Future Condition of the Wicked and Righteous Contrasted.
By E. M. Davis
THE teachings of the Scriptures are clear and conclusive, promising on the one hand a future eternal existence to the righteous, the time of their reward and the locality of their inheritance, and on the other hand a future but not an eternal existence to the wicked, the time of their retribution, and the locality or territory where they are finally punished. In view of this fact, is it not surpassingly strange that there are so many thousands of intelligent and professedly Christian people led away from the real truth upon the subject under consideration. It is true that nearly all believe in a future life of both righteous and wicked; but they ignore the principle upon which a future life is attainable. This charge may appear somewhat severe but nevertheless we think it stands good against the present theology of the day from the fact of their making future life dependent upon temporal death, while the Scriptures uniformly make future life dependent upon the coming of Christ and the resurrection from the dead. Says the Saviour, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." John vi, 39. In case of a failure on the part of Christ to raise those given him by the Father, the above passage would prove them all lost. Again, Paul in writing to the Corinthians bases the whole object of his preaching and labors in Christ upon a resurrection from the dead, representing those that sleep in Christ as "perished" in case of a non-resurrection, and continues, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order; Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." 1 Cor. xv, 12-23. Mark how carefully the apostle keeps in view the order they that are dead said to "sleep in Christ." If Christ comes not to wake them from their sleep and raise them, they are "perished" or "lost;" which proves positively the entire unconsciousness of the dead during the intervening time of death, and the second coming of Christ to raise them from the "perished" or "lost" condition which they were in. We might add passage after passage from the Bible to prove this point, but here we leave it by asking those who hold to the view that future life commences at death, to ponder the above charge in their minds and whether they do not virtually destroy the beauty and importance of the resurrection of the dead, by sending men and women to their reward and punishment at death instead of the resurrection. Perhaps no subject has been so loaded down with misrepresentations, false statements, and extravagant theological notions, as has been the subject of the future condition of the wicked and righteous. When we read the many contradictory articles from the pens of great men, describing the final condition of the incorrigible and righteous, one would think the Lord had entirely left out of the volume of inspiration what should be the condition of saint and sinner hereafter. By some, Heaven is defined to be a region far away "beyond the bounds of time and space" and there on one side of an impassable abyss, is the abode of the saved immortal immaterial souls without body or parts, in all activity praising and glorifying God; while on the other side of the gulf or abyss, in sight and hearing are the immortal immaterial souls of the impenitent, suffering indescribable torture, anguish and pain, tossed and beaten about by the surging waves of an "unfathomable sea of liquid fire," and that through the endless cycles of eternity. Others contend that the departed souls instead of going to their respective rewards and punishments at death, remain in paradise in a state of intuition until the resurrection. Akin to this is the purgatory of the Roman Catholic; both, sort of half way places; but the purgatory of the Catholics seems to have this redeeming quality over the Protestant's paradise, namely, to be prayed out from their half-way station and take their final flight to the home of the blessed, sanctified and made pure in the crucible of purgatory. Mr. Buck in his Theological Dictionary, article Heaven, writes thus, as to the locality of Heaven: "Some have thought it to be beyond the starry firmament; and some of the ancients imagined that their dwelling would be in the sun. Others supposed the air to be the seat of the blessed. Others, that the saints will dwell upon the earth when it shall be restored to its paradisal state; but these suppositions are more curious than edifying, and it becomes us to be silent where divine revelation is so." What! divine revelation silent as to the location of Heaven and the final abode of the saints? So says the learned Mr. Buck; but what Seventh-day Adventist believes it? Surely not I. My Bible is well supplied with vivid and glorious descriptions of the heavenly country, where it will be located and the time when the weary and careworn pilgrim will rest his foot on its glorious shore. Praise the Lord, brethren, that we have this in our Bibles and can see it so, though Mr. Buck did not. Again we quote from Mr. Benson, "an acknowledged standard orthodox writer of Methodism," describing the sufferings of the lost in hell. Hear him and believe it you who can: "God is present in hell in his infinite justice, almighty power, as an unfathomable sea of liquid fire, where the wicked must drink in everlasting torture. The presence of God in his vengeance, scatters darkness and woe through the dreary regions of misery. As Heaven would be no Heaven if God did not there manifest his love; so hell would be no hell if God did not there display his wrath. It is the presence of God which gives everything virtue and efficacy; without it there can be no life, no sensibility, no power. God is therefore himself present in hell to see the punishment of those rebels against his government, that it may be adequate to the infinitude of their guilt. His fiery indignation kindles, and his incensed fury feeds the flames of their torments; while his powerful presence and operation maintains their being and renders all their powers most acutely sensible; thus setting the keenest edge upon their pain, and making it out most intolerably deep. He will exert all his divine attributes to make them as wretched as the capacity of their being will admit." Such is Mr. Benson's description of hell and the sufferings of the lost; but we choose rather to believe the description given us from Heaven. Compare with the above what Paul says, "Punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power." Had Mr. Benson thought seriously how 2 Thess. i, 9, read, he would have left out a good share of the above extract from his writings; for it plainly contradicts the ascription of the anguish and sufferings of the wicked in hell to the presence of God there. But again we take up another author, and see what he may have to say on this subject, and instead of reading about an "unfathomable sea of liquid fire," behold the punishment is very different; it is here "compunction of conscience," and so they give as many different descriptions nearly of hell and Heaven as there are individuals who have written on the subject. Their views are vague, foggy, and contradictory. But says one they get it all from the Bible. This I deny. No such contradictory teachings are found in the word of God. It is the production of mortal man blinded by prejudice, and erroneous teachings consequent upon a false system of theology. When the Scriptures are read with a view of ascertaining the saints' future inheritance, the idea gained from the search is none other than that of "land," "earth," many times told or promised with the qualification, "new earth," "renew the face of the earth," attached; hence the conclusion that the final inheritance of God's people will be this earth in its redeemed or renewed state, as the following scriptures, and the natural conclusions drawn from them plainly teach. In Dan. ii, 44, we read that "in the days of" certain ten kings which took their rise out of the Roman empire between A. D. 356 and 488, "the God of Heaven sets up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all those kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." The point we wish to notice in the prophecy is this: Whereas the four universal monarchies, as symbolized by the great metallic image, had their locality on the154earth, so also will God's everlasting kingdom be located on the earth, "for it dashes in pieces all earthly governments, ere it succeeds to their rule and absorbs their territory." It is also said of this kingdom that it "shall not be left to other people." This cannot be understood in its absolute sense as meaning that no people whatever should be privileged with a right to a locality or inheritance therein, but simply it should not be left any more to a people possessing characters like that of the four preceding kingdoms. For it is left and given to a people characterized as the "saints of the Most High" never to be succeeded by others, the gift of which is free, full, and final. Dan. vii, 22-27. With the above prophecy agree those positive declarations interspersed in God's word; as for instance: "The righteous shall inherit the earth," "dwell in the land," "feed upon the heritage of Jacob," "eat the good of the land," "remain in it," "never be removed," &c., which must have reference to this earth as given to the saints after its restoration from the effects of the curse. While in contrast it is said of the wicked, "They shall perish," "go to perdition," "be consumed," "be devoured," "be rooted out and cut off," &c. Many would have us believe however, that the possessions of land, &c., given the saints, has reference to this life and not to the life to come. But to apply it thus, would not be true in point of fact; for who ever knew a righteous man after coming in possession of his farm, to "remain in it," "and never be removed?" Are not the wicked and righteous indiscriminately cut down and brought to an end as far as this life is concerned? Hear Job speaking on this point: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble." "He fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not." "His countenance is changed and he is sent away." Job xiv, 1, 2, 20. What reader of the Review is there who cannot testify to the above description of man's transient stay here in this life as being verified in the death of a relative or friend of his? Alas true it is! How true it is also, while in this transitory state, that the righteous instead of being blessed with pre-eminence in the inheritance of land, &c., are often situated in just the opposite condition. We see the wicked possessing altogether the largest share of this world's goods, land, &c. So it is now, and so it was in the days of David. He says of himself, "But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped." Ps. lxxiii, 2. The cause of all this was the prosperous condition of the unrighteous in this life; for, he continues, "I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked; for there are no bands in their death; but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men neither are they plagued like other men. Their eyes stand out with fatness, they have more than heart could wish." Ps. lxxiii, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12. In this unhappy condition of mind we find David on his way into the sanctuary of God; and there he finds balm to soothe his troubled heart; there God reveals to him the future condition of the wicked, their being "cut off," to "perish," be "consumed," "come to an end," &c. It would rather seem that David did not have, up to this time a clear view concerning the end of the wicked; for he says, "then understood I their end." Here he gets a full understanding of the whole matter. Though the wicked is seen "in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree," "yet he passes away," must leave all his wealth, pomp, and honor for others to lavish their lusts upon, and himself be deprived of owning one foot of land in the future kingdom, entirely "cut off," entirely deprived of a being therein. With this view of the matter as learned in the sanctuary, David is now prepared fully to instruct others who might be troubled as he was concerning the prosperity of the wicked as follows: "Fret not thyself because of evil doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity." The reason is, "They shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb." And now where is the inheritance? It is left to others; and he is cut down without one glimmer of hope of ever enjoying the bliss of eternal life. What a loss! In contrast we are exhorted, however poor and afflicted our condition in this life, to "do good," "delight" ourselves "in the Lord," "rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him," "cease from anger and forsake wrath." And as the reward for all this, we read, "Thou shalt dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed," and in the words of the prophet we might add, "with the heritage of Jacob thy father." Isa. lviii, 14. In the following scriptures this contrast is beautifully presented to us, "Those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth; but 'evil doers shall be cut off.'" "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright; and their inheritance shall be forever." "Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." Query. Where will hell be at that time? Again, "For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off." "The Lord . . . forsaketh not his saints, they are preserved forever . . . shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever." "But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs; they shall consume, into smoke shall they consume away." Reference is here made by David to the manner in which the fat of lambs and other fed beasts was literally consumed by the fire on the altar of burnt offerings in the typical sanctuary. So also, in the same manner the wicked are literally to be consumed by the great fire that "comes from God out of heaven and devours them." Rev. xx. 9. This is very plain and conclusive, and must carry with it a convicting evidence to every unprejudiced mind; that as the one was consumed on the altar of burnt offering, so, literally so, will the wicked be consumed in the end of the world. If the current teaching of the times be true of never-ending life to the wicked, David was greatly mistaken when he made the declaration that the enemies of the Lord would be "consumed" like or "as" the fat of lambs is "consumed away." Query. Did the fat of lambs and other fed beasts stand the test of the burning flame of the altar, burning and never burn up? Or did it waste and consume away as David testifies? To this also agrees the prophecy of Malachi, iv, 1, 3, that the fire at the close of the "great and terrible day of the Lord," shall "burn up" leaving "neither root nor branch." All we find left is "ashes," trodden down under the feet of the righteous. How harmoniously David and Malachi write us to the effect of fire upon the enemies of the Lord! Nothing here surely but a clean sweep of every vestige of their being. Again the terms used relative to the condition of both classes denote no eternal life happy or unhappy only to one class, only to the righteous, as a reward for obedience. The other class have to them threatened death, "second death." Peter asks the question, "What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1 Peter iv, 17. Ezekiel answers as follows: "The soul that sinneth it shall die." But the common theory makes Peter's question and Ezekiel's declaration superfluous by answering Peter, that people have no end, and contradicting Ezekiel by saying, they never die. Eze. xviii, 20, 21. But the Lord continues, "I have set before you life and death . . . therefore choose life." Deut. xxx, 19. The Saviour when about to leave his disciples gives them the consoling promise, "Because I live ye shall live also." John xiv, 19. How different the language when addressing the wicked, "he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John iii, 36. "That is it exactly, says the objector, the wrath of God is never appeased, it abideth for ever and ever on the head of the wicked." Not quite so fast. We find by searching that, "God's fiery indignation devours his adversaries," Heb. x, 27, and in another place "that his indignation ceases and his anger in their destruction," Isa. x, 25, and also of his "indignation as overpast." Isa. xxvi, 20, 21. Then God's wrath abideth until the complete overthrow of all his enemies, and a clean universe is made for his saints. We now leave this interesting subject by citing the minds of those who may object, to the last account we have in the Bible concerning the gloomy condition of the wicked contrasted with the righteous. In Rev. xx, 12, 13, we have an account of the resurrection of the wicked, that of the righteous having transpired 1000 years previous; hence the relative term, "first resurrection." The last two lines of Rev. xx, 4, compared with 1 Cor. vi, 2, 3, give us a clear idea of the work which the subjects of the first resurrection participate in, which is to pass judgment on wicked men and angels, which is a judgment to condemnation preparatory to a retributive resurrection. After this resurrection we find them actively engaged, the Devil at their head, encircling in battle array the "camp of the saints and the beloved city," the very one which John "saw coming down from God out of Heaven," Rev. xxi, 2, and while in this their last great rebellion, we read that "fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Verse 9. Do you believe dear reader, that this great fire really devours them? or are they forever preserved therein? Which way shall it be? I fully believe the former, or else John would not be writing about those cast into this fire as dying the "second death." Verses 6 and 14. Nor would the prophet represent them as converted into ashes and trodden under the feet of the righteous. Mal. iv. Here then we have them, saint and sinner, one safely encompassed by the gorgeous walls of the glorious city of God, while the wicked are without shelter, suffering the terrible shower of "snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest which shall be the portion of their cup." Psa. xi, 6. In addition to all this horror, the greatest of all anguish, "which cuts most intolerably deep," is the idea that they have lost eternal life. The beauty of the inheritance is now pictured before them in the most glowing colors. Those within the city walls are soon to have given to them the earth, renewed by the very fire that is now preying upon the wicked, and they will enjoy its beauty and its luxuriant productions, while the wicked are cast away and lose all. All this is deeply realized by their already heavily-burdened souls, not because it was not for them; but because they would not have it when it was to be had on terms within their reach. Oh how horrible must be such thoughts to the lost at that time! Think of it dear reader. Meditate upon your own condition if not saved. The loss of eternal life! Oh what a loss! May the beauty of the inheritance, the great sacrifice of Christ for us, the great price at which redemption has been purchased for us, serve as incentives to prompt us onward in this good begun work, and we at last stand on the Mount Zion.