|
Not only the living will benefit in the Millennium and have an opportunity for the earthly salvation. St. Paul speaks of "God our Savior, whose will it is that all men should find salvation and come to know the truth." Those who died without this knowledge must therefore be awakened from the dead if they are to get it. All of us have relatives and friends who died without being "saved", in the sense that they did not exercise faith in Jesus as their Savior and gain the heavenly inheritance. From the broader standpoint we realize that most of earth's millions since the creation of man never even heard of Jesus, and would appear to be lost forever, since "Salvation is to be found through him alone; in all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us" (Acts 4:12). Many Christians have been taught that all opportunity for attaining eternal life is limited strictly to the present life, which logically implies that the redeeming work of Jesus was a failure, since the vast majority of mankind would then be lost. The Bible does not support this dismal conclusion.
The ransom paid by Jesus guarantees release from Adamic death for every one of the human race. "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." It may seem incredible that the dead will live again, but with God, all things are possible. Jesus said, "Don't be so surprised! Indeed the time is coming when the dead in their graves shall hear the voice of God's son, and shall rise again" (John 5:28,29). The implications of the awakening of the dead are immense, but abundant Bible testimony can be found as to God's plan to restore the human family, and the great adventure is soon to begin. |
The Milk
|
