10% SAID IT DOESN'T MATTER—BUT ETERNITY MATTERS
“Anywhere Is Better Than Here”—But Where Will You Spend Eternity?
There are statistics that inform us.
There are statistics that surprise us.
And then there are statistics that ought to stop us in our tracks.
According to Barna research, when people were asked where they expected to spend eternity, 10% essentially indicated that it did not matter—anywhere would be better than here.
Think about those words for a moment:
“It doesn't matter.”
“Anywhere is better than here.”
Ten percent may not initially sound like an overwhelming number. After all, it means that nine out of ten people gave some other response.
But we're talking about eternity.
If you were standing in a room with ten people, statistically speaking, imagine one of them looking at eternity and saying:
“I don't care where I go.”
That should trouble the heart of every Christian.
Not because it gives us an opportunity to condemn someone.
But because it gives us another reason to reach them.
WHAT MAKES SOMEONE SAY, “ANYWHERE IS BETTER THAN HERE”?
Before criticizing those words, perhaps we should ask what kind of pain could cause someone to say them.
Look around.
Some people wake up every morning already exhausted by life.
Someone is fighting depression.
Someone is grieving.
Someone just received devastating news.
Someone is drowning financially.
Someone's marriage is collapsing.
Someone has buried a child.
Someone feels forgotten by their family.
Someone has been abused.
Someone is battling addiction.
Someone has lost hope.
Someone is surrounded by people and still feels completely alone.
Others look at wars, violence, political division, poverty, corruption, disease, natural disasters, hatred, crime, human trafficking, broken families, and uncertainty and wonder:
“What is the point of all of this?”
So when someone says,
“Anywhere is better than here,”
we need to hear more than the words.
We need to hear the pain behind them.
But there is something else they desperately need to hear:
Eternity is not merely an escape from here.
Where we spend eternity matters.
THIS LIFE IS TEMPORARY—ETERNITY IS NOT
We plan almost everything.
We plan vacations.
We plan careers.
We plan weddings.
We plan retirement.
We plan where we will live.
We plan what we will eat tomorrow.
We make financial plans covering decades.
Some people even purchase cemetery plots and make funeral arrangements years before they expect to need them.
Yet millions spend very little time preparing for what comes after the funeral.
The Bible asks one of the most penetrating questions ever given to humanity:
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” — Mark 8:36
Imagine gaining everything this world tells us matters.
Money.
Success.
Recognition.
Influence.
Property.
Education.
Popularity.
Power.
Possessions.
And then discovering at the end that we prepared for everything except eternity.
Jesus called such thinking foolish.
In Luke 12, He told about a wealthy man whose possessions had increased so greatly that he decided to build larger barns. He believed he had accumulated enough to relax, eat, drink, and enjoy himself for years.
But God said:
“Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” — Luke 12:20
His problem wasn't having possessions.
His problem was preparing extensively for here while failing to prepare for there.
“ANYWHERE” IS NOT A DESTINATION
The statement in the image is especially sobering:
“Anywhere is better than here.”
But eternity doesn't work that way.
According to Scripture, eternity isn't some vague existence where everyone simply leaves life's troubles behind and ends up somewhere better.
Jesus spoke plainly about eternal life.
He also spoke plainly about judgment.
Heaven is real.
Judgment is real.
Eternal separation from God is real.
And salvation is real.
Jesus said:
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” — Matthew 25:46
Those are difficult words.
But ignoring difficult truth does not make it disappear.
If a bridge were washed out ahead of you, someone warning you to stop wouldn't be expressing hatred.
They would be trying to save your life.
Likewise, Christians should never speak about eternity with arrogance, cruelty, or satisfaction over another person's potential judgment.
We warn because we love.
We preach because we care.
We evangelize because eternity matters.
And we go into the highways, villages, communities, cities, nations, and forgotten places of this world because people matter to God.
GOD DIDN'T JUST WARN US—HE PROVIDED THE WAY
This is where the Gospel becomes such wonderful news.
God did not look upon fallen humanity and simply announce judgment.
He provided salvation.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” — John 3:16
Jesus Christ came into this world.
He lived.
He ministered.
He healed.
He loved.
He taught.
He went to Calvary.
He shed His Blood.
He died.
He was buried.
And on the third day, He rose again.
Why?
Because humanity needed something we could never provide for ourselves:
A Savior.
Jesus said:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.” — John 14:6
Notice that Jesus did not say:
“I am a way.”
He said:
“I AM THE WAY.”
THE QUESTION IS PERSONAL
It is easy to discuss eternity academically.
It is easy to debate theology.
It is easy to argue denominations.
It is easy to talk about what other people believe.
But eventually, eternity becomes personal.
So forget everybody else for just a moment.
Forget what your parents believed.
Forget what your grandparents believed.
Forget your denomination.
Forget your church membership.
Forget your religious title.
Forget how many charitable organizations you support.
Forget how many good things you have done.
Forget how many Bible verses you can quote.
And answer one question:
DO YOU KNOW JESUS CHRIST?
Not:
Do you know about Him?
Not:
Have you heard about Him?
Not:
Did your grandmother know Him?
Not:
Did you attend church when you were younger?
But:
Do YOU know Jesus Christ?
WHAT IF ETERNITY BEGAN TODAY?
Most people reading this probably expect to wake up tomorrow.
So do I.
We make plans because we expect another day.
There is nothing wrong with that.
But none of us possesses a written guarantee of tomorrow.
Scripture says:
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” — James 4:14
That doesn't mean we should live frightened of dying.
It means we should live prepared for eternity.
Jesus said:
“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” — Matthew 24:44
So perhaps today isn't the day to ask:
“Where do I think I'll go?”
Maybe today is the day to ask:
“AM I READY?”
IF YOU ARE NOT SURE, YOU CAN BE
Maybe you've reached this point and you're thinking:
“Pastor, I honestly don't know.”
Then don't close this page.
Don't scroll away.
Don't put this question off until another day.
The Bible says:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” — Romans 3:23
That includes me.
That includes you.
That includes every preacher, missionary, politician, millionaire, laborer, teacher, soldier, mother, father, teenager, and person who has ever needed the grace of God.
But the story doesn't end with our sin.
“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8
And Scripture gives us this promise:
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” — Romans 10:13
Whosoever.
That means you.
DON'T JUST LOOK AT THE IMAGE—SEE THE PEOPLE
When you look at the image accompanying this post, don't concentrate only on the contrasting destinations.
Look at the people standing between them.
They represent somebody's husband.
Somebody's wife.
Somebody's son.
Somebody's daughter.
Somebody's mother.
Somebody's father.
Somebody's neighbor.
Somebody's coworker.
Somebody's friend.
And perhaps—
they represent you.
This is why Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International continues preaching the Gospel.
This is why we go.
This is why we pray.
This is why we support missions.
This is why we distribute the Word of God.
This is why we minister to families.
This is why we reach children and young people.
This is why we help those who are hurting.
This is why we continue carrying the Gospel into the Philippines, throughout Asia, and wherever God opens a door.
Because behind every statistic is a person.
Behind every percentage is a soul.
And behind every soul is an eternity.
CHRISTIAN, WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT THE 10%?
There is another side to this statistic that the Church needs to consider.
If people truly believe that it doesn't matter where they spend eternity, what are we doing to show them that it does?
Are we praying?
Are we witnessing?
Are we loving?
Are we going?
Are we supporting those who go?
Are we sharing Jesus?
Are our lives demonstrating that Christ has genuinely transformed us?
Or have we become so occupied with church activities that we've forgotten the people outside the building?
Jesus said:
“Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” — Mark 16:15
The Great Commission was never:
“Wait until they come to us.”
Jesus said:
GO.
Somebody represented by that 10% may live across the ocean.
Somebody may live across town.
And somebody may live across the street.
ONE FINAL QUESTION
Before leaving this post, give yourself sixty seconds.
No distractions.
No arguments.
No excuses.
Just you and God.
Ask yourself:
If eternity began for me today, am I ready?
And then ask another question:
Who do I know who may not be?
Pray for that person.
Call them.
Encourage them.
Love them.
Share Jesus Christ with them.
Because 10% isn't just 10%.
It represents real human beings.
Real lives.
Real families.
Real pain.
Real questions.
Real souls.
And real eternity.
Life is short. Eternity is forever.
Where will you spend yours?
Pilgrim Outreach Ministries International
Your Feet to the Nations
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