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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks on Life After Death (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 24. A Underscoring of Facts
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A Underscoring of Facts
Now there's an underscoring for all this clear positive teaching. It's a tremendous underscoring. There are in this old Book of God certain outstanding events that are illustrations of this teaching. Illustration is the very life-blood of teaching.
One man actually going up off the earth before the watching eyes of men is worth a hundred statements that the thing can be done. One man actually dead and buried, and then rising up out of the grave, where they buried him, and being seen and touched and talked with, this is simply unanswerable.
When teaching is backed up by an event of that sort every doubting critical mouth is shut. The teaching itself stands out in its strength in the presence of the event. The event is explained clearly and fully by the teaching. The two interlace unbreakably. The case could not be stronger.
Now, there are in this solitary old Book twelve separate occurrences, fully vouched for, illustrating the teaching we have been gathering up. Five of these are in the Old Testament; seven are in the New.
In the Old, there are two men who went up into the other world, the upper spirit world, without dying, Enoch and Elijah. There are two other persons who had died and were then brought back to life, one through the prayer and faith of Elijah, the other through Elisha. And then there's the obscure instance of an unknown man brought back to life through touch with Elisha.
In the New there are three brought back to life through Jesus' power; that is, Jairus' daughter, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus. There is the woman Dorcas of Joppa on the Mediterranean coast, brought back through Peter's action; and the unnamed young man of Troas on the Dardanelles coast, through Paul's intervention.
Then there is the appearance of Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. And at the climax stands the resurrection of Jesus Himself and His ascension, a twin event. Let us look a little at these, briefly, yet enough to make the essential facts stand out clear and distinct.
It is put down as a fact that Enoch went up from earth into God's immediate presence (Gen_5:21-24, with Heb_11:5). He did not die. His body was not laid in a grave. He went up body and all, up through the blue above, into the spirit world where God's own home is. That is the simple tremendous thing put on record here as a fact.
Enoch was not an obscure person. He was the best known man of his day. He was the head of the first family of his time, and the head of the race which was then simply one large family. The outstanding thing in his character, commonly spoken of, was this, in the simple language of the record, that he "walked with God."
And this is directly connected with the unusual, manner of his leaving the earth. God and he were on the friendliest terms. It was the realest sort of touch of heart, a true friendship. One can imagine what a sensation the occurrence made. It will be helpful to try to think back and call to mind what effect such an occurrence had at the time.
It may have been one day as he was standing in a group on the street of the village, perhaps talking of the reality of God and of God's presence, while some looked askance at him, some were critical, some maybe with an expression of pity that this man, their most famous kinsman, was so peculiar on this subject.
While they were looking they are astounded to see his face turn up as though seeing something they couldn't see. A light of rarest beauty overspread his face as though he were looking into the face of his dear Friend. A hush comes aver them. Then his feet are off the ground. He's rising up into the air, unsupported by anything they can see; yet he doesn't fall.
He keeps moving up and up, and then is seen no more. And they know in their inmost spirits, this critical worldly-minded group, they recognize unmistakeably what has happened. God has taken their kinsman up to live with himself in the upper spirit world.
It was a common fact that a man whom everybody knew had disappeared up through the up-per blue, and never came back. And furthermore that the strange happening fitted perfectly into this man's desire. His life made it seem a natural thing. As he had walked with God in spirit in his common life it fitted in that he should actually go up and walk with Him in the real world, in the spirit world.
It is vouched for as a fact by this old Book of God. One fact vouches for another. The thing was the talk of the whole racial community. It was not done in a corner. It made Enoch's witnessing tremendous. Without doubt it made a profound impression on the whole race. God was brought into life in a strangely new and very real way.
There seems to have been a purpose of God in this. The occurrence is exceptional. Some day we shall probably understand that better. This man Enoch was peculiarly God's witness to the whole race, God's loving faithful witness, when it wasn't easy. He told what he wot, what he wit, what he witnessed, what he knew, about the real God and His friendship with himself. We may hear from Enoch again before things get to their climax. There was a purpose of God in the happening (Jud_1:4-5).