Hope of the Gospel

WE see, then, that there is no chance to establish the doctrine of a Paradise in hades from Bible testimony, or to show from the Bible that dead men are conscious. It is true that poets have sung: "There is no death, what seems so is transition. This life of mortal breath is but a suburb of the life elysian, whose portals we call death."

Great men have built beautiful theories of fancy relative to it, but God's word is very clear and plain. I will give one sample of philosophizing on the matter from Benjamin Franklin's letter to Miss Hubbard on the death of his brother, Mr. John Franklin. "Madam: I condole with you. We have lost a most dear and valuable relation. But it is the will of God and nature that these mortal bodies be laid aside when the soul is to enter into real life. This is rather an embryo state, a preparation for living. A man is not completely born till he be dead. Why then should we grieve that a new child is born among the immortals, a new member added to their happy society? We are spirits. That bodies should be lent us, while they can afford us pleasure, assist us in acquiring knowledge, or in doing good to our fellow-creatures, is a kind and benevolent act of God. When they become unfit for these purposes, and afford us pain instead of pleasure, instead of an aid become an incumbrance, and answer none of the intentions for which they were given, it is equally kind and benevolent that a way is provided in which we may get rid of them. Death is that way. We ourselves, in some cases, prudently choose a partial death. A mangled, painful limb, which cannot be restored, we willingly cut off. He who plucks out a tooth, parts with it freely since the pain goes with it; and he who quits the whole body, parts at once with all pains, and possibilities of pains, and diseases, it is liable to, or capable of making him suffer.

"Our friend and we were invited abroad on a party of pleasure which is to last forever. His chair was ready first, and he is gone before us. We could not all conveniently start together; and why should we be grieved at this since we are so soon to follow and know where to find him?"

This talk of the philosopher Franklin of course was in harmony with the theology he had been taught. He well expresses the popular sentiment of this time, but he presents no proof of it above; it is mere assertion, and these assertions are in direct opposition to the teachings of the Bible, which present death as a foe instead of a friend, and declare that, without a resurrection, the dead are lost.

The contrast between Bible doctrine and the theology of the present time, on this subject, is great. We read, "The first-born of death shall devour his strength. His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors." Job 18:13,14. Here death is called the "king of terrors." Again he says: "Oh! that I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me! I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. Are not my days few? cease, then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness, and the shadow of death: a land of darkness, as darkness itself, and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness." Job 10:18-22. Compare this with a little modern theology and you will see the contrast. "Death, to a man whose mind is healthy, is a pleasant prospect. He does not regard it as death at all. A man who believes that he will ever be buried must have very unpleasant feelings. For our part, we believe it is impossible to bury any man; that no grave or coffin will ever contain him; and that no undertaker is able to seize him when he leaves his earthly tenement. Buried! what a horrid idea! We pity the man who thinks he ever will or can be buried. We know by experience in childhood and youth what it is to fear it; but now we know that the grave is no concern of ours, and has no dominion over us. Truly death is a good thing."

See what a different sentiment is penned by Isaiah: "Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead." Isa. 26:19. See what he calls death in the previous chapter: "And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations." What is this covering and vail? The next words tell us: "He will swallow up death in victory." Isa. 25:7,8.

The reason of the above contrast is this: Bible writers saw no hope, only in the resurrection of the dead, while modern writers claim that man is possessed of an entity which they call soul or spirit, which they say is capable of a conscious existence separate from the body. This part they claim is immortal. Does the Bible tell us any where that man has an immortal soul or spirit? It does not. The terms soul and spirit occur in the Bible many hundred times, but in not one single instance are they said to be immortal or deathless.

IMMORTAL.

The word immortal, is only once used in our version of the Bible, and then is applied to God as one of the divine attributes. "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever." 1 Tim. 1:17. The original word is, however, used in six other instances, but is never applied to man nor to any part of man, in the present life. In Rom. 1:23, it is again applied to God, translated uncorruptible, as contrasted with man, who is said to be corruptible or mortal. In 1 Cor. 9:25, it describes the crown of the overcomer. In 1 Cor. 15:52, it is used to describe the bodies of the saints after the resurrection to immortality. In 1 Pet. 1:4, it is used of our future and eternal inheritance; and in verse 23, to the word of God. In 1 Pet. 3:4, it is referred to the heavenly adorning of meekness and quietness of spirit.

IMMORTALITY.

The word immortality occurs five times only in our version, and is never connected with the soul or spirit. We will look at these texts. Paul, in his letter to Timothy, while urging the church to "fight the good fight of faith," and to "lay hold on eternal life," says of Christ, "Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting." 1 Tim. 6:15,16.

This scripture shows in the most emphatic manner that God is the being alone who is absolutely the Immortal One—the one from whom all immortality is, and must be, derived. If his word states that he has given immortality to the race at creation, or since, that is sufficient to prove that they are immortal; but, if we find it to be an object of pursuit, and that it is only to be obtained through the resurrection of the dead, then it is folly to claim that man must be conscious in death because his immortal soul cannot die. The first thing to be proved is that man has any such immortal part.

In the second epistle to Timothy, Paul says: "But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10. That is, in the teachings of the gospel it is brought to light, or made plain, how death is to be abolished, and immortality to be bestowed. It was predicted by the ancient prophet that death should be abolished, or "swallowed up," Isa. 26:8, but the New Testament shows in clear light for whom this shall be done, and how it shall be done.

We read in Paul's letter to the Romans: "Who will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life." Rom. 2:6,7. Here we see it is those who "seek for immortality" that are to receive it. In the letter of Paul to the Corinthians are the two remaining instances where the term immortality occurs; this chapter is addressed to the saints, the ones for whom death is abolished. To them he says: "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.

We see by these testimonies that the abolition of death, and the bestowment of immortality, is indeed made plain in the gospel, but these scriptures are far from telling us that we are already in possession of immortality, but they are in perfect accordance with the whole chapter, which shows that all future life is dependent upon the resurrection of the dead, as we have before shown.