The Last General Conflagration.
By Spurgeon
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Pet. 3:10. IN this epistle of Peter there is one truth very plainly taught, namely, that this present world is to be melted with fervent heat. We learn also that this conflagration will take place in connection with the Judgment, for “the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire, against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” The former destruction of the world by water was in consequence of sin, and was a declaration of God’s wrath against it; it did not happen as an accident, or occur without design. Man sinned, was warned, and sinned again, until God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth. The amalgamation of the people of God with the world was the crowning offense of all, for “the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose;” thus the church and the world blended, till the Lord’s Spirit was grieved, and would no longer strive with man. Floods of sin called for floods of destruction. So will it be with the last fire; it will not happen as an inevitable result of physical causes, but because God intends to purge this material world from all traces of sin. It has been defiled and or ever he makes the promised new heaven and new earth, he will cleanse it as by fire. Under the Levitical dispensation the cleansing of vessels which had been defiled was effected by passing them through fire, as a type of the intense energy needed to remove sin, and the Lord’s abhorrence of it; even thus shall this earth dissolve with fervent heat. We gather also from our text that this fire will burn up all the works existing upon the earth—everything which man has constructed shall perish. We have heard architects speak of building for eternity! Ah! They have built but for an hour, and their noblest fabrics will disappear like children’s castles of sand upon the sea beach. Down will go the vast cathedrals and the towering palaces, in one common crash; whole cities will flame upon earth’s funeral pyre, while forests and melting mountains blend their smoke. The pride of power, the pomp of wealth, the beauty of art, the cunning of skill—all, all, must go; the sea of flame will overwhelm and devour everything without exception. The massive masonry, and rock-like foundations of our vast engineering works, shall run like wax in the tremendous heat. So fierce will be the flames that everything capable of being burned will be utterly consumed, and the elements, or the solid portions of the earth, shall be liquefied by the intense heat; rocks, metals, everything shall dissolve, and the atmosphere itself shall burn with fury when its oxygen shall unite with the hydrogen and other gases liberated by the intense heat. Chemists tell us that the great noise which Peter speaks of would certainly accompany such a combustion. The whole world shall become one molten mass again, and this terrestrial firmament shall cease to be. “The heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment.” God has impressed nature with his zeal to-day, but he will melt it down, and then will pour out the molten matter and stamp upon it a yet more lovely image than it has ever borne before. We believe from various texts of Scripture, that this world will be refitted and renovated, and in that sense we expect new heavens and a new earth. Says the apostle Peter: “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Pet. 3:13. Luther used to say that the world is now in its working clothes, and that by and by it will be arrayed in its garments of joy. One likes to think that the trail of the old serpent will not always remain on the globe, and it is a cheering thought that where sin has abounded God’s glory shall yet more abound. It has groaned and travailed with mankind, being made subject to vanity for our sake: surely it is to have its joyful redemption, and keep its Sabbaths after the fire has burned out every trace of sin and sorrow.—Spurgeon.