resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Here too we shall be helped in our understanding by the parallel set forth previously between what is called the first and the second resurrections, noticing the marked difference in the character, subjects, time, place, results and company. Thus we have considered the Biblical teaching of the doctrine of the resurrections. Comes now the question, just how important is all this to our present scene and to ourselves—and how vital is our relationship to this whole matter? In answer ing we must realize that while some will fail to see and understand, yet it is nevertheless true that God has ordered all things around His Son, Jesus Christ, for it is written, “ For in him we live, and move, and have our being . . .” (Acts 17:28). This, discerning eyes can clearly see from life, nature and revelation. In August, 1949 Mrs. Martha Beck, fearing she might become unattractive because she was gaining too much weight, undertook a vigorous schedule of calis thenics calculated to reduce her balloon-like body to a better size and shape. Strangely, she did not live in a Park Avenue penthouse when she died, which was destined to be very shortly, but rather in Sing Sing death house for murder. Though doom was just ahead she continued to primp, still concerned about her fat, flabby, unattractive appearance. Even to the end she was unable to see life in its true essence, and death shortly overtook her. This is a parable of a great many who are daily living apart from God in Christ. Busy with all sorts of exercises and investigations of the world about us and the rela tionship that these things bear to each other and to us, they completely fail to take into account the fact that they live on death row. Furthermore, they are tragically unaware of the fact that all the concern and labor are wasted unless they come face to face with the ultimate fact of impending doom, and put faith in Christ. So let us face it. What could be more simple and more clearly revealed in revelation than the fact that all will die? What awaits us beyond death is revealed in the doctrine of resurrections. While we may not understand all that revelation has set forth and some questions will go unanswered, yet of this we can be abso lutely sure, that Christ has opened to us by faith a new and living way, not only for this life but also the life to come. All this is ours when we come in obedience by faith to Christ, wherein we experience a spiritual resur rection which assures us of a part in the glorious first resurrection. In this connection we possess as believers that which gives to us the victory over all the vanities of this world of death. So as Christians we can say with Paul, “ I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20), and also with John, “ Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2). END
They are at least a part of that remnant and of the martyred portion of it. This may be considered a picture of the martyred remnant, setting forth the explicit as surance of God’s Word that resurrection from the dead and ascension to heaven are the destiny that awaits them. Nor is this all. As we know, the beast had other victims of his persecuting rage whose death is noticed further in the Book of Revelation, 12:11; 13:7, 15. These we may believe are the remainder for whose death the martyrs under the fifth seal were told they must wait. What a glorious victory will be theirs over the beast, his image, his mark, the number of his name. In the 15th chapter they are presented as a distinct company of vic tors, while in chapter 20, verse 4 they are associated with Christ and His co-heirs, and with their brethren, the martyrs of the fifth seal, in the glory of the millennial reign. The picture becomes increasingly clear. Thus we now see both companies, the general body of the faithful, and the tribulation martyrs so described here as well as in Revelation 6. You may note that these are a company for whom the former had to wait, and now they join the former living and reigning with Christ a thousand years. III. THE REST OF THE DEAD We come now to consider that great group of those who died out of Christ. Earlier we stated that these died to face death in contrast to the others who died to face life. This is clear as we read, “ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were fin ish ed ...” (Rev. 20:5). Understand this literally and it is quite clear how the wicked are termed “ the rest of the dead,” seeing that the righteous and wicked had all alike been dead with respect to the body. Obviously, the conclusion cannot be avoided that the raised ones at the beginning of the thousand years and the “rest of the dead” who “ lived not again until the thousand years were finished,” were all dead in the same sense and at the same time prior to the first resurrection. Evidently, the death is an actual literal death, so the resurrection must be also an actual literal resurrec tion. If one rejects the plain obvious sense of the chapter as foretelling an actual resurrection of the saints to reign with Christ, one becomes involved at once in numerous and serious difficulties. Behold the triumphs of Christianity being set forth by the figure of the resur rection of the martyrs to live and reign with Christ, while the expression “ the rest of the dead” who “ live not again until the thousand years were finished” is ex plained to mean the wicked who rise up again at the end of the millennium. This brings us to the great white throne judgment where we see “ . . . the dead, small and great, stand before God . . .” (vs. 12), and where we see . . the dead were judged out of these things which were written in the books, according to their works” (vs. 12). Those who have boasted they want to be judged on their record, their good deeds and works, will be given that oppor tunity which certainly those who know God’s grace would never want to undergo. The sixth verse emphasizes the importance of all this and the great contrast when it says, “ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
OCTOBER, 1960
25
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online