PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian faith
Torrey, R. A. (Reuben Archer), 1856-1928 · 84,531 words · 139 reading sections
Part 121
There is only one way to settle this question right, that is by going to the Bible and finding out what it says, and taking our stand firmly and unhesitatingly upon that. We have seen the last three Sunday nights that the Bible is beyond an honest question God's word, so whatever the Bible says on this subject, or any …
278 wordsSECTION 122I. HELL AND HADES ARE NOT THE SAME
First of all, in order to clear the way for the study of what Jesus says on this subject, let me call your attention to the fact that Hell and Hades are not the same. There are numerous places in the Authorised Version where we find the word "Hell" but where that word does not occur in the Revised Version, and where th…
474 wordsSECTION 123II. THERE IS TO BE A LITERAL HELL
Having cleared the way by removing the misapprehension so common in the minds of people to-day, that Hades and Hell are the same, now let us say next that _there is to be a Hell_. The Bible says so, Jesus says in Matt. 5:22, +"but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the j…
852 wordsSECTION 124III. IS THE FIRE OF HELL LITERAL FIRE?
The next question that confronts us is, Is the fire of hell mentioned in some of the passages we have read, literal fire? This is not so vital a question as the question, is there a literal hell, but nevertheless it is an important question, and I believe the question is plainly answered in the Bible, and plainly answe…
752 wordsSECTION 125Part 125
Remember furthermore that the wicked in the eternal world are not mere disembodied spirits. This is plain both from the Old Testament and the New. We read in Dan. 12:2: +"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."+ Now this sa…
662 wordsSECTION 126Part 126
1. Let us look first at the biblical usage of the word "Death." Many tell us, time and time again, that death means non-existence, or at least non-conscious existence, and therefore that is what it must mean in the passages where it is spoken of as the future punishment of the impenitent. But does "death" _as used in t…
410 wordsSECTION 127Part 127
2. Now let us look at what "_Destruction_" means in the New Testament. We are told by a certain school of religious thought that "destruction" means destruction. Yes, "destruction" means destruction, but what does destruction mean? They say it means annihilation, or ceasing to be, but the Greek word so translated never…
879 wordsSECTION 128IS FUTURE PUNISHMENT EVERLASTING?
Jesus Christ plainly taught that there was to be a literal hell and that this hell would be a place of conscious suffering, suffering far beyond that experienced by any one here in this present life, but we are faced by another question of great importance, Is this future, conscious suffering of the impenitent to be _e…
344 wordsSECTION 129I. WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES REGARDING THE ENDLESSNESS OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT
1. To find out exactly what the Bible teaches as to the endlessness of future punishment let us turn first of all to the words of our Lord Jesus Himself in Matt. 25:46 (R. V.), +"And these shall go away into eternal punishment: but the righteous into eternal life."+ The first question that confronts us in studying this…
868 wordsSECTION 130Part 130
Nor is this all, God Himself determines it to mean _never ending_: He defines it to mean never-ending by specifically using it in contrast with that which does end. For example, in 2 Cor. 4:18 we read, +"While we look not on the things which are seen, but the things which are unseen: for the things which are seen are t…
410 wordsSECTION 131Part 131
2. We might rest the case here and call it proven, but let us turn to another passage, Rev. 14:9-11, +"And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, If any man worshipeth the beast and his image and receiveth a mark on his forehead, or upon his hand, he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath …
875 wordsSECTION 132Part 132
3. Now let us look at another passage, II Thess. 1:7-9: +"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lo…
546 wordsSECTION 133II. OBJECTIONS
There are several passages of Scripture which those who believe that all men will ultimately repent and be brought to accept Christ and thus saved, urge against what seems to be the plain teaching of the passages we have been studying. 1. The first of these is 1 Peter 3:18-20: +"Because Christ also suffered for sins o…
703 wordsSECTION 134Part 134
3. The third passage that is appealed to is Acts 3:19-21: +"Repent ye therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that so there may come seasons of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send the Christ who hath been appointed for you, even Jesus: Whom the heaven must receive until …
854 wordsSECTION 135Part 135
To sum up the teaching of all these passages that are so often urged to prove universal salvation, there is nothing in any one of the passages, nor in all of them together, to teach that all men will ultimately be saved, and there is nothing in them to in any way conflict with what we have seen to be the honest meaning…
138 wordsSECTION 136III. WHERE ARE THE ISSUES OF ETERNITY SETTLED?
There remains one other important question; and that is, where are the issues of eternity settled. There are those who believe that the punishment of the persistently impenitent is everlasting, that it has no end, but they also believe that the issues of eternity are not settled in the life that now is, but that with m…
608 wordsSECTION 137IV. CONCLUSION
The future state of those who reject in the life that now is the redemption offered to them in Christ Jesus is plainly declared in the Word of God to be a state of conscious, unutterable, endless torment and anguish. This conception is an appalling one, but it is the Scriptural conception. It is the unmistakable, inesc…
839 wordsSECTION 138Part 138
In conclusion, two things are certain. First, the more closely men walk with God and the more devoted they become in His service, the more likely they are to believe this doctrine. Many there are who tell us they love their fellow men too much to believe this doctrine; but the men who show their love in more practical …
614 wordsSECTION 139TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES
When a book of the Bible has multiple volumes, the volume is sometimes referenced with a number and sometimes with a Roman numeral. These references remain as in the original. The abbreviations "i.e." and "e.g." were both spaced and unspaced in the original. Spelling has been made consistent throughout the text. Vari…
446 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.