Java has endured because:

1. It is stable: the Java community values backward compatibility.

2. There is an IMMENSE set of support and tools in the Java ecosystem.

3. Java is a highly maintainable language, due to its type safety and also due to number 1.

4. Java is easy to learn.

5. Java works, extremely well. Threads work. Tools work. Everything works, to a much larger degree than many other language ecosystems.

Is Java popular? Among companies, yes, and that is what matters.

Is Java going to eventually fade away? Of course - everything does. In fact, it is not clear that in ten years, programmers will even exist. It might well be that Java endures until the end of programming.