Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
What do you think of when you hear the word “eternity?” Does the term “boring” ever come to mind?
We live in a temporal frame of reference called time. Our time is based on three basic facts that are unique to our planet. Our day is one rotation of the earth around its axis. Our year is one rotation of our earth around the sun. Our month is roughly based on the cycle of light and dark that falls on the face of the moon. It seems unlikely that there is any other place in all creation that would have the same sense of “time” that we who live on earth have.
In heaven, God is the center of all things. Time in the earthly sense has no place. Scripture equates a day with the Lord with a thousand years* on earth. It might be making a literal comparison, but it seems more likely to be a figurative way of saying that time does not exist in the presence of God. There is no need for it. God is unchanging. He does not have seasons nor does he come and go like the waning of the moon’s light.
Instead of being defined as something in the context of time, Jesus tells us that eternal life is knowing God and knowing Jesus. Imagine that.
The only thing I can compare this to in my mind is what it is like to be “in love.” Those in love are lost in love when they are together. Time seems to evaporate. When they are apart, time becomes a painful measure of the distance between them. Since Jesus is all about love, perhaps he is telling us that eternity is like being in love.
Food for Thought: Imagine for a moment that you are transported away from earth and find yourself with God and Jesus. What is that moment like for you?
*Psalm 90: 4, 2 Peter 3:8
This is exactly what I am hoping for. Being with Jesus is our hope and being taken to be with Him is our anticipation. So I would imagine it would be exciting and very joyful.
It is my hope based in a promise. I expect it to be better beyond my categories to fully understand.