Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1914-03-27

tlfAoIOk kUOlElLJJ nus sHdit aiS'
>- the coming ira
rousia-presencel of the Son of Maj
be; they shall be eating, drinking
planting and marrying, and know not
Matthew 24:37. IS
The Pastor was prompted to select
his text by reading an extract from
recent sermon of a Canadian minister
who declared that 1914 would witness
the Second Coming of Christ. The
statement permitted the inference that
the minister holds the view common
to nearly all creeds-that the earth is
to be burned up and the human race
blotted out; and that Christ will come,
to see that none of the Church are
destroyed. All such expectations. the
! Pastor claimed. are wholly unscrp
turaI, untrue and misleading.
| Then the Pastor explained in full the
various Scriptures commonly supposed
to support such views. The wrong in
terpretations so prevalent, he claimed,
| belong to the Dark Ages, when public
teachers seemed to lose all apprecia
ton of fgurative language; and when
Christ's references to Gehenna Fire
which burned outside the wall of Je-
rusalem, were understood to refer to
an eternity of torture for all except
the sanity few. He showed that st.
Peters words, "the heavens shall be
on fire." and "the earth and the things
therein shall be burned up" refer to
where calls Times of Restitution" and
blessing mot world-burning) to follow
Jesus Second Coming.
Both the Master and His Apostles,
the Pastor asserted, frequently used
the word fire as symboIical of tribula
ton. Among the many Scriptures
quoted to substantiate his assertion
was st. Peters exhortation. "Think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial
which shall try you"
The Pastor quoted many Scriptures
to prove that the earth is not to be de-
stroyed, that "the earth abideth for
ever; that God created it not in vain,
but formed it to be inhabited" This
last prophecy, he claimed, has not yet
been fulfilled; for immense tracts of
land are still unoccupied.
The speaker then discussed popular
misconceptions respecting the end of
the world and showed that these are |
based upon a misunderstanding, due |
to the fact that our Common Version |
Bible uses the word world where the
word age, epoch, order of things, would |
better express the thought of the origi-
nal. According to Scripture, the pres
ent order, of which Satan is ruler, is
to give pldce to a new order of things,
under control of the Prince of Light.
Christ's Second Coming.
Next the Pastor demonstrated con-
clusiyely from Scripture that our Lord
is no longer a human being. Nearly
nineteen centuries ago, the Logos left
Heavenly glory and was made flesh.
God had pronounced a death sentence
upon man, from which the race could
not be released unless some one would
become their redeemer and meet the
penalty for them. This penalty was
death. not eternal torment, of which
the Scriptures know nothing. Our
Lord carried out the Divine Program,
and as a reward has been highly ex-
alted-"far above angels"
The speaker then showed that the
word coming is used to translate sew
,ral very different Greek words One
# these is Parousia. meaning pres
nee, and used in reference to the first
tage of our Lords Second Advent.
lie will be invisibly present. For
While none will realize His parousia.
kept the Church. All earthly things
will continue as they have-buying
cling, marrying. etc.-for while.
Later on will come the Epiphania-
he revelation, or manifestation-not in
be flesh, but in a great Time of Trou-
lie. symbolically represented as fire.
We read. ''He shall be revealed in fam
lg fire, taking vengeance"
The Pastor understands the Bible to
Zach that Jesus has thus been pres
ut since 1874 The Second Advent be- '
m then. The wonderful progress In S
lie world since then Bible students j
lus explain. They understand the /
ible to teach that this Parousla will S
,ntinue for a thousand years; br. a
lat the Epiphania will be due forty v
ears after the Presence began. 70: O
is reason they are looking very ih Il
,ntly TO see what the year may bring. n
Every where we see signs Of unrest, a n
ne of trouble brewing 1t looks as n
ough this year would mark the be- r,
ming of the flaming fire of judg- n
ents which will characterize the In q,
lguration of Messlah's glorious Reign VI
righteousness and life eternal