flash of lightning, and the roar of
thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He
looks upon the graves of the righteous, then raising His hands to heaven
He cries, "Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!"
Throughout the length and breadth of the earth, the dead shall hear that
voice; and they that hear shall live. And the whole earth shall ring with
the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue,
and people. From the prison-house of death they come, clothed with
immortal glory, crying, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory?"(1116) And the living righteous and the risen saints unite
their voices in a long, glad shout of victory.

All come forth from their graves the same in stature as when they entered
the tomb. Adam, who stands among the risen throng, is of lofty height and
majestic form, in stature but little below the Son of God. He presents a
marked contrast to the people of later generations; in this one respect is
shown the great degeneracy of the race. But all arise with the freshness
and vigor of eternal youth. In the beginning, man was created in the
likeness of God, not only in character, but in form and feature. Sin
defaced and almost obliterated the divine image; but Christ came to
restore that which had been lost. He will change our vile bodies, and
fashion them like unto His glorious body. The mortal, corruptible form,
devoid of comeliness, once polluted with sin, becomes perfect, beautiful,
and immortal. All blemishes and deformities are left in the grave.
Restored to the tree of life in the long-lost Eden, the redeemed will
"grow up"(1117) to the full stature of the race in its primeval glory. The
last lingering traces of the curse of sin will be removed, and Christ's
faithful ones will appear "in the beauty of the Lord our God," in mind and
soul and body reflecting the perfect image of their Lord. Oh, wonderful
redemption! long talked of, long hoped for, contemplated with eager
anticipation, but never fully understood.

The living righteous are changed "in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye." At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal,
and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air.
Angels "gather together the elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other." Little children are borne by holy angels to their
mothers' arms. Friends long separated by