What does it mean that we have eternity in our hearts?
Ecclesiastes 3:11
ESV - 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
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Asked September 23 2015
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Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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Danny Hickman
The scripture referenced, Eccl 3:11 says, 'even though God has placed eternity in man's heart, YET SO that man can't find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.' It means that man doesn't understand the first thing about eternity.
Eternity is unfathomable by us; so what good does it do us to have an eternal slant to our viewpoint? It makes us desire to live forever, the way God intended when he created us and put us on the earth. It doesn't give us any insight on how to understand God's eternal nature.
Even the staunchest unbeliever would love to live forever; no healthy soul wants to die. If having eternity in our heart makes us desire to know God, why when the gospel is preached do some go toward God and others retreat? The gospel is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16).
The gospel doesn't lose its power; so why doesn't it have the same effect on everybody? It isn't written that 'some men have eternity in our heart,' but ALL of mankind. Eternity in our heart doesn't turn our hearts toward God; so what does? It is God himself who chose the elect before he ever founded the world (Ephesians 1:4,5).
The whole Hickman family has eternity in our hearts, but I don't know that the whole Hickman family is chosen to live in eternity. God chose us the same way he created us-as individuals.
The church's light will shine a lot brighter when we teach the scriptures according to truth instead of trying to make God out to be our idea of fair and balanced.