Have you ever tried to imagine forever? Like really tried?
We throw around the word eternity a lot—but when we slow down and think about it, the idea is absolutely mind-blowing.
Forever isn’t just a long time—it’s something that doesn’t end. That’s wild to even try to grasp. But that’s what eternity is: something so far beyond our understanding of time that our minds can barely hold it.
Exactly how long is eternity?
We live in a world with schedules, deadlines, and moments that come and go. Get the kids to soccer practice today, carve out time for dinner with friends this weekend, plan that destination vacation for next summer. You know the drill. Time organizes our days, marks our memories, and defines our lives. Everything starts, everything ends. We’re born, we live, and one day we die.
But eternity doesn’t tick by on the same clock. It’s something far bigger—it’s timeless, endless, and far more real than we often realize.
When we talk about eternity, we’re not talking about millions or even billions of years. We’re talking about an existence that never wraps up. We’re also talking about something that didn’t start either – but something that always has been and always will be. For people who live in minutes and months, that’s hard to wrap our heads around. But it’s real.
God exists outside of time
Although we live in time, God doesn’t. He’s eternal—he always has been, and he always will be.
Psalm 90:2 says, “Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God.”
God operates in eternity. He’s outside of time. He sees the whole story—beginning, middle, and end—all at once. And he invites us and our linear time-bound story into his bigger, eternal story.
Eternity begins after this life
It’s an uncomfortable truth, but this life is short. The Bible calls our lives a “mist” or a “vapor”—here for a moment, then gone (James 4:14). To put it in perspective:
- Life is a grain of sand; eternity is all the beaches in the world.
- Life is one page; eternity is an endless library.
- Life is a single pixel; eternity is the entire IMAX screen.
Even these images don’t do the difference between the two justice. It’s from this perspective that troubles for the early church were communicated as light or momentary when in the moment they felt all-consuming to those experiencing them.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Corinthians 4:17
The Apostle Paul could write the verse above from a place of confidence knowing eternity is coming for us all. And when this life ends, eternity begins. But eternity isn’t just a destination—it’s an experience. Life is almost the interruption along the way; eternity is the real story.
For those who are with God, the experience of eternity is described as full of joy, peace, and connection with him—far greater than anything we can imagine. This is promised further in God’s Word describing why Jesus came to earth:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Jesus came to offer us something that lasts forever—life with him that begins now and continues beyond this world.
There are two eternal realities
One of the most sobering truths about eternity is that it’s not the same experience for everyone. The Bible is clear: there are two eternal destinations— eternity with God in heaven or eternity apart from God in hell.
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:46
That might feel heavy—but it’s also why the message of Jesus is so important. Eternity with God is everything good, healing, and redemptive, while eternity separated from God is marked by regret, isolation, and the absence of everything good. It’s not a scare tactic—it’s just the weight of a very real choice: to choose our own way characterized by our own sin and shortcomings, or to choose the redemption Jesus offers instead.
We can choose where we spend eternity
God doesn’t force anyone to spend eternity with him, but he does make the invitation for eternal life through Jesus available to all of us!
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
That’s an exclusive claim by Jesus. But it’s also so much more—it’s his invitation to step into a relationship with him that starts today and never ends. It happens by trusting Jesus to save you and make you new. If you’re wondering where that even begins, start here! We’d love to set you up with support and resources as you dive deeper in your faith journey. The choice to accept what he has done for us is ours, and ours alone.
So, how long is eternity…really?
It’s forever. But even more than that, it’s linked to the greatest invitation there is. Believing in Jesus isn’t just about avoiding hell and getting to heaven – it's about taking Jesus up on the most purposeful relationship and way to live now, on a journey with him that will never end.
Jesus isn’t asking you to understand every detail of eternity. He’s just asking you to trust him with it. Because when you trust him, it changes everything – not just eternity after this life, but also how you live today.
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LCBC stands for Lives Changed By Christ. We are one church in multiple locations across Pennsylvania. Find the location closest to you or join us for Church Online. We can’t wait to connect with you!