MOSES ON THE MOUNT by J. N. Loughborough

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 20, 1860

MOSES ON THE MOUNT.

By J. N. Loughborough

As some objections have been raised to the article of mine which was republished in Review No. 22, of Vol. xvi, I have thought it proper to speak again on this subject. Bro. A. M. West, of Leonardsville, N. Y., writes under date of Nov. 11th:

"In the Review of Oct. 16th, I find a piece from Bro. Loughborough, claiming that Moses was resurrected and on the mount with Elias at Christ's transfiguration, and concludes by assuming that six persons had been 'born from the dead,' or resurrected, previous to the resurrection of Christ. I would thank Bro. Loughborough for the names of such persons, either through the Review, or otherwise."

We gladly comply with Bro. West's request. We assumed the position that six were resurrected besides Moses prior to Christ's resurrection; not because we had no proof to substantiate the position, but supposing the readers would readily recollect the six cases we had in view. We stated in the article that if the expressions which are applied to Christ, that he is the "first-born," "first-fruits," "first-begotten of the dead," &c., "prove what they are quoted to prove, namely, that Christ was the first one raised, they prove too much; for the Bible shows that six at least besides Moses had been resurrected before Christ's resurrection." Again we say: "If Christ can be the first born from the dead virtually, when six had literally been born from the dead before him, might not a seventh be born immortal by virtue of his death, and he still be 'the first-born,' 'the first-fruits,' and 'the first-begotten'?"

The six persons we referred to consist of three in each dispensation. First, 1 Kings xvii, 21, 22. The case of Elijah raising the widow's son. "And he stretched himself on the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived." The second case is in 2 Kings iv, 32-35, where we have the account of a child that was raised by Elisha. The third is the case of a man who was thrown into the sepulchre of Elisha, and came to life as soon as he touched Elisha's bones. See 2 Kings xiii, 20, 21. The fourth case is recorded in Luke vii, 11-15. "And it came to pass the day after that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier; and they that bare him stood still. And he said Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother." The fifth case is that of the maid, Luke viii, 54, 55. "And he took her by the hand and called, saying, Maid, arise.

And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway; and he commanded to give her meat." The sixth case is the resurrection of Lazarus, recorded in John xi, 23-26. Jesus said to Martha: "Thy brother shall rise again. Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth, and believeth in me, shall never die." Verses 43, 44. "And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave clothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said unto them, loose him and let him go."

In this conversation between Christ and Martha we have the same idea that was inculcated in the last portion of my article, namely, that Christ is the resurrection. That is, it is through him that all resurrections must be accomplished, whether before or after his resurrection. A Mr. Davies of this city, a good Greek and Hebrew scholar—a believer however in the immortality of the soul—in a conversation a few days since with Bro. Amadon upon this subject, stated that Christ's being the "first-fruits," "first-born," "the resurrection," &c., did not prove that he was the first resurrected, but that it is by virtue of his resurrection that any were to be raised, and as his resurrection was certain to take place, five hundred could be resurrected before his resurrection, by virtue of his resurrection, as well as after his resurrection. And were it not a fact that Christ was to be raised, not one could have been restored from death.

And how can we dissent from the above position? If Christ is the second Adam, and as such, is to restore what was lost in the first Adam, all life restored must be through virtue of Christ our second Adam, and he must be the "first-born," the "first-begotten," "the resurrection and the life." The Syriac N. T., when it speaks of Christ as our Saviour, almost invariably calls him the life giver.

Another letter from Marble Rock, signed B. L. C., under date of Oct. 28, says:

"I was reading the transfiguration on the mount, and my mind was led to inquire, Will our Advent teachers carry the truth so far that it will appear to be in a fog, so that many cannot understand? As for myself, I believe that there is no need of mystifying the truth, for we have been long enough in darkness; we want the light on all points in its true light. If Bro. L. can prove that those six were resurrected to immortality, then they were resurrected; but if not, I ask why call it by that name? Why not say they were restored to life and health. Was the widow's son a resurrection by virtue of the resurrection of Christ? Elijah stretched himself upon the child three times and cried unto the Lord and said, O Lord, my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again, and the Lord heard the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 1 Kings xvii, 21, 22. Will Bro. L. tell me if he was resurrected to a mortal life, or an immortal life. It appears that he was only restored to the same life that he lost, which was a mortal life. Christ restored to life, but in no instance it is called a resurrection to an immortal life. I do hope that our teachers will be careful and not mystify plain truth. This is from one who is seeking for plain truth."

If I get the correct idea of the above it is that nothing can be called a resurrection unless it is a resurrection to immortality. The resurrection of the wicked is just as distinctly spoken of in the Bible as the resurrection of the righteous, and yet they are to come forth from the grave with mortal bodies and die the second death. They do not seek for immortality, and so will never receive it, so their resurrection must be with mortal bodies, yet Paul says, "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." If the bringing forth of the wicked without immortality is named by inspiration a resurrection, why object to calling these cases above referred to, resurrections? No less than two of these six cases are called by direct language, resurrections. But the brother says, "Why call them resurrections?" Because the Bible calls them resurrections.

In the case of the widow's son [Luke vii] Christ speaks of it to John's disciples [verse 22] as follows: "Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up," &c. See also the account of the resurrection of Lazarus.

The brother says, "Why not say of these that they were restored to life and health?" That is just what constitutes a resurrection. A resurrection is the "bringing into life and activity that which was dead and inactive." As to whether these six cases were raised to immortality or not, I would not claim in the absence of testimony. But admitting that they died again, that would not prove that they never had been raised from the dead.

It is asked whether the resurrection of the widow's son, &c., was by virtue of Christ's resurrection, and the brother quotes, "The Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the soul of the child came into him again and he revived." I ask, Why did the Lord hear the voice of Elijah? It must have been because his prayer was put up in faith. A faith that sees the grave opened, must be a faith that lays hold upon Christ as a conqueror of death and the grave. This, instead of mystifying the Scriptures, is the doctrine that produces a harmony in the Bible, in that it reveals Christ as the only source of life.

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH. Battle Creek, Mich.