The passage mainly relied upon by the advocates of this theory is the twentieth chapter of the book of Revelation, which speaks of the first and second resurrection.  But the first resurrection there described cannot be identical with the resurrection described by Paul at our Lord’s advent.  The resurrection described by Paul includes in express terms all the righteous, whereas this first resurrection of the Apocalypse is restricted to a certain class, namely, the martyrs and confessors for Christ’s sake (ver. 4), while the rest of the dead live not till the thousand years are over (ver. 5).  Then there is a general resurrection (ver. 11-15), which, from its very terms, includes the righteous and the wicked; for among the books then opened is “the book of life.”  The risen dead are “judged every man according to his works,” and all whose names are not found in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire.  At the same time death and hell (Hades), personified as two enemies of the human race, are cast into the lake of fire, and thus “death, the last enemy, is destroyed,” and “death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Cor. 15:26, 54. This is the resurrection which takes place upon our Lord’s advent at the last trump, not a thousand years after his advent; the resurrection and judgment, when the wicked “shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal.”  We venture not to interpret the meaning of the first resurrection, believing that it is one of the mysteries which God alone will reveal in its fulfilment.  But whether it should be taken literally or figuratively, after the analogy of the resurrection of the two witnesses (chap. 11:11), it does not seem reasonable to build upon this obscure and difficult passage a doctrine respecting our Lord’s pre-millennial advent and personal reign on earth which is so decidedly at variance with the general tenor of Scripture.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

QUOTATIONS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT IN THE NEW.

1.  As it respects inspiration, and consequent infallible authority, the quotations of the New Testament stand on a level with the rest of the apostolic writings.  The Saviour’s promise was:  “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth;” literally, “into all the truth,” that is, as immediately explained, all the truth pertaining to the Redeemer’s person and work.  When, therefore, after the fulfilment of this promise, Peter and the other apostles expounded to their brethren the Scriptures of the Old Testament, wherein the Spirit of Christ “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow,” the same “Spirit of Christ” guided them to a true apprehension of their meaning.  If we cannot trust Peter and Paul, whom Christ himself personally commissioned to preach his gospel, qualified for this work by the gift of the Holy Spirit, and endowed with