When Are they Punished?
By E. R. Jones
Who? The wicked. That the wicked will be punished for their sins is an emphatic declaration of the Word of God. “Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished.” “I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity.” “Is not destruction to the wicked, and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?” “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” In the most startling terms has the Lord pronounced his vengeance against those who trample under foot his law, and set at naught his grace. In the fiery indignation of the Lord they shall reap the just reward of their doings. When is this to be? To what source shall we look for a truthful answer to this great question? Shall we not with reverent ear listen to those who profess to teach the way of life, and to deter the sinner from his sins by the fierce denunciations of treasured wrath? And what do such teach us with reference to the time when this shall be? In civil governments, when a criminal is to be punished, the condemning power plainly states a definite time when the sentence is to be executed. This is but reasonable and just; and so from those teachers who stand to declare the judgments of God against all unrighteousness, we hear the alarming utterance, that when death shall carry the wicked beyond this mortal state so full of sorrow and pain, they shall be thrust into a fire of fiercest heat to suffer to all eternity the most indescribable pain and anguish, and unspeakable woe. The vast majority of the human family have died, subjects of the wrath of the Lord. Can it be true that these millions upon millions are now in the place of torment sending up their shrieks of anguish in the hopeless endeavor to reach, by these cries, the ear of a compassionate God? Terrible thought! We cannot believe it. We turn from this teaching to the Bible which we believe to be the only source of light and truth upon this great subject. Does this teach that death is the time when this punishment shall begin? We will read for ourselves. One of the plain doctrines of this book is: that there will be a great judgment day. We read, “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained.” Acts 17: 31. “As many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” Rom. 2: 12, 16. “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell (the grave) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” Rev. 20: 13. Before Felix, Paul reasoned of a judgment to come. That great day was in the future when the apostle thus preached to him; and it had not yet come, for Peter says, “But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment.” When this time comes, the elements and the earth will be melted, and the works that are in the earth will be burned up. To this great burning day the earth is reserved, and not only it, but the wicked also, and then they shall be rewarded. “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” 2 Pet. 2: 9. Now let us hear Jesus on this question. “Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sack-cloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee.” Matt. 11: 20–24. The wicked men of Sodom, Tyre and Sidon, will be punished for their sins, as will those also who rejected Christ; but the former will not have so severe a punishment as the latter, because they did not sin against so much light. It shall be more tolerable, that is, less severe. When? At the day of judgment. How clearly these words of the great Teacher show when the wicked receive the reward of their deeds. Let us hear Paul: “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart thou treasurest up unto thyself, wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” Rom. 2: 5. And when this day of wrath is come, then he will render to all who have laid up such a fearful treasure, “indignation and wrath.” Job says: “That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction. They shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.” The day of destruction is the day of wrath, and to it the wicked are reserved. Now hear Peter: “and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” This shows that the day of wrath spoken of by Paul, is the day of judgment spoken of by Peter. Now hear Peter again: “But the heavens and the earth which are now, . . . are reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Pet. 3: 7. Another evidence as to the time when they receive their reward is found in 2 Pet. 2: 6. “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example to those that after should live ungodly.” In the destruction of the cities of the plain, God has given us a thrilling illustration of the visitation of his wrath upon the wicked at last. We read, “The Lord rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven.” Gen. 19: 24. “Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.” Psa. 11: 6. “And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about, and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” Rev. 20: 9. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.” Matt. 13: 49–51.