The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1911-10-17


in heaven? Assuredly not.
Thank God, the second coming of
Messiah will not delay until the world
is converted and Gods will fully done
and the plan of salvation ended.
Quite to the contrary. His coming is
for the very purpose of bringing all
things into subjection to the Fathers
will. He comes that He may reign as
King OF kings and Lord of lords, in
association with His Church. He will
not reign through representative or
vicegerent. but personally. and unto
Him every knee shall bow and every
tongue confess" to the glory of God.
In His day the righteous shall -four
ish, and the evil-doers shall be cut off.
The faithful Church, sharing in her
Lords resurrection, the First Resur-
rection, to glory, honor and immortali-
ty, will be His associate kings and
priests. TO reign for thousand years.
Revelation XXX g.
Fire SynboIieal Of Destruction.
Let us examine some texts which
seem to teach that our earth will be
destroyed by fire, and note that they
are symboical Fire is frequently
lsed in the Scriptures as symbol OF
destruction. Thus the Church is ex-
horted to mortify or kill the fleshly
nature, and is told that the fiery
trials of life will assist them in this
work. The opposition of enemies Is
TO be destroyed by works Of mercy
and kindness, which, tiguratively, will
be "coals of fire upon their heads"
St Peter mentions special trials and
tribulatiOns coming upon the Church,
designed to purify her-purge out and
destroy the dross. He says: "Think
it not strange concerning the fiery
trial which is to try you, as though
some strange thing happened unto
you."-I Peter iv, ~.
st. Paul refers to special trials upon
the Church in the end of the Gospel
Age, which will consume false doc
trines, human traditions, etc, and all
false faith, but which will leave un-
scathed the true Faith and true char
acters. He says: "If any man build
upon this foundat ton gold, silver, pre-
cious stones. wood, hay, stubble, ev-
cry mans work shall be made mani
fest, for the day shall declare 1t, be-
cause 1t shall be revealed by fire; and
the fire shall try every mans work of
what sort 1t is. lf any mans work
abide which he hath built tbereupOn,
h1 m rH
mans work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss; but he himself shall be
saved, yet so as by flre."--I Corin-
thiaDs iii, 1915.
These various Scriptures do not
prove that the world could not be de-
stroyed by fire in n literal way, but
they do prove that fire" Is very fire.
quently mentioned In the Bible in a
figurative or symbolical manner. We
might multiply the instances: Our
God is consuming tire"-as regards
everything contrary TO righteousness;
the symbollcal Lake Of fire. in the
book of Revelation, is explained to sig
nifty the Second Death, utter destruc-
ton, without hope of recovery.
World Burning UnseripturaI.
The supposition that the earth will
be destroyed by fire, either soon or
ever. would be contrary to the state
ment that "the earth abldeth forever"
and the declaration that God formed 1t
not in vain. but formed II to be in
hnbited Qsaiah xiv, 49, one of the
very strong passages which seems TO
teach that the earth will! be devoured
| by fire Is found in HephaHiah ill., s:
"Wait We upon Me, saith the Lord, I'M
iii that Day that | rise up TO the prey,
| for My determination IL TO gather the
nations. that | may assemble the king
doms, to pour upon them Mine indig-
nation, even all My fierce anger; for
the whole earth shall be devoured with
the fire of My jealousy"
That the fire of Gods anger which
will come upon the world will not de-
stroy the physical earth, with all its
of present institutions, Is shown by the
succeeding sentence, which declares:
",Then will | turn TO the people u pure
Message, that they may all call upon
the name Of the Lord to serve Him
with one consent" If the fire of this
text were literal, the earth and its peo'
Pile would be no more, but as symbol
ical fire IL Is perceived that il Is burn
ing against unrighteousness, iniqulty,
sin, the overthrow Of all institutions of
evil, and the awakening of mankind
and preparing them to hear the Voice
OF God. the language of the Truth,
the Divine Message.
What we have seen prepares us for
the somewhat more difficult statement
OF st. Peter: THE Day of the Lord
will come as thief In the night, In
the which the heavens shall pass away
with great noise, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat; the earth
also, and the works that are therein,
shall be burned up. 4" The heavens,
being on fire, shall be dissolved, and
the elements shah melt with fervent
heat Nevertheless we, according tn
His promise, look for New Heavens
| a.. a. I1nN 4,