The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-07-11

repent and turn to God this awful
doom awaits them. Others believe
that II Is because the thought OF fu.
ture punishment strikes terror 10 peo
pies hearts, and therefore this doc
trine is repulsive 10 them. To others.
the thought of future anguish seems
utterly incompatible with the father.
ly love OF God. Yet it is acknowledged
TO be 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
lives and teaching. speak most OF the
future anguish of the wicked.
/. The wicked are said to die In
their sins"
John S: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
live 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-enst
with life: But she that liveth In
pleasure is dead while she liveth" Il
Tim. 500; Eph. 81. What men call
life God calls death. Rev. 2l:S de-
scribes what death" means: But
the fearful. and the unbelieving :.
shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone:
which is the second death"
2. The wicked are not annihilated.
The texts most strongly urged as
teaching the annihilation theory. II
rightly interpreted. will be seen to re-
fer to removal from off the earth and
not 10 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 ib 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 a 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 It.
In speaking of the everlasting pun.
ishment" with which the wicked will
be visited, as recorded in Thess. 1:9.
the annihilationist would say that ref.
erence is made 10 the results or con
sequences" OF that punishment and
not TO the punishment itself But the
Scriptures state that it is the punish.
ment" itself. and not the conse
quences. that is everlasting.
What need is there OF a resurrec.
tion If the wicked are TO be annihf
lated at death, or why should they be
raised from the dead II only to be at
once extinguished 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 10 be punished.
This punishment is eternal. We read
OF eternal" or everlasting punish
ment. everlasting fire. IL is object
ed that the word eternal" or ever
lasting" does not mean forever"
II IL -. TItrs ell
willing TO admit that when this word
qualifSathe condition Of the righteous
II means forever, without end. e. x,
the righteous shall go into life eter
nal" The same word. however. quail
fes the punishment OF the wicked. g.
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 20 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
then there is no need OF
the word eternal" 20 qualify H. Fur.
ther the Scriptures present the pun
ishment OF the wicked not only as
eternal" Cor age-longj. but as en-.
during FOR ever and ever" or unto
the ages OF the ages" REV 1888:
2O:1O. 14:1l, r. W. Here Is pic
ture OF ages tumbling upon ages In
eternal succession
2. Fire"
This is one OF the most constant
images under which the torment ana
misery Of the wicked is represented.
Ire is a symbol Of the divine juds