[558]St. Paul emphatically states that the Lord Jesus shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. (2 Timothy 4:1) In this he is corroborated by St. Peter (1 Peter 4:5) The word quick here means the living, those who have some measure of life; and the text is so rendered in the Weymouth translation. When the new covenant is made and the Lord begins to deal with the people, it will be with the living first. It would be unreasonable to suppose that he would first awaken the dead and deal with them, and then with the living later. Jesus, speaking of the great time of trouble with which the present world reaches a final conclusion, indicated that many human beings will pass through the trouble. (Matthew 24:21,22) The prophet Zechariah informs us that a portion of the people will be brought through the fiery trouble, and refined, and then will call upon the name of the Lord and he will hear them. (Zechariah 13:8,9) Those who learn of the Lord's kingdom and readily put themselves under its direction and become obedient to the laws and rules of his new kingdom will be the ones who will be blessed and acknowledged of the Lord, and rapidly restored.
[559]Further corroborative proof is given by the prophet Isaiah that restoration will begin with those living on the earth at the beginning of the Messianic reign. There are millions of persons now living who have a sincere and honest desire for righteousness. Many of these love the Lord to the extent of their knowledge of him; but their knowledge is so limited because they have been taught so much error concerning his character that they are filled with fear and dread. They have not sufficient knowledge of him to have real faith. They have not gone on to the point of consecration. They have heard of the Lord's second coming and hope for something better. They realize that there is great trouble in the world and see no human remedy for it. They long for a complete and proper relief.
[560]To such Jehovah says through his Prophet: "Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing." (Isaiah 35:4-6) These words could have no application to persons who are in their graves, and must exclusively apply to those who are living at the beginning of the Messianic reign. Furthermore, when the dead are raised up, they will not come forth from the graves minus arms, or legs, or other parts of the body; but 'God will give to each a body as it pleaseth him' (1 Corinthians 15:38)—a reasonably sound body. And as a man renders himself in obedience to righteousness, his body will develop toward perfection. There are now on earth millions who are blind, or deaf, or lame, or dumb, or cripples in some form; and these are the ones to whom the Prophet refers. The kingdom being in operation, as these come to a knowledge of God's great arrangements and obey the righteous laws under the new covenant, they will develop new arms, legs, eyes; be given the power of speech, and gradually develop a sound body.
[561]When these great miracles begin to be performed in the earth, then the most skeptical, it is to be hoped, will believe that the Lord Jesus reigns. The miracles which he performed while on earth in opening the eyes of the blind and healing the sick were merely examples of what he will do in his glorified condition. Because it is both unreasonable and unscriptural to expect that the dead will come forth from their graves in a maimed, deaf, and dumb condition; but will come forth with reasonably sound bodies, these words of the Prophet conclusively prove that restoration will begin with those who are living on the earth at the beginning of the Messianic reign.
[562]Concerning the work of the Christ of restoring the peoples of earth, and looking forward to that time, St. Paul writes; "The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God"—the kingdom class. (Romans 8:19,22) Those who thus travail in pain, groan, wait, and hope for something better, could not be the dead ones, but those who are living at the inauguration of the new order. There are millions now on earth who are looking and hoping for a better time, and groaning for that relief. They understand not the mystery of God. They do not understand how his sons constitute the seed of Abraham for their blessing; yet they hope for something.
[563]During the World War millions were maimed and disfigured in various ways, and many deprived of one or both arms or legs. Because the Lord is now present, putting his kingdom into operation, it is to be expected that many of these crippled and maimed ones will be among the first to receive the restoration blessings. As they come to a knowledge of the fact that the Lord is giving these blessings, and render themselves in obedience to his righteous rule, they will be thus blessed. Happy will be their portion when they begin to be restored. Joyful will be their friends and loved ones to see such restoration blessings being ministered unto them.
[564]While the trouble in the earth is ever increasing and the suffering of the poor increases, some are manifesting a greater amount of sympathy and consideration; while others are becoming more unreasonable and harsh toward the poor. The Lord indicates what class he will favor in this time of trouble, saying: "Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth." (Psalm 41:1,2) Surely this could apply to none other than those now living in this time of trouble, because when restitution blessings begin the time of trouble will be over.
[565]Upon the earth there are now, according to the best statistics obtainable, approximately 1,700,000,000 persons who have a measure of life. The proof cited herein shows that the old world (social and political order) ended and began to pass away in 1914, and that this will be completed in a few years and righteousness fully established. The Scriptural evidence further is that many will be brought through this time of trouble, and these will be the ones with whom the Lord will first begin the work of restoration.
[566]The first world ended with a great flood, in which a few persons, to wit, eight, were saved by being carried over in the ark from the old to the new order of things that God established immediately after the flood under Noah. This was an example or picture representing the passing away of the present evil world and showing that many will be carried over from the old to the new. When God had delivered Noah and his family from the perils of the deluge and Noah builded an altar before the Lord and offered a sacrifice, the Lord made promise to Noah, saying: "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; ... neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." (Genesis 8:21,22) The Scriptures show that "the earth abideth forever". (Ecclesiastes 1:4) Therefore this statement to Noah is a positive promise that never again will the earth witness the destruction of every living thing. Seeing, then, that we are at the end of the old order and the opening of the new, and that according to the Scriptures many must pass over to the new, it can be confidently announced that MILLIONS OF PEOPLE NOW LIVING WILL NEVER DIE, because these being offered restitution blessings the presumption must be indulged that many of them will accept and be obedient to the new order of things.
[567]It was Jesus who said: "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die". (John 11:26) The people of the world do not yet live, nor have they had an opportunity of life; and this opportunity cannot come to mankind in general until the times of restoration begin. Then the living ones who believe on the Lord shall not die. We should keep in mind, however, that to believe means to act upon that belief, in accordance with it, and to be obedient to the new order that the Lord will establish in the earth. Furthermore Jesus said: "If any man keep my saying, he shall never see death". (John 8:51) Men cannot keep the sayings of Jesus until they hear them; and the world cannot hear until the Lord's due time. (1 Timothy 2:5,6) We are now entering that due time and the message of the kingdom is being given out, by the Lord's grace, that some may hear, and hearing, may profit and live.