Signs of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 49.
Victory Complete, Absolute, and EternalPage 1
Earlier text: Victory Complete, Absolute, and EternalWealth and Riches in His House
By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle
Apparent Prosperity of the Wicked — Real Prosperity of the Righteous By MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE What a wonderful psalm this is indeed! It begins with a benediction upon a certain class of people, and closes with a vivid description of the awful fate that awaits another class — the opposite of the first. Suppose we consider, for a moment, the characteristics and the particular merits of those upon whom the blessing is pronounced, so that we may imitate their virtues, and, if possible, draw upon ourselves a like benediction. The Conditions for Obtaining Blessedness
First of all, we learn that the man or the woman who would be “blessed,” must fear the Lord. “O, but,” objects some one, “it seems to me that just the opposite of this is true. There is Mr. B. He certainly is blessed with everything and in every way that any man can possibly be. His farm is the richest and his house the finest in the country. He has health and wealth and prosperity. But he is an absolute agnostic. He does not fear the Lord, nor does he even acknowledge His existence.” And yet, believe me, that man is not truly blessed, neither is he truly happy. Perhaps he may be to all appearance; but He who reads the hearts of all men like an open book, declares that “the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it can not rest,” and that “there is no peace” to the wicked. Delight in the Commandments
Not only must we fear the Lord in order to be blessed, but He declares that we must love His commandments — every one of them. Indeed, we must delight greatly in them. How, think you, must the great God of heaven regard the changing of that law which He wrote with His own divine hand — which with His own finger He chiseled upon the imperishable tablet of rock? Then, hard upon the heels of this blessing that is pronounced upon the man who delights in God’s commandments, follows a most astonishing promise: “Wealth and riches shall be in his house.” “What! Surely now there must be some mistake,” smiles the skeptic. “If you want to see a downright poor man or group of men, just look for them in the most unpopular and the most godly church you can find. Why, these Christians are almost always the poorest people in the world. So for once, I suppose, you will be obliged to acknowledge that the old Book has made a mistake.” No, my friend, this can not be called a mistake, any more than the words of Christ, when He declared in that wonderful sermon, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Now if ever there comes a time when the meek are in actual possession of this earth, then surely it can be said of them that wealth and riches are in their house. What the Inheritance Will Be
Will that time ever be? — Ah, it is not the wealth and riches of this poor, fleeting life, that is promised; nor is it this old earth, in its present form, that is to be given the child of God as an inheritance. What then? — O heart of man, sick with hope long deferred, weary with the burdens of the way, homesick for a better country, yearning with unspeakable longing for the time to come when sin with all its dire effects shall be wiped from the fair universe of God, listen; and as the sweet words come echoing down the centuries, rejoice and be glad and shout for joy: “Let not your heart be troubled.” “In My Father’s house are many mansions.” “I go to prepare a place for you.” “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.”774 But there is one more promise in this beautiful psalm, that we must not forget to read: “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.” O fellow traveler, have you ever been in a position where it seemed that all hope had failed, where the light of sun and moon and stars was swallowed up in inky blackness? Have you ever stood with trembling feet at the parting of the ways, when you knew not which path to take, and when no light appeared? Have the demons of doubt and despair clutched at your heart, until courage failed and hope was well-nigh dead? Rejoice! I bring you hope. Light shall arise in the darkness, if you hold fast your integrity. Was it not so of Abraham, when a “horror of great darkness fell upon him”? Was it not so when the voice that had bidden him take his lonely and agonized journey toward Moriah’s far-off peak, called again to him lovingly, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad”? Was it not so of Jacob, torn with anxiety and sick with remorse and anguish at the brook Jabbok? In the darkest moment of agony, wrestling with his strange Antagonist for the victory, came the wonderful message, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.” Did not God prove Himself abundantly able to fulfil this promise in the case of Joseph, in spite of the trembling faith of the bereft father, when he exclaimed in heart-broken bitterness, “All these things are against me”? Where was the God of Bethel? Where was the God of Jabbok? It had been long since the mighty Wrestler christened him at the brook. Had God forsaken His servant?—Surely it must be. The son of his beloved Rachel had been slain by ravenous beasts. Where was the Angel of the covenant? Time Too Short for the Outcome
You and I know the outcome of that beautiful story—but stop—no! God’s providences are never finished in this life. Time, as measured by earth’s years, is too short a period in which to finish the wonderful plots of God’s great story. But often, even in this life, the Master permits us to see something of the wonders of His almighty grace. We remember the astonishing history of Joseph, first the innocent victim of the cruel vindictiveness of his brothers, and then of the caprice and revenge of a vicious and designing woman. But up from the pit of death, out from the dungeon of the king, God delivered His own. Instead of fetters of brass, the astonished courtiers beheld jewels of gold; and instead of the dank, foul alleys of the dungeon, the servant of God steps forth into the corridors of the palace of Egypt’s proudest monarch. No pit so deep, no dungeon so black, that the eye of the Eternal fails to pierce it. “Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.” O, before the everlasting truth of this glorious promise, let infidelity and doubt and agnosticism hide their craven heads! Let this precious truth encourage the faint-hearted strengthen the hands of the weak, and bring light and cheer and courage and hope and happiness to the weakest and humblest and most despondent of the children of God. “That Which Was Lost”
By Ernest Lloyd
ONE of the most remarkable economic features of this age is the discovery of wealth in waste products, and the recovery of very valuable material from that which was formerly thrown away. In the early days of the manufacture of coal-gas, no one knew what to do with the tar which was left behind in the waste receivers. The accumulation of it in great quantities became a serious difficulty. When allowed to run off into a river, it simply hurt the vegetation, harmed shipping, and poisoned the fishes. Then science came to the rescue, and to-day that waste product is saved, and the number of useful things that can be made from it is wonderful. The chemist gives from it to the silk-weaver his beautiful rainbow dyes, to the perfumer his rarest odors and essences, and to the druggist his saccharin, “three hundred times sweeter than ever came from cane-brake, or driped from maples in the old sugar-camp.” These are only some of the things which are now obtained from this once despised and obnoxious substance. That which was formerly a trouble to the gas companies to get rid of has proved a gold-mine to chemists — a living comment on the Scriptural language, “O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches.” Does not this brief description suggest something of the work of saving grace in the soul and life of man? They tell us that caloric, which was formerly wasted in prodigal excess through the furnace stack, is now trapped, cooled, divided, turned into power, delivered over wires, running countless wheels, and supplying many industries, so that the strength previously flung into space from the top, is worth as much as the stream of steel from the crucible’s base. “The Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” That love, that power, that manhood, that womanhood — heathenism wasted them, Christianity saves them. His servants, in their service and sacrifice, are gathering up “that which was lost” to enrich the kingdom of God. He “hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” Many around us are weak, and must be strengthened; sick, and must be healed; broken, and must be bound up; driven away, and must be brought again; lost, and must be saved. May the love of Christ constrain us, and His Spirit quicken us, to “take forth the precious from the vile.” May He enlarge our sight to see it, and our hearts to love it. God’s Love and Eternal Life
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” An Amusing Incident
By T. E. Bowen
FROM the Review and Herald of October 31, 1854, published at Rochester, New York, we take the following amusing incident that occurred during the labors of William Miller. It well illustrates to what lengths blind prejudice will drive people, especially when they are brought to that place where they must face the truths of God's word. The story runs thus: “From the sixth to the ninth of March, Mr. William Miller lectured in Medford, Massachusetts. While here, a friend took him to a phrenologist in Boston, with whom he was himself acquainted, but who had no suspicion whose head he was about to examine. The phrenologist commenced by saying that the person under examination had a large, well-developed, and well-balanced head. While examining the moral and intellectual organs, he said to Mr. Miller's friend: “‘I tell you what it is, Mr. Miller could not easily make a convert of this man to his hair-brained theory. He has too much good sense.’” “Thus he proceeded, making comparisons between the head he was examining and the head of Mr. Miller, as he fancied it would be. “‘O, how I should like to examine Mr. Miller’s head?’ said he. ‘I would give it one squeezing.’” “The phrenologist, knowing that the gentleman was a particular friend of Mr. Miller, spared no pains in going out of the way to make remarks upon him. Putting his hand on the organ of marvelousness, he said, ‘There! I’ll bet you anything that old Miller has got a bump on his head there as big as my fist,’ at the same time doubling up his fist as an illustration. “The others present laughed at the perfection of the joke, and he heartily joined them, supposing they were laughing at his witticisms on Mr. Miller. “‘He laughed; ’twas well. The tale applied
Soon made him laugh on t’other side.’” “He pronounced the head of the gentleman under examination the reverse, in every particular, of what he declared Mr. Miller’s must be. When through, he made out his chart, and politely asked Mr. Miller his name. “Mr. Miller said it was of no consequence about putting his name upon the chart, but the phrenologist insisted. “‘Very well,’ said Mr. M., ‘you may call it Miller, if you choose.’” “‘Miller, Miller,’ said he; ‘what is your first name?’” “‘They call me William Miller.’” “‘What! the gentleman who is lecturing on the prophecies?’” “At this the phrenologist settled back in his chair, the personation of astonishment and dismay, and spoke not a word while the company remained. His feelings may be more easily imagined than described.” Refuses to Close on Sunday
By J. F. Blunt
SANTA MONICA has declined, by a vote of 2,173 to 814, to close the saloons of that California city on Sunday. The women again are said to be responsible for the defeat of the proposition, and some capital is made of the result in attempted vindication of the judgment of those temperance advocates who thought the campaign for state-wide prohibition ought to be deferred until 1916. It may be said, however, that the vote at Santa Monica was influenced by the fear that the closing of the saloons there, while they still were tolerated elsewhere, might drive Sunday visitors from the beach, and so lead to financial losses to the entire city. Moreover, the women whose votes determined the issue were not so ignorant as to regard as a strict temperance measure the plan to suspend the liquor traffic Sunday, when it was to be allowed to proceed with municipal sanction the other six days of the week. Manifest Preference for Sunday
Despite the claim that Sunday closing is demanded on purely secular grounds, the sectarian preference for the first day of the week always is apparent. Observers of the seventh day take no part with the opposition, even when such inadequate means of relief from the evils of intemperance are proposed, in view of the wholly defenseless nature of the liquor business; but they, in common with the general public, well know that mingled with the temperance sentiment at such times is the bigoted desire to exalt Sunday as the Sabbath, contrary to the plain teachings of Scripture. The result at Santa Monica again emphasizes the need of a broader basis for75temperance legislation than the mere suspension of the saloon traffic for a day, with its legalized sufferance for the rest of the week. Local business rivalries tend to the defeat of Sunday closing, and to the exposure of the sophistries invoked in its favor; but absolute prohibition, which would affect the entire community, without regard for township boundaries, would enlist the sympathies and insure the cooperation of all who favor adequate legislation in the interest of temperance. With a realizing sense of the horrors of intemperance, and with an abhorrence of the state-supported saloon menace, true Sabbath-keepers will join hands with true temperance advocates in the endeavor to wipe out the disgrace in California in 1914. Moving Pictures and the Saloons
Convinced that the fight is on, the organized liquor dealers are said to have adopted the moving-picture method of influencing the vote soon to be taken. It is proposed to take views of the great vineyards of California, and of other extensive establishments liable to be affected by the closing of the saloons, for public exhibition, in the hope that citizens may vote against prohibition, as a means of preserving these interests. If other films should be prepared, showing even a tithe of the misery and degradation resulting from the maintenance of the saloon traffic, a truer picture of the real issue could be presented. Whether the ensuing struggle shall result in the immediate closing of all saloons in California or not, the vote of the people will show most certainly the growing opposition to the whisky traffic, unmodified by local considerations such as prevailed at Santa Monica. Should the campaign fail of the accomplishment of the relief demanded, no one conversant with the situation can reasonably question that the issue could be presented with still greater probability of success two years later than were the fight deferred until that time in the first instance. The Second Mile
By Clarence Santee
WHILE God points out the dangers that lie in the paths of sin, and entreats, persuades, and pleads, He will never compel a person to walk in the path of life or serve Him. More than this, He not only will not compel, but He will not accept the service that is offered unwillingly. In making a place for God to dwell with Israel, He said, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take My offering.” Ex. 25:2. When the offering was made that represented the giving of the whole person to God, the Lord said, “He shall offer it of his own voluntary will.” Lev. 1:3. “Son, give Me thine heart” (Prov. 23:26), is the only basis of union with God. “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.” Matt. 5:41. There are far too many who live in the first mile of duty and burdensome obligation. They are compelled. But the second mile is the place of individual liberty of choice. It is the place of willing service. In the second mile is that which is not required, but gladly bestowed. In it is the place of personal advancement and growth. Your second mile of service will cast a luster upon the first mile, showing its service to have been, though required, yet willing, as the necessary first steps to reach the service of the second mile. We can never enter the service of the second mile until we end the first; and the blessing in our association with all mankind is the willing, acceptable service of the second mile. You who have lived too long in the first mile of duty, reach beyond, and realize the pleasure of the freedom there is in the unexpected, perhaps undeserved acts of service for others. The weariness of the first mile is lost in the refreshing of the second. Perpetuity of the Law and the Sabbath
By A. Smith
Questions Answered by Bible Tests
1. What is the character of the law of God? “The law of the Lord is perfect.” Ps. 19:7. “The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Rom. 7:12. “Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. 3. For what did Jesus come into the world? “He shall save His people from their sins.” Matt. 1:21. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3:23. 5. Do we make the law void through faith? “God forbid; yea, we establish the law.” Rom. 3:31. 6. How long will the law of God continue to be binding upon man? “It is the power of God [almighty power] unto salvation to every one that believeth.” Rom. 1:16. NOTE.—It is salvation from sin, or the transgression of the law of ten commandments. See James 2:8-11. It is useless to preach the gospel without the law; for where there is no law, there is no sin from which to be saved. 8. Upon whom is the law binding? “What things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Rom. 3:19. NOTE.—Every Gentile has a mouth to stop. Therefore everything the law says, is binding upon him. It says, “The seventh day is the Sabbath”; therefore he is under a divine command to keep the Sabbath. 9. Is the Sabbath Jewish? “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” Ex. 20:10. “The Sabbath was made [at creation] for man,” that is, all mankind. Mark 2:27. “Thou . . . madest known unto them [the Jews at Sinai] Thy holy Sabbath.” Neh. 9:13, 14. “Should Be Fulfilled”
By F. D. Star
Some Predictions of the Prophets IN Rev. 6:9-11 we have the account of the little season of rest during which the holy martyrs should wait till their fellow servants and their brethren should be killed as they were. The fact that the souls of these martyrs are said to cry to God for vengeance, need not seem strange, as the blood of the first martyr, Abel, called to God in the same manner. According to the German translation of Deut. 12:23, this would be the very same thing: “Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the soul; and thou mayest not eat the soul with the flesh.” So, according to this reliable translation, the blood, being the life, is sometimes called the soul; and the crying of the soul is really the same thing as the crying of the blood. But how much longer must these martyred dead wait?—Till some others meet the same fate that has befallen them. Attention is called to this host of martyrs just before the opening of the sixth seal, which is preceded by the great earthquake, the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. This was near the time of the close of the 1,260 years of papal persecution. And were there to be other cases of martyrdom following that period?—So it seems. Concerning that company and that time, this language is used: “Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” Rev. 13:10. Their fellow servants would of course bear a similar description. Such a company is described in Rev. 14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” The two companies both possess patience and faith; while in addition to this, the latter company are keeping the commandments of God, which many of the first company were not doing, owing to the prevailing ignorance concerning the law of God, especially concerning the fourth or Sabbath commandment. It is largely on account of the observance of this precept, that persecution comes upon the latter company, the remnant. Rev. 12:17. This remnant might very properly be considered the fellow servants and brethren of the martyrs of the long period of papal persecution. No doubt some will suffer death at the hand of their persecutors just before the Lord comes. James says concerning those who have heaped treasure together in the last days, “Ye have condemned and killed the just.” James 5:6. Some of the just, then, meet a violent death for righteousness’ sake in the last days. For this we may look as a fulfilment of inspired prediction. The prophecy of Daniel 11 concerning the Eastern question may well be closely watched, as its fulfilment shows the time to be near when Michael shall stand up. The prediction concerning the image of the beast and the enforcing of its mark must be fulfilled, and is truly rapidly reaching that point. Our Lord tells us, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” This is a very clear and interesting prophecy, upon the fulfilment of which we keep our eyes, and rejoice to know it is so rapidly reaching its culmination. All these and other movements must be developed, and rapidly they are being brought about. And any indications that preparations are being made for the execution of a new company of martyrs, must be accepted as one more condition that should be fulfilled before deliverance comes to the martyred dead and all the sleeping saints, as well as to the living victims of persecution. A fulfilment of this kind can readily be detected in the movement for a combination of religious forces to crush out non-conformity by the strong hand of the church supported by the civil law. Are we preparing to share the triumphs of those who “loved not their lives unto the death”? “The Wrath of God”
By J. A. L. Derby
WHAT! Can that be in the Bible?—Yes, many times. But does God really get angry?—No; He is angry all the time, and will be as long as sinners exist, for the Scripture says He “is angry with the wicked every day.” Quite different from the creature of flabby moral sentiment conceived to be God by this age, is the God of the Bible. The wrath of God! But as His thoughts are not our thoughts, and are as much higher than ours as heaven is higher than earth, so His wrath is not the hasty, unjust, arbitrary, impatient, and often cruel wrath of man. It is the wrath of daylight against darkness, of water against fire, of the physician against the plague. God and sin are opposites. They can not exist together. To sin God is a consuming fire. “Yea,” said Jesus, “I say unto you, Fear Him.” J. A. L. DERBY. The Cost of True Religion
“WHENEVER we find religion an easy thing we may be well assured that it is not the religion of Jesus Christ. That has always been a hard thing, a hateful thing, to the nature which it dooms to daily denial and crucifixion. Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way in which it leads, and few there be that walk therein. The popular religion costs but little, and is worth still less.” THE BLESSEDNESS OF DIVINE ASSOCIATION
By J. O. C.
It is well understood that association is a strong factor in the formation of human character. Not only is this so, but as habits of life change through comrade influences, the countenance bears witness to the reality of effected transition. Contrast, if one will, the countenances of two men, one of whom has had years of association with the underworld, the other for the same length of time having been confederate only with those of deeply spiritual natures. Standing these side by side, even a novice would be able quickly and properly to classify them. By this and similar illustrations, one may readily put to use the truth of a certain scripture contributed by the apostle when instructing the church at Corinth. Contrasting the ministry of early Hebrew times with that of the present, he said, “We all, with open [uncovered] face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image.” 2 Cor. 3:18. The word “changed” here used is from the same root as that employed in Matt. 17:2, and rendered “transfigured.” Then as Christ was transfigured when resting specially under God’s glory, so men are privileged, by looking into His transfigured countenance, to find their own features changed into His image. The reason for this is that in the face of Christ shines the light of the knowledge of God’s glory. 2 Cor. 4:6. He being constantly associated with that glory, and studying its luminous rays, the light of its knowledge is propagated in and spread over His very countenance. But this is not the privilege of Christ alone. The same treasures may be maintained in human faces, simply by continually beholding the glory of God carried in the face of Christ. Verse 7. When this enviable state is actually reached, no offer of worldly allurement could possibly turn one’s gaze from its heavenly attraction. This point may be made impressive by reference to a reputed item of history. The German sculptor Dannecker, in producing the face of Christ in marble, was said to have spent eight years in the study of that holy countenance, endeavoring to fix in mind every facial expression, as it would appear to him from the various experiences attributed to the Saviour in the sacred text. The result was a chiseled face with love and sorrow so blended that beholders were caused to weep audibly. Consequently the sculptor’s fame was sounded in high places, and he was approached with a tempting offer to produce a statue of Venus, a heathen goddess. The great artist utterly refused the tender, on the ground that, having studied the face of Christ for so many years, its glories could not be sufficiently eliminated to permit him to produce properly any visage of opposite expression. So it may be with others. By beholding the face of Christ carrying the design of God’s glory, one may be changed into the same image, and like Him avoid every temptation looking away from heavenly things. AN AGE OF INFIDELITY
By G. S. T.
Sentiments of Thomas Paine Echoed by the Higher Critics—Other Sophistries and Delusions Admitted THAT we are living in an age of infidelity there can be no question. The fact is undisputed by all candid thinkers. We seem to be educating a generation of unbelievers. There is no essential difference between the teaching of avowed infidel writers and thinkers and that of some theological professors and teachers who to-day are molding minds. Higher critics stand in the pulpit, and Jesus of Nazareth is bowed out of the place solemnly dedicated to His worship. It is told of Prof. Howard Osgood, a scholar and echo of German infidelity, that on a certain occasion he read a statement of some positions, and asked if they did not fairly represent the scholarly teaching of the present. When it was agreed that they did, he startled his audience by saying, “I am reading from Tom Paine’s ‘Age of Reason.’” The outlook before us in this respect is dark and ominous. The ministry of the day in many cases are educated under the tutorage of those who are higher critics, and practically infidel in sentiment. Students come from school poisoned with error and unbelief, and go forth to poison the minds and hearts of scores and hundreds of others. Many who stand as spiritual guides are not men of deep and profound piety. They know but little of what it means to follow the example of the Lord, and wrestle in prayer, and humble their hearts. We are conscious, as we write this, however, that there are some who mourn over the abominations done in Zion, and weep because of her failures and consequent dissolution. There is not seen that earnest love and yearning for souls which ought to characterize the ambassadors of God. The flame of earnest piety and godly zeal which once burned in the soul of those who stood as watchmen, seems to-day to be but a smoking flax in many hearts, and the trumpet gives but a feeble warning, if blown at all. Many do not believe in the great fundamental doctrines of the Bible. Whole books of the Holy Scriptures are discredited, and regarded as only a myth or an allegory. The sophistries and delusions taught and fostered through Christian Science, Spiritualism, the age-to-come doctrine, metaphysical healing, and many other erroneous doctrines, have in the minds of many taken the place of the great truths of human redemption as revealed in the Bible. It seems that we have almost, if not quite, reached the time when the “doctrines of devils” are openly taught. As a result, worldliness and pride are increasing in the world and in the church, and the cloud of unbelief and death grows darker, and threatens to settle down permanently upon the world. Truly we look out upon a picture which is appalling. Our only hope is in God and the blessed truths of His word. Let the Bible, clear and plain, be brought to the front, and its truths taught the people, who are perishing for lack of knowledge. G. S. T. THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
By L. A. R.
Divine Light and Glory to Illuminate the Sons and Daughters of Men “The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” Rev. 1:20. The church as the light of the world is a doctrine taught through many ages. It was announced by Christ in the words, “Ye are the light of the world.” It was reaffirmed through Paul when he declared, “Ye are all the children of light,” and, “Ye shine as lights in the world.” That God gives His children light above the light which shines for others was also prefigured and foretold when supernatural darkness had settled over Egypt, “but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” Ex. 10:23. And again it was pictured when the pillar of fire guided them through their desert wanderings. God is light, and the manifestation of God’s character is light, and all who live to reveal God’s character shine as lights in the world. LIGHTENED DIRECTLY FROM GOD
In those discouraging times when the children of Israel were trying to rebuild the temple, when the Samaritans had harassed them, and by means of misrepresentation through an unfriendly king, had forced them to cease their work, there came word through the prophet Zechariah to the people of God. A seven-lamped golden candlestick was shown him in vision. And in the vision, the light of this candlestick was seen to be777fed by oil which flowed directly from the anointed ones that stand in the presence of God. Thus in prophetic vision was portrayed the connection, through the Holy Spirit, between God and His living representatives here on the earth. He is directly in touch with them. They are directly fed by Him. Their light is a manifestation of that spiritual power which flows directly from the presence of God to His chosen ones in the darkness of this world. NOT MIGHT, NOT POWER, BUT MY SPIRIT
And the lesson of it all, as given to Zechariah for his time,—that time when they felt so weak before the might of the Persian king pseudo-Smerdis,—is thus given by the angel to the prophet, and through him to the people: “This is the word of the Lord, . . . Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.” Though the Samaritans by force had compelled them to desist from labor, though the Persian ruler Smerdis had decreed that they should cease their work, God called them back to build, and in so doing announced the wondrous lesson that it is “not by might, not by power,”—it is not by numbers, nor by the strength of the human agent,—but by the workings of God’s Holy Spirit, that He is to accomplish His work in the earth; that all the opposition that then confronted God’s people—that mighty mountain of opposition—would be smashed flat as a plain by the miracle-working power of God. It would not be necessary for them, by strong arm, or by any power that lodges in humanity, to bring about the victory. But as the temple would rise stone upon stone, until at last they put the headstones upon the highest turrets of that wondrous structure, they would be able to say of it all, that it was done through the grace of God—“not by might, nor by power,” but by His Spirit; accomplishing it all with shoutings that ascribed the glory to the Lord, crying, “Grace, grace, [God’s unmerited favor] unto it.” RELYING ON INFINITE RESOURCES
Therefore one of the great lessons of the vision of the golden candlestick, of the church as the light of the world, is that God works by His own power, and that He does not need our puny might. We are to trust to His Spirit. We are to rely upon His grace. We need not long for some power that is vested in the ballot. We need not rely upon armies, nor upon numbers, to accomplish the great things that make for righteousness, because they can not come in this way. God is Master of the situation. He is supreme. He does great things in heaven and in earth, and none can stay His hand. The heart of the king, even, is in the hands of God, and He turns it whithersoever He will. And He does it that men may fear, just as He said through Zechariah in connection with the vision of the golden candlestick: “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.” Zech. 4:9. Yes, that is it. When the work is wholly one of grace, when the might is wholly the might of the Spirit of God, then we realize —we know—that the Lord of hosts has done it. We give Him glory, and the human instrument is glorified only with the glory of having submitted to the King of kings. He has no glory of his own. He glories in that he knows the Lord, and that God is at work in the earth. Thus by living connection with the Father of lights, we may shine as lights in the world. We may help to swell that effulgence which will girdle the world with its radiance, until the earth is lightened with His glory.