The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-01-29

God as implied, and you know, my
| friends. that that is. after all. the
strongest mode of affirmation. Your
comes home. He does not begin by
arguing with you to prove that there
are such places as London and stock
holm and Paris and Dresden and Ber-
lin. but his conversation implies il.
And SO this Bible does not positively
state this theory as all up and down
| its chapters, take it for granted.
What does my text imply? Il shall
go to him" What consolation would
it be to David to go to his child if he
would not know him? Would David
have been allowed to record this antici-
patton for the inspection of all ages
if ii was q groundleSS anticipation? We
read in the first book of the Bible.
Abraham died and was gathered to his
people. Jacob died and was gathered
to his people. Moses died and was
gathered to his people. What people?
Why, their friends, their comrades.
their old companions. Of course it
means that. 1t cannot mean any
thing else. So in the very be-
ginning of the Bible four times
that is taken for granted. The whole
New Testament is an arbor over which
this doctrine creeps like a luXuriant
vine full of the purple clusters of con-
ISOLATION. James, John and Peter fol
lowed Christ into the mountain. A
light falls from Heaven on that noun
tain and lifts it into the glories OF the
celestial. Christ's garments glow -.
His face shines like the sun. The uOor
of Heaven swings open. Two spirits
come down and alight on that noun
tain. The disciples look at them and
recognize them as Moses and Elias.
Now. if those disciples standing on the
earth could recognize these two spirits
who had been for years in Heaven. do
YOU tell me that we. with our heavenly
eyesight. will not be able to recognize
those who have gone out from among
US only ,. 10. 20. so years ago?
The Bible indicates. over and over
again, that the angels know each
other; and then the Bible says that we
are to be higher than the angels. and
if the angels have the power of recOg-
milton, shall not we, who are TO be
higher than they in the next realm.
have as good eyesight and as good ca
pacity? What did Christ mean. in His
conversation with Mary and Martha.
when he said: Thy brother shall rise
again?" 1t was as much as to say:
Don't cry. Don't wear yourselves out
with this trouble. You will see him
again. Thy brother shall rise again
The Bible describes Heaven as a
great home circle. Well, now. that
would be aqueer home circle where the
members did not know each other.
The Bible decribes death as sleep. If
we know each other before we go to
sleep. shall we not know each other af-
ter we wake up? o. yes. We will know
each other a great deal better then
than now: for now says the apostle,
eve see through a glass darkly, but
then face to face" 1t will be my puri-
fed. enthroned and glOrified body gaz-
ing on your purified. enthroned and
glOrified body.
Now. l demand. if you believe the
Bible. that you take this theory of
future recognition out of the realm of
speculation and surmise into the region
of positive certainty. and no more keep
saying, Il hope it is so; | have an idea
it is so; guess it is So" Be able to say,
with all the concentrated energy of
body. mind and soul, Il know it is sor'
There are, in addition to these Bible
arguments, other reasons why accept
this theory. In the first place, because
the rejection of it implies the entire OBJ
liberation of our memory. Can it be
possible that we shall forget forever
those with whose walk. look. manner
we have been so long familiar? Will
death come. and with a sharp. keen
blade hew away this faculty of mem
ory? Abraham said to Dives. ''Son re-
member" If the exiled and the lost
remember, will not the enthroned re-
member?
You know very well that our JOY in
any circumstance is augmented by the
companionship of our friends. We
cannot see a picture with less than
four eyes, or hear song with less than
four ears. We want some one beside
10 WIN "AAOhA W CAOAdASC
and sympathies; and l suppose the Joy
of Heaven is to be augmented by the
fact that we are to have our friends
with us when there rise before us the
thrones of the blessed and when there
surges up in our ear the jubilate of the
saved. Heaven is not a contraction.
1t is an expansion. If l know you
here, l will know you better there.
Here / see you with only two eyes.
but there the soul shall have a million
eyes. 1t will be immortality gazing
on Immortality spirit in
collOquy with ransOmed spirit-victOr
beside victor. When John Evans. the
Scotch minister. was seated in his
study. his wife came in and said to
him: My dear, do you think we viii
know each other in Heaven" He
turned to her and said: My dear. do
you think we will be bigger fools in
Heaven than we are here?'
Again. l accept this doctrine Of fu-
ture recognition because the worlds
affirms it. In all lands and
IL