Paul says: "I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye 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.”' Some think the phrase, "bring with him," implies that when Jesus comes again, he will "bring with him" the souls of the good people who have been in heaven, since their death. But Paul very clearly intimates that they are now" asleep" in death, and must first be raised from the dead, just as Jesus rose, before they can be with their Redeemer. The Greek word "bring" is ago, which is defined by Liddell and Scott as follows: "To lead, lead along, take with one," "to carry off . . . as captives." The following are some examples of the use of the word ago: “The chief captain . . . commanded him [Paul] to be carried [ago] into the castle." The word is also rendered "led away." The Emphatic Diaglott renders it in 1 Thess. 4: 14, "lead forth.” The obvious meaning of the text appears to be this: when Christ comes the second time, he will raise the saints from their death sleep, and then they will be carried away or led forth to meet their coming Lord with his holy angels. Paul's statements all harmonious. $429. "In the Day." This view makes The Lord God said to Adam: 'But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." It is very evident that the death here threatened to Adam was a punishment that would come upon him, in case of disobedience; and inasmuch as he did not die literally that day, it is claimed he must have died a spiritual death, which was his punishment. This false theory lays the foundation stone of Universalism. says: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be Paul 11 Thess. 4: 13, 14. 2Acts 21: 33, 34. 32 Tim. 36. 4 Gen. 2: 17. made alive." If he means that "all die" a spiritual death in Adam, and that is the penalty for sin; then it logically follows, that when all are "made alive" in Christ, the penalty is removed from all; and therefore all will be saved. If this theory were true, then as Christ suffered the penalty, he must have died a spiritual death also, or become a sinner; which is a plain contradiction of the Bible, which expressly says: "In him is no sin." 2 § 430. Again, if Adam's penalty was spiritual death, his punishment was the same as his crime; which would be like saying to a thief, keep on stealing as a punishment. Moral or spiritual death was Adam's crime. Examination will show that the death threatened, and which came upon him, was literal, and took place when he was nine hundred and thirty years old. The penalty is explained as follows: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.' § 431. If the death threatened Adam was eternal torment, then it would be necessary that the Savior should be tormented eternally, in order to pay the debt; which cannot be true; but if the penalty was literal death, or the loss of life, then Jesus must die literally, or give up his life to meet the demands of the law for sin; which is just what he did do, when he died on the cross. § 432. Taylor Lewis, one of the foremost of Hebrew and Greek scholars, and one of our ablest theologians gives the following as the sense of this passage: "As sure as thou eatest, thou diest, thy doom is fixed;" "in that very day thy fate is determined."* § 433. Dr. Adam Clarke gives the following: "From that moment thou shalt become mortal, and shalt continue in a dying state till thou die. This we find literally accomplished." § 434. Says Prof. C. F. Hudson: "The Greek of Symmachus renders the phrase: Thou shalt be mortal:' likewise the Syriac, which is approved by Jerome and Grotius. The Arabic renders it: 'Thou shalt deserve to die.' The Targum of Jonathan: Thou shalt be subject to death.""" · § 435. Prof. H. S. Mitchell, Prof. of Hebrew in the Boston University School of Theology, says: “The proper view of the construction is one that puts the stress not in the idea of time, which is not prominent; but upon the certainty of the penalty, which is emphasized. This would be brought out by paraphrasing the passage thus: 'As sure as thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die.' As soon, therefore as they ate of the forbidden fruit, they were under the sentence of death." 2 § 436. The Old Testament Commentary has the following: Contemporaneously with that act [eating], man passed from the paradisiacal state with the possibility of living forever, into the mortal state, with certainty sooner or later of dying." "3 § 437. Geddes' Bible renders Gen. 2: 17 as follows: "For at whatever time thou shalt eat of it, thou wilt incur certain death." The best authorities show that the text was not designed to teach that Adam would die the very day he ate of the forbidden tree; but that he would then become mortal, and certainly die. § 438. "Surely Die." The term "surely die," in Gen. 2: 17, occurs in twenty other different passages, as follows: "Restore the man his wife; if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die."" "Thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.' "Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech."6 "Know for certain that thou shalt surely die." "Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, . . . thou shalt surely die." "All the people took him, saying, thou shalt surely die." "Say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die." 10 "O wicked man, thou shalt surely die." "1 "I say unto the 11 61 Sam. 22: 16. 71 Kings 2:37. 10 Ezek. 3: 18. 11 Ezek, 33: 8. wicked, Thou shalt surely die." "They shall surely die in the wilderness." "We shall surely die." "Though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die." "Fetch him unto me, for "The man that hath done this thing he shall surely die." shall surely die." 46 He shall surely die." 10 Elijah said, . . . He shall surely die."" "The child . . . shall surely die."" "Thou shalt not come down from that bed, . . . but shalt surely die. "Thou shalt not come down from that bed, but shalt surely die."" "Thou shalt not come down off that bed, . . . but shalt surely die. 13 912 It is certain that all these terms, "surely die," refer to a literal death. Is it in harmony with common sense to suppose that the first use of the term is an exception to all these other twenty, and means a moral or spiritual death? God's very clear explanation of what he meant by the term "surely die," in Gen. 2: 17, forever puts to silence all that can be said about its being a "spiritual death." Read it once more: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.' The pronoun "thou" certainly represents the man whom God created, the one whom he called "Adam," the one with whom he conversed; the one whom he commanded; the one who sinned; and the one of whom it is said: "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died." This record shows that the devil lied when he said to Adam and Eve: "Ye shall not surely die," and that Jesus spoke the truth when he said: “He is a liar, and the father of it." 15 So far as known, this lie of the devil is the first ever spoken. 1Ezek. 33: 14. 51 Sam. 20: 31. 92 Sam. 12: 14. 13 Gen. 3: 19. 3Judges 13: 22. 2 Num. 26: 65. 41 Sam. 14: 39. 8 Ezek. 18: 13. 122 Kings 1: 16. CHAPTER XV. $439. WHAT IS LIFE? "The life . . . is in the blood." Lev. 17: II. No one has been able to give any definition of life, which will convey any clearer idea of its meaning, than is contained in the word itself. It may be said to be "animated existence," or "the state of being alive;" but these statements are no plainer than the word life. All know what life means; while none know what it is. All life came from the Creator. Life is not the result of organization, but it is the organizing force in all living things, whether animal or vegetable, and is essential for the propagation of the species. The sap in the trees answers to the blood in the animals. Where there is no blood or sap, there can be no life; and where there is no life there can be no consciousness, sensibility, joy or sorrow. But there can be no blood without an organism in which it is contained. When life departs all knowledge and sensibility must necessarily cease, till life is returned. Hence we read, where the prophet is speaking of man: "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish."" "The living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything." 2 § 440. The life in any one part of a man must be connected with that in every other part. The life in the hand is the same as that in the eye, the lungs, brain or heart. No part of the man remains alive after the life is taken away. We read: "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty 1Ps. 146: 4. 2 Eccl. 9: 5. |