LECTURE.

Grey River Argus, 12 July 1927, Page 2

LECTURE.

“WHERE SATAN’S SEAT IS.” An interested audience listened attentively when Mr E. P. Clark lectured on the above subject in the Druid’s Hall on Sunday night. The speaker said that many, in the past, had believed that Satan was engaged as Manager-in-Chief of Hell where he was engaged in stoking the tires for the roasting the damned. This belief had been necessary because men believed in inherent immortality and as all were not good enough to go to heaven and they could not possibly die, a place must be found for them. The scriptures did not teach that man is immortal, neither did they teach that man has a soul. In Gen 2.7 they were told that “man became a living soul” not that he was given a soul. It was the breath and the organism together that constituted a soul. In Psalm 104.29 the Psalmist spoke of God taking away the breath and man returning to his earth and there was no mention of the soul going to either heaven or hell. Psa 146.4 said “His breath gocth forth, he returneth to his earth. In that very day his thoughts perish.” The “spirit” that returned to God who gave it was simply the breath for it was the same Hebrew word that was used in Eccl 12.7 as the one translated “breath” in the former scriptures. The word “soul” meant a being capable of exercising the senses and animals as well as men were called souls. Lev 22.11 said the Priest could buy a soul and eat it and in Eccl 3.18-20 the “breath” of men and animals was shown to be the same. At death man ceased to be a soul and slept until the resurrection. Hell was the grave and the wages of sin and death. The speaker traced the life of Satan from the time he was created as Lucifer until he became the adversary of God and was consequently called Satan. As the adversary of God he had been trying to prevent the development of the “seed of promise” and the establishment of the Kingdom for which all 'nave been praying. Satan used the seven great world powers that had been dominating the world since the first one, Egypt, exercised its sway over God’s typical people. It was Satan who first taught that man was immortal when he said through the serpent of Gen 3.1-4 “Ye shall not surely die.” Since then the immortality of the soul had been taught the world over. The Apostle in 1 Tim 6.16 said that “God only hath immirtality. ” Satan has been busy, not in the heathen lands, or in Hell, but in temples and other places that moulded public opinion in order that men should not come to a correct understanding of the word of God and thus see his wonderful plan for human redemption and restoration. Christ came to buy mankind. He would overthrow Satan’s empire and establish the Kingdom that would bless all mankind with life, liberty and happiness. Christ was to reign until he had put all enemies under his feet ami the last enemy to be destroyed was death (1 Cor. 15, 2.5-26. Then “death and hell shall be cast into the lake of lire! ” This is the second death (Rev 20.14). (See marginal note opposite the word “hell.”) The Kingdom will be handed over to the Father that God might reign supreme.