Speaker 1: Chapter fifteen of the Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith
Speaker 1: by our a Tory. This LibriVox recording is in the
Speaker 1: public domain. Read Bymerian. Chapter fifteen is future punishment everlasting?
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ plainly taught that there was to be a
Speaker 1: literal hell, and that this hell would be a place
Speaker 1: of conscious suffering, suffering far beyond that experienced by any
Speaker 1: one here in this present life. But we are faced
Speaker 1: by another question of great importance. Is this future conscious
Speaker 1: suffering of the impenitent to be endless? There are many
Speaker 1: who believe in future punishment of a very severe and
Speaker 1: awful character, and who indeed believe in a literal hell
Speaker 1: of awful conscious suffering. But they deny, or at least doubt,
Speaker 1: that this future hell will be a place of endless
Speaker 1: conscious suffering. Many of them admit and teach that the
Speaker 1: suffering may go on for a long time, and perhaps
Speaker 1: for thousands of years, but they hold that it will
Speaker 1: end at last, and that all men will alter come
Speaker 1: to repentance except Jesus Christ and be saved. What is
Speaker 1: the exact truth about this matter? We cannot decide this
Speaker 1: by asking what the majority of supposedly reliable theologians believe,
Speaker 1: for majorities are often wrong and minorities are often right.
Speaker 1: Neither can we decide it by reasoning as to what
Speaker 1: a being such as God is must do. It is
Speaker 1: impossible for finite and foolish men such as we are,
Speaker 1: and such as the wisest philosophers and theologians are, to
Speaker 1: judge what an infinitely wise and infinitely holy God must do.
Speaker 1: All reasonings by finite men as to what an infinitely
Speaker 1: wise God must do are utterly futile and an utter
Speaker 1: waste of time. All we know about the future is
Speaker 1: what God has been pleased to tell us in his word.
Speaker 1: The Bible, as we have seen, is beyond a question
Speaker 1: the word of God, and therefore what it has to
Speaker 1: say on this subject, where any other subject is true
Speaker 1: and absolutely sure, And in a question of this character,
Speaker 1: one ounce of God's revelation is worth more than a
Speaker 1: thousand tons of man's speculation. The whole question, then, is
Speaker 1: what does the Bible teach in regard to this matter.
Speaker 1: To find out exactly what the Bible teaches as to
Speaker 1: the endlessness of future punishment, let us turn first of
Speaker 1: all to the words of our Lord Jesus himself in
Speaker 1: Matthew chapter twenty five, verse forty six, revised version. And
Speaker 1: these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous
Speaker 1: into eternal life. The first question that confronts us in
Speaker 1: studying this passage is what the word ionous ionoean, which
Speaker 1: is here translated eternal, means. The best Greek English dictionary
Speaker 1: of the New Testament is Thairs. In this dictionary, after
Speaker 1: careful study of the word, its derivation, and its usage,
Speaker 1: gives these three definitions of the word, and these three
Speaker 1: only one without beginning or end, that which always has
Speaker 1: been and always will be, two without beginning, three without end,
Speaker 1: never to cease, everlasting. It is frequently said that the
Speaker 1: world word aonaeus, according to its derivation, means age lasting,
Speaker 1: and therefore may refer to a limited period. Even admitting
Speaker 1: this to be true, we should bear in mind that
Speaker 1: the meaning of words is not determined by their derivations,
Speaker 1: but by their usage, And the most important question is
Speaker 1: not what the derivation of this word may be, but
Speaker 1: as to how it is used. In the New Testament.
Speaker 1: It is used seventy two times in the New Testament.
Speaker 1: Forty four of these seventy two times, it is used
Speaker 1: in the phrase eternal life, or as it is sometimes rendered,
Speaker 1: everlasting life. Known questions that everlasting life is endless, and
Speaker 1: that in connection with the word life age lasting, if
Speaker 1: that be its proper definition of the word means lasting
Speaker 1: through all ages, never ending. Once it is used in
Speaker 1: connection with the word habitations, referring to the habitations which
Speaker 1: the blessed are to have in the world to come,
Speaker 1: and of course these also are never ending. Once it
Speaker 1: is used of the weight of glory that in the
Speaker 1: world to come awaits the believer in Jesus Christ who
Speaker 1: endure affliction for Christ in the life that is now.
Speaker 1: In this case, again, of course, by universal consent, it
Speaker 1: means endless. Once it is used in the house not
Speaker 1: made with hands that believers in Christ are to receive
Speaker 1: at the coming of the Lord Jesus. Second Corinthians, Chapter five,
Speaker 1: verses one to eight. Of course, this house not made
Speaker 1: with hands is everlasting. In fact, the very point that
Speaker 1: is being brought forward in this passage is the contrast
Speaker 1: between our present bodies, which are but for a brief time,
Speaker 1: and our resurrection bodies, which are to exist throughout all eternity.
Speaker 1: Once it is used of the future unseen things that
Speaker 1: never end, contrasted with the present seen things that are
Speaker 1: for a season Second Corinthians, chapter four, verse eighteen. Of
Speaker 1: course these are never ending. This is the very point
Speaker 1: that is being brought out in the contrast. Once it
Speaker 1: is used of the everlasting comfort revised version or consolation
Speaker 1: author version that our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God
Speaker 1: our Father give us, and that is certainly never ending.
Speaker 1: Twice it is used of the glory that those in
Speaker 1: Christ obtain Seco Timothy chapter two, verse ten, that, of course,
Speaker 1: by universal consent, is endless. Once it is used of
Speaker 1: the salvation Christ brings, which is beyond question never ending.
Speaker 1: Once Hebrews chapter nine, verse twelve, it is used of
Speaker 1: the redemption that Jesus Christ secures for us by his blood.
Speaker 1: This redemption is never ending. In fact, the chief point
Speaker 1: of contrast in the context in this case is between
Speaker 1: the temporary redemption secured by the constantly repeated sacrifices of
Speaker 1: the Mosaic Ritual and the never ending redemption secured by
Speaker 1: the perfect sacrifice of Christ made once for all. Once
Speaker 1: it is used of the inheritance that those who are
Speaker 1: in Christ receive Hebrews chapter nine, verse fifteen. Here again,
Speaker 1: beyond a question, it is never ending once it is
Speaker 1: used of the everlasting covenant through Christ's blood, entrusted with
Speaker 1: the temporary covenant based on the blood of bulls and
Speaker 1: goats given through Moses. Here again it necessarily and emphatically
Speaker 1: means never ending. That is the very point at issue.
Speaker 1: Once it is used of the everlasting kingdom of our
Speaker 1: Lord and Savior Jesus Christ tecod Peter, chapter one, verse eleven.
Speaker 1: And we are told in Luke chapter one, verse thirty
Speaker 1: three of his kingdom there shall be no end once
Speaker 1: it is used of everlasting gospel or good news, and
Speaker 1: that of course also never ends. Once it is used
Speaker 1: of the everlasting God Romans chapter sixteen, verse twenty six.
Speaker 1: And he certainly endures, not merely through long ages, but
Speaker 1: without end. Once it is used of the Holy Spirit,
Speaker 1: who is called the eternal or everlasting Spirit, and he
Speaker 1: certainly endures not merely through long ages, but throughout an
Speaker 1: absolute endless eternity. This covers fifty nine of the seventy
Speaker 1: two times it is used. And in these fifty nine
Speaker 1: instances the thought of endlessness is absolutely necessary to the sense,
Speaker 1: and not in a single one of the thirds team
Speaker 1: remaining times where it is used, is it used of
Speaker 1: anything that is known to end? If usage can determine
Speaker 1: the meaning of any word, then certainly the New Testament
Speaker 1: usage of this word determines it to mean never ending,
Speaker 1: or as there defines it, without end, never to cease, everlasting.
Speaker 1: Nor is this all God himself determines it to mean
Speaker 1: never ending. He defines it to mean never ending by
Speaker 1: specifically using it in contrast with that which does end.
Speaker 1: For example, in Sewo Corinthians, Chapter four, verse eighteen, we read,
Speaker 1: while we look not on the things which are seen,
Speaker 1: but the things which are unseen. For the things which
Speaker 1: are seen are temporal, literally for a season, but the
Speaker 1: things which are not seen are eternal. Here the whole
Speaker 1: point is that the unseen things, in distinction from the
Speaker 1: scene which are for a season, are for a never
Speaker 1: ending duration. But even allowing that the word, according to
Speaker 1: its usage, could be used of that which, though it
Speaker 1: lasts throughout an age or ages, has an end, even
Speaker 1: if that were true, which it is not, then the
Speaker 1: meaning of the word in any given instance would have
Speaker 1: to be determined by the context in which it is found. Now,
Speaker 1: what is the context in the passage which we are studying.
Speaker 1: Let us read it again, and these shall go away
Speaker 1: into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. The
Speaker 1: same Greek adjectives is used in connection with punishment and
Speaker 1: with life. In the authorized version it is differently rendered,
Speaker 1: But in the Greek and in the revised version, it
Speaker 1: is exactly the same. Certainly, this qualifying adjective must mean
Speaker 1: the same in one half of the sentence that it
Speaker 1: means in the other half of the sentence. We must
Speaker 1: at least admit that Jesus Christ was an honest man,
Speaker 1: and he certainly was too honest to juggle with words.
Speaker 1: He would not use a word to mean one thing
Speaker 1: in one half of a sentence and something utterly different
Speaker 1: in the other half. He evidently sought to convey the
Speaker 1: impression that the punishment of the unsaved was of the
Speaker 1: same duration as the life of the saved. Know in
Speaker 1: questions that the life is endless. It would be the
Speaker 1: destruction of all of our hopes if it were not endless. Therefore,
Speaker 1: if we are to deal honestly with our Lord's words
Speaker 1: words he taught that the punishment of the unsaved was
Speaker 1: to be endless, we have exactly the same reason in
Speaker 1: God's word for believing an endless punishment that we have
Speaker 1: for believing an endless life. If you give up the one,
Speaker 1: you must give up the other, or else deal dishonestly
Speaker 1: with the words of Jesus Christ. We might rest the
Speaker 1: case here and call it proven. But let us turn
Speaker 1: to another passage, Revelation, chapter four, verses nine to eleven,
Speaker 1: and another angel a third followed them, saying with a
Speaker 1: great voice, if any man worshipeth the Beast and his image,
Speaker 1: and receiveth a mark on his forehead or upon his hand,
Speaker 1: he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath
Speaker 1: of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of
Speaker 1: his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and
Speaker 1: brimstone in the presence of the Holy Angels, and in
Speaker 1: the presence of the Lamb, and the smoke of their
Speaker 1: torment goeth up forever and ever, and they shall have
Speaker 1: no rest day and night, they that worship the Beast
Speaker 1: in his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name.
Speaker 1: Here we have another expression for the duration of the
Speaker 1: punishment and suffering of the impenitent, the expression rendered forever
Speaker 1: and ever. There are in the Greek two slightly differing
Speaker 1: forms of expression that are so translated. The one form
Speaker 1: of expression, literally rendered is unto the ages of the ages.
Speaker 1: The other form is unto ages of ages. What thought
Speaker 1: do these expressions convey? It has been said by those
Speaker 1: who seek to escape the force of these words, as
Speaker 1: referring to absolute endlessness, that the expression is a Hebraism
Speaker 1: for the supreme one of its class, and as an
Speaker 1: illustration of the same alleged to Braism. The expression lord
Speaker 1: of lords and holy of Holies are cited. But this
Speaker 1: is not so. In the first place, the form of
Speaker 1: neither of the two expressions is the same, and in
Speaker 1: the second place, that is not the meaning of the
Speaker 1: expression lord of lords or the meaning of the expression
Speaker 1: the holy of holies. The expression lord of lords does
Speaker 1: not mean merely the supreme Lord, but the one who
Speaker 1: is himself lord of all other lords. And the expression
Speaker 1: unto the ages of the ages never means merely the
Speaker 1: ages which are the supreme ages in distinction from other ages, nor,
Speaker 1: as another puts it, the ages which come out of
Speaker 1: the other ages, i e. The closing ages before eternity.
Speaker 1: The expression, according to its form, means ages which are
Speaker 1: themselves composed of ages. It represents not years tumbling upon years,
Speaker 1: nor centuries tumbling upon centuries, but ages tumbling upon ages
Speaker 1: in endless procession. It is the strongest possible form of
Speaker 1: expression for absolute endlessness. Furthermore, the way to determine conclusively
Speaker 1: what the expression means is by considering its usage. Usage
Speaker 1: is always the decisive thing in determining the meaning of
Speaker 1: for its and phrases. What is the usage of these expressions?
Speaker 1: In the book from which we have taken our passage?
Speaker 1: These expressions are used twelve times in this book. In
Speaker 1: eight of the twelve times they refer to the duration
Speaker 1: of the existence or reign or glory of God in
Speaker 1: his son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Of course, in these
Speaker 1: instances it must stand not merely for the supreme ages
Speaker 1: or any individual ages. It must refer to absolute eternity
Speaker 1: and endlessness. Once it is used of the duration of
Speaker 1: the blessed reign of the Righteous, and of course here
Speaker 1: again it refers to an endless eternity. And in the
Speaker 1: three remaining instances it is used of the duration of
Speaker 1: the torment of the devil, the beast, the false prophet,
Speaker 1: and the finally impenitent. It is urged by those who
Speaker 1: would deny that the expression means an absolute, endless eternity,
Speaker 1: that it is used in Revelation chapter ten, verse fifteen,
Speaker 1: where we are told that the kingdom of the world
Speaker 1: is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
Speaker 1: and he shall reign forever and ever, unto the ages
Speaker 1: of the ages. And we are told in First Corinthians
Speaker 1: chapter fifteen, verse twenty four that Christ shall deliver up
Speaker 1: the kingdom to God, even the Father, and that therefore
Speaker 1: his kingdom must come to an end, and consequently forever
Speaker 1: and ever in this passage cannot mean without end. There
Speaker 1: are two answers to this objection, either of which is sufficient.
Speaker 1: The first is that the he in He shall reign
Speaker 1: forever and ever in Revelation chapter eleven, verse fifteen does
Speaker 1: not necessarily refer to the Christ, but rather to the
Speaker 1: Lord Jehovah, in which case the argument falls to the ground.
Speaker 1: The second answer is that while we are taught in
Speaker 1: First Corinthians chapter fifteen, verse twenty four, et cetera, that
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ will deliver up his mediatorial kingdom to the Father,
Speaker 1: nevertheless we are distinctly taught that he shall rule with
Speaker 1: the Father. And we are told in so many words
Speaker 1: in Luke chapter one, verse thirty three, that of his
Speaker 1: kingdom there shall be no end, so that even if
Speaker 1: the he in Revelation chapter eleven, verse fifteen referred to
Speaker 1: Christ and not to the Lord Jehovah, still the statement
Speaker 1: would be exactly correct, that he the Christ, was to
Speaker 1: reign forever and ever, that is without end. There is
Speaker 1: not a single passage in the whole book in which
Speaker 1: this expression is used of anything but that which is
Speaker 1: absolutely endless. So the question is answered again and answered decisively,
Speaker 1: that the conscious suffering of the persistently impenitent is absolutely endless.
Speaker 1: Now let us look at another passage, second Thessalonians, chapter
Speaker 1: one one, verses seventy nine. The Lord Jesus shall be
Speaker 1: revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,
Speaker 1: taking vengeance on them that know not God and that
Speaker 1: obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
Speaker 1: shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of
Speaker 1: the Lord and from the glory of His power. Here
Speaker 1: we are told that the punishment of those that know
Speaker 1: not God and obey not. The Gospel is everlasting destruction.
Speaker 1: What does everlasting destruction mean? In Revelation chapter seventeen, verses
Speaker 1: eight and eleven, we are told that the beast goeth
Speaker 1: into destruction. So if we can find out where the
Speaker 1: beast goes, or into what he goes, we shall know
Speaker 1: what destruction means in the Bible usage. In Revelation chapter nineteen,
Speaker 1: verse twenty, we are told that the beast was taken
Speaker 1: and with him the false prophet that wrought the signs
Speaker 1: in his sight. Wherewith he deceived them that had received
Speaker 1: the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image.
Speaker 1: They too were cast alive into the lake of fire
Speaker 1: that burneth with brimstone. So we see that destruction is
Speaker 1: a portion of the lake of fire. And in the
Speaker 1: next chapter, Revelation chapter twenty, verse ten, we are told
Speaker 1: that the devil that deceived them was cast into the
Speaker 1: lake of fire and brimstone, where also are the beast
Speaker 1: and the false prophet, after having already been there for
Speaker 1: one thousand years see context. And they shall be tormented
Speaker 1: day and night, forever and ever. So we see that
Speaker 1: destruction means a portion of the lake of fire, where
Speaker 1: its inhabitants are consciously suffering without cessation forever and ever.
Speaker 1: It is clear, then, from a comparison of Second Thessalonians
Speaker 1: chapter one, verses seven to nine, with these passages, that
Speaker 1: those who know not God and obey not the Gospel
Speaker 1: of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be punished with never
Speaker 1: ending conscious suffering. Let us look at one more passage
Speaker 1: Matthew chapter twenty five, verse forty one. These again are
Speaker 1: the words of the Lord Jesus himself. Then shall he
Speaker 1: say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me,
Speaker 1: ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for
Speaker 1: the devil and his angels. What I wish you to
Speaker 1: notice here is that the punishment into which the impenitent
Speaker 1: are sent is the eternal fire which is prepared for
Speaker 1: the devil and his angels. We have an exact description
Speaker 1: of just what the eternal fire prepared for the devil
Speaker 1: and his angels is in the passage read a few
Speaker 1: moments ago, Revelation chapter twenty, verse ten. And the devil
Speaker 1: that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire
Speaker 1: and brimstone. Were also the beast and the false prophet,
Speaker 1: And they shall be tormented day and night forever endeavor.
Speaker 1: By comparison of these two statements, we have another explicit
Speaker 1: declaration of our Lord that the punishment of the impenitent
Speaker 1: is to be a conscious agony, where they are punished
Speaker 1: without rest, day and night, forever endeavor. From any one
Speaker 1: of these passages, and especially from all of them taken together,
Speaker 1: it is clear that the scriptures make it as plain
Speaker 1: as language can make it, that the future punishment of
Speaker 1: the persistently impenitent is absolutely endless. There are several passages
Speaker 1: of scripture which those who believe that all men will
Speaker 1: all t timately repent and be brought to accept Christ
Speaker 1: and thus saved, urge against what seems to be the
Speaker 1: plain teaching of the passages we have been studying. The
Speaker 1: first of these is one Peter chapter three, verses eighteen twenty.
Speaker 1: Because Christ also suffered for sins, once the righteous for
Speaker 1: the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being
Speaker 1: put to death in the flesh, but made alive in
Speaker 1: the spirit, in which also he went and preached unto
Speaker 1: the spirits in prison that aforetime were disobedient. When the
Speaker 1: long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah,
Speaker 1: while the Ark was of preparing, wherein few, that is,
Speaker 1: eight souls were saved through water. It is urged that
Speaker 1: as Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison,
Speaker 1: there will be another chance after men have died. But
Speaker 1: this the passage in question does not assert or imply
Speaker 1: in any way. First of all, there is no proof
Speaker 1: that the spirits in prison refers to the departed spirits
Speaker 1: of men who once lived here on earth. In the Bible,
Speaker 1: departed spirits of men are not spoken of in this way.
Speaker 1: These words are used of other spirits, but not of
Speaker 1: human spirits disembodied. And there is every reason for supposing
Speaker 1: that these spirits in prison were not the sinful men
Speaker 1: that were on earth when the Ark was preparing, but
Speaker 1: the angels who sinned at that time, just as we
Speaker 1: are told in Genesis chapter six, verses one and two
Speaker 1: that they did sin compared Jude verses six and seven. Furthermore,
Speaker 1: even if the spirits in prison here spoken of were
Speaker 1: the spirits of men who were disobedient in the time
Speaker 1: of Noah, there is not a hint in the passage
Speaker 1: that they were saved through the preaching of Christ to them,
Speaker 1: or that they had another chance there are two words
Speaker 1: commonly used in the New Testament for preaching. One is
Speaker 1: crusoe and the other is eugalizo. The first of these
Speaker 1: means to harald, as to herald a king, or to
Speaker 1: herald the kingdom. It may, however, be used of preaching
Speaker 1: a message, the Gospel message, or some other message. The
Speaker 1: second word, ugalizo means to preach the gospel. In the
Speaker 1: passage that we are studying, it is the first word
Speaker 1: that is used, and there is not a hint that
Speaker 1: Christ preached the Gospel to these spirits in prison. He
Speaker 1: simply heralded the triumph of the kingdom. It was not
Speaker 1: a saving message. So there is nothing in this passage
Speaker 1: to put up, even inferentially against the plain direct statements
Speaker 1: regarding the destiny of the wicked found in the passages
Speaker 1: we have been studying. The second passage that is appealed
Speaker 1: to by those who deny the endlessness of future punishment
Speaker 1: is Philippians chapter two, verses nine to eleven. Wherefore also
Speaker 1: God highly exalted him and gave unto him the name
Speaker 1: which is above every name, that in the name of Jesus,
Speaker 1: every knee should bow of things in heaven and things
Speaker 1: on earth, and things under the earth, and that every
Speaker 1: tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
Speaker 1: glory of the Father. Here it is said, we are
Speaker 1: told that those under the earth, as well as in
Speaker 1: heaven and on earth, should bow the knee in the
Speaker 1: name of Jesus and confess that Jesus is Lord. And
Speaker 1: that this implies that they are saved. But it does
Speaker 1: not imply that they are saved. Every need of lost men,
Speaker 1: and of the devil and his angels, too, will be
Speaker 1: forced some day to bow in the name of Jesus,
Speaker 1: and every tongue forced to confess that he is Lord.
Speaker 1: If any one does that in this present life, of
Speaker 1: his own free choice, he will be saved. But otherwise
Speaker 1: he will do it by compulsion in the age to come.
Speaker 1: And every one has his choice between doing it now
Speaker 1: willingly and gladly and being saved, or doing it by
Speaker 1: compulsion hereafter and being lost. There is absolutely nothing in
Speaker 1: this passage to teach universal salvation or to militate even
Speaker 1: inferentially against the plain statements we have been studying. The
Speaker 1: third passage that is appealed to is Acts, Chapter three,
Speaker 1: verses nineteen twenty one repent Ye therefore and turn again,
Speaker 1: that your sins may be blotted out, so that there
Speaker 1: may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,
Speaker 1: and that he may send the Christ who hath been
Speaker 1: appointed for you, even Jesus, whom the heavens must receive.
Speaker 1: Until the times of restoration of all things were of
Speaker 1: God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets that
Speaker 1: have been from of old. Here we are told of
Speaker 1: a coming restoration of all things. And those who contend
Speaker 1: for the doctrine of universal salvation hold that this means
Speaker 1: the restoration to righteousness of all persons. But that is
Speaker 1: not what it says, and that is not what it
Speaker 1: refers to. We are taught in Old Testament prophecy, and
Speaker 1: also in the Book of Romans, that in connection with
Speaker 1: the return of our Lord Jesus, there is to be
Speaker 1: a restoration of all nature, of the whole physical universe
Speaker 1: from its fallen state. For example, in Romans Chapter eight,
Speaker 1: verses nineteen twenty one, we read, for the earnest expectation
Speaker 1: of the Creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons
Speaker 1: of God. For the creation was subjected to vanity, not
Speaker 1: of its own will, but by reason of him who
Speaker 1: subjected it in hope that the creation itself also shall
Speaker 1: be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the liberty
Speaker 1: of the glory of the children of God. And in
Speaker 1: Isaiah chapter fifty five, verse thirteen, we read, instead of
Speaker 1: the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead
Speaker 1: of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree. And
Speaker 1: it shall be to Jehovah for a name, for an
Speaker 1: everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. And in
Speaker 1: Isaiah chapter sixty five, verse twenty five, we are told
Speaker 1: the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the
Speaker 1: lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall
Speaker 1: be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy
Speaker 1: in all my holy mountains, saith Jehovah. And in Isaiah
Speaker 1: chapter thirty two, verse fifteen, we are told that until
Speaker 1: the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and
Speaker 1: the wilderness become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field
Speaker 1: be esteemed as a forest. It is to this restoration
Speaker 1: of the physical universe here plainly predicted in Romans chapter eight,
Speaker 1: verses nineteen twenty one, and these Old Testament prophecies that
Speaker 1: the restoration of all things spoken of in Acts chapter three,
Speaker 1: verse twenty one reverse. There is not a hint, not
Speaker 1: the slightest suggestion of a restoration of impenitent sinners. Still,
Speaker 1: another passage that is urged is Ephesian's chapter one, verses
Speaker 1: nine ten, where we read, having made known unto us
Speaker 1: the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure,
Speaker 1: which he purposed in him, unto a dispensation of the
Speaker 1: fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ,
Speaker 1: the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth.
Speaker 1: Here it is urged that things in heaven and things
Speaker 1: in earth are to be summed up in Christ. This
Speaker 1: is true, but it should be noticed that the Holy
Speaker 1: Spirit has specifically omitted here the phrase that is found
Speaker 1: in Philippians chapter two, verse ten, the things under the
Speaker 1: earth that is the abode of the lost. So this passage,
Speaker 1: so far from suggesting that the lost ones in hell
Speaker 1: will be restored, suggest exactly the opposite thing. There is then,
Speaker 1: certainly nothing in this passage to militate, even inferentially, against
Speaker 1: the plain statements we have been studying. One more passage
Speaker 1: that is urged against the doctrine we have been studying
Speaker 1: remains to be considered that his First Corinthians, chapter fifteen,
Speaker 1: verse twenty two. Here we read, for as an atom
Speaker 1: all died, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
Speaker 1: It is urged in connection with this passage that we
Speaker 1: are distinctly told here that all who die in Atom,
Speaker 1: that is, every human being, shall be made alive in Christ.
Speaker 1: And that made a live means obtain eternal life or
Speaker 1: be saved. For years I thought that this was the
Speaker 1: true interpretation of this passage, and for that reason in
Speaker 1: part I held and preached at that time that all men, ultimately,
Speaker 1: some time, somewhere, somehow would be brought to accept Jesus
Speaker 1: Christ and be saved. When I came to study the
Speaker 1: passage more carefully, I saw that this was a misinterpretation
Speaker 1: of the passage. Every passage in the Bible, where in
Speaker 1: any other book, must be interpreted in its context. The
Speaker 1: whole subject that Paul is talking about in this chapter
Speaker 1: is not eternal life, not the immortality of the soul,
Speaker 1: but the resurrection of the body. And all this passage
Speaker 1: declares is that as all lose physical life in Atom,
Speaker 1: so also all will obtain a resurrection of the body
Speaker 1: in Christ. Whether that resurrection of the body is a
Speaker 1: resurrection to everlasting life or a resurrection to shame and
Speaker 1: everlasting contempt Daniel, Chapter twelve, vers. Two, depends entirely upon
Speaker 1: what men do with the Christ in whom they get it.
Speaker 1: There is absolutely nothing here to teach universal salvation. It
Speaker 1: only teaches a universal resurrection, resurrection of the wicked as
Speaker 1: well as of the righteous. To sum up the teachings
Speaker 1: of all these passages that are so often urged to
Speaker 1: prove universal salvation, there is nothing in any want of
Speaker 1: the passages, nor in all of them together, to teach
Speaker 1: that all men will ultimately be saved. And there is
Speaker 1: nothing in them to in any way conflict with what
Speaker 1: we have seen to be honest meaning of the passages
Speaker 1: studied above, namely that the future punishment of sin is
Speaker 1: absolutely endless. There is not a passage to be found
Speaker 1: in the Bible that teaches universal salvation or that all
Speaker 1: men will ultimately come to repentance and be saved. I
Speaker 1: wish that there were, but there is not. I have
Speaker 1: been searching diligently for such a passage for nearly forty years,
Speaker 1: and I have not found it, and it cannot be
Speaker 1: found There remains one other important question, and that is
Speaker 1: where are the issues of eternities settled? There are those
Speaker 1: who believe that the punishment of the persistently impenitent is everlasting,
Speaker 1: that it has no end. But they also believe that
Speaker 1: the issues of eternity are not settled in the life
Speaker 1: that is now, but that with many they are settled
Speaker 1: after death, and that when men die impenitent, they will
Speaker 1: have another chance. Believing an endless punishment does not necessarily
Speaker 1: involve believing that there is no chance after death. There
Speaker 1: are many who believe that there will be a chance
Speaker 1: after death, and that many will accept it, who also
Speaker 1: believe that some will not accept it and will therefore
Speaker 1: be punished forever and ever. Now, what is the teaching
Speaker 1: of the Word of God on this point? Let me
Speaker 1: call your attention to four passages, any one of which
Speaker 1: settles the question, and taken together, they leave no possible
Speaker 1: room for doubt for any candid man who is willing
Speaker 1: to take the Bible as meaning what it says, any
Speaker 1: man who is really trying to find out what the
Speaker 1: Bible teaches and not merely trying to support a theory.
Speaker 1: The first passage is in second Corinthians chapter five, verse ten.
Speaker 1: For we must all be may manifest before the judgment
Speaker 1: seat of Christ, that each one may receive things done
Speaker 1: in the body according to what he hath done, whether
Speaker 1: it be good or bad. In this passage we are
Speaker 1: plainly told that the basis of judgment in the world
Speaker 1: to come is the things done in the body, that is,
Speaker 1: the things done this side of the grave, the things
Speaker 1: done before we shuffle off this mortal coil, the things
Speaker 1: done before the spirit leaves the body. Of course, this
Speaker 1: particular passage has to do primarily with the judgment of
Speaker 1: the believer, but it shows what the basis of future
Speaker 1: judgment is, viz. The things done the side of the grave.
Speaker 1: The second passage is Hebrews chapter nine, verse twenty seven.
Speaker 1: It is appointed unto men once to die, and after
Speaker 1: this cometh judgment. Here we are distinctly told that after
Speaker 1: death there is to be not an opportunity to prepare
Speaker 1: for judgment, but judgment, and that therefore our destiny is
Speaker 1: settled at death, and that there is no chance of
Speaker 1: salvation after death. The third passage is John chapter five,
Speaker 1: verses twenty eight and twenty nine. Marvel not at this
Speaker 1: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in
Speaker 1: the tombs shall hear his voice and shall come forth.
Speaker 1: They they have done good unto the resurrection of life,
Speaker 1: and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment.
Speaker 1: Here also it is clearly implied that the resurrection of
Speaker 1: good and bad is for the purpose of judgment regarding
Speaker 1: the things done before their bodies were laid in their graves.
Speaker 1: A fourth passage, if possible, more decisive than any of these,
Speaker 1: gives our Lord's words John chapter eight, verse twenty one.
Speaker 1: He said, therefore again, unto them, I go away, and
Speaker 1: ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sin.
Speaker 1: Whither I go, ye cannot come. Here our Lord distinctly
Speaker 1: declares that the question whether men shall come to be
Speaker 1: with him or not depends on what they do before
Speaker 1: they die. That if they die impenitent, if they die
Speaker 1: in their sins, that whither he goes they cannot come.
Speaker 1: To sum up the teaching of all these passages, the
Speaker 1: issues of eternity, the issues of eternal life or eternal destruction,
Speaker 1: the issues of eternal blessedness and glory or eternal agony
Speaker 1: and shame, are settled in the life that now is
Speaker 1: the future state of those who reject in the life
Speaker 1: that now is the redemption offered to them in Jesus.
Speaker 1: Christ is plainly declared in the Word of God to
Speaker 1: be a state of conscience, unutterable, endless torment and anguish.
Speaker 1: This conception is an appalling one, but it is the
Speaker 1: scriptural conception. It is the unmistakable, inescapable teaching of God's
Speaker 1: own word. I wish that all men would repent and
Speaker 1: accept Christ. If any one could show me one single
Speaker 1: passage in the Bible that clearly taught that all men
Speaker 1: would ultimately repent except Christ and be saved, it would
Speaker 1: be the happiest day of my life. But it cannot
Speaker 1: be found. I once thought it could, and so I
Speaker 1: believed and taught these ideas so widely noised about to
Speaker 1: day as something new. These theories of Pastor Russell formerly
Speaker 1: of Pittsburgh, mister Gelisov of this city, Doctor Maybe of
Speaker 1: Long Beach, mister Prijan of Pittsburgh, and many others are
Speaker 1: not at all new to me. I held and taught
Speaker 1: substantially the same views regarding ultimate universal salvation years before
Speaker 1: these men were heard of. Indeed, nearly forty years ago,
Speaker 1: I was familiar with the arguments that they now urge,
Speaker 1: and other arguments which they do not seem to know,
Speaker 1: but which were to me more decisive than those that
Speaker 1: they urge. But the time came as I studied the
Speaker 1: Bible more carefully, when I could not reconcile my teaching
Speaker 1: with what I found to be the unmistakable teaching of
Speaker 1: God's Word, I had to do one of three things.
Speaker 1: I had to either give up my belief that the
Speaker 1: Bible was the word of God, or else I must
Speaker 1: twist the words of Jesus and others in the New
Speaker 1: Testament to mean something else than what they clearly appeared
Speaker 1: to teach. Or else I must give up my doctrine
Speaker 1: of ultimate universal restoration and salvation. I could not give
Speaker 1: up my faith that the Bible was the word of God,
Speaker 1: for I had found absolutely overwhelming proof that it was
Speaker 1: God's word. I could not twist the words of Jesus
Speaker 1: and of others to mean something else than what was
Speaker 1: clearly their intended meaning, for I was an honest man.
Speaker 1: There is only one thing left to do, and that
Speaker 1: was to give up my doctrine of universal restoration and salvation.
Speaker 1: I gave it up with great reluctance, but I was
Speaker 1: compelled to give it up or to be untrue to
Speaker 1: my own reason and conscience. It is the inescapable teaching
Speaker 1: of the Word of God that all who go out
Speaker 1: of this world without having accepted Jesus Christ will spend
Speaker 1: eternity in hell, in a hell of unutterable conscious anguish.
Speaker 1: The Bible conception is also a reasonable one when we
Speaker 1: come to see the appalling nature of sin, and especially
Speaker 1: the appalling nature of the sin of trampling under foot
Speaker 1: God's mercy towards sinners and rejecting God's glorious son, whom
Speaker 1: in his love he has provided as a savior. Shall
Speaker 1: the views of sin and of God's holiness and of
Speaker 1: the glory of Jesus Christ lie at the bottom of
Speaker 1: weak theories of the doom of the impenitent. When we
Speaker 1: see sin in all its hideousness and enormity, the holiness
Speaker 1: of God in all its perfection, and the glory of
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ in all its infinity, nothing but a doctrine
Speaker 1: that those who persist in the choice of sin, who
Speaker 1: love darkness rather than light, and who persist in the
Speaker 1: rejection of the Son of God, shall endure everlasting anguish
Speaker 1: will satisfy the demands of our own moral intuitions. Nothing
Speaker 1: but the fact that we dread suffering more than we
Speaker 1: loathe sin, and more than we love the glory of
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ makes us repudiate the thought that beings who
Speaker 1: eternally choose sin should eternally suffer, or that men who
Speaker 1: despise God's mercy and spurn his son should be given
Speaker 1: over to endless anguish. If after men have sinned and
Speaker 1: God still offers them mercy and makes the tremendous sacrifice
Speaker 1: of his son to save them, if they still despise
Speaker 1: that mercy and trample God's Son under foot, if then
Speaker 1: they are consigned to everlasting torment, I cannot but say, Amen, Allelujah.
Speaker 1: True and righteous are thy judgments, O Lord. At all events,
Speaker 1: the doctrine of conscious eternal torment for and penitent men
Speaker 1: is clearly revealed in the Word of God, and whether
Speaker 1: we can defend it on philosophical grounds or not, it
Speaker 1: is our business to believe it and leave it to
Speaker 1: the clearer light of eternity to explain what we cannot
Speaker 1: now understand. Realizing that God may have many infinitely wise reasons,
Speaker 1: for doing things for which we, in our ignorance, can
Speaker 1: see no sufficient reason at all. It is the most
Speaker 1: ludicrous conceit for beings so limited and foolish as the
Speaker 1: wisest of men are, to attempt to dogmatize how a
Speaker 1: God of infinite wisdom must act. All we know as
Speaker 1: to how God is to act is what God has
Speaker 1: seen fit to tell us. In conclusion, two things are certain. First,
Speaker 1: the more closely men walk with God, and the more
Speaker 1: devoted they become in His service, the more likely they
Speaker 1: are to believe this doctrine. Many there are who tell
Speaker 1: us they love their fellow men too much to believe
Speaker 1: this doctrine. But the men who show their love in
Speaker 1: more practical ways than by sentimental protestations about it, the
Speaker 1: men who show their love for their fafe while a man,
Speaker 1: as Jesus Christ showed his by laying down their lives
Speaker 1: for them, they believe this doctrine, even as Jesus Christ
Speaker 1: himself believed it. As Christians become worldly and easy going,
Speaker 1: they grow loose in their doctrine concerning the doom of
Speaker 1: the impenitent. The fact that loose doctrines are spreading so
Speaker 1: rapidly and widely in our day is nothing for them
Speaker 1: but against them, for worldliness is also spreading in the church.
Speaker 1: First Timothy, Chapter four, verse one, Second Timothy, Chapter three,
Speaker 1: verse one, and Chapter four verses two and three. Increasing
Speaker 1: laxity of life and increasing laxity of doctrine go arm
Speaker 1: in arm. Second, men who accept a loose doctrine regarding
Speaker 1: the ultimate penalty of sin, be it universalism, restorationism, annihilationism,
Speaker 1: or that fantastic combination or conglomeration of them all millennial dawnism,
Speaker 1: lose their power for God. I have seen this proven
Speaker 1: over and over again. These men may be and are
Speaker 1: very clever at argument, and very zealous in roslytizing, but
Speaker 1: they are seldom found beseeching men to be reconciled to God.
Speaker 1: They are more likely to be found try to upset
Speaker 1: the faith of those already won by the efforts of
Speaker 1: those who do believe in everlasting punishment, than trying to
Speaker 1: win men who have no faith at all. If you
Speaker 1: really believe the doctrine of the endless torment of the impenitent,
Speaker 1: if the doctrine really gets hold of you, you will
Speaker 1: work as you never worked before for the salvation of
Speaker 1: the lost If you in any wise abate the doctrine,
Speaker 1: it will abate your zeal. Time and time again. I
Speaker 1: have come to this awful doctrine and tried to find
Speaker 1: some way of escape from it. But when I have failed,
Speaker 1: as I always have failed. At last, when I have
Speaker 1: determined to be honest with the Bible and myself, I
Speaker 1: have returned to my work with an increased burden for
Speaker 1: souls and an intensified determination to spend and be spent
Speaker 1: for their salvation. Eternal conscious suffering, suffering without the least
Speaker 1: ray of hope of relief awaits every one of you
Speaker 1: here tonight, who goes on persistently rejecting Jesus Christ, as
Speaker 1: you are rejecting him to night, and who shall pass
Speaker 1: out of this world having rejected him. In that world
Speaker 1: of never ending gloom, there will be no possibility of repentance.
Speaker 1: As you look out into the future, there will be
Speaker 1: not one single way of hope. Forever and ever will
Speaker 1: be the unceasing wail of that restless sea of fire.
Speaker 1: After you have been there ten million years and look
Speaker 1: out to the future, you will see eternity still stretching
Speaker 1: on and on and on and on, with no hope,
Speaker 1: oh men and women, out of Christ. Why will you
Speaker 1: risk such a doom for a single year, or a month,
Speaker 1: or a week or a day. Hell is too awful
Speaker 1: to risk for five minutes the chance of going there.
Speaker 1: There is but one rational thing for you to do.
Speaker 1: That is to accept Christ, and to accept him right
Speaker 1: now as your savior, surrender to him as your lord
Speaker 1: and master, Confess him as such before the world, and
Speaker 1: strive from this time on to please Him in everything,
Speaker 1: day by day. Any other course is utter madness. End
Speaker 1: of Chapter fifteen, An end of the Fundamental Doctrines of
Speaker 1: the Christian Faith by Our Atry, read by Miriannes Beegel
Speaker 1: in Chicago, Illinois, August two thousand, seventeen.