Anyone can recognize that there’s an end to all things on Earth if they simply look to the future and consider the end result of life here. One final day, everyone, whether good or evil, is going to stand before God. People often tend to wonder if He’s thinking about us anymore, or if He’s forgotten us. But God definitely is thinking about us right now. And He wants us to know that we haven’t been forgotten.
They might be currently experiencing prosperity, but they know that, no matter how great their prosperity may be, it will no longer benefit them after they die.
The Prosperity of the Wicked
When people know that their time of death is approaching, those who don’t have a trust in God for their life usually attend to their own end. They might be currently experiencing prosperity, but they know that, no matter how great their prosperity may be, it will no longer benefit them after they die.
The Reward for the Righteous
But a person who does know and belong to God realizes that there will be a reward for him from the Lord in the end, whether he’s been prosperous in this world or not. It is not given to him as an obligation. It’s a result of God’s divine love and protection for those who love and faithfully follow Him. All the expectations of people who know and fear the Lord aren’t cut off at death. They therefore have good reason to hope for and expect much from God, whether here or in the future.
Solomon said, “Let not your heart envy sinners: but reverence the Lord all day long. For surely there is an end [a final day]; and your expectation [from God] shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart in the way” (Proverbs 23:17-19).
People who believe and trust in God are not to envy those who are more prosperous than they are. They may become sad or discouraged at times, but they hold onto the truth that their end will more than meet their wildest expectations!
Not Envying the Wicked
“So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off” (Proverbs 22:14). The prosperity of unbelievers is misleading because it’s only temporary. People who believe and trust in God are not to envy those who are more prosperous than they are. They may become sad or discouraged at times, but they hold onto the truth that their end will more than meet their wildest expectations! They have the hope of comfort here along with an abundant reward in in the future world to come.
The Contrast Between the Righteous and the Wicked
“…thine expectation shall not be cut off…” because the believer’s hope in Christ is based on Christ and His righteousness. He can be depended on as a trustworthy anchor that can’t be moved. The people of God are sure to enjoy the good they’re expecting someday in the future, while the wicked will be sure to lose the happiness they now enjoy in the world that’s to come. God’s people expect something better for the future time to come and for their current and past evils to end.
Many people make the common mistake of trying to receive the benefits they want all at once. They want their longings to be provided immediately concerning what’s been promised or what they desire. But they fail to consider what the aftereffects of what they’re doing will be. People often leap right into doing things without a moment’s thought as to what the end result will be. How often they convince themselves that something looks like it’s sure to be amusing and enjoyable. Then they can’t wait to take the plunge and get in on it. But God’s trying to warn them that destruction is what waits at the end of that road they think they want to follow.
God’s Promised End for His People
When God thinks about something, it’s for a specific reason. He always works to a certain end, for the purpose of giving “…you an expected end…”. This means the end you’re hoping for, the end God promised, the one He made you hope for and depend on. Literally, it’s a fate, or a hope and a future you desire. The glorious future waiting for God’s people is their “end.”
“For I know the thoughts [a hopeful future] that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”
Jeremiah 29:11
“So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.”
Proverbs 24:14
But “when a wicked man dies, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth” (Proverbs 11:7).
God’s Deliverance of His Followers
“…the salvation of the righteous [is] of the Lord:…their strength in the time of trouble” (Psalm 37:39). The people of God, both here on earth and for eternity, will be saved. This comes from the Lord, but so does the destruction of the unbeliever. Since God is the strength of His followers, they won’t faint or go down under the heaviest burden of their “…light affliction…” (2 Corinthians 4:17). “…the Lord shall help them, and deliver them…from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him” (Psalm 37:40). This isn’t referring to events of this life in defense of the ways of God. It refers to the “end” of all things and to the final honors to come.
It’s Better to Trust in God
True people of God believe it’s better to trust in God than to get any kind of success using other ways. They often oppose the outward and shallow prosperity of the wicked. Their faith may also falter and stumble at times. But once they become firmly determined to obey God’s command to keep trusting and delighting in Him, to commit everything to Him, to rest in Him, and to wait patiently for Him (read Psalm 37:4-7), their heart finds all it is hoping for.
Believers in God will experience troublesome times, but in all situations like this, He can be their source of strength in a very distinctive way. Whenever believers are filled with uncertainty concerning the prosperity of evil-doers, or when they oppress righteous people, the Lord says to wait on and for Him. He also guarantees the believer that He’ll be sure to deliver him in the end.
Hope and life will end for man all at once. But God’s people won’t be forced into increasing darkness—they’re being led into increasing light!
God’s People Will be Led Into Increasing Light
“Mark the perfect [complete] man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off” (Psalm 37:37). This tells us that the end of the wicked is destruction. Christ continues to repeat His promises of the prompt disappearance of the wicked in the end. Those who walk in the fear of the Lord are commanded not to envy sinners. Hope and life will end for man all at once. But God’s people won’t be forced into increasing darkness—they’re being led into increasing light! Hallelujah! In the life and walk of the righteous, there’s always something to hope for.
Sometimes people are afraid that all of God’s intentions are against them. But, for His people, even what may appear evil is actually for good. He doesn’t simply give them what they might fearfully expect, or what they might like. But He has promised to give them what their faith expects—the end He’s promised—which will be the most to their advantage.
Believers Are Given a Sure Future and Hope
“The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish” (Proverbs 10:28). Believers need to continue to maintain an attitude of great hopefulness, since the final goal of God, in all He does, is to give us a sure future and a hope. “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off” (Proverbs 23:18). The prosperity of the wicked will not last forever. But a believer isn’t to worry about the prosperity of the unbeliever. Believers will enjoy everlasting prosperity along with infinite and eternal love if they’ll continue to trust in God. The Lord promises to deliver them and enrich them forever.
Are you trusting in God? Is the life you’re now living a life of faith in God and in His willingness and availability to help and guide you and provide for you in this world as well as the next?
The Future is Complete for Those Who Trust in God
This is the main point to remember: those who trust in God also believe in Him to take care of their future. Are you trusting in God? Is the life you’re now living a life of faith in God and in His willingness and availability to help and guide you and provide for you in this world as well as the next? All His thoughts concerning His people are for their peace in order to bring to them “an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11). And all who put their trust in God will be blessed now, and will continue to be blessed forever! “There is a hope for thy future” (Jeremiah 31:17).
If you have never put you trust in God and you would desire a hope for the future, please visit our page on The Way to God for more information.
[Additional image credits: Featured image (when applicable) by Olivia Snow on Unsplash ; Opening image by Alev Takil on Unsplash]
