Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-01-18


certain that considerable portion c
Its vast area Is below sea level. At
comparatively small cost it can be IL
undated and made to rejoice with tn
remainder Of the world, by sharing /
the Millennial blessing. The Scripture
prophesy also that the Dead Sea wi
be connected with the ocean, and tina
region become once more prosperous.
Still More Wonderful Things.
Pastor Russell, dealing with the con
text, pointed out that 1t tells the Who'll,
story. He applied Verse 3 to the pres
ent time, declaring that he was seeking
to carry out Its command, "Strengther
We the weak hands and confirm the
feeble knees Say to them that are Of
fearful heart, Be strong fear not
behold your God will come with venge
ance, even God with a recompense; He
will come and save you.'-Verses 3, 4
The Church is here addressed-not
the world. True, Messlah's coming is
to bless the world, but before the bless.
Ing can come to the world, the Elect
Church must first be gathered. BY the
change" of the First Resurrection, the
Elect will cease to be Of the human
nature and will become spirit beings,
"hke unto the angels" but hiOher-"par-
takers Of the Divine Nature"
This Elect class, the Pastor declared,
Is Scrlpturally called "The Bride, the
Lambs Wife" In all of Gods dealings
with humanity this class is to have the
prominence, as Spiritual Israel. They
are not all children Of Abraham by ma
ture, he said, but are his children by
faith; for Abraham typlcally was the
Father Of the Faithful. Abraham rep.
resented Jehovah, as Isaac typifed the
Son, Jesus, and Rebecca, Isaac's bride,
typihed the Church. The first of this
company was gathered from the natur-
al seed Of Abraham, but the company
as whole has been completed out of ev.
cry nation, people, kindred and tongue
None, however, but sanity, holy ones
can be members of this Elect class.
After Its completion, the Divine bless.
Ing will extend through 1t to natural
Israel, and through them to all nations
again. The blessing then to be be.
slowed however, will not be Of the
same character They will all be earth.
y blessings-the life and health in
Paradise will all be earthly. Only the
Church Of the First-born. begotten Of
he Holy Spirit know; and only such
'an go on to make their calling and
election sure and attain the birth of
he Spirit In the resurrection. All 9th
RS remaining Of the human nature will |
get the blessings which God has pro.
ided for humanity. These the Pastor
aid, will surpass anything Of which
he human mind has ever yet conceived.
Opening the Blinded Eyes.
The miracles which Jesus did at His
'irst Advent were merely little illus.
rahons Of the much greater work
'hIch He will accomplish at His Sec.
nd Advent He explained this to the
.postles, saying, Greater works than
hese shall ye do. tSee John 1412J 1t
greater work now to open the eyes
{ human understanding to appreciate
ne Divine Character and Plan than to
pen the natural eyes, as Jesus did So
the future Jesus and His Church,
lring the thousand years Of Messlah's
ingdom, will open blinded eyes of
understanding, unstOp ears that have
ng been deaf to the Truth, loose to
ng praises to God tongues that have
'ver yet experienced that blessing. s
oreover, as our context declares, the
me will be strong and leap for Joy. |
We are not disputing that all the I
neness, deafness, ailments of the
esent time, will quite disappear dur 4
Messiah's reign of thousand u
ars. We are merely laying emphasis b
the fact that the greater blessings y
II come also; the lamenesses, for In n
nee, Of human weakness and frail.
incident to the fall and its heredl. L
y influence. All this lameness will d
done away with-gradually. n
What new aspect earth will wear q
en- Paradise shall bloom, when Il
hteousness shall prevail, when sick. c,
IS and sin, sorrow and pain and dy. 81
shall gradually fade away before Il
touches Of the glorious sunlight Of u
t New Dispensatlon! u
"A Highway Shall Bo Thore.D Ut
he context declares that then =,
yhway Of Holiness shall be estab. =,
led, The Hebrew word signifies ~
die thoroughfare 1t win he dis. -,
'tly different from the broad road Of M
present which Is Il dOlOnlCard one -,
Highway will he nm uprard walk. ~
viii be distinctly different also from IA,
harroD rdy aud rugged path Of the st
lrch OF the present time. Instead ro
being u rough, thorny way, beset by nr
Is and difficulties, liable to attacks elf
he world the flesh aud the Adyer. In
Y, II VIII be the reverse Of this. nc
o lion ana ravcnous beast win be NO
'e' The beastly propensltles and NO
cities Will no longer have power to do
'ap ensuOre aud deyour the poor co
nan family All stumblng.stones oo
rror will be cleared out of the way, th,
'rcos now the Christians pathway ~
nlI of them, Indeed, all of our six wI
dred crceds are more or less stones ro,
tumDllnr, more or less indicate the no
bt perpleIlty and uncertainty in m,
ch Gods people have been travelling do,
q thank the Lord for the prospec. t,,i