The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-07-24

III go and prepare q place for you,
win come again and receive you unto
myself, that where am there ye may
be also."-Jshn xiv, 6 He said in part:
The error of supposing that men are
alive when they are dead lies close to
the Foundation Of every theological er-
roe tAe world over. We have all erred
In taking the guess Of Plato instead of
the Word Of God, and we can get rid
Of our dffncslties and theological en-.
taneiements only by retracing cur
steps. Notwithstanding all that have
said and written, calling attention to
the-wortls Of the Scriptures, the ques-
tion frequently arises, Do you mean to
tell us that our friends do not 60 to
Heaven Immediately when they die?
That Is exactly what we are endeav.
oring. - demonstrate 10 be the teach.
AnG ofithe Bible. The Bible alone, of
al religious boeks, teaches that q dead
man b dead. and knows nothing, and
that lds only hope IL In the Divine ar
raneenent through Christ. by a rcsur-
rsction of the dead-"both Of the just
and Of the unjust"-Acts xiv, Is.
When we remember that, according
to nearly all the religious creeds and
theories Of the world, 500 out Of every
thousand pass Immediately at death
into most horrible sufferings, one would
think that all would be glad to prompt
~ accept the Bible testimony, that
death is a dreamless sleep until the
resurrection awakening Why anyone
Should prefer to think of his friends
and neighbcrs and the heather millions
as suffering torture. rather than to
think Of them as being asleep, Is be-
yond our comprehension. The fact
probably is that seifshness has such .
hold upon the masses that they care
and think little respecting others than
thtifl n4df relati YES and friends; and
thu raxhs sselfshness dnclines them,
viii al td1tion,, To beiievs that they
and fhear reiatiyess, though NO better
than the TEST OF mankind. are special
favorftes Of Heaven. and will be grant.
ed the reward of the saints, however
unsaiAtly, their lives may have been.
Some enc hes suggested that the ideal
prayer for such u.s. hs4 > 81
'Gcd bless me and my wife,
\, MY son John and his wife:
( Us four. and no mora"
In harmony with this we find that
when death invades a family circle
this selfish egotism assumes that the
deceased is acceptable to God as a
saint. and waited Immediately to heav.
emily baiss-regardless Of how insanity
had been the life and how little Of the
Spirit Of Christ was ever manifested.
The deception is reinforced by the
ChrAstian minister called to conduct
the funeral service. Whatever he may
read from the Bible to the effect that,
If there be no resurrection. they that
have fallen asleep have persisted, his
sermon is sure to give the inference
that the deceased needs no resurrec-
tion, because he has not died, but has
merely been transferred from a lower
plane Of life to a higher one.
Proof of this is not given and not
asked. The proof is not given because
there is no Scriptural proof to give.
It IL not asked because the people are
not ss6gcieatly Intelligent on religious
stsbjects to demand reason and proof
for what is presented to them. The
remedy for all this will come when we
become more intelligent. more reason
ing. No minister Of Christ should be
abashed to be asked the reason for his
faith. st. Peter exhorted that every
Christian should be SO thoroughly In
formed respecting the Divine Message
as to be able TO give a reason to who
ever would ask concerning his own
faith and his presentations to others.
Here note our text. In it the Master
says not word about our going to
Him. but quite the contrary-that He
would come again and receive us unto
Himself. This is in full accord with
the teachings of the Apostles. Do they
not tell that at the second coming OF
Christ the resurrection of the Church
will be the first item in order; that
then that which was sown in weakness
will be raised in power; that sown in
6ishonor will be raised in glory; that
sown an animal body will be raised a
spirit body; and that so we shah ever
be with the Lord? Do they not tell us
that this will be an instantaneous
change? Is 1t not styled an awaken,
ing from the sleep Of death?
Hearksn to st. Paul: Behold. / sAo "
~.,.s fuvztarv. yn shall nor all slepn