Is Sin Eternal?

THE Canon inquires, "Do the dead sleep?" Bible writers, in more than one hundred places, have spoken of death as a "sleep," and not only so, but a sleep which cuts off all hope of future life except through the resurrection of the dead. St. Paul says, "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." 1 Cor. 15:16-19. On the word perished, in the above text, Dr. Bloomfield says, "As if he had said, There is an end of them and all their hopes." That the dead sleep is shown also by the following scriptures: 2 Sam. 7:12; 2 Chron. 26:23; Job 7:21; 14:12; Ps. 76:5; Dan. 12:2; Acts 13:36; 1 Thess. 4:13-15, etc.

The Canon speaks as though Lazarus and those raised with Christ came from Paradise. The Scripture writers say nothing of their coming from Paradise. The grave is not Paradise by any means. He further enquires, "Where is Paradise? Every expression concerning it is too vague for us to venture upon localization. It is spoken of as a descent, a being in the lower part of the earth. It was underneath the earth that the Jews fixed the place of the departed. It is more likely that it is within our atmosphere, and the apostle's description of the cloud of witnesses by which we are surrounded lends some color to this view. We are treading on firmer ground when we ask, What is Paradise? It is described under various names, each indicating darkness and mystery. In the Hebrew it is called sheol, in the Greek, Hades, and in the English version of the Bible this is somewhat confusedly translated hell, from an old Saxon word hel-am, meaning a hidden or concealed place. 'Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.' 'In hell he lifted up his eyes.' 'He descended into hell.' In each of these instances, as in many others, the word is hades, translated into the old Saxon word hell or hidden place."

The reader will observe that the above definition of Paradise is based on the supposition that it is the state of the dead. It seems to me this definition will not bear the test of Scripture. He has stated that Paradise is called in the Hebrew, sheol, and in the Greek, hades. Does he mean to tell us that paradise is a translation of those Hebrew and Greek terms? His language at least conveys that idea. I turn to my Greek Testament and find in every case where the word Paradise occurs in the English New Testament, it is not hades, but paradeisos, or its equivalent; neither do we find an instance in the Old Testament where the translators have translated sheol by the word Paradise, or that in the New, have they in one single instance translated hades Paradise. It is true, however, that the words sheol and hades are the words for the state of the dead, but is it so certain that Paradise is the state of the dead that it may be asserted without Scriptural proof? The simple fact that the Jews, after mingling with the Babylonians and other nations, accepted some of their pagan ideas of a "nether world" of consciousness for the pious and wicked dead is not sufficient proof, being contrary to the Scriptures.

Dr. Campbell says, "Before the captivity, and the Macedonian and Roman conquests, the Jews observed the most profound silence upon the state of the dead, as to their happiness or misery. They spoke of it simply as a state of silence, darkness, and inactivity. But after the Hebrews mingled with the Greeks and Romans, they insensibly elided into their use of terms, and adopted some of their ideas on such subjects as those on which their oracles were silent."

It seems from the statement of Prideaux, that even the Egyptians did not get their ideas of the immortal soul by their association with Jews, but that Pythagoras went to Babylon and after remaining there twelve years, "The most important doctrine he brought from thence to Egypt was that of the immortality of the soul."

If, as Dr. Campbell states, the Jews had mingled pagan ideas with their religion, it will not do to decide upon the doctrines of Scripture simply by their sentiments, even if they are found in Josephus.

The question now fairly before us is, What and where is Paradise? St. Paul speaks of it in so familiar a manner we should conclude he thought we would know what he meant by the term, "I knew a man in Christ . . . . caught up into the third heavens. . . .caught up into Paradise." 2 Cor. 12:2, 4. From these words we learn that paradise is up (not down in hades); we learn also that it is the "third heavens." What shall we understand by the third heavens? In the record of creation we learn that God made a firmament that divided the waters above from those beneath it, "and God called the firmament heaven." Gen. 1:8. As St Paul was caught up, this would be heaven number one. For the second heaven we read the words of the Psalmist: "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and stars, which thou hast ordained." Ps. 8:3. Calling the planetary system the second heavens, still upward the "third heavens" or paradise must be the dwelling-place of God. This is farther "up" than "our atmosphere" which the Canon suggested was Paradise.

For further testimony on the location of Paradise we will look at the testimony of St. John in the Revelation. Christ being the speaker, says, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God." Rev. 2:7. It seems from this that Paradise is where the tree of life is located. As to the location of that tree we find testimony in the same book. "In the midst of the street of it (the New Jerusalem) and on either side of the river was there the tree of life." Rev. 22:2. In the same chapter he says, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and enter in through the gate into the city." Verse 14. The tree of life being in Paradise, and in the city of New Jerusalem, we conclude that the New Jerusalem is in Paradise. This city is called "The tabernacle of God." Rev. 21:3. If Paradise is the New Jerusalem it is not the place of the dead, for the dead "go down into sheol," but Paradise is "up" in the "third heavens," and so is "Jerusalem which is above," Gal. 4:26. Both St. Peter and St. Paul testified of David that he was "asleep," "dead and buried," and "not ascended into the heavens." See. Acts 2:29, 34; 13:36. Our Saviour also said to Mary, on the morning of his resurrection, "Touch me not for I am not yet ascended unto my Father." St. John 20:17. He had not been to Paradise, but he had been to hades, to sheol, to the state of the dead.

It will doubtless be urged at this point that Paradise must refer to the state of the dead, because Christ told the thief on the cross that he should be in Paradise with him that day. I do not so understand Christ's words to the thief. The request of the thief was, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Luke 23:42. Christ was not then coming into his kingdom. It is when he returns, at his second coming, that he receives the kingdom. At the time of his ascension he was like the nobleman going "into a far country to receive the kingdom." It is when he returns that he will have "received the kingdom." Luke 19:11-15. That is the time of "his appearing and kingdom." 2 Tim. 4:1.

It is true that the answer of Christ to the thief, as punctuated in the authorized version, makes Christ say, "I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise." This punctuation is of course man's work and not a part of inspiration. As now punctuated we see it makes this Scripture contradict the words of Christ to Mary. He had not been to his Father,—had not been to Paradise. If we punctuate the text as suggested in the margin of Griesbach's Greek Testament all is plain. He places the comma after to-day. It then reads, "Verily I say unto thee to-day, thou shalt be with me in Paradise." This would then be the meaning of Christ, I make you the promise to-day, that you shall be with me in my kingdom, yea, in the Paradise of God, in the city of New Jerusalem, where the throne of God, the tree of life, and the river of life are found. It does not then relate to the state of the dead, but to the future immortal kingdom of God, to that state of things which is to be after the second coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead.

Theories of men borrowed from paganism may teach that hades is a place of consciousness, but what saith the Scripture regarding sheol and hades? In the words of Solomon we read, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave (sheol), whither thou goest." Eccl. 9:10. Sheol then is a place of utter unconsciousness. This is very evident if we look at his previous statement as to the result of death. "This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward [It does not say they never will be rewarded. They will be rewarded at their resurrection, but they have no reward while dead]; for the memory of them is forgotten. [They are not then, while in sheol, so keenly burned by memory as the Canon would have us understand, for their memory is gone]. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; [If memory is the test of their identity, and love, or hatred, or envy, or thoughts and knowledge are essential to conscious existence, then surely the dead are unconscious, for, in that state, the dead are devoid of all these faculties] neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun." Eccl. 9:3-6. This latter statement is not that they shall have no portion in that future kingdom of God which is to be "under the whole heaven," Dan. 7:27, but it is proof that the dead know nothing of what is now taking place. As stated in the book of Job, respecting one who has died, "His sons come to honor and he knoweth it not; they are brought low but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:21.

The Canon reasoned that Paradise must be in our atmosphere, because St. Paul says, "We are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses." Heb. 12:1. St. Paul is not stating, in this chapter, that Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthae, Samuel, David, and a multitude as innumerable as the stars of heaven or the sands of the sea are literally surrounding us and bearing their testimony to us, for as we have just read from the wise man they are dead, and so have no portion in anything that is done under the sun. To the careful reader of St. Paul's testimony (Heb. chap. 11 to 12:1) it distinctly appears that his idea is this: Through faith in God's word we learn of the mighty acts of God in response to the faith of his worthies in the past, having given a summary of the wonderful dealings of God with his people and their deliverance from fire, sword, lions, etc., he speaks of these manifestations of God's power and mercy as a cloud of witnesses encouraging us to have faith in him. He says, "Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easily beset us [the sin of unbelief] and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." Heb. 12:2. As versified by another,—

"Where now with pain thou treadest, trod

The whitest of the saints of God!

To show thee where their feet were set,

The light that led them shineth yet.

"The foot-prints of the life divine,

Which marked their path, remain in thine;

And that great life, transfused in theirs,

Awaits thy faith, thy love, thy prayers."*

*Chapel of the Hermits. J. G. Whittler.