We have seen
that the final conflict between the pure church of God and
all other religions of the world will end in the
"great day of God Almighty. " This will be
ushered in by the coming of Christ in flaming fire from
heaven, at which time all the wicked will be punished with
everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and
the glory of his power. "And the devil that deceived
them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the beast and false prophet are, and shall be tormented
day and night forever and ever." Rev. 20:10.
"The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and
shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into
perdition." Rev. 17: 8. "I beheld even till the
beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the
burning name." Dan. 7:11.
In Rev. 19: 11-16 is a grand
picture of the second coming of Christ. When he comes, he
finds the beast and the allied armies gathered together to
war against him and his army (verse 19). When all false
religions of earth gather in opposition against the church
of God, they are fighting Christ and all heaven, for his
church is one in heaven and on earth. Christ's second
coming will clearly reveal this fact. He will appoint them
all to the great slaughter (verses 17, 18).
"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 worshiped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning
with brimstone. " Rev. 19: 20. "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. . . . And the smoke of
their torment ascendeth up forever and ever." Rev.
14: 9-11. "And after these things I heard a great
voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia;
Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord
our God: for true and righteous are his judgments: for he
hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth
with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his
servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And
her smoke rose up for ever and ever." Rev. 19: 1-3.
" The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the
nations that forget God.'' Psa. 9:17.
The foregoing texts clearly teach
the eternal destiny of all beast worshipers and false
religionists. The nations that forget God—mentioned in
the last text—are the pagans who have not retained God
in their knowledge. The beast in some of these texts
refers to the entire apostate church, with all its
adherents. In other texts the beast and false prophet are
both referred to, for these cover every form of apostate
and corrupt religion. All these, in the great day of
judgment, will be cast into "perdition," "
the burning flame, " " the lake of fire and
brimstone"; and in that awful place of punishment
they will be " tormented forever and ever. "
This final destiny is termed "hell." So
positively teaches the seven clear texts of Scripture at
the head of this chapter, and the Word of God can not be
broken.
Christianity, like an angel, a dove
of purity, came from heaven, and is divine. Being from
heaven, the church of God shall return there in the last
day. But all other religions, whether Pagan, Mohammedan,
or apostate Christian, including all Catholic and
Protestant sects and creeds, "ascended out of the
bottomless pit" (Rev. 11:7; 17:8); that is, are of
hellish origin. Therefore in the last day all these will
go back to the place from which they emanated. In the day
of judgment all beast worshipers and false religionists,
the entire host of apostates, and all wicked men and
devils will be cast into the lake of fire.
