The Sinfulness Of Sin - Preach The Word

The Sinfulness Of SinRalph Venning(iii) Damnation is called the second death (Revelation 21.8). It will be a strangeand miraculous kind of death, a living death, a death which never dies, an immortalmortality. They whose portion this death is will live, and death will be their portionall their life.(iv) It is a state of shame and contempt. There is scarcely anything in this worldthat we are less willing to undergo than shame. Although a thief is not afraid tosteal, when he is arrested he is ashamed. Shame and confusion and contempt willbe their lot. 'Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some toeverlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt' (Daniel 12.2,3).2. The quantity and the quality of the torments of hell and damnation. These will beexceedingly great and terrible; they will be universal; and they will be withoutintermission.a. They will be exceedingly great and terrible. They are such as will make thestoutest hearts to quake and tremble. If the writing on the wall caused a change inBelshazzar's countenance, and trouble in his thoughts, so that the joints of his loinswere loosed, and his knees smote one against the other (Daniel 5.6), what acommotion and heartquake will the day of God's wrath and vengeance produce!You will find an instance of this in Revelation 6.15-17, where not only bondmen,that is, persons of little and puny souls, but great and mighty men, chief captainsand kings of the earth, that is, persons with great souls who have made the earthto tremble, shall hide themselves in dens and rocks and say to the mountains, Fallon us and hide us from the face of him that sits on the throne and from the wrathof the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is come and who shall be able to stand?For bondmen to be faint hearted and flee is no great wonder, but for men of mightand power to run away and hide, that is strange! but you see it is from wrath, eventhough only the wrath of a Lamb. So what will they do when he shall rise up androar like the Lion of the tribe of Judah?It is the day of wrath, which is the terrible day of the Lord. It is the day ofvengeance which is implacable. For God who is now hearing prayer will not thenspare for their crying; not even though they cry, Lord, Lord. God always acts likehimself, like a God. When he shows mercy it is like the God of all grace who is richin mercy and loves with a great love: so when he executes wrath and vengeance,he makes bare his arm and strikes like a God. Who knows the power of his anger?None but damned ones! The sense of it here, the fearful reception of judgment (asit is in the Greek, Hebrews 10.27) and fiery indignation, make a kind of hell; sofearful a thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God when he acts like a Godof vengeance, as the apostle speaks in verses 30 and 31. How dreadful a thingthen would it be to be in hell itself under the tortures of his executed wrath forever?As the man is so is his strength. It is only a game to be whipped by a child. But tobe whipped and lashed by a man or a giant whose little finger is heavier thananother's loins, How painful must it be! The rod is for the back of fools, but when itshall be turned into scorpions and God himself shall lay on strokes without mercyor pity, how tormenting will it be! A stone thrown from a weak arm will not hit veryhard, but when the hand and arm of God shall throw down that wrath from heaven42