1. Welcome to Bible Study Greetings Song How Great Thou Art
Song
How Great Thou Art
Opening Prayer

2. Made to Last Forever

3. Time/CNN Telephone poll of 1,018 American Adults - March 11-12
Do you believe in the existence of heaven, where people live forever with God after they die?
Yes: 81%
No: 13%
Do you believe in hell, where people are punished forever after they die?
Yes: 63%
No: 30%
Do people get into heaven based mostly on the good things they do or on their faith in God, or both?
Good things they do: 6%
Faith in God: 34%
Both: 57%

4. Abraham Lincoln
“Surely God would not have created such a being to exist only for a day! No, no, man was made for immortality.”

5. Matthew 25:34-37
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

6. Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 NIV
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom (figure out) what God has done from beginning to end.
12. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

7. Purpose
God has a purpose for your life on earth, but it doesn't end here.
If you have a relationship with God through Jesus, you don't need to fear death. It is the door to eternity.

8. Life on Earth
Life on earth is just the dress rehearsal before the real production.
Earth is the tryout for your life in eternity. It is the workout before the actual game; the warm-up lap before the race begins. This life is preparation for the next.
What does dress rehearsal, tryout, workout and warm-up means?
How does it relate to eternity?

9. The Earthly Tent 2 Corinthians 5:1
(NIV) Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
(KJV) For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved …

10. The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears.
What does this statement means?
How can we live closer to God?

11. Philippians 3:7-8
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ …

12. Heavenly Minded
When you live in light of eternity, your values change. You place a higher premium on relationships and character.
Death is not your termination, but your transition into eternity, so there are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth.

13. I Corinthians 2:9 However, as it is written:
(NIV) “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”
(KJV) … Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

14. Reunion with Loved Ones
Hebrews 13:14
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

15. The Happy Ending
Young Jonathan had been promised a new puppy for his tenth birthday, but had a tough time choosing between a dozen likely candidates at the neighborhood pet shop. Finally he decided upon the one mixed breed shaggy puppy who was wagging his tail furiously.
When asked, why that one? Jonathan explained: "I want the one with the happy ending."

16. Thinking About My Purpose
Point to Ponder: There is more to life than just here and now.
Verse to Remember: 1 John 2:17 (NLT) - "This world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever."
Question to Consider: Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?

17. Study Guide Review and Prayer