p. 7 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 48. (12/10/1912)

God’s Word Our Assurance

By Ellen G. White

By Mrs. E. G. White

THE Word of God is the foundation of our faith, and therefore it is by the Word of God that we may obtain evidence of our standing before God. We are not to make our feelings a test by which to discern whether we are in or out of favor with God, whether they be what we consider encouraging or not. As soon as one begins to contemplate his feelings, he is on dangerous ground. If he feels joyous, he is confident he is in a favorable condition; but when a change comes—as it will, for circumstances will be so arranged that feelings of depression will make the heart sad—then he will be naturally led to doubt that God has accepted him. It is not wisdom to look at the emotions, and try to test your spirituality by your feelings. Do not study yourself; look away from self to Jesus. While you acknowledge yourself as a sinner, yet you may appropriate Christ as your sin-pardoning Redeemer. Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Satan will not be slow in presenting to the repentant soul suggestions and difficulties to weaken faith and destroy courage. He has manifold temptations that he can send trooping into the mind, one in succession of another; but the Christian must not study his emotions, and give way to his feelings, or he will soon entertain the evil guest, doubt, and become entangled in the perplexities of despair. Expel the suggestions of the enemy by contemplating the matchless depths of your Saviour’s love.

Do Not Exalt Feeling

Do not exalt your feelings, and be swayed by them, whether they be good or bad, sad or joyful. The apostle says, “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.” It is the Word of God that is to be your assurance. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” The soul’s supply of nutrition is in Jesus Christ. A legal religion will always be a troublesome guest, and it is a deception to imagine that there is such a thing as natural religion that is acceptable to God. The religion of Christ teaches its possessor self-distrust, but at the same time enables him to grasp the hand of Christ firmly, and still more firmly, as temptations press upon the soul.

The Effective Weapon

There is a warfare in which every soul must engage who would have the crown of life. Inch by inch the overcomer must fight the good fight of faith, using the weapons of God’s Word. He must meet the foe with, “It is written.” He must keep the armory well supplied with, “It is written.” In this way he must meet the advances of the enemy, and educate and train the soul for the still more severe attacks of the foe. Truth, the Word of God, faith and righteousness, and the hope of salvation, must be the armor of the successful warrior, and his eyes must be anointed to be keen and sensitive to detect the devices of the enemy. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” If God had not made provision by which you might be thoroughly equipped for your warfare with the powers of darkness, then these commands and promises would be but mockery to you, and would tantalize your soul; but our God is true. We may depend upon Him under all circumstances. The Word of God can not fail, and in it we are to find our assurance.

By the Word of God we are to overcome every temptation of the enemy. Satan may present every attraction, bring to our notice every deceiving, alluring bribe, in seeking to eclipse the brightness of Jesus from our view, and to obliterate from our minds His plainest requirements; but we are to meet his deceptions with the Word of God. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God: praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” When the enemy begins to draw away the mind from Jesus, to shut away His mercy, His love, His all-sufficiency, do not devote precious time to the consideration of your feelings, but flee to the Word. In the Scriptures Christ is presented as the One by whom God made the worlds. He is the light of the world; and as the seeker for light studies the Word, he finds heavenly illumination. Christ, the all-absorbing theme, is revealed to his soul, and he sees the requirements of God to be of a Christlike character. He studies the conditions on which redemption may be his, sees the divinity of his Saviour, the value of His atonement, the efficacy of the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost; and

Christ becomes all and in all to his soul. He sees in the Scriptures that which the casual reader does not see, a significance and value beyond computation. He comes with a teachable spirit to the Word, and is instructed by both the Old and New Testaments.

The Word and Spirit

Christ opens the mind to comprehend the meaning of the sacred Word, and the Holy Spirit conveys its true significance to the soul, which before had not been seen or appreciated. The searcher for truth feels as did the disciples when Christ overtook them on their journey to Emmaus. They told Him their pitiful story, and He reproved them for their unbelief and slowness of heart. 'And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.' When their eyes were opened, and they realized that it was Christ Himself who had been talking with them, they said one to another, 'Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the Scriptures?'

What do we hope to accomplish by longing to have the whole world believe in Jesus' pardoning love and be converted to Him, when we do not ourselves believe in His love or find rest in His grace? How can we possibly lead others to a full assurance, to simple, childlike faith in our heavenly Father, when we are measuring and judging our love to Him by our feelings? We can not be lifted up in thought, or know what it is to be the sons and daughters of God, unless we trust implicitly to the Word of God; for Satan will ever be on the ground to dispute our claims. We must educate the soul to trust in God's Word with unwavering confidence. Let gratitude and thankfulness flow out of the heart, and cease to hurt the heart of Christ by doubting His love, which has been assured to us by most astounding evidences; for He so loved us as to give His own life for us, that we should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The High Priest—the Priests

By Mrs. S. N. Haskell

Office and Work of the High Priest

In early times, the patriarchs were priests over their own households, and God's original design was that the eldest son should take his father's place as priest of the family; but the plan of God was often thwarted by the sins of the eldest son. The Lord's words to Cain would indicate Cain was debarred from his inherited position on account of sin: "If thou doest well, shalt thou not have the excellency? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." Gen. 4:7, margin. Sin prevented Cain from having "the excellency."

Reuben, the first-born of Jacob, lost, on account of sin, "the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power" which was his inherited right. 1 Chron. 5:1. Joseph cultivated in his life, when but a youth, the traits of character that gave him "the excellency" above his brethren. It is very probable that the coat of many colors given him by his father, was interpreted by his brethren as indicating the headship, including the priesthood. God gave His First-born for the redemption of the world; and for that reason, in God's plan the first-born always inherited special privileges. To him came a double portion of his father's estate, the priesthood, and, to the first-born in the descent from Isaac, the honor of being the progenitor of the Messiah. If the first-born proved unworthy, his inheritance was given to others, as in the case of Reuben, where Judah became the progenitor of Christ, Joseph received the double portion, and Levi received the priesthood. 1 Chron. 5:1, 2; Num. 3:6. The first-born was so often unworthy on account of sin, that when the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, He said, "I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the first-born . . . of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be Mine." Num. 3:12, 13.

Priest High Priest Levite of the Levitical Dispensation

It was on account of the tribe of Levi standing true to God in time of a crisis, that God chose Levi to serve before Him (Deut. 33:8-11); and when the service of the sanctuary was established, the priesthood was given to Aaron and his sons, and the remainder of the tribe of Levi were to do the work of the sanctuary under the direction of the priests. Ex. 28:1. Aaron was appointed to officiate as high priest, and his sons as common priests, the eldest son to take the office of high priest on Aaron's death. Ex. 29:29; Num. 20:25-28. The consecration to the priest's office was a most imposing ceremony. Aaron was clothed in the garments which were made for him under God's direction. Several sacrifices were slain, and the blood of the ram of consecration was touched to the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot, of both Aaron and his sons, signifying that their ears, hands, and feet were consecrated to the service of God. Unleavened bread, denoting "sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:8), and the right shoulder of the sacrifice of consecration, were all put upon Aaron's hands and upon his sons' hands. The priests were to typify the One of whom Isaiah said, "The government shall be upon His shoulder." They were to bear the burdens of the people. The anointing oil and the blood were then sprinkled upon Aaron and his sons, typifying the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit, which alone could fully qualify them to fill the holy office. Ex. 29:5-35.

The priesthood remained in Aaron's family unbroken until the sins of Eli and his sons made it necessary to change; and for a time Samuel, an Ephraithite, filled the office of leading priest in Israel. 1 Sam. 1:1, 19, 20. Abiathar was thrust out of the office of the priesthood in fulfilment of the prophecy given Eli. 1 Kings 2:26, 27. But Zadok, who filled the office of high priest in the time of David and Solomon, was thought by many to be a grandson of Eli. As the Israelites departed from the Lord, the priesthood became corrupt, until in the time of Christ it was bought and sold for money.

God designed that the high priest should more nearly represent Christ than any other priest. The work of every priest was a type of Christ's work; but the common priests only performed work in the court and first apartment of the sanctuary, while the high priest officiated in the court and first apartment as well as the common priests, and went alone into the holy of holies. Heb. 9:7. Aaron at times offered burnt offerings on the brazen altar in the court. 1 Chron. 6:49. It was impossible for one man to perform all the work of the sanctuary that typified the work of Christ, and for that reason there was a company of common priests to assist the high priest.

It is always a rule that a higher official can fill the offices below him. The high priest offered burnt offerings in the court and sin-offerings in the first apartment. Paul speaks of the high priest's offering the sin-offerings where the blood was taken into the sanctuary. Heb. 13:11. In the sin-offerings for the priests and the congregation, the blood was taken within the sanctuary. Lev. 4:3-7, 13, 14. It seems very fitting that the high priest should offer the sin-offerings for the common priests and the entire congregation. In most of the sin-offerings, the flesh was eaten in the holy place, and the blood not taken into the sanctuary. While the high priest could perform any work in the first apartment that other priests could perform, there was a daily service in the first apartment of the sanctuary that none but the high priest could perform. The high priest alone could burn incense upon the golden altar before the Lord, and trim and

light the lamps on the golden candlestick. Each morning and evening, twice every day throughout the entire year the high priest officiated in the first apartment of the sanctuary. Ex. 30:7, 8.

The crowning service of the whole year was on the tenth day of the seventh month, when the high priest, in his beautiful garments, entered the holy of holies alone to make the atonement for the sins of the people. Upon his breast, in the stones of the breastplate, were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes, typifying Christ our High Priest as He thinks upon us individually, and confesses our names as they come up in review before God.

TYPE	ANTITYPE
Ex. 28:1, 2. Called of God.	Heb. 3:1-3. Appointed by God.
Ex. 29:29. The priesthood passed from father to son.	Heb. 7:23, 24. Our Priest lives forever.
Lev. 16:1-28. The high priest made the typical atonement in the end of the year's service.	Heb. 9:14, 26. Christ atones, in the end of the world, for sin, by the sacrifice of Himself, made once for all.

The Priests

There were two orders of the priesthood, the Melchizedek and the Levitical. The Melchizedek order preceded the Levitical order. In Abraham's day, the priest Melchizedek was also king of Salem, as well as priest of the most high God. Altho there is not much said in the Bible of the Melchizedek order of the priesthood, it was superior to the Levitical order, for Christ was made a priest after the order of Melchizedek. The Levitical order extended from the time Israel came out of Egypt until the cross; and since that time we have the priesthood of Christ, of which all earthly priests were a type. Christ is made a priest after the order of Melchizedek; therefore we are now living under the Melchizedek order of the priesthood.

There are many particulars given in regard to the Levitical order; and as all the Levitical priests served "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things," when we study of the Levitical priesthood we are really studying of the priestly work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Levitical priesthood was divided into twenty-four courses. 1 Chron. 24:1-19; 2 Chron. 8:14. Each course had its chief or governor of the sanctuary. 1 Chron. 24:6, 31; 2 Chron. 36:14. This continued down to the time of Christ. Luke 1:8. When the Saviour ascended to heaven, He led a multitude of captives (Eph. 4:8, margin); and when to John in vision was shown the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary, with its seven lamps of fire burning before the throne of God, he saw four and twenty elders seated upon four and twenty seats, and they worshipped the Lamb, saying, "Thou . . . hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests." Rev. 4:4; 5:8-10. In this we see the antitype of the twenty-four courses of priests. These were our Lord's assistants. The remainder of the multitude Christ took into heaven are not mentioned, but it is reasonable to suppose they form the courses of which the four and twenty elders are the chiefs.

Only the descendants of Aaron were allowed to serve as priests. Num. 3:10. In the type, the priest who could not prove his direct genealogy from Aaron, the first high priest, was cast out of the priesthood. Ezra 2:62. So in the antitype, the Christian who can not prove his direct connection with Christ, the heavenly High Priest, will never become one of the "royal priesthood." 1 Peter 2:9.

God has provided for the support of all the different orders of the priesthood by the same method. "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof." Ps. 24:1. The silver and the gold, and the cattle upon a thousand hills, all belong to Him. Ps. 50:10-12. Man is placed as steward over the Lord's heritage, and the Lord claims one tenth of everything on the earth as His portion. "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord." Lev. 27:30-33. Of the tithe, the Lord says, "I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation." Num. 18:20-24. The individual who selfishly uses the entire ten portions for himself, not reserving one tenth for the Lord, is guilty of robbing the Lord. "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings." See Mal. 3:8-11. Abraham paid a faithful tithe to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:17-20), and Jacob promised to pay tithe of all, even if he only received food and raiment (Gen. 28:20-22). Those who belong to the great household of faith, and are children of Abraham, will "do the works of Abraham." John 8:39. They will pay a faithful tithe for the support of those who, like the Levitical priesthood, give their lives for the advancement of Christ's kingdom upon the earth. Just as the priest lived "of the things of the temple," "even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." 1 Cor. 9:9-14; Matt. 23:23.

TYPE	ANTITYPE
Heb. 8:5. The earthly priests served "unto the example and shadow of heavenly things."	Heb. 10:10. "We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
1 Chron. 24:1-19, 31. Priests divided into twenty-four courses, with a chief over each course.	Rev. 4:4, 5; 5:8-10. John saw twenty-four elders in the first apartment of the heavenly sanctuary.
Ezra 2:61, 62. The records were examined to see if each one had a right to officiate in the priest's office.	Rev. 20:15. None will be saved that are not found written in the Book of Life.

A Thought for the Week

By Lord Avebury

Do not look on your work as a dull duty. If you choose, you can make it interesting. Throw your heart into it, master its meaning, trace out the causes and previous history, consider it in all its bearings, think how many even the humblest labor may benefit, and there is scarcely one of our duties which we may not look to with enthusiasm. You will get to love your work, and if you do it with delight, you will do it with ease. Even if at first you find this impossible, if for a time it seems mere drudgery, this may be just what you require; it may be good like mountain air to brace up your character.—Lord Avebury.

True Heroism

By Frederick William Robertson

To STAND with a smile upon your face, against a stake from which you can not get away — that, no doubt, is heroic. But true glory is not resignation to the inevitable. To stand unchained, with perfect liberty to go away, held only by the higher claims of duty, and let the fire creep up to the heart — that is heroism.—F. W. Robertson.

Measured by Love

"It is not the deed we do, Tho the deed be never so fair, But the love that the dear Lord looketh for, Hidden with holy care In the heart of the deed so fair."

God, the Great, the Considerate

"The sun and every vassal star, All space, beyond the soar of angel's wings, Wait on His word; and yet He stays His ear For every sigh a contrite suppliant brings."

A Cross Word

"Is there a cross word that tries to be said? Don't let it, my dear—don't let it; Just speak two pleasant words, quick, in its stead, And that will make you forget it."

Our Lord and Master

By Llewellyn A. Morrison

"Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am." John 13:13.

Ye call Me Lord and Master, And ye do well to pause And think upon the vaster Outreach of all the laws That in My kingdom govern, And fullest rights impart, That make of Me the Sovereign Of every faithful heart.

I am your Lord and Master. Ye date your years by Me; Old Time trips ever faster Unto eternity. I was, at the beginning, Ere worlds began to roll; I paid the price for winning The Kingdom of the Soul.

I am your Lord and Master Because I am your King; A gentle, watchful Shepherd, Who, by His hand, doth bring The sheep safe home at even, And every good restore, To dwell, at rest in heaven, With Me, forevermore.

I own all earthly causes, All human plans I own; In life's benignant pauses, They marshal at My throne; The saints have vindication— E'en tho I tarry long To gain the expiation And ring the triumph song.

My truth is not on trial— I am Myself the Truth; My love brooks no denial, It hath immortal youth. Whereso My Spirit hovers— Wherever He doth come— My people all are lovers, As in My radiant home.

I prove My love by serving; Prove thine by service too. My power is still conserving The faithful and the true. All grace thy faith awaiteth, According to My Word; My strength thy purpose mateth; I am thy perfect Lord.

San Francisco, California.

Heralds

By Worthie Harris Holden

Bands of sunshine glory Change and fade away With their herald story At the peep of day.

Spring her word has spoken, Wonder shades of green, By whose living token Summer's march is seen.

Clouds of massive splendor Marshal to proclaim Welcome aid to render In abundant rain.

Threefold message glory, Earth's full armed array, Nature freaks' grim story, Herald dawning day.

Showers of blessing given O'er the world-wide field Witness from His heaven Soon our triumph's sealed.

The One Ideal City

By Delwin Rees Buckner

Proud cities in this selfish world I've seen, Their towers, like fingers, lifted toward the sky, Great storied heaps of steel, almost as high As mammoth mountains, with their murky screen Of lavender; and yet, for all their green Of parks and avenues that please the eye, One hears the starving with their stifled cry, And sees the shambles of the sick and lean. One certain city only is there, where No poverty or pain will ever dwell, And even troubled tears will never be,— The place our Lord has hastened to prepare, Where fountains of eternal waters well, And life is measured by eternity.

Clara, Argentina.

The Second Coming of Our Lord

By Editor

IT is a Bible doctrine. Old Testament and New Testament teem with references to that glorious event. We are glad to see it taking hold upon some of the teachers of the people, those who are called to stand between the living and the dead. As before noted, it was preached upon by a large number of Denver pastors, Sunday, October 6. Brief reports of some of these sermons were printed in the Denver Daily News of October 7. We note some of these utterances.

Dr. S. T. McKinney, pastor of the Ohio Avenue Congregational Church, after quoting John 14:1-3 and Acts 1:9-11, said:

"One could go on for hours quoting passages from both Old and New Testaments that refer to a coming again of Christ. Turn to the Old Testament, and we find that the larger number of the passages that refer to a coming of Christ have not yet been fulfilled. If Isaiah 53, that speaks of His suffering on the cross, was literally fulfilled, shall we not expect that Zechariah 14, that speaks of His coming to reign, shall be as literally fulfilled? When we turn to the New Testament, we find references to this second coming everywhere. A student has said that it is mentioned 380 times in the New Testament, that one verse in twenty-five has reference to His coming again; that whereas Paul speaks thirteen times of baptism, he speaks fifty times of the Lord's coming again." "The question is, How shall He come? and the answer is, 'For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.' He shall come; and those who have died believing in Him, together with the living believers, shall be caught up to meet Him in the air. The belief that Christ will come again is the great comforting doctrine of the church."

The Rev. Joshua Gravett, pastor of the Galilee Baptist Church, taking for his subject, "The Millennium and Evolution," said:

"The majority of Christians since Constantine's professed conversion to Christianity have spiritualized the prophecies of the Old Testament, forcing them into the Procrustean bed of this church age. Before Constantine, the church generally held that the Lord would return and reign, in harmony with their literal interpretation of the Jewish prophets. To them Jesus was a rejected King, and they pilgrims and strangers on earth, waiting for His return to take them home. Like those who in this day believe with them, they were witnesses specially active in the work of home and foreign evangelization. We grant that they may have misread some of the signs, but we are confident that they were right in looking toward heaven for their Deliverer. 'So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.'"

The Rev. A. J. Finch, pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church, said:

"To doubt the second coming of Jesus Christ is to call in question the validity of the inspiration of the Scriptures. All that has to do with the Christian life revolves around this great central truth. Unfortunately it is a doctrine that in the past has been seized upon by fanatics, and thus brought into disrepute; but taken by itself, it becomes a mighty spiritual force."

And then, speaking of its influence upon the life of the church, and especially in the primitive days, he said that "the stories of the most sublime heroism, of the purest faith, and of the greatest self-abasement" were then manifest.

"With the loss of their hope vanished their power. 'Where there is no vision, the people perish.' The one thing needed to energize and regenerate a decadent church is a living, coming Lord."

As to its influence upon the life of the individual, he declared:

"Christianity is individualistic. Whatever social message it may have for the world, the individual is never lost sight of. As the individual, therefore, studies his relation to God and the divine kingdom, he recognizes the importance of personality. The culmination of this purpose of God is found in the second advent of our Lord."

Dean H. Martyn Hart, of St. John's Cathedral, speaking of the time of His coming, said:

"If we knew the exact date of His coming, we should lose the incentive to keep ourselves in a condition of humility, and be tempted to walk in the pride of our hearts. The second advent is as sure as the first. It is impossible to conceive that all the wrong and suffering, the sin and destruction, the tears and wo which mar the fairness of this beautiful creation, can be according to the will of a bountiful and beneficent Creator, who is powerless to prevent it. Impossible! What the Word of revelation asserts over and over again, is that a King shall yet reign in righteousness, that the day of Jesus Christ shall come, when tears shall be wiped off all faces, and there shall be no more crying, for the former things shall pass away, the earth shall once more blossom as the garden of God the Lord, and we shall be the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty."

The Rev. F. W. Evans, of the Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, on the return of our Lord, quoting various passages from the Bible, said:

"There be some who say that He has come back. Have they seen Him returning? The Lord declares that 'every eye shall see Him.' These glorified clouds in which He and His saints will return will be beyond description. Ah, we will know He is back from glory when we see Him and His saints and the encircling glory."

The Rev. M. A. Stone, pastor of the Corona Presbyterian Church, preaching on "The Practical Value of the Doctrine of the Premillennial Return of Our Lord," declared:

"This doctrine has been the pole-star of the church. There have been two great events in the history of the world, the creation and Calvary; and there is another great event yet future, Christ's coming. I believe in the personal and premillennial return of Jesus Christ to earth."

The Rev. Perry V. Jenness, at the Twenty-third Avenue Presbyterian Church, preached on "Increasing Indications of Our Lord's Return to Earth," and said among other things:

"Why should it be thought unreasonable that Christ should come again? Grant that He is the Son of God born of a virgin, and the miracle of His human birth is harder to understand than any second appearing will be. I accept the simple statements of the New Testament that He will come again. I believe it, and freely admit that there are many things connected with it that I do not understand."

Then he gave as reasons for believing that the time is approaching:

"Denial on the part of professed followers that He will ever come. The last days are to be characterized by great disturbance of nations. All former world movements have been local. The present transformation includes in its sweep practically every nation and every continent. Unrest everywhere; changes so rapid that only a close student can keep pace with them. A most significant sign is the universal demand of the masses for power. Lawlessness is also a characteristic of the days before the Master shall come again. One only needs to look around with an eye half open to observe that the oldest laws of the race are being defied as never before. The Sabbath and marriage laws have come to us from Eden, and men are throwing off their restraint everywhere. Nothing is sacred or venerated. Judges have forfeited our respect, and courts have become the tools of rich and powerful interests. Christ alone can establish righteousness. Commercial signs, political signs, social signs, and above all, spiritual signs, all conform to those conditions which we are told shall precede the Lord's return. We fix no date for His coming. We only say, 'Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find, so doing.'"

The Rev. Ralph C. Byers, of the North Congregational Church, remarked:

"Since part of the disciples' prophecy was literally fulfilled, there is no sane law of interpretation that can deny the literal fulfilment of what remains. Paul says in many places that He will come, 'but no man knoweth the day or the hour.' 'What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.'"

The Rev. George W. Arms, pastor of the North Presbyterian Church, preaching on "The Blessed Hope," said:

"There is not a single writer of the New Testament but that tells of the second coming of Christ. That this was the hope of the early church is a fact that even the 'higher critics' admit, for it is simply a matter of history. Scoffers may deny the fact of the coming, but they can not deny the fact that in the New Testament it is there painted as the hope of the church. But whether we are as mockers who say, 'My lord delayeth his coming,' the fact remains that it is the hope of the New Testament church. Those who have been the greatest blessing to the church are those who have been filled with this hope. You may be indifferent to this hope; but remember, as was the world to the first coming of Jesus. We may call it rubbish; but Paul did not call it rubbish, nor did Peter, nor James, nor John. They called it 'the blessed hope.'"

The News tells us that the discussion has aroused an interest among the churchmen and laity such as has seldom been equaled, and which promises to increase. There are other ministers who declare that Christ was always here in spirit life only, and will not return, and that He will never walk earth again. But we are glad to quote the above from ministers of Jesus Christ in various denominations who believe that our Lord is coming again, glad that they are not afraid to lift voices expressing their faith. Christ is coming. The earth belongs to Him. Long time has He held Himself from entering that which is His own, in order that men might accept in cool, calm reason the instruction given in His Word concerning the salvation purchased by Him, and know that the climax of that salvation is His second coming. To those who believe and receive Christ, who have His life abiding in them, purging out the sin, His coming will be welcome. They will say: "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save

us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." But those who reject the Christ, will in that burning glory of His appearance perish with the sin they have chosen.

There is much more to be said on the subject. There are many events connected with our Lord's second return; but we believe that the Bible is just as clear concerning all these related events, and what they should mean to His church, as it is concerning the great central thought of His coming. Thank God for the agitation! Those who believe the Word and sincerely search for its meaning, will find the truth. W.

The Spirit of War of the Evil One

It has many times been remarked that all the great preparations for war among the great nations of earth are progressing in the very face of the fact that neither the peoples nor the nations desire war. Yet all are preparing for war in feverish haste, as if existence depended upon it, and few are more eager in the race for first place than America, who ought not to have a menacing enemy in the world.

Why is it? Why are the constantly increasing burdens of war loaded upon unwilling peoples? Why the invention and manufacture of the monstrous engines of war in the race for supremacy, involving expenses that mean national bankruptcy and threaten domestic revolution? It is a wonder to thinking men, but not to the student of prophecy. This is what Sir Edward Grey, England's foreign secretary, said:

"There are really some people who seem to take delight in suggesting or forming the opinion, from whatever gossip or information they may get from any quarter, that we were near to war; and the nearer we came to war, the greater the satisfaction they seemed to get out of it. I do not say we are peculiar in this respect at this moment. It is really as if in the atmosphere of the world there was some mischievous influence at work which troubles and excites every part of it. We are passing this year through a period of great excitement; it is so still. Some countries are in revolution, others are at war, and in several countries which are neither in revolution nor at war, there are people who seem to delight in discussing how near they have been, or are, or are likely to be, either to revolution or to war in the past, the present, or the future. Really, it is as if the world were indulging in a fit of political alcoholism."—London Weekly "Times" of December 1, 1911.

And this is what David Starr Jordan, LL.D., says in the New York "Independent" of November 14, 1912:

"Men sometimes speak of the 'dream of universal peace' as a most desirable but quite impossible ideality. . . . Almost any nation could attain it at once by substituting in part a civil tongue for its reliance on army and navy. The real obsession of the world is the 'dream of universal war.' This is the noxious dream of our times."

"Obsession" comes from obsidere, to besiege, and is thus defined by the Standard Dictionary: "The act of vexing or besieging, or the state of being vexed or besieged, by some foreign personality, especially by an evil spirit, antecedent to possession. 'Obsession' signifies the influence of an external spirit, distinguished from 'possession' by a demon that has taken up its abode within one."

Now listen to the Holy Scriptures of prophecy:

"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 ["demons," A.R.V.], 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." Rev. 16: 13, 14.

And the war that follows is that of Armageddon. Verse 16.

Sir Edward Grey says there is "a mischievous influence at work," which "excites" the atmosphere of the world. Dr. Jordan declares it to be an "obsession." The Word of God declares that at this very time the "spirits of demons" will stir the whole world to war.

Of this wine cup of wrath we are assured by another prophet all nations will drink, some of them, perhaps all, reluctantly. But "if they refuse to take the cup at thy hand to drink, then shalt thou say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Ye shall surely drink." See Jer. 25: 15-33.

The nations of earth are in rebellion against God, and the universal war is the fruitage of their rebellion. Much as we desire and love peace, we can not avert the dread war of Armageddon for which the world is preparing, and which is predicted by Holy Writ. "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked."

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