Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1909-12-30


When the angel of the Lord appeared
to them to announce Messiah's birth,
they feared. For what purpose would
an angel or messenger come to them
except to render some denunciation or
to foreteH some catastrophe? It was
therefore, that the first words of the
messenger were, Fear not" So in
approaching mankind in general with
Gods message to sinners it is appro
pirate that we begin by. saying, Fear
not! The God we preach unto you is
not demon seeking your injury and
your torment. He is a God of Wis
dom and Justice and Love with all
Power to carry to successful conclu-
sion his Wise, Just and Loving Pro-
gram respecting our race, (which he
purposed in himself from before the
foundation of the world (Ephesians i:
Is, ~. ~
Satan has used this human tendency,
of fear as lash wherewith to drive
man away from God, and from the
Bible, his Revelation We are rot
therefore, to- accredit to our fore
fathers the viciousness of character
| which SENS to be implied in the
creeds of the Ozark ages" handed
down to u.s.; rather we are to credit
those vicious Misrepresentation of our
Heavenly Father to the great Father
of Lies He it is who in IT,
the past planted the seeds Of what the
| Apostle terms doctrines of devils" Il.
Timothy iv: -. We thank the Lord
THAT gradually we are getting our eyes
of understanding opened to recognize
the true character of God and Jesus
Christ whom he hath sent, and who is
his express image.
| Hark to the Lords message through
the prophet Isaiah Foreseeing our es-
arrangement from himself and our en-
tslavement by the Adversary, he tells
us in so many words, Their. fear to-
ward me is not of me, but is taught by
I the precepts of men-as inspired by
our adversary, the devil Isaiah xxx:
13).
Gods. Christmas Gift.
Intending from the first not to aban-
don his fallen human creatures to ut
ter destruction, the Father purposed
in himself, in advance, the great Plan
of Salvation now in progress. From
before the foundation of the world he
purposed that Jesus should be the
Lamb of God to take away the sin of
the willing and obedient back to har-
mony with himself, so that only the
wilfully wicked would experience the
wages of sin, DEATHS Second Death. p
But God has due time for every feat
ure of his great Plan. Four thousand
years sped by before it became "due
time" to send the Only Begotten Son
into the world to redeem it. I'm the
fulness of time cd sent forth his Son,
born Of a woman" Galatians iv: a.
In due time Christ died for, the I'M
godly'-forty-one hundred and sixty
years after sin had entered (Romans
v: 6. At first we are amazed at such
a delay. Nor can the matter be salts
factorily understood until we learn
two things:
1. That mans experience with sin
and death is part of the great lesson
which God designs all to have-learn-
ing the exceeding sinfulness of sin.
Later when the second great lesson
shall be given to mankind-the desira-
bleness and proftableness of right
eousness-the schooling as a whole,
will be the more effective.
2. We must also learn that our dear
friends and neighbors who 60 down
into death are as If only asleep, and
have no consciousness in either Joy or
sorrow, waiting for the Millenial
morning-the Resurrection morning.
Their death would have been absolute,
as in the case of the brute beast, had
not God with his great love provided
for their redemption and resurrection
(Eccelciastes ": 8; John xi: Il; ill;
S4S; Acts ii: 34). In view of this provis--
ion the whole world is sal dto sleep in
JesusAvin the sense that their hope
rests in the great work which Jesus
accomplished when. he gave himself a
ransom for all to be testified in due
time" q Timothy il: 81 There is |
difference, therefore, between the
world sleeping ~ Jesus and the Church
who fall asleep In Christ. The Church |
is composed of those begotten of the
Holy Spirit during this Gospel Age,
who maintain their relationship to |
Christ, the Head, as members" in hts |
Body, and whom God has promised, |
that as they share with Christ in his |
sacriicial death, they shall also share |
with him in his glorious resurrection
to honor and Immortality philippians
ii: 8-11).
The Scriptures make very plain the |
fact that while Jesus was born of a |
woman, this was not the beginning Of I
his existence. for HE was with the /
Father before the world was'' He |
was the very beginning of the Crea-
ton Of God" Revelation iii: 14). AS /
st. John declares, I'm the beginning
was the Word Gogos) and the Logos
was with The God and the Logos was
a God : BY him were an things
made that were made and without him
was not one thing made : He was
made flesh and dWelt amongst DIS,