USA > Ohio > Twenty-five years in the West > Part 10
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" These shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal " (Matt. xxv. 46,) was one of his proof-texts. "This passage," said he " teaches the endless punishment of the wicked, for the following reasons : I. It relates to what would transpire at the
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end of the world. This, and the preceding chapter, is an answer to the questions, 'What shall be the signs of thy coming and of the end of the world?" Matt. xxiv. 3. 2. ' These' were to go into everlasting punishment when Christ would come the second time, and that event was to take place at the end of the world. 3. Everlasting and eternal are from the same Greek word, consequent- ly the everlasting punishment is to continue as long as the eternal life. If one ends so will the other. 4. The .best scholars tell us, that the Greek word here rendered everlasting and eternal, signifies endless duration."
I replied: Mr. Coon asserts, that his text was to be fulfilled at the end of the world spoken of in Matthew, xxiv. He is doubtless correct. Now, learned men of all denominations admit, that world there means the Jewish Dispensation, and the end of the world the end of that Dispensation. Most of them translate the pas- sage, "end of the AGE." It is so rendered by Doddridge, Macknight, Whitby, Pearce, Le Clerc, Hammond, Wake- field and Kenrick - all learned men, and save one or two, advocates of endless misery. The word, world is often used in this sense in the New Testament. "Now once in the end of the world hath Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." 'Heb. ix. 24. Christ did appear at the end of the Jewish Dispensation for that purpose. The Jews divided time into two ages -- the age before Christ, and the age after Christ. The first age ended, as Paul says, "when Christ appeared." The end of the world, then, took place eighteen hundred years ago, and then the gentleman's text was fulfilled.
2. When Christ was to come the second time, some were to "go away into everlasting punishment." When was he thus to come? In this same discourse Jesus
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speaking of that coming affirms it would take place in that generation. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man, . . , and they shall see the Son of man coming." He then states when he would come: " This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled." Matt. xxiv. 30, 34. On another occasion, addressing his disciples, he said, " But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another ; for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of man be come." Matt. x. 27. He would come so soon the disciples would not be able to visit all of Israel's cities. At another time he said, "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Sor of man coming in his kingdom." Matt. xvi. 27, 28 He was to come the second time before some would die who heard these words. He intimated that the apostle John would live to witness this coming. "Peter seeing John, saith to Jesus, Lord, what shall this man do? Jesus saith to him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that the disciple would not die; yet Jesus said not to him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee." John xxi. 21-23. It requires considerable effort to misunderstand these plain statements. Jesus then, told his hearers, he would come the second time, I. In the generation in which he lived; 2. So soon the disciples would not have time to visit all Judah's cities ; 3. Before some he addressed would die. In the face of all this testimony, Mr. Coon tells us, that coming is yet future ! The truth is, that coming took
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place at the beginning of the Christian Dispensation, at the ushering in of the Gospel Age, at the setting up of the Kingdom of God. The revelator, who was the disciple John, says, he "saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, com- ing down from God out of heaven." Rev. xxi. 3 Judaism passed away, Paganism died, and a new order of things had commenced - old things had passed away, all things had become new. The world had entered on a new era. This is what Christ meant by his coming in power and glory.
3. The gentleman truly says, that everlasting and eternal are from the same original word. He then assumes that "eternal life" in his text means endless blessedness, and then infers, that " everlasting punish- ment" means endless wretchedness. His assumption and inference are alike fictions. According to the New Testament, the Christian, in this world, is in possession of eternal or everlasting life. " He that believeth on me HATH EVERLASTING LIFE." "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." John v. 24. " This is LIFE eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." John xvii. 3. Eternal life is gospel life, is spiritual life, and every Christian man and woman is now in possession of this life. When a person is alive to every thing holy and good, possesses the spirit of Christ, and lives the life of Christ, it may be truly said of him, he "HATH everlasting life." So, when a man's character and life are the reverse of this, it may be truly said of him, he HATH everlasting punishment. If everlasting life can be enjoyed here, cannot everlasting punishment be
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suffered here? Again, a person may be a Christian to-day, and so in possession of everlasting life ; but his love may wax cold, he may become a sinner, an unbeliever, an infidel; he will then be no longer in possession of spiritual life. So, an infidel and a sinner of to-day may become a saint, like St. Paul; he then passes from death to life, from suffering everlasting pun- ishment to the possession of everlasting life. But, by everlasting punishment, Jesus had direct reference to the temporal desolation, soon to befall his countrymen. The kingdom was to be taken from them, and they cast out into outer darkness till the fullness of the Gentiles should come in.
4. Mr. Coon asserts, that the Greek terms, aion, aionios, mean endless duration. These are two forms of one word. Aion is a noun, and ios added to it, forms the adjective. This word occurs in these two forms three times in the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of Matthew. In the twenty-fourth chapter, the disciples inquired of Jesus, " What shall be the sign of thy com- ing, and of the end of the world?" Now, world here is from aion, the same word rendered everlasting and eternal in the text. There was then to be an end to aion. Mr. Coon says, this word means duration without end, and in the same speech cites the same word to prove that it (aion) is to end! One passage explains the other. In one place Jesus speaks of aionios punishment, without stating whether he means endless or limited time; in the other place the apostles inquire concerning the end of the aion, and Jesus in answering their question, tells them, it shall end, "but," adds, " the end is not yet." Many things would transpire before that event would occur. " He that endureth to the end shall be saved . .. . And
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the gospel of this kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come . . . . Verily, verily, I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Matt. xxiv. 6, 13, 14, 34. We have, then, the word of Jesus for it, that aion, and consequently aionios, everlasting punish- ment, shall end. I will give the true definition of aion, according to learned men - all believers in endless woe :
SCHLEUSNER .- " Any space of time, whether longer or shorter, past, present, or future, to be determined by the persons or things spoken of, and the scope of the subject - the life or age of man ; any space in which we measure human life, from birth to death."
DONNEGAN .- " Aion, time; a space of time ; lifetime and life ; the ordinary period of man's life; the age of man : man's estate ; a long period of time; eternity. Aionios, of long duration ; eternal, lasting, permanent."
SCHREVELIUS .- " Aion, an age, a long period of time ; indefinite duration; time, whether longer or shorter, past, present or future; life, the life of man. Aionios, of long duration, lasting, sometimes everlasting, sometimes last- ing through life."
This is the definition learned men give the word. I will now show that the Bible attaches the same meaning to it.
Ist. Everlasting. " And I will give unto thee and thy seed, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting posses- sion." Gen. xvii. 8.
" And I will make of thee a multitude of people, and I will give this land (Canaan) to thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession. Gen. xlviii. 4.
Its possession was not to be endless for It ceased long ago. I will read still more : "Unto the utmost bounds
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of the everlasting hills"-' The everlasting mountains were scattered." Hab. iii. 6. The gentleman believes that the everlasting hills and mountains will all be destroyed when the world comes to an end !
" For their annointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood." Exod. xl. 15. "And he (Phinehas) shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant, for an everlasting priesthood." Num. xxv. 13. "And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you to make an atonement for the children of Israel once every year." Lev. xvi. 34. Though the priesthood was called ever- lasting it was not endless for it was abolished by Jesus. Why then, may not everlasting punishment be abolished ? Such is a sample of the Bible use of this word.
2d. Forever. " He (Solomon) shall build me an house, and I will establish it forever." I Chron. xvii. 12. This house though established forever, was long since torn down and destroyed ! "For the land which thou seest, to thee (Abram) will I give it. And to thy seed for- ever." Gen. xiii. 15. "You will keep it (the passover) a feast by an ordinance forever." Exod. xii. 14. Was the observance of the passover to be of endless duration ? "They shall be your bondsmen forever." Lev. xxv. 46. Were they to be bondsmen throughout duration ? "I went to the bottom of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me forever "- that is, three days! Jo- nah ii. 6. "The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever." Ps. xxxvii. 29. Are the right- eous to dwell in a land endlessly? "And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever, " - that is, as long as he lives. Exod. xxi. 6. " And they shall dwell in the land that I have given my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers have dwelt, and they
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shall dwell therein, forever ; and my servant David shall be their prince forever." Ezek. xxvii. 25. This needs no comment. But Judah shall dwell forever, and Jeru- salem from generation to generation." -"For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the in- iquity which he knoweth." Will the Almighty be end- lessly judging the house of Eli? And if judging forever does not mean endless judgment, why should punishing forever mean endless punishment ? Paul, writing to Philemon, says of Onesimus, -" For perhaps he depart- ed for a season, that thou shouldst receive him forever" - not endlessly surely !
This noted passage, then, affords no evidence that punishment will be inflicted duration without end. Dr. Samuel Johnson, the great moralist and writer of the last century, speaking of this passage and others of like character, says : " They may admit of a mitigated inter- pretation."
The discussion continued four days. I delivered a discourse on Sunday morning following, but did not refer to the debate, and at the close organized a church. Mr. Coon preached in the afternoon, and the discussion was his text. He misrepresented me, the good faith, and poured volleys of abuse on all who did not subscribe to his fire and brimstone creed. I replied in the evening, and handled Calvinism without gloves, but he kept out of the way.
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CHAPTER IX.
When in Dayton to fill an appointment, I heard J. O'Kane preach an excellent sermon - it was all Univer- salism. His subjects were the Mosaic and Christian covenants. Moses was the head of the first, Christ the head of the second covenant; the blessings of the first were temporal, designed only for the Jews; the blessings of the second were spiritual, including the forgiveness of sins and life everlasting, and designed for all nations. The whole Jewish nation was blessed temporally, all nations, families and kindred would be blessed spiritual- ly. He dwelt long and emphatically on these points - proved and illustrated them in a very satisfactory manner. When he was through I asked the privilege of propound- ing a few questions :
O'K. " Ask as many questions as you please, and I shall be sure to answer them.
M. " I understood you to say, that the blessings of the Christian covenant are for all mankind, and that all na- tions, families, and kindreds of the earth would surely partake of those blessings. Did I understand you cor- rectly ? "
O'K. "Yes, sir."
M. " I also understood you, that the blessings of said covenant are spiritual - the forgiveness of sin and life everlasting. Did I understand you correctly ? "
O'K. "You did."
M. "Once more. Do you believe that all nations,
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families and kindred will be blessed by having their sins forgiven, and with life everlasting ? "
O'K. "Suppose I don't."
M. " But why equivocate ? You just said you did be- lieve this."
O'K. "You don't know what I said," and out of the house he went.
Mr. O'Kane was in a pretty tight place, for he was well known to be a staunch advocate of eternal woe. Why he delivered such a discourse was best known to him- ·self.
Subsequently he replied to a discourse I delivered in Crawfordsville from these words : "Marvel not at this ; for the hour is coming in the which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and they 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 v. 28, 29. There are, I remarked, three distinct resurrections spoken of in the Bible- political, moral, and an immortal resurrection. When the Bible speaks of a resurrection, we must learn from the context which is intended.
In Ezekiel, thirty-seventh chapter, the prophet is writ- ing of the return of the Jews to Palestine from Babylon, after seventy years of servitude. The chapter is headed -"The resurrection of dry bones." I will read the whole passage : " The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about ; and, behold, there were very many in the open valley ; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said. unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou know-
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est. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones : Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live ; and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live ; and ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded ; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a. shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above ; but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Pro- phesy unto the wind, prophesy, Son of man, and say unto- the wind, Thus saith the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army." Ezek. xxxvii. 1-10. Now mark the explanations : "Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel ; behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and have brought you up out of your graves. And I shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land ; then shall ye know that I, the Lord have spoken it, and per- formed it, saith the Lord." Ezek. xxxvii. 11-14. This was a political resurrection, including the moral -
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the return of "the whole house of Israel" to "the land of Israel from Babylon." When in Babylon, they were in their graves, their hope was lost, but they were to come up out of the graves, and be restored to their beloved country.
The same events are also predicted in Daniel xii. 2. " And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." The context shows that this was to take place within a few years. I. The pre- vious verse reads thus : " And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the child- ren of thy people : and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be deliv- ered, every one that shall be found written in the book." Daniel xii. t. This prince Michael was a ruler in Persia while the Jews were in Babylon, and is spoken of in two other places in Daniel. "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia, withstood me one and twenty days ; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. But I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth ; and there is none that holdeth with me in these- things, but Michael your prince." Dan x. 13, 21. It is clear from these quotations, that Michael was a prince of Persia, and that he was living when the Jews were in Babylon. Mark also, that this resurrection was to occur in Michael's lifetime, when Michael " would stand up," hence it must have taken place long ago. 2. The question was asked, (verse 6.) "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" and the answer was, "It shall be for a time, times and a half a time," (verse 7.)
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In verse 12, the period intended by these " times " is said to be one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days, making a little more than four years. "Time," singular, means one year, "times," plural, three years, "half a time, " six months. The resurrection, then, referred to, was to take place about four years from the time the prophet saw the vision - another evidence that this res- urrection was realized in the return of the Jews to Pal- estine from the land of their captivity. 3. Daniel was to be an eye-witness of this event. "Go thy way, " said the angel to him, " till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of these days," ( verse 13.) It, then, seems certain, this resurrection was to take place within a few years after Daniel's vision. Two men, at least, then living were to witness the event ---- Michael, a prince of Persia, and Daniel, a prophet of the Lord; and to behold it they had to live only four years longer. The nation was raised from its grave, from the dust of the earth, and those who had been loyal through the dark night of bondage, returned to the land of promise with glory and honor; but those who had been traitors during the times that tried men's souls, returned with shame and contempt.
The Bible also reveals an immortal resurrection. Says Jesus, who brought life and immortality to light, " In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in mar- riage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. ... God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all - the dead - live unto him." Matt. xxii. 30, 32. The Apostle Paul dwells long, earnestly, and eloquently on this glorious resurrection. " As in Adam, " says he, "all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. . . . It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption ; it is
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sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory ; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." " For this corrupt- ible 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 im- mortality. then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory ? The sting of death is sin : and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." I Cor. xv. 22, 43, 44, 53-57.
The context and phraseology of these passages indi- cate that the immortal resurrection is the subject of dis- course, and that all mankind are the subjects of it. It is not a resurrection from the grave, or dust of the earth, for the immortal spirit which now tabernacles in the flesh, never dies, except morally, never descends to the grave or dust, except figuratively, but as the wise man says, " Dust shall return to the earth as it was ; and the spirit shall return unto God that gave it." Eccles. xii. 7. The body only, dies ; it only returns to the dust - the spirit never ; it returns to God.
The passage (Johnv.) under review must refer to some other kind of a resurrection, for it speaks of com- ing up out of graves, and moreover the connection makes it certain that a moral resurrection is intended. Imme- diately preceding the text, Jesus says, " As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." Here is a comparison between what God was doing, and what Christ was do- ing. God was raising the dead from mortality to im-
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mortality, and Jesus was raising the morally dead and quickening them by his spirit. He continues to speak of the moral resurrection he was then effecting : " Veri- ly, 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." Those whom Christ had quickened by the truth were in possession of " everlasting life, " had actually "passed from death to life"- of course, no other than a moral resurrection is intended. He con- tinues : "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." Sinners, the morally dead, were then hearing his voice and com- ing forth to life. This is Now going on, said Jesus. Then he adds : " Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and they shall come forth ; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." During Christ's ministry the gospel was proclaimed only to the Jews, and they only were blessed by its quickening power; but soon the gospel was to be preached to "all nations, " " to every creature." Said Jesus to the disci- ples, just before he returned to God. " Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned." Mark xvi. 15, 16. When the disciples went into the world in obedience to their master, they found mankind dead in trespasses and sins, buried in the graves of moral degradation, even in the dust of the earth. They preached the gospel to the dead nations-some who heard it came forth to
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life, to salvation, entered the kingdom of God, which is righteousness, joy and peace in the holy spirit. Others who heard it, came forth to condemnation, and this is explained thus : " He that believeth not shall be damned ; " "He that doubteth is damned; " "HAVING damnation because they cast off their first faith ; " " He that believeth not is condemned ALREADY." Sim- ilar results have followed the proclamation of the truth in all ages and climes. Let the truth be proclaimed fully and plainly in an ignorant and vicious community, and some with joy receive it, and partake of its blessed- ness ; others rise up in opposition to it, condemn it, and wax worse and worse.
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