Eternal life? What's the appeal?

[Aliensanctuary]

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IMHO only the "self" centered would get bored. "self" thinking wont be part of the new world

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Thank you for your correction, Amelia.

The focus of everyone in the Kingdom will be to serve others, with no thoughts of self. Only that would make life perfect. That's why we need so badly to do that in this life. We're all bugged, so there's nothing we can hide from God, only from each other.

We could try to think of other kinds of work that would be necessary in the New Jerusalem. Someone would need to tend and pick the fruit and veggies on the New Earth when they're ripe, maybe wash them, and then transport them to the city for consumption.

Maybe the entire fruit is edible, but if it has seeds and rinds, all of that needs to be disposed of, probably recycled.

So, in the Kingdom there will need to be gardeners, transporters, kitchen workers, janitors, etc, not to mention the jobs we can't even imagine, probably all service related. Some may become Messengers, while others will live onboard the Mt. Zion, traveling throughout the universe with God, maybe even participating in the creation of life on new worlds.

Personally, I don't really care what job I'm assigned, I'll just be very, very glad to be there, to see Earth restored, and of course, to actually see our King and his Father. Not to mention their amazing technology and fantastically huge starships.

[LifeHiscost]

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Aliensanctuary said:

Not to mention their amazing technology and fantastically huge starships.

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I would be interested in where you found information that indicates starships would be a part of necessary travel arrangements in the heavenly kingdom.

[:"red"] "And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding." [/] Daniel 9:20-22 KJV

<img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/DOVE.gif" alt="" />

[Nicodema]

Maybe mine is the heretic's viewpoint, but lately I've begun to think of eternal life in terms of quality rather than duration, and become comfortable with my own mortality. Not, mind you, that I want to die or that I'm OK with dying tomorrow, necessarily, but I'm OK with the idea of eventually ceasing to exist.

When you really come down to it, the SDA version of eternal life and eternal death are precisely the same thing, because in both cases, YOU die forever. In "eternal life" you die so Christ can live in/through you -- so it's not YOU living, but Him. You're not you anymore. You're Him in another form. In "eternal death" you're not you anymore either, you're just scattered decaying burned-up molecules. or something.

Bleh, this isn't the direction I intended to go with this. LOL. Oh well.

[Gail]

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I admit it - I am NOT a good representation to the world of a good Christian. I have doubts. I have concerns. I have very little faith. I don't go to church. I have a hard time understanding some (okay...a *lot*) of the Bible. I know I ask questions that make people uneasy. I'm sorry.

On the other hand - I am learning. I am a searcher for the truth. I am so teachable it hurts. I do believe in God. I do believe in Christ. I do believe in grace. And in the face of hell I havent given up trying to get to KNOW Christ.

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Pam, this is what came to my mind the moment I read what you wrote:

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Don't ever get tired of hungering and thirsting for God's answers to your ponderings!

And even if you don't think you are a good example, I would rather listen to your questions than to someone who feels that s/he has the answers to everything. Being teachable is being humble, and the Bible says that if you humble yourself in the sight of the Lord then He will lift you up

You are doing fine!!! <img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif" alt="" />

[Gregory Matthews]

Nico:

You have hit upon something that many SDAs have not understood. Biblically, "eternal life" has two meanings. One refers to the quality of the life, that is how the Bible can say that eternal life is in the NOW. The second meaning in in the quantity of the life. In heaven "eternal life" will be without end.

[David Koot]

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Gregory Matthews said:

Biblically, "eternal life" has two meanings. One refers to the quality of the life, that is how the Bible can say that eternal life is in the NOW. The second meaning in in the quantity of the life. In heaven "eternal life" will be without end.

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I understand the Bible to teach that eternal life does in fact begin now. That is, when a person accepts Jesus as his Savior, he becomes a part of the kingdom of God, the family of God, and his eternal life begins AT THAT MOMENT. So long as he stays with Jesus, it continues. Granted, he may experience a temporary lapse until the resurrection--but his life is hid with Christ in God, and at the resurrection, he will rise to continue the life which began on this earth.

Dave

[Gerr]

Pam, I finally got access to my DVD that has the book "Education" in it. The last chapter is about the school of the hereafter, and the field of study is the universe, and the master teacher is none other than the "Infinite One" Himself!

[:"blue"]"There will be open to the student, history of infinite scope, and of wealth inexpressible. Here, from the vantage ground of God's word, the student is afforded a view of the vast field of history and may gain some knowledge of the principles that govern human events....." Ed 303.

She goes on to say that all the perplexities of life will be made plain. There will be music there that no mortal ear has ever heard.

"There every power will be developed, every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will be new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of body mind and soul.

All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God's children. ...." Ibid 306. [/]

Please read the whole chapter.

Gerry

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I don't have the book...I will find it online and see what all it says..

Truly, I would LOVE to find out and be convinced that eternal life would be a wonderful thing. <img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

[Nicodema]

But with finite brains, despite an infinite universe to explore, we would soon reach the PHYSICAL limitations of our construction, I would think, and grow bored -- "self" or no self (the whole "self" business is another stupid chestnut that in my opinion is not germane to this discussion -- no offense intended to those who consider it to be). The fact of the matter is, we each DO have a self, and it is a finite machine at that, and will be even post-bodily-resurrection, if you believe in bodily resurrection.

After 41 trips around the sun HERE, I have found myself starting to grow old in more ways than one. Not just aches of the body but to some extent a fraying of the mind, a gradual but distinct diminishing of that original "kid at Christmas" feeling about life, wanting to explore every new moment and corner, etc. There just isn't a lot left to explore -- or more to the point, as I age I find myself narrowing my confines more and more because my preferences have become deeper established and my sense of time is shortening and I no longer wish to waste precious time on experiments or mistakes. I want to make better use of what time is left to me in the patterns I have established as being successful for returning satisfaction and joy. At my age, practicality becomes an issue as well. I do NOT have "my whole life ahead of me" in the sense that I did at 19 or 20. I have maybe 30 years at best, and an increasing sense of speed with which they fly by.

Granted, given a bodily resurrection for a forever life span, none of those things will be issues, so perhaps the mentality will be different. But at this stage of life looking at things and weighing them out, I would not want to live forever always having to endure the same hassles, the same tiresome repetition of things I've already long ago learned just because someone else has yet to grow the heck up, etc. I'm not in any hurry to die, I just can't see myself enduring human stupidity for eternity -- my own or anyone else's. And I guess that's what it boils down to.

[Gerr]

I have a camera that has a 1 gig memory card, which is about 1" square and about 1/16" in size. At 600X600 pixels it can accommodate almost 6000 pictures! Nico, I think you are limiting the brain's capabality way too much. Storing info in the molecular level by a brain liberated from the fetters of the fall.........think of it.

Gerry

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

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Gregory Matthews said:

Biblically, "eternal life" has two meanings. One refers to the quality of the life, that is how the Bible can say that eternal life is in the NOW. The second meaning in in the quantity of the life. In heaven "eternal life" will be without end.

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I've been pondering this...quality and quantity of eternal life...

Would eternal life in the *now* mean the highest quality of spiritual life a person could have? As in a completely dedicated life to Christ? (the *how* of doing that is completely eluding me..)

And then would being in the "kingdom of heaven" correspond somehow to eternal life in the *now*? <img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

[Gregory Matthews]

Eternal life in the "now" means that in a very limited way, one begins to experience the joy that awaits us at a later time in a much more way.

Christianity has something to offer now.

[Raphael]

Eternal life what's the appeal?

Appeal logically has something to do with comfort. Apealing to the eyes may mean comforting to the eyes. Apealing to the mind may mean comforting to the mind. Appealing to the heart may mean comforting to the heart.

Some simple measurable forms of comfort:

Sitting in an aircon-ionized room to sweating under the outdoors suns heat. Or in the other order for winter climates.

A full stomach to an absolutely empty one.

Clean, bathed, deodorized, powdered, shampooed to dirty, unbathed, smells, sweaty etc.

True, that how beautiful would be heaven would be beyond thought and imagination, but still you could probe roughly through the murky glass and get a glance of what comforts await over there.

Heaven air conditions would be beyond that of 5 star hotel air conditions. Forest would be not only thistle free, but most walk friendly. Human best arrange parks and gardens that we marvel here would not comparable to park, garden, foliage conditions in heaven. Forest would be arranged with human usage in mind in heaven, unlike here where animals are monarchs of the forests.

Remember how God likes to design with symmetry? It will be applied. There will be no starkly estranged designs to the environment.

EGW has already mentioned the quality of light as brighter, better..

Just summing physical environment features is difficult, what more emotionally, which is something that can most suitably be experienced, not described. No more of any form of depression or unhappiness, only pure delight..

If you keep on trying to find out clearly the comforts of an eternal life in heaven you may find contrary values .. Common values on earth value almost everything universally in money. In heaven, it is the end product, free.. and surpassing any quality level here. Not mentioning things that may not be existing here now being existing in that heavenly paradise. That is beyond thought cause you would have to wait to be in heaven to know.

I believe Satan would most enjoy the physical realms of heaven but not it's spiritual realm. Some say that the spiritual realm in heaven would be a form of hell to him.

There is that story of that person who found a most valuable

pearl or treasure and sold everything he owned to possess it. It sounds soo fable, yeah? But it's true that it is indeed like fables because it's faith with evidence that enables one to know that it is true unlike fables.

God loves you,

Raphael