Introduction
This page is an overview, a panoramic snapshot, of your eternal significance. It will get you started on a grand adventure of realizing who you really are and how impactful you can be in God’s eternal plan for his creation. (An extensive scriptural foundation exists for the concepts presented here, but that foundation is detailed elsewhere—specifically, in the books and free articles available on this site.)
1. Created for Impact
You are important to God’s plan for the ages. God created you to be an impactful being, to be someone who dramatically affects others and the future in a positive way. Being formed to be impactful is part of our creation in his image; he is an impactful being. The most significant way in which we impact our world is by implementing God’s desires for his creation. God has a plan for humankind and the earth. We are impactful when we are advancing his passions and his purposes. In fact, it is almost entirely through us that God advances his aspirations and intentions.
2. Your Ultimate Significance
God’s greatest work is yet to come; it is the restoration and preservation of his completely reinvigorated creation. In eternity the total creation will be renewed in wholeness, peace and general prosperity; it will be shepherded in wisdom, unselfishness and gentleness. We can touch our corner of the earth with these qualities now. And doing so prepares us for what God ultimately wants to trust us with: the final, total restoration and safekeeping of his eternal Kingdom of Peace and Light. It is why we were created, our ultimate purpose.
3. Shepherds of Creation
God created us to care for and shepherd his whole creation. But we, humankind as a whole, are not fulfilling this design-purpose. We can’t even shepherd the realm of humans properly—we’re not even close. Jesus, the King of Kings, the Shepherd of Shepherds, is ready. And he and has made a path for us to successfully take on an eternal shepherding role. Fulfillment of God’s ultimate plan lies in the future—in eternity. And we can play a huge part.
4. Our Eternal Home Is Earth
God fashioned us from the beginning—from the time of humankind’s initial creation in perfection in the Garden of Eden—to live on Earth. Heaven is only a temporary destination for us. In eternity, everything you know and love about Earth will continue—in its perfected form. And in eternity, our Earth will take its rightful place as the pinnacle of creation, the most desirable place to be … because God, Jesus Christ, and their angelic multitudes will live here with us on Earth.
5. Make Your Biggest Impact on Earth in Eternity
God wants you to fulfill your design-purpose in a hugely impactful way. He wants you to become one of his selfless eternal shepherds, even a shepherd-king or shepherdess-queen. In eternity, Jesus will appoint as shepherd-leaders those faithful followers who developed true servant hearts—those followers who learned that lasting joy comes from serving others and that authority is given solely for the care of others.
6. Empowered to Create the Eternal Kingdom
If the thought of shepherding alarms you, take heart. Many shepherding roles are not about leading a big team. For example, caring for animals or the earth is shepherd leadership. You will cherish, be successful in, and feel completely at home in the positive impact Jesus will appoint you to make in eternity. If we’ve prepared in this life by becoming servant-hearted extensions of God’s love and desires for the world, Jesus will empower us to create and sustain his eternal kingdom.
Dig In
You can gain a deeper understanding of heaven, eternity, and your God-designed purpose from published material, including some free material. Dan’s Life Beyond Heaven was planned from its inception as a thorough, yet concise, introduction to eternity. Other authors have written excellent works which greatly expand on one or two specific subtopics covered in Life Beyond Heaven. You can order these books and access free related articles by clicking on the book icon above or on this section of text.