Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-09-14
TuIu.Sr N. THY SICKLE

Intelligent people appear to reason upon every
other subject except religion. AppT9aSh a nial;
or political economy finance and we ind him
reasonably alert 10 the general law OF cause
and effect. But when II comes 10 religion ule
same man refuses TO recognize or follow such
laws. To Illustrate: II 1000 religious men ano
women were asked to give some general OUT
line of the Divine plan under which humanity
Is being dealt with by the Almighty, ys9 OF
them would look at you in blank establishment
as though 1t absurd to suppose that "od
would conduct His affairs along the lines OF
order. reason AID common sense-cause anu e.
feet. On the contrary the scriptures everywhere
hold that our Creator is Systematically ordering
the affairs OF earth and working all things
according 10 the counsel Of His own Will
(Eph I'm st. Peter divides the worlds MS
tory into three great epochs, which he desls-
mates ~ worlds. The first OF these, ne say
lasted from the creation of our first parents
to the flood. The flood was the harvest time,
the rearing time, Of that epoch. 1t was tlA
conclusion to the course Of sin which, ne tel.
u.s. there prevailed. And only eight persons.
Noah and his family, carried over as n
nucleus Tor another great epoch or world, Whien
st. Peter calls ne world that now is" and
which St Paul calls this resent evil world
or epoch" snd Of which Jesus states, MY
Kingdom is not OF this world (epoch) and
again He Informs, US that satan Is the prince
OF this world" Certain things have been IN
progress-csrtain great instructions and bless
ings from the Almighty during this long period
Of over 1900 years. This world or epoch Is
to have a harvest time. and ITS affairs are 10
be as thoroughly wound up, completed, as were
the affairs Of tho world before the flood Then
n new NOTiu or epoch VIII NdNA thc
ter of which is clearly delineated in the Scrip
lures being very contrary every way to THAI
Of this present evil world. 1t VIII be the
world To come" whereof Ge speaE-the new
epoch, the new earth, in which the Lord will
dominate human affairs, His elect church OF
/ the present time being associated with Him
rs bis bride Under that iispensaton
everything Will be in accord with the charae
| ter OF its King. the Prince OF light ana
present evil world are ir harmony with the
characteristics Of the Prince of this wOrh.
who now worketh in the hearts of the Gull
dren OF disobeCence."
The world or epoch which ended at the flood
ACCOMPLISHED a great work. 1t was during that
period Of $50 years that God first tested Satan
10y permitting him to have an opportunity to
show pu his real characer, in connection with
our first parents Desiring to establish himself
as an emperor earth, separate and distinct
from the empire Of Jehovah, Lucifer became Sa-
] tan, the adversary. and has since continued IN
his opposition TO the Divine i'll. Our first par
ents, through Satan's lie were led into disobedi-
ence 10 God, which resulted In death sentence
on Adam and his race. Subsequently for centu-
/ rtes the holy angels ere allOed to have inter
course with fallen man, with a ciew to helping
! them back into harmony with God-nOt that God
expected any such results. for he already fore
knew there could be recovery OF humanity, ex
cept through the merit Of the Redeemer, whose
sacrifice would purchase the world and who
would reign as the King Of kings and Lord OF
4 lords-who would come and restore the willing
and obedient OF the race. But the angels - ali
eternity might have supposed that an easier way
I
| they could educate, assist and uplift mankind
out Of sin and death conditions back to harnO-
ny with God. Got not snly desired that all such
results were impossible, but also he desired to
Use the opportunity TO test, TO prove. the loyal
ty, the faithfulness, Of the angelic hosts.
Amongst the liberties granted to all the angels
at that time was the power to materiallze-tO
assume human forms. We need not stop 10
discuss the possibility Cf this for we are address,
ing those who believe the Scriptural record and
to such 1t will be quite sufficient for us to
Y he Off he fhrpa moi u-hfr 81 arod
10 Abraham and whom he subsequently found to
be angels-sprlt beings. They looked like men
end they talked and were clothed like men.
Abraham knew not whom they were until sub.
/ sequenty they revealed their identity. as we
read in the account of Genesis Is. The APOSTLE
Paul adds his testimony to this incident, saving
to the church. Re not forgetful to entertain
| strangers; for thereby some have entertaIned
| angels unawares." Heb, 1872
For long centuries this relationship between
the angels and mankind continued. We have no
record Of any human being receiving an uplift
from their ministrat lions. On the contrary as
God had foreseen. the influence Of sin is con
tagiouS and ere long Of the angelic hosts
became enamOred Of the daughters OF men
that they took to themselves wives of such
! as they chose and preferred to leave their own
habltation or spirit condition and to remain in
/ a materialized form and 10 raise earthly fam
ilies, although their course contrary to the
Divine arrangement and must have been so I'M
dehstOod by them; nevertheless Divine power
was not interpOsed to hinder them. The error
of this sedition. the leaving OF their own hap
a
beginning spread and Gods non-interference
justified the superstition that he was either not
able to cope with the situation OF else that he
was winking at his own law. Thus centuries
rode by while the earthly children of those
angels which kept not their first estate became
giants and men Of renown at a time when
| turity was not reached until at least 100 years.
! During all those centuries may be sure that
everyone of the holy angels had fullest oppor-
tunity to participate in the seductive pleasures
| OF sin. And we may be quite during that
epoch or age God demonstrated fully. COM
pletely. which Of the angels were IN heart and
in deed. in spirit and in truth, loyal to him
and to all the principles OF his righteousness:
and. this work having been accomplished that
world before the flood was brought to an end,
Lord declaring that the whole earth had become
corrupt through this evil The influence of the
! angels along licentious lines seemingly tended
more and more 10 degrade humanity So that
we read that God beheld that the IMAGINATION
! of mans heart was evil and only evil and that
| continually. And then came the announcement.
! rupted world Of mankind. including the progeny
OF the angels. the gisnts who were also men
] NJ renown and with them and with this closing
Of that epoch OF world those angels which had
| not kent their first estate or principality or
plane Of being were restrained IN Tartarus.
| earth's atmosphere. until the great Judgment Of
ing fellowship with God and the holy angels.
| THAI age. that epoch. had served fits purpose.
rts harvest chiefly destructive one. Only
\ Noah and his family were carried over from
! that enoch To tho present one to constitute the
doruinr'ion 81 tNe order OF things-this
present evil world
| THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD.
This present evil world differs from the world
\ before the flood that Ii is not under the
ministra ton of the angels, but man, In a gen
| eral way, is left TO himself. Since the flood
| the world in general has been going on Just
| as II there God, the exceptions being
! the destruction of the Sodomites and In the
| preaching of Jonah to the Ninevites. warninS
/ them that they were about TO perish In
other words, so far outward appearance goes
\ God has allowed the world to take its own
course interfering only when the corruption
/ became so great as to make life injurious rath-
\ er than a favor. We may also understand the
Scriptures to teach that God has bad 81
4 lent supervision of the nations to hinder then,
| from Overturning or disturbing any feature Of
! the Divine program. He is wise enough 10
know how TO make much of the wrath o1
! man to praise Him and the remainder more
/ than this he will restrain.
We perceive then, that so far as the worlo
is concerned. God is letting II take Its course
! ST. Paul, reviewing the question OF human deg
| relation ms exhibited in hcathendom, etc, eX
| mains that the great deterioration in the hu-
man family is the result Of mans being left
/ to himself as respects the Divine supervision
| He saws looking back to the time Of Noah's
descendants, when they knew God they glort
! field Him not God, neither were thank
| fuI And even as they did not like TO
over to = rcprobate mind; they giving them
selves over to things that we're not profitable,
defiling themselves" etc.-Rom-, 1:2l-8.
This condition of things continued from
Noah's day until 5k years after our Lords cru
cifty ion when the special favor of God tOTaF0