John Bevere - Defining Eternity
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So this is what I want to ask you: What is guiding and motivating your life on this Earth? Is it the Eternal, or is it our cultural thinking? Is it our own opinions? Is it based on Divine wisdom, or are we comparing ourselves to one another? Welcome to Driven by Eternity. This is going to be an amazing study. It’s amazing because the Spirit of God is all over it, and it’s loaded with the Eternal Word of God. I believe, just as what happened with me, my life was impacted forever. More than any book I’ve ever written has this book affected my life. The same thing is going to happen with you.
Now, why is it important to talk about the Eternal? I’ll tell you this right now: The Bible tells us that eternal judgments and rewards are elementary doctrines of Jesus Christ. I want you to think about what you learned in elementary school—how to read, write, add, and subtract. Can you imagine building your high school education without knowing how to read, write, add, or subtract? That’s what Christians are trying to do—building their Christian lives without understanding eternal rewards and judgment.
So how do we set this up? I even cried out to God, asking how I should share this with people. He said, «Tell a story.» This led to an eighty-some-page story called Aphabelle. It is so important that you either read this or listen to it. The other thing that’s crucial is to read this book. I only get six thirty-minute sessions with you; however, this is the longest book I’ve ever written, and it took over four hundred hours to write. There is so much in this book that will personally transform your life in a way you’ve never experienced before. Let’s get into this study. Let’s delve into the life-transforming truth of being driven by eternity.
All right, welcome to the Driven by Eternity study. I’m so excited! We have friends here from all over. We have friends from Canada, friends from Hong Kong, and friends from all over Colorado coming together to discuss this most important subject called Driven by Eternity. You know, when God spoke to me and told me to write this book, I remember as I wrote it. As most of you know, I’ve written nineteen books now, but no book has ever impacted me personally like this one, Driven by Eternity. And I have to say this because it’s ten years old; we’re doing a ten-year anniversary, and we’ve never received so many testimonies of lives changed because of one study.
So why talk about eternity? Why invest the time? I mean, some of you might be thinking, «Gosh, I have so much to deal with on a daily basis.» Well, here’s the situation: When you have an eternal perspective—and here’s the deal—in my travels, I meet many Christians who have an 80 to 90-year perspective. When you have an 80 to 90-year perspective, your decisions will differ. You’ll see things differently; you won’t endure things you would otherwise endure with an eternal perspective. So it’s crucial that we as believers don’t view our lives as just 80 or 90 years. We must see it from the Eternal perspective.
So the first thing we have to do is talk about eternity. Let’s discuss eternity. Job 36:26 states, «This is an amazing verse of Scripture: no one can begin to understand eternity.» I was meditating on this, and I thought, «Well, let me check the dictionaries.» If no one can understand eternity, what do the dictionaries say? It was fascinating! I went to several dictionaries, and these are two very well-known ones. The first one said, «infinite time,» and the second said, «the state of existing outside of time.» I threw my hands up and said, «How come we don’t question this?» Can you imagine two science books? One says a fish is a vertebrate living outside of water; the other says a fish is a vertebrate living inside of water. You’d say, «Let’s investigate,» and you’d throw one of them away, right? Why don’t we do that here? Because no one can begin to understand eternity.
Let me prove it to you. Just think about something that is infinite. Our minds cannot comprehend infinite subjects. Think about it: Where’s the end of the universe? Tell me where it is. Is there a wall there? What’s the wall made of? Is the other side of the wall the end of the universe? If so, is there no space on the other side? You can’t comprehend the end of the universe. Try thinking about God. Just try. No beginning; nobody created Him; no father, no mother, no start. Psalm 90:2 says, «From everlasting to everlasting, you are God.» How can we grasp that? We can’t, but here’s what’s amazing: What is incomprehensible to our minds, God has placed in our hearts. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, «God has put eternity in our hearts.»
Now, that is amazing! This is why the Bible says in Psalm 14:1, «The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'» It doesn’t say the fool has said in his mind. There are atheists, and I want you to hear me: There are atheists who, deep down in their hearts, believe God exists. Let me tell you about a friend of Lisa and me. He has since gone to be with the Lord, but years ago he was one of the top surgeons in Oklahoma. He was a very staunch atheist. In fact, if someone tried to witness to him, he’d throw their Bibles down and stomp on them. He had alarming symptoms in his body because he was a doctor; he knew something was wrong. He went back to his hometown, where his doctor friends opened him up. They closed him back up and said, «Simon, you’ve got to sign. You have 24 hours to live.»
Now, this is his words: «I lay in bed that night and thought, 'I’m going to the house, and it’s not the right house.'» Isn’t that amazing? He died twice that night. He describes his experience of going into hell, and yet they revived him twice. The next day, one of his doctor friends came and prayed with him to receive Jesus Christ as his Lord, Master, and Savior. Then the friend asked, «Do you want Him as your healer?» He said, «Oh my gosh, yes!» He walked out of the hospital three weeks later and lived for many years afterward, testifying of the Lord around the world.
So it’s the fool who says in his heart there’s no God because he denies what God has placed there. There is no excuse, and I’ll show you that in the next session. So let’s define eternity. The best way I know how is to read it straight from the book, as this is the result of hours of meditation and prayer. Eternity is everlasting; there is no end. However, it’s not just a matter of ceaseless time. It is not subject to time; rather, time is subject to it. To speak of eternity in mere terms of perpetual duration is to miss the full picture. To grasp eternity, we must look at God Himself. God is limitless in power, virtue, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, just to name a few. He is self-existent. He forever was and forever will be God. He is called Everlasting Father in Isaiah 9:6, the Father of Eternity. He is called the King of Eternity in 1 Timothy 1:17. All that is eternity is found in Him; eternity itself is found in Him. All that is outside of Him is temporal and will change, no matter how good, noble, powerful, or enduring it may seem; it will eventually cease. What God speaks is eternal; He cannot lie, nor can what He says be broken. Therefore, there can never be a change to what He says, or He would no longer be eternal.
Now, think about that. Everything about God is eternal, including His judgments. That is really hard for us to understand in today’s society, where our judgments and laws are changing constantly. I read recently about a 52-year-old man who has self-identified as a six-year-old girl. He is wearing a nice little dress, has his hair in pigtails, holds a big doll, and has abandoned his wife and children, living with individuals who are raising him as their child. He loves to drive his tractor as a six-year-old girl. My question is, why isn’t anyone saying something about this? Why are we doing television interviews? What happens twenty years from now? Is he then a 26-year-old girl? How does he relate to society?
I look at another documentary where a man self-identified as a dog. I watched him open a can of dog food, put it in a bowl, and eat it on all fours. A study done at the University of Washington was fascinating; this guy interviewed students and said, «Hey, what would you say if I claimed to be Chinese?» They replied, «Oh, that’s cool!» Then he said, «What if I said I was a six-foot-five Chinese person?» They said, «Cool dude, good for you!» Then he said, «What if I said I was a six-foot-five Chinese woman?» A girl looked at him and replied, «Good for you!»
Twenty years ago, we would have said, with compassion, «You need professional help,» to someone behaving like a six-year-old. Today, we have no enduring judgments or standards. This is not the way it is with God. He is from everlasting to everlasting; therefore, His word does not change. So many today are not building their lives on the Eternal. So, what are we going to do when we stand before Him in judgment? You say, «Oh come on, John, is there really a Judgment Day? Didn’t Hollywood make that up? Didn’t people create that to scare others?» No, there really is an appointed day in which God will judge the whole world through Jesus Christ. The early church spoke frequently about this. Look at Acts 17:30–31: «God commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him, for He has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man He has appointed, and He proved to everyone who this is by raising Him from the dead.»
You might say, «Gosh, that sounds scary.» Well, let me show you: The Apostle Paul preached to a guy named Felix and his wife, Drusilla. This was no ordinary guy; this was a governor, someone prominent, and the entire courtroom was filled with prominent people. Look at what Paul preached to him. Remember, Felix was not saved, and he reasoned with them about righteousness, self-control, and the coming day of judgment. Felix became frightened and said, «Go away for now; when it is more convenient, I’ll call for you again.» He was scared! Let me tell you something: There is unhealthy fear, and there is healthy fear.
I remember when I was in grade school; we had a two-day session on drugs. They informed us about the effects of LSD and heroin. It put a healthy fear in me. Even as a non-believer and party boy before I got saved, I avoided drugs because of that healthy fear. God talking to us about Judgment Day doesn’t produce an unhealthy fear; it establishes a healthy fear, and we’re missing that today.
Can you say amen? Now, I want to share the foundational scripture for our study. Hebrews 6:1 states, «Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of eternal judgment.» According to the writer of Hebrews, eternal judgments are an elementary or foundational doctrine. Think about what you learn in elementary school: You get all your building blocks to build the rest of your education; you learn how to read, write, add, and subtract. Can you imagine building a high school or college education without knowing how to do these basics? It’s impossible!
Do you know how many Christians today are trying to build a healthy Christian life without the elementary principle, the elementary teaching of Jesus Christ, which is eternal judgments? It is a foundation according to God. So, my question is, why aren’t we talking about it more? If you think I have passion, I do, because I have been praying and seeking God about this for weeks. I want to see the church return to the early church where they spoke of that day because it awakened something in people. God has put eternity in our hearts, and their preaching ignited that in people. Are you with me? Can you say amen?
Now, what we see here is eternal judgment. Everybody say, «Eternal judgment.» The problem is, when people hear the word judgment, they think condemnation. Let’s clear this up right now: The Greek word for judgment is «krima.» The basic root definition of this word is a decision. I will amplify this definition using some dictionaries that I have studied: «A decision resulting from an investigation, to separate, to make a decision and distinguish between good and evil.» This is what that word means. So, if we go back to Hebrews 6 and read it that way, it looks a bit different: «Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of eternal decisions.»
What does that tell us? On that appointed day when Jesus Christ judges mankind, judges the world, He will make decisions; He will conduct an investigation into every single one of our lives, whether you are saved or not. There are two different judgments, and we will address this: There is the judgment for the believer and the judgment for the person who never received Jesus Christ. However, at that judgment, He will investigate our lives, and as a result of that investigation, He will make decisions.
You know what that tells us? Eternal decisions mean there will never be any changes to those decisions; there will never be any revisions or alterations. They will stand forever! That’s amazing! Can you say amen? So the next question we need to ask is, «What’s the criteria for these decisions?» Don’t you think that would be essential to know? Jesus told us what it is. Look at John 12:48, where Jesus says, «He who rejects me and does not receive my words has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in that last day.» We already now know what the judgment will entail; there’s not going to be new revelations. There’s not going to be new things introduced; it’s what He’s already spoken. We already know the criteria of the Judgment seat.
I don’t know about you, but this excites me! When Jesus mentions «the last day,» that’s another way to refer to Judgment Day, as we saw in Acts 17. Now, James affirms what Jesus just stated. When we read the New Testament, do you realize it identifies itself in two ways: Scripture and the law of liberty? That’s the way the New Testament actually identifies itself. Look what James says: «So whatever you say or do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free, the law of liberty.» We know the criteria! There will not be any surprises because I can see Jesus saying, «But I said this! But I said that!» as people respond, «But Jesus…» The Word of God is the measure. Can you say amen?
Many believers and non-believers are ignorantly allowing that appointed day to hasten toward them without proper investigation. Let me give you an example of what’s happening in the spirit. You know we legalized marijuana here in Colorado a few years ago, right? There are many dispensaries in this state now, right? Let’s say someone from Colorado suddenly gets a chance to travel to Singapore, and they’re thrilled. They’ve never been there. I have been to Singapore many times, so I know that if you traffic drugs there, you’ll face execution by hanging or some other means.
So this person from Colorado thinks, «I need to make new friends in Singapore.» They fill their suitcase with marijuana they bought at a dispensary here. They fly to Singapore, excited to share their goodies. Suddenly, they get arrested and taken to jail. They exclaim, «Whoa, what’s happening?» They are brought before a judge, who says, «Death!» The individual replies, «Wait, what do you mean? Death? What did I do?» The judge responds, «You brought drugs into our nation.» The person says, «Where I’m from it’s legal. I bought it at a dispensary!» The judge states, «It doesn’t matter what your laws are where you come from; it matters what the law is in our nation.»
You have to understand: There is the Kingdom of Heaven, with certain laws and ways, and they may not translate here. Think of this analogy: Colorado is like heaven, while Singapore is like the kingdom of heaven. It’s crucial that we don’t allow this day to approach us without preparation. Do you want to be scared and ignorant, or do you want to know a loving God who gave His life on the cross for you? Do you want to know His expectations, or do you prefer ignorance and fear? That’s your choice.
I want to know! I want to know what God says because He made it possible for us to understand. Can you say amen to that? Here’s the deal: We can face this day with confidence! That’s a good place to say amen! How do I know this? Because He already told us in the law of liberty. Look what John says: «As we live in God, our love"—everybody say love—"grows more perfect.» Now, that word «perfect» literally means mature. Our love grows more mature, so we will not be afraid on the day of judgment. Oh, I love that! We can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
This tells me that when the love of God matures within us, it grants us confidence on the day of judgment. Why is that? Consider this scripture: 1 John 2:5 says, «But he who keeps His word, who observes His message in its entirety, in him truly has the love of and for God been perfected or matured.» Here’s the deal: We don’t fully understand what love is. I was praying recently, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me, saying, «Son, many of the people in my church only have a generic description of love.»
Let me explain what I mean. If you have a little child who doesn’t comprehend the difference between a man and a woman, you might tell them, «A man has two arms, two legs, two eyes, a nose, two ears, and hair.» That child can easily walk up and identify a man. However, if you haven’t explained the fundamental differences, they might misidentify someone. In the church, we say love is kind. Well, the love of the world is kind. We say love is patient. So is the love in the world! Love is not proud; it doesn’t parade itself. We don’t even like athletes who act too proud.
Instead, we need to point out the specific difference that separates the love of the world, which is «phileo,» from the love of God. Here it is: 1 John 5:3 states, «For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.» You want to know why they’re not burdensome? Because God has given us His grace, and that grace empowers us to obey His Word! Isn’t that exciting?
The key here is knowing what the King expects and simply obeying Him by the power of grace. You know, if I’m driving 80 miles an hour in a 65-zone, I’m not going to have confidence. I’ll be looking for a policeman. But if I’m driving 65 in a 65, I have confidence! I don’t even sweat getting arrested or receiving a ticket or anything else, right? Are you following me?
This is the key: Knowing what’s expected; that’s why it’s so important that we spend time in His Word. Can you say amen to that? Amen! There’s more to learn in this study! There are multiple judgments! I’ll only cover two: the Judgment of the world and the Judgment of believers. Did you know there’s a judgment of angels, and believers will be involved in that? The Bible specifically addresses this!
Here’s the deal: The Apostle Paul makes a statement, «I run with purpose in every step. I discipline my body like an athlete training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified.» You know what Paul is essentially saying? He’s saying, «I run with purpose.» He’s saying, «I’m driven by eternity!» If you look at the word «driven,» the definition means to propel, guide, control, direct, or supply the motive force.
When we understand eternity and remember it’s all wrapped in His Word—"Heaven and Earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away"—when we grasp His Word, it is like driving 65 in a 65 zone. We’re confident, at peace, happy, and fulfilled because we know the King of the Universe is pleased with us walking in His ways.
Can you say amen? This is what I want to ask you: What is guiding and motivating your life on this Earth? Is it the Eternal, or is it our cultural thinking? Is it our own opinions? Is it based on Divine wisdom, or are we comparing ourselves to one another? Is it founded on tradition, assumptions, or myths? Will what we’ve built our lives upon stand at the Judgment seat?
Let me tell you, to everyone going through this study: I said to God, «How do I communicate this to my generation?» God responded clearly, «Do what I did—tell a story.» From that, He inspired a story. It’s 82 or 83 pages long, and it’s called Aphabelle. This story has been read and listened to. We even went to Hollywood and produced it! This story illustrates the Judgment seat of Christ as well as the great white throne judgment. It’s vital that you listen to that before we proceed to the next session.
We’ll see you then for Session One, discussing the Eternal and how being driven by eternity influences our decisions. We’ll endure challenges we might not usually face. We’ll view things from a different perspective. The reality is we can face Jesus on that Judgment Day with great confidence because, as the love of God within us matures, we understand that keeping His commandments is central to that love. How can we keep His commandments if we don’t know what His Word says?
I encourage you as an action step after hearing this first session: Get in the Bible! But don’t do it alone; engage with the Holy Spirit. He’s the teacher who will illuminate the Word of God and how it applies to your life this week. Because what you do now determines how you will spend eternity.