Eternal Punishment
by Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952)
INTRODUCTION
his time we take up
our pen to write on one of the most solemn truths
taught in the Word. And ere we began we turned to the Lord and earnestly sought
that wisdom and grace which we are conscious we sorely need; making request that
we might be preserved from all error in what we shall say, and that nothing may
find a place in these pages which shall be displeasing to that Holy One,
"whose we are, and whom we serve." O that we may write in the
spirit of One who said, "Who knoweth the power of Thine anger, even
according to Thy fear, so is Thy wrath" (Ps. 90:11).
The subject before us is one that needs stressing in these days. The great majority of our
pulpits are silent upon it, and the fact that it has so little place in
modern preaching is one of the signs of the times, one of the many
evidences that the Apostasy must be near at hand. It is true that there
are not a few who are praying for a world-wide Revival, but it appears to
the writer that it would be more timely, and more scriptural, for prayer
to be made to the Lord of the harvest, that He would raise up and thrust
forth laborers who would fearlessly and faithfully preach those truths
which are calculated to bring about a revival.
While it is true that
all genuine revivals come from God, yet He is not capricious in the
sending of them. We are sure that God never relinquishes His sovereign
rights to own and to bless where and as He pleases. But we also believe
that here, as everywhere, there is a direct connection between cause and
effect. And a revival is the effect of a previous cause. A revival, like a
genuine conversion, is wrought of God by means of the Word - the Word
applied by the Holy Spirit, of course. Therefore, there is something more
needed (on our part) than prayer: the Word of God must
have a place, a prominent place, the prominent place. Without that
there will be no Revival, whatever excitement and activities of the
emotions there may be.
It is the deepening
conviction of the writer that what is most needed today is a wide
proclamation of those truths which are the least acceptable to the flesh.
What is needed today is a scriptural setting forth of the character of
God - His absolute sovereignty, His ineffable holiness, His inflexible
justice, His unchanging veracity. What is needed today is a scriptural
setting forth of the condition of the natural man - his total
depravity, his spiritual insensibility, his inveterate hostility to God,
the fact that he is "condemned already" and that the wrath of a
sin-hating God is even now abiding upon him. What is needed today is a
scriptural setting forth of the alarming danger in which sinners are - the
indescribably awful doom which awaits them, the fact that if they follow
only a little further their present course they shall most certainly
suffer the due reward of their iniquities. What is needed today is a
scriptural setting forth of the nature of that punishment which awaits
the lost - the awfulness of it, the hopelessness of it, the
unendurableness of it, the endlessness of it. It is because of these
convictions that by pen as well as by voice we are seeking to raise the
alarm.
It may be thought that what we have said in the above paragraph stands in need of
qualification. We can imagine some of our readers saying, Such truths as
these may be needed by the lost, but surely you do not wish to be
understood as saying that these subjects ought to be pressed upon the Lord’s
people! But that is exactly what we do mean and do say. Re-read the
Epistles, dear friends, and note what place each of these subjects has in
them! It is just because these truths have been withheld so much from
public ministrations to the saints that we now find so many backboneless,
sentimental, lop-sided Christians in our assemblies. A clearer vision of
the awe-inspiring attributes of God would banish much of our levity and
irreverence. A better understanding of our depravity by nature would
humble us, and make us see our deep need of using the appointed means of
grace. A facing of the alarming danger of the sinner would cause us to
"consider our ways" and make us more diligent to make our "calling
and election sure." A realization of the unspeakable misery which
awaits the lost (and which each of us fully merited) would immeasurably
deepen our gratitude, and bring us to thank God more fervently that we have
been snatched as brands from the burning and delivered from the wrath to
come; and too, it will make us far more earnest in our prayers as we
supplicate God on behalf of the unsaved. Moreover, scriptural and
searching addresses along these lines would, in some cases at least, lay
hold of those who have a form of godliness but who deny the power thereof.
They would have some effect on that vast company of professors who are
"at ease in Zion." They would, if God were depended upon, arouse
the indifferent, and cause some who are now careless and unconcerned to
cry, "What must 1 do to be saved?" Remember that the ground must
be plowed before it is ready to be sowed: and the truths mentioned
above are needed to prepare the way for the Gospel.
Concerning the
eternal punishment of the wicked there are few, it seems, who realize the
vital importance of a ringing testimony to this truth, and fewer still who
apprehend the deep seriousness of what is involved in a denial of it. The
importance of a clear witness to this doctrine may be seen by noting what
a prominent place it holds in the Word; and contrariwise, the seriousness
of denying it is evidenced by the fact that such denial is a rejection of
God’s truth. The need of giving this solemn subject a prominent place in
our witness is apparent, for it is our bounden duty to warn sinners of
their fearful peril and bid them flee from the wrath to come. To remain
silent is criminal; to substitute anything for it is to set before the
wicked a false hope. The great importance of expounding this
doctrine, freely and frequently, also appears in that, excepting the Cross
of Christ, nothing else so manifests the heinousness of sin, whereas every
modification of eternal punishment, only serves to minimize the evil of
it.
We propose to deal with our present theme under the following divisions. First, we shall
examine briefly some of the leading objections brought against the truth
of eternal punishment. Second, we shall classify various passages which
treat of the destiny of the lost, showing that death seals the sinner’s
doom, that his condition is then beyond hope, that the punishment awaiting
him is interminable. Third, we shall examine those scriptures which throw
light upon the nature of the punishment which awaits the lost.
Finally, we shall seek to make a practical application of the whole subject.
I. OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED
In taking up the
objections made against the truth of eternal punishment it would be a
hopeless task were we to attempt to notice every argument which the
fertile mind of unbelief (under the control of Satan, as it is) has
devised. We shall, however, consider those of greatest weight, and those
which have received the widest acceptance among unbelievers. These we
shall classify as follows: First, deductions drawn from the Divine
perfections. Second, passages appealed to by Universalists. Third,
passages appealed to by Annihilationists. Fourth, assertions that
punishment is not penal and retributive but disciplinary and remedial.
1. DEDUCTIONS DRAWN FROM THE DIVINE PERFECTIONS.
(1) God is love, From
this scriptural premise the conclusion is drawn that He will never cast
any of His creatures into endless woe. But we must remember that the Bible
also tells us that "God is light," and between light and
darkness there can be no fellowship, Divine love is not a sentimental
passion which overrides moral distinctions. God’s love is a holy love,
and because it is such He hates all evil; yea, it is written, "Thou
hatest all workers of iniquity" (Ps. 5:5). Startling as it
may sound, it is nevertheless a fact, that the Scriptures speak much more
frequently of God’s anger and wrath, than they do of His love and
compassion. Let any one consult Young’s or Strong’s Concordance and
they may verify this for themselves. To argue, then, that because God is
love, He will not inflict eternal torment on the wicked, is to ignore the
fact that God is light, and is to asperse His holiness.
(2) God is merciful.
Man may be a sinner, and holiness may require that he should be
punished, but it is argued that Divine mercy will intervene, and if the
punishment be not entirely revoked it is imagined that the sentence will
be modified and the term of punishment be shortened. We are told that the eternal
torment of the lost cannot be harmonized with a God of mercy. But if
by the mercy of God be meant that He is too tenderhearted to apportion
such miseries to His creatures, then we might as logically reason that
seeing God’s mercy, like all His attributes, is infinite, therefore,
none of His creatures will be permitted to suffer at all. Yet this is
manifestly erroneous. Facts deny it. His creatures do suffer,
ofttimes excruciatingly, even in this life. Look out on the world today
and mark the untold misery which abounds on every hand, and then remember
that, however mysterious all this may be to us, nevertheless, it is all
permitted by a merciful God. So, too, read in the Old Testament the
accounts of the deluge, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire and
brimstone from heaven, the plagues upon Egypt, the judgments which were
visited upon Israel, and then bear in mind that these were not
prevented by the mercy of God! To reason, then, that because God is
merciful He will not cast into the Lake of Fire every one whose name is
not found written in the book of life, is to fly in the face of all God’s
judgments in the past!
(3) God is just. It
is often said it would be unjust for God to sentence any of His erring
creatures to eternal perdition. But who are we to pass
judgment upon the justice of the decisions of the All-Wise? Who are we to
say what is consistent or inconsistent with God’s righteousness?
Who are we to determine what shall best vindicate the Divine
benevolence or equity? Sin has so enfeebled our power of righteous
judgment, so darkened our understanding, so dulled our conscience, so
perverted our wills, so corrupted our hearts, that we are quite incompetent
to decide. We are ourselves so infected and affected by sin that we
are altogether incapable of estimating its due merits. Imagine a company
of criminals passing judgment on the equity and goodness of the law which
had condemned them! The truth of the matter is - and how often is it lost
sight of! - that God is not to be measured by human standards.
But have we realized
that to deny the justice of eternal punishment is also to repudiate
the grace of God? If endless misery be unjust, then exemption from
it must be the sinner’s right, and if so, his salvation could
never be attributed to grace, which is unmerited favor! Moreover,
to deny the justice of eternal punishment is to fly in the face of
Christian consciousness, which universally witnesses to the fact that
punishment, and only punishment, is all that each of us deserves.
Moreover, if the sinner has despised and rejected eternal happiness, is
there any reason why he should complain against the justice of eternal
misery? Finally, if there is an infinite evil in sin - as there is - then
infinite punishment is its due reward.
(4) God is holy. Because
God is infinitely holy, He regards sin with infinite abhorrence. From this
scriptural premise it has been erroneously concluded that, therefore, God
will ultimately triumph over evil by banishing every last trace of it from
the universe; otherwise, it is said, His moral character is gone. But
against this sophistry we reply; God’s holiness did not prevent sin entering
His universe, and He has permitted it to remain all these
thousands of years, therefore a holy God can and does coexist
with a world of sin! To this it may be answered: There are good and
sufficient reasons why sin should be allowed now. Quite so, is our
rejoinder; and who knows what these reasons are? Conjecture we may;
but who knows? God has not told us in His Word. Who, then, is in
the position to say that there may not be eternal reasons - necessities -
for the continued existence of sin? That God will triumph over evil is
most certainly true. His triumph will be manifested by incarcerating every
one of His foes in a place where they can do no more damage, and where in
their torments His holy hatred of sin will shine for ever and ever. The
Lake of Fire so far from witnessing to Satan’s victory, will be the
crowning proof of his utter defeat.
2. THE PASSAGES APPEALED TO BY UNIVERSALISTS.
Universalists may be
divided, broadly, into two classes: those who teach the ultimate salvation
of every member of Adam’s race, and those who affirm the ultimate
salvation of all creatures, including the Devil, the fallen angels, and
the demons. The class of passages to which both appeal are verses where
the words "all," "all men," "all things,"
"the world" are to be found. The simplest way to refute their
contentions on these passages is to show that such terms are restricted
usually modified by what is said in the immediate context.
The issue raised by
Universalists narrows itself down to the question of whether "all
men" and "all things" are employed, in passages which speak
of salvation, in a limited or unlimited sense. Let us, then,
point to a number of passages where these general terms occur, but where
it is impossible to give them an absolute force or meaning:
"And there went
out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were
all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their
sins" (Mark 1:5). "And as the people were in expectation, and all
men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ or
not" (Luke 3:15). "And they came unto John, and said unto him,
Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness,
behold the same baptizeth, and all come to Him" (John 3:26).
"And early in the morning He came again into the temple," and "all
the people came unto Him; and He sat down, and taught them" (John
8:2). "For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou
hast seen and heard (Acts 22:15). "Ye are our epistle written in our
hearts, known and read of all men" (2 Cor. 3:2).
In none of the above passages has "all," "all men," "all the
people" an unlimited scope. In each of those passages these general
terms have only a relative meaning. In Scripture "all" is used
in two ways: meaning "all without exception" (occurring
infrequently), and "all without distinction" (its general
significance), that is, all classes and kinds - old and young, men and
women, rich and poor, educated and illiterate, and in many in-stances Jews
and Gentiles, men of all nations. Very frequently the "all" has
reference to all believers, all in Christ.
What we have just said concerning the relative use and restricted meaning of the terms
"all" and "all men" applies with equal force to
"all things." In Scripture this is another expression which
often has a very limited meaning. We give a few examples of this:
"For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is
weak, eateth herbs" (Rom. 14:2). "For meat destroy not the work
of God. All things indeed are pure" (Rom. 14.20). "I am
made all things to all, that I might by all means save some"
(1 Cor. 9:22). "All things are lawful for me, but all things
are not expedient" (1 Cor. 10:23). "Tychicus, a beloved brother
and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all
things" (Eph. 6:2 1). I can do all things through Christ
which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). In each of these passages
"all things" has a restricted force.
Another class of
passages appealed to by Universalists are verses where "the
world" is mentioned. But a careful examination of every passage
where this term occurs in the New Testament will show that we are not
obliged to understand it as referring to the entire human race,
because in a number of instances it means far less. Take the following
examples. "For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven
and giveth life unto the world" (John 6:33). Mark that here it
is not a matter of proffering "life" to the world, but of
giving "life." Does Christ "give life" - spiritual
and eternal life, for that is what is in view - to every member of the
human family? "If thou do these things, show Thyself to the
world" (John 7.4). Here it is plain that "the world" is
an indefinite expression - show Thyself in public, to men in general, is
its obvious meaning here. "The Pharisees therefore said among
themselves, Perceive ye how we prevail nothing? Behold, the world is
gone after Him" (John 12:19). Did the Pharisees mean that the entire
human race had "gone after" Christ? Surely not. "First, I
thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken
of throughout the whole world" (Rom. 1:8). Must this mean that
the faith of the Roman saints was known and spoken of by all the race of
mankind? Did all men everywhere "speak" of it? Did one man out
of every ten thousand in the Roman Empire know anything about it?
"The word of the truth of the Gospel, which is come unto you, as it
is in all the world" (Col. 1:5, 6). Does "all the
world" here mean, absolutely and unqualifiedly, all mankind? Had all
men everywhere heard the Gospel? Surely the meaning of this verse is, that
the Gospel, instead of being confined to the land of Judea and the lost
sheep of the house of Israel, had gone forth abroad without restraint,
into many places. "And all the world wondered after the
beast" (Rev. 13:3). That the reference here cannot be to all men
without exception we know from other scriptures.
It will be seen,
then, from the passages cited above that there is nothing in the words
themselves which compel us to give an unlimited meaning to "all
men," "all things," "the world." Therefore when
we insist that "the world" which is saved, and the "all
men" who are redeemed, are the world of believers and the all
men who receive Christ as their personal Saviour, instead of
interpreting the Scriptures to suit ourselves we are explaining them in
strict harmony with other passages. On the other hand, to give to these
terms unlimited scope and to make them mean all without exception is to
interpret them in a way which manifestly clashes with the many passages
which plainly teach there are those who will be finally lost.
One other remark may
be made upon Universalism before turning to our next sub-division, and
that is, the very fact that Universalism is so popular with the wicked, is
proof irresistible, that it is not the system taught in the Bible. 1
Corinthians
2:14 tells us "the natural man receiveth not the things of the
Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know
them, because they are spiritually discerned." That the natural man does
receive the teaching that every one will ultimately be saved, is a
sure sign it does not belong to "the things of the Spirit of
God." The wicked hate the light, but love the darkness; hence, while
they deem as "foolishness" the truth of God and reject it, they
esteem as reasonable the Devil’s lies, and greedily devour them.
3. PASSAGES APPEALED TO BY THE ANNIHILATIONISTS.
Truth is one:
consistent: eternally unchanged. Error is hydra-headed, inconsistent and
contradictory, ever wavering in its forms. So determined are men to
persuade themselves that the eternal punishment of the wicked is a myth,
the enmity of the carnal mind has devised a variety of ways of ridding
themselves of this truth which is so hateful to them. "God hath made
man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Eccl. 7:29).
One of these inventions is the theory that at death the wicked pass into
oblivion, and that after their resurrection and judgment at the Great
White Throne, they are annihilated in the Lake of Fire. Incredible as this
view appears, nevertheless it has had and still has many advocates and
adherents; and what is even more unthinkable, the Word of God is appealed
to in support of it. It is because of this that we make a brief notice of
it here.
The first class of
passages to which they appeal are verses where "death" is
mentioned. Death is regarded in the most absolute sense. Death they take
to mean the passing from existence into non-existence; an utter extinction
of being. Death is applied to the soul as well as the body. How, then, is
this error to be met? We answer, By an appeal to God’s Word. The meaning
of a word is to be defined not from its derivation, not from its
employment by heathen writers, not from the definition supplied by a
standard English dictionary, nor from the lexicons, but from its usage
in the Holy Scriptures. What, then, does death mean as used by the
Holy Spirit?
Let us turn first to
1 Corinthians 15:36: "Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened,
except it die." Here is the Holy Spirit’s illustration and type of
the death and resurrection of a believer. Now, does the living germ in the
seed sown become extinct before it brings forth fruit? Surely not.
There is a decaying, of course, of its outer shell - and therein lies the
analogy with the death of man - but the living germ within dies not,
otherwise there could be no harvest. Death, then, according to this
illustration of the Holy Spirit is not annihilation. The same illustration
was used by our Lord. Said He, "Except a corn of wheat fall into the
ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth
forth much fruit" (John 12:24). The stalk and ear of corn in harvest
time are but the life-germ fully developed. So it is with man. The body
dies; the soul lives on. Note how this comes out, unmistakably, in the
Saviour’s words as recorded in Matt. 10:28: "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." The
"soul" man is unable to kill! But God is able - and mark
carefully the distinction - "to destroy (not kill) both soul
and body in hell." As the word "destroy" is another word
misused and erroneously defined by the Annihilationists, a few words must
be said upon it.
As used in Scripture
the words "destroy," "destruction," "perish"
etc. never signify cessation of existence. In Matthew 10:7 one of the
principal Greek words for "destroyed" is rendered "the lost
sheep of the house of Israel." Those Israelites had not ceased to
be, but were away from God! In Mark 2:22 the same word is translated
"marred" in connection with "bottles" of skins which
the new wine burst. So, too, the word "perish" never signifies
annihilation in Scripture. In 2 Peter 3:6 we read, "The world"
that then was, being overflowed with water, perished." The
"world" that perished, whether the reference be to the
pre-Adamic earth or the world destroyed by the Flood, was not reduced to
nothing. When, then, Scripture speaks of the wicked as perishing and as
being destroyed, it is in order to expose the error of those who assert
that they have a gospel for those who die unsaved, That the wicked have
"perished" excludes all hope of their subsequent
salvation. 1 Timothy 5:6 tells us there is a living-death even now - "She
that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth" - so will
there be in eternity.
The absurdity and
unscripturalness of Annihilationism are easily exposed. If at death the
sinner passes out of existence, why resurrect him in order to annihilate
him again? Scripture speaks of the "punishment" and
"torment" of the wicked; but any one can see that annihilation
is not these! If annihilation were all that awaits the wicked, they would
never know that they had received their just deserts and the
"due reward" of their iniquities! Scripture speaks of degrees
of punishment for the lost; but annihilation would make this
impossible; annihilation would level all distinctions and ignore all
degrees of guilt. In Isaiah 33:14 we are told, "Who among us shall
dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting
burnings?" So far from sinners being annihilated they shall dwell with
the devouring fire! Scripture speaks again and again of the "wailing
and gnashing of teeth" of those who are cast into hell, and this, at
once, gives the lie to those who affirm extinction of being.
4. THE THEORY THAT THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED IS DISCIPLINARY AND REMEDIAL.
There are those who
allow that the wicked will be cast into hell, and yet they insist that the
punishment is corrective rather than retributive. A sort of Protestant
Purgatory is invented, the fires of which are to be purifying rather than
penal. Such a conception is grossly dishonoring to God. Some who hold this
view make a great pretense of honoring Christ, yet in reality they greatly
dishonor Him. If men who died rejecting the Saviour are yet to be saved,
if the fires of hell are to do for men what the blood of the Cross failed
to effect, then why was the Divine Sacrifice needed at all - all might
have been saved by the disciplinary sufferings of hell, and so God could
have spared His Son. Again; if God compassionates His enemies and
cherishes nothing but gracious designs of infinite pity toward those who
have despised and rejected His Son, we may well ask, Then why does He take
such dreadful measures with them? If loving discipline be all that they
need, cannot Divine wisdom devise some gentler measure than consigning
them to the "torment" of the Lake of Fire for "the
ages of the ages?" This is an insuperable difficulty in the way of
the theory we are now refuting. But once we see that the Lake of Fire is
the place of punishment, not discipline, and that it is Divine wrath
and not love that casts the reprobate into it, then the difficulty
entirely disappears.
Utterly inconsistent
though it be, there are those who argue that the fires of hell owe their
disciplinary efficacy to the blood of Christ. These enemies of the truth
have been well answered by Sir Robert Anderson: "Such punishment,
therefore, must be the penalty due to their sins; else it were unrighteous
to impose it. If, then, the lost are ultimately to be saved, it must be
either because they shall have satisfied the penalty; or else through
redemption - that is, because Christ has borne that penalty for them. But
if sinners can be saved by satisfying Divine justice in enduring the
penalty due to sin, Christ need not have died. If, on the other hand, the
redeemed may yet be doomed, though ordained to eternal life in Christ,
themselves to endure the penalty for sin, the foundations of our faith are
destroyed. It is not, I repeat, the providential or disciplinary, but the penal
consequences of sin, which follow the judgment. We can therefore
understand how the sinner may escape his doom through his debt being paid
vicariously, or we can (in theory, at all events) admit that he may
be discharged on payment personally of "the uttermost farthing;"
but that the sinner should be made to pay a portion of his debt, and then
released because someone else had paid the whole before he was remitted to
punishment at all - this is absolutely inconsistent with both
righteousness and grace" ("Human Destiny").
Again; if it be true
that the damned in the Lake of Fire are still the objects of Divine
benevolence; that as the creatures of His hand, the Lord still looks upon
them with the most benign regard, and the unquenchable fire is nothing
more than a rod in the hand of a wise and loving Father, we ask, How can
this be harmonized with the manner in which Scripture uniformly speaks of
unbelievers? God has not left us in ignorance of how He regards those who
have openly and persistently defied Him. Again and again the Bible makes
known to us the solemn fact that God looks upon the wicked as cumberers of
the earth, as repugnant to Him. They are represented as "dross"
not gold (Ps. 119:119); as worthless "chaff (Matt. 3:12); as
"vipers" (Matt. 12:34); as "vessels unto dishonor" and
"vessels of wrath" (Rom. 9:21, 22); as those who are to be made
the Lord’s footstool (1 Cor. 15:2 7) as "trees whose fruit
withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots" (Jude
12) and therefore fit for nothing but the fire; as those who will be
"spued out of the Lord’s mouth" (Rev. 3:16), that is, as
objects of revulsion. Some of these passages describe Jewish reprobates,
others sinners of the Gentiles; some refer to those who lived in a by-gone
dispensation, others belong to the present; some speak of men this side of
the grave, some of those on the other side. One purpose in calling
attention to them is to show how God regards his enemies. The
estimate expressed in the above passages (and they might easily be
multiplied) cannot be harmonized with the view that God still looks upon
them in love and entertains only the most tender regards for them.
Another class of
passages may be referred to in this connection. "For I lift up My
hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet My glittering sword,
and Mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine
enemies, and will reward them that hate Me. I will make Mine arrows drunk
with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of
the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the
enemy" (Deut. 32:40-42). Can this be made to square with the theory
that God has naught but compassion toward those who have despised and
defied Him?
"Because I have
called, and ye have refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man
regarded; But ye have set at nought all My counsel, and would none of My
reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear
cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh
as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they
call upon Me, but I will not answer; they shall seek Me early, but they
shall not find Me" (Prov. 1:24-28). Is this the language of One who
still has designs of mercy toward His enemies?
"I have trodden
the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me; for I will
tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood
shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment"
(Isa. 63:3). Weigh this carefully, and then ask if such treatment is meted
out toward those unto whom the Lord cherishes nought but compassion.
Should it be said,
Each of these passages is from the Old Testament, it would be sufficient
to say, True, but it is the same God as the New Testament reveals that is
there speaking. But consider one verse from the New Testament also. The
Christ of God is yet going to say to men, "Depart from Me, ye
cursed into everlasting fire" (Matt. 25:41). Is it thinkable that
the Son of God would pronounce this awful malediction upon those who are
merely appointed to a season of disciplinary chastisement, after which
they will be forever with him in perfect bliss!
Thus we have sought
to show that the various objections brought against eternal punishment
will not stand the test of Holy Writ; that, though often presented in a
plausible form, and with the avowed intention of vindicating the Divine
character. yet, in reality, they are nothing more than the reasonings of
that carnal mind which is enmity against God.
Having disposed of
the principal objections brought against the truth of Eternal Punishment,
we now turn to consider:
II. THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED
There is deep need for us to approach this solemn subject impartially and dispassionately.
Let writer and reader cry earnestly to God that all prejudices and
preconceptions may be removed from our minds. It ill becomes us to sit at
the feet of Infinite Wisdom determined to hold fast to our foregone
conclusions. Nothing can be more insulting to God than to presume to
examine His Word, professing a desire to learn His mind, when we
have already settled to our own satisfaction what it will say. Some one
has said that we ought to bring our minds to the Scriptures as blank paper
is brought to the printing press, that it may receive only the impress of
the type. May such grace be vouchsafed to us all that we may ever present
our minds to the Holy Spirit’s teaching that only the impress may be
left which God has designed. May our only desire be to hear "What
saith the Lord?"
1. THE CERTAINTY OF THEIR JUDGMENT.
It is written "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment" (Heb. 9:27). This is one of the many verses which
refute the errors of the Annihilationists, who make the judgment of the
sinner to be, itself, death. But here death and judgment are clearly
distinguished. The one follows the other.
The fact of a future
judgment for sinners is established by numerous passages. In Ecclesiastes 11:9 we
read, "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer
thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in
the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things
God will bring thee into judgment." Again, in Ecclesiastes 12:14, we
are told, For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." The New
Testament witnesses to the same truth: "He hath appointed a day, in
the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He
hath ordained" (Acts 17:31). The judgment itself is described in
Revelation 20:11-15.
Of the certainty of
this coming judgment we are left in no doubt - "The Lord knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust
unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Pet. 2:9). It will be
impossible for the sinner to evade it. Escape there will be none - "How
can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. 23.33). Resistance,
individually or collectively, will be futile - "Though hand join in
hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished" (Prov. 11:2 1). No
confederacy of His foes shall hinder God from taking vengeance upon them.
2. DEATH SEALS THE SINNER’S FATE.
Scripture teaches
plainly that man’s opportunity for salvation is limited to the period of
his earthly life. If he dies unsaved his fate is sealed inexorably. There
are two passages in the New Testament most generally relied upon by those
who affirm that there is for the lost a hope beyond death. These
are both found in the 1st Epistle of Peter. A brief notice then shall be
taken of them.
"For Christ also
hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring
us to God, being put to death in the flesh, 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" (3:18-20). But these
verses make no reference whatever to any preaching heard by those who had
already passed out of this life. They simply tell us that the Spirit of
God preached through Noah, while the ark was being built, to those who
were disobedient; and because they refused to respond to that preaching
they are now "spirits in prison." It was not Christ Himself who
"preached," but the Holy Spirit, as is plain from the opening
words of v. 19 - "By which also:" the "by which"
points back to "the Spirit" at the end of v. 18. That the Holy
Spirit did address Himself to the antediluvians we know from
Genesis 6:3 - "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." The
Spirit strove through Noah’s preaching. That Noah was a
"preacher" we learn from 2 Peter 2:5.
The second passage is
found in 1 Peter 4:6, "For this cause was the Gospel preached also to
them that are dead." But this need not detain us. The Gospel was preached,
not is now being preached, or, will again be preached to them! That such
passages as these are appealed to only serves to show how untenable and
impossible is the contention they are supposed to support.
That death seals the
doom of the lost, we may prove negatively by the fact - and this is
conclusive of itself - that we have not a single instance described in
either the Old Testament or the New of a sinner being saved after death.
Nor is there a single passage which holds out any promise of this in the
future. But there are passages which contain positive teaching to the
contrary. Several of these are now submitted.
We turn first to
Proverbs 29:1: "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall
suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." This is so
explicit and unequivocal it needs no words of ours either to expound or
enforce it. Once the rebellious sinner is "cut off" he is
"without remedy." Nothing could be clearer: at death his doom is
sealed.
Again, in Matthew 9:6
we read, "But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on
earth to forgive sins, (then saith He to the sick of the palsy) Arise,
take up thy bed, and go unto thine house." Why did not the Lord
simply say, "The Son of Man hath power to forgive sins," and
then stop? That would have been sufficient reply to His critics. The only
reason that we can suggest why the Saviour should have added the
qualifying words - "The Son of Man hath power on earth to
forgive sins - was because He would give us to understand that after a
sinner leaves the "earth" the Son of Man (Christ in His
mediatonal character) has not the "power" (or
"authority" as exousia really means) to forgive sins!
A similar instance to
the above is found in John 12:25: "He that loveth his life shall lose
it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life
eternal." Notice that the antithesis would be complete without the
restricting words "in this world"
- "He that
loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life shall keep it
unto life eternal." Again, we say, that the only reason we can see
why Christ added the qualifying clause, "He that hateth his life in
this world shall keep it unto life eternal" was in order to show
that destiny is fixed once we leave this world.
In 2 Corinthians 5:10, which
speaks of believers, we have another example of this careful employment of
qualifying language: "We must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body." The
saints are to be dealt with not merely according to what they have done,
but that they may receive "the things done in the body." What
they have done after they left the body and prior to the
resurrection is not taken into account.
In John 8:21 it is
recorded how that Christ said to His enemies, "I go My way, and ye
shall seek Me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go, ye cannot
come." Observe carefully the order of the last two clauses. Once they
died in their sins, it was impossible for them to go to heaven. The
solemn force of this verse comes out even more clearly if we contrast with
it John 13:36: "Simon Peter said unto Him, Lord, whither goest Thou?
Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow Me now; but
thou shalt follow Me afterwards." Mark the absence of the qualifying
"now" in John 8:21. To Peter it was said, as to a representative
saint, "Thou shalt follow Me (to heaven) afterwards;" but to the
wicked, Christ declared, "Whither I go, ye
cannot come!"
3. WHAT AWAITS THE SINNER AT DEATH
We naturally turn for light on this to the teaching of the Lord, for more was said through Him
than through any other concerning the future of the wicked. Nor shall we
turn in vain to the record of His words. In Luke 16 we find Him drawing
aside the veil which hides from us what lies beyond death. He tells us of
a rich man who died "and was buried" (v. 22). But he had not
ceased to exist. So far from it, the Lord went on to say, "And in
hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments." That Christ was here
describing the actual experience of this rich man after death there is no
good reason to doubt; to say otherwise, is to be guilty of blasphemously
charging the Son of God with using language which He knew would mislead
countless numbers of those who later would read the record of His words.
No one who comes to this passage with an unprejudiced mind would ever
suppose that it gave anything else than a plain and simple picture of what
befalls the wicked after death. It is only those who have previously
arrived at the foregone conclusion that there is no torment for the
unbeliever after death, who approach this passage determined to explain
away its obvious meaning, who rule out of it what is there and read into
it what is not there.
"In Hades he lift up his eyes, being in torments." The Greek word here translated
hell is "Hades," which is a generic term for the unseen world,
into which the souls of all pass at death. No doubt it is due to the fact
that the souls of saints as well as sinners are represented as entering
Sheol at death that caused the translators to render it "grave"
in many instances. But the fact that in both the Hebrew and the Greek
there is an entirely different word used for "grave" ought to
have prevented such a mistake. The Holy Spirit has carefully preserved the
distinction between the two terms throughout. A careful examination of
every passage in the Old and New Testaments where these words occur will
show that many things are said of the grave" (Heb. "queber";
Gk. "mnemeion") which could never be said of "Sheol"
or "Hades;" and many things are said of the latter which are
never predicated of the former. For example: both the Hebrew and Greek
words for "grave" occur in the plural again and again;
Sheol and Hades never do so. The Hebrew and Greek words for
"grave" are frequently referred to as the possession of
individuals - "My grave" (Gen. 50:5); "grave of
Abner" (2 Sam. 3:32); "His own (Joseph’s) new tomb"
(Matt. 27:60); "The sepulchers of the righteous" (Matt. 23:29); etc.
In Gen. 50:5 we read, "In my grave which I have digged for
me;" of "mnemeion" we read, "And he laid it in his own
new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock" (Matt. 27:60).
Sheol and Hades are never so referred to. The body enters "queber"
and mnemion," but it is never said to enter Sheol or Hades.
Sufficient has been said to demonstrate that Sheol or Hades is not the
grave. We may, therefore, confidently affirm that neither Sheol or Hades
should ever be rendered "grave" or "the grave."
Hades refers to the
same place as Sheol. Their identification is unequivocally established by
a comparison of Psalm 16:10 with Acts 2:27; "Thou wilt not leave My
soul in Sheol" (Ps. 16:10), is "Thou shalt not leave My soul in
Hades" in Acts 2:27. But it is important to bear in mind that Sheol
or Hades had two compartments, reserved respectively for the saved and the
lost. And "between" these two, our Lord tells us there is
"a great gulf fixed" (Luke 16:26). The compartment we are now
considering is that which receives the souls of the wicked. In this,
Christ declares, is a "flame" which torments. This is in perfect
harmony with the teaching of the Old Testament concerning Sheol. In
Deuteronomy
33:22 we read, "For a fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall
burn unto the lowest Sheol." Again; in the parable of the tares our
Lord said, "I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the
tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them" (Matt. 13:30). The
explanation of this is found in vv. 40-42 of the same chapter: "As
therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in
the end of this age. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they
shall gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall
be wailing and gnashing of teeth." As this takes place at the end of
this age and before the judgment begins, the "furnace of fire"
must refer to Hades rather than the Lake of Fire.
Returning then to the
teaching of Luke 16 concerning the experience of the wicked immediately
after death, we read, "And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in
torments." Here we have a sentient being, a conscious person, in a
definite place; suffering there excruciatingly. He was in
"torments." So great was his anguish he begged that one might
"dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue" (v. 24).
But such alleviation was denied him. He was bidden to "remember"
how he had lived - a worshipper of Mammon. Such, we are assured, will be
the doom of every one that dies in his sins.
4. THE UTTER HOPELESSNESS OF THE LOST.
Thus far we have
seen, first, that the judgment of the wicked is certain; second, that
death seals their doom; third, that at death the souls of unbelievers go
to Hades, into that compartment of the unseen world reserved for the lost,
there to be tormented in the flame. There they remain until the judgment,
when they shall be resurrected and brought before the Great White Throne
to receive their final sentence. We, therefore, devote a separate section
to show that after the wicked are brought out of Hades there is even then,
no hope whatever of their salvation.
The first scripture
we appeal to in proof of this is John 5:29: "All that are in the
graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto
the resurrection of damnation." This is the solemn announcement of
the Son of God. Let His words be well weighed. Here He tells us briefly,
what awaits the sum total of the dead. They are divided into two classes:
they that have done good, and they that have done evil. For the one there
is the "resurrection of life;" for the other the resurrection of
damnation." For evil-doers there is no resurrection of probation, and
no resurrection of salvation; but simply and solely the resurrection of
damnation. How this removes the very foundation on which any might
desire to build a future hope for the wicked!
In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 we
read, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning
them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no
hope." Here the apostle draws a contrast between the Christian
grieving over the death of believing loved ones, and the heathen
who mourned the loss of their dear ones. The Christian may sorrow over the
departure of a saved relative or friend, but he can also comfort himself
with the blessed hope presented to him in the Scriptures, the hope of
being re-united at the coming of the Lord. This hope the heathen, and the
unsaved in Christendom who mourn the loss of unsaved friends, have not.
Yea, they have "no hope." This is not weakened at all by
the fact that in Eph. 2:12, 13 we read of those once "without
hope" who had nevertheless, been "made nigh by the blood of
Christ." The Ephesian scripture speaks of those alive in the world,
and while here there is always a hope they may be saved; though
while they remain unsaved they are "without hope," that is,
without any scripturally-warranted hope. But the Thessalonian passage
speaks of those who have passed out of this world unsaved, and for them
there is "no hope." Whatever vain hopes the wicked may
now cherish in the day to come, the very "expectation of the wicked
shall perish" (Prov. 10:28)!
Another scripture
which proves the hopeless state of those who have rejected God’s truth
is to be found in Hebrews 10:26-29: "For if we sin wilfully after that
we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and
fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries, He that despised
Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much
sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto
the spirit of grace?" For our present purpose we need not stop to
consider of whom this passage is specifically speaking. Sufficient to know
that it treats of those who have wilfully resisted the light. For these we
are told "there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." If
there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, then they must themselves
suffer the Divine penalty for them. What that penalty is this same passage
tells us; it is "fiery indignation" which shall devour them. It
is a judgment "without mercy." It is a "punishment"
sorer than that which befell him that
despised Moses’ law.
"
For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy
rejoiceth against judgment" (James 2:13). It is true that the apostle
is here writing to saints, but in the verse we have just quoted there is a
noticeable change in his language, and here he is obviously speaking of
the unsaved, In the previous verse he had said "Ye," but now he
changes to "he." He that hath showed no mercy (to his
fellow-men) shall have "judgment without mercy" from God; and
this, in spite of the fact that "mercy rejoiceth against
judgment." The last clause is plainly for the purpose of adding
solemnity to what precedes. Judgment "without mercy" is language
which looks back to Isaiah 27:11, where we read, "It is a people of no
understanding: therefore He that made them will not have mercy on them,
and He that formed them will show them no favor." If, then,
this judgment is "without mercy" how it closes the door against
all possibility of a final reprieve, or even a modification of the dread
sentence! And how it exposes the baselessness of that hope which is
cherished by many, viz., that in the last great Day they think to cast
themselves upon the mercy of that One whom they now despise and defy! Vain
will it be to cry for mercy then. Of old God said to Israel,
"Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare,
neither will I have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud
voice, yet will I not hear them." So it will be at the last
Judgment. One other scripture may be considered in this connection:
"Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering
stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever" (Jude
13). Unspeakably solemn is this. This verse is referring to the future
portion of those who now turn "the grace of our God into
lasciviousness" and deny "the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus
Christ" (Jude 4). Unto them is reserved "the blackness of
darkness forever." The endless night of their doom shall never be
relieved by a single star of hope. Thus have we sought to show that the
Word of God by a variety of expressions, each of which is unambiguous and
conclusive, reveals the utter hopelessness of those taking part in
"the resurrection of damnation." We shall next consider:
5. THE LAST ABODE OF THE LOST.
This is given at
least two different names in the New Testament: "Gehenna" and
"Lake of Fire." Let us now examine the teaching of Scripture
concerning them.
First,
"Gehenna" is the Grecianized form of the Hebrew for "valley
of Hinnom," which was a deep gorge on the east of Jerusalem. This
valley of Hinnom was first used in connection with idolatrous rites (2
Chron. 28:3). Later it became a burial ground (Jer. 7:31), or more
probably a crematorium. Still later it became the place where the garbage
of Jerusalem was thrown and burned (Josephus). Its fires were kept
constantly alight so as to consume the filth and rubbish deposited
therein.
Second, this valley
of Hinnom foreshadowed the great garbage-receptacle of the universe - Hell,
just as other places and persons in the Old Testament Scriptures
adumbrated other objects more vile - for example, the "king of
Tyre" in Ezekiel 28. Just as what is there said of this king has in
view one more sinister than he, so what is said of the valley of Hinnom
symbolized that which was far more awful. We can no more limit Gehenna to
the valley outside of Jerusalem than we can restrict "the king of
Tyre" to a mere man of the past.
Third, the valley of
Hinnom our Lord used as an emblem of Hell, and stamped with the hall-mark
of His authority the wider and more solemn scope of the word. It should be
carefully noted that when speaking of Gehenna He never referred to the
mere literal valley outside of Jerusalem, but employed it to designate the
place of eternal torments.
Fourth, Gehenna, in
its New Testament usage, refers to a place. "And if thy right
eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy members should perish. and not that thy whole
body should be cast into Gehenna" (Matt. 5:29. See also Matt. 18:9).
Fifth. the fire of
Gehenna is eternal. "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off:
it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to
go into Gehenna, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:43, 44).
Sixth, Gehenna is the
place in which both soul and body are destroyed. "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
Gehenna" (Matt. 19:28). This passage is most important, for more than
any other it enables us to gather the real scope of this term. The fact
that the "soul" as well as the body is destroyed there, is proof
positive that our Lord was not referring to the valley of Hinnom. So, too,
the fact that the "body" is destroyed there, makes it certain
that "Gehenna"is not another name for "Hades." In
pondering this solemn verse we should remember that "destroy"
does not mean to annihilate. Some have raised a quibble over the fact that
Christ did not here expressly say that God would "destroy both
soul and body in hell," but merely said "Fear Him which is
able to. " This admits of a simple and conclusive reply. Surely
it is apparent on the surface that Christ is not here predicating of God a
power which none can deny, but which, notwithstanding, He will never
exert! He was not simply affirming the omnipotence of God, but uttering a
solemn threat which will yet be executed. That such was His meaning is
established beyond the shadow of doubt when we compare Matthew 10:28 with
the parallel passage in Luke 12:5: "But I will forewarn you
whom ye shall fear: fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to
cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him." This threat we know will
be fulfilled.
Seventh, Gehenna is identical
with the Lake of Fire. There are four things which indicate this, and
taken together they constitute a cumulative but clear proof. First, the
fact that in Gehenna God "destroys" both soul and body
(Matt. 10:28). This shows the wicked who are there destroyed have already
received their resurrection bodies. Second, the fact that the fire of
Gehenna is eternal: it will "never be quenched" (Mark
9:43). This is nowhere said of the fires of sheol or hades. Third, in
Isaiah 30:33 we learn that "Tophet" is ordained for "the
king" - it is "the king" of Daniel 11:36, that is the
Antichrist, "the Assyrian" of Isaiah 30:30. Now "Tophet"
is another name for the valley of Hinnom, as may be seen by a reference to
Jeremiah 7:31, 32. In Rev. 19:20 we are told that the Beast (the Antichrist)
together with the False Prophet will be "cast alive into a lake of
fire burning with brimstone." Thus by comparing Isaiah 30:33 with
Revelation 19:20 we learn that Gehenna and the Lake of Fire are one and the same.
Finally, notice the absence of "Gehenna" in Revelation 20:14,
"And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire." The
meaning of this is the people whom death and hades had seized
- "death"
capturing the body; "hades" claiming the soul. That the casting
of "death and hades" into the Lake of Fire refer to their
captives is clear from the concluding words of the verse
- "This is the
second death," i.e. for their victims. Note then that we are
not told that "Gehenna" was cast into the Lake of Fire because
Gehenna and the Lake of Fire and one and the same place.
We shall now offer a
few remarks upon the Lake of fire and brimstone. The following analysis
indicates the teaching of Scripture concerning it.
First, it is the
place which finally receives the Beast and the False Prophet: Revelation 19:20.
Second, it is the
place which finally receives the Devil: Revelation 20:10.
Third, it is the
place which finally receives all whose names are not found written
in the book of life: Revelation 20:15 and cf. 21:8.
Fourth, it is a place
of "torment;" Revelation 20:10.
Fifth, it is a place
whose torment is ceaseless and interminable, "day and night for ever
and ever:" Revelation 20:10 and cf. 14:11.
Sixth, it is also
termed "The Second Death:" Revelation 20:14; 21:8, etc.
Seventh, it has
"no power" on the people of God: Revelation 20:6 and cf. 2:11.
In the sixth item
above we have pointed out that the Lake of Fire is also denominated
"The Second Death." At least three reasons may be suggested for
this. First, this designation intimates that the endless torments of the
Lake of Fire are the penalty and wages of sin. "The wages of sin is
death." Second, the use of this appellation calls attention to the
fact that all who are cast into the Lake of Fire will be eternally separated
from God. As the first death is the separation of the soul from the
body, so the second death will be the eternal separation of the soul from
God - "Punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9). Third, such a title emphasizes the dreadfulness
of the Lake of Fire. To the normal man death is the object he fears
above all others. It is that from which he naturally shrinks, It is that
which he most dreads. When, then, the Holy Spirit designates the Lake of
Fire the "Second Death" He is emphasizing the fact that it is an
object of horror from which the sinner should flee.
6. THE ETERNALITY OF THE SUFFERINGS OF THE LOST.
Upon this point the
language of Scripture is most explicit. In Matthew 25:41 we read of "everlasting
fire." In Matthew 25:46 of "everlasting punishment."
In Mark 6:29 of "eternal damnation." And in 2
Thessalonians 1:9
of "everlasting destruction." We are aware that the
enemies of God’s truth have sought to tamper with this word rendered
everlasting and eternal. But their efforts have been entirely futile. The
impossibility of rendering the Greek word by any other English equivalent
appears from the following evidence:
The Greek word is
"aionios" and its meaning and scope has been definitely defined
for us by the Holy Spirit in at least two passages. "While we look
not at the things which are seen: but at the things which are not seen:
for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not
seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). Here a contrast is drawn
between things "seen" and things "not seen," between
things "temporal" and things "eternal." Now it is
obvious that if the things "temporal" should last forever, there
would be no antithesis between them and the things "eternal." It
is equally obvious that if the things "eternal" are merely
"age-long," then they cannot be properly contrasted with things
that are temporal. The difference between things temporal and things
eternal in this verse is as great as the difference between the things
"seen" and the things "not seen."
The second example, which is of the same character as the one furnished in 2 Corinthians 4:18, is
equally conclusive. In Philemon 15 we read, "For perhaps he therefore
departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him forever."
Here the Greek for "forever" is aionios. The apostle is
beseeching Philemon to receive Onesimus, who had left his master, and whom
Paul had sent back to him. When the apostle says "receive him
forever," his evident meaning is, never banish him, never sell
him, never again send him away. "Aionios" is here
contrasted with "for a season," showing that it means just the
opposite of what that expression signifies.
Eternal or everlasting is the one and unvaried meaning of aionios in the New
Testament. The same word translated "everlasting destruction,"
"everlasting punishment," "everlasting fire," is
rendered "everlasting life" in John 3:16; "the everlasting
God" in Romans 16:26; "eternal salvation" in
Hebrews
5:9; "His eternal glory" in 1 Peter 5:10. No argument
needs to be made to prove that in these passages it is impossible to
fairly substitute any other alternative for everlasting and eternal, And
it is thus with the other class of passages. The "everlasting
fire" will synchronize with the existence of "the everlasting
God." The "everlasting punishment" of the lost will
continue as long as the "everlasting life" of believers. The
"eternal damnation" of the wicked will no more have an end than
will the "eternal salvation" of the redeemed. The
"everlasting destruction" of unbelievers will prove as
interminable as the "everlasting glory" of God. To deny the
former is to deny the latter. To affirm the everlastingness of God is to
prove the endlessness of the misery of His enemies.
7. THE FINALITY OF THEIR STATE.
The doom of those who shall be cast into the Lake of Fire is irrevocable and final. Many
independent considerations prove this. Forgiveness of sins is limited to
life on this earth. Once the sinner passes out of this world there
remaineth "no more sacrifice for sins." The fact that at death
the soul of the wicked goes at once into the "furnace of fire"
(Matt. 12:42) witnesses to the fixity of his future state. The fact that,
later, his resurrection is one "of damnation" (John 5:29)
excludes all possibility of a last-hour reprieve. The fact that he is cast
soul and body into a lake of fire argues that then he receives his final
portion. The fact that the Lake of Fire is denominated the "Second
Death" denotes the hopelessness of his situation. Just as the first
death cuts him off forever from this world, so the second death cuts him
off forever from God.
In Philemon 3 the
apostle Paul speaks of the enemies of the Cross of Christ, and moved by
the Holy Spirit he tells us that their "end is
destruction" (v. 19). Stronger and more unequivocal language could
not be used. There is nothing beyond the "end." And the end of
the enemies of the Cross of Christ is "destruction" not
salvation. The Greek word here translated "end" is "telos."
It is found in the following passages: "Of His Kingdom there shall be
no end" (Luke 1:33); "Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4);
"Having neither beginning of days nor end of life" (Heb.
7:3); "I am ... the Beginning and the End, the First and the
Last" (Rev. 22:13).
As we have already
seen, the twentieth chapter of Revelation describes the final judgment of
the wicked before the Great White Throne, after which they are cast into
the Lake of Fire. The chapters which follow - the last two in the Bible - may
be read carefully and searched diligently, but they will not be found to
contain so much as a single hint that those cast into the Lake of Fire
shall ever be delivered from it. Instead, we find in the very last chapter
of God’s Word the solemn statement, "He that is unjust, let him
be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy
still" (Rev. 22:11). Thus the finality of their condition
is expressly affirmed on the closing page of Holy Writ.
In the last two
articles we have considered some of the principal sophistries which
unbelief has brought against the truth of eternal punishment, and have
also examined the teaching of Scripture concerning the Destiny of the
wicked. We approach now the most solemn aspect of our subject, namely:
III. THE NATURE OF PUNISHMENT AWAITING THE LOST
1. THE PORTION OF THE WICKED IMMEDIATELY AFTER DEATH.
We turn first to the teaching of our Lord found in Luke 16. Here, we learn the following facts;
First, that in Hades the lost are in full possession of all their
faculties and sensibilities. They see, for the rich man saw Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom (v. 23). They feel, for he was
in "torments" (v. 24). They cry for mercy, for he asked - but
in vain - for a drop of water to cool his tongue (v. 24). They are
in possession of memory, for the rich man was bidden to
"remember" what he had received during his lifetime on earth (v.
25). It is impossible for them to join the redeemed: there is "a
great gulf fixed" between them (v. 26).
Unspeakably solemn is
all this. Not only will the lost be tormented in flames, but their anguish
will be immeasurably increased by a sight of the redeemed being
"comforted." Then shall they see the happy portion of the
blest which they despised, preferring as they did the pleasures of sin for
a season. And how the retention of "memory" will further augment
their sufferings! With what unfathomable sorrows will they recall the
opportunities wasted, the expostulations of parents and friends slighted,
the warnings of God’s servants disregarded, the proclamations of God’s
Gospel spurned. And then to know there is no way of escape, no means of
relief, no hope of a reprieve! Their lot will be unbearable; their awful
portion, beyond endurance. The Son of God has faithfully forewarned that
"there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 13:42). It
is very significant that Christ referred to this just seven times - denoting
the completeness of their misery and anguish; see Matthew 8:12;
13:42-50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28.
2. THE FINAL PORTION OF THE WICKED.
(1) This is spoken of as being "punished with everlasting destruction
from the presence of the Lord" (2 Thess. 1:9). None but one who really
knows God can begin to estimate what it will mean to be eternally banished from the
Lord. Forever separated from the Fount of all goodness! Never to
enjoy the light of God’s countenance! Never to bask in the
sunshine of His presence. This, this is the most awful of all. 2
Thessalonians
1:9 furnishes clear intimation that the judgment of Matthew 25, with
its eternal sentence, looks beyond the Assize. "Destruction from the
presence of the Lord" is paralleled with "depart from Me
ye cursed."
(2) The final portion
of the wicked is spoken of as "everlasting punishment"
(Matt. 25:46). In 1 John 4:18 the same Greek word is rendered
"torment." This term announces the satisfying of God’s
justice. In the punishing of the wicked God vindicates His outraged
majesty. Herein punishment differs from correction or discipline.
Punishment is not designed for the good of the one who suffers it. It is
intended for the enforcing of law and order; it is necessary for the
preservation of government.
(3) The final portion
of the wicked is spoken of as a "tormenting. " This is
proven by the fact that the everlasting fire into which the wicked depart
is "prepared for the Devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41) which
emphasizes the awfulness of this punishment, rather than specifies who are
going to endure. This verse sets forth the severity of the
punishment of the lost. If the everlasting fire be "prepared for the
Devil and his angels," then how intolerable it will be! If the
place of eternal torment into which all unbelievers shall be cast is the
same as that in which God’s arch-enemy will suffer, how
dreadful that place must be.
That this everlasting
fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels, produces the most awful
suffering is clear from Revelation 20:10, where we are told that Satan shall be
"tormented day and night for ever and ever." No doubt this
torment will be both internal and external, mental and physical. The word
occurs for the first time in the New Testament in Matthew 8:6. "Lord,
my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented."
The same word occurs again in Revelation 9:5 where we read of
infernal locusts, issuing from the Pit, and which are given power to
torment men, the nature of which is explained as "the torment of a
scorpion, when he striketh a man." So intense will be the suffering
caused therefrom "men shall seek death and shall not find it, and
they shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them" (Rev. 9:6).
This torment then cannot mean less than the most excruciating pain which
we are now capable of conceiving. How much the pains of Hell will exceed
the pains of earth we know not.
(4) The final portion
of the wicked is spoken of as "suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire" (Jude 7). But many say this is merely a figurative
expression. We ask, How do they know that? Where has God told them so in
His Word? Personally, we believe that when God says "fire" He
means "fire." We refuse to blunt the sharp edge of His Word. Was
the Deluge figurative? Was it figurative "fire and brimstone"
which descended from heaven and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah? Were the
plagues upon Egypt figurative ones? Is it figurative fire which shall yet
burn this earth, and cause the very elements to "melt with fervent
heat?" No’ in each of these cases we are obliged to take the words
of Scripture in their literal signification. Let those who dare affirm
that Hell-fire is non-literal answer to God. We are not their judges; but
we refuse to accept their toning down of these solemn words. Literal fire
in Hell presents no difficulty at all to the writer. The lost will have
literal bodies when they are cast into Hell. The "angels"
also have bodies; and for all we know to the contrary, the Devil has too.
But the question is
often asked, How can the bodies of the lost be tormented eternally by
literal fire? Would not the fire utterly consume them? Even though we were
unable to furnish an answer to this question, we should still believe that
Scripture meant what it said. But we are satisfied that God’s Word
answers this question. In Exodus 3 we read of the bush in the wilderness
burning with fire, and yet was not consumed! In Daniel 3 we read of the
three Hebrews being cast into the fiery furnace of Babylon, yet they were
not consumed. Why was this? Because, m some way unknown to us, God
preserved the bush, and the bodies of the three Hebrews. Is God, then,
unable to preserve the bodies of the damned from being consumed?
Surely not. But we are not left even to this unescapable inference. In
Mark 9:47-49 we are told, "It is better for thee to enter into the
kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell
fire: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every
one shall be salted with fire." The expression salted with
fire" confirms what we have said above. Salt is a preservative; hence,
when we are told that "every one" who is cast into Gehenna shall
be "salted with fire" we learn that the very fire itself so far
from consuming shall preserve. If it be asked, How can this be? We answer,
Because that fire is "prepared" by God (Matt. 25:41).
(5) The final portion
of the wicked is described as an association with the vilest of the
vile. "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and
brimstone" (Rev. 21:8). O dear reader, weigh well this solemn
language. You may be a person of culture and refinement: judged by moral
standards your life may be exemplary and spotless: you may pride yourself
on your honesty and truthfulness: you may be very particular in your
choice of friends and very careful to avoid the company of the profane and
vicious: you may even be religious, and look down in scorn and pity upon
the idolaters of heathendom; but God says that if you die in unbelief your
portion shall be with "the fearful, and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars." Think of what it will mean to spend eternity in the
Prison-house of the universe with Cain, and Pharaoh, and Judas! Think of
what it will mean to be shut up with the vile Sodomites! Think of being
incarcerated forever with every blasphemer who has ever lived!
(6) The final portion
of the wicked is described as "the blackness of darkness
forever" (Jude 13). Unrelieved will be their fearful sufferings;
interminable their torments. No means of escape. No possibility of a
reprieve. No hope of deliverance. Not one will be found who is able to
befriend them and intercede with God for them. They had the offer of a
Mediator often made them in this world; but no such offer will be made
them in the Lake of Fire. "There is no peace, saith my God, to
the wicked." There will be no resting-place in Hell; no secret corner
where they can find a little respite; no cooling fountain at which they
may refresh themselves. There will be no change or variation of their lot.
Day and night, forever and ever, shall they be punished. With no prospect
of any improvement they will sink down into blank despair.
(7) The final portion
of the wicked will be beyond the creature’s power of resistance. "And
whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it
shall fall, it will grind him to powder" (Matt. 21:44). There
are many who now say, If at the end I find myself in Hell, I will bear it
as well as I can, as if by strength of will and firmness of mind they
shall, in measure at least, be able to support themselves. But alas! Their
resolutions will count for nothing.
It is common with men
in this world to shun calamities, but if they find this is impossible,
they set themselves to bear it: they fortify their spirits and resolve to
support themselves under it as well as they can. They muster up all their
courage and resolution in the determination to keep their hearts from
sinking. But it will be utterly vain for sinners to do this in the Lake of
Fire. What would it help a worm which was about to be crushed by some
great rock, to collect its strength and endeavor to set itself to bear up
against its weight, and so seek to prevent itself from being crushed? Much
less will a poor damned soul be able to support itself under the weight of
the wrath of Almighty God. No matter how much the sinner may now harden
himself, in order to endure the pains of Hell, the first moment he shall
feel the flames, his heart will melt like wax before the furnace - "Can
thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall
deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it" (Ezek 22:14).
If such then be the
case with impenitent sinners, that they can neither escape their
punishment, nor deliver themselves from it, nor bear up under it, what
will become of them? I answer in the words of another:
"They will
wholly sink down into eternal death. There will be that sinking of heart,
of which we now cannot conceive. We see how it is with the body when in
extreme pain. The nature of the body will support itself for a
considerable time under very great pain, so as to keep from wholly
sinking. There will be great struggles, lamentable groans and panting, and
it may be convulsions. These are the strugglings of nature to support
itself under the extremity of the pain. There is, as it were, a great
lothness in nature to yield to it; it cannot bear wholly to sink. But yet
sometimes pain of body is so very extreme and exquisite, that the nature
of the body cannot support itself under it; however loth it may be to
sink, yet it cannot bear the pain; there are a few struggles, and throes,
and pantings, and it may be a shriek or two, and the nature yields to the
violence of the torments, sinks down, and the body dies. This is the death
of the body. So it will be with the soul in Hell; it will have no
strength or power to deliver itself; and its torment and horror will be so
great, so mighty, so vastly disproportioned to its strength, that having
no strength in the least to support itself, although it be infinitely
contrary to the nature and inclination of the soul utterly to sink; yet it
will sink, it will utterly and totally sink, without the least degree of
remaining comfort, or strength, or courage, or hope. And though it will
never be annihilated, its being and perception will never be abolished:
yet such will be the infinite depth of gloominess that it will sink into,
that it will be in a state of death, eternal death.
"The nature of
man desires happiness; it is the nature of the soul to crave and thirst
after well-being; and if it be under misery, it equally pants after
relief; and the greater the misery is, the more easily doth it struggle
for help. But if all relief be withholden, all strength overborne, all
support utterly gone; then it sinks into the darkness of death. We can
conceive but little of the matter; we cannot conceive what that sinking of
the soul in such a case is. But to help your conception, imagine yourself
to be cast into a fiery oven, all of a glowing heat, or into the midst of
a blowing brick-kiln, or of a great furnace, where your pain would be as
much greater than that occasioned by accidentally touching a coal of fire,
as the heat is greater. Imagine also that your body were to lie there for
a quarter of an hour, full of fire, as full within and without as a bright
coal of fire, all the while full of quick sense; what horror would you
feel at the entrance of such a furnace! And how long would that quarter of
an hour seem to you! If it were to be measured by a glass, how long would
the glass seem to be running! And after you had endured it for one minute,
how overbearing would it be to you to think that you had yet to endure the
other fourteen.
"But what would
be the effect on your soul, if you knew you must lie there enduring that
torment to the full for twenty-four hours! And how much greater would be
the effect, if you knew you must endure it for a whole year, and how
vastly greater still, if you knew you must endure it for a thousand years!
O then, how would your heart sink, if you thought, if you knew, that you
must bear it forever and ever! That there would be no end! That after
millions of millions of ages, your torment would be no nearer to an end,
than ever it was; and that you never, never should be delivered! But your
torment in Hell will be immeasurably greater than this illustration
represents. How then will the heart of a poor creature sink under it! How
utterly inexpressible and inconceivable must the sinking of the soul be in
such a case." (Jonathan Edwards).
Such, in brief, is
the portion awaiting the lost - eternal separation from the Fount of all
goodness; everlasting punishment; torment of soul and body; endless
existence in the Lake of Fire, in association with the vilest of the vile;
every ray of hope excluded; utterly crushed and overwhelmed by the wrath
of a sin-avenging God. And let us remember in Whose Word these
solemn statements are found! They are found in the Word of Him who is faithful
and therefore has He written in plain and positive language so that
none need be deceived, They are found in the Word of Him who cannot
lie, and therefore He has not employed the language of exaggeration.
They are found in the Word of Him who says what He means and means
what He says, and therefore the writer, for one, dares do nothing else
than receive them at their face value.
IV. THE APPLICATION OF THE SUBJECT
1. In what has been before us we learn HOW the character and Throne of God will be
vindicated. What can be too severe a judgment upon those who have
despised so great a Being as the Almighty? If he that is guilty of treason
against an earthly government deserves to lose his life, what punishment
can be great enough for one who has preferred his own pleasure before the
will and glory of a God who is infinitely good? To despise infinite
excellence merits infinite misery. God has commanded the sinner to repent,
He has courted him with overtures of grace, He has bountifully supplied
his every need, and He has presented before him the Son of His love - His
choicest treasure - and yet men persist in their wicked course. No
possible ground, then, will the sinner have to appeal against the sentence
of the Judge of all the earth, seeing that He not only tendered mercy
toward him, but also bore with him in so much patience when He might
justly have smitten him down upon the first crime he ever committed and
removed him to Hell upon the first refusal of his proffered grace.
That God shall punish
every rebel against Himself is required by the very perfections of His
high sovereignty, It is but meet that He should display His governmental
supremacy. The creature has dared to assert its independency: the subject
has risen up in arms against his King; therefore, the right of God’s
throne must be vindicated - "I know that the Lord is greater than all
gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly He is above them"
(Ex. 18:11). When Pharaoh dared to pit himself against Jehovah, God
manifested His authority by destroying him at the Red Sea. Another king He
turned into a beast, to make him know that the Most High ruleth in the
kingdom of men. So, when the history of this world is wound up, God will
make a full and final manifestation of His sovereign majesty. Though He
now endures (not "loves") with much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction; it is that, in the coming Day, He
may "show His wrath and make His power known" (Rom. 9:22).
2. What has been
before us serves to expose the folly and madness of the greater part of
mankind in that for the sake of present momentary gratification, they
run the serious risk of enduring all these eternal torments. They prefer a
small pleasure, or a little wealth, or a little earthly honor and fame
(which lasts but "for a season") to an escape from the Lake of
Fire. If it be true that the torments of Hell are everlasting, what will
it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? How mad
men are who hear and read of these things and pretend to believe them, who
are alive but a little while, a few short years at most, and yet who are
careless about what becomes of themselves in the next world, where there
is neither change nor end.! How mad are they who hear that if they go on
in sin, they shall be eternally miserable, and yet are not moved, but hear
it with as much indifference as if they were not concerned in the matter
at all! And yet for all they know to the contrary, they may be in fiery
torments before another week is at an end!
How sad to note that
this unconcern is shared by the great majority of our fellows. Age makes
little difference. The young are occupied with pleasures, the middle-aged
with worldly advancement, the aged with their attainments or lack of them;
with the first it is the lust of the flesh, with the second it is the lust
of the eyes, with the third it is the pride of life, which banishes from
their minds all serious thoughts of the life to come. "The heart of
the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart
while they live, and after that they go to the dead" (Eccl. 9:3). O
the blinding power of sin! O the deceitfulness of riches! O the perversity
of the human heart! Nothing so reveals these things as the incredible
sight of men and women enjoying themselves and being at rest, while they
are suspended over the eternal burning by the frail thread of mortality,
which may be snapped at any moment.
3. What has been
before us ought to make every unsaved reader to tremble as he scans
these pages. These things are no mere abstractions, but dread realities,
as countless thousands have already discovered to their bitter cost. They
may not seem real to you now, but in a short time at most - should you
continue to reject the Christ of God - they will be your portion.
You, too, shall lift up your eyes in Hell, and behold the saints in
heaven. You, too, shall crave a drop of water to alleviate your fearful
agony; but it will be in vain. You, too, shall cry for mercy; but then it
will be too late. O unsaved reader, we pray you not to throw this aside
and seek to dismiss the subject from your thoughts. That is how thousands
before you have acted, and the very memory of their folly only accentuates
their misery. Far better had you been made wretched now for a time, than
that you should weep and wail and gnash your teeth forever. Far better
that you have your present false peace broken, than that you should be a
stranger to real peace for all eternity.
"Except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish." Whoever you are, whether young
or old, whether rich or poor, whether religious or irreligious, if you are
in a Christless state, then this is what awaits you at the end of your
present course. This, this is the Hell over which you now hang, and
into which you are ready to drop this very moment. It is vain for you to
flatter yourself with hopes that you shall avoid it, or to say in your
heart, Perhaps it may not be; perhaps things have been represented worse
than they really are. These things are according to the Word of Truth, and
if you will not be convinced by that Word when presented to you by men in
the name of God, then God Himself will yet undertake to prove to you that
these things are so.
Think it not strange
that God should deal so severely with you, or that the wrath you shall
suffer shall be so great. For great as it is, it is no greater than the
mercy which you now despise. The love of God, His marvellous grace in
sending His own Son to die for sinners, is every whit as great and
wonderful as this inexpressible wrath. You have refused to accept Christ
as the Saviour from the wrath to come, you have despised God’s dying
love, why then should you not suffer wrath as great as that grace and love
which you have rejected? Does it still seem incredible that God should so
harden His heart against a poor sinner as to bear down upon him with
infinite power and merciless wrath? Then pause and ask, Is it any greater
than it is for me to harden my heart against Him, against infinite mercy,
against the Son of His love? O dear friends, face this question of Christ
Himself, "How can ye escape the damnation of Hell?" (Matt.
23:33). There is only one way of escape, and that is to flee to the
Saviour. If you would not fall into the hands of the living God, then
cast yourself into the arms of the Christ who died - "Kiss the Son,
lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way, when His wrath is kindled
but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in
Him" (Ps. 2:12).
4. What has been
before us ought to make every professing Christian diligently examine
himself Weigh carefully the tremendously solemn issues which turn on
whether or not you have really passed from death unto life. You
cannot afford to be uncertain. There is far too much at stake. Remember
that you are prejudiced in your own favor. Remember that you have a
treacherous heart. Remember that the Devil is the great Deceiver of
souls. Remember that "there is a way that seemeth right unto a
man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12).
Remember it is written that "Many shall say unto Me in that day,
Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast
out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?" And then He
will answer them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, ye that work
iniquity" (Matt. 7:22, 23).
There are many who
now wear the guise of saints, who appear like saints, and their state,
both in their own eyes and that of their neighbors is satisfactory. And
yet they have on only sheep’s clothing; at heart, they are wolves. But
no disguise can deceive the Judge of all. His eyes are as a flame
of fire: they search the hearts and try the reins of the children of men.
Wherefore, let each take earnest heed that he be not deceived. Compare
yourself with the Word of God, for that is the rule by which you will be
tried. Test your works, for it is by those you will be made manifest.
Inquire whether you are really living a Christian life; whether or not the
fear of God is upon you; whether or not you are mortifying your members
which are upon the earth; whether or nor you are "denying ungodliness
and worldly lusts," and whether you are living "soberly,
righteously, and godly in this present world," for it is thus that
"grace" teaches the saints to live. Cry unto God earnestly and
frequently that He will reveal you to yourself, and discover to you
whether you are building upon the Rock, or upon the sand. Make the
Psalmist’s prayer yours - "Search me, O God, and know my
heart; try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in
me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Ps. 139:23, 24). God will
search you hereafter, and make fully manifest what you are, both to
yourself and to others. Let each of us, then, humbly request Him to search
us now. We have urgent need of Divine help in this matter, for our
heart is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."
5. What has been before us should cause those who really enjoy
the full assurance of faith to praise God with a loud voice. To each
of you we say, God has given you wonderful cause for gratitude and
thanksgiving. You, too, justly deserved to suffer the full weight of the
wrath of a sin-hating and sin-avenging God. It is not long since you loved
darkness rather than light, It is only a short time since you turned
a deaf ear to both God’s commands and entreaties. It is only a few years
at most since you despised and rejected His beloved Son. What
marvelous grace was it then that snatched you as a brand from the
burning! What wondrous love was it that delivered you from the wrath to
come! What matchless mercy it was that changed you from a child of Hell
(Matt. 23:15) to a child of God! O how you should praise the Father for
having ever set His love upon you. How you should praise the Son for
having died to save you from the Lake of Fire. How you should praise the
blessed Spirit for having quickened you into newness of life. And how your
appreciation ought to be expressed now in a life that is glorifying to the
triune God. How diligently ought you to seek to learn what is
well-pleasing in His sight. How earnestly should you seek His will. How
quick should you be to run in the way of His commandments. Let your life
correspond with the praises of your lips.
6. What has been
before us ought to stir up all of God’s people to a deepened sense of
their duty. Fellow-Christian, have you no obligations toward your
godless neighbors? If God has made clear these solemn truths to you, does
it not deepen your responsibility toward the unsaved? If you have no love
for souls, it is greatly to be feared that your own soul is in imminent
danger. If you can witness, unmoved, men and women hurrying down the broad
road which leadeth to destruction, then it is seriously to be doubted if
you have within you the Spirit of that One who wept over Jerusalem. It is
true you have no power of your own to save a soul from death, but are you
faithfully giving out that Word which is the instrument which God uses to
bring souls from death unto life? Are you supplicating God as you ought
and depending on Him to bless your efforts to point the lost to the
Lamb of God? Are you as fervent as you should be in your cries to God on
behalf of the lost? Alas, must you not join the writer as he hangs his
head in shame? Is there not reason for each of us to ask God to give us a
clearer vision of that indescribably awful portion which awaits every
Christ rejecter, and to enable us to act in the power of such a vision!
7. What has been
before us will yet be the occasion of profoundest praise to God. Whatever
difficulties the eternal punishment of the wicked may present to us now - and
it is freely granted that it is difficult for our reason to grasp
it, and that of necessity, for we are incapable of discerning the infinite
malignity of sin, and therefore unable to see what punishment it really
deserves - yet, in the Day to come it will be far otherwise. When we
behold God’s righteous dealings with His enemies, when we hear the
sentences being given according to their works, when we see how justly and
thoroughly they deserve merciless wrath, and stand by as they are cast
into the Lake of Fire, so far from shrinking back in horror our hearts
will give vent to gladsome praise. Just as of old the overthrow of God’s
enemies at the Red Sea caused His people to burst forth in worshipful
song, so in the coming Day we shall be moved to rejoicing when we witness
the final display of God’s holiness and justice in the overthrow and
punishment of all who have defied Him. Remember that in the destruction of
the wicked God will be glorified and this it is which will
be the occasion of the rejoicing of His people. Not only will God be
"clear" when He judges (Ps. 51:4), but His perfections will be magnified
in the sentences pronounced.
Arthur W. Pink was born in 1886, in Great Britain, and immigrated to the U.S.
He studied at Moody Bible Institute, and pastored churches in Colorado, California, Kentucky
and South Carolina. In 1919, he became an itinerant Bible teacher. Between 1925 and 1927,
he Pastored in Sydney, Australia, then visited his hometown of Nottingham, England,
before returning to the U.S.
Independent Bible study convinced him that much of modern evangelism was defective.
He advanced the majority of Puritan principles when he saw this need. To Arthur W. Pink,
the spiritual decline of Britain was an obvious consequence of the presentation of
a "gospel" that could neither wound (by the conviction of sin,) nor heal
(by the regeneration of the hearts of men.)
Pink preached the truth of the scripture as relating to grace, justification and sanctification.
He was not afraid to tell the truth of the misery of "Eternal Punishment,"
or the joy of "Eternal Security."
After his death in 1952, Pink's works were republished by The Banner of Truth Trust,
and reached a much wider audience than before.
|