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 HE objector to
this view, as a last resort, says, "No man can be revived from the
dead without a union with Christ." That is true: but he overlooks a
Scriptural fact, viz., Union with Christ is two-fold. First, Christ
has united himself with the race, as such. "He was made flesh," { Joh 1:14}: God sent "his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh," {
Ro 8:3}: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same... For verily
he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed
of Abraham." { Heb 2:14,16} And again, "He "made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and made in the
likeness of men." - Php 2:7.
Such texts are a sample of Scripture testimony going to show that
Christ was connected with the race of men, as such, i.e., with all
men, everywhere, and of every age; for, "the head of every man is
Christ." - 1Co 11:3. By which means he was enabled to "taste
death for every man," { Heb 2:9}; and being "the man Christ Jesus,
he gave himself a ransom for all," { 1Ti 2:6}; and by his death and
resurrection he became "Lord both of the dead and living, { Ro
14:9}; has the disposal of both dead and living by virtue of his own
life, death and resurrection; for, "He is Lord of all." - Ac
10:36. Thus is Christ connected with the whole race of Adam, and is
the Seed of the woman that shall bruise the serpent’s head, and
shall "destroy the works of the devil," { 1Jo 3:8} thereby rendering
the death, which entered into the world by one transgression
(Adam’s), inoperative to hold Adam’s posterity; and so by Christ’s
one offering of himself he "taketh away the sin of the world," { Joh
1:29}, by rendering death powerless to hold any of the human family,
unless they have rejected the LIFE-GIVER; which they cannot do till
they have first heard of Him: till that personal rejection of
Christ, the union, by His taking upon him our nature, remains
unbroken, and if raised into life it is by virtue of that relation,
and is an act of grace, favor, or love: none are raised in a
hopeless state.
Such is the first ground of union with Christ.
SECOND GROUND
OF UNION.
But there is a second ground of union; this it is
which secures the resurrection to immortality, eternal life. This
union is by becoming "partakers of the Divine nature," { 2Pe 1:4};
having received the "Holy Spirit of promise," { Eph 1:13}, so that
the Spirit which raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
their mortal bodies," { Ro 8:11}, being members of Christ’s
spiritual body; and hence, like their Head, they cannot die any
more; { Lu 20:36}. These are raised incorruptible, immortal; { 1Co
15:52-54}.
Thus we think we have shown, that while union with Christ is
essential to revival from death, this union is both human and
divine; the latter only securing eternal life and immortality; while
the former may secure the LIFE-GIVER. Such as have, without fault on
their part, not heard Him, and never had the means of knowing Him,
and hence have never severed the human union or relationship with
Him, are perfectly within the resurrection power of the LIFE-GIVER;
who is "Lord both of the dead and living;" and as "the Father raised
up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he
will;" { Joh 5:21}; for, "the head of every man is Christ." -
1Co 11:3.
Well might the Apostle say, while contemplating a portion of this
subject, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
finding out!... For of him, and through him, and to him, are all
things: to whom be glory forever. Amen." - Ro 11:33,36.
Some, in these days, appear to talk as if they knew and had "found
out" that God cannot or will not fulfill his promise and oath to
Abraham and his seed, to bless all the families of the earth,
because so many of them are dead who never had that blessing or
heard of it. Let them remember that God has promised He is able to
perform. "Is any thing to hard for God?" Shall His word return to
Him void, and not accomplish that whereto He sent it? Are his ways
no higher than our finite ways? Are His thoughts to be confined to
our thinking? Are things impossible to Him because they seem so to
us? It is time to "put away childish things," { 1Co 3:11}, and see
if we cannot bear a little "strong meat" which "belongeth to them
that are of full age." - Heb 5:14.
THE QUESTION
ABOUT CHILDREN.
The view we now take settles another "vexed
question;" it secures the revival of infants, or all such as have
died before personal knowledge of God’s love to the world. They are
revived by virtue of their union to Christ’s humanity, which has
never been dissolved; for when Christ returns from heaven He comes
as "The Son of man:" ( Mt 25:31; and xvi. 27); "for the Son of man
shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels," etc. He is
both the Son of man and the Son of God. As the Son of man he is
united with the entire race of Adam, and is the "one" who "died for
all," { 2Co 5:14}, because "all were dead:" and those who are not in
the dominion of death by a rejection of the LIFE-GIVER, will have
the benefit of the union of Christ’s humanity, and death cannot hold
them till such time as they reject the divine union which is to be
preached to "every creature" for their acceptance. All raised by
virtue of union with Christ’s humanity will be in a probationary
state, and to them continued life will be the result of the
acceptance of the LIFE-GIVER, personally; and "the second death"
will, to them, be the result of the rejection of Him.
THE SHADOW AND
THE SUBSTANCE.
The law, given by Moses, was "the shadow of
things to come; but the body is of Christ." - Col 2:17. The
law required that a redeemer (Heb. Gouail) should be a kinsman, a
man of the same race or family. "One of his brethren may redeem
him." - Le 25:48. Christ, therefore, must become a kinsman of
the race in order to be a Redeemer. For this end He became "the man,
Christ Jesus." "Who gave himself a ransom for all ‘’ the race, "to
be testified in due time." - 1Ti 2:5,6. When that ransom is
made known, or "testified" to the ransomed, if rejected, death takes
its course and holds its victim in its bondage; for, as there is but
"one Mediator," so there is but one Redeemer; hence, if the
testimony concerning him has come to the knowledge of those for whom
the benefit is intended, and they despise or reject it, there
remaineth no deliverer for them.
This rejection, however, can only take place after the Redeemer’s
presentation to them; or, after He has been so presented to them
that there can be no excuse for the unbeliever’s rejection of Him.
Till then, death cannot hold one of the race redeemed; they live
again by virtue of the connection with "the man Christ Jesus, who
gave himself a ransom for all" men, by the virtue and right of his
kinsmanship. But, "If we sin willfully after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for
sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery
indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." - Heb
10:26,27. Till such willful sin of the rejection of the Redeemer,
his relationship remains, and life somehow will be secured till the
trial of the individual is fairly and fully made. To suppose
otherwise, is to suppose that the whole scheme of human redemption
is a mockery and deception to the vast majority of those "for whom
Christ died."
GOD’S PLEDGE.
God has pledged himself, that "He will destroy...
the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is
spread over all nations," and "swallow up death in victory." -
Isa 25:7,8. And he further said, "My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD: for as the heavens
are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and
my thoughts than your thoughts: for as the rain cometh down, and the
snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth,
and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to sower,
and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I
sent it." - Isa 55:8-11.
A "MORTAL
RESURRECTION."
The idea of a mortal resurrection for the purpose
of inflicting torment (however short a time) and then killing again,
is a baseless assumption, having no foundation in the Bible, in
justice or reason. The character of such a transaction must ever be
looked upon as an arbitrary act of revenge; as unlike God as the act
of eternal torment, which justly shocks the reason of all thinking
and unprejudiced minds. Neither of those views has any likeness of
the God who "so loved the world as to give his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have
everlasting life," No revival into life of an man, once dead, will
ever take place except as an act of grace or favor. God has given
his "Son power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to
as many as the Father has given Him." In order to attain this
eternal life, "all flesh" must first "know Thee, the only True God,
and Jesus Christ," etc. - Joh 17:2,3. In order to obtain such
knowledge the "true God and Jesus Christ" must be made known, as
proclaimed to "all flesh," or to all Adam’s race: and the Father
hath given Christ power over all flesh for this very purpose, and
none can fail of that life except by a willful rejection of it;
which they can never be guilty of doing till the Truth is made know
to them.
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