King's Business - 1919-07

Where A re Ou r "Loved Ones in the Lord After Death? What is to be Their Future State?

Bÿ REV . KEITH L. BROO K S

N O T E :—W e h a v e re c eiv ed a n u m b e r o f le tte rs o f in q u iry re la tiv e to th e first e d ito ria l m o u r E a s te r n u m b e r. W e a re p re s e n tin g th e follo w in g a rtic le in th e h o p e th a t it w ill c o m ­ p le te ly c la rify th e q u o ta tio n s in th e e d ito ria l re fe rre d to . T h e S ta te m e n ts to w h ic h som e ta k e e x ce p tio n s a re : “In p u ttin g d e p a rte d so u ls in h e av e n , hell o r p u rg a to ry ve d e strS v th e a rg u m e n ts w h e re w ith C h ris t a n d P a u l p ro v e th e re s u rre c tio n .”— (T v n d a le l “ n e ra lly su p p o se d th a t th e so u ls o f good m en , a s so o n a s th e y a r e d islo d g ed fro m th e b o d # So d ire c tly to h e a v e n (m e a n in g th e fin al s ta te ) , b u t th is o p in io n h a s n o t th e le a s t fo u n d a tio n in -th e 'o ra c le s o f G od.”- ( W e s le y ) . “ P a g a n p h ilo so p h y in fu s e d its o w n n O tio ^ f o f a f # ti r e h fe in to ecciesm sU cal th eo lo g y . I t d e ftly s u b s titu te d th e P la to n ic d c o trin e o f th e im m o i- ta lity o f th e so u l fo r th e C h ris tia n d o c trin e of th e re s u rre c tio n of th e body.__(A . J. G ordon) ° r

A very prevalen t philosophic idea, expressed in many modern pulpits, is th a t a literal resu rrection of the body of the believer is unnecessary and th a t resurrection, as referred to in th e Scrip­ tures, has to do only w ith the soul or sp irit and takes place imm ediately at death. Many preachers th erefo re put souls imm ediately a t death into th eir final state and many are th u s ta u g h t to fix th e ir anticipations upon th e ir de­ p artu re th rough the gates of th e grave instead of the coming of Christ through •the gates of glory. • The Apostle P aul had to meet a P agan doctrine a t Corinth. The Corin-' th ian s were not doubting th e fu tu re existence of th e soiil, bu t th e ir theology' did not include th e idea of à literal resurrection of th e body. F o r this reason P aul w rote 1 Cor. 15— “How say some among you, th ere is no resu r­ rection of the dead?” Thé same. P agan doctrine, under the term ■ “ im inortality of th e SOUL” has' been infused into our modern theology, and the expression (doubtless inno­ cently used) occurs in some of our church creeds. Many have come to th ink of naked imm ortality as th e high­ est state, and th e ir hope is th a t of becoming a ghost, or unclothed spirit. They th in k of judgm ent as being ad­ m inistered immediately a t death. They consider th e body merely as a prison

house, from which it is very desirable to be eternally free.. There can be no doubt as to w hat t.he Bible teaches. It is perfectly clear th a t death is NOT th e hope of th e believer and death is NOT th e second coming of Christ for. His saints. R esurrection of. the body a t Christ’s coming is the blessed hope of the believer. S cripture' teaches th a t the rew arding day is to be a t the same tim e fo r all, and th a t until th a t day, the spirits of believers exist in conscious bliss in P aradise or a state of. heaven, bu t NOT in the FINAL heaven to which they will ascend when th e ir works have all been summed up a t the Judgm ent Seat of Christ, and when they will have received th eir glorified BODIES. W hat of “Imm o rtality of th e SOUL?” If Scripture is carefully examined, we believe it will be found th a t IMMOR­ TALITY does not refer to the SOUL. Mortal” means “perishable, ..or subject to d eath ” and has to do w ith the BODY. “ Imm o rtal” .means “ imperishable, not subject to d eath ” and refers to a glori­ fied BODY. Adam ’s body became mor­ ta l when he sinned and m ortality passed, w ith sin, upon all men. The tru e word for “ imm o rtality” occurs in only th ree places, (1 Tim. 6 :16 ; 1 Cor 15:53, 54). IMMORTALITY is a GIFT bestowed upon a certain class, a t a certain time.

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