The Mena weekly star., 1916-07-13

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 According to the Pastor, not only our Lord Jesus Christ, but every individual member of His Church. has suffered violence in some form during their earthly course. All who are of this class have taken a firm stand for God and His Truth. and have rejected all theories and doctrines which are un- scriptural. As result. they have been opposed. maligned, misrepresented and persecuted. not only by the worldly. but chiefly by those who have a form of godliness while denying the power thereof. This condition will not always obtain. however.
 Our earth Is the only part of the Universe in rebellion against our Crea. tor, the speaker explained. That rebel. lion has continued ever since Father Adam disobeyed Gods command, and brought upon himself and his posterity a sentence of death-not eternal tor ment. That sentence was. Dying, thou shalt die no matter how much we may have been taught to the con, trary. Genesis PIT; Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 1894. 20; ete.) God has per mitted sin to take it's course during these six thousand years. in order that mans experience with its results shall be a valuable lesson to all Gods in- telligent creatures throughout eternity demonstrating the unwisdom of dis. obedience to the Divine Law.
 But God has also purposed to give the entire human family one full op. portunity as individuals to return to harmony with Him. This fact Is the es. sence of the Gospel Uuke 2:10; Ga. latians 3:s. 16. %; Timothy 2:5 6l St. Peter declares that this opportunity will be given during ''the Times [yearsl of Restitution" (Acts 3:19 21l Other Scriptures show that this will be during the Messianic King dom, when Satan shall be bound and when everything will be under Mes siah's control for the purpose of eradi eating sin, helping mankind up out oi their fallen condition back to the i'm age of God and to harmony with Him Il Corinthians 15:24-2S.
 Violent Opposition to the Kingdom.
 Tn due time God sent His Son. the prospective King of earth. into the world to tell mankind that God has mercy on them and wishes to bless them. Although He came to the most favored nation of that time. yet they rejected and crucifed Him. Thus vio. lence was done to the Kingdom of Heaven; for Jesus was the rightful King. He gave up His life. permitted 1t to be taken from Him, knowing this to be the Fathers will Thus He humbled Himself. "even unto the death of the Cross. Wherefore also God hath highly exalted Him" ."-Phil. 2:S-1l.
 After our Lord ascended on High, the Kingdom continued to suffer vio. lence; for there was a class establish. ed who had accepted His terms and were walking in His footsteps. All down the Gospel Age this Church class have suffered with their Lord: and in them. as representatives of the King dom. has the Kingdom suffered vio- lence. Of Jesus and His disciples 1t was said that they were under the power of the Adversary; and so it has been said of Gods people ever since. (Matthew 1925. The religious people of the Masters day said that He had devil merely because He did not join in with their leaders. the Pharisees. Jesus stood for God and the Truth. and therefore could not endorse their theories, their doctrines. and could not walk in their ways. As a result. they opposed. maligned and persecuted Him.
 There is wide and radical differ ence between the worlds ideas and the Divine Program. Consequently the Kingdom class have suffered violence throughout the Age. sometimes In one form. sometimes in another. Many good people have had misconception of things. They have thought that the Kingdom is already here. that 1t was set up centuries ago. There has been duplicate Kingdom in existence for over a thousand years. The founders of this duplicate Kingdom thought that they were doing Gods will in set ttng it up; but the Adversary deceived tsem. Our Lord is not now reigning over the world: and the Church has been suffering violence at the hands of earth's rulers. But the time is at hand when our Lord will take His great power. and set up the true King dom.