Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-08-23
/ 0lDTESfArENT TINES
AIBR@klYN J
G1IABERN'ACLE'
~" ,.RIpyE.S TuDIES.
BIBLE. STUDIES.
DARK PROPHECIES FULFILLED.
jeremiah 39-Aue. 27.

jeremiah 39-Aug. 27.
BE sure your sin viii find you out.
Numbers 32-23.
The dark prophecies which the Lord
sent through jeremiah the Prophet
finally reached fulGlment The be-
sieging army of the Chaldeans, after
year and half OF siege, finally,
With lattering rams. succeeded in
making d breach in the wall through
which an entrance was effected and
the city forced IL capitulate. King
| Hedekiah and his small army escaped
| toward the south going in the di-
| rection of the Jordan, but they We're
soon overtaken by the Ghaldeahs.
NcbuchadneZZar, ii person, was some
miles distant from Jerusalem. at
Riblah, and thithcr Xedekiah. the roy
al prisoner, was taken for sentence
to be punished for having violated the
contract with Nebuchadnezzar, who
really placed him upon the throne.
The punishment was after the map-
her Of the time. illustrated on some o.
the victory tablets which still remain
The kings eyes We're put out and, a
blind prisoner, he was taken TO BABY
Ion. Thus was fulfilled two very strik-
IIlB HIOHllttlto WIN Il Gsahli ldlliitpt
seemed quite contradictory In this
we get lesson of how carefully we
should study Divine prophecy. and
how faithfully we should trust its
every detail if we would receive light
instead of darkness.
one Of these prophecies respecting
Zedekiah is found in Ezekial xii. 1913
The other is found in jeremiah xxi,
| kiah would be taken to Babylon a
captive, and that there he would live
and there die; and vet he again de-
clared that he would never see the
| city. apparently 4 contradiction.
jeremiah predicted the downfall of
| Jerusalem. declaring that Iedekiah
would speak with NebuchadneZzar
mouth to mouth and see his eyes.
| This seemed to contradict Ezekiefs
statement, for if he would speak with
the king and see him eye TO eye, no"
would il be possible that he would not
see the city of Babylon"
The fultllment met all the require
ments. King Zedekiah saw Nebueh-
| adnezzar and spoke 10 him at Riblah
| in Palestine. His sight was there
taken from him and he was taken
prisoner to Babylon. He lived and
died in Babylon but saw it not
Cruelties Of the Past.
I'm the Bias Reliefs. representing
| the capture OF Lachish by Sennach-
crib, the prisoners are represented,
some begged down to the ground to
| be hayed aliye-others having their
| eyes put out. In one of the sculptures
| at Khossabad, Sargon represents him
self in person holding a prisoner by
| thong attached to ring passed
| through his under lip. The victim
| kneels before him, while with a spear
| he pierces his eyes. Others are held
| chained, and with hooks through their
| lips are held awaiting their turn. It
| was especially in Persia that the cruel
practice of binding prisoners prevailed,
| and it is mentioned by most Greek his
| torians In Turkey it was formerly
| the custom for Sultan on his Access
| sion either to slaughter or blind his
| half brothers that he might have no
| rivals. Canon Tristan.
Our forefathers We're once savage
| and presumably as cruel and as heart
less as those described by the Canon.
| Thank God for Il civilization which to
a large extent has lifted "Christen-
dom" to a higher plane of civilization
| to greater moderation in dealing
| with foes-to a greater degree Of hui
man sympathy, Thank God that the
| prisons of today are reformatories i'll
| stead of dungeons! Thank God that
| we are gradually realizing that as
| race we were born in sin and shapeH
| in iniquity psalm Ii, 81. The realiza-
| ton of this is helping to make us
| sympathetic TO the depraXed and de-
| graded-not to the extent of approving
| their wrong but to the extent of at
| tempting to intelligentlly assist them
| to better mental views and to better
| self-control
| To what, therefore, shall we give
| the credit of our progress and civil
| ization? We cannot give the credit
| to any church. sect or party. We
| must honestly acknowledge that every
sect. in its turn has displayed more
or less of bitterness, bigotry, super
stition and persecution-contrary
even to its own standards. In the last
analysis we must admit that the great
influence which has moulded the civ
ilization of our day has come TO us
from the words and example of the
Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself
a ransom for all, to be testified in due
time" q Timothy ii. 81. The great
truths which He uttered have come
echong down the centuries, speaking
righteousness, peace and love. even
for our enemies. Everywhere His
wonderful Words of Life" have
made an impression, and here and
there have effected the transforma-
finn of character