Signs of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 48. (12/8/1914)

Signs of the Times

Dec 8, 1914

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Dec 8, 1914

WHAT FOLLOWS EUROPE'S WAR?

By ROSS C. PORTER

The Prelude to Armageddon — The Papacy to Be Restored to Supremacy — Apostate Protestantism, False to Her Trust, Will Stand with Rome — The Grand Climax Is Christ's Coming

By ROSS C. PORTER

While Christ does not approve of Christians engaging in these satanic conflicts, He, as King of kings, overrules in them, and brings victory to those who will longest preserve the peace, and be most favorable to the promulgation of the gospel and the finishing of its work. The race is not alone to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. “The Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.” Dan. 4: 32.

WAR WILL BE RESTRAINED

He will restrain the winds of strife and war by strong angel hands until the gospel has completed its mission of sealing His servants for the kingdom of God. Rev. 7: 1-3. “Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Matt. 24: 6, 14.

These words of Christ forewarn us not to be disturbed by such utterances as the following from Gen. Nelson A. Miles: “This is to be the greatest war of the ages, and the last.”

It is greater than any war of the past, but it is not Armageddon, for the plain reason that this is a war for military and commercial supremacy, while Armageddon will be a war for politico-religious supremacy. This is a general European war, but Armageddon will be a “whole world” war.

CONFLICT BETWEEN CHRISTENDOM AND THE TURK

As a prelude to it, the Turks, holding the Mohammedan religion, will be driven from Europe, and will establish their temporary seat of government at Jerusalem, where, no longer supported by European nations, that empire will come to its end, with none to help it. Dan. 11: 44, 45.

Russia shall come from the north with a “mighty army,” which will be destroyed upon the mountains in the Holy Land. Eze. 38: 2, 14-23; 39: 1-7, 17-21. The overthrow of the Ottoman empire, and the union of Christian nations, arouses all heathen nations, and they concentrate the full strength of their combined forces in the valley of Jehoshaphat, north of Jerusalem, for the conflict. Joel 3: 9-12; Revelation 13.

THE PAPACY TO BE SUPREME

The papacy, restored to the position of supremacy which it occupied during the medieval ages, again reigns over the kings of the earth, and sits a queen in the religio-political world. Revelation 17, 18. This Romeward tendency is already manifesting itself, as the following among a multitude of similar things will show: “The pope is no longer a petty Italian prince, but the monarch of a vast, admirably organized spiritual world empire.” (The China Press, August 21, 1914.)

United with Protestantism and spiritualism, and bearing both a political and a religious sword, Catholicism becomes inspired with the “spirits of devils” for the Armageddon conflict. The rallying cry of united Protestantism, Catholicism, and spiritualism is, “Christ enthroned as king of the world, His law to go forth from Zion and His word from Jerusalem.” With this rallying cry, Catholic and Protestant nations proceed to join in the Armageddon conflict in the Holy Land, that they may enthrone Christ as king in Jerusalem. Isa. 2: 1-5; Matt. 24: 23, 24; Rev. 16: 13, 14; 13.

A WORLD'S RELIGIOUS CONFEDERACY

As by military alliances, the nations prepared for the great European conflict; so, by religious confederacies, against which the Bible bears most emphatic

warning (Isaiah 8), the religious world is preparing for Armageddon.

As by military alliances, the nations prepared for the great European conflict; so, by religious confederacies, against which the Bible bears most emphatic warning (Isaiah 8), the religious world is preparing for Armageddon.

The European war demonstrates the rapidity with which Armageddon, which embraces all nations (Joel 3: 2; Rev. 16: 14), will break over the whole world. In the midst of the Armageddon conflict, Christ comes from heaven, and delivers His people, and destroys those engaged in the Armageddon battle. Joel 3: 11-17; Dan. 12: 1.

NOT A WARRIOR ESCAPES

This warfare, which professes to enthrone Christ as temporal king, is antichristian. 2 Thess. 2: 1-12. Christ and His army in heaven are arrayed against it. Rev. 19: 11-21. He destroys, by the brightness of His second advent, all engaged in the conflict, who have not already slaughtered one another. 2 Thess. 1: 7-10; Zech. 14: 1-3; Jer. 25: 31-33. Not a living man of those marshaled in the roll-call of war will escape. Jer. 4: 19-25. And every city in the world will be broken down and desolated. Jer. 4: 26; Rev. 16: 19.

Not a child of God will be slain during the Armageddon conflict. As the conflict begins under the sixth plague (Rev. 16: 12), which is after the close of probation, the martyrdom of saints would no longer result in a harvest of sinners saved; hence no Christian will suffer death at that time, but every one will be delivered. Dan. 12: 1.

THE REDEEMED DELIVERED FROM ARMAGEDDON

The saints who are delivered at the time of the battle of Armageddon are taken to the heavenly Jerusalem, which Christ went to prepare for them nineteen hundred years ago. John 14: 1-3; 1 Thess. 4: 15-17. Then begins the millennial reign of Christ over His delivered people in the new Jerusalem. Rev. 20: 1-4. At the close of the thousand years' reign of peace in heaven, the heavenly Jerusalem comes down, and is located on this earth. Rev. 21: 1-4. All the wicked dead will then be resurrected and come up around the new Jerusalem, where utter and final destruction is visited upon them. Rev. 20: 7-15.

All sin and sorrow will be forever swept away, and unalloyed peace and tearless joy will be the heritage of the children of God throughout eternity. From that day forth, Christ, the Prince of peace, will reign as King over all the earth. Then “He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth” (Ps. 46: 9), and there will be no more war. Zech. 14: 4-11.

MOTOR TRUCKS DRAWING FRENCH ARTILLERY AND AMMUNITION FOR THE GUNS

FORERUNNER OF THE LAST GREAT WAR

The European war, with its awful record of crime, carnage, and destruction, is a fitting forerunner of the last great war, with which earth's history will close. Its aftermath will be increased jealousy among the nations, ending with the fury of Armageddon. In their endeavor to enthrone Christ as king of cruelty and bloodshed, Satan will be enthroned as king of the world instead of Christ, and under his leadership the world will witness the climax of hatred and cruelty, ending only in the complete devastation of the earth.

This is no mere pen picture of a fanciful view of the future. It is the word of prophecy, which forewarns the people of our day of the approach of the climax of the world's wickedness and its visitation, as the writing by the invisible hand on the palace wall of Belshazzar most solemnly foretold the end of the debauchery and crime of the ancient Babylonian empire.

“A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished.” Prov. 27: 12.

Thine Eyes Shall See

By MILTON C. WILCOX

“Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty.” Isa. 33:17.

THINE eyes shall see, thou who hast looked on sin And sin's great fruitage. Thou thyself hast been Where sin hath pleased, and all its hellish art Seemed beauty to thine earthly mind and heart, Till death in all his horrors showed the end, Thy worst of foes, that thou hadst thought thy friend. Then faith saw, standing by, Him thou didst fear, A Friend in every need, a Saviour near.

Thine eyes shall see, eyes oft with sorrow brimmed, By weary watching, pain, and anguish dimmed. Thou sawest by faith thy Lord. He spake thee grace. But then thine eyes shall see, shall see His face. Thine eyes shall see, not in ecstatic vision, Nor in some dreamed about Elysium, But eyes shall see, thine eyes, as when they rest On face of her who soothed thee on her breast.

Thine eyes shall see the King, not earthly lord, Whom many serve through fear or for reward; But Him who spake the word and strewed the sky With shining orbs, and all their hosts on high He marshaled to the music of the spheres. And yet that King the faintest whisper hears Of timid soul who hopes His grace to share. Thine eyes shall see the King. Do not despair.

Thine eyes shall see the King, not crowned with thorns, And led away amid the jeers and scorns Of those He came to save, nor bowed in grief In dark Gethsemane, of pleaders, chief, Nor on the cross bearing the sin of all, The mocking earth beneath, the heaven a pall, Till from the breaking heart is forced the cry, “My God, My God, forsaken as I die!” Not in this saddest, sorest day of duty,— Thine eyes shall see the King in all His beauty.

In beauty not of earth thine eyes shall see. That King is coming soon for thee and me, That same blest Lord who walked the earth of old, Who to thy heart the wondrous story told, Who kept thee through the years of toil and pain,— This King is coming to His own again. Thy King, my King, we—our eyes—shall see, And with Him reign throughout eternity.

Courage and Firmness Needed

By H. E. Sawyer-Hopkins

A Few Thoughts from the Life of Paul

By H. E. Sawyer-Hopkins

One might conclude that Paul's long imprisonment did not result in any good. But he did not seem to regard it all in vain. He manifested a spirit of willingness to endure anything for the sake of Him who had done so much for his salvation. His courage and faith were a continual sermon.

When he was taken to the place of execution, he did not go with dread. His thoughts were not of himself, but of his brethren, and he was trying to encourage them by repeating the precious promises.

“The Christian who manifests patience and cheerfulness under bereavement and suffering, who meets death with the peace and calmness of an unwavering faith, may accomplish far more toward overcoming the opposition of the enemies of the gospel than he could have effected had he labored with his utmost energy day and night to bring repentance.”

“A true Christian is never laid aside. God will use him in health, in sickness, in life and in death.” When a servant of God is withdrawn from active duty, when his voice is no longer heard in encouragement and reproof, we in our short-sighted judgment often conclude that his usefulness is at an end. But God does not so regard it. The mysterious providences over which we so often lament, are designed of God to accomplish a work which otherwise might never have been done.”

THE MAKER OF THE UNIVERSE CAN WORK UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

Paul had converts in the court of Cæsar. For one in the household of the Roman emperor of that time to accept the gospel was like rushing into the fire. Yet these converts did not leave their post, but remained, and showed by their life the change that God had wrought.

All who would fearlessly serve God, will need moral courage and firmness, and a knowledge of His word.

Before the warfare is ended and the victory won, we are to experience trials similar to Paul's. We shall encounter the same hardness of heart. Among the professed followers of Christ there is the same pride, formalism, vainglory, selfishness, and oppression that existed in the Jewish nation.

Persecution will again be kindled against those who are true to God. How shall we prepare for the soon-coming crisis? We must meet it, and we have but a short time to prepare for it. May we have help from above to enable us to live so near to Him that He can be to us “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.”

“A man's conversation is a mirror in which you can behold his real life, for ‘out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.’ The conversation of the man who lives and walks with God is marked by a peculiar depth, breadth, gravity, weight, thoughtfulness, and tenderness. His words breathe the deep, quiet convictions of his heart.”

The MYSTERIOUS DEALINGS OF GOD

By Mrs. E. G. White

Trials and Disappointments That Distress Us — God Has a Purpose and a Plan in It All — He Often Refuses Our Cherished Desires in Order to Work Out His Higher Plans

By Mrs. E. G. White

THERE is an eloquence far more powerful than the eloquence of words in the quiet, consistent life of a pure, true Christian. What a man is has more influence than what he says.

NEVER MAN LIVED AS HE LIVED

The officers who were sent to Jesus came back with the report that never man spoke as He spoke. But the reason for this was that never man lived as He lived. Had His life been other than it was, He could not have spoken as He did. His words bore with them a convincing power, because they came from a heart pure and holy, full of love and sympathy, benevolence and truth.

It is our own character and experience that determine our influence upon others. In order to convince others of the power of Christ's grace, we must know its power in our own hearts and lives. The gospel we present for the saving of souls must be the gospel by which our own souls are saved. Only through a living faith in Christ as a personal Saviour is it possible to make our influence felt in a skeptical world.

HOW THE WORLD IS CONVINCED

The badge of Christianity is not an outward sign, not the wearing of a cross or a crown, but it is that which reveals the union of man with God. By the power of His grace manifested in the transformation of character, the world is to be convinced that God has sent His Son as its Redeemer. No other influence that can surround the human soul has such power as the influence of an unselfish life. The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is a loving and lovable Christian.

To live such a life, to exert such an influence, costs, at every step, effort, self-sacrifice, discipline. It is because they do not understand this that many are so easily discouraged in the Christian life. Many who sincerely consecrate their lives to God's service are surprised and disappointed to find themselves, as never before, confronted by obstacles and beset by trials and perplexities. They pray for Christlikeness of character, for a fitness for the Lord's work, and they are placed in circumstances that seem to call forth all the evil of their nature. Faults are revealed of which they did not even suspect the existence. Like Israel of old, they question, "If God is leading us, why do all these things come upon us?"

APPOINTED CONDITIONS OF SUCCESS

It is because God is leading them that these things come upon them. Trials and obstacles are the Lord's chosen methods of discipline and His appointed conditions of success. He who reads the hearts of men knows their characters better than they themselves know them. He sees that some have powers and susceptibilities which, rightly directed, might be used in the advancement of His work. In His providence He brings these persons into different positions and varied circumstances, that they may discover in their character the defects which have been concealed from their own knowledge. He gives them opportunity to correct these defects, and to fit themselves for His service. Often He permits the fires of affliction to assail them, that they may be purified.

The fact that we are called upon to endure trial shows that the Lord Jesus sees in us something precious, which He desires to develop. If He saw in us nothing whereby He might glorify His name, He would not spend time in refining us. He does not cast worthless stones into His furnace. It is valuable ore that He refines. The blacksmith puts the iron and steel into the fire, that he may know what manner of metal they are. The Lord allows His chosen ones to be placed in the furnace of affliction, to prove what temper they are of, and whether they can be fashioned for His work.

YIELD TO THE MASTER

The potter takes the clay, and molds it according to his will. He kneads it and works it. He tears it apart, and presses it together. He wets it, and then dries it. He lets it lie for a while without touching it. When it is perfectly pliable, he continues the work of making of it a vessel. He forms it into shape, and on the wheel trims and polishes it. He dries it in the sun, and bakes it in the oven. Thus it becomes a vessel fit for use. So the great Master Worker desires to mold and fashion us. And as the clay is in the hands of the potter, so are we to be in His hands. We are not to try to do the work of the potter. Our part is to yield ourselves to be molded by the Master Worker.

SINGING IN THE DARKNESS

In the full light of day, and in hearing of the music of other voices, the caged bird will not sing the song that his master seeks to teach him. He learns a snatch of this, a trill of that, but never a separate and entire melody. But the master covers the cage, and places it where the bird will listen to the one song he is to sing. In the dark, he tries and tries again to sing that song until it is learned, and he breaks forth in perfect melody. Then the bird is brought forth; and ever after, he can sing that song in the light. Thus God deals with His children. He has a song to teach us; and when we have learned it amid the shadows of affliction, we can sing it ever afterward.

GOD'S CHOICE IN OUR LIFE-WORK

Many are dissatisfied with their life-work. It may be that their surroundings are uncongenial; their time is occupied with

commonplace work, when they think themselves capable of higher responsibilities; often their efforts seem to them to be unappreciated or fruitless; their future is uncertain.

Let us remember that while the work we have to do may not be our choice, it is to be accepted as God's choice for us. Whether pleasing or unpleasing, we are to do the duty that lies nearest. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might: for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl. 9: 10.

If the Lord desires us to bear a message to Nineveh, it will not be as pleasing to Him for us to go to Joppa or to Capernaum. He has reasons for sending us to the place toward which our feet have been directed. At that very place there may be some one in need of the help we can give. He who sent Philip to the Ethiopian councilor, Peter to the Roman centurion, and the little Israelitish maiden to the help of Naaman, the Syrian captain, sends men and women and youth to-day as His representatives to those in need of divine help and guidance.

WHY HE REFUSES OUR BEST INTENTIONS

Our plans are not always God's plans. He may see that it is best for us and for His cause to refuse our very best intentions, as He did in the case of David. But of one thing we may be assured,— He will bless and use in the advancement of His cause those who sincerely devote themselves and all they have to His glory. If He sees it best not to grant their desires, He will counterbalance the refusal by giving them tokens of His love, and entrusting to them another service.

In His loving care and interest for us, often He who understands us better than we understand ourselves refuses to permit us selfishly to seek the gratification of our own ambition. He does not permit us to pass by the homely but sacred duties that lie next us. Often these duties afford the very training essential to prepare us for a higher work. Often our plans fail, that God's plans for us may succeed.

SURRENDERING THE HINDRANCES

We are never called upon to make a real sacrifice for God. Many things He asks us to yield to Him, but in doing this we are but giving up that which hinders us in the heavenward way. Even when called upon to surrender those things which in themselves are good, we may be sure that God is thus working out for us some higher good.

In the future life, the mysteries that here have annoyed and disappointed us will be made plain. We shall see that our seemingly unanswered prayers and disappointed hopes have been among our greatest blessings.

We are to look upon every duty, however humble, as sacred because it is a part of God's service. Our daily prayer should be: "Lord, help me to do my best. Teach me how to do better work. Give me energy and cheerfulness. Help me to bring into my service the loving ministry of the Saviour."

What Trophy Then?

By WORTHIE HARRIS HOLDEN

The world's alarm is the march of men. The trembling earth feels their heavy tread, The raining bomb, and destruction's doom; And torch of trench is the burning dead, While woman's heart is their muffled drum. In heaven's kingdom — what trophy then?

There comes for the world yet a fiercer strife, Intense with the great Armageddon day. No might can then baffle that dreadful fray, Till the Judge of the earth shall its power o'erthrow, And the slain of the Lord meet their awful wo— While Christ grants His warriors an endless life.

Our God is urging the march of men, 'Neath the ensign raised by the Lord of all, Inspired with the Spirit's heavenly flame, Intent to alarm, "'Tis the final call!" For glory of God and Immanuel's name. Mid souls saved fore'et — will it profit then?

GOD’S KINGDOM AMONG MEN

By Allen Moon

Never Consisted of Some Distinct Race—Is Composed of Those Who Prevail with God—The Dominion of Earth Given to Man Before He Sinned—Will Be Restored to the Redeemed for an Eternal Home

By Allen Moon

In the beginning, God gave to man “dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” He reserved to Himself dominion over man. The proof of this is found in the fact that He made man subject to moral law, and man is now suffering the penalty for the violation of that law.

THE ORIGINAL PLAN UNCHANGED

By his act of transgression, man transferred his allegiance to another than his Creator. The one to whom he rendered obedience was himself a created being, and not able to retain dominion when once the almighty Creator should will otherwise. The seizure of dominion by the enemy was without the consent of the Creator; therefore the usurpation of dominion did not change the fact that the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is therein.

The declaration of the Creator that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the one who had usurped dominion over man, was a warning to Satan that he would be deprived of all dominion, and even of life itself. The gospel is a declaration of the right of the Creator to enter the dominion of Satan, and deliver every soul who will return to Him.

A PERFECT LIFE SURROUNDED BY SIN

We read that “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Enoch lived at a time when “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Yet Enoch was a servant of God, and it pleased God to take him from the earth to His own undisputed dominion.

There also lived another, “a just man and perfect in his generations.” His name was Noah, “and Noah walked with God.” This is equivalent to saying that Enoch and Noah forsook the dominion of the adversary, and passed to the dominion of the Creator; and walking with Him, they became subjects of His kingdom on earth.

THE DOMINION RESTORED TO NOAH

Noah’s loyalty to his God was rewarded by the salvation of himself and his family from the flood of waters that God sent to destroy that evil generation. To Noah man’s original dominion over the animal creation was restored for more than a year, while they were in the ark. So the antediluvian world came to an end, with God’s dominion complete over all that remained of the human race, and with man in possession of his

original dominion. But the adversary still lived, and a further history was to be enacted.

GOD HAS EVER HAD FOLLOWERS

Men again multiplied upon the earth, and it was filled with violence; but God was not without a realm on earth in which He reigned. Yet there was a time when the adversary was wont to appear in the presence of God claiming to represent the dominion of earth in the councils of heaven. We read: “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. . . . And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered My servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man?” Job belonged to a realm entirely outside that of Satan. He had been delivered from Satan’s dominion, to do service for his divine Creator. He represented the kingdom of heaven.

Also Abraham was the friend of God, and God talked with him, and called him to go to a land that He would afterward give to him and his seed. God took an oversight of Abraham’s seed after his death, and fulfilled His promise concerning them. He gave to Abraham a son in his old age, and from him sprang the millions that peopled the land of Palestine in after-years.

Jacob, the son of Isaac, cunningly and wickedly obtained the birthright from his brother Esau, and afterward the blessing of his father. Because of this, he had to flee from the presence of his brother. After he had served his uncle Laban for many years, and was returning to his own country with a changed heart, he learned that Esau was coming to meet him with an army of four hundred men, to destroy him.

This was the supreme moment. God had evidently chosen Jacob as the son of Isaac through whom the promise to Abraham was to be fulfilled. The Lord had told Rebekah, before their birth, that Esau and Jacob would be “two manner of people.” Jacob loved and honored God, and was accepted of Him; but Esau, like Cain, was possessed of another spirit. He belonged to another realm.

PREVAILING WITH GOD, HE PREVAILED WITH MAN

But how was Jacob to escape destruction now, seeing his brother was so much the stronger, and the fire of hatred was burning in his heart? Jacob went alone to commune with his God. Instead of satisfying Jacob at once with an assuring answer, the Lord sent His angel to test His servant for a time. When this was over, and Jacob had prevailed with God, it was seen that he had likewise prevailed with man; for Esau was subdued in spirit, and met his brother in peace.

At that time, Jacob received from God a name indicative of his having prevailed—a name that is applicable to all, among every people and in every generation, who likewise prevail. “Israel” is not a term to be applied to the Jewish race as such, but it is a name that belongs to God’s children of every nation and tribe. It is the name that designates the subjects of Christ’s kingdom on earth.

God permitted Jacob to occupy a place of distinction, in that he had twelve sons who became the heads of twelve tribes, to whom the land of Canaan was finally allotted. Soon after the Israelites left Egypt, the Lord gave command to reorganize the people into twelve

tribes, after the names of the twelve sons of Jacob. When this was done, the glorified kingdom of God, at least in miniature, was represented.

TRIED TO CURSE ISRAEL

Balaam, the son of Beor, tried to curse Israel, and the Lord put a parable in his mouth. The old prophet said: “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath He seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.” Num. 23: 21.

God had sent Moses to Pharaoh to say, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me.” God had delivered His people, and renewed His law to them, and at least to the true Israel, God was King. He therefore caused the prophet to declare, “The shout of a King is among them,” thus indicating that, notwithstanding God had said Israel should dwell alone, and not be reckoned among the nations, yet the true Israel should not be without a king.

For a long period after they came into the land of promise, the Jews had no visible king. The God of heaven was their Ruler. The time came, in the days of Samuel, when they had departed from God, and then they demanded a king. Samuel chided them, saying: “When ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your King.” 1 Sam. 12: 12.

PERMANENT AS THE SUN

Moreover, the Lord caused the prophet to say of the ordinances of the sun, moon, and stars, which rule the day and the night, “If those ordinances depart from before Me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Jer. 31: 36. This is a very strong form of expression. In this text, we have the assertion practically made that until the sun, the moon, and the stars cease to exist, Israel shall never cease to be a nation. And again of Israel God said, “His seed shall be in many waters, and his King shall be higher than Agag, and His kingdom shall be exalted.” Num. 24: 7. Agag represented the highest earthly power. Therefore this statement means that Israel’s King shall be higher than any earthly king, and His kingdom is a higher, or spiritual kingdom.

NOT RECKONED AMONG THE NATIONS

Israel is never reckoned among the nations. Num. 23: 9. This indicates its spiritual character, and agrees with the language of the Saviour when He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Israel has never identified itself with the kingdoms of this world except as individual citizens. That which forms a union with the kingdoms of earth is not Israel, even though it may clothe itself with the name. The true people, worthy the name, are delivered from the powers of darkness, and are translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son. Col. 1: 13.

The character of the kingdom into which the children of God are translated is set forth in the language of Jehovah to His people in the wilderness. He said, “Ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Ex. 19: 6. In God’s reckoning, Israel is always a nation and a kingdom—a kingdom of priests, because of the peculiar position they occupy between the King and those who

are in rebellion. They are commissioned to persuade men—to stand between the offended and the offenders. By obedience, Israel obtains this commission from God. Verse 5.

THE DOMINION HELD BY CHRIST

The earth, as well as man, was the dominion of the Son of God by right of creation. This dominion went into the hands of a usurper. The gospel plan contemplates the redemption of both man and his lost possession. The Redeemer, having accomplished His mission to earth, has received from the Father the lost dominion, to be recovered and restored, as God promised through His prophet. He says: “And Thou, O Tower of the flock, the Stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.” Micah 4: 8. The dominion of earth is first restored to the Son by right of redemption, and through Him it is restored to Israel, the daughter of Jerusalem, the church.

Photograph by International News Service

The Saviour makes clear the manner of procedure, in His explanation of the parable of the wheat and the tares. He said: “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one.” “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man.” The enemy that sowed the tares is the devil. “The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” See Matt. 13: 37-43.

THE EARTH NOT ABANDONED

The earth is the Lord’s; and He has not abandoned it to Satan, who sowed the tares. The Son of God has always had loyal subjects, as represented by the good seed. Therefore Christ has a kingdom on earth, and He has designed a glorious future for this part of His universe. To these subjects the earth will be restored in His own good time. The good seed are the rightful heirs. The tares have no valid right, and will be dispossessed.

After His resurrection, Jesus came to His disciples and said, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” Jesus defers the exercise of His power over the earth only till the commission, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel,” is fully carried into effect; for He said again, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”—the end of sin, the end of wicked dominion and the curse, but not the end of Christ’s reign, for “then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” The reign of Christ will then be glorious, and the earth will be as Eden.

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