This Story is still under construction, The written part of the story has to be added and 'the Gospel' presented.
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| Jalyn was made to see her sin. |
ETERNITY!
J.C. Ryle, 1878
"What is seen is temporary — but what is unseen is eternal."
(2 Corinthians 4:18)
Surely, a man must be blind who cannot realize this. Everything around us is decaying, dying, and coming to an end. There is a sense, no doubt, in which "matter" is eternal. Once created, it will never entirely cease to exist. But in a popular practical sense, everything about us is dying except our souls. No wonder the poet says, "Change and decay all around me I see — O You who does not change, abide with me!"
We are all going, going, going — whether eminent or unimportant, gentle or cruel, rich or poor, old or young. We are all going — and will soon be gone!
Beauty is only temporary. Sarah was once the lovliest of women, and the admiration of the Court of Egypt; yet a day came when even Abraham, her husband, said, "Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." (Genesis 23:4)
Strength of the body is only temporary. David was once a mighty man of valor, the slayer of the lion and the bear, and the champion of Israel against Goliath; yet a day came when even David had to be nursed and ministered to in his old age like a child!
Wisdom and power of the brain are only temporary. Solomon was once a marvel of knowledge, and all the kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom — yet even Solomon in his latter days played the fool, and allowed his wives to "turn his heart after their gods." (1 Kings 11:2)
As humbling and painful as these truths may sound, it is good for all of us to realize them and take them to heart. The houses we live in, the homes we love, the riches we accumulate, the professions we follow, the plans we formulate, the relations we enter into — they are only for a time. "What is seen is temporary." "This world in its present form is passing away." (2 Corinthians 4:18; 1 Corinthians 7:31)
The thought is one which ought to awaken everyone who is living only for this world. If his conscience is not completely seared, it should stir in him a great searching of his heart. Oh, be careful what you are doing! Awake to see things in their true light, before it is too late. The things you live for now, are all temporary and passing away! The pleasures, the amusements, the recreations, the profits, the earthly callings, which now absorb all your heart and drink up your entire mind — will soon be over. They are poor fleeting things which cannot last. Oh, do not love them too much; do not hold on to them too tightly; do not make them your idols! You cannot keep them, and you must leave them. Seek first the kingdom of God, and then everything else will be given to you. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Oh, you that love the world, get wisdom! Never, never forget that it is written, "The world and its desires pass away — but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (Colossians 3:2; 1 John 2:17)
The same thought ought to cheer and comfort every true Christian. Your trials, crosses, and conflicts are all temporary! They will soon come to an end; and even now they are working for you "an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17) Receive them patiently; bear them quietly; look upward, forward, onward, and far beyond them. Fight your daily fight under a steadfast conviction that it is only for a little while, and that rest is not far off. Carry your daily cross always remembering that "what is seen is temporary." The cross will soon be exchanged for a crown — and you will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God.
II. The second thought that I bring to your attention is this — we are all moving towards a world where everything is eternal.
That great unseen state of existence, which lies beyond the grave — is forever! Whether it is happy or miserable, whether it is a condition of joy or sorrow — we know that in one respect it will be utterly unlike anything in this world — it will be forever. There will be no change and decay, no end, no goodbye, no mornings and evening, no alteration, and no annihilation. Whatever there is beyond the tomb, when the last trumpet has sounded, and the dead are raised — we know it will be endless, everlasting, and eternal. "What is unseen is eternal."
We cannot fully realize this condition. The contrast between now and then, between this world and the next, is so very great that our feeble minds cannot grasp it all. How we live our lives in this world, brings consequences in the next, that are so tremendous, that they almost take away our breath, and we shrink back from looking at them. But when the Bible speaks plainly — we have no right to turn away from a subject; and with the Bible in our hands, we will do well to look at the "unseen things that are eternal."
Who ever spoke such loving and merciful words as our Lord Jesus Christ? Yet His are the lips which three times over describe the consequence of refusing to repent of sin, as "the worm that does not die, and the fire that is not quenched." He is the Person who speaks in one sentence, of the wicked going away to "eternal punishment," and the righteous to "eternal life." (Mark 9:43-48; Matthew 25:46)
Who does not remember the Apostle Paul's words about love? Yet he is the very Apostle who says, the wicked "will be punished with everlasting destruction." (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
Who does not know the spirit of love that runs through all John's Gospel and Epistles? Yet the beloved Apostle is the very writer in the New Testament who dwells most strongly, in the book of Revelation, on the reality and eternity of future agony.
What will we say to all these things? Will we be wiser than that which is written? Will we admit the dangerous principle that words in Scripture do not mean what they appear to mean? Is it not far better to put our hands over our months and say, "Whatever God has written must be true!" "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments!" (Revelation 16:7)
"There is nothing that Satan desires more than that we would believe that he does not exist, and that there is no such a place as Hell, and no such things as eternal torments. He whispers all this into our ears, and he rejoices when he hears any deny these things, for then he hopes to make them and others his victims." — Wordsworth
(a) Let us be faithful, in the interest of the whole system of the Christian religion.
What was the use of God's Son becoming incarnate, agonizing in Gethsemane, and dying on the cross to make atonement — if men can ultimately be saved without believing on Him? Where is the slightest proof that saving faith in Christ's blood can ever be achieved after death? Where is the need of the Holy Spirit, if sinners are can enter Heaven without conversion and renewal of heart? Where can we find the smallest evidence that after a person dies in an unregenerate state — that later he can still be born again, and have a new heart? If a man, without faith in Christ or sanctification of the Spirit, can escape eternal punishment — then sin is no longer an infinite evil — and there was no need for Christ making atonement.
I turn from this part of my subject with a deep sense of its painfulness. I strongly agree with Robert McCheyne, that "it is a hard subject to handle lovingly." But I turn from it with an equally deep conviction that if we believe the Bible — then we must never give up anything that it contains. Dear Jesus, deliver us from hard, austere, and unmerciful theology! If men are not saved — it is because they "refuse to come to Christ." (John 5:40) But we must not be wise above that which is written. No morbid love of liberality, so called, must induce us to reject anything that God has revealed about eternity!
Men sometimes talk exclusively about God's mercy and love and compassion — as if He had no other attributes, and leave out His holiness and His purity, His justice and His wrath, and His hatred of sin. Let us beware of falling into this delusion. It is a growing evil in these last days. Low and inadequate views of the absolute vileness and filthiness of sin, and of the indescribable purity of the eternal God — are fertile sources of error about man's future state! Let us think about the mighty Being whom we are subject to, as He Himself declared His character to Moses saying, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin!" But let us not forget the solemn clause that concludes the sentence, "Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished!" (Exodus 34:6, 7) Unrepented sin is an eternal evil, and can never cease to be sin; and the One we are subject to is an eternal God!
The words of Psalm 145 are strikingly beautiful, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. The Lord watches over all who love Him." Nothing can exceed the mercifulness of this language! But what a striking fact it is that the passage goes on to add the following solemn conclusion, "But all the wicked, He will destroy."
We must never forget, that every one of us, while we live, are in a state of probation. We are constantly sowing seeds which will spring up and bear fruit, every day and every hour in our lives. There are eternal consequences resulting from all our thoughts and words and actions, of which we pay too little attention to. "Men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment, for every careless word they have spoken." (Matthew 12:36) Our thoughts are all numbered; our actions are weighed. No wonder that Paul says, "The one who sows to please his sinful nature — from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit — from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:8) In a word, what we sow in life — we will reap after death, and reap throughout all eternity!
I strongly advise readers of this paper to remember this, and to make a good use of their time. Regard it as the stuff of which life is made, and never waste it or throw it away. Your hours and days and weeks and months and years — all have something to say to your eternal condition beyond the grave. What you sow in this life on earth — you are sure to reap in a life to come. As holy Richard Baxter says, it is "now or never!" Whatever we do in religion — must be done now.
Keep this foremost in your mind, whenever you are tempted to do evil. When sinners entice you, and say, "It is only a little sin." When Satan whispers in your heart, "Never mind — what is the great harm in it? Everybody does it" — then look beyond time to the unseen world, and place the thought of eternity in the face of the temptation. There is a great saying by the martyred Reformer, Hooper, when someone urged him to recant before he was burned, saying, "Life is sweet and death is bitter." "True," said Hooper, "quite true! But eternal life is more sweet — and eternal death is more bitter!"
I leave the subject of eternity here, and pray that God may bless it to many souls. In conclusion, I offer to every one who reads this volume some food for thought, and material for SELF-EXAMINATION.
(1) First of all, how are you using your time? Life is short and very uncertain. You never know what a day may bring forth. Business and pleasure, making money, and spending money, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage — all, all will soon be over and done with forever. And you — what are you doing for your immortal soul? Are you wasting time, or using it wisely? Are you preparing to meet God?
(2) Secondly, where will you be in eternity? It is coming, coming, coming very fast upon us. You are going, going, going very fast into it. But where will you be — on the right hand or on the left, in the Day of Judgment? Are you among the lost or among the saved? Oh, do not rest; do not rest until your soul is secured! Be prepared — leave nothing uncertain. It is a dreadful thing to die unprepared, and fall into the hands of the living God.
(3) Thirdly, do you want to be safe now and in eternity? Then seek Christ, and believe in Him. Come to Him just as you are. Seek Him while He may be found, call on Him while He is near. There is still a throne of grace. It is not too late. Christ waits to be gracious — He invites you to come to Him. Before the door is shut and the judgment begins, repent, believe, and be saved.
(4) Lastly, do you want to be happy? Cling to Christ and live a life of faith in Him. Remain in Him and live close to Him. Follow Him with heart and soul and mind and strength, and seek to know Him better every day. By doing so, you will have great peace while you pass through the "temporary things," and in the midst of a dying world you "will never die!" (John 11:26) By doing so you will be able to look forward to "eternal things" with unfailing confidence, and to feel and "know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands!" (2 Corinthians 5:1)
We are all going, going, going — whether eminent or unimportant, gentle or cruel, rich or poor, old or young. We are all going — and will soon be gone!
Beauty is only temporary. Sarah was once the lovliest of women, and the admiration of the Court of Egypt; yet a day came when even Abraham, her husband, said, "Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead." (Genesis 23:4)
Strength of the body is only temporary. David was once a mighty man of valor, the slayer of the lion and the bear, and the champion of Israel against Goliath; yet a day came when even David had to be nursed and ministered to in his old age like a child!
Wisdom and power of the brain are only temporary. Solomon was once a marvel of knowledge, and all the kings of the earth came to hear his wisdom — yet even Solomon in his latter days played the fool, and allowed his wives to "turn his heart after their gods." (1 Kings 11:2)
As humbling and painful as these truths may sound, it is good for all of us to realize them and take them to heart. The houses we live in, the homes we love, the riches we accumulate, the professions we follow, the plans we formulate, the relations we enter into — they are only for a time. "What is seen is temporary." "This world in its present form is passing away." (2 Corinthians 4:18; 1 Corinthians 7:31)
The thought is one which ought to awaken everyone who is living only for this world. If his conscience is not completely seared, it should stir in him a great searching of his heart. Oh, be careful what you are doing! Awake to see things in their true light, before it is too late. The things you live for now, are all temporary and passing away! The pleasures, the amusements, the recreations, the profits, the earthly callings, which now absorb all your heart and drink up your entire mind — will soon be over. They are poor fleeting things which cannot last. Oh, do not love them too much; do not hold on to them too tightly; do not make them your idols! You cannot keep them, and you must leave them. Seek first the kingdom of God, and then everything else will be given to you. "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." Oh, you that love the world, get wisdom! Never, never forget that it is written, "The world and its desires pass away — but the man who does the will of God lives forever." (Colossians 3:2; 1 John 2:17)
The same thought ought to cheer and comfort every true Christian. Your trials, crosses, and conflicts are all temporary! They will soon come to an end; and even now they are working for you "an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." (2 Corinthians 4:17) Receive them patiently; bear them quietly; look upward, forward, onward, and far beyond them. Fight your daily fight under a steadfast conviction that it is only for a little while, and that rest is not far off. Carry your daily cross always remembering that "what is seen is temporary." The cross will soon be exchanged for a crown — and you will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God.
II. The second thought that I bring to your attention is this — we are all moving towards a world where everything is eternal.
That great unseen state of existence, which lies beyond the grave — is forever! Whether it is happy or miserable, whether it is a condition of joy or sorrow — we know that in one respect it will be utterly unlike anything in this world — it will be forever. There will be no change and decay, no end, no goodbye, no mornings and evening, no alteration, and no annihilation. Whatever there is beyond the tomb, when the last trumpet has sounded, and the dead are raised — we know it will be endless, everlasting, and eternal. "What is unseen is eternal."
We cannot fully realize this condition. The contrast between now and then, between this world and the next, is so very great that our feeble minds cannot grasp it all. How we live our lives in this world, brings consequences in the next, that are so tremendous, that they almost take away our breath, and we shrink back from looking at them. But when the Bible speaks plainly — we have no right to turn away from a subject; and with the Bible in our hands, we will do well to look at the "unseen things that are eternal."
Who ever spoke such loving and merciful words as our Lord Jesus Christ? Yet His are the lips which three times over describe the consequence of refusing to repent of sin, as "the worm that does not die, and the fire that is not quenched." He is the Person who speaks in one sentence, of the wicked going away to "eternal punishment," and the righteous to "eternal life." (Mark 9:43-48; Matthew 25:46)
Who does not remember the Apostle Paul's words about love? Yet he is the very Apostle who says, the wicked "will be punished with everlasting destruction." (2 Thessalonians 1:9)
Who does not know the spirit of love that runs through all John's Gospel and Epistles? Yet the beloved Apostle is the very writer in the New Testament who dwells most strongly, in the book of Revelation, on the reality and eternity of future agony.
What will we say to all these things? Will we be wiser than that which is written? Will we admit the dangerous principle that words in Scripture do not mean what they appear to mean? Is it not far better to put our hands over our months and say, "Whatever God has written must be true!" "Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments!" (Revelation 16:7)
"There is nothing that Satan desires more than that we would believe that he does not exist, and that there is no such a place as Hell, and no such things as eternal torments. He whispers all this into our ears, and he rejoices when he hears any deny these things, for then he hopes to make them and others his victims." — Wordsworth
(a) Let us be faithful, in the interest of the whole system of the Christian religion.
What was the use of God's Son becoming incarnate, agonizing in Gethsemane, and dying on the cross to make atonement — if men can ultimately be saved without believing on Him? Where is the slightest proof that saving faith in Christ's blood can ever be achieved after death? Where is the need of the Holy Spirit, if sinners are can enter Heaven without conversion and renewal of heart? Where can we find the smallest evidence that after a person dies in an unregenerate state — that later he can still be born again, and have a new heart? If a man, without faith in Christ or sanctification of the Spirit, can escape eternal punishment — then sin is no longer an infinite evil — and there was no need for Christ making atonement.
I turn from this part of my subject with a deep sense of its painfulness. I strongly agree with Robert McCheyne, that "it is a hard subject to handle lovingly." But I turn from it with an equally deep conviction that if we believe the Bible — then we must never give up anything that it contains. Dear Jesus, deliver us from hard, austere, and unmerciful theology! If men are not saved — it is because they "refuse to come to Christ." (John 5:40) But we must not be wise above that which is written. No morbid love of liberality, so called, must induce us to reject anything that God has revealed about eternity!
Men sometimes talk exclusively about God's mercy and love and compassion — as if He had no other attributes, and leave out His holiness and His purity, His justice and His wrath, and His hatred of sin. Let us beware of falling into this delusion. It is a growing evil in these last days. Low and inadequate views of the absolute vileness and filthiness of sin, and of the indescribable purity of the eternal God — are fertile sources of error about man's future state! Let us think about the mighty Being whom we are subject to, as He Himself declared His character to Moses saying, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin!" But let us not forget the solemn clause that concludes the sentence, "Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished!" (Exodus 34:6, 7) Unrepented sin is an eternal evil, and can never cease to be sin; and the One we are subject to is an eternal God!
The words of Psalm 145 are strikingly beautiful, "The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward all He has made. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. The Lord watches over all who love Him." Nothing can exceed the mercifulness of this language! But what a striking fact it is that the passage goes on to add the following solemn conclusion, "But all the wicked, He will destroy."
We must never forget, that every one of us, while we live, are in a state of probation. We are constantly sowing seeds which will spring up and bear fruit, every day and every hour in our lives. There are eternal consequences resulting from all our thoughts and words and actions, of which we pay too little attention to. "Men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment, for every careless word they have spoken." (Matthew 12:36) Our thoughts are all numbered; our actions are weighed. No wonder that Paul says, "The one who sows to please his sinful nature — from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit — from the Spirit will reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:8) In a word, what we sow in life — we will reap after death, and reap throughout all eternity!
I strongly advise readers of this paper to remember this, and to make a good use of their time. Regard it as the stuff of which life is made, and never waste it or throw it away. Your hours and days and weeks and months and years — all have something to say to your eternal condition beyond the grave. What you sow in this life on earth — you are sure to reap in a life to come. As holy Richard Baxter says, it is "now or never!" Whatever we do in religion — must be done now.
Keep this foremost in your mind, whenever you are tempted to do evil. When sinners entice you, and say, "It is only a little sin." When Satan whispers in your heart, "Never mind — what is the great harm in it? Everybody does it" — then look beyond time to the unseen world, and place the thought of eternity in the face of the temptation. There is a great saying by the martyred Reformer, Hooper, when someone urged him to recant before he was burned, saying, "Life is sweet and death is bitter." "True," said Hooper, "quite true! But eternal life is more sweet — and eternal death is more bitter!"
I leave the subject of eternity here, and pray that God may bless it to many souls. In conclusion, I offer to every one who reads this volume some food for thought, and material for SELF-EXAMINATION.
(1) First of all, how are you using your time? Life is short and very uncertain. You never know what a day may bring forth. Business and pleasure, making money, and spending money, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage — all, all will soon be over and done with forever. And you — what are you doing for your immortal soul? Are you wasting time, or using it wisely? Are you preparing to meet God?
(2) Secondly, where will you be in eternity? It is coming, coming, coming very fast upon us. You are going, going, going very fast into it. But where will you be — on the right hand or on the left, in the Day of Judgment? Are you among the lost or among the saved? Oh, do not rest; do not rest until your soul is secured! Be prepared — leave nothing uncertain. It is a dreadful thing to die unprepared, and fall into the hands of the living God.
(3) Thirdly, do you want to be safe now and in eternity? Then seek Christ, and believe in Him. Come to Him just as you are. Seek Him while He may be found, call on Him while He is near. There is still a throne of grace. It is not too late. Christ waits to be gracious — He invites you to come to Him. Before the door is shut and the judgment begins, repent, believe, and be saved.
(4) Lastly, do you want to be happy? Cling to Christ and live a life of faith in Him. Remain in Him and live close to Him. Follow Him with heart and soul and mind and strength, and seek to know Him better every day. By doing so, you will have great peace while you pass through the "temporary things," and in the midst of a dying world you "will never die!" (John 11:26) By doing so you will be able to look forward to "eternal things" with unfailing confidence, and to feel and "know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands!" (2 Corinthians 5:1)
