The Hawaiian gazette., 1883-07-04
Pastor Cruzan's Sermon.

THE END OF THE WORLD AND THE JUDGMENT.
On Sunday evening last Pastor Cruzan delivered
a discourse on 81 The End of the World and the
Judgment to an unusually large audience. The
following is a brief abstract OF the discourse:
We have in the 9th and 18th Chapters of Mat
thews Gospel Christs answer in full to three plain
questions: /. When shall Jerusalem be DESTROYED!
> What shall be the signs of Christ comlngf and
B. The end of the world? His answer in simple
sentence is: "Verily say unto you, this genera
ton shall not pass away till all these things be
fulfilled" And they were all fulfilled during the
lifetime of some men then living In less than
40 years from that private conference on the Mt.
of Olives Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed
by the Romans under Titus. Titus gave orders to
spare the temple, but the word OF Christ was more
powerful than the command of the Roman con-
uueror Christ came to the world again, in The per
son of the Holy Ghost only short time after that
But Jesus also told the disciples that their gen
Grafton should not only see the destruction of Jeru-
salem and His second coming, but according 10
uur English Bibles. the end of the world also.
Our English word - world has two meanings, VIZ:
the material world, or universe, and the state OF
things ON the earth. We say God made the
world" meaning the material universe. We say
Of a young man Just through college, Now he
goes into the world" meaning that now he takes
his place in business and society. Tho Greek Ian
guage avoids this equiyocal use of words. 1t has
two different words for these two different mean
ings: - Kosmos" means the material earth or uni
verse, and "aion means the age, or state oil
things. ON the earth. And Christ and His Apostles
were very careful in the right use of these words
But our English translators made no distinction
between these widely different words, surrendered
both kosmosn and aiUn by our ambiguous
word world Jesus never speaks of tine destruc-
flor of the "kosmosr this material world, but
always Of the destruction of the alon, the age,
order or state of things then existing. The dis
ciples in the third verse of the 9th chapter OF
Matthews Gospel, do not ask him, When shall
the end of this kosmos' (earth) ber'' but " When
shall the end of this aiOn' lago) be.' and Jesus
plain answer was, ." In this generation" What
did Jesus mean? Why, that He was coming, not
yisibly, IN bodily form, but spiritually ana IN the
power Of His truth to Judge the Jewish nation.
The Jewieh world" !. G., age, dispensation, was
to come to an end: the Christian world age,
was to give place to Christ's Kingdom. And this
is what did take place: At the destruction of Je-
rusalem not only the Jewish nation, but Judaism,
persisted. The Mosaic theocracy went down be
dom took its place. Christ knew what he was
talking about. and told the truth, when He said
that the "Uorld,' or age, in which tie disciples
lived should end in their day:
lis there, then 10 be no obstruction of this ma
terial worldyn ! do not know. / am not wise
above what is written. do know that Jesus no
where even hints at any such event. know OF
but one passage in the New Testament which
seems plainly TO assert any such calamity, VIZ
Peter. chapter: The world that then was lin the
time of Noah being Overhowed with water, per
isbed: But the heavens and the
earth which now are are reserved I'M
to fire against the day Of Judgment and ungodly
men. The Heavens shall pass away with great
noise and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat the earth also and the works therein snail be
burned up Here the Greek word translated
"earth is kOsmosn Are We to take this highly
wrought language literally? / think not. Peter
makes the destruction " of the earth at the Del
uge a type of this coming destruction. But the
earth not destroyed In the time OF Noah, 1t was
u 4 & nNn1lf nnft uTfa
awaits it in the future! DIR. Hodge, of Princeton,
saws: 1.-The destruction fUretold by Peter is not
humiliation. Elsewhere in the Scripture 1t Is
called a regeneration, a restoration, and q de
liyeration from the bondage of corruption. That
there may be some great material changes await
ing cur earth IN the future is not improbable.
Mighty changes have been wrought in the past;
why not in the future? But the great change
needed and which believe is meant by the pas
sages generally quoted to provo the destruction OF
the material universe, is moral and spiritual re-
construction, not of the earth but of the teemlng
millions upon it. That mighty change Is yet
Connected with this idea of the destruction of
the world is also that Of general judgment day.
IL there TO be such dayg Yes and no. Yes, for
it is written, Every one of us shall give an &C
count of himself to Cod No, If the term gen
eral Judgmet day." 1t Is meant that Christ IS
literally TO be seated great white throne, and
all the billions who have peoped this earth IN the
ages past. ana III the ages TO come are 10 De gain
cred In a seething mass before HIM, and books are
TO be opened. and each one, good and bad, is to
'have trial. and have judgment passed upon
himi Ii would take very long day to do that!
This bald liberalism used to be orthodox; 1t is so
no longer As death leaves us so eternity finds us.
The grave opens inward upon the judgment Scat
of Christ. And the " books are opened-the
book of each ones life his real character, and
each one is Judged out of the things which his
own hand has written in that book" And there,
as here the good and the bad are separated, by
mutual repulsion. The great gulf that separ-
ates them is in their own souls. But" you say
"the Bible SAYS that before his throne shall be
gathered all nations" Yes and silently certain
ly, day by day and age by age, all nations pass
through the grave. and one by one they stand be
fore the Searcher of hearts. We, in turn shall
stand in his presence. God grant that we may SO
live that we shall stand there in hope and not in
despair.