The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-05-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson VII.-SeCond Quarter, FoT
May II, 1914
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


Memory Verses, 80, 3t-GoIden Text,
Prov. xxi, 1s-cOmnnentary Prepared
by Rev, .. M. Stearns.
This Is the only record of the spirin
world given US by u Lord except His
saying to the thief OF the cross, ITO
day shalt thou be with me in para
disc duke xiii, 43). There are other
words of the Spirit on which the right
eous may rest as on a drm foundation,
such as willing rather to be absent
from the body and to be present with
the Lord" TO die Is gain; . . to
depart and to be with Christ is very
far better" Oh Cor. v, y; Phil. l, q, %,
e. W.
Personally I am as sur from these
and other texts and from u lesson
today of the conscious existence OF
those who go out from these mortal
bodies as 1 am Of my W present ex-
istence in this body. l know that res"
direction and not death will be the
time of full reward for the righteous
and full torment for the lost but moth
IUR CUulu NC hOIS pluLd Lhun AIAS ASo-
son concerning the conscious happiness
or unhappiness Of those whom we cali
dead. Note also in Rev. vi, eli, that
some who had been slain for the word
Of God and the testimony which they
held are told to rest and wait until
their fellow servants should be killed.
When our Lord told His disciples not
to fear them which kill the body luke
xii. A. He evidently did not consider
the death Of the body a great calamity.
In our lesson the contrast between
these two men, both in this life and IN
the life beyond, is most marked and
striking. What could be a greater con-
trast than that Of q man living in the
luxury Of this rich man. with all that
money could obtain In the way of food
and raiment and a mansion to CORE
spond. and the poor. suffering. home
less beggar desiring the crumbs which
fell from the rich mans table. a com
panion Of the dogs? What multitudes
would gladly share the rich mans por-
ton. but where could n be found
to take the beggar's place? How often
the ungodly prosper In the world and
increase in riches, but it is also true
that often they are brought into desc
lation as in a moment and utterly con-
Sumed with terrors (Ps. lxxiii, Il, 1Mo
J tn men died. and now we see the
realities Of eternity. We may easily
Imagine the pomp Of the funeral of the
rich man, though our Lord makes no
reference to it beyond saying that he
was buried. He does not say that the
beggar had even a burial; but, leaving
the bodies. He does show us the men
who had departed from them. Angels
carry the heggar to a place of happl-
ness. but the rich man finds himself in
the torments Of the lost in hades cry
ing out for a drop of water. 1t is an
awful scene. a fearful change from the
comfort of wealth on earth to the suf"
ferings Of the lost. Who would not be
glad Of the beggar's portion now, but
who would not escape. If he could, the
doom of the other?
I conclude from verse 25 that mem
DRY will play an important part in the
sufferings Of the lost between death
and resurrection-the thought Of what
might have been-but now it Is too
late. Already there is a foretaste or
the unuuenchable fire Of Gehenna,
where their worm dieth not and the
fire Is not quenched Mark tx, 43. Az.
Part of the false teaching Of our day
Is that there is no hell fire and that
those who die in their sins can be
saved after death. but our Lord brings
before US a great gulf fixed between
the saved and the lost, with the impos-
sibility Of passing from one place TO
the other. Elsewhere He taught that
those who die in their sins cannot
come where He is John viii. q, pa. In
what may perhaps be the oldest book
in the Bible we read. Because there Is
wrath. beware lest He take thee away
{ with His stroke: then a great ransom
cannot deliver thee Dob xxxy1, 49,. ,.
} Having found out the awful reality
, of being lost, he becomes desIrous tina
his brethren still on earth may be
saved a like fate and begs that one
&. may be sent TO them from the dead
lest they also come into the place oil
torment. He Is assured that IL they
will not believe Moses and the proph
cts they will not believe though onf
should go to them from the dead. Here
we see the cause Of his being in tht
place of torment. There was not nee
essarily any sin in his being rich or II
his having fine clothes and good food
but it is evident that he had no use foi
= the word Of God or for its warnings O
e~ntreatieS.
Our lesson ought to be a very soienaE
word to all despisers OF His word II
x our day, but who will lay it to heart
= Even some who are Bible students ant
are sound on many points call this
n parable, though it is not so called Il
the text, and endeavor to give it som
other meaning. 10 me it is a simpl
r. and, in the case of the unheliever. a.
of awful statement Of facts-our Lor
drawing aside the veil for rs an
showing us the unseen. There came
time when another Lazarus came bac
cd az from the dead, but it did no good 7
of the unbelievers who We're despisert
IS; for they wanted to Kill him over agai
he because by reason OF him many of tn
In Jews went away and believed on Iesu
er. (John xii. 10. III.
nd In this life Is the time to believe an
81 be saved, and the word of God ougi
he RI suffice. Those who believe not I'll