Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

Leaving the Methodist Church 41the resurrection vanished, and the great event itself assumed a new andsublime importance. My mind had often been disturbed by its effortsto reconcile the immediate reward or punishment of the dead with theundoubted fact of a future resurrection and judgment. If at death thesoul entered upon eternal happiness or misery, where was the need ofa resurrection of the poor moldering body?But this new and beautiful faith taught me the reason why inspiredwriters had dwelt so much upon the resurrection of the body; it wasbecause the entire being was slumbering in the grave. I could nowclearly perceive the fallacy of our former position on this question.The confusion and uselessness of a final judgment, after the souls ofthe departed had already been judged once and appointed to their lot,was very plain to me now. I saw that the hope of the bereaved is inlooking forward to the glorious day when the Life-giver shall breakthe fetters of the tomb, and the righteous dead shall arise and leavetheir prison house to be clothed with glorious immortal life.Our family were all interested in the doctrine of the Lord’s sooncoming. My father had long been considered one of the pillars ofthe Methodist church where he lived, and the whole family had beenactive members; but we made no secret of our new belief, although wedid not urge it upon others on inappropriate occasions, or manifest anyunfriendliness toward our church. However, the Methodist minister [41]made us a special visit and took the occasion to inform us that ourfaith and Methodism could not agree. He did not inquire our reasonsfor believing as we did, nor make any reference to the Bible in orderto convince us of our error; but he stated that we had adopted a newand strange belief that the Methodist Church could not accept.My father replied that he must be mistaken in calling this a new andstrange doctrine, that Christ Himself, in His teachings to His disciples,had preached His second advent. He had said: “In My Father’s houseare many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go toprepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I willcome again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there yemay be also.” When He was taken up to heaven before their eyes anda cloud received Him out of their sight, as His faithful followers stoodgazing after their vanishing Lord, “behold, two men stood by themin white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand yegazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you