Dr Dimitrije Popadić
Protestant Theological Faculty
Novi Sad

BIBLICAL VIEW OF ETERNAL LIFE

Summary

In this text, the author, in a fundamental way, draws the big picture of the holistic Scriptural revelation of the meaning of the creation of human being, and that as the Creator's extended hand of the good stewardship over this earthly part of His creation. Here, the humane being is understood as the God-like being of communion between man and woman, that are uniqly equipped to fulfill the Old Testament mandate to multiply and rule, in a way of good stewards, over this entrusted planet Earth. Unfortunately, the original sin has made the human race incapable for the fulfillment of this mandate. Thus, thanks to the consistency of the Father's Hearth of God, in the Person of God the Son and in His saving dead on the cross and through the enlightening work of the Holy Spirit, the human race is given new grace and opportunity for the holistic healing, and the new (New Testament's) mandate is entrusted, the one of preaching and the making of the disciples of Christ's Gospel. Nevertheless, though this is an actual, urgent and relevant task to the God-awakened human being, it doesn't changes the essential meaning of the creation of the human race. It "just" heals and re-enables human being to perform the original meaning of the creation, and that is to be the extended hand of God's good stewardship over particular part of His creation. And that is in particular, according the writings of the author, the very essence of the Biblically-sounded theological meaning of the eternal life of the human being: the Creator has made the humane being in order to be His coworker and His-like co ruler, first the earthly one and then the heavenly one.

Key words: purpose, life, eternity, hope, Old Testemant mandate, New Testemant mandate, love.