The last few years have been giving us some entirely new expressions that are truly significant. We have the “white slave traffic,” the “vice trust,” and “commercialized criminality.” These are forms of expression that are coming to be quite common, and practically every one knows what they mean. But if they had been spoken twenty or twenty-five years ago they would have needed explanation.
In every part of this country and throughout the civilized world honest courts and officers are grappling with this “white slave” problem. As we recently stated, a leading jurist in one of our Western cities affirms that the “white slave traffic” is one of the greatest problems of the civilized world. Think of what it means for men and women to be engaged in stealing young girls for the house of ill fame! Think of what it would mean to you to have your own daughter in the innocency of young womanhood literally stolen by one of these wretches, and spirited away to a life of shame, never to have any communication with you again! Thousands of girls are stolen in this way every year and are never heard of again.
“The vice trust” holds a “corner” on this fiendish business by being in league with corrupt officials that will protect them in their infamous work for a share of the gain. We have had “trusts” that have cornered the transportation facilities, and that have gained control of the petroleum products, and that have combined the ownership of one commodity and enterprise after another so that a few men could hold things in their own hands; but when it comes to having a “trust” that holds the control of the vices of Sodom for business gain it seems unbelievable. And yet it is literally true.
To be sure such a trust can not operate in the open, neither can it incorporate under any state laws. But it has a power that is just as substantial as if it were legally incorporated. The trafficker in “white slaves” is the one who is interested in forming the “vice trust,” and he is also the one who laid the foundation for “commercialized criminality.” For while in the large cities the prostitute is to a large extent held in the iron grasp of the “vice trust,” it is also true that the common thug and cutthroat is allowed to operate through the organization of commercialized criminals.
But while you may be fully aware of these things, did you ever take a view of them in the light of the following scriptures?
“As it came to pass in the days of Noah, even so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but in the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: after the same manner shall it be in the day that the Son of Man is revealed.” Luke 17: 26-30.
The “days of Lot” are described in the nineteenth chapter of Genesis. The vices of the time were of the lowest conceivable depths, and the foregoing scripture indicates that the days when the Son of Man is revealed the second time will be a period of similar moral depravity. The following additional texts speak after the same tenor:
“And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not. For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, and seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment; but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion.” 2 Peter 2: 5-10.
In the same line with the foregoing from Peter are the following words from Jude:
“Now I desire to put you in remembrance, tho ye know all things once for all, that the Lord, having saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And angels that kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation, He hath kept in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at naught dominion, and rail at dignities.” Jude 5-8.
The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah “are set forth as an example.” Sodom was the home of Lot, and as it was in the days of Lot, so will it be when the Son of Man is revealed. God overthrew the wicked cities in that time because of their licentiousness, and made them an example to the wicked cities that should come after. Nothing could be plainer than this teaching of the inspired Book. And since it is a known fact that all the cities of the world are being made to reek with the corrupting vices of fornication, we may know that the time can not be long delayed when God will destroy them as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah of old. And besides, we have these following direct statements that ought to leave the subject beyond a peradventure in the mind of any believer in the Bible:
“I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah, and before His fierce anger.” Jer. 4: 26.
“And the seventh poured out his bowl upon the air; and there came forth a great voice out of the temple, from the throne, saying, It is done: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since there were men upon the earth, so great as earthquake, so mighty. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.” Rev. 16: 17-19.
Thus do we have the multiplied testimony that the cities are to be especially visited, in the great day of Jehovah, by His destructive power. The cities become the centers of vice and crime, and there the judgments of God fall with the greatest weight. The thing is divinely foretold, and it is just. In view of these things, it is well for men and women to be turning away from the cities as a place of dwelling, just as rapidly as possible. The judgments of God must rest there more and more.
T.
Try the Spirits
By Ellen G. White
“BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3.
In this age of the world we see every grade and degree of skepticism. There are rank infidels; those who believe in the lying wonders of Spiritualism; and those who reject the claims of divine truth. All these are placed among the class that John has written of, and are controlled by the spirit of antichrist. Ignorance of the character of God, pride of understanding, and the love of sin, are the source of infidelity. Men deny the divinity of Christ, and cast away the Bible, claiming it is in conflict with “science, falsely so called.” These doubters can start inquiries which the most humble and pious Christian would be perplexed to know how to answer. But the fact that their queries can not be answered, is no evidence that the Bible is not true. A little child has asked questions in regard to God, the soul, and the future, that the most learned could not answer. The truth of God’s Word will be revealed to those who are of a lowly heart, who will comprehend its duties and obey its precepts. It is pride of opinion that leads to skepticism, and to the denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Skepticism has its origin in love of sin, and self-exaltation.
The One Channel of Light
Jesus, the world’s Redeemer, is the channel through which all our blessings come; and those who refuse to acknowledge Him as the divine Son of God, virtually say, “I will not have this Man to rule over me.” Those who are self-willed, puffed up with pride and self-importance, while they will not give up their wills to be in harmony with God’s will, yet will accept the delusions of false prophets, and be led to refuse to acknowledge Christ as the Son of God. Skeptics and infidels may profess to be doing good work, but they are greatly deceived. They are trampling upon the blood of the covenant, and counting that which should have sanctified them as an unholy thing.
There are many who have not taken the ground that infidels take, and yet are in the first stages of infidelity. They question everything that is of a divine character, seeking to bring down everything to the level of that which is common and natural. Their minds are like a sponge, and absorb every suggestion of unbelief. They pass these suggestions to others, and thus sow the seeds of skepticism, and what they sow they will reap. When a believer seeks to answer one question started by a skeptic, he will propound another and another. The only way to do is to let skeptics alone until they truly desire light. Let those who engage in controversy with these wily opponents, remember that they are not meeting men, not wrestling “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” The confederacy of evil is seeking to poison human minds with error, and obscure the light of truth.
Skepticism Not Intellectual Greatness
Skeptics think that they can mingle their darkness with light, and thus confuse the believer in the Bible. It is not because they have so great a depth of reasoning that they do not believe, but because they are ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God. The truth of God will be assailed by the cavils of infidelity. It is considered a special proof of intellectual greatness to be bold in denying the divinity of Christ, but this is not a proof of intellectual greatness, but is an evidence that the mind is bound about with earthliness so that it does not comprehend spiritual truth.
God does not require men to believe the Scriptures, without giving them abundant evidence of their truth; and the evidences of Christianity would overwhelm the most gifted man who diligently sought for truth and was willing to consecrate himself to its promulgation. Those who do accept the evidences of God’s Word, will have an experience that will be as a barrier against infidelity, for they will be translated out of darkness into the precious light of faith, hope, and assurance. The converted soul can say: “I needed help, and I found that help in Jesus. He has met every want, satisfied the hungering of my soul, and the Bible to me is the revelation of Jesus Christ.” He can say to the infidel: “You ask me why I believe in Jesus, and I answer: Because He is to me a divine Saviour. The Bible to me is the voice of God. I have the witness in myself that the Word of God is true, and that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of God. I am following no cunningly devised fable.”
Tell Your Experience
When men pour contempt upon Christianity, tell them what you know by experience. The beings of the celestial world are amazed when those whom Christ has purchased with His own blood, whom God has invited with the voice of mercy, turn into a jest the messages of the gospel, and deny the divinity of their Redeemer. They are building upon a sandy foundation, with threads and fragments of human reasoning, but their theories will vanish like dew when the glory of the Lord is revealed. Believers do not claim that every question and objection which Satan can invent and instil into the minds of men can be answered in so many words. Men will be given sufficient evidence on which to found their faith; but if they are determined to doubt, they will stumble on the dark mountains of unbelief. They will show that they have never submitted their proud hearts to Jesus Christ, and make an excuse for not doing so the fact that with their finite minds they can not solve all the difficulties which they imagine are in the Bible.
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a dangerous phase of infidelity, and we should not go into the assemblies of Spiritualists prompted by motives of curiosity. In so doing we are placing ourselves on Satan’s ground, and can not expect help from God unless He has a work for us to do to speak some message to those who are ignorant and deceived, and immediately leave the assembly.7“They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.” The erroneous doctrine that the soul is immortal is almost universally received by the world, and the belief that the dead go immediately to heaven gives Spiritualism a deep hold upon the people. Believing this doctrine, men have nothing with which to shield themselves from the errors of Spiritualism. Through evil spirits they receive communications, and accept them as messages from their lost loved ones. Satan and his agents personate their dead friends, and thus impart satanic delusions.
But God has given us a rule whereby to test what is truth. The prophet says: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." "He that is of God heareth God's words." "We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error." "But ye believe not, because ye are not of My sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
The King’s Workmen
By Llewellyn A. Morrison
By Llewellyn A. Morrison
“These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.” 1 Chron. 4:23.
The earth is packed with beauty on the valleys and the hills,
And over all the green-sward where the dainty dew distils;
The blossoms and the foliage are exquisite and fair;
The fern leaves and the wild flowers are choice and very rare;
Yet lovelier than the freshness of the brightly blooming sod
Is the vibrant life above it from the glowing hand of God.
The graceful sweep of swallow or of martin on the wing,
The mocking-bird whose song-burst makes the hills and valleys ring,
The piping quail and partridge and the silver-breasted dove,
The scarlet-crowned wood-hammer in his rappings for his love,—
All these and myriad others in their colors manifold
Increase mute Nature’s splendor by their blended tints of gold.
Yet brighter than the bird-life, in all its wealth of pose,
Than Sharon’s famous valley or its lily or its rose,
Are the frail and quaint creatures, floating by us without sound,
That in ev’ry place and portion of the circling earth are found;
But these in mystic coloring are dim and incomplete
To the marvels of the bug-life which we tread beneath our feet.
The flowers are but the fragrant homes where countless tribes abide
In harmony and unity, for pleasure, side by side;
The goldenrod and aster, with their teeming insect throngs,
Did we truly understand them, would be pearl-nymphs in our songs.
The great All-Father made them, and they praise Him all the time.
We do well to catch the rhythm of their music in our rime.
Where’er God finds a son of man in sentient touch with all
The variant life and radiant bloom which from His mercies fall,
He marks him for His service, and selects him for His own,
To dwell within the shadow of the everlasting throne,
His frugal fare appointed, and his recompense—to bring
The perfect work apportioned—for the glory of the King.
One spreads on canvas pictures of the skyway and its moods;
Another paints the grandeur of the virgin solitudes;
The poet tells the pureness of creation in his song;
The singer sounds the cadences o’er all the land along;
While he who does the king’s work, in every mood doth laud
The infinite adjustments in the finished work of God.
Man's Condition in Death
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
THIS subject is one upon which wise men never speak flippantly.
Almost any other theme may be discussed from the standpoint of experience—either our own or that of some one else.
But death—before this grim monster, the bravest of us stands appalled. We enter into the presence of the dread specter with uncovered heads and bated breath; and as we take up our pen to consider the subject, a feeling of awe comes stealing over us. But since "the grave is the house appointed to all living," this subject is one of general interest,—it is one which appeals to everybody.
"But," some one protests, "since there is such a lack of testimony to be brought forward from those who have actually entered the dark domains of death, we think it almost sacrilegious even to hazard an opinion concerning the real condition of man after the bounding heart has ceased to beat."
Granted; and were it not for the fact that inspiration deals positively and in unmistakable terms with the subject, it is one which might well cause a wiser and more fluent pen than mine to hesitate.
But we are not left to stumble along in the dark, and to form conclusions both false and grotesque; for upon no other theme is inspiration more clear, explicit, and positive.
Of course every one knows the quite generally accepted idea concerning this subject,—first, that the dead are entirely conscious of what is going on in this evil world; and second, that they enter into their reward or their punishment immediately after death.
Now let us throw aside all preconceived notions, and study God's Word.
Are the Dead Conscious?
Are the dead conscious? Let us turn to the testimony of the wise man: "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything." Eccl. 9:5. Question: How can any one be perfectly conscious, and yet be said by inspiration to "know not anything"?
"True," says one; "but Solomon is speaking of the dead, senseless body. Of course the body knows nothing after death. It is the spirit, the immortal part of man, that is conscious—that part which loves. Love can never die; therefore the love which we have in our souls for our dear ones and for our Creator, can never be affected by death. The good must go on loving as before, only still more intensely. Likewise the wicked will go on hating, after death, to all eternity. Of course that last idea is gruesome and horrible, but—"
Pardon the interruption. But why multiply words when the Almighty has spoken?
"The dead know not anything. . . . Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished." Eccl. 9:5, 6.
We know well enough what that means. There is no figure of speech here. What becomes of the love and hatred and envy of the dead?—It "is now perished." Every living, conscious person must and does feel in some degree the emotions of either love or hatred. Then we must unavoidably conclude that the dead are absolutely unconscious.
"But," you protest, "you have not yet proved that our beloved dead have no knowledge. They may be without the human passions of either love or hatred; but surely the knowledge and wisdom of the Highest is theirs." Again inspiration answers, "Not so." Why? "For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl. 9:10. Amen; so let it be.
Do Our Dead Friends Still See Us?
"But," you ask, "must I believe that my godly mother, who died in my childhood, knows nothing about me, that she does not follow my steps anxiously and helpfully even as of yore, to rejoice over my prosperity or to be sad over my defeat?"
Listen; for it has pleased God to give us an answer even to this question also:
"His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job 14:21.
"But surely you would not tell me that all the holy apostles and prophets are not now in heaven," some one still objects.
Where Is David Now?
O, no! I would not tell you anything. Of myself, I know nothing about it. But hear the words of God once more, because they are far better than any conjecture of mine could possibly be:
"For David is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:34. Thus saith the Lord, whose testimony is unimpeachable. Now when this declaration regarding David was given, he had been asleep in death for more than a thousand years, and still inspiration says that he was not yet in heaven!
And I can assert with great confidence that David either had no expectation of going to heaven at death, or else he did not intend or expect to praise God if he did go. How am I sure?—Because he says so. Hear his testimony. It surely ought to be final. "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Ps. 115:17.
Again: In death there is no remembrance of Thee: in the grave who shall give Thee thanks?" Ps. 6:5. Now if this testimony means anything at all, it means and it says that nobody can or does praise the Lord while they are in their grave, and that they are utterly incapable of even remembering Him.
Well, some of us have been taught for so many years that we should surely "sing God's power to save, when this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave," that we have almost ignored both logic and Scripture!
The Spirit Returning to God
"But what then? Shall we die like the brute?" I will not undertake to answer this question myself; it is too hard for me. Besides, I would rather shift the responsibility onto other shoulders. Again I shall call to the witness-stand the wisest man who ever lived. Aided by the Holy Spirit, surely he will tell us plainly.
"That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; . . . as the one dieth, so dieth the other. . . . All go unto one place;8all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." Eccl. 3:19, 20.
Now this is plain language. But it is Bible. God forbid that we quarrel with it.
"But why not read the very next verse?" I see some one smile as he asks.
Yes; let us read it:
"Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?" Also, "The spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Eccl. 12:7.
Indeed it will; it returns "as it was" — no more, no less conscious than it was. Was the spirit of Adam conscious before it entered his nostrils? Was ours? Can we remember events before our birth? Then pray why should the mere fact of the spirit's having entered the poor decaying body for a few years, so improve upon it, that, altho entirely unconscious before, it is entirely conscious after it leaves the body? Surely the mortal body must impart to the spirit wonderful powers and wonderful wisdom indeed!
No; as the breath of life was breathed into him, even so it leaves him. Was it incapable of remembering, or singing, or praising, before? It is the same when it leaves the body.
We may be sure that whatever it is that leaves the dead body and "ascends to God," called by whatever name we like, whether "spirit" or "breath," has not the power to "love" or to "hate" or to "envy." It can not praise God, nor even remember Him; and it has no "knowledge" or "wisdom," and must remain "silent."
This much we have already learned from other scriptures. God takes back just what He gave.
"Well," says the infidel, "you are coming right over to my position."—A thousand times, no! You will believe me, if you will follow me through my next. A resurrection is promised to man. Not so for the beast.
If His Majesty, Our Sovereign Lord
If his majesty, our sovereign lord,
Should of his own accord
Friendly himself invite,
And say, "I'll be your guest to-morrow night,"
How should we stir ourselves, call and command
All hands to work! "Let no man idle stand.
"Set me fine Spanish tables in the hall;
See they be fitted all;
Let there be room to eat,
And order taken that there want no meat.
See every sconce and candlestick made bright,
That without tapers they may give a light.
"Look to the presence; are the carpets spread,
The dais o'er the head,
The cushions on the chairs,
And all the candles lighted on the stairs?
Perfume the chambers, and in any case
Let each man give attendance in his place!"
Thus, if the king were coming, would we do,
And 'twere good reason too;
For 'tis a duteous thing
To show all honor to an earthly king,
And after all our travail and our cost,
So he be pleased, to think no labor lost.
But at the coming of the King of Heaven
All's set at six and seven,
We wallow in our sin;
Christ can not find a chamber in the inn.
We entertain Him always like a stranger,
And, as at first, still lodge Him in a manger.
—Selected.
Departing and Being with Christ
By W. H. Littlejohn
Or the Apostle Paul’s Desire to Be Translated
In Phil. 1:23, 24, the following words occur: “But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better: yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake.” R.V. To the minds of the majority of those who believe in the natural immortality of the soul, the foregoing text furnishes a striking confirmation of that tenet. Indeed, they seem to regard it as a triumphant vindication of their favorite dogma. While admitting that the subject is not without its difficulties, let us see if, as claimed, the text actually teaches the consciousness of the soul in death. Those who insist that it does, reason on this wise: When the apostle Paul declares that he has a desire to depart and to be with Christ, he means that he is anxious to die, in order that through death, his soul, being released from the body, may ascend at once to heaven and enter into the immediate presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The reader will observe that the correctness of the foregoing logic turns upon two points; first, the certainty that the word “depart” in the text signifies death in this connection; and, secondly, that the soul of the saint goes directly to heaven at death. Let us take these propositions up in their order.
Does “Depart” Mean Death?
To begin with, the declaration that the word “depart” necessarily signifies death in this passage, finds no defense in Scripture usage. The original Greek word translated “depart” is analusai, the infinitive form of the verb analuo. The latter word is defined in Liddell and Scott’s Greek Lexicon as follows: “To unloose, undo again; also to set free, release. II. To undo in various senses. 1. To dissolve matter into its elements; dissolve snow, etc. Plut. 2. To do away, get rid of, especially of blame, faults, etc. . . . 3. To stop, put an end to, as frost stops hunting. . . . 4. To solve a difficulty, a problem, etc. Plut. Also to break a spell. . . . 5. To investigate a subject analytically, analyze. . . . III. Intr. to loose for departure, weigh anchor, like Latin solvere, and so in general, to depart, return.”
The reader will observe that in Phil. 1:23, the word “depart” is used intransitively or in the exact manner in which the lexicon represents that it could be properly translated, “To loose for departure, weigh anchor, . . . to depart, return,” etc. He will not fail to observe also that in the foregoing definitions, that of dying is nowhere found. Not only is this the case, but it is also true that one of the most prominent significations of the word is that of “departing or going somewhere,” without any necessary reference to the dependence of such a departure upon physical death. This thought is brought out clearly in the illustration of the ship given by the lexicographer in these words: “To loose for departure, weigh anchor.” An instance in which the verb analuo is employed in the sense of returning, and is applied to the action of an individual where death is the very opposite of the thought conveyed, is found in Luke 12:35, 36, where these words occur: “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.”
Must Christ Die Again to Return?
The allusion in the foregoing is to the coming back of the Saviour from heaven to this earth at the time of the second advent. The word “return,” employed in the connection, is in the original analusei, or a form of the same verb translated “depart” in Phil. 1:23. Assuredly no one will insist that the Lord Jesus Christ, in returning a second time to this earth, will do so by passing through the experience which we call death. He is to come literally, personally, and visibly. Acts 1:10, 11; Matt. 25:31-46. As, therefore, the apostle Paul, in speaking of the manner in which he himself desired to be united with the Lord, applied to that experience on his part the same verb which Luke employs in describing the second advent, why may it not be true that the departing through which the great apostle expected to be joined to his Saviour, was similar to that by which the Saviour expected to be restored once more to His saints; namely, by going to heaven bodily, without ever passing through the portals of the tomb at all? In such a case, the verb analuo must be understood as referring to the union of Paul with Christ either through the return of Christ, or through the departure of Paul himself by means of translation from this world to the presence of Christ in heaven. That he could not have reference to the second advent becomes manifest after a moment’s reflection. Paul foregoes the privilege of being with Christ for the reason that it was more needful for the disciples that he should remain with them. Verse 24. There would be no force in this logic if he had in mind the return of Christ, since that would not only have been to his own personal advantage, but equally so to that of his fellow believers, doing away with the need of his ministration to their necessities.
Look at the other side for a moment. There are two ways in which Paul might have been enabled to be joined to Christ. One was by immediate bodily translation. The other was by translation similar to that which the saints will experience at the return of their Lord; namely, a translation after the body has been changed from the mortal to the immortal condition. Do you say that it would have been impossible for the apostle to go to heaven bodily, or in precisely the same condition in which he was at the time that he wrote the epistle to the Philippians? The reply is, We should not be overwise in this matter. Read this verse, if you please, which was written by the great apostle to the Gentiles: “And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I can not tell: God knoweth;) how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” 2 Cor. 12:3, 4.
Paradise is in heaven. Rev. 2:7. It was not impossible, therefore, according to Paul’s own conception of the situation, for a man like himself to be caught up into9heaven bodily. There is, however, one thought which renders it quite certain that Paul had in his own mind the idea of a union with Christ through a translation which would involve the change from mortality to immortality. That thought is suggested in these words: “Yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake.” Phil. 1:24. The abiding in the flesh here mentioned furnishes an evident reference to Paul’s continuance in his natural body for the benefit of his fellow Christians. Continuance in the natural body, therefore, would seem to be contrasted with the experience of the apostle when going to meet his Lord. Otherwise stated, Paul would appear to teach that the going to meet the Saviour in the manner which he was considering would involve a change from the natural to the spiritual body, and the translation of the latter to heaven through the power of God.
Was Contemplating Translation
From what has already been said, the reader can not fail to discover the fact that, in the view of the author of this article, when the apostle speaks of departing and being with Christ, he was contemplating the possibility of being caught up into heaven bodily as Enoch and Elijah were, without passing through the tomb. If this view be correct, we ought to be able to read it into the text cited above without doing violence to the teachings of that text itself or any of those that stand in the connection in which that text is found. Can this be done? The writer is of the opinion that it can in a most satisfactory manner. To test the matter, he proposes to reproduce the language of the apostle as found in the connection, adding here and there a few words of his own in brackets for the sake of perspicuity: "For to me to live is [to live for] Christ, and to die is gain [for Christ]. But if to live in the flesh,—if this is the fruit of my work, then what I shall choose I wot not. But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart [be translated] and be with Christ; for it is very far better [for me than either living or dying]: yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake [since were I to be translated, you would lose the benefit of my personal labor]." Phil. 1:21-24.
No Need of Misunderstanding Him
But little needs to be added to the foregoing by way of explanation. The least among the saints of God will have no difficulty in comprehending the meaning of the apostle as thus set forth. Paul was balancing the advantages of living and dying. As the result of this mental operation, he becomes confused, finding it difficult, if not impossible, to decide which of the two he would choose. "I am," he says, "in a strait betwixt the two," or as some would translate it, "by the two." That is, he was perplexed whenever he attempted to choose between living and dying. There was, however, something which, so far as his personal desires were concerned, he would choose without hesitation. That thing was immediate translation into the presence of Christ, which, to his mind, was far better than either living in this world or passing out of it through the agency of death. The only thing which prevented him from longing for a consumma-
tion so devoutly to be wished for from the personal standpoint, was his unselfish desire to live on in the body and labor and suffer still for the benefit of his fellow disciples.
Let it be observed that in presenting the view given above, no violence whatever has been done to the language of the text or of the context, since all will admit that the original verb analusai, translated "depart" in the connection, whatever else it may signify in the original, certainly can with perfect propriety be translated "depart" in the sense given to it in our exegesis; that is, that of going directly to Christ.
(Continued next week)
God’s Surprises
By Mary Currier Rolofson
O, look for God’s surprises! All the way
From where thy present humble duty lies
To those fair, blessed streets of Paradise
They wait for thee half hidden. Any day
Thou mayest see some blessing by thy gray
And dusty pathway spring to greet thine
eyes,—
Some unexpected good, some sweet surprise,
That God hath planned, who loveth thee
alway.
For God is better than His word, and He
Who promises so royally, doth add
To promises unbroken many glad,
Unpromised joys to cheer and strengthen
thee.
God help us lest we miss some loving
thought,
And pass along less gladly than we ought!
— Mary Currier Rolofson.