Objection 62: It is contrary to the Christian belief in a loving God to believe that Christ will come as a destroyer and the unsaved will be killed by the brightness of His coming.
There is an irony to this objection, because it often comes from those who believe that the unsaved go straight to hell when they die, there to stay throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. If it seems to the objector more in harmony with the Christian idea of a loving God to believe in never-ending torment as the portion of the wicked, rather than speedy destruction in connection with the Second Advent of Christ, we must simply disagree with the objector’s value judgment. But when the issue is presented this way, we doubt that anyone would think of affirming that greater love is indicated by eternal torture in hell than by nearly instantaneous death from the brightness of the glory of God at the Second Advent.
Everyone who understands that there is a difference between right and wrong, between righteousness and wickedness, and that there is a judgment day when God will reward men according to their deeds, must believe that there is a punishment for the wicked as well as a reward for the righteous. This cannot really be disputed by anyone who believes in the Bible as the inspired word of God.
Believers in the literal Second Advent of Christ certainly are not unique in holding that the wicked will die and not be saved. And, to be clear, God does not take any pleasure in the death of the wicked. (See Eze. 18:32) It is not because God hates men that He finally destroys the wicked. To the contrary, it is because He loves mankind, and there is no alternative if God is to finally remove sin and suffering from the universe.
Sin is something found only in connection with beings possessed of free moral agency and free will. The germs of sin can thrive only as they burrow deep into the very mind and heart. Thus the destruction of sin necessitates the destruction of those who are determined to hold on to sin.
It has never been possible for sinful man to gaze upon the face of God. It is only the pure in heart who will finally see God. When Moses in the mount sought to see God's face his plea was denied. The Lord placed him in a “cleft of the rock,” that he might be hid from the divine glory as God passed by, otherwise he would die. (See, Exodus 33:18-23).
From this we may learn a spiritual lesson. We as poor sinners may also be hid in the cleft of therock, the rock Christ Jesus. The opportunity is offered to all to avail themselves of this protection. When hid in Christ our sins are forgiven; His holy life covers us. We thus stand unafraid in the day when the glory of God is revealed from heaven at the Second Advent.
The same awful brilliance envelops all, the righteous as well as the wicked. The difference is that the righteous are protected by the covering of Christ's righteousness, while the wicked stand spiritually naked. They must cry for the literal rocks to fall on them, and hide them from the face of Him that sits on the throne. They have brought death upon themselves by the course they have willfully taken throughout their lives.