Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-05-13
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Commentary Prepared I'm An Inter
esting Way by Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns

Jay Sudft tb0u DE WILD Hie vi para
disc" luke xiii. Al. There are other
words of the Spirit on which the right.
eOus may rest us OH firm foundation.
such as Willing rather To he absent
from the body and Ia be present With
the Lord" TO die Is gain: to
depart and To be- with Christ IL very
far better" On Cor. v, =: Phil. |. ~, %,
x. "
Personally ! am as sure from these
and other texts and from our lesson
today OF the conscious existence OF
those who go ont from these mortal
bodies as 1 am ot my own present ex
istence in this body. know that res
direction and not death will be the
time OF full reward for the righteous
and full torment tor the lost, but moth
ing could be more plain than this les
son concerning the conscious happiness
or unhappinesS OF those whom we call
dead Note Also I'm Rev. vi. Oil. that
some who had been slain for the word
of God and the testimony which they
held are told TO rest and wait unti
their fellow servants should be killed
When our Lord told His disciples not
10 fear them which Kill the body Luke
xii. 4, lie evidently did not consider
the death OF the body great calamity
In onr lesson the contrast between
these TWO men. both in this life and IN
the life beyond. Is most marked aud
striking. What could De greater con
Iiksin in h..
luxury Of this rich man. with all that
money could obtain in the way of food
and raiment aud mansion 10 CORE
spund. and the poor. suffering home
less beggnr desiring the crumbs which
fell from the rich mans table, Il com
panion OF the dogs: What multitudes
would gladly share the rich man : por.
ton, but where could one he found
TO take the beggar's place: How often
the ungodiy prosper in the world and
increase i'll riches. but II Is also true
that often they are brought into desc
lation as in moment and utterly con
sumed with terrors FPS lxxiii. -. l0l.
Both 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 IL beyond saying that he
was buried He does not say that the
beggar had even burial; but, leaving
the bodies. He does show us the men
who had departed from them. Angels
carry the beggar 10 place OF happi-
ness, but the rich man finds himself In
the torments OF the lost In hades cry
ing out for a drop Of water. Ii Is an
awful scene. fearful change from the
comfort OF wealth on earth 10 the SUI
ferings OF the host Who would not he
glad of the bcggar's portion now. but
who would not escape. II he conld. the
doom OF the other:
| conclude from verse % that mem
DRY will play an important part IN the
sufferings uf the lost between death
and resurrection the thought of what
might have been-but now IT Is too
late. Already there is forctaste of
the unquenchahle tire OF Gehenna.
where their worm dieth not and the
fire is not qucnchrd MARK iX. -. AZ
Part of the false teaching OF our day
is that there is no hell lire and thar
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.
sibilty of passing from one place 10
the other Elsewhere He taught that
those who die in their sins cannot
come where lie is Dohn viii. u. III. In
what may perhaps be the Oldest book
in the 6iblp we read. because there Is
wrath. beware lest He take thee away
with His stroke. then Il great ransom
cannot deliver thee" tJob yxxvi, 49,.
Having found out the awful reality
of being lost. he becomes DESTROYS that
his brethren still on earth may be
saved like fate and begs that one
may be sent 10 them from the dead
lest they also come into the place OF
torment. lie il assured that III they
will not believe Moses and the proph-
cts they will not believe though one
should go to them from the dead. Here
we see the cause OF his being in the
place OF torment There was not nee
essarily any sin in his being rich or I'm
bis having fine clothes and good food.
but il is evident that he had no use for
the word of God or for its warnings or
entreaties.
Our lesson ought 10 be a very solemn
word to all despisers OF His word in
our day. but who will lay ii TO hearth
Even some who are Bible students and
are sound ON many points call this a
parable. though u Is not so called In
the text. and endeayor 10 give il some
other meaning. 10 me II Is simple
and. In the case OF the unbellever. an
awful Statement OF facts-our Lord
drawing aside the veil for us and
showing u the unseen. There came q
\ time when another Lazarus came back
j from the dead. but II did no good TO
.he unbelievers who were despisers.
Cor they wanted To Kill him over again
because by reason OF him many OF the
Jews went away and believed on Jesus
I1nhn VI nh ia