The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-06-06

tlkASl0R RUSStlll Dark Ages. This
error, he said, still
casts gloom over the masses and him
derS a proper appreciation of the Di
vine character re Love and Justice
He took a combination text: 20 Sheol
HE'LL. will be thy destruction" (Ho-
sea 1915: 20 Hades lhelll, where is
thy victory T''-l Corinthians 1855.
My text. said the Pastor. teaches
that Jesus will destroy the hell of the
Bible, the tomb-the state of death
He will do it by delivering all man
kind from death by the resurrection.
Thus He will ultimately gain His great
victory over sin and death. and deliver
humanity from their power No one
but Jesus can do this. Hence we must
wait for the appointed time-the es-
tablishment of the Messianic Kingdom.
Meantime. it is ours to batter down
the hell of torment which for centuries
has troubled Gods saints, and turned
the hearts of the masses from their
Creator.
The Pastor dealt some vigorous
blows at the doctrine he condemned.
They We're not blows of anger nor of
sentiment. but blows of logic and of
Scripture. He urged his hearers not to
think that the cultured and intelligent
ministers oppose him. His opponents
are comparatively few. he said. and
they are of two classes. Some good.
and honest, but ignorant: others thor
Oughly informed. who no more believe
in Il hell of torture than does the Pas
tor. dodge the question and give the
impression that they believe it. SO as
TO hoodwink the people. and keep them
i'll darkness on subject of the most
vital Importance to human happiness.
now and throughout eternity.
The masses of Christian ministers are
educated. Preachers in general know
well that the Bible does not teach
hell of tOrture-that the words Sheol.
Hades, Gehenna and TartaruS do not
signify a place Of torture where all
except the sanity will eyerlastingly
suffer. These ministers do not come
forth into the open with me TO combat
the error presumably because they do
not realize that this terrible blasphemy
against the Divine character lies at
the bottom of nearly all the goddess
ness and the growing unbelief in the
Divine Word now prevalent. To me
it is evident. said the Pastor. that rev.
erence for God and faith in the Bible
can never be restored until this great
Moloch of false teaching shall be de-
moliShed. This explains my zeal for
the exposing of error of the past, and
for the revealment of truth on the sub
ject of future punishment. All the
precious promises of the Bible and all
its just penalties are negatived and
made of none effect by this colossal en-
ror of the past. whenever it is recog-
niZed. conceded.
The Pastor did not on this occasion
attempt explanations of some of the
three or four PARALLELS. which by mis-
transactions. misunderstanding and
interpretations have been made to sup
port the oddiShonoring doctrine that
everlasting torture is the wages of sin.
in contradiction of the Bible statement.
lt NdScS VI Sill 10 hColh' LIZ Soh-
tented himself with reminding his
hearers that he had already preached
on the parable of the rich Man and
Lazarus the parable Of the sheep
and the Goats" and the Lords state
ment. where their worm dieth not and
their fire is not quenched": and again
in Revelation. about the Devil being
cast with the beast and false prophet
into torment.
These four figurative statements. the
Pastor declared. are the whole basis.
so far as the Bible is concerned. of the
doctrine of eternal torment. He had
preached upon all of them. Many of
his hearers had read his sermons and
were familiar with the reasonable ex
positions Of these Scriptures. To 9th
ers who have not heard and hare not
read. he offered to send his views in
printed form. free upon postcard appli-
cation
The God of All Grace.
The God of the Bible. said the Pas
tor. is such IN one as every human
heart needs and Graves. He Is a God
of sympathy and love. respecting
whom it is declared psalm 102:l9. 2O,.
that He looked down from His Holy
Habitarion and beheld. and He heard
the groaning of the prisoners Then
His own Arm brought salvation"
isaiah $3.50 The groaning of the
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