The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-01-19

W tuc uutulol SSCo VI All
through Moses. the. Law Covenant.
which offered them eternal life and an
inheritance in the Kingdom il they
could keep the Law. OF course. they
could not keep the Law because 1t was
the measure of perfect mans ability.
world. the Israelltes were imperfect
sinners. Nevertheless the offer and
their attempt to keep the Law brought
them great uplift of heart, SO that
when Jesus to them considera.
BILE number were ready TO receive Him.
did receive Him, and He received them.
They became sons of God. through the
begetting of the Holy Spirit, at Pente-
cost and afterward. These were the
spiritual Seed of Abraham. begotten OF
the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself being
the Head. or First; the others were
counted in rs members of His Body.
Israel had been hoping for share in
Messiah's Kingdom. and st. Paul ex-
plains, Israel hath not obtained that
which he seeketh for. but the election
hath obtained it. and the rest were
blinded" The blinded Israelites are
still. cast aside. but not forever. The
Divine blessing shall come to natural
Israel Just as soon as spiritual Israel
shall be completed. (See Rom. XII. 25-34.)
The Kingdom Suffereth Violence.
What did the election" obtain?
or what did the faithful .'Israeiites
indeed" become heirs by accepting
Jesus and by the Pentecostal blessing?
We answer thar they became identified
with Messiah's Kingdom and heirs or
inheritors of the glorious promise made
to Abraham. that in This Kingdom all
the families of the earth should be
blessed. But now note that there were
not a sufficient number Of Jews found
worthy to complete the Kingdom class.
The Kingdom therefore could not be
inaugurated then. God had foreseen
this and through the Prophet had
promised that some would be gathered
from the Gentiles to complete this
Kingdom class. The entire work Of
this Gospel Age has been the calling OF
this ''elect" class for the Kingdom. If
we have rightly viewed the matter, the
foreordained number will soon have
been found, the election will be at an
end, the accepted will be glorified as
the. Kingdom. and Messiah's reign Of
righteousness will begin.
But notice now the course of all be
longing to the Kingdom class. through
out this age They are not refgning
with Christ, but suffering with Christ.
And Jesus explained this; they are in
deed Of the Royal Family. because be-
gotten Of the Holy Spirit; they are in
deed the Kingdom class. because they
are affiliated with the great King; but
they have not yet entered into their
glory. They will do so only by the
power of the First Resurrection. Thus
it is written, Eve must all be chang
ed" because ''hesh and blood cannot
| inherit the Kingdom Of God"
Our Lord Himself was the Pattern,
the Forerunner Of all these. After His
conservation and His begetting of the
! Holy Spirit. He was tested even unto
death, even the death of the cross. be-
fore He experienced His glorious res
direction change and assembled up and
sat down at the right hand OF the
Majesty on High. Similarly all of His
followers. after consecration. must be
tested. their loyalty must be proven.
before they can share with Him in
His Resurrection
Partly for the testing of these. their
| development takes place in time
when Satan is the Prince of this world.
| and when his power is permitted to
| be exercised against them as it was
| exercised against their Lord. The mes
sage to these is, THE Kingdom suffer
eth violence and the violent take it by
| force AS our Lord suffered violence
from the Prince Of this world, so will
| His followers, for "the disciple is not
above His Lord" His promise to His
followers is. BE thou faithful unto
death, and | will give thee crown OF
lifc."- ReveIation ii. 10. =,
"The World knoweth Us Not"
So then we perceive that Gods King.
dom class. the followers of Jesus, have
been suffering violence. just as did
| their Leader, Tor righteousness sake
! That the prosecutors had not known
and done their evil work intentional
ly, St. Peter intimates when he says
to the Jews. II wot that in ignorance
We did it. as did also your rulers, fol
j il they had known they would not
have crucified the Prince Of Life. ,
Hence. in due time their blindness
shall be turned away and they will
! look upon Him whom they pierced and
mourn (Zechariah xii. 10). and God
! will pour upon them the spirit of pray
er and supplication. and forgive them
and make the experience profitable to
as many as shall prove willing. :.
Meantime. for eighteen centuries, the
Scriptures declare, 1.-The world knowetl
us not even as it knew Him not
Gods sa.atly ones have not been gen
orally the great. the influential. either
in church or state, just as Jesus and the
Apostles were not in their day. Never
theless. the Lord knoweth those thai
are His. Scattered here and there
during the past eighteen centuries. he
has been dealing with them. preparing
them. polishing them. fitting them as
jewels. And He tells us that at oul
Lords second coming He will make uI
His jewels-they will constitute the
al f1u for