PASTOR PAAP’S ADDRESS.

Shannon News, 7 April 1926, Page 3

PASTOR PAAP’S ADDRESS.

“THE DEAD ARE NOT ALIVE 1” That Bible truth lias not lost its cliarm and hold upon the public mind was very manifest on Sunday evening last in the De Lusxe Theatre, toy the manner in which, the congregation listened for considerably over an hour while Pastor Paap harmonised tire Scriptures dealing with the Question are the dead alive? and answered a budget of questions handed in by different individuals. First Question.—“lf the dead are not alive how was it possible .for Moses and Elijah to appear on the mountain with Christ as recorded in Matt. 17, verses 1—9?” Answer.—Beyond all doubt Moses was raised from the dead before'his body saw corruption. The ninth verse of the book of Jude bears this out. The transfiguration was a “vision” of the second coming of Christ, Moses represented those who will he raised from the dead, and Elijah those who will be translated. As stated in Romans 5, verse 14, “Death reigned from Adam to Moses,” which means that on the body of Moses the reign of death was broken by his being raised from the dead. Hence his appearing on the mount. Second Question.—“ Did Jesus and the thief on the cross go'to paradise on the day of the crucifixion?” Answer.— No! Judged on the evidence the thief did not die on that day. Jedus ‘pouped. out his soul unto death” on the cross and was in the grave till Sunday morning when his father called him, three days later. Paradise is the home of God, according to scriptures, and if John 20, verse 17, is to be believed Jesus did not ascend to his father till after his resurrection. A great error is thrown into Luke 23, verse 43, by the wrong use of a comma. The correct reading is “Verily I say unto thee to-day, thou shalt be with me in paradise.” The promise was made that day on the cross, and it will be fulfilled when the “Lord comes into his kingdom.” Punctuation is not inspiration. ’ * Third Question. —“Does the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 teach that men are rewarded at death?” Answer.—No! Parables do not teach Bible doctrines, and if this were a statement of literal truth then aH the righteous and all the beggars from Adam’s day down would be sitting in Abraham’s bosom, and what a bosom he must have to he sure..

Fourth Question. —“Did Samuel, the prophet, appear to King Saul when he consulted the witch of Endor?” Answer.—No>! • The witch was - a spiritist medium, who consulted with a “familiar spirit” and “all who do such things are an abomination to the Lord,” see Deuteronomy 18, verses 10 —l2. “A familiar spirit is a demon who is supposed to- attend at a call.” All who practised this “ism” in ancient times were put to death. Saul heard and consulted with a demon spirit which impersonated Samuel, and for this wicked act he lost Ms Kingdom and his life. —I Chronicles 10, verses 13 and 14. Fifth Question. —“Does Paul say that when we are absent from the body we are present with the Lord?” Answer.—No! (En II Corinthians, verses I—9, Paul speaks of three different conditions as will be learned by a careful study of those Scripture First life, as we now have it, which he calls “clothed”; second, death, which he speaks of as “unclothed,” and third translation, which he designates as “clothed upon” when “mortality is swallowed op of life,” into which condition we -enter at -the coming of the Lord, if we are alive at his advent. After questions of a similar nature were asked and answered. Great emphasis was laid on the fact, by the lecturer, in closing, that all eternal, immortal, everlasting life, is centered in Christ, and found only in him. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ o-ur Lord.” Only those who by faith accept Christ as a personal individual Saviour receive that gift. All others pay the price of sin in the second death from which jhere is no return, and in which there is no life. —Published by arrangement.