[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Mankind’s Purpose and Destiny

On November 15, 2022, the United Nations announced a major historic event. For the first time in recorded history, the world population reached 8 BILLION human beings. What is the future of these 8 billion people? Are we to just “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die” as the old English idiom states? Regular viewers of Tomorrow’s World know biblical prophecies foretelling mankind’s self-destruction in the future Great Tribulation. Thank God that He will intervene to save humanity from cosmocide. But what is YOUR purpose in life?

Many evolutionists will say that the purpose of life is self-preservation, self-perpetuation, and self-determination. Those motives are certainly a part of human nature. But is survival the only meaning and purpose for life? Can you truly know your REAL purpose for living? Is there life beyond death? Why were you born? What is your ultimate destiny? My friends, you need to answer the question, “Why are you alive?”

Join us on Tomorrow’s World for amazing answers to the most important questions in life!

Materialism Provides No Answers

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world!

For thousands of years, philosophers have proposed answers to the question, “What is the meaning of life?” And that is a question we all should be able to answer.

Much of today’s world has embraced an evolutionary worldview. And many materialists and evolutionists say there is no transcendental purpose of life. For example, the famous American astronomer and cosmologist Carl Sagan, thought that humans, in the grand scheme of the universe, are almost insignificant. When the space probe Voyager 1 photographed an image of planet Earth in our solar system, Carl Sagan, considering this “pale blue dot” as he called it, made a striking comment: “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves” (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, 1994, p. 9).

Sagan wrote that planet earth is a “lonely speck” in the cosmic dark. Must we then conclude that we are so insignificant as to be meaningless? Then why does the universe exist? Has it no purpose? Is the universe and our part in it meaningless? The Creator of the universe has a sober warning to atheists. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:18–21).

This atheistic philosophy admits that it cannot or will not answer the question, “What is the purpose and meaning of life?” On the other hand, Nobel Prize winner Sir John Eccles clearly saw significant meaning in the creation. Sir John Eccles was, at the time, perhaps the world’s foremost authority on the mind and brain. The observations of this distinguished scientist about the meaning and purpose of life are very profound. He was interviewed for a World Tomorrow TV Program back in the 1980s. Sir John Eccles said: “I would say that the meaning… has to come back to the Creator.… One has to believe that there’s more behind all this, from our very existence as creating selves to what we do and how we live in what I like to think, in an altruistic society—caring and loving one another, living for one another, building a new world of love and inspiration and dedication and sacrifice—ah, building such a world. The meaning of all this, I think, is in the mind of the Creator. You see… as soon as you get away from materialism, ah, you have wonderful opportunities. You’ve left being tied down in materialism, stuck in materialism.”

Sir John Eccles could clearly see the strong limitations of materialism. One definition of materialism is: “a theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter” (Merriam Webster Online). No! Physical matter is NOT the only reality. I encourage you to view our TV Program or read our Tomorrow’s World article, “What is the Greatest Reality?” The atheistic, materialist philosophy admits that it cannot or will not answer the question, “What is the purpose and meaning of life?”

Transformed to Become God’s Family

The ancient Greek philosophers came up with a wide range of answers to the questions, purposes, and meaning of life. The 4th century B.C. saw the rise of three principal schools of thought in Greece: Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism.

The Apostle Paul was quite familiar with these ancient schools of thought. He visited Athens about A.D. 50. If you have your Bible, turn to Acts 17. ACTS 17:18, “Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him [the Apostle Paul]. And some said, ‘What does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,’ because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus [that’s Mars’ hill], saying, ‘May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?’” (vv. 18–19).

Paul then proclaimed to them the Creator God, who made the world and everything in it. And he made this fundamental, yet ASTOUNDING OBSERVATION in verse 28: “… for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’” (Acts 17:28).

In Him we live and move and have our being! Our entire existence, Paul tells us, is intimately tied to the Creator God! Even the Greek poets knew we are God’s “offspring,” His children. Paul knew that human life can have no real meaning or purpose apart from God! Yes, we were created to have a special relationship with our Creator. It’s the VERY FOUNDATION of a meaningful life! The Messiah, Jesus Christ, also affirmed this highest purpose in life. A lawyer asked Him, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Turn in your Bible to Matthew 22:37. Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

That relationship leads to a change from selfish human nature, to a loving spiritual nature. God wants us to be born into his immortal family. The Bible explains that ultimate transformation takes place at the resurrection from the dead. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, is the firstborn from the dead (Revelation 1:5)! He is the firstborn of MANY BRETHREN as it tells us Romans 8:29. God’s children will be transformed from mortal to immortal at the resurrection, as it states in 1 Corinthians 15:53. Yes, you have an opportunity to belong to an immortal family, to be a part of God’s kingdom and royal family. Remember, Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Yes, your Bible reveals the real purpose and meaning of life. Bible prophecy outlines the future of the world and the future of humanity. That future also reveals your purpose and meaning in life. Jesus Christ came with a message called the gospel, which means “good news.” That message is emphasized in the heavenly announcement of Revelation 11:15, “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

Thank God that He has a plan to save mankind from total cosmocide! We are headed toward World War III and Armageddon if we as nations and individuals do not change our way of life! Beyond Armageddon, God has promised a new age to come. That new age will begin with the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, and the establishment of His kingdom over all nations! Revelation 5:10 and Revelation 20:6 reveal that our calling and purpose in that kingdom is to rule as kings and priests with the King of kings, Jesus Christ, for a thousand years here on earth! What else has God promised faithful Christians? What is your destiny beyond death? Turn in your Bible to Matthew 25:34, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”

My friends, faithful Christians, and that could include you, will inherit the Kingdom of God! The prophet Daniel also confirms that promise: DANIEL 7:18, “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” Notice, “forever and ever.” Yes, faithful Christians will inherit eternal life! My friends, that is just a small part of the glorious destiny God has planned for you!

The amazing truth is that your potential future is grand, magnificent, and transcendent beyond what you can imagine! We get a hint of this plan when Jesus’ mother and brothers attempted to visit Him when He was visiting a large group of people. Matthew 12:46, “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and [Your] brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.’ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, ‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother’” (Matthew 12:46–50).

My friends, is YOUR very purpose in life to become a member of God’s Family?

How to Become Sons and Daughters of God?

“For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’” (Acts 17:28).

We also saw the amazing statement by Jesus in Matthew 12:49–50, that He considers His faithful disciples as His family! “He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’”

Jesus described those who would obey our Father in heaven as His spiritual family. My friends, God is inviting you to be part of His family! Notice this inspiring scripture, Ephesians 3:14. The Apostle Paul states that he bows His knees to our Father in heaven. Ephesians 3:14, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [now notice this!] from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named…” (Ephesians 3:14–15).

Yes, God is the Father [from] whom the whole FAMILY in heaven and earth is named! God is producing a family. He wants you to voluntarily choose to become His sons and daughters! Notice that in 2 Corinthians 6. God wants you to come out of the carnal, sinful ways of the world. 2 Corinthians 6:17, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17–18).

God is love, as it tells us in 1 John 4:8 and 16! He wants YOU as His son or daughter! Remember what Jesus taught us to pray in the outline, or model, prayer. How do you begin your prayer? “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). How do you become a son or daughter of your Father in heaven? We must first acknowledge God Almighty as the Creator of heaven and earth. Notice this in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Some of you longtime viewers of Tomorrow’s World have had wonderful answers to your prayers because you have humbled yourself to pray to your Father in heaven. But there’s another step that Jesus made clear when He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. Notice that in Mark 1:14, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15).

Yes, my friends, Jesus called all His audience to repentance. What do you repent of? You repent of sin, which is the transgression of God’s law, His Ten Commandments! Repent means to change your mind, to express so much sorrow for your sins, your behaviors, your attitudes, that you turn your life around and go God’s way, rather than the carnal way of selfishness, greed, lust, jealousy, and sin. Remember when the NT church began on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter gave instructions to his audience. Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call’” (Acts 2:38–39).

Now is the time to seek God, as it tells us in Isaiah 55:6–7. God will abundantly pardon, as He promises, if you follow through with Christ’s instructions.

After genuine repentance, faith, and baptism, God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit. That is the beginning of a truly spiritual life. We become the very heirs of God, co-heirs, or joint-heirs with Christ. Read it for yourself in Romans 8:14. Continuing in the KJV: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:14–17).

We’ve already seen a glimpse of our inheritance: We will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5); we will inherit the Kingdom (Matthew 25:34 and Daniel 7:18); We will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29).

Let’s understand, we are now heirs of God, not yet inheritors. That takes place at the resurrection! Once we are God’s begotten children, we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, as it tells us in 2 Peter 3:18! As we learn and practice God’s way of life, we grow in godly character. And that takes a lifetime.

Coming Together in Christ

But the greatest reality is that God is omnipotent, all powerful, as it tells us in Revelation 19:6, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” Yes, God rules supreme. And His Kingdom is the family of God and the government of God! You can be a part of that loving, divine, royal family.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). My friends, you can be a member of that body, the Church of God. How can you find that Church? I encourage you to view Gerald Weston’s program “Would Jesus Choose Your Church?” and Rod McNair’s program “Are Churches Dying?” Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Yes, His Church will NOT die! We are also told in Hebrews 10:25 not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Those Christians are assembling every week to fellowship with one another and worship God on His Sabbath. You can meet some of them at our Tomorrow’s World Presentations which are held at various locations around the world. Just visit the TomorrowsWorld.org website and scroll down to “Presentations.” There you will find a listing of the cities and dates where you will find all four of our TV presenters and other area ministers presenting prophetic topics of vital interest. We hope to meet you at one of these Tomorrow’s World Presentations! You may also meet members of the Living Church of God. As you and your family fellowship with loving and faithful Christians, you will grow spiritually in God’s love. Teenagers enjoy the annual Living Youth Camp and participate in sports, outdoor activities, and Christian Living classes that challenge our young people to experience for themselves the values of abundant living that will last a lifetime and beyond. Living Church of God members attend the eight-day annual Feast of Tabernacles in various locations around the world. They are preparing for tomorrow’s world when all nations will observe God’s biblical festivals (Zechariah 14:16).

Yes, God has a glorious future for you and your family, IF you seek Him with your whole heart as it tells us in Isaiah 55:6–7. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, declares our purpose in life in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

My friends, I encourage you to prove for yourself the real meaning of life.

Thank you for watching!

We, here at Tomorrow’s World, produce these videos to help you understand your world through the pages of the Bible.

So if you found this helpful, please like, share, and subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss another video.

And if you want to learn more, you can request our free Bible Study Guide—What Is the Meaning of Life?—just click the link in the description.

See you next time!