The Jews in Christ's Time Were Looking for a Temporal Kingdom in This World—Christ Did Not Meet Their Views, and Was Crucified by Them—Men Making a Similar Mistake To-Day
THE Jewish church at the time of Christ's first advent stumbled and went headlong to its ruin. Nothing contributed more to this than the Jews' incorrect views concerning the kingdom of Christ. They were expecting a Messiah to come and establish a temporal dominion, and deliver them from the Roman yoke. And because Christ did not appear in harmony with their false and unscriptural views, they rejected Him. The time when He will establish His kingdom is at His second coming. This is clearly presented in Scripture. There is great danger that many living in this time will make a mistake over this question of the kingdom, that will be as fatal as was the error of the Jews anciently.
In both this week's paper and next, Mr. Porter will address himself to this subject of the time when the kingdom is to be established. This week's paper mentions some of the organizations that are working with such great enthusiasm under the inspiration of the same kind of false hopes as those anciently held by the Jews. In next week's paper, some of the scriptures will be more fully considered in which the Bible teaching in regard to the kingdom of God will be presented. EDITOR.
SINCE his apostasy, Satan has been at war with the kingdom of God. He has sought to subvert it by inducing its subjects to accept false conceptions regarding it. He effected the ruin of the world in the beginning of the erroneous view that it was better for subjects of the kingdom of God that they have a knowledge of evil instead of a knowledge of good only, as God originally planned.
Satan wrecked ancient Israel by diverting them from the plan for the old-covenant kingdom, which was salvation by means of pardon through "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," to salvation by works.
HOW SATAN DID IT
He sought to subvert the apostolic church by leading it into the mistaken idea that the kingdom of glory would be restored at Christ's first advent. He so far succeeded in ensnaring the early disciples with that notion that when the Master was "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God," just before His ascension, "they asked of Him, saying, Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Acts 1:3, 6. He had before declared that "My kingdom is not of this world." He now answered their question by His ascension to heaven. As He ascended, two shining angels from His kingdom of glory said: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Verse 11.
BLINDER THAN THEY OF OLD
One who fails to see the import of this angelic announcement, is blinder than the disciples of old. It was Christ's answer to their question about establishing again an earthly kingdom. He would never establish an earthly kingdom until they should see Him "so come in like manner" as He was then seen ascending.
They had cried lustily, "Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest," when Christ, riding upon a beast, had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem just before His crucifixion. They thought He was then taking the throne of earthly dominion. His rebuke to their wrong views at that time was His crucifixion.
How Satan rejoices when he sees the professed church of Christ seduced, by his deceptions, into false ideas of the establishment of the kingdom of Christ!
NATIONAL RELIGIOUS REFORM ATTEMPTED
In 1863 a council of eleven churches convened at the town of Xenia, Ohio, for a prayer-meeting, with the purpose of bettering the state of religion. This was certainly a very laudable means of accomplishing a most lofty object. But before the council concluded, Satan, ever alert to divert every good movement from its legitimate sphere of influence, side-tracked this very worthy council, making it a movement to force Christian conduct and the enthronement of Christ as ruler of nations.
MISGUIDED EFFORTS
As the result of this church council, a society was organized January 27, 1864, at Allegheny, Pennsylvania, to be known as "The National Reform Association." Its object, as stated in its constitution, was: "To secure such an amendment to the Constitution330of the United States as will declare the nation's allegiance to Jesus Christ, and its acceptance of the moral laws of the Christian religion, and so indicate that this is a Christian nation, and place all the Christian laws, institutions, and usages of our government on an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land."
From its inception, it labored untiringly to compel Sunday observance and to secure the recognition of the name of God in the Constitution of the United States. Later, the noble W. C. T. U. organization was seduced into supporting this most unchristian movement. The late Miss Frances Willard, when president of the W. C. T. U., thus stated the reason for their association's enlisting in the movement:
"The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, local, state, national, and world-wide, has one vital, organic thought, one all-absorbing purpose, one undying enthusiasm, and that is that Christ shall be this world's king,—yea, verily, THIS WORLD'S KING in its realm of cause and effect,—king of its courts, its camps, its commerce,—king of its colleges and cloisters,—king of its customs and its constitutions. . . . The kingdom of Christ must enter the realm of law through the gateway of politics. . . . We pray Heaven to give them [the political parties] no rest . . . until they shall . . . swear an oath of allegiance to Christ in politics, and march in one great army up to the polls to worship God."—President's annual address in convention, Nashville, 1887.
This was a repetition of the false conception that it was necessary to take Christ by force and make Him king of an earthly dominion. It is surprising how willing modern disciples of Christ are to accept that false view of the kingdom of God which was so summarily repudiated by Christ Himself, when He was here on earth.
A CONFEDERATION OF PROTESTANT CHURCHES
The most imposing fraud ever foisted upon any people has been reserved by Satan for the last generation before the second advent of Christ. Before Christ's first advent, Satan had deluded the Jews into believing that Christ was to come as this world's king. They therefore rejected Him because He did not come as they desired. Satan is now planning as sweeping a delusion for the Christian world just before the second advent. And the pity of it is, the Christian world to-day is falling into Satan's snare as readily as the Jews did prior to the first advent.
In November, 1905, there met in New York City the greatest and most significant church council ever convened in America. Its objects, as stated in its plan of federation, were "to bring the Christian bodies of America into harmonious service for Christ and the world"; "to secure a larger combined influence for the churches of Christ in all matters affecting the moral and social conditions of the people, so as to promote the application of the law of Christ in every relation of human life"; "to correct such social evils as gambling, the liquor traffic, and Sabbath desecration." Thirty-two Protestant denominations, representing twenty millions of people, joined in this federation movement.
THE CARDINAL FAVORED IT
Father McLane, representing Cardinal Gibbons, of the Catholic Church, said, speaking by invitation of the chairman: "All I can say is that Cardinal Gibbons is heartily in favor of any movement, or any combination, that will help toward the proper observance of the sabbath. . . . And certainly you will find that the Catholic clergy will be shoulder to shoulder in any rule or order in regard to the proper observance of the Lord's day."
Dr. Dickey said: "It is our province, in the name of our supreme King, and seeking the good of mankind, to ask rulers to respect the code of our kingdom. This confederation will compel an audience, and it will speak with power, if it will put aside its differences, and make its agreement its argument."
A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FAVORED IT
Justice Brewer, of the United States Supreme Court, said: "A federation without creedal expression or denominational control will exert a mighty Christian power. It will make possible the throwing of the whole compact power of the united church solidly on the side of right and justice. Such a power, wielded in righteousness, would redeem New York, reform Philadelphia, and make Chicago clean. That power, exerted upon the nation, would lift it at once to a higher plane. I am sure that the influence of the federated churches upon the nation would make it that there should be no more war, nor preparation for war. The commission of Sir Walter Raleigh, the compact in the Mayflower and Colonial acts, prove that this is a Christian nation."
THE PHILADELPHIA CONFERENCE
The next meeting of this confederated council was held in Philadelphia, December 1-8, 1909. The Philadelphia council was regarded as the most representative gathering in the history of Protestant Christianity in America. Among those in attendance were "more than thirty bishops, many presidents of universities and colleges, some of the most noted collegians and preachers in the country, officers in mission boards and other departments of church work, and a large number of laymen of prominence." Among the laymen were prominent governors of states, who participated in the program.
'CIVIC RIGHTEOUSNESS' AND 'OVERLAPPING'
Among the themes considered and approved were such topics as "Civic Righteousness," "To Avoid the Two Great Faults of Protestantism, Overlapping and Overlooking," "To Effect an Organization That Will Prevent the Establishment and Maintenance of Too Many Protestant Churches in a Given Locality," and "To Perfect a System as Thorough and Exact as the Parish System of the Roman Catholic Church." The World's Mission Conference held in Edinburgh in 1910 followed the same trend in its work.
WORLD'S CHRISTIAN CITIZENSHIP CONFERENCE
The World's Christian Citizenship Conference held in Portland, Oregon, June 29 to July 6, 1913, followed the same program as the other great Protestant councils. R. M. Downie, of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, struck the key-note of the convention in the introduction to his address, in the statement: "The principal theme of this great conference that is meeting in this city is the kingdom of Christ. That is the center of our program. The central statement of this conference is to make that kingdom eminent and dominant in the affairs of men. In other words, to realize that prayer which Christ taught His disciples to pray, 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.' That is the principal purpose of this great conference. And every item of this magnificent program that has been provided for us relates in some way more nearly or more remotely to that one theme, that one purpose."
POLITICAL OBJECTS OF THE MOVEMENT
The program of the Christian Citizenship Convention officially states its object as follows: "The object and inspiration of all effort is the establishment of the kingdom of God. In the Christian's conception, this kingdom may mean much more than a divine human society on earth, but it can never mean anything less. This kingdom is inclusive of all life in all of its relations and activities. Nothing that concerns man can be alien to the kingdom of God.
"The complete program of the kingdom contemplates evangelism, missions, education, and social service. The advance of the kingdom among men is promoted in and through all the institutions of man's life: the family, the church, and the state. . . . The principles of Christian citizenship, we have stated, are not merely ideals for political thought, but are primarily principles of political action. . . . In the application and realization of these principles there are some definite lines of action which are vital. Our work in behalf of the Christianization of the political and social order must move along four lines: education, agitation, legislation, and law enforcement. . . . This conference should consider the various subjects that are vital to the welfare of the people and should adopt such measures as are to be promoted by education, agitation, legislation, and law enforcement."
TO NATIONALIZE CHRISTIANITY
In a leaflet written by J. S. Martin, D. D., secretary of the National Reform Association, entitled "National Reform," the following statement of what the movement really is and designs to accomplish is given. Since the leaflet is written by the secretary it is official: "National Reform. What is it? . . . As the name indicates, it is a reform that is nation-wide and has to do with the nation as such. . . . Thus regarding the nation, it seeks to have it recognize and acknowledge and reduce to practise these Christian or Bible truths so vital to its welfare. (These truths are that the nation is responsible to God as 'Creator and to Jesus Christ its divinely appointed ruler, and amenable to the law of God revealed through Christ.') This it would have the nation to do not only in its vital or unwritten constitution (that is, in its customs, usages, laws, and institutions), but also in its formal and written Constitution. And all this as a means to the end of thoroughly Christianizing the nation. The preservation, development, perfecting, and perpetuating of our national Christianity is what is meant by National Reform. . . . The United States is normally a Christian nation. National Reform would make it really so. . . . Moreover, National Reform would have the nation, the great moral person that it is, not only procure forgiveness for its sins, . . . but openly and publicly pledge henceforth obedience to Jesus Christ and His law."
THESE GREAT REFORM MOVEMENTS ANALYZED
These great reform movements are in fact but one great movement under different heads. And there might be added to them other movements which, though differing in some features, are the same in general trend. The objects of the movements named are plainly stated.
First, to declare Christ this world's king;
Second, to adopt the law of God as the state constitution;
Third, to compel every skeptic and hypocrite to repent and pledge obedience to the law of Christ;
Fourth, to ask Catholicism to join Protestantism in this "Christianity by force" movement;
Fifth, to parcel out the parishes of the world, and have no overlapping in home or foreign lands;
Sixth, that there shall be no more war.
To declare Christ this world's king was Satan's proposition in the wilderness of temptation, immediately after Christ entered upon His work as Messiah, after His baptism. All Satan required at that time was one act of worship. Now he demands, through these latter-day movements, a pledge of a life of enforced obedience. Christ repudiated the brazen effrontery of his satanic majesty then, and refused to accept any terms or proposals to become this world's king, before that kingdom is given Him of the Father at the second advent. That decision cost Him persecution, humiliation, and finally death upon Calvary. R. C. P.
