The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1910-04-08
'"s"s -"--"~-~-s-s-----s-e-.-s- &c
PEOPLES
Sermon by
CHARLES r.
RUSSELL.
Pastor Brooklyn
tabernacle.

Allentown, Pa, March 27.-As Chris
tendon celebrates the resurrection OF
the Lord Jesus Christ, It is appro.
pirate that our hearts and minds
should intelligently grasp the sign!f-
canoe or the event commemorated. st.
Paul laid great stress upon the resur-
rection of the dead, declaring that IL
there be no resurrection of the dead
ali those whom we counted as asleep
would never have an awakening, and
consequently would be as dead as are
brute beasts. Note his emphatic state
ment to this effect Il Corinthians XIV,
l2-1S) For here as elsewhere his
words contradict the thought that the
sanity dead pass Immediately to glory
and the insanity to Purgatory or to
eternal torture.
According to the Gospel OF Christ,
of which St. Paul declares that he
was not ashamed, the dead are to be
esteemed as though they were asleep
at rest from all the Commotion and
turmoil and strife, ignorance and SUI
perStitOn and sin and trouble incident
to the present reign of sin and death.
They have truly entered into rest,
whether they were saints or sin
ners. When the time for their awak-
ening shall have come In the Mlllen-
NAL morning OF Christ'S reign Of right
eouSness surrounding conditions will
be very different from what they are
today, thank God! Then Satan will
be bound, the Bible assures us ORev
elation Xxx, 1-3), and the ignorance and
superstition, selfShneSs 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
trary. will 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, 23)
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 artesan wells
and irrigation processes and highways
of travel and good roads and inteli-
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, n.
Under these blessed conditions "All
that are in their graves shall hear the
voice Of the Son Of man and shall come
forth" cJOhn V, %, 29,-not all at once,
but Every man in his own order" q
Corinthians XIV, 23). The sanity be-
levers, who alone are fully pleasing
to God, will come forth in the First
or chief. or preferable, Resurrection
come forth perfect, on the spirit plane.
like unto the angels and like unto their
gloritied Redeemer, to be his joint
heirs in his Millennal Kingdom and
its great work of resusCitating, in
Structing and ruling and uplifting all
the "groaning" families of the earth
Romans viii, 22). Thus will be full
filled Gods promise to the spiritual
Seed of Abraham, "ln thy Seed shall
all the families of the earth be bless
ed" Galatians iii. 90 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 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 designates it a res
direction by judgments (Rev. Yer John
V, %, 90. Messiah's righteous judg-
ments will then be abroad il the
world The light of knowledge will be
as clear as the noOn-da. sun. Every
good deed and endeavOr will receive
its reward and every wilfully evil
| ueeu VIII receive CDaSllSeIlltnlS, COT
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-
NAL Age.
Through the prophet Daniel, the
Lord declares that many of the world
ly who now sleep in the dust of the
earth shall come forth unto shame and
lasting contempt. We can readily real
he the shame that will be theirs when
the light Of full knowledge shall pre-
vail and all of their past shall stand
revealed to themselves and to others
in its true colors. We can we'll I'M
derstand that this will bring contempt
to many now highly esteemed amongst
men. But we can rejoice I'm the
thought that the Millennial Kingdom
then to be in power will deal gracious
ly with all. The stripes of punish.
ment will be tempered with mercy;
and gradually by their change Of char
| l..