Direct Proof of Destruction
"There are, I know, persons who speak concerning future punishment with an air of cool self-complacency, as being, in their view, easy of investigation and free from embarrassment. I am inclined, perhaps uncharitably, to give them little credit for candor, clearness of intellect, or soundness of character; and greatly doubt whether it has been investigated by them.'' (Dr. Dwight, v. 4, p. 457)
THE PENALTY OF GOD’s LAW IS DEATH; THAT IS, THE LITERAL DESTRUCTION OF THE WICKED AT THE JUDGMENT AND NOT THEIR ENDLESS EXISTENCE IN MISERY.
Those who hold this doctrine are charged, by what are called orthodox churches, with not knowing, or not understanding the Bible; and also with forsaking it, and taking reason for their guide. Being fully convinced that the Bible has not been sufficiently examined on this great subject, I purpose giving the result of four years' study of that precious book, with special reference to this doctrine; and draw a full and faithful map, so to speak, of the Bible on the penalty of the law, by quoting every text for and against the views I advocate. Such an exhibition of passages has not been made, to my knowledge, and I have long felt that it should be done, to aid those who wish to know the truth, but have not time to examine the whole Bible for this purpose.
When a decisive battle is to be fought, generals bring all their forces into the field, and we should imitate them in our contest for truth. This controversy not being with Universalists, I shall of course not pay special attention to all the texts on which they rely for their views; yet I will devote a section to them, and quote their strongest Bible proofs. Should they honor this little work with a perusal, let me kindly ask them to first read this section.—(See the index.)
To see the force or positiveness of proof in the passages I quote to sustain my views, which I will give first, and then present the opposing texts, let the rule of Bible critics be well considered. Andrew Fuller gives it thus—" Every term is to be taken in its proper or primary sense, except there be something in the subject or connection which requires it to be taken otherwise."
When this rule is applied to terms for destruction, we are met with the assertion— "man is immortal, and therefore these terms must not be taken in their primary sense." I only answer at present, that this is purely an assumption; for not a text in the Bible says man is immortal, or has an immortal soul, or deathless spirit. These, and many like expressions, are men's additions to the Bible; and their very frequent use by teachers, should arouse hearers to suspect they are not being taught from the Bible, but by men's inventions. "Mortal man"—" God only hath immortality," is the language of the Bible. Of course the wicked are not immortal, if the Bible declares they are to be literally destroyed as the beasts, and finally burned up. Most of the texts I proceed to quote, or refer to, may be seen to be in plain language; and are selected and judged to refer to the final doom of the wicked. A few of them may be construed to mean only earthly judgments, but as they have been used as proof of the common doctrine, it is necessary to examine them.
I will give first, direct, and then a few strong inferential proofs of my views. The limits I propose, will permit me to draw off only a part of the passages, and give a concordance of the rest.
1.—Die.
Gen. 2 : 17—" Thou shalt surely die."
J. Lock, Esq., the great mental philosopher and Christian, says— "It seems a strange way of understanding a law, which requires the plainest and directest words, that by death should be meant eternal life in misery." If this was meant, then no redemption has been made; for Christ did not thus die. The Bible is plain that he "died for our sins"—" Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us": Gal. 3: 13. His death then tells what the threatening was, and that eternal woe could not be included. The plea that the greatness of his character, made up for this endless misery, is adding to the Bible, or arguing from its silence, just as do the Catholics. These two thoughts alone are enough to overturn all our systems of divinity on this point.
How can we know brutes die, if "to die" is not the extinction of conscious existence? Ecc. 3 : 19-20, tells us they die alike. Again, an endless life in misery is more and worse than death; therefore God, and all the Bible writers used deception if that was meant, for they nowhere explain death to mean it. Prov. 15:10; 19:16; Jer. 31:30; 2 Chron. 25:4; Ez. 3:18, 19,20: Is 4; 17:21; 24:26; 31 32; 33:8, 11, 13, 18.
"The soul that sinneth it shall die" If death means separation of soul and body, as men (not the Bible) say; I ask, what is the death of a soul ? Has that got two parts so as to be separated?
John 11:26; 6:50— "Bread (Christ) may eat thereof and not die" Rom. 8:13— "If ye live after the flesh ye shall die." Did not Paul know how to say "be tormented forever" as well as we? Of course final [second, eternal] death is meant, as those who "walk after the spirit" die a temporal death.— (Twenty texts.)
II. Death.
Deut. 30:15,19; "I set before you life and death."
Of course, Moses did not mean the obedient would not die a temporal death; hence final death was intended. Ps. 7:11, 12; "If he turn not, he hath prepared for him the instruments of death." Prov. 2:18; 5:5; 7:27; 8:36; 14:12; Jer. 21:8; "set before you the way of life, and the way of death." It is serious business to say all the prophets were combined to keep the people blind as to what is meant by death; as no intimation is found that it was eternal misery in the Old Testament.
Matt. 4:16; John 5:24; 8:51; "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." Temporal death, of course, is not here meant; and does he mean misery, or the "second" and final death.
Rom. 5:21 ; 6:16, 21; "For the end of these things is death." Rom. 6:23; "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life." Note the contrast. Rom. 7:5, 10, 13; 8:6; 1:32; 2 Cor. 2:16; 7:10; Heb. 2:15; James 1:15; " Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 5:20.
The second death: Rev. 2:11; 20, 6, 14; 21:8; "Unbelievers, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death."*— (Thirty-three texts.)
McKnight and Whitby, noted commentators, say, "in the second death, the body will die again, and the soul live on in misery." If such assumptions do not deserve ridicule instead of an answer, I know of nothing in catholic expositions that do. But they were the great and good, whom ministers now say could not be mistaken.
III. Destroy.
Ps. 5:6; 52:5 ; "God shall also destroy thee forever —and root thee out of the land of the living.''
Ps. 145:20 ; "The Lord preserveth all them that love him : but all the wicked will he destroy."
Ps. 9:5; 37:38 ; "The transgressors shall be destroyed together." Ps. 92:7 ; "When the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed forever."
Prov. 1:32; 11:3; 7:16; 13:13, 10; 29:1; "He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Matt. 10:28; 1 Cor. 3:17; James 4:12 ; " Who is able to save and to destroy."
Acts 3:23; "And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that prophet, (Christ,) shall be destroyed from among the people." This threat has not yet been fulfilled ; and of course the finishing of Christ's work, as king, is referred to. Notice, the soul (psuche) is to be destroyed. The proper rendering of the Greek is, "shall be utterly exterminated.” How would it sound to say "be tormented from among the people"?
Luke 6:49; " The house fell and became a great heap of ruins."—(Geo. Campbell.) When a brick house falls it is no more a house, and though the materials of which it was built are not annihilated, the house is. Thus we see men are guilty of quibbling when they say " nothing can be annihilated."
2 Pet. 2:12; "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed." 1 John 3:8; "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." Not so, say our creeds, they must be preserved forever, and be greater after ' the Son of God' has finished his work than ever before !!—more misery, and more hatred and cursing!
Rev. 11:18; "That thou shouldest destroy them that destroy the earth"—of course the devil is included. Why not say, " Shut them up in hell" as divines now do ?
Destruction.—Job 31 : 3, 23 ; "Is not destruction to the wicked?" 21: 30; " The wicked is reserved to the. day of destruction." Ps. 73 : 18; 103: 4; Prov. 10 : 29; 21 : 15; Isa. 1 : 28; "The destruction of the transgressors and of the sinners shall be together; and they that forsake the Lord shall be consumed." This time has not yet come, so it predicts the judgment. Matt, 7: 13; "Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction." Rom. 9:22 ; "Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction." 1 Thes. 5:3; 2 Thes. 1:9; " Be punished with everlasting destruction." Why not say torment, Paul ? 1 Tim. 6:9 ; 2 Pet.2: 1; " Bring upon themselves swift destruction" 3:16; "Wrest the scriptures to their own destruction."—{Forty two texts.)
These terms are used five hundred times, and to learn their meaning we must go to the Bible facts where they are used, and not to theologians. When applied to men and beasts, they are synonymous with death, except in a few cases where the context shows they are, like all words, used figuratively. For facts see Jude.—God destroyed in the wilderness all who "came out of Egypt over twenty," etc. "What became of them? Was their happiness only destroyed, as we are told this term means ? No, it was their lives. What became of Sodom, Pharaoh's army, etc.?
IV. Perish
Ps. 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little." Ps. 49:12, " Man being in honor, abideth not : he is like the beasts that perish." V. 20, "And understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish." V. 19, " He shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see light." V. 14, 15, " Like sheep they are laid in the grave… death shall feed on them...but God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave; for he shall receive me." These verses in their connection, show that a final doom is intended, and to “perish like the beasts," is to cease to be, as they do— to remain under “the power of the grave, or of death"—" the second death." Job 20:5-7, “The triumphing of the wicked is short.. .he shall perish forever like his own dung." V. 9, "The eye also which saw him shall see him no more." Ps. 10:16; 92:9; 37:20; See v. 18, "The Lord knoweth the days of the upright:and their inheritance shall be 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." Ps. 87:22, " For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off." —We see a final doom is told in these texts; as the wicked are no more "cut off" nor " perish" than the saints, as yet, but are to be "the many who go in the broad way to (final) destruction," till Christ comes.
Ps. 68:2. "As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God." Remember the Psalms are predictions, and often the prayers of Christ.— They are inspired prayers too. It is absurd to say the prophets for 4,000 years did not know what future punishment would be.
Ps. 73:27; 112:10; Prov. 10:28 ; 11:7; 19:9:21: 28; Isa. 41:11, "They that strive with thee shall perish.. .be as nothing, and as a thing of nought." Surely if they groan and curse for ever, they will not be "as nothing," and they are something while on earth. Job 6:18, "They go to nothing and perish."
Matt. 18:14; Luke 13:3-5; John 3:15, 16; 11:50, "It is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not." The "whole nation perished (died)" on the earth, but "the election" will not “perish" eternally.
John 10 : 28 ; Rom. 2 : 12, " For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law." Acts 13:41 ; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15; 2 Thes. 2:10; 2 Pet. 3:9; 2 : 12, "Shall utterly perish in their own corruption."
If perish and destroy means loss of life in this world, it is folly to guess they do not mean the same in the world to come. A specimen of blindness or perversion is heard in quoting Isa. 57:1, "The righteous perisheth," to prove perish cannot mean death. If men read the Bible with any care they would see by the whole verse that temporal death is meant. — {Thirty-one texts.)
V.—Perdition.
John 17:12, "Lost none but the son of perdition"— (Judas). Phil. 1:28; 2 Thes. 2:23, "Man of sin, the son of perdition." It is admitted that the "man of sin," (popery) is to be ended, and this proves the wicked must be ; for 2 Pet. 3 : 7, says, " The present world is reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 1 Tim. 6:9; Heb. 10:39, "We are not of them who draw back unto perdition." Rev. 17:8-11. — (Eight texts.)
VI.—Consume.
Ps. 37:19, 20, "The wicked.. .into smoke shall they consume away." Ps. 49:14; Isa. 1:28, "They that forsake the Lord shall be consumed." Ps. 104:35, "Let the sinners be consumed, and let the wicked be no more." Good critics tell us that many of David's prayers are predictions, and are the words of Christ; but why did the spirit inspire David to pray, if this be only a prayer, for what he did not mean to grant? Ps. 59:13, "Consume them in wrath; consume them, that they may not be." Certainly if they are only shut up somewhere they "will be [exist]."—(Six texts.)
VII.—Devour.
Ps. 21:9, "The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them." This Psalm is evidently Christ's words, and tells a final doom. Heb. 10:27, " There remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." Here and in 2 Pet. 3:7, we learn where Gehenna (hell) is to be, and what it is, as Lev. 10: 2, and Num. 26: 10, tell us what devour means. — (Two texts.)
VIII. — Slay, Slain, Kill.
Ps. 34:21; 62:3 ; 139:19, "Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, 0 God—ye shall be slain, all of you." When? They have not been slain yet; but Luke 19:27, tells when they will be. " But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me." V. 15, tells the time—the judgment. Prov. 1 : 32; Isa. 11:4, "With the breath of his lips shall ho (Christ) slay the wicked." Matt. 10:28, and Luke 12:4, tells us it is to be done in Gehenna, denoting a place of slaughter at the judgment. Amos 8:14, "They that swear, etc, even they shall fall, and never rise up again." When is this fall to be? If only temporal death be meant, they will " rise up again" in the resurrection — (Eight texts.)
IX.—Blot Out.
Ps. 69:28, " Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous." v. 11 and 26 show these are Christ's words, and so says Dr. Lord, of Buffalo. This text harmonizes with Rev. 3:5—“I will not blot out his name out of the book of life." Again we say the final doom of the wicked was revealed to the prophets of the O. T. It is impious to say these expressions only mean "blotting out" happiness. But perhaps I should forbear such remarks till I show there is not a text demanding such a change. Ps. 9:5," Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever." Predictions are often put in the past tense. Prov. 10:25, “As the whirlwind passeth, so are the wicked no more; but the righteous are an everlasting foundation." — (Four texts.)
X.— Hewn Down.
Matt. 3:10 ; 7:19, " Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire." Do we "cast trees into the fire to preserve them ? Did Christ aim to deceive?— (Two texts.)
XI. — Lose Life.
Matt. 10:39; 16:25, 26; Mark 8:35-37; John 12 25. The import of these seven texts is alike and seen in the last. "He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world, shall keep it unto eternal life."
No doctrine of the Bible is made more plain than the loss of existence to the sinner is here. The repetitions and the comparison shows that Christ meant to be emphatic, and put it beyond the possibility of being misunderstood. The original word psuche (life), is used thirteen times in these texts, but the translators have put it soul four times in Matt. 16:26, and Mark 8:36, 37. Perhaps they translated it soul to prevent repetition, and it is only our expounders who dissemble by pretending that life and soul in these texts mean two things. Let those who dare, say losing life for Christ's sake, in this world, means literal death, but losing life in "the world to come" means only the loss of happiness. I pity those who do so, whether their motives be pure or not — (Eight texts.)
John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life." 1 John 5:12, "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Creeds say they have life! Saints have “the spirit which is the earnest, and seal of their inheritance;" and in this sense they have life now. Eph. 1 : 13, 14; 2 Cor. 1 : 22. How would this text sound, to say “he that hath not the Son, hath not happiness ?" "They (the wicked) have more than heart could wish." Ps. 73:7. — (Eight texts.)
XII.—End.
Ps. 7:9, "0 let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end." Will wickedness be ended, if the wicked live to hate God ?
Heb. 6:8, “Whose end is to be burned."
Ps. 37 : 38, "The end of the wicked shall be cut off."
Phil. 3 : 19, “Whose end is destruction." Neh. 1 : 9.
If men are immortal, then they have no end, and this language is absurd. If we had not became accustomed to absurdities, just as the Catholics have, we should see that the common theory makes the Bible the most contradictory book ever written. — (Five texts.)
XIIL—Not Be.
Ps. 3:16, " For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be: yea thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." Where is hell then ? Prov. 12:7; Obed. 16, " They (the heathen) shall be as though they had not been." 1 Sam. 2:9," He shall keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness." Job 8:22, "The dwelling-place of the wicked shall come to nought." —Margin "not be."— (Five texts.)
XIV.—Cut Off.
Ps. 37:9, "For evil doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord shall inherit the earth." When ? "The new heaven and earth." v. 22 : 28, "His saints are preserved for ever; but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off." v. 38. Ps. 34 : 16, " The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth." — (Five texts.)
XV. — Corruption.
Gal. 6:8," For he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption [decay]; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Note the contrast. (one text.)
XVI.— Ground to Powder.
Matt. 21:44; Luke 20:18, "On whomsoever it (the stone, Christ,) shall fall, it will grind him to powder"[, that is] "Crush him to pieces."—Geo. Campbell.
XVII.—Tear in Pieces.
Ps. 50:22, "Now consider this ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." 1 Sam. 2: 10, " The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces." — (Two texts.)
XVIII.—Put away as Dross.
Ps. 1 19:119," Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross."—{One text.)
XIX.—Nothing and Nought.
Isa. 41:11, 12, " They that war against thee, shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought; and they that strive with thee shall perish." Jer. 10 : 2, " Correct me, but not in thine anger, lest thou bring me to nothing."—(Three texts.)
XX—Burn and Burn Up.
Mal. 4:1, "'For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up,' saith the Lord of Hosts, 'that it shall leave them neither root nor branch'" v. 3, "The wicked shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this." Thus the 0ld Testament begins with the threatening of death, and ends with the doom of being "burned up root and branch"; and this tells what "to die" means.
By the above map of the 0ld Testament we find eighty-five threatenings for utter destruction; and as I shall show, not one for endless suffering.
In the same map we have seventy-seven promises of “life" to the righteous. Surely God did not leave his people 4,000 years without the motives of fear and hope as to the endless future. In contrasting the fate of saints and sinners, many other terms are applied to saints, such as, "be preserved for ever",—"inherit the earth”— “redeem me from the power of the grave," etc, and these terms show that the promise of life means existence, and not mere happiness, as we are vainly taught. Such promises fully taught the Jew a resurrection.
But how does the New Testament begin, as to the penalty? Matt. 3:12, " Whose fan is in his hand, and he shall thoroughly purge his floor, and gather the wheat into his garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire"—wrath, vengeance, which never will be quenched. — "Our God is a consuming fire." If single texts could confirm a doctrine, ours is confirmed here: for a stronger comparison cannot be made. "Chaff put in fire to be preserved!" So say our creeds. Mat. 13 : 30, 38, 42, -48, 50, "As therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world," etc.
It is well worthy of notice, that in all Christ's symbolic representations of the final doom of sinners, the disciples never ask an explanation only in this one, and in Luke 12:41, 46; and here the explanation is so plain that it must settle his meaning in all the rest. The answer in Luke agrees with this as having a "portion with unbelievers," is this—" I will cut him in sunder."
It is a double expression of the same thing, as is common in Christ's teaching. Why did they never ask him what he meant by being "cast into the fire of Gehenna (hell)?" The answer is, they were Jews, and knew a disgraceful death at the judgment was meant.
John 15 : 6, " If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch. ..cast into the fire, and they are burned."— Heb. 6:8, " Whose end is to be burned."
Ps. 21 : 9, " And the fire (anger, wrath) shall devour them.' 1—97: 3, "A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies." Ps. 14: 10.—(Nine texts.)
Where in the Bible, have men learned that "burn up" when applied to man, the whole man (for no dividing him is named,) at the judgment, means just the reverse of what it does in this world ?
Here are twenty terms and phrases used 200 times. As I have said, to learn the meaning of Bible words and phrases, we have greatly erred in going to preachers and books. Historical facts in the Bible should guide us. — When I read that all who came out of Egypt over twenty years of age—of the fate of Sodom and Pharaoh's army of the 2,000 swine which ran into the sea, I shall not go to
the learned to find out whether they died, or were only made miserable, when it is said they "perished" and were " destroyed." If perish and destroy means to live in misery, as preachers say, then beasts live in endless woe, for the terms are often applied to them. It is a perfect contradiction in language to say a thing is to be " consumed," " devoured," "burned up," &c, if it is indestructible, as divines say the soul is, or the resurrected man will be.
The people are often told that destructionists do not know Hebrew and Greek, and so cannot know the meaning of the terms they use ; and this passes for good logic with many who are too stupid, or too idle to think and search for themselves. Be it remembered, brethren, that God has not said—" go to others to search the Scriptures for j'ou ;" yet most act as if this was very plainly commanded. But it is false that we have not learned men advocating our views. All can, however, see by the English Bible, that to make all these 200 words mean only a destruction of happiness, is adding to and perverting that sacred book. Universalists have been derided for saying these terms mean only the destruction of sin and evil, mere nonentities ; but they are less absurd than the orthodox, because they try to apply these threatenings to earthly judgments. They offer plausible reasons for applying a few of them there,
Look over the fifty-three texts I have quoted, where the Holy Spirit has said the final doom of the sinner is death, and to die, and ask yourself if he only meant that he should be miserable eternally!! Do the same with the other nineteen terms. If perish means eternal woe in the Bible, then 1 Cor. 15: 18, must mean that "they who sleep in Jesus," are in eternal woe. If destroy is sometimes applied to calamities on earth, it still means the ending of a thing, as of prosperity, liberty, country, character, etc., so to say it does not mean the ending of the thing to which it refers, is false. So when God says the man—the wicked shall be destroyed and perish, it is evasion, or “adding to his words," to say the wicked themselves are not meant.
ANOTHER CLASS OF TEXTS PROVING DESTRUCTION.
As I am arguing with the orthodox and not Universalists and Restorationists, I bring another class of texts as positive proof of destruction, viz., those which tell of the cleanings of the universe from "the last enemy," or all evil. If governments have the power, they put an end to rebellion, by killing off some of the rebels, and then it is properly said, peace and “reconciliation" are restored. I kindly ask Universalists to keep in mind this idea, while I take from them these strong texts on which they rely, and apply them to prove my views.
{Keep in mind that Universalist believe that the traditional hell exists, but not forever.]
Acts 3 : 21, "Whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things."
It will be a strange "restitution" if more misery and sin is produced when Christ comes than ever existed before! This must be, if the popular theory be correct; for all sinners are not now miserable nor very bad—in their hell they would all be so.
1 Cor. 15 : 25, 26, “For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." Are sinners and sin “enemies'' to Christ ? If so, they will be “destroyed." Christ is said to "put enemies under his feet." To have eternal groaning and cursing in a "footstool" would not seem to be pleasant. This is a Bible expression for utter destruction of enemies; see 1 Sam. 3:34; Mal. 4:3; Rom.16:20, and when men say it means only to “shut them up," they add to God's word.
Heb. 2:8; 1:13, are similar. Eph. 1 : 10, "That in the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him."
Phil. 2:10, 11, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Col. 1:19, 20, 24, "For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fullness (power) dwell ; and by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven; and you that were sometime alienated and enemies yet now hath he reconciled." The last clause tells what "reconcile" means.
Rev. 5: 13, " And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth… all that are in them, heard I, saying, blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
Rev. 21:4, "And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying...nor any more pain, for the former things are passed away." v. 5, " And he that sat upon the throne, said, "Behold I make all things new."
Ps. 2:9," Thou (Christ) shalt break them with a rod of iron ; (all the wicked of the earth) thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
1 John 3:8, puts in the key-stone of this class of texts. "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil— he that committeth sin is of the devil." See also Rom. 14:11, and 2 Cor. 5:19.—(Ten texts.)
These ten texts, and others quoted by Universalists, would fully confirm their doctrine, were they not overwhelmed by the previous 200 for destruction. The fact is, and Restorationists see it—if the wicked are immortal, their doctrine is true.
I can only notice briefly some of the expressions in these ten texts. “Heaven and earth," Prof. Stuart says, "was a Hebrew phrase for the universe," and it is seen to be so from their views of astronomy, and the fact that Bible language is accommodated to their views.
xxxxxxx
I ask (1.) where the wicked and devils will be when "all things (in the universe) are reconciled to God"? Col. 1 : 20, Where when "every creature (in the universe) give glory and honor,"'' etc, Rev. 5: 13? (2.) When God "makes all things new" what will hell be? Rev. 21 : 5.
(3.) Divines tells us "death" and "second death," mean "to be tormented" and Rev. 21 : 4, says, “There shall be no more death"—how then can there be torment, if death and torment be synonymous? 0, consistency, thou art a jewel.
(4.) We are told by teachers that there "being no more sorrow, nor pain," means, “there will be none in heaven''; but why then does the Bible not say so? "Add not unto his words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Prov. 30 : 6.
(5.) Creed makers say, "Bowing the knee and confessing to the glory of God," may be done by the wicked,—does it not look like a strange "glory" to confess God is a powerful tyrant? Certainly this must be the confession, unless the wicked are reconciled to God's character, and if so reconciled, and they have "a gnawing conscience," as is told of, why will God keep them in hell? Is he to change his character, and like the devil, delight in torment? (6.) "All things in the universe are to be gathered in one, and in Christ." Eph. 1 : 10. What expounder can tell us how our modern hell, with its legions, is to be "gathered with all things in Christ"?
By reading these ten texts over, it is plainly seen that they all refer to the final result of Christ's mediatorial work; and, of course, we might expect to learn from them what the consequences of sin will be, and what the state of the universe will be when “the kingdom is given up to the Father." The finishing work of Christ, and the state of things that follow, are here told over and over, as if the Spirit designed to make them perfectly plain, in order to reconcile and cheer saints under the woes of temporary evil.
A plain common sense explanation of them all, is briefly given by Melville, of England, an able orthodox divine. In a sermon on 1 Cor. 15:28, entitled the "Termination of the Mediatorial Kingdom,''' on page 147, he says—"The grand design of redemption has all along been the extermination of evil from the universe, and the restoration of harmony throughout God's disorganized empire. It was the main purpose of the Almighty to counteract evil—to obliterate the stains from his workmanship, and to reinstate and confirm the universe in its original purity. To effect this, his Son assumed our nature; (Heb. 2: 14,) and in working out the reconciliation of an alienated tribe, results must extend themselves to every department of creation: (to things in heaven and things in earth,)"... page 148, "Christ is appointed to subdue principalities and powers. He must reign till all enemies are destroyed. Then will evil be finally expelled from the universe; and God may again look forth on his unlimited empire, and declare it not defiled by a solitary stain;—then will be the ‘restitution of all things,'.. .Christ must master evil under its every form, and in its every consequence.... At last, death itself being 'swallowed up in victory'—the universe purged from all pollution, and glowing with a richer than its pristine beauty —this will be evidence that there has been a Mediatorial kingdom, and that nothing could withstand the mediator's sovereignty." Page 149, "When the conquest of satan, and extirpation of evil are accomplished; and no possibility existing that evil may again re-enter the universe, the mediatorial kingdom maybe expected to cease—God will be worshipped by the whole intelligent creation.”
I know that many will, even sneeringly say, 'this is a Universalist explanation’; but it is the only one that can be given without using jesuistic sophistry, and murdering 'the king's English.' But Melville was not a Universalist; for on page 53 he says, "The original curse was a curse of death on the whole man." This and other remarks show he held to destruction. He also shows that Christ is now the only "tree of life" not a " tree" of refuge from hell torments.
INFERENTIAL TEXTS.
Another class of texts which indirectly but strongly prove destruction, are those which promise life to the righteous. All know that life is the opposite of death. Life and live are applied to the believer 214 times in the Bible. Its primary meaning is existence; but suppose we call it happiness, and try how it would sound. That man has a happy life—that is, he has a happy happiness! Another man has a miserable life;—that is to say, he has a miserable happiness!
Job asks, "Why is life given to the bitter in soul ?' — Did he mean, "Why give happiness to the bitter," etc. ? 'Oh, no, it means existence, except where it interferes with the darling system of 'immortal soulism,' seems to be the answer. The seven texts I have quoted would annihilate this system, unless life was wrested from its proper sense— lose life in the world to come—“not see life,” etc. John 3:36.
Why did Christ, not say, “Ye will not come to me that ye might have happiness"—"I give unto them eternal happiness and they shall never be miserable." He knew the word makanios (happy) as well as zoe (life), and uses it nine times in Matt. 5, translated "blessed."
"I set before you life and death " is the theme of both Testaments. Why did Christ promise eternal "life" forty-two times, and everlasting happiness not once? "The glory that shall be revealed," and like expressions show plainly this life will be a happy one ; and of course heirs with Christ" will be so. “Christ came to give life," and why promise it so often, if all men had it by creation?" " Mr. Blindman says, I see plainly why."—Bunyan.
As then these 214 texts promise, and tell of literal life, the penalty was final literal death. As I have said, if this was not the penalty, but life in woe, then Christ has not " given life" to the believer, nor paid the penalty as he did not suffer endless woe. Did the "tree of life" mean a tree of happiness? Since Adam was driven from that tree, Christ takes its place, and we must "eat his flesh," etc, or die.
In the few texts where life and death are used figuratively, the context shows they arc so used. "We know wehave passed from death, unto life is made plain by the one, "he that believeth not is condemned already"—condemned to die. The murderer is in a state of death, doomed to die. but if forgiven, he passes to a state of life—so with the forgiven sinner. Glory to God for this state.—
Paul says, " I was alive without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died"—died to all hope from, and dependence on the law and his own works, or righteousness. Eph. 2: 1, " You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins." V. 3, " Were children of wrath," explains this verse; i. e., they were in a state of death, " condemned (to die) already," and were "in sin," were sinners and doomed to die. Divines make the people believe that death and sin here is one thing, and that to be dead is only to be a sinner ; and then cry out, death does not mean loss of life or existence. Let us see how correct they are. "Sin entered into the world, and death by sin : and so death passed upon all men, for (because) that all have sinned." Rom. 5 : 12. V. 17, " By one man's offence death reigned." V. 21, "Sin hath reigned unto death, so grace reigns....unto eternal life." We see here the Bible and men do not agree—sin and death are two things.
Let me see if I can make this text plain :—
The murderer is dead in law, and is "in sin"—is a transgressor, but he finds to his sorrow, that sin and dying are two very different things, though sin causes his death. So the threatening "thou shalt die," is perverted to mean moral death. How does it sound ? 1 If you sin, you shall be a sinner'! Adam became a sinner when he transgressed, but that was not the penalty—that was death. Thus the Bible is "wrested" to make out that life and death are figurative, and do not mean exwtewe, when they tell our final doom. Thus all the texts where life and death are used figuratively, can be easily explained, without murdering language. But now turn to the 114 texts where life tells the state and final reward of the righteous ; and to the tifty-three where die and death apply to the sinner's final doom, and you will see they must be taken in their literal sense. Mystifying these words has thrown dust into the eyes of Christians long enough. Theso 214 texts then are strong inferential proof of destruction.
Since writing the above, I have read with care, Prof Stuart's ten pages (pane 94-101) in which he labors to make life and death figurative when applied to our fine] reward, and I pronounce his argument a "cunningly devised fable." 2 Pet. 1:16. But he held to immortality, and was opposing Universalists and had no other way to meet them, nor to harmonize immortality with the threatening of death, than by making it mean life in misery. He says, "Should one range the whole compass of human language, he could find no two terms so significant as these, (life and death,) in order to designate the joys of heaven, or the pains of hell. To do this, they must indeed be figuratively employed. But the same is true of all other words that are or could be used for the same purpose.'' I ask if ”joy, glory, peace, rest, blessed," etc, are used "figuratively" when they are applied to the heavenly state ? Are they not more "significant" than life? " Christ came to give us life? so that we could have glory, joy, etc. ; but the life and joy and glory are two very different things.
Again, I ask if "pain, torment," etc, are not more “significant terms" to tell a state of woe, than “death" is? I ask too if "they must be figurative,” as he says, when used to " designate" such a state?
With my scanty knowledge, I think Stuart had need to “range the compass of human language" again. If the threatening of death to Adam meant loss of holiness, or spiritual death,' then what will "the second death" be? Will they only become sinners the second time? If "eating of the tree of life” did not mean the obtaining of existence, then it meant the obtaining of holiness or spiritual life. Did God wish to prevent this by shutting out of the garden? The same thing lost by the first tree, was to be gained by the second. The truth is, God did not mean to have man live for ever in a state of sin, and thanks to his name, he will accomplish his object.
The argument or doctrine that the death threatened to Adam, implied a compound of spiritual, temporal, and eternal death,—the latter implying life in torment, is a compound of consummate folly!!
I am aware, Universalist friends, that this remark hits you in part, as you too say the threatening implied spiritual death, though not eternal woe. But it is good to be right in part.
A BRIEF REVIEW.
First.—Do not these 210 passages afford moral demonstration that the wicked are mortal, soul and body, and will cease to be when the sentence of the judgment is executed as is the sentence of the judge on the capital offender? I affirm that no doctrine of the Bible is as clearly and abundantly proved, except the being and attributes of the Deity, and the assurance of eternal life for the righteous. No doctrines but these have as large a number of texts on which to rest. Reason would dictate that the penalty of God's law would be made as full and plain as its promises. The semi-civilized Chinese seem to understand the importance of this principle, as it is said they cause their penal code to be read to all the people yearly.
I am often met with the remark, that we cannot found a doctrine on particular terms, and so the above terms fail to help me. This is false, where words are plain, numerous and to one point. How do we prove the atonement except by the terms "Christ died for our sins,"—" gave his life for us," etc. ? These terms are plain, and so are those for destruction. The papal doctrine of the power of the pope and priests, founded on the terms "Keys of the kingdom of heaven," and " what ye bind on earth," etc, is a specimen of relying on a few terms—and mind too. These are figurative. Besides, comparisons help these terms, —as "chaff," "tares," "destroyed as beasts," etc.
I remark secondly, I have quoted about twenty words and phrases, which are about 400 times used, one-half giving positive, and the other half strong inferential proof of destruction; and all these expressions by the Holy Spirit, are, and must be changed from their primary, to a figurative sense to disprove the doctrine, and sustain the popular penalty. Ponder them well, dear reader, and you will see I am not mistaken; God's book is before you.
I assert, without fear of refutation, that another such a wholesale perversion of God's word cannot be found, and was never made in Christendom. Other truths have been cried down, and other errors held up, by changing the common sense meaning of a few texts, or terms, but here is wholesale work with a vengeance. I am giving facts, and not opinions.
It is a notorious fact, that in our theological works, a nondescript dictionary is made, with definitions as follows —To be dead, means to be more conscious; to die, is to live on in woe. To lose life, is to preserve a miserable existence. Life means happiness. To burn up, to make a living salamander. To destroy, is to preserve whole. To devour, perish, consume, etc, means to make indestructible and immortal. Not to be, to be without end.
Of course, reasons are assigned, and excuses made for asking the people to accept this dictionary, and approve its definitions.
The sum of all the reasons is, that the wicked are immortal, and so these terms must be thus wrested from their literal meaning.
But how is this immortality proved?
I will notice briefly in this and the next chapter the main arguments, except the one that the wicked are to suffer for ever, leaving this for the following chapters.
THE RESORT TO THE BIBLE TO PROVE IMMORTALITY.
Two texts are commonly quoted to prove we were created immortal. Gen 1:27, "So, God created man in his own image." Dr. Dwight, in sermon 22, says, "Being made in the image of God," means being so in knowledge and holiness, and quotes as proof Col. 3:10, "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Eph. 4:24, “Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” Here we are plainly told what was meant by the image of God, and immortality happens not to be the quality or likeness.
The idea is, God had created animals, and now wished to create one out of the same "dust of the earth," with knowledge sufficient to possess a moral character, like himself. Dr. Dwight says, "This is the broad distinction between men and animals." (Sermon 22)
We have found out, by experience, that we were not made in God's image or likeness, as to power, omnipotence, etc, but we will have to live through eternity, before we learn we were made immortal, unless he tells us so; which He certainly has not done in the Bible; that promise is to those “who seek for it." Rom. 2 : 7.
Bishop Whately justly says, “The words life and immortality, are never applied to the condition of the wicked in the Scriptures." Weak or deluded must be the head which can see the least particle of proof for immortality in this text: yet a college learned (not Bible) Baptist minister, lately referred me to this text as proof of immortality, and it is a common refuge. Verily, 'drowning men catch at a straw.' The ‘dark ages' are not past.
The other text to prove man was made immortal, or with an immortal soul, is Gen. 2: 7, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives, (plural) and man became a living soul," (creature, as the original signifies.) Note “Man was made of the dust;” so if " breath" meant a soul or living entity, another part, that was not "the man" for the man was "dust"—" dust thou art," not "thy body is dust, as divines make it mean, by adding to what is written. But soul has become a great word in the 19th century. Let us see what it meant in Bible times. In this text it is said, "And man became a (nephesh chayiah) a living soul." Gen. 1 : 2-1 reads, " Let the earth bring forth the {nephesh chayiah) living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things." Gen. 2 : 19, " The Lord formed every beast... and brought them unto Adam. ...and whatsoever Adam called every (nephesh chayiah) living creature, that was the name thereof." Gen. 6: 19, " And of every (nepliesh chayiah) living thing of all flesh. ...shalt thou bring into the ark to keep them alive with thee."—Here and in more than twenty other places, the same words translated "living soul," are applied to beasts; but the translators have them living creature or thing, etc. Chayiah, is living, so man became a "living creature" or living soul; and if this means an immortal soul, then all beasts and creeping things have such. Thus we see the unlearned are kept in ignorance by deceitful translators, and the learned expounders keep up the deception, and will not make "the vision plain."
But as I have thus censured, and the subject is of importance, it is necessary to add something more.
ERRORS IN OUR TRANSLATION.
Corruption has been practiced by the translators, and especially by learned expounders, in relation to the five original words translated soul and spirit. The learned tell us soul and spirit, means a part of man which is immortal, and so cannot die, perish, etc. Let us see briefly what faithful learned critics and the Bible teaches as to the" words nesme. nephesh, ruach, Hebrew, and psuche and pneuma,. Greek, translated soul and spirit.
(1.) Nesme.—Taylor, in his Hebrew Concordance, says, "Nesme signifies the chamelion, a kind of lizard, which always has its mouth open, gaping for the air, upon which it is said to live." In 1 Kings 17 : 17, we read, “His sickness was so sore, that there was no breath [nesme) left in him." In v. 21, " Elijah cried, let this child's soul (nephesh, same as nesme,) come in him again.”
"Here" say divines, "is proof that man has a soul which leaves the body when he dies." If this is not perverting God's word, both by the translators and expounders, I ask what is?
(2.) Nephesh.—Parkhurst says, “As a noun, it has been supposed to signify the spiritual part of man. or what is called his soul. I must, for myself, confess that I can find no passage where it hath undoubtedly this meaning." Taylor says, “Nephesh signifies the animal life, or that principle by which every animal lives." He does not even intimate that it ever signifies an immortal soul, “which survives the death of the body." Yet this Hebrew word is translated soul 471 times, and life and live about 150 times; also, man, person, self, they, him, me, breath, heart, mind, appetite, the body, lust, creature, and twenty-eight times applied to beasts, and every creeping thing. Thus we see how easy it is for the unlearned to be deceived about the meaning of the word soul.
(3.) Ruach.—Taylor says, “It first and properly signifies the wind, air, breath.”- Corruption in its translation and explanation, is seen in Ecc. 8: 19-21. “They (men and boasts,) have all one breath, (ruach)." v. 21, It is “who knoweth the spirit (ruach) of men that goeth upward, and the spirit (ruach) of the beast that goeth downward to the earth"? Here again we see how the church is kept in the dark, by being taught that breath and spirit mean two things, in such texts. Here too we see how absurdly men reason, or think; if spirit means an immortal part of creatures on earth, then beasts have such a part, and it “goeth downwards."
(4.) The Greek word psuche has the same meaning as nephesh in Hebrew; and Parkhurst's first sense of it is, "breath, animal life, a living animal that lives by breathing," etc. It is used 105 times in the N. T., and translated soul fifty-nine times, and life forty; also, mind, us, heart, and twice applied to beasts. Rev. 8:9; 16:3.
The deception in translating it soul instead of life is seen plainly in Mat. 16:25-26, and Mark 8:36-37, where it is rendered four times life and four times soul. V. 25 is "for whosoever will save his life (psuche) shall lose it." V. 26, " For what is a man profitted if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul [psuche)"? The learned tell the people that psuche (life) in v. 25 means literal life, and we should lose it, if need be, in persecutions: but in v. 26, they say, the same word, psuche (life), means an immortal soul which cannot lose life, or die. But they are careful not to tell them the original words are the same.
Had psuche been rightly rendered in these texts, no one would have thought of going to them to prove that men have immortal souls to lose in the world to come. They will have resurrected lives to lose there; and Christ says, positively, that those who will not bear persecution for his sake shall lose them there.
(5.) The Greek word pneuma, is the same as the Hebrew word ruach: see its meaning above. It is rendered both spirit and life. Rev. 13:15, “And he had power to give pneuma, life, unto the image," etc. James 2:26, "For as the body without the pneuma, spirit, is dead," etc. In both these texts the translators put it breath in the margin, as being as right as spirit and life; and why do they do it if pneuma meant an immortal part of man? —Butterworth gives spirit seventeen meanings in the Bible, and we should think it rather a changeable word upon which to found proof of man's immortality.
Here as we have all the Bible proofs that man was made with an immortal soul—even two texts, and the uncertain words soul and spirit—rather an airy foundation, good sense will say, even if there were no opposing texts.
I need quote but three opposing texts out of many to show the folly of popular expositions :—Job 4:17, " Shall mortal man be more just than God?" At your peril, “add not to the words of the book," and say it only means a "mortal body." Rom. 2 : 7, tells us that those who "seek for immortality" will have " eternal life." 1 Tim. 6 : 16, "God only hath immortality."
If one-quarter the time had been spent in examining the doctrine of destruction, which has been spent on the far less important matters of Baptism, Armenianism, Calvinism, church order, etc, endless misery would now be "among the things that were."
But I turn to another reason for changing terms for destruction from their literal sense.
Comments