The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-08-27


Fathers will. What was the Fa-
theirs will concerning Jesus? The
Apostle Paul tells us that Jesus was
made little lower than the angels,
made a man, in order that according
to Gods will He might taste death for
the human race. Hebrews 2:9) And
again, "There is one God and one me-
diator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a
ransom for all, to be testified in due
time" (Timothy 2:5, g. ale poured
out His soul unto death" and made
"his soul an offering for SIM" Isaiah
So: 10-12) He died that mankind
might live. John 1910; Matthew
20:2S) In other words, He was who'll
ly obedient to Jehovah's will. There
fore, the Apostle argues, at is bet
ter, if the will of God be so, that we
suffer for we'll doing, than for evil
doing. For Christ hath also once
suffered for sins, the just for the un-
just, that He might bring US to God,
being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened in the spirit: by which al
so he went and preached unto the
spirits in prison." To paraphrase this
language: Jesus, because of His full
obedience to Jehovah's will, suffered
for doing well. He suffered death,
the most ignominious death, and be-
cause He did this, "God also hath
highly exalted Him, and given Him
name which is above every name: that
at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the
earth; and that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father. Phillip
plans 2:9-11.
The imprisoned spirits were look
ing on and beholding the course that
Jesus took. We know this is so; for
time and again He cast them out of
human beings and rebuked them, and
they cried unto Him: cart thou come
20 torment US before the time?"
Matthew 1920 They clearly saw
then that their own course had led to
their degradation and that the course
of Jesus, rendering Himself in full
obedience to the Fathers will, even to
the suffering of an ignominious death,
which action on Jesus part was the
Greatest preaching that could POSSIBLY
ave been given to them.
Thus the Apostle clearly indicates
who these spirit beings are and how
Jesus preached TO them. Instead Of
this proving that the dead are alive,
it shows exactly the contrary; for Je-
Ms went into death in order that He
might make it possible for men to
live, and through His death and res
provided for the resurrec-
ion of mankind, which is guarantee
nat all men shall be resurrected
II is not at ali improbable that this
full obedience Of Jesus, resulting in
His eXaltation, inspired hope in some
Of these spirits to repentance; and
ince both St. Jude and st. Peter
show that these spirits are to have
Judgment, it is not unreasonable to
conclude that they have learned a les
son from Jesus actions and that some
CT them, therefore, may be restored
by Jehovah to their former estate of
perfection.
In the seventh chapter of Revela-
ton we find strong intimation that
approximately at the judgment of
these spirit beings in tartarus they
will have much to do with the great
time of trouble upon the earth. Their
method of attacking the human race
is by evil suggestions to the mind.
There never has been a time in the
worlds history in which so much hat
red, i'll will, selfshness, malice and
wickedness has existed; and since we
know, chronologically speaking. that
we are in the time Of the judgment of
these demons, without a doubt they
are having much to do with causing so
much trouble. This is another reason
why they are injecting into the minds
of learned men the thought of wide
publication of spiritism. Their hope
would be to thoroughly impress the
people with the thought that their
dead friends are alive, and that the
living can talk with the dead; and
hence they would draw mankind away
from the Bible teaching of the re-
demption and resurrection, and thus
lay them open to a complete democrat
ization, resulting in time of trouble
such as the world has never known,
and which the Lord has most clearly
set forth in Matthew "a.
We may be assured that if these
wicked spirits were so active in de-
bauching the human race prior to the
flood, their minds now are still in
clined to evil and they would seek to
produce saturnalia of crime amongst
the human family. Their dupes in the
earth are numerous and are leading
the blind people into the ditch. The
great trouble is now on the earth.
But these wicked ones will be de-
stroyed; and, following this great