The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1910-05-24


Of mankind. He thus worked against
Divine arrangements. But he has not
succeeded. God has merely allowed
him to prove, test. separate ana mani
Test the saints-the very eject
A Great Time Of Trouble.
"The coming of the light the loos-
Ing OF the fetters OF ignorance and
superstition from the minds that are
not submitted to God, the Scriptures
show us, will result in great time OF
trouble, in which the passions of men
but partially enlightened will do great
violence to the entire social fab
ric. We see the preliminary steps
already being taken. and. in the light
Of the Scriptures. we see the awful
catastrophe which will result. The
world is rapidly resolving itself into
two mighty powers. seltshly and with
semi-enlightenment preparing for
headlong collision which will mean
wreck and ruin. tribulation and an
guish. to practically the whole world.
The Bible. in calling attention to this
pie Of God, so far as possible to avoid
both sides OF the controversy. saying,
Seek meekness; seek righteousness.
1t may be that sc shall be hid In the
day of the Lords anger tZephaniah
II. -. With the wreck of present in
sututions comes the end of Satan's
regime. So terrible will be the heat of
passion and strife engendered at that
time that the Scriptures declare that
IL it were not for the Elect there
would be no flesh saved Ozark kill,
20,. The tnterposition Of the Elect as
the Kingdom of God under Jesus. the
great King and Head of the Elect, is
the silver lining to that dark cloud.
The moment of mans extremity will be-
come the moment of Gods opportunity.
$50 terrible will be that time of trou.
BILE that the Scriptures symbolically
represent 1t as whirlwind: as food;
and as fire. Some have mis-interpret-
ed these Scriptures and are expecting
literal burning of the earth. but the
Lord denominates it the fire of his jeal-
ousy,' viii, Ii will devour Society. And
then he tells us that following the fire
of trouble he will turn to the people a
pure message that they may all call
upon the name of the Lord to serve
him with one consent Nephaniah iii, 81.
Satan has had much to do with cor
rupting the message originally given to
the Church by Jesus and the Apostles.
The iarring creeds have made dis
cOrdant sounds which have driven
many noble and logical hearts away
from the Bible. Gods assurance is
that the completion of the Church is
near; that her change to the heavenly
glory In the First Resurrection will
soon be accomplished and that then
the reign of SIN and DEATH will end
under the Kingdom of Jesus. Then
the bondage of the world to ignorance,
superstition. etc, will terminate; then
all the blind eyes will be opened and
all the deaf ears will be unstopped and
the Lords pure message of Divine
Justice. Divine Love. Divine Wisdom
and Divine Power eXerted on mans
behalf shall be made known to every
creature.
"FellowChristians, what an incen-
tive to become more and more loyal
and earnest as the servants of so great
and gracious Sovereignty-that Of
our Father and our Redeemer! And
what an incentive we have to seek
first. in preference to all earthly inter-
ests, share with our Savior In his
hIillennial Kingdom and its gracious
work of human uplift-from the depths
Of sin and degradation to the heights
of earthly perfection and eternal life!
Let us. as the Apostle exhorts, lay
aside every weight, and the sin that
does so easily beset us. and let us run
with patience the race set before u.s.
Hebrews xii. u. This race is for the
crown OF glory as members of the
Elect Missionary Church and for the
glorious opportunities then to be af-
forded for the realization of the most
glorious dreams of service for the King
of kings and Lord of lords.
1--WE cannot suppose that Satan's
Empire is entirely satisfactory to him
self. Undoubtedly his original thought
was the organization of realm resem-
bling that of the Almighty. But the
course of sin Is ever downward 10
obtain control of our first parents they
We're misled into steps of dlsobedience
-sin--and he Adversary himself, hav-
ing started upon the wrong course. can
maintain his own standing and king
dom only by determined opposition to
jehovah This Is the significance of
the name given him In the Scriptures
Adversary
The Scriptures set forth that all hui
manity must, either now or some time,
come to the point of decision between
obedience to God and disobedience,
The obedient will be guided back to
ultimate harmony with the Creator
and obtain the reward of life eternal,
On the contrary, the disobedient, the
wilfully rebcllious against God and his
righteous arrangement, taking the
course of Satan, will ultimately share
his fate-destruction.