Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-07-18
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VT BIBLE STUDIES
EMRYo KINGDOM PARALLELS.
Mark iv, 90 80; Matthew xiii, SO.
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Mark iv, 2632; Matthew xiii, 80.
July 81.
THY Kingdom come, Thy will be done
on earth as 1t is done in heaven. Mat
thew vi 10
Many of us in the past have over
looked the fact that nearly all of the
teachings of the Redeemer appertain to
the Kingdom--fEis Messianic Kingdom
Some of us indeed had gotten the un.
seriptural thought that Messiahs King
dom would consist merely of sover-
eighty in the hearts of His followers
and in the present life.
Now we see the real import and con-
nection of the Great Teachers numerous
utteranees on this subject. AS TIE taught
us to pray, ."Thy Kingdom come Thy
will be done on earth, even as 1t is done
in heaven" He meant that we should
have in mind Gods glorious promise
that eventually, through Messiahs King
dom, ignorance, sin and death will all
be overthrown. and the willing and
obedient of mankind will be released
from these until every knee shall bow
and every tongue confess to the glory
of God
Today's study sets before us a number
of Jesus parallels respecting the King
dom. The majority of these refer to the
Kingdom class of the present time
rather than TO the Kingdom in ats fully
developed state during the thousand
Years of Jesus glory All of Gods con-
secrated people. begotten of the Holy
Spirit during this Age-since Pentecost-
constitute together the Kingdom class.
! the Kingdom in embryo-unfinished,
! undeveloped, incomplete. Some of
these embryo members of the King
dom may yet fail to make their calling
| and election sure. and they may become
"eastaways" as respects the glory and
honor to which they have been called.
The Kingdom Development Slow.
The first illustration of our lesson is
, that Gods Kingdom in its present en-
bryotic condition is of slow, gradual,
! methodical development covering the
entire period of this Gospel Age. It is
like seed cast into the ground, which
brings its maturity after many days and
varied experiences-when it is finally har-
vested Jesus and the Apostles did the
seed sowing, not only for their own day,
but for the whole wheat class, devel-
oped throughout this Age. And as Jesus
explained in another parable, "The Har-
vest is the end of the Age" The gath
ering for the heavenly garner will be
accomplished by the First Resurrection.
The, different parallels do not view the
embryo Kingdom from the same stand
point. 1t is because it may be viewed
from such variety of angles that so
many parallels are given us Just so we
might take various photographs of
building. One might show the eastern
side. another the western. another the
front elevation, another the 6oor-plan,
and another show it with its scaffoldng.
Or, If concrete building, the frame
work might be pictured. inside of which
the concrete is cast
The parable of the mustard seed APP
pears TO represent the Kingdom from
the viewpoint of the world-as the nomi-
nal church. developed from the original
little seed of the true Gospel. From that
little seed we have a great institution
today with many UNCONVENTIONAL branch
es. But alas! its thrifty development
has invited into its branches the fowls
of the air, which the Lord elsewhere de-
scribes as representing the Wicked One
and his angels-Satan and his represent
tatives-who of course should have no
place in the Church; and they would
nave no place III IL IL tue CHuitti Wtle
loyal and Jealous enough to proclaim
only the true Gospel and the narrow
way of self-denial
Indeed, it is the neglect to preach this
| Gospel of the marrow way" that has
brought such prosperity to nominal
| Christianity and made it desirable
place for the fowls of the air-Satan and
his deluded ones-to lodge in its branches,
| to be the real life of Ecclesiasticism.
| This seems to be the same picture which
the same Great Teacher gives us in Rev.
elation xviii. . There we read that the
nominal systems are represented SYM
| bolically as Babylon and there we read,
"She hath become the hold of every foul
spirit and the cage of every unclean and
hateful bird
The word "cage" seems to imply that
these unclean birds are considered very
desirable, and are held on to by nominal
hristianity-probably because regarded
as being amongst their best paying mem
bers and because of having the most at
fractions.