Truth Magazine

By R.J. Stevens

A few years, ago one of our sons said, “You and mother need to go to the Bahamas or Hawaii to rest up.” Our response was when we get to go home to Kemp, Texas, that is our trip to the Bahamas. When you are away from home nearly thirty-five weeks out of the year, the remaining seventeen at home are very special.

However, when I think about home and reflect upon my experiences as a member of my earthly father’s home and a member of my own home today, the where we lived didn’t amount to very much and still doesn’t. The who we were with is what made home so grand. Being with daddy, mother, my brothers and sister is what made our home. We laughed, cried, sang, went to worship together and shared with each other. It wasn’t where we were living but it was who we were living with and how we were living that made it home. In 1947 my wife and I established our own home or family. As I look back, home was wherever my wife and children were. We moved a lot, but that didn’t destroy our home. To be with my dear companion and my children is what made it home. We also laughed, cried, sang, went to worship together and shared with each other.

Now that our children are all grown and have their own homes, home is a little different today. But it is still just as sweet as ever. This is because I am with the one who is closer to me than anyone on this earth. We have a house in a little town called Kemp, Texas. We live in a travel trailer most of the time – stay in motels and in the homes of brethren. That’s not home. Home is being with the only person in the world who has served me and would give her life for me. It doesn’t matter whether we are on a lonely road or a busy freeway, I feel at home as long as my wife and the mother of our children is sitting next to me. To me, home is being with the one who is closest to me, sharing and caring.

When a person is a Christian and has a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ, he is at home even in this life because the Lord is by his side. Jesus said: “I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5). A Christian knows that Christ has served him throughout this life and that he gave his life on Calvary for him. Such love constrains us to love and serve Christ in return (2 Cor. 5:14; 1 Jn. 4:19). We are with Christ and he is with us now by faith. In the heavenly realm we will be with him by sight. In 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Paul said, “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” John wrote, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn. 3:2). As the song says, “That will be glory for me” “just to be near the dear Lord I adore” forever. I don’t know just where heaven is and what we will do when we get there, but that really doesn’t matter just as long as I am with the one who loved me and gave himself for me and with the one whom I have loved more than I have loved my father, mother, sons, daughter or even my wife. Love for Jesus is what makes our homes here on the earth sweeter as the years go by. A home devoted to the Lord is a foretaste of the heavenly home.

Going home to heaven means going to a place of quiet and rest, but I believe it means more than that to a Christian. It is being with Jesus, my best friend and brother, and having him sitting next to me, sharing and caring.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, p. 613
October 17, 1991

By Steve Hardin

Reward. It is a word that immediately captures our attention when we see it. It is a word we become familiar with early in life. Even as children, we learn that if we are good, if we eat our vegetables, if we make A’s on our report card, etc., we will be rewarded. The high school student learns a high paying and enjoyable occupation are the rewards for the long hours of studying and the expense of a college education. Reward motivation is a principle that even follows us into adulthood. Why do adults get up early each Monday morning and go to work? Some may love their jobs. Many, however, will go to boring and tedious jobs in order to obtain the reward, the paycheck, on Friday evening. It doesn’t take us long to realize that if we want the paycheck we must go to work.

In each of these cases decisions are made. One must decide if the reward is worth the effort necessary to obtain it. This is exactly the idea of Jesus in regard to spiritual matters in his statement in Luke 14:25-33. He talks about the sacrifices necessary to be his disciple and counting the cost, deciding if the reward offered is worth the requirements. Paul answered this question for himself in Romans 8:18, where he said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Paul was motivated to endure the suffering of this world in order to obtain the “crown of life.” He had counted the cost and as willing to pay the price. The shipwrecks, the stoning, the beatings, he hunger and thirst, and all else that he endured for the cause of Christ were not even worthy of being compared with the reward to e conceived. The idea is, the reward far exceeded in value that which he had to endure to obtain it. Notice his statement in 2 Corinthians :17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Even though his suffering was far greater than that which you and I have were endured, Paul calls it a “light affliction,” as if all these terrible things he went through were just minor difficulties. It is not so much what he endured was easy or nothing; it is that the reward is so great and everlasting. The sufferings and trials of a Christian, no matter how severe, are temporary. Paul says they are “but for a moment. hey may seem to be eternal when we are experiencing them. However, when compared to the reward, everlasting life in heaven, even years of suffering are as nothing in comparison. The motivation for the Christian to endure and “not grow weary while doing good” (Gal. 9) is the greatness of the reward (Matt. 5:11-12). Without faithfulness and endurance on the part of the Christian, the reward will be lost, as Paul taught in 2 Timothy 2:11-12. “This is a faithful saying: For we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will also deny us.”

In 2 Peter 3, Peter is writing to those whose faith is being severely tried. He is reminding them of the fact that the “day of the Lord will come” and this world will come to an end. For the righteous, Peter said, “Nevertheless we, according to His promise look for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13). In 2 Peter 3:11-14, Peter is reminding them of the kind of persons they should be if they wish to receive the reward. Receiving an eternal home in heaven with God and the redeemed should be our greatest motivation for faithful service to God. This is certainly a thought which should thrill the heart of us all. The reward is worth more than any sacrifice required of man.

At the command of God, in some future time, this earth shall be no more (2 Pet. 3:10-11). Where do we go from here? This is the question that really should concern all of us. Matthew 7:13-14 and Matthew 25:46 teach us that we have only one of two choices. The righteous shall enjoy eternal life in heaven. They are the ones who count the cost and determine in their heart and by their life that the reward is more than worth the cost. The unrighteous will be rewarded with “everlasting punishment” in hell. “For the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Each of us will determine his own destiny based on what he does in this life (Rev. 22:14; Matt. 7:21). However, even with all of our efforts to obtain the reward, if it were not for the fact that eternal life is the “gift of God” we would never receive it. All of our efforts, even though essential to receive the reward, never earn the reward. It is the grace of God that makes the reward possible for us and reveals to us the way to obtain it (Rom. 6:23). In Ephesians 2:8, Paul said, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

Near the end of his life Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the Day; and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” If we are to some day receive heaven as our reward it will be because we, like Paul, counted the cost. After considering all the suffering nothing in comparison to the reward, we were willing to fight the battles, run the race and finish the course. In order to make it, we need to follow the divinely inspired advice of Paul in Colossians 3:1-2, “Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 609, 631
October 17, 1991

By Bill Feist

Have you ever traveled a long ways and finally reached your destination where you have a reservation only to have a clerk, with a blank look on his face, after searching through some computer terminal, say, “I don’t see your name on the list”? It is shattering to think that your name is not on the list, even though you know you made a reservation. You can be sure of one thing if you are a Christian, you have a reward reserved for you. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Pet. 1:3-4). This is one reservation that is going to be honored. Each of us needs to be sure to get there and claim it.

Men are interested in and have a desire for a life beyond this one. Man longs for immortality. Paul expressed this longing in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” The children of the world have no inheritance awaiting them at the end of this life. The Christian can say with assurance, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1).

Scripture uses the word “inheritance” to refer to a settled and secure possession. Inheritance in the Old Testament Scriptures referred not only to an estate received by a child from his parents, but also to the land received by the children of Israel as a gift from Jehovah. To Israel the great inheritance was the “Promised Land” which “flowed with milk and honey.” God even identified Israel as a “people of inheritance” (Deut. 4:20).

The Christian’s inheritance is far greater than any physical heritage. The greatness of the Christian’s inheritance is most difficult to depict. This is due to the fact that our heavenly inheritance is so unlike our earthly existence that we have to be told what heaven will not be like. Thus, Peter uses three negatives to impress upon us the fact that heaven is not like anything which we know on this earth. No man has within his power the ability to alter the reality of what Peter states. Consider the comparable excellencies of the inheritance.

The heavenly inheritance is “incorruptible.” Observation informs us that the greatest achievements of man give way to the ravening touch of time. Many have returned to the old homestead only to find it in a state of decay and deterioration due to neglect and the passage of time. Scripture says that heaven is a place that shall never decay. Corruption is a change from better to worse. There will be no corruption in heaven. No destructive force can in any way injure this eternal inheritance as they do the inheritances of the earth. Rust, moth and thieves (Matt. 6:19) can harm this material inheritance. They can not touch the eternal one. Why strive to attain earthly rewards which must ultimately fade and perish, when there is within your grasp an incorruptible inheritance? This inheritance that God offers his people is alone incorruptible. In this respect it is like its Maker who is called by Paul in Romans 1:23 the “incorruptible God.” Heaven is without change, as it is without end.

Our inheritance is also identified as being “undefiled.” Being “undefiled” our inheritance is not subject to contamination. The things that spoil our world or mar its beauty will have no place in heaven. Sin, misery, death, separations, loneliness, physical handicaps, mental pains and all tears will be gone. Nothing impure can enter it. Deterioration is thus impossible. It is pure and lofty. It is an inheritance we can desire without any reservations. Material inheritances may corrupt the heart (Lk. 12:13-15). They may tempt us to extravagance, covetousness or lust. The heavenly inheritance will never tend in any means to defile. Heaven is like our great High Priest, even Jesus, “who is holy, harmless, undefiled” (Heb. 7:26).

Peter’s final negative describing our inheritance is that it “will not fade away.” The word translated here is properly applied to that which does not fade or wither, as a cut flower. It denotes that which is enduring. Our inheritance will not lose anything as a result of age, illness or familiarity. It will not be marred by impurity or through damage by our enjoyment. Such suggests our inheritance will be kept in its original brightness and beauty. In view of this thought, the figures used in Scripture to describe heaven would roughly translate into these thoughts: the streets will lose none of their luster, the crown of life will not need elbow grease to polish it up, nor will the flowers on the banks of the river of life ever fade. Man has searched for the fountain of youth where all things are able to remain in their prime. This picture of our inheritance offers a perpetual fountain of youth.

Here is an inheritance appointed for us who are kept by one who cannot lie and can bestow all that he has promised. It is not available in this life. The people for whom this heavenly inheritance is reserved are described, not by name, but by character: “for you” or “for us.” It is for those who have been begotten again to a lively hope (1 Pet. 1:3) and have remained faithful unto death (Rev. 2:10). The inheritance is reserved for such as these. All others will be shut out forever (Matt. 25:10). This inheritance is reserved in heaven and is not to be expected on this earth (2 Pet. 3:10-13). Our inheritance is in heaven where Jesus has gone to prepare us a place (Jn. 14:1-3). He keeps it safe. Earthly inheritances may be lost by careless or unscrupulous guardians. Our inheritance is as sure as the God who offers it.

Having an eternal inheritance gives us perspective. Perspective is what helps us determine what is really important in life. This is illustrated, without the use of the word inheritance, in Hebrews 10:34, “For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.” This is what gives direction in our lives. This is our hope for when this life is completed.

Going to heaven is not the natural result of simply having lived. It involves a choice. When Jesus taught concerning the foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1-13), he was trying to impress upon our minds that everybody who anticipates going to heaven isn’t going to go there. The foolish virgins were not foolish because they were immoral, they were virgins. They were not foolish because they were in the wrong company, they were with the wise. They were foolish because they had a vain expectation of seeing the bridegroom. They had not been willing to prepare for him. They counted on others to have their preparation for them. Finally it was too late. They were on the outside looking in, as the door was shut. To go to heaven takes time, prayer, thought, planning, discipline and perseverance.

1 Peter 1:3-4 combines the beginning of our spiritual life with its consummation. Daily life lies between these two extremes. Living in a world that is often hostile to us, our hearts ought to be filled with longing for the inheritance set before us. What a weighty incentive to faithfulness is our eternal inheritance!

The “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,” is an appeal to the aspiring. Why seek earthly distinctions which must pass away, when within your reach is the unfading inheritance of God? This is stimulus to endure the combat of daily life. Why grow weary, why sink fainthearted in the strife, when there is stretched forth before and above you, the Divine and imperishable inheritance of heaven?

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 20, pp. 611-612
October 17, 1991

By David Lipscomb

Brother Lipscomb: We would like an article from you on the fate of the wicked after death. We have some brethren here who take the position that the wicked are annihilated, destroyed at once, and that there is no eternal punishment. It seems to be a very wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort to some. We think the scriptures on the subject plain enough, but perhaps you will be able to turn on the light a little stronger than some of the rest of us (T.M. Sowell, Corsicana, Texas).

I have never been able to see why any good man desires to convince people that wickedness would not meet a terrible punishment. This effort to convince them that the only penalty for sin is to pass into non-existence and forgetfulness encourages and satisfies people to remain in wickedness. Is not that the meaning, the purpose, and the effect of it? Why object to the idea of eternal punishment? Is not the answer: It gives an idea of terrible punishment of sin and of cruelty of God toward impenitent sinners? To whom does it give such an idea, and who is it that draws back from the idea of that punishment? Is it not the wicked? Yet it does not seem terrible enough to deter them from wickedness. But God intended the punishment he inflicted on sin to deter the wicked from sin. John the Baptist warned them to flee from the wrath to come. Paul says: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” Everywhere God represents himself as a God of terror to the wicked. The future punishment of the wicked, so far as time is concerned, is described by exactly the same words that describe the duration of the happiness of the righteous: “These shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46,RV). Revelation 14:11, RV, says of those who worship the beast: “The smoke of their torment goeth up forever and ever.” Take these two expressions, and suppose God had intended to teach eternal suffering; what words could he have used to teach it if these do not? God used the words that, in their common and natural meaning, convey the idea of eternal suffering. He could easily have used words that mean annihilation. Why did he use those which mean eternal suffering or punishment if he intended to convey the idea of ceasing to exist at death? These persons who now insist that he means ceasing to exist at death never use the terms God used, except to try to explain them away and break their force. Then the wicked are raised from the dead. Why raise them from the dead to annihilate them? They were to be punished with a punishment much sorer than death without mercy (Heb. 2:2,3). There is a life after death, a punishment worse than death; and when does that punishment after death end? It exists “forever and ever,” it is eternal. No language has terms indicating a longer existence than this in happiness or in woe.

It is said the wicked shall be destroyed. But destruction does not mean annihilation; it means the relations the person holds to other things will be broken and the associations and connections that have hitherto brought good will bring evil. A nation is destroyed by being broken up in its relations and disorganized. It is doubtful if the idea of annihilation of anything or being is found in the Bible. Paul describes the punishment that shall be inflicted upon those that obey not the gospel: “Who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thess. 1:9,RV). This plainly says the destruction shall be from the presence of God, and this destruction shall be an eternal one. It shall never be restored. In the presence of God are blessing and joy and all good; away from that presence are sorrow and woe and all evil. This is to be eternal. These scriptures are so clear that it seems to me none willing to receive the truth can doubt them. In making the punishment for sin light, we make the sin itself a light and indifferent matter. To make sin against God a light matter is to derogate from the honor, majesty, holiness, and power of God; it derogates from the importance of the mission and death of Christ. Is it likely Christ would have left heaven, with its glories, and have come to earth to suffer and die to save men from a state of unconsciousness? All effort to minimize or lighten the punishment of sin destroys the enormity of the sinfulness of sin; lessens the majesty, dignity, and holiness of God; lessens the magnitude and the grace of Christ and the importance of his death. It derogates from man and makes him only a brute; it destroys the difference between virtue and vice, sin and holiness, in men. The Bible affords no ground for such a position and leads to no much conclusions. If men would study to avoid sin instead of trying to excuse it, it would be much better for men (Gospel Advocate, [June 27, 1901], p . 409.

Guardian of Truth XXXV: 19, p. 597
October 3, 1991