TO THE READER—Stick a ohe-cent stamp here, hand the magazine to a postman, and it will be sent to the American soldiers. No address.
VOL. IX
MARCH, 1918
No. 3
Published once a month by the BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A.
I ONE DO L L A R A YEAR
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES (INCORPORATED} LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A.
Free Training School for Christian Workers
DIRECTORS
Lyman Stewart, president. M. Irvine, secretary. T. C. Horton, superintendent. H. A . Getz
R. A. Torrey, vice-president. Leon y . Shaw, treasurer. William Evans.
Nathan Newby
J. O. Smith
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT We hold to the Historic Faith of the Church as expressed in the Common Creed of Evangelical Christendom and including: The Trinity of the Godhead. The Deity of the Christ. The Maintenance of Good Works. The Second Coming of Christ. .
The Personality of the Holy Ghost. The Supernatural and Plenary au thority of the Holy Scriptures. -The Unity in Diversity of the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement. The Necessity of the New Birth.
The Immortality of the Spirit. The Resurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishment of the Im penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan.
SCOPE OF THE WORK
P tim n co • The Institute trains, free * of cost, ^accredited men and women, in the knowledge and use of the Bible. n ' , (I ) The Institute Departments: classes held daily except on Saturdays and Sundays. (2) Extension work. Classes andT conferences held in neighboring cities and towns. (3 ) Evangelistic. Meetings conducted by our evangelists. (4) Spanish Mission. Meetings every night. (5) Shop Work. Regular services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism. Personal work among the Hebrews.
(7 ) Bible Women. , House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9) Books and Tracts. Sale and dis tribution of selected books and tracts. (10) Harbor Work. For seamen at Los Angeles harbor. (11) The Biola Club. Daily noon meetings for men in the down-town district, with free reading-room privi leges. (12) Print Shop. For printing Testa ments, books, tracts, etc. A complete establishment, profits going to free dis tribution of religious literature.
T i b ® E O n n
MOTTO: ‘*1 the Lord do keep it, I will water U every moment lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and. day.*'—Isa. 27:3 Published by BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Incorporated Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the postoffice at Los Angeles, Cal., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Copyright by R. A. Torrey, D. D., and Bible Institute of Los Angeles, for the year 1918 ' VOL IX MARCH, 19l8 No. 3 This War?.— Belief in a Future Life Necessary to Make a Good Soldier-—The Moral Wreckage of the War— Would it be Well for the War to Close at Once?-— Cheap and Tawdry Patriotism--- What Can I do to Help My Country?— Optimism: True and False— Myths and Realities— The Necessity of Hell— Preachers Playing to the Galleries.................................... 185 Salvation Talks. By Keith L. Brooks.................... ................. 193 Is Future Punishment Endless? By Dr. R. A. Torrey........... 194 Help Us Help Others......................... ...... ................................. 204 Liberty Only in Truth. By Dr. John Hall............................. 206 Homiletical Helps. By William Evans.......... ....................... 2 11 Puzzling Passages and Problems. By R. A. Torrey............ 214 Evangelistic Department. By Bible Institute Workers........ 2 16 Through the Bible with Dr. Evans.................. .......................... 222 international Sunday School Lessons. By Institute Specialists 228 Daily Devotional Studies in the New Testament for Indi-, vidual Meditation and Family Worship. By R. A. Torrey ...............................................................i........... 1... 260 CONTENTS Editorial: Sermons in Tract Form— Why Did God Permit
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE—In the United States and its Possessions and Mexico, and points 'in the Central American Postal Union, $1 per year. In all other foreign countries, $1.24 (5s. <2d.) ✓ Single copies, 10 cents. Receipts sent on request. See date on address tag. “Sept. 18** means Expires Sept. 1918, etc.
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LQS ANGELES 536-558 SOUTH HOPE STREET LOS ANGELES, CAL.
æ OPEN THE BOOK
æ
S VERY Young Man and every young Woman whose life is consecrated to the Master’s service, should be able to Open the Scriptures to others. Here is A FREE DAY SCHOOL and A FREE NIGHT SCHOOL at your service. At a trifling cost, the same results may be attained through the C O R R E S P O N D E N C E SCHOOL
Information cheerfully given
Bible Institute of Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, CAL., U. S. A. ; bb
cThr King a lusinga _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R. A. TORREY, D. D., Editor T. C. HORTON, J. H. HUNTER, WILLIAM EVANS, D. D„ Associate Editors A. M. ROW,-Managing Editor
.
Voi. 9
MARCH, 1918
No. 3
E D I T O R I A L
S erm ons in t r a c t f o rm . A great demand has .arisen for several recent sermons delivered by Dr. R. A. Torrey and they have now been printed in tract form. One tract contains two sermons under the title, “ The Exact Truth about Hell.” Another, “ The Greatest Lessons of 1917.” This address attracted wide attention from ministers and laymen alike, when delivered on the last Sunday of the year, and by request was repeated on the afternoon of Sunday, January 6. Between 3000 and 4000 persons, many of them ministers, filled the Bible Institute Auditorium to hear it. At the morning service, on the same day, he delivered, “ Peanut Patriotism and Pure Patriotism.” All three may now be secured from the Book Room of the Bible Institute. When one reads the appalling accounts of the destruction and misery, the oppression and cruelty, the untold and untellable agonies, that have come out of this war, one is often tempted to wonder why did the loving God, Who rules in human history, ever permit this war. The question is not at all impos sible nor even difficult to answer. The suggestion of a partial answer, giving one of the reasons why Gpd permitted the war, is found in an, address by Harry Lauder. After telling o f his own experience at the front, and how the lives of many men had been changed by the war, he says that “ one night an officer said to me, very quietly: ‘When I see the men this way, I sometimes wonder if this war was not brought about by God as the only jjieans of making the world think of Him and His laws more often!’ ” In the address of Harry Lauder already referred to, he quotes one man as telling him very simply: “ Do you think for a moment that if we thought that life held nothing for us than the earthly body we possess, we would fight with-such a confidence and eagerness? We would not be able to, because we would be doing everything in our power to preserve this life o f ours. But see ing men die as I have seen them, I know better than to disbelieve in a future life. And because we have no fear of death, every one of us, flings himself oyer the banks and on to the Huns with a fierce, almost savage joy. . . . We 1 1 7 H Y DID GOD PERMIT THIS WAR? ' ‘ tJELIEF IN A FUTURE LIFE NECESSARY TO MAKE A GOOD SOLDIER.
186
THE KING’S BUSINESS t do not believe it possible that men who go into battle knowing they are fighting for a righteous cause and unafraid of death can be beaten back forever. Some day, at some point, the enemy must weaken, and then we will sweep over the tops and nothing will hold us back. We know it just as truly as we know the sun will rise tomorrow.” But if belief in a future life is necessary to produce the best type of soldier, it is a well founded belief in future life and future blessedness through the acceptance of Christ as a personal Saviour, and the well-grounded assurance of eternal life that comes from that that is necessary to make a man the very best type*of soldier. The United States Government is wise in doing so much to encourage and foster a real work of God among the soldiers. Much good is coming incidentally to our young men in this country from being drafted into our army and sent to our cantonments. We have visited a number of these cantonments and seen much that made for the moral and spiritual welfare of the young men there gathered, and we have traveled in trains packed with soldiers and we have never traveled with a more orderly crowd of young men than these. They were quiet, respectful, orderly, every thing that could be desired. What we have seen leads us to' think that the average young man is more likely to be truly1converted in our cantonments at the present time than he would be in almost any college in America of which we know, or in any community of which we know. Indeed, they are being con verted in some of our cantonments by the hundred. But there is evidently another side to the matter. Pastor D. J. Findlay, in the October 11th number of The Christian, (London, England), writes o f experiences that he has had in the camps in France. He writes: “ Alas! for the thousands of fair young lives'" from the homelands, and from all our dependencies and colonies, which have been blighted and broken in France! Crowds of young men who left their sheltered homes utterly ignorant of such sins have here learnt to yield to drink and worse evils, the very existence of which some of them scarcely knew of. Friends at home have no idea of the awful temptations to-which these boys are daily exposed. In France licentious sin is no more thought of than drinking a glass of beer is in England. What this leads to, the enlightened will readily understand; jn every camg there are large hospitals for specific diseases, and these are kept filled to the doors. The wrecks of today, and the entail of tomor row are too sad to contemplate with quiet mind.” However, Pastor Findlay adds: “ But here again the sympathetic and expert soul-winner has his chance, and not a few of these shamed and broken-hearted boys have—through their very sin—been led to Him who is mighty to save.” He says further: “How much worse the state of'matters would have been had it not been for the hun dreds of Huts, erected by many organizations within and without the Church, and scattered all over Northern France.” He speaks in especial praise of the “ Soldiers’ Christian Association.” He says: “ All the workers have come out for one purpose/and have most of the day free to help the poor fellows along the line of their highest well-being,” It would be difficult to give too. high praise to our own Y. M. C. A. in their work in the cantonments. The writer had some experience in their work during the Spanish-American war, but he has been HPHE MORAL WRECKAGE OF THE WAR.
THE KING’ S BUSINESS 187 told time and time again that they were not doing as effective work in this war, but his own observation leads him to think that they are doinga far better work than they did in the Spanish-American war, a more definite, and more thor oughly organized, and more effective work. We have seen with our own eyes large numbers, of men taking a definite, open stand before their fellow-soldiers; end we have heard from others, in whose word we have every confidence, that very large numbers have been led to Christ. Some of the officers themselves are doing fine work. We have heard of one General who went on the platform time and again and plead with the men to definitely accept Christ. One Captain in aviation whom we know personally, and intimately; a former Bible Institute student, who is instructing others, preaches three times a week. Indeed, this officer went into aviation largely for the opportunities that it afforded him of working for Christ. Every thoughtful man’s heart is war-weary in these days. We are weighed down with the thought of the miseries, not only of our own loved ones who are at the front, but of the thousands and millions of men in all the armies who are suffering such privations, and the greater miseries of mothers jnd fathers and wives and sweethearts and others at home, and yet we are not at all :sure that it would be the best thing for the war to close at once. There are better things than peace, and there are worse things than war. There may be lessons which we as nations and individuals must learn which can only be learned in the stern school of war. Certainly as yet, in spite of all the appalling •calamities that have overtaken pretty much all civilized nations, no nation has been brought to repentance, and a comparatively small number of individuals have been brought to repentance. Oh, that the nations of the earth would repent. We confess that as we have gone thoughtfully to God in prayer we have been unable to pray unconditionally for immediate peace. We hate war. We believe it is one of the Devil’s masterpieces. We know its origin is Satanic. We know it comes from our lusts, that war in our members (James 4 :1 ), and yet there are worse things than war, and there are things more important for us as nations and individuals at the present time than immediate peace. W OULD IT BE WELL FOR THE WAR TO CLOSE AT ONCE? C HEAP AND TAWDRY PATRIOTISM. Along with the pure patriotism which is so much in evidence in our country today, there is a cheap and tawdry patriotism, a patriotism that in no sense deserves the name of patriotism, a patriotism that has cost nothing, but has often brought profit to the alleged patriot, a patriotism that has proved profitable in money or in applause to the alleged patriot, a patriotism, for example, that has tried to fatten the purse of flag manufacturers by fostering an over-use of our beautiful and glorious flag, and by uses of the flag that were not honoring, but dishonoring, using the flag, for example, as a mere decora tion, or thrown over chairs to sit on, or placed on platforms to trample on, or
188 THE KING’ S BUSINESS even used as a handkerchief to blow your nose bn or spit on, or that h^s sought to play to the galleries by attacking people who were falsely alleged not to dis play the flag, or not to display the flag sufficiently, while the man who was court ing applause by his lying attack upon others was making no personal sacrifices by going to war himself, or by sending any one dear to him to the war, nor by giving any considerable sum'of money to the 'Rgd Cross or the Y. M. C. A-, or buying Liberty Bonds, or by any other of the thousand and one ways, of sacri fice that have been open to the ,one who is not seeking applause for himself, but holds what he has and is at his country’s and his God’s disposal. The writer believes in our flag/; he believes from the bottom of his heart that it is the most beautiful national emblem that floats. He has taken off his hat to it as he, passed beneath it on German ’ soil. He has carried it, not only from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from Labrador to Georgia over our continent, but in China, Japan, .Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, India, Swifzerland, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Belgium, and even in Germany, but he does not take any stock in that form of patriotism that exhausts itself in seeing how many flags it can tuck on to an automobile, or in putting out a service flag that has as many stars upon it as you have distant relatives that are mere camp hangers-on. We have seen a large,and beautiful flag displayed in front of a home, and many flags fluttering from automobiles where we have good reason to suspect that our glorious flag was simply used as a camouflage for lurking prq-Germanism, and we have seen a service flag fluttering from a house with five stars upon the flag when there was only one man in the whole household old enough to enlist. The great need of the present hour is not patriotism of this type, but patriotism that costs, and that exhibits itself in deeds that really promote the highest welfare of our nation at the present time of crisis and storm. The national government evidently realizes this fact and in a striking way has emphasized the fact that there are uses of the flag which are not patriotic but dishonoring. One stocking manufacturer brought forth a line .of women’s stockings with an American flag woven into the ankle of the stocking. The manufacturer was notified that he would have to pay $500.00 for every pair of stockings of that kind he produced, as he was violating the laws of the nation. But many uses of the flag on the part of, people, who are criticising others for not using it more, are equally dishonoring, and not a few of them are contrary to the explicit laws of the country. The flag should never be used merely as a decoration. Such a Use does dishonor and not honor to the flag. There are many throughout our land who* love their country, who thank God that thev were born on American soil and underneath the Stars and Stripes, and who would gladly make sacrifices for their country and for their God, Who in His wondrous grace gave them the privilege of being born in this land. They are too old to go to the front, or in other ways are incapacitated for the soldier life. What can they do? There are many things that they can do. If we cannot ourselves go to the war for one reason or another we can contribute of our money to the prosecution of the war, and the comfort of those who are bearing the heat and burden of the day. Just as Christians who cannot go to the foreign field themselves should contribute to the support and comfort of those who can, so also the patriotic who cannot go to the war should contribute I » 7 HAT CAN I DO TO HELP MY COUNTRY? * *
THE ' KING’ S BUSINESS 189 to the support and comfort of those who can and do. Why should those who/ are drafted bear all the sacrifices ? Does the drafted man owe anything to the country that we do not? Does a man between twenty-one and thirty-one owe any mpre to his country than a man between thirty-one and fifty-one or even older ?' There may be sufficient reasons why we should not go, but there are no reasons why we should not make sacrifices as well as they. Many of us can contribute by promptly paying our Federal Taxes. Any one who attempts to evade or diminish his rightful proportion of the taxes, or who fails to1pay his taxes promptly is as much a slacker as the one who is o f the proper age who refuses to register for the draft. We can contribute money for the comfort of those who have gone by giving to the Red Cross or the Y. M. C. A., but above all we can help by our prayers. O f course, our prayers will not count much' if we have not helped in these other ways, and if we make our prayers simply an excuse for neglect of the performance of duty, but we can do more by prayer than we can in any other one way. Prayer has won many battles and conquered many apparently unconquerable despots and nations. The United States at the time of the Revolution wommore by the prayers of the godly people in the land than by the wisdom or the bravery of its Washingtons. Our first obligation to our country at the present time is .prayer. Furthermore, in order that we may pray effectively, in order that we may pray so that our prayers will count, in order that we may pray so that our prayers will bring things to pass, we must in our own lives meet the conditions of prevailing prayer. A good deal of praying has been done already that we might win the war, but little seems to have comer of the praying. Why ha£, not God answered the prayers of England? Why has not God answered the prayers, of America more largely than He has? Because neither England nor America has met the conditions of prevailing prayer. God told His people that He would answer their prayers in, the hour of their defeat and bondage if they would repent of and confess their sins and get right with Him, and observe His will as revealed in His Word. He said: “ And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come, upon thee, the bless ing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD the God hath driven thee, and shalt return unto the,LORD thy God, and shalt obey His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; that THEN the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee” (Deut. 30:1-3). England has not repented of its sins, America has not repented of its sins. Have \ye as indi viduals repented of our sins ? Much prayer to God.is simply attempting to make . a convenience of God, asking God to be “mit uns” when we are ignoring God, when we are neglecting God’s holy Word, rejecting God’s holy Son, and using God’s holy day for our own convenience and.pleasure. True patriotism demands that we repent of our sins, that we get right with God, that we accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, and surrender absolutely to Him as our Lord and Saviour, and that we confess Him publicly as such before the world, and live to please Him day by day. When we are thus right with God, then we can pray and God will answer, The one who refuses in this time of crisis to get right with God in order that he may pray in power, is a traitor to his country. He is a worse slacker than the one who refuses to register for the draft, or to answer the draft when he is called.
190
THE KING’ S BUSINESS
/'"VPTIMISM: TRUE AND FALSE.
An insistent demand is being made upon every -preacher find teacher at the present time that he should be optimistic. It is more than suggested that if we are not optimistic •we are disloyal to oùr country. We also believe èvery Christian should be optimistic. The Bible is the most optimistic book in all the world. But there is a true optimism, an optimism that is built upon a considera tion of the real facts in the case, and there is a false optimism that comes from shutting our eyeg to such facts as we do not like to face, and from entertaining" dreaftis about the future which have no warrant in the Word of God. We recently1 listened to a noted speaker, whose voice has been heard from the Atlantic to the .Pacific, and also heard in many- other lands, who has been at the front, who has ha'd such opportunities for òbsérvation as very few have had. His story about what was going on at the front was not merely most informing,, but stirred one to the very depths. It was a story full of sadness too, and many were on the verge of tears. At that point he changed from the dark facts to his own bright dreams about thè future. He began : “ I see a vision,” and then described his, vision of a new Russia, and a new Germany, and a new France, and “ even a new America” coming out of the war. But this vision that he described has no warrant whatever in the Word of God. It was simply formed out o f what he would like to be the outcome of the war. There was no basis for it in history nor in prophecy. It was purely “ the baseless fabric of a dream.” But the intelligent student of. Scripture can be optimistic in the darkest hour, not with an optimism that comes from imagining things that he would like to come to pass, but an optimism that comes from studying the certainties of the future as they are revealed in the Word of God, an optimism that comes, not from fancying that this present war will make another great war impossible,, for it will not, the Word of God clearly rèvèals that it will not, but an optimism that comes from knowing that when man has proven again his utter failure, that God’s'Own Man, the God Man, the once crucified and now risen and ascended Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will come back to this sin-cursed and distracted earth and where .man has proven his incapacity of reign or rule, He will take the reins óf government, and all the loftiest dreams of men will be more than realized. “He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy-poor with judgment. Thè mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the chil dren of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. And men (They) shall fear Jehovah (thee) as long as the sun and njoon endure, throughout all generations! He shall cóme down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers, that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish ; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness.shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust............... Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth ; the poor also, and him that hath no helper, He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba ; prayer also shall be made for him continually ; and daily shall he be praised. There shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountainsthe fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city
^HE KING’S BUSINESS 191 •shall flourish like grass of thé earth. His name shall endure for ever : his name shall be continued as long as the sun : and men shall be blessed in him : all nations shall call him blessed” (Ps. 72:2-17). “ The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD,-as the waters cover the sea.” That is an optimism ■worth while. * . - , m
A/IYTHS AND REALITIES.
For centuries Roman Catholics, especially young Roman Catholics and Roman Catholic women, have been fed by their Church with myths about their saints, which they have been taught to accept as solid historical facts, practically with the same authority as the supernatural incidents recorded in the Gospel, which are thoroughly attested. Protestants are now venturing somewhat along the same line. A striking instance of this is the booklet.“ The Comrade in White” by the Rev. W. H. Leathern, M. A., with introduction by Hugh Black, published by The Fleming H. Revell Co. Four beautifully written jstories are given in this book about alleged, appearances of the Comrade in White, i. e., our Lord Jesus. The Christ that is presented in these stories is not at all the Christ of the Scriptures. The representations are built upon a perverted use of passages o f Scripture. The alleged instances are not' authenticated at all, and the tendency of the book is thoroughly unwholesome. The supernatural in the Bible is well attested, and faith in it will never be increased by trying to bolster it with unauthenticated myths. Doubtless there will be a certain sort of comfort to some .of these stories, just as there has .been to some a com fort in the pretty legends about the saints, but a far more Scriptural comfort, and far more solid comfort can be fqund in the teaching of the Scripture. Each chapter in the book is preceded by a number o f quotations from Scripture and from other sources, published separately on a page preceding each chapter. One of these quotations, published along with a quotation from the Gospel of Luke, seemin'gly as if if had the same authority, is from Harold Begbie, and is thoroughly pernicious. He is quoted as saying: “ The day is at hand when we shall turn from the child-like amusements and excitements of physical science to the unimaginable adventures of super-physical discovery'; and in that day we shall not only flash our messages to the stars, but hold communion with our dead.” This is the rankest kind of spiritism. There has been, in consequence of the bereavements of the war, an appalling efflorescence of spiritism in Eng land, and this is simply one of the, many' illustrations of it. Sir Oliver Lodge’s silly book, “ Raymond,” to which we have already referred in these columns, is another shocking illustration of it. The thoroughly well authenticated incidents recorded in the Bible, the record inspired of God, will do far more good than these idle tales, though they are So beautifully written.
T he n ece ssity o f h e l l .
We clipped the following editorial from a secular paper. It is all the more significant coming as it does from such a source. There is much food for reflection in it : “ The moderns have banished hell from our theology. It is explained to
192
THE KING’ S BUSINESS be ‘shed’ by our theologians now, and the Hebrew word is said not to mean fire and brimstone, but only nothingness. They still promise a reward for righteousness, but we have got rid of positive punishment for evil. “ The man who, whatever his vulgarities, seems to get th§ converts these times, preaches old-fashioned hell. He is BILLY SUNDAY. He follows the example of JOHN WESLEY ^and by preaching heaven and hell converts sin ners. Are any new theologians, who leave hell out, converting sinners ? Are the latitudinarian churches regenerating wicked men ? “Anybody can answer those questions. And the answers suggest that there may reside a force in hell with which society cannot afford to dispense. Hell, in other words, possesses pragmatic social value. “ ROBERT BROWNING wrote, as finale to one of his dramas in minia ture : i ‘There may be a heaven, There must be a hell,’ signifying as result of his study of a phase of human passion, the greater indis- perisability, so to,speak, of hell. Do we realize, we optimists and sentimentalists of an irreligious or a non-religious time, that, when hell is discarded, society parts with an immense incentive to virtue? Can society afford to do so? “ If righteousness is worth anything much, its violation is certainly a grave offense. If virtue is really an important matter, vice or contradiction of virtue is surely worth punishment. If good is positive, bad is something more than zero, must be negative. Sheol is merely zero; but hell is a thing in itself. “We apprehend everything by contrast, in opposing pa’irs, as ARISTOTLE taught. Righteousness and unrighteousness, like cold and hot, are appreciated by reason of their opposition. So that we would amend BROWNING’S fines to read: ‘If there be a heaven, there must naturally be a hell.’ , “We see considerable need for a restored belief in hell.” DREACHERS PLAYING TO THE GALLERIES. _ One of the sad developments of the present time in connection with the War is the way in which a certain type of preachers, instead of preaching the Gospel, or even Christian Ethics, are playing to the galleries and seeking applause by utterances which are riot really patriotic, but which tickle thè prejudices of the thoughtless.1 Many.of these, utterances are re,ally open or veiled assaults upon others who are not so ostentatious in their display of patriotism, but who are showing their patriotisnr'by sacrificing their comfort and their money for the welfare of the nation and of our soldiers, while these self-advertized “ patriots” are simply indulging in grand-stand plays to get the vociferous applause o f the undiscriminating mob.
Whom Say Ye That He Is?
W HAT think ye o f Christ—whose Son is H e?” (Matt. 22:42). Jesus Christ Himself put this question. Its answer set tles all questions o f religion so far as God and His Word are concerned. Whatever one thinks, they must make Him out to be one of four things: Demon Possessed, John ,8:48. ' Deceived, John 8:49-50. Demented, Mark 3:21.. DEITY, Matt. 16:16. Have you answered the question ? iy Says oiie, “Jesus was a man so good that his deluded followers took him for a' god.” What a display of intellectuality! The common folks of our Lord’s day were sensible enough to see that ■Jesus -Christ could not- be a “good man” if He were not what He claimed to be.' Some said, “He is a good man; others said, nay, for he deceiveth the people” (John 7:12). They killed Him because of the stupendous claims He made as to His own person. They said, “ Being, a man, he mqde himself God” (John 10:33). ' Let all who say; he is merely “a good man—the flower o f humanity—the ideal martyr,” reckon themselves among His murderers, for they believed the same. “What manner of , MAN is, this?” He claimed to be the giver o f life by believ ing on his name. There are men today who teach salvation by believing on His name, yet deny His Deify; E&TKisS necessitates Deity. If he is mere man, a -finite being, to teach salvation by believing on Him is not. only foolishness and idolatry, ( but IMPOSSIBLE. But have men ever expe rienced new * life by believing on His
name? YES—MILLIONS have been trans formed, made new creatures, filled with eternal hopes. His Deity is demonstrated. He must be “God manifest in the flesh.” “Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” Two thousand years of His saving power in the lives of thosè who have tested Him are open for investigation. Can one reject His Deity in the face o f such facts and expect more mercy at His Judgment Bar' than His murderers who rejected it? - Is it hard to believe that,Jesus is the Christ, the,,Son of-G od? Far greater is the difficulty in the way- of receiving His Deity, for mere man could not have spoken those living words: could n o t1 have performed those wondrous works; could not have lived that life; could not be the giver 'of iristantaheous life to the hopeless ; ’ even to this present hour. Think it over. Make Him your Saviour. The God of Elijah, , God adds this man’s name to His?own and is not ashamed of it, because of his ■consecration and devotion to the cause of God. Jehovah is pleased to-surname Him self after him. So is it with other men— men like Abraham, Daniel, the three Hebrew children. So may it be with any o f us here.. If we will be what these men were, consecrated, dedicated, given up to God’s service, we, too, may expect that God will call Himself aftqr us. This is the teaching o f Heb. 11:13-16. He is not ashamed, to be surnamed after them. ■ — ; ,
7
1 « F u t u r e Puitisfimeitt Endless? A * ^ = - B ï . I L A . T® ffæ @ y B®ffisa ©g ffiâM® Institute ©S Bo@s Jksngeîes i ESUS CHRIST plainly taught that there was to be a literal hell and that this hell would be a place o f conscious suffering, suffering far beyond that experienced by any one here in this present life, but we are faced tonight by another question of utterly futile and an utter waste o f time. All we know about the future is what God has been pleased to tell us in His Word. The Bible, as we’ have seen, is beyond a question the .Word of God, and therefore' what it has.to,say on this subject, or any other. subj ect, is true and absolutely sure, and in a question o f this character one: ounce o f God’s revelation is worth more than a thousand tons o f man’s speculation. The whole question then is, what does the Bible teach in regard, to this matter? I. What the Bible Teaches Regarding the Endlessness of Future Punishment. 1. T o find out exactly' what the Bible
great importance, is this future conscious suffering o f the impenitent to. be endless? There are many who believe in future pun ishment of. a very severe and awful char acter, and who indeed believe in a literal hell o f awful conscious suffering, but they deny, or at least doubt, that this future hell will be a place o f endless conscious suffering. Many o f them admit and teach that the suffering may go on for a long time, and perhaps for thousands of years, but they hold that, it will end at last and that all men will ultimately pome to repent ance, accept Jesus Christ, and be saved. What is the exact truth about the matter? We cannot decide .this by asking what the majority o f supposedly reliable theologians believe, for majorities are often wrong and minorities are often right. Neither can we decide it by reasoning as to what such a being as God is must, do. It is impos sible for finite and foolish men such as we are, and such as the wisest philpsophers and theologians are, to judge what an Infinitely wise and Infinitely holy God must do. All reasonings by finite men as to what an Infinitely wise God must do are
teaches as to the endlessness o f future pun ishment let us turn first o f all to the words o f our Lord Jesus Himself in Matt. 25:46 (R. V .), “And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into- eternal life.” The first question that con fronts us in studying this passage is what the word aionios (aionion) which is here translated “eternal” means. The best Greek- English dictionary o f thé New Testament is Thayer’s. In this dictionary Thayer àfter a careful study o f the'word, its derivation and its usage, gives these three definitions, of the word; and these three only: (1) “Without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be.” (2) “Without beginning.” (3) “Without end, never to cease, everlasting.’ It is fre-
»
THE KING’ S
BUSINESS 195 course, by universal consent is endless. Once it is used o f the “salvation” Christ brings, which is beyond question never end ing. Once (Heb. 9,:12) it is used o f the “ redemption” that Jesus Christ secures for us by His blood. This redemption is never ending. In fact, the chief point o f con-^ trast-in the-context in this case, is-between the temporary redemption secured by the constantly repeated sacrifices o f the Mosaic ritual and the never ending redemption secured by, the- perfect sacrifice o f Christ made once for all. Once it is used o f the “inheritance” that those who are in Christ receive (Heb. 9:15). Here'again beyond a question it -is never ending. Once it is used o f the “everlasting covenant” through Christ’s blood contrasted with the temporary covenant, based on the blood o f bulls and goats, given through Moses. Here again it necessarily and emphatically means, never ending. That is the very point at issue. Once it is used o f the “everlasting kingdom” o f our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:11), and we are told in Luke 1:33, “ of His kingdom there shall be no end.’’ Once it/is used o f “everlasting gospel (or good news)” and that, o f course, also never ends. Once it is used o f the “everlasting God” (Rom. 16:26) and He certainly endures, not merely through long ages, but without end. Once it is used q f the Holy Spirit who is called “the eternal (or everlasting) Spirit,” and He certainly endures, not merely through long ages, but throughout an absolutely endless - eternity. This covers fifty-nine q f the seventy-two times it is used, and in these fifty-nine instances the thought qf endlessness is. absolutely necessary to the sense, and in not a single one o f the thirteen remaining- times it is used is it used of- anything that is known to end. I f usage can determine the, meaning o f any word then certainly the New Testament use o f this word deter mines it to', mean never ending, -or, as Thayer defines it, “without end, never to- cease, everlasting.” Nor is this all, God Himself determines it to mean never ending, He defines it to
\ quently said that the word aionios accord ing to its derivation‘means age-lasting, and therefore may refer to a limited period. Even admitting this to be true, we should bear in mind that the meaning o f words is not determined by their derivation but by their usage, and the most important ques tion is not what, the derivation o f this word may be but as to how it is used in the New Testament. It is used 72 times in the New Testament. Forty-four o f these 72 times it is used in the phrase “eternal life,” or as it is sometimes rendered, “ever lasting life.” No one questions that ever lasting life is endless and that in connec tion with the word life “age lasting” (if that be its proper derivation o f the w ord), means lasting through all ages, never end ing. Once it is used in connection with the word “habitations,”- referring to the habitations which the blessed are to have in the world to come,' and o f course these also are never-ending. Once it is used of the “weight oL_glory” .that in the world to dome await the believer in Jesus Christ who endures-affliction for Christ in the life that now is. In this case again, o f course, by universal consent it means endless. Once it is used o f the “house jiot made with hands”* that believers in Christ are to receive at the coming o f the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 5:1-8). O f course, this house not made with hands is everlasting. In fact the very point that is being brought for ward in this passage is the contrast between our present hodies. which are but for a brief time and our resurrection bodies which are to exist throughout all, eternity. Once it is used of the future unseen things that never end, contrasting with the present seen things that are for a season (2 Cor. 4:18). O f course, these are never-ending. That is the very point that is being brought out in the contrast. Once it is used of the everlasting “comfort” (R. V .) or “con solation’’^ (A . V .) "that “our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father” give us, and that is certainly never ending. Twice it is used o f the “glory” \thaj those in Christ obtain (2 Tim. 2:10). That, of
«
196 mean never-ending' by specifically using, it in contrast with that which does end. For example, in 2 Cor. 4:18 we read, “While we look not on the things which are seen, but, the things which are unseen: for the things which are seen are temporal (liter ally, fo r a season ) ; but the things Iwhich are not seep are eternal.’’ Here the whole point is that the unseen things in distinc tion from the seen which are fo r a season are for a never ending period. But even allowing that thè word accord ing to its usage could be used of that which,., though it lasts throughout an age, or ages, .has an end ; even if thqt were true (which it is not), then th'e meaning of the word in any given instance would have to be determined by thé context in which it is found. Now what is the con text in the passage which we are studying? Let us read it again, “And these shall go away into eternal punishment : but the right eous into eternal ; life.” The same Greek adjective is used in connection with pun ishment and with life, j (In the Authorized Version it is differently rendered, but in the Greek and in the Revised Version it is..exactly the same). Certainly this quali fying adjective must mean the same in the one half o f the sentence that it means in the other half of the sentence: W e must, at, least admit that Jesus Christ was an honest man, and He certainly was too 'honest to jugglé with words : He would not use a word to mean one thing in one half o f a sentence and something utterly different in the other half. H e evidently sought to convey the impression * that the punishment of the unsaved was o f the same duration ¡as the life o f the saved. No one questions that the life is endless. It would be the destruction o f all our hopes if it were not endless, therefore, if we are to deal honestly with our Lord’s words, He taught that the punishment of the unsaved was to be endless. We have exactly the same reason in God’s Word for believing in endless punishment that we have for believing in,endless life. If you give up the one you must give up the other, or
THE KING’S BUSINESS
/
else deal dishonestly with the words of Jesus Christ. 2. W e might rest the case here»and call it proven, but let us turn to another pass age, Rev. 14:9-11, “And another angel, a third, 'followed them, saying with a great voice; If any man wdrshipeth the beast and his image, and reeeiveth a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand, he also shall drink of the wine' o f the wrath o f God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup o f His anger ; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence o f the Lamb: and the smoke o f their torment, goeth up fo r ever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso reeeiveth the mark o f his name.” Here we have another expression for the duration o f the punishment and suffering o f the impeni tent, the expression rendered " fo r ever and ever: Theré are in the Greek two slightly differing forms of, expression that are so translated. The one form o f expression literally rendered is “unto the ages of the ages,” .the pther form is “unto ages of ages.” What thought do these expressions convey. It has beèn said by those who seek to escape the, forcé o f these words as referring to absolute endlessness, that the expression,“is a Hebraism for the supreme one pf its class,” and as an illustration of the same alleged Hebraism the expressions, “Lord o f Lords” and “ Holy o f Holies” are cited. But this is not so. • In the first place, the form of, neither o f the two expressions is the same ; and, in the second place, that is hot the1 meaning o f the expression “The Lord o f Lords” .or the meaning o f the expression “The Holy of Holies.” The expression “Lord o f Lords” does not mean, merely the supreme Lord, but one who is Himself Lord o f all other Lords, and this expression “unto the ages o f the ages” never means merely the ages whiph are the -supreme ages in distinction from other ages (nor as another puts it, the ages which come out' o f the other ages, i. e., the7closing ages before eternity): The
THE KING’S BUSINESS
197
expression according to its form means ages which are - themselves composed o f ages. It represents not years tumbling upon years, nor centuries tumbling upon centu ries, but ages tumbling upon ages in end less procession.. It is the strongest pos sible form of' expression for absolute end lessness, Furthermore, the way to deter mine conclusively what the expression means is by considering its usage. Usage is always the decisive thing in determining the meaning o f words and phrases. What is the usage o f these expressions in the book from which we have taken our pass age? These expressions are used twelve times in this book. In eight o f the twelve times they refer to the duration o f the existence, or reign, or glory of God and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. O f course, in these instances it must stand not merely for the supreme ages, or any individual ages, it must refer to absolute eternity and endlessness; Once it is used o f the dura tio n o f the blessed reign o f the righteous and of course, here again it refers to an endless eternity, and in the three remaining instances it is used o f the duration o f the torment o f the Devil, the Beast, the False Prophet, and the finally impenitent. It is urged by those who would deny that the expression means an absolutely endless eternity, that it is used in Rev. 11 ¡15, where we are told that “the kingdom o f the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: and He shall reign fo r ever and ever (unto the ages of the ages),” and that we are told in 1 Cor. IS :24 that Christ “shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father;” and that therefore His king dom must come to an end, and conse quently “ for ever and ever” in this passage cannot-mean without end. There are two answers to this objection, either o f which is sufficient. The first is that the “he” in “he shall reign for ever and ever” in Rev. 11:15, does not necessarily refer to the Christ, but rather to the Lord Jehovah, in which case the argument falls to the ground. The second answer is that while we are taught in 1 Cor. 15;24, etc., that
Jesus Christ will deliver up His mediatorial kingdom to the Father, nevertheless we are distinctly taught that He shall rule with the Father, and we are told in so ninny words in Luke 1 :33 that “of His kingdom there shall be no end,” so that even if the “ he” in Rev. 11:15 referred to the Christ and not to the Lord Jehovah, still the state ment would be‘ exactly correct that He, the Christ, was to reign for ever and ever, i. e., without end. There is not a single passage in the whole book in which this expres sion is used o f anything but that which is absolutely endless. So the question is answered again and answered decisively that the conscious suffering o f the persist ently impenitent is absolutely endless. ( 3. Now let us look at another passage, 2 Thess. 1 :7-9, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed* from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel o f our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the présence o f the Lord,, and from the glory o f His power.” Here we are told that the punishment o f those that know not God and obey not the gos pel is “everlasting destruction.” . What does “everlasting destruction” mean. In Rév. 17:8, 11 we are told that the beast goeth into “destruction,” so if we can, find out where the beast goes, or into what he goes, we shall know what “ destruc tion means in the Bible usage.. In Rev. 19:20 we are told that “the beast was taken] and with him the false prophet that wrought the .signs in his sight, wherewith lie deceived them that had' received the mark o f the beast and 'thetn that wor shiped his image: they two Were cast alive into the lake o f fire that burneth ¡with brimstone,” so we see that “destruction” Is a portion in thé lake o f fire. And in the next chapter, Rev. 20:10, we are told that The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake o f fire and brimstone, where are. also the beast and the false jprophet; (after having already been there' for one thousand years, see context); arid they
THE KING’ S BUSINESS
198-
/
the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the#spirit; in which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison, that aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering o f God waited in the days o f Noah,'while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.” It is urged that as Christ went afid preached to the spirits in prison there will-' be another chance' after men have died. But this, the passage in question does not assert or imply in any way. (1) First o f all there is no proof that “the spirits in prison” refers to the departed spirits o f men who once lived here on earth. Departed spirits o f men are not spoken o f in this way. These- words are used o f other spirits, but not o f human spirits disembodied and there is every reason for supposing that these “spirits in prison ” were not {he sinful men that were on earth when the ark was preparing, but the angels who sinned at that time, just as we are told in Gen. 6:1, 2 that they did sin (cf. Jude 6, 7). • (2) Furthermore, even if the spirits in prison here spoken o f were the spirits o f men who were disobedient in the time of Noah, there is not a hint in the passage that they were saved through the preach ing o f Christ to them, or that they had another chance. There are two words com monly used in the New Testament for preaching, one is kerusso and the other is euaggelizo. The first o f these means to herald, as to herald a king, or to herald the kingdom." It may, however, be used o f preaching a message, the gospel message or some other message. The second word, euaggelizo, means to preach the gospel. In the passage that we are studying it is the first word that is used, and there is not a hint that Christ preached the gospel to these spirits in prison. He simply heralded the triumph o f the kingdom. It was not a saving message. So there is nothing in this passage to put up even inferentially against the plain, direct statements regarding the
shall be tormented day and night fo r .etoer and ever.” So we see that destruction means a portion in the lake o f fire where its inhabitants are consciously suffering without cessation for ever and ever. It is clear then, from a comparison o f 2 Thess. 1:7-9 with these passages, that those who know not God and obey not the gospel o f our Lord Jesus Christ shall be punished with never ending conscious suffering. 4. Let us look at one more passage, Matt. 25:41. These again are the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.” What I w^nt you to notice here is that the punishment into which the impenitent are sent is the “eternal fire” which is “prepared for the devil and his angels.” W e have an exact description^ of just what the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels is in the passage read a few moments ago, Rev. 20:10, “And the devil that deceived, them was cast into the lake o f fire and brimstone where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever :and ever.” By a comparison of these two statements we have another explicit dec laration o f our Lord that the- punishment o f the impenitent is to be a conscious agony where they are punished without rest day and night for ever and ever. From any one o f these passages and especially from all taken together, it is clear that the Scriptures make it as plain as language can make it that the future punishment o f the persistently impenitent is absolutely endless. II. Objections. There are several' passages o f Scripture which those who believe that all men will ultimately repent and be brought to accept Christ and thus saved, urge against what seems to be the plain doctrine of.th e pas sages we have been studying. 1. Th‘e first o f these is 1 Peter 3:18-20, ’‘Because Christ also suffered for sins once,
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs