It surprises me to find that you lay so much stress in your teaching, on the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. It seems to me that neither of these events is of primary importance to Christians. Since we are "present with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8) as soon as the body dies, it seems to me that to be reunited with this body of dust after experiencing the untrammeled freedom of existence without it, is not something to be looked forward to with pleasure.
We lay stress upon the coming of the Lord and resurrection, simply because the Bible does. Nothing else is so prominent in all God's Word. The coming of Christ is the bringing of "the times of restoration of all things, whereof God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets which have been since the world began." (Acts 3:21,RV)
Even in Eden, before Adam had been driven forth because of sin, God told of the coming of the Seed of a woman, to bruise the serpent's head. The bruising, or crushing, of the serpent's head, is its destruction; "that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan," (Revelation 12:9) has not yet been destroyed; he still goes about like "a roaring lion, ... seeking whom he may devour;" (1 Peter 5:8) consequently we have yet to look for the fulfillment of God's promise made in Eden. As it was the entrance of Satan into Eden that resulted in its withdrawal from the earth, so his destruction will be the restoration of it. Is not that a thing worthy of having stress laid upon it? Peter, filled with "the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God," (Ephesians 1:17) said, as just quoted, that by the mouth of His prophets since the world began God has foretold the coming of Christ and the resurrection, which is the restoration. Let us take a very hasty view of their testimony.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied concerning the wicked, standing by anticipation in eternity, and saying, "Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of His holy ones, To execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their works of ungodliness." (Jude 14-15)
Balaam, who wished to curse, but was forced to bless, prophesied of the latter days, saying: "I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not nigh: There shall come forth a Star out of Jacob, And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite through the corners of Moab, And break down all the sons of tumult. ... And out of Jacob shall One have dominion, And shall destroy the remnant from the city." (Numbers 24:17,19,RV)
Job, of whom God said that he had spoken the thing that was right concerning Him said: "If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. You shall call, and I will answer You: You will have a desire to the work of your hands." (Job 14:14-15) "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another." (Job 19:25-27)
The Psalms are full of references to the coming of the Lord, and if we should try to print them all we should fill the paper with them. One or two specimens must suffice: "The mighty God, even the Lord, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness; for God is judge himself." (Psalm 50:1-6)
Again: "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigns; the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: He shall judge the people righteously. Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the Lord: for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth; He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with His truth." (Psalm 96:10-13) "The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about Him; righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne. A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory. Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship Him, all you gods. Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of your judgments, O Lord." (Psalm 97:1-8)
Isaiah might be said to be devoted wholly to the coming of the Lord, the Judgment, and the restoration. The book is so full of it, that we cannot quote, but must be content to ask you to read certain chapters.
• Begin, for instance, with chapter 11, and read through the 14th.
This does not mean that nothing is said about the coming of the Lord before the 11th chapter. Far from it.
• Read the 2nd, 3rd and 4th, especially.
• Then read the 24th, 25th and 26th.
When you have done this, you will have only a beginning of what there is in Isaiah about this great theme. If you read the other prophets, you will find that it is the same.
The coming of Christ, and the end of the world, formed the burden of a great deal of Christ's own teaching. Note the parables recorded in the 13th of Matthew: nearly all of them are about the end. Chapters 24 and 25 are devoted to the same subject.
The apostles preached "Jesus, and the resurrection," (Acts 17:18) and wrote of it. Every chapter of Thessalonians, for example, closes with reference to the coming of the Lord. It was with the promise that He would come again, that Jesus comforted His disciples, when He was about to leave them; and the words of comfort have been recorded for us. (John 14:1-3) The comfort is, that He will come again, and receive us unto himself, in order that where He is, there we may be also. That makes the coming of Lord the grand center of the Christian's hope, since we know from it that we cannot be with Him unless He comes, nor until He comes. This is emphasized in: "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Brought from the Dead with Christ
The apostle says, "Them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." (1 Thessalonians 4:14)
From whence will He bring them? From the grave. God brought Jesus again from the dead, and as surely as He did that, will He bring them that sleep in Him. The resurrection of the dead in Christ is just as sure, and just as necessary, as His own resurrection. This is made very emphatic in the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians: "Now if Christ be preached that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and yourfaith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we havetestified of God that He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is Christ not raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; you are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. ... But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept." (1 Corinthians 15:12-18,20)
And still further: "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:51-54)
The Resurrection Necessary to Future Existence
Now all these Scriptures set forth the resurrection at Christ's coming as a most necessary thing. It is the consummation of the Gospel. It is that which is set before us in the Lord's Supper, and in which we show our faith every time we celebrate that ordinance intelligently; for, we are told, "As often as you eat this bread, and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He come." (1 Corinthians 11:26,RV)
And why is it so important? Simply because there is no being with Christ except by His coming to raise the dead, and take His people to himself.
It is wholly an assumption, unwarranted by the Scriptures, that we are present with the Lord as soon as the body dies. Such an idea is entirely opposed to the teaching of the Bible. This you can see by the Scriptures just cited. As a matter of fact, there is not, and cannot possibly be, any conscious existence for any man when the body is dead. It takes the body to make the man. If the body is dead, the man does not exist any more than water exists when the hydrogen has been separated from the oxygen.
You will doubtless remind me that consciousness depends upon the spirit. You will quote that: "The body without the spirit is dead," (James 2:26) and, "There is a spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding." (Job 32:8)
You may also recall these words: "For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him?" (1 Corinthians 2:11) and will say: "Since it is upon the spirit of man that the body depends for consciousness, how can it be dependent on the body for its consciousness? Why can it not retain all its knowledge when it is separated from the body?"
This is no new proposition. It is as old as Plato, who was consistent in his use of it; for he taught that the spirit had all its knowledge before it came into the body. Indeed, it was this theory that was the foundation of the other; for his argument was that since the spirit knew all things before it came into the body, it must retain its knowledge after it departed; and it was he that taught that the body is a clog, a hindrance to the spirit existence.
Do you not see that you cannot possibly hold to the consciousness of the spirit apart from the body, without admitting its conscious pre-existence? This is the basis of the doctrine of the transmigration of souls, and of all the false theories that have blinded men to the truth of the Gospel that saves from sin.
It is true that at death the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God, who gave it; but it also returns as it was. The breathing of the spirit into the body makes man a living soul. The combination of body and spirit makes the soul-the man; and when the combination is broken up, the man ceases to be until he is restored.
The Spiritual Body not a Clog
In a proper condition the body is no clog upon the spirit. At the resurrection, "When that which is perfect is come," (1 Corinthians 13:10) the body will be made spiritual, "fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body." (Philippians 3:21)
His body is no clog. After His resurrection He ate and drank with His disciples, yet He passed quickly from place to place; entered the house when the doors were shut; became visible or invisible at will; and finally ascended to heaven, in that same body, where He now sits at the right hand of God. "This same Jesus" shall come again, just as He went into heaven; with the same body. (Acts 1:11) That is our hope for the future, and our inspiration for the present.
It is by the power of the resurrection that we become sons of God, and overcomers. We are to be quickened even now by that power; and as the Spirit of God is given full control of us, we become spiritual even now, so that the flesh does not hinder us in our Christian life.
It is true that while the flesh is yet mortal and corruptible, we are subject to certain limitations: and that is why we long for the redemption of our body, which will take place at the appearing of Jesus Christ. Then with bodies wholly spiritual, yet the very same bodies that we now possess, we shall know the fullness of joy that is in the presence of the Lord; and that is why we respond to His assurance, "Surely, I come quickly," "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20)--Present Truth, August 7, 1902.