Signs of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 33. (8/25/1914)

Signs of the Times

Aug 25, 1914

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Aug 25, 1914

WHY THIS WAR?

What Does It Portend?

THIS war in Europe is without a parallel in history. Such a tornado of crashing armies could not have occurred in any previous generation. The world in no former age was one great neighborhood. But through the telegraph, the newspaper, the railroad, and the steamship, it is now one vast community. Hence a great problem in one nation touches the entire civilized world.

Never before did we have such great internal warring factions. Socialism, with its constantly increasing power, shows the organized and organizing discontentment of the world. Each of the nations has its great labor, organizations, which are also bodies of organized discontentment. Through the modern means of communication, these great organizations — scores of others could be mentioned — are linked together in mighty international combines. Never before in the history of the world was greed organized into a colossal international power. And this international empire of concentrated wealth is the underlying cause for much of the social strife.

Never before were there such terrific weapons of warfare and destruction as at this time. In view of existing conditions of this character, the world is now facing problems that have no precedent in history.

A STRIKING PREDICTION

With these facts in mind, let us read one of the plain declarations of Scripture: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Dan. 12: 1-4.

Observe that this prophecy specifically says that it is to apply at “the time of the end”; that the time of the end is to be marked by the many who shall run to and fro, and by the increase of knowledge; and furthermore, in that time of the end “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.”

All the experiences of the whole history of the world are brought together and summed up. But reaching beyond and above all these there arises this “time of trouble” in “the time of the end,” a period of grim terrors without parallel. Language could not be plainer than this scripture.

Note also that in this “time of trouble,” God’s people are to be delivered, “every one that shall be found written in the book,” — the book of life spoken of more fully in the prophecies of Revelation.

SUPPORTED BY ANOTHER PREDICTION

In harmony with this prophecy of the twelfth of Daniel is the language of the Lord Himself. He says: “There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21: 25-27.

See how specific this scripture is. It tells of the perplexing, distressing conditions of the earth, and the climax is the coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven. These distresses and perplexities among the nations, together with the roaring of the sea and the waves, will be causing men’s hearts to fail them for fear. In other words, the Master, in this graphic language, is also describing that “time of trouble” which He had inspired the prophet Daniel to foretell.

Many are already predicting that this war will be short, and that its awful lesson will make an end of armed combats. But such will not be the case.

WARS WILL CONTINUE

Following this war there will be still more awful distress and internal commotion. We do not make this statement as a philosopher, but from the standpoint of what the prophecies themselves clearly teach. War in this time of the end is to be one of the great factors that will disturb society in making this unprecedented time of trouble. And, as was pointed out last week, while God’s restraining hand will hold the winds of war in check until His specific saving work is done, yet we will be able to see the angry storm-clouds of strife rising on every hand, and occasional terrific outbursts will make manifest the pent up furies of the demons that revel in human gore.

You ask why we know this, and we reply in the language of the following scripture: “The seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped

God, saying, We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and Thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that Thou shouldest give reward unto Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear Thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Rev. 11: 15-19.

FINAL OVERTHROW OF WAR LORDS

This text says that the sounding of the seventh angel is to mark the time when the kingdoms of the world are to become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ. But in what manner is this change brought about? The text also answers this question by saying that in that great day God will “destroy them that destroy the earth.”

The mighty war lords that are led into these strifes by the furies of demons will then have the realization of that other graphic scripture which says: “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” Rev. 6: 14-16.

Observe how plainly these texts tell that it is through the destruction of the kingdoms of this world that they become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ; also, when the climax is reached, the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men are hiding themselves in dens and caverns, and in terrible tones of anguish are calling for the rocks and the mountains to fall on them and hide them “from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne: . . . for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?”

French troops — one of the army corps that were ordered to the front

NO JUST CAUSE FOR THIS WAR

Returning to the text in the eleventh of Revelation, let the fact be clearly noted that when the Judgment hour is reached, the nations are angry. The Twentieth Century Version says that “the nations were enraged.” The Revised Version says, “The nations were wroth.” Rotherham translates it, “The nations were angered.” Translators seem to be struggling to find an expression that would show the intensity of the nations in the manifestation of their spirit of anger. And how literally does this great war storm that has burst upon Europe show the awful spirit of war to-day!

War breaks out, and inside of two weeks it has involved all the leading nations of Europe, together with many of the smaller ones; and at least two of the great nations of the Orient, constituting the leading military powers of Asia, are in the struggle.

No one can point to a just cause for this war. The so-called Christian nations of the earth are the instigators of it, and are in the center of the mad whirlpool of strife. Each one blames the other for the conflict. No one is willing to shoulder the responsibility of such a terrible slaughter.

DONE DESPITE PUBLIC SENTIMENT

The great body of the socialists, together with several hundred peace societies, many of which are international, are creating a public sentiment against war. Kings, emperors, and presidents decry war. Hence they knew better than to plunge into this great strife. But in the face of public sentiment, in the face of every principle of right as taught in the peaceable gospel of Jesus Christ, all Europe and a large part of Asia are in this maelstrom of war.

God said that when the time came for the dead to be judged, the nations would be angry; and if the nations are not angry today, as shown in this great strife, what could you ask for as the fulfilment of this prophecy?

In Rotherham’s translation, he says that the nations were angered when they had reached “the season of the dead to be judged.” He designates the time of the Judgment as a “season,” or a prolonged period. This is in harmony with the prophecy of the eighth and the ninth of Daniel, which prophecies have often been set forth in these columns, and which locate the beginning of the Investigative Judgment in 1844.

We can not take the space here to enter into the discussion of that prophecy. We merely call attention to it, and to the proofs that have been presented so abundantly in our literature to show that the Judgment began at that time; that then the books of record in heaven were opened, and each case of the righteous has been passing in review before the great Judge, preparatory to the call of the Master for them to come forth into immortality at the first resurrection,—at His second appearing.

THE PREDICTION STRIKINGLY FULFILLED

But passing those matters over as having often been abundantly proved from the Scriptures of truth, we take our stand at the

## Why This War? (Continued from page 3) beginning of this great Judgment period in 1844. The prophet says that when the time of the dead, that they should be judged, arrives, the nations would be angry. Other prophecies noted last week speak of the spirits of demons that would go to the kings of the world to gather them to the war of the great day of God Almighty. Prophecy after prophecy points to this period as a time of unprecedented trouble and war.

Now it is a fact worthy of the most careful observance of every individual, that all the great modern war implements have been devised since 1844. The breech-loading gun, the machine gun, the high-power cannon, the ironclad battle-ships, battle cruisers, Dreadnoughts and super-Dreadnoughts, torpedo-boats, torpedo-boat destroyers, submarine torpedo-boats, aeroplanes, high-power explosives, and all the rest of these great war paraphernalia, have been invented since 1844.

How striking these facts! How awful these war preparations! How terrible the war spirit that has sprung up in our world since 1844! And how reprehensible it is that this is in the face of the greatest enlightenment, the highest civilization, the most widespread Christian sentiments, that ever existed!

Men know better, but they seem to be driven on by some unseen power into the awful vortex of war. The nations are angry; and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, is the sublime though awful reality of these days through which we are passing.

REMARKABLE EFFORTS FOR PEACE

And while, since 1844, we have had the mad furies of war preparations that are dragging all nations of earth into bankruptcy, it was also shortly after 1844 that international peace congresses began to be called by influential men. Organization after organization has been formed in one nation after another; and these national bodies have joined in international effort to spread the benign influences of peace, and to place frowns of disapproval upon the horrible barbarities of war. Read in the article on page 4 the account of the great efforts that have been put forth for peace, and note that this splendid work has been done since the great measuring line of prophecy had reached the hour for the Judgment to begin.

God had not only foretold the enraged spirit of the age as mighty demons spread the sentiments of war, but He had also promised, as was shown last week, that He would hold these winds of human destruction in check. Behold the influential agencies that He has brought into the field for that purpose, and the millions of money that have been expended.

The men and women who have been working so splendidly to promote peace, may not have realized what they were doing; but whether they have recognized Him or not, they have nevertheless been instruments of Jehovah in binding for a time the gods of war. And may all the noble men and women who have worked so unselfishly for peace, be saved from that great delusion that will finally lead the myriads of earth to think that international peace is secured, when instead they are in the giddy whirl around the vortex of Armageddon's war, preliminary to the fatal plunge into everlasting destruction.

THE CLIMAX AND ETERNAL PEACE

In the great Judgment assize, God begins with the righteous dead. Passing on down through the centuries, the great climax will be reached when He comes to the cases of the living. Then the Judgment scene is finished, and the restraining hand of God will be withdrawn from the war-mad men who have refused to believe or accept His warning word, then the awful war storm of Armageddon will break, then the great climax of the second coming of Christ, then immortality and eternal life for those who are prepared, and everlasting destruction for those who reject God's great plan of salvation. The wise men and women of to-day will take God's word as their guide, and by its steadily shining light, will be directed into the haven of eternity, there to be crowned with endless life.

NO NEED FOR DISTRESS OR TERROR

A great many people express themselves as being terrified on having their attention called to the conditions that are in the world; but if we know the meaning, there is no need for terror or distress, for we have that blessed word of promise: 'O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake. Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.' Isa. 54: 11-17.

How glorious are these promises! God's people are to be established in righteousness; they will not fear; they will have no terror; no weapon that is formed against them shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against them shall be condemned, because, says Jehovah, 'their righteousness is of Me.'

If we are standing with God, these days have no terror for us. The God who so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son in order that no one should perish, offers perfect security and shelter in the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. And that security terminates in an everlasting reward, as we cross the threshold of eternity into that fulness of joy that has never a blush of sadness or a tinge of pain, and where the great Prince of peace in glory reigns supreme.

Continue reading: Supreme Efforts for Peace