Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-07-02

to the lighT and opportunity will be
Death, everlasting extinction John y.
%, 20, II. W.
We have read our Bibles too care
lessly In the past and have given too
much heed 10 those who. with less op
portunitles than ourselves. grossly mis-
interpreted its teachings. What did
we think respecting this word sleep
anyway? Did we suppose that both
the good and the bad sleep" In heav
emf We were told that the bad would
go to a place too warm for sleep. Bu'
our own brains and our own Bibles
we never thought Of using In connec
ton with the subject. Now, when we
bearken to the Word of God. how
plain. how simple. how reasonable. are
its teachings. The dead are dead and
not alive. However, in view of Gods
plan that there shall be a resurrection
of the dead "in due time" he speaks
of the dead not as extinct like the
brute, but as merely asleep. They
are waiting for the morning-the glo-
riops morning of Messlah's Kingdom.
when 1.-THE Sun of Righteousness shall
arise with healing In It's beams" when
Satan shall be bound Tor a thousand
years and deceive the peoples no more.
Instead of the reign of Sin and Death
the reign Of Righteousness and Life
everlasting shall begin. How beauti.
fully the Scriptures answer the cues
ton Of where the dead sleep, MANY
of them that sleep in the dust Of the
earth shall awake" Daniel xii, p.
lazarus, Come Forth"
Jesus and his disciples turned their
steps toward Bethany. Poor Martha
and Mary meantime were sorely dis
appointed. Not for a moment did they
suppose that their mighty Friend
would allow this trouble to come upon
them--that he would neglect to come
or to use his power to save Lazarus
from dying. So grief-stricken and so
heart. broken were they that Martha
only came to meet the Master, and her
first words were those of gentle re-
proach reminding him OF their dis
appointment in him: Lord, IL thou
hadst been here-tif thou hadst come
when we sent thee word)-our broth
er had not died"
What message of comfort did Jesus
express? Did he say. Martha. Lazarus
is far better off in, heaven! He Is with
the angels! He is singing and very
happy! Surely you would not bring
him back to earth again! Were these
the words Of Jesus? No. He merely
said. "Thy brother shall rise again
He thus implied That her brother was
not alive but really dead. How could he
rise again if'he had not ceased to live?
Martha's reply indicates that she I'M
derstood what were the teachings or
Jesus and of the prophets. She said.
81 know that he shall rise again in the
resurrection at the last day" But Je-
sus wished to draw her attention TO
the present and to have her ask him
even at this time to call Lazarus back
from the sleep of death. SO he said.
81 am the resurrection and the life
You, Martha. recognize me as the Mes
Hldls LIlt SUI VI W " thAA
eventually when the resurrection does
take place, Gods resurrection power
will be exercised through me. And
now l am here with You. Why do you
not ask me TO exercise some OF this
power in advance? Where have you
laid him?
Martha finally caught the thought.
but replied, No. no. Lord, it is too late
now. BY this time he stinketh. for he
has been dead four days. If you had
come when l sent you word. or even
had gotten here within a day or so.
there would have been some hope, but
now 1t has gone too far for that: for
decomposition has set in. No miracle
could possibly r~eorganize broken-down
tissues. But Jesus insisted that they
should show him the place. When he
came to the tomb, what did the Master
do? Did he command Lazarus to lay
aside his crown and harp In heaven
and bid the angels goodby and come
back TO earth life? No! Did he call
for him to come up from Purgatory,
the location Of which nobody knows?
No! What did he say2 Addressing
the tomb, he said, Lazarus. come
FORTH And what occurred? The
dead one came forth. He was not
alive at all. He was dead!
The Beloved Family.
We read again. Now Jesus loved
Martha and her sister, and Lazarus"
Some have thought that they discerned
Lazarus amongst later disciples Of
Christ-possibly Barnabas. But any
way he was one whom Jesus loved.
even though he was not one of the
apostles who followed with the Lord
And Martha has come down to us as
a synonym Of busting, energetic hos
pitality, "busied about many things"
Yet surely she was loving and loyal
to the Master. Jesus loved Martha
and We may be sure therefore that he
loves all of similar character. But he
loved Mary also. And we do not for
get that when she gave up some of
her homework that she might sit al