The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-03-14

l(RAST0R RUSSEIO) He took for his
text Jesus words,
"When the Son of Man shall come in
His glory. and all the holy angels with
Him. then shall lie sit upon the Throne
of His glory Matthew 25:31.) He
said:
When six thousand years ago man
transgreSsed the Divine command and
came under the sentence. Dying. thou
shalt die" he was cast out of Eden.
that in the unprepared earth he might
pay the death penalty. with labor and
| sweat of face going down to the tomb
| Even then. in the declaration that the
| Seed of the woman would eventually
lruise the serpent's head. God implied
an ultimate victory for humanity. over
Satan and sin and its death penalty.
| Later. Gods Covenant with Abraham
told that the victory would come
| through his posterity. but still did not
explain how Centuries later. Abra-
hams favored posterity became the
Jewish nation. and came into covenant
relationship with God through Moses.
the mediator of the Law Covenant.
Their hope was that they could so thor
oughly keep Gods Law as to merit
everlasting life: and that learning how
to practise this self-control, and gain
the victory over sin, they would be
competent to teach all nations. and to
deliver mankind from sin and death
However centuries Of effort proved
that none were able to keep the Divine
Law satisfactorily; for all continued
to die.
The next Divine lesson was one Of
faith in God. Israel could not keep
the Law Covenant SatiSfactOrily-could
not. therefore. have everlasting life
Hence they could not teach others to
do what they could not do The les
son Of faith was that they should look
forward to a coming Messiah. "a
Prince and a Savior" Through Him
all the promises would be fulfilled.
For centuries they waited for Him.
and sought to apply Moses words: "A
Prophet shall the Lord your God raise
up unto you from amongst your breth-
rem. like unto me 1.-THE antique Of
Mosesl: Him shall We hear In all
things whatsoever He shall say unto
you. And every soul which
will not hear that Prophet. shall he
destroyed from among the people,
Acts 3 90. %
Various We're the hopes and imagin-
ings respecting Messiah, He was to
ho hr n Col
ONION. the antitype of Aaron and Mel.
chizedek-very great, He was to reign
from sea to sea psalm 72:S) Ulti-
mately, so successful would be His
reign that the knowledge of the Lord
should ill the whole earth. as the wa
ters cover the deep. CHabakkuk 2:14D
Not only Israel would he blessed by
Him, but all nations. peoples. kindreds
and tongues. Unto Him every knee
would bow and every tongue con-
fess. to the glory of God.--Philippians
2:10. II.
The hearts of Israel looked forward
with pride to that day when Messiah
would exalt them very highly in the
earth and associate them with Himself
in the rulin" and blessing of all people.
All, they thought the Inaugural ton day
will come, when as King of kings and
Lord of lords Israel's Messiah will
WELD scepter which all will recognize
and under which all will receive
blessing. These good hopes held to-
getber the chosen people," as no 9th
er ton or people have ever been held
together. They are waiting still,
though disconnected by the length Of
time and by the various evidences that
others are in some respects more ia
vored than themselves
Messiah and the Jubilee at Hand.
At last IsraeIs Star of Hope is ris-
ing. At last the prophecies tell that
the morning of joy is about to dawn
and the desire of all nations shall
come" Not merely Jews are claiming
that Messahs Day is nigh. and that
the Divine blessing is about to come
upon Jerusalem and all the people of
God. but Christian Bible students see
the same. MohammedanS are claim
ing the same. Free MasOns are claim
ing the same. All men are in expecta-
ton of something wonderful, just at
the door.
The blessings multiplied upon us in
the inventions of the last half-century
all bespeak the New Dispersal ton. the
reign of the King Of kings And if the
preparations are on so grand scale.
what will be the grandeur of the in
augaration and of the reign itself.