DR. J. LEON WILLIAMS, of London, said to be an eminent authority on anthropology and geology, has a collection of fifteen skulls of “prehistoric man.” Dr. Williams affirms that the finding of these ancient skulls and other human bones does not disprove, in his opinion, the theory of evolution, but he thinks it eliminates Darwinism. Instead of man being a descendant of the ape, the doctor thinks that these skulls tend to confirm the belief that the anthropoid ape was an offshoot of man.
These “prehistoric skulls and human bones” are usually found in the earth where excavations are made for various purposes. When these come into the hands of the scientist, he at once jumps to the conclusion that they must have been the bones of some man who lived hundreds of thousands — and possibly millions — of years ago. These bones very frequently show that they belong to a race that was far superior in size to the race now living upon the earth; and instead of proving evolution, they should convey the exactly opposite idea. Instead of the race developing upward, all of the evidence goes to show that it has been going downward.
The Bible tells the simple story of the Flood. The Flood came upon the whole earth because of the wickedness of the generation that was living upon it at that time. Many of those who were destroyed by the Flood had enjoyed the privilege of associating with Adam himself, the great progenitor of the race. The Bible story is that when the Flood came, not only were the windows of heaven opened to pour out rain, but “the fountains of the great deep were broken up.” This expression concerning the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep would convey to the Bible reader the idea of terrific commotions in the earth itself. Great mountain ranges would be shot up by the forces that infinite power was using to bring about the destruction of that generation of wicked men. When the Flood commenced, the surface of the earth, through the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep, was terribly torn to pieces.
After the waters had covered the earth, and the work of destruction was completed, the divine record says: “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged.”
When this wind passed over the earth, which was one vast ocean of water from pole to pole, there was evidently a divine purpose in it. Large quantities of trees and other forms of vegetation, together with the bodies of men and animals, would have been thrown together and covered deeply by the masses of earth that were loosened by the terrible commotions, not only at this time, but when the earth was broken up at the beginning of the Flood. The action of any great storm floods, such as we often have along the courses of large rivers, is to cover vast quantities of matter beneath the soil that is put in solution by the waters. And hence at the time of the Flood, great masses of both animal and vegetable matter were buried, in some instances hundreds of feet deep.
There is nothing difficult about this. It was the natural thing. We may go into almost any coal-mine, and we will find traces all through it of trees and plants, showing that the coal was formed of tree and plant matter. In various parts of the earth, large quantities of bones may be found, where evidently animals have been huddled together and perished under some common fear; for among those bones may be found the remains of the ferocious carnivora, as well as those of the docile herb-eating creatures.
All of the facts as we find them in the geological remains are easily explained on the Bible story of the Flood; but geology is ever speculating, and has never explained anything to the satisfaction of all its adherents. A little while ago, we were assured that Darwin had the thing just right, and we were laughed to scorn if we did not accept Darwin’s theories; but during the last few months, we have had no less an authority than the late Alfred Russell Wallace tell us that the theories of evolution would have to be modified, that they were shown to be clearly out of harmony with actual facts. And now comes Mr. Williams, reputed for his geological understanding, to tell us that Darwin’s theory can not be true.
In view of all these human speculations, it is well, even in the face of ridicule, to stand firmly upon the solid foundation of the good old Book. Men will laugh at us for believing the story of the Flood, only to turn around and ask us to accept a human theory that is far more difficult to believe than anything the Bible tells, and that the evolutionist advocate has to admit is pure speculation. He advances his theory, so he tells us, to provoke thought, hoping thereby to reach a correct conclusion sometime. Science that is such in reality is worthy of all respect; but all theories that have a tendency to overthrow the Bible, even though they masquerade in the garb of science, are destined to an ignominious end. Upon this subject of believing the infallible Word in regard to the story of the Flood, the apostle Peter has some very striking utterances. His words are:
“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are778now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3: 1-7.
The apostle, in these words, exhorts us to be mindful of the words which were spoken by the holy prophets, because there will be in the last days scoffers who will walk after their own lusts. Personal sins or personal ambitions, which often are one and the same thing, have great powers in keeping a man from seeing truth that lies across his path. These scoffers deride the promises of the coming Saviour, and the text says “they are willingly ignorant” of the fact that by the word of God “the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” The Revised Version says, “This they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God; by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water,” etc. It is very interesting to observe that the apostle Peter, nearly two thousand years ago, could explain so specifically the false teaching which the scientific men of this time would affirm with so much assurance. We can safely trust the divine Being who is able, through His prophetic word, to foretell these conditions so accurately.
No one in all the history of the world has done more for true science than Sir Isaac Newton, and he was at the same time a profound student of the Bible and a devout believer in all of its sacred teachings. If more of the scientific men of this time would do as he did, and work in harmony with the Bible, they would not be so continuously under the necessity of reversing their theories.
Question Corner
WE can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.
4237 — Questions on Healing
How are we to be healed? By medicine, or chiropractic, osteopathic, and other worldly doctoring? Did Christ use medicine, or drugs of any kind? He taught His disciples to heal through fasting and prayer. Now if we can be healed by prayer, what is the use of sending for a doctor, paying him $5.00 to $10.00 a trip, or going in debt building sanitariums?
J. A. C.
On this question of healing, a great many people seem to think that the infinite God should stand as their orderly servant, and whenever they get anything the matter with them, they should order Him to heal them at once, and expect Him to do it. The Bible teaches divine healing. It plainly says that “the prayer of faith shall save the sick”; but when Christ was here Himself, having anointed the eyes of a blind man with clay, He told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam; and he went and washed, and returned seeing. And when Naaman the leper came to Elisha to be cured of his disease, Elisha told him to go and bathe in the river Jordan.
Luke, one of the apostles of Christ, according to Col. 4:14, was also the “beloved physician.” Then they had doctors right among the early disciples, and they were commended by the apostle Paul. If a man has a broken limb, the sensible thing for him to do is to go to a reputable surgeon and have it properly set; or if he has any other ailment that the science of the physician can remedy, he should avail himself of his services; and it is the privilege of the afflicted one at the same time to pray earnestly for the blessing of God upon the remedies that the skill of the physician provides.
To be sure, there are many quacks and impostors among medical men, the same as there are in all other professions; but the really true physician is working in harmony with God, the Author of nature. And without question, when it is properly understood, all healing is divine healing; for it is really a miracle of creative power, through the manifestation of God’s unchangeable laws, that enables any physician to operate. And when the individual is out of reach of the physician, or when his case is beyond the skill of the physician, the cases are numerous where God has directly interposed, and healed the individual.
There is more fanaticism in the world to-day on this question of divine healing than perhaps on any other subject. A sample case is that of a young woman who had her leg broken. Her mother was an ardent believer in the extreme fanatical notions of divine healing, and refused to send for a physician. The young woman lay upon a bed of pain for month after month, and was left a cripple for the rest of her life, through this absurd folly of so-called divine healing.
God does give us the privilege of coming to Him, and availing ourselves of divine power in healing our diseases. He “healeth all thy diseases,” and the Word is full of promises of that character. But God also gives us divine common sense, and He expects us to use that in connection with divine healing.
4238 — Saved as by Fire
Please explain 1 Cor. 3:15. Some seem to think by this verse that after they have suffered a certain amount, according to their sins, they then have a right to eternal life.
F. L. M.
There are a great many people who are deceiving themselves by this theory. But if those who persuade themselves of such a doctrine from 1 Cor. 3:15 had read a little farther in the chapter, they would have seen their fatal error, for verse 17 says, “If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” The apostle is talking about man’s work. He said: “If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire,” for the fire has burned up all his life-work. Jude, verse 23, speaks of those who are saved by fire, as if pulling them out of the fire. The thief on the cross is a good example of those whom the apostle is evidently talking about in this verse. The thief on the cross was an outlaw. He was deemed by the civil authorities, because of his crimes, as worthy of death; and he himself, while on the cross by the side of Christ, acknowledged, “We receive the due reward of our deeds.” Luke 23:41. But nevertheless, because of the faith that this thief expressed in Christ, and the sincere repentance that he made under the trying circumstances in which he was placed, the Master promised to receive him into Paradise. Now all of the life-work of that thief would have to be burned up. He himself was saved, though as by fire. But what God desires is that we shall come to Him at the earliest moment in life, that we shall receive from Him His power to do works that shall stand the test of the Judgment, so that, in the place of our life-work, like that of the thief on the cross, having to be burned up, our work can stand as a monument of what God can do in winning and helping humanity, through the influence and power that He imparts to His workers.
4239 — Forgiveness in the World to Come
Are we to understand from Matt. 12:32 that there will be a forgiveness of sin in the world to come?
R. R. J.
Most assuredly not. The text is speaking of the sin against the Holy Ghost, and it emphasizes the fact that there is no forgiveness for this sin, either in this world or in the world to come. The text places emphasis upon the hopeless condition of the individual who has continued in sin until he has actually cut himself off from the influences of the Spirit of God. But neither this text nor any other text anywhere in all the word of God promises forgiveness in the world to come. And to try to get such a doctrine on mere inference from such texts as this one in Matthew is a very reckless thing to do. God’s word always says, “Now”—“Now is the day of salvation.” The devil’s plan is to seek to have us wait; and in order to compass our destruction, he tries to get men to believe that they may have forgiveness in the world to come.
NULLIFYING ROME'S INFLUENCES
By Editor
THERE are several publications, with quite a wide circulation, that are working, as they affirm, to destroy the influence and power of the papal hierarchy. There are several organizations that are working toward the same end for which these publications are printed and sent out. In one of these recent publications, we find the statement:
“The people are getting tired of Rome rule. They are getting tired of your great claims, boasts, intrigues, plots, schemes, and conspiracies against religion and political freedom.”
No doubt there are many people who will voice the sentiment expressed in this quotation. But ultimately, and before a great while, too, the whole world will swing, with some very insignificant exceptions, so far as numbers are concerned, under the power of the papal church. The papal power once dominated the world, and the prophecies point out that her domination will be yet again more complete than anything that she ever enjoyed during the darkest of the Middle Ages.
We do not call attention to these prophecies to suggest the slackening of the efforts of any of those who may feel called upon to oppose the power of the Roman Church, but we would like to interest all believers in the Bible in studying these prophecies that foretell the world-wide restoration of the papacy.
Our Bible Band
Schedule for the Last Eleven Days of the Year, December 21-31, 1913
Our reading concludes the book of Psalms and the book of the Revelation. It carries us through the prophecies of the two witnesses, the great red dragon, the seven-headed beast, the three angels' messages, the pouring out of the last plagues, the scarlet-colored beast, the fall and destruction of Babylon, the coming of our Lord, the chaining of Satan, closing with the vision of the glorious new heavens and new earth,—a fitting climax to the volume of Scriptures; a glorious close of the journey which God asks His pilgrim children to take. May the path of all our readers end in the city of light.
OUR MESSAGE TO THE RED MEN
By Delwin Rees Buckner
The Indians of South America—The Conditions and the Opportunities
By DELWIN REES BUCKNER
GROUP OF SOUTH AMERICAN INDIANS, WITH SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST MISSIONARY TO THE RIGHT
The other day a band of Indians—I do not remember whether they were Matacos, Chorotes, or Tobas—were coming from the sugar-cane plantations of Tucuman and Salta, all laden with “fire-water” and firearms which had been received in exchange for the services they had rendered in the cane fields. As these Chaco Indians very often cause considerable trouble for the colonists and soldiers of the forested northern territories where they live—or, better said, roam, as they do not remain for a great while in any particular spot—having heard that the Indians were nearing their homes, and fearing that later they might go on the war-path, the military officials of the district determined to disarm them, which, however, they succeeded in doing only after a pitched battle in which several combatants lost their lives.
For rum and guns the Indians go scores of miles. Would that there were missionaries now on the plantations who could impress upon these children of the forests the evil of the liquor and firearms—especially if they intend using the latter in a war of vengeance and extermination against the white people who have recently begun to settle as colonists in their territory. O, that they might receive soon the glad tidings of great joy which would make them wise unto salvation! Erelong the time will come when they will rush from the north to the south and from one ocean to another in search of the water of life; but then it will be everlastingly too late to procure it, for ere that day come, probation time will forever have ended.
And they are not the only Indians that should be receiving the message for the present age of the world. We find them all over the Western Hemisphere, but nowhere in such dense darkness perhaps as in the forests of South America. Often have I wondered how they would all be told of the third angel’s message, of the message of the coming Saviour. Yet God will provide the way somehow, and that, too, just at the most opportune time. Before long, aeroplanes will undoubtedly be soaring all over the Amazon Valley, exploring the different corners of the various regions, and describing tribes of men hitherto unknown to us. Railroads, too, are being pushed more and more back into the pathless jungles. The recent Mamore line has opened up a great extent of new territory.
Meeting the Automobile in Peru
Only a few days ago I was reading in Caras y Caretas, a weekly review of Buenos Aires, about a French traveler who, late at night, found himself alone in a dense forest in the eastern part of Peru, not far from the Madre-de-Dios River. As there was not even an Indian hut for leagues around, he began to be alarmed, fearful lest he fall a prey to the jaguar or some other wild beast as savage. Suddenly, however, he heard a strange yet seemingly familiar noise, and a few moments later discerned the glaring lights of an automobile. In it there were two American engineers, who were just returning from a visit to some gold-mines recently acquired by a syndicate in the United States. Even the “neglected continent” is slighted no longer. Excursionists now come in great numbers to the Argentine Republic, as well as the other countries of South America. And when the Panama Canal is completed, many more will turn their faces toward this part of the world.
There are other things, too, which set people to thinking about the countries that determine their directions at night by the Southern Cross in place of the North Star. The Creator of all men recently allowed the atrocities of the Putumayo region in Peru to come to light the same as those in the Kongo under King Leopold’s tutelage, in order that the people who take the name of Christian might interest themselves a bit in the dreadful condition of their red-skinned brethren of the less civilized and less favored countries of the earth.
Scars Caused by the Lash
According to Sir R. Casement, who left Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and traveled especially to the Putumayo to give this government an unbiased report on the existing conditions of that locality, at least ninety per cent of the Indians bear scars that were caused by the lash. According to a recent Southern Cross, the Irish paper of the Argentine, several Franciscan monks recently left Ireland for the Putumayo district. God grant that erelong some self-denying, fully consecrated bearers of God’s last message to mankind may also find their way to that neglected region.
Protestants are working among the Indians in several places in South America,—in Paraguay, Ecuador, etc. Thank God that in Bolivia and Peru something is now being done by the remnant church of God for the former owners of the Western Hemisphere. Among the Aimaras a school has already been started, and among that tribe of Indians—which, by the way, is supposed to speak the same language that was the secret tongue of the Inca monarchs—and the Quichuas there has already grown up quite an interest in the Bible doctrines and tenets as taught by Seventh-day Adventists.
The young people’s societies of the Argentine are very much interested in the school work among the Indians of Lake Titicaca, Peru. One member has purchased ten shares. Each share is sold for $5.00 Argentine money, which would be about $2.20 American gold. As many as sixty-five shares had been bought, up to last accounts. The plan seems a very good one for interesting young people in missionary work, and money spent in this line of Christian endeavor will certainly yield a hundred per cent of interest in this world, and in the one to come as well. God loves and blesses abundantly the cheerful giver who has His undying interests really at heart.780
Adventist Missionaries Among Those Indians
Concerning the work among the Indians of Bolivia, one who is well qualified to judge as to its progress, has said the following, published in the January number of La Revista, of Buenos Aires:
“The work advances. Daily the people come to us, creoles as well as Indians, desiring to find out about our work and receive help for the many ills of which they complain. Many come begging that kind of medicine that will cure them of the drink habit, assuring us that they know of a number of men who have not drunk since visiting this mission. What an opportunity is presented for telling them of Jesus, that He is a personal Saviour, and that we should at once ask Him to aid!”
“At first they are surprised, but we kneel down and pray earnestly for them, since we feel very anxious to help these poor souls, so utterly in bondage to sin. Then we counsel them, handing them pamphlets or leaflets to study and carry away with them to their homes. Sometimes, too, we call brother Indians to tell them of their own experience, which is, in a few words, this: ‘One thing I know, and that is that whereas I was blind, now I see.’”
“A few weeks ago I baptized eighteen persons, among whom were many young people, all of whom had considered well the cost beforehand. We exert special efforts to win over the young people, explaining to them what an inestimable privilege it is to find the Lord while one is yet young. And a blessed sight it certainly is to see young men and women choosing to serve their Lord. . . .”
“The school is about to open, old people as well as young being anxious to attend. All wish to know how to read the precious word of God for themselves. In each of our meetings, we have all read the Bible who know how to do so. And the Indian is always satisfied with a ‘Thus saith the Lord.’”
By this letter we see how the message speeds. Soon it will go with a mighty impetus which neither men nor devils will in the slightest manner be able to prevail against. There are many Indian tribes which still must hear of the gospel, but some way will be forthcoming. He who formed man from the dust can easily provide the way by which he may be warned of the day of wrath and how to escape it. God did not destroy the antediluvian world before He had given all a chance to repent. After they had had opportunity to accept or refuse Noah’s message of God’s mercy to them, then and only then did the Creator of all flesh overwhelm the world with a flood of waters. To the world of to-day comes the same message of pity and mercy. Ere the sharp two-edged sword mow down the unregenerate, finally impenitent dwellers on the earth, Christ’s Spirit must plead with every heart to soften and repent before it be eternally too late. Poor Indians! But a short time will be theirs in which to correct the habits of years and the inborn hereditary tendencies of ages of darkness. Yet Pentecostal showers of the latter rain will be able to change hearts in a moment by a miracle of divine grace.
Many Tribes to Be Reached
The Araucanians, who for three centuries—until 1883—maintained their independence in the southern part of Chile, unconquered by either Spaniard or Chilean, must receive a knowledge of the advent message as soon as possible. Then there are the Fuegians also still in densest darkness, one tribe of which has a vocabulary of something like 20,000 words. The Puelches and Tehuelches in Patagonia have yet to be warned. In Brazil there are the Maipures and Karaibes between the Amazon and the Orinoco. In the eastern part of the same republic, as also the central and the western, there are the Tupis. Besides these are the Ges and Tupi-Guaranis. In all the other Latin-American countries, too, at the present moment there exist numerous tribes, each with its peculiar complex language, which makes missionary work more difficult for God’s messengers. And yet He who helps His people through all difficulties, bountifully gives of His Spirit, that they may in a short time overcome the inconveniences of a strange tongue. Then, too, as the railroads push out into hitherto unentered territories, and communication with distant points becomes more general, the Indians, to carry on trade with the white merchants or those of mixed race, will learn the language they speak, Spanish or Portuguese, depending upon whether the former or the latter tongue is the official one.
The Pope Shocked by the News
Going back to the much discussed Putumayo horrors, it may be of interest to the readers of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES to know that the pope of Rome has been considerably shocked at the news. The Southern Cross, of Buenos Aires, seemingly an authority on the subject, says:
“The holy father has been greatly shocked at the revelations with regard to the horrible outrages at Putumayo. . . . He is in communication with the Peruvian government on the subject.”
According to the same authority, on June 7, 1912, the pope issued an encyclical dealing with the Putumayo incident, which reads as follows:
“When we consider the crimes and outrages still committed against them [the Indians], our heart is filled with horror, and we are moved to great compassion for this most unhappy race. For what can be so cruel and so barbarous as to scourge men and brand them with a hot iron, often for a mere lust of cruelty; or, having suddenly overthrown them, to slay hundreds or thousands in one unceasing massacre; or to waste villages and districts, and slaughter the inhabitants, so that some tribes, as we understand, have become extinct in these last few years! . . . For our part, indeed, when reports of these things were first brought to us, we hesitated for some time to give credence to such atrocities, since they certainly seemed to be incredible. But after we had been assured by abundant witnesses, we can no longer doubt as to the truth of these statements.”
It seems to us that the pope who wears the triple crown to-day has more compassion in81his heart than his predecessors. There is a saying that Rome never changes, which Protestants at one time generally accepted as true, although some now think that Catholicism must have altered somewhat in recent years. But they forget all about the Inquisition and Torquemada; all about how men endured untold agony upon the rack, which was employed to extort confessions from persons suspected of so-called heresy; how their bones were wrenched out of joint, and agonies of all kinds that men and devils could invent had to be endured by the poor souls who dared think for themselves away from the beaten path which Rome traced out for them. After enduring the rack, they were sometimes allowed their liberty, but even then the rest of their lives they were usually physical wrecks. More often, however, they were sent to the galleys or burned at the stake as heretics.
Rome forgets all this now—or, better stated, pretends to forget it—to win Protestants to her sullied standard. Pope Pius’s heart, outwardly at least, bleeds for the poor Indians of the New World. But does he not know of the crimes that his predecessors on the throne of the Vatican committed in Lima and other South American cities,—how by means of the Inquisition they tortured poor Indians on the rack and at the stake far more than the English company has ever done?
And yet we do not in any way countenance the deeds of the British rubber company. We condemn them. They partake too much of the nature of the Inquisition of the Old and the New World. God grant that after all the agitation over the incident, some good may result for the enslaved rubber gatherers. May the gospel in its purity, untarnished by traditions of men, be carried to these poor, unfortunate men and women—our neighbors, bruised by the wayside. And may some at least receive the freedom that a merciful God ever stands ready to offer those who will accept it.
A Bible Atlas
By Editor
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