The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1912-08-02


was addressed by
Pastor Russell. We report one Of his
addresses. based on Revelation XIX.
40. It was announced that next Sun
day he would address similar Con-
ventiOn In London.
Christianity Versus Piatonisn.
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. headed 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
Of the heather from Plato down.
Plato and all 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. a passage-way to a new life. I'M
der new conditions. of which they
know nothing. Theirs Is merely a
guess. n philosophy. and. Of course. has
no use for n resurrection Of the dead.
because the fact Of death Is denied
and the dead are said to be more alive
than when they were alive.
The Bible declares that from the very
beginning God purposed the resurrec-
ton Of the dead and that. therefore. all
believers were privileged to speak OF
the deceased. not as dead In an abso-
Lutte sense, like the brute. but as being
asleep-waiting for the glorious morn
ing OF Messiah's Kingdom and the res
direction. Thus the Prophet declares.
Weeping may endure for the night,
but Joy cometh In the morning" Thus
the Bible tells us that abraham slept
with his fathers" ETC.. etc.
st. Paul says, "If there be no resur-
rection of the dead. then those
who are fallen asleep in Christ are
persisted" q Corinthians XIV. 1879
How could this be true II they have
been alive In heaven for centuries?
First or Chief Resurrection.
Not all of the dead will have the
ell to the likeness Of the first Adam.
while others. members Of the Body Of
Christ. will be granted a superior res
urrection--to glory. honor. immortality
and the divine nature or the latter
St. Paul explains. "sOwn In weakness.
raised In power: sOwn In dishonOr.
raised in glory: sown an animal body.
raised a spirit body" II Corinthians
XIV. 43, Az OF the same class our
text declares, BLESSED and holy are
all they that have part In the Fret
Resurrection; - they shall be
Priests unto God, and unto Christ. and
shall reign with Him thousand years"
Revelation *, 6:v. 1O)
"eut the Rest Of the Dead"
All! this part Of our text is sadly mis-
understood and has thrown many b.
BILE students of the track Of truth.
They have understood the passage to
mean that Christ and His glOrified
Bride class will reign for a thousand
years over such Of humanity as will
be alive at the time Of the setting up
Of the Messianic Kingdom. They think
that this passage teaches that all 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.
The proper thought IL this: Adam had
life and the right to continue it unceas-
ingly so long as he was In harmony
with God. When he sinned he came
under the sentence. Dying. thou shalt
die" Our race, his children. shared his
sentence by heredity, Hence we are
all dying. From the Divine standpoint
none have life. Those who become dis
ciples Of Jesus are said to pass from
death unto life. although their new life
will not be completed until the First
Resurrection. But speaking from this
standpoint Jesus said. Let the dead
bury their dead. but go thou believer,
and preach the GOspel.-Luke TX. 90.
From this Divine standpoint the
world In general today is dead. has no
right to life and can obtain eternal life
only through accepting Jesus: "He that
hath the Son hath life; He that hath
not the Son hath not life."-I John v. II.
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 Messiah's reign
these will be helped up, up, up. out of
sin and death. back to perfect life and
all that Adam lost The upralsing of the
world during that thousand years Is
the general resurrection. This Is the
meaning of the word onastasis-it does
not refer to mere awakening from the
tomb. Unconstitutional the world will
be gradually rising out of sin aud death
conditions. they will not live again In
the sense Of attaining perfection of life
untnL the thousand years srs. finished.