I have been thinking a good deal of late on the last verse of the third chapter of John. It seems to
me to furnish a most powerful answer to two of the leading heresies of this day, namely,
Universalism on the one hand, and Annihilationism on the other. "He that believeth on the Son
hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him."

The deniers of eternal punishment, as you know, are divided into two classes, differing from each
other very materially. The one professes to believe that all will ultimately be restored and brought
into everlasting happiness; these are the Universalists. The other is of the opinion that all who die
out of Christ are annihilated, soul and body made an end of thoroughly and perishing like the
beast.

I think you will agree with me that John 3:36 completely demolishes both these fatal errors. It
meets the Universalist by the sweeping and conclusive statement that the unbeliever "shall not see
life." It entirely sets aside the notion of all being restored and eternally saved. Those who refuse
to believe the Son shall die in their sins and never see life.

But if this were all, the Annihilationist might say, "Exactly so; that is just what I believe. None
but those who believe in the Son shall live eternally. Eternal life is only in the Son, and hence,
all who die out of Christ shall perish_an end shall be made of soul and body."

No so, says the Holy Spirit. It is quite true that they shall not see life; but note this:"The wrath
of God abideth on him." This, beyond all question, gives a flat contradiction to annihilationism.
If the wrath of God is to abide upon the unbeliever, it is utterly impossible that he can be made
an end of. Annihilation and abiding wrath are wholly incompatible. We must either erase the word
"abiding" from the inspired page, or abandon completely the notion of annihilation. To hold the
two is out of the question.

Of course, I am merely now referring to this one passage of Holy Scripture; and truly it is enough
of itself to settle any mind that simply bows to the voice of God as to the solemn question of
eternal punishment. But, beloved friend, here is just the point. Men will not submit to the teaching
and authority of Holy Scripture. They presume to sit in judgment upon what is and what is not
worthy of God to do. They imagine that people may live in sin, in folly, in rebellion against God,
and in the neglect of His Christ, and after all go unpunished. They take upon them to decide that
it is inconsistent with their idea of God to allow such a thing as eternal punishment. They attribute
to the government of God what we should consider a weakness in any human government,
namely, an inability to punish evil-doers.

But the Word of God is against them. It speaks of "unquenchable fire," of an "undying worm,"
of a "fixed gulf," of "abiding wrath." What, I would ask, is the meaning of such words? It may
be said that these are figures. Granted that the "fire" the "worm" and the "gulf" are figures, but
figures of what? Of something ephemeral_something which must, sooner or later, have an end?
No, but something which is eternal, if anything is eternal.

If we deny eternal punishment, we must deny an eternal anything, inasmuch as it is the same word
which is used in every instance to express the idea of endless continuance. There are about seventy
passages in the Greek New Testament where the word "everlasting" occurs. It is applied, among
other things, to the life which believers possess, and to the punishment of the wicked, as in Matt.
25:46. Now, upon What principle can any one attempt to take out the six or seven passages in
which it applies to the punishment of the wicked and say that in all these instances it does not
mean for ever; but that in all the rest it does? I confess this seems to be perfectly unanswerable.
If the Holy Spirit, if the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, had thought proper to make use of a different
word when speaking of the punishment of the wicked, from what He used when speaking of the
life of believers, 1 grant there might be some basis for an objection.

But no; we find the same word invariably used to express what everybody knows to be endless;
and therefore if the punishment of the wicked be not endless, nothing is endless. They cannot
consistently stop short with the question of punishment, but must go on to the denial of the very
existence of God Himself.

Indeed, I cannot but believe that here lies the real root of the matter. The enemy desires to get rid
of the Word of God, of the Spirit of God, the Christ of God, and God Himself; and he craftily
begins by introducing the thin end of his fatal wedge in the denial of eternal punishment; and when
this is admitted, the soul has taken the first step on the inclined plane which leads down to the dark
abyss of atheism.

This may seem strong and harsh; but it is my deep and thorough conviction; and I feel most
solemnly impressed with the necessity of warning all our young friends against the danger of
admitting into their minds the very shadow of a question or doubt as to the divinely established
truth of the endless punishment of the wicked in hell. The unbeliever cannot be restored, for
Scripture declares "he shall not see life." Moreover, he cannot be annihilated, for Scripture
declares that "the wrath of God abideth upon him."

O my beloved friend, how much better and wiser and safer it would be for our fellow men to flee
from the wrath to come than to deny that it is coming; or that, when it does come, it will be
eternal.

(From Miscellaneous Writings, Vol. 5.)