The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-12-08
TX, 62).

text. nor did he refer to the perfect
Kingdom. as it will be turned over to
the Father at the end of the Millen-
MUM and will last forever. Our Lord
used the words, Not lit for the King
dom of God" as he did in many 9TH
erS of his diScourses-in respect to the
Church class now called of the Father
TO be the Kingdom" in the sense Of
being the kings and priests of that
Ning,iOm-t royalty of that King
dom-the reignng family-the Queen.
the Lambs Wife. associated with the
Heavenly bridegroom. King of kings
and Lord of lords, in his rule of a
thousand years.
Not Fit For the Kingdom.
We now have before our minds the
two ways in which the expression.
Kingdom of God. is used aud we can
readily see that our Lord could not
refer to the Millennial Kingdom and
say that any would he too degraded to
be fit for the influences of his Millen-
NAL Kingdom. because that Kingdom
is designed for the very purpose of
dealing with the unfit and gradually.
during the thousand years of its reign
of righteousness uplifting men out of
sin and death conditions. if they will.
to the full human perfection which
Adam lost. which Jesus redeemed. and
which Is to be restored to the willing
and obedient, as st. Peter declares
ACTS iii, 1920. 1t follows. then. that
our Lord must have referred to those
called of the Father and accepted by
himself to be chiseled and polished
to be taught in the School of Christ
and eventually to become his Bride
and jOintheir in the Millennial King
dom. No man will be esteemed fit for
a share in that Millennial Kingdom.
unless he attaills TO the glorious quail
ties Of character. saintship. which the
Scriptures set forth as the Divine
standard-"Copies of Gods dear Son"
(Ronans viii. 29,.
Fit for the kingdom." Let us think
for moment what these words signi-
fly. First of all we recognize that, as
sinners. we were most thoroughly
unit for any favor of God. much less
this greatest of all favors. joint their
ship with his Son and "partakers of
the Divine nature" I'll Peter j. a.. But
that difficulty has all been overcome
with those who have come unto God
through Christ and been made partak-
ers of his holy Spirit of adoption. OF
such we read. 1T is God that justi-
fieth. Who is he that condemneth"
Qomans viii. 1881. 1t is Christ that
died for our sins and who now is our
Advocate. Who could in any wise
come between us and our Savior and
our Heavenly Father?
But this justification is not enough.
If we We're perfect actually instead of
merely reckonedly we would not be tit
for the Kingdom of God-we would
not be tit to govern others-to be
kings and priests unto God and to
reign on the earth" Revelation Xxx, 81.
We should still be unfit to be the
judges of the world, as the Scriptures
declare that we shall be, saying.
Know We not that the saints shall
judge the world Il Corinthians vi, -.
Our Heavenly Father in bringing
many sons unto glory made the Cap
tain of their salvation (JesusD perfect
through sufferings. Should we think
it strange that we, his younger breth
rem, justified through his blood. should
be required. not merely to make Il pro
fession of Goodness, holiness, but also
to approve or attest that sentiment to
be part of our very character! Is
not what we as the Church of Christ
experience very reasonable indeed
who would be prepared to teach the
world meekness. patience, brotherly-
kindness, long-suffering. love, without
first of all developing these various
qualities of character in himself? And
how could he develop these and be
tested except under just such schooling
and disciplining influences as now are
upon the Church of Christ, with a
view to making us tit for the glorious
position of our high calling of God in
Christ Jesus:
W btn lIt N'l lClOi w tht
Church as being tit for the Kingdom
and as beng the 'overcomers' for
whom the Kingdom is prepared, and
who shall share its glOries and honors,
because they are worthy (Revelation
iii. A.. we are to understand this wOr-
thineSS and fitness. not that they We're
originally So. but that by Gods grace,
through Christ, IL transformation work
will eventually bring some to this glori-
Gus position where God himself will es-
TEEN them WOrthU to be called his chill
dren, and TO be j0int-heirs with his
Son, the Great King.
Various KINDS of Fitness.
There is enc certain standard of it,
ness for the Kingdom and none other
will do; but there may be quite Il va
riety of conditions which make one IN
hit for the Kingdom. One of these is
murder. NO murderer hath eternal
life abiding in him" Il John iii. 15I.
He would he unfit for the Kingdom.
This would not signify, however, that
one who had once been murderer
might not. by Il sound conversion and
by faithfulneSs in the School of Christ.
become member of the Kingdom
class. Bat the word murder here used
has IA broader meaning than is gener-
ally attached to 1.-THE meaning which
st. John gave to the word when he
said that whatsoever hateth his brot ter
is murderer Il John ii, III. We