answered: How would God react if His will were opposed and evil introduced? Would He be over come by it, or would He use His power alone and annihilate it, or would His essential nature of love offer a way of rescue from it? Sin came. And time and eternity will proclaim, to the glory of the all-glorious Creator, His man ner of dealing with it, in infinite love and holi ness: “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” But what if some of His creation should re ject the way of salvation and pass into eternity as moral lepers still? What can be done to justify their existence, that in the ages to come they may show the infinite holiness of God, as the redeemed show forth “The exceeding riches of his grace” ? Their incarceration in that dreadful abode will be, as stated by F. C. Jennings, an eternal witness to the power, the holiness, and the severity (the jus tice) of God with even Satan’s knee bowing, “ even his tongue joining in the universal confes sion that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Meanwhile, as the child of God journeys on his pilgrimage through this world, still exposed to the attacks of these demon creatures, he can well marvel at the complete provision the rich grace of God has made for his protection and immunity. Although the Bible contains clear revelation con cerning the reality and wickedness of these agents of evil, it also gives explicit directions on how to secure and maintain immunity from their crafty assaults. The Christian, possessing all the bene fits of a finished redemption in Christ, having the Holy Spirit within to guide and to preserve and the Word of God without to point the way to vic tory and blessing, finds himself so supplied with resources o f every kind, so panoplied with the full armor of God, that with these divine aids he can hold aloft the highest standards of Christian liv ing, as he appropriates the full power o f God for effective serving and witnessing. Reckoning faithfully upon his position in Christ (Rom. 6:11), the believer’s joyful testimony be comes: “ . . . thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (II Cor. 2:14). Facing the foe, “ strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10), the Christian warrior finds that soon every foe is vanquished from the field o f battle, as his glad shout ascends: “ . . . thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15:57).
habitants, and the only one, in the infinite spheres. No sun will rise upon its endless night. No peace will give relaxation to its endless confusion. These evil creatures will never be permitted to cross over the divinely set confines nor to burst out of the divinely sealed prison-house. Nor will the wretched inhabitants ever be permitted to perpetrate fur ther mischief, nor to mar the perfections of a blissful and sinless eternity. Yet, like everything else in the divine economy, this doleful region of the depraved exists to ac complish its purpose, a two-fold purpose—one from the standpoint of the creature, the other from the standpoint of the Creator. From the standpoint of the creature, this “ lake of fire” will serve as a witness to the destructive ness and folly of sin. It will be like a danger signal, advertising to the universe of created beings, both angels and men, the utter futility of resisting God’s will; and it will act as a sufficiently potent deter rent, even for all the eons o f eternity, to keep created intelligences from the folly of Satan, de mons, and incorrigibly wicked men. The picture of Satan, the once-glorious “ anointed Cherub,” “ full of wisdom,” “ perfect in beauty,” whose covering was “ every precious stone,” who “was upon the holy mountain of God,” who once majestically “walked up and down in the midst o f the stones of fire,” who was “ perfect” in his way from the day he was created “ till iniquity was found” in him (Ezek. 28:12-15), then reduced so abysmally to the depths of shame—this picture will be a stem warning against apostasy that even eternity will not erase. Satan will not have a throne there; he will no longer reign. But having “ the unenviable title of chief of all sinners . . . the original sin ner,” the one who “has wrought the most injury,” who “has practiced sin longer than any other,” who “ sinned against the greatest light,” it is fit ting that he should “ sink to a lower depth of shame and suffering than any other creature,” and thus, at least in so far as the creature is concerned, justify his creation and apostate existence, in being a grim reminder of the irretrievable ruin of sin. From the standpoint of the Creator, this dole ful region serves another purpose. It will glorify the Creator. It will be a continual witness to the infinite perfection of God’s character. All else in a sinless universe of holy angels and redeemed men will speak of the majesty, the holiness, and the love of God. This will show His justness, His right eousness. This, too, is a part of the divine glory. Had sin never risen to defy God’s authority, an important question would have ever remained un
25
JANUARY, 1968
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker