Smyrna times., 1896-08-26
1.-THE INTERMEDIATE STATE
AND PLACE OF THE DEAD
Sermon Sunday Morning by Rev. A. StengIe

Sermon Sunday Morning by Rev. A. StengIe.
With the exception of one day absent
preaching the morning sermon at Wye
Camp Rev. A. Stengle has been at his
post all the summer through. In ad-
ditiOn to the usual distractions and alb
sentations incident to the summers of
late years, the heat of this has been
the occasion or excuse to larger de-
gree than usual for absence from both
church and Sunday school sessions.
Notwithstanding the attendant circum-
stances the morning sermons of Rev.
Mr.. Stengle have been themes of
studied and forceful thought that we'll
repaid his interested listeners. His
sermon Sunday morning was no ex-
ception to this.
His subject was "the intermediate
state and place of the dead" taking
for his text the declaration of Peter in
his wonderful discourse on the day of
Pentacost, Acts, 2nd34th-"For
David is not acended into the heavens. "
Without attempting the synopsis of a
full line of close thought as contained
in forty minutes discourse, we may
add that to the average conception of
thought in relation to the dead there
were astonishing interpretations OF
scripture as against vague and be-
clouded thought with the mass Of
people held only as a speculation.
From the first question what
David not i'll heaven until the fnal
Judgment when this cOnsummation is
reached, from the little said in the
bible there is ground for speculative
thought where the logic of facts are
not held in close order.
Peter, speaking as he was "mOveC
by the Holy Ghost" declared tina
David, though he had been dead
thousand years, had not ascended t.
heaven, and, as appears from the sam
discourse, that Jesus Christ, the Sol
of God, was the only one who had eve
assembled from earth to heaven, or tina
would enter this place until the grea
day of judgment.
This led to the question, what tina,
became of the saints or those who die
in the Lord? The answer was the
went to a place of happiness, an inter
mediate place, where they exist a
spirits without body, but possessed c
intelligence and capable of Joy or sol
row, hope and fear.
When the body dies it returns to il
natural element and the spirit to tn
God who gave it, the one spirit tn
, other matter, and they are not reunite
, until the final resurrection. Her
t then, is a mystery known only to Goo
but thus declared in his sacred word.
In the Old Testament the place {
) departed spirits is always referred
as SHEoL. 1t thus occurs 65 times, an
is translated in the authorized version
9 grave 81 times, hell 81 times and I'll
t pit times. 1t the new testamen
: written in Greek, it is called HADI
e eleven times, and is rendered hell eaC
time. In the same way the place of Il
: redeemed spirits is referred to by Il
n Greeks as Elysium and that of Il
: bad as Tartarus, but between whiC
there was an impossible gulf" M
g consequently no changing of plac
Q after death. The final abode of Il
g latter after the winding up of time al
:. the earth is. burned with "ferve-
l. heat, is designated Gehenna-a pla
of torment.
:, When will be the end Of time, Il
S entering of the good into heaven al
the bad into their condition of banis
Is ment, is a question that has perplex,
,. many people, who have mainly fro
s. certain figurative passages in Ezeki,
IS settled on the day and date, to fiji
themselves mistaken. This is som
+ thing that has never been revealed
r man. But there are certain prophet
that are to be fulfilled first, and th
i must antedate that event, features th
IS may require some thousand years y,
d Principa'of these as referred to in t
is scriptur1a end specially named in I