Eternal Life Versus The Fading Flower

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Here’s a biblical contrast if ever there was one – eternal life versus a fading flower! Say what? God compares the two against each other in the book of James :

“Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him” (James 1:12).

Here God makes an astounding promise of eternal life for those who love (read obey) Him. This is an eternal reward of glory – a promise from God.  A crown of life that lasts forever. Just think – no more worrying about getting old, aches, pains or worry about bills. All is taken care of from there on in – forever.

In contrast, James compares verse 12 with the fading flower of life in verses 9-11:

“Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower thereof fails, and the grace of the fashion thereof perishes: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.”

Now is God against riches? Of course not! Men like Abraham and King David were very rich men who used their blessings to serve God more abundantly. But God is against those who put their riches before Him. In other words, this becomes their idol and this breaks the commandments.

Priorities in this life always have to be kept straight. If Christians allow the physical life to supersede spiritual things, they are in trouble. Life is ephemeral – nothing but a fading flower. We don’t even have a real life. We are simply heading towards death. That is all we have and nothing more, without God. The greatest things life has to offer mean nothing if our life is not lived in service to our Creator. Eternal life is at stake.

What Is The Length Of A Biblical Generation?

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The Bible does not give a direct answer to this common question. Yet it does leave us with some observations. When we study the Scriptures, it becomes clear that the length of a generation differs from one historic period to the next. The generations of the earlier history of man were longer, because people lived longer and tended to marry later in life. 

One of the genealogies in the New Testament says this: “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations” (Matt. 1:17, NKJV).

Each of these three groupings were summed up as 14 generations. Yet, they did not last the same number of years. In fact, the average generation in the period from Abraham to David was approximately 64 years. But, the average generation from David to the Babylonian captivity and from that captivity to Christ was about 38 years. 

The term “generation” may have other meanings too. The “generation” that sees Christ’s return, for example, refers to all the people living at that time.