The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-23

IN Ia
ri long ago had his sad ex-
IM per:ence in his attempt to
run away from the divine
commission - the Ninevites. We are
nearing Jaffa. the port from which he
sailed, then called Joppa. Some, lntens
on disproving as much as possible OF
the Bible. have attempted to make
| light of Jonahs experiences, claiming
that there was no fish in the world
| of such capacity as to swallow man
entirely. We are 70 remember, how
ever, that the scriptures do not say
that it was an ordinary whale that
swallowed Jonah, but rather they spe-7
officially decllre that God specially
prepared" a great fish for the oecas-
ZION. Nor is this all. We have our
Lords own testimony to the truthful
ness of the matter. and whoever de-
MES either his truthfulness or his in
telligence, is thereby denying also mis-
Messiahship and repudiating him as
a savior, because neither falsifier nor
a dupe could possibly be recognized as
the great Rcdeemer and Savior, the
Sent of God, the Messiah.
Additionally our Lord informs us
that the Jonah incident was in the
nature of a type, especially designed
of God to foreshadow the fact that
Jesus himself would be dead for parts
of three days and arise from the dead
on the third day, even as Jonah was
buried alive for parts of three days
and on the third dav the great fish
vomited him upon the land. There is
nothing difficult about the narrative
to one who has proper faith in God.
To those who have no faith, nothing
connected with divine revelation is
reasonable, ccmmendable or satisfac-
tory. Let US maintain our stand with
those who hold fast to and hold
forth for others, the Word of Life.
The Belly of Hell Described.
But what Lave the belly of help
and the poor soul crying from it to do
with the story of Jonah? And how
journey today over the Mediterranean
Deep? Jonah was the man who was
in the belly of hell and whose cry unto
the Lord from there constitutes our
text. When a boy heard this text,
and my imag, nation conjured up what
hell would be like, and especially what
the belly of hell, or what I supposed
the middle part of it would be like.
blast furnaces through what is called
the glory hole or peep hole. There
noted that the center of the fire was
at white heat. l triSd to imagine n, gin, peos
middle or belly of hell. I could not
imagine how they could survive such
an experience a single. moment, let
alone for all eternity. I sought theo- |
logical exposItions of the matter and |
learned that The theoIog1anS or the
hoary past. admitting the destructive
effect of fire. claimed that God would
specially vitalize all the poor creatures
consigned to this torment so that they |
would never Gle, but would keep on |
suffering forever and forever and for
ever, unreliable fortunes. 1 found that |
other theologians expla ined that those
consigned to such a fiery ordeal would |
gradually become adapted to 1T and !
assume an asbeStoS-like shell Which |
would measurably protect them from
the fire. But these theoIogians went (
on to explain that, wishing them to |
suffer horrible tortures, God would |
scale off the asbestos shell, causing |
them to suffer still more excruciatingly |
every, time the operation was perform |
ed. AS a child tried to imagine that !
this was the just desert of sinners, |
and that tho Heavenly Father was
really kind and ioving-that he did not |
give them worse though I could not !
think of ANYTHING worse that they |
could suffer.
ssWhen I was a child I spake as a
child: but when I became man. I
put away childish things" Ct Corin-
thians xiii. I'D. I asked for the proof
that anybody could endure such suf-
ferings and nt.live. I asked for the |
proof that our God is as unsympathetic |
as any devil could be. Ny mind rejected |
as irrational the whole proposition. |
said: The God whom I shall worship |
must be greater being than myself
greater than any human being, not
only in power to execute his will. but /
also in wisdom to make a wise ar
rangement for his creatures, and also
perfect in Justice to do to them as he |
would have them do to him, If he were
the creatures and they the God He
must also be perfect in love, the no !