Earlier text: The Coming of His FeetThe Christian’s Debt
By I. H. Evans
SAID the apostle to the Gentiles, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” Why was Paul a debtor to the Greeks and to the barbarians? What had these people ever done for the apostle that put him under this burden of debt to them? Had they loaned him money? Had there been some commercial transaction between them that put Paul under obligation to them so that he continually felt impelled to spend and be spent in their behalf? It could be none of these reasons that made Paul debtor, for he had seen comparatively few of the millions to whom he claimed himself indebted. These people of whom he speaks were the heathen nations peopling Asia Minor and Europe. To all these Paul counted himself in debt. But how did this indebtedness come to the apostle? and what was he to do to discharge it? Paul had received a revelation of Jesus Christ into his heart and life, and when he conceived the unspeakable love of God in giving Jesus Christ, his Son, to die for sinners, Paul felt a great heart-burden to spread this knowledge of a crucified and risen Saviour. Upon his heart lay a great burden of devotion and love, not only to his fellow men, but also to Christ, who had died for him. Well did Paul know that what had been done for his own salvation and life, Christ desired to do also for all the people whom Paul could persuade to accept Christ as their Saviour.7 To the church at Corinth, the apostle wrote: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.” To Paul the duty of preaching the gospel was paramount to every other duty on earth. He did not stop to inquire whether others were doing their full duty in this respect. To him it was a personal debt that he owed to the world and to God, and it mattered not to him whether Peter and James and John remained in Jerusalem, or whether they became world evangelists and helped to spread the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It was his duty to preach the gospel to the world because he had a personal debt of love and gratitude that he could never pay. But we ask, Was this earnest servant of God the only one called to the work of evangelizing the nations? What meant the great commission Christ gave to his disciples when he said, Go into all the world and make Christians of every nation? Is this command alone to the church as a whole, or is it to the individuals who compose the church? Paul always mentioned his duty of preaching the gospel in the first person. “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.” “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians.” If the duty of preaching the gospel rests not only upon the church as a whole, but upon the individual members of the church, we ask, Is every member of the church indebted to the world for all the knowledge he has in Christ Jesus, as Paul was indebted to the world? Is he under obligations to pay this debt? What is it that he owes the world? From “Mount of Blessing” we read:— Every one who has been made a steward of the manifold grace of God is called upon to impart to souls in ignorance and darkness, even as, were he in their place, he would desire them to impart to him. The apostle Paul said, “I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.” By all that you have known of the love of God, by all that you have received of the rich gifts of his grace, above the most benighted and degraded soul upon the earth, are you in debt to that soul, to impart these gifts unto him.—Page 184. The standard of the golden rule is the true standard of Christianity; anything short of it, is a deception. A religion that leads men to place a low estimate upon human beings, whom Christ has esteemed of such value as to give himself for them; a religion that would lead us to be careless of human needs, sufferings, or rights, is a spurious religion. In slighting the claims of the poor, the suffering, and the sinful, we are proving ourselves traitors to Christ. It is because men take upon themselves the name of Christ, while in life they deny his character, that Christianity has so little power in the world. The name of the Lord is blasphemed because of these things. . . . Search heaven and earth, and there is no truth revealed more powerful than that which is made manifest in works of mercy to those who need our sympathy and aid. This is the truth as it is in Jesus. When those who profess the name of Christ shall practise the principles of the golden rule, the same power will attend the gospel as in apostolic times.—Pages 185, 186. Surely this is strong language. It places at the door of each Christian the responsibility of service for others. It does not lay the responsibility upon the church regardless of its members, for this is an impossibility. The church can not carry a responsibility for service in evangelizing without that responsibility resting on the church-members. The church only as individual units can do its work. When each member of the church faithfully does his whole duty to the world, then it is that the church is doing its full duty, and not till then. If in slighting the claims of the poor, the suffering, and the sinful we are proving ourselves “traitors to Christ,” then there must be a great responsibility resting upon us as individuals to give to others the gospel we have received. We must not forget that the Lord says that “all we have received above the most benighted soul,” to that soul we are indebted for what we have received. Let us not forget that this duty is not man-sent or church-made. It is divine, and from above. It forms a part of the great commission which Christ gave to his church. As the apostle said, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel,” so no individual can settle with the church whether he has discharged his debt or not. No one in the church is competent to judge, nor is appointed by God to judge. The duty is a personal duty between God and the individual. There is not a heathen in all the world to whom the Christian does not owe a debt. There are more than one billion of these poor benighted heathen living in the world to-day. The denomination that we represent may carry on a great work and do much good. The question should not be, What is the denomination doing? but, What am I doing as an individual to fulfil the great debt that I owe the world? If ninety-nine members of the church fulfil every duty, and I fail in the performance of my part, the loss will be mine. If every church-member besides myself fails in the performance of his duty, and I do mine acceptably to God, my reward is sure. He deals with each individually. Our duty is to preach the gospel to both the Greeks and the barbarians. I need not ask, Will my brother do his part? It is for me to do mine, and the Lord will reward me according to my service. Let us each ask ourselves, How much of this great world-wide debt have I paid? When the Christian can truly sing,— “Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts!
Thou fount of life! thou light of men!
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to thee again,” he must realize, to an extent at least, the duty he owes to lead others to this same Fountain of life. But he who enjoys such an experience as this, has a great debt resting upon him to bring to others the joy of which he himself is a partaker through the merits of the Lord Jesus. The millions from the darkened heathen portions of the world are crying for help. The debt is on every professed Christian to answer this call. What will you do, my brother? How do you propose to discharge the debt which God has laid at your door in giving you salvation through Jesus Christ? The wail of woe from the darkened lands of the earth ought certainly to pierce our hearts. Their need, their lost condition, their only hope of salvation, must appeal to every Christian to discharge the debt he owes the world. “There’s a call from the dark to-night
That haunts the lighted room.
From his ‘other sheep’ on the broken steep
At the edge of eternal doom.
“There’s a pain at my heart to-night,—
From the heart of God it came,—
For I can not forget that he loves them yet,
And they’ve never heard of his name.
“There’s a sob in my prayer to-night,
When I think of the million homes
Where never a word of the Lord is heard,
Or a message from Jesus comes.” Then let us, as God’s professed people, daily study how we may pay the debt we owe. Christian Missions in Korea
Former Vice-President Chas. W. Fairbanks has been touring recently in the Orient, and has been studying missionary operations, particularly in Korea and Japan. Concerning their work and its results, Mr. Fairbanks gives the following testimony:— I find that Christian missionaries are a wholesome influence. They are working in entire harmony with the Japanese protectorate and with the Koreans. Throughout the country their influence is now being felt, and these mission workers are co-operating with, and have the sympathy of, the resident general in their educational labors. The fact of this recognition and co-operation on the part of the Japanese protectorate, is to me an assurance of the future welfare of the Koreans. The Christian missions in Korea are given greater liberty of action than missionaries are usually given in any foreign country, and there is absolutely no interference on the part of the protectorate with them or their teachings. That They All May Be One
By Ellen G. White
Truth a Sanctifying Power
“For their sakes I sanctify myself,” Christ said, “that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” No error can sanctify the soul; we must bear this in mind. Sanctification comes not through error, but through belief of the truth. We need to possess a faith that is based upon the sure word of promise. The Word of God specifies the quality of the faith that will distinguish between the sacred and the common, and will render the life well-pleasing to him who has purchased the powers of our being by the redemption price of his blood. All men have a certain kind of faith; but it is that faith which works by love that purifies the soul. This faith cleanses the life from all self-serving, from all acquiescence to man's arbitrary exactions. It is a genuine faith that is revealed in the spirit, in the speech, and in the actions. In the life of the one who possesses such a faith as this the will of Christ will be daily carried out. The soul who really believes the truth will carry out in his life the principles revealed in the life of Christ. Of Enoch it is written that his ways pleased God; and without faith it is impossible to please God. Not a thread of coarseness or selfishness was woven into the web that this servant of God was weaving in his daily life. And of him we read, “Enoch walked with God . . . three hundred years; . . . and he was not; for God took him.” The Lord’s measure of correct character is given in the words of the prophet Micah: “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” There are men who may be represented as doing justly and loving mercy, but who have not the true principle within them, the faith that will lead them to walk humbly with the Lord. They may seem to have every specification needed but that of sanctified faith, but lacking this, they lack all. The life is not sanctified, and without this sanctification of motive and purpose, it is impossible to please God. God has given men and women affections and intellect that they may appreciate the character of God as it was revealed in the earthly life of Christ, and through faith in Christ reveal the same attributes. Christ is to be manifest in the life of every true believer. Each is to prove in his life his right to the claim he makes for citizenship in the kingdom of Christ and of God. I am instructed to keep before our people the need of having high, pure motives and sanctified purposes. The church of Christ on earth is to represent Christ’s character and work. The aim of Christ’s life was to receive of the Father, that he might give, in precept and in unselfish service, that which would save men and women from sinning, and turn the rebellious into paths of righteousness. “For their sakes I sanctify myself,” he said, “that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” He stood before the human race as the representative of the Father. He devoted all the powers of his being to the work of redemption. For this he withdrew from the glories of heaven, and set his feet in the path of humiliation and trial. He humbled himself that he might uplift mankind. As he took up his earthly work and saw the duties and the trials that confronted him, he did not fail nor become discouraged. His great desire was to establish the cross between divinity and humanity, that man might be reconciled to God. The question was put to Christ at one time, If your doctrine is true, if you are, as you claim, the Son of God, why do you come to the world like this? Why do you subject yourself to humility and privation? Had it been possible for men to be redeemed with a smaller sacrifice than was made, the Son of God would not have taken the guilt of the transgressor upon his sinless soul. But the spotless Son of God was the only offering that would atone; none but his life would suffice to save the sinner from ruin. Christ was sent from heaven with the gift of eternal life for all who would receive it. The message he brought was true; but it cost the life of him who gave it. “I am come,” the Saviour said, “that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Never was there such depth of meaning in any words as in those of the Saviour as he stood before the world, with the cross in view, and said, “I am come;” “he that sent me is true.” The power and authority of God are supreme, and he is true. He gives, to all who accept Christ, power to live the truth under the most trying circumstances. Those who have broken his law are sinners; but he says to them, I gave my only begotten Son to die for sinners. He bore the penalty of the sins of the world. He is sufficient for your redemption. If you will plant your feet upon the platform of obedience; if you will repent and accept the merits of the Son of God, you may have hope of eternal life. The soul who will take God at his word, and obey his law, may live. To such the assurance is given, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” The science of overcoming as Christ overcame is the science of salvation. If we will unite with Christ in the work of developing Christian character, if we will maintain unwavering faith in God and in the truths of his Word, we shall be given strength to overcome every evil thing in the life. But there are some to whom Christ says to-day, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life,”—eternal life which my Father will give to all who believe. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” he pleads; “come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Christ is grieved to-day at the manifestation of unchristlike spirit and unchristlike actions among his professed followers. Many who bear his name are bringing reproach upon his cause by their unchristian words and deportment. I am instructed to say to our people, Guard your words and actions. Let every messenger of the Lord comprehend the truth as it is in Jesus, that he may become a laborer together with God. It is the power of God, and that alone, that can soften and subdue our hearts, and expel the worldliness and pride that exist among us. The love of Christ for the human family led him to assume human nature, and to submit to every test that human beings must bear, that man might be brought into right relation to his Maker. Human beings had taken sides with the first great rebel, and the angels whom he had deceived. When Satan and his rebel host were defeated and cast out of heaven, they did not give up the struggle9against right. Satan’s work has been the same since the days of Adam to the present, and he has pursued it with great success, tempting men to distrust God’s love and to doubt his wisdom. And in the great closing work of the rebellion the powers of evil will unite in a desperate struggle to work out their deceptive plans to lead souls to ruin. Ministers and physicians and men in positions of trust as lawmakers will unite in this work of rebellion. Thousands are already taking their place on the side of satanic agencies. Some of these wear a pretentious garb of righteousness, but it is the form of godliness without the power. Clear light has been permitted to shine upon all; but when Satan’s sophistries are heeded, when men and women reject light and evidence, gradually they become converted to the theories that Satan offers. Too late, too late they will see that angels of God are in the warfare against all who have departed from the faith. In the night season I seemed to be enumerating in my mind the evidences we have to substantiate the faith we hold. We see that seducers are waxing worse and worse. We see the world working to the point of establishing by law a false sabbath, and making it a test for all. This question will soon be before us. God’s Sabbath will be trampled under foot, and a false sabbath will be exalted. In a Sunday law there is possibility for great suffering to those who observe the seventh day. The working out of Satan’s plans will bring persecution to the people of God. But the faithful servants of God need not fear the outcome of the conflict. If they will follow the pattern set for them in the life of Christ, if they will be true to the requirements of God, their reward will be eternal life, a life that measures with the life of God. At this time a very decided work in character building should be going forward among our people. We are to develop before the world the characteristics of the Saviour. It is impossible to please God without the exercise of genuine, sanctifying faith. We are individually responsible for our faith. True faith is not a faith that will fail under test and trial; it is the gift of God to his people. We are to experience a true conversion; we are to study earnestly and prayerfully the example of Christ. God is waiting to bestow wonderful endowments upon his church if they will seek him with the whole heart in unity of spirit. Brethren and sisters, let us study carefully the prayer of Christ. Let us seek to experience the oneness in faith and works for which he prayed. The Fatherhood of God is given to us in the gift of Jesus Christ; and as God was one with his only begotten Son, so he would have his earthly children one with him. Faith in Christ will help us to overcome all weakness of the flesh. It is our privilege through faith in our Redeemer to become sanctified, holy, cleansed from all sin in this life, and in that life that measures with the life of God to be partakers in the joys of the redeemed. Emmanuel’s Sign
By Worthie Harris Holden
ACROSS the hills the evening shadows lengthen,
And night draws on—the night of all the earth;
The while above a quiet peace seems brooding,
The air is rife with revelry and mirth. We, children of the day, behold the token—
A sign our long-expected Lord is nigh!
At midnight will we see the Bridegroom coming,
In majesty descending from on high. Let not vain pleasure for a moment beckon
Thy weary soul to seek an hour’s repose;
O listen not to foolish comrades pleading,
Nor e’en permit thy sleepy eyes to close. Far from the din of earth-joys and amusements
Seek an anointing, wrestling in prayer,
Nor let Him go until he grants his blessing,
Changing thy name to that of conqueror there. Ne’er wilt thou, even for a moment, reckon
Earth’s sacrifice too great for heaven’s store,
When thou shalt meet thy King, with lamp well burning,
And “enter in” to joys forevermore. The Appalling Price of an Armed Truce
By George B. Thompson
UNDER the above heading the Christian Endeavor World of July 15 contains the following in its editorial page, concerning the tremendous increase in war preparations being made by the United States:— “Burns sang, ‘Facts are chiels that winna ding.’ If he were alive to-day, he would no longer sing; he would weep over some of the facts that confront us, and that we are passing on as a legacy to our children.” “Twenty years ago the United States navy cost twenty-two million dollars a year. This year the cost is one hundred thirty-five million dollars. The population has increased thirty-five per cent, while the naval expenditures have advanced six hundred per cent. Edward Everett Hale wrote not very long ago: ‘Think of it! I heard Sumner’s peace oration in 1845. He amazed people by saying that the ship of the line, “Ohio,” then new, cost eight hundred thousand dollars, and that was more than all the gifts made to Harvard College in two hundred years. Now we propose to spend twenty million dollars on one ship!’” “We are spending seventy-two per cent of the income of the government for purposes of war, past and present, and only twenty-eight per cent for peaceful government. The combined cost of army and navy from July 1, 1908, to April 30, 1909, that is, for ten months, was $206,483,937.37. We throw more than three hundred million dollars into the yawning maw of the war-god every year, and his appetite is increasing. The nations of the world are verily seized with insanity, lashed into madness by hysterical fear of what the other nations are going to do.” “Nobody has any idea where it will all end. That the present rate of increase can not go on is evident, yet no nation will begin to retrench. We are treated to the amazing spectacle of a world governed by fear and jealousy and greed, and this condition, which seems to us so natural, is plunging us into a debt that is growing positively appalling. While thousands of families are starving, and millions of workmen can not find employment, we are emptying our bags of gold into this war abyss which always claims more. The high angels must weep over the superlative folly of the statesmen and the kings of the earth.” When this terrible strain of the nations to keep their war equipment up to the highest standard will end no one knows. A recent despatch says that Japan has decided to build a monster war-ship of thirty-six thousand tons. The Christian Herald of August 25 takes from the Michigan Christian Advocate the following statement of Bishop Mallalieu concerning the “Dreadnaught” discussion, which is much to the point:— “It costs about fifteen hundred dollars every time a twelve-inch gun is fired. This, of course, includes the wear and tear of the gun. But fifteen hundred dollars would build a neat cottage for a laboring man. It would support two first-rate female teachers. It would support a minister of the gospel of peace in heathen lands for a whole year. Then it costs ten million dollars of good money to build one of those horrible ‘Dreadnaughts;’ and one million dollars per annum to keep one of them afloat, and in ten years or less the ship that costs all this goes to the junk-heap. But what could be wrought with the twenty million dollars thus spent on one engine of war in the brief space of ten years? A thousand churches could be built, each costing twenty thousand dollars; or two thousand schoolhouses could be built, each costing ten thousand dollars; or twenty thousand school-teachers, good men and college graduates, could be employed at a salary of one thousand dollars; or five thousand farms could be bought, paying four thousand dollars for each one of them; or forty thousand young men or women could be kept in college for a whole year, allowing each one of them five hundred dollars. . . . More than fourteen million have lost their lives in the wars of the nineteenth century, and, sad to say, most of these have been slain within the bounds of Christendom.” All this war preparation is made in view of an inevitable conflict which statesmen foresee. Just when or how the match will be applied to the great war magazine of the world which will result in an international explosion no one can exactly foretell. But this dreadful day is surely hastening on. The heathen nations are waking up. Plowshares are being beaten into swords. War is absorbing agriculture. Mr. B. F. Yoaman, the well-known railroad man, in addressing a farmers’ union in Oklahoma recently, said:— “We would better spend more of the money we burn up in powder in making new farms. A forty-acre farm of irrigated land will comfortably support a family of five. It costs fifty-five thousand dollars to make a twelve-inch gun. The money that goes to pay for this gun would reclaim fifteen hundred seventy-one acres of land, providing homes for one hundred ninety-six persons. When all the guns on all the battle-ships are shot at one time, the government blows off in noise and smoke one hundred fifty thousand dollars. This would reclaim more than four thousand acres of land, giving homes to more than five hundred farmers and their families.” These are stirring words. And what is true of this nation is equally true of all the great nations of the world. What will the end be? Simply this: Armageddon. The nations are preparing for a terrible conflict which they see is coming; and the armed truce can not much longer continue. Diplomacy may avert the catastrophe for a little time, but ere long the whirlwind will break loose. When all the flower of manhood, now training in all the world, and equipped with the best implements of destruction the inventive genius of man can construct, meet on the field of combat10in a death struggle, there will indeed be a time of trouble such as never was. And the day hastens on apace. It is time that the church should put on her strength and prepare for it. The Needs of the South
By M. C. Strachan
The colored brethren and sisters in our churches are looking forward with a great deal of interest to the coming October collection, and they are hoping that the offering will be double that of last year. From every quarter the calls for means are multiplying daily; especially is this so in the Southland, where the demand for evangelical and educational help is far beyond the ability of our conference officials to supply.11 Throughout the field there is a painful destitution of well-trained and experienced laborers in the evangelical, educational, and medical missionary departments of the work. And just at a time when the providence of God is revealing to us exceptional opportunities for service among the Negro race, there is this sorrowful lack of efficient laborers to answer the numerous calls that come to us on every side. This situation must ever remain thus unless there is, just now, a general rallying of our forces throughout the States, and a self-sacrificing effort made by all the brethren and sisters in America to help bear the financial burdens of the work among the colored race. We can not hope for the workers with which to answer the various calls unless we hasten to give the needed funds to place our training-school for the colored youth on vantage-ground. Our sanitarium and school at Huntsville, Ala., are languishing daily for the want of money to provide the needed facilities with which to operate the different features that will give to our colored youth a peculiar fitness for the work in the field. There is no institution among us that is better suited to train our colored workers to accommodate themselves to the task of reaching the great masses of the Negro race with the third angel's message. But few of us seem to realize the magnitude of the work that must be done among the colored people. There are millions who have never yet heard the message. These must be given the light of present truth; and for the accomplishment of this, the Lord has provided many agencies. Among these the Oakwood Industrial Training School seems to be the most important; for from it must go forth gospel missionaries. There is a pressing need for consecrated, well-trained colored laborers in the densely populated sections of our great Southland. Workers must be fitted to labor in the large cities in the North, as well as in the South. And especially should well-balanced and experienced workers be trained to operate in the great educational centers of the race, where the Lord has repeatedly assured us that our efforts will be rewarded by the gathering in of some very precious fruit. We are all thankful that the light of present truth has been shining in a few places among the colored people, and that a few laborers in this field have been working whole-heartedly to give the message to their own race. A good beginning has been made, but much remains yet to be done. The Lord would be pleased to have us all now come up to the help of this long-neglected work. Let us come as “cheerful” givers before the Lord, with grateful hearts denying ourselves, “not grudgingly,” and he will certainly open “the windows of heaven,” and pour us out a blessing. There is no just ground for discouragement over the past failures and shortcomings; but let us rather thank God and take courage, for we shall surely see marvelous advances in the work among the Negroes in the near future. Turkey in Prophecy
By Percy T. Magan
In our last article we studied the seven last plagues, with the exception of the sixth. Bible proof was given that each of these, considered by itself, comes without giving any warning of its approach. It was also shown that each and every one of these plagues is an “act of God”—wholly an operation of God, unaided by human agency. Concerning the sixth plague, the record says:— “And the sixth poured out his bowl upon the great river, the river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way might be made ready for the kings that come from the sunrising. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: for they are spirits of devils, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world, to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.) And they gathered them together into the place which is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon.” See Rev. 16: 12-16, R. V. First let it be noted that this plague is entirely different in nature and character from the five which precede it, and the seventh, which follows it. Whereas all of those are acts of God, administered without the use of any human instrumentalities, this one, while a judgment of God, is in a large degree the act of men,—of kings and their armies. It involves action upon the part of “the kings of the East,” and of “the kings of the earth,” and of the kings “of the whole world.” Under this plague all of these and their military forces are to be gathered together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. These kings and their armies are to come from the north, and the south, and the east, and the west. Briton and German, American, Japanese, and Chinese are all to be there. From one end of earth to the other is to be a tremendous movement of troops and munitions and ordnance of war. There is to be a battle royal, in which all the kings of the earth are to take part. The agencies which gather all of these to this great battle, are said to be three unclean spirits, which possess the power of working miracles. Now the lining up of nations for battle; the grouping of world powers for war; the preparation of stores, ammunition, and artillery for world-shaking battle, all take time. Political and diplomatic events and misunderstandings of one kind and another must take place, and these can not occur in a moment. Circumstances must be generated on account of commercial or territorial reasons, which result in national suspicions and frictions. These take months and years to develop. This, therefore, is the only one of the plagues which is not, in the legal sense, “an act of God.” It is a judgment of God; but it is a visitation, or calamity, in which human instrumentalities and human agencies act a part. And in this particular it differs altogether from the rest of the plagues. Consequently this plague is the only one which can be seen in the making. It alone can be observed shaping up. It is the only one that men can watch in the course of preparation. Therefore the sixth plague is the great “sign” plague, to give warning, not only of itself, but of all the plagues; for when men see this plague in the making, they must know that not only is the pouring out of it near at hand, but that the five others which precede it are nearer still. This world-wide war and strife which culminates in the battle of Armageddon, is the sixth plague in order. The plague of the “noisome and grievous sore,” of the turning of the sea into “the blood of a dead man;” of the transforming of the rivers and fountains of water into “blood;” of the scorching of men with great heat by the sun; and of darkness upon a certain portion of the earth,—these, one and all, fall prior to the pouring out of the sixth. Now into the very heart of the record of the sixth plague is injected a notable verse, the fifteenth: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” This scripture would appear at first sight to be out of its proper place. But let it be noted that the verse is in parentheses in the Revised Version, and in most versions aside from the King James Version. Let it be noted that there is no verse of similar import anywhere in the record of the other plagues. There is not a line of like character to be found in any of them. Now why is this verse thrown into the bosom of the story of the sixth plague? It begins with the word “Behold,” which is a command, not only to look, but to watch, and to watch intently. It signifies an order to gaze steadfastly at a thing, and to study it earnestly. This verse calls upon men to watch. We are to watch the garments of our characters, and especially and particularly are we to watch this sixth plague. We are to behold it, and to watch and observe its progress, and as we see it approaching, prepare our souls for the great day of God, which it ushers in. This is the only plague the coming of which men can watch. And that is why this fifteenth verse is embedded in the heart of its story. For the time being, then, the sixth plague is the all-important one to watch and study and understand. In the ultimate, this plague is a war—“the war of the great day of God.” See Rev. 16: 14, R. V. “The kings that come from the sunrising,” and the kings “of the earth,” and of “the whole world” are involved in it. What more striking sign of the second coming of Christ could God give than this? War, perhaps more than anything else, attracts the interest and fastens the attention of all mankind. And universal war, in the very nature of events, is the thing of all others in which all mankind are interested. It affects more than any other earthly condition, the necessities of life, the commerce, the wealth, the homes, and all the most sacred ties of the human family. The scenes of this plague close with the great battle of Armageddon, or the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Let us now begin to examine the scripture which describes this plague, and learn what we can relative to the events which are there outlined, and which lead up to the last great battle of the great day of God Almighty. In the international events of to-day we shall distinguish the things portrayed in the story of the plague. Great race questions are now pending. Are these the things prophesied? Are events now taking place which will prepare the way for “the kings of the East,”—the kings that come from the sunrising? Here are the opening words of the plague: “And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the East might be prepared.” See Rev. 16: 12. The Euphrates is the largest river in Western Asia. It rises in Armenia. Armenia is now and has been ever since the sixteenth century, a part of the Turkish empire. This river is first mentioned in the Bible in Gen. 2: 14. It is one of the four streams mentioned in connection with the garden of Eden. The Hebrew word rendered Euphrates literally means “to break forth.” And it may be of passing interest to note that it was in the vicinity of this body of water that our first parents fell, when the long night of sin and sorrow first broke forth and had its beginning. And it would appear from the prophecy that in the Turkish territory, where the Euphrates rises, and through which for many a mile her waters flow, the long night of earth’s history is destined to come to an end forever, at the great battle of Armageddon.