Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1912-05-23

----------------> He realized that on
that great fact
rested the weight Of the Gospel Message
II wsh easy enough to prove that Jesus
had died but TO an incredulous world it
WAS difncult to prove that fle had rsan
from the dead and whoever could not be-
lisve that great fact could not believe the
other great facts which stand or fail with
IT,
For instance: The apostle presented
That Je.u. had left the heavenly glory and
mad become a Man. for the purpose Of
ine1tinK the demands OF the Divine Law
against Adam and his race, involved by
MIN he could show the reasonableness
Of this logic. He has proven that rs tho
whole world WAS condemned to death
through Father .Adnm'x dsobsdence it
was absolutely necessary for an untanted
me To be sacrificed In ordef to meet the
penalty and To secure tho release Ut the
condemned race
But all these clAimx fell lightly upon
some ut his hearers. who claimed that 1t
VAS much nore easy TO beieve that
Js~us never died al all but merely trans
inuted. than to believe that He died for
our sins and again for' our fisthca-
tion: hence the apostles frequ1nt refer
enee to Christs resurrection and his in
Sisteflo~ upon 1t NJ abaoutoly necessary to
Christian faith.
Last Of All He Was Seen BY Me-"
Prosecuting his argument, the opposite
nlarshaH~d the whole chain OF witnesses
except the women who iirst Saw the Lord
On the morning OF His resurrection. He
says He was seen of Cepias (Pster):
then by the remainder of the -: then of
above I'D brsthren at ones. later. He was
seen of james then of all the apostles"
when He aacended. Thsn co,nss thu toxt:
Last Of ali. He OF me. also"
There is something pathetic in this ref
erehce to his own glimpse OF JssNs. 1t
called up the period Of his own bixoted
persecution of the church 1t reminded
him of his own responsibility in connec-
ton with the death of st Stephen and of
the mAdness which his had manifested In
pursuing Christians even TO Damascus,
halnK them TO prison. Again. he saw the
great, binding light from heaven. above
the brightness of the monday sun. his
fall To tho earth aud heard the voice
speaking to him. saying, Saul. Saul why
peraecutest thou Me.s'--Acts tx sly; XVI
l5ls
The objection which all Jews had to
Jesus and what they considered absolute
proof that Ha was not the Messiah was
His apparent inability to accomplish the
things foretOld by the prophets. They
said, 1t Ia foolish to think OF IL man with
ont an army and without wealth claiming
TO ba king 1t liz still more foolish for
Him to claim that He is the Messahic
king. who is to be above all kings. and
before whom every kneo shall bow and
every tongue confess.
To them 1t seemed that when He was
crucifed demonstration had been given
that He WAS not the Messiah Was not
| the Msssiah to live forever, and was He
not to reign successfully King OF
kings and Lord of lords. Must 1t not,
therefore. ba true that any man whom the
Jews -, Romans could cruelty, could
| put to death, must have been an imp0s-
| tor, They considered the matter proven
| to a demonstration.
| The honesty Of Saul of TarsA led him
to I've just az honest after ne got his eyes
4 Of understanding opsn he had been
\ previously with them closed The sftua-
| ton changed Immediately In his MUD:
insfead of d human Savior and Messiah
and earthly King. God had prepared q
Heavenly One. partaker OF tho divine ma
ture. Klor40us "far above 'anxsls. ,alssci-
pAlttiss and powers.
Crown Him Lord Of AL
like I" think that. a. was once blind
ed to many Of the precious truths OF God. .
Word. SO 1t is with many others whose
eyes of understanding have not yet
opened like to think OF st. Pants ex-
1 psriences tbs sincerity, even to hatred
and persecution. aud then his loyalty.
even to stripes and imprisonment and
death. IKE 10 think of him az exempli-
| flying possibly large class of the oppos-
ers Of the Truth.
like to nope that ali they Will need
/ To bring them into line with Gods ar
engagements and to make them loyal SER
wants of righteousness will be the great
/ light which viii shine forth rexplendently
vary soon. when the due time shalt come
for Messiah Us take to Himself His great
power ana reign--.xhen His elect Bride
shall have been completed and giotitied
with Him. like to remember the words
OF the Lord through tho Prophet respect
ing that glorious Epoch: Then shall the
eyes of tie blind be opened and the ears
of the deaf bs ulstopped: then shall the
lame man sap ~ an hart and the tongue
Of the dumb sing
An, yes. Now we can geo Hfat the little
opennK OF the eyes and unstopnng OF the
ears and healing Of tho lame accomplished
at our Lords first advent merely foro-
shadowed His coming glory and much
Nreater work. Now we ssa a reason
why maay M His mighty works were
done on tho Sabbath dayx-because they
were all prophetic. as tho Sabbath DAYS
themselves we're prophecies Of the grea,
Thousand Year Sabbath Of Messlahs kio-
rious reign. during which all of humanit,
who will may enter into His rest-res
from, sin and from Satan and from every
thing that would hinder them from, a fui
return to thu Heavenly Fathers love AM
favor.
One Born Before the Time.
Many have remarked at the peculiartt,
OF ST. Paurs statement that he saw tn,
Lord prematureiy born. But " a
1irst thu statement was dark and puxzl.ng
now 1t is luminous and enlightening al.
Thought Ia this: The time for giving ocu
lar demonstrations Of the Lords resur
rsction had Como by: the next MARI rasta
} tlon of Him was to be to His saints. an.
after that to the world. Thus we read
, We shall bs like Him. for Wa shall se
HIM "a He is"-made like Him by our res
direction change from the human condl
tons TO the spirit conditions.
Strictly speaking. then. the experience
OF Saul OF rarsus were out of the ordl
nary No one else than he. not even tn
sanity. were to SEQ the Lord before thei
resurrection change In the end u TIL
) Age. When. therefore. he saw Jesus Ii
saw Him before tina time-more than 1
centuries before the time. Moreover h
saw Him one born before the ttme-a
one resurrected before the time We ar
To have in mind the Scriptural uss of thi
word born-that the Church must all b
begotten of the Holy Spirit in order to on
psrtetuce the resurrection birth.
. The Inn Of Dreams.
Sweet Laughter. Sweet Delight.
My heart Is like 4 lighted inn that wait
Your swift approach and at tn