Graham guardian., 1915-04-09

! llfENEtkJR-, iAOIl 81 uul -
>-------'-'------ words that with
out Gods purpose of n resurrection all
those asleep in death would have per
| tshed rs brute beasts. He pointed out
the Apostles assurances that Christ
arose from the dead and became the
Firstfruits Of those in the death sleep
Others, indeed, were temporarily awak-
ened but soon relnpSed into death.
! They did not have a full raising up to
| Iife-n reSureCtiOn-suCh as Christ's
| redcmptlve work guarantees to Adam
and all Of his race who willingly ac-
cept that work under the terms of the
| New Covenant
Then he demonstrated conclusively
from Scripture that the soul, not the
body. Is promised resurrection. that
It was our Lords soul that went to
SheOl. to Hades-the tomb; and that
the Father raised Him out of death on
the third day. He pointed out the
difficulties into which all Christendom
is plunged by the unscriptural theory
that the body is to be reSurrected. and
SINN tll llt ItuSOIluDlbutSS Vi Tue
Bible presentation of the subject
The ordinary thought respecting our
Lords death md resurrection is that
when Jesus seemed to die, He did not
actually die: that He, the Soul. could
not die; that on the third day He re-
turned to get the body which had been
Crucihcd: that forty days later He took
1t to Heaven. where He will retain II
to all eternity marred with the nail
| prints. the thOrn-marks. and the spear
wound in His side. Some endeavor to
gloss the matter by suggesting that
our Lords flesh shines-the shining
| presumably making the scars and
wounds all the more conspicuous.
All this. the speaker declared. COM
ports with the theory that at death
the saints go to Heaven, but return
on the Judgment Day to get their bod
es-inConvcnicnces Of which they had
| been rid for centuries. in some in
stances He pointed out the absurdi-
ties Of this theory handed down from
the Dark Ages. and presented the Bible
teaching on this important theme.
What Say the Scriptures7
The Bible presentation IS reasonable
and consistent. st. Paul explains that
'therc Is natural body and there is
spiritual body" and that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the Kingdom Of
God" A human being is so different
from spirit being that, as St John
says, at doth not yet appear what
we the Church shall be-" In the
! resurrection change; and the Bible
does not attempt an explanation. but
merely declares that as we now bear
the image Of the earthly, so the Church
shall by the resurrection change, share
| our Lords nature and likeness.
Eo he like our Lord and to see Him
as He is. the Church must be changed
from flesh and blood conditions to
spirit conditions by resurrection pow
or This fact proves that our Lord Is
no longer flesh and blood-a human
being
st Paul calls attention to the diff
ference between celestial and earthly
bodies He tells us that the first Adam
was made n living soul. man; but
that our RrdCCmer who took the earth
y nature for the suffering of death"
thereby became the Second Adam-the
Heavenly Lord The wide distinction
is thus clearly set forth. One was
earthly, and the other Heavenly.
The Scriptures teach that
deCmcr. before BECOMING our ne
Spirit Being Hie man. was
nI,nn IN hrronc Ieaving the spirit
a p,not Inv a man is described as
man I. initiation on His part; for
r. ... "IowCr than angels" Adam,
- perfect man. had sinned; and ac-
cording to Divine Law his redeemer
must be on the same plane-a cOrre-
| spending price Hence the death Of an
angel or of our Lord in His prchuman
condition would not have paid mans
| penalty and released the condemned
race. So we read Of our Lord. "A body
| hast Thou prepared Me"--"for the suf-
! icring of death"
The very Apostle who tells Of our
Lords humiliation unto death. even
| the death Of the cross" assures us that
the Father did not leave His Son on
the lower plane. ''Wherefop." says
st Pau. God hath highly exalted
Him. and hath given Him name
above every name" This Is In har-
moIy with our Lords prayer, "Glorify
Me with the glory that bad with
Thee before the world was" He was
quite content to serve the Fathers
Pnn and then to return to His former
glorious estate But the Heavenly Fa-
thcr'S response was, 81 have gloritied
Thee, and will gIorify Thee again.
or further-implying still higher
glory than thnt which our Lord enjoy
III L.Eur., II. LInnl. l..L