El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-07-15


from me. go cursed, into the eternal
I fire which il prepared for the devil
and its angels
"HERE are a great many persons
in the world today who ridicule
- the idea Of there being any such
place as hell. Stiu. it cannot be denied
that hell is a Bible subject. for the
bible has much TO say regarding it
Perhaps one reason why the subject
has become 50 repulsive to some is, be-
cause of the erroneous teaching re-
garding it. Who has not heard preach
ers in the midst Of missionary ser
mons referring TO the thousands and
tens Of thousands OF persons who are
dying every year. in heather lands,
and going down 70 eternal perultloh
for want of the gospel2
Now / have never been able to bring
myself mp TO the point where ] could
believe such a doctrine as that NY
mind isn't so constituted as TO enable
me to believe that just God could
consign any one to eternal punishment,
or even to annihilation. for not ooeylnS
the gospel when he never had an OPP
portunity of hearing IL
Place For Wicked
It is probably such teaching as this
that has led many TO the unwa rrarted
conclusion that there Is no hell say
'uHWarranted conclusion, for 10 my
mind il Is an uuWarrGnted conclusion.
The Bible teaches Just as clearly that
God has prepared q place Tor the
wicked. as that he has prepared d
place for the good But. whether II De
the ullrDose Of God 10 cause the wicked
to be consumed. destroyed. annlhilat-
ed OF cause them 10 live on IN misery
and woe. is a question more difIicuII
OF settlement There are some passaS-
IS of scripture that could be justly
thew
consumed. destroyed. annihilateds VIZ
Nal. Al: Psa- 3s-2e. Matt S-l-- ME
uDon the other hand there are passag-
IS that could Justly be construed 10
teach that they are to live on in per
petual punishment, viz Matt -b-fo'
Mark 9:47. IS. Rev. 2c-lO. u. ana IN
view Of this fact. do not think II wise
for any one TO be too dommatic IN their
statements regarding the ultimate
doom OF the wicked
Not For Heather.
But whatever may be the purpose OF
God in the place which he has pre-
pared for Ire wicked. whether to annihi-
late them or TO cause them 10 I'VE on
in perpetual woe. OF one thing am
fully persuaded and that is, that place
was NOT prepared for the unfortunate
heather who never had a chance 10
hear the gospel. nor even for those
who have heard il and obeyed II, out
who, under the stress OF temptation
and against their viii have al times
but that place was prepared Tor the
wilIfullv wicked for those who know
the right but wilfully and deliberate
" choose the wrong in preference 10
the right.
The representative head of this class
is the devil himself. who was once
an angel OF light. dwelling in heaven
He knew what the viii of God con-
corning him was, but he was not Will
ing to submit to the authority Of God
H.. chose rather to live in rebellion
against God Indeed il would seem
from Isa- Il: l2-14. that he sought 10
establish a rival kingdom and make
himself equal with God. Now common
sense teaches US that there was no
room in heaven for rebellious suoJect
like that. Heaven wouldn't be heaven
unless those there were willing To sub
init to the authority OF God. Hence,
under the circumstances, there seemed
nothing TO DO but to cast him out,
which God did and has since permitted
him to exert his influence over men.
that they. with d knowledge of both
good and evil, might deliberately
choose which they will have, and in
So doing determine their own destiny.
Not frey Pit
He'll then. is not a pit. filled with /
misery and woe, which God has caused
TO be digged in the pathway Of men
and women and into which they may
fall; but II Is the logical
and legitimate end Of the pathway of
those who deliberately choose TO live
in wilful rebellion against God And !
when I view the subject of he'll from
this standpoint ' fail to see in il any
thing to Justify men charging God with /
cruelty for inaugurating il; whether Il /
be his purpose to ultimately destroy /
the rebels or to permit them to live |
0n in their self chosen sphere
II Not to He'll. Wheres
But the question will arise. II the /
heather who die do not go to hell then /
where do they go2 As 1 understand |
il no one dying goes direct either to i
heaven or TO hell. Heaven and hell !
ire both beyond the judgment and as /
yet we have not come to the judg- 1
nent When Christ died he didn't go !
10 heaven, for he said to Mary after !
his resurrection: Il have not yet as
,ended unto my father" Where then |
lid he go? He evidently went into !
lades, for Peter, quoting from David, /
his resurrection says: /
Neither was he left in hades: nor did I
lis flesh see corruption" The term
'hades" simply means the unseen, or
spirit world It is the world into
which both good and bad go when they
pass through the curtain of death. But /
hey do not all 20 TO the same place 4
n hades. There is one place in hades
allied paradise, another called tararus
md another called the prfsOu When !