WHAT NEXT?

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 12, 1860

"The book of Revelation abounds with evidence that the departed dead are alive. John the Revelator, during his intromission to the spirit-world, saw vast multitudes of spiritual beings there, who once lived on the earth. Some were rejoicing with harps of gold, with their heads adorned with glistening crowns. Others were calling on rocks and mountains to fall on them, and were gnawing their tongues for pain. Some had come up out of great tribulation; but now were enjoying the reward of their labors, living where there was no sorrow and no crying.

"Thus does the Bible bring life and immortality to light upon man's future being. Every page of the New Testament glows with living truth on this subject. The immortal immediately supervenes upon the dissolution of the mortal. Hence no hair-splitting definitions of the words, death, life, penalty, &c., can ever set aside the facts and truths in the matter." S. S. Griswold, Sab. Rec.

Is it possible that a sane man, capable of writing an essay, and a minister of the gospel, too, can seriously publish to the world such palpable perversions of Scripture as the above, as his real sentiments? It would seem uncharitable to say that he was insincere—that he published that which he did not believe. But if he expresses his faith in sincerity, he certainly must be insane, or at least deeply intoxicated with the wine of the mother of harlots.

Does not the writer know that John was shown in holy vision "things that must be hereafter?" Does he not know that the great day of wrath, when the wicked shall call for rocks and mountains to fall on them, is still future? Does he not know that John had a view of the saints as they will be after the coming of Christ and the resurrection? Why then talk about an "intromission to the spirit-world," a world not mentioned in all the Bible? Did John see immaterial spirits calling for material rocks and mountains to fall on them, or were they immaterial rocks and mountains? Only imagine immaterial spirits handling "harps of gold;" while another class were gnawing their immaterial tongues for pain.

But insanity or intoxication is discoverable in the first sentence. Why talk about the "departed dead?" Are not all the dead departed? Why then speak as though there were two classes, one of which were departed and were alive, leaving us to infer that the other class were not departed and were—dead? If this was not his meaning, why not say the dead are alive, without anything to disguise the contradiction?

Are the advocates of natural immortality so pressed for proofs and arguments to sustain their theory as to be under the necessity of handling the word of God in this manner? If so, then is their cause in a desperate condition.

R. F. C.