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the words shall be fulfilled, "There shall be no night there" (Rev.21: 25), even as there
shall be "no more sea," and "no more curse," &100:
The same clause "day and night" must be allowed its bearing upon other similar
passages, e.g., Rev. 14: 9-11. The expression, "the smoke of their torment ascendeth up
for ever and ever" (Rev. 14: 11), and "her smoke rose up for ever and ever" (Rev. 19: 3)
is also emphasized by many as teaching the doctrine of eternal torment. If we turn,
however, to Isaiah 34: 8-10, we shall find the passage which supplies the figure in
Revelation for the imagery of the Apocalypse is that with which the Old Testament
prophets were quite familiar. Moreover, the period of time mentioned is Isa. 34:
points to the period of Revelation, "The day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of
recompenses for the controversy of Zion" (cf. Rev. 1: 10). The judgment pronounced is:--
"The streams thereof shall become burning pitch. . . . it shall not be quenched night
nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever. . . . none shall pass through it for ever."
Let those who will have the passages of Revelation to mean eternity, act honourably
with this, and proclaim faithfully to their traditions, but in opposition to the Scriptures,
that in the new heavens and new earth this burning pitch, this unquenchable fire, this
ascending smoke will mar the perfection of that ultimate of redeeming love. They have
only to read the opening verses of the very next chapter in Isaiah to be confuted, "The
parched land shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water."
Another passage, so often quoted in this connection, is Mark 9: 44, "Where their
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Special attention is called to the word
"their." We are asked to notice that the Lord does not say "the worm," but "their worm."
The gnawing of the individual conscience is among the many things that this expression
is made to man. The fallacy of the traditional interpretation, and at the same time, the
true meaning of the passage, is found by turning to the Old Testament scripture from
which the Lord Jesus quotes, viz., Isaiah 66: 24:--
"And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have
transgressed against Me, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched,
and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."
Here the Scriptures tell us that carcasses are the objects of this worm and fire, and all
the learning and argument in the world cannot make us believe that carcasses can be
subject to conscious suffering, yet the word "their" which is so emphasized is found here
twice. Further, when we know that the word "Hell" of Mark 9: 43 is Gehenna (the place
where the offal and rubbish were consumed outside the city), the figure of destruction is
all the more emphasized.
We have not touched upon the positive teaching of the Scriptures as to the "wages of
sin," but have sought to lay before the reader some of the statements and proof texts
which are used to support that which we have become convinced is a lie, and most
God-dishonouring doctrine. In our next article we shall (D.5:) seek to show what the
Lord has said with regard to this tremendous subject. Meanwhile, we ask our readers
during the next two months to make a collection of the statements of Paul in his epistles