THE COMING GLORY by W. L. Saunders

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 29, 1881

THE COMING GLORY.

By W. L. Saunders

THE following is extracted from a sermon on "The Two Resurrections," by W. L. Saunders, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, Cambridge, Ill. We copy from the Christian Herald.

THE SECOND RESURRECTION.

"The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." (Rev. 20:5). "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them; and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and the grave delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every man according to his works," (verses 11-13).

Daniel speaks of it as a "resurrection of shame and everlasting contempt." Jesus calls it "the resurrection of damnation." Those who die in their sins are to be raised, they are to receive their bodies back again, to receive punishment in the same body in which they sinned. Awful thought! Christ himself says, "These shall go away." From whom? From God, from Heaven, from hope, from peace. To what? "To everlasting punishment." Oh, friends! what solemn truths are these? Will you not ask your heart this moment, Which resurrection shall I share in?

How shall I leave my tomb? With triumph or regret? A fearful or a joyful doom, A curse or blessing meet?

Now I hope it is clear to your minds from what I have shown you from the word of God: 1. that all are to be raised; 2. that the first resurrection takes place when Jesus comes; 3. that only those who died in Christ are to be raised when he comes; 4. that the resurrection of all the remaining dead does not take place till the close of the millennial age.

THE TRANSLATION.

Now, for a brief time, I will speak of another important event which the Holy Spirit tells us will occur in connection with the first resurrection of Old and New Testament saints, viz., the rapture or translation of living believers. In 1 Thess. 4:15, Paul writes: "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent (or precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

Not only have we this precious truth revealed, but God has furnished us with more than one literal illustration of that wonderful change which "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," will pass over each living believer when Jesus comes. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found because God had translated him, for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Heb. 11:15). Enoch was taken out of the world before the judgment of the flood came, a type of what Jesus promises to do for those who, like Enoch, have faith and walk with God. Elijah, also, was carried up bodily into heaven.

And then, consider our Lord Jesus Christ himself. In his resurrection we have a pledge of the resurrection of all who sleep in him when he comes,

and in our Lord's ascension we have a pledge of the rapture of those who are alive and believe in him. So that our Lord Jesus Christ is not only in his resurrection the first fruits of those who sleep, but in his glorious ascension bodily he is also the first-fruits of those who shall be alive and remain. Dear hearers, what a comfort is this for those who go down to death, as well as for those who remain. Christ's resurrection is a comfort for the dead, because they will not be forgotten.

Asleep in Jesus! Time nor place Affects this precious hiding-place; On India's plains, or Lapland snows, Believers find the same repose.

And Christ's ascension is equally comforting to us, because in it we have a pledge of our translation, and that we shall not be forgotten.

Then when Jesus comes he will bring our friends with him. Many of you have lost friends. They died in the faith of Christ. Yes—they that sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him. Be of good courage, ye who are called to mourn; here is solid comfort for you. Jesus says: "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." They shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

Then will come that long-looked-for and happy hour when all the Old and New Testament saints shall be resurrected, and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; then we shall meet the saint and his Saviour, and we shall indeed see him whom we loved on earth.

Oh, what a sight will that be! The Bridegroom meet the Bride, and receive the kiss of friendship. John forecasts this happy scene, (Rev. 19:6). "And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth!"

This was Paul's intense desire, to see each and every believer walking holy and blameless before God. To the Corinthian brethren he says: "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy; for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2 Cor. 11:2). My hearers, are you robed in this fine garment of Christ's righteousness? Can you say,

Jesus thy blood and righteousness My beauty are, my glorious dress, Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed, With joy shall I lift up my head.

THE ATTITUDE OF THE CHURCH.

Many interesting questions might be asked here relative to the rapture of living believers. But the Holy Spirit has not seen fit to answer all our questions. Some will ask, But where will the resurrected and translated saints be? "They will be forever with the Lord,"—that's enough. But where will they go? With the Bridegroom, of course. "These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." Of course a large portion of the church will experience death and resurrection, but some will be alive when Jesus comes, and the world will be moving on the same then as now, with this difference, that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse." (2 Tim. 3:13). And because latter-day iniquity abounds on every hand, as we see it to-day, "the love of many will wax cold" (Matt. 24:12), and many within the church will have the form of godliness, but deny the power. (2 Tim. 3:5).

Evil servants, who profess to love their absent Master, will say in their hearts, not "My Lord will not come at all," but "My Lord delayeth his coming;" and they will cease to watch and be sober. And what then? "The Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him off (marg.) and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 24:51). And it will not be very long, for "He that shall come will come and will not tarry." Jesus says, "Behold I come quickly. Amen." The glorious day draws nearer and nearer, and when that solemn hour arrives the dead in Christ shall rise first, and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Paul closes by saying, "Comfort one another with these words." (1 Thess. 4:18). Poor comfort this to an infidel, to a rejecter of God's dear Son. Poor comfort to all whose sins are not washed away by faith in the precious blood of Christ; but it is sweet comfort to you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled, and have laid hold of the hope set before you in the gospel. My dear Christian friends, what can be a greater incentive to a holy, active life than this thought, "My Master may come to-day?"

And be sure and remember, while you work for Jesus, what the Holy Spirit has said, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." (1 John 5:19). The world lies guilty before God, never so guilty as to-day, because it never had so much gospel light; but God has made ample provision for all in Jesus, and all who will may come.

Oh for a trumpet voice, On all the world to call; To bid their hearts rejoice In Him who died for all. For all my Lord was crucified: For all, for all my Saviour died.

"And now, little children, abide in Him; that when he shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming." (1 John 2:28).