February 1927
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sight. They occur as follows: Lk.i/16': 19-31; 23:39-43; 2 Cor. 5:1-7; 12:1-4; Phil. 1:21-23; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 14: 13. Let us consider 2 Cor. 5 :l-7. This pas sage shows that the middle life is not a complete condition. The whole purpose concerning the .saint’s redemption is not accomplished at death. We are saved “by hope” and that hope relates to the body (Rom. 8:23-24). The death of Christ cancelled the guilt of sin. The in dwelling of the Holy Spirit breaks the power of sin. But the resurrection alone can deliver from the curse of sin (Rom. 6:23). The spirits of the departed are per fected, but they are unclothed. On c e Adam was clothed like Jehovah, in whose image he was, with light as with a gar ment. By disobedience he became naked; and since then the prime sin of the uni verse, especially with woman, the first transgressor, has' been over the matter of clothing. But for this demand for ap parel, half the commerce of the civilized world would collapse. And the sin is not about necessary covering for the body, but the insane temptation to absurd adornment. When the disciples mistook Jesus for a spirit, He said, “Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have” (Lk. 24:39). This is a valuable statement to show what both the. “un clothed”’ and “clothed upon” conditions are like. With this statement harmonizes that of Paul, “that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 15:50). The corruptible blood life of the old natural body will have no place in the resurrec tion body. This passage also shows’ how vastly superior in all its capacities will the “clothed” condition be to the present state of the “unclothed” spirit. Yet even that is a great advance over the earthly. We are taught that to be unclothed is far better than dwelling in these mortal .tab ernacles. The unclothed ones are’ eman cipated from the burdens under which they once groaned. They are nearer the person of the Lord than when on. earth. Here they were “absent from,” there they are “present with the Lord.” While we must be cautious about ante dating the estate of full glory, it seems permissible to apply, much heavenly phraseology to them even now. Since earthly conditions are forever past, we know they are exempt from sin and pain and toil and sorrow and hunger and afflic tion. Like Stephen and John they have seen the glorious face of J.esus Christ. With Him they now intelligently expect and patiently wait the day of His crown ing King of kings. We who live on this revolving sphere must observe times and seasons. But to them, existence is one eternal present. A thousand years is as one day. They have memory but no regrets. They apprehend the stupendous effects of cancelled sin as they never could below. They have sat isfaction without satiety. They have tri umph without ambition. They have riches without wings. They have communion without distraction. Peter fully agrees with Paul concern ing the unclothed state. His body was his earthly tabernacle. At his decease, he ex pected to put that off, but himself live on
mansions are mere delusions and mean ingless symbols ? (Jn. 14:2). Does the spirit of a deceased person exist independent of the body or is death annihilation ? (2 Cor. 5 : 8 ; Lk. 8 :55; Phil. 1:23; Lk. 23:43; Acts 7:59). When will the spirits of departed saints be reunited to a glorified resurrection body? (1 Thess. 4:13-17; 1 Cor. 15:23, 51-53). Will it be the believer’s works or his sins which come in question at the judg ment seat of Christ? (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:13-15). Can the believer be brought before the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20: 11) as to his sins? (Jn. 5:24; Rom. 8:1; Heb. 10:17). —o— G olden T ext I llustration “In my Father’s house are many man sions: if it were not so, I would have, told you. I go to prepare a place for you’BA John 14:2. One Friday afternoon a broken hearted young woman was in Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles, selecting a quiet spot in which, on the morrow, to lay away the precious dust of her dear mother. She was overwhelmed with grief, and felt un equal to facing the world with her unut terable loneliness of heart. An airplane was flying over the cemetery. Suddenly out of the skies there dropped a tiny copy of the Gospel of John. The airplane was calling attention to the Bible Sunday cele bration. The young lady picked up the little book. It opened to the fourteenth chapter of John. It was indeed a mes sage from heaven. “Let not your heart, be troubled. In my Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you." This sweet message of hope brought her the comfort she craved, which no human being could give. M rs . G eo . C. N eedham In booklet “The “Dead in Christ.” 'T H E writer once visited a gallery of magnificent pictures, where every painting save one was slightly veiled and set in mellowed light. This had been done
in expectation, however, of the time when he should receive an inheritance incor ruptible (2 Pet. 1:13-15). And thus, amid present comforts in the “bosom of Abraham,” our departed are looking forward ; and hope, one of the three graces that abide in heaven—hope waits for something better— “to be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life." And so once again, through this passage, we learn what we stated at the beginning, that the resurrec tion is the ultimatum toward which every promise of reward tends. Thus Paul’s words are really a plea and longing for .that complete condition, while he makes the unclothed state a mere inci dental, gladly to be welcomed, but only until the better estate of full gloryioccurs. By M abel L. M errill Our Heavenly Home John 14:1-3; 1 John 3:1-3 Memory Verse: “I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2. v Approach: How many of you boys and girls can tell us what a home is ? Horace, you may tell us. A place where we live. Do you remember some time ago we talked about the difference between a house and a home. We may live in a; very plain little house, and it may be a very happy home. Another f a m i l y may: jive .-in a magnificent palace, and yet it may not be a home. A home is a house in which people live together as a family and are happy. It is the peo ple that make a real home, and not the house. Our story today is about a home. Prayer. Lesson S to ry:■ (If convenient show to class a revolving globe of earth.) As you look at this globe, which represents the world, let us see who will be the first to remember our memory verse for last week. What did the Lord Jesus tell the disciples to do ? (Review.) Here is a pic ture of a family. It is such a happy thing to belong to a family, that is full of good cheer. Those who belong to each other in a family where love is, and where all try to help each other, are glad and thank ful not to be alone, as some people are. Just after the Lord Jesus had eaten the last supper with his disciples, a little while before he was crucified, He spoke most wonderful words to them. Of course the disciples were feeling sad, to know Jesus was going to leave them. He told them of the heavenly home, the place he was going to get ready for all who belonged to Him. You know there are a lot of peo ple, even those who belong to Jesus, who worry and are afraid to die. Jesus knew his disciples couldn’t really believe he was soon to leave them; He also knew how sorrowful they would be after He was gone, so He told them He was going on ahead to get their homes ready for them. He wanted them to always have in mind that He was going to take them to be with Himself for ever. Do you think there is a home in heaven for everybody in the world? Who are the ones that will have a home in heaven with the Lord Jesus? Only those who have taken Jesus as their Saviour, those whose
t h a t observation might be d r a w n a w a y aqd concen trated upon one par ticular masterpiece. Without d o u b t the central fact of Scripture is the res urrection of J e s u s Christ, and the co resurrection of all
His saints. Apart from the resurrection, the cross itself would be ineffective; hence upon this doctrine the strongest light of revelation is focused, while other truths pertaining to the unseen glories are pur posely veiled in indistinctness. Few and unsatisfactory to the natural heart are the divine intimations concern ing the intermediate condition of the dead. It requires a supreme effort of faith to fall in with the way of God’s appointment, who has been pleased to record very little concerning their present blessedness or misery, but given abundant descriptions of their final estate. Seven passages bear directly upon this subject so dear to the hearts of all those who have buried their dead out of their
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