Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-08

last evening at the tabernacle. Il
was a profound discussion OF a
great mystery, and in part he
said:
Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, TO meet
the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord. Where
fore comfort one another with these
words. Il Thes. 4:17-1S.
From Adam mankind has been
marching, step by step, up a grand
stairway leading direct to that
meeting in the air. The call OF
Abraham was one step toward f.
and Jacob and his IL sons was an
other. Joseph ruling in Egypt was
another; the deliverance under
Moses another; the conquest OF
Canaan under Joshua another, and
so on with every event in sacred
! history. 1t was for this Jesus suf-
fered on the cross to make atone
ment for sin. II was for this He
arose from the dead and ascendel
into heaven, where lie took His
I place at the right hand Of the
/
/ Spirit came TO PentecOst, and il
was for this that churches have
been organized and missionaries
sent to the ends of the earth .
! These things have all been done to
prepare the way and lead up to the
meeting which Is so graphically
| described in the text.
1t was for this meeting God made
! His plans before He laid the foun-
/ dations of the earth, and it was OF
| this meeting He was thinking be-
fore the morning stars sang to-
| gether.
! We are not told when Jesus Will
/ come, but we are told that His
coming is sure, and we are charg
ed to watch for It. Yet the church
/ today shows as little concern about
| His coming again as His disciples
! did about His going away. All OF
! this is fully in accord with Peter:
| There shall come in thu last dayG
/ scoffers walking after their own
lusts. saying. Where is the prom
Use of His coming, for since the
fathers fell asleep all things con-
tinue as they were from the begin
( ming until now?"
The second coming OF Christ is
! the emphatic doctrine OF the new
testament. It is mentioned and re.
ferred to more than three hundred
! fifty times, and yet the majority Of
church members never heard q
sermon on the subject: that is the
reason they think so little OF look
ing into the matter themselves.
The church makes much of bap-
/ tism, but in all Of Pauls epistles
baptism is only mentioned or re-
ferred to - times. while the return
of the Lord is mentioned so times
This certainly shows which he con-
sidered the most important.
As we look back over the two
thousand years since Christ, how
far We seem to be away from the
time when the will OF God shall
be done on earth as II is in heaven.
Every edition of the press Seems
to make it clear that the devil Is
still having his way. Look at the
reign of wickedness in our great
cities in both high life and low.
No college has ever yet made a
saint. or ever will. Education may
improve conditions, but il can new
or change or cleanse the heart
Look at the lukeWarmness and in
difference in the churches every
where, and see what many OF them
are compelled to resort to in order
10 keep from going under. See to
what schemes and lodges and fool
ishness some preachers have TO re-
sort to TO get anybody to go and
hear them.
There can he no millennium until
Jesus comes; it is His presence
that makes the millennium. You
might as well talk OF daylight not
coming until the sun goes down
The millennium cannot begin until
satan has been bound in the pit
Nothing is more certain than that
the glory OF God shall cover the
earth. but it will be after Jesus
comes.
MANY have an idea The world
will grow better and better until
the coming of the millennium, and
everybody will be converted, and
you hear that stuff preached. but
the bible does not teach any such
trash.
Christ's Reign the Millennium.
Many think and preach that the
millennium will be brought about
by the increase of knowledge, cul-
ture, great discoveries, such as the
gasoline engine, automobile, cleo
tricity, radium, liquifed air, wire
loss telegraphy, aiTships, etc. These
have nothing to do with bringing
the millennium. It is the personal
rafup ~ oh that brf-ogc tho mil
lennium. Those who have been the
greatest blessing to the world were
filled with this hOpe-and preash- |
ed it.
1t is high time for Christians to !
interpret unfulfilled prophecies by
the light of prophecies already full |
filed. The curses on the Jews |
were brought to pass literally; So I
also will be the blessings. The
scattering was literal; so also will |
be the gathering. The pulling down /
of Zion was literal; so also must |
be the building up. The rejection /
Of Israel was literal: so also must !
be the restoration. The first COM /
ing of Christ was literal. visible |
and personal, and what right has |
anybody to conclude that His sec
ond coming will be altogether spir- !
itual? If His first advent was with |
A real body, why not the same with
His second coming?
While face 10 face with them,
Jesus taught His disciples to be ia |
constant expectation Of His early /
return, and they so understood .
Him and lived accordingly. They I
nrca Cd tho doctrine and TAUGHT /