There are many variations of a joke I often heard while in the military. I would talk to a young soldier about eternal life by faith alone in Christ. He would say something like, “I don’t want to go to heaven. None of my friends will be there. I would rather party in hell with my buddies than be bored in heaven with the saints.” When a person says something like that, it is clear that they don’t believe in heaven or hell. They don’t believe in eternal life, at least not the way the Lord offered it. They reject the reality of an eternal lake of fire. The pleasures of this life far outweigh the false threats of such a mythical place. 

When I hear that sentiment, I think of one particular soldier. His name was Eddie Slovik. He holds an unenviable distinction in history. Officially, the penalty for a soldier who deserts his unit in time of war is death. There were tens of thousands of deserters from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. But Slovik is the only deserter who was actually executed for his crime. All the others were dishonorably discharged after serving time in prison. It’s obvious that the US is extremely reluctant to put a young citizen to death during times of war. Why was Slovik different?  

Eddie had a troubled childhood. He spent time in prison before WWII. He grew accustomed to prison life and even came to enjoy it. When he was later drafted and sent to Europe to fight, he heard that deserters would be sent to prison. That sounded like a good deal to him. He did not believe he would be executed. So he deserted.

Then he turned himself in. He was looking forward to the party he would have in prison. As it did with all deserters, the Army offered him leniency. He could rejoin his unit. He could serve in a safer environment. But Slovik doubled down. He wrote to his commander, stating that if they let him go, he would desert again. The prosecuting attorneys offered him the chance to avoid execution, as did his defense attorneys. Even General Dwight Eisenhower pleaded with him to reconsider his path. Nobody could reach him. Slovik was looking forward to a good and safe time in a military prison. Afterwards, he would go home and spend the rest of his life with a woman he married immediately before joining the Army. Thinking that it would never happen, he insisted that the Army execute him. 

Eddie left the Army no choice. The Battle of the Bulge began, and the Army leadership worried that Slovik’s example would encourage other soldiers to desert their units. The order came down that he was to be shot by a firing squad. When it dawned on him that he really would be shot, he pleaded for clemency. But it was too late. In January 1945, Eddie Slovik was put to death by a squad of twelve riflemen.  

Throughout the whole process, Slovik treated it as a joke. What he believed could never happen happened. He was only twenty-four, and I can only imagine the shock and horror he felt when he faced reality.  

I have no doubt this will be the experience of every unbeliever at the Great White Throne Judgment. The jokes about throwing a party in hell with friends will no longer be funny. 

Even though the consequences will not be as dire, the same principle applies to many believers. Believers cannot lose eternal life, but many joke about the prospect of earning eternal rewards. They say it is better to have a good time with friends now than to live for rewards in a world that cannot be seen. In most of these cases, they talk this way because they don’t believe eternal rewards really exist. 

Imagine their shock when faced with reality at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Slovik lost a life that would probably have lasted for many more years. The believer who doesn’t live for rewards in the world to come will suffer the loss of a life of wasted works. 

Eddie Slovik laughed as he tried to game the military system to garner a good time in the brig. He stopped laughing when they strapped him to an execution pole. For unbelievers at the Great White Throne Judgment, and many believers at the Judgment Seat of Christ, the jokes we hear today will no longer be funny.