French Broad hustler., 1918-04-11

between the two "'fixed gulf" None of the
parties in this scene are in heaven, and none are
in the final hell. All are in hades. The hades
or sheol of the Old Testament age.
In Luke 23, Jesus told the dying thief that he
would be chat day. with Him in Paradise. But
He did not ascend to heaven for three days.
for Abraham's bosom, the 'hapPy side of
Hades," as some one has called it. Our LORDS
body went for three days and nights into Joseph's
new tomb His disembodied Spirit went down
into Hades. He was gathered to His fathers
As soon as he cried, cit is finished, on the Cross
we are told that "The veil of the temple was rent
in twain from top to bottom" p Across the holy
of holies hung this strong curtain, that oxen
could not tear, though hitched to it and pulling
with allstheir might against each other. Behind
this veil went the High Priest alone and he only
once a year and not without blood. All the
things connected with this place were but typical
of the work of redemption IN Christ, and when
He died Gods hand tore away the curtain, lndl-
eating that ''the way into the hohest is now made
open" (Heb JOY. Until Christ came and finish
ed His work; the Old Testament saints were for
given on the credit, as it Were. They believed
in Savior to come, but when they died He had
not come yet, so there temporary waiting
place prepared for them in the spirit world where
they were waiting comfortably until redemption
was an accomplished factH The rent veil was
to indicate that now they can go above into the
third heaven, of which the holy of holies in the
temple was but type and shadow.
After three days Christ arose rE He had I. long
leave my soul in Hades; neither wilt thou suffer
thy Holy One to see corruption" He came out,
(Rev. y. A remarkable passage in the fourth
chapter of Ephesians tells US next that when
He assembled up on high, He led a multitude of
captives" (margin). In other words, He took
with Him above great number who had been
held captive somewhere by something. The
conclusion is that He emptied that part of Hades
where the Old Testament saints had for centuries
been gathering and took them with Him on high.
That department. of the spirit world is now un-
occupied, there being no further use for it.
This may explain the words of Jesus in the
sixteenth chapter of Matthew: ''I will build my
church and the gates of hades shall not prevail
against it." His>Church being formed since His
death and resurrection, no member of it need go
into Hades at death at all, but, as we shall see
later, go at once above.
may, be suggested in the expression, The heart
of the earth Matt. 12:40l. "The lower parts
of the earth" (Eph 4:9). Whep, we come to To-
can only think of things in material way. When
Paul went to Paradise e Cor. 12) he was
Caught up" When Christ went, He descend
was changed at the resurrection of Christ, as
Paul's experience was after that event.
Now we are prepared for another presenta-
ton of this truth, showing the added light of the
New Testament: We stand at the death-bed of
Christian in the new dispensation. We watch
him draw his last breath and as the body stiens in
deathwe say 'There is his body, but where is he?'
And the answer comes from Philippians :23:
Departed to- be with Christ" And from 2 Cor
s: 8, "Absent from the body, present with the
Lord" AS to how much they know, and what
they do, ETC., we cannot say. The Bible does not
nave mucn TO say. Inc emphasis or scripture
is on the glorifed state at and beyond the
second coming of Christ and little light is given
on the intermediate state. The holy dead are
with the Lord. They are at rest They are in
His keeping, let us leave the matter there till
them again at His coming.
Scripture mentions at least one more depart
human being, but for fallen angels and demons.
You will find reference at Second Peter "A.
NIf God spared not the angels that sinned, but
cast them down to hell" The word t'hell" here
is not "hades," but 'Tartarus,'' pits of gloom,
chains of darknessr(Se Jude o. For a par
tcular sin committed in the days Of Noah GER
tain fallen angels are bound in this underworld
prison. They left their own place and commit
ted forncation, "going after strange flesh y
They are the "sons of Ged" mentioned in the
) sixth chapter of Genesis, who intermarried with
the ungodly daughters of men Being prema-
turely bound in prison for this offense, they are
probably the ones spoken of in 1 Peter 8 1S,
where "Christ went and preached to the Spirits
in prison." (The preaching does not necessarily
involve preaching of salvation, but the word
implies proclamation that every knee must bow
to Christ in heaven, on earth, and under the