In Galilee, the land north of Judea, the people refused to honor God for many, many years, although they knew His care and power. One king placed a gold calf for them to worship (1 Kings 12:28-3128Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. 30And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. 31And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. (1 Kings 12:28‑31)). They followed the way of Satan until even children suffered by wicked spirits.
When Jesus came to Caesarea, in that land, there was one poor boy dreadfully troubled by a wicked spirit, which caused him to be deaf and dumb, to hurt himself, and even to fall into the fire. His father heard of Jesus and brought his son to see if Jesus could help him. But Jesus was then up on the mountain, and the disciples could not help so dreadful a case.
When Jesus came down from the mount, the man begged Him to help. He said, “If Thou canst do anything ... help us.”
This man did not know that Jesus was the Lord and that there was no case too hard for Him to cure, or he would not have said “if.” Jesus told the father to believe, and He commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy and not return, and the boy was freed.
Satan’s Power Broken
But sin and Satan still cause the suffering of war and all other evils. Jesus spoke plainly of the end of sin. He spoke of the hand or the foot or the eye “offending.” The word “offend” has the meaning “to sin against God.” A person’s hand may do what is wrong, his foot may go to wrong places, or his eye may see evil. Unless the sins are stopped — “cut off” — the whole body is soon in sin, and the end is a place of suffering named hell.
The Lord spoke of the suffering of hell as “fire,” which causes the most severe suffering we know. Natural fire can be put out. But Jesus said that the “fire” of hell is not “quenched” (put out); the sorrow there will not end.
Serious Consequences
This lesson of Jesus is the saddest of all, and some think there is no place of punishment. But He spoke plainly and repeated the words “the fire is not quenched” several times, so we must believe Him. At another time He said the place of suffering was prepared, not for people, but for Satan and his angels (Matt. 25:4141Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)). This lesson shows that those who always want to follow Satan’s ways must share that place of suffering.
But let us remember that Jesus Himself died to bear the punishment for sins for all who believe Him. He now urges, by His Holy Spirit, men, women, boys and girls to let Him save them.
Jesus said His people were to be “salted” — kept for Him — by “fire” (judgment) that He bore on the cross. He also said they should “have salt” in themselves. To keep right in themselves, for Him, they must judge their sins; to judge means to decide against our sins, which we should all do in our hearts and minds each day.
Further Meditation
1. How does the expression “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right” relate to punishment for sin?
2. What is meant by “judge not, that ye be not judged”?
3. You might find the pamphlet Self-Judgment by H.E. Hayhoe helpful in considering the theme at the end of this chapter.