The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-01-28

Of JONAH for on the third day the
great fish vomited him forth. Jonah,
describing his experiences while buried
alive In the belly of the fish, says, out
of the belly of Hell cried !, and Thou
heardest my voice." etc. The fish vom'
tied him upon the dry land. lie was
rescued from the Hell-belly; for the
belly of the fish was his Hell, or grave.
The Bible is very explicit In deciar-
ing that all die-not merely seem to
die. but really die-and that there
would be no future life whatever for
mankind, unless God provides resur-
rection. God has provided for resur-
rection. His provision Is made I'D
Christ, who died for our sins. st. Paui
declares, If there be no resurrection
of the dead, all our Christian faith ana
hope are persisted; we have nothing to
live for; we have no hopes. But ne
assures us that Christ has died ana
risen. Therefore, ultimately, all VIII
no delivered from the power OF Sheol,
Hades, the grave,
A few were awakened in olden times,
merely to relapse into death again. IL
was not possible that any could De
fully recovered from the power Oh
death until Christ first had provided
the Redemption-pric on mans Dehall'
God speaks of things from TINS view
point. Looking down from the begin
ming, He tells us that He had PROVO
Oh .Jesus as 1.-THE Lamb of God" in HIS
purpose before the foundation OF the
world. Hence, in speaking to Noses
He did not speak of the world as pc
ing dead in the sense of dead Drute
beasts. but as those who have hope.
He spoke of the things not yet accom-
plisbed as though they had already
been accomplished, and declared HIM
self the God of Abraham, Isaac ana
Jacob. who were dead, but for whom
n resurrection had been provided,
Gathered TO Their Fathers-Asleep.
OF both the good and the bad we
read that they were gathered to their
fathers. Their fathers were not III
Heaven; for that is not sleeping
place: their fathers were not in the
fiery He'll Of orthodoxy and the creeds
of the Dark Ages; for they were not
vet imagined They did not s'eep III
a Catholic Purgatory for the same rea-
son; but they slept, and are sleeping
still. and will continue to sleep until
they shall be awakened.
This same thought is given in the
New Testament as well as In the old'
Jesus said that Lazarus slept; ana lie
awakened the daughter of Jairus from
the sleep st. Paul declared that All
the Church would sleep except those
who would be alive at the time OF our
Lords Second Coming. 1t is from
this viewpoint that the great work OF
Christ and His Millennlal Kingdom Is
described as specifically and especially
an awakening of the sleeping dead
In the Old Testament. Sheol Is de
scribed as great prison-house into
which the people have gone, ana out
of which none could make his way TO
liberty from death The same thought
Is given us In the New Testament,
Our Lord tells of how He will unlock
Hades. Sheol, the tomb, and denver
the prisoners. He tells us That lie
has the keys of death and OF Hades
He got the key, or authority, or pow
er to open the grave, to give resur
haI
at the cost of His life, which He free
ly sacrificed. dying 1.-THE Just for the
unjust" tasting death for every man.
Coming Back From sheoi, From Hades,
From He'll.
In symbolic language the Scriptures
picture Jesus as leading forth multi
tude of captives. (Ephesians 4Sl the
first company Of captiyes delivered VIII
be the Church. the Bride, the Lambs
Wife. they who will have part In the
First Resurrection. Truly the Scrip
lures declare, "The gates OF Hell shall
not prevail against thee" Christ Is
stronger than the power OF death, ana
He has met the death penalty that was
against us. He has redeemed US. He
will deliver us early in the Morning OF
the New Dispensation.
And that is only part OF the wonder
full story The Apostle declares that
The Christ will be the First-frults, Je-
sus the Head. and the Church His
Body. Afterward will be those who
become Christ's during His Presence.
His Presence viii last for the thou
sand years, as the King over all the
earth: and as the aDtitypicai Priest 10
bless. He will be a Priest upon His
1 Throne. to deliver from the power Of
sin and death all who wish TO come
back into harmony with God Halle
l lujah. What Savior!
The result OF these thousand years