Nevada County picayune., 1889-07-03
RELIGIOUS COLUMN.
GEO. A. GARDNER.
TWO DEATHS----TWO RESU R.
 FACTIONS.

distinctly lntlmateS the doctrine ol two deaths and two resurrcctions. All of the human family, the right c0us and the wicked. are alike sub feet to the first death; because death has passed upon all men, and 1t IS appointed unto men once to dle. re- ferring to the death of the body. from which none have been exempt except Enoch and Elijah. The sec ond death Is the death of both soul and body; this death takes place at the judgment, and is inflicted upon all who have rejected the Gospel of the Son of God. Evil spirits and incorrigibly wicked men are the sub jects of this death. It is said in the book of Revelation, all whose names are not recorded in the Book of Life are east into the lake of fire. which is the second death and again it is said, in another place, "The fearful, unbeilcvlng, whOpenongers, sorcer' CTS. idolators, and whOsoever loveth and maketh lie. shall be cast into the lake of burning fire, which is the second death. In both of these passages the interpretation of the Jake of fire" is, that 1t Is the second death; very strong metaphor, de- signed to show the utter and com plete destruction and extinction of all the wicked. Even in it's literal sense it carries with it the idea of complete ana iItolhediahle dcstrue- ton; and it may he said to be ever. lasting in that, there can be no fu- ture revival or resurrection from its consequences. It is linality, an everlasting termlpatlon of personal identity and existence.
 The phrase, everlasting and oter- nal death is found nowhere in the Bible but the antithetical phrase of oterual, or everlasting life, Is found in numerous places. In fact, the phrase, everlasting death, is an ab- surdity. q contradiction in terms ; for how can that last forever which has no existence, and is an irreversi, ble iinality:
 The Apostle Paul says, the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death and John. says in Revelation, "Death and hell were east into the lake of fire" and afterwards near the close of the book, he tells us, "Thcrc shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, for the former things are passed away So it seems, from the authority of Scripture, that sin and death are a mere episode in the moral history of the universe, and that the judgment will be signalized by the destruction of all enemies, and the ushering in of everlasting righteousness. This presents view of the divine govern ment that accords with reason, and exalts the wisdom and goodness of the Supreme Being,
 The doctrine of the resurrection from the dead, is one one of the fundamental doctrines of our holy Christianity. The resurrection of l ,l y,,,,il,f nt thn ln n.t day. of the bad as well as the good. But. that there will be two distinct resurrectons, we have the testimony of at least two different passages in the New Testament scriptures. It is positively affirmed that, "The dead in Christ shall rise first, that they shall have precedence and pri- ority in point of time while the pas sage at the head of this article an nounces the same significant fact, together with the unspeabable bles sings of which it will be a sign and seal.
 It Is the opinion of some that these two events will be separated by an interval of thousand years, during which our Savior will make His sec ond advent on the earth, and reign with His saints a thousand years. It appears more reasonable, however, that they will occur on the same day, separated by brief interval though, as to the precise length of that day, we have no means of asccrtaining, as "a thousand years are but as q day" in the mind of God. The wicked will be raised after the righteous. in order that they may be judged and punished according to the deeds done in the body, in the presence of the whole universe.
 The awards and issues of the judgment will constitute a complete and everlasting vindicaton of the justice, wisdom and goodness of God in the administration of the government of the whole universe. From the death penalty of the wicked there will be no further resurrection in the grand march of eternal years :; and the everlasting life of the right eous will only grow brighter amid the ever unfolding glorics of an eternal day.
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