SWORDS OR PENS, WHICH? by W. H. Granger

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 7, 1898

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 24, No. 14.

SWORDS OR PENS, WHICH?

By W. H. Granger

I QUOTE the following from a late sermon by Dr. Talmage, in which he speaks of the great number of sermons that he has been permitted to preach through the columns of the newspapers. After paying a glowing tribute to the newspapers and the great work which he believes they are destined to accomplish, he divides them in two classes, namely, the good and the bad. The one he calls the angel of intelligence and mercy, the other a fiend of darkness; after this he says:—

Between the Archangel and this fury is to be fought the great battle which is to decide the fate of the world. If you have any doubt as to which is to be victor, ask the prophecies, ask God; the chief batteries with which he would vindicate the right and thunder down the wrong, are now unlimbered. The great Armageddon of the nation is not to be fought with swords, but with steel pens; not with bullets, but with type; not with cannon, but with lightning perfecting-presses; and the Sumters, and Moultries, and Pulaskies, and the Gibraltars of that conflict will be the editorial and reportorial rooms of our great newspaper establishments.

When we take into account the fact that the great majority of people will accept as gospel what such men say, and never stop to compare it with the Word of truth, we can better realize the dire effect of such teaching. Indeed, many become very indignant when the words of such great men are criticised. But Dr. Talmage tells us that “if you have any doubt as to which is to be victorious, ask the prophecies, ask God.” This we will do, we will ask the prophecies and God if what is said about the great Armageddon of the nations being fought with steel pens, and type, and with lightning perfecting-presses, and the editorial and reportorial forces of our great newspaper establishments, is true?

The word “Armageddon” is used in Rev. 16:16 to designate the place where the great battle of God Almighty is to be fought. And now we ask the Lord the questions: (1) Between what two opposing powers will this battle be fought? (2) What will be used as instruments of destruction? (3) Who will be victorious? And God’s answer is: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” “And he gathered them together into a place, called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Rev. 16:13, 14, 16.

Verses 13 and 14 of the above tell us what agencies are to do the work of gathering the nations to the battle-ground, and verse 16 tells us where they will be gathered. And then by turning to Rev. 19:11 and onward, we find a description of the two opposing powers in battle array. One is the Lord, with the army of heaven following Him on white horses; the other is the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against Christ as He comes in the clouds of heaven.

And now the question, “What are the kings of the earth armed with?” Answer—“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles: Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up; beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong.”

“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of concision [margin]; for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of concision.” Joel 3:9, 10, 14. It is evident from this text of Scripture that the kings of the earth will be armed with implements of war; and we may expect, as this battle does not take place until Christ’s second coming, that they will be armed with the most powerful weapons of modern warfare.

If any should object to such a literal interpretation as this, on the ground that man would not be so foolish as to try to overthrow God in a battle, we would say that the kings of the earth and their armies evidently did not understand the true import of their being gathered together at Armageddon; for we read in Rev. 19:20 that they were deceived. We are told in Rev. 16:13, 14 that the power that was controlling the movement was the spirits of devils; and we can rest assured, while the evil spirits knew the purpose for which they were gathering them, that they inspired the warriors of earth with altogether a different purpose; for we read in Rev. 6:15-17 of their terrible consternation when they realized their true situation. As to the outcome of this great battle, we find in Rev. 19:11-21 that Christ will be victorious.

We have now inquired of the prophecies and God about the Armageddon of the nations. They tell us there will be such a battle at Christ’s second coming, and that it will be between the powers of earth and the “King of kings and Lord of lords,” and that the battle will be fought, not with steel pens and type and printing presses and editorials, but with instruments of terrible destruction; for the Lord will rain upon men great hail, “every stone about the weight of a talent,” and will consume them with the spirit of His mouth. Rev. 19:15; 2 Thess. 2:8; Jer. 25:30-33.

Dear reader, it is always safe to believe God, no matter what man may say.

W. H. GRANGER.

Westerville, O.