The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-01-27
.ow invariably and freduentIy i,

how invariably and frequently He
speaks of The FIRE Of he'll Mat
thew 1874, ~, 40, 50; %: Al;
Mark 9: AZ, 49,.
What did He macn by the fire
of hell? Did He mean it literally
or that hell is actually a place of
physical fire? Or did He use fire
as a figure of speech to make viz
id the tormcntS Of nell? We think
the latter, for it is not our bod
les or flesh and blood that Go in
to the other life hut our souls or
spirits or inner selves and there
fore the SUFFERING or torment is
to be not of the body but Of the
spirit. What He intended to teach
us is that the suffering of souls
in hell is as painful or eXcruclat-
ing as is the suffering Of the
body when it is burned with fire.
And if it be asked what are the
spiritual tormentS suffered IN
hell, we might think of the fol.
lowing: There is the torment OF
sin itself which always attends
sin even as suffering does disease
There is the torment of ones only
associates OF companions in hell
the wicked and 1.-The devil ana
his angels" There is the torment
of the everlasting and gnaWine
regret that one finds himself IN
hell when he might have had
heaven. And there is the torment
of the utter hopelessneSs of any
escape or deliverance from nell;
The hope of the man sentenced
to the penitentiary for a number
of years is that the time Will come
when he shall leave it. But there
is no such hope in hell. At its en-
trance may be written the words;
ABANDON HOPE, ALL 1E
THAT ENTER HERE" F o :
there is nothing in the Word OF
God of the idea of purgatory or
of a second probation in the other
life. And does not the Savior
Himself teach the impossibility Of
deliverance from hell in the hg-
ure of "the great gulf fixed
(Luke l6: 26).
Our final question Is,
WHO is GOING THERE?
And our answer, from both
reason and all the Word of God,
must be simply this: ALL WHO
ARE NOT SAVED FROM SIN.
As we have seen, sin carries with
it its torment, even as the bee
does its sting and the serpent It's
poison; and, if one is to be saved
from the torment Of sin, he must
be saved from sin itself. This is
true of all sin, even sins that we
do not consider such bad or big
or grievous sins. The only SIN
which the Savior speaks Of in the
case of the rich man who went
to hell was that of selfish lack
of sympathy for, and hclpfulness
to, the afflicted beggar at his
door. And it is the same sin OF
which He accuses those on His
left whom He bids depart into
everlasting fire: II was anhungcr-
ed, and We gave me no meat,
etc.
Now, the glorious Gospel is
that God, in grace and mercy and
love, has given us the Savior from
sin, who should "savc His people
from their sins" whose blood
"cleanSeth US from sim" Our part
is to hate sin and its curse and
to desire and will to be rid of it;
and, so desiring and willing, to
believe in or to receive into our
hearts and lives this Savior, who,
coming in, will cleanse Of sin and
will fit us. for the heavenly life.
One who knows this Gospel but
lands in hell will have only him
self, not God, to blame. 1t vii! DC
because he refused to believe
what God has revealed of the hell
of sin and of the Savior from sin
and therefore failed to act upon
it. 1t will be because he threw
away the most golden opportun-
ity of lifetime, because he
CHOSE hell instead Of heaven.