The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-11-01

Its equivalent in the New Testament
Greek-Hades.
True there is reference to the
! Second Death, where we read of those
who shall be brought to a knowledge
Of God during Messiah's Kingdom and
who then shall deliberately and in
diligently refuse the way of righteous.
ness. We read: The wicked shall
be returned to Sheol. and all the ma.
tions that forget God" psalm TX. 10
These are not the ignorant and weak.
but the intelligently wicked. They
are not those who have never known
| God, but those who. after knowing
Him. forget Him and willfully choose
| the way of sin. For such God has no
blessing Of life everlasting. They
| "shall be destroyed from amongst the
people."-Acts iii, %.
In the New Testament. the word
Gehenna represents the Second Death
the utter destruction of the class
consigned to it. AS every scholar
the Hebrew word Geh-hinnon. 1t was
! the name of valley outside the wall
Of Jerusalem, long used as a garbage
furnace for the destruction of the
offal. But 1t was never recognized by
Cod as place for torture or suffer
lngs. or for any living creature.
Although the capital punishment Of
the Divine Law is death. humiliation,
God has subordinate punishments. all
Of which are for reforma ton, or we
| might properly say, all OF which are
designed to be purgatorial. purifying.
Amongst the Scriptures referring to
these we might include st. Peters
words, Think it not strange concern
Ing the fiery trial which shall try
you"-purify you and test your char
acter, to demonstrate your faithfulness
as the people of God am your WORTH
ness of association with Messiah In
His glorious Kingdom to be set up at
His Second Advent Peter iv, -.
st. Paul. writing along the same lines,
calls these light Affections. which are
but for a moment" and designed to
work out for US far more exceed
ing and eternal weight of glory"
III Corinthians iv. ~ They thus work
out blessings for the Church by puri-
! flying them as New Creatures. eliminat-
ing the dross from the gold.
In Malachi's prophecy it is foretold
/ that Jesus would institute purgatorial
experiences amongst the consecrated
people Of God. the antitypical Levites.
He does this. to purify them of dross
and to enable those who have Of
fered their lives to God SCIENTIFICALLY,
! to be acceptable as His members. We
read: HE shall sit as a Refiner and
Purifier Of silver, to purify the sons
Of Levi, that they may offer unto the
Lord an acceptable, sacrifice -
| Jesus has thus been sitting as the
Refiner and Purifier of His Church
/ for more than eighteen centuries. The
| fires of persecution, tribulation. which
He has permitted to come upon them
are all Observation-Disclosures to purify,
to purge, to make them white. His
people have the assurance that He
will not suffer them to be tempted
above that they are able, but will
with every temptation provide way
of escape.
"The Whole World Lieth In the Wick
| ..*'s... ed One" B.,
All are children of wrath" and still
under Divine sentence of condemna-
ton. except the Church Of the First
borns-the antitypical Levites. Spirit
begOtten. We who have thus been
called out from the world have the
settlement Of our prospects for life
everlasting Or the Second Death in
this Age, before the blessing Of the
Lord comes to mankind in general.
The Church's trial and purgatorial ex-
periences must all take place during
| this Age. before the New Age opens,
which in the Divine arrangement Is
provided for the worlds Judgment.
God has appointed Day 1.-THE Day
Of Christ. a thousand years] in the
which He will judge the world in
righteousness [give to each fair, full,
righteous opportunity for reconcilia-
ton by that Man whom He hath or
dained 1.-THE Christ. of which Jesus is
the Head and His faithful followers
the members. l"-Acts xvii. 81.
The Worlds Pursatory Future.
The Church Of Christ constitute the
Elect, the spiritual Seed of Abraham.
through which all the families of the
earth. the nOn-elect. are to be blessed.
according to Gods promise. The
foundation for the worlds blessing
was laid in the same sacrifice Of Jesus
by which the Church's reconcilia ton
was made possible. Nevertheless. the
prospects for the Church and the
world are quite different The Church,
through following her Redeemer vol
UNFAIRLY and SCIENTIFICALLY. in suffering
for righteousness sake. Is to be crown
ed with glory. honor and Immortality.
beyond the veil, with the spirit ma
ture
BY this. the glorious resurrection
change, the Church will be prepared
for association with her Lord in His
great work Of blessing Adam and his
race-regenerating them. A thousand
years have been set apart for the
work by the great Life-Giver. The
life to be given to the willing and
obedient of mankind will be earthly
life. human life. human perfection, in
Paradise restored. worldwide,
AS purgatorial experiences are wise
and proper as respects the Church.
similarly fiery trials and chastisements