WHAT WILL BECOME OF CHINA, AS TAUGHT BY THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE?
By Stephen N. Haskell
The gospel of Christ is not an abstract idea of faith and love independent of other truths, but is a system of truths revealing Christ as the central thought of all truth. There are no truths concerning the welfare of man, whose principles are not taught in the three angels' messages of Rev. 14: 6-12. These messages recognize the welfare of all who dwell upon the earth, even “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” God beholds in the three angels' messages the interests of every person upon the face of the earth. God is the author of nations. Their origin was at the time of the dispersion, when God said, “Let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth.” Gen. 11: 7-9. God broke up Nimrod's plan of having one universal head over the nations of the earth; for this plan would result in hindering the advance of the gospel. In this formation of nations God had a wise purpose. He “made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: for in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17: 25-28. The heavenly watcher guards the interests of every nation. Dan. 4: 13-17, 23-27, 34-37. “He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: he enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again. He taketh away the heart of the chief of the people of the earth, and causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. . . . He maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.” Job 12: 23-25. God divided the earth among nations that the gospel might be more readily taught by his people. “He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel” (Deut. 32: 7-9), to give them the light and knowledge of God. When nations fully reject the gospel of Jesus Christ, and by excluding the gospel from their territory, cease to be of any service in advancing the interests of Christ's kingdom, they become like Pharaoh, of whom it is written: “Pharaoh king of Egypt is but a noise; he hath passed the time appointed.” Jer. 46: 17. “The third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man,” etc. Rev. 14: 9. Here are two expressions which show that the message is to reach every individual in every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. It is shown by the expression “loud voice” (see Rev. 19: 17); and also “if any man.” But what does the angel say to every man in every nation, kindred, tongue, and people?—“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” Rev. 14: 9, 10. “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Rev. 13: 11-17. From this scripture we learn several important truths, which should be well considered:— 1. The warning is against yielding submission to two powers only,—the beast and the image-beast. 2. As the message goes to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, these two powers have power to enforce obedience in every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. 3. These two powers become the leading spirits that will control men's consciences ALL OVER THE WORLD. 4. They lead all the world “and their armies, . . . to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.” Rev. 19: 11-19. 5. These two powers only are mentioned as going into the lake of fire at the second coming of Christ. The nations of the earth are marshaled under them. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” Rev. 19: 20; compare with Rev. 13: 12-14. 6. It will also be seen that all the nations of the earth are not only under the control of these two powers,—the beast and the image-beast,—but they themselves are distinct powers, even unto the end, as they go into the lake of fire entirely separate. 7. The dragon, or paganism, becomes a part or parcel of the ten-horned beast, as “the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. . . . And they worshiped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshiped the beast.” Rev. 13: 2-4. Also, the dragon power is manifested in the beast that has the two horns like a lamb, when he speaks; for “he spake as a dragon.” Verse 11. Is not here paganism clothed by professed Christianity in the papacy; while the two-horned beast “had two horns like a lamb,” yet “he spake as a dragon”? He professes the freedom of Christianity, even while he is issuing his draconic laws. 8. The bond of union between paganism, papacy, and Protestantism is the mark of the beast—Sunday—mentioned in the Third Angel's Message. Who are these wonderful powers that lead in the final conflict between truth and error, that dare to trample underfoot the rights of conscience, and thus make war with him who said, “He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye”? Zech. 2: 8. This battle is not only foretold, but the results are plainly recorded. These powers are the ten-horned beast and the two-horned beast of Revelation 13. What will then become of China, when these two powers dictate to the consciences of all mankind? Will it not, like every other nation, come under some one or all of the European Powers, which represent the ten-horned beast in its two phases of character, pagan and papal? S. N. H.