Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-04-02
Sermon by
CHARLES T,
RUSSELL
Pastor Brooklyn
Tabernacle.

l.
Arsstorn. IA, March 2T.-As Chris
tendon celebrates the resurrection o.
the Lord Jesus Christ. it is appro
pIa.s that our hearts aud mind'
should intelligenty grasp the signih
eance Of the event eommemorated. st
PAU laid great stress upon the resur'
rection Of the dead, declaring that II
there be no resurrection Of the dead
All those whom we counted as asleep
would never have an awakening ana
consequently would be as dead as are
brute beasts. Note his emphatic state
ment to this effect q Corinthians XIV.
12-is. For here as elsewhere his
words contradict the thought that the
sanity dead pass Immediately to glory
and the unsaintly to Purgatory or TO
eternal torture.
According TO the Gospel Of Christ
Of which st. Paul declares that ne
was not ashamed. the dead are to be
esteemed as though they were asleep
lat rest from all the commotion and
turmoil and strife. ignorance and su-
nerstition and sin and trouble incident
TO the present reign Of sin and death.
Thev have truly entered into rest,
whether they were saints or SIN
ners When the time for their awak-
euing shall have come in the Millen-
Mai morning of Christ's reign Of right
eousness. surrounding conditions Will
be very different from what they are
today. thank God Then Satan VIII
be bound. the Bible assures us (Rev-
eIation Xxx, 1-3). and the ignorance and
superstition. selishness and crime,
which have for centuries marked his
reign will gradually draw to a close,
for the glorious Messiah-King will not
permit them. His reign, on the con
trarv. viii be marked with the true
enlightenment Of all mankind; and the
result will be. as fOretold; namely,
"Every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess to the glory Of God
isaiah xiv. 23l.
Gradually the world will be brought
to an Edenic condition. in harmony
with the Divine promise. Indeed, this
work may be said to be already be
ginning. Already. by artesian wells
and irrigation processes and highways
OF travel and good roads and intelli-
gent cultivation of fields. the earth be-
gins to bloom and the wilderness and
solitary place to be glad. as foretold
by Isaiah the prophet isaiah xxxv, u.
Under these blessed conditions "All
that are IN their graves shall hear the
voice Of the Son Of man and shall come
forth (John V, 2S. 29D--not all at once,
but Every man in his own order" q
Corinthians XIV, 23l. The sanity be-
levers. who alone are fully pleasing
to God, viii come forth in the First,
or chief, or preferable. Resurrection
come forth perfect. OH the spirit plane.
like unto the angels and like unto their
gIoriied Redeemer, to be his joint
heirs in his AIillennial Kingdom and
its great work OF resuscitating, in
structing and ruling and uplifting all
the "groaning" families of the earth
Romans wifi. 22l. Thus will be full
flied Gods promise TO the spiritual
Seed Of Abraham. "In thy Seed shall
all the families Of the earth be bless
ed" Galatians iii. 29l. Gradually. after
dealing with the living nations to some
extent. the sleeping world will be
awakened, "Every man in his own
order q Corinthians XIV. 23).
Our Lord assures us that all except
the sanity few will come forth from
the tomb that they may have a resur-
rection-a raising up out Of sin and
death conditions to righteousness. to
the image Of God that was lost by
Adam; and that eventually. If willing
and obedient, they will receive Gods
gift Of eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord But the rebellious under
those favorable conditions, we are as
sured. will be cut off from life entirely
in the Second Death (Acts Ill, 1929.
In speaking Of the worlds resurrec-
ton our Redeemer deslgnates it res
direction by judgments 0Rey. Yer. John
v, 28, 20. Messlah's righteous judg-
ments will then be abroad in the
world. The light OF knowledge will be
as clear as the MONDAY san. Every
good deed and endeavor will receive
it's reward and every wilfully evil
deed will receive chastlsements, cor
rections. to the intent that they may
learn the advantages Of the way OF
holiness and go up thereon to life eter-
nal, which the willing and obedient
may reach by the close of the Millen-
niaI Age.
Through the prophet Daniel. the
Lord declares that many OF the world
" who now sleep In the dust of the
earth shall come forth unto shame and
lasting contempt. We can readily real
We the shame that viii be theirs when
the light Of full knowledge shall pre-
vail aad all of their past shall stand
revealed TO themselves and TO Others
IN Us true colors We can well un
dersland that this win bring contempt
20 many now highly esteemed amongs
men But we can rejoice In th'
thought that the Millennial Kingdom
then TO be IN power will deal gracious
~ with all The stripes Of punish
ment viii be tempered with mercy
and gradually by their change Of char
acter the contemptible ones will ceasl
% be contemphhle The TRANSFORMING
power of grace and Truth now operat