• Original photograph by Ryoji Iwata from unsplash

THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE

Many people are obsessed with amusement and the search for a bigger, better and more prolonged 'buzz' from whatever activity is presented, in an effort to obtain the ultimate experience. Just think of all the things in life which people really get a kick out of. Some spend their entire lives and resources on extreme sports and other exploits, in a never-ending search for a thrill which they believe will provide them with the memory of that ultimate experience.

Those who have conquered Mount Everest may think they have found it, but then there is the possibility of a flight into space aboard the Virgin Galactic spaceship, which has now received an operator's licence. The plan is that one day soon space pleasure trips will become a reality for those who can afford it.

"Heaven's Door Mountain" in China is noted for its stunning views. Thrill-seekers can now try the Coiling Dragon Cliff glass-bottomed walkway, one of three skywalks at Tianmen Mountain in Hunan province. At 1,433 meters, the 1.5 metre wide glass walkway winds around the cliffs for 100 metres, overlooking the road aptly called the "Avenue Leading to the Sky" (see picture below).

The facts of life are that we are born, grow old and die. During this time we experience good and bad health. Some are fortunate in the quality of their health throughout their lives. We might also have memories of some thrill which enhanced our feelings of exhilaration or fear for a brief moment in time. However, if we accept that human beings exist on this planet because they were created by God and are not here as a result of blind chance, then eventually we have to ask the question:

Why are we here?

Many people during their lives have asked this question. Few pay little more than passing attention to the question and most dismiss it out of hand. The pleasures and ultimate experiences of life provide a distraction far more exciting than determining for sure the answer to what is, on the surface, a philosophical question.

Acknowledging that there is a God and that He created all things for a purpose, places us in a position of responsibility to God and poses some fundamental questions:

1. Why did He put us here?
2. What does He expect from us?
3. Is there a contract between God

and man?

God's Objective

Those who study the Bible would answer these questions positively, with the knowledge that God has made an offer to mankind. It is open to anyone who chooses not to amuse themselves to death, but rather to respond to His plan in order to achieve the divinely appointed objective.

This is the ultimate experience!

According to the inspired words of the Bible, God has a plan with the earth and with the human race. Mankind has been placed in a position, superior to the animals, complete with the powers of reasoning and with a conscience. We are able to dominate the world's resources, because God arranged it that way from the beginning, as we read in the book of Genesis:

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth".

• Genesis 1.26

God has an end result in mind for mankind, so our commitment must be to determine what that is and what we have to do as individuals to take part in that ultimate experience. The starting point has to be belief or faith in what has been promised. We can do no better than consider the promises made to Abram (name later changed to Abraham). He was a special God fearing person who was selected by God to be the ancestor of a great nation we recognise today as the Jews. God instructed Abram:

''"Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."''

• Genesis 12.1-3

When Abram was in the land of Canaan, later to be called Israel, the promise was endorsed by God and further information was given to him: ..."Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are – northward, southward, eastward and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants for ever. And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you."

• Genesis 13.14-17

God's promises

These promises were repeated to his son Isaac, his grandson Jacob, (later renamed Israel) and their descendant King David. To all of these faithful men there was a common factor in the promises made – the inheritance of the land would be given to them and their descendants for ever.

The ultimate experience identified was one that would last forever not just an experience in their lifetime, the thrill of which would only become a lasting memory until they died.

Some 2,000 years after the promises were given to Abraham, the New Testament letter to the Hebrews explains why he and his descendants were selected. Read Hebrews chapter 11 for yourself as it makes it very clear that faith is the important characteristic that God is looking for. But the promises made to those heroes of faith were not experienced in their lifetime and that is explained as well: ''..."all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us."''

• Hebrews 11.39,40

How could they inherit the earth for ever as God's reward for faithfulness, when the same reward has been offered to all generations from the earliest times to our own day? No, it is totally logical that the reward is to be given to all the faithful at the same time in the future.

It's also important to confirm that those promises extend to us and you may be surprised to learn that the concept of the gospel message was preached and understood by Abraham through faith:

''... just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness". Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all nations shall be blessed". So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham ... For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus… And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."''

• Galatians 3.6-9,26,29

God's kingdom on earth

We read in the Gospels that Jesus' mission whilst he was on earth, was to preach the gospel or good news of the kingdom of God to all who would listen. He still speaks to us through these preserved records in the New Testament.

Jesus encouraged his disciples and in turn us, to pray for the kingdom. Many will be familiar with his model prayer, one line of which is "Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

• Matthew 6.10

In the previous chapter Jesus spoke about one of the characteristics of those who will inherit this heavenly kingdom: "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth."

• Matthew 5.5

God's reward for faithfulness will be everlasting life in the kingdom established on earth which surely would be the ultimate experience. But as we think about our world today we realise that there need to be many changes to make this time a future which we can look forward to.

Here are six major points relating to the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to return to the earth (Acts 1.11).
2. Jesus is going to destroy those who rebel against him and rule as king on the earth (Psalm 2; 2 Thessalonians 2.7-10).
3. The throne of the king will be in Jerusalem and will last for ever (Isaiah 2.2-4; Isaiah 9.6-7; Luke 1.32).
4. There will be a great multitude of believers who will share in the kingdom with Jesus (Revelation 3.21, Revelation 5. 9-11).
5. Many of these will be raised from the dead and among them will be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David (Daniel 12.1,2; Acts 24.15).
6. Jesus' reign will result in peace and happiness for all mankind. This will be the kingdom of God on earth (Psalm 72; Isaiah 11).

This is just a small selection of Scriptural texts which demonstrate these points. There can be no doubt that eternal life in the kingdom of God will be the ultimate experience for everyone involved.

God's time frame

It is absolutely clear from the Scriptures that God has promised to establish His kingdom on earth. He has chosen a time frame in which to bring this about and everybody has the opportunity to become joined to the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David. "...he (God) has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all, by raising him from the dead."

• Acts 17.31

Whatever we experience in life is only fleeting and then just a memory. But a future beyond our wildest dreams has been planned by God. If we choose to follow the guidelines in the Bible and become interactively involved with His plan then we can look forward to enjoying the ultimate experience of eternal life on the earth, as the Apostle Paul told the believers at Corinth:

''..."Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him.” But God has revealed them to us through his spirit."''

• 1 Corinthians 2. 9,10

The third part in this series about God's interactive plan is whether our destiny is just a matter of chance and this will be addressed in the next Light article.