Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 December 1912 — HOW, WHEN AND WHY A SECOND ADVENT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOW, WHEN AND WHY A SECOND ADVENT

Denver Divines on Right Track, Says Pastor Russel ) No World-Burning Satan to Bo Bound —Sin, Sickness and Death to Be Conquered—Man to Be Delivered. The Power Vested In Messiah— His Kingdom Near —How It Wifi Appear.

Denver, Dee. I. This city is stirred! Seventeen pastors of all denominations have been discussing The Second Advent for a month. Noweomes Pastor Russell telling us all that •The Earth abideth forever”—that it will never be destroyed by literal fire. According to

him the great event of Christ's Coming will bring blessings suel*_as we all desire. He seems to have the Bible and logic on bis side too! Pastor Russell declared that false concepts of the Second Coming of Christ had done great injury. The view set forth iu all orthodox creeds is that Christ wifi come again in the flesh. The resurrection wifi take place within twenty Tour hours. The saintly will rise in the air to meet the Lord. Then fire will come down from heaven, and consume the whole earth. Premillennialists claim that Christ will reign in fleshly glory a thousand years to bless tbe living. The majority of Christians disown this as ridiculous nonsense because thy believe little of creed or Bible. A minority perceive its inconsistency with the Bible: What Bible Students Now See.

The “fire of that day” is symbolical, already kindling in society, tbe elements of which. Capital and Labor, are getting hotter. Soon they will melt, the symbolical “earth” will be consumed with the "heavens” also, the ecclesiastical powers. Their passing away will usher in a “new earth," or Social order, and “new heavens,” the Church in glory. The Second Coming of Christ is associated with blessings. Messiah will abolish the curse and bring in wonderful blessings. The Day of Christ will be “the last Day.”—tbe great Seventh Thousand-year Day. All humanity will be blessed, including tbe dead who will then be awakened. Christ Comes to Reign. As the redemption was necessary for man's salvation so Messiah's Kingdom is necessary to accomplish restitution. Tbe delay of more than eighteen centuries is Scripturally explained: (U God designed Six Great One Thousand Year Days to teach mankind the exceeding sinfulness of sin. He purposed that on the Seventh Day the blessing of Messiah should come. (2) An important work has been doue since Calvary An Elect Church has beeu gathered out of all nations—

saints made perfect through suffering, a Little Flock, the "Church of the First-borns." These are to become the Bride of Christ at His Second Advent. The Second Coming of Jesus is to Claim His Bride class, and to exalt them. As regards the world. He comes to bind Satan, to overthrow sin. and to uplift fallen humanity. St. Peter tells that Restitution work, not a literal burning of the world, awaits the Second Coming of Jesus: "Times of re freshing shall come from tbe presence of the Lord.”—Acts iii. 19-21.

Christ’s Kingdom to Be Spiritual. One great mistake we have all made is in not noticing that Jesus was hn man for only thirty-three and a half years. He was a glorious spirit being before He was .made flesh: and lit* was resurrected to a spirit condition - higher than His original one. How foolish we were to think of .lesus as a man ta little lower than augelsi in ilu> midst of the Heavenly host He is now partaker of the Divine nature: His Church is to be "changed” and made Him.” As His descent was from a higher to a lower, so His ascent was from a lower nature to a higher, "far above angels." Ills is the exceeding gio ry which “no man hatbseen nor can see' —“which no man can approach unto It is this glorious Being whose King dom Is about to be established. He and His Church will Ire 1 as invisible to men as are Satan aud the fallen angels. The appearances of Jesus in the flesh after His resurrection were materializations, to prove: (1) that Jesus was no longer dead; (2) that He was changed, born of the Spirit, able to go and come like the wind. Parousia, Epiphania, Apokalupsis. Messiah’s Kingdom will have earthlv representatives—the faithful saints of previous ages, raised to banian perfection instantly. Through these the invisible Messianic Kingdom will operate. Jesus said, “Ye shall see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all the prophets lu the Kingdom.” The paroueia of Jesus will come first —present but invisible. The world will continue with the ordinary affairs of life (while He is gathering the Church), as in the days of Noah. After the gathering of the Church, there xfill be an epiphania aud an ap<>kalupxix of Jesus. He will shine forth He will be revealed—not In flesh, but “In flaihlng fire,” the trouble of that Day, In which the present order will be consumed in anarchy, giving place to the Kingdom Dispensation.

PASTOR RUSSELL