Could those whose lives have been spent in rebellion against God be suddenly transported to heaven and witness the high , the holy state of perfection that ever exists there , - - every soul filled with love , every countenance beaming with joy , enrapturing music in melodious strains rising in honor of God and the Lamb , and ceaseless streams of light flowing upon the redeemed from the face of Him who sitteth upon the throne , --could those whose hearts are filled with hatred of God , of truth and holiness , mingle with the heavenly throng and join their songs of praise ? Could they endure the glory of God and the Lamb ? No , no ; years of probation were granted them , that they might form characters for heaven ; but they have never trained the mind to love purity ; they have never learned the language of heaven , and now it is too late .
A life of rebellion against God has unfitted them for heaven . Its purity , holiness , and peace would be torture to them ; the glory of God would be a consuming fire . They would long to flee from that holy place . They would welcome destruction , that they might be hidden from the face of Him who died to redeem them . The destiny of the wicked is fixed by their own choice . Their exclusion from heaven is voluntary with themselves , and just and merciful on the part of God . Like the waters of the Flood the fires of the great day declare God ' s verdict that the wicked are incurable . They have no disposition to submit to divine authority . Their will has been exercised in revolt ; and when life is ended , it is too late to turn the current of their thoughts in the opposite direction , too late to turn from transgression to obedience , from hatred to love .
In sparing the life of Cain the murderer , God gave the world an example of what would be the result of permitting the sinner to live to continue a course of unbridled iniquity . Through the influence of Cain ' s teaching and example , multitudes of his descendants were led into sin , until " the wickedness of man was great in the earth " and " every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually ." " The earth also was corrupt before God , and the earth was filled with violence ." Genesis 6:5 , 11 . In mercy to the world , God blotted out its wicked inhabitants in Noah ' s time . In mercy He destroyed the corrupt dwellers in Sodom . Through the deceptive power of Satan the workers of iniquity obtain sympathy and admiration , and are thus constantly leading others to rebellion . It was so in Cain ' s and in Noah ' s day , and in the time of Abraham and Lot ; it is so in our time . It is in mercy to the universe that God will finally destroy the rejecters of His grace .
" The wages of sin is death ; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord ." Romans 6:23 . While life is the inheritance of the righteous , death is the portion of the wicked . Moses declared to Israel : " I have set before thee this day life and good , and death and
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