The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-03-31

either in heaven, or purgat0ry, or a
theological hell of eternal torment,
but are peacefully sleeping in their
graves awaiting the resurrection
morning and the day of judgment.
In part the speaker said:
at has been our common point Of
mistake not to realize that the
wages of sin is DEATH" and not ev-
erlasting life in torment. We have
been following the wrong teacher,
1.-THE father of lies" who was MUIR
derer from the beginning and abode
not in the Truth. John, SAD. In
Eden it was God who declared, "ic
shall surely de-" it was Satan who
said, "Ye shall not surely die" We
have made a mistake, dear friends.
when we tried to look upon death
as a friend and a gateway into free
dem and happiness. The adversary
not being able to gainsay the fact
that death followed the disobedience
of our first parents. has bOlstered up
his original falsehOod by deceiving
practically all the world into believ-
ing that death does not mean death;
that to die is to become more alive
than before death.
What Say the Scriptures
The Bible says (Acts, 2:3D:
david hath not assembled into the
heavens" but that he is both dead
and buried and his scpulchre is with
rs to this day Jesus testimony is
(John. 3 49,: "No man hath as
cended up to heaven, save he that
came down from heaven, even the
Son of Man" The Bible agrees from
first to last that 1.-The dead know not
anything" (Eccl.. 500 and that
their sons come to honor and they
know it not, and to dishonOr and
they perceive 1t not of them" dob,
14:2D. 1t is the Scriptures that tell
us where the dead are and their con-
that they are experiencing
neither joy nor sorrow, pleasure nor
that they have no knowl
edge of anything done under the sun
until their awakening in the resur-
rection remind you of the wise
mans words. "DO with thy might
what thy hand findeth to do, for
there is neither wisdom. nor knowl-
edge, nor device In (sheoD the grave
thou gocth" (Eccl.. 9:10).
Both in the New and the Old Tesla
ment II is written both of the good
and the bad that they fell alscep in
death. The Apostle speaks of these
who "sleep in Jesus" and those who
have fallen asleep in Christi" who,
he declares, are persisted If there be
no resurrection of the dead. Could
hey perish in heaven. purgatory or
hell? Assuredly no one so teaches.
They already are in a persisted con-
1ition in the tomb: and the perish
ing would be absolute, complete. un-
less resurrection be provided for
heir deliverance from the power Of
ieath.
All That Are in Their Graves.
We are glad to know that Jesus
gave himself ransom for ALL" He
by the grace Of God tasted death |
or every man." and there is to be |
resurrection of the death both Just |
nd unjust" Because mankind have
cen redeemed by the death Of Jesus
he Scriptures say, "As in Adam all !,
lie. 80 all in Christ shall be made !
live" (John, 5:2S-29) Marvel not
this for the hour is coming when
II that are in their graves shall
ear the voice of the Son OF God
nd come forth" Do not these words
III You plainly from whence the
cad will come forth? The Prophet |
aniel says, MANY that sleep in the
lst of the earth shall awake" In
lie Goth verse our Lord explains the
saying, "They that have
,ne rrcd to the resurrection of life
he first resrrrection) and they that
I'VE do-e evil to resurrection by
dgment Z" II
But" says one. at is long since
sus died: why is it that sin and
'ath are still permitted to reign
i'd TO swallow up the human fam
:? We answer that God delayed
nding the sacrifice for four thou
nd years, and still delays to send
e blessing secured by 1t which must
result-which blessing
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