“A NEW MESSIAH’

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 97, 19 January 1926, Page 5

“A NEW MESSIAH’

CABLE MESSAGE EXPLAINED. Tha announcement which appeared in tho cable news recently concerning Dr. Annie Besant’s announcement that tho coming of a new Messiah was at hand, was explained and amplified in a public lecture by Lieutenant-Colonel It. B. Smythe, D. 5.0., at the Empress Theatre on Sunday night. Ho spoke as a representative of tha Wellington branch of- the Theosophical Society, which has had Dr. Besant’s message in full and is aware of the foundation on which it is based.

Colonel Smythe explained that the expectation of a new Messiah was common to all religions, and there was little divergence of opinion that it might happen at any time. What divergence there was centred round the mode of llis coming? The “clouds of glory,” in which many expected Him to dome, were real enough, but were .not physical clouds and would only be seen by those who had eyes to see, as had the Apostles of old, to whom the announcement was made. Ths Judgment Day, the millennium, and the end of the world were far off events not connected with this advent. Ever since the beginning of the Aryan race, mors than GO,OOO years ago, mankind had been under spiritual guidance, and from time to time Divine teachers had come to point tho way— Vyassa, Hermes, Orpheus, Zoroaster, Buddha, and 'Jesus, were each the embodiment of the Divine Christ, who, throughout the age, guided the spiritual development of mankind. In the main these great ones had taksn the body of a chosen disciple in the world, using it for the period of His ministry. This would bo the case again. It was not questioned that prophets of old were in direct touch with the Lord or Ruler of the world, and in the same way Dr. Besant claimed direct touch —her strenuous life of effort in tho cause of humanity in very many directions and her spiritual development gave strength to this claim.

The lecturer emphasised that no one asked to believe blindly. If the statement was true, the great Teacher Himself would tour the world, and people would hnve the opportunity of hearing Him for themselves, and then their own spirituni insight should show them whether to follow Him or not. In the meantime, people were advised to bear in mind how sadly the Lord Jesus Christ was misunderstood and repudiated when He came, and to be on their quart! lest they on this occasion, by hasty judgment on insufficient knowledge repeat the mistake.