"THE FIRST RESURRECTION," PREPARATORY TO THE PERSONAL REIGN OF CHRIST; BEING NOTES UPON "THE FIRST RESURRECTION," PRECEDED Br GENERAL REMARKS ON THE BOOK Or REVELATION. By E. B.
THE former is the better written, the latter is the more truthful, of these two little works. The very title of the first, in the sense in which the writer uses it, is an obvious mistake. “The first resurrection " is the term used by the Holy Ghost to denote the condition of all the saints who live and reign with Christ during the thousand years. It is the contrast to the state of the wicked, who at the close stand and are judged before the great white throne. It is not the same thing as the "dead in Christ" who “rise first" in 1 Thess. 4. who are evidently distinguished from the living Christians—" then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them." But the term “first resurrection “in Rev. 20 is applied equally to two classes of believing sufferers, who are witnesses for God on earth, subsequent to the removal of the Church (properly so called), as described in 1 Thess. 4. and 1 Cor. 15:3131I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (1 Corinthians 15:31). This plainly flows from the hook of Revelation itself, as may be seen in various papers of the present publication. The mistake affects many statements throughout.
Another serious defect is, that the writer, not seeing the calling of the Church, continually applies to us passages in the Old and New Testament, which speak really about the faithful Jews. Hence, the Psalms, Daniel, and the other prophets, are habitually misconstrued. Nevertheless it may be added that the answers to common errors and objections are, in general, excellent, so far as they go.
The second work, as to these points, is subject to Scripture. Without vouching for all its statements (for instance, as to the innumerable multitude, Babylon, the structure of the Apocalypse, and other matters), it may be recommended as helpful to those who seek a plain sketch of the book, and a just view of the first resurrection