Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 January 1913 — WILL PUNISHMENT, BE EVERLASTING? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WILL PUNISHMENT, BE EVERLASTING?

Sins of Ignorance Will be Forgiven, but All Wilful Sins Will Be Punished, According to Pastor Russell. —. Bible Students Now Soo That They Were Misled by the Creeds of the Dark Ages—-They Interpreted the Bible lllogically—Enlightened Study Makes God’s Word More Reasonable and More Precious Daily.

W o r■ Je e s t e r, Mass., January 26. —Pastor Russell had crowds to bear him today. We report his discourse from the text:—“These shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous Into life eternal.* ’ Matthew 25:46. The speaker de-

dared that mankind recognize two great facts: (1) that all are sinners. Imperfect; and (2) that a Just penalty for sins is proper. This can be admitted even by those who deny that the Bible is inspired. He believes that our forefathers added to Scriptures, wlthout realizing it. .. The Baptist “Underworld.” Our Baptist frienda, In their new translation of the Bible, nse the term “underworld,” instead of hell, in translating Sheol and Hades. This is a step in the right direction. All educated people know that Sheol and Hades signify the death condition. Why should Christian ministers spend years in seminaries to learn these things, and then fear to tell people the facts? Do they not realize that the misunderstanding of this subject is stumbling thinking people into Hlgher-Critlcism-Infidelity, etc., and leading to atheism and anarchy? What the Bible Does Teach. The Bible declares death to be the extreme penalty of the Divine Law—as of human law. Adam’s execution was a tragedy—93o years of dying. His deseendants share his condemnation. The death sentence would have ended our race, had not Divine Mercy provided Jesus as our Redeemer. He is to deliver mankind from bondage to death, during the Millennium. Meantime, this Gospel Age has been introduced for gathering His ChurchWhen It is completed, the Kingdom will be inaugurated for blessing all mankind. Then whosoever will may return to full harmony with God and attain everlasting life. The Parable of The Sheep and the Goats belongs to the Millennial Age. We recall the Scriptural promises that when Jesus shall appear In glory, His Church will appear wtttf Him; and thus we know that the parable is not yet fulfilled. After the completion of the Church. Messiah will establish His Kingdom. Mankind will then be on trial to determine who desire to be the Lord’s sheep, and who will manifest the wayward, goat-llke disposition. A thousand years have been apportioned to separate sheep from goats. At its close, all having the sheep disposition of meekness will be at the Mediator’s right hand of favor, but all having the goat disposition will be at His leftplace of disfavor. The sheep' will receive the kingdom originally given to Adam. The goats will be sentenced to everlasting firedestruction. Elsewhere they are said to go Into “the lake of fire,” the Second Death.—Revelation 20:14. Gehenna Fire Unquenchable. Gehenna is the Greek name for the valley outside Jerusalem, where offal was destroyed Fires were burned there to kill the germs of putrefaction. Into that valley were cast dead dogs, cats, etc., upon which worms fed. This picture Jesus used to Illustrate Divine Government in the end of His reign. Wilful evil-doers will perish in the antitypical Gehenna—the Second Death. Another suggestion by the Master was that hands, feet and eyes had better be destroyed than that the individual go into the Second Death. No one thinks that the Lord meant us literally to cut off our hands and feet; nor should we think that He referred to literal fire. The lesson taught is that everlasting life is worth any sacrifice. If a sin seems ns precious as a hand or an eye, we should separate from it at any cost, to attain everlasting life. "Into Everlasting Punishment.” Our text declares that the goat class will go into everlasting punishment What is the nature of that punishment? The Scriptures say that “the wages of sin is death”—not eternal torment So the Master really said that the goat class will go Into the Second death. None will be rescued from it In any manner. The word punishment in our text comes from the Greek kolasin. In classical Greek, kolasin means to prune, as to cut out dead branches from a tree Bo Jesus really said that the goat class will go away into everlasting cutting off—from life—into everlasting death. A pamphlet explaining the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus will be sent free to any making a postcard request. Address Brooklyn Tabernacle. Brooklyn. N. Y.