Democratic messenger., 1911-10-21

IoTb were DuAhb
upon misinterprstations of Scriptures.
We report aim ON Revelation x, ".
81 follows
our text. with other Scriptural state
men.s respecting the end OF the world
tror instance. st. Peters statement.
"rhe heavens being OF ire shall be
tiissolved''). have led Christians In
general 70 accept the theory that
God has decreed that shortly. or At
some time. our earth is to be burned.
The early Church expected and prayed
for the second coming of Messiah. 10
establish the Kingdom Of righteous
ness. To overthrow sin and to release
mankind from It's bondage and weak
meas and from the power Of death. and
thus 10 bless the whole earth, restoring
all things to the glorious condition
represented in miniature in Eden. man
in perfection. with Paradise home
Acts iii. 1921.
But as centuries passed without the
manifestation of Messiah's Kingdom,
those expectations yielded TO another
suggestion. namely. that Jesus had not
meant what had been understood. but
meant that the Church should convert
the world. under His supervision. dur
ing II period OF Il thousand years. and
that then He would come and give
their work His stamp Of approval and
wind things up by taking all the
saintly to heaven. setting nrs to the
earth tn entirely consume Ii.
Catholics and Protestants Much Con.
fused.
Both Catholic. aud Protestants have
been operating in harmony with this
erroneous thought. Catholics claim
that the Kingdom OF Messiah was set
up long ago and that the popes and
cardinals IRE representatives OF Jesus
aud the Church. They claim that the
Pope is Chrlsts vicc. .eerent-that Is TO
say. He reigns instead Of Christ. as
His representative. They claim that
the thousand years is already In the
past. since 1890. and that we arc now
In. the little season" mentioned in
Revelation xx. 3. in which Satan was
10 be loosed. at the close of the
thousand years.
Many OF them understand that Prot.
estanism in general. and. particularly
Socialism and Free Masonry. are
organizations of Satan. which will
soon be destroyed in the burning up
of the world.
Protestants are also much confused
on the subject. They claim that we
are in the reign OF Messiah. but they
are not sure when II began or when II
will end Before Luther's day the
Catholic view prevailed. but accord
ing TO Luther's preaching the Papal
claims were false. aud later the Papal
system was branded as Antichrist.
Since then protestants are In con
fusion. Some recognize the Church Of
England and its king'y head ~ Gods
Kingdom in the earth. but they admit
that II has NOT YET conquered the
earth. nor Il Gods will done as IN
heaven. even IN the British Isles. The
Church of Russia makes a similar
claim to being the Kingdom OF God.
and houors The Pope rs the rsigning
representative OF Messiah. Emperor
William of Germany also has ON his
coins the legend that he is rcigninf
"hy the grace Of God" his king
dom Is n part Of Messiah's Kingdom.
But all these theories Catholics and
Protestants are now ignoring. In the
light Of our day none dare preach such
theories. With present-day enlighten-
ment II seems foolish 20 declare that
the various kingdoms ~ Europe are
Messiah's Kingdom and that they are
establlshin. reign Of righteousness.
The costly preparations for war made
by these very nations discredit entire
~ the clairr that they nre parts ~
Messinh's great Kingdom of righteous.
ness and peace.
All denominations engaged In mis-
sionary work are processing the
thought that soon the world will he
converted: that the second coming Of
Christ will then take place. and then
will come the consummatlon. and the
burning Of the world How strange,
how illoeicall The heathsn. according
70 reliable government statistics. are
twice MS numerous today as they were
century ago. six hundred millions
there were then there are twelve hun.
dred millions now How long would
II require. AZ this rate. to convert the
world? And II the heathen We're con.
vArtad 20 the same condition 0f civ.