Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-10

| accepting some as toint-heirs with Christ
in His Kingdom John himself seemed to
understand this for he declared. "Hc
that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom.
but | am the Bridegroom friend and re-
joice to hear His voice.-John iii, o.
The Prophecy of Zacharias.
| In harmony with the message of the
Angel Gabriel. John the Baptist was born.
| The family relatives urged the name
Of his father, hut the father and
mother named him John, and imme-
diately Zacharias' dumbness departed.
He had triumphed over all doubts. The
name John has beautiful signifcation-
| THE favor of God.
st. Peter distinctly tells us respecting
| the Old Testament Prophets that "Holy
men of old spake and wrote as they We're
moved ny the Holy Spirit" He init
mates that frequently they uttered deep
er and broader truths than they them
| selves comprehended-tru which only
the future would fully reveal. This is
| true Of the poophecy of Zacharias IN
| this lesson Verses CSC constitute the
first division of this prophecy; praise to
| Cod the Fountain of every good and per-
| feet gift comes first To Him all honor
| and praise are to be given for the fulfil
ment of his gracious promises of old,
FOR He hath visited and brought re-
| dempton to His people, He hath raised
up horn of salvation for us in the
house of His servant David in HARMONY
with the promises. Here. after the usual
| manner of prophecies, the thing about TO
| be accomplished is spoken of as though
| it had been done.
As John the Baptist was born but six
months before Jesus, il follows that the
begetting of Jesus had already taken
place at the time of this prophecy. The
Holy Spirit spoke Of the things begun,
but not yet accomplished, as though fin
| ished: 'IIe hath visited and brought re-
demption for His people, This word
| redemption applies not only to the re-
deeming work accomplished by Jesus in
the conservation of His life at Bap-
tism and down to the completion of His
| sacrifice at Calvary. but it is compre-
| hensive enough to take in the entire work
| of retaining humanity.
| \ small section of our race, the "eleet,t
Is being reclaimed during this Gospel
| Age but the Scriptures assure us that
| the Messianic reign of a thousand years
Will all be for the purpose of redeeming
or bringing back from the power of sin
| and death Adam and so many OF his
| children as shall be willing to accept the
| Divine favor when brought to their
| knowledge. The import. therefore, OF
this first strephe or section of the poetic
prophecy is, The Lord be praised that the
time has come beginning the great bless
ing which he long ago promised.
1
| Deliverance From Enemies.
The second section or strophe OF this
prophetic poem runs from verse Il to %.
1t relates to the deliveranee of Gods peo-
pie from the power of their enemies.
one important thought here is that none
| but Gods people will ever be delivered
from the enemies here referred to- How
ever, there have been many in the past
as there are at present, enemies through
| wicked works-not because of intentional
| wickedness. but because blinded by the
| god of this world, the deceitfulness OF
| riches, the Weaknesses of their fallen
flesh, etc.
During Messiah's reign of a thousand
years, when al the blind eyes Will be
opened and all the deaf ears Will be I'M
| stopped, and when the knowledge of tho
| glory of God character will be clearly
revealed and the horribleness of sin fully
| manifested-then many, now led captive
by Satan at his WILL Will bow the knee
to Emmanuel and confess to the glory OF
God In other words, as Jesus said His
| eonsecrated followers are His '1ittlz
flock of the present time. But during
His glorious reign lie will gather another
i flock. AS he said, "Other sheep / have
| which are not of this fold-them, also
must bring that there may be one fold
and one Shepherd. John y, 49,
zone fold and one Shepherd does not
| signify that all of the sheep will he of ths
same nature. on the contrary, tho
| Apostle tells us that Gods Plan is uti-
| mately to gather together under one
Head shepherd all things, both in heav-
en- and in earth fEphesians i, lO) OF
| these "all things the Church, the Bride
will be chief ON the plane of divine ma
ture. The Great Company, cherubim and
angels will follow in order. and redeemel
| and restored mankind in human perfec-
ton will be the lowest order in the di-
| vine fold.
st. Paul tells us about the enemies
from whom ultimately all of Gods peo-
| pie shall be delivered. Satan is an enc
| my. lie SnaH pc bound Tor a thousand
years and ultimately shall be destroyed
| Sin is an enemy. which will he stamped
our in its various phases during Mes
| siah's Kingdom. And we read THE last
enemy that shall be destroyed is
| death''-and with it will go the tomb.
| Adamic death will be no more. None
will be under its power The resurrection
power will release all Only those who
sin wilfully deliberately, will die the
Second Death which is not an enemy.
| The Preparatory Work.
The third section or strophe of this
| prophetic poem tells us of a work to be
| accomplished before the grand consum-
| nation of the destruction of all enemies
and the lifting up of all accounted wor-
| thy to be sons of God This is recorded
in verses 1913. 1t tells how John the
| Baptist would be the forerunner of the
Lords special Servant, Jesus, to pave
the way for His great work. That great
| work would be to give the knowledge of
/ IN L.