Let us turn again to the last verses there in Isaiah, the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter
66, and the last two verses. And it shall come to pass that
from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another,
shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and
look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against
me. For their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched. And they shall be an abhorring
unto all flesh. Here in Isaiah 66, the last two
verses, verses 23 and 24. And I really want to take those
final words in verse 24 for a text tonight. Solemn words, a solemn
passage because it's speaking of the torments of the damned
here in this 24th verse. Last week we were looking more
particularly, of course, at what he said in verse 23. And there we had the theme of
Gospel worship, that worship that is required of God under
the dispensation of the Gospel these last days in which we're
living. And these days will end, of course,
with the return of Christ and the day of judgment. But now we have in verse 23 that
worship that God requires, it shall come to pass that from
one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall
all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And we remarked amongst other
things of the contrast between the worship that was required
in the Old Testament and what is required now. There in the
Old Testament, remember, there were the three great feasts spoken
of in Deuteronomy 16, 16. And now for those feasts of Passover
and Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, and the Feast of Tabernacles,
it was required that all the males should come to worship
before God, and the significant words are those words before
God. That was so important, those
three great feasts. There were other occasions, of
course, when they worshipped. There were many feasts required
under the Levitical laws. There were New Moons, there were
Sabbath days, and so on. But those three Feasts were important
because it was then that all the men were to go to the place
where the tabernacle had been set. It would eventually be in
Jerusalem, and the tabernacle then replaced with the temple,
but three times every year all the men throughout Israel must
go up to that place where God had set His throne in the midst
of His people, and they were to worship before Him. That's all the males. But now,
what does it say? From one Sabbath to another shall
all flesh, all flesh, come to worship before me, says the Lord
God. God requires the worship of all
flesh. doesn't Paul say when he's preaching
there in Athens in Acts chapter 17 preaching to what would have
been an assembly of Gentiles principally and he speaks about
things that had been previously in the Old Testament he says
the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth
all men everywhere to repent. Well, God in the Old Testament
dealt with Israel as no other nation. You only have I known
of all the families of the earth, He says. And the Gentiles were
left to their own devices but now the gospel is to be preached
to the ends of the earth. And isn't that spoken of in the
context here at the end of verse 19? They shall declare my glory
among the Gentiles, it says. They shall bring all your brethren
for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations. There is
that universal proclamation of the Gospel. All men are to worship
God. All are under an obligation to
worship God. And that really is made quite
plain in the commandments, although those commandments were given
to the children of Israel. Remember what Paul says concerning
the law. The law is good if a man uses
it lawfully. Who is it for? It's for the ungodly,
for the unbelieving, for sinners, for transgressors. Whatever things
the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every
mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before
God. All men are under that obligation
then to worship God. All flesh coming to worship before
me saith the Lord. And yet we know that the unbelieving
can never worship God acceptably. Only spiritual men and women
can worship God. The true worshippers worship
the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to
worship Him. God is a spirit, and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth. What
a solemn thing it is to worship God. You can worship God, and
we need the grace of God. the Spirit of God, the truth
of God before us if we would worship Him in an acceptable
manner. Well, this is something of what
we sought to say last Lord's Day evening. But then what follows
with regards to these worshippers? Verse 24, And they shall go forth
and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed
against me. For their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring
unto all flesh. They are solemn words, and yet
I felt that we cannot ignore them. Having sought to say something
of the previous verse, we must turn to look at this verse, and
this is the closing words that we find here in this remarkable
book of Isaiah. What a book it is! In many ways
it's full of gospel. Full of gospel. Full of the Lord
Jesus Christ. What a chapter is that that we
find, chapter 53. The Lord's suffering servant. What a prophetic word is that
that's so detailed. Evidently a description of Christ. and His great sin atoning sacrifice. We read of the Lord Jesus Christ
in here, we read of His coming, we read of His birth unto us,
a child is born unto us, a son is given. Back in chapter 9,
we read of His work. There in chapter 53, we turn
to chapter 55, and we have remarkable words
of gracious invitation. Isaiah 55, it's full of it, is
it not? Those wonderful words of comforts
to sinners. Everyone that thirsteth, O everyone
that thirsteth, come ye to the waters. And he that hath no money,
come ye buy and eat. They come by wine and milk without
money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for
that which is not bread? And you will lay before that
which satisfies not. Hearken diligently unto me, and
eat ye that which is good, and your soul shall delight itself
in fatness. Incline your ear and come unto
me. Herein your soul shall live,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for
a witness to the people, a leader and a commander to the people.
such gracious words and so many of them throughout the book and
yet when we come to the end well we see here there has to be the
calling of the Gentiles as I've said there in verse 19 but what
is the very last word? well it's these words that we've
stated for our text tonight And they shall go forth and look
upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against
me, for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire
be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. And he speaks to us then of the torments, the torments
of the damned. This is part of the Word of God
and we cannot ignore it. you're probably aware how in
the 18th century at a time of remarkable awakening in New England
the ministry of Jonathan Edwards was so blessed and if you have
the works of Edwards you can read some of those sermons amongst
them that famous sermon of course Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God And it's based on words
that we have in Deuteronomy 32, 35, their foot shall slide in
due time. Their foot shall slide in due
time, their appointed end. And Edwards preaches, and people
are affected, mightily affected by the Spirit of God under such
preaching. But then, more especially, there's
a sermon of Edwards on words that we have in Revelation 18,
20. And the words are these, Rejoice
over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for
God hath avenged you on her, or the destruction, the destruction
of all the powers of darkness. Rejoice over her, thou heaven,
And Edwards gives that sermon this title, The End of the Wicked
Contemplated by the Righteous. The heavens rejoicing over all
the works of darkness and the destruction of all the followers
of the false prophet, the Antichrist, and everything that is contrary
to God. And it's a similar word that
we have here. They shall go forth, that is those who are worshippers
of the Lord, they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of
the men that have transgressed against me, for their worm shall
not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall
be an abhorring unto all flesh. Well, as we come to consider
the text, I want to divide the subject into two parts. First
of all, to say something of the sufferings of the transgressors.
and then secondly to look at the sight, that that is to be
looked upon. First of all, the sufferings. And how is it described here? In these words, for their worm
shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched. And are not those the very words
that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself takes up in that portion? As soon as I read these words
at the end of Isaiah, I thought of those words that fell from
the lips of Him who is the Prince of all preachers. The words of
the Lord Jesus Christ in that portion in Mark 9 and the end
of the chapter. The Lord speaks, you see, of the place where their worm dieth
not, and the fire is not quenched. And three times we have it. If
thy hand offend thee, cut it off, he says. It is better for
thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into
hell fire, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if
thy foot offend thee, cut it off. It is better for thee to
enter into life, halt into life, than having two feet to be cast
into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched, where
there worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if
thine eye offend thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee
to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having
two eyes to be cast into hell fire, where there worm dieth
not, and the fire is not quenched." Surely surely the Lord Jesus
there is very mindful of the words that we have here at the
end of Isaiah and how strange it is I said that when we think
of the content of the prophecy of this book and all that is
said of Christ and the grace of God and the invitations of
the gospel and the calling of the Gentiles it's so strange
that it should conclude on such a note as we have in our text
but when we think of the Lord Jesus and the ministry that the
Lord Jesus Christ himself exercised going about doing good remember
the law was given by Moses grace and truth came by Jesus Christ
or never man spake like this man and yet from those gracious
lips of the Lord Jesus Christ there fell such words as those
that we've just read there in the Gospel according to Mark
and it speaks of suffering and it speaks so solemnly of the
suffering of those who are the transgressors those who are the transgressors,
those who are breakers of the Lord of God, you're under the
curse of the broken Lord of God. And I want to observe two points
really with regards to their sufferings. First of all, there
is their condemnation. What a condemnation it is. Neither
shall their fire be quenched. Neither shall their fire be quenched.
It indicates to us something of the eternity of the sufferings
that are to be endured in hell. Again in Revelation 19.3 we read
as smoke rose up forever and ever. And the expression that we have
there, forever and ever, Those words are also used in the Revelation
in reference to the Lord God Himself. In Revelation 4 verse 9, when those beasts or
living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him that
sat on the throne who liveth forever and ever. The four and
twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and
worship him that liveth forever and ever and cast their crowns
before the throne of God. God is said to live forever and
ever. We have it twice there. And it's
the same expression, exactly the same expression as he said
concerning the sufferings of those spoken of in chapter 19
of Revelation. Her smoke rose up forever and
ever. hell endures as long as God endures
that's what's being said and it's interesting if you I'm sure
you've got copies of the gospel standard articles, our articles
of faith and you look at article 31 and you'll notice there, there's
a note at the end of that article, article 31 and it makes it quite
clear that the scriptures know nothing of annihilation there
are some you know who don't like the idea of endless sufferings,
which is a condemnation of the transgressors, that it's endless,
it goes on forever and ever. And there are some who even say
that they're evangelical believers, and yet they want to believe
in annihilation. But what does the Scripture do?
It speaks of a bottomless pit. They're cast into a bottomless
pit. And those cast in that pit surely
they descend forever and ever and ever. It's bottomless. There's
no end. You see, sin is committed against
a God who is infinite. When we think of the infinity
of God, The punishment must always fit the crime. How can finite
creatures be punished in such a manner as is appropriate to
those who have sinned against the Infinite One? Well, God's
justice requires that that suffering must be eternal. The punishment
is an eternal punishment. It's the only way finite creatures
can justly pay that debt that is owed. There is that attribute
of justice in God. God can by no means clear the
guilty. And so the guilty must be punished. And that is their condemnation.
And we have it here in the text. Neither shall their fire be quenched. Terrible. Terrible to consider. But then also there is this other
aspect to their sufferings. Their worm shall not die. Their worm shall not die. What is that? It is the knowing
away of their conscience. Man has a conscience. It is part
of his creation. It is the way God has made him.
I don't understand how it's possible for the evolutionists to explain
how men and women can have a conscience. Where has it come from? How has
conscience evolved? It seems to me to be not an impossibility,
but of course those who believe a lie, they'll believe any nonsense. One said when men say that they
don't believe in God it's not that they believe in nothing
they believe in anything they believe in anything and that's
what it is with the evolutionists they'll believe anything where
does conscience come from? we know that man has a conscience I trust we all have a conscience
and that we want to cultivate a tender conscience in this world
that conscience might be weak at times, it can be defiled,
it's been affected of course by the fall into sin. The conscience
sometimes can be seared. Paul speaks in 1st Timothy 4,
two of those whose conscience is seared with a hot iron. Conscience. But you know in hell The conscience is active. And the conscience is accusing. And that's what's being said
here. Their worm shall not die. Their conscience is active now.
And it's accusing them. They're receiving their just
desserts. So in this day of grace how we
need to desire from God that we might have a conscience that
is awakened a conscience that is very much informed some really
misunderstand what Paul is saying in Romans chapter 2 and verses
14 and 15 they seem to think that this is speaking of conscience
but it's not it's an interesting passage Romans 2.14 and 15 speaks of the Gentiles which
have not the law. Of course the law was given by
God at Mansinai. It was given to to Israel. You only have I known. All these
favours, all these blessings pertain to that people. But what
of the Gentiles? Paul says Here in Romans 2.14,
when the Gentiles, which have not the law, there would be Gentiles
at that time who'd never heard of the God of Israel, the only
living and true God, they knew not the Scriptures. There were
Gentiles and there still are Gentiles which have not the law,
but it says they do by nature the things contained in the law.
These having not the law are a law unto themselves which show
the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience
also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing
or else excusing one another." You see, the conscience is not
to be confused with the law that is written in the heart. God
has not only written his law upon tables of stone when he
gave it to the children of Israel but when God created man there
was a law, that law written in the heart of man and this is
what the conscience appeals to the Lord of God and there we
need to have consciences that are well informed, well instructed
out of the word of God in this day of grace in this day of grace
as I say in in how every conscience is awakened and active all that
ours might be in that condition now is your conscience one that
is tender one that is so much under the authority of the word
of God and so when we sin we we're brought to that place of
compunction we sorrow over sin Because our conscience is accusing
us. We really want a conscience that's
void of any offence. The language again of Scripture,
Acts 24, 16, to have always a conscience void of offence before God and
man. That's what we should desire.
Holding faith and a good conscience, says the Apostle. Faith and a
good conscience. that is submissive to the Word
of God, that bows to the authority of Holy Scripture, that submits
to God's precepts and God's commandments. And that informs our conscience.
But what is our conscience by nature? As I say, like every
faculty of our being, our conscience has been impacted by the fall
but all that precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ how much
more shall the blood of Christ purge your consciences from dead
works to serve the living God all we need to have our consciences
purged in that precious blood of the Savior having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure
water This is speaking then here, their worm shall not die, it's
speaking of those transgressors in hell where their conscience
is so alert, that if we profess the name of Christ in this day
of grace we might have that conscience that is informed, instructed,
established in the word of God. Here are some then of the sufferings
of those who are transgressors their worm
shall not die neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall
be an abhorring unto all flesh but in the second place to say
something with regards to the sight the sight of these transgressors
and that's what's spoken of here at the beginning of the verse they shall go forth, it says,
and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed
against me." Now what does it teach us then? It teaches us
surely this truth, that the righteous who are in heaven, that's the
justified sinners, who have no righteousness of their own but
they are trusting in Christ He is the Lord their righteousness
they are found in Him the righteous in heaven and the wicked transgressors
who are in hell there is a sense in which they have a sight of
each other remember what the Lord says in Luke 16 concerning
Lazarus the beggar and the rich man both die and each go to their
appointed place and concerning the rich man Christ says in hell
he lifted up his eyes being in torment and beheld Abraham and
Lazarus in his bosom he sees he sees what Lot had been appointed
to Lazarus he is in hell that rich man but he sees Lazarus
there in heaven amongst all the faithful believers. Abraham,
of course, the father of all them that believe. And then again,
look at the words that we have in Luke's Gospel. In Luke 13, verse 28, there shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth, When ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and ye
yourselves thrust out, and they shall come from the east, and
from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall
sit down in the kingdom of God. And behold, there are last that
shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. Here
the Lord is addressing himself to the unbelieving Jews, to the
scribes, and to the Pharisees. who boasted that they were the
children of Abraham. Ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob, and all the prophets in God's kingdom, and yourselves
thrust out. Well, they'll see it. They have
a sight of these things. And how that must aggravate,
aggravate all the miseries of those who are the damned. They
see something of the bliss of those who are in heaven. But
what of those who are in heaven? Well, as they see all the sufferings
of those who are in hell, so that really, strangely, increases
their joy. I know these are hard things,
and these are things difficult to understand, difficult to believe. But remember what I said concerning
that sermon of Jonathan Edwards where he speaks of the righteous
and their sights of the sufferings of those who are in hell and
his text was Revelation 18.20 Rejoice over her thou heaven
and ye holy apostles and prophets for God hath avenged you on her
and as he continued In chapter 19, after these things, John
says, I heard a great voice of much people in heaven saying,
Alleluia! In other words, praise the Lord!
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 that avenged the blood of his servant at her hand. And
the guy and they said, Alleluia! Praise ye the Lord! And the smoke
rose up for ever and ever. All they rejoice in God and all
that God is, all that God is in His holiness, His righteousness,
His justice, as well as all that God is in His love and His mercy
and His grace. And what we have here, you see
in the text, is heaven's view. Heaven's view of hell. They shall
go forth, these true worshippers, these gospel worshippers. That's
what pertains there in the Day of Grace, gospel worship. But
then at the end of the Day of Grace, what then? Why? the great
day of judgment and they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses
of the men that have transgressed against me says God for their
worms shall not die neither shall their fire be quenched and they
shall be an abhorring unto all men well as we conclude just
two things two things first of all we are to observe that there
is nothing of pity in hell There is nothing of pity in that dreadful
place. There is no pity from God. Ezekiel chapter 8. Ezekiel chapter
8 and verse 18 makes that quite clear. What do we read? Therefore, this is the Lord God
speaking, therefore will I also deal in fury, mine eye shall
not spare, neither will I have pity, though they cry in mine
ears with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them." No pity in hell,
no pity from God, no pity from believers. There cannot be any
pity from believers. Why? In heaven there is no death. There is no sorrow. There is
no pain. There's no pity there in heaven
from believers. But those who are in hell, they
have no pity one for the other. Oh, what an awful place it is. I've heard some say, and it's
a foolish thing to say, they would rather go to hell with
their family and with their friends, they never go to heaven. They
don't understand what is hell. It's a world of hatred. It's
a world of hatred. It's a dreadful abode. No pity in hell. But what of
heaven? The second thing with which we
close tonight. In heaven, it is all price. It is all price. It's a blessed
continuation, you see, of what we have in the verse we looked
at last time. From one Sabbath to another shall
all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they
shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that
have transgressed against me, for their worms shall not dine,
neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring
unto all flesh. And there they are in heaven,
and they are still worshipping. What is our worship from one
Lord's Day to another Lord's Day? Is it not an anticipation
of heaven? This is how we should approach
the services of God's house that He is giving to us here and now,
some foretaste of heaven. The place where congregations
ne'er break up, where Sabbaths have no end. what a place is
that, heaven ever always praising God and the Lamb is all the glory
there in Emmanuel's land ought to know him you see but what
of those who know him not who have no interest in his person
or in his work if there's no repentance All
heaven will rejoice in the judgment that comes upon those who are
on repentance and on believing. But if there is repentance, if
there is faith, why, there's joy. There's joy in heaven today
over one sinner that repenteth. The Lord Jesus says, then there's
joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. Oh, heaven is a place really
of great, great rejoicing. And all that we might be those
who long for it, who look for it, and who desire in all things
to be submissive to God's Word. It is a solemn, solemn word that
we have tonight, but I believe it's that word that the Lord
would have us take to heart. and that we might be those who
would submit to all the authority of a God who is so good. He is
good, He does good, He is a gracious God, but He will by no means
bear the guilt. Solemn as it is, O the Lord then
be pleased to bless His truth to us. Amen.