Ask the Pastor – Where we will spend eternity

Question:

Dear Pastor Mike,

I would like to know where we will spend eternity. Some people say that we will go to heaven when Jesus comes and stay there. Others say that we will go to heaven, but we will come back to this earth to spend eternity. What does the Bible say about this?

Answer:

Before we see where the Bible says we will spend eternity, let’s look at some background information, which should help us understand this issue.

On the sixth day of creation, the Bible tells us that God said: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . .” Genesis 1:26. Verse 27 continues, “So God created man in his [own] image, . . . male and female created he them.” Genesis 2:7 tells us how this was done: “And the Lord God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life . . . .”

Man was formed out of the dust of this earth’s surface. The very elements of which man consists come from this planet. That in itself is significant. Man did not come from some foreign soil in outer space. Man is an earth creature.

When sin entered this planet, God had to delay His plan for this particular world, for the man and the woman and for all the rest of creation. We can now only glean little glimpses of just what God had in mind. But it must have been something! Every thing that God had created was good. (Genesis 1:31.)

Sin has caused a delay in the realization of God’s plan for some 6,000 years. But one day soon sin will no longer be able to interrupt God’s plan. That which He planned out long ago will become a reality to the redeemed and to this earth.

When God called Abraham, He gave him a promise that he and his offspring would inherit this earth. (See Genesis 17:8.) The Hebrews were to multiply upon the face of the earth, and they were to occupy the entire land. Sadly, the plan that God had for Abraham never reached fulfillment. When Jesus came to earth and died, the nation of Israel was cast aside and those who follow Jesus took its place. Jesus, speaking to the leadership of His day in Matthew 23:38, tells them, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” The apostle Paul tells us in Galatians 3:29, “If [ye be] Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

The promise to Abraham is not lost. It will still be realized, but now through those who follow Jesus. When He comes back again, He will take us to heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 assures us of that. But we are also told that after the 1,000 years of Revelation 20 are over, God is going to create a new earth. (See Revelation 21:1–7.) This new earth will be the home of the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from God. The inheritance will then become a reality. This earth will be the home of the redeemed throughout eternity. Jesus promised us this. (See Matthew 5:5.) So, we are going to heaven, for a while. But we will come back to earth and live here forever.

Pastor Mike Baugher is Associate Speaker for Steps to Life Ministry. If you have a question you would like Pastor Mike to answer, e-mail it to Landmarks@stepstolife.org, or mail it to LandMarks, P. O. Box 782828, Wichita, KS 67278.