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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