Evening journal., 1916-02-22
Peoples Column
THE COMING OF THE
LORDS KINGDOM FROM A
SCRIPTURAL VIEWPOINT

To The Editor Of THE EVENING
JOURNAL;
Strive have read with much IN"
terest Dr. Lyons sermon, "The Com
ing Kingdom" and in writing these
few words of friendly criticism, we
iu not wish to appear simply as
fauit-hnder. and while we are not
able TO agree with all DR.. Lyon says,
we like his style and manner, and
think him earnest.
At the very beginning OF his SER
mon. he tells us that the kingdom has
already come. that as each Christian
is converted, he or she forms part
of the kingdom. and as soon as the
whole world is converted, the king
dom will have fully come. Now to
my mind, this is very unscriptural
view. In the first place our Lord
taught His followers to pray for the
coming Of the kingdom. 1t does not
look reasonable He would ask them
TO pray for a kingdom to come that
was already established among them
And again the coming Of this king
dom is to bring with it peace condl-
tions. such as exist in heaven. = NOW,
after almost two thousand. years OF
The existence of this kingdom. as DR..
Lyon sees It, do we see peace on the
earth? Right in the very countries
where the Christian church was 1rsI
established we see the rivers running
red withshuman blood We see these
Christian nations engaged in the most
cruel and disastrous war that ever
stained the history of the human
race.
DR.. Lyons trouble seems 10 be that
he depends too much on human De-
ings. He sees the need OF reign OF
righteousness, he sees how lovely Il
would be if this world could get free
from sin and selfshness, and he seems
to think the Lord does, too and thai
He is willing TO establish His King
iOm Just as soon as thel present
church succeeds in bringing all man
kind into harmony with it.
Now I think the scriptures teact
very clearly the establishment OF th'
Kingdom begins at our Lords sec
ond coming. not at His first. and a.
the setting up OF that kingdom He viii
not hnd the world in harmony with il
but rather the very reverse. For in
stance. it is said Of that kingdom a
the beginning at least, He will rul'
with rod of iron.
Now the very fact that our L0r'
will find It necessary to rule with
rod of iron. seems to Indicate tha
some of the subjects, at least, viii
need some correction, and that 1t Is a.
iron rod would give us the impression
OF much strength, and some truly
severe chastisements.
And again, the scriptures declar
that He must rule, until He has pu
down ali enemies, intimating that a
the beginning there must have bee
several enemies.
That our Heavenly Father will sc
up kingdom in His own due tint
and i'm His own way, and that thi
kingdom is for the very purpose G
restoring TO earth and the huma
family all that was lost TO them b
Adams fall, is clearly taught in To
Bible.
In Nebuchadnezzars dream, in
terpreted by Daniel, We have a cor
densed history of the different king
doms of this world, beginning wit
Nebuchadnezzar himself. inishin
with the present order Of things. O
divided kingdoms passing away, an
the Lords Kingdom filling the Who'll
earth
One OF the clearest and most fore
BILE statements we can think of,
found in Acts 8 1921. Here th
APOSTLE clearly states that this tim
Of blessing depends on the coming {
the Lord and that it will be a tim
OF restitution Of all things spoken