p. 7 | Is Death a Sleep? by Lucas A. Reed

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 1, 1916

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 43, No. 30.

Is Death a Sleep?

By Lucas A. Reed

Is Immortality Bestowed upon the Believer Conditionally, or Absolutely?

By Lucas A. Reed

We wish to emphasize the fact that while we quote from certain ministers to explain why the world is obsessed with the idea of man's inherent immortality, we do this with no intention of casting any reflection upon the character of the men from whom we quote. We believe, for example, that Mr. Moody did a vast amount of good in the world during his lifetime. In many things, he exalted the word of God, and held it forth as the true standard of Christian living. Nevertheless, in reference to man's nature and his condition in death, Mr. Moody followed the current teaching of the day. Thus in his sermon on heaven, he said:

"There is a class of people who say that the soul becomes unconscious, and sleeps until the resurrection. I cannot believe that." Then, to prove that we shall know each other there, he quotes, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness."

Put these two statements together — Mr. Moody's and the one he quotes from the Bible. One moment, he says he does not believe that the soul becomes unconscious, and sleeps until the resurrection; in another statement, he declares, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake." Let us put them still closer together: I do not believe that the soul sleeps, for the Bible says I shall be satisfied when I awake. Do you not see the inconsistency of the reasoning? If we are to be satisfied when we awake, it is plain that we must have slept.

Over and over again in the New Testament, the death of God's chosen is called a sleep,—a sleep because they are to awake on the morning of the resurrection. As Paul says, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." That is to say, there will be some alive when Jesus comes. These will be changed, though they do not sleep and need a resurrection.

Considered an Unanswerable Argument

SPEAKING of the scripture, "He that believeth on the Son hath . . . life," Mr. Moody said: "It doesn't say that I am going to get eternal life when I die, nor at the general resurrection. 'He that believeth on the Son hath . . . life.' I have not got to wait. 'He that believeth on the Son hath . . . life,' h-a-t-h — present tense."

Mr. Moody thought this an unanswerable argument for immortality. We have no doubt whatever that the person who believes in life at death, will say, as he reads these words from that good man, Now, there is an argument that settles the matter. But we ask you to wait a minute. Let us look into this. Just previous to the words that we have quoted, Mr. Moody said:

"If a man receive eternal life when he is converted — and that is what God says he receives — how are you going to bury eternal life in the grave?"

Yet Mr. Moody knows that a man who is converted, and receives this eternal life to which he refers, can backslide. He has preached sermons on the prodigal son, the lost sheep, and the lost piece of money. He knows that, as the Bible teaches, a man can turn away again to the beggarly elements of the world — as Peter puts it, return like a dog to his vomit, "and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

“He has preached sermons on . . . the lost piece of money.”

When the man was converted, and received eternal life, he must have had it in such a way that it could be lost, else we are face to face with the situation of once converted, always converted; and this we know is utterly untenable, according to the Bible.

Absolutely, or by Faith — Which?

If the scripture means that we really receive eternal life at conversion, when we accept Christ,—receive it in the absolute sense,—then the argument should be that we will never die, but like Elijah and Enoch, will be translated without seeing death. But every one knows that this is not true of Christians generally.

Then in what way do we receive eternal life when we are converted? The answer is this: We receive it by faith, just the same way that we receive Christ. Christ abides in our hearts by faith, and He is the life, and so we have His life by faith. Over and over again in the Bible, we are told that this life will be given to the saints on the morning of the resurrection. Notice the way in which Christ makes the promise; for this is the way in which we must receive the promise. Notice in what way Christ has granted eternal life; for in whatever way He has granted it, in that very way we must receive it. We quote Christ's words:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." John 5: 24, 25.

Christ very plainly, in this, bids us hope in a resurrection from the dead. He says, "The hour is coming" — that is, the future resurrection — "when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." He says the hour "now is"; for at His resurrection, many of the saints came forth from their graves in a partial resurrection. Matt. 27: 52, 53. And some of the dead that were in their graves heard His voice; and they that heard, lived.

To show even more clearly how we receive this eternal life, note the following scripture: "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." 1 John 5: 11. According to this text, only those who have Christ have life. "He that hath the Son," the scripture concludes, "hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." Verse 12. In whatever way, then, we have Christ, that is the way in which we have life. The veriest novice in Christian doctrine knows that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith." Eph. 3: 17. See also Gal. 3: 26 and Rom. 5: 1.

Immortality Bestowed at Resurrection

THAT life eternal, or everlasting life, is a matter of faith, is stated in Christ's own words: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3: 36. He says in another place, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." John 6: 39. Here Christ intimates that one might think that those who had died were lost; but He tells us that it is the Father's will that these should not be lost; and the reason why they are not lost is not that they did not really die, but that He will raise them up — resurrect them — at the last day. Again He says, "And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise Him up at the last day." John 6: 40.

On the occasion when Nicodemus came to Christ, the Lord told him the two alternatives: "For God so loved the world, that He

IS DEATH A SLEEP?

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gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' John 3: 16.

Thus you see it is evident that only through faith can one escape ruin. Christ declares that the person who does not possess Him shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. Only the one who has Christ has hope of immortality; and this immortality is to be given on the day of the resurrection. This is the uniform teaching of the Bible.

Before concluding, we wish to call attention to a decided inconsistency in Mr. Moody's argument. He says:

'Death has had its hands on Jesus Christ once; he never will have his hands on Him again. He tasted death once. He conquered death. He bound him hand and foot. He went down into the grave and overcame him.'

There is no question whatever that Christ had eternal life, and He held it in a sense in which no one of His followers could possibly hold it; for He tells us that He has this eternal life in the same way that God has it: 'For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself; and hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.' John 5: 26-29.

Quoted Only Part of the Text

CHRIST had immortality. He possessed it in Himself. Yet He died. He was buried in the grave. He was actually dead. Otherwise, only the human died, and we have only a human sacrifice for sins. Christ, the Eternal One, died. How could that be? — Because He voluntarily laid down His life. 'Therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. . . . This commandment have I received of My Father.' John 10: 17, 18.

Thus every argument that Mr. Moody offers from his 'h-a-t-h, hath,' falls to the ground.

One time, in Minneapolis, some years ago, a prominent minister accepted the doctrine of the Bible as we believe it — that only through Christ are we to have eternal life, and that on the resurrection morning. Practically all the popular churches of the city set apart a Sunday on which sermons were to be preached against this doctrine — which, as it happens, is the doctrine of the Bible; and I recall that one of the preachers who was attempting to show immortality for all, and eternal life begun at the grave, broke out in his sermon with these words: 'Why not believe the words of Christ, 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life'?' At this point, the minister hesitated, quoted no more of the scripture, but went on with his sermon, attempting to refute what he considered the fallacy of life only in Christ. Yet had he quoted all of that text, he would have proved that the minister who had accepted and was teaching the doctrine of eternal life through Christ only, had the absolute truth. The whole text is as follows: 'He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.'