River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1915-04-15

dishonor, and they perceive it not OF
them" Why? Because, as again the
Scriptures say, There is neither wis
dom, nor knowledge. nor device, i'll She
ol, whittier thou goest'-whither all go.
This exactly accords gith the Divine
statement, The wages Of sin is
| Death; The soul that sinneth, it shall
die There is not a word in the Bible
for the commonly accepted thought
that those who die go TO Heaven or
PurgatOry or eternal torment. All
these teachings are found in the vari-
aus creeds; the Bible alone tells the
| simple story, reasonable, harmonious.
Gehenna Fire-Second Death.
| 1t is true that Jesus used the word
| Gehenna fire, and that our translators
mixed up the English reader by trans
| lating this word Hell, the same as
| Hades. But as all scholars will admit,
| Jesus used the word tire here sym
| bolically, just as we use it, to represent
destruction. Thus our newspapers tell
about the great confagration in Europe
not literal fire. but war. causing great
destruction.
So Jesus pointed out that, although
He had come to save men from death,
and eventually by a resurrection to lift
up all who had gone down to Hades,
nevertheless the relief would be only
| temporary, except to those who would
conform to Divine Law. All others
/ 81 oil no
| demned as unworthy of everlasting
] life and would die again. This Second
| Death would be everlasting, because
| Christ would not die again for those
who would sin Wilfully after being re-
leased from the first sentence.
Pointing to the valley outside OF
Jerusalem, used as a garbage furnace
and called in the Greek Gehenna. and
in Hebrew Valley of Hinnom and also
| TOphet, Jesus declared that it illustrat-
ed the fate Of all wilful sinners. Dead
cats and dogs, etc, were thrown into
| the Valley of Hinnom, Gehenna, where
fires were kept burning, and where
| birthstone was burned to kill the germs.
1t is said that criminals Of the worst
type, after execution, were thrown into
that valley, as intimating that they
would not share in the resurrection.
This thought Jesus emphasiZed-the ut
| ter destruction. in the Second Death
of any found incorrigible after having
received full opportunity of return to
| God through the merit of Christ's sacri
| fee The Bible everywhere holds out
! the thought that the Church now. and
the world in its trial Day future. will
be in danger of Gehenna destruction
| the Second Death. Speaking of wilful
sinners against full light. st. Paul says,
who shall be punished with everlast-
ing destruction" g Thess 1:7-90 St.
Peter says they shall perish like nat
ural brute beasts''-2 Peter 2:12
Release From SheoI, Hades, the Tomb.
Bible students know that SheOl and
Hades could not be places of eternal
torture; for the Scriptures say that
they shall be destroyed. If SheOl and
Hades are to be destroyed how could
anybody be tortured there everlasting
ly? The clergy know these things very
we'll. but hide them from the people.
Hosea 1914 reads, 30 grave [Sheoll,
will be thy destruction!' / Corinthi-
ans 1876, 20 grave [Hades]. where is
thy victory?' Revelation 20:14, Death
i and He'll [HadeS] shall be cast into the
Lake of Fire This is the Second Death. "
These Scriptures mean that the grave
shall not always triumph over the hui
man family, that mankind will be de
livered by Messiahs Kingdom from the
power Of the tomb, that we can relC
/ upon Gods promise that ultimately
Hades. the tomb. will be destroyed i'll
the Second Death, symbolically repre-
| scented by the Lake Of Fire. Note that
the symbol is eXplained-"th Lake Of
Fire. which is the Second Death"
In other words. all that are in their
graves, in the tomb the prisOn-hOuSe
of death, shall ultimately be set free by
the great Deliverer, the glOrified Christ,
who already has laid down His life as
| the Ransom-price. that sinners might
| not perish. but have the opportunity Of
everlasting life.
This opportunity has yet come only
| to the Church, and to her by promise.
! Her covenant is to follow in her Mas
ters footsteps unto death; and the
promise is that she shall have a supe
rior resurrection. because of greater
trials of faith and obedience to sacri-
fee. THE gates Of He'll shall not pre-
vail against her." (Matthew 16:18D
That is. as the Heavenly Father raised
up Jesus Christ from the dead, so the
| gates Of death shall not prevail against
the Church, Corinthians 1924.
With the world it will be different.
Everything under the New DISPENSE
ton will prove that the reign of Sin
and Satan has terminated. that the
! Reign of Righteousness has begun.
/ They will find themselves, not only
coming back from the tomb. every
] man in his own ORDER" but gradually
raised out of imperfection and weak
| ness back to all that was lost in Adam
! and redeemed at Calvary. if they will