The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-05-01

t(PASIOR RUSSElD resurrection He
preached unto the
spirits in prison. II Peter Iii, Is, 10.
This text, said Pastor Russell, has
been made the basis for some peculiar
presentations From it some have de
duced an intermediate state lasting
between death and the resurrection.
Others have claimed it as an authority
for the doctrine Of Purgatory. The
difficulty in every case seems to be the
failure to remember that the Bible al
ways and everywhere teaches that the
dead are really dead, that they know
nothing, and that, therefore, 1t wonld
be impossible to do any preaching 10
the dead humans. Undoubtedly the
theory that people are more alive after
they die than when they were alive is
responsible for nearly all Of the fool
fish things which We have all at some
time protested to believe.
Before Diminishing the thought that
these Spirits in prison" are human
spirits, let us note the fact that to say,
~human spirits" is an absuEdity of it.
self, because human beings are not
spirits and spirit beings are not hui
mans. "Who maketh His angels spir-
it's" is the Scriptural proposition.
True we do sometimes speak of hui
mans as possessing spirit Of nfe, but
by this we merely mean that he pos
sesses the power or energy Of life, and
the same would be equally true of the
lower orders of creation, beasts, Ash,
fowl, etc.
Again, we sometimes speak Of the
Church as spirit beings-begotten of
the Holy Spirit. Thus the Apostle
speaks of the natural man in contrast
with the New Creature, a spirit being.
To appreciate this statement we must
remember that the Church class re,
ceives the begetting Of the Holy Spirit
to the end that, If faithful, they may
attain unto spirit resurrection and
become spirit beings, like unto the an
gels and like to the Redeemer. But we
are not spirits yet, except by faith-by
hope. However, the context shows
that the Apostle had no reference to
the Church, either: we were not in
prison; we received the Message of sal
walton through the Apostles.
Spirits Once Disobodient.
The spirits to whom the message
was given had proven themselves dis
Obedient, says St Peter. He even
tells us the time of their disobesiience.
,alx hat H. =. q
Noah, while the ark was preparing "
Surely, if noticing these particulars
mentioned in the context, no one would
be excusable for misunderstanding this
Scripture and considering it in any
way applicable to humanity of our day
or to humanity In general. However
1t is helpful to us to learn the full par
ticulars of the matter. What was their
disobedience, and when and how were
they imprisoned?
Turning to Genesis vi, Is, we find
there the cause OF the diSobedience OF
those angels, who for time had been
permitted to see what they could dc
for the uplift of humanity, or, rather
permitted to demonstrate that the
downward tendency Of sin Is incura biz
except In the manner which God has
already arranged for through Messiah
and His glorious reign OF thousand
years.
Instead Of those angels helping man
kind cut of sin they helped themselve s
into sin, and by so doing they increased
fhn 1ntt1a Nitx h,,p Vl4
the astounding record is that 1.-The wick
edness of man was great in the earth
and that every Imagination of the
thought of his heart was only evil con
tinually." The particular sin of those
angels was that WHEN they were grant
taking human bodies for the sake OF
helping and instructing mankind-tuey
misused this power and took to them
selves the daughters of men for wives
Thus these angels came gradually tC
prefer to live as men amongst men and
to rear earthly families rather thar
to abide in the condition In which the,
were created-spirit beings, higher
than humans. Not only was this
wrong in the sense that 1t was taking
q course in opposition to the Divine
Arrangement, but it was wrong also
because the thing was done for the
cultivation and qualification Of lust
and 1t led to their own moral defile
ment as we'll as having a baneful in
fiuence upon humanity; for we car
raadily see that for the angels of gil
perior powers and intelligence, to he
come leaders in lustful practices woult
mean a great influence upon mankind
toward sim and defllement of mind an,
body.
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