The European Union in Prophecy The EU in Prophecy I | Page 428

The European Union in Prophecy
their load of guilt. God's glory is not enhanced by thus perpetuating continually
increasing sin through ceaseless ages.
It is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been
wrought by the heresy of eternal torment. The religion of the Bible, full of love and
goodness, and abounding in compassion, is darkened by superstition and clothed with
terror. When we consider in what false colors Satan has painted the character of God,
can we wonder that our merciful Creator is feared, dreaded, and even hated? The
appalling views of God which have spread over the world from the teachings of the
pulpit have made thousands, yes, millions, of skeptics and infidels.
The theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute the
wine of the abomination of Babylon, of which she makes all nations drink. Revelation
14:8; 17:2. That ministers of Christ should have accepted this heresy and proclaimed
it from the sacred desk is indeed a mystery. They received it from Rome, as they
received the false sabbath. True, it has been taught by great and good men; but the
light on this subject had not come to them as it has come to us. They were responsible
only for the light which shone in their time; we are accountable for that which shines
in our day. If we turn from the testimony of God's word, and accept false doctrines
because our fathers taught them, we fall under the condemnation pronounced upon
Babylon; we are drinking of the wine of her abomination.
A large class to whom the doctrine of eternal torment is revolting are driven to
the opposite error. They see that the Scriptures represent God as a being of love and
compassion, and they cannot believe that He will consign His creatures to the fires of
an eternally burning hell. But holding that the soul is naturally immortal, they see
no alternative but to conclude that all mankind will finally be saved. Many regard the
threatenings of the Bible as designed merely to frighten men into obedience, and not
to be literally fulfilled. Thus the sinner can live in selfish pleasure, disregarding the
requirements of God, and yet expect to be finally received into His favor. Such a
doctrine, presuming upon God's mercy, but ignoring His justice, pleases the carnal
heart and emboldens the wicked in their iniquity.
To show how believers in universal salvation wrest the Scriptures to sustain
their soul-destroying dogmas, it is needful only to cite their own utterances. At the
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