The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-09-01
WORDS OF LIFE. y

.ttbe first Christian martyr. that he fell
asleep lstoned to death) We read OF
the good and bad. kings and peasants
falling asleep Ia death We read that
King David slept with his rathers-
some of them good. some OF them pad
1 We read that Abraham slept with MS
4 fathers--some Of them heathen. The
! Ribls tells us whore they sleep ana that
/ they viii all ne awakened from the
( sleep ~ death in due time--in the
I resurrection during Messiah's reign
\ OF a thousand years. The Prophet de-
4 clares that Many that sleep in the
aust OF tie earth shall awake; some 10
( life everlasting and some To shame and
lasting contempt" (Daniei XII, y.
/ Those who will be awakened from
life will be the blessed and holy. the
sanity. who will be associated with
Messiah in the Kingdom work Tor the
ble ssing and uplifting OF the uon-elect.
Those who viii be awakened from the
sleep OF death 10 shame and age-last-
| ing contempt viii be the non elect
world Their shame Will be in proper
ton as they have enjoyed light. knowl,
edge and opportunity and have rallied
rightly TO appreciate ana use tness.
! They will have contempt from their
fellows. In proportion as their short
cominCs OF the present time Will he
shown up. Many highly esteemed
amongst men viii be awakened TO tnh ina,
their case will not be a hopeless one
Much nf their weakness and derelic-
tion were the result of Adam $ trans
-
which have cesulted. including unfa-
vorable environment God has pro-
vided in Christ redemption FOR all from
the sins and weaknesses resulting
| from Adams disobedience and thus
the entire race of Adam is guaranteed
an individual trial under favorable
Iconditions-for life everlasting OF
death everlasting.
! All who will render obedience to the
laws and regulations or Messiah $
Kingdom will begin TO rise up, up, up.
| out OF their fallen. degraded condition
OF sim and be brought back.to all that
was lost i'm Adam and redeemed at
Calvary. In proportion as they VIII
retrace their steps and come back into
! Divine fellowship their shame VIII de-
crease and their contempt also. Final
| ly in the contamination of that age all
| who will may nave attained full res
| toration and regeneration and free
dom from shame and contempt. The
unwilling and disobedient and rebel
lious will be destroyed in the second
death-''twice dead. plucked up by the
| roots'-without hope OF any further
resurrection or restitution.
"Comfort with These Words"
st. Paul urges that Christians should
not be ignorant concerning those who
are asleep--that they sorrow not even
las others who have no hope" IL is
bad enough TO think OF millions of the
heather as being totally extinct, hope
lcssiy dead. without any prospects OF
resurrection. The same would be
true respecting our neighbors and
friends. parents and children. brothers
and sisters. who are not sanity. who
are not I'm Christ Jesus" who are not
walking after the Spirit, who are not
heirs OF God and joint-heirs with Jesus
Christ our Lord. And IL Ii would be
sore trial to think OF them as utter
~ destroyed In death and without hope
of resuscitation, resurrection. how
much worse would IL have been when.
in our misunderstanding of Gods plans.
we thought OF them as being in either
purgatory or eternal torture. such "A
| false conception of the Divine plans is
even worse than TO believe them with
out hope and extinct.
| The APOSTLE proceeds to point out the
basis of this hope In these words, IF
again. even so them also which sleep
1 in Jesus viii God bring Cfrom the dead)
with tby) Him" IL. Thessalontans fv..
! 14). So then. the Apostle declares. the
resurrection hone is the Christian hope.
and the basis or the hope OF this resur
rcctIon Is that Jesus died that he might
the dead that he might be the great
Deliyerer Of mankind, the Prophet.
Priest and king OF God. and that he
church. the bride the lambs wife as
his joint-heir.
Christians. OF course. in thinking OF
the resurrection of the dead. would pri-
marily, chiefly, consider their dear
ones ~ the household OF faith; hence
the Apostle continues his argument.
saying. that those OF the church living
at the time OF the second advent viii
not prccede or. hinder those members
OF the church who have died during the
shall arise first--shall be awakened
first from the sleep OF death.
Them Tint sIsep In jesus
We cannot think that the Apostle re-
fers merely to the church in this case
for uniformly, In speaking OF the resur-
the CHURCH and TO the world. the
/ resurrection of the just and of the
unjust SO In this case he evidently
refers both to the church and TO the
world as asleep in Jesus" The ex-
preston viii he noted az different from
another one Of his respecting those
who sleep in Christ" The latter ex-
preston evidently refers TO the church
as the 2lorihed members or The Christ.
But IN speaking OF those asleep in
Jesus he evidently has reference TO the
whole world OF mankind. The whole
world died In Adam without having a
voice In the matter OF their birth or
trial on condemnation. Condemnation
came upon Oh because Of one mans
disobediencc. Likewise Qualification
is 20 pass upon all OF our race through
The precious merit Of Christ's sacrifice.
The fact that he died. the Just for the
unjust. constitutes his death salts
W orld
From this standpoint, Therefore. the
whole world not only died I'm Adam
but now sleeps or waits uncousciousiv
Tor resurrection OF the dead through
i "" merit OF our RedeemeTS sacrifice.
II we believe that Christ died FOR our
SINS and laid the foundation thus for
! His great work OF blessing tile world
~ mAnkind, Including the Church, the
hrst-frnits. Jet us believe also that
cod who hogan His good work Will not
stop until no shall have brought forth
judgment unto victory--untl all the
redeemed world shall De brought 20 a
knowledge OF the Redeeiner and Of the
/ It"evcnly Father aud 20 an opportunity
I Tor life everlasting through obedience
! me world dicu ~ Adam--"In Adam all
! die. Jesus IN the gedcemar OF the
world Iiven 80 all In Cbrist shall be
I made alive
The ne ssage has reachcG the Church
only. as vet In due tirnc il will reach
F., cVcry member or the race The Church
~ already re koneulV Qufclscned from,
me dead by the Holy Spirit and viii
shortly y" born from the toad in tha
First Resurrection" The VorLT
thrr"torc from the Divine standpoint
ts not dead In Adam row but merely
aSietp IN Jesus waiting for the glort-
ous time WHOM. hia Kingdom estai.
liShed he shall call all mankind from.
the prlSon house ~ death from the
iomb, that each may learn 10 The fuII
or IN" grace of God I'm Christ. and have
3pportunity for attaining life ever
These are the words in which We are
=" comfort one another-words OF hopr
respecting the resurrection OF the dead
both tho Just and the uuiusi--words OF
81 miaihy, words OF assurance. words
that show that God ~ better than an
our fcars. that We. in little "a bile
He that shall come viii egtabIisb IA
lNinN0Dtu~- 0Fsf the Chuwrb l.,