NO CONDEMNATION POSSIBLE UNTIL AFTER TRIAL.

If the worst class of non-elect do not deserve eternal torment, the less degraded certainly would not deserve it; and indeed, we are to remember that none of them can deserve any punishment until first of all they have had their trial.

True, the whole race had a trial in father Adam, in Eden, and when he lost in that trial the whole race lost life and came under the sentence of death. But in harmony with the divine plan, our Lord Jesus redeemed Adam and all his race by giving himself as the ransom-price for Adam and thus incidentally for all. We are to remember that Jesus was not only the Redeemer of the Church, but also the Redeemer of the world, as it is written: “He is a propitiation for our sins, and not for ours [the Church’s] only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” – 1 John 2:2.

If then all these non-elect have been redeemed from the first trial and its sentence with the same precious blood which redeemed the elect Church; and if the Church, by the grace of God, has had her trial in advance of the world in general, and if the Church’s trial was the result of the redemption, and without that redemption she could have no further trial for eternal life, is it not manifest that the same redemption has provided a trial for the whole world of mankind, as well as for the Church of this Gospel age?

And what matters it that the trial of the world did not take place at the same time as the trial of the Church? Has not the great God, our Savior, the full right to arrange this matter of salvation according to his own wisdom? Who amongst fallen men is competent to direct him?

And yet this is what Christian people (the professed church) has been doing; they have been attempting to arrange the divine plan, instead of hearkening to God’s own revelation respecting the same. THEY HAVE SAID, but HE HAS NOT SAID, that the present life is the only opportunity for trial, and that this trial-time will end with the end of the Gospel age. He, on the contrary, has foreseen their misrepresentations of his plan, and has caused it to be written aforetime through the prophet: “My thoughts [My plans] are not your thoughts [your plans], neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts [plans] than your thoughts [plans].” – Isa. 55:8,9.

The Scriptures tell us specifically respecting the Lord’s plan for this non-elect. We will give it first in our own phraseology and then we will give the Scriptural language. They tell us that the Church is being selected from the world in advance, in order that this little flock, thoroughly trained in the school of experience, thoroughly polished and in full conformity to the Head, Christ Jesus, is, with their Head and Lord, to constitute the Royal Priesthood, whose work will only begin after its election has been completed and it has been received into glory; and that its work will be the judging of the world of mankind, NOT in the sense of pronouncing condemnation upon them, but in the sense of granting to each member of the non-elect a trial (judgment) for eternal life.

That trial of the non-elect is guaranteed, based upon the great ransom-sacrifice wherewith all mankind were purchased from the death-sentence that came upon all through Adam.

And that this trial-time, or day of the world’s judgment, will be the Millennial day (a thousand years long), in the which full opportunity shall come to all, full knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth, as the waters cover the great deep, and a full blessing of eternal life may be attained by whoever wills and obeys, of those then on trial; and that the remainder (the unwilling and disobedient) will be destroyed in the Second Death.

Among the many Scriptures supporting this presentation we cite two which are very pointed and should be fully satisfactory if there were no others. “God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world [future] in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained” – the Christ, Head and body. – Acts 17:31.

“Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world?” – 1 Cor. 6:2. R2732