The Sabbath-School by Ellet Joseph Waggoner

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Aug 28, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 33.

The Sabbath-School.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

LESSON FOR THE PACIFIC COAST—SEPT. 20.

1. Shortly after the birth of Christ, what cruel act did Herod perform? Matt. 2:16. 2. What prophet had foretold this event, and its attendant sorrow? Verses 17, 18. 3. Where is this prophecy found? Jer. 31:15. 4. What did the Lord, through his prophet, say to these sorrowing mothers? Verse 16. 5. From what place is it said that the murdered children shall come? Ib. 6. What is found in Heaven, in the presence of God? Ps. 16:11. 7. Since the murdered children are now in the land of the enemy, can it be that they went to Heaven at death? 8. Who is the enemy of the human race? 1 Pet. 5:8. 9. Do all who die pass under Satan's power? Heb. 2:14. 10. Who has the keys of Satan's prison house? Rev. 1:18. 11. By whom is the resurrection of the dead made possible? Acts 4:2; 1 Cor. 15:22. 12. What has the Lord promised to do with death? Isa. 25:8. 13. When will this saying be brought to pass? 1 Cor. 15:54. 14. What is the change that shall take place when this saying shall be brought to pass? 15. When does this change from corruption to incorruption take place? 1 Cor. 15:51-53. 16. And when is it that the trumpet sounds? 1 Thess. 4:16. 17. Then when is it that God's people gain the victory over death? 18. When will they come from the land of the enemy? 19. Quote two scriptures to show that both living and dead are made immortal at the same time.

OUR lesson this week is introduced by an incident which is familiar to every one having the slightest knowledge of the Bible, namely, the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem, by order of Herod, improperly called "The Great." Whether many or few infants were slain, the act is one of unparalleled atrocity; for although it was perfectly in keeping with Herod's character, his life having been filled with murders, we know of no other instance on record, of a wholesale massacre of infants, in order to secure the destruction of a possible future claimant of the crown. As to the effect that this barbarous act caused, the evangelist has simply said that there was "lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning." Each mind can best picture for itself the anguish and sorrow that followed.

THE point, however, to which we are directed is the fact that this was a direct fulfillment of a prophecy uttered by Jeremiah fully six hundred years before, and recorded in his 31st chapter. Many commentators have thought that Matthew merely states a striking coincidence which he had discovered between the words of Jeremiah, spoken with reference to another object, and the occurrence at the birth of Christ. But a large part of prophecy has a double meaning; that is, two similar things, one near at hand and the other far distant, may be foretold in the same words. And so Jeremiah's prophecy, although it had immediate reference to the Jewish captivity and restoration, took in also this and other calamities, and the final restoration of God's people. The fact that the prophet had in view the captivity of the Jews, adds force to the argument which we draw from his words, as we shall see.

"THUS saith the Lord: A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not. Thus saith the Lord: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy." Jer. 31:15, 16.

Now notice: These children "were not," that is, they were dead; they had ceased to exist. Again, the command is given, "Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears." This is advice that we have more than once heard given to sorrowing mothers; but the reason for so doing was not the same as that given by the Lord through his prophet. Modern comforters bid the mother to cease weeping, because her child is now happy in Heaven, singing praises before the throne of God, etc. But the Lord gives as a source of comfort the fact that the children shall come again from the land of the enemy. Is Heaven the land of the enemy? No one would think of applying to it such a title as that. It is the habitation of God (Ps. 11:4; 33:13, 14), and certainly he cannot be called an enemy. The psalmist, addressing God, says: "In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Ps. 16:11. Then certainly those little ones had not gone to Heaven. And if they did not go to Heaven at death, who does? for surely they had done no sin, and that there was hope for them is plainly stated by the Lord.

WHERE, then, did they go? To the land of the enemy, for that is the place from which they are to come again to their own border. Our first inquiry must be as to who is the enemy. Peter says: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Pet. 5:8. An adversary is "an antagonist, an enemy; a foe." He is the enemy not only of the whole human race, but of God. "But," some one may ask, in astonishment, "why should those innocent children go to the land of the devil? What wrong had they done?" Not so fast; let us see what the land of the enemy is. These children were dead; concerning that there is no disagreement. Now death is often spoken of as a land. Job says: "Are not my days few? cease then, and let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; a land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness." Job 10:20-22. And David says: "Wilt thou show wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. Shall thy loving-kindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" Ps. 88:10-12. Thus we see that death is spoken of as a land, and that the devil is an enemy; let us see if we have Scripture warrant for connecting the two.

WE turn to the second chapter of Hebrews, and there we read: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [Christ] also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Verse 14. Death, then, is under the control of Satan, and is, therefore, the land of the enemy. All who die pass into the enemy's land, and under the power of the enemy. And now we see the appropriateness of applying Jeremiah's prophecy to the slaughter of the innocents as well as to the captivity of the Jews. The Israelites were taken to Babylon, the land of their enemy and conqueror. They did not desire to go, and it was not a pleasant place for them while there. (See Ps. 137.) They felt that they were in an enemy's land. Now if death be a friend, as it is often called, there is no fitness in applying a prophecy concerning the Jews' captivity to the murder of the children. But when we remember that death is an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26), and that the adversary of the race has control of it (Heb. 2:14), we see perfect harmony in the double application of the prophecy.

IN the light of Heb. 2:14, which says that the devil has the power of death, let us consider for a moment the theory that death ushers the good into the presence of God. The old hymn has it that death is "the voice that Jesus sends, to call us to his arms." If that be so, then the devil is Christ's messenger to call his children home. And in that case the devil would cease to be the adversary of mankind, for no kindlier act could be performed than to admit us to the joys of Heaven. Indeed many persons do, although unconscious of the fact, call the devil a friend; for they call death a friend; and if death be a friend, then the one who has control of it and brings it to us must also be a friend. We do not care to thus compliment the devil, and we believe that no one else will who gives the matter serious thought.

DEATH is Satan's prison house. Were he allowed to have his own way, he would never release one of his captives. But Christ says: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell [the grave] and death." Rev. 1:18. Satan can still shut up mortals in the grave, but he cannot hold them there. Christ has entered the strong man's house, and having proved himself the stronger, will spoil him of his goods. It is through Christ that the resurrection of the dead comes. It is he, not Satan, that admits the righteous into the mansions prepared for them. He has promised (Isa. 25:8) to swallow up death in victory, and this will be brought to pass, not at death, but when the trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ are raised incorruptible, and the living are changed. If any one thinks that death has been swallowed up in victory, let him consider whether the living have been changed to immortality. When that takes place, there will be no more sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, for then we shall ever be with the Lord. E. J. W.