Once, when I was on a trip with a buddy, he noticed me sighing as I picked stuff up. He said, “You’re groaning a lot more than you used to.” And I said, “Dude, it’s biblical: ‘Indeed, we groan in this tent, desiring to put on our heavenly dwelling'” (2 Corinthians 5:2, CSB).

When the Bible speaks about everlasting life, it often speaks of those who have been saved simply living in God’s presence. But everyone will live forever, because everyone has a soul, and the soul is eternal. According to Daniel, only two possibilities exist: everlasting shame and contempt, or resurrection and everlasting life (see Daniel 12:2).

There are three great facts of life. One, everybody dies. Two, everybody gets evaluated. Three, everybody gets resurrected: rich, poor, young, old, famous, obscure.

Jesus said, “For the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29). Make no mistake—every human being will live forever. The big question is, where?

For New Testament believers, our physical resurrection will take place at the rapture of the church. “And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

After that, there will be a seven-year period of tribulation, at the end of which, I believe, Old Testament saints will be resurrected along with tribulation believers. That’s the resurrection unto life. Revelation 20 says there will be a thousand years after the first resurrection, and then a second resurrection when unbelievers will be resurrected in their physical bodies and stand before God to be judged.

No matter how long you live here, it’s nothing compared to eternity. For those whose names are written in the Book of Life, it gets better—you’ll live forever.

And it gets even better than that. “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3).” Talk about hope! Resurrection isn’t even the end. Rewards come in the ability to reflect God’s glory in some capacity.

If you’re a saved person, you’ll shine forever. But if you’re a saved person who has given your life to bring many to righteousness, it seems you’re going to shine a little brighter. We’re going to be rewarded—this is a reality. You are brought into the kingdom by faith, but your eternal rewards will be the result of your faithfulness on earth.

That’s why Paul said, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Jesus said, “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20, NIV). Storing up treasures in heaven depends on your faithfulness here and now. And that faithfulness will determine your capacity to shine in eternity.

If you want to plant something that’ll last a year, plant a flower. If you want to plant something that’ll last a lifetime, plant a tree. If you want to plant something that’ll last forever, plant the gospel in the heart of another human being, and you’ll shine.