The Southern herald., 1913-08-01
TExT-ROm. 2;Ss,

49, science tells then
that unless the!
repent and turn to God this awfu
doom awaits them. Others believe
that 1t is because the thought of flu
ture punishment strikes terror to peo
Pies hearts, and therefore this doc
trlne is repulsive to them. To others
the thought of future anguish seems
utterly incompatible with the father
ly love of God Yet it Is acknowledged
to be a remarkable fact that both
Jesus and John, who more than any
one else in the New Testament rep
resent the element of love in their
ives and teaching, speak most of the
future anguish of the wicked.
l. The wicked are said to die in
their sins"
John 8:21-"Then said Jesus again
unto them, go my way, and ye shall
seek me, and shall die in your sins. /"
The death" spoken Of here does not
mean cessation of existence any more
than eternal life means the beginning
OF existence. Eternal life does not
mean merely to live forever, but to
i've In a state Of blessedness forever.
Eternal life deals not so much with
quantity as with quality of existence.
Even in this life death can co-exist
with life: But she that liveth in
pleasure is dead while she liveth" Il
Tim. 5:6); Eph. 2:1. What men call
life God calls death Rev. 21:S de-
scribes what death" means: But
the fearful, and the unbelieving :.
shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and birthstone:
which Is the second death"
q The wicked are not annihllated.
The texts most strongly urged as
teaching the annihilation theory, II
rightly interpreted, will be seen to re.
fer to removal from OF the earth, and
not to future retribution. Here are
the principal passages:
Psa. 37:20-"But the wicked shall
perish, and the enemies of the Lord
shall be as the fat Of lambs: they
shall consume; into smoke they shall
consume away" This psalm is writ
ten for the encouragement Of Israel.
and against her enemies and their
power on the earth. This earthly
power shall be utterly broken, and be
OF no more account than the smoke
Of burnt sacrifice. The great truth
taught here is that the earth Is the
Inheritance Of the saints, and that the
wicked shall have no part in 1t.
In speaking Of the everlasting pun
lshment" with which the wicked will
be visited, as recorded in 2 Thess. 1:9,
the annihilationist would say that ref
erence is made to the results or con-
sequences" Of that punishment and
not to the punishment itself. But the
Scriptures state that 1t is the punish
ment" itself, and not the conse-
quences, that is everlasting.
What need is there of resurrec.
ton If the wicked are to be annihi.
lated at death, or why should they be
raised from the dead If only to be at
once extingulshed forever? Again,
there is no such thing as "uncon-
scious" punishment. You cannot pun.
ish anything that is unconscious. Can
you punish a stone or a house? Pun.
ishment can take place only where
there is consciousness on the part OF
the one suffering.
3. The wicked are to be punished. !
This punishment is eternal. We read
of eternal" or everlasting" punish.
nent, everlasting" fire. 1t is object.
ed that the word eternal" or ever
lasting" does not mean forever"
This may be true. But we are all
willing to admit that when this word
qualities the condition Of the righteous
1t means forever without end, e. e.,
the righteous shall go into life eter.
nal" The same word, however, quail
fies tho punishment of the wicked, Q.
g. these shall go away into everlast.
ing punishment" Fairness demands
that we make the Joy of the righteous
and the punishment Of the wicked
both qualified as they are by the same
word-of the same duration. II there
is any end to the reward of the
righteous, there is also to the penalty
of the wicked. The one lasts as long
as the other, II destruction" means
annihilation, then there is no need OF
the word eternal" to qualify 1t. Fur
ther the Scriptures present the pun
ishmcnt Of the wicked not only as
eternal (or age-long), but as en-.
during for ever and ever" or unto
the ages Of the ages" REV. 1913;
sO:10; H:11, Il. W. Here is a pic
ture of ages tumbling upon ages in
eternal succession.
O. Fire"
This ID one OF the most constant
Images under which the torment and
misery of the wicked is represented
Fire is a symbol Of the divine jude
ment Of wrath Matt. 5;22).