The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-07-29

lgAs!gs Ggsssl several thousapd.
was addressed by
Pastor Russell. We report one OF his
addresses. based on Revelation *.
40. 1t was announced tbat next Sun.
day he would address a similar Con.
vention' in London.
Christianity Versus Platonisu,.
Many Christians whose faith can.
not accept the Divine promise have
turned instead to the theory advanc.
ed long before Jesus day by the Gre
clan philosophers. hended by Plato.
Their teachings respecting death. al.
though less logical than the Bible
theory. require less faith. Thus we
have 1t today that Christian faith re-
speeding the future life is supported.
not by the Bible. but by the teachings
pf'the heather from Plato down.
Plato and NIL the heather claim with.
out evidence that dying was not the
penalty for sin. that. on the contrary.
1t is another step Of an evolution proc.
ess. Dassage.way to a! new life, IN.
der new. conditions, OF which they
know nothing. Theirs Is merely a
guess. philosophy. and. of course, has
no Use for resurrection Of the dead.
because the fact Of death Is denied
md the dead are said to, be more alive
than when they were alive.
The Bible declares that from the very
beginning God purposed the resurrcc-
ton Of the dead and that. therefore. all
believers were privileged TO speak Of
the deceased. not us dend In m abso-
iuteisenSe. like the brute. but az being
aalcep-waltlng for the glorious morn
Ing Of Messlah's Kingdom and the, nes,
direction. Thus the Prophet declares.
weeping mayaendure for the night
but JOY eometh In the morning" Thus
the Bible tells us that Abraham slept
with his fathers etc. etc.
= Stc-Iaul says. l.Ifs thereebe no resur-
rection OF the dead, : ~ then those
who are fallen asleepy# Christ DIRE
persisted" Il Corinthians Ky. 1879
How could this be true II they have
been alive In heaven for centurfes?'
First or Chief Resurrection.
Not ali Of the dead will have the
same resurrection. Some will be rnis.
ed to the likeness OF the first Adath,
while others. members Of the Body Of
Christ, will be granted superior res.
hrrectlonrto. glory, Aonor, Immortality
Gld the divine nature. or the latter
St. Paul explains. "sown in weakness.
raised In power; sown in dlshonor,
raised in glory: sown an animal body.
raised a spirit body" II Corinthians
XIV. 40, Az OF the same class our
text declares. blessed and holy are
all they that have part In the First
Resurrection; 80 they shall be
Priests unto God, aud unto Christ, and
shall reign with Hlma thousand years"
Revelation Xxx. 9: v, 10I
"But tho Rest of the Dead"
Alb! this part OF our text is sadly mis-.
understood and has thrown many Ri.
BILE students of the track OF truth.
They have understood the passage to
mean that Christ and His glori6ed
Bride class will reign for n thousand
years over such Of humanity as will
be alive at the time Of the setting up
OF the aIessianic Kingdom. They think
that this passage teaches that oil the
millions of the world who have died
during the past six thousand years will
have no share In the blessings OF Mes.
siah's Kingdom. 4.
The proper thought Is this: Adam lind
life and the right to continue 1t unceas.
ingly so long as be was in harmony
with God. When he slnfed he came
under the sentence. dying. thou shalt
die" Our race. his children. shared bis
sentence by heredty. Hence we are
all dying. From the. Divine standpoint
none have life. Those who become dis.
clples OF Jesus are said TO pass from
death unto life, although their new life
VIII not he completed until the First
Resurrection. But speaking from this
Jesus sud, Let the dead
bury their dead, but o'thou (belieyer)
md preach the GospeE-Luke tx, 60.
From this Divine standpoint the
world In general today is dead, has no
right TO life and can obtain eternal life
only through accePtlRgJesus: HE that,
hath the Son hath life: he that hath
not the Son hath not llfe."-l John v, u.
Thus seen the world Whether in the
grave or out Of the grave, are all from
the Divine standpoint dead. During
the thousand years Of 'bIessinb's reign,
these will DO helped 'np, M, up. ont Of
sin and death. back to perfect life and
all that Adam lost. The uprising Of the
world during that Thousand years Is
the general resurrection. This is the
meaning of the word dnastasis-it does
not refer to mere awakening from the
tomb. Hence. although che world win
be gradually rising outiof-sln and death
conditions, they will mot live ngain in
the sense OF attaining perfection OF life
nd SI,a Al