CHAPTER XXXVII. THE END OF HUMAN MORTALITY. As has been abundantly shown in the course of this work, especially in Chap. xxxv, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead furnishes unequivocal and decisive proof that a spiritual immortal life awaits each mortal of the human race. Yet connected with the subject of man's ultimate destiny, are certain questions not quite devoid of interest, to which the fact of his having been raised furnishes no adequate answer. example, For 1. Will there always be, as now, human beings on earth in a state of mortality, coming into existence here, sojourning here for a time, and then departing into the unseen state? 2. If so, how can death ever be "swallowed up in victory"? and thus "the last enemy" be destroyed, as the Scriptures so plainly teach? Besides, as we learn from the first chapter of Genesis, it was a purpose of God in the creation of man, that this earth should ultimately be replenished or filled up -which, in this case, is to say overspread - with human inhabitants; and in the ages after (or in deed at any time after) the earth shall have become thus peopled to fulness, how will it be possible for human beings to find for themselves sufficient elbow-room, and provide for themselves a sufficient amount of food, to say nothing of other necessaries ? And being straitened in these, how shall the work of physical, intellectual, moral, and religious progress continue, so that the other " enemies shall be put under Christ's feet, and there remain ? 3. If there will not always be human beings in this mortal state, how will the race be disposed of? Will its immense numbers be removed by death? or will they be "translated," as were Enoch and Elijah? Will the earth be depopulated suddenly? or will its inhabitants disappear in gradual succession, till the last one shall have no fellow-mortal to witness his exit? If we had no special revelation upon this subject, it seems to me that to the above and some similar questions, all our reasonings, from not only the Great Fact above mentioned, but from all the facts within our acquaintance, might fail of furnishing a clear and satisfactory answer. Yet what is to be the ultimate destiny of the race, is a question of some interest, as well as what is to be the destiny of an individual of the race. Accordingly, so I understand the Scriptures,- an express revelation was granted to the apostle Paul touching this very subject, the matter of which revelation he communicates in the words following, according to the Common Version: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Cor. xv. 50-54. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so those also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord shall not prevent those who are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thess. iv. 13-17. The passages just cited are supposed to teach-, and in stronger and more direct terms than do any other Scriptures, the doctrine that the immortalization of all mankind, from Adam down to the latest last-born of the race, is, at some period hereafter, to take place simultaneously, or at least in very nearly the same instant of time. Yet that those passages really teach a future simultaneous rising of all the dead, and especially that such rising is to happen at the time when shall occur the revealed change of all the living equivalent to dying and rising, the writer of this is quite unable to believe; and he will present, in this place, at least one special reason for such inability. 46 The change of which the apostle speaks, is to take place in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." If, now, the rising of all the dead is also to take place "at the last trump," then, of course, both the resurrection and the change are to happen within the one brief period designated, (Literally, "an atom," or an ultimate particle, not susceptible of division.) And yet the apostle assures the brethren, and this too, as he claims, "by the word of the Lord," that the dead are all to be raised before any of the living are to experience the change mentioned. It is thus a matter of actual revelation, that the former of these operations is to be wholly accomplished before the latter is to be begun; and, provided the interpretation in question is certainly correct, it is also a matter of actual revelation, that the said operations, separately and consecutively, first the one, and then the other, are to be commenced, and carried on, and consummated, in as brief a space of time as is taken up by the involuntary act of shutting and opening the eye! "I show you a mystery; [or secret:] We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump." "This we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive ...... shall not prevent [or precede] those who are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven... with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we who are alive shall be caught up," &c. ... The rising mentioned is thus clearly to happen before the other event; that is, it is to happen. first," and the other is not to "prevent," precede, or be before it. How long first is it to happen? A fraction of "an atom" of time-partly as long first as it takes the eye to twinkle! I have never meant to be unreasonably hard of belief; but, verily, it is quite impossible for me to yield credence to the idea that a special revelation was granted to the apostle for the mere purpose of making known so insignificant a circumstance as this. My view of the passages will now be presented: The "coming" of Christ, as here mentioned, I take to be not his figurative, virtual coming, arrival, or presence, at the close of the Jewish age, but a literal, personal coming, arrival, and presence, at the close of the Christian age. Some of my reasons follow: 1. When Jesus ascended from the side of mount Olivet, it was said to the disciples, "This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." This language unequivocally promises a bodily coming. If His attested ascension was a literal, personal going up, His then predicted descension was to be a literal, personal coming down. 2. In the passage in hand from Thessalonians, the apostle announces that "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven." This, to me, is as if he had said, "The Lord Jesus personally." When the apostle says, "We shall not all sleep," his meaning manifestly is, that not all the race will die, sleep being put for physical death. Yet when to this denial he appends the affirmation, "but we shall all be changed", I do not understand him as declaring that all the race will be changed, but only as declaring that those will be changed who shall not sleep (or die), and who, of course, will not be raised (or awaked). As if he had said, we shall not all sleep, yet we [who shall not sleep] shall all be changed." Among my reasons for thus limiting the reference of his second proposition, is the circumstance that seemingly in explanation he presently adds, "the dead shall be RAISED. . . . . and we shall be CHANGED." It is easy to see that, in this text, "we" and "the dead" are placed in entire and exclusive contrast, neither company including any part of the other. - An apparent discrepancy exists between the teachings of verses 51 and 52; but, to say the least of it, such discrepancy appears none the less real if we adhere to the interpretation usually given, than it does if we adopt the one herein offered. Indeed, upon my view of their import, the latter verse is manifestly explanatory of the |