571
THE KING’S BUSINESS
ing torment, but death, so that while in general death, or separation from God, is the penalty for sin, yet there will be a special degree of penalty in individual cases according to guilt. Death means banishment from God, and yet the penalty will vary exactly according to the sin. It is import ant, therefore, to bear in mind that side by side with the solemn symbol of “the lake of fire” we have the equally solemn and definite teaching of punishment proportioned to wrong doing. (4) Another truth of profound sig nificance and yet of profound mys tery is the Scriptural teaching that in some way the good will acquiesce in the punishment of the lost. This is clearly the meaning of the refer ence to torments “in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb” (Rev. 14:10). “Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her” (Rev. 18:20). “And again they said, Alleluia.' And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.” (Rev 19:3.) It would seem from these as though there will be no igno rance on the part of the good, but knowledge, not separation but sight, and that there will be both compla cency and adoration in the face of these Divine judgments on sin. This appears to indicate that in ways of which we know nothing there will be the recognition by the saved of Di vine mercy, even in the sentence to “the lake of fire.” With this agrees the significant words of the Psalm ist where the act of judgment is defi nitely associated with the Divine mer cy as its expression and outcome. “Unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy ; for thou renderest to every man ac cording to his work.” (Psalm 62: 12 ) .
said that “the Lord is good to all: His tender mercies are over all His works,” (Psalm 145:9), it is clear that there is nothing inconsistent be tween this revelation of His charac ter and the everlasting punishment of wilful sin. It has not yet been re vealed how sin is to be finally dis possessed, but assuming that it is in compatible with the Divine purpose of God being “all in all,” there may be found a solution by which those who have sinned will remain forever as they are, permanently suffering the results of their former sin. They will realize their loss and will always rec ollect what might have been, and yet will never be able to remove the in capacities of their former evil, even though they are no longer to go on sinning forever. Just as with the spendthrift his poverty is his pun ishment, and with the mutilated his physical disability, so those who have deliberately and wilfully re jected the final offer of Christ will remain forever with all their incapa cities which they know and recognize never can' or will be otherwise. Only ,of one thing we are certain, that death as “the last enemy” is to be abolished by Christ, for the reign of death would imply the dominion of a rival to God. As Sir Robert Anderson well says: “To speculate how it will be brought about is idle. It may be that the recognition of the perfect justice and goodness of God will lead the lost to accept their doom” (p. 147). (3) Another important point to re member is that although the final pun ishment is associated with the “lake of fire” this does not mean that every punishment will be exactly equal. On the contrary we are told again and again that judgment will be “accord ing to works” (Rev. 20:13). The penalty of sin is not everlast
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker