THE MAGNIFICAT:THE
SONG OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN PART
NINE — OUR BELOVED DEAD
ANOTHER
ENCOURAGING TRUTH FROM THE MOST HOLY GOD, AS GIVEN THROUGH THE HOLY SAINTS
OF OLD Scripture
passages in this chapter are from the Rheims-Douay. Exceptions are from
other Church-approved versions. This
is an important chapter, for it helps us to better understand the teaching
of Holy Scripture on this important subject. What
is the truth from God's throne in this matter? It is to be found within
the pages of Sacred Scripture. With
the earliest history of man, Satan began his efforts to deceive our
race. He who had incited rebellion in Heaven desired to bring the
inhabitants of the earth to unite with him in his warfare against the
government of God. Adam and Even had been perfectly happy in obedience to
the law of God, and this fact was a constant testimony against the claim
which Satan had urged in Heaven, that God's law was oppressive and opposed
to the good of His creatures. And, furthermore, Satan's envy was excited
as he looked upon the beautiful home prepared for the sinless pair. He
determined to cause their fall, that, having separated them from God and
brought them under his own power, he might gain possession of the earth
and here establish his kingdom, in opposition to the Most High. Had
Satan revealed himself in his real character, he would have been repulsed
at Once," for Adam and Eve had been warned against this dangerous
foe, but he worked in the dark; concealing his purpose, that he might more
effectually accomplish his object Employing as his medium the serpent,
then a creature of fascinating appearance, he addressed himself to Eve,
“Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of
paradise?" Genesis 3:1. Had Eve refrained from entering into
argument with the tempter, she would have been safe; but she ventured to
parley with him, and fell a victim to his wiles. It is thus that many are
still overcome. They doubt and argue concerning the requirements of God
and, instead of obeying the divine commands, they accept human theories,
which but disguise the devices of Satan. "And
the woman answered him saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in
paradise we do eat: But of the Fruit of the tree which is in the midst of
paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should
not touch it, lest perhaps we die. And the serpent said to the woman: No
you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you
shall eat thereof your eyes shall be opened: and You shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:1-5. He declared that they would become
like God, possessing greater wisdom than before and being capable of a
higher state of existence. Eve yielded to temptation; and, through her
influence, Adam was led into sin. They accepted the words of the serpent,
that God did not mean what He said; they distrusted their Creator, and
imagined that He was restricting their liberty, and that they might obtain
great wisdom and exaltation by transgressing His law. But
what did Adam, after his sin, find to be the meaning of the words,
"that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die"? Did he find
them to mean, as Satan had led him to believe, that he was to be ushered
into a more exalted state of existence? Then indeed there was great good
to be gained by transgression, and Satan was proved to be a benefactor of
the race. But Adam did not find this to be the meaning of the divine
sentence. God declared that, as a penalty for his sin, man should return
to the ground whence he was taken: "Dust thou art, and into dust thou
shalt return." Genesis: 3: 19. The words of Satan, "Your eyes
shall be opened, proved to be true in this sense only: After Adam and Eve
had disobeyed God, their eyes were opened to discern their folly; they did
know evil, and they tasted the bitter fruit of transgression. In
the midst of Eden grew the tree of life, whose fruit had the power of
perpetuating life. Had Adam remained obedient to God, he would have
continued to enjoy free I access to this tree, and would have lived
forever. But when he sinned, he was cut off from partaking of the tree of
life, and he became subject to death. The divine sentence, "Dust thou
art, and into dust thou shalt return," points to the utter extinction
of life. Immortality,
promised to man on condition of obedience, had been forfeited by
transgression. Adam could not transmit to his posterity that which he did
not possess; and there could have been no hope for the fallen race, had
not God, by the sacrifice of His Son, brought immortality within their
reach. While "death spread to all men, because all men sinned"
(Romans 5: 12, R.S.V.) Christ
"hath brought to light life and incorruption through the gospel"
2 Timothy 1: 10. And only through Christ can immortality be obtained. Said
Jesus, "He that believeth in the Son, hath life everlasting; but he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life." St. John 3:36. Every
man may come into possession, of this priceless blessing if he will comply
with the conditions. All "who according to patience in good work,
seek glory and honor and incorruption," will receive eternal life.
Romans 2:7. The
only one who promised Adam life in disobedience was the great deceiver.
And the declaration of the serpent to Eve in Eden, —"You shall not
die,"—was the first sermon ever preached upon the immortality of
the soul. Yet this declaration, resting solely upon the authority of
Satan, is echoed from the pulpits of Christendom, and is received by the
majority of mankind as readily as it was received by our first parents.
The divine sentence, "The soul that sinneth, the same shall
die" (Ezechiel 18:20) is made to mean, The soul that sinneth, it
shall not die, but live eternally. We cannot but wonder at the strange
infatuation which renders men so credulous concerning the words of Satan,
and so unbelieving in regard to the words of God. Had
man, after his fall, been allowed free access to the tree of life, he
would have lived forever, and thus sin would have been immortalized. But
cherubim and a flaming sword kept "the way of the tree of life"
(Genesis. 3 :24), and not one of the family of Adam has been permitted to
pass that barrier and partake of the life-giving fruit. Therefore there is
not an immortal sinner. But
after the fall, Satan bade his angels make a special effort to inculcate
the belief in man's natural immortality; and having induced the people to
receive this error, they were to lead them onto conclude that the sinner
would live in eternal misery. Now the prince of darkness, working through
his agents, represents God as a revengeful tyrant, declaring that He
plunges into hell all those who do not please Him, and causes them ever to
feel His wrath; and that while they suffer unutterable anguish, and writhe
in the eternal flames, their Creator looks down upon them with
satisfaction. Thus
the arch-fiend clothes with his own attributes the Creator and Benefactor
of mankind. Cruelty is Satanic. God is love; and all that He created was
pure, holy, and lovely, until sin was brought in by the first great rebel.
Satan himself is the enemy who tempts man to sin, and then destroys him
if he can; and when he has made sure of his victim, then he exults in the
ruin he has wrought. If Permitted, he would sweep the entire race into his
net. Were it not for the interposition of divine power, not one son or
daughter of Adam would escape. He
is seeking to overcome men today, as he overcame our first parents, by
shaking their confidence in their Creator, and leading them to doubt the
wisdom of His government and the justice of His laws. Satan and his
emissaries represent God as even worse than themselves, in order to
justify their own malignity and rebellion. The great deceiver endeavors to
shift his own horrible cruelty of character upon our heavenly Father, that
he may cause himself to appear as one greatly wronged by his expulsion
from Heaven because he would not submit to so unjust a governor. He
presents before the world the liberty which they may enjoy under his mild
sway, in contrast with the bondage imposed by the stern decrees of
Jehovah. Thus he succeeds in luring souls away from their allegiance to
God. How
repugnant to every emotion of love and mercy, and even to our sense of
justice, is the doctrine that the wicked dead are tormented with fire and
brimstone in an eternally burning hell; that for the sins of a brief,
earthly life I they are to suffer torture as long as God shall live. Yet
this doctrine has been widely taught, and is still embodied in many of the
creeds of Christendom. Said a learned doctor of divinity: "The sight
of hell-torments will exalt the happiness of the saints forever. When
they see others who are of the same nature and born under the same
circumstances, plunged in such misery, and they so distinguished, it will
make them sensible of how happy they are." Another used these words:
"While the decree of reprobation is eternally executing on the
vessels of wrath, the smoke of their torment will be eternally ascending
in view of the vessels of mercy, who, instead of taking the part of these
miserable objects, will say, Amen, Alleluia! Praise ye the Lord!" Where
in the pages of God's Word, is such teaching to be found? Will the
redeemed in Heaven be lost to all emotions of pity and compassion, and
even to feelings of common humanity? Are these to be exchanged for the
indifference of the stoic or the cruelty of the savage? No, no; such is
not the teaching of the Book of God. Those who present the views expressed
in the quotations given above may be learned and even honest men; but they
are deluded by the sophistry of Satan. He leads them to misconstrue strong
expressions of Scripture, giving to the language the coloring of
bitterness and malignity which pertains to himself, but not to our
Creator. "As I live, saith the Lord God; I desire not the death of
the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn
ye from your evil ways: and why will you die?" Ezechiel 33: 11. What
would be gained to God should we admit that He delights in witnessing
unceasing tortures, that He is regaled with the groans and shrieks and
imprecations of the suffering creatures whom He holds in the flames of
hell? Can these horrid sounds be music in the ear of Infinite Love? It is
urged that the infliction of endless misery upon the wicked would show
God's hatred of sin as an evil which is ruinous to the peace and order of
the universe. Oh, dreadful blasphemy! As if God's hatred of sin is the
reason why He perpetuates sin. For, according to the teachings of these
theologians, continued torture without hope of mercy maddens its
wretched victims and as they pour out their rage in curses and blasphemy,
they are forever augmenting their load of guilt. God's: glory is not
enhanced by thus perpetuating sin through ceaseless ages. It
is beyond the power of the human mind to estimate the evil which has been
wrought by the heresy of eternal torment. The religion of the Bible, full
of love and goodness, and abounding in compassion, is darkened by
superstition and clothed with terror. When we consider in what false
colors Satan has painted the character of God, can we wonder that our
merciful Creator is feared, dreaded, and even hated? The appalling views
of God which have spread over the world from the teachings of the pulpit
have made thousands, yes, millions, of skeptics and infidels. The
theory of eternal torment is one of the false doctrines that constitute
the wine of the abominations of Babylon, of which she makes all nations
drink. The Apocalypse 14:8; 17:2. That ministers of Christ have accepted
this heresy and proclaimed it from the sacred desk, is indeed a mystery.
They received it from the church of the dark ages, as they received the
false sabbath. True, it has been taught by great and good men; but the
light on this subject had not come to them as it has come to us. They were
responsible only for the light which shone in their time; we are
accountable
for that which shines in our day. If we turn from the testimony of God's
Word, and accept false doctrines because our fathers taught them, we fall
under the condemnation pronounced upon Babylon; we are drinking of the
wine of her abominations. A
large class to whom the doctrine of eternal torment is revolting are
driven to the opposite error. They see that the Scriptures represent God
as a being of love and compassion, and they cannot believe that He will
consign His creatures to the fires of an eternally burning hell. But,
holding that the soul is naturally immortal, they see no alternative but
to conclude that all mankind will finally be saved. Many regard the
threatenings of the Bible as designed merely to frighten men into
obedience, and not to be literally fulfilled. Thus the sinner can live in
selfish pleasure, disregarding the requirements of God and yet expect to
be finally received into His favor. Such a doctrine [Universalism],
presuming upon God's mercy, but ignoring His justice, pleases the carnal
heart and emboldens the wicked in their iniquity. A
few words of Scripture are separated from the context, which would, in
many cases, show their meaning to be exactly opposite to the
interpretation put upon them; and such disjointed passages are perverted
and used in proof of doctrines that have no foundation in the Word of God;
It is thus that doubters, unbelievers, and skeptics turn the truth into a
lie. And multitudes have been deceived by their sophistry, and rocked to
sleep in the cradle of carnal security. If
it were true that the souls of all men passed directly to Heaven at the
hour of dissolution, then we might well covet death rather than life. Many
have been led by this belief to put an end to their existence. When
overwhelmed with trouble, perplexity, and disappointment, it seems an easy
thing to break the brittle thread of life and soar away into the bliss of
the eternal world. God
has given in His Word decisive evidence that He will punish the
transgressors of His law. Those who flatter themselves that He is too
merciful to execute justice upon the sinner have only to look to the cross
of Calvary. The death of the spotless Son of God testifies that "the
wages of sin is death," that every violation of God's law must
receive its just retribution. Christ the sinless became sin for man. He
bore the guilt 'of transgression, and the hiding of His Father's face,
until His heart was broken and His life crushed out. All this sacrifice
was made that sinners might be redeemed. In no other way could man be
freed from the penalty of sin. And every soul that refuses to become a
partaker of the atonement, provided at such a cost, must bear, in his own
person, the guilt and punishment of transgression. Let
us consider what the Bible teaches further concerning the ungodly arid
unrepentant, whom the Universalist places in Heaven as holy, happy
angels. "To
him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life,
freely." The Apocalypse 21 :6. This promise is only to those that
thirst. None but those who feel their need of the water of life, and seek
it at the loss of all things else, will be supplied. "He that shall
overcome shall possess these things, and I will be his God; and he shall
be My son." The Apocalypse 21:7. Here, also, conditions are
specified. In order to inherit all things, we must resist and overcome
sin. The Lord declares by the prophet Isaias, "Say to the just man
that it is well" "Woe to the wicked unto evil: for the reward of
his hands shall be given him." Isaias 3:10-11. "Though a sinner
does evil a hundred times” says the wise man, "and prolongs his
life, yet l know that it will be well with those who fear God, because
they fear before Him; but it will not be well with the wicked"
(Ecclesiastes 8: 12, 13, RS.V.). And Paul testifies that the sinner is
treasuring up unto himself "wrath, against the day of wrath, and
revelation
of the just judgment of God. Who will render to every man according to his
works," "tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that
worketh evil" Romans 2:5,6,9. "No
fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous person (who is serving idols),
hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Ephesians 5:5.
"Follow peace with all men, and holiness: without which no man shall
see God." Hebrews 12: 14. "Blessed are they that wash their
robes in the blood of the Lamb, that they may have right to the tree of
life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Without are dogs,
and unchaste, and murderers, and servers of idols, and every one that
loveth and maketh a lie." The Apocalypse 22: 14, 15. God
has given to men a declaration of His character, and of His method of
dealing with sin. "0 the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious,
patient and of much compassion, and true, who keepest mercy unto
thousands: who takest away iniquity, and wickedness, and sin, and no man
of himself is innocent before Thee." Exodus 34:6, 7. "All the
wicked He will destroy." "The unjust shall be destroyed
together; the remnants of the wicked shall perish." Psalms 144:20;
36:38. The power and authority of the divine government will be employed
to put down rebellion; yet all the manifestations of retributive justice
will be perfectly consistent with the character of God as a merciful,
long-suffering, benevolent being. God
does not force the will or judgment of any. He takes no pleasure in a
slavish obedience. He desires that the creatures of His hands shall love
Him because He is worthy of love. He would have them obey Him because they
have an intelligent appreciation of His wisdom; justice, and benevolence.
And all who have a just conception of these qualities will love Him
because they are drawn toward Him in admiration of His attributes. The
principles of kindness, mercy, and love, taught and exemplified by our
Saviour, are a transcript of the will and character of God. Christ
declared that He taught nothing except that which He had received from His
Father. The principles of the divine government are in perfect harmony
with the Saviour's precept, "Love your enemies." God executes
justice upon the wicked, for the good of the universe, and even for the
good of those upon whom His judgments are visited. He would make them
happy if He could do so in accordance with the laws of His government and
the justice of His character. He surrounds them with the tokens of His
love, He grants them a knowledge of His law, and follows them with the
offers of His mercy; but they despise His love, make void His law, and
reject His mercy. While constantly receiving His gifts, they dishonor the
Giver; they hate God because they know that He abhors their sins. The Lord
bears long with their perversity; but the decisive hour will come at last,
when their destiny is to be decided. Will He then chain these rebels to
His side? Will He force them to do His will? Those
who have chosen Satan as their leader, and have been controlled by his
power, are not prepared to enter the presence of God. Pride, deception,
licentiousness, cruelty, have become fixed in their characters. Can they
enter Heaven, to dwell forever with those whom they despised and hated on
earth? Truth will never be agreeable to a liar; meekness will not satisfy
self-esteem and pride; purity is not acceptable to the corrupt;
disinterested love does not appear attractive to the selfish. What source
of enjoyment could Heaven offer to those who are wholly absorbed in
earthly and selfish interests? Could
those whose lives have been spent in rebellion against God be suddenly
transported to Heaven, and witness the high, the holy state of
perfection that ever exists there,—every soul filled with love; every
countenance beaming with joy; enrapturing music in melodious strains
rising in honor of God and the Lamb; and ceaseless streams of light
flowing upon the redeemed from the face of Him who sitteth upon the
throne, could those whose hearts are filled with hatred of God, of truth
and holiness, mingle with the heavenly throng and join their songs of
praise? Could they endure the glory of God and the Lamb? —No, no; years
of probation were granted them, that they might form characters for
Heaven; but they have never trained the mind to love purity; they have
never learned the language of Heaven, and now it is too late. A life of
rebellion against God has unfitted them for Heaven. Its purity, holiness,
and peace would be torture to them; the glory of God would be a consuming
fire. They would long to flee from that holy place. They would welcome
destruction, that they might be hidden from the face of Him who died to
redeem them. The destiny of the wicked is fixed by their own choice. Their
exclusion from Heaven is voluntary with themselves, and just and merciful
on the part of God. Like
the waters of the flood, the fires of the great day, declare God's verdict
that the wicked are incurable. They have no disposition to submit to
divine authority. Their will has been exercised in revolt; and when life
is ended, it is too late to turn the current of their thoughts in the
opposite direction, —too late to turn from transgression to obedience,
from hatred to love. In
sparing the life of Cain the murderer, God gave the world an example of
what would be the result of permitting the sinner to live, to continue a
course of unbridled iniquity. Through the influence of Cain's teaching and
example, multitudes of his descendants were led into sin, until
"the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and
all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all
times." "The earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with
iniquity." Genesis 6:5,11. In
mercy to the world, God blotted out its wicked inhabitants in Noah's
time. In mercy He destroyed the corrupt dwellers in Sodom. Through the
deceptive power of Satan, the workers of iniquity obtain sympathy and
admiration, and are thus constantly leading others to rebellion, It was
so in Cain's and in Noah's day, and in the time of Abraham and Lot; it is
so in our time. It is in mercy to the universe—that God will finally
destroy the rejecters of His grace. "The
wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus
Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23, RS.V.). While life is the inheritance
of the righteous, death is the portion of the wicked. Moses declared to
Israel, "I have set before thee this day life and good, and on the
other hand death and evil." Deuteronomy 30: 15. The death referred to
in these Scriptures is not that pronounced upon Adam, for all mankind
suffer the penalty of his transgression. It is the "second
death" that is placed in contrast with everlasting life. In
consequence of Adam's sin, death passed upon the whole human race. All
alike go down into the grave. And through the provisions of the plan of
salvation, all are to be brought forth from their graves. "There
shall be a resurrection of the just and unjust" Acts 24:15.
"And as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made
alive." 1 Corinthians 15:22. But a distinction is made between the
two classes that are brought forth. "All that are in the graves shall
hear the voice of the Son of God. And they that have done good things,
shall come forth unto the resurrection of life; but they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of judgment" St John 5:28, 29. They who
have been "accounted worthy" of the resurrection of life are
"blessed and holy." "In these the second death hath no
power." The Apocalypse 20:6. But those who have not, through repentance
and faith, secured pardon, must receive the penalty of
transgression,—"the wages of sin." They suffer punishment
varying in duration and intensity, "according to their works,"
but finally ending in the second death. Since it is impossible for God,
consistently with His justice and mercy, to save the sinner in his sins,
He deprives him of the existence which his transgressions have
forfeited, and of which he has proved himself unworthy. Says an inspired
writer, "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: and
thou shalt seek his place, and shalt not find it." And another
declares, "They shall be as though they were not.” Psalm 36:10;
Abdias 16. Covered with infamy, they sink into hopeless, eternal
oblivion. Thus
will be made an end of sin, with all the woe and ruin, which have resulted
from it. Says the psalmist: "The wicked one hath perished: thou hast
blotted out their name forever and ever. The swords of the enemy have
failed unto the end." Psalm 9:6-7. St. John, in the Apocalypse,
looking forward to the eternal state, hears a universal anthem of praise,
undisturbed by one note of discord. Every creature in Heaven and earth was
heard ascribing glory to God. The Apocalypse 5:13. There will then be no
lost souls to blaspheme God, as they writhe in never-ending torment; no
wretched beings in hell will mingle their shrieks with the songs of the
saved. Upon
the fundamental error of natural immortality rests the doctrine of
consciousness in death, a doctrine, like eternal torment, opposed to the
teachings of the Scriptures, to the dictates of reason, and to our
feelings of humanity. According to the popular belief, the redeemed in
Heaven are acquainted with all that takes place on the earth, and especially
with the lives of the friends whom they have left behind. But how could it
be a source of happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living,
to witness the sins committed by their own loved ones, and to see them
enduring all the sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? How much
of Heaven's bliss would be enjoyed by those who were hovering over their
friends on earth? And how utterly revolting is the belief that as soon as
the breath leaves, the body, the soul of the impenitent is consigned to
the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish must those be plunged who
see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to enter upon an
eternity of woe and sin! Many have been driven to insanity by this
harrowing thought. What
say the Scriptures concerning these things? David declares that man is not
conscious in death. "His spirit shall go forth, and he shall return
into his earth: in that day all their thoughts shall perish." Psalm
145:4. Solomon bears the same testimony: "The living know that they
are to die, but the dead no longer know nothing." There is no future
recompense for them, because all memory of them is lost. For them, love
and hatred and rivalry have long since perished. They never again have
part in anything that is done under the sun. " Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6;
The Catholic Bible, New American. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do
it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or
wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going." Ecclesiastes 9:10, R.S.V. When,
in answer to his prayer, Hezekiah' s life was prolonged fifteen years,
the grateful king rendered to God a tribute of praise for His great mercy.
In this song he tells the reason why he thus rejoices: "For hell
shall not confess to Thee, neither shall death praise Thee: nor shall they
that go down into the pit look for Thy truth. The living, the living, he
shall give praise to Thee, as I do this day." Isaias 38:1819.
Popular theology represents the righteous dead as in Heaven, entered into
bliss, and praising God with an immortal tongue; but Hezekiah could see
no such glorious prospect in death. With his words agrees the testimony of
the psalmist: "For there is no one in death, that is mindful of Thee:
and who shall confess to Thee in hell?" "The dead shall not
praise Thee, 0 Lord: nor any of them that go down to hell." Psalms
6:6; 113: 17. Peter,
on the day of Pentecost, declared that the patriarch David "died
and was buried, and his sepulcher is with us to this present day."
"For David ascended not into Heaven." Acts 2:29, 34. The fact
that David remains in the grave until the resurrection, proves that the
righteous do not go to Heaven at death. It is only through the
resurrection,
and by virtue of the fact that Christ has risen, that David can at last
sit at the right hand of God. And
said Paul: "If the dead rise not again, neither is Christ risen
again. Ana if Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are
yet in your sins. Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ, are
perished." I Corinthians 15:16-18. If for four thousand years the
righteous had gone directly to Heaven at death, how could Paul have said
that if there is no resurrection, "they that are fallen asleep in
Christ are perished"? No resurrection would be necessary. The martyr
Tyndale, defending the doctrine that the dead sleep, declared to his
papist opponent: "Ye, in putting them (departed souls) in Heaven,
hell, and purgatory, destroy the argument wherewith Christ and Paul
prove the resurrection." "If the souls be in Heaven, tell me why
they be not in as good case as the angels be? And then what cause is there
of the resurrection?" It
is an undeniable fact that the hope of immortal blessedness at death has
led to widespread neglect of the Bible doctrine of the resurrection. This
tendency was remarked by Dr. Adam Clarke, who, early in the present
century, said: "The doctrine of the resurrection appears to have been
thought of much more consequence among the primitive Christians than it is
now! How is this? The apostles were continually insisting on it, and
exciting the followers of God to diligence, obedience, and cheerfulness
through it. And their successors in the present day seldom mention it! So
apostles preached, and so primitive Christians believed; so we preach, and
so our hearers believe. There is not a doctrine in the gospel on which
more stress is laid; and there is not a doctrine in the present system of
preaching which is treated with more neglect!" This
has continued until the glorious truth of the resurrection has been
almost wholly obscured, and lost sight of by the Christian world. Thus a
leading religious writer, commenting on the words of Paul in 1
Thessalonians 4:13-17, says: "For all practical purposes of comfort
the doctrine of the blessed immortality of the righteous takes the place
for us of any doubtful doctrine of the Lord's second coming. At our death
the Lord comes for us. That is what we are to wait and watch for. The dead
are already passed into glory. They do not wait for the trump for their
judgment and blessedness." But
when about to leave His disciples, Jesus did not tell them that they would
soon come to Him. "I go to prepare a place for you," He said.
"And if I shall go, and prepare a place for you, I will come again,
and will take you to Myself." St. John 14:2,3. And Paul tells us,
further, that "the Lord Himself shall come down from Heaven with commandment,
and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the
dead in who are in Christ, shall rise first. Then we who are alive, who
are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet
Christ, into the air; and so shall we be always with the Lord." And
he adds, "Comfort ye one another with these words."
1Thessalonians 4:15-17. How wide the contrast between these words of
comfort and those of the Universalist minister previously quoted. The
latter consoled the bereaved friends with the assurance, that, however
sinful the dead might have been, when he breathed out his life here he was
to be received among the angels. Paul points his brethren to the future
coming of the Lord, when the fetters of the tomb shall be broken, and the
"dead who are in Christ" shall be raised to eternal life. 1
Before any can enter the mansions of the blest, their cases must be
investigated, and their characters and their deeds must pass in review
before God. All are to be judged according to the things written in the
books, and to be rewarded as their works have been. This Judgment does
not take place at death. Mark the words of Paul: "He hath I appointed
a day wherein He will judge the world in equity, by the man whom He hath
appointed; giving faith to all, by raising Him up from the dead."
Acts 17:31. Here the apostle plainly stated that a specified time then
future, had been fixed upon for the Judgment of the world. Jude
refers to the same period: "The angels who kept not their
principality, but forsook their own habitation, He hath reserved under
darkness in everlasting chains, unto the judgment of the great day."
And again he quotes the words of Enoch: "Behold, the Lord cometh with
thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all." St. Jude 6,
14,15. John declares that he "saw the dead, great and small, standing
in the presence of the throne, and the hooks were opened;" "and
the dead were judged by those things which were written in the
books." The Apocalypse 20:12. But
if the dead are already enjoying the bliss of Heaven or writhing in the
flames of hell, what need of a future Judgment? The teachings of God's
Word on these important points are neither obscure nor contradictory;
they may be understood by common minds. But what candid mind can see
either wisdom or justice in the current theory? Will the righteous, after
the investigation of their cases at the Judgment, receive the
commendation, "Well done, good and faithful servant,"
"enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" (St Matthew 25:23) when
they have been dwelling in His presence, perhaps for long ages? Are the
wicked summoned from the place of torment to receive the sentence from the
Judge of all the earth, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting
fire"? St. Matthew 25:41. Oh, solemn mockery! shameful impeachment of
the wisdom and justice of God! The
theory of the immortality of the soul was one of those false doctrines
that was borrowed from paganism and incorporated into the religion of
Christendom. Martin Luther classed it with "the numberless prodigies
of the Romish dunghill of decretals." Commenting on the words of
Solomon in Ecclesiastes (R.S.V.), that the dead know not anything, the
reformer says: "Another proof that the dead are insensible. Solomon
thinks therefore, that the dead are altogether asleep, and think of
nothing. They lie, not reckoning days or years, but when awakened, will
seem to themselves to have slept scarcely a moment" Nowhere
in the Sacred Scriptures is found the statement that the righteous go to
their reward or the wicked to their punishment at death. The patriarchs
and prophets have left no such assurance. Christ and His apostles have
given no hint of it The Bible clearly teaches that the dead do not go
immediately to Heaven. They are represented as sleeping until the
resurrection. 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 15: 16. In the very day
when the silver cord is loosed and the golden bowl broken, (Ecclesiastes
12:6, R.S.V.) man's thoughts perish. They that go down to the grave are in
silence. They know no more of anything that is done under the sun. Job
14:21, R.S.V. Blessed rest for the weary righteous! Time, be it long or
short, is but a moment to them. They sleep, they are awakened by the trump
of God to a glorious immortality. "For the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall rise again incorruptible. . and when this mortal hath put
on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written
“Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Corinthians 15:52-54. As they
are called forth from their deep slumber, they begin to think just where
they ceased. , The last sensation was the pang of death, the last thought
that they were falling beneath the power of the grave. When, they arise
from the tomb, their first glad thought will be echoed in the triumphal
shout, "0 death, where is thy victory? O grave where is thy
sting?" 1 Corinthians 15:55. This
chapter was adapted from the book, Great Controversy. "All
Scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to teach, to reprove, to
correct, to instruct in justice, that the man of God may be perfect,
furnished to every good work." -2 Timothy 3:16-17 "Embracing
that faithful Word which is according to doctrine, that he may be able to
exhort in sound doctrine, and to convince the gainsayers." 10-
PRECIOUS SCRIPTURE PROMISES
SWEET
ENCOURAGEMENT, FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, TO HELP YOU IN THE DAYS AHEAD
Scripture passages in this chapter are from the Rheims-
Douay Version of the Holy Scriptures. Chapter numbers within brackets
indicate the chapter number in most other versions.
How
thankful we can be that we have the precious Bible! Trust in God and
earnest prayer to rum, along with daily study of the Sacred Scriptures,
can provide us with the hope and courage we need for the day's need, and
for the difficult times ahead. We
will conclude this book with encouraging promises from those Scriptures: Blessed
is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in
the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence. But his will is in
the law of the Lord, and on His law he shall meditate day and night. And
he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which
shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall
off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper. . Not
so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the
face of the earth. Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment:
nor. sinners in the council of the just. For
the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall
perish. I
will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall be always in my mouth.
In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice. 0
magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol His name together. I
sought the Lord, and He heard me; and He delivered me from all my
troubles. Come ye to Him and be enlightened: and your faces shall not be
confounded. This
poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his
troubles. The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear
Him: and shall deliver them. 0
taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in
Him. Fear [reverence] the Lord, all ye His saints: for there is no want to
them that fear Him. The rich have wanted, and have suffered hunger: but
they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good. Come,
children, hearken to Me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is the
man that desireth life: who liveth to see good days? Keep thy tongue from
evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Turn away from evil and do good:
seek after peace and pursue it. The
eyes of the Lord are upon the just: and His ears unto their prayers. But
the countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil things: to cut
off the remembrance of them from the earth. The
just cried, and the Lord heard them: and delivered them out of all their
troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them "that are of a contrite heart:
and He will save the humble of spirit. Many are the afflictions of the
just; but out of them all will the Lord deliver them. The Lord keepeth all
their bones, not one of them shall be broken. The
death of the wicked is very evil: and they that hate the just shall be
guilty. The Lord will redeem the souls of His servants: and none of them
that trust in Him shall offend. He
that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the
protection of the God of Jacob. He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my
Protector, and my Refuge: my God. In
Him will I trust. For He hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters:
and from the sharp word. He will overshadow thee with His shoulders: and
under His wings thou shalt trust. His truth shall compass thee with a
shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night. Of the arrow
that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark: of
invasion, or of the noonday devil. A
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but
it shall not come nigh thee. But thou shalt consider with thy eyes: and
shalt see the reward of the wicked. Because Thou, 0 Lord, art my hope. Thou
hast made the Most High thy refuge. There shall no evil come to thee: nor
shall the scourge come near thy dwelling. For He hath given His angels
charge over thee; to keep thee in all thy ways. In their hands they shall
bear thee up: lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt walk
upon the asp and the basilisk [poisonous snake]: and thou shalt trample
under foot the lion and the dragon. Because
he hoped in Me I will deliver him: I will protect him because he hath
known My name. He shall cry to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in
tribulation, l will deliver him and I will glorify him. I will fill him
with length of days; and I will shew him My salvation. Who
hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? And
He shall grow up as a tender plant before Him, and as a root out of a
thirsty ground: there is no beauty in Him, nor comeliness: and we have
seen Him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of Him: Despised,
and the most abject of men, a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with
infirmity: and His look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we
esteemed Him not. Surely
He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought
Him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But
He was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised for our sins: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His bruises we are healed. All
we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own
way: and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He
was offered because it was His own will, and He opened not His mouth: He
shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter ,and shall be dumb as a lamb
before His shearer, and He shall not open His mouth. He
was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare His
generation? because He is cut off out of the land of the living: for the
wickedness of My people have I struck Him. And
He shall give the ungodly for His burial, and the rich for His death:
because He hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in His mouth. And
the Lord was pleased to bruise Him in infirmity: if He shall lay down His
life for sin, He shall see a long-lived seed, and the will of the Lord
shall be prosperous in His hand. Because His soul hath laboured, He shall
see and be filled: by His knowledge shall this My just servant justify
many, and He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore
will I distribute to Him very many, and He shall divide the spoils of the
strong, because He hath delivered His soul unto death, and was reputed
with the wicked: and He hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for
the transgressors. And
there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
This man. came to Jesus by night, and said to Him: Rabbi,
we know that Thou art come a teacher from God; for no man can do these
signs which Thou dost, unless God be with him. Jesus
answered, and said to him: Amen, amen, I say to thee, unless a man be born
again, be cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus
saith to Him: How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second
time into his mother's womb, and be born again? Jesus
answered: Amen, amen I say to thee, unless a man be born again of water
and the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is
born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is
spirit. Wonder not, that! said to thee, you must be born again. The
Spirit breatheth where He will; and thou hearest His voice, but thou
knowest not whence He cometh, and whither He goeth: so is every one that
is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered, and said to Him: How can these
things be done? Jesus
answered, and said to him: Art thou a master in Israel, and knowest not
these things? amen, amen I say to thee, that we speak what we know, and we
testify what we have seen, and you receive not our testimony. If I have
spoken to you earthly things, and you believe not; how will you believe,
if I shall speak to you heavenly things? And
no man hath ascended into heaven, but He that descended from heaven, the
Son of man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in
Him, may not perish; but may have life everlasting. For
God so loved the world, as to give His only begotten Son; that whosoever
believeth in Him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God
sent not His Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world
may be saved by Him. He
that believeth in Him is not judged. But he that doth not believe, is
already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten
Son of God, And
this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. For every
one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his
works may not be reproved. But
he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made
manifest, because they are done in God. After
these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea:and there
He abode with them, and baptized. And John also was baptizing in Ennon
near Salim; because there was much water there; and they came and were
baptized. For John was not yet cast into prison. And
there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews
concerning purification: And they came to John, and said to him: Rabbi, He
that was with thee beyond the Jordan, to whom thou gavest testimony,
behold He baptizeth, and all men come to Him. John
answered, and said: A man cannot receive any thing; unless it be given him
from heaven. You yourselves do bear me witness, that I said, I am not
Christ, but that I am sent before Him. He that hath the bride, is the
bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and heareth
Him, rejoiceth with joy because of the bridegroom's voice. This, my joy
therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He
that cometh from above, is above all. He that is of the earth, of the
earth he is, and of the earth he speaketh. He that cometh from heaven, is
above all. And what He hath seen and heard, that He testifieth: and no man
receiveth His testimony. He
that hath received His testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true.
For He whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God: for God doth not
give the Spirit by measure. The Father loveth the Son: and He hath given
all things into His hand. He that believeth in the Son, hath life
everlasting; but he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but
the wrath of God abideth on him. These
things Jesus spoke, and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said: Father,
the hour is come, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee. As Thou
hast given Him power over all flesh, that He may give eternal life to all
whom Thou hast given Him. Now
this is eternal life: That they may know Thee, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth; I
have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now glorify Thou
Me, a Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had, before the world
was, with Thee. I
have manifested Thy name to the men whom Thou hast given Me out of the
world. Thine they were, and to Me Thou gavest them; and they have kept Thy
word. Now they have known, that all things which Thou, hast given Me, are
from Thee: Because the words which Thou gavest Me, I have given to them;
and they have received them, and have known in very deed that I came out
from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send Me. I
pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them whom Thou hast given
Me: because they are Thine: And all My things are Thine, and Thine are
Mine; and I am glorified in them. And
now I am not in the world, and these are in the world, and I come to Thee.
Holy Father, keep them in Thy name whom Thou has given Me; that they may
be one, as We also are. While
I was with them, I kept them in Thy name. Those whom Thou gavest Me have I
kept; and none of them is lost, but .the son of perdition, that the
Scripture may be fulfilled. And
now I come to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they may
have My joy filled in themselves. I have given them Thy word, and the
world hath hated them, because they are not of the world; as I also am not
of the world. I
pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou
shouldst keep them from evil. They are not of the world, as I also am not
of the world. Sanctify
them in truth. Thy word is truth. As Thou hast sent Me into the world, I
also have sent them into the world. And for them do I sanctify Myself,
that they also may be sanctified in truth. And
not for them only do I pray, but for them also who through their word
shall believe in Me; that they all may be one, as Thou, Father, in Me, and
I in Thee; that they also may be one in Us; that the world may believe
that Thou hast sent Me. And
the glory which thou hast given Me, I have given to them; that they may be
one, as We also are one in them, and Thou in Me; that they may be made
perfect in one: and the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast
loved them, as Thou hast also loved Me. Father,
I will that where I am, they also whom Thou hast given. Me may be with Me;
that they may see My glory which Thou hast given Me, because Thou hast
loved Me before the creation of the world. Just
Father, the world hath not known Thee; but I have known Thee: and these
have known that Thou hast sent Me. And I have made known Thy name to them,
and will make it known; that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me, may be
in them, and I in them. When
Jesus had said these things, He went forth with His disciples over the
brook Cedron, where there was a garden, into which He entered with His
disciples. And Judas also, who betrayed Him, knew the place; because
Jesus had often resorted thither together with His disciples. Judas
therefore having received a band of soldiers and servants from the chief
priests and the Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and
weapons. Jesus
therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him, went forth, and
said to them: Whom seek ye? They answered Him: Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus
saith to them: I am He. And Judas also, who betrayed Him, stood with them. As
soon therefore as He had said to them: I am He; they went backward, and
fell to the ground. Again therefore He asked them: Whom seek ye? And they
said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus
answered, I have told you that I am He; If therefore you seek Me, let
these go their way. That the word might be fulfilled which He said: Of
them whom Thou hast given Me, I have not lost anyone. Then
Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and struck the servant of the high
priest, and cut off his right ear. And the name of the servant was Malchus. Jesus
therefore said to Peter: Put up thy sword into the scabbard. The chalice
which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it? Then
the band and the tribune, and the servants of the Jews, took Jesus, and
bound Him: And they led Him away to Annas first, for he was father in law
to Caiphas, who, was the high priest of that year. Now Caiphas was he who
had given the counsel to the Jews: That it was expedient that one man
should die for the people. And
Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. And that disciple
was known to the high priest, and went in with Jesus into the Court of the
high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. The other disciple therefore,
who was known to the high priest, went out, and spoke to the portress, and
brought in Peter. The
maid therefore that was portress, saith to Peter: Art not thou also one of
this man's disciples? He saith: I am not. Now
the servants and ministers stood at a fire of coals, because it was cold,
and warmed themselves. And with them was Peter also, standing, and warming
himself. The high priest therefore asked Jesus of His disciples, and of
His doctrine. Jesus
answered him: I have spoken openly to the world: I have always taught in
the synagogue, and in the temple, whither all the Jews resort; and in
secret I have spoken nothing. Why asketh thou Me? ask them who have heard
what I have spoken unto them: behold they know what things I have said. And
when He had said these things, one of the servants standing by, gave
Jesus a blow, saying: Answerest thou the high priest so? Jesus answered
him: If I have spoken evil, give testimony of the evil; but if well, why
strikest thou Me? And
Annas sent him pound to Caiphas the high priest. And Simon Peter was
standing, and warming himself. They said therefore to him: Art not thou
also one of His disciples? He denied it, and said: I am not. One of the
servants of the high priest (a kinsman to him whose ear Peter cut off)
saith to him: Did I not see thee in the garden with Him? Again
therefore Peter denied; and immediately the cock crew. Then they led Jesus
from Caiphas to the governor's hall. And it was morning; and they went not
into the hall, that they might not be defiled, but that they might eat the
pasch [passover]. Pilate
therefore went out to them, and said: What accusation bring you against
this man? They answered, and said to him: If He were not a malefactor, we
would not have delivered Him up to thee. Pilate
therefore said to them: Take Him you, and judge Him according to your law.
The Jews therefore said to him: It is not lawful for us to put any man to
death; that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He said,
signifying what death He should die. Pilate
therefore went into the hall again, and called Jesus, and said to Him: Art
thou the king of the Jews? Jesus answered: Sayest thou this thing of
thyself, or have others told it thee of Me? Pilate
answered: Am I a Jew? Thy own nation, and the chief priests, have
delivered thee up to me: what hast Thou done? Jesus
answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this
world, My servants would certainly strive that I should not be delivered
to the Jews: but now My kingdom is not from hence. Pilate
therefore said to Him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest
that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world;
that should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth,
heareth My voice. Pilate
saith to him: What is truth? And when he said this, he went out again to
the Jews, and saith to them: I find no cause in Him. But you have a custom
that I should release one unto you at the pasch: will you, therefore, that
I release unto you the king of the Jews? Then
cried they all again, saying: Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was
a robber. Then
therefore Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. And the soldiers platting a
crown of thorns, put it upon His head: and they put on Him a purple
garment. And they came to Him and said: Hail, king of the Jews. And they
gave Him blows. Pilate
therefore went forth again and saith to them: Behold, I bring Him forth
unto you, that you may know that I find no cause in Him. (Jesus therefore
came forth, bearing the crown of thorns and the purple garment.) And
he saith to them: Behold the Man! When the chief priests, therefore, and
the servants had seen Him, they cried out, saying: Crucify Him, Crucify
Him. Pilate
saith to them: Take Him you, and crucify Him: for I find no cause in Him.
The Jews answered him: We have a law; and according to the law He ought to
die, because He made Himself the Son of God. When
Pilate therefore had heard this saying, he feared the more. And he entered
into the hall again; and he said to Jesus: Whence art Thou? But Jesus gave
him no answer. Pilate
therefore saith to Him: Speakest Thou not to me? Knowest Thou not that I
have power to crucify Thee, and I have power to release Thee? Jesus
answered: Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were
given thee from above. Therefore,
he that hath delivered Me to thee hath the greater sin. And from
henceforth Pilate sought to release Him. But
the Jews cried out, saying: If thou release this man, thou art not
Caesar's friend. For whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against
Caesar. Now
when Pilate had heard these words, he brought Jesus forth and sat down in
the judgment seat, in the place that is called Lithostrotos, and in Hebrew
Gabbatha. And it was the parasceve [preparation] of the pasch [passover],
about the sixth hour: And
he saith to the Jews: Behold your king. But they cried out: Away with Him:
Away with Him: Crucify Him. Pilate
saith to them: shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered: We
have no king but Caesar. Then therefore he delivered Him to them to be
crucified. And they took Jesus and led Him forth. And bearing His own
cross, He went forth to the place, which is called Calvary, but in Hebrew
Golgotha. Where they crucified Him, and with Him two others, One on each
side, and Jesus in the midst And
Pilate wrote a title also: and he put it upon the cross. And the writing
was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title therefore many of
the Jews did read: because the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to
the city. And it was written in Hebrew, in Greek, and in Latin. Then
the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate: Write not: The King of the
Jews. But that He said: I am the King of the Jews. Pilate answered: What I
have written, I have written. The
soldiers therefore, when they had crucified Him, took His garments, (and
they made four parts, to every soldier a part) and also His coat Now the
coat was without Seam, woven from the top throughout They said then one to
another: Let us, not cut it but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall
be; that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saying: They have parted My
garments among them, and upon My vesture-they have cast, lots. And the
soldiers indeed did these things. Now
there stood by the cross of Jesus, His mother and His mother's sister,
Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. When Jesus therefore had seen His
mother and the disciple standing whom He loved, He saith to His mother:
Woman behold thy son. After that, He saith to the disciple: Behold thy
mother. And from that hour the disciple took her to his own; Afterwards,
Jesus knowing, that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture
might be fulfilled, said: I thirst. Now there was a vessel there, full of
vinegar. And they, putting a sponge full of vinegar about hyssop, put it
to His mouth. Jesus therefore, when He had taken the vinegar, said: It is
consummated: And
bowing His head, He gave up the ghost. Then the Jews (because it, was the
parasceve, [preparation day for the Sabbath], that the bodies might not
remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that was a great Sabbath
day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken: and that they might
be taken away. The
soldiers therefore came: and they broke the legs of the first, and, of the
other that was crucified With Him. But after they were come to Jesus, when
they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. But
one of the soldiers with a spear opened His side: and immediately there
came out blood and water. And he that saw it hath given testimony: and his
testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true; that you also may
believe. For
these things were done that the Scripture might be fulfilled: You shall
not break. a bone: of Him. And again another Scripture saith: They shall
look on Him whom they pierced. And
after these things, Joseph of Arirnathea (because he was a disciple of
Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews), besought Pilate that he might
take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave leave. He
carne therefore and took away the body of Jesus. And Nicodemus also came
(he who at the first came to Jesus by night), bringing a mixture of myrrh
and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. They took therefore the body of
Jesus and bound it in Linen cloths, with the spices, as the manner of the
Jews is to bury. Now
there was in the place where He was crucified a garden: and in the garden
a new sepulcher; wherein no man yet had been laid. There, therefore,
because of the parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus: because the
sepulcher was nigh at hand. And
on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the
sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the
stone rolled back from the sepulcher. And going in, they found not the
body of the Lord Jesus. And
it carne to pass, as they were astonished in their mind at this, behold,
two men stood by them, in shining, apparel. And as they were afraid and,
bowed down their countenance towards the ground, they said unto them:
Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is
risen. Remember how He spoke to you, when He was yet in Galilee, Saying:
the Son of man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and crucified
and the third day rise again. And they remembered His words. And
going back from the sepulchre, they told all these things to the eleven
and to all the rest And it was Mary Magdalen and Joanna and Mary of James
and the other women that were with them, who told these things to the
apostles. And
these words seemed to them as idle tales: and they did not believe them.
But Peter rising up, ran to the sepulchre and, stooping down, he saw the
linen cloths laid by themselves: and went away wondering in himself at
that which was come to pass. And
behold, two of them went, the same day, to a town which was sixty furlongs
from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things
which had happened. And
it came to pass that while they talked and reasoned with themselves,
Jesus Himself also, drawing near, went with them. But their eyes were
held, that they should not know Him. And
He said to them: What are these discourses that you hold one with another
as you walk and are sad? And
the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to Him: Art Thou
only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been
done there in these days. To
whom he said: What things? And they said: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God. and all the people:
And how our chief priests and princes delivered Him to be condemned to
death and crucified Him. But we hoped that it was He that should have
redeemed Israel.. ." And
now besides all this, to day is the third day since these things were
done. Yea and certain women also of our company affrighted us who, before
it was light, were at the sepulchre. And not finding His body, came,
saying that they had all seen a vision of angels, who say that He is
alive. And some of our people went to the sepulchre and found it so as the
women had said: but Him they found not. Then
He said to them: 0 foolish and slow of heart to believe in all things,
which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and so to enter into His glory? And
beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things that were concerning Him. And they drew nigh to the
town whither they were going: and He made as though He would go farther. But
they constrained Him, saying: Stay with us, because it is towards
evening and the day is now far spent. And
He went in with them. And it came to pass, whilst He was attable with
them, He took bread and blessed and brake and gave to them. And their eyes
were opened: and they knew Him. And He vanished out of their sight. And
they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst
He spoke in the way and opened to us the Scriptures? And
rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the
eleven gathered together, and those that were with them, Saying: The Lord
is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon! And
they told what things were done in the way: and how they knew Him in the
breaking of bread. Now, whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus
stood in the midst of them and saith to them: Peace be to you. It is I,
Fear not. But they being troubled and frightened, supposed that they saw a
spirit. And He said to them: Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts
arise in your hearts? See My hands and feet, that it is I Myself. Handle,
and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see Me to have. ,
And when He had said this, He shewed them His hands and feet. But while
they yet believed not and wondered for joy, He
said: Have you here any thing to eat? And they offered him a piece of
broiled fish and a honeycomb. And when He had eaten before them, taking
the remains, He gave to them. And He said to them: These are the words
which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things must needs
be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and
in the psalms, concerning Me. Then He opened their understanding, that
they might understand the Scriptures. And
He said to them: Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise again from the dead, the third day: And that penance [Greek:
repentance] and remission of sins should be preached in His name, unto all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And
you are witnesses of these things. And I send the promise of My Father
upon you: but stay you in the city till you be endued with power from on
high. And
He led them out as far as Bethania: and lifting up His hands, He blessed
them. And it came to pass, whilst He blessed them, He departed from them
and was carried up to heaven. And
they adoring went back into Jerusalem with great joy. And they were always
ill the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. Now
I make known unto you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which
also you have received, and wherein you stand; by which also you are
saved, if you hold fast after what manner I preached unto you, unless
you have believed in vain. For
I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that
Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures: And that He was
buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the Scriptures:
And that He was seen by Cephas; and after that by the eleven. Then He was
seen by more than five hundred brethren at once: of whom many remain until
this present, and some are fallen asleep. After that, He was seen by
James, then by all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen also by me,
as by one born Out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who am
not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of
God. But
by the grace of God, I am what I am; and His grace in me hath not been
void, but I have laboured more abundantly than all they: yet not I, but
the grace of God with me. For whether I, or they, so we preach, and so you
have believed. Now
if Christ be preached, that He arose again from the dead, how do some
among you say, that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be
no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen again. And
if Christ be not risen again, then is our preaching vain, and your faith
is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God: because we
have given testimony against God, that He hath raised up Christ; whom He
hath not raised up, if the dead rise not again. For
if the dead rise not again, neither is Christ risen again. And if Christ
be not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are yet tin your sins.
Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ, are perished. If
in this life only we. have hope in Christ, we are of all men most
miserable. But now Christ is risen from the dead, the first fruits of them
that sleep: For
by a man came death, and by a man the resurrection of the dead. And as
in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. But every one
in his own order: the first fruits Christ, then they that are of Christ,
who have believed in His coming. Afterwards the end, when He shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father, when He shall have brought
to nought all principality, and power, and virtue. For
He must reign, until He hath put all His enemies under His feet. And the
enemy death shall be destroyed last: For He hath put all things under His
feet. And whereas He saith, all things are put under Him; undoubtedly, He
is excepted, who put all things under Him. And when all things shall be
subdued unto Him, then the Son also Himself shall be subject unto Him that
put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. Otherwise
what shall they do that are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not
again at all? Why are they then baptized for them? Why also are we in
danger every hour? I die daily. I
protest by your glory, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. If
(according to man) I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it profit
me, if the dead rise not again? Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we
shall die. Be not seduced: Evil communications corrupt good manners.
Awake, ye just, and sin not. For
some have not the knowledge of God, I speak it to your shame. But some man
will say: How do the dead rise again? Or with what manner of body shall
they come? Senseless man, that which thou sowest is not quickened,
except it die first. And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not the body
that shall be; but bare grain, as of wheat, or of some of the rest. But
God giveth it a body as He will: and to every seed its proper body. All
flesh is not the same flesh: but one is the flesh of men, another of
beasts, another of birds, another of fishes. And there are bodies
celestial, and bodies terrestrial: but, one is the glory of the celestial,
and another of the terrestrial. One is the glory of the sun, another the
glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth
from star in glory. So
also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall
rise in incorruption. It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It
is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power. It is sown a natural body, it
shall rise a spiritual body. If
there be a natural body, there is also a spiritual body, as it is written:
The rust man Adam was made into a living soul; the last Adam into a
quickening spirit. Yet that was not first which is spiritual, but that
which is natural; afterwards that which is spiritual. The
first man was of the earth, earthly: the second man, from heaven,
heavenly. Such as is the earthly, such also are the earthly: and such as
is the heavenly, such also are they that are heavenly. Therefore as we
have borne the image of the earthly, let us bear also the image of the
heavenly. Now
this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot possess the kingdom of
God: neither shall corruption possess incorruption. Behold,
I tell you a mystery. We shall all indeed rise again: but we shall not all
be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet:
for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall rise again incorruptible:
and we shall he changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption;
and this mortal must put on immortality. And
when this mortal hath put on immortality, then shall come to pass the
saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory: 0 death, where
is thy victory? 0 death, where is thy sting? Now the sting of death is
sin: and the power of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast and unmovable;
always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not
in vain in the Lord. Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to all the saints whp are
at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace be to you, and
peace from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: As He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted
in His sight in charity. Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of
children through Jesus Christ unto Himself: according to the purpose of
His will: Unto the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He hath
graced us in His beloved Son. In
whom we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins,
according to the riches of His grace, which hath super-abounded in us in
all wisdom and prudence, that He might make known unto us the mystery of
His will, according to His good pleasure, which He hath purposed in Him,
in the dispensation of the fullness of times, to reestablish all things in
Christ, that are in heaven and on earth, in Him. In
whom we also are called by lot, being predestinated according to the
purpose of Him who worketh all things according to the counsel of His
will. That we may be unto the praise of His glory, we who before hoped in
Christ: In
whom you also, after you had heard the Word of truth, (the gospel of your
salvation;) in whom also believing, you were signed with the Holy Spirit
of promise, who is the pledge of our inheritance; unto the redemption of
acquisition, unto the praise of His glory. Wherefore
I also, hearing of your faith that is in the Lord Jesus, and of your love
towards all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making
commemoration of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and of
revelation, in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your heart enlightened,
that you may know what the hope is of His calling, and w}lat are the
riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints., And
what is the exceeding greatness of His power towards us, who believe
according to the operation of the might of His power, Which He wrought in
Christ, raising Him up from the dead, and setting Him on His right hand in
the heavenly places. Above all principality, and power, and virtue, and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come. And
He hath subjected all things under His feet, and hath made Him head over
all the church, Which is His body, and the fulness of Him who is filled
all in all. And
he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from
the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street thereof, and
on both sides of the river, was the tree of life, bearing twelve fruits,
yielding its fruits every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations. And
there shall be no curse any more; but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. And they shall see His
face: and His name shall be on their foreheads. And
night shall be no more: and they shall not need the light of the lamp, nor
the light of the sun, because the Lord God
shall enlighten them, and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said
to me: These words are most faithful and true. And the Lord God of the
spirits of the prophets sent His angel to shew His servants the things
which must be done shortly. And,
Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the words of the
prophecy of this book. And I, John, who have heard and seen these things.
And after I had heard and seen, I fell down to adore before the feet of
the angel, who shewed me these things. And
he said to me: See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy
brethren the prophets, and of them that keep the words of the prophecy of
this book. Adore
God. And
he saith to me: Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book: for the
time is at hand. He that hurteth, let him hurt still: and he that is
filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is just, let him be justified
still: and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. Behold,
I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according
to his works. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning
and the end. Blessed
are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may
have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the
city. Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and unchaste, and murderers, and
servers of idols, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. I
Jesus have sent My angel, to testify to you these things in the churches.
I am the root and stock of David, the bright and morning star. And the
spirit and the bride say: Come. And he that heareth, let him say: Come.
And he that thirsteth, let him come: and he that will, let him take the
water of life, freely. For
I testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book: If any man shall add to these things, God shall add unto him the
plagues written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of
the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from these things that are
written in this book. He
that giveth testimony of these things, saith, Surely I come quickly: Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen. "I
sought the Lord, and He heard me; and He delivered me from all my
troubles. . The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear
Him, and shall deliver them. 0 taste, and see that the Lord is sweet;
blessed is the man that hopeth in Him. . The Lord Is nigh unto them that
are of a contrite heart; and He will save the humble of spirit."
—Psalm 33:5, 8-9,19 [Psalm 34:4, 7-8,18]. “And
seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain, and when He was set
down, His disciples came unto him. And opening His mouth, He taught them,
saying: "Blessed
are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed
are the meek: for they shall possess the land. "Blessed
are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. "Blessed
are they that hunger and thirst after justice; for they shall have their
fill. "Blessed
are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. "Blessed
are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. "Blessed
are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. "Blessed
are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. "Blessed
are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that
is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: "Be
glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they
cuted the prophets that were before you. "You
are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out,
and to be trodden on by men. "You
are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid. "Neither
do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick,
that it may shine to all that are in the house. "So
let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and
glorify your Father who is in heaven. "Do
not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil. "For
amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle
shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled.
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