The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

XI. Edinburgh’s Manson-Resurrection Transforms “Mortal Nature”

In Scotland, Dr. WILLIAM MANSON, ⁷¹ professor of Biblical criticism at the University of Edinburgh, likewise anticipates our “change” at the Second Advent as embracing (1) the “rising from the dead” of those who “sleep,” and (2) a complete “transformation,” or translation, of the living saints. Man, he says, is but “mortal.” His “immortality” is received at the Second Advent. CFF2 859.3

“It must be noticed, however, that the apostle did not find it easy to adjust his mind to the idea of an intermediate state (2 Corinthians 5:1-8). As a Christian of the first generation he looked for everything that is mortal to be at the earliest date ‘swallowed up in life.’ With the Parousia the resurrection-body would in some way be superinduced on our existing mortal nature. In any case, whether with or without death and the intermediate state, there will come at the Second Advent a change which in the case of those mho ‘sleep’ will be a rising from the dead, and in the case of the living a complete transformation of our mortal nature into an immortal state of being.” ⁷² CFF2 859.4