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VOLUME 79, NO. 33 SEPTEMBER 2,1952
Does God Rule?
•
Christ's Final Triumph
your Bible Questions finswered
The Feasts of the Lord
Please explain Leviticus 23:2, 3, 37, 38. This
seems to class the seventh-day Sabbath in with
H. M. B.
the ceremonial sabbaths.
Editor
Arthur S. Maxwell
Assistant Editor .
. Charles D. Utt
Vol. 79, No. 33
Sept. 2, 1952
CONTENTS
YOUR BIBLE QUESTIONS ANSWERED
EDITORIALS: A SICK WORLD
SECRETS ON HOUSETOPS
Carlyle B. Haynes
DOES GOD RULE ?
GOD ANSWERS PRAYER (POEM) Grace Barker Wilson
IN THE NEWS
Donald W McKay
IF I HAD MY WAY! . ...... Mary J. Vine
WHAT Is CHARITY ? (POEM) . Anna-Modine Moran
CHRIST'S FINAL TRIUMPH . .
Arthur S. Maxwell
THE SABBATH OF THE PATRIARCHS . . P. E. Quimby
THE BLIND IN HEART
Virginia Murray
DEEDS OF LOVE
E. G. White
THE CHRISTIAN'S CHRIST
B. P. Hoffman
No OTHER WAY
R. C. Trench
James H. Stirling
GOD'S SHADOW
2
3
4
5
5
6
7
7
8
10
11
11
12
15
16
The second verse, which reads as follows,
"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say
unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord,
which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts," is a general
introduction to the list of feasts, or appointed
times (Hebrew), of the Lord given in the
chapter. Verse 3 mentions the weekly Sabbath: "Six days shall work be done: but the
seventh day is • the Sabbath of rest, an holy
convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it
is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings." Verse 4 is an introduction to the list of
annual or ceremonial sabbaths that follows
in the chapter and marks the division between
the weekly Sabbath of verse 3 and the ceremonial sabbaths. Verse 4 reads: "These are
the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations,
which ye shall proclaim in their seasons." The
Sabbath came weekly; the ceremonial sabbaths
came "in their seasons," each one at a stated
time in the year.
Verses 37 and 38 are a summary, distinctly
specifying that these appointed times, with
their offerings, are "beside the Sabbaths of
the Lord," that is, in addition to and distinct
from the weekly Sabbath of verse 3. Verses
39-43 belong with verses 34-36, all giving instruction concerning the feast of booths, or
tabernacles. Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
are correct when they say, "Leviticus 23:38
expressly distinguishes 'the sabbath of the
Lord' from the other sabbaths."—A CommenC. D. U.
tary, note on Colossians 2:16.
Covetousness
In the commandment, "Thou shalt not covet,"
S. M. H.
what does "covet" mean?
OUR COVER
Strange as it may seem, this guard tower at a prisoner-of-war camp on troubled Koje Island is a symbol
of our times—a grim reminder of the tragedy that has
come into the lives of millions through war and its
aftermath. The thousands of prisoners on Koje are
but a fraction of the multitude of civilians confined in
camps behind the iron curtain, according to latest UN
reports. And all this misery and frustration raises the
question in many minds whether there is any divine
direction of world affairs. See "Does God Rule?" by
Carlyle B. Haynes, on page 5 of this issue.
H. K. CHRISTMAN
CIRCULATION MANAGER
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Page Two
The commandment reads: "Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not
covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant,
nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass,
nor anything that is thy neighbor's." Exodus
20:17.
To covet means to wish to possess for one's
self something that belongs to another. It
implies a desire to have by unlawful means;
that is, without offering a just equivalent in
exchange. Coveting is the first step toward
theft or robbery. This was true in Achan's
experience. Joshua 7:18-21.
Covetousness is wrong because it may make
one, in his impatience to possess, less able or
less willing to put forth an honest effort to
earn what he needs or wants. Thus it has a
deteriorating effect on the character. Covetousness is associated with many other sins
(Ephesians 5:3-5; Colossians 3:5), and it is
no less a sin because others do not know it is
cherished. God knows the heart.
It is not coveting to desire the property of
another if it is for sale and one is willing to
pay for it. For example, one would not be
coveting his neighbor's house if he wished to
own it and were willing to give money or
something else of value in exchange. It would
always be wrong, of course, to covet another
man's wife, because a wife is not property to
be bought or sold.
Sometimes the word "covet" is used in the
Bible with the meaning to desire earnestly,
as in 1 Corinthians 12:31, "Covet earnestly
the best gifts." Our possession would not deprive anyone cne of the n.
C. D. U.
SIGNS of the TIMES
Although defeated in World War II, Italy already possesses quite a formidable army again.
Here mechanized units of her army parade past
the ancient Colosseum down the Imperial Way.
•
UNITED PRESS
THE FLIGHT OF
i
T
IMF
A Sick World
I
N THE United Nations World for
June is an editorial entitled "Why
the World Is Sick." In it the editors
discuss the superhuman task that is being undertaken by the World Health
Organization of the United Nations to
eradicate disease. From the Organization's definition of health as "a state of
complete physical, mental, and social
well-being," these writers declare that
the whole world is sick. They say:
"Once the reader, by an unexampled
flight of imagination, translates these
brittle facts and statistics into living, personal terms, he will hear and understand
the discordant symphony of pain and
death and misery emanating from two
thirds of the world's peoples. . . . The
massive waste in human lives that is
going on right now in the world is simply staggering."
First to be noted are the "mass" diseases, those parasitic and infectious maladies that afflict two thirds of humanity.
Malaria is estimated to cause sickness and
suffering in the lives of 300,000,000 people throughout the world. Tuberculosis,
more widespread, causes more deaths
than malaria. Yaws, similar to syphilis,
"cripples, disfigures, and debilitates victims of all ages" in almost the entire
land mass between the two tropics. Trafor SEPTEMBER 2, 1952
choma, an eye disease which causes partial or complete blindness, is common
in Egypt, India, and Indo-China. In
Egypt more than ten million of the
twenty million population are affected.
Syphilis is the curse of an estimated oo,000,000, and gonorrhea of 300000000.
Bilharziasis, an infestation of the blood
stream with blood flukes which are
picked up in tropical rivers and irrigated
fields, afflicts ioo,000,000 in Africa and
Asia. Filariasis, a parasitic infestation
that is the usual cause of elephantiasis,
is said in the one year 1947 to have
attacked 157,000,000 in Asia. Other
"mass" diseases that claim their millions
are plague, typhus, leprosy, yellow fever,
smallpox, and hookworm.
Three fourths of the world's population know little or nothing of sanitation. Polluted water, bad food, and filthy
living conditions are responsible for epidemics of gastrointestinal diseases—dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and plague.
Diseases that result from faulty nutrition contribute their part to the distressing scene. Some of these are beriberi,
pellagra, scurvy, rickets, and nutritional
anemia.
In contrast with these "mass" diseases
from which millions die in mud huts in
Africa or New Guinea, we have "lux-
ury" or "more refined" diseases which
claim their victims in the most modern
of European and American hospitals.
Among these are cancer, the cause of
215,000 deaths in the United States last
year. Poliomyelitis, or infantile paralysis, is more common among the more
prosperous nations of Europe and America than in the less-favored regions.
Heart and circulatory diseases are on the
increase, as are also glandular disorders,
diabetes, and rheumatism.
Diseases which have their origin in
the stresses, conflicts, and anxieties of
modern civilization are peptic ulcers,
alcoholism, arteriosclerosis, neuroses, and
mental illnesses. Nine million Americans now suffer from some form of
mental disturbance. One child in twelve
born this year in the United States, according to the National Association of
Mental Health, "will require hospitalization at some time during life as a
result of mental ill-health."
While we recognize that the immediate cause of man's suffering and misery is his ignorance and indulgence
which have made him a prey to germs
and parasites, yet the original cause is
sin. The human race has not been able
to escape the penalty of disobedience.
"In the day that thou eatest thereof [the
forbidden tree] thou shalt surely die"
was the divine sentence in the Garden
of Eden. Genesis 2:17.
The English poet Milton gave expression to this truth when he represented
Michael as saying to Adam after the
Fall:
Some, as thou sawest, by violent strokes
shall die,
By fire, flood, famine, by intemperance
more
In meats and drinks, which on the earth
shall bring
Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew
Before thee shall appear; that thou mayest know
What misery the inabstinence of Eve
Shall bring on men.
Then follows a preview of the "many
shapes of death" that rivals the appalling
picture presented in the United Nations
World, only without the statistics:
Immediately a place
Before his eyes appeared, sad, noisome,
dark,
A lazar house it seemed, wherein were
laid
Numbers of all diseased, all maladies
Of ghastly spasm, or racking torture,
qualms
Of heartsick agony, all feverous kinds,
Convulsions, epilepsies, fierce catarrhs,
Intestine stone and ulcer, colic pangs,
Page Three
Demoniac frenzy, moping melancholy
And moon-struck madness, pining
atrophy,
Marasmus, and wide-wasting pestilence,
Dropsies, and asthmas, and joint-racking
rheums.
—Paradise Lost, book II, 471-488.
This "discordant symphony of pain
and death and misery" presents a striking commentary on the statement made
by the apostle Paul: "For we know that
the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." Romans
8:22. Happily, in the next verse, there
is brought to view the only remedy for
the world's sin, sickness, and suffering
—"the redemption of our body," at the
coming of our Lord. This glorious release from all that has tormented the
descendants of Adam is further assured
by the same apostle: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we
look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus
• Another group who are bringing marvelous relief to thousands in neglected
places are medical missionaries. An
American doctor goes to Nigeria to take
charge of a leper colony; another goes
to Ethiopia to superintend a hospital;
another devotes her life to healing the
sick in India; still another plies the
waters of the Amazon in his dispensary
launch, healing wounds and sores and
teaching the people how better to care
for themselves.
Complete salvation from every ill,
however, will not occur until after the
coming of Christ and the establishment
of His everlasting kingdom of righteousness, in which "there shall be no more
death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain." Revelation 21:4. The desperately sick condition
of the world assures us that the fruition
of this hope cannot be far distant.
C. D. U.
UNITED PRESS
South Koreans demonstrate in Seoul against forced repatriation of prisoners against their will.
Christ : who shall change our vile body,
that it may be fashioned like unto His
glorious body, according to the working
whereby He is able even to subdue all
things unto Himself." Philippians 3:
20, 2I.
We are thankful for every effort that
is made to alleviate suffering and cure
disease. The World Health Organization, which was organized only four
years ago, is doing a good work. In many
parts of the world thousands have been
and are being helped. Oftentimes only
a few injections of one of the "miracle
drugs" give new life to those otherwise
doomed to premature death.
Page Four
Secrets on Housetops
E
VERY delegate to the Democratic
convention in Chicago found a
small white card on his chair warning
him that he would be under the constant surveillance of television cameras.
It read : "You will be on television. 140,000,000 eyes will watch you. Remember,—you may not know it,—television
may be showing a close-up picture of
you."
A further reminder was printed in the
official program. Under the caption,
"You Will Be on Television," it said,
"Eight television cameras will be cover-
ing every inch of Convention Hall, inside and outside. They can cover every
person in the hall. They will pick up
everything of interest and everything
out of the ordinary. Even if you are in
a crowd, the eye of television can project
a close-up picture of you to those millions of people watching. You probably
won't even know the camera is on you."
This warning was prepared as a result
of what happened during the Republican convention when all sorts of minor
indiscretions on the part of individual
delegates were carried directly into the
homes of the waiting hosts outside.
Thoughtless disrespect for the flag, occasional indifference to speakers, careless
irreverence during invocations, and brief
outbursts of temper were all faithfully
relayed to the vast invisible audience all
over the country. It was even claimed by
some television viewers that good lip
readers were able to pick up private conversations.
Should television continue to develop
with the same rapidity that has marked
its growth during the past two or three
years, it will not be long before every
public meeting of any importance will
be bared to the public gaze by this miraculous invention. Indeed, the day may
soon dawn when members of Congress
will be warned to be on their best behavior at all times because the eyes of the
nation are upon them. Judges, lawyers,
and juries may receive similar counsel
during specially interesting trials. Children may be told to mind what they say
and do at school because their fathers
and mothers are watching them at home.
Even church members may be advised
to be more reverent and zealous in the
house of God lest their careless conduct
have an unfortunate reaction upon nonChristian viewers in other states and
countries.
Really, the more one thinks of the possibilities the more awesome they become.
One indiscretion, by day or night, in the
dark or in the light, could so easily be
blazoned before an innumerable multitude. The supposed total abstainer
drinking a clandestine cocktail, the professed nonsmoker taking a whiff at a
cigarette, a minister of religion attending an unsavory place of amusement, a
politician accepting a bribe from a representative of the underworld, could
well discover a few moments later that
his secret sin was public property not
only among his neighbors, but half the
nation, too.
Perhaps Jesus had something like this
in mind when He said, "All you utter
in the dark will be heard in the light,
and what you whisper in chambers will
(Continued on page 15)
SIGNS of the TIMES
Boo God Rule?
Is the Destiny of Nations in His Hand?
•
by
CARLYLE B. HAYNES
0 SOME it may appear that
God has little or nothing to
do with the things taking place about us
today. But we are not to judge by appearances. God has not abdicated His
sovereignty. Nothing is made plainer
in the Scriptures.
In Proverbs 21:1 the wise man, inspired of heaven, wrote, "The king's
heart is in the hand of the Lord." The
king is the symbol of government; he is
often the maker of history. The meaning of this passage is that government—
and history—are in the hands of God.
No king or ruler does exactly as he
pleases. Governments do not act independently of the will of God. They
do what He permits them to do.
In that great epic, the book of Job,
one of Job's friends remarks : "Enquire,
I pray thee, of the former age, and
prepare thyself to the search of their
fathers. . . . Shall not they teach thee?"
Job 8:8, io.
In the twelfth chapter of Job we read,
"Does not a man's mind test what he
is told, as the palate tastes food for itself ? Wisdom, you argue, lies with
aged men, a long life means intelligence? Nay, wisdom and authority belong to God; strength and knowledge
are His own. He breaks down: there is
no rebuilding; imprisons: there is no
release. He holds the rain back : earth is
dry; He lets it loose: the land is overwhelmed. Power and providence belong to Him : He is behind deceiver and
deceived, He strips statesmen of their
wits, and makes a fool of councilors, He
dismantles royalty, and drives off kings
in chains, He marches priests away
barefoot, their ancient orders He o'erthrows, orators He renders speechless,
aged men lose their judgment, He pours
contempt on lords, and He unnerves
for SEPTEMBER 2, 1952
The Scriptures declare that the nations of earth are in God's hands.
STANDARD PUB. CO .
the powerful, dark policies He brings to
light, and shady mysteries He exposes;
He will extend a nation, to undo it, He
will enlarge a nation, then enslave it;
He will distract its leading men and
set them in a pathless waste astray,
where in the dark they grope without a
light, wandering aimless like a drunken
wight." Verses 11-25, Moffatt.
Consider what Job says in this passage. He is replying to his friends and
points them to the things of nature. He
makes it plain that, notwithstanding
the bewildering misfortunes which have
befallen him, his belief in God's goodness has not been shaken. Then, in a
4—
GOD ANSWERS PRAYER
by GRACE BARKER WILSON
I know within my heart God answers
prayer,
Because today I heard that still,
small voice,
And felt a sense of peace and comfort, where
Before, was all confusing doubt
and noise.
I asked in humbleness that He might
grant
A special blessing to some ones
I love.
And what I asked with faith
unhesitant,
Was poured that selfsame hour
from heaven above.
passage of striking eloquence, he directs
attention to both the wisdom and power
of God as they control and shape the
affairs of men and nations.
God, he declares, is behind both deceiver and deceived. They are both
alike creatures of God and in His hand.
He enlarges nations and then destroys
them. Cities are built, grow great, become populous, fulfill their cycle, and
perish. Alt is of God.
Job looks the facts of human existence
squarely in the face. He sees the confusion, the baffling enigma, which lies
in the constitution of the world and the
soul of mankind. But he penetrates
beyond all that, recognizing that the
beasts, the fowls, the fish, all living
beings everywhere, have not created
themselves, and possess no power to
determine or resist their destiny; and all
bear witness to the supreme authority
and control of God, the Creator.
Men have sought to understand the
ways of the Supreme Sovereign. Man's
mind, Job says, tests what he is told as
the palate tastes food. Bildad had argued
that wisdom lies with aged men, and a
long life means intelligence. No, replies
Job, wisdom and authority belong to
God. Not understanding only, not intelligence only, but wisdom and might.
He not only discerns; He does. He demolishes, and there is no rebuilding. He
imprisons, shuts up by misfortune, by
disease, and there is no release. It is
God's decree; and until He allows, there
Page Five
is no opening, no deliverance. It is at
His will that the waters are dried up,
or held back; and at His will they pour
in torrents over the earth.
Similarly, among men there are currents of evil and good flowing through
lives and events, here in the trickster,
there in his victim; here in counselors
whose plans come to nothing, there in
statesmen whose sagacity is changed
into folly. When it serves God's purposes He can spread confusion and bewilder them all.
So, Job continues, nations are raised
up, then dashed to pieces. The leaders
of men are made panic-stricken like
children, wandering in a wilderness,
groping in midnight gloom, staggering
like drunken wights.
All this, Job says, have I seen. And,
he adds, it is God's doing. All this, too,
have we seen. The world we live in is
filled with revolutions, vast mutations,
a veritable phantasmagoria of human
struggle and defeat.
Sleeping Tablets
Evidence that sleeping tablets (barbiturates for the most part) are responsible for
many suicides and accidental deaths has
been reinforced by Drs. Merrill, Moore, Leo
Alexander, and Johannes Ipsen in the New
England Journal of Medicine. The three
analyzed 119,838 deaths certified by the
medical examiners in Massachusetts between 1938 and 1948. Poisons were the
cause of death in 7,968 or 6.64 per cent of
these cases, and well over half of the deaths
were suicidal. Illuminating gas, barbiturates, cyanides, and arsenic caused most of
these deaths.
Newspaper Spending
All those nickels and dimes that folks
spent for daily and Sunday newspapers
last year amounted to more than a billion
dollars. The actual tally was $22,173,000
a week.
No Smoke, Lots of Dollars
Sixty-six years ago David Greig, then 20,
began helping his mother in a small grocery
in London, reports the United Press. He
swore he would not smoke until he had
earned ro,000 pounds.
His will, published recently, showed he
had earned 813,281 pounds ($2,327,186)
and the shop had grown to a chain of 208
when he died.
He still had not taken up smoking.
Page Six
Beneath all these baffling, seemingly
"Let all the earth fear the Eternal,
meaningless mysteries, Job searched for let every dweller stand in awe of Him;
a divine purpose, believing there was for He it was who spoke—and earth
one. Beneath every disaster and every existed, 'twas at His bidding it appeared.
disappointment, beneath all the per- The Eternal wrecks the purposes of paverse things that wrecked his plans, gans, He brings to nothing what the
crushed his hopes, and robbed him of nations plan; but the Eternal's purpose
friends, goods, wealth, and home, he stands forever, and what He plans will
believed there was a divine purpose and last from age to age. Happy the nation
a benevolent hand.
whose God is the Eternal, the people He
So should we believe. As in Job's case, has chosen for His own! The Eternal
so may it be in ours. The voices of men looks from heaven, beholding all manmay come between us and the voice of kind; from where He sits, He scans all
earth's Sovereign; personal disaster may who inhabit the world; He who alone
come between the soul and the sense made their minds, He notes all they do.
of God. But, like Job, we should look Armies do not bring victory to a king,
beyond all the mysteries, enigmas, and the warrior is not rescued by sheer
bludgeonings of which we may be the strength; cavalry are in vain for victory,
'there is no winning by the strength of
victim into the face of the Eternal.
The psalmist made plain in his in- that! No, the Eternal's eye rests on His
spired songs that God keeps a record of worshipers, who rest their hopes upon
the doings of men, knowing even their His kindness, that He may rescue them
thoughts, looking deep into their minds. from death, and during famine days
He makes plain, too, that armies and keep them alive." Psalm 33:8-19, Moffatt.
power are not the causes of victory.
Here the inspired Psalmist, arguing
from the fact of the power displayed in
the creation of the world, reasons that
the same mysterious might has worked
ever since and is working now in the
providential government of the universe. God's unspoken thoughts are endowed with resistless vigor, and are, in
very truth, the only real power in history. God's purpose stands forever.
What He plans will endure from age
Record Number of M.D.'s
to age. The consummation of all things,
The United States had a record high the net result of history, will be exactly
number of 211,68o physicians at the end as He has planned. The only stable, enof 1951, the American Medical Association during reality is the will of God. And
reported. This was a gain of 2,640 over those who ally themselves with it, yield1950.
ing to its counsels and molding their
thoughts and activities by it, will have
Beer-Proof
its
stability and permanence imparted
A beer-proof piano has been on display
at the British Industries Fair. The piano to them. "He that doeth the will of God
is built of solid oak. There are no sharp abideth forever."
edges to bruise drunks who fall against it.
Beer mugs and cigarettes slide off sloping
lids. Keys are covered with a fireproof
plastic that cannot be picked off. Neither
money nor food can be thrown into the
works. The string assembly is so fastened
in place that it cannot be removed to be
played on as a harp in some Bacchic outpouring of song.
U.S. Catholics Report Gain
The number of Roman Catholics in the
United States, Alaska, and the Hawaiian
Islands increased by 722,642 in the past
year, bringing the total to a record 29,407,520, according to the official Catholic directory for 1952.
An increase was also reported in the
number of clergy, making a record total
of 44,459. There are also more members
of the hierarchy than ever before in U. S.
history. These include three cardinals, 27
archbishops, and 158 bishops.
Christ the Perfect Man
HE ALWAYS did the things that pleased
God. The great ideal has come from the
air to the earth. The fair vision has become concrete in a Man. Now I want
to see that Man; and if I see that Man
I shall see in Him a revelation of what
God's purpose is for men; and I shall
see, therefore, a revelation of what the
highest possibility of life is. I want to
see Him; I want to catch the notes of
the music that makes up the perfect harmony which was the dropping of a song
out of God's heaven upon man's earth,
that man might catch the keynote of it
and make music in his own life. He says,
"I always do the things that are pleasing
to Him," and history has vindicated His
statement.—G. Campbell Morgan.
SIGNS of the TIMES
1
I Had Illy Thy!
Would Things Be Better or Worse?
by MARY J. VINE
STANDARD PUB. CO.
S
HE was obviously hard beset, poor
woman. Her troubles were manifold. Her market basket on her knees,
she was pouring out her heart to her
immediate fellow passenger; but one
by one the rest of us gave up and listened, too. There was nothing else we
could do. She probably intended it that
way.
Aunt Susan, apparently, was at the
bottom of a lot of it. And then, there
was "my son John." For a young man
who had been offered so much sound
advice he was obviously not giving too
good an account of himself. There was
that matter of his girl friend—she did
lower her voice here. For a moment
evidently the rest of us must be excluded.
With the increased cost of living, however, we were all vigorously gathered
in again. Where would it end ? Worry
—worry—worry. "And then, as I was
saying, there's young Bobby. Saucy! You
wouldn't believe it. If I'd talked like
that to my mother—"
Apparently, though, there was a remedy. It cropped up every few sentences:
"Now, if I had my way."
"If I had my way"—and Aunt Susan
was successfully eradicated.
"If I had my way"—and son John toed
the line without more ado, girl friend
and all.
"If I had my way"—and no government could have arranged its budget
more satisfactorily.
"If I had my way"—and even young
Bobby would be brought to book.
Judging from her account, though,
the poor lady was thwarted at every
turn. Her way wasn't anyone else's way,
nor, seemingly, Providence's either.
Words failed her. She summed it all up
limply. "It's no use," she said, "It's no
use."
I couldn't help being grateful as I
for SEPTEMBER 2, 1952
stepped down from the bus. The little
trip from town is usually commonplace
enough. Today I had brought home
more than the weekly groceries. I had
food for thought.
Our own way never is any use, is it?
There was a woman once, and such a
lovely woman she was. But, as with
every other woman, she had her prob-.
lems. She and the man she loved were
divided about their children, the two
boys who should have been their greatest mutual delight. For "Isaac loved
Esau, . . . but Rebekah loved Jacob."
In a way it was understandable.
Esau was fearless, manly, a child of the
forest, the mutual complement of the
gentle Jacob. So, when the two boys
stood before their father, it was the bigger boy who brought the proud light
into his father's eyes, and it was in his
doings that he showed an interest. What,
after all, was there for him to talk about
with Jacob ? But Rebekah's heart turned
more toward the younger twin, and she
determined, come what would, that
she would give the Lord a hand.
What she did we know.
She had her own way. She was sure
of herself. Wasn't she on the side of
Jehovah ? "Upon me be thy curse, my
son," she said.
But she went before the Lord, and
how heavily the curse fell! She had her
own way, but lost everything she most
prized.
"Mine eye also is dim by reason of
sorrow," cried Job; "my purposes are
broken ofi, even the thoughts of my
heart." Oh, the heartache and the disappointment of those broken purposes!
Through the lonely years Rebekah drank
her cup of sorrow to the dregs. If only
she had waited on the Lord!
And if only we, too, would do the
same! How sweetly would the days
flow by if in each passing hour we recognized that this very moment, thronged
as it may be with not too congenial
duties, and in the association perhaps of
not too congenial companions, is nevertheless a specially prepared opportunity
for us to show what manner of people
we can be by His grace. For so it is.
Maybe it does seem that the Father's
purposes are slow in taking shape, so
far as we are concerned. Oh, let's not
try to hurry Him!
Even at the beginning of their wilderness wanderings, before ever the children of Israel had begun to murmur, the
Lord took them a long way round. It
would have been a much more direct
(Continued on page 1i)
WHAT IS CHARITY?
by ANNA-MODINE MORAN
It means much more than giving
alms
Or tolerating flaws
In humankind, or working for
Some just and worthy cause.
Universal charity
• , Could rid the world of strife:
It has the qualities to make
Earth life a happy life.
If nations would permit its gentle
Power to exercise,
Human hearts would soon be
cleansed
Of hate that crucifies.
"Charity"—that gracious word
Was coined in heaven above;
Endowed with godly attributes,
Charity is Love.
Page Seven
Christ's final
Tenth in the Series, "Christ and
Tomorrow," an Introduction to the
Study of the Book of Revelation
by ARTHUR S. MAXWELL
0 NEWTON
HAPTERS 17 to 19 of the book
of Revelation should be read as
a unit, for they describe various
phases of Christ's final triumph over all
the agencies of evil in the world. Here,
under new and striking symbolism, the
Lord of glory reassures His people that
their faithfulness and loyalty are not forgotten and that the doom of their oppressors and persecutors is sure and
certain.
Chapter 16 closes with the judgments
of God being released upon the multitudes of the unsaved who assemble at
Armageddon for "the battle of that great
day of God Almighty." Scarcely has
this scene passed before John sees one
of the angels which poured out the seven
last plagues coming toward him, saying,
"Come hither; I will show unto thee the
judgment of the great whore that sitteth
upon many waters : with whom the
kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth
have been made drunk with the wine of
her fornication." Revelation 17a, 2.
It is as though the angel said, "You
have seen what happened to those who
had the mark of the beast, and who worshiped his image; now behold what God
will do to the power that is primarily
responsible for confusing the minds of
men with false doctrines and leading
them by millions into rebellion against
their Maker."
John may well have expected to see
the leopard beast again; but instead he
says, "I saw a woman sit upon a scarletcolored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten
horns. And the woman was arrayed in
purple and scarlet color, and decked
with gold and precious stones and
pearls, having a golden cup in her hand
full of abominations and filthiness of her
C
Page Eight
fornication: and upon her forehead was
a name written, Mystery, Babylon the
Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. And I saw the
woman drunken with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs
of Jesus." Verses 3-6.
John is astonished beyond words. A
savage monster might attack the saints,
but a woman would not. Surely no
woman would do so fearful a thing!
Who is this woman? Just as a good
woman represents the true church of
Christ (Revelation 12:1), so an evil
woman, in prophetic symbolism, represents a false, apostate church. This
woman rides upon a beast, signifying
the dependence of this apostate church
upon the state. In her sinful pride she
utters terrible blasphemies and drinks
the blood of the saints which the state
at her behest destroys.
The similarity between this dreadful
caricature of a church with the leopard
beast of Revelation 13 and the little-horn
power of Daniel 7 is so close as to be
unmistakable. Any unbiased reader
would say that, to all intents and purposes, they are identical. Unquestionably
the evil woman of Revelation 17 represents precisely the same great religiopolitical power portrayed by these other
symbols—that power which bestrode
the world like a colossus throughout the
Dark Ages, bringing frightful hardship
and suffering to the true children of
God. With her priestly hierarchy arrayed
in purple and scarlet, and her temples
decked with gold and precious stones
and pearls, she dominated the minds of
millions through many generations.
John's attention is particularly directed to the ten horns on the beast that
the wicked woman rises. These represent the same ten kingdoms referred to
in Daniel 7, which developed out of the
Roman Empire, and became the nations
of modern Europe. They reign "one
hour," or, more accurately, "in the same
era," or contemporaneously, with the
beast, giving it their power and strength.
The time comes, however, when an
astonishing change takes place.
Says the angel to John, "The ten horns
which thou sawest upon the beast, these
shall hate the whore, and shall make her
desolate and naked, and shall eat her
flesh, and burn her with fire." Revelation 17:16.
In these few dramatic words the fate
of Rome is sealed. Completely disillusioned at last, the powers which have so
long supported this apostate religious
organization shall turn upon her in great
fury. Figuratively speaking, they shall
"eat her flesh, and burn her with fire,"
signifying a final and total extirpation.
These secular powers themselves shall
contend with the Lamb in the person
of His followers; but they, too, shall
perish in "the battle of that great day of
God Almighty." "The Lamb shall overcome them : for He is Lord of lords and
King of kings: and they that are with
Him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
Lest there be any lingering doubt left
in John's mind concerning the fate of
all such organizations which defy the
Lord of heaven and persecute His children on the earth, the fate of symbolic
Babylon is set forth in still greater detail
in the vision recorded in chapter 18.
"After these things," writes the apostle, "I saw another angel come down
from heaven, having great power; and
the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong
voice, saying, Babylon the Great is
fallen, is fallen, and is become the habiSIGNS of the TIMES
triumph
tation of devils, and the hold of every
foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean
and hateful bird. . . .
"And I heard another voice from
heaven, saying, Come out of her, My
people, that ye be not partakers of her
sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues. For her sins have reached unto
heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities.... Therefore shall her plagues
come in one day, death, and mourning,
and famine; and she shall be utterly
burned with fire: for strong is the Lord
God who j udgeth her." Revelation 18:i-8.
What is meant by the term
"Babylon" in this passage ? It
would seen to include far more
than those who acknowledge
the sovereignty of the scarlet
woman, who had "Babylon the
Great" written on her forehead.
Revelation 17:5. No doubt it
embraces also the daughters of
Babylon, those religious organizations which sprang from that
apostate church. These started
out well, with the highest ideals and
motives, and God's full approbation, but
with the lapse of years largely lost their
way. Doubts and skepticism destroyed
their faith, sapped their spiritual vitality,
lowered their moral standards, and
opened their gates to worldliness.
Tinkering with Spiritism, many of
them let the evil angels, in the guise
of spirits of the dead, confuse and mislead them. In all too many ways they
have "fallen" and forfeited the favor of
God.
The weakness of the witness of many
professedly Christian churches against
the abounding wickedness of our times
is one of the most disappointing aspects
of the present world situation. Their
message has been so diluted with modernism and so watered down with
"naturalism" that it has become wellnigh meaningless. In educational institutions which they founded students are
now taught "that the Decalogue is no
more sacred than a syllabus; that the
home as an institution is doomed; that
there are no absolute evils; that immorality is simply an act in contravention
of society's accepted standards."
Not all Christians, of course, are thus
contaminated with the spirit of apostasy.
That there are, in fact, multitudes of
godly, honest-hearted people within the
Protestant denominations who have not
yet "bowed the knee to Baal" is obvious
from the urgent appeal, "Come out of
her, My people." Many of God's people
are still in Babylon. But let them not
delay in their decision. They must act,
and act soon. For God's judgments on
Babylon are about to fall.
The description of Babylon's fate is
enough to strike fear to every heart. John
sees some "standing afar off for the fear
of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that
great city Babylon, that mighty city! for
in one hour is thy judgment come. And
the merchants of the earth shall weep
and mourn over her; for no man buyeth
their merchandise any more: the merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious
stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and
purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all
thyine wood, and all manner vessels of
ivory, and all manner vessels of most
precious wood, and of brass, and iron,
and marble, and cinnamon, and odors,
and ointments, and frankincense, and
wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat,
and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and
chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
And the fruits that thy soul lusted after
are departed from thee, and all things
which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find
them no more at all. The merchants of
these things, which were made rich by
her, shall stand afar off for the fear of
her torment, weeping and wailing, and
saying, Alas, alas that great city, that was
clothed in fine linen, and purple, and
scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! For in one hour
so great riches is come to nought. And
every shipmaster, and all the company
in ships, and sailors, and as many as
(Continued on page 14)
The time is not far distant when a mighty
angel from heaven will lay hold on Satan
and bind him "a thousand years." Revelation 20:1, 2.
for SEPTEMBER 2, 1952
Page Nine
P. E. QUIMBY
The Sabbath of the
PATRIARCHS
Was the Seventh Day Observed Between Eden and Sinai?
STANDARD PUB. CO.
N A limited sense it might be
said that man shared with
God in the creation of the
Sabbath. God "rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had
made," and by God's resting, it became
the Sabbath. Adam did likewise, and at
the same time. In the blessing and sanctifying of the Sabbath, obviously Adam
had no part.
Having been created on the sixth day,
Adam and Eve were ushered quite
abruptly into the observance of the first
Sabbath experienced on this planet. And
their first experience of holy time, from
sunset to sunset, must have given them
a profound impression of the sacredness
of the Sabbath.
Following the Sabbath, upon the first
day of the new week, immediately after
creation week, Adam and Eve walked
out into their new and wonderful dominion. A new world, bristling with
innumerable possibilities, appeared before them. What a thrilling moment
that must have been!
No one knows how long the Eden
life was enjoyed. But the tragedy recorded in the third chapter of Genesis
resulted in our first parents' being driven
from their Eden home. However, sad
though the expulsion must have been,
Adam and Eve did not lose the sacred
impressions made upon their minds on
that first Sabbath day. Indeed, there
was a positive conviction in their hearts
that they must perpetuate the sacred
observance of that holy day.
As God blessed their home with children, they taught them the privilege of
meeting God in worship on the Sabbath.
The Scripture aptly states, "In process of
t;me it came to pass, that Cain brought
of the fruit of the ground an offering
Page Ten
unto the Lord. And Abel, he also
brought of the firstlings of his flock and
of the fat thereof." Genesis 4:3, 4. The
expression "in process of time" challenges special study. In the marginal
reading it says the original Hebrew of
this statement implies, "At the end of
days." In commenting on this, Clark's
Commentary states, "It is more probable that it means the Sabbath, on
which Adam and his family undoubtedly offered obligations to God, as the
divine worship was certainly instituted,
and no doubt the Sabbath properly observed in that family." A Commentary
on the Old and New Testaments, written by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown,
makes this enlightening statement: "In
process of time—Hebrew, 'at the end
of days,' probably on the Sabbath."
From creation week to the present
time mankind has known that the cycle
of the year has been marked by the
movements of the sun, and the cycle of
the month by the movements of the
moon. But the cycle of the week is not,
in any sense, determined by the movement of any astronomical body. It has
an infinitely more significant determinant, that of the holy Sabbath.
From the study of the divine record
of the post-Eden scene, it is evident that
man's earliest religious activities after
his departure from his Paradise home
were hallowed by the sacred influences
and inspiration of the Sabbath day. If
man had always sustained the same
obedient attitude toward God, how
much freer from tragedy, sorrow, and
pain would have been his sojourn from
Eden to Eden!
. Concerning this period one Bible commentator states, "TheSabbath was honored by all the children of Adam that
remained loyal to God." It may well
be that the Sabbath became a sign of
loyalty to Jehovah throughout the patriarchal period just as it did in the regal
period of Israel's history. Ezekiel 20:
12, 20. It would be natural to conclude
that those who departed from the Lord,
and eventually merged into the race of
wicked men and women whose sins precipitated the Flood, had n6 regard for
the Sabbath and found no pleasure in
observing it.
Abraham shines forth as a great exponent of God's law. God declared of him,
"In thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed." Genesis 22:18, Again,
"Abraham shall surely become a great
and mighty nation." Genesis 18:18.
Such outstanding promises must have
rested on a basis of trust, and an adequate reason for these does not long
evade discovery. God specifically states,
"Because that Abraham obeyed My
voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."
Genesis 26:5.
It is obvious that Abraham's character
and spiritual vision were the fruitage of
obedience to God's law, including observance of the seventh-day Sabbath.
Nehemiah, a leader in Israel at a
much later period, provides a thought
concerning the Sabbath indicating its
continuous relation to the law. In his
instruction to Israel after the return
from captivity he said, concerning what
Jehovah did at Sinai, "Thou camest
down also upon Mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gayest
them right judgments, and true laws,
good statutes and commandments: and
madest known unto them Thy holy
bodULMLII, ittiu l..0111111d1IUGLISL 1.11C111 precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of
SIGNS of the TI.MES
Moses Thy servant." Nehemiah 9:13, 14.
Here, amidst all his synonyms for
God's laws, he specifically mentions
God's "holy Sabbath," not alluding to,
or making any mention of, the other
nine commandments. This is sufficient
proof that the Sabbath was an essential
part of God's laws, statutes, commandments, and precepts. It is natural to conclude that the Sabbath commandment
occupied a most important place in the
Decalogue from the very earliest times.
The discipline with which Abraham
cro'verned his household was another
aspect of the patriarch's life whiCh did
not escape divine notice. Said the Lord,
"Shall I hide from Abraham that thing
which I do; seeing that Abraham shall
surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth
shall be blessed in him ? For I know
him, that he will command his children
and his household after him, and they
shall keep the way of the Lord, to do
justice and judgment." Genesis 18:17-19.
It is evident that the observance of
God's law was the basis of the development of Abraham's own character as
well as the basis of his management of
his large household of over a thousand
souls. Would to God there might be
more heads of families today of whom
God might say, They keep "My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."
of glory, who was rich, yet for our sake
became poor.
The deeds of kindness may have been
done in secret, but the result upon the
character of the doer cannot be hidden.
If we work with wholehearted interest
as a follower of Christ, the heart will be
in close sympathy with God, and the
Spirit of God, moving upon our spirit,
will call forth the sacred harmonies of
the soul in answer to the divine touch.
He who gives increased talents to those
who have made a wise improvement of
the gifts entrusted to them, is pleased to
acknowledge the service of His believing people in the Beloved, through
whose grace and strength they have
wrought. Those who have sought for
the development and perfection of
Christian character by exercising their
faculties in good works, will, in the
world to come, reap that which they
have sown. The work begun upon earth
will reach its consummation in that
higher and holier life to endure throughout eternity.—E. G. White.
f or SEPTEMBER 2, 1952
No. 119—Flexible, overlapping covers;
round corners; amber edges.
No. 119RL with words of Christ printed
in red.
For individual gift or presentation, No. 123
or 123RL with genuine Black leather
cover. In color: No. 124B (Blue), No.
125M (Maroon).
a
AT YOUR
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BELOVED KING JAMES VERSION
The Blind in Heart
by VIRGINIA MURRAY
C
ROWDS were hurrying along
Broadway in the terrific noonNo ONE can give place in his own heart
day heat. Newsboys were shoutand life for the stream of God's blessing ing the latest war tragedy. Streetcars
to flow to others, without receiving in clanged and screeched to a jerky halt.
himself a rich reward. The hillsides and There was the usual hum of business at
plains that furnish a channel for the the intersection.
mountain streams to reach the sea, suffer
An elderly man with a white cane
no loss thereby. That which they give appeared, tapping his way through his
is repaid a hundredfold. . . .
own black world along the street. Then
The work of beneficence is twice with a force that stunned him, he
blessed. While he that gives to the smacked into a traffic signal post. Little
needy blesses others, he himself is blessed red splotches appeared on the sidewalk
in a still greater degree. The grace of from his bleeding nose.
Christ in the soul is developing traits of
The man reeled, but got his balance.
character that are the opposite of selfish- just then his foot stumbled over an unness,—traits that will refine, ennoble, used traffic button that had formerly
and enrich the life. Acts of kindess per- studded the intersection, but now lay
formed in secret will bind hearts to- useless near the traffic standard. The old
gether, and will draw them closer to the man pitched forward and almost fell.
heart of Him from whom every genThe curious throng stopped to watch
erous impulse springs. The little atten- him. Obviously he was trying to cross
tions, the small acts of love. and self- the street. Two well-dressed young felsacrifice, that flow out from the life as lows in the crowd laughed as if they
quietly as the fragrance from a flower, were watching a drunk.
—these constitute no small share of the
The aged blind man reconnoitered
blessings and happiness of life. And it nervously with his cane to get his bearwill be found at last that the denial of ings. He was evidently very rattled
self for the good and happiness of others, now. He cupped his hand to one ear,
however humble and uncommended possibly listening for the sound of a
here, is recognized in heaven as the to- street car. At that gesture the two young
ken of our union with Him, the King fellows laughed again. The old man,
Deeds of Love
For group presentations, a National Bible
is the perfect choice. Compact in size, it
has 16 pages of illustrations, also colored
maps and special Bible helps. Moderately priced.
who had
had stepped off the curb, turned
about slightly just as an automobile
swished past him and roared around the
corner. A tall, whitehaired Swede
grabbed the blind man by the arm and
helped him to the curb.
"Tell me where you are going," said
the Swede, with an undisguised accent,
as he gave the man his handkerchief to
stanch the nosebleed.
The blind man's tired voice trembled
nervously. "I want a streetcar going
east to the depot."
The Swede guided the sightless man
to a streetcar, but the rest of the crowd
swarmed around him like so many ants
enclosing an obstacle, and surged ahead.
It was impossible for the sightless man
to get his foot even on the lower step
until the last of the passengers was inside. He clutched desperately at the
Swede's big hand and awkwardly groped
his way onto the car.
The Swede told the motorman where
the blind man wanted to go and then,
with a lurch, the streetcar started up.
The Swede came back to where his
friend was waiting on the sidewalk.
'What's wrong with these people?
It's as if they are all blind," he muttered.
What could have happened to all these
(Continued on page 13)
Page Eleven
L AA
HE name Christ, as referring
to the Founder and central
Figure of the Christian religion, is recognized in secular history even from the
time of early Roman writers, such as
Pliny, Tacitus, and others; but for the
real significance of the name we must
turn to the inspired records penned by
contemporaries who became His followers. His personal name, given by the
angel from heaven, was Jesus, from the
Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua,
meaning Saviour. "For He shall save
His people from their sins." Matthew
I :2I. He was also properly called Immanuel, that is, "God with us." Verse 23.
"Christ," as a matter of fact, appears
originally to have been regarded as a
title, designating His office or work. It
represents the Greek equivalent of the
Hebrew word Messiah, literally, "the
Anointed."
One of the first to recognize and con-
understanding of the deep significance
associated with the word at the time
the Son of God came into the world.
Through many centuries the hope of
Israel had been kept alive by inspired
records of the past, prophecies of the
future, and songs of religious devotion,
all of which held out unmistakable
promise of a Messiah to come. Their
national fortunes had at last reached a
state in which this hope seemed to be
all that was left to them. The high
degree of expectancy then prevailing is
definitely felt in recorded utterances of
that time. "Art Thou He that should
come, or do we look for another ?" Matthew II :3. "I know that Messias corneth, which is called Christ: when He is
come, He will tell us all things." John
4:25. "This is of a truth that prophet
that should come into the world." John
6:14.
The term Messias or Christos was rich
The Christian's CHRIST
fess Jesus, when He was beginning His
public ministry, was Andrew, who confidently proclaimed, "We have found the
Messias, which is, being interpreted, the
Christ." John I :41. This use of the term
occurs in the earlier developments when
"all men mused in their hearts of John,
whether he were the Christ or not."
Luke 3:15. And some challenged him,
"Why baptizest thou then, if thou be
not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that
prophet ?" John 1:25. But John "confessed, I am not the Christ." Verse 20.
It was what they saw in Jesus' works
and heard in His words that led the disciples boldly to confess, "Thou art the
Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), while others queried, "Do
the rulers know indeed that this is the
very Christ (John 7:26) ?"
Soon after His earthly life was ended,
the writers of the Gospels, and especially
of the epistles, are found combining His
name and title into the compound form
"Jesus Christ" or "Christ Jesus," usage
that finds justification in the language
of the Saviour Himself. "And this is
life eternal, that they might know Thee
the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom Thou hast sent." John 17:3.
Unfortunately, the name Christ is
uttered tod a y by a 1.70.: numbers incl~a.
ing many Christians, without adequate
Page Twelve
with meaning to those whose historical
background and folklore were interwoven with the solemn scenes of anointings of priests, prophets, and kings. All
their elaborate ritual, their prophetic
by B. P. HOFFMAN
writings, and their national heritage,
pointed forward to the coming of One
to be anointed as the Priest, the Prophet,
the King, of whom all that went before
were but types. To the men and women
of faith, the daily ministrations of the
anointed men in the temple, offering
sacrifices, burning incense and performing ablutions, were the foreshadowing
of the One who would come to offer
Himself as the Lamb of God to take
away sin and bring in everlasting righteousness.
In the utterances of a long succession
of prophetic voices they read, here a
little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept, assurances that "The
Lord thy God will raise up unto thee
a Prophet from the midst of thee, of
thy brethren; . . . unto Him ye shall
hearken." Deuteronomy 18:15. Those
earthly kings, who by virtue of the
anointing oil sat upon David's throne,
were the visible token of the promise
Biblical Backgrounds of
the Christian Faith-4
of the Child to be born, the Son to be
given who rightfully "shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty
God, The everlasting Father, The Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end."
Isaiah 9:6, 7.
This then was the Messiah, the Christ
for whom the world had been prepared
when the angels announced to the shepherds on the hills of Bethlehem: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people. For
unto you is born this day in the City
of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord." Luke 2:I0, II.
Among the first to recognize the Babe
was a devout man named Simeon, who
had had the assurance "that he should
not see death, before he had seen the
Lord's Christ." And "now lettest Thou
Thy servant depart in peace," he prayed,
"for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,
which Thou hast prepared before the
face of all people; a light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people
Israel." Luke 2:26, 29-32.
Very explicit had the prophecies been
in regard to the manner and purpose
of His coming. Even the time of His
appearance as the Messiah was indicaLed. From the decrees by the Persian
rulers, permitting, and making possible,
SIGNS of the TIMES
the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem
after the Babylonian captivity, a specified period of time was to extend "unto
the Messiah the Prince," "to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of
sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most
holy." Daniel 9:24, 25. "But when the
fullness of the time was come, God sent
forth His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons." Galatians 4:4, 5.
At the time of His baptism, the Holy
Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form
of a dove, and there was "a voice from
heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased." Matthew
3:17. In this it was recognized that "God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that
were oppressed of the devil; for God
was with Him." Acts 10:38.
Accordingly there was no excuse for
the leaders when they rejected Him and
"the rulers were gathered together
against the Lord, and against His Christ.
For of a truth against Thy holy Child
Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both
Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the
Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were
gathered together, for to do whatsoever
Thy hand and Thy counsel determined
befoire to be done." Acts 4:26-28. All
that God's purposes, as revealed in the
Old Testament prophecies, called for
was accomplished and is being accomplished, notwithstanding the perfidy of
the leaders and the failure of the nation.
As a nation Israel was rejected and their
house was left desolate. The Jesus whom
they had crucified, by His own blood
purchased redemption for mankind and
by His resurrection was manifestly set
forth as the Christ, to be revealed again
at His second coming as King of kings
and Lord of lords.
Those who did accept Him He sent
forth to be witnesses for Him in preaching the gospel of the kingdom to peoples
of all nations and races. These became
the nucleus of the Christian church and
went forth teaching and "showing by
the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ"
(Acts 18:28) ; they "confounded the
Jews, ... proving that this is very Christ"
(Acts 9:22), "alleging that Christ must
needs have suffered, and risen again
from the dead; and that this Jesus,
whom I preach unto you, is Christ"
(Acts 17:3).
Jesus Christ was not the founder of
a new religion; He was the fulfillment
of the revelation given by God through
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Israel, the chosen seed of Abraham, the
antitype of all the types, ceremonies, and
religious services of the Hebrew people.
Jesus Christ found the pattern of His
ministry in those very types and services,
and He drew His credentials froM the
prophetic delineations of the Messiah
and His work. Of this He was profoundly conscious from the very beginning of His ministry, as evidenced that
Sabbath morning when He stood in the
Nazareth synagogue and read from the
book of Isaiah: "The Spirit of the Lord
is upon Me, because He hath anointed
Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He
hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives, and
recovering of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty them that are bruised, to preach
the acceptable year of the Lord," and
added, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Luke 4:18-21.
Throughout His life Christ's concern,
and the determining principle of His
conduct was, "that the Scripture might
be fulfilled." See Matthew 2:15, 23;
4:14; John 13:18; 17:12; 19:24, 28, 36, 37;
and many others. When some different
course presented itself, His query was,
"How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be ?" Matthew
26:54. For all that He ever claimed for
Himself He found the warrant in the
divine oracles of the Old Testament
Scriptures. All that He taught, all that
He did, and all that happened to Him,
was but what was to be expected in
such a Messiah as was called for by
the predictions, the types, and the foreshadowings of the Scriptures and the
heaven-ordained sacraments and services of ancient Israel.
State
The primai-y and all-inclusive purpose
of His coming was to be the Saviour
of mankind. That salvation is offered
freely and is to be the experience of all
who believe and accept Him—what He
is, what He taught, what He did, what
He is now doing, and what He will yet
do as the Christ, the anointed Prophet,
Priest, and coming King.
The Blind in Heart
(Continued from page 11)
people, that they could not stop long
enough to assist a sightless man ? Were
they preoccupied with their own affairs,
or just indifferent? What could have
been half so important as to stop a moment and show the old man some attention ?
"It's as if all the people were blind,"
the Swede had said. Christ said it, too.
"Having eyes, see ye not ? and having
ears, hear ye not ?"
The man who was physically blind
was perhaps not so blind as the people
watching him. They were blind in
heart. If they ever prayed, they certainly
never had any communion with the Saviour. Their hearts did not beat in sympathy with His great love. How could
they know ?
Jesus said He could help these people.
He said that if the people would ask of
Him, He would anoint their eyes with
eyesalve. He would open their eyes to
see when others are discouraged or lonesome and need a cheering visit or a note
of friendship. Through Him they could
sense the pulse of the world's agonies
and apply the healing of Christian sympathy and fellowship.
Page Thirteen
If I Had My Way!
(Continued from page 7)
We are not prophets, but if we
know what your children are reading,
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future. Sooner or later they come to
the place where they must make
choices, decisions, and these choices
will decide their future. Good books
will help them to choose the right
way. Here is a set of books we heartily recommend:
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There are five books in this set.
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They are character-building.
They are thrilling, interesting.
They teach truth without preaching.
They are beautifully illustrated.
Written for boys and girls of today.
This set of five books should be in every home
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the children will never forget.
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Page Fourteen
route through the land of the Philistines. But, no, He "led the people about,
through the way of the wilderness." The
reason ? "Lest peradventure," God said,
"the people repent when they see war."
It was a long way round, true; but better
extra steps than needless suffering.
Better to wait awhile than, like Rebekah,
to suffer loss. Perhaps, whether we recognize it or not, we, too, are facing just
such alternatives, and the way we want
to take would, if we could pursue it,
bring us but misery and grief.
The writings of a wonderful woman,
Ellen Gould White, have often brought
infinite comfort to me. "God never leads
His children," she once wrote, "otherwise than they would choose to be led,
if they could see the end from the beginning." And again, "The Lord is ever
setting before us, not the way we would
choose, which seems easier and pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life.
It rests with us to co-operate with the
agencies which Heaven employs in the
work of conforming our characters to
the divine model."
Christ's Final Triumph
(Continued from page 9)
trade by sea, stood afar off, and cried
when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto- this
great city!" Revelation 18:10-18.
The judgment upon Babylon brings
the collapse of the world's economy.
Trade ceases. Prosperity vanishes. Poverty grips all. "Death, and mourning,
and famine" prevail.
"And a mighty angel took up a stone
like a great millstone, and cast it into
the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall
that great city Babylon be thrown down,
and shall be found no more at all."
Verse 21.
With Babylon disposed of, and Christ's
victory complete, what remains but the
shouting? Suddenly John hears it—the
wonderful sound of a great multitude
of happy people crying out with deep
emotion, "Alleluia; Salvation, and glory,
and honor, and power, unto the Lord
our God: for true and righteous are
His judgments: for He hath judged
the great whore, which did corrupt the
earth with her fornication, and hath
avenged the blood of His servants at her
hand. . . . Alleluia. And a voice came
out of the throne, saying, Praise our
God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear
Him, both small and great.
".And I heard as it were the voice of
a great multitude, and as the voice of
SIGNS of the TIMES
many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the
Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Revelation 19:1-6.
In the closing words of this mighty
paean of praise we glimpse the very
heart and core of "the revelation of
Jesus Christ." "The Lord God omnipotent reigneth"—the very message which
Gabriel brought to the prophet Daniel:
"The Most High ruleth in the kingdoms of men." This glorious affirmation of the eternal sovereignty of God
is the source and the summary of every
assurance that righteousness and truth
shall ultimately triumph. Upon this
rock the church of Christ is built, and
the gates of hell cannot and shall not prevail against it. Satan may employ his
most devilish devices to bring about its
downfall, but he shall not succeed. As
a dragon he may seek to devour it; as
a leopardlike beast he may persecute it;
as a two-horned beast he may proscribe
it and condemn it to death; but it shall
prove indestructible. Through every attack and every trial the true church will
be preserved, for Christ is its Friend, and
Christ is God, and "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
Suddenly John's eyes turn toward
heaven once again, and his old heart
thrills at the sight that meets his gaze.
"I saw heaven opened," he says, "and
behold a white horse; and He that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness He doth judge and
make war. His eyes were as a flame
of fire, and on His head were many
crowns; and He had a name written,
that no man knew, but He Himself.
And He was clothed with a' vesture
%odipped in blood: and His name is called
The Word of God.
"And the armies which were in heaven
followed Him upon white horses, clothed
in fine linen, white and clean. And out
of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it He should smite the nations:
and He shall rule them with a rod of
iron: and He treadeth the wine press
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God. And He hath on His vesture and
on His thigh a name written, King of
kings, and Lord of lords." Verses 11-16.
This is the wondrous scene that John
had so long and so ardently yearned to
see: His beloved Lord and Master returning in the clouds of heaven, with all
the holy angels with Him; Christ triumphant at last over all His enemies! Now
in God's mercy he is permitted to see
it in vision, as it will happen in very
truth someday, when all the conflicts of
the church are over and the victory
through Christ is won.
Today this event is still future; yet
for SEPTEMBER 2, 1952
how near it must be! We are living
amid the last of the seven churches, and
the sixth of the seven seals. The seventh
trumpet is sounding and the third angel's message is being proclaimed to
"every nation, and kindred, and tongue,
and people." The actors are all upon
the stage for the final scenes in the drama
of human history. Little remains to be
fulfilled of all Christ's revelation of the
"things which must be hereafter."
Surely the final climax cannot be far
distant. God make us ready for that day!
Secrets on Housetops
(Continued from page 4)
be proclaimed on the housetops." Luke
12:3, Moffatt. Certainly this is just what
television does. Already it has invaded
hitherto exclusive committees and made
known their discussions everywhere to
friends and foes alike. And how appropriate that one of the vital features of this
modern revealer of secrets should be
roof-top antennae!
True Christians, of course, will not be
disturbed by the thought that the magic
eye of television may at any moment be
turned upon them. Conscious that they
are under the constant observation of
the God of heaven, whose all-seeing eyes
"are in every place, beholding the evil
and the good" (Proverbs 15:3), they will
be supremely indifferent whether or not
their private lives become a spectacle to
the world. Living from day to day, by
divine grace, in harmony with God's
commandments and the teachings of
His word, they will have no pangs of
fear lest some foolish lapse bring them
and the cause they serve into universal
disgrace. Resting upon God's promise
to keep them from falling, and to present
them "faultless before the presence of
His glory with exceeding joy" (Jude 24),
they will be glad to face the fiercest and
most unexpected glare of publicity without flinching, thankful for the privilege
of witnessing for their Lord and Master
in this new and wonderful way.
A. S. M.
No Other Way
DOUBTLESS all things are possible to
God; but yet with one limitation, that
they must be things consistent with
those supreme moral attributes, that
truth, that righteousness, that love,
stripped of which, God would not be
God any more. And keeping all this
in view, it is not, I think, too much to
affirm, it is not overboldly said, that
there was no other way but this of the
incarnation of the Son of God, followed
as that was by His life of obedience, His
death of propitiation, His resurrection in
power, His ascension in glory, whereby
men could be saved. What should we
think of a king, some of whose people
were in bitter bondage in a foreign land,
if he, knowing that he might have them
back by simply sending for them, or at
most by paying a ransom of silver and
gold, chose instead of this, and when
this was free to him, to send his own son
to serve that bitter bondage in their
stead, to endure all outrages, indignities, wrongs, even death itself in obtaining their release? Would their wisdom
or love shine out gloriously here? Could
he reasonably demand the boundless
gratitude of the ransomed on the ground
of the costly sacrifice which their deliverance entailed, when that deliverance
might have been effected at so much
easier and cheaper a rate ? No, when
God chose that costliest means of our
deliverance, sending His own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,
we may be quite sure that at no lower
price would our redemption have been
possible, that nothing short of this could
have satisfied that righteousness of His,
which He was bound to maintain;
which He could not forgo, without
shaking to their strong foundation those
eternal pillars on which the moral universe reposes; we may be quite sure that
no weaker or poorer motives than those
in this way presented to man would
have ever succeeded in making him
holy, and thus capable of blessedness.—
R. C. Trench.
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Page Fifteen
by JAMES H. STIRLING
HESE are times to try men's souls. The tempo
of life taxes the mind and spirit of man as never
efore. Where can he turn when trouble strikes?
Where can he find the inner strength with which to
face calamity ?
The psalmist long ago discovered the answer: "He
that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will
say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my
God; in Him will I trust." Psalm 91:1, 2.
For two days, in the summer of 1951, Ted Sierks,
a Los Angeles photographer, bobbed about in sharkinfested Pacific waters on a life preserver, after his
fall from a racing yacht. Wind and waves carried him
far from his boat and he suffered much from thirst,
cold, and fear of sharks. In writing his story for Life
magazine, he said, "I prayed; I probably prayed more
during those thirty hours than I have in my whole
lifetime." He told of the moment when he gave up
hope of rescue. "Try as I would," he said, "I could not
keep my head up. I prayed for what I was sure would
be my last time. It was the Lord's Prayer. I remember
I changed it to 'my life's trespasses' instead of just 'trespasses.' Then I let my head sink down onto the life
preserver. Something deep inside my subconscious
seemed to rise within me, and I could have sworn that
I distinctly heard a voice say, 'Don't give up, you weakling.' Almost involuntarily I straightened up, and as
I gagged and coughed the water out of my mouth and
nose I saw, directly in front of me and about a mile
upwind, a glare that lit up the whole sky. For a split
second I did not realize what it was: a parachute flare.
Under it I made out searchlights poking their long
fingers across the water. The Navy was out looking
for me." The next day he was rescued.
The "shadow of the Almighty" rests on the stormy
ocean and the field of battle, as well as on the church
and the home, wherever human hearts turn heavenward. Even prison bars cannot resist its influence.
After Robert A. Vogeler had been subjected to
months of torture in a prison of Eastern Europe, he
was placed in solitary confinement, and his nerves
almost reached the breaking point. Then someone
slipped him a pocket-sized copy of the English Bible,
which became his close companion for many weeks.
"That Bible," he declared later, after his release, "was
responsible for my keeping my sanity."
While most persons will begin to think about God
in an hour of crisis, many do not realize that they may
look to Him for help in everyday concerns.
Do you face problems in your home, among your
friends or associates? Do you have wrong habits to
overcome? Are you discouraged ? Be assured that the
Lord is acquainted with your troubles and is ready to
help you. Let Him have His way in your life.
There is help awaiting you in the Bible. Take some
time every day to study the Scriptures and to pray,
and you will find new spiritual fortitude and confidence. God's way is indeed the best way. You will not
be dismayed by the prospect of impending disaster,
but will understand what Isaiah meant when he wrote:
"Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the
Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary ? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them
that have no might He increaseth strength. . . . They
that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall
run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint." Isaiah 40:28-31.
This promise is for you. Bring your greatest problems to God, and find for yourself the courage and
strength that come to those who "abide under the
shadow of the Almighty."