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People are obsessed with the future. In books and movies, the future is depicted in interesting ways. “The Matrix,” for example, shows a future where a giant artificial intelligence system takes over people’s minds and creates an illusion of a real world. Then there’s “WALL-E,” which shows future humans riding around another planet in hovering machines while being blissfully happy doing nothing.
The Bible tells us that the future extends beyond earth, but not in the way sci-fi films often depict. God created us to exist forever (Ecclesiastes 3:11). When we die and leave this earth, we will spend eternity somewhere. The Bible promises that everyone who asks Jesus into their life will spend eternity in heaven with Him (John 3:16).
While science fiction imagines all sorts of possibilities for the future, Jesus was much more concerned with helping us understand the reality of eternity. In John 14:1–3, Jesus describes heaven as a real place where He will live with His disciples:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Jesus tells us we get to choose whether or not we’ll spend eternity with Him: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24). Eternal life with Jesus starts the minute we ask Him into our lives. The life we start with Jesus on earth will continue into eternity. …
We often think we have to earn eternity in heaven, but Jesus showed us otherwise. While Jesus hung on the cross, He told one of the criminals next to Him, “I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This man didn’t have a lifetime of good deeds to point back to, and he never got a chance to turn from his life of crime. He simply believed in Jesus, and that was enough.
When Jesus returned to heaven, His disciples continued to drive this point home, writing, “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9). … Heaven isn’t reserved for a select few. It’s open to everyone who will put their trust in Jesus.—Newspring Church1
Finishing well
The Bible reminds us often of the brevity of life and the certainty of death. … But the Bible also reminds us, as C. S. Lewis put it, that “there are better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
At a date certain, you are going to die and so am I. God knows exactly when and how, but we do not. What we do know is that when that time comes, it will be too late to go back and take care of things we overlooked, neglected, or postponed. And it raises the question: How can we be ready for our departure from this world, which is getting closer each day?
The apostle Paul’s example can stimulate our thinking and preparation for how to die well. … In his final letter, he said to Timothy,
I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6–8).
Paul told the Philippians that his passion was “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Philippians 3:10). After three decades of knowing and following Jesus, Paul says that he longs to know Him more intimately and become more like Him.
But Paul is not yet where he wants to be with Christ, and he goes on to say:
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:12–14).
Paul is telling us that he has not arrived at perfection, and he repeats himself to emphasize the point. Many—perhaps most of us—can identify with him on this. Neither have we arrived at the intimacy with Christ and the Christlike life to which God calls us. We fall short. …
There is a way forward, and Paul demonstrates it. He doesn’t let his past failures and defeats discourage and hold him back. Instead, like a marathon runner, he strains vigorously to press toward the goal. …
If we will heed Paul’s exhortation to faithfully pursue Jesus in daily discipleship and run the race ahead with perseverance, we will be ready to face the hour of our death as Paul did his, with confident hope!—Thomas A. Tarrants2
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Sometimes I grow homesick for heaven
And the glories I there shall behold.
What a joy that will be
When my Savior I see
In that beautiful city of gold.
We’ll never pay rent for our mansion;
The taxes will never come due.
Our garments will never grow threadbare,
But always be fadeless and new.
We’ll never be hungry or thirsty,
Nor languish in poverty there;
For all the rich bounties of heaven,
His sanctified children will share.
—Frederick Martin Lehman (1868–1953)
Keeping our focus on eternity
When seeking Jesus for encouragement for any difficulties that we or one of our friends or loved ones or others around us may be experiencing, it’s important to not lose focus of the life to come. When we remind ourselves of the scriptures on the glory of heaven, compared to the pain, sorrows, and problems of this life, it’s a wonderful assurance to know that everyone who puts their trust in Jesus has a wonderful future ahead!
Let’s not get so focused on the difficulties of the present that we fail to keep eternity in mind. God knew that His children would need His assurances of a heavenly future to give them hope. His Word tells us to “think on the good things, the true things, the pure things, the lovely things, those things that are excellent and praiseworthy and of good report” (Philippians 4:8), which is a fitting description of heaven.
In Revelation, John described the new heaven and new earth, which is helpful to us to adjust our focus upward:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:1–5).
Eventually, we’re going to spend eternity in heaven, a place of eternal love and joy: “No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
We can make God’s promises about heaven a part of our foundation of faith, just as we have done with the knowledge of our salvation. We can stand on these promises during times when things look dark. God didn’t have to tell us in advance of the tremendous realities that await us in heaven. But He knew that this vision of the future would motivate us and help us to continue overcoming the struggles of daily life.
As blessed as we are by His salvation, and as vital as our place is in this world as His messengers, of course we can expect challenges, we can expect troubles, we can expect that there will be struggles. But, even in that, we are not alone. He showers us with His blessings as He guides us through the difficulties of this life. He is always greater than our troubles.
When you need renewal, when you feel weary, keep reminding yourself of the realities of heaven. Then, remind yourself of what He’s doing on this earth and the importance of your purpose and place as one of His children. Face your difficulties with faith and courage, knowing that through your example you can give others the opportunity to find hope in Jesus and the truth they hunger for.—Maria Fontaine
Published on Anchor February 2026. Read by Jerry Paladino. Music by Michael Dooley.
1 “Nine times Jesus talks about eternity,” Newspring Church, https://newspring.cc/articles/nine-times-jesus-talks-about-eternity
2 Thomas A. Tarrants, “Will You Be Ready?” C. S. Lewis Institute, October 23, 2024, https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/will-you-be-ready/
