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THE KING’S BUSINESS
that had fallen upon them through sin—when the thorns and briers which grew as the result of man’s sin should become fir trees and myrtle trees (Isa. 55:13); when carnage should cease in the animal world (the wolf and the lamb feeding together and the lion eating straw like an ox, Isa. 65:23); when the wilderness should become a fruitful field (Isa. 32:15); when the wilderness and solitary place should be glad and the desert should be glad and blossom like the rose (Isa. 35 :1 R. V.). This time of restoration of all things shall be in connection with the return of our Lord, and He has gone into heaven to remain there until that time. There is no hint whatever here of the future restoration of those who have died in sin. It is not a restoration of persons that is here spoken of but a restoration of “things” ; and such a restoration of things as had been spoken of by the mouth of the prophets and, of course, the prophets never hinted at a future restoration to holiness and salvation of those who have died without Christ. This is a favorite passage with those who endeavor to pervert the truth of God and teach the ultimate universal salvation of all, but there is absolutely no hint of it in the passage, and those who so use it belong to the class of whom Peter speaks as wresting the Scriptures to their own destruction (2 Peter 3:16). Q. “The wages of sin being death, for what ultimate purpose are the unjust resurrected?” A. Death does not mean cessation of existence. God defines His own terms and He has defined death in His own Word. God’s definition of the death which is the ultimate outcome of persistent sin is found in Rev. 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and
sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” We find here that death means a portion in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. God defines destruction in a similar way in Rev. 17:8, 11. We are told the beast goeth into “perdition.” The word here translated “perdition” is the same word that is elsewhere translated “destruction.” If ''ye can find" where the beast goeth then we will know what destruction (or perdition) means. In Rev. 19:20, we are told that the beast is cast alive into the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. In Rev. 20:10„. we are told that a thousand years after the beast is cast into the lake burning with fire and brimstone he is still there and consciously tormented, so it is clear from the study of the Word that the “death” and “destruction” which are the ultimate outcome of persistent sin and rejection of Christ are a portion in a place of conscious endless torment. The bodies of the wicked dead are raised to share in the awful penalty which the wicked have brought upon themselves by their sin and their rejection of Christ. The Nature of Sin. “Sin is like a fiery serpent, often beautiful in appearance, and .secret in its approach. But the effects are pains that only fire -can express. It infects the whole system. It inflames every evil passion. It is incurable by man alone. If permitted to go on it is death. The world is full today of the sorrows, the burning remorse, the agonies of the body and of the spirit which come from the fiery serpents of sin. Compare the old serpent, the Devil, the tempter and destroyer of men.”
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