Jn. 10:27-28 – “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish…"

We can barely begin to comprehend the "eternal life" spoken of here in John chapter 10. It is too infinite for our finite minds to grasp. But we may discern that it is a glorious existence, a privilege of rapturous enjoyment of being in the presence of God forever. But what all does this wonderful passage reveal?

There are several evident truths of which we may be assured by certain expressions here. Jesus speaks of us as His sheep over whom He watches with incredible attentiveness. We are His. As Paul says elsewhere, we are not our own. He speaks to His sheep. And we may hear Him speaking to us, through His Word. He recognizes us, loved us before we were ever born, and draws us unto salvation. We follow Him, as best we can, as we near heaven’s shore. Waiting for us there, in that glorious place, is eternal life and all its benefits.

But many today question all this eternal life business. Worldwide, 60 million people die annually from any or all causes. That's about two deaths every second. It's staggering to think of a place, good or bad, where their eternal souls are. Did they make the right preparations to go to heaven? Or are they like the rich man in Luke 16?

In his most recent book, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson asks whether it is good and preferable for human beings to potentially live forever. In his book, Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization, he writes, in part:

“It's better to be alive than dead. Though more often than not, we take being alive for granted. The question remains, if you could live forever, would you? To live forever is to have all the time in the world to do anything you ever wanted.”

And what do these souls who have passed into eternity think of it now that they are somewhere in the midst of it? Who among them would choose anything other than to be in the presence of a loving God who prepared a place for His own to live forever, in eternal bliss with Him? I dare say none. And this eternal life is not just a span of endless existence where I can do all I have ever wanted. Much of what I have wanted in life, before coming to Christ through faith for salvation, I had no business desiring. Much of it was selfish, self-centered, and exclusive of God’s will.

So I don’t even know yet about all the things I have ever wanted, for tomorrow I may desire something else that I hadn’t even thought of before. But as a newborn child of God, I will trust Him to manage my thoughts, my will, my wants, knowing that He is my shepherd – and I shall not want! The brief glimpses we have of heaven in Scripture, scattered throughout the eternal Word, portray a place of infinite bliss, fulfillment, and … every good dream we have or ever will have coming true.

My Shepherd knows all my wants and needs, and He has gone to prepare a place for me (Jn. 14:1-6). What more could I possibly desire?