The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-31

is left behind To catch the full force of this
must know in what sense the word paradise
was used at that time, not how it was used in
the middle ages, or how 1T is now used by care
less people who have false dogma to bolster up
The word occurs in only two other places in the
whole Bible. Fortunately, i'll eacl case the
context defines it beyond question Paul says
that he was caught up into paradise. Repeating
the narrative in slightly different language he
says that he caught up to the third
heaven-that is he was caught up above the
first heaven, which, IN the language of that day,
meant the atmosphere which surrounds the
earth and through which the birds move, and
hence are called the birds of heaven. He was
caught up, also, above the second heaven
above that stratum of sun. and moon, and stars.
which, to the philosophy of that day, seemed to
be a dividing region between this and the far
beyond, and which was called the starry heaven,
and about whict David sang when he said; THE
| heavens declare the glory of God" when |
consider thy heavens, the work of thy hands
he was caught up above all this and to the third
heaven-the home of the soul-the reputed
throne of God. Let John define it: The Alpha
and Omega, the First and the Last, authorized
him to say that the overcoming church in Ephe
should eat Of the tree of life which is in the
paradise of God. What this means will be
plain from what follows: He says that the over
coming church in Smyrna should have Il crown
of life and not be hurt with the second death;
the overcoming church in Pergamos should
| feast on hidden mamma, and have white
stone; the overcoming church i'll Thya-
IRA SHOULD nave uOll1llOn over Uf6 0dLlOiiS ana
receive the morning star; the overcoming church
in Sardis should be clothed in white raiment, and
have a name not to be blotted out of the book of
life, but should be honored before the Father
! and before the angels; the overcoming church in
Philadelphia should become a pillar in the
temple of God and go out no more, bearing the
name of God and my new name" the overcom-
| ing church i'll Laodica should sit with Christ on
his throne Christ had overcome and was then
sitting with the Father on His throne. Is there
any hint Of an intermediate state in these un-
veilings of the future of these struggling
churches! Dare we to divorce the church in
Ephesus from her sister churches and send her
to some half way place while her sister churches
go to the very throne of God?
But this is not all. Soon after Christ had
overcome and had sat with the Father his
throne, Stephen was called to die, amidst
q shower of stones, seeing the heavens
opened and the Son of Man standing
on the right hand of God; not in some half way
bouse, but III heaven itself, and remembering
His promise: Il 60 and you shall come. that where
| am we may be also, he left the world breath
ing prayer that the Lord Jesus would receive
his spirit The writings of Paul abound with
this faith. When wearied with the burdens of
life he desired to depart and be with Christ not
in some cavern, but where Christ sitteth at the
right hand of God. TO his faith. to be unclothed
was to be instantly clothed upon, to drop the
earthly tabernacle was TO catch up the building
of God, the house not made with hands, etern-
al In the heavens; it was not to dwell for short
time or a long time in some intermediate state.
In short. the whole tenor of Christs teachings
is opposed to the pagan notions of immortality
which We're prevalent in his time, and before:
his special mission being to bring life and i'm.
mortality to light, and whether he is dispUting
with the Sadducees, or eomfortinghis disciples at
the last supper, OF dying, or ascending every
lesson throws new light upon the unseen and
brings heaven nearer to earth, instead of rele
eating it to some intermediate state. There is
not sentence, not word in the
whole Bible that gives eountenanee to
- q 1la1
termediate state, nor has it any foundation in
any philosophy that can be applied to it. But
even better than the fragmentary illusions to
this questions in the Bible is the experience of
dying saints all along the ages, who, like
Stephen have had their spiritual eyes opened
before their eyes Of flesh were closed and who
have had glimpse of the life beyond while yet
able to converse with those on this side These
have never spoken back of any intermediate
state but always of visions of angels and of God:
and hkeP Paul they have expected to be forever
with the Lord" Away, then, with this relic of
paganism. so bunglingly engrafted onto our
higher and purer system of faith in future life,
as taught by Christ and his apostles, and as
perienced by the confessors and martyrs of
earlier days. and no less conspicuously by thou
sand of the cultured and uncultured Of our own
day, and preach, in its stead the sublmer truth
of the Bible Commit to the flames all
sermons ard parts of sermons that may
be in the least tinctured with it, though
this may require the sacrifice OF many
l
it may require substitution Of Bible escha-
toogy for the eschatology of the middle ages,
invented by man; though you must hereafter
preach The resurrection of the dead"
Paul preached T. and as it appeared for cen
'turies ia fhe AposAes' Creed, instead of the
sensuous doctr5lte Of the resurrection of the
body q 10 aaFker ages; and of those whose
notions are SIN aer.vsd from tradition and the
poets more thar from the Bible; the}gh you must
preach the hibie dOetIine of q Judgment AFTER
death instead 81 q general judgment attenaed
with much pOmp and display though Won must
preach the Bible doctrine NthQ ono u the aee,'
instead of mans invention the end Of tha
world so graphically portray 80 By sensational
poets and preachers; and thCQgh you must
preach the nOiseless coming of Christ IN ike
manner, to his quiet ascension from the Naunt
of Olives, instead of that tumultuous scene Uf
burning of worlds, the sounding of trumpets
the falling of stars and the obliteratiou of the
sun, all attended by retinue of angels
and Return to preaching the
wholesome doctrine of a Bible hell as well as
Bible heaven; preach eternal punishments as
well as eternal rewards, for there is heaven if
there is no hell; there are no future rewards if
there are no future punshments Let the SEN
suous he'll and heaven of the middle ages sleep
eternally, side by SIDE in the common grave to
which enlightened Scripture eXegesis and good
common sense have consigned them, and toy no
more with papal purgatories, or pagan infernos,
or pagan elysiums, or with man.invented inter
mediate states, for these not never We're,
and never will be.
The Poet Wordsworth.
Good Words
Peonle talk of Wordsworth siS n mana draanaar