IS THE SPIRIT OF PERSECUTION DEAD?
By T.
IN last week’s paper the prophecy in the last part of Revelation 13 was considered, and it was shown that the “beast” with “two horns like a lamb” symbolized this United States Government. And under the righteous principles of the Lamb which this government adopted in the beginning, the great republic has become, in an incredibly short time, one of the greatest governments that the world has ever seen. Freedom and equality have been accorded to all, not as “a gift from the throne,” but as a recognized “inalienable right.” But the same prophecy that tells of these “lamb-like” principles of this government also declares that “he spake as a dragon.” To speak as the “dragon” is to present a condition of things that is the exact opposite of the sentiments of the Lamb. What are the indications that this great, free, and liberty-loving nation is yet to cause the “dragon” voice to be heard in its fair realm? This is the question that we promised last week to notice in this paper. The first and strongest indication that we have to present is the prophecy itself. God has revealed it in His prophetic Word, and what is thus revealed is always the exact truth. The heavenly Father reads the future perfectly. He knows what will take place just as well before the occurrence of the events as tho they were all in the present. He knows what the depraved natures of men, guided by the “dragon,” will do, and He tells us about these pitfalls in advance. These divine predictions serve a twofold purpose—they show us that God is able to read the future, and we are thereby led to have confidence in His Word, and, further, to avoid the snares that are so clearly disclosed. But are there any indications of the fulfilling of this prophecy that the United States will “speak as a dragon”?—We think there are. The dragon spirit all through the ages has been that of tyranny. It has sought to dominate the minds of men and hold them in certain specified grooves. Rulers who have been jealous of their authority and usurped prerogatives, joined by bishops and priests who have not known the true God except in name, have ever striven to supply the exact form by which men should be governed, and also how they should worship their Creator. These self-constituted guardians of mankind have contended that the “common people” could not be trusted with their liberties. If too much liberty was allowed them in civil matters, it was argued, they would become insubordinate and insurrectionary. And in like manner it was urged that if they were allowed to choose their religion for themselves, they would become atheists and infidels. And in the midst of all this darkness and error the Reformation arose. It sowed the principles of true freedom, and in due time this government proclaimed that rulers get their prerogatives, not by usurpation, but by “the consent of the governed.” Especially in religious matters did this government say that as an earthly power it had nothing to do. That question was one between7the individual and God alone. And it is a fact that should not be lost sight of that where men have religious freedom they are free in every other way. And contrariwise when their religious freedom is encroached upon, their freedom in other directions soon departs. Hence all should sacredly guard the point of their religious freedom. When an individual loses it, his manhood is gone. When a nation loses it, the soil is prepared in which tyrannical rulers and superstitious ecclesiastics can hold full sway. It may seem small in the eyes of some who have not given much thought to the subject, but nevertheless all eyes should be opened to the extent to which the work has gone of trying to regulate by civil law the day upon which we should observe a weekly sabbath, and also how we should employ our time on that day. We say this may seem small to some. But have you read the history of the early Christian church? If so, you must have observed that it was upon this point exactly where the apostasy that led into the Dark Ages began. Sunday was a pagan holiday, devoted to all kinds of hilarity. The people flocked to the theaters, the games, the races, etc., very much as they do now, but the preachers did not have such large congregations. So at first, regardless of what God’s Word said to the contrary, they induced Constantine to pass a Sunday law; but still the people did not go to church. Having, however, progressed thus far, the next step was comparatively easy. Another law was enacted requiring attendance at church, and all were compelled to appear to be religious. Shake your head all you like, but the first step involves the next. When I allow and urge that the civil power may prescribe my day of rest, in that very act I am saying that it may also prescribe any or all of the articles of my faith. Are you willing to even look down such a road, much less to start in that direction? The Word of God has hoisted the danger signal, and the gory history of the Dark Ages sounds the warning. Beware! Just think of this carefully and watch the developments. T.