Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1911-04-18

Divine Power Brought From the Dead
the Great Shepherd"
This Easter Sunday celebrates the
momentous event of our Lords resur-
rection from the dead His resurrec-
ton is either a truth or a falsehood
In our text ST. Paul assures US that if
it is untrue our faith, our hopes our
preaching and teachings are of no avail
useless. If the resurrection of the
dead is impossible, then the resurrec-
ton of Jesus was impossible. If the
resurrection of Jesus did not take
place, then we have no proof. and no
ground for believing, that Divine pow
er could resurrect the Church. If Di-
vine Power brought again from the
dead the great Shepherd of the sheep"
it is Jehovah also who will bring us
from the dead by Jesus. in Gods due
time.
Let none avoid the question! Let all
decide at once. Either we believe in q
resurrection from the dead, or we do
nOt believe in it. If the resurrection
We IL III thCh, SOY liz ~AEOoN1CF elll
those who fell asleep with faith in
Christ are periShed-they are not in
heaven. Purgatory nor eternal torment
If we believe in the resurrection Of the
dead. both of the just and the unjust.
then, logically. we must believe that
they are dead. except in the Divine
promise. purpose, arrangement. The
decision of this resurrection question
Is most momeltous one, as it affects
practically every doctrine of the Chris
tan Church If we get straight the
doctrine of the Ransom effected through
the Redeemer. and the doctrine of the
Resurrection of the dead. all of our doc
trines will fall into line. and all of our
absurdides, which have troubled us so
long, will fall out of the way. and all
of the Scriptures will be found har-
monious in teaching Divine Justice,
Wisdom, Love and Power.
Christ the First Fruits.
But now is Christ risen from the
dead and become the irst-fruits of
them that slept" verse 20). All, thank
God, the Apostle did not mean to in
sinuate the possibility of our Lords
not having risen. Merely. he would
put the question that we might see
how weighty is the subject-how much
depends on the answer. He exultantly
answers, Christ is risen" We re-
joice il this for several reasons. First.
how sad it would be if He who laid
aside His glory and was made flesh
and tasted death on our behalf should
have lost by His loyal endeavor to
serve us and to do the Fathers will.
How glad we are that He is risen. and
that He was not raised again in the
flesh, with the loss of His heavenly
glory, but raised as the King of all, far
above all others. and partaker of the
divine nature!
Secondly. we are glad on our own
account, and on account of all man.
kind; for if our Lord Jesus had not
been raised from the dead it would
have proven one of two things-either
that He had not been faithful-up to
the Divine standard. and therefore
that His life could not be satisfaction
for the human life lost in adam. or else
it would have proved that God. who
had promised to raise Him from the
dead if He would be Obedient' unto
death, had been unable to do so; and,
If unable to raise Him from the dead.
we, likewise, would be without hope,
even if our sins were cancelled by vir-
tue of His sacrifice.
The Apostles words give d further
suggestion: Our Lord in His resurrec-
ton became the first-truits of them
that slept" This signifies that none
was ever raised from the dead before
Him. AS another Scripture declares.
HE was the first that should arise
from the dead" There were indeed
others dlUGkened from the tomb, by
Jesus Himself and also previous to
His Advent. But they were merely
GiCGkened. not lifted fully up out of
death conditions to perfect life. The
Redeemer was the first to have such
an experience. But the Apostles
words mean more. If Jesus was the
first fruits of them that slept. there
must of necessity be Gfter-frWjtS. And
this the Apostle proceeds to prove, de-
claring that las all in Adam die. even
so all in Christ shall be made alive"
Il Corinthians XIV, 20. Glorious resur-
rection hope! Precious Bible! The one
Book alone which teaches a resurrec-
ton of the dead. or that the dead are
dead
The Apostle proceeds to tell us that
the dead will not all be Tesurrected
together-at once-"but every man in
his own order" IL Corinthians XIV. 23l.
The first order or rank viii be the
Church. Blessed and holy are all they
that have part in the First Resurrec-
ton; they shall be priests of
God and of Christ and shall reign with
Him a thousand years CRevelation Xxx,
81.
This work of raising the dead will be
the work of the entire reign of Mes
siah. as explained in our context:
Christ must reign until He shall have
put all enemies under His feet-the
last enemy will be death. AS during
the Mediatorial reign mankind shall
rise up out of their ignorance. weak
ness, sin. depravity. they will be com
ing out of death conditions into life
conditions; they will be in process Of
raising up-resurrection.
This does not prove. however. that all
of Adams race viii receive the gift
of God. eternal life. but it does prove
that all win be blessed with the oDpOr-
tuHity Of attaining that glorious re-
ward Whoever. after having the re-
lease from death put within his grasp.
shall decline eternal life on the Divine
terms will die again. but not because
Of Adams sin-it will not be the Adam
ic death That Second Death will be
complete destruction. Those sinners
will die the Second Death without hope
of further redemption or resurrection.