The Washington herald., 1908-01-27
VA. HENRY BURR
seriptural Authority for Future Life

hfllloF Ihe Washington Herald;
In your paper of January % there ap-
peared an article written by Mr. Henry
H. Brown, headed our Future Life" in
which he puts forth some good argu-
ments. and he asked: will some one
help us out of the muddle?"
In order 70 find out Il I'VE have been
taught" correctly. take the Bible as our
guide. and see if we can harmonic the
oiogy with it. If not, then theology must
be wrong. for We must 'let God be true.
but every man liar" Rom., iii:4) To
the law and TO the testimony, il they
speak not according to this Word it is
because there is no light in them" Isa.,
vin12)
We know that it is the belief of the
religious world that man is an immortal
soul, and that when death takes place the
real man does not die-he simply forsakes
his body and continues 20 live without a
body. II he has been good, he goes 10
heaven, to live in happiness; if he has
been bad. he goes to hell supposed to be
d place of tormenb. to live in misery.
Now. just think for a moment The
Bible says there is to be a day Of judg-
ment. Eccle.. iii:17: II Cor. Y:10)
AT death, but at the second coming Of
Christ 0I Tim, iv:1; Mat, xxv:31)
Here is proof that the judgment of good
and bad is TO take place when Christ
comes back 10 the earth, so it follows
they have not yet been judged.
Now, then, to return to the point II
IL be true that the good go to happiness
when they die (and have 10 die to get
therel, and the bad go TO misery when
they die, what is the judgment for?
Can you believe that God will reward
and punish good and bad men for thou
sands Of years and then call them to
judgment? Do you not think there is
something wrong with a theory that rep
resents God as arranging in His plan
for day of judgment In which He will
reward every man according as his work
shall be- Rev, xxii12), and yet rewarding
some for hundreds of years before that
day of judgment arrives?
Now, the Bible will help Us out of
this difficulty, and the first step is TO be-
Iieve that man is mortal. a creature Of
dust formation q Cor, xv;47: Gen, ii:7
Gen, iii:l9; Job, xxxiii:6; Cen, Hi:23;
Gen. xviii;27; job, iv;17; Job, x;9; Psalms
ciiiI0.
Now. we must not lose sight Of the
fact that is all id of man-not Cf
the house that man is supposed TO dwell
i'm for a time. as If man were one thing
avd his body another.
T. was the man that was formed out
e the dust of the ground It Is the man
that is of the earth earthly II is the
man that is formed out of clay. It is
The man that is dust and ashes.
Now the second step out Of the diff
Guilty is to believe that man. who is NOR
tai, dies, and is dead after he has died
job, %; Job, viii: Psalms, lxxxlx:4S;
Eccle.. iii:l9,20; Isa, xl:6,7
And in death man is unconscious.
Eccle., ix:l0, Psalms. Wis; Eccle., ks;
Psalms, cxlvi:3.4; Isa. xxxviiilS
Now. we see. the Bible having taught us
that instead of death being continuation
of life somewhere off the earth. II Is the
cessation of life, and instead of men going
10 happiness or misery when they die,
they go to the grave, we are helped out
of the absurdity of believing that the
good are rewarded and the bad punished
before they are judged. It is now clear
that instead OF the faithful having gone
TO Heaven to continue to live. these all
died in the faith, not having received the
promise. (Heb.. Xi.I9.J
Now. we must not get angry and de-
nounee tais as materiaIism as many do,
and say If man in death Is no better
than the beasts-is as dead as the beasts
are-there can be no future life" for that
is just what some of the Corinthians said.
and Paul said they We're fools for do
ing so.
Paul argued with them that the dead
were dead, and proved that without a
resurrection even those who had died in
Christ had perished q Cor. xv:10, gone
forever-an inlpossibility If they had gone
10 heaven OF happiness.
Now, If there is TO be a resurrection