A WHOLE BATTERY OF QUESTIONS
C. J. Monger of India asks questions on varied topics. The power spoken of in Revelation 13:13, that “doeth great signs, that he should even make fire to come down out of heaven upon the earth in the sight of men,” is understood by many Bible students to be the United States; and the one spoken of in the twelfth verse, “whose death stroke was healed,” to be the papacy. [See the pamphlet, “The Pope King Again,” for sale at this office, price 25 cents]. The “false prophets” warned against by our Lord in His great prophecy of Matthew 24 refer particularly to those who falsely claim to have the divine commission to lead the people into the hope and realization of the Messianic kingdom. In a larger sense, they refer to any who lead astray by wrong religious teachings. Therefore the questioner is not wrong in including Mohammed among these false prophets. He is further right when he states that Mohammedanism and the papacy will “be destroyed at the coming of Christ.” The “woman arrayed with the sun” (Revelation 12:1ff.) is a beautiful symbolism of the true church of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2); and “her child” who “was caught up unto God, and unto His throne” is the Lord and head of the church, Jesus Christ, who ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). [See “Daniel and the Revelation,” published at this office.—EDITORS.] Those who, living up to all the spiritual light they have, “stand stanchly by Catholicism and follow its doctrines,” will not “be destroyed at Christ’s coming” if their characters are such as will meet Heaven’s approval. AVOIDING THE PURELY SPECULATIVE
I do not know whether in any sense the Kellogg antiwar pact will contribute to the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 2:1ff., that the nations shall determine among themselves that they “shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” May I again repeat what I have written before, that it is always a dangerous and purely speculative and imaginative procedure to assert just what this nation or all the nations will do in fulfilling prophecy. Biblical eschatological prediction does not give us a detailed working out of just what England, Turkey, Japan, Russia, the United States, or any other nation or nations will do. It may give us a broad sketch or outline, but this is so meager in details that it is unsafe and unwise to say or to write just what will happen. We may get a certain thrill in telling, and the unthinking may get a certain thrill in hearing, such imaginative future schemes; but in all honesty let us all confess our ignorance as to Heaven’s detailed plans for the future. Let us remember the astute words of that outstanding mental giant of all time who, besides being a distinguished scientist, was a great student of prophecy. This man, Sir Isaac Newton, bade us beware in interpreting Biblical prediction, lest we fail to keep in mind that God alone is the prophet, lest we in our exuberance run ahead of God and be prophet in His stead. God alone knows what the nations will do, and He has not seen fit to reveal these details to us. With this in mind, the questioner will excuse me if I write that I do not know whether the “present silence and pause” is “a preparation for the coming world war, Armageddon.” This much is sure, that all things are shaping up for the downfall of our civilization,—a world-wide catastrophe. According to the context of Revelation 6 to 8, we are living in the period of the sixth seal. The false prophets who come “in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves,” stand for any leaders who arise claiming to give the flock of God divine truth, who are base deceivers, “speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” instead of to God. See Acts 20:28-30.