We may often hear well-meaning Bible believers in pulpits across our land and throughout the world speaking the following phrase: "Where will you spend eternity?" Certainly this is a very serious subject and deserves our wholehearted attention. The very wording of the question "Where will you Spend Eternity" implies the idea that all persons will have eternal time to spend. What does the Bible have to say about this idea? To get this matter straight from the Word of God, we must go to the very first book of the Bible, Genesis, and see what God has to say about man's existence. If a person doesn't understand the truth at the beginning, they will never grasp it later on.

First off, one must realize that mankind - apart from God - has no existence at all. Indeed, without God mankind would not exist. Genesis 1:26-28 describes the creation of mankind, male and female. Genesis chapter 2 provides the account of man's instruction or commandment from God to live by; that is, not partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, his temptation by Satan the devil to disbelieve God and partake, and man's disobedience to God - choosing, unfortunately, the lie of the devil.

We need to reread Genesis 2:7 and see in more detail how man came to be:

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

We can see that man is from the elements of the earth, and it takes breath from God, combined with the formed elements of the earth to animate him; that is, come into being or become a living soul. 1 Corinthians 15:47 states: "The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven." This passage is very clearly talking about Adam, the first man from the earth, and the Lord from heaven, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

God breathed into his nostrils "the breath of life." The word "Breath" is the Hebrew word neshamah that may also be translated as "spirit" or "wind." In its form as breath or spirit we can see that it is the life of the body. Looking at passages such as Job 10:12 we see the words: "Thou hast granted me life and favour, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit." Job 33:4 reads: "The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."

What can we find concerning this in the New Testament? We can find many, many scriptures. One of my favorites is John 6:63 which reads: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." Life and spirit go together in Scripture and are linked in such a way as to show that our very life is as a result of the original breathing in from God to Adam. Even the Apostle Paul, when speaking to the men of Athens in the midst of Mars Hill, said (speaking about the Lord): "For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring'" (Acts 17:28). This is an acknowledgement that the author and source of all life is God Himself.

We see that man became "a living soul." Unfortunately, in many later translations of the Bible this word soul has been translated as being, but that's okay because we can see from Paul's statement to the Athenians above that soul and being are very similar words. It is absolutely imperative to notice that the Bible does not say God "gave" man a living soul, "put" a living soul "into" man or any such thing. The Bible says man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:17 reads as follows:

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

The Companion Bible makes a note here that the expression "thou shalt surely die" can be translated from the original Hebrew as "dying thou shalt die." This lets us know the penalty for disobedience to God would be the institution of the death penalty immediately, the sentence starting on the very day of disobedience and continuing to its ultimate end in death itself. What is unclear about the word surely? It means truly or certainly. "Surely die" means total death, total inactivity, total loss of thought processes, including emotions or feelings -- a total cessation of life.

But what did the serpent (Satan) say? Genesis 3:4,5 reads:

"And the serpent said unto the woman, 'Ye shall not surely die; For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.'"

Here, at the beginning of man, is where the foundational belief in the immortality of the soul, spirit or whatever one wishes to call it began - the idea of a person not being of the dust of the ground but really being a spiritual entity in a fleshly body, being able to survive the death of the body itself and go on to some other plane of existence. All these statements and suggestions are contained in the serpent's words to Eve: "Ye shall not surely die," and, "Ye shall be as gods." Both of these statements are lies. John 8:44 reads: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

This Scripture points back to the beginning and points out the fact that the devil's lie led to Adam and Eve losing their life because they believed the devil's lie. The devil can be very convincing. 2 Corinthians 11:14,15 reads: "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." As for this statement of the serpent concerning Adam and Eve being as gods, a careful reading of the account of Adam being formed will dispel any notions man might have of being anything other than dust of the ground. God is a spiritual being. John 4:24 reads: "God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." Man is not a spiritual being. Man is dust of the ground. Psalms 146:4 reads: "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ecclesiastes 12:7 reads: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God Who gave it."

In all these texts of Scripture, and there are many others, we see that man is only of the earth. There is nothing spiritual about man naturally. Apart from God, man cannot continue his existence. Man's very breath, or spirit, or life, is only on loan from God.

Then what hope do we have? John 3:16-18 reads: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." Here in these familiar verses of Scripture Jesus tells us that it is up to each one of us individually to make our decision. Do we want to have everlasting life or do we choose instead to perish?

Life can only be had through belief in the only begotten of God, Christ Jesus. Those who choose not to believe in Christ Jesus will have one destiny: they will perish. This word which is translated into English as "perish" is the Greek word apollumi which means "to destroy fully." The Bible uses many illustrations to describe what will be the ultimate end of all those who choose to believe the devil's lie instead of God's revealed Truth. Malachi 4:1 gives a description as follows: "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."

It is imperative that we make a positive decision to live for Jesus. If we hear His words and believe (this means trust and obey) we will have eternal life. It is God's will that all men come to Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:9 reads: "The LORD is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This passage of Scripture is concerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 6:38-40 reads: "For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him That sent Me. And this is the Father's will Which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him That sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

So a believer's hope now, even as in the days of the original apostles, rests in Jesus Christ and His power to resurrect the dead at His second coming or to translate those who are still alive at His coming. John 11:25,26 reads: "Jesus said unto her, 'I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?'"

Paul in 1 Corinthians speaks of the return of Jesus Christ and the resurrection of the dead at that time, but also explains a mystery which was presented in the prior words of Jesus Christ when Jesus said "And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die." 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 reads: "Behold I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Paul lets us know that whether we survive in our body to meet the Lord or whether we are asleep in death, either way our glorious hope is Jesus' second coming in glory where the dead are raised to life or those who remain are changed into the incorruptible image of Jesus himself (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:8-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

So, in conclusion, our question should be not "where" will you spend eternity, but, rather, will you have an eternity to spend. Our lives and hopes and visions can only be achieved through trust and obedience in Jesus Christ, while we are "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14).