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But this golden age will conclude some day as the kingdom of Christ is merged into the universal kingdom of God, and when everything will be made new and God will be all in all. Satan, sin, death, and all things con trary to God’s perfect will, will be abolished, and the kingdom of God will go on eternally (cf. 1 Cor. 15:24- 28; Zech. 14:3, 9, 20; Rev. 20:1-6). Conclusion Today, God’s kingdom is a spiritual one. That is, while the world rolls aimlessly on, and the Lord Jesus tar ries, we may allow God to rule in our hearts. For while''we are in this world physioally,.we may be members of the kingdom of God spiritually. Today, God is definitely interested in gather ing out a people for His name. Here, then, is our glorious task, to preach the gospel of salvation by grace to the ends of the earth (cf. Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 16:31; Rom. 10:9, 10). Thus we shall hasten the day when Christ shall return and peace, prosperity, and righteousness shall prevail. April 9, 1944 DOES DEATH END ALL? 1 C orinthians 15:12-17, 52, 53; The Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead, and “showed himself alive ..... by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days” (Acts 1:3). The empty tomb of Christ is an in fallible proof that every grave shall give forth the body' of its dead. Some shall come forth to the resurrection of life, some to the "resurrection of damnation, but all will come forth (cf. John 5:28, 29; Dan, 12:2, 3). “Life is real, life is earnest, and the grave is not its goal. ‘Dust thou art, to dust returneth’ was not spoken of the soul.” 2 C orinthians 5:1 By Ruth A. Evans
For Those Who Have Topics I. WHAT DEATH MEANS TO THE BELIEVER. Death is a door opening into full joy and blessing, which God in His grace has planned for all those who put their trust in His Son. 1. For the spirit, death means an immediate presence with the Lord (Lk. 23:43). For the body, death is sleep, but when pur Lord comes, the body shall be raised incorruptible and immortal (1 Cor. 15:52-54). 2. We shall see’our Lord face to face (1 Cor. 13:12; Psa. 17:15). The veil that hides His blessed face from us will be removed, and we shall behold Him in all His glory and beauty. 3. We shall be like Him (1 John 3:2; Phil. 3:20, 21). In resurrection our bodies shall be changed, and shall be like His glorious body. They will have no weakness, ño pain, or weariness. They will be beautiful and glorious. We shall be like Him physically, spiritually, and intellectually. 4. We shall also have personal fel lowship with Him, Our knowledge of Him will be corrected and enlarged. There will be full and perfect satis faction for our souls (Psa. 16:11). 5. We shall see, know, and be with pur saved loved ones (1 Thess. 4:13- 18). Tlfat will be a happy day for, as William Jennings Bryan has said, “Christ has made of death a narrow sunlit strip between the companion ship of yesterday and the reunion of. torriorrow.” II. WHAT DEATH ENDS FOR THE BELIEVER. 1. Opportunity of winning souls for Christ (Prov. 11:30; Dan. 12:3). What a privilege it is to win a soul for Christ! Our Lord taught and empha sized the necessity of personal work. He commands it, and we have no right to ignore that command (Mk. 1:17; 16:15; John 15:16). To do your best for the world is to point and lead men to Christ. To do your best for God
is to become a soul-winner. The soul- winner not only receives a crown in heaven, but also, has joy unspeakable here. • 2. The joy of giving. "Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven by giving of your life and your means now. 3. The joy of intercession. “I im agine,” observed Helen Barrett Mont gomery, ‘‘that when we get to heaven, the sin that will smite us most will be our prayerlessness.” III. WHAT DEATH MEANS FOR THE UNBELIEVER. 1. Eternal separation f r o m God. Wheré we spend eternity depends on what we do with Christ here. After death, no person can hope to have again the privilege of receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour. “Except a man be bom again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. . . Ye must be born again” (John 3:3, 7). Jt is not “ye may be born again,” but “ye must be b o r n again.” “But the fearful, and unbelieving . . . shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Rev. 21:8). 2. The end of opportunity. If men go out from the presence of God into everlasting punishment, it must be be cause they have trampled under foot the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should cornetto re pentance.” But today is the day of sal vation. “Now is the accepted time” (2 Cor. 6:2). Death ends one’s opportu nity for salvation and hope of spend ing eternity in heaven with Christ and saved loved ones. Illustration Burne-Jones went to the funeral of Browning in Westminster Abbey, but came away profoundly dissatisfied with the service, it was so flat and dull and sad. “I would have given something for a banner or two,” he
April 23—ZADA E. STEVENS (Biola ’42> was gradu ated f r o m Westmont • College, Los Angeles, April 30—C. RICHARD (DICK) HILUS (Biola ’32), mis sionary in China with the China Inland Mis- • sion, is now Director of Practical C h r i s t i a n Work at the Bible Insti
Calif., m a j o r i n g in | Christian Education.
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tute of Los Angeles and 1 promoter of popular ra dio programs for high- f school youth.
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