Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-02-22
THE TWO SITUATIONS

THE TWO sALvATIoNS
| For Gold so love- the world that he gave his
only begotten Son. that whosoeyer believetn IN
him should not perish, but have everlasting
/ Efe."-Johr 3:16
''Christ also loveu the church and gave him
self for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse
| it by the washing of water by the word, that
he might present it to himself glorious church,
not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without biem-
ish."-Eph., 5:25-2.
| TAMPA, Fla. Feb. 20.-Pastor @. I. Russell,
of Brooklyn Tabernacle, preached twice here
today in largest auditorium to the Bible
| students convention. The large audience SEEM
ed deeply interested. He SAID:
Some apply the first text only and think OF
the Divine program as being merely an en-
deavor to rescue mankind from sin and death
to Righteousness and eternal life In the present
/ time. Such as hold this view are muen CON
fused because 1t must be acknowledged that
comparatively little has been done or is now
being done for mans uplift. After 900 years
it IL still true that ''the whole world lieth In
the wicked one;" darkness covers the earth
and gross darkness the heather" In order 10
have any confidence at all in this theory those
who hold ii are obliged to greatly lower tnelr
standards. They are forced to hope that God
will admit millions Of unfit people, crude, rude,
ignorant and wicked to eternal life and happl-
ness, perchance provide for them purgatorlal
experiences, to make them fit, righteous and
acceptable for life eternal. AS whole, Chris
tian people are greatly bewndered. Inc Ten
dency Of their bewilderment is toward doubt
skepticism, atheism.
The other view briefly STATED is that God
never intended the salvation Of the world, out
merely the salvation of the church, elect nc
cording to the foreknowledge of God through sane
tificating of the spirit and belief In the truth.
Those who hold this theory nave great confu-
sion also, because il seems incomprehensiDle
that God would make no provision for thou
sands of millions" Of Adams race, but arrange
for them to be born in sin, shapen in iniqutty
q a tn
clear knowledge OF God and His purposes and
will respecting them.
As we have already frequently set forth, both
of the described theories are erroneous. The
Scriptures set forth two salvations, entirely
separate and distinct. They are different as
respects time, in that the one salvation began
to be spoken by our Lord" at His first advent,
and began to be applicable to His church at
Pentecost, and will wholly cease at His second
coming in the end Of this age. The other sal
walton neither applied before our Lords first
advent during this gospel age, but viii
the millennium-the thousand years of the reign
of Christ and the church, specially designed for
the blessing Of the world and its uplifting out
Of sin and death conditions.
These two salvations distinctly different
as to kind, as well as respecrs their plan OF
operation. The salvation of the church during
this gospel age-since Pentecost-means not only
a deliverance from sin and death conditions to
eternal life but provides that the eternal life
will be the heavenly or spiritual plane and
not on the earthly or human plane OF exist
heritanee is incorruptible and undefiled and
fadeth not away and is renewed in heaven for
us, who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation" Il Pet, IA, 81 Our
Lord also told that in the resurrection we shall
be like unto the angels. The apostle also de-
clares that ultimately we shall be partakers
of the divine nature and like our Lord and Re-
deemer.
Hence, all who participate in this saliva
ton OF this gospel age are scripturally spoken
of as new creatures in Christ Jesus, whose
anfN ~ L. L., rnh
that at the Lords second coming they will
constitute the first resurrection class. They
are guaranteed that only, the blessed and holy
will have part therein, and that all participat-
priests unto God and unto Christ, and reign
with him thousand years. rev, 20:6.)
mind which they now experience through the
begetting Of the Holy Spirit will, in their resur-
rection,F result 10 complete transformation
providing them with spirit bodies Thus it is
weakness; 1t is raised in power; it is sown
in dishonor; It is raised in glory; it is sown
an animal body; 1t is raised spiritual body"
Il Cor, 1912. AZ OF those who will share
In the church's salvation, the apostle says,
''We shall not all sleep, but must all be
changed" because ''flesh and blood cannot In
herit the kingdom of God."-1 Cor, 1850, 81. D.
The worlds salvation which will follow will
be wholly different from this. 1t will not in
clude change Of nature from earthly to spirit
nature. 1t will mean rescue from sin and
lection of the original creation of man, in the
image and likeness of his Creator, and sur
rounded by every necessary blessing for his
comfort. Human perfection and the Eden
home were lost through disobedence to God
The divine arrangement is that the merit Of
our Lords obedience unto death, when ulti-
mately applied for mankind, shall fully cancel
the death sentence upon him. More and better
than this, God has promised that the same
sin offering shall seal new covenant between
Himself and mankind. The blessings of that
w immQdi-
ately begin. The great Redeemer will thence
forth be the great Mediator of that new cove
nant. The whole world of mankind will be
fully under His supervision and government for
their blessing, their correction in righteousness,
their uplifting out Of sin and death conditions
back, back, back, to all that was lost in
the great Creator. All of this will be out
worked through the Great Redeemer. All of
this was secured or suretied by His death, fin
ished at Calvary.-Heb., 7:22
st. Peter, pointing down to that glorious
time of the worlds blessing, calls it times
of refreshing and times of restitution" he
tells Us that all the holy prophets described the
blessings OF those restitution times-the thou
sands years, the millennium, (Acts, 3:19-z1.D
When once we get the eyes of our understand
ing opened, we find the apostles words thor
oughly corroborated by the Divine records, which
describe the wonderful blessings that are TO
come when the earth shall yield her increase.
Then Paradise lost shall be Paradise reganed.
Then God will make His earthly footstoOl glo-
rtous. Then the blessing OF the Lord shall make
streams shall break forth in the desert and the
wilderness and solitary places shall be glad.
But most glorious will be the change In hu-
manity. The Lord promises to turn to the peo-
| pie "pure message" instead of the contradc-
ton of creeds of heathenism and churchianity.
He promises that Satan shall be bound for that
thousand years, that heN may deceive the ma
ton no more. He promises that then all the
| blinded eyes shall be opened and all the deaf
ears shall be unstopped. lisa, 1885, II Co., 4:4.
| In other words, the great work Of Satan shall
| be undone- God promises that every knee shall
| bow and every tongue confess to the glory OF
| the Lord. lisa, 45:23.) He promises that the
| knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth
| as the waters cover the sea, that none shall
| need any longer to say to his neighbor and
| brother. ''Know We the Lordl" because all
! shall know Him. lisa, 11:9; Heb, s:11.) lie
! promises that all the w1llfully, deliberately
wicked evildoers shall be cut off in the second
death. He assures that then there shall BIZ
nc more signing, crying dying, because Ill
the former things shall have passed away. liz
assures us that every creature in heaven anC
in earth and under the earth shall be heard say
Ing, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power
be unto him that stitch upon the throne, anC
| unto the Lamb for ever and ever.'-Rev., 5:1S
| D. TWO SALVATI0NS-0NE SAVIOUR.
| Both Of these salvations, according to the
Bible, result from the death of Jesus, our re
deemer, who died in obedience to the Divine
will, ''Died the just for the unjust that he
might bring us to Cod" q Pet, 3:1S) me
Scriptures clearly show not only the two saliva
lions, but also two parts of the Redeemer's
work. distinctly separating His work for the
Nh Ifo orb f,r he al III