness that there has ever been in this world and of all the terrible suffering in the next – and we must not minimise the seriousness of our own sin. But it is also revealed that there is a way of escape from sin and its consequences. If we are to find that way of escape, we must take seriously both the Bible and the God who has revealed Himself in it.
We must take seriously the warnings about continuing in the way of sin: for instance, “Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat” (Mt 7:13). Further, we have encouragements to return to God: “Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin” (Ezek 18:30). But how can the sinner escape from the eternal ruin which is the result of sin? Again it is the Bible which must instruct us, as applied by the Holy Spirit; it assures us that “this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim 1:15). He, the Son of God, became man; He took upon Himself the guilt of an innumerable multitude of human beings; He died in their place; and He is now “exalted . . . to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance . . . and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31). Thus Christ freely gives to unworthy sinners the repentance that God has commanded. How we ought to trust in Him!
The moment the sinner leaves the broad way and begins to trust in Christ, he starts to find spiritual things attractive, and that new set of attitudes to the things of God he will never lose. Such attitudes are imperfect in this life; the love for sin, while subdued, is not totally removed, but the new desires in the soul – for holiness, for growth in grace, for instruction from the Word of God, for fellowship with Him, which are all the result of the new birth – continue to strengthen. And when the soul is brought to glory, such desires will become perfect – not least the desire to worship God and praise Him. So
2J W Alexander, The Life of Archibald Alexander, Sprinkle Publications reprint, 1991, p 468.
there can be no possibility of weariness or boredom in continuing to exist eternally, endlessly learning more and more about God and praising Him in the light of that increasing knowledge.
There is no inevitability that our eternal existence will turn out to be awful; it depends entirely on where we will spend eternity: in heaven or in hell. Life is passing, and the longer we live the more quickly it seems to pass. If we are wise, we will earnestly seek to avoid the “awfulness” of eternal suffering, and instead be prepared to enter the perpetual happiness of existence in heaven. In this short, uncertain life we must make use of all the means of grace available to us: including Bible reading, public worship, meditation on what we have read and heard – and all bathed in prayer. Another year has almost passed; this should powerfully remind us that the time left to us to prepare for eternity is dwindling away. Soon, very soon, our time in this world – and our opportunities to prepare for the next – will have come to a definite end.
A way of salvation – a way that leads to eternal life – is revealed to us in Scripture. There is no other way; so Peter insisted: “Neither is there salvation in any other [than the Lord Jesus]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Although it is part of the Bible’s consistent witness, this is another truth that is almost universally rejected by modern society, which demands equal respect for every form of religion, including secularism. Yet those who demand complete toleration, for themselves, their beliefs and their practices, may be unwilling to tolerate attempts to propagate anything that approximates to consistently-biblical Christianity. Someone insisting on the basis of God’s revelation that, for instance, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Ps 9:17), is liable to be accused of hate speech, although to do so may well be rightly described as “speaking the truth in love” (Eph 4:15).
We must base all our thinking on the fact that every statement in the Bible is absolutely true. In particular the Lord says to us: “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not” (Prov 8:33). Whether sinner or saint, believer or unbeliever, everyone’s existence will continue throughout eternity. Let us be wise; let us receive the truth made known in the Scriptures; let us look to Christ revealed there as the One who took the place of sinners and suffered their punishment. But let us not refuse that unspeakably-wonderful gift and the testimony that comes from a gracious God. The consequences of so refusing are infinitely awful. God asks, “Why will ye die?” (Ezek 18:31). Matthew Poole comments, “There is no other way for you to be delivered; your old ways and heart will end in death”. God calls in the gospel: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).