. ____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ October 12, 2008 ____________________________________________________ Contents: 1) Does the New Testament Teach That the Wicked Will Be Punished Eternally in the Lake of Fire? (Irvin Himmel) 2) A Beautiful Life (Gilbert Alexander) 3) News & Notes ____________________________________________________ -1- Does the New Testament Teach That the Wicked Will Be Punished Eternally in the Lake of Fire? by Irvin Himmel It is asserted sometimes that God punished the wicked in Old Testament days, but that He is shown to be loving. and compassionate in the New Testament; therefore, the Old Testament concept of punishment for sin is thought to differ from the New Testament concept. What Jesus Said: Let us begin by noting what Jesus Christ said on this important subject."And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). The word for "destroy" that Jesus used here means "to devote or give over to eternal misery" (Thayer's Greek English Lexicon). "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. 23: 33). This was the question which our Lord put to the Pharisees and scribes. Depicting the final judgment of the wicked, Jesus said, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels...And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matt. 25:46). Our Lord made three points clear in this passage: (1) The wicked will be given "punishment." (2) It will be "everlasting" punishment. (3) It will be in the "fire" prepared for the devil and his angels. What Peter Taught: Now notice what the apostle Peter had to say on this subject. "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly . . . The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Pet. 2:4-9). Peter here gave three arguments to show that God will reserve the unjust to be punished. First, God did not allow sinful angels to escape judgment. Second, He spared not the wicked world of Noah's day. Third, God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah. What Paul Wrote: No writer in the New Testament spoke more clearly on the subject at hand than Paul. "...The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (2 These. 1:7-9). Paul taught that in the judgment God will render to every man according to his deeds. "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality," God will render "eternal life." "But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness," God will render "indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile" (Rom. 2:6-9). What John Stated: We often think of John as the apostle of love because he had so much to say about love, but John, like the Lord and the other apostles, understood that the wicked will be punished in the lake of fire. Hear John's testimony. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15). "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: Which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8). Conclusion All that any of us can know about the punishment which the wicked will receive is what God has disclosed in the Scriptures. If we cannot believe what the Bible says about hell, why believe what it says about heaven, or anything else? God is loving and kind; but at the same time, His divine law demands that there be some penalty for violation. Justice could not be served in the absence of punishment for the wicked: It is for God, not man, to decide on the penalty for sin. Let us not presume to be wiser than God. -- Via Truth Magazine XIX: 11, p. 162, January 23, 1975 ____________________________________________________ -2- A Beautiful Life by Gilbert Alexander The finest adorning in life is not an outward adorning of the body, but rather dressing oneself in the beauty of holiness and righteousness. While the outward adorning of the body is pleasing to the eye and physically appealing, the inward adorning of a meek and quiet spirit appeals to the heart and soul and makes one's life rich indeed. David speaks of "the beauties of holiness" (Psalm 110:3); and Paul, quoting from Isaiah 52:7, says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!" Again, the Psalmist says, "For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation." Isaiah says, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels" (Isaiah 61:10). How shallow and hollow indeed is a beautiful countenance behind which is a corrupt and immoral life. We often sing, "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me," but we know that the prophet has said of the Christ, "He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him" (Isaiah 53:2). The beauty of selfless sacrifice is seen in its finest hour in the suffering and death of Christ. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). Of the life of Jesus, Peter stated it simply, "...who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38). The people of God can do little to improve their physical appearance, but each one can adorn his life with meekness and holiness, doing good and sharing, "for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Hebrews 13:16). The beauty of the Lord's church is in its purity as a cleansed body, and the continued purity of the church depends upon the purity of the lives of all the saints. "A little leaven leavens the whole lump"; therefore, we must "purge out the old leaven" so that we may be a new, unleavened lump (I Corinthians 5:6,7). How beautiful is a life of "golden deeds," of kind and compassionate words and works, of pure and wholesome speech, of a meek and submissive attitude (I Peter 3:3-6), of a genuine respect for others and unpretended love of the brethren, of a holy and harmless life of doing justly, loving mercy, and being ready unto every good work, of a heart in which is no guile! How beautiful is the simplicity of worship: hearts that are attuned to the will of God, voices blending together in songs of praise, heartfelt prayers of supplication and thanksgiving, the solemn yet joyful fellowship of the Lord's Supper, the earnest exhortation and edification of the church through teaching, and the sacrifice of our financial resources to the Lord's work! Let the words of "A Beautiful Life" ring in our hearts as each of us gives himself diligently to the task of being "a worker who does not need to be ashamed" (II Timothy 2:15). Surely the "beautiful people" are the godly people who shine as lights in a dark world of sin and degradation! -- Via The Bulletin of the Church of Christ at New Georgia, June 1, 2008 ____________________________________________________ -3- News & Notes Let us continue to remember Charles Walker (Haley Patrick's grandfather) as he is recuperating from his recent heart attack and surgery. Let us also keep our shut-ins in our prayers: the Shuffs and sister Pine. If you are visiting with us today, we are glad and thankful for your presence. Please feel free to come again! ____________________________________________________ CHURCH OF CHRIST 102 Rushing Road (at the Hampton Inn) Denham Springs, LA 70726 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 tedwards@onemain.com http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go DIRECTIONS: Take the Denham Springs exit (exit 10) off I-12. At the end of the exit ramp, turn north. Go about a stone's throw to Rushing Road. (You'll see a Starbucks, Circle K, and two other gas stations -- with each on each corner.) Turn left on Rushing Road, and go less than 0.3 of a mile. Hampton Inn will be on the right. We assemble in its meeting room, which is near the main entrance. ____________________________________________________