The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-06-05

| W ing are spoken Oh
e. q as going "down"
to It, 1t had two
compartments, as set forth in the pic
ture of the rich man and Lazarus:
One a place of torment; the other'
called "Abraham's BOSOM" or para
disc, a place of feasting and repose;
and between them was great guir
fixed. Christ himself descended TO
Sheol or Hades, and told the dying
thief he would be with him that day
in Paradise duke % :39-43).
Since the ascension of our Lord, the
location of Paradise seems changed:
Stephen looked "up" into heaven ana
saw Jesus (Acts 7 :55) and Paul was
caught sup" to the third heaven, to
Paradise QI Cor - :2-4. 1t Is sug-
gested in Ephesians a q that when
Christ assembled he delivered from SheoI
or Hades all the righteous dead, from
Abel onward. and carried them with
him into the presence of God. Hence
we understand that In this age the
righteous depart to be with Christ In
a Paradise which is on high.
The state of the dead in Christ
is a restful one. They "sleep in Cor
through) Jesus" Il Thess. 4:14. lie
died, bearing our sins on the cross
because of this fact we do not die,
hut rather fell to sleep. Rest is very
attractive in this weary world; the
mower of this attraction is suggested
by the fact that Buddhism, the re-
ligion having the largest number OF
adherents. holds out humiliation as
the chief boon for man.
Are the Dead conscious7
The state of the dead in Chist is a
conscious one. Some have inferred
from the scriptural language about
sleep that the soul slumbers in the in
termediate state. But the Scripture
nowhere asserts that the souls of the
dead are asleep. Even in normal sleep
we are quite conscious. Charles Spur
geon once arose from his bed, light
ed a lamp and wrote the full outline of
a sermon which he preached the next
morning. Yet he was sound asleep
while writing the sermon and could
hardly believe the testimony OF his
own eyes when he saw the outline on
his desk in the morning. The Bible
clearly teaches that the dead are con-
scious. If 1t were otherwise how could
Paul say it would be better for him
TO depart to be with Christ than to re-
main on earth to work for him (Phil.
:23)?
The state of the righteous dead is
blessed one. The expressions used In
the Scripture to describe II are full
of significance. For example, Para
disc was name applied to kings
park and suggests ordered and stately
beauty, together with noble society
The dead are said to be "at home with
the Lord" OI Cor. SIS r. W. AS one
has put IT, home is 'the scene where
our whole being Is in sweet and vivit
harmony with surroundings" W.
grieve over our departed friends as Il
they had gone out into world o.
mystery where they will be stranger
and i'll at ease. How blessed to know
that they are Eat home with the Lord !!
They do not wait even single mo
ment to enter into this bliss, for ito de
part is to be with Christ" (Phil. :23)
State Of the Dead.
Finally, the state Of the dead ma
be described as an unclothed one. Pau
speaks in ii Cor. Of the "earthl
house of this tabernacle" being dis
solved. He goes on to say, l
verses two to four: 'For In this W
groan, earnestly desiring to be clothe
In upon with our house which is frol
n heaven: II so be that being clothe
US we shall not be found naked. Ft
we that are in this tabernacle d
so groan, being burdened: not for thu
to we would be unclothed, but clothe
Ie, upon, that mortality might be swa
m lowed up Of life." In other word
ng while glad at the prospect Of beif
1T absent from the body because he won
ie- be at home with the Lord, yet he do
tie not consider this the highest possib
I'm boon. The intermediate state won
ar find him unclothed, without a bod
es, Paul evidently felt he would not
In perfect until he received q glorih'
us body. Hence he hoped that the Lo
himself might come before death owe
took him so that he might be "cloth
: upon" as with a garment, with /
house from heaven. What significan
this gives, for both the living and {
dead who are I'm Christ, to the wor
of Paul: "Now Is Christ risen fro
rts the dead and become the first fruits
18th them that slept"
sh-