The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-10-05
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson Il,-Fourth Quarter, For
Oct. 8, 1911.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the Lesson, Eek. Xvii, liz.
Memory Verse, Golden Text, Rev.
xxi, documentary Prepared by
Rev. D. M. Stearns.
The prophets foretell a kingdom of
peace and righteousness on this earth
to follow or in connection with the
restoration of Israel and their recep-
ton of Jesus Christ as their Messiah
when He shall come again in power
and glory. No one does this more
plainly than Ezekiel in chapter xxxvii,
21-2S. The last eight chapters of this
book describe the temple that is yet to
be builded and the glory that shall
fill the house when He will dwell in
the midst of the children of Israel for
ever (xliii, 1t; Xiv, 4-15). The name
Of the city from that day shall be.
1.-The Lord is there" Jehovah sham
nah Chapter Xviii. So, Mar--in).
This story of the river of life, with
its trees for meat and fruit and health.
takes us back to the garden of Eden
and on to the kingdom. Compare Joel
iii, II, 1S; Zech. xiv. 8. 9; Rev xii
1, 9: Ps. XVII, 4, s. The second book
Of Psalms, which may be a response
to the second book Of the law (EXo-
dusl, begins with mention of living wa-
ter and the rock from which it flowed
Cps. xiii, l, 2, o., and in l Cor. x, 4.
we read, "They drank of that spiritual
rock that followed them, and that rock
was Christ"
In the same chapter (verses 6, ID
we read that all these things happen
ed unto them for ensamples, and they
are written for our admonition. Full
authority for drawing spiritual heart
lessons from literal events is also
found in II Cor. iv, 6, and its refer
ence to Gen. /, 3, God who command
ed the light to shine out of darkness
hath shined in our hearts, CHANGING
back at the Psalms moment the Sc
quence of 45 to 4S is most beautiful
and in accord with all Scripture. the
marriage, the judgment. then the king
dom of peace, with king over all the
earth. and Mount Zion, the city of the
great king, the JOY of the whole earth.
Compare Rev. xix to xxi.
Inasmuch as in our lesson verses we
find the word waters fourteen times
and the word river seven times, l
take these two words as the key words
to the heart Of our lesson. think of
the waters above and waters below of
Gen. i, 6, Z; John iv, Is. II, and Of all
our Lords references to water in the
first seven chapters of Johns gospel
the living water that flows from the
throne of God. If our hearts are truly
and wholly the throne of God and the
Lamb it will be so.
/ expect to see literal river flow
ing from the city of Jerusalem to the
Mediterranean and to the Jordan and
Dead sea, according to our lesson and
Zech. xiv, 8, but if any cannot receive
that let all receive the spiritual les
sons and so eat the word, as in last
weeks lesson, that all may be wells
and rivers of living water, bringing life
to many wherever we go. The temple
or the tabernacle always tell us of His
| dwelling place on earth in the midst OF
His people and Of His special presence
above the mercy seat between the
cherubim (Ex XIV, 500. The. altar
| by which the waters flow reminds Us
| that there can't be life or blessing apart
from the great sacrifice of Himself
| for us and His present ministry OF
intercession as our great high priest
| The increasing volume of water to tho
ankles, the knees, the loins. a river tc
swim in, suggests the varied expert
| ence of believers. He said: II am
come that they might have life and
| that they might have it more abun
dainty. l am the life" John X, 10
xiv, g. It is written, HE that haiti
the Son hath life" q John V, 12).
| Many seem to know an ankle deer
enjoyment of Him, while others live
in the ocean of His love, and there are
varied experiences between these two
May Phil. iii, 10; Elk. xxxiii, Is, be
our whole hearted desire. THAT may
know Him." sThat may know Thee
| abiding in love that passeth knowl
edge The waters give, life and heal
ing, and the trees give meat and fruit
In Eden herbs and trees were for meat
and fruit Gen. i, %, 30). In Eden re
stored the tree of life will bear frui,
every month, and the leaves of the
tree will be for the healing of the ma
tons (Rev. xii. p. Compare verse l:
Of our lesson.
1t will be new day for the Dead
sea when 1t shall have become place
for fishermen, but the waters shall be
healed by the waters from the sane
tuary flowing by the altar. Some one
has said that the Dead sea is the
| greatest sin scar on earth because OF
the iniquity of the cities buried be
meath 1t, but when the kingdom has
| fully come in the new earth there shall
be no more curse; not in the millennia1
earth, for there shall still be unhealed
places and death, but in the perfect
age or ages after the thousand years
Verse IL; lisa. lxv, 20; Rev. xii. 3. A..
AS far as we are individually con
cerned there can be nothing perfect
about us in these mortal bodies. but in
the glorified body we shall see as new
er before the meaning of such words
as these: who forgiveth all thine in
| iquities. who healeth all thy diseases
| who redeemeth thy life from destruc
ton Cps. Gill, 3, A.. We may even
here have large foretastes of kingdom
| h1occoInoco Sv, ov1ou &ho&