For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. – Romans 8:18
“The General Certificate of Education results has been released and out of 41,253 students who sat for the Advance Level only 28,231 have passed. Detail results will be announced tomorrow morning at 8AM.” Those were some of the contents in a Cameroon news briefing one August evening in 1983. It was a moment of panic. The announcement came in the evening and it was a very long night for me. I believe it was too for many others who wrote the exam. There was no appetite for breakfast when I woke up in the morning. It was getting to 8AM and we gathered around the radio as names of those who passed the examination were being read. The person reading came to my center and started calling names. ‘Pass in five papers’…and the journalist continued to read until he came to those who passed in two papers. My name was not read. I had been through a lot even at that young age and thought I was a shock absorber. But the impact of this shock was strong. I could not absorb it and it wouldn’t have made any difference if someone carried me in a Toyota Revo. I hear the vehicle has good shocks. But it wouldn’t have been able to absorb my shock. The results would keep me depressed for a long time. My dad came to me and said son, “he who laughs last, laughs best.”
I am writing this article to express my gratitude to loving parents. They shared with us such wonderful testimonies of the mercies of God and His love. I remember my dad told me one evening they had boiled some “coco-yams”, but nothing to eat with it. He suggested to his dad he wants to go to a nearby stream to try if he could catch some fish. He was just still a young boy. His daddy advised him to catch a grasshopper and use as bait for the fish. When he left the house to go fishing, a grasshopper that was flying came and landed on his chest which was strange. He caught it and hooked the live bait. When he arrived at the stream, he cast the line. It didn’t take long as the hook was finding its way to the bottom, he could feel the tension on the line as the rod begins to bend. He tried to pull but gave up as what was at the other end was heavy. He decided to roll a big stone that was close over the rod. He went home and called his dad. When he came with his dad and pulled the rod, a very big fish appeared putting up a good fight as they tried to lift it from the water. It was unbelievable for such a large fish to come from the small stream. The Lord provided them with a very good meal that evening and will continue to have mercy upon us all in the family.
My dad is not still alive. He passed on to be with the lord in 2014. I may not have become the Engineer he wanted me to be. I may not have passed all the examinations in schools, he paid high fees for me to attend. I may not have succeeded in life the way he wanted me to. But I will see him and say, “Dad I made it”. I passed the final exam.
I finally succeeded to have my Advance Level and succeeded to travel abroad to study Mechanical Engineering. However, I wouldn’t succeed to have a degree and I was home again with my parents. They spent so much money and made enormous sacrifices to help me but nothing was working for me despite all their efforts. I became so depressed and despair of hope. My mother could feel the pain and went extra mile to help me to become somebody. There is time for everything as we read in Ecclesiastics chapter three. I must tell you this now – You have not failed until you miss Christ. I am not talking about celebrating Christmas or belonging to a church but inviting Him in. Christ is knocking at the door of every heart how terrible it will be for those who will miss Him. There is going be a final examination. He will examine all mankind and expose who we really are and not what we appear on Facebook.
“There was once a rich man who dressed in the most expensive clothes and lived in great luxury every day.
There was also a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who used to be brought to the rich man’s door, hoping to eat the bits of food that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to sit beside Abraham at the feast in heaven. The rich man died and was buried,
And in Hades, where he was in great pain, he looked up and saw Abraham, far away, with Lazarus at his side. So he called out, “Father Abraham! Take pity on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in some water and cool off my tongue, because I am in great pain in this fire!’
But Abraham said, “Remember, my son, that in your lifetime you were given all the good things, while Lazarus got all the bad things. But now he is enjoying himself here, while you are in pain.
Besides all that, there is a deep pit lying between us, so that those who want to cross over from here to you cannot do so, nor can anyone cross over to us from where you are.’
The rich man said, “Then I beg you, father Abraham, send Lazarus to my father’s house,
where I have five brothers. Let him go and warn them so that they, at least, will not come to this place of pain.” Abraham said, “your brothers have Moses and the prophets to warn them; your brothers should listen to what they say.’
The rich man answered, “That is not enough, father Abraham! But if someone were to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins.’
But Abraham said, “if they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death.'”(Luke 16:19-31)
I believe many people are familiar with this story but how many take it seriously in this world of almost seven billion people. While others may have their ideas how they will obtain salvation and have a better after life, salvation can only be obtained through Jesus Christ. There are many who still even doubt the existence of God, and some say there is no place call hell and your heaven is on earth depending on how you live your life. Yes, there are some who think, Britain, America or Canada is heaven, or leaving in any of the developed Countries is heaven. I had a friend who used to visit our home regularly. He traveled to Britain and he has been there for many years. When my dad Passed away, I traveled home for his funeral. I went to visit this friend’s family and gave my number to his younger brother how I can be reached. This friend could not even make a condolence call to me. But I was not shocked. I live in Cambodia and he lives in Britain now, the friendship cannot be the same. He now has friends of class. There is another one now based in US. He also used to be a close friend back home. He got my contact from someone and reached out to me twice and stopped. I messaged him a few times and now he wants me to be the one to always text. Why shouldn’t I always text him? Hahaha! He is in America. I have traveled to Canada, I have traveled to the US, but there is only one Heaven. This world is not our home. Let us not look down on others because of where they live or what they have. Let us not boast of anything except Christ. We will receive nothing if God didn’t give it to us. I know many times people boast of their strength, hard work and intelligence, and what they have achieve in life. You wouldn’t have any of these things if God didn’t make it happen for you. Therefore, your boast should be on Christ alone:
As for me, however, I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; for by means of his cross the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world.
The toils of the road will seem nothing, when I get to the end of the way. We are many times too busy in this life and forget the one thing that really matters – salvation. We need to study scripture when we read to understand it. Read the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. Martha was doing a good thing preparing a meal for the Lord and the people with him as Jesus often walked with His disciples. The work was obviously a little heavy for Martha alone to cook and serve. Her sister Mary should have come to help but she was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to the word. But Jesus told Martha that she is troubled about many things but one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. There is nothing that can substitute the word of God and certainly not our good works. It was time for the rich man to pay for rejecting the word. He must have been so occupied with his business and wealth that nothing around him really mattered even the man Lazarus who was brought time and again at his door. It is truly the end that matters and not the beginning. It has been prophesied that there are some who started first but will end up last. Therefore, we should run the race to win the crown. If someone laughs, laughs and laughs but he cannot laugh at the end, does it matter how many times he had laughed? Let us think about it.
Everywhere in world there are needy people. While some people are stingy and greedy there are many others too who try to help. I remember, I was a homeless man for three days without food. It was freezing cold outside as it was in the middle of winter. It was difficult to find work and I had to struggle and struggle but to no avail. I don’t know if it was just plain ill lock or I was being made to understand what people go through in life. Many times people are fun of giving their own reasons why people go through trials, and some may even be condemned for being lazy. Brother Lazarus was not lazy but situations kept him in that condition. How was the rich man’s reaction towards him?
It is true even a generous man cannot help everybody or help all the time because he may not have the means. Occasionally, people try to do what they can as they pass by or being confronted by needy people. But if a needy person comes to your home and regularly do it, what do you do? We should not be very passive about these things for a little prayer can give us the wisdom on how to react.
“If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them; but Kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship (Proverbs 14:31) What about this one! Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)
God doesn’t want His people to miss His blessings and therefore, we should ask for discernment when situation like this comes up for the devil too has his traps. Not all beggars are real beggars. However, he who loves God shall escape the trap of the devil.
There is a remarkable difference between the rich man in the story of Lazarus and Cornelius. Cornelius was no small figure in the land of Judea. He was a Roman Centurion and we understand that would mean he had at least a hundred men under his command. This man was certainly of great importance and was widely known even to the Jews who lived in Judea. It is mentioned that he was a God fearing man. Let us pause here for a minute! The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10) Wisdom is likened to a tree of life. (Proverbs 3:18) Cornelius was deeply religious, gave alms generously and prayed continually to God. Although he was powerful, famous and rich that was certainly not his treasure. Desiring to know God took him to the treasure. Although he feared God, he was not yet saved until God had to send Peter to show him the way of salvation. All Religions today know the way of salvation. You cannot tell them anything. They already know. Isn’t that sad? God had to send Peter to show Cornelius the way of salvation even though he worshipped God. Lazarus was a gift to the rich man and if he was seeking God, he should have known Him. It must have been the same Lazarus of Bethany who got sick and died and was in the grave for four days. Many of the Jews had come to comfort Mary and Martha the sisters of Lazarus and weeping. When Jesus arrived there, He saw them and Jesus wept. (cf. John 11:35)
The story of Lazarus, a friend of Jesus and how he was raised from the dead is a well-known story in the bible. The rich man was asking Abraham to send Lazarus to go to his family and warn them to turn away from sin and believe in the Lord. His argument was that if someone was to rise from death and go to them, then they would turn from their sins. But Lazarus who was dead for four days and brought back to life paid him many visits in his luxurious mansion. He didn’t turn from his sins and that is why he was in hell. Abraham told the rich man that if they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone were to rise from death and the rich man himself was a good example.
Shouldn’t it have spread in Bethany, the provinces and beyond that a man who died and was buried for four days was brought back to life? God had sent an angel to help him find the way to salvation but the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choked the word, and it became unfruitful. The man could be one of those who fulfilled the scripture of some seeds fell on thorns in Mark 4:18. If not then he was just a religious fanatic. The religious Jews could be very strict when it comes to their traditions, and helping the poor in their needs may not have been one of them. The Apostle James told the religious Jews to practice it but how many of them listen to the Apostles anyway?
Let us do a little tracing. We know of the encounter between Jesus and a young rich man in Matt.19:16-22. The young rich man wanted to know what he must do to have eternal life and came to Jesus. He claimed to have kept this and that of the commandments, but it was not enough for him to be saved. When Jesus told him to sell everything he has and follow Him, the man became very sorrowful and went his way. He rejected the Messiah, and in another passage we find a rich man in hell. People often asked the question whether it was the same person. We don’t know. The Bible doesn’t say. But this message is telling us that being rich doesn’t mean you will go to hell, just as being poor doesn’t guarantee you will enter heaven. But the rich man should be careful how his riches affects him.
There are of course questions whether the story of Lazarus and the rich man is real-life account or a parable. We know Jesus spoke a lot in parables. Whatever be the case every scripture is given by inspiration and there are many things we can learn from the story. It tells us that Heaven and Hell is real. The atheist can doubt as much as he wants to but the Bible has made it clear. We understand from the story that when a person dies there is no more chance to repent and be saved if the person dies a sinner. A believer who dies will automatically find himself in a different realm from the unbeliever who dies. When believers die, they are immediately in the conscious fellowship experiencing the joys of heaven. When unbelievers die, they are just as immediately in the conscious pain, suffering, and torment of hell. Today we have a great cloud of witnesses and more excellent testimony than that of Lazarus of Bethany who was raised from the dead.
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). Jesus walked on earth and was crucified, died and was buried. He was in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.” (1 Peter 3:18-20)
Mary Madeline was the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection but He appeared also to many other people after He rose from the dead. Yes, there were a cloud of witnesses.
“And now I want to remind you, my friends, of the Good News which I preached to you, which you received, and on which your faith stands firm.
That is the gospel, the message that I preached to you. You are saved by the gospel if you hold firmly to it – unless it was for nothing that you believed.
I passed on to you what I received, which is of the greatest importance: that Christ died for our sins, as written- in the Scriptures;
That he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures;
That he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve apostles,
Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died.
Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the apostles.
Last of all he appeared also to me – as of one born out of due time.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
There is also a cloud of living witnesses of believers. Now we know not Christ in the flesh but in the Spirit. There are testimonies coming from believers in different parts of the world for Jesus Christ is yesterday today and forever. (Hebrew 3:8)
I went out for Evangelism one day with another Pastor. He took me to the farm lands to visit the villages to preach the gospel and pray for the sick. As we were walking along we passed a few farmers on the way. I tried to present the gospel to them but they quickly rejected it. I saw this woman standing beside her rice farm. The field was dry and the rice plants needed water if not they will die. She smiled and asked me to pray to God to send rain as if wanting me to show her a sign to prove my God is real. How sorrowful, she wants rain and not the gospel. We finally arrived at the house we had to hold the fellowship. These were the few believers who have received the gospel in that village. Most of them too are rice farmers who also needed rain to water their rice fields. In a few days, God did send rain and obviously all the farmers were happy. The rice will help them live for a time but the gospel some of them rejected would have helped them live forever. I have reached out to many people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The reactions have been different. My sorrow has been towards those who have laugh at me as if I am doing something most miserable.
There are other rich men we find in the Bible like Zacchaeus who received the gospel. He was a tax collector. Although he was a short man, he was very determined to see the Lord Jesus in a big crowd. His height would not stop him. He did not only see him but had him as a guest in his house. We don’t have to climb up a tree today to see the Lord Jesus passing with the gospel of salvation. We can see Him by faith in His word. We are told from scriptures that Zacchaeus was a rich man. However, he was not like the rich man in hell who didn’t examine his conscience and mindful of the poor.
“Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” (Luke 19:8). What about Joseph of Arimathea? He was a rich man too and also a disciple of Jesus Christ (Matthew 27:57).
My point is Heaven is for all who have not rejected Jesus and have received the Spirit and word of Life. The consequences of rejecting the gospel will be severe. Prosperity preaching too has become the order of the day in the Laodicea Church Age. It is therefore, very important for believers to pray seriously before choosing a church, and not to fall into the rich man’s world and perish in hell. Many true Christians have their trials. They go through pain and suffering. The temptations of the devil are uncountable. I know many times Christians asked themselves why do wicked people prosper while the children of God suffer? I think we have truly not understood God’s gift of salvation through Christ Jesus. Especially in these modern times wealth has been equated to happiness and people have turn to forget the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had predestined unto glory. However, the same complains were of old among the prophets. The suffered terribly in their different ways and also asked God why? Elijah suffered in the hands of Ahab and jezebel and had to run to hide in a cave. He told God they have killed all His prophets and torn down His altar. He thought he was the only one left. The persecution must have been very severe and the others must have run and hide. However, Elijah ended up riding on chariot to heaven and Jezebel’s flesh was eaten by dogs. Who had the last laugh? The race track was full of bumps for Apostle Paul. I cannot list everything in the bible the man went through in this article:
“Five times I was given forty stripes minus one by the Jews;
Three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water.
In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false brethren.” (2 Corinthians 11:24-26)
Even before his gruesome death, he knew he cannot be sting by it, and the grave can have no victory. He had fought a good fight and completed his race and now waiting for the crown of righteousness, which Christ the righteous judge, shall give him on the day. How wonderful it will be on that day for all those who will laugh last! Persecution comes in a variety of ways. Job was persecuted by his friends when he told them honestly what they were thinking had nothing to do with his predicament. Everything had been taken from the Job – his children and all his property. The wife too probably did not have much regard for him and the advice he could give him was to curse God and die. The only thing he had was breath and that too was threatening to leave him. He was sick of a terrible disease, worn out and in excruciating pain. When suffering comes how do we react? Job was told by his wife to curse God and die. His reply to her was, “you speak like a foolish woman.” Three friends came to rub salt in his wounds. But when God revealed himself in the clouds at last, it was then it became clear who was right and who was wrong. Don’t play righteous and speak evil of your brethren. Be patient and prayerful when people say all kinds of things against you. God is ready to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled. (Cf.2 Cor. 10:6)
Suffering can make the believer to shine for the gospel. It serves like getting the dross out of rough gold. However, Christian suffering does not come just because of roughness or having some bad behaviors. There are many reasons why Christian suffer. As Christian we have to partake of Christ’s sufferings when we believe the gospel, so that when His glory shall be revealed, we shall be glad also with exceeding joy. Jesus carried His cross and we must also carry our cross and follow Him. It will be over when the fullness of the gentiles is fulfilled and the gospel returns to the Jews. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.” (2 Timothy 2:12) However, do not be dismay when you see the wicked live wickedly and still flourish in everything they do. Seek consolation in the scriptures and meditate on Psalm 73.
“God is indeed good to Israel, to those who have pure hearts. But I had nearly lost confidence; my faith was almost gone Because I was jealous of the proud when I saw that things go well for the wicked. They do not suffer pain; they are strong and healthy. They do not suffer as other people do; they do not have the troubles that others have. And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe; Their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes. They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others. They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth, So that even God’s people turn to them and eagerly believe whatever they say. They say, “God will not know; the Most High will not find out.” That is what the wicked are like. They have plenty and are always getting more. Is it for nothing, then, that I have kept myself pure and have not committed sin? O God, you have made me suffer all day long; every morning you have punished me. If I had said such things, I would not be acting as one of your people. I tried to think this problem through, but it was too difficult for me Until I went into your Temple, Then I understood what will happen to the wicked. You will put them in slippery places and make them fall to destruction! They are instantly destroyed; they go down to a horrible end. They are like a dream that goes away in the morning; when you rouse yourself, O Lord, they disappear. When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you. Yet I always stay close to you, and you hold me by the hand. You guide me with your instruction and at the end you will receive me with honor. What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth? My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need. Those who abandon you will certainly perish; you will destroy those who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, how wonderful to be near God, to find protection with the Sovereign Lord and to proclaim all that he has done!”
There were those who sympathized in Jesus’s suffering on the cross and there were others who mocked. “But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.” (Luke 23:28) Are you making fun of the truth and the sufferings of others? He may have the last laugh! How terrible it was for Israel for making fun of and rejecting the Messiah. The consequences were grave. The destruction of the temple and the collapse of nation happened 70 years later. Hitler came in later as well and killed six million Jews. The Jews today are still being threatened by aggressive neighbors while Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father. However, the Lord Jesus is merciful and God is still watching over Israel. Israel is going to be a nation among nations when she is restored to her position in the Kingdom Age. All these nations persecuting Israel – Israel is going to have the last laugh. What about the gentiles?
The gentile age is almost over and the sower has gone forth to throw His seeds since about 2000 years ago. However, not all have received the gospel seed that has been preached in every nation. In Christendom too, we are going to see the ones who overcame, they are true children of God. You can identify them with the ones who received seed into the good ground in the Parable of Matthew 13. The ones who went back to the world because of persecutions, and tests, can be identified with the ones who received seed into stony ground, where there was no depth of soil, and not enough water to keep them going. Water in this case, would symbolize the word and Spirit of God in the believer. There will be a group that will identify with the ones who received seed into ground where the thorns choked out the life before any fruit ever reached perfection. These are the ones who get so interested in the things of the world that they have no time for God. Flee from the rich man’s world! Abraham don’t have to send Lazarus to tell us what will happen for we know Abraham was looking for a city not made with hands if we are the faith seed of Abraham. When things get rough for you, stop and consider these writings of James:
“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of sufferings, affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” (James 5:10-11).
Do not be dismayed and think that God has abandoned you. There are many things the devil will throw at us to make us stumble and even fall. There are others who will be laughing at you as you carry your cross but remember the prophets and apostle also went through these trials.
“The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
God had to broke my stiff neck before I could surrender my will and follow Him. It is still His love. I now understand. Trials, tribulations, persecutions, and various tests go with Christian way of life. We ought always to remember what the apostle wrote to the Corinthians. “There hath no temptation (or test) taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer (or allow) you to be tempted above that ye are able: but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” This is a provision in the word of God for believers. It means that regardless of how bad things may look at times, we ought not to despair, for God has made a way for us, that we be not utterly defeated. Everything has turned out for my good. I thought I lost everything but I have gained everything – the word of Life. Please, hum this little song with me.
I am resolved to enter the kingdom, Leaving the paths of sin; Friends may oppose me, foes may beset me, Still I will enter in.
“For What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matt.16:26) “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats.” (Matt.25:32) The final examination is coming and now is. “For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19) He who laughs last, laughs best.
