The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-08-27
Sermon by
CHARLES T.
RUSSELL,
Pastor Brooklyn
% Tabernacle.

Paradise is another name for the
Garden of Eden, the abode of bliss. Ii
was lost through the sin of our first
parents, but the gracious promise OF
our great Creator is that this condi-
ton of earthly bliss shall be re-estab-
lished-not merely in a little corner
of the earth, but that the whole earth
shall become the Paradise of God
Heaven is Gods throne and the earth
is his footstool, and he assures us, Il
will make the place of my feet glorl-
ous"-"in due time" How this will be
accomplished is the Gospel message.
The Divine promise to Father Abra'
ham, that all the families of the earth
should yet be blessed through his Seed,
includes the thought of mans full
restoration to Divine favor-as before
he sinned and before he fell; before
Paradise was lost; before man came
under the curse or sentence of death.
The Jews hoped that Messiah would
come and constitute their nation the
earthly Kingdom of God and re-estab'
lish Paradise with Palestine as its
center. They expected that under his
as his instruments, the Divine Law
would extend to all and. by bringing
all people into harmony with God
would gradually bring back all to the
Paradise state.
The Garden of the Lord.
1t was in full harmony with this ex-
pectation that the dying thief asked
the Lord to remember him when he
would come into his Kingdom, the
Kingdom whose dominion would estab.
lish righteousness in the earth, and
thus convert the world, under Divine
favor, into the Paradise of God. Our
Lords answer was that verify, truly
his request would be granted-the thief
would yet be with him in Paradise
Paradise has not yet been established
because Gods Kingdom has not yet
come to earth and it delays until a
certain work for the Church shall be
accomplished.
1t is not the Divine intention to make
of the nation of Israel Gods Kingdom
in the highest sense of that word.
though it will be actively identified
with the heavenly Kingdom as its
earthly representative. God is select
ing during this Gospel Age new ma
ton, Spiritual Israel, from every ma
ton, people, kindred and tongue. AT
our Lords First Advent and subse.
quently he gathered from Israel such
as were sanity and ready for the
Kingdom; and since then he has been
taking out from other nations enough
to complete the foreordained number
of the select" Church. These will con-
stitute the Kingdom per sc, and it can
not be set up or established in power
until this election or selection shall
have been completed and the ''elect'
changed" or glorified on the spiritual
plane by the power of the First Resur-
rection.
Paradise, or the Garden Of the Lord
not only represents that earthly condi-
ton which will be restored for the ben
eft and blessing of the natural man,
as the reward Of his obedience to the
rules of EmmanuePs Kingdom during
the Millennial Age, but it also applies
in a figurative sense to the glorious
and heavenly position which God has
in reservation for the Church. Thus
we read in the Book of Revelation
that the Lord has promised to the
overcomers of the Church that "To
him that overcometh will l give to eat
of the tree of life which is in the
midst Of the paradise of God" (Revela-
ton ii, q.
The Worlds Regeneration.
This is a grandly beautiful and sym
bolic message and promise assuring us
of the happiness and heavenly bliss in
eternal life conditions of all who are
faithful followers Of Christ in the pres.
ent age-walking in Jesus footsteps
in the marrow way" The Book of
Revelation pictures the history of this
Gospel Age down into the Millennial
Age and shows us Paradise re-estab.
lished with the Heavenly City, the
glorified Church, as it's center or cap
ital. The River of Life is pictured as
flowing from under the Throne. On
either bank of its crystal waters of
Truth and grace grow the trees of
Life, after the manner of Eden of old.
The future state will all be Paradise.
The completeness of blessedness will
first be manifested in the Church on
the spiritual plane, and, secondly, it
will be manifested in the Ancient
Worthless on the earthly plane-perfect.
ed Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all
the holy prophets, the earthly repre-
sentatives Of the heavenly Kingdom.
Gradually the paradisaical condition
shall fill the whole earth. The wilder
ness shall blossom as the rose and the
solitary places shall be glad and
streams shall break forth in the des-
erts, as we read in Isaiah xxxv. The
morally lame shall learn to walk in
the paths of righteousness. Yea, they
shall leap for joy, as they come to a
knowledge of the grace and goodness
of God. The worlds eyes of under
standing shall be opened and their
deaf ears shall be unstopped. that they
may hear and see the goodness and
mercy, the justice and the love Of our
God. The willing and obedient shall
eat the good of the land, but the evil
doors shall be cut off in the Second
Death. Gradually the boundaries will
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