The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-11-08
Pastor Russell's Sermon

OF the people TOT tue puDHC SOOu Auo
crisis will be reached when the hither-
to npholders OF law shall become vio-
latorS Of the law and resisters of the
will OF the majority as expressed by
the ballot. Fear for the future will
lend the we'll. meaning masses to desper
Socialism falls.
The Clouds Silver Lining.
Horrible would he this outlook for
the future did we not have the infall
BILE Word of God assuring us of a
glorious outcome. Divine Wisdom has
withheld until our day the great Enowl.
edge and skill which is at the same
time breeding milionaires and discOn.
tents. Had God lifted the veil thon.
sand years sooner. the world would
have lined up for its Armageddon Il
thousand years sooner. But that
would have been too soon for the Di.
vine purpose. because Messiah's King.
dom Is to he the great Thousand.
Year-Sahbath of the worlds history:
God in kindness yelled our eyes until
the time when the gathering to Ar
mageddon would Immediately precede
Messiahs taking to Himself His great
power. and beginning His reign. -Reve.
latiOn xi. II. Is q IT,"
"Send Them Strong Decisions"
ST. Paul wrote prophetically of our
time. that it would be one of serious
trial and testing to many processing to
be Christians. The reason tor this he
states-thev received not the Truth IN
the love of it. eli Thessalonians ii. 10.
liz they preferred their own errone-
Gus theories. the Apostle explains. and
therefore God will give them over to a
strong deIusion." and let them believe
the lie which they preferred. and let
them suffer for missing the Truth
which they did not love. Thus they
will be IN the condemned host. fight.
ing against God" because OF their lack
OF love for the Truth
1t is sad to say that we all as Chris.
ttans have been iabOring under thor.
ough deInsion respecting Gods Plan.
We have claimed that Christ set up
His Church In Kingdom power. and
that the Church has been reigning on
the earth rs His representative. On
the strength Of this delusion. Jews and
heretics have been prosecuted to death
as opponents to Christ's Kingdom. All
the while we thoughtlessly repeated
the Lords prayer: Thy Kingdom
come: Thy will be done on earth. as in
Heaven" We knew that the Redeemer
said that He would come again to
make us His Bride and joint heirs: but
we ignored the Scriptures. We were
drunk. as the Scriptures symbolically
say. "all nations were drunk" with the
false doctrine. 1t Is this false doctrine
that will constitute the frog" spirit
which soon will begin to croak and to
prepare for Armageddon.
The Bible presentation is that the
world is a section Of the universe 10
rebellion against Divine authority, I'M.
der the captaincy of Satan and his as.
sociated fallen angels By Divine grace
Jesus has already tasted death for
every man." and the merit of that sac.
rifice must. eventually. grant Adam and
his posterity a full, fair opportunity
for the attainment of everlasting life.
All who thus seek the Divine program
and are walking in the light may know
something ut least respecting the times
and seasons" These brethren ARE
not in darkness that that day land
that battle Of Armageddon should
Overtake" them las a thief" - un.
awareS. ....e.
Armaseddon Not Yet but Soon.
For forty years the Armageddon
forces have been mastering for both
sides Of the conflict Strikes. iOckOuts
and riots. great and small. have been
merely incidental skirmishes as the
belligerent parties crossed each others
paths. Court and Army scandals in
Europe. Insurance. Trust and Court
scandals in America. have shaken pub
lie confidence. Dynamite plots, charg.
ed by turns on employees and on en-
ployers. have further shaken conf
dence and tended to make each dis.
trustful Of the other Bitter and angry
feelings on both sides are more and
more manifest The lines Of battle are
daily becoming more distinctly marked.
Nevertheless Armageddon cannot yet
De fought Other matters intervene.
according to prophecy.
Gentle times nave still two years to
! run. The Image OF the Beast" OF our
context must yet receive ife-power.
! The Image must be transformed from
mere mechanism to living force.
Protestant Federation realizes that its
organiZa ton will still he futile unless
1t receive vita Iization-nnIess its clergy
directly or indirectly shall be recog-
nized as possessed Of apostolic ordina-
don aud authority to teach. This the
prophecy indicates will come from the
two horned beast. which, we believe,
symbolically represents the Church of
England. High-handed activities Of
Professionalism and Catholicism. operat-
ing To conjunction for the suppression
of human liberties, await this vivifying
of the Image. This may come soon,
but Armageddon cannot precede It, but
must foliow-perhaps year after it.,
according to our view of the Prophecy.
Still another thing intervenes: Al
though the Jews are gradually flowing
into Palestine, gradually obtaining con.
troll Of the land Of Canaan. and al
though reports say that already nine
teen milIlonaires are there. Beverthe