“My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.” (Proverbs 3:1-2 NKJV)
“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours? The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for-both wealth and honor-so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” (1 Kings 3:9-14 NIV)
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise:that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3 NKJV)
I have been called…
…to help the children of God realize that it is our Father’s desire that as His children we live strong long lives worth living, without limit or end, with nothing missing or broken; therefore He designed us to live lives filled with purity, passion, power, and purpose; as in partnership with Him we expand the manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (here and now); regardless of our current age or condition.
From cover to cover the Bible makes the promise of longevity now and eternal life forever. There are actually two aspects to life that are clearly promised to those who are in the family of God. They speak to both the quality and duration of our lives.
“Everlasting life” refers to the duration of life that we have been given by our Creator. I was actually born already in possession of an everlasting life. I was not created to experience death. My spirit was God breathed which means that like Him I have no expiration date (my body and soul – mind were the result of the design of reproduction created by God in the way in which he created the original man and woman). I will live forever.
One day I will enter into the next season of life. I may get there by way of the grave (which is currently the most obvious way), or like Enoch and Elijah I may simply step from this life to the next without experiencing death (this is what I am claiming). Enoch walked and talked face to face with God and when the time was right he simply left this realm and entered into His Father’s realm. Elijah rode a whirlwind into the presence of God with no need to go by way of the grave. Either way, I will live forever.
“Eternal Life” speaks to the quality of my life experience. It seems like the most common perception of eternal life is that it begins when I step out of this body (die) and go to Heaven or Hell. Because of this, many see the grave as the launchpad to eternity. This mindset leads to a view of life in which all of the “best stuff” that God has to offer is waiting for me in a place I call “Heaven.” My life as a child of God becomes one of enduring the many trials and tribulations of this life as I wait with anxious anticipation for my glorious heavenly home someday. If my possession and experience of “Eternal Life” is locked away with God until I die and go to Heaven then the best I can hope for today are bread crumbs that fall from the banquet table of Heaven as I “Hold the Fort” and endure.
Based on my current understanding of Scripture, there is a literal Heaven and Hell. Heaven is the current dwelling place of my Daddy (my heavenly Abba Father – Papa). Hell is the future dwelling place of Lucifer and the fallen angels that were involved in the uprising in Heaven that they lost. It was created by God as the place of everlasting conscious torment for Satan (previously known as Lucifer) and his followers. God the Father is currently in Heaven from where he is active in the daily operations of His creation. Satan (along with his followers) is currently roaming throughout the earth seeking whom he may devour as he deceives, steals, kills, and destroys whoever will allow it (either by choice or due to lack of knowledge). Out of his hatred for God, he is frantically doing all he can to destroy the human race, knowing that his eternal destiny is drawing close.
God the Father is patiently waiting for all of the human race to be introduced to Jesus. Jesus is the way in which we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven now and forever. My Creator did not create me to die. He did not create me to be separated from Him in a place of eternal conscious torment. It is not his desire that I, or anyone else, perish. It is his desire and design that I enter into a deep and intimate relationship now and forever through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. As I currently understand Scripture my “Eternal Life” was fully launched at the split second that I entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (the Bible uses words like “born again” and “saved” to describe this experience) and will never end.
Bottom Line: I am currently living in the midst of a battle ground. There are many things going on around me that deceive me into thinking that it is impossible to actually experience “Heaven on Earth.” What I experience with my senses tries to convince me that eternal life is a future experience. This is where faith comes in. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. As I place my faith in Jesus and rely fully on the Holy Spirit, my eyes become open to the reality of the spiritual realm in which I am currently dwelling while still residing in this sin-sick, fallen world. Like Jesus, I begin to live from Heaven to this Earth here and now. I begin to build expectations of living today in the fullness of the Kingdom and no longer simply hold out and endure for Heaven some day. I no longer accept anything less than Heaven’s best in my life today. I go to war with the enemy, and work to enter into the rest of Jesus knowing that I am fighting a battle in a war that has already been won!
That is why I am so excited about…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 369: Late Life Assignment: Part 5 – The Promise: Strong, Long Lives: Part 1