Consequences of the Rejection of Light by George I. Butler

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 11, 1909

Consequences of the Rejection of Light

By George I. Butler

GEORGE I. BUTLER

Various evidences have been presented that the term Babylon (i. e., the state of “confusion,” “mixture”), a descriptive title which God has used in his Word to designate religious bodies having some truth interwoven with considerable error, must include not only the Roman Church, but all churches of like character and conditions. The Roman Church, as the leading, most ancient church, stands conspicuous as being the greatest in numbers, and the most influential of all; hence it is spoken of as the “mother” in the description given in Revelation 17. This title necessarily implies that others have come out from her communion, and these “others” are unmistakably the great popular religious bodies who have called themselves Protestant,—those who have protested against the

tyranny and doctrines of the “mother” church. This title is often used by Catholics to designate their own church, and thus express her superiority in age and influence. This admission strongly corroborates the fitness of the inspired title, especially when Protestants use it.

The coming out of these bodies was a great and blessed event. God was in it. The Protestant Reformation has brought about a vast improvement over the darkness and tyranny of Catholicism. Great light has shone upon the world through its agency. Liberty and civilization have been wonderfully advanced thereby. Multitudes of precious souls have been instructed in heavenly things, and will be saved in the kingdom of God by this blessed light. Noble reformers and large numbers of able and godly men have been raised up, and have blessed the world by their ministry. Through these precious agencies the Bible, the Word of the living God, has been circulated in all parts of the world. The truths of the gospel have been made known even unto the darkest corners of the earth. The great Reformation was all right as far as it went. God was honored by it, and he gave the blessings of his Holy Spirit in large measure to its advancement.

The one prominent fact concerning it to be regretted is that this great Reformation did not go far enough to meet God’s full designs. We feel sure that any discerning, God-fearing Protestant will, in his own heart, admit that there is much improvement to be desired in the great Protestant world. We know that God’s Word teaches that another great work of reform will take place previous to the coming of Christ. This must necessarily and certainly be so. We have reached the point, and passed it, in the great Protestant historical movement when the greatest faith in God’s Word was manifested in Protestantism, and when the greatest spirituality existed in its ministry and membership. Unmistakable evidences of the decline of Christian fervor and spirituality abound. A tremendous leaning toward worldliness, pride, pleasure-loving, fashion, and practises inconsistent with the doctrine of Christ and genuine godliness, is too apparent to be denied. These conditions are in evidence the world over, and multitudes of honest, sensible people in the churches will themselves freely admit it.

What is the inevitable conclusion? It is that light has been rejected. God-given light, designed by the Creator to benefit the cause of God, has been treated with neglect and disrespect. “Walk while ye have the light,” says Jesus, “lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.”

Christ’s coming to this world will be the stumbling-stone over which the great religious bodies of professed believers in Christ will stumble and spiritually fall. The Jewish people made this terrible plunge into spiritual darkness over Christ’s first advent. Because he did not come in just the way they expected; that is, as a great national deliverer, they would not accept him. He came as the humble Nazarene. Born in a stable, cradled in a manger, poor in this world, the great and popular saw nothing desirable in him. Though he spake as never man spake, wrought wonderful miracles, brought the dead to life, preached the most precious doctrine man ever heard, exhibited before them all a lovely and perfect character, yet they rejected him, put him to death, and persecuted his disciples. They would not have this man to be the promised One. They said, “His blood be on us, and on our children.”

The wonderful predictions of the prophets concerning his first advent,—predictions demonstrating his Messiahship,—had all been fulfilled to the letter. But because he did not come in worldly glory, and to exalt their national glory in the world, they spurned their blessed Redeemer, and made their final plunge into darkness.

How awful it all seems to us,—this terrible mistake! Their glorious city was destroyed. Their beautiful temple was burned; not one stone was left upon another. They were driven like a flock of sheep without a shepherd, before the Romans into slavery, and were scattered among the nations.

Modern Israel has been making a still worse mistake. The fulness of time has come when the blessed Son of God is about to appear to earth’s inhabitants “without sin unto salvation.” Did the ancient people of God make a mistake in rejecting the prophecies pertaining to his first advent?—They surely did. Modern Israel is making the much greater mistake of rejecting a greater array of prophetic predictions relative to the nearness of his second coming. Some thirteen distinct lines of prophecy, each and all, demonstrate that we are in the last days of time. They are all being fulfilled, or have been fulfilled, in a plain, literal manner before the eyes of this last generation.

Eminent religious teachers of this age not only refuse to consider them, but, still worse, scoff at prophecy as something impossible to be understood, and do their best to keep those under their charge from considering them at all. While one of the apostles whom they profess to accept as an inspired man declares prophecy to be a “light in a dark place,” till the day of Christ shall dawn, they boldly declare that prophecy is a mystery, and can never be understood.

And what is the outcome of all this? Foolish notions of the world’s being converted before Christ’s coming, are extant; the mass of the clergy are banding together to manipulate the school of politics and secure laws to force men to keep Sunday as a sabbath, a requirement for which there is not a scrap of evidence of Scriptural authority. Church-and-state union is easily discernible in the near future. The Bible’s inspiration is being questioned in the great schools of theology, and as a book of authority in religious matters, is losing its hold on the great mass of the people. The foundations of Bible religion are being shaken. Catholics and Protestants are coming closer and closer together in sentiment and feeling. The terrible apostasy and sin are more and more manifest, and moral restraint is losing its hold upon the masses. Yet we are glad we can still say that all are not falling in with this current. God has yet a people in all the churches.

The final outcome of it all is plainly evident,—that “Babylon is fallen, is fallen,” and that the time has come for the cry to go forth, “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partaker of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”

Bowling Green, Fla.