Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 3, 1893
Editorial.
By Editor
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable."—2 Tim. 3:16.
MANY professed Christians to-day have an idea that they must by some act on their part earn the eternal reward. It is by this deception that Satan leads many into doubt and discouragement. Eternal life is not earned; it is the gift of God through Jesus Christ. By nothing that we can do will we merit the favor of God. We can only reach out by faith and take from him the blessings that he stands ready to bestow. To Jesus Christ belongs all credit for the blessings we enjoy in this world and for all the fullness of blessings we shall enjoy in the world to come.
CHRIST is the author of every right impulse. Man of himself is sin and sin only. His desires, his purposes, his tendencies are downward in their nature. "There is none righteous, no, not one; . . . for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." It is the work of Christ to redeem man from this fallen and lost condition. This he does by cleansing man from sin, and giving in its place his own perfect righteousness. He creates a clean heart and renews a right spirit within man. The ransomed of the Lord can take no credit to themselves for deliverance. To the Lord alone will belong the glory. He paid the ransom price, and gives the strength to break the bands of sin.
THE eternal ages of the future will fail to reveal to our minds the fullness of one single attribute of the character of our blessed Lord. So long as God shall be higher than man, which will be so long as he maintains his character of God, there will be in him unexplored and unfathomable depth and greatness. One of the joys of the eternal state will be the study of God and of his matchless love as manifested in the gift of his Son. And every time the arches of heaven resound with the praise of the redeemed, there will be revealed to their minds some new phase of heavenly beauty and loveliness, which will call forth from them fresh expressions of delight and holy, enraptured joy. Thus it is that those whom John saw round about the throne cry day and night, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty."
THE judgment of God in the punishment of the finally impenitent will not be vindictive in its nature, but rather vindicative. God will not punish man because he has a grudge against him, from petty spite, or through feelings of revenge. This would be vindictive, the same spirit that prompts man to revenge on his fellow some real or fancied wrong. In the destruction of the wicked will be manifested the highest exhibition of God's love. "God is love," and every act and attribute of his character is one of supreme love for all his creatures. Sin produces sorrow, misery, and woe. To prolong the lives of the impenitent would be but to prolong their misery and suffering. God in love takes from that life which of itself has become a burden. In all this he vindicates his own honor, and contributes to his own glory and the happiness of his people.
CHRIST IS RISEN.
ALL over Christendom April 9 will be observed as "Easter Sunday" in honor of the resurrection of Christ. The very term is such as should arouse investigation on the part of every lover of God's word, of every true Protestant, of every disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ; for neither one of the terms is Christian or scriptural. The former term, "Easter," occurs once in the Bible (Acts 12: 4), of which the original is "passover," and is so rendered in the Revised Version. Its origin is the word "Eostre," the name of a heathen goddess worshiped in the springtime by our pagan Saxon ancestors, whose votive offerings consisted of vernal plants and flowers; for Eostre was the goddess of spring, and the worship rendered her was nature worship, the character of which is well known to those versed in mythological lore. The spring or Easter festival is wholly of pagan origin.
The term "Sunday" has a similar origin. It is the name given by our pagan ancestors to the first day of the week, and dedicated by them to the worship of the sun. Losing sight of God, the Source of all light, who is light, they turned to worship the creature made by God as a light bearer. The first day of the week became the sun's day. The worship of the sun was also a species of nature worship, and can be traced back into remote pagan times farther than any other form of idolatry.
Sunday has no place in Scripture. It is neither taught as a duty nor presented as a privilege. It is never presented as a holy day, either by express declaration or by inference.
So much for the term "Easter Sunday." The words are both of pagan origin, pointing us back to the dead heathen worship rather than to a living Saviour.
True, the feast of the passover came in the spring; but the object of the passover ceased when Christ our passover was sacrificed for us. 1 Cor. 5: 7. True it is that Jesus rose from the dead in the spring of the year, just after the time of the passover, but what is there in that event which calls for the celebration of a day? He was not a day in coming forth from the tomb. In fact, the Scriptures do not expressly declare the day on which he rose, showing that the particular time is not in anywise important. The resurrection of Christ has in it nothing which would connect it with a particular day of the week; for the types of which our Lord was the antitype fell on various days of the week.
But apart from any positive declaration of Scripture to that effect, is it not well to set apart a day in honor of the resurrection? Is it not well to draw the minds of the church and the world to that great event of Christendom at least once a year? To these queries we would reply most emphatically that it is well; but how shall it be done? by human devices, or in the way revealed of God in his word? In devising and carrying into effect human plans and institutions several evils arise: (1) Not having the word of God much more human energy is expended, and always unsatisfactorily, in securing their adoption and observance by the people. (2) This extra energy placed upon a purely human ordinance tends to exalt it above the divine, about which less is done and said. And if the human is designed to be a memorial of any work of God for which God has given a memorial, the acceptance of the human makes void the ordinance of God, and so the one error leads to many others.338These evils and others we need not name follow in the wake of Easter Sunday as a memorial in honor of the resurrection. A large amount of human energy, which should have been devoted to God, has been expended in the introduction and observation of the day. It exalts the yearly day by the very manner of its observance above the simple faith of the gospel by appealing to the sordid motive of pleasing God by works which he has not commanded. And finally it blinds the church and the world to the importance of the very thing which Infinite Wisdom set apart as an abiding evidence of a risen Christ.
All that God asks that we may be received into his family is willingness on our part. This implies submission and faith; but biblical faith comprehends it all. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16: 31. "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," are the words of Christ in Mark 16: 16. But baptism is not a work of the man which saves or helps to save him; it is an act of faith. The properly instructed soul will count it a privilege. When a true woman has won the love of a noble husband, her next desire is to show the union of their hearts, the trueness of their love, before the world. She has espoused him, given herself to be his alone, and she desires the world to know it. Therefore the marriage ceremony; therefore the privilege of the bride to name the day. So it is that when we have accepted Christ, when we have yielded all to him, we wish the world to know it. We desire the truth of the union to be made known. We have become dead to the world, we have renounced its sin, that we might "be married to another, even to Him who is raised from the dead." Rom. 7: 4; see also Acts 8: 35-38. "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Gal. 3: 27. Baptism is therefore the marriage ceremony between the believer and Christ.
But the marriage is "to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit [by the power of that risen life] unto God." Rom. 7: 4. Baptism has direct reference, therefore, to the risen Christ. Here is another testimony: "We are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection." Rom. 6: 4, 5.
The great facts of the gospel, Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15: 1-4), are the very facts set forth in the ordinance of baptism; and in going forward in that ordinance we declare to the world that we accept of Christ's death and life for us. He died for our sins; his burial was proof of his death; he lives for our justification and victory. Our baptism shows that we should henceforth "walk in newness of life," and we are married to him, that "we should bring forth fruit unto God."
Now as death came by sin (James 1: 15; Rom. 5: 12), the triumph over death is the triumph over sin (see Rom. 8: 1, 2; Rev. 1: 18). The reason why the grave could not hold Christ was because he was righteous. Acts 2: 24. He triumphed over sin in the flesh, and his resurrection was a proof of his power. This is the power for which Paul relinquished all else,—"the power of his resurrection,"—and this power, this "newness of life," this "fruit unto God," is the proof to the world that there is a risen Christ, who has triumphed over sin and death, and who by his grace gives in answer to the faith of his people the same power to them. It is this very righteousness which he longs to put upon them in answer to faith. See Rom. 3: 22. It is this very power which he desires them to have in answer to faith. See Eph. 1: 15-23. It is this manifestation of the righteousness and power of God which reveals to all men that "Christ is risen indeed." And because the celebration of a day, either weekly or yearly, hides this great and all-important fact, we are opposed to it and protest against it as a part of that mystery of iniquity which would make void the mystery of God.
Christ is risen! Proclaim that Christ is risen, but not once a year alone, not once a week alone, but every day and every hour of the day in the manifestation to the world of "the power of an endless life," his life who died for us, and who lives to intercede in our behalf, who lives in all of those who trust in him. Reader, when, how, where, are you proclaiming that Christ is risen? He is our passover; let him be manifest to the world every day.
THE CHARACTER OF GOD.
By Frederick M. Wilcox
DOUBT and distrust of God often come through ignorance of what he is. To know God aright is to know the source of all power, comfort, and encouragement. True, we can never fathom or comprehend so much as one attribute of his nature in its depth and fullness. The more we think of his power, the more mighty will it appear. The longer we gaze, the more radiant and resplendent will become the divine effulgence of his glory. And thus it is and ever will be with every phase of his character. Devotion of time and study will serve to reveal deeper and hidden springs of wealth and beauty. And while we never can possess a perfect knowledge of the character of God, we can approach nearer and nearer the divine glory, and view if necessary from distant heights the broad expanse of his eternal, unbounded fullness. In this we may find encouragement, and will find our faith and confidence increasing at every new manifestation of the divine character.
Of the many attributes composing the character of God, there are three, it appears to us, which lie at the very foundation of his existence, and furnish to the Christian a special guarantee of keeping and redeeming power. These three—his power, his wisdom, and his love—each and all infinite in their nature, furnish for trust and confidence a foundation both sure and steadfast. Consider these in order:—
1. Infinite power. By that power God called his universe into existence. "He spake, and it was [done]; he commanded, and it stood fast." That same power upholds them to-day. Heb. 1:3. It is God "who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance." "Behold, the nations are as a drop in the bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance." Isa. 40:12, 15.
God's power is infinite. He possesses all power in heaven and in earth. There are no conquests for him to gain, no new acquisitions to make. He possesses all power, and he can never possess more; for there is none, nor can there ever be any power but what already exists in him. In the contemplation of this attribute alone, there is much comfort and encouragement; for in possessing such un-limited power, majesty, and might, God is able to do for us "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask, or think." But infinite power alone would not constitute a perfect guarantee for the repose of confidence and trust. There must accompany that power a knowledge to rightly direct and govern its exercise. This would require—
2. Infinite wisdom. And these two attributes, power and wisdom, are inseparable. One is the complement of the other. In God both exist in an infinite degree. It required infinite wisdom to formulate the laws which govern so perfectly the intricate workings of the machinery of the universe, quite as much as it required infinite power to make those laws effective. Before man was created, God knew the history of the human race, and the detailed history of every individual composing the race from Adam to the end of time.
God knows our secret thoughts and inmost motives. Says Job: "I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withheld from thee." Chap. 42:2. Says David: "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off." Ps. 139:2. And the Lord through Isaiah (chapter 46:9, 10) thus proclaims his wisdom: "I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."
As God cannot gain more power, neither can he gain more wisdom. He knew all things six thousand years ago, and he knows no better to-day. He cannot learn by experience, for his wisdom is infinite, perfect, absolute. This absolute wisdom insures the perfection and infallibility of every plan. Were the wisdom of God progressive, it might appear ages hence that some of his past plans were unwise, and therefore imperfectly suited for the accomplishment of his purposes. This would entail a change in his character, a revolution in his universe. Comfort may we draw from the thought that God, in the exercise of his absolute and unlimited power, can make no mistake. His aim is unerring, his judgment unimpeachable.
3. Infinite love. Is it possible to conceive of a being all-powerful and all-wise, and yet not possessing the perfect complement of these graces,—infinite love? Such an existence is unthinkable. Infinite love is the offspring of infinite wisdom. These three combined make up and constitute the perfect Godhead. The remembrance of the cost of our salvation supplies the proof that infinite love is an attribute of our Heavenly Father, and of his Son, Jesus Christ. "God is love," and "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son" to die for a race of rebels. To Moses the Lord proclaims: "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth."
In these three attributes of God's character is found a basis for trust and confidence as broad and deep as the eternal ages. Did God possess but the first, he would have power, but neither the love to enlist, nor the wisdom to direct, its exercise. Did he possess power and wisdom alone, love would still be lacking to339call these attributes into existence. But possessing all three, each in an infinite and incomprehensible degree of fullness, the foundation for trust and confidence is most complete and assuring. He has power to do, wisdom to guide, and love as the prompting motive.
We can never float beyond the ocean of his love. We can never sink below the reach of his power. Environments of sin can never be so intricate but what his wisdom can unravel and loosen their grasp. He is too wise to err, too good to be unkind. We may not at all times be able to discern the workings of his providence, but in the darkest gloom and greatest danger we may rest securely in his love, and wisdom, and power, knowing that he knows best, and has in view our highest good and perfect final happiness. "Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." F. M. W.
THE WORD OF THE LORD.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
BY ELDER E. J. WAGGONER.
"For no prophecy ever came by the will of man; but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Peter 1:21.
WE have already read that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets of old, testifying. David said, "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue." 2 Sam. 23:2. We have also read such expressions in the New Testament as, "The Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake;" "Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said;" "As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began," etc. These and other scriptures show that the Bible is emphatically the word of God.
Read also the following words: "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." 1 Thess. 2:13. This is the case with "all Scripture," and is just what is stated in the text at the head of this article.
How much is included in the term "prophecy"? This can best be answered by considering the meaning of the word "prophet." This term we find defined in God's words to Moses. When Moses persistently sought to evade God's
commission to go back to Egypt, on the ground that he was not eloquent, "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God." Ex. 4:14-16.
Now read Ex. 7:1: "And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet." What part did Aaron have to act?—Simply to utter the words that Moses gave him. He was the spokesman for Moses; he was to him as a mouth. But he is called a prophet to Moses. Therefore we know that a prophet is one who speaks for another; who utters not his own words, but the words of another. Therefore a prophet of God is one who speaks for God; who speaks not his own words, but the words of God. "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God." John 3:34.
See this definition of a prophet carried out in the prophecy concerning Christ, in Deut. 18:18, 19: "I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."
A prophet, therefore, is one who speaks the words of God, and consequently prophecy must be that which is spoken by the Lord through a prophet. But this embraces the entire Bible. Of course there can be no question in regard to what are known as the prophetic books. But the Psalms are prophecy, for they are often quoted as such in the New Testament. They are full of predictions concerning Christ and his coming. See the words above quoted concerning the principal writer of the Psalms, in 2 Sam. 23:2.
The five books of Moses are prophecy by the same rule, for they were written by one of the greatest prophets. See Deut. 34:10. He who reads those books understandingly, will find them full of prophecy concerning future events. When Jesus met with his disciples after his resurrection, he said, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me." Luke 24:44.
But how about the historical books of the Bible. They must also come under the head of prophecy, for the writers of those books were invariably prophets. They were inspired, as well as the rest of the Scriptures. Let it be noted well that we are not stating any theory of inspiration,—we are not attempting to show how the Scriptures are inspired, nor to settle any question as to "degrees of inspiration"—but are simply considering what the scriptures themselves say of the fact. We do not profess to tell how much any portion of Scripture is inspired, for it is all infinite and cannot be measured. He who presumes to measure the "degrees of inspiration" might as well set340
himself to tell how much more power the Lord exerted in creating the sun than in creating the earth, or how much harder work it was for him to make the earth than to make a blade of grass. We simply know that the infinite power of God was required to make the smallest object in nature, and we are content. So we are content with knowing that "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God," without trying to weigh God's words in the balances of poor human reason.
So in regard to the historical books of the Bible we may not say that they are inspired as much as the rest of the Bible, for that would be to imply a measurement of inspiration; but we can say that they come from the same Divine Source as the rest. All are given by the same inspiration of God.
Some will say, "Surely it cannot be necessary to consider the narratives of the Bible inspired; anybody can write out that which passes before his eyes, or that which he has experienced." It is a fact that it is comparatively easy to write out what one thinks about a thing, but it is quite another matter to be sure that it is the absolute truth. No human writer can set down the truth and the whole truth in regard to any event in history. Only God can do that, and it is because the historical records of the Bible are his words, that they can be depended on.
But there is something that is not often considered in reading the historical records of the Bible, and that is the object for which they were written. It was not simply to gratify curiosity concerning things that have taken place in the past, but for our guidance in the present. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." Rom 15:4. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Cor. 10:11. Now note the prophetic element in sacred history. In the direct predictions we find set forth the things that are to take place in the last days. The power to foretell future events is clearly recognized as supernatural. In the history we find that which directs us perfectly how we ought to act when the things come that are predicted. One part tells what is coming; the other part exactly fits man's need when the thing comes. And not only does it meet the need of one man, but of every man in all time. Surely sacred history is prophecy.
This matter might be carried farther, but this is sufficient. Let the reader note the frequent occurrence in the Bible of the expressions, "And the Lord said," "The word of the Lord came unto me," etc. Let him learn to receive the entire Bible as the word of God, and then remember that it is written that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
The Fruit of Sacrifice
By Rev. Josiah Strong
The seed of sacrifice brings forth the fragrant fruit of love, and love always has in its heart the seeds of new sacrifice.—Rev. Josiah Strong.
Blessed to Be Made Good
God does not give us his blessing because we are good, but he bestows it upon us that we may be made good.
THE WORD WAS GOD.
By Rev. J. E. Rankin
BY REV. J. E. RANKIN.
WITH God he was, was very God,
Before the skies were arched abroad,
Before the stars were set on high,
To syllable His majesty;
Ere earth had her foundations laid,
Or out of dust was mortal made.
With God He was, was very God,
He who for us the winepress trod.
The world His coming waited long,
The theme of prophecy and song;
Yearned up to God through blood and fire,
Unsatisfied her one desire;
And all creation groaned afresh,
To see God manifest in flesh,
To see earth's tribes, scattered abroad,
Gathered in One, the sons of God.
When Time was ripe, of woman born,
Men turned upon Him in their scorn;
A Man of sorrows and of grief,
In vain He sought on earth relief;
Homeless by day, at night no bed,
Nor pillow for His weary head;
For Him no respite could there be
Till finished was His ministry.
He walked beneath the circling sun,
Spake but the word, and it was done;
Rebuked the waters in their might,
Gave to the blind their longed-for sight;
He spake, the deaf were quick to hear,
The rifled tomb confessed Him near;
So gracious He to guide and teach,
The common people loved His speech.
The shiv'ring rocks were rent in twain,
And earth herself felt throes of pain;
The sun for shame, in his high place,
Hid from the sight his very face;
The startled tombs gave up their dead,
When this Man bowed His thorn-crowned head,
Who tasted death for you and me,
Alone that day on Calvary.
—New York Observer.
OUR QUESTION CORNER.
By Editor
[From time to time we will reply under this head, if deemed advisable, to such candid inquiries on scriptural topics or moral questions as may be sent us. Questions which minister strife to no profit to our readers will not be answered here. Correspondents wishing a reply to their questions must give their full name and address, not for publication unless they wish, but as an evidence of good faith on their part, and to give us opportunity to reply by letter if deemed best. It is always well to inclose stamp. The questions will be numbered continuously.]
THE following questions come from the isles of the Pacific:—
81. OUT OF WHAT WERE WORLDS MADE?
1. Sabbath, January 14, question 3 on Heb. 11:3, in our lesson book reads: "Out of what were the things made which are now seen?" Is it known? If the word not is placed between the words things and made, in the question, as it is in the S.GNS, would it not change the question and also the answer?
82. VISIBLE WIND.
2. Lesson 4. Will you please state in some simple way how it can be shown that the wind is visible, as all are not satisfied upon this point, but some are going to investigate the question indicated in the SIGNS on John 3:3-8.
83. DISCERNING OF SPIRIT.
3. Are the results of the moving of the Spirit visible?
1. Whatever the material universe was made of, or whether it was made of nothing, we do not believe that Heb. 11:3 states. "God spake and it was." "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." Ps. 33:6. God spake the universe into existence; beyond this we do not know. Heb. 11:3 certainly does not state in our common version out of what the worlds were made, but out of what the worlds were not made; therefore, to our mind, the question should be asked with the negative.
2. One common experiment which will show the visibility of the wind is to stand by a solid board fence with a straight top during a strong wind. On the side from which the wind blows, if the point of observation be correct, it can be seen pouring over into the still air below. We have used a wide board or plank for the same purpose, turned upon edge in a strong wind. It must rest on the ground so that the air will not pass freely under it.
3. The results of the moving of the Spirit of God are often visible and often invisible. They are seen in the tearful eye, and other manifestations of repentance, and in the manifest fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, goodness, etc., but the counterfeit is readily taken as the genuine by those who are carnal. The movings of the Spirit of God cannot be seen, and its fruit can only be truly discerned by those who have the Spirit of God. See 1 Cor. 2:10-16.
THE FOUR GOSPELS.
By Rev. L. A. Lambert
Matthew wrote for the Jews, and he devoted himself to applying to Christ the prophecies of the Old Testament, in order to convince the Jews, who believed them, that Christ was the Messiah—that in his person the predictions of their prophets were accomplished. Mark wrote his gospel for the Gentile converts at Rome. His object was to prove that Christ was the sovereign Master of all things, and he therefore devotes almost all his chapters to a recital of the works of Christ which show his divine power.
Luke wrote his gospel more particularly for Theophilus, a pagan convert. His design was to prove that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Saviour of men, as the facts and circumstances of his life prove. For this purpose he makes known certain facts omitted by Matthew and Mark.
John wrote his gospel to refute the heresies of the Corinthians, Ebionites, and Valentinians, who attacked the divinity of Christ, and denied many of the facts and words of Christ, which the other evangelists had omitted. His primary object was to prove the divinity of Christ, and for this purpose he begins his gospel with these sublime words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The evangelists, then, differ in their recitals according to the different circumstances in which they wrote and the objects in view.—Rev. L. A. Lambert, Notes on Ingersoll, p. 149.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
By Elder F. M. Wilcox
IN the twenty-first chapter of Luke we have recorded the same discourse by our Lord as is given in Matthew 24. Luke's record, however, is somewhat different, in that he omits some things given by Matthew, and records other points of which Matthew does not speak. In addition to the signs in the heavens, Luke speaks of the state of the nations, and of disturbances to be witnessed in the ocean just prior to the coming of the Lord: "And 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 that are coming upon the earth; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." Verses 25, 26.
The signs in the sun, moon, and stars we have already noticed in preceding articles. In this we wish to notice the state of the nations just before the end of time. What their state will be we have pointed out in the scripture quoted above. There shall be upon the earth
DISTRESS OF NATIONS WITH PERPLEXITY.
That this condition is present among the nations of the world to-day, it needs no long argument to demonstrate. Whether we consider the nations of earth in their social, political, or religious phase, we see among them everywhere sore distress and perplexity. Distress by famine, by disease, by race persecution, by secret and social combinations, by political corruption and degeneracy, in capital versus labor, in burdensome taxes for the support of vast armies,—in all these phases of political and social life are there widespread distress, anxiety, and perplexity.
In proof of these statements wanted, we need only to refer to the state of the nations to-day, as chronicled in the public prints during the last few months. For distress by famine, we have only to remember the bitter cry for help wrung from Russia's starving millions a few short months ago, and the food-laden ships of sustenance we forwarded to alleviate their afflictions. Also the want for bread and life's necessities, and poverty, wretchedness, and misery witnessed continually in all our large centers of civilization, both in the New World and Old.
For distress by disease, we have but to recount the many victims of cholera's ruthless visit one year ago, and not only the victims of that terrible scourge, but those falling daily and hourly into the grasp of some other last-day disorder, nearly if not quite as fatal. Medical science stands aghast at these deadly maladies, unable to cope with their fearful onslaughts.
For distress by race persecution, we can point to the ill-fated Jew, never at rest since the destruction of his national greatness under Solomon, but called upon anew in our day to drink the cup of gall and bitterness by the Russian autocrat. The secret and social combinations in some of our last-day governments have become their bane. The Nihilists of Russia, the Socialists of Germany, the Communists of France, and the Anarchists of our own government have made uneasy many heads that wear crowns; and men in State and responsible positions feel that there is indeed just cause for alarm over these secret guilds of society, who are planning general chaos and destruction.
In the matter of political degeneracy and corruption we have only to look at the recent disclosures in the great Panama Canal scandal in France, where the honor and integrity of the greatest men of the French Republic were sold for gold. Grave fears were entertained that the excited and enraged populace would rise up in indignation, and that there would be reënacted the horrors of the French revolution.
The problem of capital and labor is coming to be a most perplexing one to social and political economists. The relation of employer and employe are becoming so complicated and strained every year that the outcome of the question is regarded with deep anxiety. It is hoarded wealth and ill-gotten gains in many instances on one hand, and the mad struggle for bread on the part of the millions of wage workers on the other. The fact that inside of two months, during the great labor strikes in our own country last summer, the militia were called out in three States to suppress riots and keep in check the infuriated people, is a sad but true commentary of the condition already reached upon this issue.
But perhaps one of the most significant indications to-day of the wild unrest that fills the minds of the nations, is the strained political relations existing between them. Each is regarding with a jealous and critical eye the doings of its neighbors, and each is looking for some crisis in the near future, though of its nature or results none have definite ideas. Bishop Foster, writing to the Christian Advocate a few years ago, gives this thrilling account of the state of Europe. The few intervening months since this account was written, have by no means lessened the force of its application to the situation of affairs to-day. If it described matters accurately then, it falls short in portraying fully the unrest of Europe at the present time:—
One cannot long sojourn in Europe without feeling how exceedingly sensitive all political relations are. The quiet is never assuring. There are so many colliding interests among the different powers, and so many internal questions, that any moment may culminate in a wide and ruinous conflagration. The very air pulsates with danger. No power can move, or even silently grow, without disturbing all the rest. India is feverish; Egypt is in unrest; Turkey is a prey around which the vultures are gathered; Greece is dissatisfied; Austria, Germany, France, Italy, and England are distrustful of each other; the Nihilists, Communists, and other guilds of destructionists are341planning and scheming general chaos; and so the nations, from India to the isles of Britain, are liable at any new complication to break forth into the flames of war. There is so much at stake, such vast interests of civilization and human advancement, political and religious, that it cannot but cause great anxiety to all thoughtful observers, as well as make uneasy all heads that wear crowns. What will come next? is a question propounded every day over all these uneasy surfaces of our globe, and the only rest to be found is to faith in an overruling Power, who will somehow, out of the many alarming possibilities, work to the general progress and welfare.
The thought that some great crisis is inevitable seems to have fastened itself upon the minds of every European ruler. What will be its outcome none can, of course, predict; but whenever the issue may come and whatever interests it may involve, each power is determined to obtain its full share of spoil at any cost. The terribleness of such a conflict may be judged by the armed forces of Europe today. According to Mr. Labouchere, as published in the Western British American of March 4, Austria already has an army of 1,050,000; Italy, of 1,514,000; Germany, of 2,417,000; Russia, of 2,451,000; and France, of 2,500,000. The total fighting force of Europe is stated to be 12,599,000, and upon this vast host there is spent annually the sum of more than $1,000,000,000.
It seems that Europe might rest satisfied with this mighty host, but the strained relations existing between the States, the fear and perplexity of threatening danger, cause each to vie with every other in preparations for deadly strife. The figures given above impart but an imperfect idea of the state of things that will presently exist, as soon as the new military laws shall have come into full effect. Then the German army will comprise 5,000,000 men; the French, 4,350,000; the Russian, 4,000,000; the Italian, 2,236,000; the Austrian, 1,900,000; the Swiss, 489,000; and the Belgian, 258,000. Altogether Europe will be able to dispose not less than 22,000,000 soldiers, or 15,000,000 more than she had in 1869.
As these vital points regarding the social and political state of the nations are considered, who cannot feel that the prophecy is meeting with a striking fulfillment to-day. Distress and perplexity are found in every nation, and in every phase of national existence. No thoughtful mind can watch these silent preparations without feeling that underneath its surface there is a fearful unrest, a depth and turbulence of feeling which sometime will manifest itself in fearful convulsions. Men to-day may cry peace, but every indication points to war. Instead of beating their swords into plowshares, the nations are beating their plowshares into swords, and their pruning hooks into spears. Joel 3: 9-12.
We are in the last days of our world's history, and the wild unrest we see to-day is but the condition foretold by our Saviour, "distress of nations with perplexity." We can look for better days only under the glorious future reign of the Prince of Peace. In the signs taking place around us, may we read correctly the lesson God designs to reveal to us.