AMERICA IN THE LIGHT OF PROPHECY.
By Percy T. Magan
[By Prof. Percy T. Magan, Dean of Battle Creek College, Mich.] ON the pages of prophecy the great events in the history of nations are written—written long centuries before their occurrence; but faithfully and accurately recorded nevertheless. Oftentimes in dimness of human vision we separate the things of this life into deeds secular and sacred—things profane and religious. In a limited way this analysis may be correct. But in a greater, nobler, truer sense those things with which we sometimes think God has the least to do, are the most tender objects of His loving care. Men look upon the affairs of nations as being matters of coldness and cruelty, and upon the part of the human instrument this is only too many times so. Yet the doings of governments are by no means absolutely divorced from the thinkings of the Almighty. Angel councils consider these things far more than human congresses. Senates of seraphim weigh them with a carefulness as infinite as that of parliaments or politicians is finite. Wonderful and vast beyond the ken of man are the realms of thought constantly traversed by the mind of the great I AM. Was war to be waged between the United States and Spain? Our Father knew it all. Think ye not that He cared for the young lives to be sacrificed in the awful strife? Turned He not many a boy away from it that in later days He might make of him a soldier of the cross? Led He not others to a sailor's sepulcher to save them from a life of sin? Spared He not men, as by a miracle, in the midst of the carnage of battle, that the story might touch the hearts of those whom they had left behind them at home, and melt their cold proud hearts by a knowledge of His wonderful power to keep in danger's hour? Plucked He the fairest flower from a family? It was but that in the furnace of affliction He might refine and purify those whom He permitted to linger on awhile. Is Congress to pass an act of tariff for revenue or protection? Doth He not consider it? Is a certain duty so high that factories, away over in Austria, perhaps, must close their doors for need of a market? Then helpless little children must lack bread and frail wee frames must suffer with the cold. Thinketh He not on that? Ah, true are the lines of the hymn—
> There's no place where human sorrow
> Is felt so much as up in heaven. He, without whose knowledge not even a sparrow falleth to the ground, pondereth upon all these things; and could the vail be lifted, our eyes would see that many times angel warriors have decided battles and heavenly visitants have turned the balance of elections. The laws and wars of governments among men leave behind them many shadows, all long, some few bright, and many dark; but God has set a light before all these, that men may know the weal or wo which is to come, and be prepared beforehand. All this He has told through His servant Peter: "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:17-21. Did you ever consider how large a portion of the prophecies of the Bible are simply and solely the history of nations? The larger part of the Old Testament is nothing but history. Then it is not strange at all that when the Father of Lights would establish a home for the oppressed of every clime He should note it in His Book. Such an asylum was the United States, founded for the defence of two great principles, pregnant with happiness for millions of men—Freedom of Conscience on the one hand, and the Equality of Man before the Law on the other. These are the two great commandments in the fundamental law of the United States. On them hang all other statutes. These are the "two horns like a lamb" brought to view by John in The Revelation, as the characteristics of this nation. In the defence of these two principles this nation was conceived and born, and to them her life was dedicated. When once she shall have departed from them her charter of corporate existence is canceled. These two principles form the political creed of the nation. Yea, more than this, they form the prophetical creed of the nation. When the nation departs from them she commits national apostasy. Yet the Bible brings to view that this very state of things will come in the United States. The verse referred to reads: "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." Rev. 13:11. That is to say that the United States comes in like a lamb; but goes out like a dragon. But this in itself is national apostasy; for a dragon is the exact opposite in character of a lamb. Now the mind of man can not think of two governmental principles more calculated to impart to a government a lamb-like character than those of Freedom of Conscience on the one hand and the Equality of Man before the Law on the other. Equally, the mind of man can not conceive of two principles in things governmental more calculated to impart the character of a dragon than the doctrines that consciences should not be free, and that all men should not be equal before the law. There is still another point in this verse well worthy of consideration. The two lamb-like horns still remain, while the nation speaks like a dragon: "He had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." That is, while the United States still proclaims allegiance to these principles she speaks utterly and entirely contrary to them. She brandishes them upon her banners, while at the same time she murders them with her bayonets. And the United States has departed, and is now departing daily, from these two great commandments upon which her destiny hangs. The principle of freedom of conscience is being repudiated in the Sunday laws which have been passed and enforced so many times during the last few years, and which, moreover, have in so many cases been upheld by the courts on cases of appeal. In our treatment of the Filipinos the other great principle has also been abandoned. Abandoned, perhaps, only for a few distant dependencies, but abandoned, nevertheless, and just as much. Long ago it was said by a great authority that "the British constitutions and large exclusions can not subsist together; that the constitution must destroy them, or they will destroy the constitution." These words are everlastingly true. They are more true of the American Constitution than they could possibly be of the British. And besides this they are just as true concerning any kind of an "exclusion" as they are true concerning a "large exclusion." Exclude the application of these principles in some remote islands, and you sow a seed which in time will produce a harvest of exclusion so great that there will not be a State or Territory in the Union exempt. And this is exactly what the prophecy predicts as coming in the United States, for these States are to "make an image to the beast." Now the image to the beast is the image of the Papacy; and the sum and substance of the Papacy is the union of Church and State. But the State with which the Roman apostate church united was an apostate State. Once Rome had been republican, she turned toward imperialism, and became Imperial Rome instead of Republican Rome. And it is altogether fitting that at the time when Church and State join hands in this boasted land of freedom, the church which has apostatized from the principle of freedom of conscience should join with a State which has apostatized from the principle of equality before the law. In fact, were both sides to remain true to these two principles, it would be absolutely and utterly impossible for them ever to make an "image to the beast." But the image of the beast is being formed. Rome was a republic, and, being a republic, made high pretensions to being the great conservator of the true principles of liberty in the earth. She pretended to love and desire liberty for other peoples. She espoused the cause of the small States of Greece which were struggling against the kingdom of Macedon. "In the cause of humanity" she marshaled her armies and mobilized her fleets and sent them across the seas in order that she might carry liberty to these poor suffering ones. Everywhere her arms were victorious; but when the smoke of battle had cleared away the peoples whom she had ostensibly set out to liberate, awoke to the fact that they were not free after all. They found that they had only changed masters, and that in place of Macedon, a weak master, they had gotten Rome, a strong master. And7this is precisely the experience of some other small States who have been struggling against monarchies in this day and age of the world. And the worst of it all is that the United States is playing the role of Rome. The history of the Republic of Rome was written in the book of Daniel 370 years before it occurred; and then that sketch was closed up and sealed, not for 370 years, not till 168 B. C. and onward; but for 2,400 years, 'till the time of the end.' All of this was in the wisdom and kindness of God. Because the Lord knew that at the time of the end there would be another republic, the United States, which would go the way of Rome. Therefore he opened the book before the time of the end that all who live at this time, and in this Republic, may be warned of the course the nation is bound to pursue, and being warned, flee the wrath to come. For just as certain as ruin and trouble overtook Rome in her wicked course, just so sure will ruin and trouble overtake the Republic of the United States in its wicked course. Now is the accepted time to be naturalized into the kingdom of God, to become citizens of another country, even an heavenly.