Christ died to destroy the devil (Hebrews
2: 14), and also to “destroy the works of the
devil” (1 John 3:8), and the time will
come when the full effect of Christ’s
death in this respect will be realized.
(2 Peter 3: 10-13; Malachi 4: 1-3.) “Sin
when it is finished, bringeth forth death”
(James 1: 15), and this finish, or end, of
sin will be in the lake of fire at the last
great day (Revelation 20: 13, 14). God
“will make an utter end: affliction shall not
rise up the second time.” Nahum 1:9.
The wicked will be destroyed root and
branch. (Malachi 4:1.)
In more than 100 places the Bible says
that the wicked will be destroyed, con-
sumed, burned up, and be as though they
had not been. As examples, see Psalm
37: 20; Isaiah 1:28; Proverbs 10: 25;
Ezekiel 18: 4; Obadiah 16; Nahum 1:
9, 10; Matthew 7:13; 2 Thessalonians
1: 8-10; Revelation 20: 9.
Some believers in the natural immor-
tality of the soul have a special definition
for the above words, as a Baptist minister
points out: “It is a notorious fact that in
our theological works a nondescript dic-
tionary is made: ‘To be dead’ means to
be more conscious; ‘to die’ is to live on in
woe; ‘to lose life’ is to preserve a miser-
able existence; ‘to burn up’ is to make a
living salamander; ‘to destroy’ is to be
preserved whole; ‘to devour, perish, con-
sume’ means ‘to be without end.’ ”’
The wicked in the day of their final
fate are compared by the Bible to in-
flamable and combustible material, which
is certainly a misleading use of words if
the soul is immortal and indestructible.
God compares the wicked to “the fat of
lambs” (Psalm 37:20), “thorns” and
“stubble fully dry” (Nahum 1:10;
Malachi 4: 1), “chaff” (Matthew 3: 12),
“tares” (Matthew 13: 40), “wood, hay,
stubble” (1 Corinthians 3: 12), “thorns
and briers’ (Hebrews 6: 8), “branches”
of the vine (John 15: 6), and other things.
Christ said that the wicked would be
burned up like chaff with unquenchable
fire, fire that cannot be put out while it is
doing its work. God once told Israel
that if they continued in their sins, He
would “kindle a fire in the gates thereof,
and it shall devour the palaces of Jeru-
salem, and it shall not be quenched.” Jere-
miah 17: 27. The Jews did not heed the
message, and the fire was kindled, and it
did what God said it would do. (2 Chron-
icles 36: 19.) Neither the Jews nor the
soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar’s army could
quench it until God’s purpose was ac-
complished. That fire is not burning
today. When its work was done, it went
out of itself. When fire shall come down
from heaven, as we are told in Revela-
tion 20: 8, 9 that it will, the devil, his
angels, and the wicked of all the ages who
Avucust — 1944
have come forth in the second resurrec-
tion, will not be able to quench it to save
themselves. It will be unquenchable fire,
and it will devour them, completely eating
them up.
This is not contrary to Christ’s state-
ments about “everlasting fire’’ and “‘ever-
lasting punishment.” (Matthew 25:
41, 46.) The term “everlasting” is used
in two senses: (1) continuance, and (2)
effect. Sodom and Gomorrah are spoken
of as “suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire.” Jude 7. Are these cities burning
today? No. Peter speaks of God as
“turning the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah into ashes, . . . making them
an ensample unto those-that after should
live ungodly.” 2 Peter 2:6. The fire
that destroyed them was eternal in its
effect; there will be no restoration of those
cities. The fires of the last day will reduce
the wicked to ashes (Malachi 4: 1-3), and
this riddance of sinners will be everlasting
in its effect. The second death is really
the punishment of the wicked. (Revela-
tion 2: 11; 20: 6, 12-14.) “The wages of
sin is death” (Romans 6: 23), not eternal
existence in misery. The second death is
an everlasting death. There will be no
resurrection from the second death. It
will be an everlasting punishment, not an
everlasting punishing.
A period of time will be allotted for the
fires of the last day to accomplish their
purpose. We are not told how long a
time this will be, but it will be one of
days and nights. This period is the
“forever and ever” of Revelation 14: 11;
20: 10. The basis of that expression in
the New Testament is the Greek word
aton, which in the Bible is not always co-
equal with eternity. The Greek lexicons
define the word thus: “Duration, finite
or infinite; unlimited duration; a period
of time, past or future; time, age, life-
time; the world; universe.” |
The Jewish servant, after having his
ears pierced, served his master forever
(Exodus 21: 6), that is, as long as he
lived. The Passover was to be observed
forever (Exodus 12:14), but it ended
with the death of Christ. (1 Corinthians
5:7.) For other examples, see 1 Samuel
1: 22, 28; 2 Kings 5: 27; Jonah 2: 6.
The time of the punishment of the
wicked will not be as long as eternity.
After the awful destruction of sin and
sinners on the earth at the end of the
millennium (Revelation 20: 9-15), at
which time the earth itself will be the hell
of the Bible (2 Peter 3:7, 10), the
prophets saw the same earth purified by
fire and restored to its Edenic glory and
beauty. (2 Peter 3: 13; Revelation 21:1.)
Then shall come to pass the saying:
“Behold, I make all things new.” Reve-
lation 21: 5. “For, behold, I create new
heavens and a new earth: and the former
shall not be remembered, nor come into
mind.” Isaiah 65: 17. Let us, therefore,
repent and live for that better and more
glorious world to come.
This unusual picture shows a recent night eruption of Mount Vesuvius, with its red-hot lava streaming
down the mountainside, while an accumulation of static electricity crackles over the fiery crater.
It reminds us of a statement made by the Lord in 2 Peter 3: 10.
CE ARMY BR SCRLLS #Axast AUME
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