DEATH AND RESURRECTION.
By W. A. Sweany
WHEN lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Jas. 1:15. “For the wages of sin is death.” Rom. 6:23. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Rom. 5:12. Hence, “man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” “Man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?” Job 14:1, 10. “Man being in honor abideth not; he is like the beasts that perish. . . . Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them.” Ps. 49:12–14. Six thousand years sojourn in the way that leads only to the grave has so fearfully emphasized the foregoing solemn truth, that “the living know that they shall die.” Eccl. 9:5. Reader, it is true of you, as David said of himself, “There is but a step between me and death;” and you know not how soon you may be called to take that step. See 1 Sam. 20:3. Therefore “set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.” Isa. 38:1. But man is slow to yield to the inevitable, and all the wisdom, genius, science, skill, power, and wealth, of the world, have been employed to disprove the decree, to change the sentence, or to avert or postpone its execution. Yet it is all in vain, for the procession continually moves along toward the open grave. But, tho compelled to yield and submit to the execution of the death decree, the human mind, influenced and inspired by the arch deceiver, has from time immemorial sought to parry its force and nullify its object by persuading men that “death is the gate of endless joy;” that “there is no death; what seems so is transition,” etc. Would that the living, who “know that they shall die,” might also learn from the same scripture, that “the dead know not anything.” Eccl. 9:5. “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.” Ps. 115:17. “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Ps. 146:4. In view of all this, how important is the admonition, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;3for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Eccl. 9:10. Since only the living can praise the Lord (Ps. 115:17, 18; 146:2–4; Isa. 38:16–19); and all must die, it is plain that, unless there shall come a resurrection, the experience of humanity must forever end at the grave. David realized this when he cried out, “Return, O Lord, deliver my soul; O save me for Thy mercy’s sake; for in death there is no remembrance of Thee; in the grave who shall give Thee thanks?” Ps. 6:4, 5. Paul also understood the situation when he declared, “If the dead rise not, . . . your faith is vain; . . . then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” 1 Cor. 15:16–18. Mortals would more fully appreciate the assurance of the resurrection if they could but realize that it is their only door of escape from eternal extinction, and their only hope of life beyond the grave. Knowing that his Redeemer lives and would call him forth at the “set times,” Job calmly faced the fate against which the faithless and fearful vainly strive, and laid down to pass his appointed time in the quiet unconsciousness of the grave. See Job 3:11–19; 14:13–15; 17:13–16; 19:23–27. “David is not ascended into the heavens,” but “is both dead and buried.” Acts 2:29–35. He was laid in his grave to wait until called forth to behold in righteousness and satisfaction the face of his Redeemer. See Ps. 16:8–11; 17:15. Paul fearlessly faced the grim enemy in sure and certain hope of the resurrection which he had so often preached to others, “with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven.” 2 Tim. 4:6–8; Acts 24:14, 15; 1 Cor. 15:20–23; 1 Thess. 4:13–18. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” 1 Tim. 1:15; Matt. 1:21. And so “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. And “if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Verse 7. But all this will not keep the forgiven one from dying; for death claims the good as well as the evil. See Eccl. 9:1–6. Then it is evident that a resurrection is necessary in order to complete the redemption and eternal salvation of those who have been forgiven, cleansed, and saved from their sins. “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.” But this will not suffice; we must also look for “that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11–13. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Heb. 9:28. He came once to save sinners; He is coming again to save saints. See Isa. 25:8, 9; 26:19–21; Luke 21:25–28. The importance of the resurrection is plainly apparent, and must be recognized and acknowledged as soon as we realize that on it depends the future existence and destiny of every mortal. And this being evident, it is to be expected that the whole of Satan’s power will be directed and exerted against that doctrine. His first scheme was to convince man that the warning against disobedience was an idle threat. “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:4) was his bold declaration. But with that swift and inexorable certainty with which effect follows cause, “death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Had it not been for the assurance given, when sentence of death was passed, that eventually the enemy should be destroyed and his work stopped and undone (Gen. 3:15), despair must have settled down upon the dying race.