NOTES OUT OF THE CATECHISM CLASSES Of Rev. J. Fraanje Using the Catechism Book

Of the Last Judgment and Everlasting Life. Lesson 41 Part III

Heienbroek asks in question 10, “What will be pronounced on the righteous?

Answer: Matt. 25:34, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world.”

What sentence will He pass on the wicked?

Answer: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt. 25:41.

What will follow the final judgment?

Eternal life or eternal damnation!

O, the unspeakable difference that shall be witnessed at that time. In this world millions of people experience the same lot and portion in life. They are born, eat, drink, work, become sick, have accidents, prosperity, adversity, happiness, sorrow. All these things occur in the lives of both the righteous and the wicked. But then will be seen the great difference between those who served God and those who have not served Him. Persons who were most closely associated here, shall be separated an incomprehensible distance apart from one another! Alas, sometimes here there can arise a great separation between two people, even in the same family.

Have you ever seen a closer relationship than exists between twins? And yet, even though Jacob and Esau were born as twins and reared in the same house, there will be an eternal separation between them. Now this difference involves their souls, but soon in the last judgment it will be visable to the whole world that Jacob shall stand on the right hand and Esau on the left.

Boys and girls, give serious thought to these things. Do you have a converted father or mother (or both) who are carrying you in prayer unto a Triune God?

O, if you, yourself, remain unconverted you shall not stand with your parents on the right hand even though they loved you so much. No more prayers will be made for you there. But, do you know what shall take place? Converted parents shall see their unconverted children and converted children shall see their unconverted parents standing on the left side without the least concern for them, because at one time in their lives they experienced a love for God transcending all else and that love at judgment day shall then be completely perfected. The Lord Jesus said, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.”

But perhaps you are saying inwardly, “Is not that hard hearted?” No, it is not. They have, through grace, experienced here in time a moment when they were in accord with their own damnation and God’s justice in punishing of sin. If they were not able to excuse themselves, would they be able to excuse their dearest relatives on earth? No, they will be able to say, “Amen” upon their sentence without shedding tears.

Through God’s grace they have come to love Him above any creature. Every affectionate regard for relatives will fall away on that day.

That day will be a day of finality for every creature from Adam on down to the very last one to be born.

But in contraposition to the indescribable bliss experienced by God’s people, will be the indescribable state of those on the left hand!

The bottomless pit shall be opened and the angels as ministerng spirits shall drive them to the place of the damned where there shall be nothing but cursing. God’s wrath shall burn eternally there because guilt will always be present. There the dreadful flames of God’s Holy justice will be in constant glowing heat, without ceasing.

God Himself will not be present in that place, nor will His love or favor, or the least bit of His goodness.

The requirements as He had revealed to man in Paradise shall be present there, namely, to obey Him perfectly. This requirement shall remain eternally upon all for whom Chirst had not made the satisfaction.

Why should this requirement continue eternally?

Answer: Because God is also eternal.

It is for that reason, too, that punishment will last eternally, as we have to do with an eternal God.

Would there be stages in this eternal punishment?

Yes, in the main there shall be two stages: they first shall suffer in soul only, but after the resurrection in both soul and body. A person’s soul departs to its eternal destiny as soon as it escapes the body. Now, you were taught earlier that the soul is a rational and immortal spirit, through which we live and use reason.

It remains so when it is at its eternal place. So, when the soul of an unconverted person arrives in hell it is immediately aware of it and will have full consciousness of where it is. The soul, the spirit with the faculty of reason, will have to say, “Here I am at a place from which I shall never escape.”

The soul will also be perfectly aware that it bore God’s image and offended it. It will recall its sinful behavior upon earth. The soul, without the least hope, will have full consciousness and conviction, that these things are true, even though it never realized or believed it in its life time.

In addition, it will anticipate the last day in complete despair, at which time it knows the resurrection will take place. It knows it shall have the return of its body, the body in which it sinned. All of this will burn brightly and clearly in the conscience. It will never be able to say that God is unrighteous, but, also, it will never be able to acknowledge that He deals justly because that would give some relief.

Yet under all this, a person remains a rational creature. You need not think he goes to damnation as a stick or block of wood; no, he remains a rational creature. But, do you know what he will do while aware of all this? He cannot refuse to recognize God for what he is, nor can he accept Him as an actuality; nothing remains but to curse and slander Him. He not only has a desire to sin, but actually does it and that forever.

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