SOME three or four years ago, the Episcopal Church in the United States launched a movement looking toward a conference of all the religious forces of the world, to see if they could not find a basis for combination and unity. Plans were well matured for such a conference to be held, possibly in London; but the European war has broken up their work so that for a number of months past very little has been accomplished. Recently, however, activities on the part of the promoters of this proposed conference have been renewed with increasing vigor.
Sunday, May 16, is set apart for all the churches, not only of the Episcopalians, but as many others as will join them, “as a day of special intercession, with a sermon on behalf of Christian unity and the world conference movement.” The secretary of this movement says that he is receiving an increasing number of letters “showing a world-wide recognition of the necessity of a visibly united church in order to make Christ’s law of peace and righteousness and love effective.” He furthermore says, “A number of sympathetic letters have been received this winter from very eminent officials of the Roman and Eastern churches and of important Protestant communions throughout the world.”
There is indeed a growing “world-wide recognition of the necessity of a visibly united church.” And it is literally true that this sentiment is receiving “sympathetic” attention from “the Roman and Eastern churches” as well as “Protestant communion throughout the world.”
Underwood & Underwood
GENERAL SARRAIL
We desire to keep it continually before our readers that one of the greatest prophecies in all the Bible is concerning a world federation right at the close of time that will unite all the religious forces of the world in one great body. The only possible exceptions in this prophecy are the Mohammedan world, which will clash with the confederacy, and all true followers of the Bible, who will obey the injunction of the Lord, and say “not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.” Isa. 8:12.
The Bible strongly teaches the unity of true Christians. In the Lord’s remarkable prayer for His church, as recorded in the seventeenth of John, He prayed: “That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” Verse 21. The unity called for in this text and similar passages is a very different thing from a political confederacy that would combine all the discordant elements that have a religious name or creed.
There is something very fascinating about political religious movements, and the men of this generation have become infatuated with the idea that they can inaugurate such a movement that will be an exception to all the cases afforded to past history; but the prophecy of the Bible shows that this last one will be no exception to those which have gone before. It will end in a clear despotism—the worst the world has ever seen.
If the individual will take the pains to study the Bible closely for himself, he will find that the religion of Jesus Christ is designed for the conversion of the individual, and these individual units make up the church of Christ. Christ has promised His church persecution and trial. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12), is the inspired statement. Said the Saviour, in His prayer for the church, already referred to, “The world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14. And on the same occasion, while in intimate conversation with His disciples, He said: “Yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor Me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.” John 16:2-4.
We have many scriptures of this character which promise tribulation and persecution to the individual who follows the Bible, but nowhere does the Bible teach that the church of Christ will become so strong that it can wield a political influence and dominate things in the nations and states of the world. Yet, as has often been pointed out through these columns, some of the most striking of the prophecies of the last days are those which tell of the mighty religious combination that will seem to sweep everything before it. In surprise and admiration the world will exclaim, in the language foretold by the prophet: “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” Rev. 13:4.
The world at large will not accept God’s prophecy. Indeed, we know from the prophecy itself, that the world will oppose and ridicule the very idea of this prophecy applying to the movements that are progressing in the world. But the reverent student of the sacred Book will be able to see clearly. He will know where to take his stand, and how to avoid being caught in the fatal meshes of the terrible delusion that Satan is preparing as his great climax to his sinful operations.
