Pastor Charles T Russell of Allegheny visited Baltimore yesterday and in the afternoon and evening spoke to large audiences in Lehman's Music hall. His afternoon discourse was on the subject, "The Day of Judgment Generally Misunderstood," and in the evening "The Great Consummation." Both were illustrated by the Chart of the Ages. Mr. Russell's afternoon address follows:

I combine three texts in one, assuring you that examination of the contexts of the different citations will prove that they are properly used in harmony, as follows:

"God hath appointed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained" - "Jesus Christ, the righteous." "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." -Acts 17:31, 1 John 2:1 ,John 5:22

Very vague and indefinite ideas prevail in regard to the day of judgment. The view generally entertained is that Christ will come to earth, seated upon a great white throne, and that He will summon saint and sinner in rank and file before Him to be judged, amid great convulsions of nature-earthquakes, opening graves, rending rocks and falling mountains; that the trembling sinners will be brought from the depth of woe to hear their sins rehearsed, only again to be returned to an eternal and merciless doom; and that the saints will be brought from heaven to witness the misery and despair of the condemned, to hear again the decision in their own cases, and to return.

According to the prevailing theory all receive their sentence and reward at death; and this second judgment, which by way of distinction is commonly called "the general judgment," is merely a repetition of that first judgment, but for no conceivable purpose, since they claim that a decision which is final and unalterable is rendered at death.

The entire time supposed to be assigned to this stupendous work of judging billions is a 24-hour day. A discourse recently delivered in the Brooklyn tabernacle voiced the general view on this subject. It affected to give a detailed account of the work of the day of judgment, representing it as completed within the limits of a single literal day.

This is a very crude conception, and is entirely out of harmony with the inspired word. It is drawn from a too literal interpretation of our Lord's parable of the sheep and the goats. (Matt. 25:31-46) It illustrates the absurdity of attempting to force a literal interpretation upon figurative language. A parable is never an exact statement, but merely an illustration of a truth by something which is in many respects like it. If this parable were a literal statement of the manner in which the judgment will be conducted, it would apply to literal sheep and goats, just as it reads, and not to mankind at all. Let us now look at a more scriptural as well as a more reasonable view of the work and the result of the great judgment day which God hath appointed, with which reasonable and scriptural conclusions all parables and figures should and do agree. [HGL209] The term "judgment" signifies more than simply the rendering of a verdict. It includes the idea of a trial, as well as a decision based upon that trial. And this is true not only of the English word judgment, but also of the Greek word which it translates.

The term day, both in the scriptures and in common usage, though most frequently used to represent a period of 12 or 24 hours, really signifies any definite or special period of time. Thus, for instance, we speak of Noah's day, Luther's day, Washington's day; and thus in the Bible the entire time of creation is called a day, where we read of the "day that Jehovah God made the earth and the heavens." (Gen. 2:4)-a long, definite period. Then we read of "the day of temptation in the wilderness" -40 years (Heb. 3:8-9); "the day of salvation" (2 Cor. 6:2); also "the day of vengeance," "the day of wrath" and the "the day of trouble" -terms applied to a period of 40 years in the close of the Jewish age, and to a similar period of trouble in the end of the Gospel age. Then again we read of the "day of Christ," the "day of judgment," "His day" -terms applicable to the Millennial age, in which Messiah shall reign over, rule and judge the world in righteousness, granting trial as well as rendering sentence. And of that period it is written: He shall judge the world in righteousness, and in His day shall show who is that blessed and only potentate, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Acts 17:31; 1 Tim. 6:15) Why any should suppose this day of judgment to be of 12 or 24 hours, while recognizing the wider meaning of the word in other similar cases, is beyond comprehension, except upon the supposition that they have been influenced by tradition, without proper evidence or investigation.

Those who will carefully consult a complete concordance of the Bible with reference to the day of judgment, and note the kind and amount of work to be accomplished within that period, will soon see the absurdity of the common view, and the necessity for giving to the term day its wider significance.

While the scriptures speak of a great judgment or trial day yet future, and show that the masses of mankind are to have their complete trial and final sentence in that day, they also teach that there have been other judgment days, during which certain elect classes have been on trial.

The first great judgment (trial and sentence) was at the beginning in Eden, when the whole human race, as represented in its head, Adam, stood on trial before God. The result of that trial was the verdict; Guilty, disobedient, unworthy of life; and the penalty inflicted was death- "dying, thou shalt die." (Gen. 2:17, margin.) And so "in Adam all die." That trial time in Eden was the world's first judgment day, and the decision of the Judge (Jehovah) has ever since been enforced.

"The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness." It may be seen in every funeral procession. Every tomb is a witness to it. It is felt in every ache and pain we experience-all of which are the results of the first trial and sentence-the righteous sentence of God, that we are unworthy of life and the blessings originally provided for man when obedient and in God's likeness. But mankind has been redeemed from the sentence of that first trial by the one sacrifice for all, which the great Redeemer gave. All are redeemed from the grave and from the sentence of death-destruction-which, in view of this redemption, is no longer to be considered death in the full, everlasting sense of the word, but rather a temporary sleep because in the Millennial morning all will be awakened by the Life-Giver who redeemed all. Only the church of believers in Christ are yet in any sense released or "escaped" from this original sentence and penalty; and their escape is not yet actual, but only so reckoned by faith. "We are saved by hope" only. Our actual release from this death penalty (incurred in Adam and escaped from by getting into Christ) will not be fully experienced until the resurrection morning, when we shall be satisfied to awake in our Redeemer's likeness. But the fact that we who have come to a knowledge of God's gracious plan in Christ "have escaped the corruption that is (still) on the world," so far from proving that others will have no future hope of escape, proves rather the contrary of this, for we are "first fruits unto God of his creatures." (Jas. 1:18) Our escape from death in Adam to life in Christ is but a foretaste of the deliverance of whosoever wills to be delivered from the bondage of corruption (death) to the liberty of life proper to all whom God shall recognize as sons. All who will may be delivered from death to life, regardless of the distinctions of nature God has provided for his sons on different planes of being. The Gospel age is the trial day for life or death to those called and accepted to the house of spiritual sons.

Our text declares, "God hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world." How can this be? Has God changed His mind? Has He concluded that His decision in the trial of the first man and the general sentence were unjust, too severe, that He now concludes to judge the world individually? No. Were such the case, we should have no better guarantee of a just decision in the future trial than in the past. It is not that God considers His decision in the first judgement unjust, but that he has provided a redemption from the penalty of the first judgment, in order that He might grant another judgment (trial) under more favorable conditions to the entire race-all of whom will then have had experience with sin and its results. God has not changed one iota from his original purpose, which he formed before the world began. He distinctly informs us that He changes not, and that He will by no means clear the guilty. He will exact the full penalty which He justly pronounced. But that full penalty has been paid by the Redeemer or substitute whom God Himself provided-Jesus Christ, who "by the grace (favor) of God tasted death for every man." Our Lord having bought Adam and his race, with his own life, can now legally, justly give a new offer of life to them all. And this offer to all is called the new covenant, sealed, ratified or made operative by His death. Rom. 14:9; John 5:22; Heb. 10:16-29; 13:20-21

We are further informed that when God gives the world this individual trial it will be under Christ as judge, whom Jehovah will thus honor because of his obedience even unto death for our redemption. God has highly exalted Him, [HGL210] even to the divine nature, that He may be a "prince and a Savior" (Acts 5:31), that he may be able to recover from death and grant judgment to all whom He purchased with His own precious blood. God has "committed all judgment unto the Son," and has given Him all power in heaven and in earth. John 5:22

It is, then, the highly exalted, glorified Christ, who so loved the world as to give His life as its ransom price, who is to be the judge of the world in its promised future trial. And it is Jehovah Himself who has appointed Him to that office, for that very purpose. Such are the plain declarations of the Scriptures. There is nothing to dread, but on the contrary there is great cause for rejoicing on the part of all in looking forward to the judgment day. The character of the Judge is a sufficient guarantee that the judgment will be just and merciful, and with due consideration for the infirmities of all, until the willing and obedient are brought back to the original perfection lost in Eden.

When the apostle declares we must all give account for the deeds done in the body, he is not referring to the world's judgment day-he is not referring to the world at all, but to "we," the church class whom he is addressing. We have had special light and special favor, the eyes of our understanding being more or less opened. We have entered into a special covenant relationship with God as spiritual Israel, and have been by Him passed from death unto life, passed from the condition of sinners to the condition of sons. We have been reckoned as members of the body of Christ, the church. It is this class that must give an account of the deeds done in the body whether they be good or bad; not only the deeds done in our own flesh, but still more particularly the deeds done in the body of Christ, which is the church. Our doing or not doing good or evil will have to do with our attaining the great prize set before us in the gospel. If we are faithful to our covenant the Lord will be faithful to give us the promised joint-heirship with Christ in the kingdom; if unfaithful to any extent we will proportionately lose; and to repudiate our covenant entirely would be to us the sin unto death from which there would be no recovery, no resurrection, no hope-the "second death."

But before we could enter into covenant relationship with God, or in any sense of the word be on trial for life, we need first to be justified-cleared, released-from the death sentence which was against us as well as against the whole of Adam's race. We were "children of wrath" even as others; we were under condemnation with the remainder of the world; but we have escaped the "condemnation which is on the world" through a knowledge of Christ, through faith in His precious blood, which reckonedly justifies us to life. Were it not for this reckoned release from death, this justification from sin and its death penalty, we could have no standing before God and could not in any sense of the word enter upon a life or death trial.

Do we not see then that the world is not now on trial in this sense; that the sentence of the original trial still rests upon the human family as a whole, and that only a small minority has by the grace of God escaped from that condemnation? Let us remember the words of the apostle, "The whole world lieth in the wicked one." (1 John 5:19) Let us remember that if we who have believed have escaped the condemnation, then those who do not believe have not escaped the condemnation but are still under it-still under the sentence of death originally pronounced against Father Adam and his entire offspring.

(1) Is it God's purpose to discriminate amongst the children of Adam, and to allow some to escape from the sentence and to have a new trial, with the possibility of gaining eternal life through obedience, and not to grant such an opportunity to all? Is it God's purpose that only a comparatively small number who have heard of and believed in Christ, and thus been justified, shall have any further trial than that which occurred in Eden, under which everything was lost, including life itself?

(2) Did Christ not give himself a "ransom for all-to be testified in due time?" (1 Tim. 2:6) Is it reasonable to believe that the ransom given for all will be available only for the comparatively few who have heard of it, who have believed in it unto justification-whose ears and eyes of understanding have been opened?

(3) If only those can be on trial for a future life who have been released from the sentence of the first trial, and if these consist only of the true believers, who therefore are by the grace of God now experiencing their second trial or second judgment, is it reasonable to suppose that the great majority of mankind who have not seen, who have not heard, who have not comprehended the love of God in Christ, and who, therefore, are still under the original sentence and not in a condition to be tried again, to be judged again-is it reasonable to suppose that these will have no judgment, no trial, no forgiveness, no opportunity for demonstrating their willingness to obey the Lord, to walk in the ways of righteousness and holiness?

We hold, dear friends, that according to the scriptures it has been God's good pleasure to provide the redemption for the sins of the whole world-that our Lord Jesus should be a propitiation (satisfaction) for our sins (the church's sins), and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. We hold with the scriptures that the discrimination that God makes is merely in respect to the time and conditions under which all shall hear. Now the few are blessed with the opportunity under present unfavorable conditions, when sin abounds and when the prince of this world opposes and hinders and seeks to stumble men. By and by the many will be granted their opportunity, their second trial or judgment secured by the death of Christ for all; and theirs will be under more favorable conditions than the present, for we are assured that then Satan will be bound that he shall deceive the nations no more.

From this, which we believe to be not only the scriptural but the rational view of this matter, everything appears reasonable and harmonious. God in the present time is doing an advance work with a few who, being justified by faith, are now being tried under very severe tests and adverse conditions. Such of these as prove loyal and faithful will have the greater reward, as they have the severer trials. To these, who are being judged in advance of the judgment day of the world, God has given exceedingly great and [HGL211] precious promises-spiritual, heavenly, glorious promises. These, we have seen, shall be associated with the Lord in the great work of the future-the work of blessing the remainder of mankind, who as yet are still under the original sentence, and who will not escape that condemnation until the end of this Gospel age and the inauguration of the Millennial kingdom, when all the blind eyes shall be opened and all the deaf ears shall be unstopped, and the blessing of the Lord, which is now upon the little flock of believers only, will be extended to the whole world of mankind-making all aware of the goodness and grace of God and permitting all to participate in the forgiveness of the Adamic transgressions, and granting to all a full opportunity and individual trial for life-failure in which will mean the second death. -Acts 3:23.

This proper, this scriptural view of the great judgment day which God has promised and which is referred to in our text is thus seen to be a great blessing, the outcome or sequel of God's great provision for the sins of the world-the grand result of the great redemption sacrifice which our Savior accomplished at Calvary. How reasonable to expect just such an outcome of the divine arrangement. How reasonable to assume that God, who pronounced the penalty of death upon the race and who had executed it for the past 6,000 years, having provided the ransom for all, would eventually give all an individual opportunity for proving their loyalty to Him and His government and of thus attaining through Christ eternal life. How could we expect less than this from the great, wise, loving, just Father and Judge of all? It is just like Him, just what we would expect.

And how consistent with this view of the judgment is all that has yet been done and all that is written in the scriptures respecting it! Our Lord Jesus is presented to us as the great High Priest, who, as the great Judge, our text declares, shall judge the world in righteousness, and the church, now on trial in advance of the world, are to be His associates, the under priests; in this great work of judging-of granting the world a trial under most favorable conditions, to prove their loyalty or their disloyalty to God-their worthiness of life everlasting or of death everlasting. This priesthood, we are assured in the scriptures, is a royal priesthood-they are to be priests upon their thrones. Their work of sacrificing belongs merely to the earthly life, and will be ended entirely when the last member of the body of Christ shall have suffered with Him in the flesh and shall have been glorified beyond the vail. This royal priesthood is not selected, polished, tested and proven for no purpose; their priesthood means a future work as well as does their kingship. It means that they not only will rule the world as kings, to govern it, to bring life and order out of present selfishness and confusion and sin and death, but it means that as priests they shall dispense divine mercy, compassion and assistance to the world of mankind in that great trial day, that great day of opportunity, the Millennial day.

Let me impress upon you the words of our text, "God hath appointed a day." The apostle does not intimate that the day had begun at the time of his writing. He points forward to it as a future thing, saying, "in the which He will judge the world." Again we are to notice that in the scriptures the world and the church are always kept separate and distinct. The apostle does not abandon this custom. He is not referring to the church at all, but to the world aside from the church. The church is to have its trial or judgment for eternal life in advance of the world in order that it may be associated with the Lord in the kingdom, in the judgment in the blessing of all the families of the earth.

Notice again the apostle's assurance that the world will be judged "in righteousness" -it will be an equitable trial, a fair trial. The terms and conditions of eternal life will be fairly set before every creature. All the blind eyes shall be opened and all the deaf ears shall be unstopped. All shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and all obedient to that voice shall live, shall be completely released from all the weaknesses and imperfections that are now upon the world as the result of the death penalty, "shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption (death) into the glorious liberty of the sons of God." Notice in the context of this last citation, that the apostle here also is not referring to the church but to the world. In another verse, in different language, he refers to the blessing for which the church is waiting. -Rom. 8:19-22, 23

We do not wish to be understood as ignoring the present responsibility of the world which every man has, according to the measure of light enjoyed, whether it be much or little, whether it be the light of nature or of revelation. "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good," and "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." (Prov. 15:3; Eccl. 12:14.) The good and evil deeds of the present time will receive a just recompense of reward either now or hereafter. "Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment, and some they follow after." (1 Tim. 5:24) However, others than the Lord's favored "little flock" have not as yet sufficient light to incur the final penalty, the second death. We here merely broach the subject of the world's present accountability, leaving the particulars for subsequent consideration.

A judge, in ancient times, was one who executed justice and relieved the oppressed. Note, for instance, how, when under oppression by their enemies because of transgression against the Lord, Israel was time and again released and blessed by the raising up of judges. Thus we read, "When the children of Israel cried unto Jehovah, Jehovah raised up a deliverer, . . . Othniel. And the spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war, and prevailed, and the land had rest for forty years." (Jud 3:9-11) So, though the world has long been under the power and oppression of the adversary, Satan, yet shortly he who paid for the sins of all with His own precious blood will take His great power and reign. He will deliver and judge those whom he so loved as to redeem.

With this conclusion all the prophetic declarations agree. It is written: "With righteousness shall He judge the world, and the people with equity." -Psa. 98:9

This coming judgment will be on exactly the same principles as the first. The same law of obedience will be presented, with the same reward of life, and the same penalty of death. And as the first trial had a beginning, [HGL212] progressed, and culminated with a sentence, so also will the second; and the sentence will be life to the righteous, and death to the unrighteous. The second trial will be more favorable than the first, because of the experience gained under the results of the first trial. Unlike the first trial, the second trial will be one in which every man will stand the test for himself alone, and not for another. None will then die because of Adam's sin, or because of inherited imperfections. "It shall no more be said, the fathers have eaten a sour grape and the children's teeth are set on edge; but he that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge." "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." -Eze. 18:4; Jer. 31:29-30

It will be true of the world then, as it is of the church now, that a man will not be judged according to that which he hath not, but according to that which he hath. (2 Cor. 8:12) Under the reign of Christ mankind will be gradually educated, trained and disciplined until they reach perfection. And when they have reached perfection, perfect harmony with God will be required, and any who then fall short of perfect obedience will be cut off-judged unworthy of life. The sin which brought death to the race through Adam was simply one disobedient act; but by that act he fell from his perfection. God had a right to demand perfect obedience of him, since he was created perfect; and he will demand the same of all men when the great work of restoring them is complete. None will be permitted to have everlasting life who then in the slightest degree fall short of perfection. To fall short of perfection then will be to sin willfully against full light and perfect ability.

Any who sin willfully against full light and ability will perish in the second death. And should any one, during that age of trial, under its full blaze of light, spurn the offered favors, and make no progress toward perfection for a hundred years, he will be reckoned unworthy of life and will be "cut off," though at the age of a hundred years he would be in the period of comparative childhood. Thus it is written of that day: "As a lad shall one die a hundred years old; and as a sinner shall be accursed he who dieth at a hundred years old." (Isa. 65:20 -Leeser) Thus all must have at least one hundred years of trial; and, if not so obstinate as to refuse to make progress, their trial will continue throughout the entire "day of Christ," the Millennium, reaching a culmination only at its close.

While the majority of our Lord's parables related to the church and clearly apply to this Gospel age, there is one at least which unquestionably belongs to the coming age, the Millennium. It describes the world's judgment during that age, and finally the eternal results at its close. Since this parable of the sheep and the goats is generally supposed to apply to this present time, it may be well that I call your attention particularly to the language with which the parable is introduced. A careful study of this introduction can leave no question in the mind of any honest person that it belongs to the future and not to the present. Its opening sentence is: "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all His holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory." Beyond question this is a description of the second coming of the Lord, and His promise to His disciples-to all of His faithful little flock of this Gospel age-is that when He sits upon the throne of His glory we also shall share it with Him as His "joint heirs" in the kingdom. Secondly, this parable describes the glorious work of the church in conjunction with her Lord in judging and blessing the world of mankind. It describes the great uplift of humanity during the Millennium.

An announcement of the establishment of the Lord's throne or kingdom is tantamount to the declaration that the time has come of which God spoke to Abraham, saying, "In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Then will be realized our Lord's declaration to the church, "Fear not, little flock; it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Then will be realized the prediction of the Prophet Daniel that "The kingdoms under the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High God."

The picture of the throne of judgment in this parable of the sheep and goats is a companion picture of the one given in Rev. 20:11, where the righteousness of the judgment and reign of the Anointed One is symbolically pictured in the whiteness of the throne-its purity. In the parable we read that before that throne shall be gathered all nations. In the picture in Revelations we read, "I saw the dead (the whole world dead in sin, under sentence of death), small and great, standing before the throne. And the books were opened." The opening of the books does not mean the opening of records of every sin and imperfection of the world, for their sins and imperfections were committed while under sentence of death, and the death sentence itself was the penalty for all of that evil condition which resulted from the fall. The open books represent the opening of the divine plan, the opening of the testimony of God, the unsealing of the Scriptures, which now are wholly misunderstood by the world, and, indeed, grossly misunderstood by many professedly the Lord's people.

The books shall be opened, as our dear Redeemer said "My words shall judge you at the last day." The world is to be on trial along the lines of our Lord's teachings, and the whole record of God's faithfulness and love, compassion and mercy through Christ, and of the requirements of His law, will be laid before them during the Millennial age-during their day of trial. The record is, "They shall be judged (tried) by those things written in the books" -not according to their faith as the church is now being tried, but "according to their works." Under the new condition of things which will then obtain good works will be possible, and good works will be required at that time and under those conditions. Faith would be no longer a proper test, because faith would then be easy. It will amount to absolute knowledge.

In the Revelation account of this judgment day the statement is made that another book of life will be opened. When we come to understand that statement it means much. It is an assurance that those who shall then demonstrate their loyalty to righteousness shall have their names written in a book of life, just as the church in the present time is assured that the faithful have their names written in the Lamb's book of life; and if they [HGL213] persevere faithfully their names will not be blotted out. But, as we have just seen, the book of life which is for the church is a different one, as the call of the church is different. The book of life for the church will be completed before the world's judgment day opens, and only those found written in the book of life, only the very elect, will be with the Lord in the throne and associated with Him as kings and priests and joint heirs in His kingdom, to judge and bless the world. There will be no further opportunity to be written in that book of life-no further opportunity of becoming a member of that elect class, the bride, nor of obtaining the heavenly prize which she is to attain. But, praise God, there will be the opportunity of being written in the new book of life amongst the lists of those of humanity willing to be fully obedient to the divine will- "sheep."

The parable of the sheep and goats shows the separation of the two classes as it will progress during the Millennial age, the obedient, or sheep-like class, coming to the right hand of favor with the judge; the goat class marked for disfavor-as unworthy of life eternal because not fully submissive to the divine arrangements in their hearts. The complete separation of the sheep and the goats in the parable finds its parallel in the Revelation picture in the great testing that shall come in the end of the Millennial age to prove who are faithful to the Lord and who are unfaithful, who at heart are in harmony with Him, and who have been yielding only outward and formal obedience to escape stripes. The result as shown in both illustrations is the utter destruction of the wicked and the passing of the sheep class to everlasting blessing in the paradise of God, the restored, rejuvenated earth, the whole of which by that time will be as the Garden of Eden, thoroughly fitted to be the habitation of the perfect men to whom it will be God's good pleasure then to turn over the kingdom, the dominion of earth, the Millennial kingdom, having served its purpose, being dissolved.

The parable shows the reward of the sheep class, saying: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" -a different kingdom from that prepared for the little flock, the bride, which is declared to have been prepared before the foundation of the world. The sentence upon the goat class is also stated: "Depart, ye condemned ones, into everlasting punishment, prepared for the devil and his followers." This punishment is generally misunderstood to be eternal torment. God has pronounced no such penalty against sinners; the extreme penalty of divine law is death, destruction, annihilation, as the apostle declares: "They shall be destroyed with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His power." The statement, everlasting punishment, does not tell us the kind of punishment, and obliges us to look elsewhere for a particularization of it. Elsewhere we read: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die;" "The wages of sin is death." The parable emphasizes the utter destruction by another symbol, "fire." The fire of the parable is as symbolical as are the goats and the sheep, and as a symbol fire never represents preservation of life, but always signifies destruction. And so in this parable everlasting fire symbolizes an everlasting destruction-destruction from which there will be no recovery by resurrection or otherwise. God purposes eventually a clean universe, and this means the utter blotting out of those who will not enjoy His blessings and favors in full accord with His righteous arrangements.

A period of about 6,000 years intervenes between the world's first and second judgment days, and during this long period God has been selecting two special classes from among men, and specially trying, disciplining and training them to be His honored instruments during the period or day of the world's judgment.

Under the sophistries of the great deceiver, Satan, both the world and the church nominal have been robbed of the blessed assurances of the coming time of righteous judgment. They know that the Bible tells of a coming judgment day, but they regard it with only fear and dread; and because of this fear there is to them no more unwelcome tidings than that "the day of the Lord is at hand." They put it far away from them, and do not wish to hear it even mentioned. They have no idea of the blessings in store for the world under that glorious reign of Him whom God hath appointed "to judge the world in righteousness" -to grant the world a righteous or fair trial for life or death. Among the greatest of the blinding influences which Satan has devised to keep men in ignorance of the truth regarding the judgment day have been the errors which have crept into the creeds and hymn books of the various religious sects. Many have come to esteem these errors paramount to the Word of God.

How differently did the prophets and apostles regard that promised day of judgment! Note the exultant, prophetic utterance of David (1 Chron. 16:31-34). He says:

"Let the heavens be glad, And let the earth rejoice; And let men say among the nations, Jehovah reigneth, Let the sea roar, and the fullness thereof; Let the fields rejoice, and all that are therein. Then shall the trees of the wood sing aloud at the presence of Jehovah, Because He comethTo judge the earth. O give thanks unto Jehovah, for He is good; For His mercy endureth forever."

The apostle points to the same day, assuring us that it will be a glorious and desirable day, and that for it the whole creation is groaning and travailing in pain together-waiting for the great Judge to deliver and to bless the world, as well as to exalt and glorify the church. -Rom. 8:21-22