Page:The Doctrines of the New Church Briefly Explained.djvu/208

202 opened, in its own world, and never resumes its material vestment. And the separation of the spirit from the incumbrance of gross matter, which takes place immediately after the death of the body, is what is meant, according to the belief and teaching of the New Church, by the resurrection. It is the anastasis or resuscitation of the real person, not the reconstructing and reanimation of the outer garment of flesh which had served him in this rudimental sphere.

That this is the true Scripture doctrine, appears plain from our Lord's own argument when proving to the unbelieving Sadducees the resurrection of the dead. For He declares to them that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were still living—and had, consequently, attained unto the resurrection—since their God is not the God of the dead, but of the living " (Matt. xxii. 32). Also from his words to the penitent thief: "To-day thou shalt be with me in Paradise;" and from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the former of whom is represented as being in hell shortly after his decease, for he speaks of having five brethren still living in the natural world (Luke xvi. 28). And that we shall continue in the human form after the body dies, is proved by the appearance of Moses and Elias in that form on the mount of Transfiguration, long after they had left the natural world, but long before the general resurrection day