88 The Fundamentals summated to all eternity. Similarly, physical death is the separation of the spirit from the body, spiritual death is the separation of the spirit from God, and eternal death is the perpetuation of this separation. Hence, for all who have not experienced a second birth, “the second death” becomes inevitable; for he who is only born once dies twice, while he who is “born again” dies only once. As against the doc trine of annihilation, Rev. 20:14 may be quoted: “Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire”. 2. W hat did C hrist teach as to the character future retribution ? We have already seen that He spoke of it as full of so*row and misery in His seven-fold repetition of the striking expression: “There shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). In Mark 9:43-48, our Lord twice speaks of “the fire that never shall be quenched”, and thrice adds, “where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched”. Of course He was using the common Jewish metaphors for Gehenna, taken from the perpetual fires that burned in the valley of Hinnom to destroy the refuse, and the worms that fed upon the unburied corpses that were cast there; but, as we have already seen, He would never have encouraged a popular delusion. Our Lord twice spoke of fruitless professors being “cast into the fire” (Matt. 7:19; John 15:6) ; twice of “the furnace of fire” (Matt. 13:42, 50) ; twice of the “hell of fire” (Matt. 5:22; 18:9); and twice of “eternal fire” (Matt. 18:8; 25:41). of Granted that “the undying worm and unquenchable fire” are metaphorical, yet these striking figures of speech must stand for startling facts, they must be symbolical of a terrible reality. We need no more regard them materially than we do the golden streets and pearly gates of heaven; but, if the latter are emblematic of the indescribable splendors of heaven, the
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