PASTOR RUSSELL HEARD BY MANY AT OPERA HOUSE

NOTED SPEAKER DELIVERED HIS FAMOUS ADDRESS, "THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON"

INTRODUCED BY MAYOR GREENHUT

Declares Present Condition's Were Prophesied Twenty-Five Centuries Ago and All Nations Will Be Involved-War the Prelude to Armageddon.

Declaring that the present war was prophesied twenty-five centuries ago, that all nations will become involved and later that lasting peace may be hoped for, Pastor Russell delivered his famous lecture, "The Battle of Armageddon" at the opera house last night. Pastor Russell, who is touring the country, is in Pensacola on his second visit. He was introduced by Mayor Greenhut in a few appropriate remarks, to the large audience which practically filled the opera house.
Pastor Russell's discourse on the Battle of Armageddon was based upon the words of Jesus respecting the "distress of nations with perplexity." (Luke 21:25, 26) He referred to the literal Megiddo, where many great battles were fought in ancient times and where God gave the Israelites a great triumph. He pointed out that the word Armageddon is used symbolically in the Book of Revelation to refer to the great climax of earth's strife. He declared that it would mean the final overthrow of the powers of sin, for thereafter Messiah's Kingdom will rule the world. He declared that the Bible pictures three distinct stages of the trouble with which this Age will end and the New Dispensation be inaugurated: first, the present war, weakening the nations and enlightening the people; second, following the war, a great revolution, symbolically styled in the Bible an earthquake such as never was since men were upon the earth; third, a period of anarchy, resulting from the failure of mankind to be able to adjust themselves to the new conditions.
"This anarchy is in the Bible symbolically styled fire," he declared, "the fire of God's anger which will consume the present heavens and earth-not the literal earth, for it abideth forever-not the literal heavens, either. The symbolical heaven is the ecclesiastical systems-and the symbolical earth is the social systems of the present. These will succumb to the FIRE or anarchy, which will destroy all present institutions and eventuate in the world's preparation for Messiah's Kingdom-A new heaven and a new earth-the desire of all nations."-Rev. 21:1; Haggai 2:7.
As Elijah the Prophet typified the course of the true Church of God and her final taking to Heaven, so these great events coming upon the earth were shown to Elijah in advance of his taking away. The winds that rent the rocks represented the present war. The earthquake represented the revolution. The fire represented the anarchy. Then follows the still small voice of God, speaking peace through Jesus Christ. This is the pure message, in contrast with a confusion of creeds which have been preached and which have misrepresented the Divine character and plan. The knowledge of the glory of God will then fill the whole earth, until none shall need to say to his neighbor, Know thou the Lord: for all will know him.-Jeremiah 31:34.

SAYS FIRE IS SYMBOLIC.
The pastor referred to the fact that all the creeds in Christendom had mistaken this fire to be a literal one, instead of symbolic, forgetting that fire is repeatedly used in the Bible to represent severe trial. Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you-the Church. St. Peter's words respecting the fire correspond to the words of Zephaniah's prophecy. ((1 Peter 4:12; Zephaniah 3:8, 9). There, after telling about the fire that would consume the social earth, the Lord declares that then He will turn to the people a pure message, that they may all call upon His name to serve Him with one consent. Similarly, St. Peter, after telling how the present symbolical heavens-ecclesiastical systems-and the symbolical earth-the social order-will pass away in this fire of anarchy, says that there will be new heavens and a new earth-a new ecclesiastical power and a new social order.-2 Peter 3:13.
Pastor Russell declared that this new heaven will be the Church in glory, the true Church of Christ in Millennial glory; and that the new earth will mean society reorganized on its new basis, in harmony with the Golden Rule of Messiah's Kingdom. He declared that to think of the earth as being burned up at the Second Coming of Christ would mean to forget that St. Peter elsewhere (Acts 3:19-21) declares that at Christ's Second Coming Times of Restitution and Refreshment would come to the world, and that this blessing had been declared by God through all the holy Prophets since the world began.

CANNOT PRAY FOR PEACE
"Our honorable president with praiseworthy intent has requested all Christian people to pray for peace in Europe. I have been asked to sermonize accordingly. However, I cannot concur with our Worthy President in this matter. Much as I appreciate peace-and I have all my life labored to be a peacemaker-I cannot pray the Almighty to change His plans to confirm to those of our honored president.
"For twenty-five hundred years God, through the Bible Prophets, has been telling His people about this great war and concerning the more terrible Armageddon which will follow it; and can we expect Him to reverse the program at our behest?-Revelation 16:13, 14, 16.
"The prayers of these millions praying for the prosperity of the Germans and the extermination of the Allies, and the prayers of other millions for the success of the Allies and the annihilation of the Germans, and the prayers of the Pope and of our President and other good people that this awful war shall promptly cease, will all go unanswered, if I read my Bible aright. The war will proceed, and will eventuate in no glorious victory for any nation, but in the horrible mutilation and impoverishment of all. Next will follow the Armageddon of Anarchy.
"After that, peace, lasting peace, may be hoped for, because God has declared it! It will be brought in by Messiah's Kingdom, for which so long we have prayed 'Thy Kingdom come!'
"For forty years I have been proclaiming this very war and its glorious outcome, by sermons, oral and printed, and in my books on Bible study in twenty languages. Now, when the very year has come and the prophecy is being fulfilled, could I consistently ask the Almighty to change His program? Nay!"

GOD'S PART IN THE WAR
"Doubtless many will be shocked with my declaration that this war and the resulting greater calamity are of Divine permission and arrangement, clearly prophesied in Scripture. The gathering of the nations to the present struggle is referred to in the prophecy of Joel, where the weak nations are called upon to assert their strength and where all of them are commanded to go down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat-the Valley of Graves-the cemetery outside of the city of Jerusalem being used by the Prophet in illustration of the terrible slaughter now going on.-Joel 2:9-16.
"Surely this war has brought more to the grave than has any previous war; and it is only beginning. For years the nations, in harmony with Joel's prophecy, have been beating their plowshares into swords and their pruning-hooks into spears, in the sense that they have been spending for military purposes money which should properly have been spent in agricultural implements and developments."

ALL NATIONS INVOLVED
"Apparently, all the nations will yet be involved. Happy will it be if our own land shall escape! Our President and our Secretary of State are men of peace, and will surely do all in their power to avoid complications and war itself. Nevertheless, the great nations of Europe, recalling how much they will be weakened by this war, will do all in their power to ensnare these United States lest at the conclusion of the war we should tower above the others financially and otherwise.
"Only as we look at the Divine plan as a whole can we understand God's relationship with this bloody war-and with all war. To the majority it is confusing to think that God would bring about any war. There is surely something wrong or there would not be such perplexity, for the Lord tells His people concerning this Time of Trouble that they need not be in darkness that that day should overtake them unawares.-1 Thessalonians 5:4. God's people should have general information regarding His plans and arrangements.
"Many have seen only small portions of the Divine plan, and so have failed to grasp the great lengths, breadths, heights, and depths of God's great purpose. But whoever has an understanding of the great plan of God will ever after be able rightly to appreciate and to locate not only the events of today, but also everything that is coming; for the Bible outlines the history of man.
"The Scriptures clearly teach that our earth is the only rebellious province in all God's fair creation. In this little planet God has permitted sin to take its course-to bud, to blossom, to bring forth its fruitage-that both men and angels may see the dire results of opposition to the Divine government.
"The Bible tells us how this world became rebellious. It tells us that God did not create mankind imperfect as we are today. Man was created perfect, an earthly being-in the image of his Heavenly Creator, in the sense of having a moral character, but limited to earthly conditions. This perfect man was placed in a perfect home, in every way adapted to his needs. This Eden was especially prepared for him and he was to enjoy it. He was the king of the whole earth; and therefore his Creator instructed him that as his family increased, he was to subdue the earth and develop it. Had mankind remained in harmony with God, the whole world would have become as Eden.-Genesis 3:17-19.
"God foreknew just what would occur, however. He foreknew Adam's sin and fall, as well as the mental, moral, and physical degeneracy which would result from the disobedience of our first parents. He foreknew our weakness and imperfection, our attempts at moral, religious, and mental reform and at mental and physical health. Yet He permitted all this to come to pass. Sin entered the world and has continued to rest upon the human family for six thousand years.
"God's penalty upon man is death, and it matters not whether that death come through war or pestilence or famine or by slower processes. Meantime, God would use all of man's experiences of the past six thousand years as a great lesson on the exceeding sinfulness of sin and on the utter hopelessness of any other help than that which God Himself has provided.
"From the creation of Adam until now has been a period of six thousand year days-man's work week-during which he has been permitted to try everything he could imagine for his own relief from sin and its penalty of death. After these sixty centuries, humanity is still dying-mentally, morally, and physically. Our only hope is in God; and He has arranged that His blessing shall come through Messiah's Kingdom, when we shall have reached our extremity. Man's extremity will be God's opportunity.
"So far from gaining life everlasting for our race, all our efforts have accomplished nothing. Our most learned physicians and specialists declare that the world is on the verge of collapse; and that at the present rate of increases there would not, in one hundred and sixty years, be enough sane people in the world to care for the insane. They tell us that various diseases are increasing so rapidly as to endanger the race in a very short time; and that this is true notwithstanding the fact that sanitary conditions are made necessary, even to the extent of individual drinking cups."

ANARCHY OF ARMAGEDDON
"This war and the following Anarchy of Armageddon will prove conclusively the need of Divine interposition in human affairs. As Jesus said, speaking of the present trouble and the resulting anarchy, 'Unless those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.'-Matthew 24:22. Doubtless, earth's great rulers have done their best. Having a false idea of what constitutes Messiah's Kingdom, each seems to think it their mission to conquer the world. They also believe they foresee a general uprising of Socialism, and their hearts are failing them fearing the things coming on the earth.
"While they knew this would be the worst war ever known, they preferred it to what they were striving to ward off and have succeeded in warding off for the present. But they have lost their best blood, their best energy, money, commerce etc., and when the war is ended, their disappointed peoples will be greatly angered at their rulers. Then will come the determination for something like Socialism. This the governments will endeavor to put down, and will succeed partially. Then will come the great explosion-the Armageddon of the Scriptures. This Time of trouble will just precede Messiah's Kingdom.-Daniel 12:1.
"Through a confusing translation the Bible calls this trouble the end of the world. It should be, the end of the Age. It is to be followed by the world to come, wherein dwelleth righteousness -new heavens, the Church in glory, and a new earth-the world in accord with God's law. (2 Peter 3:13.) This trouble is also styled a whirlwind, a tidal wave, a consuming fire. Misunderstanding these symbols, our creeds declare that the earth is to be burned up. On the contrary, Messiah's Kingdom will inaugurate a New dispensation, which will establish the long-promised 'peace on earth.'"-Acts 3:19-21.

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from THE PENSACOLA JOURNAL, on or about March 20, 1915