The Coming of a Literal Christ.
By Editor
THE words of Paul in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 have been considered. Reference is made to them again to show the parallel between this and other scriptures. "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." Jesus also says that the trumpet shall sound when he comes. "And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matt. 24:30, 31. And when the Lord himself shall descend, and the trumpet sounds, the dead in Christ shall rise. See the words of Paul to the church of Corinth. 1 Cor. 15:51-55: "Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." They who deny the literality of the resurrection, pervert this scripture, saying that it means that when the saint dies (or any other, in fact), the incorruptible spirit, or immortal soul, rises from or out of the corruptible—the body—and this is called the resurrection. We say they pervert it, because they directly contradict the words of inspiration. The text continues: "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." The corruptible becomes incorrupt; the mortal becomes immortal. And so it was with Christ, the pledge and first-fruits of our resurrection. He was mortal; for he died. He was raised immortal; for "death hath no more dominion over him." Rom. 6:9. And to this agree the words of Paul in 1 Cor. 15:42-45. Of the resurrection of the dead body, he says: "It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit," or life-giving spirit. And this life is given in the resurrection. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." Col. 3:4. "He that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." 1 John 5:10, 11. Not in ourselves; not in "the first man Adam;" not in our natures, but in the Son of God, the only life-giver. The reader must not think we are dealing in any fancy sketches in attributing to the non-literalists the wrong construction of 1 Cor. 15:53, 54, which we noticed; we have known the text to be thus expounded: The incorruptible shall leave this corruptible; and the immortal shall escape from the clog of this mortal. But the text says: "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." This language is unmistakable. We cannot hesitate to say that nothing less than a gross perversion can make it teach anything but a literal resurrection of the dead. We could give further explicit testimony; but if "in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established," we need go no further; for we have given several times that number of the most explicit witnesses to the resurrection of the dead—of the bodies of the dead, of them that sleep in the earth. Upon these testimonies we base the hope of life on the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead. Paul calls the coming of Christ "that blessed hope" (Titus 2:13); because when he comes, the dead in Christ shall rise immortal, and then—and not till then—is brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory." Then the saints who have been under the dominion of death, shall rise glorious, incorruptible, immortal. Remembering the agonies of death through which they passed, they shout exultingly, "O death, where is thy sting?" Looking down upon the dusty beds which have long contained them, which they have now left forever, they triumphantly inquire, "O grave, where is thy victory?" And the translated saints, who have not slept, but who have been changed to immortality in the twinkling of an eye, as they are caught up together with the resurrected ones in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, join in the glad song of triumph, all uniting in the cry, "Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." How strongly fortified is our faith in the precious promises through Jesus and the resurrection! How confidently we may say with the poet,— "Here I can fix my hope secure;
This is Thy word, and must endure." We have quoted a number of scriptures which say that the reward, the crown of righteousness, the crown of life, will be given at the appearing of Jesus. At the appearing of Jesus, the dead in Christ arise immortal, incorruptible, glorified. And Jesus has again located the receiving of the reward at the resurrection in Luke 14:13, 14: "But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: and thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." In view of these words, the apostle Paul was certainly justified in his expression in 1 Cor. 15:32: "If after the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die." On these words Dr. Clarke comments as follows:— "What the apostle says here, is a regular and legitimate conclusion from the doctrine that there is no resurrection; for if there be no resurrection, then there can be no Judgment, no future state of rewards and punishments; why, therefore, should we bear crosses, and keep ourselves under continual discipline? Let us eat and drink, take all the pleasure we can; for to-morrow we die, and there is an end of us forever." Decisive as is this conclusion, we have not yet reached the climax of the apostle's great argument. There were those in his day also who denied the resurrection of the dead. To such, and against their heresy, was his argument on the resurrection directed. This being the case, the blindness of those in this day who deny the resurrection is inexcusable. He starts out in this chapter by declaring unto them the gospel in its three great facts,—the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. To deny either of these facts is to deny the gospel. The certainty of his resurrection is shown in that "he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once." Again: "He was seen of James; then of all the apostles." And last of all, he was seen of Paul also. He then frames his argument on this fact. "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" Sure enough. Why deny that there will be a resurrection, a literal resurrection, if Christ was raised from the dead? Every one who denies or doubts the resurrection of the dead should take this question to heart. "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen." And every one who denies the resurrection, ought to be prepared for this conclusion. And this is not all: "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." Thus we see that consequences of infinite importance attach to the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. The apostle so highly valued his argument and the conclusion that he repeated it in the following words: "For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised; and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." This carries the conclusion still further. If there be no resurrection of the dead, our faith is vain; our hope is vain; the sleeping saints are perished; and we are yet in our sins; our hope does not reach beyond the present life; for thus he says: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." But we must remember that while all these consequences are suspended on the resurrection of the dead, the resurrection itself is suspended on the coming of the Lord. If there is to be no second advent of Christ,—if "the Lord himself shall" not "descend,"—then the trump of God will not sound; the voice of the archangel will not be heard; the dead in Christ will not arise; this mortal will not put on immortality; the saints will not be changed; the song of victory over death and the grave will not be sung; the crown of life will not be received; the reward will not be given; the saints will not appear in glory; they will not be recompensed; then our faith is vain, we are yet in our sins, and our sleeping friends are perished. We may then indeed sorrow even as they that have no hope. We invite all doubting ones who think slightly of the advent doctrine, to examine this argument carefully, notice the apostle's words, and the declarations of the Lord himself, and see if every conclusion is not legitimate and unavoidable. To be ashamed of the doctrine of the second advent, as many now are, is to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is the very essence and fatness of the gospel, because it brings the fruition of the gospel faith and hope. Without it there is no hope. And we invite all those who question the literality of the second advent and of the kingdom, to test their theories by all the testimony of the scriptures we have presented. "How readest thou?" Are you satisfied to rest your faith upon a theory which apparently harmonizes with a few texts, while it manifestly perverts many texts, and destroys the very foundations of the gospel? The Lord is jealous of his word, and will hold us to account for the use that we make of it. We verily believe there are thousands who are making the sad mistake of loving their own opinion of the Bible, while they think they love the Bible itself. Such are not willing to bow to the evidences presented from the Bible unless they coincide with their opinions. They are ready to chide the Bible with vexed feelings if it will not prove what they have decided to believe. But all such have no genuine faith. They do not tremble at the word. They do not seek counsel of the Scriptures to regulate their faith and their lives by its teachings; but they decide what they wish to have for right, and103endeavor to make the Bible justify the desires of their own hearts. Reader, may we not say, "We are persuaded better things of you"? Are you prepared to meet the Saviour on his inquiry, "How readest thou?" To read amiss, to pervert the testimony of the Most High, is only to bring upon ourselves confusion when the King shall come to reckon with his servants. May the Lord help us to read with such reverence and humility that it may be to our eternal good and to his glory. "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."