Signs of the Times, Vol. 41, No. 46. (11/24/1914)

Signs of the Times

Nov 24, 1914

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Nov 24, 1914

This War-Mad World and the Prospects for Peace

By Hampton W. Cottrell

Armageddon and the Kingdom of God—Turkey's Part in the Great War Tragedy—Significant Event When Turkey Finally Falls

By Hampton W. Cottrell

Men may conjecture, but they can not throw any light upon the present war situation in Europe, or the pending battle or war of Armageddon. The inspired author calls the latter “the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” All nations of earth will be involved in it.

This War a Note of Warning

Relative to the European war and its meaning, the word of God only is prepared to speak authoritatively. The present war will not be followed by universal peace—the millennium—as some have declared. This war is a signal, a note of warning, a prelude to the forthcoming Armageddon.

When the European war is ended, whatever the outcome, there will be a temporary lull. After a period of comparative peace, the nations will come up to the Armageddon war, which will be the supreme outburst of six thousand years of pent up war energy. The war spirit in men will be stimulated many fold by the vivifying influence of the spirits of demons from the regions of spiritual darkness.

How small a portion of the world is not actually engaged in war, or else on the brink of war, at the present time!

All the World Will Be Involved

We read in the prophetic book of the New Testament, “And the nations were angry.” Rev. 11:18. When this text meets its complete fulfilment, all earth’s kings and other rulers, together with all subjects and citizens of the powers that are, whose hearts are not regenerated by God’s grace, being inspired by the spirits of demons, will be involved in the battle of Armageddon; but God’s people “shall be delivered.” “I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon [pagans], and out of the mouth of the beast [unregenerated papists], and out of the mouth of the false prophet [apostate Protestantism]. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go

forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty . . . Armageddon.” Rev. 16:13-16. This text and its context recite the events leading up to the Armageddon battle.

An Unprecedented Time of Trouble

“And at that time shall Michael [Christ] stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation: . . . and at that time thy people shall be delivered.” Dan. 12:1.

The standing up of Christ, after the events preliminary to Armageddon have been enacted, and prior to the battle of Armageddon, is His signal to all inhabitants of the universe that His work as Mediator has ended, and probation has closed; that He has laid off His priestly robe, and donned His kingly attire. He then receives His kingdom. The veil of the long night of sin has lifted, and the day of eternal light and righteousness is beginning to dawn, never to fade again. Then will be fulfilled the scripture, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.” Rev. 15:8 and 11:15.

At the time of the standing up of Christ, when He takes the reins of universal government, then the judgments of God, which have been so long withheld from the incorrigible, will be made manifest among the rebellious nations of men, as indicated: “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” Rev. 15:1. “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.” Rev. 16:1. During this part of earth’s drama will begin the war of Armageddon, in which all nations will be engaged. Verse 14.

The Meaning of This Tragic War

Let us return to the present European situation, and ascertain the meaning of this tragic war.

Yesterday the subjects of the European governments were neighbors—yea, brothers; but to-day men appear to be possessed by a mania of thirst for the life-blood of the personnel of opposing armies. The tragical character of the present war can not be compared to any ever heretofore chronicled in the annals of history. From earth and sky, from on the sea and under the sea, from the front and the rear, mighty life-destroying implements of war deal wholesale death and devastation to city and country, as though actuated by demons. It is surely more cruel than savagery. It is a blighting, withering curse on the fair name of civilization, not to mention the fact that it is promoted by supposedly Christian nations.

The Kings of the East

But God foreknew that morbid-minded men, maddened, crazed, intoxicated with carnal greed and selfish ambition for power, would have it so; and thus He declared two thousand years ago, that men might know that He is God.

The river Euphrates is a Biblical emblem, a symbol, of the Turkish dominion. Rev. 16:12. The water represents her national power and her subjects; for we read in Rev. 17:15, “The waters which thou sawest . . . are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” It is further stated that “the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” The drying up of the “water thereof” means that the Turk, “the king of the north,” “the sick man of the east,” will be driven from Europe, and in the final analysis he will meet dissolution; while the beast, the papal system, with its adherents, will linger on, to be cast alive into the lake of fire in the day of final retribution. Rev. 20:10. Turkey is now only awaiting the summons of divine Providence to meet its doom.

The environments of the nations engaged in military and naval conflict make the European war the dominant factor in the drying up, in the near future, of the water of the Euphrates—the suppression of the Turkish power in the European portion of his dominion. The present war in Europe means at least the banishment of the Turk from Europe. “The Eastern question” will then be settled at least in part. The prophecy will still be in process of fulfilment when he plants the seat of his government in Asia. Dan. 11:45. The prophecy must be fulfilled. The Turk must leave Europe. This is the significance, in part, of the European war.

The Breaking of the Turkish Power

The stronger European powers that have for many years helped the Turk, are themselves now engaged in this bloody conflict, which will tend so to weaken one of the contesting parties, that it will be powerless, when the war is ended, longer to help the Turk; and the conquering power will be so nearly a world power that there will be no one to question its right to remove the Turk, provided he has not foreshadowed his doom in Europe, and of his own accord fled to Asia. Surely this war will break the diplomatic chain that has held the Turk in Europe, or even made it possible for him to remain indefinitely with his seat of government at Constantinople, where nature erected impregnable vantage-points—the Dardanelles, the Bosporus, and the series of seas. For centuries, the nations now involved have been unwilling that any one of the great powers should come into possession of the Turkish territory in Europe, because it would give a strong nation the balance of power.

Must Leave Europe

The drying up of the river Euphrates, as it pertains to the Turkish power in Europe, refers to the banishment of that nation from European soil. And the passing of the Turk into Asia will be in fulfilment of prophecy, and will be another sign of the times, and Bible students may know of the events next to follow.

He will first be driven from Europe. Then, so far as Europe is concerned, “the sick man of the east” will be dead.

Called “the King of the North”

The Bible calls the Turk “the king of the north” in Dan. 11:40; and in verses 44, 45 and Dan. 12:1 it defines his career and declares his end. “He shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” Dan. 11:45. The nations have prevented extreme aggression upon the Turk heretofore in Europe. Thus

they helped him. But when he goes to Asia, and plants “the tabernacles of his palace between the seas [temporarily] in the glorious holy mountain,” the nations themselves will make war upon him, and “he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.” Dan. 11:45.

(Continued on page 6)

This War-Mad World and the Prospects for Peace

(Continued from page 2)

A recapitulation will show that—

This war in Europe means the breaking of every band that binds the Turk to Europe.
When in Asia, the Turk will eventually establish his seat of government at Jerusalem.
The next great event thereafter will be the fulfilment of the prophecy, “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered.” Dan. 12:1.
Michael is Christ. 1 Thess. 4:16; John 5:25; Jude 9.
The standing up of Michael is the divine signal that the personnel of the incorrigible warring nations have permanently rejected the divine Christ, and His rising is an announcement to the world that every one will receive the fruit of his choice—that probation is at an end. “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev. 22:11.
Then Christ takes the reins of universal government. At the time when Christ leaves His position as Mediator, and receives the kingship, earthly nations begin to crumble at the base; for it is at that time that divine retribution begins to fall upon the ungodly, as indicated in Rev. 16:1: “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.”
When Christ rises and declares His kingship, the first of the series of the seven plagues is poured out, and the others follow in their order.
Under the sixth plague, the river Euphrates is dried up, which is the complete dissolution of the Turkish dominion. Invading powers have conquered her, and she will exist no more forever.

But the judgments of Christ continue; for says God to Christ: “Ask of Me, and I shall give Thee the heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Ps. 2:8, 9.

A Sign of the Dissolution of All Nations

The word of God gives assurance that Turkey will come to her final end, and that very soon thereafter all other nations will be brought to their dissolution. And after all war, and the effects of all crime, iniquity, and sin are purged from this domain, the kingdom of God will be set up on earth. “In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Dan. 2:44.

There will be no invading armies there, not even natural death. Dear reader, an acceptance of the divine Christ, and adherence to God’s last message, which is recorded in Rev. 14:6-14, is Heaven’s call to one and all.

ANYWHERE, if it only be forward.—David Livingstone.

Educating for Successful Service

By Ellen G. White

True Ideals for the Home—Develop Correct Standards in the Children—Teach Them to Be Useful—Surround Them with Proper Associations By MRS. E. G. WHITE

TRUE education is missionary training. Every son and daughter of God is called to be a missionary; we are called to the service of God and our fellow men; and to fit us for this service should be the object of our education.

This object should ever be kept in view by Christian parents and teachers. We know not in what line our children may serve. They may spend their lives within the circle of the home; they may engage in life's common vocations, or go as teachers of the gospel to heathen lands; but all are alike called to be missionaries for God, ministers of mercy to the world.

TO STAND AT CHRIST'S SIDE

The children and youth, with their fresh talent, energy, and courage, their quick susceptibilities, are loved of God, and He desires to bring them into harmony with divine agencies. They are to obtain an education that will help them to stand by the side of Christ in unselfish service. Our children stand, as it were, at the parting of the ways. On every hand, the world's enticements to self-seeking and self-indulgence call them away from the path cast up for the ransomed of the Lord. Whether their lives shall be a blessing or a curse depends upon the choice they make. Overflowing with energy, eager to test their untried capabilities, they must find some outlet for their superabounding life. Active they will be for good or for evil.

REACH FOR THE HIGHER ATTAINMENTS

God's word does not repress activity, but guides it aright. God does not bid the youth to be less aspiring. The elements of character that make a man truly successful and honored among men—the irrepressible desire for some greater good, the indomitable will, the strenuous application, the untiring perseverance—are not to be discouraged. By the grace of God they are to be directed to the attainment of objects as much higher than mere selfish and worldly interests as the heavens are higher than the earth.

With us as parents and as Christians it rests to give our children right direction. They are to be carefully, wisely, tenderly guided into paths of Christlike ministry. We are under sacred covenant with God to rear our children for His service. To surround them with such influences as shall lead them to choose a life of service, and to give them the training needed, is our first duty. ## THE NOBILITY OF MANHOOD

Next to the angelic beings, the human family, formed in the image of God, are the noblest of His created works. God desires them to become all that He has made it possible for them to be, and to do their very best with the powers He has given them. God looks into the tiny seed that He Himself has formed, and

sees wrapped within it the beautiful flower, the shrub, or the lofty, wide-spreading tree. So does He see the possibilities in every human being. We are here for a purpose. God has given us His plan for our life, and He desires us to reach the highest standard of development.

GROWTH IN HAPPINESS AND USEFULNESS

He desires that we shall constantly be growing in holiness, in happiness, in usefulness. All have capabilities which they must be taught to regard as sacred endowments, to appreciate as the Lord's gifts, and rightly to employ. He desires the youth to cultivate

every power of their being, and to bring every faculty into active exercise. He desires them to enjoy all that is useful and precious in this life, to be good and to do good, laying up a heavenly treasure for the future life. It should be their ambition to excel in all things that are unselfish, high, and noble. Let them look to Christ as the pattern after which they are to be fashioned. The holy ambition that He revealed in His life they are to cherish,—an ambition to make the world better for their having lived in it. This is the work to which they are called. ## THE CHILD'S FIRST SCHOOL The home is the child's first school, and it is here that the foundation should be laid for a life of service. Its principles are to be taught not merely in theory. They are to shape the whole life training. Very early the lesson of helpfulness should be taught the child. As soon as strength and reasoning power are sufficiently developed, he should be given duties to perform in the home. He should be encouraged in trying to help father and mother, encouraged to deny and to control himself, to put others' happiness and convenience before his own, to watch for opportunities to cheer and assist brothers and sisters and playmates, and to show kindness to the aged, the sick, and the unfortunate. The more fully the spirit of true ministry pervades the home, the more fully it will be developed in the lives of the children. They will learn to find joy in service and sacrifice for the

good of others. The home training should be supplemented by the work of the school. The development of the whole being, physical, mental, and spiritual, and the teaching of service and sacrifice, should be kept constantly in view.

Above any other agency, service for Christ's sake in the little things of every-day experience has power to mold the character and to direct the life into lines of unselfish ministry. To awaken this spirit, to encourage, and rightly to direct it, is the parent's and the teacher's work. No more important work could be given them. The spirit of ministry is the spirit of heaven, and with every effort to develop and encourage it angels will cooperate. (Continued on page 6)

Educating for Successful Service

(Continued from page 3)

INFLUENCE OF ASSOCIATION

God's word places great stress upon the influence of association, even upon men and women. How much greater is its power on the developing mind and character of children and youth! The company they keep, the principles they adopt, the habits they form, will decide the question of their usefulness here, and of their future, eternal interest. It is a terrible fact, and one that should make the hearts of parents tremble, that in so many schools and colleges to which the youth are sent for mental culture and discipline, influences prevail which misshape the character, divert the mind from life's true aims, and debase the morals. Through contact with the irreligious, the pleasure-loving, and the corrupt, many, many youth lose the simplicity and purity, the faith in God, and the spirit of self-sacrifice that Christian fathers and mothers have cherished and guarded by careful instruction and earnest prayer.

LOST HIS PURPOSE

Many who enter school with the purpose of fitting themselves for some line of unselfish ministry, become absorbed in secular studies. An ambition is aroused to win distinction in scholarship and to gain position and honor in the world. The purpose for which they entered the school is lost sight of, and the life is given up to selfish and worldly pursuits. And often habits are formed that ruin the life both for this world and for the world to come. As a rule, men and women who have broad ideas, unselfish purposes, noble aspirations, are those in whom these characteristics were developed by their associations in early years. In all His dealings with Israel, God urged upon them the importance of guarding the associations of their children. All the arrangements of civil, religious, and social life were made with a view to preserving the children from harmful companionship, and making them, from their earliest years, familiar with the precepts and principles of the law of God. The object-lesson given at the birth of the nation was of a nature deeply to impress all hearts. Before the last terrible judgment came upon the Egyptians in the death of the first-born, God commanded His people to gather their children into their own homes. The door post of every house was marked with blood; and within the protection assured by this token all were to abide. So to-day parents who love and fear God are to keep their children under “the bond of the covenant,”—within the protection of those sacred influences made possible through Christ's redeeming blood.

FAITH VICTORIOUS

By S. J. TOWNSEND

Thou knowest not what awaits thee, O my soul, Th’ eternal mist’s ’twixt thee and the farther shore; But God’s kind providence shall control, And light the path before.

And when thy journeyings through the mist are o’er, And then shalt look thou backward o’er life’s day, Thou shalt have understanding, O my soul, He led thee all the way.

As dreams when one awaketh, O my soul, Of storm-swept voyages o’er oceans vast, To thee shall seem, in part not, but the whole, Thy sorrows overpast. Through faith victorious thou shalt stand at last. Freed from thine exile on this sin-cursed shore, Thou shalt, with song triumphant, O my soul, Roam free forevermore.

Then fear not thou the future, O my soul, If but thy life be hid with Christ in God, For thee shall have no terrors death’s dark goal, Thy home beneath the sod; Nor yet the scourge of the avenging rod, If thou perchance art living and remain, His glorious form beholding, O my soul, When Christ shall come again.

Thou shalt have change immortal, O my soul, When Jesus’ voice shall call the righteous dead; And thou shalt hear them answering to the roll, From tombs long tenanted. By angel hands unto thy Saviour led, With that vast throng ascending heavenward, So shalt thou dwell rejoicing, O my soul, Forever with thy Lord.

Sabbath in the Eternal World

By WILLIAM COVERT

The Foundations at Creation—To Be Observed in the Earth Made New—World-Wide Meetings in Eternity

By WILLIAM COVERT

In creation, God so wrought as to provide a Sabbath day for man, because the works of creation were to be remembered. Ps. 111: 4.

The Sabbath was to serve as a memorial that would honor God the Creator and bless man the creature. Gen. 2: 1-4.

God's work was wonderfully great and most glorious in the righteousness of its character. Ps. 111: 3.

What He did was “done in truth and uprightness,” and it was done so as to “stand fast forever and ever.” Even the days of eternity can not unmake it. Verses 7, 8.

The Deep Foundations

The foundations of the Sabbath were laid deep down in truth, which can never change nor be moved. Examine the rock upon which it stands: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; . . . and God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made. These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created.” Gen. 2: 1-4.

In laying the foundation of the earth, God was laying the foundation of the Sabbath. Just one week was occupied in creation, and the last day of the week was made the rest day, and this was blessed and set apart to be the Sabbath.

In making it to be the Sabbath day, it was also made to be the day of holy convocation for God's people. Lev. 23: 3.

The truth upon which the Sabbath is founded, embodies the reason why God should be worshiped; and to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy is to keep God and His work ever in mind.

The order of man's work as to time each week is to duplicate the order of God's work when our world was made. This order is divine, and is upheld by the authority of God's law, which says: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work; . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Ex. 20: 8-11.

Will Not Fail nor Be Discouraged

In former articles, we have traced the Sabbath from Eden down through the ages in its connection with wavering men, who have in a large measure gone contrary to the divine order of things. It is therefore evident that God's purpose for man, and the order of things as set forth in the Sabbath law, must yet be fulfilled on the earth when the Edenic order of things is restored. “He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till He have set judgment in the earth.” Isa. 42: 4.

To Be Observed in the New Earth

The prophetic Word, which can not fail, has told us about the Sabbath when the earth is restored from sin. The fact that the Sabbath was given to man in Eden before the curse had made a mark on the works of God, forms a beautiful couple with the Sabbath for a meeting day in the renewed earth, after the curse has been removed; and so the prophet says: “As the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon [new month] to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.” Isa. 66: 22, 23.

In that glad time herein foretold is portrayed the eternal age of bliss; and Sabbath meetings will be there, and monthly meetings will be there, too, according to the plan that suited best for the redeemed host.

The new Jerusalem will be admirably adapted for the great assemblies that will congregate on these stated occasions.

The plan is that those who have served as effective missionaries here shall shine there with glory like the stars, forever and ever. Dan. 12: 3. And these, having kept God's commandments, and having been cleansed from all sin by the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7: 14), will have a right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city. Rev. 22: 14.

Stated Meetings in Eternity

The coming of those who inhabit the new earth to the new Jerusalem from month to month may be understood when we consider that the tree of life in the city bears twelve kinds of fruit, and yields its fruit every month. What this fruit is to be, the writer does not know; but the monthly yield evidently has to do with the monthly gathering. And the Sabbath keeping has to do with the Sabbath worship enjoyed by all the redeemed host.

What a meeting there will be when the saints gather in the spacious city of gold! The Lord of the Sabbath will be there, who called the earth into being, and placed His blessing on the Sabbath day when it was made for man. Adam, who received the appointment from his Maker, to keep holy the Sabbath day, when it was blessed, will be there to meet with the redeemed and keep it in Eden restored.

Rewarded for Their Sufferings

The martyrs who have been slain by the haters of truth because they faithfully kept the Sabbath of the Lord will be there. When the Lord brings His people home, those who have been exiled from their homes will be there. Yes, “the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads.” Isa. 35: 10.

But can the reader believe that the Sabbath was abolished at the cross, to be restored when the earth shall be renewed? It is not reasonable, is it? Can the reader believe that the Lord ordered the seventh day to be kept holy from creation to the death of Christ, then ordered the first day to be kept as the Sabbath from the death of Christ until His second coming, with the understanding that the seventh day is to be kept through the eternal ages? Such a thing does not look consistent, does it?

These inconsistent things have never been taught by the authority of God's word, and they will not come to pass. We will, however, see accomplished just what the word of God has foretold, for the word of God can not fail.

Seek the Lord While He May Be Found

“SEEK ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”

What Many Young Men Miss

By MEADE MAC GUIRE

THERE are thousands of young men throughout the country who seldom come into direct contact with religion. They are engaged in various lines of business, or perhaps are drifting about still undecided as to their life-work. They do not attend church. Only a very small percentage of the young men of the United States attend religious services regularly. They do not read religious literature, because comparatively little is written with a view to interesting them or meeting their needs. It is not always easy to address them on the subject of religion, for two reasons.

First, it is a period in life when men are most likely to feel independent and care-free, and without any conscious need of religion; and especially is this true in this intensely practical and material generation.

Second, for some reason, popular opinion or sentiment has raised a barrier between the intensely active, vigorous young man, who is filled with the ambition for conquest in worldly affairs, and the young man who belongs to the church, studies his Bible, and is not ashamed to have it known wherever he goes that he is a Christian.

Now, this condition is to be greatly deplored, because—

1. These tens of thousands of splendid young men could be just as practical, and could enjoy their work just as much — and more — and have just as good a time — and better — if they were whole-hearted, sensible, genuine Christians.

2. The church is in desperate need of the vigor and enthusiasm, the moral and spiritual power, that such an accession to its membership would bring.

3. Notwithstanding all the learned discussion of theology and philosophy and higher criticism and science, the great fact remains that there is a future life, and for every human being a heaven to win and a hell to shun.

4. Thousands of intelligent, earnest, successful business men are ready to testify today that they missed the very highest and best of life during the years they drifted about without a definite Christian experience; also that since gaining this definite experience, they have found in it a mighty power to lift above the baser temptations to evil, and a practical source of comfort and encouragement during adversity, and the thing which really satisfies when everything else fails. MEADE MAC GUIRE.

Continue reading: The Churches and the War Tornado