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

ton OF Jesus and His Message They
| will find that the glorious opportunity
offered to them of becoming members
| In the Bride of Christ was the highest
favor that Divine mercy could offer
them as the children of Abraha
They will become aware of their loss
of the heavenly portion and also Of
the earthly portion OF the Divine
promise They will then come to I'M
derstand that the promise to Abraham
dealt with two seeds. one heavenly.
the other earthly. and that the faithful
ones of past Ages. Abraham. Isaac
aud Jacob and all the holy Prophets
and other faithful ones of their ma
ton. will he rewarded with the high
est positions of honor In the earthly
phase of AIcSSiah's Kingdom. while
they. who had the opportunity of en-
terng the still higher. the spiritual
phase of that Kingdom. failed because
of unreadinpSs of heart to receive the
Redppmpr They will, find that some
whom they esteemed as puDIicans ana
sinners and Gentiles. by accepting
Christ and becoming His disciples. be-
came heirs of the highest promise
made to Abraham-became Abraham's
spiritual Seed-members of the Mes
sah. of which Jesus Is the Head and
the Church His Body.
Alas. poor Jews! Our hearts may
well go out to them in sympathy in
their chagrin and disappointment
when they shall learn the truth on
the subject. when they shall learn
that they have lost not only the heav-
emily glory but also the honorable place
of being Messiah's earthly representa-
tives. Most assuredly there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth, and
contrition of heart and penitence. we
trust. toward God. which will bring
them into the right condition to be
amongst the first of humanity to be
blessed under the New Order of
things. Very soon, we believe, the
blindness is to be turned from Israel
just as soon as the elect spiritual Seed
of Abraham shall be completed, st.
Paul tells lis (Romans XII. 25-330
Then favor will return to the nat.
ural seed of Abraham: They shall OBJ
tain mercy through Jour mercy" Their
eyes of understanding will open; men
tally they will look upon Him whom
they have pierced" They will mourn
for Him. and the Divine promise is
that God will then pour upon them
the spirit of prayer and supplication.
Other Similar Texts.
All Bible students will recall several
other passages of very similar Ian
guage to that of our text. But when
we get the right focus upon them we
perceive that they all belong to ex
periences in the present life, that none
of them relate to incidents beyond the
tomb. A greater care in the study Of
the Bible, might have protected US
from the thought that any of these
references apply to the dead, because
the Scriptures not only tell that they
are sleeping and waiting for the morn
ing. but they also particularly inform
us that "the dead know not anything;"
their sons come to honor and they
know it not. to dishonor and they per-
ceive it not of them;" and that there
is neither work. nor device. nor knowl-
edge. nor wisdom in the grave [sheoil"
whittier all go.-Ecclesiastes TX, 3, 10;
Job xiv. 81.
This expression, weeping and gnash-
ing of teeth" is found also in the
parable of the Wise and Foolish Vir-
gins The context tells us that this
parable applies in the end Of this Cos
pei Age. at about the time for the
second coming of Jesus-not as sin
bearing Sacrificer, but as the King OF
Glory. His consecrated. sanity peo-
pie are likened unto ten virgins-five
wise and five foolish.
The parable does not relate to the
world at all. but merely to the saints.
They are all virgins, all pure, all justi-
fed, all sanctified ones. The differ
ence between them is in respect to
their wisdom or unwisdOm. The wise
saints of God in the end of this Age,
guided by the Divine Word. will walk
very circumspectly. very faithfully,
searching the Scriptures in respect to
all they believe and striving to con-
form themselves to the Divine will in
all that they do and say.
Because of their watchfulness, alert
ness. devoutness and loyalty they are
wise and will be in special position
of advantage and knowledge in respect
to the things of the Harvest time Of
this Age. The Master, the Bridegroom.