The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-07-31

billions, its rewards. "1f we suffer with
Him, we shall also reign with Him."
And the only way to enter Int that
reign Of glory will be through the pow
er Of His Resurrection"-the Chief
Resurrection.
"But the Rest Of the Dead"
The statement Of our text that the
rest of the dead will not live until the
thousand years Of Christ's reign are
finished has proven a stumbling block
to many who have studied too super
ficially Let Us not forget that the
Spirit does not reveal the deep things
of God, except to those who search for
Truth 'as men search for silver"-pa-
tiently, persistently. delving deeply.
1t is very easy for all to grasp the
thought that Messiah's Kingdom is to
last thousand years, and that all who
shall be alive at that time, all who shall
be born during that period. will partic-
lpate in the wonderful blessings and
privileges which 1t will bring to the
human family. They are ready, too.
to admit the reasona bleness Of giving
an equal opportunity to those Of our
race who have gone down into death
with either no knowledge Of Christ. as
was the case for four thousand years.
Or with the too limited knowledge to
benefit them. as has been the case dur
Ing the past two thousand years, and
today, only this text respecting the
rest Of the dead" stands in their way.
I should be glad II any such are pres
ent here today. because I know can
relieve them of their difficulty. Yea.
shall be glad If my words through the
press shall reach many others who have
been perpIexed by this Scripture.
1t is not necessary for us to set this
Scripture aside, even though all Bible
scholars know. or should know. that
this portion Of Revelation Xxx. 4. 8
which relates to 'the rest Of the dead
which live not again Until the thou
sand years are finished" is spurious
that 1t is not found in any Of the old
Greek manuscripts. It fs supposed
that it got into the text. not through
any desire to corrupt the same and
falsify the record. but that in the days
when the manuscripts were copied by
pen. some copyist made this memoran-
dunn on the margin Of his manuscript
az helpful thought. and that other
copyists, using HIS manuscript. sup
posed 1t to be a part OF. the original
and incorporated 1t in the text. cit
However, the additional words are
In NO sense in conflict with the facts.
which are these: Adam. created in
his Makers likeness, perfect was alive
in the sense that he enjoyed perfec-
ton of life and that he had q right to
q life everlasting, except as he should
forfeit the same by disobedience. The
moment he disobeyed Gods command
he came under the sentence of sin.
namely. death. From that moment on
ward he was judicially dead. even
though the dying process lasted Tor
more than nine hundred years.
Similarly, all Of his posterity, from
the Divine standpoint, are dead. chill
dren of wrath" Jesus carried out
this same thought in His teaching,
saying. LET the dead bury their dead"
Only those who have accepted Him as
their Iife-giver are even reckonedly
considered alive. from the Divine
standpoint.
And so, throughout the thousand
years of Messiah's reign, "All in their.
graves shall come forth" every man
in his own order" hut they will still
be, from the Divine standpoint. Judi
|cially dead--witholts the. right to ever
lasting life The work at the, Lord
Jesus, as thes Great Prophet Priest,
King and Judge ana tho Church with
Him. viii be the fnstructicn and as
sistance of these for their gradual up
lifting out or sin aud wealkaess and
Iimperfection toward perfection = to-
ward acceptance with God-toward ev-
erlasting life. Such as reject the as
sistance offered will die the Second
Death. Such as avail themselves OF
the blessed privileges of that time will
attain human perfection But still
they will not have everlasting life ac-
corded to them. They will merely be
in a good, suitable and ready condi-
tton for God to grant them everlasting
life, II they shall stand His tests.
The tests for. eternal life will come
at the close of the Messianlc reign
when the great Mediator between God
and men, having accomplished His
work of restitution of the race, shall
deliver over everything into the hands
of the Father-the hands of Justice.
Everlasting life will not be given as
matter Of mercy, but as matter OF
justice-to those who will demonstrate
their loyalty and worthiness of ever
lasting life. The mercy Of God will
be exercised in the bringing Of them to
this condition. where perfection In
word, deed and thought will be possible.
The great temptation which will then
come to all the world, through the
loosing Of Satan-the temporary per-
mission OF evil in the world-will dem
onstrate which of these resurrected
from the dead God can approve and
consistently grant the great gift of
eternal life All those who fail in their
trial will be destroyed with Satan in
the Second Death. while all who prove
their loyalty will be acknowledged
worthy of everlasting life.
Thus the rest Of the dead. aside from
those now on trial, the Church class,