THE BIBLE A GOOD DETECTER.
By ALDEN GREEN.
“THE Bible is my guide,” is the answer we sometimes receive from believers in the popular theology of the present day, when we request them to read our publications, and investigate our position in regard to the state of the dead, the Sabbath, prophecies, &c. Now I wish to say to such who may chance to read these lines, Do you realize what you are saying? Are you really guided by God’s holy word in all essential matters of faith and practice? If you think you are, there is one Bible injunction to which I would in the first place call your special attention. It is this: Prove all things, hold fast that which is good. Are you willing to obey this? You will say, How am I to do it when there are so many false doctrines taught in these days, each class thinking they are right? Very true; there is also a great deal of counterfeit money in circulation; how can we distinguish it from the genuine? By making use of the counterfeit detector, and comparing it with that which we know to be genuine. Let us apply the same rule to religion. The Bible is our standard, the great detector; and the doctrine taught and practiced by the Saviour and the apostles and prophets of old, is the truth, or genuine religion. Let us apply the above rule to some of the doctrines taught by the popular churches of the present day, and see if they will stand the test. They teach that Sunday, the first day of the week, is the Sabbath. The Bible plainly says, The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any work, &c. The reason assigned is this: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is; and rested the seventh day; wherefore, God blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. They have a great deal to say about our immortal or never-dying souls, deathless spirits, &c. There is nothing in the Bible to warrant the use of such language. They tell us that when we die, we go immediately to heaven or hell, and will thus live on to all eternity. The Bible plainly says, The dead know not anything; at the day of death the thoughts perish; that there is no device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave. It teaches that God only hath immortality, and speaks of man as mortal; as a being that shall die. I know that the devil, speaking through the serpent as a medium, told Eve that if they did partake of the forbidden fruit they should not surely die, but should be as gods, &c. Let us remember that the Devil is the father of lies. But if a man die, shall he live again? Yes, there shall be a resurrection of the body. Of this there is abundant Scripture proof. But when will this be? Paul teaches that it will take place at the second coming of Christ. “When he who is our life shall appear, then shall we (meaning the righteous) also appear with him in glory.” Blessed promise! Surely, then, we ought to love and long for his appearing. It is also a very popular belief that the wicked as soon as they die, are sent to hell, and there suffer the most excruciating torments through the never-ending cycles of eternity. Dear reader, there are more than two hundred passages in the Bible that speak of the wicked in the following manner. The soul that sinneth it shall die; shall perish; shall be consumed; be cut off, &c. Many now believe that the millennium, a time of universal peace and righteousness, is soon to dawn upon the world. But facts and the Bible are against them. For many are departing from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, being covetous, proud, lovers of pleasures, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof, turning away their ears from the truth unto fables. And now, dear reader, in conclusion let me entreat you to investigate our position in connection with God’s holy word, carefully and prayerfully, and see who has the truth, or are guided by the Bible.