Evangelist's Address

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 42, 15 April 1942, Page 5

Evangelist's Address

A lairge and appreciative audience heard the sixth address of Evangelist Burnside last Sunday night ai. the Kins; Ocorge Theatre. As usual tlie programme included a ton minute question-period and the ease with which the preacher turned to every portion of (lie liible to answer the various questions submil ted aroused much interest. The subject of the evening was on the .Millennium— that 1,000 year period spoken of in the Bible which would succeed the Second Advent of Christ. During this period Rev. 20 reveals that, the great arch enemy Satan would be bound within the "bottomless pit" This expression "bottomless pit" is found seven times in Revelation and in every case it is used to describe this earth whih; undergoing a period of desolation and barrenness —either physically or spiritually. Actually this word comes from the Greek "Abussos" the Evangelist, revealed, and is an expression that, signifies extreme and unimaginable desolation and destruction. In the Creek text it is also this word that is used in Cen. 1 : 2 to describe the world when it. was "without lorm and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." Thus the Hible reveals that from Ihe Coming of Christ till a 1.000 into the future, Satan will be bound impotent, to this earth whilst in its "bottomless pit" or "abussos" condition. To those who would enquire how it is that during this Millennium the earth has been reduced to a

dreary condition the evangelist recalled that at Christ's Coming it is said that the wicked, first of all, are destroyed. Thessalonians speaks! of them as being "consumed with the brightness of his coming''", or. as Revelation shows, praying to the rocks of the mountains to fall on them and thus to hide them from the face of Christ. At that same coming also the "dead in Christ"' are raised and they, together with the living righteous, are unitedly caught up to meet the Lord in the air to arise to inhabit the mansions prepared above The words of Christ will be then fulfilled "I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also." With the righteous in the mansions above and the wicked removed in death the earth lies in a barren and uninhabited condition — a lonely "abussos" prison for Satan and his evil spirits. Thus it slands plainly .revealed that jio one can possibly await till the Millennium to be converted—(hat now indeed, is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time. The Evangelist next turned to Jer 4 : 20-2(l and also Ch. 25 : 2233 showing how every Biblical description reveals that at the presence of the Lord "to shake terribly (he earth" and on during the Millennium the earth is broken down and left uninhabited and. the carcase's of those who have trasgressed will lie "from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried." —and this is the desolate "abussos" prison of his Satanic majesty during the 1,00<) years, having, during this longperiod, no one upon whom he can work his evil designs.

The same description of this old earth during this time is also reiterated in Jer 24, and Isaiah 34 : 1

15 as does also every description of the effects upon this earth of Christ's appearing with great power and majesty.

During this 1.000 years the righte ous are in heaven, the Evangelist continued, and there they are living and reigning with Christ sitting in investigative judgment in fulfillment of I Cor. 6:2.

At the end of the 1,000 years the Holy City, New Jerusalem, Avitli all the saints of God, descends from God out of Heaven. All the wicked at this time are also raised from their dusty graves and Satan thus is loosed for a short seasoft to work his deceptions anew and to bring them up to encompass the New Jerusalem. Mr. Burnside turned to John 5 : 28 and 29 showing how that whether we have lived a righteous or an evil life there is some-day to be a resurrection of all that are in their graves that they may account and receive the reward for their deeds. I Thess. 4 : 16 reveals that the dead in Christ rise iirst-—are included in the ''iirst resurrection" of Rev 20 : 6 which occurs at the commencement of the Millennium when Christ conies and that it is these righteous of the "First" resurrection concerning whom the "second death hath no power." But the "rest of the dead" of Rev 20 : 5 — to wit, the unrighteous---"lived not again until the 1,000 years were finished." Rev 20 reveals to us how that the wicked in this Second Resurrection at the end of the Millennium are inspired by the devil to take the New Jerusalem but the sacred record states that '"and lire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them" —this, as we learn in verse 11 ''is the second death" from which there is no return. After the purifying (lames reduce all the ashes the "new heavens" and the "new earth" are 'created "wherein dwelleth righteousness" and throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity "sin shall not rear its head the second time." It is in

this New Earth where will be fulfilled the promise of Christ made in the Sermon on the Mount, "The meek shall inherit the earth." It is there that will lie down "the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." In that day "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the jLord, as the waters cover the sea." Revelation completes the picture in saying "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying." In this New Earth also Isaili says that from Sabbath to Sabbath "shall all Jlesh yome to worship before me, saith the Lord." Next Sunday night Mr Burnside promised to take a.s his subject, "Which is the Lord's Day," revealing in this lecture the sanctity and privileges in' following and hallowing the institutions of our Lord and Saviour. Many who have heard this lecture consider it to have been the greatest and most soul-satisfying to which they have ever listened and a large attendance is again expected next week to Hie outstanding Lower Hutt Evangelistic Campaign.