Lifting Up a New God by C. M. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 30, 1910

Lifting Up a New God

By C. M. S.

THE present condition of this world is as true a fulfilment of prophecy as any fulfilment of prophecy that has ever come to pass. Even men of the world realize that a climax is approaching, though they may not believe that climax has been long foretold in the Word of God.

The words, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come,” are intended to prepare a people now living to stand in the times of deception that now exist. Those “perilous times” are not simply times when it will be dangerous to walk abroad for fear of robbers, or of those who would take life; but, rather, days in which the very soul itself is in danger through the falsehoods, deceptions, and soul-snares that will be everywhere prevalent; a time when Satan will be working with “all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.” He will be using human instrumentalities; for the words, “them that perish,” refer to human beings, as well as to Satan and his fallen angels. So human beings, who are themselves deceived, will in turn become the deceivers of others, “blind leaders of the blind,” who will “fall into the ditch” together.

We are seeing more and more of this very work as we draw closer to the end of the age. Men are taking up the work of advancing the most subtle deceptions that have ever been promulgated in the earth—deceptions designed by the great deceiver himself, and intended to undermine, in the minds and hearts of men, all respect, reverence, and regard for, and all trust in, the Holy Scriptures. With that accomplished, it would be—and so far as it has been accomplished it has become—a much easier matter to introduce all kinds of specious reasonings, all kinds of deceptive doctrines, all kinds of groundless plans of salvation, until the whole world should become a confused whirl of speculation, doubt, deceit, and vaporings of “science falsely so called”—a babel indeed. Looking down through the ages upon the conditions that now exist and will increase to the end, our Saviour exclaimed, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” It would seem as if that were an impossibility; that the great flood of deception and false doctrine would sweep over and submerge the last vestige of the true faith; that the mists of doubt and “science” would quench the last spark of true Christian belief.

But no; in spite of all the enemy has done or can do, there will still be found in the earth a people doing the will of God, reverencing the Word of God, and refusing to yield to any of the commands, or to heed any of the threats, of that power which is defying God and his work, and setting up himself and his work in the hearts of the people—and doing so much of it, too, in the name of God and Christianity. “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12. This is what the prophet sees after looking upon the great host of this world’s inhabitants, who have forsaken the true God and the true faith, and have yielded to the commands of the “beast” power, doing its will and receiving its mark. At the time when the prophet sees this small company standing for God, the whole world has made its decision; the whole world has decided which power it will obey. The line is clearly drawn. The one company is marked; the other is sealed. Following this there is seen in the heavens “a white cloud.” Upon that cloud sits the Son of man, “having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Rev. 14:14. To that One a voice from heaven cries, “Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.”

That is the second coming of Christ and the judgment of the earth. The great work of the deceiver on the one hand, and the great work of the last threefold message on the other, have brought out these two classes,—the one sealed to God and eternal life, the other marked with the mark of God’s enemy, and destined to go with him into perdition.

Now, at the present time, both of these great works are going on in the earth. The closing work of the gospel is calling out the people who will “keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” At the same time Satan’s work is progressing in and through those who have forsaken the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. As already stated, this work of the enemy will be carried on in the name of Christianity—in the name of God. It is now being so carried on. Men standing in Christian pulpits are heaping discredit upon the Holy Scriptures, the plan of salvation, the commandments of God, and faith in Christ as man’s Redeemer, and are setting up in their place a god of their own conception, their own plan of salvation, their own redeemer; and this is not confined to one pulpit, or to the pulpits of one country, but has become the popular teaching of these times.

A popular preacher has given his estimate of Jesus of Nazareth. He was condescending enough to admit that Jesus was a good man, and probably the greatest teacher the world had known up to that time, but stated that there were defects in his ethical conceptions; and then this popular preacher declared: “In these matters I could have given him some important pointers myself.” While extolling “the manliness of Jesus,” this blind leader of the blind went on to speak of the mistakes which Jesus made in his ministry. Another such preacher laughs at the idea of asking people to come to Jesus, stating that all that is required of Christians is to do the best they can in their own circumstances, and that this is all that Jesus did. Add to such work as this the destructive work of the higher critics, and the preachers and teachers who are declaring the law of God null and void, and then can we wonder that the Word has warned us of these times as “perilous times,” times when the souls of men are in peril? A new god is being held up before the people. It is the god of self, and its worship is self-worship. Its commandments are simply the dictates of human desires, and obedience to them is obedience to him who first set up his own selfish desires against the word and will of the Most High. The service of self is the service of Satan, who is the god of selfishness. Every instrumentality not yielded to God will be impressed into the service of his enemy. They are being so impressed now, and soon the line will be drawn between “him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” It is a time of peril. It is also a time of great privilege for the faithful child of God.

C. M. S.