Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-02-10
Pastor RusselPs Sermon

Man, In Otner WOrQS, the scriptures
clearly teach that the Second Coming
Of Jesus will be invisible to the world,
and visible, even to His people, only
by the eye ef faith.
During His parOuSid sitting, or test
ing, of His consecrated Church will
proceed, and will result in the gather
ing Of all the Elect into the Heavenly
Kingdom by the change Of the First
Resurrection. This will be the full end
of the Gospel Age, and the full begin
ming Of the New Age. 1t is to this time
Jesus referred, saying, watch ye,
therefore and pray always, that We may
be accounted worthy to escape all these
things that shall come to pass, and to
stand before the Son Of Man"
As soon as the Church shall all have
passed beyond the veil into the condi-
ton Of Heavenly glory-the Kingdom
conditlon-the great time Of trouble
will fully envelop the earth-"a time of
trouble, such as never was since there
was nation" Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:2l.
1t will be that time Of trouble which
will be Messiah's revelation Of Him
self to the world. In 1t, they will seek
the covering, or protection, Of the great
rocks Of society (secret orders) and Of
the great mountains of earth earthly
governments) Revelation G:14-16) But
none Of these will be able to deliver
them from the fiery trouble (distress)
Of that Day, which will consume every
institution out of accord with right
eousness, truth, justice. "He shall be
revealed in flaming fire, taking
vengeance"
The vengeance will not be so much
against deluded and ensnared human
ity, as against evil principles and the
unjust arrangements of the present
time. When we say unjust arrange
ments, we do not wish to be under
stood that the world is necessarily
more unjust than in the past; but rath-
er that, with our increased light and
knowledge, more is expected Of the
present generation than Of their fore
fathers.
From all accounts, we infer that the
time Of trouble will be sharp and short,
"else would no flesh be saved" Mes
slah's spiritual Kingdom, invisible to
men, will come to the rescue. 1t will
have its earthly representatives, and
order will soon come out Of chaos. Hu.
manity, humbled by the fall Of present
institutions, will be ready to accept
Messiah's Kingdom. We read, there.
FORE that it will be "the desire of all
nations"
1t is for us, my beloved hearers, to
continue to abide In Christ, to seek
His will in every matter, to wait pa
tiently for His appointed time for our
dellverance, and according to our cove
nant, lay down our lives In the serv-
ice Of the brethren We remind you
Of st. Paul's words, THE Day of the
Lord so cometh as n thief In the night.
When they 1.-THE worldly shall say,
Peace and safety, then sudden destruc-
tion cometh upon them, as travail upon
woman with child; and they shall not
escape. But ye, brethren, are not In
darkness that that Day should over
take you as a thief. Ye are all the
children Of light and the children of
the Day."-1 Thessalonians 5:l-5.
The light now shining Is and should
be very helpful to us. If we realize
that we are living In the days of the |
Son Of Man"-that the inspection of |
the Church is now In progress. and !
that soon the Elect will be complete
this faith will make us the more zeal
ous to make our calling and election |
sure, Therefore,
let us watch and pray,
And labor till the work is done"
Gradually mankind will come to I'M
derstand. Gradually their eyes Of un-
derstandlng will open, and they will |
see that It is the wrath of the Lamb" |
that causes the "tlme OF trouble such |
as never was since there was ma
ton" They will learn the intended
lesson
Some, in reading Jesus words, "As 1t
was in the days Of Noah" have infer
red a time of dreadful wlckedness In
the end Of this Age, corresponding to
the wckedness of Noah's day. There
may or there may not be n parallel In
this respect We merely call attention
to the fact that the Master did not so
say, He said that as In Noahs day
humanity were eating, drinking, marry
Ing and building without realizing
that great change in dlspensatlon
was impending, so It will be with man
kind in the days Of the Son OF Man.
In the time Of Chrlsts Second Pres
ence, men will know 1t not, but will
proceed about the ordinary affairs OF
life-c0ting, drinking, planting, build
ing and knolo not, until the great and
sudden catastrophe Of anarchy is upon
them, As literal water swept away lit.
eral things existing before the Flood, so
symbolic tire-trouble, destruCtion-wlll
sweep away the institutions Of today,
and prepare the way for the new in.
stltutons, which the Scriptures de-
scribe as the new heavens and the new
earth, 0saiah G6:22; . Peter 3;13) The
new heavens will be the new ecclesias-
teal powers-the Church, the Elect in
glory with Christ The new earth will
be the reorganzed social arrangement,
wholly dlneGnt from the present.
Whoever expects that the Kingdom
will bring an instantaneous Paradise is
Whoever expects that Gods
Will shnl be dOne on enrth MS com.