“Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” In the next chapter we find these persons associated with the wicked one, the man of sin or lawless one: “whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy [or annul] with the brightness of his coming.” And because they receive not the truth in the love of it, “God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” These are evidently the same persons who are punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord at His coming.
We find both the wicked one, and these same persons with him in Rev. 13:11-1711And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (Revelation 13:11‑17). There he has power to cause all who refuse the mark of the beast, or to worship him, to be killed. Then in chapter 14:9-12, we have the judgment of these very persons. “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he 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: and they have no rest day nor night,” &c. Could any words be found to teach more distinctly than these, that to be punished with everlasting destruction means everlasting torment, in fire and brimstone, of every one who shall be thus judged? But there is still further evidence: turn to Rev. 19:19, 2019And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (Revelation 19:19‑20). Here we have these two persons again, the beast or head of the restored and Satanic empire of Rome, and this wicked one, the false prophet. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
Nothing can be more certain then than this, that these two men are cast into the most dreadful torment in fire and brimstone. The question is this, does that mean destruction in the sense of annihilation, ceasing to exist: or continuance in torment thus described?
In chapter 20 we learn Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years? Those who have refused to worship the beast reign with Christ a thousand years. Afterward Satan is let loose out of his prison. Then.... he is “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be TORMENTED day and night forever and ever.” This, too, is the certain doom of all that are judged before the great white throne, at the resurrection of the wicked dead. (Vers. 11-15.) It is then certain that everlasting destruction, means everlasting torment in the lake of fire. “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Take care, my reader, that you are not deceived. Satan and his ministers would tell you, that there is no such everlasting torment in the lake of fire. They would even persuade you that God has not said there is. That all the human race will be restored, or saved hereafter; or be annihilated. That sin in God’s sight is a small matter; that you may reject the precious Savior and yet be saved some other way. Well, we have seen your certain doom if you reject the truth of God, whether you die and stand at the great judgment of the dead, or you are alive at the coming of Christ, to judge the quick.
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.” These are the words of Him who is the truth.
Do you believe Him? or in your heart think Him a deceiver? There is no standing-point between these two things. It is no use saying that you believe the word of God to be inspired, and then only bow to what you like. The simple reader will notice, that the meaning of the scriptures we have pointed out does not depend on the meaning of a word: but taking them all together they do mean, and cannot mean anything else, that to be punished with everlasting destruction, &c, is everlasting torment without remission. Such is sin in the sight of God. And to think how soon all who believe not may be given up to strong delusion. And then no hope. There is no salvation beyond the grave, or the coming of Christ in judgment. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life: but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36).)
We would not deny the possibility of a Christian being led into the error of denying everlasting punishment for sin, but may it not be a clinging to sin that inclines to that sad delusion? Think of the terrible discovery when a soul awakes up in hell! It may be cut off in a moment of time. Or the church of God may be taken away from this scene any day, or hour, and if left behind as a rejecter of Christ, these scriptures assure us that such will be given up to strong delusion. They will receive the authority of the wicked one, and the mark of the beast; finally to be tormented day and night forever and ever. “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” And what a contrast “When he shall come to be glorified in his saints.” (2 Thess. 1:9, 109Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day. (2 Thessalonians 1:9‑10).) What a change, and so soon.
It is the special effort of Satan at present to deny the rapture of the saints, the special truth set before us, revealed to us, as we have seen in 1 Thess. 4. The apostle now puts this matter so plainly that none need be deceived. “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand [or, is come].” (Chap. 2:1, 2.) Could anything be more certain then that before the day of the Lord comes, these two things must take place: first, “The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and then we, that is the whole church, will be “gathered together unto him?” Therefore if any one told them, or tells us, that the day of the Lord can come whilst the church is on earth, he must be a deceiver. Here the youngest babes in Christ may take their stand, with certainty, that the very next and first events are just these stupendous facts; the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him. Put then away from you as delusion, that the Christian can be left to pass through the tribulation that will follow in the day of the Lord.
Let us then see what will follow the taking of the church to be with Christ. The day of Christ will not come “except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” We have not then to look for the man of sin, or lawless one, but for Christ to take us first. Then there will be a fearful apostasy, or utter falling away from all true Christianity—that Babylon or mystery of wickedness, more fully described in Rev. 17; 18.
We see Christendom fast getting ready for this. But these final scenes of apostasy will not come until the church is taken to be with the Lord. Then at the revelation of this son of perdition will be heard his fearful blasphemy. Yet this is the one, as we learn elsewhere, which the Jews will receive until his real character becomes fully manifest. “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth, as God, in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” Human wickedness cannot go beyond this. And this is the end of human progress. Poor world, is it for this that thou art being educated? You may read the further deeds of this wicked one in Rev. 13:11-1811And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. 15And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:11‑18). Mark, he is not the head of the restored empire (the beast to whom the dragon gives his power), but he who boycotts and kills all that refuse to worship the Satanic beast.
Such things are certainly coming on this earth, and Paul says to these young converts, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things,” and shall we dare to say that he told them of things that were no profit to know? If we do not know them, we shall be deceived by the politics of this world. We are in a scene that is assuredly to be judged, and that is what the youngest believer needs to know. We are not of it, even as Christ is not of it.
“And now ye know what withholdeth, that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way.” And now ye know what withholdeth. Having in this letter shown them that the coming of the Lord, and our gathering to Him, must take place first, that event would withhold or prevent the revelation of the man of sin. The mystery of lawlessness was even then working; but a Person is hindering the final apostasy, and the man of sin. For until the church is taken to be with Christ, the Holy Ghost is here completing the church; and until this is done He is acting, and over-ruling government in the world, so as to let, or hinder, those final scenes of cruelty and wickedness. Even government in the hands of a Nero would hinder the development of the future Satanic empire of Rome! What will it be then?
There is no difficulty in this passage, when we bear in mind the church must be taken first, and that is the point here. When that has taken place, then the Holy Spirit ceases to act in the apostate Christendom, and then every restraint will be gone for the moment, to the development of the empire of Satan and the beast, culminating in the wicked one. That the pope is not the man of sin is evident; for the church has not been taken yet to Christ; and the Holy Ghost is still here; and the governments of the earth keep the pope in check. There will be no check or hindrance to the man of sin. He is destroyed by the coming of the Lord. Whereas popery in its last development will be destroyed by the ten kings, or kingdoms of the Roman empire. (Rev. 27:12-18.)
It might be asked how is it that men will be given up to such delusion in the last days? The answer is very plain: “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be judged, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Is it not the case now? For the last fifty years the truth has been made known, as it never had been since the days of the apostles. And will men receive it? They will have anything else, even the working of Satan with all lying wonders, but not the truth in the love of it. By millions they are rushing into intercourse with demons, or spiritualism; and the hundreds of millions will accept and spread Buddhism, Theosophy and Mahometanism, and thousands of clergymen will seek to enthrall this and other lands in the darkness of popery. Only the truth will men refuse. And on the other hand, where we might have hoped to find truth, there is the ever downward grade of undermining unbelief; and if a feeble protest is raised, that voice can propose no remedy. No, there is no remedy to such as turn a deaf ear to the truth of these epistles—the coming of the Lord. This Babel around us is like a house on fire. There is no remedy but escaping out of it, to wait for the Lord from heaven.
We have nearly closed our meditations on the coining of the Lord, as made known to the assembly of young converts at Thessalonica. Surely the order is most instructive.
In their very conversion, they were turned to God from idols to wait for His Son from heaven. The apostle had no other hope, but the saints in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming. (Chap. 1:10; 2:19.) The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ at His appearing with all His saints. (Chap. 3:13.) Then the exact order of events. (Chap. 4:13-18.) Then follows the day of the Lord (Chap. 5), more fully explained in 2 Thess. 1; 2 Well, fellow believers, as it was then so now, “we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” (Chap. 2:13.) And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patience of Christ.
C. S.