It is his groans, his tears,
his cries which best tell what hell means. Archibald Brown from
the Scriptural Doctrine of Hell 1878 For if God did not spare angels
when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy
dungeons to be held for judgment, if he did not spare the ancient
world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, if he
condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them
to ashes and made them an example of what is going to happen to
the ungodly, If this is so, then the Lord knows how to hold the
unrighteous for the day of judgment while continuing their punishment.
2 Peter 2 verses 4-9 It is now customary to describe
the views of future punishment held by most of us as medieval,
and to declare that our ideas are mainly gleaned from pictures
to be found in old galleries. I suppose I have seen about as
many of the old masters in the galleries of Europe as most,
but I must acknowledge I have never yet seen any picture from
the hand of a medieval artist half so dreadful as some of the
descriptions that fell from our Lord's lips. Medieval is it,
to speak about weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. These
words came not from the lips of any mortal man. They fell
from the same lips that said, Come unto me, all you who labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Neither Paul,
nor Peter, nor any of the apostles ever uttered such words as leaped
from the lips of the man of sorrows. Christ's descriptions of hell
are the most fearful that we have. It is the lips of infinite
love that speak of being cut asunder and about burning with
the fire that is never quenched. Oh brethren, if you want to measure
the deep horrors of the lost, you must measure them by the
cross of Christ. It is his groans, his tears,
his cries which best tell what hell means. your breaking heart
Lord Jesus your flowing blood your death cry of my God my God
why have you forsaken me these are the things that say to me
more than anything else there is a dreadful judgment to come
upon the sinner for his sins He who hurled the angels from
heaven to hell, and drowned the ancient world, and destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, has still power to smite. Oh, do not rouse
my God to anger. Will you count his patience to
be indifference? Because he still lengthens out
the time of grace, will you presume on it? Escape for your life. Flee from the wrath to come.