The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-08-01

Hearken to Jesus words on this sub
ject, and note their explicitneSs OF
| statement to the effect that all who
participate In this First Resurrection
Will be the elect overcomers Of this
Age, and they win be the Royal Priests,
or Priestly Kings, of the next Age; in
which the world will be- dealt with
and 70 tar as willing, tplifted from
sin and death. He says, e. Blessed and,
holy are all they that have part in4tha
First Resurrection; on such the Second
Death hath no power; they shall be
priests unto God, and unto Christ, and
shall reign with Him thousand
years. "-Revelation XXX, 6. >"..>
The word In this text rendered fret
signifies Chief, foremost, superior. 1t
VIII indeed be first in order Of time.
too; but the particular thought is that
1t is superior. Its superiority rests in
the fact that all who share in it's bless
ings will not only attain life, full, per-
feet and everlasting, but additionally
they will receive life on the highest
plane. being made partakers of the
divine nature, by the ..'change"l which
| this resurrection will bring to them
III Peter i, 4
Inc sharers Of this resurrection will
hoC only receive everlasting life, but
more, they will thereby be made death
proof-1mmortal In the Bible sense, In
which 1t Is declared that God alone
hath Immortality. God has also given
Immortality to our Redeemer in His
resurrection, and has promised the
same to the elect Church, the Bride.
the Lambs Wife, in this First Resur
rection. Aside from these, so far as
the Bible teaches, this special kind of
immortality goes to no other creatures
In the Universe.
Even angels, both the holy and the
fallen, possess only the ordinary i'm
mortanty known as everlasting life
an Immortality or deathlessness de-
pendent upon the Divine pleasure and
supported by necessary elements of
DIVINE provision. The Church, on the
contrary, sharing in this Chief Resur-
rectton, will possess inherency Of life,
the saPe kind Of immortality possess
ed by Jehovah Himself
From the context it will be seen that
none Will participate in this Chief Res
direction except such as shall success
FULLY pass their trial and be accounted
worthy of joint-heirship with Messiah
In HIS glorious Kingdom, for it is dis
t1nctly stated that they are to "reign
with Him thousand years."
Sharing "His Resurrection."
From what we have seen it must be
evident to all Of us that to gain q
share in this Chief Resurrection is to
gain the great Prize held out before
US In the Gospel Age-the Prize which
our Lord referred to as the "Pearl of
great price" for which a man would
be we'll justified in selling all that he
has that he might purchase it
1t will be admitted on all hands that
the great Apostle Paul is represented
amongst the loyal ones who sacrificed
every earthly interest, aim, hope and
ambition that he might attain the
Kingdom blessings and joint-heirship
with Christ. We are therefore deeply
interested in st. Paul's words respect
ing his hope, his sacrifice and his an
ticlpatton Of attaining share in this
better resurrection, which he styles
His urrectiOn"-namely, the resur-
rection of Christ.
The Scriptures continually maintain
the. thought that Jesus is the "Head Of
the Church which is His Body" and
that these sanity Elect constitute the
members Of. His Body. Carrying out
this figure, the whole. Body, all the
members, should share In the same
resurrection as that experienced by the
Head-the Redeemer. And to this the
facts agree. More than eighteen cen
turtles ago our Lord Jesus was raised
from the dead by the Fathers power.
&C. st. Paul declares that.because Of His
obedience in carrying out the Divine
thogram as our Redeemer-even unto
death-'Therefore God hath highly ex-
allied Him, and hath given him a name
Honor, station] above every name lex
ce,t His own-He is excepted, that at
the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, both Of things in heaven and
things on the EARTH" philippians ii, 8,
1OD To this end we must all be
changed from earthly to heavenly ma
ture, because "Flesh and blood can
not inherit the Kingdom"
It seems q long time indeed between
our Lords resurrection. and the resur-
rection Of His Mystical Body, the
Church class (Col. i, 18, ,24), but the pc
r1od Is hong only from our limited human
standpoint-not long from the Divine
standpoint, in which sthousand years
are as one day. III Peter iii, 81 He
WHO brought again from the dead our
Lord Jesus, that GreatEShepherd Of the
sheep, will bring usS also [from the
deadl by Him." ands with Him, as
henderson, His Body.
1t is 10 this that st. Paul refers say
ing, Itcount all [earthly0 things but as
loss, ~ that may win Christ Twin