"Every view of the world has its eschatology. It cannot help raising
the question of the whither, as well as of the what and the whence?
'0, my Lord,' said Daniel to the angel, 'what shall be the end of
these things?' (12:8). What is the end, the final destiny of the
individual? Does he perish at death, or does he enter into another
state of being; and under what conditions of happiness or woe does
he exist there? What is the end, the final aim of the great whole,
that far-off divine event towards which the whole creation moves?
It is vain to tell man not to ask these questions. He will ask
them, and must ask them. He will pore over every scrap of fact, or
trace of law, which seems to give an indication of an answer. He
will try from the experience of the past, and the knowledge of the
present, to deduce what the future shall be. He will peer as far
as he can into the unseen; and, where knowledge fails, will weave
from his hopes and trusts pictures and conjectures.
"The Christian view of the world also has its eschatology. The
Christian view, however, is positive, where that of science is
negative; ethical, where it is material; human, where it is cosmogonic;
ending in personal immortality, where this ends in extinction and
death. The eschatology of Christianity springs from its character
as a teleological religion--it seeks to grasp the unity of the
world through the conception of an end or aim."--_James Orr._
This is probably the hardest of all the doctrines of Christianity
to be received. If we ask the reason why, we receive various answers.
Some would tell us that this doctrine is unwelcome to many because
they feel themselves guilty, and their conscience tells them that
unless they repent and turn to God this awful doom awaits them.
Others believe that it is because the thought of future punishment
strikes terror to people's hearts, and therefore this doctrine is
repulsive to them. To others again, the thought of future anguish
seems utterly incompatable with the fatherly love of God. Yet it
is acknowledged to be a remarkable fact that both Jesus and John,
who more than any one else in the New Testament represent the
element of love in their lives and teaching, speak most of the
future anguish of the wicked.
That future punishment of the wicked holds a prominent place in
the teachings of the Scriptures there can be no reasonable doubt.
What is between the covers of the Bible is the preacher's message.
Yet great care must be exercised in the teaching or proclamation of
this doctrine. After all it is not the saying of hard things that
pierces the conscience of people; it is the voice of divine love
heard amid the thunder.
Yet there must be no consciousness of cowardice in proclaiming the
doctrine of future retribution, however awful its delineation may
be. Fear is a legitimate motive to which we may appeal, and while
it may be classed among the lower motives, it is nevertheless true
that it is the only motive that will effectively move some people
to action.