BIBLE STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION

Evening Star, Issue 19045, 14 September 1925, Page 3

BIBLE STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION

In the lecture delivered under the auspices of the International Bible Students’ Association, in the Art Gallery Hall last evening, Air Canty said in part that the purpose of Jehovah regarding the human family was kept secret from man for many centuries, and that only now a. handful had been made aware of the Divine programme. This was that which the Apostle Paul calls “the mystery hid from ages hutnow made manifest to the saints.” The lecturer referred to Isaiah for proof that Jehovah’!; purpose and ultimate goal was to fill the earth with a race of holy, happy, loving people, and so perfect the planet that it would yield such abundant increase as to satisfy every legitimate longing of the human heart. Forty-eight thousand years had already passed away in the onward march ol the Divine purpose, forty-two being in the past when Adam was created. In the remaining 6,000 God had been giving man an experience with evil conditions, sin and death. In tho next 1,000 years, making in all just seven times 7,000 years, man would again be restored and the earth made into a Garden of Eden from sea to sea and from shore to shore. Tho sneaker made use of a part of the Jewish law known ns the jubilee year, and explained how Jehovah had ordained that from the time of the inauguration of this feature of the law there'would be seventy jubilees and then would ho ushered in the great nutitypical fulfilment. This counting brings them to the year.l92s A.n. In the type i railing, buying, ami soiling went on for loWy-nino years, hut in the fiftieth year was the year of jubilee. The priests blew the jubilee trumpets, and every man was restored to his original possession given him at the division of the land. .It was also pointed out that the Now Testament declared that all that happened unto Israel was for types and .shadows of bettor things. Israel’s jubilee was pictorial then of Jehovah’s purpose to restore mankind to all that was lost in Adam. Lost “by one man’s disobedience,” and labor-union strikes, etc., were an unavoidable part of the adjustment of the rights and liberties of the people; but the final settlement could not take place until the resurrection of the ancient worthies, of whom iho ' psalmist said : “ Instead of your fathers shall be your eliildren. whom ye shall make princes in all the earth." The signs given by Jesus of His disciples that would mark His second presence and the end of the age and the sol ting up of tho Millennial Kingdom were, now history. The "World War, pestilence, and famines, with tho return of Jews to Palestine, were physical facts that were indisputable and completely fulfilled the prophetic picture. ]t only remained for the fires of anarchy to coinpletclv do away with the nrc-ont ! order of things, the remains of Satan’s empire. The preparations of the ration for war would at no distant dale complete tho destruction. But this was only the cud of an intolerable bondage and the opening of tho gateway to freedom, to life, liberty, and happiness, which the wisdom and love and power of Jehovah had provided through the death and resurrection of His Son for all tho willing and obedient.