A friend posed a question today that made me think. Those are the best kind of questions after all, the ones that don’t have an easy answer, the ones that require some thought on my part. So, this question was a “how do you know?” question. More specifically, it was “how do I know if I’ll go to or get into heaven?” My friend was saying that we can’t know until we face God on the judgement day what our eternal fate will be because we don’t know what God is going to say or to decide at that time. However, I found myself disagreeing with this premise. I do know my outcome. I do know how the conversation will go down for me on judgement day.

Which is an odd thing for me to say, because as I write this, I couldn’t tell you what I’m having for dinner tonight or anything else about how things will go for me for the rest of this day. I can’t predict what the weather will be, let alone any of the myriad things that could happen between now and say tomorrow. It’s not that I don’t have plans. It’s just that my plans constantly get interrupted or changed. People cancel on me or someone calls unexpectedly with an invitation. I feel fine, then I suddenly feel ill. My car breaks down. (I never plan for this to happen, my car does this all on its own, never giving me the courtesy of a heads up before it happens, so I can plan around the breakdown, the malfunction or whatever it is that leaves me without transportation)

So, if I can’t see even twenty-four hours into my earthly future, how can I be so sure about my eternal future? Maybe it’s because with my earthly future I see “through a glass darkly” but with my heavenly future, I am told “then I will see face to face.” But I think it’s more than that. I can be certain about my heavenly, eternal future because I am certain about the One to whom I have entrusted that future. I just admitted that I don’t know what’s going to happen in my life from one minute to the next, from one day to the next, let alone from year to year. I just don’t have that power of prediction. BUT – I have entrusted my life to Someone who does know these things, actually to Someone who knows ALL things, to Someone who is sovereign over ALL things. I have committed my life, both currently and in the future, to Someone I can trust – my Heavenly Father, God. These words from Isaiah affirm for me the wisdom of my decision –

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. . . . What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.’ ” (Isaiah 46:9-11)

Nothing takes God by surprise. He alone knows “the end from the beginning.” I can trust God because, as I read in Numbers –

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19)

God doesn’t lie, which is good to know since I have some very specific promises from Him that I am counting on Him to keep. I am told –

“If I confess my sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive me my sins and purify me from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

These words give me hope as does this truth about God –

“if we are faithless, He (God) will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)

I am really glad to know that no matter how many times I let God down, how many times I am faithless, God will remain faithful and true to all His promises. God will not let me down! I find great comfort, encouragement and hope in knowing I can count on my Heavenly Father’s faithfulness to me. He does not give up on me. I have this promise from His word which is true –

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)

The reason I could say with confidence to my friend, “Yes, I do know what God will decide about my eternal future when I die.” is because I am not depending on myself for the outcome. I am depending on God. And God can be trusted! He keeps His promises. His promises are true!

If my eternal future depended on me, it would be most uncertain. BUT – because I have chosen to trust God with my future, it is certain. I can know the outcome! Paul too, had the assurance of his eternal outcome and shared the reason why in his letter to Timothy, where Paul stated –

“I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

Interesting statement, right? Paul said nothing about himself or about his abilities to bring about a preferred outcome. Paul said it was “whom he had believed” aka Jesus Christ, who was holding his eternal future safe and secure, and that he, Paul, was convinced that Jesus alone “is able to guard what he had entrusted” – (what Paul had entrusted to God was himself, his very life) “for that day” – meaning his final judgement day.

This statement is even more surprising given that Paul was persecuted for his faith in Jesus, endured many hardships and was often put in prison for preaching the gospel. Paul’s earthly future was always uncertain. He would make plans to visit a church somewhere such as Corinth or Ephesus or even Rome, but before Paul had the chance to carry out his plans, he would be arrested and put in prison, leaving him unable to do what he had originally planned.

Paul didn’t have any confidence in his own ability to guarantee a certain outcome, BUT – Paul had every confidence in God’s ability to guarantee a certain outcome. Today the answer to my friend’s question is that I do know my eternal destiny. I don’t have to wait to find out what will happen to me. God’s word has already made it clear. I can say along with the apostle Paul –

“I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)

I may not be prepared, but my Heavenly Father is preparing me and will complete His good work in me in His perfect timing. He will even provide my wardrobe!

“For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, . . . I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.” (Isaiah 61:10)

I have confidence in my destiny because it doesn’t depend on me, it depends on God and God is dependable! God is faithful. I can trust Him today with my life. I can trust Him tomorrow. I can trust Him forever with my eternity.

“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 4:18)

sincerely, Grace Day