RESURRECTION AT DEATH by R. F. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 3, 1881

RESURRECTION AT DEATH.

By R. F. Cottrell

BY ELD. R. F. COTTRELL.

A recent writer, a minister of an enlightened denomination of Christians, takes his stand, with Spiritualists, that there is no resurrection of the body to be hoped for in the future, but that the resurrection takes place at death. He gives the following comment on 1 Cor. 15 : 51, 52:—

" 'The mystery' explains the true ideas and facts of the anastasis, or future life. 'We shall not all sleep.' Death is not sleep at all—not soul-sleeping, unconscious state of the dead—but in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we, myself and you to whom I am writing, shall be changed, anastasised, from our natural to our spiritual life. 'For the trump shall sound'—the event of death must take place—'and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed,' from our earth life to our heavenly life." Again he defines: "The trumpet signifies the ushering in of some great event. Here it refers to the event of death, and passing away of mankind from their earth life to the spirit world, the Judgment, and the awards of the eternal world."

I do not intend to review the writer. An able minister of his own denomination has set forth some of the scripture testimonies for resurrection, which blows away his air-built theory as the chaff. But I make a remark or two. He says, "Death is not a sleep at all." This is true if his theory is true. For if nothing reposes in death that is to be awakened, there is no propriety in calling death a sleep. But this very scripture calls death a sleep. That "we shall not all sleep," implies that some of us shall sleep. And we are instructed by the prophet Daniel that "them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake." And in the case of Lazarus, Jesus said, "Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep." Again we are told that "Jesus spoke of his death," and that he "said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead."

But I wish to call particular attention to the words of Jesus to Martha: "Thy brother shall rise again." Lazarus had been dead four days. There had been time enough for that work of a moment, of the twinkling of an eye, which our writer says takes place at death, to be fully accomplished. He was a friend of Jesus, and we are expressly told that Jesus loved him. Why then did Jesus say, "Thy brother shall rise again?" Why did he not say, The trumpet has sounded—death has taken place—and thy brother has risen to the spiritual life in the spiritual world? And then how sad the thought, that the liberated soul, one that had been "changed—anastasised," from his natural to his spiritual life, whose corruptible body, according to our writer, has been "exchanged for the incorruptible, spiritual body," after spending four days in "the spirit world" should be remanded back to his prison life again. But we are not informed that he expressed his regret; so we must not complain.

In conclusion, I express my firm conviction that Martha was sound in faith. In reply to the assurance that her brother should rise again, she said, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus did not correct her by telling her that there was to be no such time and event in the far future, but that the event took place at death.