Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-13
SCHOOL. LESSON
THE FUTURE LIFE.
Matthew, 2531-46; John. Ill
10:II Corinthians. $40; I Peter,
1875.
Golden text: For we must
all be made manifest before
the judgment seat of Christ
II Corinthians. SO
BY REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.


Humanity has been living under a
great shadow. Perhaps never before
in human history has there ever been
such period as that of the last few
years. Whenever great clouds of
trouble have overshadowed men they
turn to consider the problems of the
future life. Many who were unmoved
by the great war-sorrow have had
their days of trial, for they have
faced the problems of the life here
after when they entered the valley
and shadow Of death. When men
turn to Gods word seeking light in
their darkness they find that it re-
veals large outline of coming. events
with but few details, so that men
who have attempted to forecast the
future in harmony with their peculiar
theological viewpoint have made mis-
cradle failures at predicting coming
events in human life.
While men are divided in their
views concerning the millennium. as
to whether it will take place before
or after the return of Christ Jesus.
they are united in seeing in the
period of the millennium the conquest
of the Christian principles here in
this world. While men are interested
in coming human events. the great
heart hunger of humanity is to know
something more definite about the
hereafter that the challenging fact
of death has made universal The
great questions in reference to the
Immortality of the soul, concerning
which many wish that He had spoken,
was perhaps due to the fact that
Jesus did not desire to detract from
the Importance of the present life.
His reticence, restraint and reserve
demand the exercise of faith. All
things that are not made clear re-
quire the Christian to trust His Lord.
who assured His disciples a few hours
preceding His death of the reality
of the life beyond the grave. He
did this so that their hearts might
be free from trouble concerning the
future life.
Men in all ages have longed to be
sure of Immortality. Justice demand
ed a future to correct the inequali-
ties of the present. The broken
column erected in the cities of the
dead speaks of an incomplete life of
goodness. truth. the ideal. and be-
cause he lived for eternity. not time,
could not fully realize the aspira-
tions of his soul. His life called for
immortality to complete it. In his
"In Memoriam'' Tennyson has pa
tnet1cdlly anu Dedutiluily ueVelOpeQ
the claims of love-. that protests
against the severance of death and
that can only be satisfied by the con-
tinuance of loves communion after
death.
The hope Of future life has been a
prominent feature of nearly all the
worlds religions. All fail to satisfy
the heart hunger of the human soul
except the religion Of Christ. who not
only definitely promised a future life,
but also has given in His own resur-
rection over the grave pledge and
a promise of the victory of the Chris
tian over the power of death. The
New Testament builds up the hope of
eternal life, which is promised and
impaired by the Lord Jesus to those
who believe on Him. While death
brings to an end all earthly and Wis
ible activities, it does not cause life
to cease. In this connection it is well
to recall that mere existence never
constitutes life in the teachings of
the Scriptures. The event of death
separates the spirit from the body.
1t brings to an end a career in this
world and effects the removal of the
living person from his old material
body to another and larger life.
Christ describes the future place of
the spiritual. activities after death
as home.
Jesus not only gave a foundation
for mans hope for future life. but
he also confirmed mans sense of JUS
tice in His teachings concerning the
Judgment. The Master based His
teachings upon the Hebrew Scriptures,
but His warnings upon consequences
of sin were more terrible than the
thunders of Sinai. The Christian will
not have to come before the great
white throne. From judgment in the
sense that is spoken of in that reference
the believer is immune, for "he cometh
not into judgment, but hath passed