Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 March 1913 — THE VERY FIRST RESURRECTION [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE VERY FIRST RESURRECTION

The Distinction Between Jesus’ Resurrection end All Others. ——r. hj Eaater Sunday's New Meaning—Pastor . Russell Shows Bcripturally the Difference Between Awakening the Dead and Resurrecting the Dead—Several Were Awakened Before Jesus, but He Was the First Resurrected—The Church’s Resurrection—'Th«, Subsequent Resurrection of the World.

„St Louis, Mo., March 23.—Pastor Russell spoke twice here today. We report his address on the Resurrection, from the text, “He should be the first that should rise from the ’dead.” Acts 26:23. With startling clearness the speaker point-

ed out that Jesus’ resurrection was the very first as the text declared. He led his hearers back to Eden, and let them hear the Divine penalty for sin—- “ Dying thou shalt die.” He showed that this dying process operated in Adam for nine hundred thirty yekrs before its action was complete. Adam’s children, humanity, never bad Adam’s original perfection; for they were fallen at the time of birth. On this subject bojb Old and New Testament agree. Next the Pastor showed that the Greek word anastasis, translated resurrection, means a raising up again—the word again implying a former standard. That standard ls.the Image and likeness of God, which none of Adam’s children have fully possessed.

“Not Possible to Be Holden.” St Peter declares that it was not possible for death to bold Jesus. (Acts 2:24.) He was perfect. It was the Father’s will that Jesus should demonstrate His obedience even unto death. Hence it was not possible for Jesus to remain under the power of death, and God raised Him on the third day. Jesus was perfect on the spirit plane, before He exchanged the spirit nature for the human, to become man’s Redeemer. He never forfeited His right to life. He merely laid It down in proof of His loyalty to the Father’s will. Hence His resurrection meant His resuscitation in perfection. But It was not God’s will that He should return to perfection of human nature; for He had used that nature for the purpose Intended. He was raised from the power of death to the very highest plane; namely, the Divine nature. The Pastor asked his audience to contrast Jesus' resurrection with the awakening of Jalrus' daughter; the widow of Nain’s son; Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha; or any of the awakenings recorded lp the Old Testament These were nothing more than mere awakenings from the sleep of death. They were not therefore, resurrections. The resurrection of any of these sleeping ones would have meant much more than was accomplished in them. It would have meant their restoration to the full Image and likeness of God, lost in Eden. As It was, the awakened ones merely bad the advantage of a few more years in the present life, and then fell asleep again, to await the glorious Day of Messiah’s Kingdom. The First (Chief) Resurrection.

The Pastor made it clear that the Church of Christ consists of the truly consecrated in all denominations and some outside of denominational fences, which are barriers not authorized by Scripture. He quoted Phillppians 3:10 and other Scriptures which show that these true Christians are to have a share with Jesus in His Resurrection. The inherited blemishes of these are covered through the merit of Jesus, thus justifying them. This justification permits their being accepted of God as His children. The Pastor seemed to give the thought that in the Divine Purpose a foreordained number of the Church class must suffer with Christ before the Millennium begins. Their sufferings are not vicarious, as were Jesus’, nor necessary for the redemption of the world, as were our Lord’s. The sufferings are necessary to prove their loyalty to God. and to demonstrate their worthiness of joint-heirship with Jesus. The Church’s suffering is the dying' to earthly conditions and ambitions, as did Jesus. His faithful followers will experience a similarly glorious resurrection to a higher nature—the Divine Easter and tha Passover. Pastor Russell says that the word Easter occura only once In our Com mon Version Bible, and is a mistranslation. It should be rendered Passover. Blaster was a heathen festival honoring the goddess of Spring. The name was transferred to the Passover cele bration of the early Church, In honor of our Lord’s Resurrection. Whatever the word originally meant, tt stands now as a synonym for the glorious resurrection of the world’s Re deemer from death and from human nature to glory, honor aud Immortality —the Divine nature. The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee for the resurrection of “the Churchy which is His Body.” It also assures us of the world’s resurrection—that an opportunity for everlasting life will be given to all through Messiah’s Kingdom.