Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 62, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1914 — MESSIAH TO ASK FOR THE HEATHEN [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MESSIAH TO ASK FOR THE HEATHEN

The Redeemer Has Not Yet * Med For His Inheritance. 6 • World-wide Dominion Promised Messiah—The Conversion of tho Heethen Shortly to Bo Accomplished—Messiah’s Conquest of the Nations —The Arrows of Truth Will Reach Men's Hearts From the Quiver of Divine Wisdom, Justice and Love—Force to Be Employed In Putting Down All Opposition—Death to Be Destroyed.

March B.—Pastor Russell’s discourse today related to the fulfilment of Jesus’ prayer. “Ask of Me, and 1 shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.”—Psalm 2:8. The Pastor declared that his

text, taken from a Messianic Psalm, represents Messiah as making known to His people the Heavenly Father’s decree rewarding Him for His faithfulness as our Redeemer and assuring Him of His exaltation to the Kingdom, with power to subject all things to the Father’s will. This dominion has not yet come to Messiah. The Prince of Darkness still reigns. The reason for this, the Pastor explained, is that our Redeemer has not yet asked for His inheritance. Knowing the Divine Plan, our Lord was content to wait until the due time, in harmony with another feature of that Plan which must precede the setting up of the Messianic Kingdom. That feature is the selection of the Church, the Bride of Christ. ■ —* The Pastor next showed that meantime the heathen have been suffering no loss. Born in sin, condemned to death, all of Adam’s family have had experiences with sin and death, and have been going down into the tomb —the prison-house of death—there to remain until the Redeemer at His Second Advent shall call them from their graves. Then a fair trial will be given them, to determine their worthiness or. unworthiness of life everlasting. It was part of the Divine purpose, he explained, that the earth should be filled with people; and hence the bringing forth of a progeny is part of the Divine will. The few years of this life, with experience of sin and death conditions, will be supplemented by the grand opportunities of the next Age. Converting the World. Then the Pastor contrasted God’s method of dealing with the world In general with that which He adopted for the Church during this Age. In the next Age, force will be used, not merely moral suasion. Mankind will be compelled to be obedient. Numerous Scriptures were quoted to sustain this position. Among these Psalm 45. This Ps&lm, the Pastor declared, is descriptive of Messiah’s triumph during the Millennial Age—a picture of the conversion of the heathen. The arrows of Truth, which will go forth to the whole world, will reach the hearts of men and will smite them down. To illustrate the thought the speaker reminded his audience that when St. Peter preached that the Jews had crucified the Son of God, his hearers were ‘‘cut to the heart”—pierced with the lance of Tnith. The Pastor holds that this work of dealing with the world will begin with the generation living at the time of the establishment of Messiah’s Kingdom. Ultimately it will include all that are in their graves, in the reverse order of that in which they entered. The lust will come forth first—"every man In his own order,” or class. Referring to the Second Psalm, the Pastor appled it to the time of our Lord’s Second Coming, when the Church will have entered into His glory as “the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife,” symbolically pictured as the New Jerusalem. From that Heaveuly City, according to St. John, the Water of Life will flow freely, and whosoever will may purtake. Meantime, the speaker declared, before the nations will be ready for that blessing, they must pass through a period of deep humiliation—“a Time of Trouble such ns was not since there was a nation." The extent to which the nations will suffer at that time will deiteml largely upon their own attitude, the Pastor believes. He bases his opinion upon the verse following his text. Those that accept Messiah’s Rule heartily will be correspondingly saved from the breaking process. Hence the exhortation. “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and ye perish from the way.” The Glorious Outcome. The Pastor concluded with a brief summary of God’s Plan of salvation. First He has selected The Christ—Jesus the Heud, und the Church His Body—through whom He purposes to bless all the families of the earth This blessing will consist of a knowl- I edge of Himself. His glorious charac- I ter, and also of nu opportunity for life everlnstlug. The Scriptures, he declared, do not authorize us to claim universal salvation, but distinctly speak of some who will die the Second Death. These will hnve demonstrated fully that they are not in harmony with the principles of righteousness, and therefore unworthy of life everlasting.

PASTOR RUSSELL