you can live forever
An Incredible Promise
Imagine looking forward to everlasting life, right here on earth. This gift is something the Creator has promised, but many people have a hard time believing it. You might hear, ‘Everyone dies eventually. ‘It’s part of the natural order.’ Some believe eternal life is real, yet only somewhere far away, such as heaven.
Many feel the idea of living forever on earth seems impossible. But before you come to any conclusions, take a closer look at what the Bible says about three important questions: How long were people meant to live? What was God’s original purpose for the earth and humans? And why do people die at all?
People hold a special place among all the living things created. Why? The Bible states that humans alone were created in God’s “image” and “likeness”. (Genesis 1:26, 27) This means people were given qualities that reflect God’s own, such as the ability to love and an understanding of justice.
What Makes People Different?
You can reason, think deeply, and reflect on life. You have a sense of right and wrong and can enjoy many things such as music, art, beauty, poetry…
Most of all, you have the unique ability to worship your Creator. No other living creature has those gifts.
Now, would a caring God provide such richness in your mind and heart, plus limitless potential, just for a brief lifetime? The Bible shows that God designed you with these qualities so you could enjoy life on earth for as long as time lasts.
God’s True Purpose for Earth
Some claim that God never intended for people to stay on earth forever. According to that view, the earth is temporary, just a stepping stone to something greater somewhere else. But if this were true, all the suffering and heartbreak around us would seem to make God responsible, which doesn’t fit with what the Bible says about Him.
“For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; righteous and upright is he.” —Deuteronomy 32:4
Scripture brings God’s intentions into focus.
“As for the heavens, they belong to Jehovah, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” —Psalm 115:16
He created earth as a beautiful, lasting home for people, filled with everything needed for joy and purpose. (Genesis 2:8, 9) He also gave people a special role. The first humans were told to multiply, fill the earth, and manage all living things.
“Fill the earth and subdue it, and have in subjection…every living creature that is moving on the earth.” —Genesis 1:28
Being trusted with such responsibility showed that God meant people to have a lasting future on earth, not in some distant place.
How Did Death Enter the Scene?
But why do people die? The Bible explains that one of God’s angels saw all the attention Jehovah was getting and wanted that also. So he rebelled against God and took others with him. Later this rebellious angel, known as Satan the Devil, worked to ruin God’s arrangement. He misled the first couple, convincing them that they could decide for themselves what is right and wrong—something God warned against. Adam and Eve went along, stepping away from God’s guidance, and death entered their lives, just as God had said it would.
When putting them in the paradisiac garden of Eden, God gave them just one simple instruction:
“From16 every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. 17 But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die.” —Genesis 2:16, 17
“Now the serpent was the most cautious of all the wild animals of the field that Jehovah God had made. So it said to the woman: ‘Did God really say you must not eat from every tree of the garden?’” —Genesis 3:1
Their choice didn’t just affect them; it changed everything. The Bible says:
“Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.” —Romans 5:12
We face death, not because it was always part of the plan, but because it came as a result of inherited sin.
Everlasting Life Can Still Be Yours
God’s purpose never changed. Despite what happened in Eden, He made a way to remove the pain and loss caused by sin. The apostle Paul wrote:
“For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 6:23
Out of love, God sent his only-begotten Son, Jesus, to offer his life!
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.” —John 3:16
By giving himself, Jesus opened the door to everlasting life for many. Soon, God’s plan for an earth-wide paradise will become reality. This hope can be yours. Jesus shared wise advice:
“Go in through the narrow gate, because broad is the gate and spacious is the road leading off into destruction, and many are going in through it; whereas narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are finding it.” —Matthew 7:13, 14
What direction will you choose for your future? The promise is real—the decision is yours!