Ministration of Angels

WHEN Christ rose from the grave, he brought forth some of the prisoners (See Matt. 27:52,53), both to show his power, and also as a pledge that he will bring them all out at a proper time. When Satan had the power, he refused to let any out of the grave (Isa. 14:17; Jude 9); but now Jesus has the keys of the grave, and can bring forth the prisoners when he chooses. So now the saints of God are quietly sleeping, waiting in the grave till Jesus shall call them forth. To those who were mourning for their dead friends, the apostle said, "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." 1 Thess. 4:13,14. They sleep in Jesus, waiting till the resurrection. All go into the grave, and all will be brought out again. All, by virtue of Christ's resurrection, will be raised from the dead. Again, Paul says, "And [I] have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." Acts 24:15. The same apostle says that Christ tasted death for every man. Heb. 2:9. John says, "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world." 1 John 4:14. Some may think that this is Universalism, but we think not. By the transgression of Adam, the whole human race lost their lives and their probation, and were shut up in the grave. Here they must have remained eternally if Christ had not rescued them. By his death and resurrection, all will be brought back to life. But will all have glory, immortality, and the inheritance, bestowed upon them whether they seek for them or not? No; these are only to be obtained by obedience. "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isa. 1:19,20. Not all who are brought from the grave will have immortality. "Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." John 5:28,29.

All men now occupy a position similar to that which the two brothers occupied in the illustration previously given, when they were taken out of prison by their elder brother. Jesus has, in prospect, brought all men out of the grave. So far, it is universal salvation; so far, he is the Saviour of all men. All are affected by his death; all will be rescued, by him, from the grave. "For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe." 1 Tim. 4:10. We have seen how he is the Saviour of all men; but Paul adds, "especially of those that believe." How is this? Manifestly thus: The Lord now says to all men, as the elder brother in the illustration said to his brothers, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Phil. 2:12. Again: "I call Heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live." Deut. 30:19.

We are now called upon to "choose" life or death. This shows that we are on probation. The human family have once failed, and now know by experience the sad consequences of doing wrong. But Jesus has saved them from the consequences of this failure, and has placed them on a second trial. Now, if they are faithful and obedient, so that he can safely trust them in the new earth, he will restore to them all that they have lost. All whom he cannot thus trust, will have no share in the inheritance.

"And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much. If, therefore, ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, Who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?" Luke 16:9-12.

Here is the point exactly: you are now working on trial; if you are not faithful now, where is the evidence that you ever will be? Can God safely trust you with an inheritance in the new earth? All must readily see that he could not consistently do so. Hence he now says to us, "Work out your own salvation." Phil. 2:12. "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land." Isa. 1:19. All who are unfaithful will be remanded back to prison, will be reduced to dust again, as the just penalty for their misconduct.

All will be raised from the first death; but the wicked will have to suffer a second death. "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power." Rev. 20:6. "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." Verse 14. If the wicked suffer a second death, it must be a death like the first one, otherwise it could not be called a second death. The first death reduces men to dust the first time, and the second death will reduce them to dust the second time. "But," says the Universalist, "if this be so, then Jesus is not the Saviour of all men." Will he not resurrect all men? Will he not rescue them from the grave? Yes. Then if a part of them, by their misconduct, bring themselves back to dust again, does it prove that he never saved them? Suppose that today I see a child drowning. I jump into the water and save his life, and thus become his saviour. Ten years hence, this child deliberately throws himself into the water in the same place, and is drowned. Now does this alter the case any? Is it not just as true that I saved the child? It certainly is. Says Jude, "The Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not." Verse 5. So the Lord did once save a people whom he afterward destroyed. So Christ will save all men from the grave. Then those who have wrought righteousness will have eternal life, and those who have wrought wickedness will die the second death as the reward of their deeds. Thus Jesus is "the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe."

What was the purpose of God in the creation of this world? When God created man, and before he had fallen, the Lord said to him, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it." Gen. 1:28. God's purpose concerning the earth may here be learned. It was that it should be replenished, or filled with inhabitants. The same truth is stated in Isaiah 45:18: "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited; I am the Lord and there is none else." God says that he formed the earth to be inhabited, and although it had fallen, yet he says, "He hath established, he created it not in vain." Then it is plain that the Lord's purpose was to have the earth filled with inhabitants who should dress the earth and delight themselves in its beauty and productions. If Adam and his posterity had proved faithful till that time, probably the test of their obedience, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, would have been removed, they would have been confirmed in immortality, and made as the saints will be in the kingdom; that is, they would neither marry nor be given in marriage. Then, of course, they would not "multiply" any more after the earth was "replenished." Then man would have peaceably inhabited the earth forever.

To Adam was given the glorious privilege of accomplishing this work. But Adam failed and fell. Now will God's purpose be frustrated? No, never! Jesus Christ, the second Adam, Rom. 5:15; 1 Cor. 15:45, now came down from Heaven, took man's nature upon himself, stepped into Adam's place, began where he failed, and will carry out the very work which the first Adam failed to do. Through him the earth will yet be filled with a race of holy men, and he will have the dominion and kingdom which Adam might have had, but lost. Luke 19:10; Micah 4:8; Rev. 11:15.

Hence the first promise after the fall was that the seed of the woman (Christ) should bruise the serpent's head. Gen. 3:15. To Eve God said, "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." Gen. 3:16. What does this mean? God had before told them to multiply and replenish the earth. If Adam and his posterity had all been obedient and righteous, none would have ever died. This being the case, it is evident that the requirement to multiply and replenish the earth, would soon have been fulfilled. But how is it now? Out of the millions upon millions who have been born, only a few, one here and another there, are fit for the kingdom of God, and will be saved. God will select these few righteous ones out of the great mass of corruption, and place them in the new earth to replenish it, and thus carry out what he at first intended, i. e., to have the earth filled with inhabitants.

Thus we readily see that, now, to get the complement of righteous persons which God first required, the sorrow and conception of woman has been "greatly multiplied." In this light we can understand 1 Tim. 2:14,15 : "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding, she shall be saved in child-bearing, if they continue in faith, and charity, and holiness, with sobriety." Thus we see that the woman, by child-bearing, is to repair the mischief that she wrought by transgression. And the earth is yet to be filled with righteous men.

Why has God permitted this wicked world to stand so long? He hates sin. But for six thousand years he has suffered it to go on when he could have put an end to it at any moment. The reason of this is evident. Enough righteous persons must be saved out of the race to people the new earth. A few out of the first generation were righteous, but not enough to fill the earth. So the Lord permits it to continue another generation. A few more are saved, but not enough yet. So it has gone on, one generation after another, a few being saved out of each. When a sufficient number has been saved, I believe that the time of probation will close. Then Christ will come to gather his saints and take possession of the earth. Matt. 24:30,31; 13:40-43.