The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-10-14

| gHt from Tod TO the righteous
only. '.AII the wicked will God
destroy
At the invitation of local class of
International Bible Students associa-
ton, Hon. J. f. Rutherford. Il lawyer
of New York City, delivered a lee
ture at Lubin Theater Sunday after
noon To a packed house. many being
turned away, His subject in the af-
ternoon was Where Are the Dead4'
The interest in the afternoon was
so great that Mr., Rutherford was pre-
vailed spon TO lecture again at night
to fun house at the same place
In the evening his subject was In
the Resurrection Where VIII You
Be-
Mr. Rutherford is ali unusually flu
ent and interesting speaker, present
ing his argument In the regular law
yer style, he clinches each point with
scriptural citations. His lectures
created q profound impression,
The question. Where Are the
Dead" is vital to all. Its correct
answer is absolutely essential to a
proper understanding of the plan OF
God. our UNCONVENTIONAL Creeds have
proffefea answers, bat since these diff
fer 1t Is necessary for us to examine
the Bible testimony to determine
whether either creed asGwxFS correct
! ly
The Catholic Greed answers: THE
! dead are not dead. but alive and con-
scious, the very good i'll Heaven, those
not so good are suffering in purga-
tory. and the wicked IN nett sttffeFias
endless torture
Protestant Creeds answer: The
dead are not dead. but Immediately
at death they become more alive
| than before death, being fully con-
scious. the good passing at once to
| Heaven. and all others to hell-a
place of everlasting torment with no
! hope of relief
! All creeds declare that God made
provision for the fortunes of purga-
tory and hell. The Bible declares
! God is Love" Justice is the foun :
dation of His throne" The doctrine
of eternal torture is wholly repugnant
| TO the principles of love and justice,
hence 4 foul defamation OF God
character and holy name,
! Man Soul.
God made man a living soul. Man
! is "A soul (Gen. 2:T). He was given
the right to life SO long as he obeyed
/ Gods law, death being the penalty
/ prescribed for violation of that law
! tGen. 2:1T). We read The soul, that
/ sinneth it shall die. ''-ENelS, 1874
Adam. violated Gods law and was
sentenced to death. God declaring
Dust thou art and to dust shalt thou
I return Ttfpn- 3 7-e41 From the me
ment Adam was driven from Eden ne
was legally dead--his right to life
/ ceased. and h9 there began to die, and
$40 years later was actually and COM
pletely dead.
The statement There is no death"
, originated with satan, who said 10
Eve, ''Ye shall surely not die. rms
was the first lie. and referring to TINS
Jesus declared Satan Is Il liar, the
/ father af lies and a murderer John
MAO. The creeds on this point find
their support only in Satans lie. and
are disproven by Gods word OF truth.
Shall We believe God or SATAN
A All Born Legally Dead.
Legally dead means without right TO
life. All of Adams children We're be-
gotten and born after he swas SEN
| fenced TO death and undergoing the
dying process. hence all inherited the
penalty. as the Scriptures teach tRom.
I5:12. Pisa. $50. ALI born without
! right to life, hence all sinners. Bill
are they conscious? The Bible an
swers. The dead know not anything
| There is no knowledge in the grave,
| where all go.--Eccl. 9:5 and 10. 2hey
are all out of existence, hence uncon-
scious tSee Pisa. g .; sS:1o-12; lis;
Il0, therefore they could not be IN
torment.
| But where are they? In he'll, the
| Bible answers. not a place of torment.
| but in the tomb oblivion, silence. The
! in our Bibles, and the Greek word
"hades.9 both mean the tomb, and
not torment. No word in the Bible
| translated hell" in any sense means
/ torment All the learned ministers
know this statement TO be true. They
! do not believe in the hell Of their
creeds,
| Death would mean everlasting eX-
| tinction. except for the fact that God
| has provided for the redemption of
mankind through the death and re-
| surrection of His Believes son. Jesus
Christ (Hosea 1914; John 3:1s).
| Adams, offsprings being born without
| the right to live, Jesus came that
thew (men) might have life John
1910, and He died in order to pur-
chase and provide this right for men
a Tim. 2:4-6: Heb. 2:a-1T. His
death and resurrection is guarantee
| that all men shall haze n chance to
live, as the Bible declares in Acts
t7:3l Rom 4:25; / Cor. 15:20-26. The
hope for the dead is in the resurrec-
ton by Christ Jesus. who said IAN in
their graves shall come forth, the
good TO a resurrection of life, the evil
TO the resurrection by judgments
tJohn 5:2s-2s). Jesus is the best wit
ness as to the condition of the dies d.
He declares that they are neither in
heaven tJohn 3:i3). purgatory. nor in
torment. but that they are actually
Lag 4. An = Lhs. .gtaNes Mailing tsG, the
resurrection which resurrection does
not take place until the second COM
ina of Christ q Thess. 4:14-I6). (Then
shah come times of refreshing" all
the dead shall be awakened out OF
the steep OF death and be given a trial
for life, and all who, ufAser full knswl-
edge OF the truth. then refuse to obey
shall he destroyed In the second
death, from which there is no resur-l
rection: and ali who obey the Lord
shall be fully restored to that which
Adam lost, namely. the right to fife on
the earth fSte Acts 3:19-2s. Acts