Chapter
106
Fate of the
Transgressor
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Regarding the
wicked, what question does Peter ask?
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and
if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the
gospel of God?" 1 Peter 4:17.
What does Paul
say is the wages of sin?
"For the wages of sin is death." Rom. 6:23 (Eze. 18:4). NOTE.
- Die. - To cease to live; to expire; to decease; to perish. - Webster.
What will be the
character of this death?
"Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power." 2 Thess. 1:9 (Acts
3:23) (Matt. 10:28).
NOTE. - Destroy. - To
kill; to slay; to ruin; to put an end to. - Webster.
What does the
Saviour say will befall those who do not repent?
"I tell you, Nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all like
wise perish." Luke 13:3
(1 Cor. 1:18) (Job 20:4-6). NOTE.
- Perish.- To die; to lose life; to wither and decay; to be destroyed; to come
to nothing; to be blotted from existence. - Webster.
In what
condition does the apostle say they shall thus perish?
"But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed,
speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish
in their own corruption." 2 Peter 2:12.
To what are the
wicked in their punishment compared?
"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. 37:20.
NOTE. - Consume. - To
destroy by separating the parts of a thing by decomposition, as by fire, etc.;
to bring to utter ruin; to exterminate. - Webster.
What will be the
results of this punishment?
"As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more; but the
righteous is an everlasting foundation." Prov. 10:25.
Will any part of
them be left?
"For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh
shall burn them up, saith the lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither
root nor branch." Mal. 4:1.
What will then
be their condition?
"For as ye have drunk upon My holy mountain, so shall all the heathen
drink continually; yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they
shall be as though they had not been." Obad. 1:16.
Where will the
place of the wicked then be?
"For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou
shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." Ps. 37:10.
NOTE. - It would be
difficult to keep the wicked in eternal torment without any place even, in which
to exist.
The earth in its
present condition is and has been the place of the wicked. Where will they
receive their recompense, death, which is the wages of sin?
"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; much
more the wicked and the sinner." Prov. 11:31.
How is this
accomplished?
"And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp
of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of
heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20:9
Do the wicked go
directly to this punishment at death? If not, when do they receive it?
"The lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to
reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." 2 Peter 2:9
(Job 21:29, 30).
The earth, the
sinner's "place," has been cursed with sin. To what is that reserved?
"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 and perdition
of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7.
What will be the
result of this fire on the earth?
"Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the
heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat." 2 Peter 3:12.
What does our
Saviour call the earth when in this condition?
"The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall
gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
and shall cast them into a furnace of fire." Matt. 13:41, 42.
After the
burning of the earth, what is to come?
"Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Peter 3:13.
NOTE. - The
"place" of the wicked no longer exists. That, too, will be gone.
But where will
the righteous then be found?
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father." Matt. 13:43.
What promise of
the Saviour's will at that time be verified?
"Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth." Matt.
5:5.
What universal
song will be sung?
"And every creature which
is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea,
and 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 forever
and ever." Rev. 5:13.
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