p. 14 | Studies in the Christ-Life at Brother Eldred's

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Jun 12, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 24.

Studies in the Christ-Life at Brother Eldred's

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

The Sixth Evening's Study.

THE next Friday evening, just as the Eldred family were seated ready to begin their studies, they were agreeably surprised at receiving a call from one of their friends and neighbors, Mrs. Field, who came with her two young daughters, Blanche and Mildred.

"This is a very agreeable surprise, Mrs. Field," began Sister Eldred.

"But, mama," interrupted Florence, "I wasn't surprised one bit; I asked Blanche and Mildred to join our Bible class, 'cause that was the way Brother Hartman's family did, you know, and so—"

"So I thought I'd come along, too," declared Mrs. Field, smiling, as Sister Eldred handed her friend a rocker.

"O, O! you sly puss!" exclaimed Jack, patting his little sister's curly head.

"So you are responsible for this pleasure, are you, Florence?" added her father; "well, that is nice. I've been thinking myself of asking you all over; I wish Neighbor Field had come as well."

"Perhaps he will next week," replied Mrs. Field. "Since your studies are on the life of Christ, I should be glad to attend; for it was always a subject of much interest to me, tho, as you know, I was brought up to believe—well, my belief is a little different than yours on the subject of the Christ-life and the atonement, but—"

"I believe your husband has never made a public profession or united with any church; am I right, Mrs. Field?" asked Sister Eldred.

"Yes, I regret very much to say that religion never seemed to impress John in the least. Sometimes I tell him that I'm thinking we all ought to take eternity into our reckoning; we must all die sometime, I suppose."

"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment," quoted Sister Eldred, impressively. "Yes, we must all die, unless the dear Saviour comes first."

"For we shall not all sleep," added Brother Eldred, "but 'we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump.' But now," continued he, "since we all have our Bibles, we will begin our regular study by asking Alice to tell us something about John the Baptist. Who was he?"

"He was a very good man who preached in the wilderness of Judea. His father's name was Zacharias and his mother's Elizabeth," replied Alice.

"Florence, can you tell me why he was called 'the Baptist'?"

"I think mother said it was because he baptized people."

"Tom, will you please give me some of the most prominent circumstances concerning the birth of John?"

"I remember that his father, Zacharias, who was a good Jewish priest, had been studying the prophecies of Daniel," volunteered Tom, "which were written about 500 years before. The angel had made known to Daniel that the Messiah would appear at a certain time; and so Zacharias knew by studying that this time was about up, and that the Messiah must soon appear, according to the sure word of prophecy, and he had been praying for His coming, when the angel appeared to him as he was doing his duty in the temple. The angel told this good man that he would have a son, that his name should be called John, and that he should go before the face of the Messiah to prepare His way."

Mrs. Field had been paying very good attention from the start; but now she dropped her Bible in her lap, and assumed an attitude of the most intense interest. "Why, Mr. Eldred! you really don't mean to tell me that the Bible predicted the birth of Jesus Christ five centuries before He was born in Bethlehem?"

"I will answer your question by asking you to please read Daniel 9:25, first clause," replied Brother Eldred, turning to their visitor.

After some little difficulty in finding the text, Mrs. Field read: "'Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.'"

"Perhaps, Mrs. Field, you will allow my bare assertion that historians agree in fixing the date of the command to rebuild Jerusalem in the year 456½ B.C., or in the latter part of 457 B.C.; also that a prophetic week is seven years, each day standing for a literal year. Jack, my lad, how many weeks are seven weeks and threescore and two weeks?"

"Sixty-nine weeks, sir," promptly responded Jack.

"Yes," said his father, "and if we multiply sixty-nine weeks by seven, the number of days in a week, we would have 483 prophetic days, or literal years; and 456½ B.C., the date of the going forth of the command, taken from 483 would leave 26½ years A.D., or A.D. 27, which is the very date of Christ's baptism, when the Almighty formally introduced His Son to the world."

"But, father," objected Tom, "I thought Jesus was baptized when He was about thirty years old."

"So He was, my son; but thru a mistake made by the early chronologers, the Christian era was not said to begin until Christ was about four years old."

"Indeed, I am very much surprised," said Mrs. Field, "I really had no idea that such a prophecy was in the Bible."

"The Bible is truly a wonderful Book," replied Sister Eldred, "and Jesus Christ is a wonderful Saviour."

"But," continued Brother Eldred, "did Zacharias believe the words of the angel? Alice, will you hand your friend, Miss Mildred, a Bible? She will please turn to Luke 1:20, and read the answer to this question."

" 'And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not My words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.' "

"What directions did the angel give Zacharias regarding the diet of this wonderful child? Mrs. Field, please read Luke 1:15, first clause."

" 'For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink.' "

"Tillie, do you not think John obeyed the voice of the angel, and was very abstemious in his diet? Read Matt. 3:4."

" 'And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.' "

(To be continued.)