The European Union in Prophecy The EU in Prophecy I | Page 435

The European Union in Prophecy
name forever and ever. O thou enemy, destructions are come to a perpetual end."
Psalm 9:5, 6. John, in the Revelation, looking forward to the eternal state, hears a
universal anthem of praise undisturbed by one note of discord. Every creature in
heaven and earth was heard ascribing glory to God. Revelation 5:13. There will then
be no lost souls to blaspheme God as they writhe in never-ending torment; no
wretched beings in hell will mingle their shrieks with the songs of the saved.
Upon the fundamental error of natural immortality rests the doctrine of
consciousness in death--a doctrine, like eternal torment, opposed to the teachings of
the Scriptures,to the dictates of reason, and to our feelings of humanity. According to
the popular belief, the redeemed in heaven are acquainted with all that takes place
on the earth and especially with the lives of the friends whom they have left behind.
But how could it be a source of happiness to the dead to know the troubles of the living,
to witness the sins committed by their own loved ones, and to see them enduring all
the sorrows, disappointments, and anguish of life? How much of heaven's bliss would
be enjoyed by those who were hovering over their friends on earth? And how utterly
revolting is the belief that as soon as the breath leaves the body the soul of the
impenitent is consigned to the flames of hell! To what depths of anguish must those
be plunged who see their friends passing to the grave unprepared, to enter upon an
eternity of woe and sin! Many have been driven to insanity by this harrowing thought.
What say the Scriptures concerning these things? David declares that man is
not conscious in death. "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very
day his thoughts perish." Psalm 146:4. Solomon bears the same testimony: "The living
know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything." "Their love, and their
hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever
in anything that is done under the sun." "There is no work, nor device, nor knowledge,
nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Ecclesiastes 9:5, 6, 10.
When, in answer to his prayer, Hezekiah's life was prolonged fifteen years, the
grateful king rendered to God a tribute of praise for His great mercy. In this song he
tells the reason why he thus rejoices: "The grave cannot praise Thee, death cannot
celebrate Thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. The living,
the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day." Isaiah 38:18, 19. Popular theology
represents the righteous dead as in heaven, entered into bliss and praising God with
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