Hell and Everlasting Punishment
Part 7: Gloom
The word "gloom" means "a partial or total darkness; a dark place; an atmosphere or despondency."
Nahum speaks of the goodness of the Lord to those who trust Him, but then He says of those who do not trust Him, "darkness shall pursue his [God's] enemies." (Nahum 1:7-8). God, in speaking of the wicked says, "Wherefore their ways shall be unti them as slippery ways in the darkness; they shall be driven on and fall therein" (Jeremiah 23:12). Solomon wrote, "For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out" (Proverbs 24:20). God warns: "Hear ye, and give ear; be no proud: for the LORD hath spoken. Give glory to the LORD your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness" (Jeremiah 13:15,16). Someone has written of the gloom of a lost soul:
LOST IN ETERNITY'S GLOOM
O, what an awful word! Lost souls. Can you get a faint idea of the measureless depth of meaning in the two small words? What oceans of tears! What overwhelming bursts of wailing and gnashing of teeth! What eternities of despair! Irredeemably lost! No chance for light to shine out on their devil-begirt, furnace-heated, pall-shrouded, downward, outward, hellward pathway. Lost to happiness and hope. Lost to God and the redeemed! Lost to heaven and hope. Lost, and no hope of ever being found. Not one dim, distant hope of ever being anything but more hopelessly, ruinously, despairingly, lost, during all the eternities to come.
From woe to more woe; misery to worse misery; ever always lost! Lost because they would be lost. Lost, while their bosom friend was found. Lost, while Jesus was seeking them, and found them lost; but they would not be found. They might have been found, but would not. They gained the world and lost their souls. They gained the shadow and lost the substance; gained the briers and lost the flowers; gained famine and lost plently; gained foes and lost a Friend; gained eternal damnation and lost eternal life.
Lost amid outer darkness! Lost in the smooe of torment! Lost in the lake of fire and brimstone! Lost amid the howlings of myriads of tormenting devils, the shrieks of the damned, and horrible tempest, the thousand thunders! Lost! Lost!! Lost!!! The bells of eternity are tolling the requuiem. Time warned you. The Bible warned you. The Judgement and providences of God warn you. The Spirit warned you. Shall you and your loved ones be lost? Decide now while Jesus calls, or you are lost.
Lost to earth's pleasures that once thy soul won.
Lost earth's fond friendship to sorrow alone,
Lost amid ruined hopes ever undone,
Lost! the enchantment is o'er.
Lost where the billows of torment e'er roll;
Lost where God's wrath flame envelops the soul;
Lost where no gleam of hope comes to console,
Lost in eternity's gloom.
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