I know I promised to pick up where we left off last time, but I wanted to take a step back and revisit the passage we previously studied. This will allow us to examine the passage more closely.

This is the story of Cain found in Genesis chapter four. According to Scripture, Cain killed his younger brother Abel out of envy and jealousy. As a result, God cursed Cain, saying,

“So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”” Genesis 4:11-12 NKJV

Read it again to grasp the depth, severity, and magnitude of the curse. As it stands, Cain has nothing to look forward to—his future is bleak. What was Cain’s main concern? Listen,

“And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”” Genesis 4:13-14 NKJV

And God responded to Cain saying,

“And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.” Genesis 4:15 NKJV

Cain asked God not to let anyone kill him. This is truly astonishing! Don’t you want to ask Cain, “Your life from now on will be nothing but suffering. Why not ask God for something more, like forgiveness or peace?” But no—Cain only wanted to continue living in this cursed world, leading a cursed life. And God granted him exactly what he asked for.

According to theologians and Bible scholars, Cain lived to see up to seven generations, but he and all his descendants perished in Noah’s flood. And what about Abel? Abel died childless, as a single man, but he went straight to heaven to enjoy eternal life. When comparing Cain’s life to Abel’s, what did Abel lose? Absolutely nothing!

Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Like Cain, we all have a tendency to invest everything we have in this life, neglecting our eternal life. Yet, regarding this life, the Word of God says,

“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.” 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 NKJV

Do you know what he’s saying? He’s saying, “Don’t cling to this life; it lasts only for a moment.”

When we distance ourselves from the Word of God, we begin to think like Cain, focusing only on this life—this brief, fleeting existence. In that mindset, our feelings and emotions become our top priority. We may start to believe, “If it feels good, it must be from God.” Our feelings and emotions become our only source of truth, making us open and willing to accept anything that feels good. If something tickles our ears, we consider it precious and cling to it.

Peter writes,

“Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because

“All flesh is as grass,
And all the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” 1 Peter 1:22-25 NKJV

In short, Peter is telling us that everything we see and touch in this life, including our own lives, will soon disappear—this is the most discouraging truth of our existence. However, there is one thing that endures forever: the Word of God. This very Word is the good news you read and study in your Bible.

If we ask, “What is the Word of God?” The answer is found throughout the entire Bible, but for now, let’s quickly look at a few passages to explore that question.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-5, 14 NKJV

Do you see it?

Now, let’s read another passage:

“Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. . . The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” . . . Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?” Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”” John 6:32-35, 41-42, 48-58 NKJV

When I studied the passage above, I wondered, “Why didn’t Jesus explain it in a way they could understand?” As if there were a better way to convey the truth. But there wasn’t—Jesus communicated the truth using the most basic and everyday terms, making it easy for them to understand.

In the Book of Revelation, it says,

“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelations 19:11-16 NKJV

By reading these three passages, we can confidently draw the following conclusions: The Word is God Himself. The Word is the Incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ. In the Word, in Christ, there is Life, for He Himself is Life. This Life in the Word is the Light for us humans. As this Word lives in us—as we consume it (we eat and drink it), both spiritually and mentally—we gain eternal life. Our eternal life begins here on earth and doesn’t end with death. Death merely changes our home address, from earth to heaven, where God’s goodness, mercy, love, kindness, compassion, grace, and mercy reign forever, and we live in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, seeing Him face to face. Our faith turns to sight.

If we separate ourselves from this Word, we are nothing but clay, dust. We, along with everything we are and have, will soon turn to vapor, and our soul’s eternal dwelling will be in a place where God’s wrath rains down on us forever. This eternal place is called hell.

The word of God says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV

So, while it is still today, we each need to ask ourselves, “What am I constantly hearing, reading, and thinking about? Does the Word have a place in my life? If it does, what is its place? Does the Word occupy 1% of my life, or is it absent altogether?” The answers we give to these questions may offer a glimpse into where our eternal home will be if today is our last day on earth.

If you believe your eternal home is hell and you’re still breathing, call upon the Lord, for “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13, Joel 2:32). Cry out to Him, saying, “Save me, Lord.” . . . cont’d ///