esurrection whose love and conduct after their conversion have made
them worthy of it. We shall quote from a volume which teaches this:

"By the first resurrection Christ exercises His power; when, as we
shall presently see, those only, whose love and conduct after
conversion have caused Him to deem them worthy, will come forth from
the dead, to form the complete church and to act as members of the
Heavenly Kingdom.

"By the final resurrection of all the remaining dead; when those who
have been saved, but did not attain to the First resurrection, will be
raised to life: and those who have rejected the Saviour will come forth
for judgment. This resurrection does not take place until the close of
the millennial reign, that is, until at least a thousand years after
the First resurrection."

According to this the first resurrection is a reward for faithfulness
and right conduct. One has to attain a worthiness, what measure of it
is not specified, and could not be specified by anyone. The complete
church will be formed by those who are faithful. The other believers
who were truly saved, and also indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but less
faithful, will see no resurrection till the great White Throne is set
up. That this is altogether unscriptural need not to be further
explained. No believer, who is saved by grace and hence is a member of
Christ, will ever appear before the great White Throne. The second
resurrection is of the wicked dead.

The author then goes to the Epistle to the Philippians and tries to
show from the third chapter that the first resurrection is a prize.
Especially is it the word of the Apostle in the tenth and eleventh
verses he explains as supporting his false theory. We will let him
speak in his own words:

"But what was the goal towards which Paul was thus directing his
efforts? 'If by any means,' he continues, 'I may attain to the select
resurrection out from among the dead.' In other words, his aim was to
be numbered with those blessed and holy ones who shall have part in the
first resurrection. But we must note, that he had at the time, _no
certain assurance_ (italics ours) that he would compass the desire of
his heart. * * * Just before his death, however, it was graciously
revealed to him that he was one of the approved."

Speaking on the thirteenth and fourteenth verses of the same chapter in
Philippians, he says:

"Here Paul again urges the fact, that, devoted as he was