The first two days of the week conclude the book of Psalms, Psalms 139 to 150. Very full and beautiful are these psalms. Very searching is Psalm 139. How full of hope and cheer are Psalms 145 and 147.
The last five days—altogether too little time—cover the closing book of the Bible, the Revelation, written by John about the year 98 A.D., revealing the wonderful visions of God given him. It is addressed to the seven churches, a figure representing the church of God in all its various phases to the end.
Its prophecies cover the entire Christian era in a sevenfold way; and each of these lines of prophecy is itself sevenfold. It is a wonderful drama of earth’s history, especially during the Christian era, closing ever and always with the triumph of God’s children in the everlasting kingdom of our Lord. No book in the Bible includes so many other books in its references, unless it be the book of Genesis. Constantly it refers to the lessons of the past, and to the symbolic prophecies which God has given in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah. It is not a hard book to understand, to the mind that is open on the Godward side. Special blessing is pronounced upon those who will read and do it, and it is placed in its own fitting position at the close of the Scripture canon. The first book of our journey tells us of that sinless Paradise which God made for His children at the beginning of the race. We have followed them down through their fearfully crooked pathway of sin and misery and death and trouble till we have come to the close of the book of Revelation; but that book closes with the everlasting triumph of those who are faithful, and places in prospect before us the glorious kingdom of God, in which “there shall be no more curse.”
A NEW year! A NEW month! A new week! A new beginning of our Bible journey! Never a traveler passed through an interesting land but that he wished he could see it again, and go once more over the same journey. Never a man who has spent years in and around forest or mountain, that did not again and again, if opportunity offered, go over the old paths. But the Bible is more and better than any or all of these. So in the words of Moses, “Come thou with us, and we will do thee good.”
—★—
Suggestions on Chapters 1 to 3
Analysis
I. The creation of heavens and earth. 1:1, 2.
II. The creations and formations of the six days. 1:3-31.
III. The crown of the week—the Sabbath. 2:1-3.
IV. The earth and man before the fall told in particulars. 2:4-25.
V. The temptation. 3:1-5.
VI. The fall and its consequences. 3:6-24.
Brief Notes
1. Genesis, the Greek name, meaning “generation.” The Hebrew title is Bereshith, “in the beginning,” the book of all beginnings.
“Genesis is the seed-plot of the whole Bible. It is essential to the true understanding of its every part. It is the foundation on which Divine Revelation rests, and on which it is built up. It is not only the foundation of all truth, but it enters into, and forms part of, all subsequent inspiration, and is at once the warp and woof of Holy Writ.”—Companion Bible.
2. “In the beginning.”—A period preceding earth’s reckoning of time, when “the foundations of the earth” were laid, and “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:4-7. See also John 1:1-3; Prov. 8:22-29.
3. Without form and void, better as in A.R.V., “waste and void,” nothing growing upon it, empty of life. The Spirit, the mighty invisible power of God, brought cosmos out of the chaos; and the first three days of the week completed “the world that then was.” 2 Peter 3:6.
4. The first day of that first week of time came when the hand of God brought light and divided the night and the day. “God said” begins each day. “First day—day one. The word ‘day’ may refer to a prolonged period when used without any qualifying words. But when qualified with a numeral (cardinal or ordinal), it is defined and limited by it to a day of twenty-four hours. It is further limited here by its boundaries, ‘evening and morning,’ as well as by the seventh day.”—Companion Bible.
5. Firmament, better “expanse” (See margin), something spread out.
6. After his kind, verses 11, 12, 21, 24, 25. The Companion Bible well remarks, “Evolution has no answer to this.”
7. Creature of verse 24 comes from nephesh, soul.
8. In Our likeness.—“In any case the ‘image and the likeness’ is physical, not moral. Man fell and is a moral ruin, but some physical likeness to Elohim still remains. Compare Gen. 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; James 3:9.”—Companion Bible.
9. Replenish means fill, and is so used elsewhere.
10. Seventh day.—Samaritan and Septuagint versions read for the first “the seventh,” “the sixth.” But a part of God’s work in the making of that week was the making of the Sabbath memorial day.
11. A living soul.—There is absolutely nothing in the record of man’s creation which indicates that he is immortal.
12. Tree.—These trees are suggested: “Knowledge, man’s ruin; the cross, man’s redemption (Acts 10:39); the Tree of Life, man’s regeneration (Rev. 2:7; 22:2).”
13. An help meet for him.—Not a helpmeet, nor help mate, but a help fit for him, his counterpart.
14. Yea, hath God said.—Not a question, but a suggestion as to the unreasonableness of God’s instruction. Satan tells two falsehoods: (a) “Ye shall not surely die” (See 2:17); and, (b) “Ye shall be as God.” On one all idolatry and Spiritualism are based; on the other the immanence of God in man apart from Christ,—both fearful and fatal errors.
15. The seed of the woman—Christ, the one Person around whom all the promises revolve.
16. Keep the way of the Tree of Life so that sinful man should not live forever. Man’s only hope of eternal life is through faith in Jesus Christ.
(Continued on page 13)3
Our Bible Band
(Continued from page 2)
Outline Analysis
Chapter 4
I. Vs. 1-8. The first children and the first murder; Cain and Abel types of future characters. 1 John 3:12; Heb. 11:4.
II. Vs. 9-15. Cain and God; God’s long-suffering.
III. Vs. 16-24. Descendants of Cain, children of men in contradistinction to the Seed of Seth.
IV. Vs. 25, 26. Seth, the progenitor of the new seed, the channel of the Promised Seed, lost by Cain.
Chapter 5
I. Vs. 1-3. Generations of Adam. There are fourteen generations in this sense in the Bible, eleven of which are in Genesis.
II. V. 32. Noah’s family.
Chapter 6
I. Vs. 1-12. Wickedness and degeneracy and God’s mercy and justice; Noah an exception.
II. Vs. 13-22. The coming Deluge; instructions as to the ark.
Chapters 7 to 9 deal with the Deluge, the ark, the work and salvation of Noah, the distinction of “the world that then was,” and the world that “now is;” God’s covenant with the race, and character of Noah’s sons.
Chapters 10 and 11 record the peopling of the earth by the sons of Noah, man’s early wickedness, and the generations of Shem, the divinely ordained channel for the Promised Seed.
Chapters 12 to 24 reveal the progressive steps of God’s dealing with him who has been called “the father of the faithful,” from his call to the time when he came fully to trust God and sent his tried servant to obtain a wife for Isaac. The characters of Abram and Lot are clearly revealed, and also the influence of worldly associations upon a good man. God’s providential favors are shown to him who chooses unselfishly; His warnings before punishment; His repeated lessons in the school of faith; His providential care and interest among the children of men. As you read, keep ever in mind the Promised Seed.
—★—
Question Corner
By Editor
“IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE.”
This Inquirers’ Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, only as they agree with the infallible Word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the Word. Such questions only will be answered as, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.
It will help our inquirer if he will but consider that these are but different phases of the same question. Eze. 28:18 simply shows us the destruction of Satan, here called the king of Tyrus, on account of his own sin and iniquity. Sin has within it the potency of its own destruction. “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15. That brings the death of Satan. In that great judgment-day Satan and all his branches, responsible moral creatures who have utterly rejected God and His righteousness, and have identified themselves with sin, have by that very course placed themselves among the inflammable things ready for the burning. The fire from the glorious presence of God (Isa. 30:27, 28; Heb. 12:29) shall serve to devour sin, and then burn everything and every one identified with sin, so that it will literally be true that “therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.” Rev. 20:9 teaches nothing else but that the burning glory of God will devour the wicked, for the wicked themselves are inflammable in the presence of that glory. Amos 3:6 and Isa. 45:7 do not refer to evil in the sense of sin, but in the sense of judgment; and yet in all the judgments which come upon the wicked, they come not from some arbitrary act of God, but as the just and logical result of transgression, in harmony with that profound truth expressed in 1 Cor. 15:56, “The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law.” It is the perverted law of God that slays after all.
3310.—Cain’s Son Enoch
Gen. 4:17 says that Cain had a child by the name of Enoch. Is this the same as that spoken of in Gen. 5:24?
B.
No, it is not. The Enoch of Gen. 4:17 lived before the one of Gen. 5:24. Enoch, Cain’s son, had a son named Irad, and a grandson named Mehujael, and other descendants. But Enoch of the fifth chapter was the son of Jared, and his son was Methuselah. Reading the context it will be seen they could not be the same. The Enoch of the fifth chapter is the one referred to in Jude. It will be seen that he is the seventh generation from Adam,—Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch.
3311.—Gentile and Heathen
Do “Gentile” and “heathen” and “stranger” mean the same? Please give Scriptural proof.
W. B.
Not always the same, but generally. Almost invariably the term is applied to the nations outside of Israel. Comparison between the Common Version and the Revised Version will help us very materially in this. In nearly all cases where our Common Version reads “Gentile” in the Old Testament, the American Revised Version reads “nations.” Take, for instance, “I will lift up Mine hand to the Gentiles.” Isa. 49:22; 54:3; and many other places. The Hebrew word is gōē, and is defined by Strong, “a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile.” It is also translated in our Common Version “Gentile,” “heathen,” “nation,” “people.” Take, for instance, Lev. 25:44; 26:33, where the Revised Version gives “nations,” and in nearly all the other cases in the Old Testament. It is “nations” in the American Revised Version where it is “heathen” in the Common Version. All are rendered from the same word gōē; that is, peoples outside of Israel. There are a few cases where the American Revised Version renders “heathen.” Of course, these were strangers outside of the fold of Israel.
In God Alone Is Our Strength
By Mrs. E. G. White
By Mrs. E. G. White
WHEN the Christian worker is pressed by the adversaries of God and His truth, and is thus brought into difficult places, he should remember the example of Christ, and learn from it not to be presumptuous. Instead of rashly attempting to make a providence for himself, he should patiently wait for God to deliver him. And none should feel that they have a right to ask for an interposition of divine power in their behalf, simply that they may be saved from personal annoyance, or that they may not suffer humiliation and anxiety. The great inquiry should be, How can God be glorified, and His truth vindicated?
In their encounters with the enemies of the truth, Christians should move in the strength and fear of God, as did David when he met Goliath. There were assembled the armies of Israel and Philistia, and before them stood the giant, his massive form towering high above other men. He was armed with a spear like a weaver's beam; upon his brow was a helmet of brass; his body was inclosed in a coat of mail; greaves of brass were upon his limbs; and a target was between his shoulders. And listen! From this mighty giant, this trained man of war, comes the challenge, ringing out on the still air, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”
The proud boaster struck terror to the hearts of the men of Israel. But David asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Was it presumption that led David to think that he might be a match for Goliath? Was it a spirit of pride and self-sufficiency that made him dare to meet this mighty warrior who was defying the Israel of God? David had none of this spirit. Modest and unassuming, he did not make this declaration trusting in his own wisdom, skill, or power, but in the strength of God, who had delivered him out of the paw of the lion and the bear when he was watching his father's flocks in the wilderness.
In obedience to the royal command, the king's armor was placed upon David, the heavy helmet of brass was set on his head, and the sword of Saul was girded upon his thigh. But David could not go out with these; he had not tried the king's armor, and was unaccustomed to the use of the sword.
With a staff in his hand, and a sling for his only weapon, he went to meet the boastful champion of the Philistine host. When the proud giant saw his antagonist, he scornfully and indignantly asked, “Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?” And he cursed David by his gods. After this outburst of passion, he exclaimed with lofty disdain to the youthful shepherd who had accepted his challenge, “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.”
David's heart was not in the least intimidated; for he knew in whom was his trust. “Thou comest to me,” he said, “with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand,” “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands.”
With what anxious interest do both armies watch the unequal combat! The Philistines and many of the Israelites think David fool-hardy; but this is but for a moment. As he runs to meet Goliath, he adjusts a stone in the sling, and presently it has sped to its4mark, and is imbedded in the forehead of the giant. A dimness comes over his sight; he reels, and falls heavily to the ground, like some mighty oak overthrown by a lightning stroke. Consternation seizes upon the Philistines, and they make a confused and hasty retreat. The warriors of Israel, with a shout of triumph, follow the flying hosts, and the victory is complete.
Here we have an example of lofty courage, of a humble but living faith. David's trust was not in himself, neither was his motive a selfish one. But he was ready, in the strength of God, to meet Israel's foe, to test Jehovah's might against a heathen giant, that he might “take away the reproach from Israel.” This was the divine plan for distinguishing David, Israel's future king, and for humbling the adversaries of the true God.
Those who are loyal to God, keeping all of His commandments, will meet a spirit of opposition similar to that which David encountered. Learned men, proud and boastful in their supposed superiority, will feel, as did Goliath, to despise the little band who are loyal to God. Many of these never graduated from a college; but, with the Bible in their hands, they stand in defense of the truth of God, and vindicate His Sabbath, which has been trodden beneath lawless feet. But the Lord can make His strength perfect in man's weakness. If, like David, men will forget self, and seek to honor God and to vindicate His name and His truth, He will work mightily with them, and crown their efforts with success. But there are many who take the glory to themselves if the work of God is prospered in their hands. They become proud and self-sufficient, and flatter themselves that their success is owing to their own superior abilities. Prosperity would often prove the ruin of the one thus honored of the Lord. Our compassionate Father in heaven pities the weakness of our nature, and bears long with our follies. If this were not the case, He would not have given His Son to come to a fallen world and bear the buffetings and temptations of Satan, that He might show men how to overcome.
When, in the providence of God, we are brought in contact with these revilers, and find ourselves in positions of peculiar trial, we should not allow ourselves to become irritated at their provoking taunts and insulting words, which are calculated to throw us off our guard, and lead us to reply in our own spirit. Neither should we make rash moves to free ourselves from these unpleasant positions, where we must suffer humiliation and defeat.
In the presence of opposers of the truth, and while in conversation with them, Christians should be careful not to exalt self or to utter a word to provoke or irritate. Let them taunt and sneer if they will; but go straight forward as tho you heard them not. Ofttimes the greatest victories are gained through silence. Self may clamor for vindication; but silence gives time for reflection and prayer, and for God to speak to the soul. Silence is an evidence, not of weakness, but of strength, and is often more powerful than the strongest arguments.
The people of Christ are His representatives upon the earth. They are to labor for the salvation of souls. This is the purpose for which our Saviour made His advent into the world, and He was steadfast in carrying out that purpose. He did not allow Himself to be diverted in the least from His great work. He was not swerved from His course by the opposition of His enemies, or the flattery of His friends. In this, as in all things, Christ is our example. We must be diligent and faithful in the work that has been committed to our hands. We must reach the people, not through the strength of argument merely, but through the mighty power of God working through our efforts.
Signs of the Times
“Even as we have been approved of God to be entrusted with the Gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who proveth our hearts.”
For Terms, See Page 15
Vol. 37, Number 50
Mountain View, California, December 20, 1910
Weekly, $1.75 per year
Single Copies, Five Cents
Signs of His Coming
By Roderick S. Owen
By Roderick S. Owen
Will There Be Signs?
The temple built by Zerubbabel, and repaired and beautified by Herod, was indeed a massive and attractive structure, awakening pride and admiration in the breast of every loyal Jew. And why should it not? Was it not built by their fathers? Had it not been the center of the worship of their nation for about five hundred years? Had not God said that the “Desire of all nations should come to it and fill it with His glory?” And was it not to become a house of prayer for all nations? Yet Jesus beheld all its dazzling splendor in sadness, and viewed its throngs of worshipers in pity.
His disciples thought Him unappreciative, and so we read: “And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and His disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matt. 24: 1, 2. Startling as this statement was to them, it was not new, for the prophet Micah had said, Zion shall “be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.”
With the words of the Master resting upon their minds, they thought of the temple foundations, settled as they were in the very rocks of the mountain. They viewed its massive walls composed of huge blocks of marble, some of which, according to Josephus, were twenty-five cubits long, twelve cubits in breadth, and eight cubits in height. To them it seemed so solid, so substantial, that its destruction must mean the destruction of the world.
An Important Question
With these confused ideas in their minds they came privately to Jesus afterward, as He sat upon the Mount of Olives, and said: “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?” The Saviour did not reprove them for their inquiry. He did not tell them that there was no possible chance of knowing anything about the time of His second coming or when the world would come to an end. On the contrary, what He had said to them was intended to awaken the spirit of inquiry, to which He was glad to respond.
How much God’s people will need instruction concerning this great event, and how carefully they will need to consider what He has said, is shown in the fact that His first words of reply were a warning. “Take heed,” said He, “that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” Matt. 24: 4, 5.
Jesus would not have given this warning had it not been needed. Then how carefully we ought to study the instruction given, so that we may not be deceived. In referring to these deceptions a second time He says, “There shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” But the elect are only those who abide in Christ, or those in whom His words abide. Hence only those will escape deception whose minds are filled with and held by the Word of God.
With the solemn fact before us that all things earthly must be dissolved, that heaven and earth shall pass away, and that nothing will stand excepting that only which has the eternal Word for its foundation, sad indeed will be the bitter wail of the deluded and deceived; but happy will be that people whose God is the Lord, and whose trust is in Him.
There Will Be Signs
The disciples asked, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming?” The reply of the Master as well as many other scriptures, shows that there will be not one sign only, but many; for says the prophet Joel, “I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.” Joel 2: 30, 31. And Luke, repeating the words of the Saviour, said, “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.” Luke 21: 25, 26.
Here are presented two great classes of signs divided between heaven and earth; while the latter class, or those in earth, are divided also into two kinds; namely, those in the physical world, or such as affect the elements, and those in the political and social worlds, or such as affect nations and society.
How merciful our heavenly Father has been in thus placing high in the heavens,5among the great luminaries of earth, signs which, like the sun, moon, and stars, will pour their warning rays upon the children of men; while on the earth itself He has set up signs which, like the electric lights and gas-jets erected by men, are flashing forth their fitful rays, manifesting by intermittent but increasing light that the great day is just at hand.
Indeed, there are signs of Christ’s coming. God has given an abundance of them. Are we watching for them as one would watch for the morning? Are we looking for them when He said He would give them? Are we making it our first business to prepare to meet our God?
[Our next article is “Signs in the Sun and Moon.”]
The Sure Word of Prophecy
By H. C. J. Walleker
By H. C. J. Walleker
ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. 3:16, 17. This surely also includes prophecy, which is simply history written beforehand. There are many who take the false position that the prophecies can not be understood; but notice what the Lord Himself says about this: “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever.” Deut. 29:29. The revealed things are for us to understand. The Lord pronounces a blessing upon him “that readeth,” and them “that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” Rev. 1:3. It is well also to remember that this statement is found in a book which is called a Revelation, meaning something revealed; but many, even ministers, claim that these things can not be understood. But when people deny the prophecies which show so plainly that we are living in the last days, and that the second coming of Christ is near, we see another fulfilment of things foretold in the Word. Read 2 Peter 3:3, 4.
The social and moral condition of the last days is also spoken of in the Word, comparing it with the days of Noah. Matt. 24:37-39. If this simply had reference to those who make no profession of religion, it would not be so bad; but the sad part of it is that these people profess to be Christians, since they have a form of godliness. 2 Tim. 3:1-5. This condition, which the Lord through His servant told us of about 1900 years ago, is very manifest in the so-called Christian world to-day.
The financial condition in the last days is also plainly marked out in prophecy. There has never been a time in this world’s history, when wealth was heaped together as at the present time. Fabulous fortunes are accumulated in a short time; and very often this is done by fraud and oppression of the poor, and keeping back the wages of the laboring class. James 5:1-6. This is a sad condition, and it brings strife, hatred, and violence, between the classes. Murder and bloodshed are no uncommon thing to-day; but of this time our Master says: “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” James 5:8.
Our Saviour calls special attention to the prophecies of Daniel, as recorded in Matt. 24:15, and this at a time when He was telling His disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the signs that should be forerunners of His coming and the end of the world.
We will notice that the Lord has spoken by the prophets, using similitudes and symbols to set forth great truths. Hosea 12:10. He also says that they should be specially plain in the last days. Hab. 2:2, 3; Dan. 12:4, 9, 10. In the prophecies of Daniel there are different lines of symbolic visions, which give us the rise and fall of nations clear down to the time when the everlasting kingdom of God should be set up. In the second chapter is opened before us one of the grandest records in the whole book, giving us the history of the world from the time of great Babylon, in all its pomp and glory, down to our own time, and the final destruction of all earthly powers. Eight short verses of the Inspired Word tell the whole story. Let us notice it briefly: The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream in which he saw a great image, whose “head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. . . . A stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.” Dan. 2:32-45.
The head of gold represents the Babylonian kingdom. This is clear from the fact that the other parts of the image represent kingdoms, which were to rise one after another. The next kingdom, Medo-Persia, was represented by the breast and arms of silver. Medo-Persia conquered Babylon in the year 538 B.C. They bore universal sway for 207 years, when they were subdued by the Grecians (represented by the brass) under Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. Later the Romans, symbolized by the legs of iron, subdued the world, and ruled with her iron hand, from about 161 B.C. until it was broken and divided. This division took place between the years 350 and 476 A.D. All this has been fulfilled, but there still remains one part unfulfilled, and that is the setting up of the fifth kingdom, the kingdom of Christ. It will surely come, and be as literal as the other kingdoms before it. As the first part of this prophecy has been fulfilled, just as surely will this part be fulfilled. There can be no question but that our Redeemer will soon come and put an end to sin. “The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.” Eze. 12:23. Our eyes may deceive us, and our ears may fail to hear correctly; but the prophetic Word is unfailing, infallible, and will surely be fulfilled.
The sure word of prophecy shines out into the darkness, throwing light upon the future. Let us be awake, and discern the signs of the times.
No Time
THOSE who have the most time usually have the least. Those who have nothing to do are the longest about it, and are oftenest late and hurried at the end. An early start and a steady pace take the slowest through the race. The tortoise out-traveled the fox, for he kept on, while the fox slept by the roadside. Saved pence make men rich — saved minutes make them wise. Half the time spent in dreading a job is sufficient to do it, and half the time spent in dreading a lesson will be ample to learn it, if we go about it. Never whine, repine, nor grumble. Be up and about your business. You say you have no time; you have all the time there is — sixty minutes in every hour, and twenty-four hours in every day.—Anon.
Will He Never Come Again?
By G. W. Scot
By G. W. Scot
To a well-known Scottish air
While our Saviour is on high,
Closing up His work for men,
Many hearts, near breaking, cry:
"Will He never come again?"
Will He never come again?
Will He never come again!
Thousands yearning, near to die;
Will He never come again!
Thou hast redeemed us on the tree;
Our hearts are Thine, dear Jesus!
Whate'er the price of loyalty,
Paying it will please us:
For Thou saidst, "I come again,"
For Thou saidst, "I come again."
Help us serve Thee faithfully,
For Thou saidst, "I come again."
Worldly gain is not our quest;
The cross, the cross our star shall be.
Satan's lures are naught at best.
We will love and trust in Thee,
Knowing Thou wilt come again,
Knowing Thou wilt come again.
From vain things we would be free,
Knowing Thou wilt come again.
The way of life Thou hast made plain;
Our trials Thou art sharing.
Sometimes we sense Thy sorrow, pain,
Death, disgrace, despairing.
But Thou art to come again,
But Thou art to come again.
We may die at nerve and vein;
But Thou art to come again.
Prophets fair, but false, deny
Thou wilt come to reign as King.
"Search His Word," is our reply,
"See fulfilled near everything.
And He soon will come again,
And He soon will come again;
So we lift our heads and sing,
And He soon will come again."
Whatever here our lot may be,
'Tis but care, or toil, or strife;
But when our Lord's dear face we see,
We shall enter into life.
So we look for Him again,
So we look for Him again;
Living for eternity,
So we look for Him again.
1. And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
2. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
3. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy.
5. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels.
6. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
