The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-08-23

/ Jaws ana repuNllOuS VI M'"Nl"h'
Kingdom will begin to rise up, up up.
but OF their fallen. degraded condition
Df sin. and be brought back to all that
was lost in Adam and redeemed ut
Calvary. In proportion as they VIII
retrace their steps and come back into
Divine fellowship their shame VIII de-
.rease and their contempt also. Final
| ~ in the contamination Of that age all
who will may have attained full res
toration and regeneration and free
iom from shame and contempt The
unwilling and disobedient and rebel
Iious will be destroyed In the Second
Death-"twice dead. plucked up by the
roots" s"-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
as others who have no hope" 1t Is
bad enough to think of millions Of the
heather as being totally extinct, hope
essly dead. without any prospects OF
resurrection. The same would be
true respecting our neighbors and
I friends, parents and children. brothers
and sisters, who are not sanity, who
are not in "Christ Jesus" who are not
walking after the Spirit. who are not
heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus
Christ our Lord. And II 1t would be
sore trial to think Of them as utter
ly destroyed In death and without hope
of resuscitation. resurrection. how
much worse would 1t have been when,
In our Misunderstanding of Gods plans.
we thought of them as being in either
Purgatory or eternal torture. Such a
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
we believe that Jesus died and rose
again. even so them also which sleep
in Jesus will God bring from the deadl
with (by) him" Il Thessalonians iv. a.
So. then. the Apostle declares. the
resurrection hope is the Christian hope.
and the basis of the hope of this resur
rection Is that Jesus died that he might
be mans ranSomer-thnt he arose from
the dead that he might he the great
Deliverer of mankind the Prophet.
Priest and King of God. and that he
might gather to himself the elect
Church. the Bride. the Lambs Wife.
as his iont-her
Christians. of course. in thinking of
the resurrection Of the dead. would pri.
marily. chiefly. consider their dear
ones Of the household Of fnlth: hence
the Apostle continues his argument.
saying that those of the Church living
at the time Of the Second Advent will
not precede or hinder those members
of the Church who have died during
the past centuries. for the dead In
Christ shall arise irst-shall be awak-
ened first from the sleep Of death.
"Them That Sleep In Jesus"
We cannot think that the Apostle re-
fers merely to the Church In this case
for uniformly. in speaking Of the resur-
rection OF the dead. he refers both to
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 will be noted as different from
another one of his respecting those
who "sleep in Christ" The latter eX-
preston evidently refers to the Church
as the glorifed members of 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 or condemnation. Condemnation
came upon all because Of one mans
disobedience." Likewise justification
Is to 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
faction price for the sins of the whole
world.
From this standpoint. therefore. the
whole world not only died In Adam,
but now sleeps or waits unconsciously
the merit of our Redeemer's sacrifice
II we believe that Christ died for our
sins and laid the foundation thus for
his great work OF blessing the world OF
mankind, including the Church. the
lirsl-fruits, let us believe also that
God who began his good work will moi
stop until he shall have brought forth
judgment unto victory-until all the re
deemed world shall be brought to o
knowledge OF the Rcdeemer and of the
Heavenly Father and TO an opportunity
for life everlasting through obedience
The world died in Adam-"In Adam al
die" Jesus is the Redeemer of the
world. Even so all in Christ shall bt
made alive"
The message has reached the Churcl
only, as yet, In due time it will reacl
every member of the race, The Churcl
is already reckonedly quickened from
the dead by the holy Spirit and vii
Al. a.