Impacting Eternity From Time
"And Hezekiah ...showed them the house of his treasures,
the silver and gold, the spices and precious ointment,
and all his armory, all that was found among his treasures."
Isaiah 39:2
Who wouldn't be proud of all this wealth? Hezekiah was only too happy to show them off to visitors who came from afar. But pride is a serious fault that will always bring a person down. God sent the prophet Isaiah with a word for king Hezekiah:
vs 5-6:
"Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah,
'Hear the word of the Lord of Hosts:
Behold, the days are coming
when all that is in your house,
and what your fathers have accumulated
until this day, shall be carried to Babylon;
nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord."
Nothing is permanent. People spend a lot of time and thought concerning what mark they hope to leave upon the world, and what treasures they will leave for their children. For many, this is one way human beings deal with the awareness of their own mortality. How important it becomes to many - to leave one's footprint behind for posterity.
But alas! Everything left behind will come to its end. We're coming close to the end of this age. Soon the "Great Tribulation" will begin, ending in terrible destruction upon the earth. Jesus Christ said that this period will be worse than anything the world has ever experienced before it or ever will thereafter. Multitudes will die, a large percentage of the population of planet earth will perish.The Bible's descriptions of this period sound very much like nuclear devastation. And this seven-year period will end ...with the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who will put an end to evil men, carnage, perversion, and deception - and bring in an age of peace, truth, righteousness, and true prosperity. He will reign for a thousand years with a rod of iron upon this earth.
But even that will come to an end.
The Scriptures show us that after the millennial reign of Jesus Christ on this earth there will be a final rebellion in which all rebels will be removed. And then ...what? Another age? An even better time?
No. The millennial Kingdom will end with "The Great White Throne Judgment" (Revelation 20:11) in which all unsaved persons will stand to be judged, and to be sent to "The Lake of Fire," (vs 13-15).
Then, after the White Throne Judgment, there will be a tremendous transformation of all of creation. All that was ...will be dissolved. The skies and the earth will be done away with (Revelation 21:1), never more to be tainted with sin and destruction. Satan will have been permanently cast into the Lake of Fire, never more to deceive the nations. The Lord Jesus Christ will have made a total end to all that was.
And then ...he creates "a new heaven and a new earth," (vs 21).
This is also foretold in the Old Testament:
"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth,
and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;"
Isaiah 65:17-18
Friends, you cannot leave anything behind. All is going to be done away with. The world's great wonders, the priceless works of art and sculpture, all the books, all works of all kinds, all, every single thing - is going to be dissolved. Nothing from this world will remain.
Therefore ...how important it is to the wise to focus instead on what WILL remain, and that is ...yourself, and all those you will succeed in winning to Christ for eternity. All the work you did in service to Christ which has impacted lives for eternity, these are the only things that will remain forever.
What could be more important therefore, than spending your days abiding in the Word of God and seeking how he will have you serve him as you live out your last days here? A very wise man once said, "From your position in time, you can impact eternity." Let this be the one thing that consumes all your desire, all your plans, all your efforts; for these and only these will remain ...forever.