The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-05-05

tlA1IS-N- k02glAl1 men. yen. LOT Tue
rebellious a S o.
that the Lord God might dwell among
them. Psalm GS.lS.
Pastor Russell declared that one of
the serious errors engrafted into the
Christian faith is the supposition that
Jesus Is still a man This wrong
thought prevails especially amongst
Premillenarians, and helps TO turn
many away from faith in the premil-
lennial coming of Christ for the bless
| ing of all the world Many Christians
! perceive that reign of Christ in the
flesh would he inferior to a spiritual
reign. Hence the general rejection Of
faith In the Second Coming of Christ
and the establishment of His Kingdom.
He showed that all Christians firmly
believe that Jesus was !; spirit being
before He. came into the world All
believe that Il spirit being is of high
err order than human being. and that
Jesus made great stoop when He laid
aside the glory Of His prehuman condi-
ton to become '.the Man Christ Jesus"
Man Is IA little lower than angels"
even In his perfection
The Pastor declared that surely no
Bible student sunposes that the Heav-
emily Father had permanently degraded
HIS Son from station higher than
angels to one below them. Yet many
Christians profess TO believe this very
thing. The ascension of Christ Is claim
ed to prove it. How absurd to suppose
that our Lord Jesus. accustomed to
spirit conditions. and made flesh for
n short period. could be otherwise than
disconnected and seriously dishonored
by the Father If lie his q body Of flesh.
Asocnds Where Iie Was Before.
Mistaken views respecting the word
ascend have helped to confuse us. st
Paul. explaining our text. shows that
the ascension of jesus Is to lle con-
sidered in conjunction with His de-
scending. Ephesians 4:s-1iA He that
assembled is the same that descended,
thirty-four years before. Did the de-
scendlng have reference to the kind of
body? Surely not. Then the ascend
ing has no reference to the kind Of
body.
The descending signified the humilia-
ton. the leaving Of spiritual glory. to
be born of the flesh. The life of the
Logos was transferred from the spirit
body to the body OF the babe. that He
might become the Man Christ Jesus.
Similarly. the begetting Of the Holy
Spirit came to .Iesus at His baptism.
and for three and half years 1t con
stitnted Hin spiritual Priest. whose
work was to offer Himself" That
offering ended ut Calvary. When on
the third day. the Father raised Him
from the dead ii was the Priest who
was raised to glory. honor and immor-
tality-not the sacrificed human body.
As 1t Is written. "A body hast Thou
prepared Me for the suffering Of death"
Jesus sacrifice was finished ut Cal
vary as He said He deth no more.
and therefore has no further use for
the body of flesh What became Of 1t,
the Pastor would not undertake TO say,
IL was not seen In the tomb, But the
soul, not the body. was raised to life.
Thou wilt not leave My soul III Sheor"
= Hades-the tomb.
Why Body OF Flesh Was Used.
We must remember two things, said
the Pastor Followers of Jesus were
required to have full faith; (lJ That
Jesus was the Iogos. who had de
scended from the spirit plane 10 the
human. te, That He had died sacrifi- |
cially, aud that God raised Him f-prr
the dead
Unless these two points were fully |
established, they could not continue as
Jesus disciples. acceptable with the
Father, and capable of receiving the
Holy Spirit. But they could not re-
ceive spiritual things until after the
spirit -begetting at PentecoSt. Hence |
their Instructions mast be along earth !
ly lines. i
IL after His resurrection. Jesus had |
TO them as He did to- Saul Of |
TarSus. what proof would they have
that 1t was the same Jesus who had |
died? How could the Message of His |
resurrection aud ascension have been |
conveyed 20 their minds: Some ocnlar |
demonstration was necessary to con-
stitnte basis for faith Therefore
our Lord demonstrated To His diSci.
Piles the fact that Il great change had
taken place.
The disciples were children In the
School of Christ. learning great les
son. To bave crowded all lessons upon
them Mt once would have been injuri.
BUS So Jesus bud said See John
1912 3D.