in it is, that Jesus did take his throne, when he came in his
glory, at the destruction of the temple. Then it is equally certain,
that the apostles and martyrs also took their's at the same period and
in the same sense. _Then_ Christ came and "his holy angels" and all
the saints came with him; not literally, but in the same sense that he
himself came. Luke ix:26, 27--"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me
and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when he shall
come in his own glory and of his Father's and of the holy angels; but
I tell you of a truth there be some standing here which shall not
taste death till they see the kingdom of God." I Thess. iii:13--"To
the end he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God
our Lord even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with
all his saints." Here we perceive, that he was to come "_with all his
saints and holy angels_." By his _holy angels_, we are to understand
his gospel messengers or martyred apostles and by _his_ saints, those
who had died in his cause. These are the persons who are said to be
_dead in Christ, and asleep in Jesus_. By the words _dead and asleep_
we are not to understand their present extinction of existence in
contrast with their immortal resurrection, but the supposed _low and
disgraceful_ cause in which they died, or for which they were put to
death by their persecutors, as malefactors. This _disgraceful
condition_, in which their murderers viewed them as unchangeably
sleeping, stands in contrast with their _triumphant exaltation_ at the
coming of Christ. Their enemies would _then_ look upon them as having
come forth from the dust of the earth and shining as the brightness of
the firmament and as the stars forever and ever, and not as sleeping
in perpetual infamy and dishonor. [See Daniel xii 2, 3, and John v:28,
29.] Their enemies (whether dead or alive) were to come forth to
_shame, contempt, and condemnation_, which stand in contrast with the
_glory and honor_ to which the Christians (whether dead or alive in
Christ) were to be raised in the minds of the living even to
succeeding generations.

Let it be distinctly noticed that _these dead in Christ_ are not said
to be raised _incorruptible and immortal_, but only caught up with the
living Christians in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air--not
_literally_, but in the same sense that the living saw the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven, so should th