Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1912-05-04

Whlch 1.-TWO expert
ences - death and
llRASIC)R RUSSEll) resurrectionl He
preached unto the
spirits in prIson,"-T Peter iii, 1s, 10.
This text, said Pastor Russell, has
been made the basis for some peculiar
presentations. From 1t some have de-
duced an intermediate state lasting
between death and the resurrection.
Others have claimed 1t as an authority
for the doctrine Of Purgatory. The
difficulty in every case seems to be the
failure to remember that the Bible al
ways and everywhere teaches that the
dead are really dead, that they know
nothing, and that, therefore, 1t would
be impossible to do any preaching to
the dead humans. Undoubtedly the
theory that people are more alive after
they die than when they were alive is
responsible for nearly all Of the fool
ish things which we have all at some
time professed to believe.
Before dlsmisslng the thought that
these Spirits In prison" are human
spirits, let us note the fact that to say,
human spirits" is an absurdity Of it.
Uelf, because human beings are not
spirits and spirit beings are not hu-
mans. "Who maketh His angels spir-
It's" is the Scriptural proposition
True we do sometimes speak Of hui
mans as possessing a spirit of life, but
by this we merely mean that he pos
sesses the power or energy Of life, and
the same would be equally true of the
lower orders of creation, beasts, fish,
fowl, etc.
Again, we sometimes speak Of the
Church as spirit beings-begotten Of
the Holy Spirit. Thus the Apostle
speaks of the natural man in contrast
with the New Creature, spirit being
TO appreciate this statement we must
remember that the Church class re-
ceives the begetting Of the Holy Spirit
to the end that, If faithful, they may
attain unto spirit resurrection and
become spirit beings, like unto the an
gels and like to the Redeemer But we
are not spirits yet, except by faith-by
hope. However, the context shows
that the Apostle had no reference to
the Church, either: we were not in
prison; we received the Message of sal
walton through the Apostles
Spirits Once Disobedient.
The spirits to whom the message
was given had proven themselves dis
Obedent, says st, Peter He even
tells us the time of their disobedience,
namely, that 1t was "ln the days Of
Noah, while the ark was preparing -
Surely, II noticing these particulars
mentioned In the context, no one would
be excusable for Misunderstanding this
Scripture and considering 1t in any
way applicable to humanity of our day
or to humanity In general. However,
It is helpful 10 us to learn the full par
ticulars Of the matter What was their
dlsobedience, and when and how were
they imprlsoned2
Turning to Genesis vi, Is, we find
there the cause Of the disobedience OF
those angels, who for time had been
permitted to see what they could do
for the upllft of humanity, or, rather,
permitted to demonstrate that the
downward tendency Of sin Is incurable
except in the manner which God has
already arranged for through Messiah
2 and His glorious reign OF thousand
years.
Instead Of those angels helping man
kind out Of sin they helped themselves
into sin, and by so doing they Increased
the depravity amongst humanity until
the astounding record is that "the wick
edness Of man was great in the earth
and that every Imagination Of the
thought Of his heart was only evil con
tinually." The particular sin Of those
angels was that when they we're grant
ed the privileges Of materializlng-Oi
taking human bodies for the sake Of
helping and instructing mankind-they
mlsused this power and took to them
selves the daughters Of men for wives
Thus these angels came gradually tC
prefer TO live as men amongst men and
to rear earthly families rather thar
to abide in the condition in which they
were created-splrlt beings, higher
than humans. Not only was this
wrong in the sense that It was taking
course In opposition to the Divine
arrangement, but It was wrong alsC
because the thing was done for the
cultivation and qualification Of lust
and II led to their own moral de6le
ment as we'll as having a baneful IN
Huence upon humanity; for we car
readily see that for the angels, Of su
perior powers, aud intelligence, to be
come leaders In lustful practices would
mean a great influence upon mankind
toward sin and defilSment Of mind and
hodv.