‘Eternal’ means existing with neither beginning nor end but to always ‘be’. Only God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is truly eternal. He is the only one who has always been and always will be. In Exodus 3:13-14, Moses asks God His name. God replies that His name is Yahweh, which means ‘I am who I am’. This name teaches us that God is eternal, that He is the same ‘yesterday, today and forever’ (James 1:17, Hebrews 13:8). The Bible also describes as ‘eternal’ both the life after death of those who turn to Christ, and the punishment of those who do not trust Him (Matthew 25:46). In this context, the word ‘eternal’ refers only to the future for humans, not to a previous existence.
