The Second Death
[Text below is from EW – Early Writings (1882), Spiritual Gifts, Vol. 1, The Second Death][Bolding, Underlining, Etc. are done by Daryl Fawcett for emphasis purposes only]
Satan rushes into the midst of his followers and tries to stir up the multitude to action. But fire from God out of heaven is rained upon them, and the great men, and mighty men, the noble, the poor and miserable, are all consumed together.
I saw that some were quickly destroyed, while others suffered longer. They were punished according to the deeds done in the body. Some were many days consuming, and just as long as there was a portion of them unconsumed, all the sense of suffering remained. Said the angel, “The worm of life shall not die; their fire shall not be quenched as long as there is the least particle for it to prey upon.” {EW 294.1}
Satan and his angels suffered long. Satan bore not only the weight and punishment of his own sins, but
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also of the sins of the redeemed host, which had been placed upon him; and he must also suffer for the ruin of souls which he had caused. Then I saw that Satan and all the wicked host were consumed, and the justice of God was satisfied; and all the angelic host, and all the redeemed saints, with a loud voice said, “Amen!” {EW 294.2}
Said the angel, “Satan is the root, his children are the branches. They are now consumed root and branch. They have died an everlasting death. They are never to have a resurrection, and God will have a clean universe.”
I then looked and saw the fire which had consumed the wicked, burning up the rubbish and purifying the earth.
Again I looked and saw the earth purified. There was not a single sign of the curse. The broken, uneven surface of the earth now looked like a level, extensive plain. God’s entire universe was clean, and the great controversy was forever ended. Wherever we looked, everything upon which the eye rested was beautiful and holy. And all the redeemed host, old and young, great and small, cast their glittering crowns at the feet of their Redeemer, and prostrated themselves in adoration before Him, and worshiped Him that liveth forever and ever. The beautiful new earth, with all its glory, was the eternal inheritance of the saints. The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, was then given to the saints of the Most High, who were to possess it forever, even forever and ever. {EW 295.1}
[Text below is from GC88 – The Great Controversy (1888), Chapter XXXIII – The Great Deception]
“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 evil.” [Deuteronomy 30:15.] The death referred to in these scriptures is not that pronounced upon Adam, for all mankind suffer the penalty of his transgression. It is the “second death” that is placed in contrast with everlasting life. {GC88 544.1}
In consequence of Adam’s sin, death passed upon the whole human race. All alike go down into the grave. And through the provisions of the plan of salvation, all are to be brought forth from their graves.
“There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust;” [Acts 24:15.] “for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” [1 Corinthians 15:22.]
But a distinction is made between the two classes that are brought forth.
“All that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” [John 5:28,29.]
They who have been “accounted worthy” of the resurrection of life are “blessed and holy.” “On such the second death hath no power.” [Revelation 20:6.] But those who have not, through repentance and faith, secured pardon, must receive the penalty of transgression,— “the wages of sin.” They suffer punishment varying in duration and intensity, “according to their works,” but finally ending in the second death.
Since it is
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impossible for God, consistently with his justice and mercy, to save the sinner in his sins, he deprives him of the existence which his transgressions have forfeited, and of which he has proved himself unworthy.
Says an inspired writer, “Yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.” And another declares, “They shall be as though they had not been.” [Psalm 37:10; Obadiah 16.] Covered with infamy, they sink into hopeless, eternal oblivion. {GC88 544.2}
Thus will be made an end of sin, with all the woe and ruin which have resulted from it.
Says the psalmist: “Thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name forever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end.” [Psalm 9:5, 6.]
[Text below is from YI – The Youth’s Instructor, October 1, 1852 Communications – Beauties of the New Earth]
On either side of this beautiful river is the tree of life. And the redeemed saints, who have loved God and kept his commandments here, will enter in through the gates of the City, and have right to the tree of life. They will eat freely of it, as our first parents did before their fall. The leaves of that immortal wide-spread tree will be for the healing of the nations. All their woes will then be gone. Sickness, sorrow and death they will never again feel, for the leaves of the tree of life have healed them. Jesus will then see of the travail of his soul [Isaiah 53:11] and be satisfied, when the redeemed, who have been subject to sorrow, toil and afflictions, who have groaned beneath the curse, are gathered up around that tree of life to eat of its immortal fruit, that our first parents forfeited all right to, by breaking God’s commands. There will be no danger of their ever losing right to the tree of life again, for he that tempted our first parents to sin, will be destroyed by the second death. {YI, October 1, 1852 par. 3}
[Text below is from YI – The Youth’s Instructor, May 1, 1854 – To the Young]
There always should be a plain and decided difference between the followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, and those of the world.
Those who follow Christ will choose the suffering, self-denying part, and will have his approbation here, and will incur the scorn and displeasure of this proud world; but will have glory, immortality and eternal life hereafter. Those who choose to go with the world, follow its fashions and have its approbation here, will have the displeasure of God, and will lose heaven and immortal glory, and finally die the second death. {YI, May 1, 1854 par. 7}
Young friends, which will you choose? To live a life of self-denial here, act out the religion of Jesus which you profess, be singular in the eyes of the world, and reap life everlasting; or will you put off the preparation, live half-hearted in the cause of God, merely having the name of a Christian, a form of godliness, and thereby dishonoring your profession, and then in the day of God’s wrath that is just before us, be weighed in the balance and found wanting, shut out from heaven and lost forever! {YI, May 1, 1854 par. 8}
[Text below is from YI – The Youth’s Instructor, April 27, 1899 – The Resurrection of Lazarus]
Christ was ever touched by human sorrow; but a far greater grief filled his soul as he thought of his unbelieving people. He saw that those who now refused to accept him would from that time erect around themselves walls of impenetrable darkness and unbelief, through which the light from heaven could not enter. The retribution that was coming upon Jerusalem was plainly portrayed before him. He saw Jerusalem besieged by the Roman legions. He knew that many now weeping for Lazarus would die in the siege of the city, and in their death there would be no hope. They would not rise again to receive life eternal, but to receive the second death. {YI, April 27, 1899 par. 4}