Signs of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 19.
The First Regular Session of the Great Peace Congress in Carnegie Hall, New York, April 15Page 1
Earlier text: The First Regular Session of the Great Peace Congress in Carnegie Hall, New York, April 15Appeal of Creation for Its Redeemer
The great drama of earth is the book of the Revelation. The stage is this world. The time is earth's week of millenniums. The actors are empires, kingdoms, republics, churches, and earth's millions of men and women. The great Author is God. The Director, the Central Figure around which all acts and scenes revolve, the Lord Jesus Christ. The denouement, the outcome, is great with grief and glory, with tragedy and triumph. Often a part of a great oratorio, or masterpiece of sacred music, may be sung independently of the whole. Of itself, it is a glorious unit, helping to compose the aggregation of units in the masterpiece. So it is with the great drama of the Revelation. It is composed of several parts, and we present before our readers one of the remarkable divisions of the great drama in this paper. In the fourth chapter, as men have divided this wonderful book, the prophet is in vision transported to heaven, where from the great center—the throne of Deity—he looks out upon the earth with its awful tragedies and needs. Next to that throne are the seven lamps of fire, symbolical of the omnipresent Spirit of God. Then the redeemed twenty-four elders, assistant ministers to our great High Priest from the tried of earth. Then the prophet sees countless hosts of angels and men, arranged in the forms of a lion, a calf, a man, a flying eagle. It is worthy of note that these creatures, according to Jewish tradition, were the emblems upon the tri-tribal standards of Judah, Ephraim, Reuben, and Dan. See Num. 2:3, 10, 18, 25. We also find them represented in combined and perverted forms in the symbolic sculptures of Assyria and Babylon. They represent the hosts of God connecting earth and heaven; for according to Ezekiel, these symbolic hosts, full of the eyes of the beings which compose them, made by one Mind, are upon the earth, and are lifted from the earth. Eze. 1:15, 19, 21. They are God's agencies working out of the world's confusion, the wheels within wheels, the order of God, and the glorious triumph at the end, "to the praise of the glory of His grace." They bring His throne, so to speak, among earth's myriads, and even the wrath of man is made to praise Him. Chapter 5 opens with another scene. In the hand of God lies a book, written within, but close sealed with seven seals. The importance of the sealed message is indicated by the challenge of the King: "Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof?" And the prophet tells us that no creature in God's universe was able to open the book or to look thereon. John "wept much." The fate of a world was in the balance. A word of comfort comes to him, "Weep not." The challenge is accepted. "The Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof." The prophet hears of a Lion; he looks, and behold "a Lamb, standing as tho it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth." It is one of the divine paradoxes—lion, lamb, symbols of courage and timidity, of power and helplessness, of war and peace. The Lion of Judah is the Lamb of God. "The weakness of God is stronger than men." The Lamb overcame, prevailed, conquered by dying, conquered by yielding. He purchased all by giving all. He saved by suffering. He did it all that He might save men; for "He gave His life a ransom for many;" "He died for our sins;" He "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." How the God-breathed testimonies throng in that the Lamb suffered and died to save us. But He overcame, He died, to open that seven-sealed book. That book, then, is God's Gospel of life, the message of our salvation, utterly worthless unless there is in it the sacrifice, the life, the potency, the divine and eternal love of God in Jesus Christ. Seven is a number denoting completeness. Horn is a symbol of power, eyes, of wisdom. The seven horns are expressive of His completeness of power; the seven eyes of His completeness of wisdom; the sacrifice unto death, the completeness of love. "For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell;" "for in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, and in Him ye are made full." Col. 1:19; 2:9. What wonder, then, the threefold song which follows the victory of the Lamb. "Worthy art Thou to take the book,
And to open the seals thereof;
For Thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto
God with Thy blood
Men of every tribe, and tongue, and people,
and nation,
And madest them to be unto our God a kingdom and priests,
And they reign upon the earth." "Worthy is the Lamb that hath been slain
to receive
The Power, and Riches, and Wisdom, and
Might, and Honor, and Glory, and Blessing." "Unto Him that sitteth on the throne,
And unto the Lamb,
Be the Blessing and the Honor, and the Glory,
and the Dominion forever and ever." The Breaking of the Seals.
One seal is broken, and one of the four living creatures, cries as with a voice of thunder, It is the utter wo and misery and weakness and need of earth voiced by the strong cherubim to the Overcomer. Come to save the lost and dying. May we not also believe that those who compose that living creature are also appealing to the lost of earth to come to the overcoming Lamb. In response to that call goes forth a Rider on a white horse, conquering and to conquer. (Compare with Ps. 45:2-5.) Christ goes forth in the glory of His Gospel message to conquer hearts; mightily did it go forth in the Pentecostal days of the early rain. Mighty in God to save has it been in hearts receiving it thru earth's sad centuries. More mightily shall it close in these days of the latter rain, in the development of a church fitted for translation. Three times again are seals broken, and three times from the living creatures there comes forth the "Come!" "Come!" "Come!" God's Messenger in His mighty Gospel message rides still, but men reject the message. He offers peace and plenty and protection and salvation; but the mass reject them all. The world must needs meet the fruit of their own sowing, the results of their choice. And therefore in response to these calls there ride forth messengers on red, black, and pale horses, symbols of war, famine, and death in every form. There is no peace to the wicked, to him who rejects Christ's Gospel. Matt. 10:34, 35; Isa. 57:19, 20. The very crops of earth fail when God's people are faithless, till bread is doled out by weight, and black famine rides on a ruthless conqueror. Eze. 4:16, 17; 5:16. And when rebellion is added to rebellion, still other calamities logically follow till sword and famine and evil beast and pestilence, God's "four sore judgments," because of men's perversions of His law, are ravaging the earth. See Eze. 14:13-21. These riders of Revelation 6 ride on to the end. The white-horse Rider still sends forth His arrows of truth, destructive to sin, salvation to believing sinners. As the early church departed from God and became connected with the world, there followed in cumulative power, war and famine and evil beast and pestilence. The Dark Ages reaped its fill of all, and especially in the fearful7pestilences which destroyed its myriads and wasted cities. Yet men went on wickedly, and the great professed church of that age not only refused to turn to God, but persecuted those who did believe the message of life. These dire reapings will continue to the end. Men may talk peace, but prepare for war, till the climax is reached in the great battle of Armageddon. The evil beasts, dangerous animals of every kind, reap their harvests of thousands every year, and if the noxious insects and bacteria are included, bid fair to swell it to millions. With all the improved facilities of transportation and increased knowledge of agriculture, there are millions of lives doomed from famine in both Russia and China to-day. And following these will stalk dire pestilence, nurtured by all the evils to follow. There are yet three seals to be broken. The first four deal with man's heart, and the influence of his choice upon the earth's surface, down to near the close of the eighteenth century. The events which follow the breaking of the next two seals look forward to the judgment of God upon men for their crimes against Christ in the person of His saints, and take hold of the very stability of the earth itself. The saints in the grave, tho waiting in unconscious silence, are represented as pleading for justice, even as Abel's blood cried to God from the ground. Gen. 4:10. At the opening of the sixth seal occurred the great earthquake of Lisbon, Nov. 1, 1755, a truly great earthquake known to affect nearly the whole earth, notwithstanding men had no instruments to record it. On May 19, 1780, came the darkening of the sun and moon; on Nov. 13, 1833, the falling of the stars, or the great meteoric shower of that date. These were all met in the matter and manner described in prophecy. The next event is the rolling up of the atmospheric heavens as a scroll, the voice of God from heaven saying, "It is done," and the prayer of those who have rejected the unchangeable mercy of God to hide them from "the face of Him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath is come; and who is able to stand?" This part of this drama is interrupted for a little space to reveal the work which the mighty Rider on the white horse is doing among those who accept His message in the last generation—the sealing of His children preparatory to His coming. Of this sealing work now going on in the world, more hereafter. When the seventh seal is broken, this wonderful part of the great drama ends. Rev. 8:1. There is a great silence in heaven. Are there reasons why the songs of praise to God should not continue?—No, but all the angels of God are permitted to escort the mighty, conquering Lamb to earth as He goes for His redeemed ones, conquerors in Him. He "shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels." Matt. 16:27. He "shall come in His glory and all the angels with Him." Matt. 25:31. "Not crowned with thorns and gory, but crowned with glory now." The pleading call of earth's wo has been heard, Come, come, come, come; the King has come, the joy and rejoicing of His people forevermore. The Teaching of the Scriptures.
A GREAT conference has just been held in which men have extolled the glories and the blessings of peace, and told of the necessity of bringing the world to the place where international courts shall decide disputed questions, and the sword be placed in the scabbard to consume with rust. The sentiment that favors peace is born of Heaven. In His great inaugural address on the mountain, the Master said, "Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called sons of God." Matt. 5:9. And in the prophecy of Isaiah that foretold the character of the Messiah and His kingdom, we have the following additional words on this important subject: "For all the armor of the armed man in the tumult, and the garments rolled in blood, shall be for burning, for fuel of fire. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of hosts will perform this." Isa. 9:5-7. The "peacemaker" is to be called the son of God. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the "Prince of Peace." And there is to be no end to the increase of His government, "and of peace." Upheld by Justice and Righteousness.
But do not neglect to observe that the foregoing text from Isaiah states that His government is upheld with justice and righteousness. Or as expressed in the inspired poetry of the psalm, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Thy throne: loving-kindness and truth go before Thy face." Ps. 89:14. Then in God's government there is the beautiful blending of "loving-kindness," "truth," and "righteousness and justice." And upon the throne of these much-to-be-desired attributes presides the great Prince of Peace. And besides all this, one of the precious fruits of the Spirit of God is "peace." Then it is clear that all Christians will stand for peace. They will favor the efforts of those who are working for peace. They will rejoice at every omen that betokens the ushering in of the reign of peace. But since Christ is the Author of peace, and since He alone is the Prince of Peace, we must look to the revelations of His word to find out when and how the time of universal and eternal peace will be reached. We speak this advisedly. There is a time of universal peace just before the world, and when that peace is reached it will be eternal. And, furthermore, it will not be an armed neutrality, masquerading in the garments of peace, and marching and maneuvering in the fields that are heavily strewn with the combustible materials of war; no, indeed! It will not be a peace that is assured by having the best equipped army and a navy of the fleetest cruisers and the most powerful battle-ships that can be made to float. No! no! He who is worthy of the title of Prince of Peace builds His throne on the enduring pillars of "righteousness and justice," and "loving-kindness and truth." "For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming." 2 Thess. 2:7, 8. The mystery of lawlessness is working in the world, and every one knows that it is so. The crimes of such hideous character that are seen all about us all the time are the sure evidence of this. "Only there is one that restraineth now." Crime is kept under by the restraint of law. And thus is revealed the conflict that is being waged. "The lawless one" in his hideous workings is being revealed more and more, and the restraint of the power of righteousness is being exercised to meet it. And thus the conflict goes on deeper and stronger, until the only thing that can meet and overthrow it is the "manifestation of His coming." The text just quoted from Thessalonians shows that the "lawless one" is to be destroyed by the "manifestation of His coming." The statement of a divine truth could not have been made clearer than what is presented in the foregoing language from the Book of inspiration. The time, then, to which we are to look for a universal and lasting peace, is when the Son of Man shall come in the clouds of heaven to put an end to strife by the manifestation of His own presence. "Another parable set He before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn." Matt. 13:24-30. "Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house; and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field. And He answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear." Matt. 13:36-43. The foregoing parable, with the Master's explanation needs no word of comment. The teaching is most obviously plain. The righteous and the wicked are both to inhabit this earth until the harvest time, which is the "end of the world." The apostle Paul knew this teaching of the Master and was writing under the same Spirit of inspiration when he told the church of the Thessalonians that the "lawless one" should be slain with the breath of the Lord at the second coming of Christ. The Lord knows the facts, and He has revealed these facts to the children of men. And if we look where He is pointing we will see the dawning of the real day of universal peace. If we look any place else we will not find it. Both the wheat and the tares, both the righteous and the wicked, are to grow together until the harvest, which is the end of the world. And at the harvest time the judgment is to sit and the reward of both classes will be given. Such is the teaching of the parable, and the parable was spoken by One who knows all about the facts, and who can not make a mistake. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ we are given a description of the scenes as they actually exist at this judgment time. The scripture reads: "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast; because Thou hast taken Thy great power, and didst reign. And the nations were wroth, and Thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged, and the time to give their reward to Thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear Thy name, the small and the great; and to destroy them that destroy the earth." Rev. 11:17, 18. The wrath of earthly nations is manifest at the time for the giving of the reward of the righteous, and when the dead are to be judged. The appalling preparations for war in this time show the real condition of the world. This war spirit will grow worse and worse till the great and final battle-field of Armageddon is reached. And the thing that will be the eternal death-blow to all war is the second coming of the Man of Calvary. So, then, if any one who is working for the peace of the world becomes discouraged at the outlook, let him study the evidence that shows that the coming of the Lord is very near. Thus will his heart be cheered by the bright prospect. The fury of the battle-field will soon be blanched into silence by the glory of the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Focus your telescope on the right place and you will see the universal peace, not of this world merely, but of the whole universe. And you will also see that this peace will be everlasting. But looking any place else you may discover only a flitting phantom that will soon vanish to leave you in the cold doom of indescribable disappointment; for wars and rumors of wars will increase more and more until the end is finally reached, and the Lord of glory shall come. T. God's Purpose of the Ages.
EVER keep in mind that God's call and God's election are not the same. His call to salvation is to all, irrespective of character. Nay, more, He has told us that He especially calls to Himself and all His glorious blessings the sinner. His election is, first of all, of characters. It was characters which were chosen before the foundation of the world; for character determines the worth of the person. It was names of character which were written in the "Lamb's book of life." These characters are according to His purpose. They are, in fact, the ultimate of His purpose. These names will never be blotted from the book of life. To eternal life and glory God calls every soul. If he will not accept that call, he places himself outside of the purpose of God, and must perish. If he does accept that call, then God chooses him for one of those characters which were chosen before the foundation of the world. That soul becomes a candidate for that character for which God sees he is best fitted. His name is entered in the book of life. If he is willing to spell out the immortal name in the experiences which God permits to come, his name will remain forever, and when the last victory is won, he will be clothed completely by that character—he will be that character—to which he has been called, and will receive that name as his "new name" forever, expressing all his experience in Christ Jesus. If he at any time refuse to submit to God's plan, the character is forfeited, and his name blotted out of the book of life. God chooses each soul to an eternal character; it is the privilege of that soul to make his "election sure." All this is according to God's "purpose of the ages" (Eph. 3:11, margin of R.V.), which centers in Jesus Christ. It involves the new heavens and the new earth of prophecy, from which sin shall be forever barred by hearts which are fortresses of righteousness. Isa. 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13. As that new earth and heavens come forth by God's power out of the ruins of the old, so God by the word of His power would recreate every sinful soul, and fit it for that kingdom. No soul is barred of God. But says the timid, conscientious soul: "Is it not said, 'He hath mercy on whom He will and whom He will He hardeneth,' and did not God harden Pharaoh's heart?" These are fair questions; let us seek Bible answers. Upon whom is it God's will to have mercy? (1) Upon the obedient: "Showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments." Ex. 20:6. (2) Upon the wicked: "As I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live." Eze. 33:11. "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." Isa. 55:7. Then, it is God's will to have mercy upon all. Whom will God harden?—God's Spirit will finally cease its pleading with that man who will not heed its voice, but persistently chooses and identifies himself with sin. The soul hardens itself by departing from God. Heb. 3:12, 13. By persisting in the way of sin, the heart becomes so hard that even God's Spirit can impress it no more, and man is left to his own choice. They "did not choose the fear of Jehovah, they would none of My counsel, they despised all My reproof; therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way." Prov. 1:29-32. God raised up, or brought, Pharaoh to the throne to show in that king His power and to publish abroad His name in all the earth. Rom. 9:18. All this might have been wrought by Pharaoh's acknowledging God, as God called him to do. The stubborn king would not yield to God, but made strong and stubborn his heart, till at last God left him; and when God left the king his heart was hardened. Ex. 9:12. Previous to this hopeless time, it was Pharaoh who hardened his own heart by resisting God. See American Standard Revised Version, Ex. 7:13-22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7. But never till the case is hopeless will the Spirit of God utterly leave man. Man by rejecting God takes himself out of God's purpose. But if man will turn from the sin, tho it be like crimson; turn from the transgressions, tho they be in number like the sand of the sea, God will receive and pardon. He is not pleased with those who turn back. Heb. 10:38. He is pleased with "those that hope in His mercy," because "He delighteth in mercy." Ps. 147:11; Micah 7:18, 19. Our great danger, friends, lies not in God's failure to exercise mercy, or in God's unwillingness to save, but in our rejection of His abundant mercy. "To-day, if ye will hear His voice, harden not your heart." "And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man; and there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, Tho I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, tho He bear long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18: 1-8. THE Master tells His object in giving the foregoing parable. It is that men "ought always to pray, and not to faint." The widow is determined. She will not be put off. She feels that her cause is just and she must have redress against her adversary. It takes determination to accomplish anything worth while. If we secure the benefits of God's promises, we must set our faces resolutely in that direction. The whole drift in modern times is away from God and His sacred word. The influences that we meet as we mingle with our fellow men are largely of a nature to fill us with indifference to the Bible. This generation is pronounced and strong in its worldly nature, because it is so strongly skeptical. But these facts do not make of no effect the promises of God. They only make it necessary for us to be resolute and determined in laying hold on these promises. The parable teaches us "to pray, and not to faint." All the heroes of chivalry and war are to be cast into the dark gloom of oblivion by the true heroism of faith built up by resolute prayer by the ones who will unflinchingly stand with God in these days.
T. Egypt a Witness to Prophecy.
THERE are many indeed who would place more credence in God's prophecies of the present if they only knew more of the fulfilment of His prophecies in the past. There is such ignorance of the word of God that but few indeed know of many witnesses which the history of the world has given and is giving of the fulfilment of the prophetic word. Take, for instance, what God has said concerning Egypt. When this prophecy was spoken by the son of Buzi, Egypt was one of the mightiest nations of earth. At the mouth of the Nile innumerable streams watered the land, and idolatry was rampant. In the 30th chapter of Ezekiel we read, "I will also9destroy the idols, and I will cause the images to cease from Memphis; and there shall be no more a prince from the land of Egypt." Egypt to-day is without its images, and for a long period of time it has had no native ruler. Again, "It [Egypt] shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations; and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations." Chapter 29:15. How true it is to-day that Egypt is indeed a base kingdom, one of the very lowest, the existence of which is supported wholly by the powers of Europe. The 12th verse of the 30th chapter declares: "And I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men;" and history records that at the mouth of the Nile where there were many streams there are now few. Egypt is a literal fulfilment of prophecy. The Cry of Peace.
By Editor
We love peace. Therefore we long for peace. We sympathize therefore with the noble men and women who are working for the peace of this world. We would be glad to see their dreams come true if there were righteousness with the peace of the world they hope for. God is a "God of peace." He speaks "peace to His people." His thoughts toward them are "thoughts of peace." But before peace must come righteousness. Before the sinner can have peace with God the sin must be cleansed, the righteousness of God must take possession. Rom. 5:1. It is "first pure, then peaceable." "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." But we truly say that we sympathize with the men who love peace and hate war. Yet overweening, all-absorbing desire for peace will lead to compromise of principle, to building on false foundations to the ignoring of God's methods and truth. And this will lead to dire results. We plead with our readers to study this movement. Read our report of the New York Conference. Weigh it all in the balances of God's truth. “Not Done in a Corner.”
By Editor
NOT long ago we received a letter from an infidel who contended that the story of Jesus was a pure fabrication, because contemporaneous historians make no mention of Jesus or His work. It is argued that the absence of all testimony on the part of contemporaneous historians is evidence on the face of it that there was no such person on earth as Jesus who wrought such miracles and taught such wonderful truth. Some Christians contend, and rightly, too, we believe, that the passage in Josephus which speaks of Jesus is spurious, an interpolation, as was clearly shown in this paper quite recently. Why, then, did not Josephus refer to Jesus and His work? Was it because the work was done in secret, that a veil of mystery was thrown over it, that an “intense secrecy” enveloped the whole movement?—Not if we are to believe the New Testament itself. Of John the Baptist we are told that great multitudes flocked to hear him. Even the great men among the Jews at Jerusalem sent out a committee to inquire as to who he was and his authority for teaching. And Herod the king listened to his preaching, heard him gladly, but at last beheaded him at the request of a dissolute woman. Greater numbers still sought Jesus, till John the forerunner was told that his popularity was waning, and that all were seeking Jesus. One member, at least, of the Jewish Sanhedrin sought Him, even tho at night. Rulers of synagogues, collectors of taxes, Roman centurions were among those who did Him honor. All kinds of diseases were healed, and in three instances the dead were raised. He Himself declared that His teachings were open and not secret. At last He was tried by the Jewish court, brought before Pilate as a dangerous criminal, and crucified. We may well believe that Paul’s appeal before Agrippa was founded in good faith, when he declared that “the king knoweth these things; . . . for I am persuaded that none of these things is hidden from him; for this hath not been done in a corner.” Acts 26:26. The reasons, then, that no mention is made of the early movements of Christianity may be summarized as follows: (1) The chief things of public record in the days of Christ were the official acts of the government, and the historians themselves were of government appointment. There were poor prospects for private publishers or unofficial historians. (2) It was characterized with marked humility. Great men did not ally themselves with it. A movement among the lower classes was not worthy of mention. (3) When the leading men of the nation came in contact with it, there was no credit or glory reflected from them. To save their dignity, history was suppressed. (4) Not knowing the truth or its spirit, the movement was deemed by the great to be ephemeral, and would soon die out. “We see dimly in the present
What is small and what is great.” Little the great men knew of God. Even so thru all the ages and to the present, the world and its historians have not recognized God’s work till after His prophets are stoned. “The secret of Jehovah is with them that fear Him, and He will show them His covenant.” God’s Love for the Wanderer.
By Ellen G. White
THE sympathy of all heaven is enlisted on behalf of the sheep that is wandering far from the fold. If the Pharisees had been working in harmony with God, in place of uniting with the adversary of God and man, they would not have been found despising the purchase of the blood of Christ. As the delusions of Satan are broken from human minds, as the sinner looks to Calvary, and sees the costly offering that has been given to save an apostate and ruined race, he contemplates and is deeply moved by the love of God, and becomes repentant. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us.” O, that we might comprehend the love of God and even to a faint degree take in the compassion that has been manifested toward fallen man! How would we look and live! By beholding Christ, man becomes changed and transformed in character from glory to glory. The conflict between light and darkness is entered upon. Look, poor sinner, represented by the lost sheep after whom the shepherd is seeking, look to the cross! The Pharisees may hold in contempt the very one whom the Lord is anxious to save. In the poor blind man restored to sight by the compassionate Shepherd, was one whom the self-righteous Pharisees thought worthy only of sneers and hatred. 1. “And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt go down unto Hades.” Matt. 11:23. Capernaum was a thriving city when Jesus uttered that word. Notwithstanding the mighty works wrought there by Christ, that city largely rejected Him. To-day a few ruins mark the place where the city stood, and sometimes even these are disputed. Certainly the city has been cast down to utter destruction. 2. One of the mightiest structures of the past was the Jewish temple, enlarged and beautified by Herod, with its great mammoth stones that seemed impossible of demolition, but Jesus said to His disciples the day shall come when “there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Matt. 24:2. The Romans came and verified the statement of Christ. Julian, the apostate Roman emperor, the hater of Christians, vowed that he would make Christ’s words prove untrue. He sent a proclamation to the Jews to come and rebuild their temple. They came. Wealthy Jewesses with silken veils helped to carry away the rubbish from the temple site, but history tells us that great balls of fire burst from the earth and so disturbed activities as to drive them from the task. The word of Christ was more than the power of the Roman emperor. Instances of this kind can be multiplied indefinitely. God’s word is full of predictions to which all the history of the past testifies, and prophecy in fulfilment shows the importance of heeding the “more sure word of prophecy.” The weighing of human souls on human scales, by humans is by no means demonstrated, except in the newspapers. The men who are said to have done it do not feel that results are conclusive. There is one great Tribunal where they will be weighed exactly in the scales of infinite Justice. Neither gold nor reputation will affect the balances of God’s sanctuary. Those who meet the test are worth more than worlds. The Book of the Revelation.
By Joseph A. Seiss
A LL Scripture,” indeed, “is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroly furnished unto all good works;” but there are some portions more especially significant and precious, and proper attention to which is fraught with particular advantages. Of this sort is this book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. What saith the text?—“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep these things which are written therein.” The same is repeated in chapter 22:7: “Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Of course, the more we learn and know of Christ, the better it will be for us, if the spirit of faith and obedience be in our hearts; and this book is preeminently the Revelation of Christ. It sets out our blessed Lord, and draws away the veil which hangs between us and Him, and lifts us up into the sublimest things of heaven. It shows us how the Son of Man has been rewarded by the Father, and what works and offices are assigned unto that meek Lamb.—Joseph A. Seiss, D.D. Ambition and Holy Purpose
HE who is moved by ambition alone, however exalted or worthy may be his work, will find at last his work deteriorate. Only life-devotion to a great and holy purpose will bring constant improvement to one’s achievement. But the worker may not see it. His conception of the purpose has also grown with the years and experience. “No MAN is ordained of God until he is ready to serve men.”