The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-06-21

dom or COD. ana you yourselves tnTuSt
out" Luke xiii. %.
Bible students In the past, resting
under terrible fear of an eternity of
torture after death. were inclined to
twist the statements of Scripture into
supports for their misconceptions. We
are now breaking loose from some of
those horrible nightmares Of the Dark
Ages. finding that the Bible. rightly in
terpreted. does not subStantiate them.
The hobgoblins and demons of torture.
cloven hOof. forked tail. malignant
glance. pitchforks and tongues of fame
came down to us. not from the inspired
Word of God. but from the pens Of
misanthropic poets and the brushes of
ambitious painters who revelled in the
portrayal Of blood -curdling scenes and
endeavored to make them more awful
than the tortures of the Inquisition
chambers of their own day.
So far from describing Satan and his
demon hosts as torturers of the dead.
the Bible tells us plainly that the dead
are asleep" and will know nothing of
joy or sorrow until the awakening time
in the dawning of the Messianic King
dom. and that Satan and his demon
hosts of fallen angels are not far off
stocking fires. but near by us. powers
of the air." 1t tells us also that these
seek to oppose the Divine Program and
to ensnare our race by personating the
dead. using as their channels deceiv-
ed spirit mediums as they used witches.
wizards and necromancers in the past.
Satanic Influence Near.
st. Peter. so far from believing that
Satan is far off stocking fires. described
him as roaring. angry lion. going
about amongst men seeking whom he
might devour-deceive. involve in sin.
st. Paul forewarns us that Satan and
his agents are crafty and are to be ex-
pected to present themselves as angels
of light--leaders in advanced truth.
We are assured that this dreadful. in
furious agency has been deceiving the
whole world for centuries. The Divine
promise is that Messiah's Kingdom
shall bind or restrain Satan for a thou
sand years that he may deceive the
people no more until Messiah shall de-
liver up the Kingdom to the Father.
The Scriptures specially forewarn us
of great activity on the part of the
evil spirits in the end Of this Age. and
intimate that they will have much to
do with the great Time of worldwide
Trouble which will precede the inaugu-
ration of Messiah's Kingdom. 1t is
time for us to he on the lookout for
those wonderful manifestations Of dia-
bolism which for a time will seem to
make many of our poor race madly in
sane. brutal. inhuman. diabolical This
is the real danger from the demons-in
the present life, and not in the future.
They. will deceive and torture hui
mainly to the limit of their permission.
when they will be restrained by the
King Of Glory and the bright shining
of the Sun of Righteousness. which
will usher in the New Day of earth's
blessing and restitution.
The words weeping and gnashing
of teeth" represent, not new cOndi
lions amongst men. but those which
may be witnessed every day-sorrow.
heartache, grievous disappointment;
and this is the use of this expression
in the Bible. We should dismiss all
thought that the experiences mention
ed will be after death and the result of
tortures inflicted by demons.
Jews Bitter Disappointment.
In our text the Lord graphically
pictures the disappointment Of the
Jews when they shall find out how
great was their mistake in the reiec