kessjournal6

My wifes sister, Margaret, in Germany, was a widow already four years. Her oldest son Nicholaus had come to us when we were on our Indiana farm, with his uncle Fritz and was doing well in business at this time, in Lincoln Nebraska. She had only one other son, Fred, with her, who was then fifteen years old. To her I appealed to come and take the place of her sister, to become my wife and help me to bring up her sisters children. She responded favorably and we were married at Belleville, Illinois, March 10 A.D. 1892. She stepped right in and was as true and faithful as any wife and mother can be and we prospered as a well ordered family can.

About the year 1900 she kept urging me to give up the strenuous live we had been leading and to sell our business. The occassion came unexpected and we readily sold our place. Both of my wife's sons were doing well at Lincoln, Nebraska we also moved to that city and bought us another home.

Lydia, Fred, Margaret, and Mary have married at Marissa, Illinois. John became a minister. Willie, Ben and Anna came with us. These went to school and Anna and Ben graduated from the Universtiy, and taught school. Willie learned the bookbinder trade.

In time age began to tell on my wife and she was looking forward for quite a while for release which came to her, when she quitely went to sleep August 26, 1917, to be awakened by the Lord when he makes up his Jewels. Rev. Matzner, pastor of the Evangelical Church officiated at her funeral.

And now, all alone, left with the memory of the past. But, also with the consciousness that all was by direction of a loving Father, there will be no break even now and until the Great Son of the Father comes to meet his loving and purchased Bride.

As to eternal thingns, I believe the record giving thru inspiration, by holy men of old. Having ever loved Truth, I believe in the loving and perfect Creator of all things. I believe in the Creator's wise jugement when warning the first man: "The day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die". I also believe that the allwise and loving Creator forestalled the plan of the unholy tempter by promising relief and redemption to the fallen race of Adam, and perdition to the wiley tempter by decreeing that the seed of the woman shall "bruise (crush) thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel".

In due time the Seed of the woman came and the archfield did his part, but a loving Father withdrew the sting by raising His immaculate, obedient Son from deaths embrace to finish Redemption of his breathren and comply with Gods original judgement by crushing the serpents head and to cast him "into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels." I believe the time for this is ripening fast, when Jesus with send his angels to the four corners of the earth to gather his elect, by raising his dead saints to live and in the twinkling of an eye change the living ones, and they together meet their Lord in the air to be taken with Him to the mansions he has prepared, ad He said He would when He parted from His mourning diciples. These prepared mansions are no doubt the bridechamber where He will introduce His Bride to His Father and to all holy angels.

This will be the occasion where Isaiah prophesying makes Jehovah say: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast". (Isa. 26:20.) This indignation is no doubt the execution of the day of Judgement when, the overcomers removed, the elements with melt with fervent heat, and all evil and evildoers, including the devil and his angels :shall become ashes under the feet of the saints". (Mal 4:3) The saints with the Bridegroom return from the wedding to inhabit their New and so dearly purchased home with their Redeemer King as long as eternity lasts.