The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1912-11-14
Startling Presentation Of Com
Ing Events.
PASTOR RUsSELL's VIEWS.
Continued from last week.
The Clouds Silver Lining.

tentS. daQ Coo l11teQ the veil thou
sand years sooner, the world would
have lined up for its Armageddon a
thousand years sooner. But that
would have been too soon for the Di.
vine purpose. because Messiah's King.
dom is to be the great Thousand
Year-Sabbath of the worlds history.
God In kindness yelled our eyes until
the time when the gathering to Ar
mageddon would Immediately precede
Messiah's taking to Himself His great
power, and beginning His reign.-Reve-
lation II, II, IS,
"send Them Strong Decisions"
st. Paul wrote prophetically of our
time, that 1t would be one Of serious
trial and testing to many processing to
be Christians. The reason for this he
states-they received not the Truth In
the love Of 1t. III Thessalonians II, 10,
H. They preferred their own errone-
Gus theories. the Apostle explains. and
therefore God will give them over to a
STRONG deluslon." and let them believe
the lie which they preferred. and let
them suffer for missing the Truth
which they did not love. Thus they
will be In the condemned host, fight
ing against Cod" because OF their lack
Of love for the Truth.
1t is sad to say that we all as Chris
dans have been laboring under thor
ough delusion respecting Gods Plan.
We have claimed that Christ set up
His Church in Kingdom power. and
that the Church has been reigning on
the earth as His representative. On
the strength of this deluslon. Jews and
heretics have been prosecuted to death
as opponents to Chrlst's Kingdom. All
the while we thoughtlessly repeated
the Lords prayer: THY Kingdom
come: Thy will be done on earth, as In
Heaven" We knew that the Redeemer
said that He would come again to
make US His Bride and joint-heirs; but
we ignored the Scriptures We were
drunk, as the Scriptures symbolically
say. "all nations were drunk with the
false doctrine. 1t is this false doctrine
that will constitute the frog" spirit
which soon will begin to croak and to
prepare for Armageddon.
The Bible presentation is that the
world is a section of the universe in
against Divine authority. I'M
Ter the captaincy Of Satan and his as
,ociated fallen angels. BY Divine grace
Jesus has already tasted death for
avery man." and the merit of that sac
'iflce must. eventually, grant Adam and
his posterity full, fair opportunity
or the attainment of everlasting life
All who thus seek the Divine program
Ind are walking In the light may know
Mt least respecting the ''times
Ind seasons" These brethren ''are
lot In darkness. that that day land
hat battle of Armageddonl should
'yertake" them 'as a thief" - I'M
wares.
Armaseddon Not Yet but Soon.
For forty years the Armageddon
'orces have been mastering for both |
ides Of the conflict Strikes, lockouts
Ind riots, great and small, have been |
merely incidental skirmishes as the |
'elligerent parties crossed each others |
'aths. Court and Army scandals in
europe. Insurance. Trust and Court |
candals In America, have shaken pub !
lc confidence. Dynamite plots. charg-
d by turns on employees and on en-
'loyers. have further shaken conf
lence and tended to make each dis
rustful Of the other. Bitter and angry
ceilings on both sides are more and
nore manifest The lines of battle are
ally becoming more distinctly marked.
nevertheless Armageddon cannot yet
e fought Other matters intervene.
ccording to prophecy.
Gentle times have still two years to
I'm. The Image of the Beast of our
ontext must yet receive llfe-power.
he Image must be transformed from
mere mechanism to a living force.
Federation realizes that its
rganization will still be futile unless
receive vitalization--unlessi its clergy
irectly or Indirectly shall be recog-
lied as possessed Of apostolic ordina-
on and authority to teach, This the
rophecy indicates will come from the
NO horned beast which. we believe,
represents the Church of
ngland. High-handed activities OF
and Catholicism, operat-
lg in conjunction for the suppression
human liberties, await this vivifying
{ the Image. This may come sooh,
ut Armageddon cannot precede It. but
lust follow-perhaps year after 1t,
to our view Of the Prophecy.
Still another thing intervenes: Al
lough the Jews are gradually flowing
to Palestine, gradually obtaining con-
oil of the land Of Canaan. and al
lough reports say that already nine
en- millionaires are there, neverthe-
% prophecy requires an evidently
rger number Of wealthy Hebrews to
} there before the Armageddon crisis
, reached. Indeed we understand
lat Jacobs trouble" In the Holy
and will come at the very close OF
Then Messiah's King
I'm will begin to be manifested.
Israel In the land of prom
e viii gradually rise from the ashes
the past to the grandeur of proph-
y. Through Its Divinely appointed
inces Messlah's Kingdom. ail-power
! but invisible. will begin to roll