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Believe the Truth

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International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 2, 1886

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 46.

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Believe the Truth.

By William A. Blakely

A RELIGIOUS paper of Chicago gives an account of a woman who "went triumphantly to her everlasting rewards with Jesus, August 1. The time had come, we think, when the Lord wanted her in the heavenly home, and so he took her." Such a perversion of the teachings of the Scriptures is deplorable. By using the words "he took her," they teach that this is the same as the event recorded in Gen. 5:24, where it is said of Enoch, "God took him;" thus they endeavor to make translation and death mean the same. But we find in Hebrews that "Enoch was translated that he should not see death," and no one who does see death is translated. Nevertheless the belief is almost universal that—
"It is not death to fling Aside this sinful dust, And rise on strong, exulting wing To live among the just." —M. E. Hymnal.
It is really the popular theory of the day, and is one of the strongest evidences that Spiritualism will take the world captive. Satan said, "Ye shall not surely die;" i. e., according to the popular belief, ye shall only apparently die; in truth, they say, "Ye shall become as gods," knowing more than the soul could know while encumbered with this "earthly prison-house"! And so widespread has this belief become that to-day this idea, sprung by Satan, is incorporated into songs of praise, into the various creeds, and into nearly every obituary that is written. Very few believe what the Bible says: "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. 146:3, 4. This is in harmony with the Scriptures throughout. As stated elsewhere: "The dead know not anything;" "their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished." Eccl. 9:5, 6. "The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence." Ps. 115:17. W. A. BLAKELY.