Future Punishment by W. C. Gage

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 18, 1875

Future Punishment.

By W. C. Gage

INTELLIGENT readers of the popular religious press cannot fail to see that the question of future punishment is assuming a new phase in the theological world. Under the pressure of so-called “liberalism” the old dogma of endless misery is giving way to less revolting views of the justice and mercy of God. A few years ago, to barely question the doctrine was regarded as rank heresy, while at the present day, writers in the most popular of our religious journals openly scout the old views of punishment, and even the more radically “orthodox” papers treat the question as on the debatable ground.

In some respects this change is encouraging. Many minds which have regarded the dogma as a scriptural one, and hence have been steeled against any assault upon it, upon having their faith in it shaken will be better prepared to investigate the subject candidly from a scriptural standpoint, and be enabled to understandingly accept the truth.

While this will doubtless be true with many as the result of the agitation, with others the result will not be so favorable. The reaction will carry many to the other extreme. While the all-pervading idea of inherent immortality remains as a constituent element of religious creeds, the demolition of the eternal-torment dogma necessarily conduces to the spread of Universalism. Indeed, the popular reaction on this question is already assuming that aspect, as evinced by the tone of its discussion in the religious press.

A recent article in the Christian Union, in which the doctrine of eternal misery is openly assailed, instead of questioning the popular interpretation of the Scripture phraseology on which the doctrine is supposed to be based, and giving a more rational exposition of its meaning, flatly denies the belief in “everlasting punishment.”

Such a course cannot fail to be subversive of sound scriptural interpretation. Instead of denying the assertions and statements of Scripture, theologians had better seek to arrive at their true meaning. The doctrine of “everlasting punishment” is a scriptural one, and instead of disputing it, our first care should be to ascertain whether that punishment is misery or death. The Bible declares the latter to be the wages of sin; hence the punishment of the wicked must be the “everlasting destruction” mentioned in 2 Thess. 1:9.

On the whole, therefore, while we must look upon the agitation of this question as indicative of hopeful results, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the doctrine of natural immortality is responsible for much of the skepticism and error in regard to the great question of the final destiny of wicked men. W. C. GAGE.

Manchester, N. H.