Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-09-08
Pastor Russells Sermon


ceptance of the Church and the beget-
ting Of its members by the Holy Spirit
"a work which will continue until the
entire number of the fore-ordained
Neto Creation shall have been accepted,
tested, and gloriously exalted by the
power Of the First Resurrection.-Rev-
elation 20:6.
But the completing Of the Church
and her exalting with the Redeemer
on the Heavenly plane will not be the
end of the Divine Program of blessing
and recreation arranged for Adam
and his race. Rather, as the Scriptures
express 1t, these will be a kind of
First-fralts to God Of His creatures:
Uames 1:1S.) The after-fruits will be
a much more numerous company,
though less choice as respects quality.
Again, the Lord assures us that the
Church, now being selected, is "the
Church of the First-borns," whose
names are written in Heaven" And
II they are the First-borns, as the
tribe Of Levi represented the first
borns of all the tribes of Israel, then
the inference is clear that there are to
be after-borns--that the whole groan-
ing creation is to have at least an op-
portunity for enjoying a share in the
recreation judicially arranged for in
the death Of Jesus for the sins of the
whole world of mankind
In the Regeneration Times.
Our Redeemer, when asked by His
disciples what special reward they
would have for leaving all and follow
ing Him, replied that in the regenera-
tion times they, as His disciples, would
sit with Him In His Throne, and be
the judges, the rulers, the instructors,
the helpers, of all the tribes of Israel,
typically representing all the families
of the earth desirous Of return to har-
mony with God.-Matthew 1928.
st. Peter. to whom Jesus addressed
these words, distinctly points out to us
that those Times Of Regeneration, or
Restitution, are waiting-delaying un-
til the Second Coming of Christ in the
power and glory of His Messianic
Kingdom. (Acts 3:19-21) Then those
"Times Of Restitution" the worlds re-
generation time, will be ushered in.
Then the Church, changed from earth
ly nature to Heavenly nature will be
with her Lord and share. His glory
"When Christ shall appear, we
1.-THE Church of the First-borns, the
tlrst-frults unto God of His creaturesl
shall appear with Him In glory" (Co-
lossians 3:4) The Heavenly Bride viii
be the Heavenly Bridegroom's joint
heir in His Kingdom, and assistant in
His great work Of re-creating the race
restoring them to primeval conditions,
plus the experiences Of the fall.
True, we are not to forget that the
Scriptures indicate that there will be
testing of character in respect to
those who will be fully brought back
to all that was lost. But the testing
will be such as all will approve. All
who participate in the experiences Of
the fall and its reign Of Sin and Death
must be made acquainted with the
Redeemer and His restoring powers.
But only such as respond to these
blessings, and come to love righteous
ness and hate iniquity, will have con-
hrmed to them the gift of God-ever-
lasting life, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. All others will Justly die the
Second Death, from which there will
be no redemption, no resurrection. As
st. Peter says, such shall perish like
natural brute beasts.-2 Peter 2:12.
This Bible story Of Gods compassion
upon our death-condemned race is told
in various terms; but the import Of the
Good Tldings in every case is the
same. For instance, 1t is described by
st. Paul as the resurrection Of the
dead, both Of the just and Of the un-
just" The Just-justihed by faith
faithfully maintaining their relation
ship to God through Christ, and prov
ing their loyalty by obedience and a
walk in opposition to the spirit of the
world, will constitute the First Resur-
rectlon, the flrst-fruits.
The reign Of Christ's saints is the
Compromised Millennium, or thousand
years of righteousness, during which
Satan will be bound, that he may no
longer deceive mankind. That thou
sand years will be the time Of human
Restitution--to the perfection once en-
Joyed by Father Adam, but lost by his
disobedience and redeemed for the
race by the savior's obedience. All
the willing and obedient shall be raised
up out Of sin, out of imperfectlon, out
Of dying conditions, back to the image
and likeness Of GOd-re-created In
Gods image, This is the resurrection
OF the unjust
The resurrection blessing is not in
tended merely for the Church, the Jus
titled by faith. II is intended also,
evidently, to be for all the unjust-the
world Of mankind-Adam and all his
race They all shall have full oppor-
tunity to return to the Fathers House,
and to the blessings which Divine Wis
dom and Love have provided for all
who appreciate the gift Of God-ever-
lasting life.
But the rest OF the dead-aside from
the Church, which will constitute the
First Resurrection-wlll not live again
until the thousand years Of the Messi.
anic Kingdom be finished AS the dy-
ing process has been In operation fol
six thousand years, so the living again
will operate during the seventh thou
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