The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-07-09
PULPIT.
The Coming
Kingdom
Text, THY Kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it
is done in HEAVIER" (Matthew
Vi, 10y.

10 aohS Al ASoFSh
VI, 10y. F.!
ooO.-.......-.-.-.-.-.- .-s-.-.....-s-s-s-s-s-s-O
Kingdom at the time of it's establish.
ment at his second coming.
The Kingdom In Glory.
Note the parable of the sheep and
the goats, which pictures the Millen.
NAL Kingdom in full operation. 1t
opens with the announcement, when
the Son of Man shall come in his glory,
end all the holy angels with him, then
shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory. And before him shall be gath
cred all nations; and he shall separate
them one from another, as shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats"
OIatthew XIV, 81. This is unquestion-
ably picture of the Millennial reign Of
Christ, and his dealing with the world
When that time shall come, the elect
Church, the Bride Of Christ, will be
with him in the throne, sharing his
glory. and sharing in the work of judg-
ing the world; as said st. Paul, do
We not know that the saints shall judge
the world?" q Corinthians vi, p
The prophecies of the Old Testament
Scriptures abound in testimonies re-
speeding the blessing which will come
to the world during the reign of Mes
siahs Kingdom. The Jews had every
reason to expect that God had honored
their nation as the seed of Abraham
with especial relationship to his King
dom-that as his holy nation and peo-
pie Israel should be the channel for
the dispensing of the divine blessings
to all the families of the earth. Nor
will that expectation prove false. The
Lord has not changed his plan; he has
merely introduced first Of all anoth-
er feature of his plan not previous
~ revealed, styled by the Apostle
Paul 1.-The mystery of God" This
mystery is, that before Israel can be
Gods earthly agents for dispensing his
blessings to mankind in general, to
every nation, people, kindred and
tongue, God will first select special
class, Little Flock" a Royal Priest
hood"-the Church, the Bride, the
members of the Body of Christ as
Spiritual Israel. When this Kingdom
class shall have been fully selected,
and the last member shall have been
glorified with Christ beyond the vail
on the spirit plane of existence, then
divine favor will return to natural
Israel
We are not to understand that
everyone who has Abrahamic blood in
his veins will on that account be per-
mitted a special service for the Lord
during the Millennium as an earthly
representative of the spiritual Empire.
Nay, they are not all Israelites who
are of the seed of Abraham. But the
Lord shows us through the Apostle
that prior to the coming Of Christ God
had already selected Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob and all the prophets and
Paul in Hebrews 18th chapter. These.
having demonstrated their faith and
willing obedience to do the Lords will,
have this testimony, "that they pleased
God" These Ancient Worthless of the
earthly seed of Abraham are already
prepared Of the Lord to be the earthly
representatives Of his Spiritual King
dom. In due time. after the glorifca-
ton Of the Church in "the first resur-
rection," these will come forth not on
the spirit plane, but as perfect human
beings. Through these the Lords
blessings and instructions to mankind
will be disseminated. They will con-
stitute the earthly Jerusalem, as the
Church will constitute the heavenly
Jerusalem, Mount Zion; as we read,
1.-The Law shall go forth from Mt.
Zion, and the Word of the Lord from
Jerusalem" (Micah iv, p for the bless
ing of all nations, for their instruction
in righteousness, for their assistance
in the highway Of holiness. that they
may gain at it's farther end the great
reward of life eternal.
1t is but reasonable to expect that
with the establishment of that King
dom for which Israel has so long
waited and hoped, it's mercies dis
pensed through these Ancient Wor-
thies will first appeal to the nation of
Israel, and subsequently to all people
of all nations, as they shall come to
the faith of Abraham and receive the
instruction of the Kingdom. Thus it is
written, "And many nations shall go
and say, Come, and let us go up to
the mountain of the Lord, and to the
house of the God of Jacob; and he
will teach us of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths" (Micah iv, p.
The Gospel Age Parenthetic.
1t may help some to think of this
Gospel Age as a. parenthesis. Gods
dealings with the Jews in the flesh
were interrupted by the development
of the spiritual seed OF Abraham
Christ and the Church Galatians iii.
29). AS soon as this work of develop
ing Spiritual Israel shall be completed,
and the little fiock' be exalted to
glory on the spirit plane by their resur-
rection change, then the parenthesis
will be ended, and divine favor will
resume it's operation with natural Is
rael, and through Israel to all nations,
for their blessing.