The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-02
RELIGIOUS
ACTIVITIES
Continued from Page 49,

Had the Greek been uniformly translat-
ed in all their places, it may be suppos-
ed that Acts i'll would not be pressed
to prove the visible presence of Our
Lord at his Paransia. The mourning of
all the nations was coincident with the
desolation of Zion. 1t was the sorrows
that, beginning under Nero, continued
and were conSummated in the awful
scenes at the destruction of Jerusalem.
The sending forth of the angels and
gathering of the elect. whatever its eX-
act meaning, does not necessarily imply
scenic procedure visible to human
eyes. Tf understood literally it may be
but a verbal revela ton of what took
place in such supernatural manner as
that no man might behold it.
We read. 1.-Two men shall be in the
field one is taken, the other is left The
person. left may not have been permitted
to see the one taken 1t was a special
favor to Elisha that he was permitted to
behold Elijah when the latter was caught
up into heaven. \ similar favor was
granted Elishas servant when he was
enabled to see the mountains full OF
horses and clIariots of fire. At the res
direction of the Savior, MANY bodies Of
the saints VINO had fallen asleep were
raised" But this wonderful event was
not made visible to the world So there
is good ground for affirming that at the
judgment of Jerusalem many bodies of
the saints arose and many living saints
We're mraculously translated in fulfill
ment of our Savior's words At least, we
may not Dramatically conclude that any
of the statements of Matt 24:29,31 are in
consistent with the time limits named
III the discourse.
Two other passages of Scripture de-
J mand a moments notice "And this Cos
pei of the kingdom shall he preached in
the whole world for a testimony unto
all nations. Then shall the end come -
Many take this as conclusive proof that
the end has not come and Christ has
not come again. The gospel surely has
not as yet been preached In the whole
world. Some are trying to hasten the
days of the Lords appearing by rushing
over the earth bearing testimony unto
all people. trying to literally fulfill these
words, thus ushering in the golden day
of His appearing. That their mission Is
a futile one, I believe. They, in their
haste, are not even preparing the way
for real missionary work. 1t seems Il
me better to interpret Scripture by Scrip
ture than to read into Scripture phrases
the increased knowledge and usages OF
modern times. A comparison with Luke
i'll shows that all this same world was
ruled by Caesar
In Col 1858. the gospel is said to be
bearing fruit in all the world, and to be
preached ain all creation under heaven
BY this 1t is seen that the gospel-utter.
ed its testimony to all the nations of this
same world before the ruin of the tenn
pie and the end of the Jewish age. There
is therefo1e nothing in the time limit ant
conditions CT this verse to contradict the
supuosition that Christ actually came
again. at the judgment of Jerusalem
the end of the Jewish age.
In the second chapter of the Acts. WI
learn that at that time there were dwell
ing in Jerusalem devout men out OF ev
cry nation under heaven. We then reat
a list of these nations, and find that they
were adjacent to the great sea. Tht:
world was the same as that one turned
upside down by the apostles. The sam'
throughout which dearth prevailed II
the days of CIaudius Caesar (Acts 9:2S)
the same as that which worshiped thu
great goddess Diana (Acts 1920. and thi
same as that throughout which the jews
lived (Acts 24:5). It was doubtless the in