"THE DEAD TO RISE SOON!"

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17408, 20 March 1922, Page 5

"THE DEAD TO RISE SOON!"

"It Is my Ann conviction, bused. upon ft critical study of Bible prophecy, that w© have reached a stage oi evolution in the Divide purpose, when there are millions now living wto will uevor <Ue, and mat anortlv mimoiia more will return iiom tie touio. inu Uie piOOjaiimed. by Air win. W* joiuitikuii, 01 IJU£ icpufseiiiauve ot uia inuanuuonai Jiiole toi-uuunui' AssociuUun, lioui lue ■jjitwionu ot Uia liibeuy liwiua to a iasge tuui aeepiy mvereawu e.uuieuco last evening. Mr lx. J. Jrwsona tile ciiau, and introduced tho spomwr ol the eveuing. Hr JoHuavon said tuat wiiilo ntariy all oeiieved in Uw resurrection oi too dead, ewaugeiy eoiough ail were agreed tiiat (here weio no tlead to be reaurieowd. Quoting oopiousiy trom tlie acriptuuea, he maiuiainetl. tnat the etate oi the <iead im one ot' total 'unconsciousness, and that humaa immortality wua a mere ligment oi tna imiigiuauon. in the human organism, the speaker said, all consciousness depended upon the iunctioning ci the braia. if the functions of the brain were inierrupied t>y vioieut impact or uy tno administration o£ an anieatnetic, consciousness ceased. it the brain 1-unctions were not resumed the cessation ot oonsciousoesa was permanent; the patient died. All philosophic said Mr Jolmaton, which wore based upon the existence of some immortal part ot the human organism, were fundamentally in error, Tho, described them aa houses built upon the eand. Ho admitted the reality of communications that came irom the spirit world, but emphatically denied that these came from deceased humans, who, themselves being dead, were unable to communicate anything whatever. Spiritualist communications, Baid Mr Johnston, were oi demonic origin, and were the work of spirit beings wno never were human, but who deiighUd to impersonate' the dead i» order that they might thereby gain control of the living. He warned his hearers against being deceived by these. Death, said the speaker, had <x>mo upon tho race by reason of sin and Christ boro our sins in His own body on the tree. Jesus came that they might have life more abundant, not for the limited existence of the present, but a life that would have no ending. In His glorious kingdom soon to be upreared on the ruins of present institutions, Jeaus proposed to reverse the dying procfcas for those on this side of tho tomb and when thesse had been prepared to receive them, to bring back from the tomb all its prisoners, that they too might gain opportunity to live forever. Answering objections as to how they would b® clothed and fed, Mr Johnston claimed that all who had ever lived on the earth v>hen brought back, could bo accommodated in tlio Commonwealth of Australia, and leave the r«st of tho world to grow fcod for them. He reminded his hearers that the Scriptures declared that the earth would then yield her increase in abundance, and tho decert would blossom as tho rose. When enough people-had been born into the world to fill it comfortably tho natural increase of the population would be arrested, and tho ageing, which was part of the dying process, would cease. Rod's Kingdom would have two phases, said Mr Johnston. Its executive would be •spiritual and invisible, composed of Christ nnd Hia Church, who would then be changed to Hia nature and sit with Him on His throne The administration would bo human nnd visible, and would comprise Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the worthies who died 'previous to Christ.