The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-08-11

blind we have all been respecting our
Fathers words. We have believed
human traditions. and neglected the
Scriptures. until the Church as a
whole has become thoroughly puzzled
respecting everything religious. All
are out of the way of Truth, lost in
the fog of human superstition and err
ror, miSled, as st. Paul foretold, by
doctrines of demons.'-1 Timothy Al.
The duty of the hour is to get back
into harmony with God and to OBJ
tain true light upon His Word. AS
the Master predicted the whole world
has been intoxicated with the false doc
trines which Satan gradually introduce
ed during the Dark Ages.-Rev. 17:2.
Like drunken people, said the Pastor,
we confused good and bad. In one
breath we told rof the Love of God.
In another, we painted this God Of
Love as deliberately arranging, before
creating humanity. that billions should
be born in sin. misshapen in iniquity;
and that after few short years full
of trouble the vast majority should be
turned over to fire-proof demons, to be
tortured throughout eternity.
Satan's Great Success.
Pastor Russell reminded his hearers
that the Master styled Satan the IA
Their of lies. Satan's first great lie
misled and murdered our first parents
by inducing Mother Eve to disbelieve
Gods words. I'm the day that thou
eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die"
Satan contrad icted the Almighty, say
ing, Eye shall not surely die"-cannot
die, We are immortal.
Satan has impressed this falsehood
upon the whole world. While in full
filment of Gods word people die, Sa-
tan has brought in the deceptive theo-
~ that they have merely gone else
where to live.
Thus, contrary to all Scripture, man
kind have come to believe that at
death the sanity go to Heaven, and
all others go either to He'll or Purga-
tory. The plain, commOn-sense state
ment of the Bible is ignored-that all,
good and bad, old and young, go to
Sheol, Hades, the tomb. Thus the BIZ
BILE teaching that Jesus redemptive
work assures all a resurrection from
the dead is made void by Satan's lie.
Immortality In Christ.
The Pastor then demonstrated con-
cIusively from Scripture that immortal
ity is hope, not a possession. Man
was not created immortal; but the life
given him was conditional upon his
obedience to his Creators commands.
This is indicated by Gods threat that
disobedience would bring death-ces-
sation of life st. PaufS argument Is
that positive assurance Of everlasting
light was not given until Christ
brought Immortality and life to light
through the Gospel"-2 Timothy ITO.
Immortality is a quality Of life thus
far possessed by Jehovah God and by
His Son. our Lord Jesus Christ. The
hope of the Church is to attain the
promised GLORY. honor and immortal
fly in the First Resurrection. The
hope for the non-elect world is that Of
everlasting life, the same as that Civ
en- to the angeIs-to all of mankind
who will. during the Millennial Age.
come into harmony with the Messianic
Kingdom Those who, after fullest op-
portunity Tor recovery from sin and
death conditions, will not render ODE
dience to the Divine arrangement, will
be everlastjngly destroyed.
This Bible presentation of the mat
ter-that Gods proposition is life or
death-we are beginning to see is most
reasonable, most logical, said Pastor
Russell. Furthermore, His proposition
is that when His Plan shall have been
completed. none shall have life who
will not have it in perfection. He de-
sires not mental. moral and physical
degenerates in His Kingdom.
AS a result of the permission Of sin
and death, Gods Wisdom, Justice,
Love and Power will be more clearly
seen by both angels and men, Until
we realized the Absolute Justice of
God in allowing our race to go down
into death and in sending His Son to
die for Us. giving the redemption-price
Of Adams sin. we could not see the
depths of Divine Wisdom and Love.
The resurrection will be stupen-
dous expression of Divine Power. Res
direction involves no absurditieS, as
Scripturaly seen The Bible proposes
for both Church and world a resur-
rection of the soul. the being. But to
each class as st. Paul declares, "God
gives body as it hath pleased Him."