The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-30
PEOPLES PULPIT.
hiieves In
Paradise.
verify | say unto thee to-
day, thou shalt be with me in
paradise" Luke XIII, 43).


He spoke up, reproving his compan-
ion; and then turned to Jesus, and, as
a reward, asked, Lord. remember me
when thou contest into thy Kingdom"
He did not ask to be remembered in
heaven, nor that day, but when our
Lord. who was then being crucified,
should attain to his Kingdom.
AS the thief's request was q reason
able one, our Lords answer was no
less reasonable. He said, in the words
Of our text, Verify truly) I say unto
thee to-day this day Of my agony and
rejection by Israel. and cruciiXion by
the Roman soldiers; this day, when
seem to be an imposter and not at all
the Messiah; nevertheless, truly l tell
you to-dayl thou shalt be with re in
Paradise. | do not tell you when you
shall be with me, nor have you even
asked me to tell you. You have asked
to be remembered when l come into
my Kingdom, when l shall have fully
taken control of the Kingdom under
the whole heavens, when the speedy
result will be that the entire world
will become a Paradise, and you have
asked my assurance that you will be
there, and 1 will remember you as re-
quested.
Punctuation Not Inspired.
1t will be noticed that this different
Interpretation makes necessary the
changing of the comma from before
to-day" to after it. We remark that
the punctuation of our text was surely
not inspired, for punctuation was not
invented until centuries after our BIZ
bic was written. Our Interpretation.
with the comma after to-day" makes
this entire passage reasonable and har-
neutrality-suspicious. with all the re-
mainder of the Bible, and logical.
Further, be it remembered, that
Jesus was not in Paradise on the day
he died; nor has Paradise lost, yet
been restored. Jesus was dead. and
st. Peter declares he "arose from the
dead on the third day" He then de-
ciared to Mary. II have not yet ascend
ed to my Father and to your Father,
to my God and to your God" John
Xxx, III.
AS a matter of fact. the other thief
also will be in Paradise. All mankind,
redeemed by our Lords sacrifice. will
have the privilege of the Millennial
blessings. AS we read "All that are
in their graves shall hear the voice
of the Son of Man and come forth
The Church will come forth to the
heavenly glory and condition. for
which they have been prepared by the
trials. the disciptines. the lessons. the
chiselings. the polishings. of this pres
eDt life. Theirs will be the instantane-
Gus change. or resurrection. from
earthly to heavenly conditions. Those
of the spirit-begotten ones. all who
wilfully walk after the flesh and not
after the Spirit, having had their trial
in the present life, will be accounted
worthy Of the Second Death. All the
remainder of mankind. not having
come to 4 knowledge of the Truth. not
having incurred, therefore, the respon-
Sibility of this age, will come forth
during the Millennium when Messiah's
Kingdom shall be established and
his rule of righteousness shall have
brought the earth to the condition of
Paradise. Both of these thieves, and
all other thieves and all other evil
doors. all of the heather. all who have
not in the present life come to a clear
knowledge of the truth. and sinned
against light. against the holy Spirit,
will be there-~there to be blessed, to
be enlightened. to be brought to a
knowledge of the Truth. and if they
will, to be helped out of ignorance,