The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-13

II.
revelation xvi, IA; Luke xxi, 20; Zephan-
! iah iii, 50 The Scriptures clearly IN
dictate in what way the trouble will be de-
Veloped, after the nations, kingdoms and
governments have become associated to-
gether, forming a general community of
! interests, such as we see existing now
| when all brought together by finan-
c1al, political, and social ties, treaties and
alliances. 1t will be industrial and so :
cial conflict that will involve all classes
and be terrible when the climax is reach
ed The battle lines are already sharply
drawn. Organized capital on the one
hand and organized labor the other
are the two forces arrayed against each
other in deadly conflict. The Apostle
James writes almost like a Socialist in
describing some of the phases of the i'm
pending StrugSle.-James V, is. After
the trouble is over conditions will De
established on a new basis, and an era OF
peace and prosperity be ushered in
Haggai ii, Z.
Q.-what is man? Is he half spiritual
and half fleshly, or is he entirely a hu-
man earthly being?
AnsWer.-There is not a single express
sion to be found in the Scriptures in
which it is stated that man was created
in any sense a spirit being. On the con-
trary the Bible distinctly asserts that
man is of "the earth earthly that he was
formed of the dust of the ground and that
the breath of life was breathed into his
nostrils and he became a living soul. L
Corinthians XIV, 45-47; Genesis ii, z. The
Scriptural expression "And the spirit
turns to God who gave it, has reference
to the life principle or spark of life which
the Lord impaired to Adam when he was
created from the dust of the ground.
This breath of life is the active principle
that makes the living being and when re-
moved from the body it returns to the
Creator who is the source or fountain of
all life. The Psalmist declares that man
was created little lower than the angels,
the lowest of the spirit beings. Man is
the highest of the animals or earthly be-
ngs and in the divine arrangements was
to be the ruler or the monarch over the
earthly realm having dominion over the
beast of the field and the fish of the
sea and the fowls of the air In view
of this the plain teaching of the Bible on
this matter we can understand the words
of our Lord and His Apostles that one
must be begotten of the holy spirit in Dr.
sense. The Lord Jesus was the first one
to be developed as a spiritual new
creature, from the fleshly or earthly con-
dition. Although He was a perfect man,
we read that He was made perfect
through sufferings CHebreWs ii, 1o) as a
put to death in flesh, but being mace
alive in SPIRIT Peter iii, 49, Diaglott.
O-Does not Luke xvi. 20-31, teach the
conscious existence of the soul after
death?
Answer-In view of the clear and plain
statements of the Bible regarding the
death and destruction of the soul ezekiel
xviii, 4; Acts iii, 23) and that nowhere in
the Bible is it declared that the soul is
immortal, but that God only hath i'm
mortality; we are forced to the conclusion
that the story of the Rich Man and the
Poor Man. is a parable and not literal
statement of facts. In a parable the
thing said is never the thing meant. AS
in the parable of the ''Sheep and Goats
one would be so senseless as to say
that actual sheep and goats were meant
So in this parable: would any one say
that "Abraham's BOSOM was literall If
Abraham's bosom is not literal then the
hell Of torment is not actual. If we
take the whole narrative in a literal sense
then we are compelled to believe that all
the poor people in the world who have
sores and are the companions of dogs will
go straight to Abraham's bosom at death.
And all of the rich to a hell of torment.
Nothing is said about Lazarus being
good man or the rich man being a wicked
man. How we must all shudder when we
put ''fine linen and fare sumptuously;
and how we must envy those who are
poor and have sores and can let the dogs
lick theml No: this parable rightly un-
derstood does not teach the conscious ex-
istence of the soul after death: A card
request to the Question Box Editor" will
bring free of charge full and reasonble
Of this parable.