Part 11 (2/2)
summoning the wicked of a sin-cursed world, to arise and come to judgment.
See! the Earth is convulsed from the centre to its circ.u.mference, and is ”rocking to and fro, as a drunken man.” Graves are opening on every hand, and from all the Earth, from deep dark seas and oceans' depths, behold the pale, _ghastly_ mult.i.tudes coming forth, filled with terror and dismay. Mountains are sinking, and valleys rising, like surgings of contending billows; and their rocky foundations, though ten thousand feet deep, are breaking into fragments! A tempest of G.o.d's fiery indignation is smiting the Earth! Hear the muttering thunders of the judgment storm! see the dread lightnings flas.h.i.+ng amidst the surrounding gloom! The internal magazine-fires of the Earth are belching forth their molten lava, which is lifting the deep foundations of seas and oceans into mountain-peaks, and rolling _fiery billows_. See! behold! the Universal conflagration of the world! seas, oceans, and all the Earth, one vast sheet of _flame_. While the angel (which John saw) ”_standing in the Sun_” calls in thunder tones, ARISE YE DEAD AND COME TO JUDGMENT! And then swears by Him, that liveth forever and ever, ”TIME SHALL BE NO LONGER.”
The unnumbered millions of resurrected bodies of the wicked would fain refuse a reunion with their long lost souls, and fall back and be consumed or annihilated by the raging elements. But now, for the wicked there is no place of safety. They refused the refuge once freely offered them in the ”cleft side of the Redeemer,” and trifled away their days of grace, and now the stern reality of the threatened judgment is upon them. Their souls, perhaps, have already suffered for thousands of years in fiery torments, and now death and h.e.l.l give up their dead to a reunion, that all may receive their final sentence from the ”Judge of quick and dead” to depart and ”dwell in everlasting burnings.”
In their direful extremity they would fain ”flee from the presence of G.o.d.” Hear them calling upon the fiery whirlwind-tempest of rocks, and moving mountains ”to fall on them, and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the Throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,” and crying aloud, ”BEHOLD! THE GREAT DAY OF HIS WRATH HAS COME; WHO SHALL BE ABLE TO STAND?” Yet these fragments of a convulsed and dismembered universe are restrained from performing such office of mercy, and by the Word--which created them--are hurled back into the raging chaotic storm, to ”melt with fervent heat” and mingle with the elements in the convulsive throes of a _wrecked world_, which is being consumed by the ”SPIRIT-FIRES” OF JEHOVAH'S WRATH.
”And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and h.e.l.l delivered up the dead which were in them; and I saw the dead small and great stand before G.o.d, and they were judged according to their works. And death and h.e.l.l were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire; and the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of G.o.d, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation. And I saw an angel standing in the Sun. And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the Sun, and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire; and men were scorched with great heat. And they shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb, and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever.”
_A SERIOUS CONTEMPLATION._
The contemplation of the final judgment, and the sentence to be pa.s.sed upon the wicked, is truly a solemn one, and should startle every mind, But oh, how few, comparatively, seem to stop and reflect upon this momentous subject? And yet _all_ are rapidly hastening on to their final doom. Few are aware of the vast numbers that are pa.s.sing from time into eternity--even each year, each month, each day each hour, or each minute.
We will here state the numbers, as well ascertained, or approximated, by the ablest staticians of the world. They tell us there is one death for every second of time, 60 every minute; 3,600 every hour; 84,400 every day; 2,595,000 every month; 31,140,000 every year, and a number equal to the entire population of the globe, _viz._: _one thousand millions_ every thirty years. And we are forced to the conclusion, that by far the larger portion of adults pa.s.s away without any conscious knowledge of the plan of salvation, or a tenable hope of heaven.
Reader, stop and reflect. No matter what your age, your condition of health, or in life, you, too, must soon know the realities of your future; your eternal state of existence.
We have heard the remark from the unG.o.dly, that if they failed to reach heaven, they would, at least, ”be with a large crowd.” Yes, we have no doubt of it. For we read of ”legions of devils,” and there will also be legions from _earth_ to be tormented by them. Now we appeal to the reason of every intelligent mind, can you expect to enjoy happiness in your eternal existence, amid devouring flames?
We learn that devils are fallen angels. Once they enjoyed happiness in that heavenly world, and were, doubtless, G.o.d's messengers; oft sent to different regions of His empire to do His pleasure. Yet viewing the grandeur and glory of G.o.d, it appears that the great Dragon--who had the control of many angels--enlisted them to sustain him in some unlawful usurpation. This was resisted by Michael and his angels, ”and there was war in heaven.” Michael and his angels prevailed, and the great Dragon, ”that old serpent called the devil, and satan, was cast out, and his angels were cast out with him;” ”neither was their place found any more in heaven.” These, we learn, are the wicked spirits, which go to and fro, up and down, through the earth, tempting man to sin, and to do wickedly. Satan is the prince of the powers of darkness, and he and his minions are ever arrayed against the prince of life and salvation. And man as a free moral agent--having life and death set before him--is left the free choice as to whom he will serve. If your choice be the G.o.d who created all things by the word of His power, and whose glory is the light of eternal day, serve Him. But if Baal, the prince of darkness, whose reign is terror and death, then serve him. ”Ye cannot serve two masters at once.”
Remember! When death shall come and claim you for its victim, with the cessation of mortal life, there is cessation of all the sensations and faculties of your _human nature_. You will not be moved upon to the enjoyment of pleasure by human pa.s.sions or desires. These, as realized here, will forever cease, and the spirit can no more be controlled by flesh and blood, nor by human desires. Yet that immortal principle--the soul--will be susceptible of ineffable happiness, or of intense misery. Will it be any comfort or pleasure to you to know that others are, like yourself, doomed to suffer eternal torments? to witness their agonies, and hear their wailings in that pandemonium of the lost? Think for a moment, of the rich man--Dives--who realized those torments. No hope for him in the future; his day of probation had pa.s.sed; his eternal state was fixed; yet he prayed Father Abraham to send Lazarus back to this world, to warn his five brethren, lest they also should come to that place of torment. Remember, that as death leaves the body, so judgment finds the soul, for the prophet has warned you that,
”There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest.”
_THE FINAL JUDGMENT._
”_The Lord shall endure forever, he hath prepared his throne for judgment.” ”We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.”
”Then every one of us shall give an account of himself to G.o.d.”_
_”And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before G.o.d; and the books were opened, * * * and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”_
_”Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;” * * * ”an entrance shall be administered unto you abundantly;” * * * ”enter ye in through the gates into the city;” * * * ”enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”_
_”Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand: Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” ”These shall go into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.”_
_A HOME IN HEAVEN._
Our pilgrimage on earth is one of unrest, is one of toil, sorrow, and affliction. Here we have no abiding place, ”no continuing city.” Our ”days on earth are few, and are full of trouble.” There is no permanency here. From the time of the first infant breath and short unconscious slumber on a mother's bosom to the latest hour and moment of life, we are ever restless and moving onward, and endure all the disquietude and sufferings of mind and body incident to our mortal existence. The original sin of our first parents, blighted all hope of permanence or enduring happiness on this earth. At the time of their fall, G.o.d p.r.o.nounced as to our existence here, saying: ”Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return.” ”And the spirit shall return to G.o.d who gave it.”
Yet to the true and faithful followers of the blessed Redeemer--who ransomed the world by the pouring out of His own blood, and opened up a way whereby we may escape the further penalties of a violated law--rest will come by-and-by. ”There is rest for the weary,” and mansions prepared for them in the ”City of G.o.d,” in that better world.
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