Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-11
the very essence of wisdom. Justice.

tanning the very essence Of wisdom. Justice
THE QUICK AND THE DEAD.
The proposition Of the scriptures, OF MIL
lennial age Of blessing coming through tbs
establishing Of Gods kingdom, for which We
pray. Thy will be done in earth as IT ID
done in heaven" strikes people in three DIFF
ferent ways:
"a Some unEenerousIy will be disposed "a
resent the thought under the suppostion that
II would imply more favorable opportunity
for the world In general In the next age 70
come into harmony with God than the churc1
of the present age enjoys. To these we an.
swer that their argument is at fault because
they fail to recognize the fact that the re-
ward to be given to the overcomers OF this
gospel age. the church class, will be a much
higher one than will go>to the obedient Of the
world in the next age. The reward Of the
church will be a spirit nature and a share IN
the heavenly kingdom with the Lord Jesus.
The reward Of the earthly class Of faithful
ones will be restitution to the perfection OF
human nature lost by Adam and redeemed h5
|, our Lord Jesus. Surely those who appreciate
the high calling to the divine nature and
joint heirship with the Lord in His kingdom
will see that it is we'll worthy the additional
sacrifices. self-denials etc, which II viii cost.
90 Another class, generous and apprecia.
tive offer the criticism that it seems unfair
on Gods part to give such glorious mill
lennial opportunity to those who viii be hv'
deny it to the remainder Of the race who lived
previously. This also is a mistake. we an
swer. Gods proposition is that all Of the
world of mankind who do not enter into the
trial Of this present time-the Judgment OF
trial OF the church, the spirit-begotten ones
will have an opportunity OF entering into thd
Judgment or trial of the world for the prize
Of restitution and human perfection on the
earthly plane. This blessing, this privilege,
will begin with the livingq nations at the time
of the beginning Of the establishment Of the
Lords kingdom. but II will not end with them.
The scriptures declare, IAN nations which
thou hast made shall come and worship be-
fore thee" And again, I'm thy seed all the
families Of the earth shall be blessed"
Some of those nations and families have per-
ished from the earth. but the divine provision
all eventually. The scriptures assure US Of
an awakening Of all the sleeping millions Of
earth's population. The hour is coming In
which all that are in their graves shall hear
the voice Of the Son of Man and come forth"
The apostles tell US that they will come
forth, every man In his own order or
class. thus intimating that from the divine
standpoint there numerous classes Of the
dead. Thus the scriptures assure us that the
first class the blessed and holy ones. tho
sanity, will alone share in the first resurrecs
tion, and that these shall be priests unto God
and reign with Christ thousand years,
The remainder Of mankind will come from
the tomb classified. not all at once, but clasa
following class. until all shall have CONS
forth.
They will not come forth to be damned OF
condemned. They were condemned already
as children Of Adam because of his sin. Il
is on that account that thew were born in
sin and shapen in inidnity-" 1t was from
that sin and its sentence or condemnation
come forth free from that condemnation in
judicial sense. but. nevertheless, with the
weaknesses of the fall still uDon then1. and
they will be required to coDorate with the
Lord in their own uplifting during that thou
sand years Note that the great King OF
Glory, with all power in heaven ana earth:
their degradation and all that was lost, be-
cause the gradual uplifting and their own CO..
operation in the Divine program. so arranged,
will be the most helpful wav-because the
learning of righteousness bv the process ct
climbing up out Of conditions Of imperfectior
will impress upon them its principles the more
90 A third class and they are not a few.
discern at once that true and righteous
are the Lords WAYS and arrangements-thst
those now on trial have more advantage every
way in that to them was granted so high an
honor and blessing and so great a stimulus
to righteousness. They recognize also that we
Lords ARRANGEMENTS for the world, the living
and the dead. will be glorious to all, to an
gels and to men. when all shall have been
The rejoice in the length and the breadth and
the height and the depth OF the love OF God.
both for the church in the nEesent age and
for the world in the age to come
KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD.
To some II may appear strange that IL 20
the knowledge Of the Lord that Is to I'LL the
mankind. not the knowledge Of sin, not human
philcsoDhy-none Of these are to fill the earth
and to bring blessings to the world of man
kind, but the knowledge Of the Lord. Wen
did your dear Redeemer say. This is lie
eternal that they might know thee, the only
living and true God and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent Life eternal is not to ce
gained by a knowledge of astronomy geolo@
by or mathematics chemistry. etc, but by
the knowledge of God. How is this? What
is there 80 wonderful, so magnetic in zee
knowledge OF God that 1t chould be said that
men might gain eternal life thereby? We an
swer that God himself is the very personisi-
cation of those glorious elements Of character
which He demands shall emulate copy,
We Ike unto your Father which is in heaven"
Not that we can ever be really exactly like
Him in these RESPECTS. while we have o5r
present imperfect bodies but His is the pat.
tern after which we must best we
can now and Of Him be the exact copy by and
bv.
The thought is that we CODY our Heaven
" Fathers character such additional step OF
progress means a clearer knowledge Of tins
Father. and only those who attain TO the very
perfection Of love in their hearts will be abls
rightly, truly TO know the Father or the Son.
Hence TO know Him in the full. proper senss
OF the word would jmpiY that we had attained
His likeness in our hearts and this would
imply preparation for life eternal on the Dr.
vine terms From ttks standpoint our text
implies that al mankind will ultimately rs
in that condition of the knowledge OF C5o1
which will imply the perfection Of their hearts,
imply their acceptance to eternal life. impfy
that all unwilling to come to this glorious
condition under the Divine oUDortunities will
have been DESTROYED from amongst the people
in the second death (Acts 3:2sl. How wonder
full is the Divine arrangement! Blessed are
our eyes for they see. and our ears that they
baor and our hearfs that thev now resDOndi