The Scripture Doctrine of a Future Life

RETURNING to the parable of the rich man, we find that this scene transpires in hades, or sheol, which, as we have seen, is in the nether parts of the earth. The place is one of darkness and silence, where there is neither wisdom nor knowledge. It is the place of the dead, and those who are therein are called "the congregation of the dead." Prov. 21:16. In the utter darkness of hades, how can men see each other? "In the land of forgetfulness," how can they remember the events of their past lives? In a place where there is no knowledge, how could Dives know Abraham, whom he had never seen? Where there is no work, nor device, how could he devise a plan to warn his wicked brethren? And in hades, where there is no wisdom, how could Abraham give such wise answers? In hades, where the wicked are silent in death, how could Dives converse? As the righteous cannot praise God in hades, and do not even remember his name, how does it happen that they can so well understand and converse on everything else?

The answer is simple: The dead are personified and made to speak and act in reference to the facts of their respective cases as though they were alive. Why should not the Spirit of God do this when it has seen fit to personify every kind of inanimate thing? Thus the blood of Abel cries to God. Gen. 4. And thus in Job, the depth and the sea are made to speak, and even destruction and death are represented as saying that they have heard the fame of wisdom with their ears. Job 28:14-22. The stone by the sanctuary heard all the words of Israel. Josh. 24. The trees, held an election and made speeches. Judges 9. The thistle proposes a matrimonial alliance with the cedar. 2 Kings 14; 2 Chron. 25. All the trees sing out at the presence of God. 1 Chron. 16. The stone cries out of the wall, and the beam answers it. Hab. 2. The hire of the laborers, kept back by fraud, cries to God. James 5. Dead Abel yet speaketh. Heb. 11. The souls under the altar, slain for their testimony, and who do not live till the first resurrection, cry to God for vengeance. Rev. 6:9, 10. And, finally, death and hades are both personified—the one riding a pale horse, the other following, and both cutting down mankind. And this personification is still further carried out, when both, as though living enemies, are at last cast into the fire of gehenna. Rev. 6:8; 20:14; 1 Cor. 15; Hosea 13:14.

That those who conversed together are not disembodied spirits, but personified dead men, is further proved by the following facts: 1. Not one word is said of the spirit of any person named. 2. This conversation takes place in hades, which the sacred writers affirm to be in the depths of the earth. 3. The persons named are men that had lived, the one clothed in purple, the other covered with sores, and both were then dead. But these dead men have bodily organs, as eyes, fingers, tongues, etc. But the truth on this point is sealed by the fact that Lazarus could only return to warn the rich man's brethren by being raised from the dead. "Neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead" —Gr., ean tis ek nekron anaste. It was not whether the spirit of Lazarus should descend from the third Heaven, but whether Lazarus himself should be raised from among the dead ones. This shows that the conversation did not relate to the coming back of disembodied spirits; and in fact that they were not disembodied spirits that here conversed.

The parable of Dives and Lazarus does not therefore teach the present punishment of the wicked dead, nor the conscious state of the dead.

Eighth Objection.—The Thief on the Cross. "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." Luke 23: 43.

Here again our opponents have found, as they think, a plain case favoring their view of going to Heaven at death. But we are convinced that the whole difficulty in this passage turns simply upon the punctuation. As it now stands punctuated, it makes the Saviour promise the thief that he should be with him in Paradise that day; but we believe this punctiation to be incorrect. Properly punctuated it reads as follows: "Verily I say unto thee to-day, Thou shalt be with me in Paradise."

Putting the comma after "to-day" where it belongs properly, then the adverb "to-day" qualifies the verb SAY; that is, "I say unto you to-day, Thou shalt be with me in Paradise." This makes sense of the passage. Now look a moment at the facts. Jesus was there, nailed to the cross, condemned to death. His enemies stood around his feet, cursing and reviling him. Everybody had forsaken him, and it looked as though God himself had abandoned him. Here the poor thief puts his trust in the Saviour. Under these circumstances, Christ is so touched with his faith that he says, verily I promise you to-day, under these circumstances, as forbading as they look, I here promise you that you shall be with me in Paradise as you have requested.

It will be remembered that the art of punctuation was not introduced until some 250 years ago. Thus Quackenboss' Rhetoric, p. 81, says, "The ancients originally wrote their manuscript without marks or divisions of any kind. Points were said to have been introduced about two hundred years before Christ by Tristophanes, a grammarian of Alexandria, but did not come into general use for several centuries. The modern system of punctuation was invented by Manutius, a learned printer who nourished in Venice at the commencement of the sixteenth century." So when Luke wrote his gospel there was no mark of punctuation put into it. This was introduced into the Bible about two hundred years ago. Now the translators punctuated it according to their ideas of theology. In this case they plainly made a mistake. The simple use of the comma sometimes entirely changes the meaning of a sentence.

We offer reasons why this passage should be interpreted as we maintain. 1. Look at the request of the thief himself. "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom," vs. 42. This request shows that he never thought of reaching Heaven or being saved until the Lord came into his kingdom. Hence Christ's answer refers to the very time that the thief indicated, namely, when he should come into his kingdom.

Jesus says he should be with him in Paradise. Now that Paradise is in Heaven where God is, is plainly taught in the Bible, and generally admitted. Thus Paul says that in a certain vision which he had he knew a man who was caught up to the third Heavens. 2 Cor. 12:2. Then immediately says that he was caught up into Paradise, verse 4. From this we learn that Paradise is in the third Heaven. Jesus says, "To him that overcometh will I grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." Rev. 2:7. Another nail in a sure place. Paradise is in the third Heaven and the tree of life is in the midst of Paradise. One more text will settle the question. "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life." Rev. 22:1, 2.

The tree of life, then, stands right before the throne of God, and this tree of life is in the midst of Paradise, and hence, certainly Paradise is in Heaven where God dwells. This is the place that Jesus promised to meet the thief. This promise was made on the day of crucifixion. Three days afterwards, however, Jesus positively declared to Mary that he had not yet been to his father. "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father." John 20:17. Three days after the promise was made he had not been to Heaven. Did he make a promise and then break it so soon? No; that cannot be. Therefore we are obliged to adopt the interpretation which we have given, in order to avoid a plain contradiction in the Scriptures. To say the very least we must all admit that this passage is capable of being explained in harmony with the sleep of the dead. It does not state what our opponents believe. They only infer their views from it; but their inference we have shown to be unnecessary.

Ninth Objection.—Stephen's Case. Acts 7:59. "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

In this case Stephen simply commits his life, his spirit, to the Lord. He was now dying, giving up his life for Christ; and hence, with his last breath, he commits his spirit or life to his Saviour. The next verse adds, "And when he had said this he fell asleep." Who fell asleep? Stephen. It was not the house that Stephen lived in, but Stephen himself fell asleep; and a little farther on it says, "Devout men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him." Acts 8:2. Who was carried to his burial? Stephen. When Stephen fell asleep he was buried. Was it another Stephen that went off! Stephen was here. Our opponents affirm that Stephen had gone to Heaven. But the text says no such thing. It says nothing about Stephen going to Heaven or being conscious. It is a little remarkable that every one of these passages examined fail at the very point where they expect the help from them. None of them say a word about going to Heaven or being conscious between death and the resurrection. On the other hand they affirm that these saints fell asleep, are asleep, and are to be raised at the resurrection.

Tenth Objection—Absent from the body. 2 Cor. 5:1-8. "For we know that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

It is claimed that this passage shows that upon the dissolution of the body by death, the real man continues to live right on and goes to be with the Lord in Heaven. But let us see.

Evidently the earthly house which is dissolved is the mortal body, and its dissolution is death. So far all are agreed. But there is another house spoken of with which we are to be clothed after leaving the first house. This is evidently another body. Here again all are agreed. This new body is to be obtained when mortality is "swallowed up of life." Verse 4. We claim that this new body is the immortal body which the saints receive at the resurrection. Notice it is to be "eternal." Verse 1. If it is not the resurrection body, then each saint after the resurrection will have two immortal bodies! But this is absurd. Notice carefully that it is not death which the apostle desires, but it is to put on the new body. He says: "For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." Verse 4. The Syriac gives this beautiful rendering: "Ye desire, not to throw it off, but to be clothed over it, so that its mortality may be absorbed in life." Sawyer translates it, "We do not wish to put it off, but to put on [the other]."

But when will the new, immortal body be put on? At the resurrection. 1 Cor. 15:51-54. Paul says what he longs for is, "that mortality might he swallowed up of life." Verse 4. But when is mortality swallowed up of life? Certainly not at death, for at that time mortality, all that is mortal of a man, is swallowed up of death instead of by life. All must admit this. Our opponents claim that the immortal soul goes to Heaven at death but only the mortal part of man goes down in death. But this is not what Paul was desiring, for he was looking to the time when mortality should put on immortality.

Turning to his previous letter to these same Corinthians, we find that he plainly told them that this exchange of the mortal, for the immortal body is to take place at the resurrection when the Lord comes. "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Cor. 15:51-54.

Here we have the same subject and nearly the same words as in the passage we are examining. This explains the other. In this mortal body Paul was groaning, anxiously longing for the time when he should exchange it for the immortal body at the resurrection.

While he is in this mortal corruptible body he cannot go to be with the Lord, for "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Cor. 15:50. Hence he truly says that while we are at home in this body we are absent from the Lord. But when we shall have put off this mortal body and shall have been "clothed upon with our house which is from Heaven," viz., the immortal or eternal body, then we shall "be present with the Lord," for this is the very way men go to be with the Lord as Paul himself testifies: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.

Eleventh Objection,—in the body or out of the body. 2 Cor. 12:2. "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) such a one caught up to the third heaven."

It is claimed from this that a man can live in the body or he can live out of the body. Paul says he went to Heaven and he saw certain things there; but whether he went in his body or out of his body, he did not know. Just as much as to say that he could have gone without his body. Very well. Let us look at this candidly. The first verse shows that the apostle is speaking of himself, and certain visions he had received. "I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord." Then he proceeds to state, how this man was caught up into Heaven and heard certain unspeakable things. Now he says that he could not tell whether he was caught up bodily or out of the body. We understand it to mean simply this: he could not tell whether he was actually taken right up into Heaven bodily or whether it was simply pictured before his mind so that he saw it as an actual reality. Looking at his writings a little further we find what he means by being absent from his body. Thus to the Colossians he says, "For though I be absent in the flesh, [that is the body] yet am I with you in the Spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ."

Remember that while Paul sat at his table in Rome writing to the Colossians, hundreds of miles away, says, "Though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit." His spirit, according to the theory of our opponents, was over there in Colosse while his body was in Rome writing that letter. Now we ask our opponents if they really believe that Paul's soul actually went out of his body and left it there a dead carcass while his spirit was personally over at Colosse with the brethren? In this case we know it does not mean this, and they themselves must admit that Paul was writing at the very time that he affirms this that his spirit was in a place where his body was not. Again to the Corinthians he says: "For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already." 1 Cor. 5:3. Here he asserts that while his body is absent his spirit is present with them. Now what does he mean by this? no one is at a loss to know what he means. It is while he was in one place personally, his thoughts, his affections, his mind was at the other place. Just so in the passage under consideration. Paul's mind, his thoughts were carried to Heaven. The Lord gave him a vision presenting before him Heaven with all its glory. It was so real that the apostle did not know whether he was really there bodily or simply saw it in his mind. Notice further that if Paul's soul or spirit actually left his body and went to Heaven and then came back again, he must have had a resurrection from the dead, for James says the body without the spirit is dead. Will our opponents affirm thus of Paul? We think not. We leave the passage there.

Twelfth Objection.—Souls under the altar. Rev. 6:9, 10. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"

It is claimed that this passage shows that souls had life separate from the body; and furthermore, that in this case, there are some which are alive and can talk. Therefore it is a very strong text. But we think a little examination will spoil this pretty theory. Where were the souls seen? Under the altar, that is according to their interpretation, up in Heaven stowed away in a very crowded, uncomfortable position. And their position was so uncomfortable, that they cried earnestly to God for deliverance. Can we imagine such a scene to take place in Heaven? The Lord said to them that they should rest for a little season until their fellow servants should be killed. Verse 11. Notice what a spirit this view attributes to those holy spirits. They were the souls of those who had been slain on the earth. Now they cry to God, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth?"