…He [God] has planted eternity in the human heart…
Ecclesiastes 3:11
How do you answer the question, “How long is eternity?”
Eternity is immeasurable and outside of time.
We talk about eternal love as a love that never ends.
And about eternity as living forever.
Where do these concepts come from?
God. God put eternity in our hearts. That’s what Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us.
How could He do that?
Well, God is eternal. He did it when He created the breath of life into us (Genesis 2:7).
So, why do we look elsewhere for the answers? Why do we rely on those who don’t know God to define the terms?
Have you ever known a human who has experienced or discovered eternity?
The only one I know is Jesus, who came from eternity to live as a man on this earth for 33 years. He is God, and I know Him from the Bible, God’s word to us.
God’s word is also eternal in that it endures, remains, abides, and stands forever (1 Peter 1:25).
Think about it: the eternal One is the One who told us about eternity in His Word.
In other words, if you want to know how long eternity is, you must look at what the Bible says.
Table of Contents
How Long is Eternity?
We can’t fully comprehend eternity as humans because we live in time. But we learn in the Bible that eternity has no beginning or end and that God is eternal. Eternity is without measure, infinite, everlasting. In other words, it’s forever in either direction. Additionally, the Bible tells us we will all live in eternity in one of two places. Therefore, thinking about and understanding the concept of eternity is of supreme importance.
Eternity is Forever
Even though none of us have yet experienced eternity, nor can we fully wrap our minds around it, we know what it is. It’s something or someone that lasts forever; eternity never ends.
Where do we get this concept?
We get it from God, who set eternity in our hearts.
It’s why we long to live forever or think our love for another will never end. It’s why we often use the word “forever” even though we have never experienced it nor discovered it.
You know time and numbers don’t have an end, nor have scientists found the edge of the universe. It’s called infinity.
We watch movies that speak of immortality even though the world doesn’t know the secret.
Some people define eternity as lasting a really long time because it’s incomprehensible.
But we can try in our finite minds to put eternity into perspective.
Putting Eternity Into Perspective
God is Eternal
We get our idea of eternity from God. Not only did God put eternity on our hearts, He Himself is eternal. We know this because the Bible tells us. The Bible is also eternal in that it endures, abides, remains, and lives forever (1 Peter 1:25).
…from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Psalm 90:2
The high and lofty one [God] who lives in eternity…
Isaiah 57:15
…and there he [Abraham] called on the name of the Lord, the eternal God.
Genesis 21:33
[God speaking] Even from eternity, I am He…
Isaiah 43:13
Does Time End in Eternity?
The Bible doesn’t say one way or another. Simply put, we don’t know. However, it’s possible that time will go on.
We know that God, who lives outside of time and space, can come into the world (therefore, in time and space).
In Genesis, we read about when God came to the Garden of Eden and fellowshipped with Adam and Eve daily.
Most importantly, Jesus (who is God) came and lived on the earth, died, and rose again, and He is now back in heaven.
There are other accounts, but you get the idea.
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Eternity Involves Everyone
Does eternity start when you are born or when you die? Is life on this earth just the beginning? Are our souls eternal?
Again, we will look at what the Bible says:
Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
Genesis 2:7
[At the end of life] For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
In some sense, we are born eternal creatures, but the bodies we are born with are not. They were created from the dust of the ground and will return to dust (think cremation).
But our spirits or souls are eternal. They will return to God for judgment.
And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment.
Hebrews 9:27
Why We Should Care
The reason we should care is that God will judge everyone. Not for whether they were good enough to get into heaven but for what they did with Jesus.
The Bible speaks in terms of eternal life and eternal death. Eternal life is life with God, and eternal death is life without Him.
Life with God is in Heaven (or the New Earth), and life without God is in Hell.
There are many misconceptions about both places, and suffice it to say that the Bible teaches that eternal life is glorious while eternal death is tortuous.
And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
Daniel 12:2
And they [the unrighteous] will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.
Matthew 25:46
The way to receive eternal life is through Jesus.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
John 14:6
When you face judgment, God will already know what you chose. It will be too late to change your mind. Therefore, you only have this life on earth to decide where you will spend eternity.
Three Lies We Believe About Eternity
How Long is Eternity?
Final Thoughts
So, how long is eternity? It’s forever and longer than you or I can fully grasp.
When we use the term “forever” or “eternal,” we only speak of a concept and often as a feeling.
We say things such as, “This line is taking forever,” when we are impatient with how long we have to wait.
Or “Our love is eternal,” when two people wish to express that they will never stop loving each other.
Yet, no one has experienced eternity, nor have scientists discovered it. It remains elusive.
And apart from the Bible (God’s word to us), we would know even less about eternity. It would still be a part of us, but with no way to understand it unless God revealed it another way.
However, the Bible clearly tells us we will all experience eternity, either with or without God, who is Himself, eternal. We will all live forever.
Therefore, knowing what the Bible says about our eternal existence is extremely important.
Do you know where you will spend eternity?
On what do you base your answer?