Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
Some years ago, certain saints who lived in Louisville would send questions to Preacher Clark so that he would record the answers on Brother Earl's reel-to-reel recorder and then mail those answers back to the saints in Louisville. When the recording arrived, those who were interested would gather and listen to his answers.
The question asked, and then answered, in this part of the conversation that Brother Earl recorded on his reel-to-reel for the saints in Louisville was, "Who will be judged worthy of the eternal kingdom of God in the final judgment?" Or to put it another way, "What must we do to be saved?"
There are, as you know, many things mentioned in the Bible concerning God's requirements for those who hope to be saved in the end. Rather than re-hash the long list of specific requirements, however, Preacher Clark chose simply to describe the nature of the people who will be granted the salvation of the Lord. He said:
"None of your enemies will be there. Nor any of your enemies' enemies. Are we our enemies' enemies? If so, we won't be there. Nobody's enemies will be there. Only friends."
He then continued to give a testimony concerning the word of God that had recently come to him while he was in prayer. He said that the Lord told him, "Everybody you meet, you need to give them something. It can be anything: money, directions to where they are going, a smile, a wave . . . but something." In other words, a truly godly attitude makes you a friend to everyone. And friends are the only people who will be saved in the end. No one's enemy will be saved.
To make the matter clearer, Preacher Clark continued to define who are your enemies. "Your enemies", he said, "are they who want to see you lost, and who rejoice if you fail [to obey God] or are overcome by a fault." He then recalled a time when a false report went through Henderson that he had been killed. "One group of saints wept and another group rejoiced. All of them Pentecostals." Those who wept were those who knew God; those who rejoiced that he had died did not have the love of God in them.
In the Bible, the devil is sometimes referred to as "The Enemy", and that is an excellent description of his character. Through pride, envy, and rebellion, he became the "number one" enemy of everything that is good, both in heaven and on earth. He will not be there among the eternally blessed because he is no friend to anyone, though he tries to disguise his nature with an appearance of righteousness. For all his efforts, however, the effect of every word that comes from his mouth is sin and death upon those who believe what he says, just as purity and peace is the effect upon those who believe the word of God. Everything the Enemy does, even the deed that appears to be good, will prove to be evil, just as everything God does will prove to be holy.
Jesus exhorted us to be perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect (Mt. 6:5:43-48). Our Father blesses everyone on earth, to one degree or another, and "sends rain on the just and the unjust". Every morning, God greets every waking person with His love and with a new, golden opportunity for His mercies.
God is everyone's greatest friend, and only those who are like Him will be saved in the end. None but those with God's Spirit of true friendship will be allowed to live in that new earth "wherein dwelleth righteousness". That is the message of the gospel, and it is a deadly sin not to believe it.