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Show N Rational Theology. y. made by Jehovah himselfthe God of Israel speaking through Ezekiel: "Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus Faith the Lord God: be- hold 0 my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring, you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I hays opened your graves." (Ezekiel BY ELDER HUGli B. BROWN Member of Faculty, Brigham Young University address delivered I Oct. 19, (Radio ,, en Church Hour over KSL. 1947 I '--- Opinions of business and profes- Mona' men on the subject of immor- - THE tality to which we referred last week, reveal a gratifying unanimity of thought. Although they represented v a r 1 o u s churches and creeds, although they differ on many points of doctrine, on this subject they find common ground for faith. As Judge Wade of the' United States District Court in Iowa, a Cath- clic, said, 'There is at least one. great . truth upon which all Christians and Jews can agreethe immortality of the soul." There is comfort in the knowledge that there is almost universal faith in that 'which we, above all else, desire to believe, This universal expectancy is an earnest faith in what is to come. We study nature's intimations of immortal- ity and discover in the, creative and evolving qualities of life some basis for faith. Tbere is. also assurance in what seems to be an inexorable law that for every faculty there is a function. It is a source of inspiration to glimpse the possibilities of spiritual faculties to function when we which will - are born intobegin a realm of spirit. In fact we cling tenaciously to every bit of evidence which would seem to 'support and justify our faith. have professed disbelief and have spent their lives trying to con- that vince othersand' themselves is no hope of life beyondthe grave. But even they, when called upon to part with a loved one, find that from their broken hearts there is .re- 'leased the essence of belief and trust. They feel what one of them was im- pelled , to, say: "In the hour of death hope sees a star and listening love can bear the rustle of a wing." ,, When we face the grim reality of and it is an immutable law that every living soul shall face hen we see the body of the one whom we have loved, being lowered into the grave, our souls cry out for more substantial evidence than the philos-- saber, the naturalist or the scientist can give. We ask for. better evidence support our faith that there still exists something more than the mere memory of the one we loved. We long for- contact with some traveler who has "returned from that bourne", of which Shakespeare speaks, Fortunately we have such evidence It tomes from the most penetrat- Mg and inspiring personality of all time. While he lived, the Master al- ---the- re ..77.witysmoke - 01,:drathfirmsoffrfc-- I 37:12-13- .) The Jehovah who niade that promise afterwards became Jesus - of Nazareth and he did in fact, "open the graves of them that slept"he himself came forth from the grave as he promised and the disciples recognized him as the Risen Lerd. were Matthew testifies: "The-gravopened, and many bodies of the saints. which slept, arose and came out of the after his' resurrection, and .01; raves went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." (Matthew, 2152-53- 4 Daniel predicted that: "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlast-- , ing life, and some to shame and ever lasting ' contempt." (Daniel 12:2.) And the writer of the Psalms claimed: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to 'see corruption." ,r And again: "But God will redeem' power of tne my soul from the grave; for he shall receive me. The next few witnesses are men and women who saw and conversed with the risen Redeemer who was an immortal, resurrected being. The evidence of these eye witnesses is relevant, competent, terial, admissible, and has never been impeached. Furthermore, it is evidence given against interest, at least insofar as bodily safety was concerned. Their lives were threatened because of it, but no one of them retracted or recanted. Either their testimony is true or it is willful falsehood as they say they saw and felt and heard. Men do not give their lives to perpetuate a lie. These men had seen the risen Lord, had heard his voice, had felt again the power of his divine personality and all the secution under heaven could not,change them. By their death they attested what in life they-h- ad proclaimed. When the two Marys and Joanna went to the sepulchre, to perform certain rites -for the dead, they- found the stone had 'been rolled away and that the body of the Lord was gone. They did not under-t- o stand the question of the angels, "Why seek ye the living among the dead." Mary Magdalene went to Peter and John and cried, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him." Peter and John tan to the sepulchre and con-an- d firmed the report. Later the risen Lord appeared to Mary and through her made an - OPPointrnentto meet. the disciples. as es ' ma-So- per-dea- th, byLI-ire- and after he himself, had tasted ileath ' follows: he, returned and proclaimed his vic- "And as they spake Jesus himself . tory over it. stood in the midst of them, and saith But before we hear the testimony of onto them, Peace be unto you. But those who actually saw the risen Lord, ' they were terrified and affrighted, and let us refer to some predictions which supposed that they bad seen a spirit were recorded in books which millions And he said unto them, why are ye accept as the word of God. troubled? And why do thoughts arise First listen to the prophetic Promise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet that it Is I myself; handle me, and see:.for a spirit bath not flesh and bones, is ye see me have. And when he had thus spokes he showed them his hands and'his feet. And while they yet believe not for joy, slid wondered, he said unto thew have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And be took it and did eat before them. (Luke 24:36-43- .) John: But Thomas, one-o- f the twelve, called Didyrnus, was not with them when Jesus came., The' other disciples therefore said unto Jibe, we have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the print of the hand into his side,- nails and thrust-m- y I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy band, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless but believing." (John ex-our - , - . 20:24-27- .) The miracle which they had witnessed was but the first fruits of the resurrection. He had previously assured them that it was to apply to all. "Verily, 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. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And 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 John the 5:25-28-2- holy Is he , Revelator: resurrection; on such the second death bath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And the sea gave up the, dead which were in It; and death and bell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their, works. (Revelations 20:6, 13.) The Apostle Paul, in characteristic earnestness, leaves no doubt as to his conviction: "But if the spirit -- of him that dead dwell raised up Jesus from-th- e in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his spirit that dwelleth in you." (Romans 8:11.) "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. Per as in alFve. But some man bow are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? There Is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: For as one star differeth from soother star in glory. Se also Is the resutrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in ineorruPtion: Ills sown in dishonor, it is raised all be made ' hearto the id that there was not tart that--d- eenter,--insomu- ch of their frame did not cause to quake; yeajt did that-i- t pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn- .-"And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not "And again the third time they did the voice, and did open their ears to it; and their eyes were toward the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly toward heaven, from whence the sound came; behold the thirdtimethey understand the voice which they heard; and it Mid unto them, "Behold my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glori- fied my name: hear ye hint,- "And it came to pass as they understood, they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold they saw a man descending out of heaven; and he clothed in a white robe, and be culla --down --and- stood --inthem,- and the eyes of the whole multi- tude- were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them. "And it came to pass that he' stretched forth his hand and spoke unto the pea pie, saying, 'Behold. I am Jesus Christ, ultimo the prophets testified should tome int the world; "And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunh of that bitter cup whichthe Father bath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. "And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, the whole multitude fell to the earth, for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven. y, spake unto them saying, "Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. "And it came to pass that the multi-- , (Continued On Page Twelve) k ea t ' g MEMBERSGleaners of over 25 years ago In the old Granite Stake have organized a The above photo Club and meet was taken at their most recent meeting in the Lion House Social Center. Hope S. Bettilyon was chairman of tile affair, Grace Kimball Carr was master of ceremonies, Mildred Bates Watrous bad charge of Invitations Eau line Giegle Campbell arranged for favor and decorations, Ruby Toting Hansen bandied The theanerprogramoriginatedin publicity 'and lEaudaArneseawaslhianceaupervison theGraniteStake with this group of women over 25 years ago. G Life-Lon- , -- 4 LIFE-LON- - the--mi- dst Blessed that bath part in the first Adarn11die.evensoJnJThr1ct shall will-sa- in glory: It Is sown in weakness; IS Is raised in power. It is sewn in a natural bedY; it hi raised in a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (I Cori'sthisns 15:11142; 35:41,44.) Therewere also prophets on the American, continent who predicted his birth, death and resurrection. Nephi, Mosiah, Alma, Abinadi, Samuel the Lamanite, and others taught the doctrine of the resurrection and of immortality and foretold the coming of the Messiah and the purpose of his mission. Here is an excerpt from the record of the visit of the risen Redeemer to the people on the American continent' "And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes around about, for they understood not the voice which they beard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless. and notwithstanding It be- ing a small voice, it did pierce them semi-annuall- y. October 25, - 1947tose II - |