Earlier text: What the President of the Republic of Cuba Thinks of “Liberty”Is This Armageddon?
By C. M. S.
What Is the Battle of Armageddon and Where Will It Be Fought?
“It came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu?” But Joram found that it was not peace, and he sank down in his chariot with the arrow of Jehu in his heart. See 2 Kings 9: 22-24. Good-intentioned men and women have formed peace societies and have sought to convince the world that the day of war was past; but myriads of earth’s inhabitants are sinking down today, as did peace-seeking Joram, where the missiles of Jehu have smitten them. Some twenty million men with slaughter weapons in their hands, trampling out lives and homes, or mobilized and waiting to enter the fray, are the mocking answer of the god of war to the assurances of the peace societies and the international Peace Palace at The Hague. Though war is hated by humanity for the very hatred and murder-lust it has planted in the hearts of men, the divine Word declares in unequivocal language that this world will come to its end in a universal appeal to the reasonless arbitrament of war. The anomalous feature of the situation lies in the fact that the protestations of peace and the assurances of peace are to be heard at the very time when this world is ready to be plunged into this cataclysm of universal war. Says the inspired apostle: “When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, . . . and they shall in no wise escape.” 1 Thess. 5: 3. It is the acme of deception that earth’s inhabitants should be lulled to sleep with the song of peace and safety when standing upon the very brink of the “battle of that great day” which ushers in the destruction of the world. The press of the world has been talking about Armageddon; statesmen have referred to it just before or during this clash of the nations. A dim notion seems to prevail to the effect that Armageddon is a great war involving the troops of many nations; that it will prove to be the last war, because the horror of its results will shock the world into some arrangement, some union or confederacy of the nations, some parliament of the world, which will make war between the nations as improbable as it now is between the various States of the United States. They who build on such a foundation build on sand; a structure reared on such a hope is a house of cards. Inspiration clearly reveals that the battle of Armageddon closes the history of this present world and precedes immediately the second coming of our Redeemer and the destruction of the wicked. From the following scripture we learn what Armageddon is:— “And the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river, the river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way might be made ready for the kings that come from the sunrising. And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, as it were frogs: for they are spirits of demons, working signs; which go forth unto the kings of the whole world to gather them together unto the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. . . . And they gathered them together into the place which is called in Hebrew Har-Magedon.” Rev. 16: 12-16, American Revised Version. Har-Mageddon, or Armageddon, or Mt. Megiddo, or the city of Megiddo, is a real place; and there do the forces of the nations gather, under the inspiration of the “spirits of demons,” to fight a literal battle for the possession of a literal city some fifty miles7 from that place. They gather at Armageddon; the battle will take place around Jerusalem. The location of the battle is made certain by another scripture which reads:— “Proclaim ye this among the nations; Prepare war; stir up the mighty men; let all the men of war draw near, let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Haste ye, and come, all ye nations round about, and gather yourselves together: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Jehovah. Let the nations bestir themselves, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put ye in the sickle; for the harvest is ripe: come, tread ye; for the wine press is full, the vats overflow: for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! for the day of Jehovah is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3: 9-14. The meaning of Jehoshaphat is “Jehovah does justice.” Therefore it is the “valley of decision,” or the valley of Jehovah’s judgment; and there does he “sit to judge all the nations.” Furthermore, all the nations, or representatives of all the nations, will be there to receive sentence. But where is it? It is “a narrow glen which runs from north to south, between the mounts Olivet and Moriah, and through which flows the Kidron.”—Bible Dictionary, article “Jehoshaphat.” It does not follow that the armies of all the nations are crowded into that glen. Jehovah says: “There will I sit to judge all the nations round about.” Their rendezvous was at Armageddon, at the foot of Mt. Carmel, in the plain of Esdraelon, or valley of Jezreel. Here were fought many battles in ancient times. Here Gideon’s little band overcame the Midianites. Here Saul conquered the Philistines; and here Josiah was defeated by the Egyptians under Pharaoh Necho. This gathering place is easily accessible to forces coming down from the north and to forces marching in from the landing place on the seashore; and from that rendezvous these armed representatives of the nations march upon Jerusalem. The following scripture serves further to identify the place of this last mighty war and to indicate the outcome of the battle:— “For, lo, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith Jehovah of hosts. . . . Jehovah will roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he will mightily roar against his fold; he will give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the end of the earth; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the nations; he will enter into judgment with all flesh: as for the wicked, he will give them to the sword, saith Jehovah. Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth. And the slain of Jehovah shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried.” Jer. 25: 29-33. At the valley of Jehoshaphat, Jehovah will at that time “sit in judgment.” He says, “I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name.” The nations will have come up to that place (Jerusalem) to engage in what will be the last battle of this world. Jehovah there pronounces his judgments upon all who have refused the offers of his grace; and at that place the work of executing that judgment begins, extending thence to every portion of the earth. It is at such a time that these words of Scripture apply:— “The kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come, and who is able to stand?” Rev. 6: 15-17. That time is the time of the coming of Jesus Christ. But following his coming there can be no wars of nation against nation, as this scripture which tells of his coming clearly indicates:— “To you that are afflicted rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus; who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he shall come to be glorified in his saints.” 2 Thess. 1: 7-10. There will be no one left then to carry on war, for all who are not “caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air,” will be slain at the coming of Christ, and will remain in their graves for a thousand years. See 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17; Rev. 20: 4-6. The war now being fought in Europe is not Armageddon, but it is entirely possible that it may lead into that battle. If that power designated in the Bible as “the king of the north” throws its forces into this war, loses control of its capital, and re-establishes its government in Palestine (“between the sea and the glorious holy mountain,” Dan. 11:45) where “he shall come to his end, and none shall help him,” then this is the first stage of the Armageddon battle. But that is yet to be determined. The outcome of this war we cannot forecast. Its relation to Armageddon depends upon the aligning and shifting of the nations themselves. Will those shiftings and alignings so dry up that power designated as the Euphrates that the way will be prepared for the forces of heathenism and Mohammedanism to come up to the common battle ground of the world? Time will tell. But if this war does not do it, another must follow soon that will. Then, with the forces of heathendom, Christendom, and Mohammedanism battling in Palestine for the great center of the religious world, we shall have Armageddon, the judgments of God, and the coming of the world’s Redeemer. The stage is set for the closing tragedy of the world. If the actors are not yet ready, it cannot be that they will keep us waiting long. Delivered From an Army of Locusts
By W. A. S.
[IN ONE OF HIS REPORTS TO THE EUROPEAN DIVISION, ELDER H. STEINER, OF THE ABYSSINIAN MISSION, IN THE ITALIAN COLONY OF ERITREA, EAST AFRICA, REPORTS AN EXPERIENCE THAT GAVE TO THE WORKERS IN THAT MISSION FIELD A NEW APPRECIATION OF THE PROTECTING CARE OF THE LORD. THIS MISSION HAS DEPENDED LARGELY UPON ITS CULTIVATED FIELDS WHICH HAVE BEEN ENCOURAGINGLY PRODUCTIVE. THEREFORE THE THREATENED DESTRUCTION OF THE ENTIRE CROP BY AN INVASION OF LOCUSTS WAS A SERIOUS THING. HERE IS THE STORY AS TOLD SOME MONTHS AGO BY ELDER STEINER IN THE European Division Quarterly:— This year we have been troubled greatly by drought and locusts. A few days ago I saw something I had never before seen—clouds of locusts. Like a snowstorm they settled on the fields for miles around. What a sight it was! I was right in the middle of the cloud, and the insects buzzed loudly. We tried to protect our fields as far as possible. Like a dense cloud they gathered yesterday on our station. A general panic follows when the locusts are sighted. I cried inwardly to the Lord to help us, and he heard my prayer. Soon after, thousands of birds, storks, vultures, etc., gathered on our land. Where they came from we have no idea. We were all impressed with the fact that the Lord had sent them. Even the natives believed this. I called all our men back out of the fields so as not to frighten the birds away. Still the locusts kept coming, but the storks walked up and down in our fields and kept them away, protecting our crops, where we had tried in vain. Birds were to be seen everywhere; I had never seen such flocks before—thousands, everything was white and black with storks. Soon after, the locusts disappeared, without our crops having been spoiled, whereas all around us everything eatable was devoured by the insects. It was a miracle before our eyes. May our faithfulness to God only be increased by this wonderful incident. We thank and praise the Lord for his goodness. It may be recalled that every winter the storks and wild fowl fly southward from Europe into Africa, these feathered hosts returning northward in the spring. Thus they were on hand in the time of need. Not for a moment, of course, would the workers have lost confidence in God even if the deliverance had not come. Not always amid these scourges of the last days may we expect our missions to escape reverses on the temporal side. Habakkuk’s8 declaration of trust is written with special reference to the destroying agencies of the latter days:— “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” Hab. 3: 17-19. But when the providential hand of the Lord is stretched forth to save and to deliver, it is fitting to recognize the intervening mercies, which are the same today as of old. We read in this a token that the same hand of might will lead the workers on into Abyssinia proper in the good time of his own providence. W. A. S. A Day of Prayer
By I. H. EVANS
THE civilized world is bowed with sorrow and stricken with grief. War,—wanton, wasteful, destructive war—is devastating the nations of Europe; the best blood of the nations is being recklessly spilled. In its far-reaching effects all classes, from the prattling child to the aged grandparent, are made to suffer. Since the world's history began, there has never been such a mighty, Titanic struggle, so widespread, and involving such vast numbers of men, as the one now going on in Europe. Its paralyzing effects are not confined to the nations at war. The commerce of the world is upset. Travel by sea is made unsafe; food products cannot be marketed; and many are suffering for the common necessities of life. The banks of many nations have declared a moratorium; stock exchanges have been peremptorily closed; and the governments have been perplexed beyond measure to know how to preserve credit, and to safeguard the interests of the people during these trying times. Our own people in Europe have been seriously affected. More than fifteen thousand believers in the message are directly involved, and many others will be compelled to suffer. Not a few of our ministers in Europe have had to cease their ministry, and instead of preaching “on earth peace, good will toward men,” have been asked by their respective governments to assist in the terrible conflict. Our colporteurs are prevented, or at least seriously hindered, from selling the message-laden literature; our sanitariums have been emptied of patients; and our aggressive work in Europe has been generally jeopardized. The severe news censorship enforced by the nations at war keeps the outside world in ignorance of real conditions in the direct war zone. We know but little of the situation at the present time, and are unable to give details concerning our people. But the government of the United States considers the situation both at home and abroad so grave that the President has issued a proclamation designating Sunday, October 4, “a day of prayer and supplication.” It is always the privilege and duty of God's people to seek him for deliverance in times of peril and calamity, as well as to offer thanksgiving and praise to him in days of peace and prosperity. While in Babylon, with his people in captivity, the prophet Daniel set himself to fast and pray, supplicating the Lord for deliverance. In the days of Ahasuerus and Mordecai, when the decree had been sent forth that the Jews should be slain, God's people proclaimed a solemn fast, and prayed to the Lord for deliverance. The same God still lives and is moved by the united supplications of his people. Since the European war broke out, several of our leading men have urged that the General Conference Committee appoint a time of fasting and prayer. Influenced by these suggestions, and feeling the need of this season of devotion, the members of the General Conference Committee in Washington have appointed Sabbath, October 5, as a day of prayer and supplication for our people. The action of the General Conference Committee reads as follows:— “Voted, That the chairman be requested to make a call in the REVIEW for the observance of a day of special prayer and fasting, suggesting that, in the spirit of the President's note, our people devote the first Sabbath in October to this cause, praying for our brethren and sisters involved in the trouble in Europe, and in behalf of the cause and the work there, as well as for the winds of strife to be restrained; also that the suggestion be made that where our people have special services on Sunday, this matter be also remembered on that day.” In harmony with the above recommendation, we urge our people everywhere to make Sabbath, October 3, a day of special prayer and supplication. Those of our people who have meetings on Sunday will also make this occasion a season of seeking God that his will may be done on earth, and that the preaching of the gospel be not hindered. The purpose and object of this season of prayer in general cannot be better set forth than in the words of the proclamation of the President of the United States:— “There to unite their petitions to Almighty God that, overruling the counsel of men, setting straight the things they cannot govern or alter, taking pity on the nations now in the throes of conflict, in his mercy and goodness showing a way where men can see none, he vouchsafe his children healing peace again and restore once more that concord among men and nations without which there can be neither happiness nor true friendship nor any wholesome fruit of toil or thought in the world; praying also to this end that he forgive us our sins, our ignorance of his holy will, our willfulness and many errors, and lead us in the paths of obedience to places of vision and to thoughts and counsels that purge and make wise.” Our people should also remember the brethren in Europe who are suffering the calamities of this war, and pray that God will remove all hindering causes, that the preaching of the message may go forward. The brethren in Europe have urged that we remember them in our prayers. Many must be helped financially. We fear some have already lost all their earthly possessions; others have suffered much because of requisitions made upon them by those in authority; while nearly all believers in the message will experience great difficulty in living the truth, under the existing conditions, and will find it difficult to prosecute the work of the third angel's message as heretofore. We trust that our people generally will endeavor to observe this day of fasting and prayer. I. H. EVANS. The Perplexing Turkish Problem
IN the past, Great Britain has been the stay and staff of the Turkish Empire. When other powers would willingly have driven her out of Europe and possessed themselves of her territory, England has upheld her. Of late German influences have seemed to predominate at the Turkish court, and we read of hundreds of German officers who have recently been sent to Turkey as instructors in the army of that country. For several days Turkey has been mobilizing her forces, and grave fears have existed on the part of the allied powers that it was the purpose of the Constantinople government to enter the European conflict on the side of Austria and Germany, and that she would seek to rouse a holy war on the part of the Mohammedan world. Strong diplomatic influences have been brought to bear upon the Porte by the ambassadors of all the powers. August 31 the governments of the Triple Entente—Great Britain, France, and Russia—gave formal assurances through their representatives to the Turkish government that if she would remain neutral through the present conflict, and not render help to the Dual Alliance, the allied powers would guarantee Turkish integrity. And it is also reported that Turkey was faithfully warned that for her to enter the struggle at the present time against the interests of the Triple Entente, would be for her to sign her own death warrant so far as her existence in Europe is concerned. The near future promises interesting developments relative to this situation. The Coming Ingathering
By I. H. Evans
THE Ingathering campaign opens October 5, and all things are practically ready. The special number of the REVIEW AND HERALD, which is the most artistic number of the Ingathering specials we have yet issued, is being printed as fast as the facilities of the publishing house will permit. Instructions have been sent to all the churches, and orders for supplies will be promptly filled. It is hoped that the plan of gathering funds for mission work will be made more active than heretofore. Our object should not be merely to scatter a large number of the REVIEW special, but greatly to increase the funds gathered over the amount collected in any previous year. Many conferences fully expect to raise at least five dollars for each church member. This average would insure the securing of the entire amount to be raised for missions. So far this year, many churches are short on the regular mission fund, but before the close of the year every conference should reach the goal of twenty cents a week for each church member. If ever there was a time when funds for prosecuting the work were needed, it is now. Conditions imposed by the European war will make heavy drafts on the mission treasury. The fields under the control of the European Division should receive their appropriations; if Europe cannot remit, the mission treasury must. The people are ready and willing to help, if for no other reason, because of this war; for many believe it is a sign of the end. Never has the world witnessed such a scene as exists at the present time. Never has there been a time like the one through which the nations are now passing. War! war! war! The literature we read, the conversations we hear, the sermons to which we listen, the very air we breathe, all seem to be surcharged with the spirit of war. The ages since the world began cannot tell of killing on such a gigantic scale as is now going on. And no one knows the cause. Each writer offers his own reason. Each nation lays the blame for starting the war on some other. The war has already spread to the Far East, and many predict a general uprising of the Mohammedans of southern Asia and northern Africa. Although the end is not yet in sight, the people see in the events taking place signs of the approaching end. And if ever conditions were ripe for a large ingathering of funds from the public, those conditions prevail at the present time. Our own people are not asleep in regard to the needs of the great heathen countries of Asia and Africa. The continued offerings and increased donations, especially since the beginning of the terrible European war, plainly show their loyalty to the work and their willingness to sacrifice. We may confidently expect to see a large ingathering this year. Each church should aim to secure its full quota of mission funds. We must make a long, steady pull. If each church should earnestly try to make its full twenty cents a week per member by means of this ingathering, it would go a long way toward helping the church and the conference to reach the goal. Let us continually seek God for his rich blessing, that the work may be successful. The Harvest Ingathering Campaign
By W. T. KNOX
WITH great anxiety and solicitation the officers of the Division and General Conferences have been looking forward to the Harvest Ingathering campaign that has been set for October 5-9. In past years these campaigns have given a wide publicity to our work and to the truths of the third angel’s message. Encouraging reports have been received from many who have engaged in the distribution of the special periodicals devoted to these campaigns, and in addition to this, the campaigns have been important agencies in securing the needed funds for our foreign mission enterprises. Since the inauguration of the Harvest Ingathering work, there never has been so urgent a need of its assistance as there is at present. The scope of our foreign mission work has in the past two years been greatly enlarged. This has been rendered necessary on account of the urgent demands from the fields,—demands that have appeared irresistible because of the awakening interest in the hearts of men and women in every land to hear the message of peace and salvation the Lord has intrusted to us for these last days. Those who have been following the reports of the laborers in both home and foreign fields, cannot have failed to be impressed with the wonderful manner in which the Spirit of God is working on the hearts of men. It is doubtful if there has ever been a time in the history of the denomination when the work in the cities of America has been, on the whole, so encouraging as at present. The general nature of the reports from the workers is: Tents crowded nightly by earnest inquirers after truth, and many decisions on the side of God. And this interest is not confined to any particular class, but includes the educated, men and women of means and influence, as well as those from the middle walks of life. The same, in the main, has characterized the reports from foreign fields,—an ever-increasing demand from all classes for instruction and enlightenment, calling for expansion of the work already established, and extension in new territory. There is but one explanation to be offered for these conditions, and that is that the Lord is today in a special manner moving upon the hearts of men to prepare them for the truth, and at the same time bestowing his Spirit upon his servants that the work of the gospel may be speedily accomplished, and the reign of sin ended.10 Without doubt the distressing and appalling conditions existing in Europe are today contributing to this tendency to soberly investigate the teachings of God’s Word, and these very conditions greatly emphasize the necessity of the present campaign. The General Conference has been taxed to the limit by the work it undertook under normal conditions for 1914, but the expected gifts to missions for the first eight months of the year fell distressingly short of our needs. The great war that has directly involved all Europe and to some extent affected almost all the world, has placed additional financial burdens upon the General Conference; for the income of the European Division Conference, with its mission fields, has been practically destroyed by the war. They must now look to America for help. In a letter recently received from the president of one of the European conferences, the following statement is made: “The workers receive for the present one third of their pay, and this will enable us to get along with the money on hand until the end of September. How we must scrimp can be better imagined than described; still we shall not complain. We are grateful to God when we compare ourselves with the brethren in Germany and Belgium.” Surely these brethren are endeavoring to get along on a pitiful allowance to provide for the necessities of life in the face of the high war prices that must be prevailing. In view of these things, is it asking too much when we urge that all shall enter heartily into this campaign, praying the Lord to give success to their efforts? We are informed that some of the contending nations have called to their armies every available male, from the young schoolboy to the old man, resulting in the practical abandonment of the industries and activities of the nation, to enable the government to meet the present crisis. God’s kingdom surely demands no less. He is calling to every one to give him his service today. The world is confronted with a crisis, compared with which the present trouble in Europe will not be remembered. Now is the time to prepare the people for that great event,—the coming of the King of kings, accompanied by the armies of heaven, who will appear as the Prince of Peace and Lord of salvation to the few, but as the mighty God, taking terrible vengeance on the many that will not know him. Hundreds of thousands of the beautiful special number of the REVIEW have already been printed, and are now ready to be sent out to the conferences and churches. The faithful and intelligent distribution of these will afford golden opportunities to present God’s truth and his message of mercy to many, as well as to secure from our friends and neighbors that financial assistance so much needed by the General Conference at the present time. Many conferences are planning for a large work, and some having set themselves the task of raising in this way an amount equal to five dollars for each member of their constituency. Many are planning to devote a full week’s work to the effort. In one conference every worker has undertaken to raise from his own efforts $100. This earnestness should at this time possess all God’s children, and will surely be honored by him. Orders for the papers are already being received at the Review Office, and the indications are that there will be required a much larger number of papers than in any previous campaign. All churches and isolated members should at once send in their orders for the needed supplies, that the campaign may be begun at the time appointed. A Sobering Effect
By Francis M. Wilcox
THE effect of the situation which now exists in the world should be to sober every individual. Particularly should the believers in this message stop, and take careful account of their individual, personal experience. We are facing the most momentous crisis that ever existed. Fulfilling signs on every hand indicate that the coming of the Lord draws nigh. We cannot say just when this coming will take place, whether next year, the year after, or five or ten years hence; but we do know this, that the coming of Christ is near, even at the door. We should lose no time in preparing for eternity. We should give careful heed to our religious experience today to see that it is well grounded. Are we exercising faith toward God? Do the promises of his Word appeal to our hearts and find a response in our lives? Do we know the sweetness of sins forgiven, the power of a consecrated life, the joy of Christian service? Do we pray to God because we love communion with Christ more than communion with any earthly friend? Do we serve him because we fear his judgments or because we love his commandments? Are we held back from sin through pride in our good name, our standing in the community, or because sin has become loathsome and its ways undesirable? “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end.” Heb. 3:12-14. We need in this time of danger and alarm, of unrest and disquietude, a living connection with the living God. We cannot depend upon the experiences of the past. The blessing we received at conversion or at our baptism or at the last camp meeting will not suffice for today. We need a fresh unction from on high, a new baptism of power, a daily infilling of the Spirit of God. Let every reader, whatever may be his name or the position he occupies, be he minister or layman, teacher or pupil, know for himself that he is accepted in the Lord Jesus Christ. We have assurance of this day only. Today, while the Spirit calls, is the time to make sure that our names are written in heaven and that we are accepted in the Beloved. In this confidence we may securely rest our future in God’s keeping. He will not disappoint our faith and confidence. The Fruits of Repentance
By Francis M. Wilcox
By letters from various parts of the field we learn that in some of our churches and conferences where revivals have been taking place there has been a return on the part of many to the old-time simplicity of dress, diet, and general living. This is good news. A repentance which works no tangible reformation in the life amounts to very little. That there is need for many in the church to return to their first love, to their old-time zeal and earnestness and conscientious Christian living, is very evident. Too greatly has the spirit of worldliness entered the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Among some of our people there is not the old-time regard for Sabbath observance that once existed. There has been a wide departure in many homes from the principles of healthful living. The old-time plainness and simplicity of dress has given place to a patterning after the standards and fashions of the world. Display, ornamentation, and useless extravagance are witnessed. In the general prosperity of our work, in our freedom from opposition, in the peaceful conditions which have existed in the world generally, many have relaxed their vigilance, and in consequence the enemy has stolen in unawares and gained victories in their lives. We believe that as we near the end of time, we shall see a change regarding these matters among the remnant people, and we rejoice that with many a reformation has begun. In some of these particulars, quite as much as in Sabbath observance and in some of the more formal features of Christian experience, there is indicated the real conversion of the heart and the dedication of the life to the service of God. We need to pay more diligent heed to the special instruction that has been given this people through the spirit of prophecy. The instruction relating to dress and diet should be carefully studied and consistently practiced. In this study and in the application of the principles each one needs to give careful attention to his own experience, and not exercise an undue burden regarding the experience of his brother. In relation to these things in the past, we have had altogether too much judging in the church and too little personal study with a view to the application of the principles to individual needs. Let us seek for divine wisdom to determine how we can best represent the principles of the kingdom in our own individual experience. At no time since the introduction of sin into the world has such a condition prevailed in the earth as the present war presents. One editor says it looks like the suicide of civilization. It has assumed such proportions that the imagination of man is staggered; and one's heart seems faint when he thinks of the awful carnage, ruin, sorrow, mourning, and desolation caused by such a Titanic struggle. When we think of the armed camps of great and mighty nations, with all the weapons of slaughter with which they are equipped, marching to the deadly conflict,—the dreadful scene is beyond description. One poet has presented it in the following forceful verses:— “Twelve million men to be marshaled
And murdered and mangled and maimed;
Twelve million men, by the stroke of the pen,
To be slaughtered,—and no one is shamed. “Mountains of wealth to be wasted,
Oceans of tears to be shed,
Valleys of light to be turned into night,
Rivers of blood to run red. “Thousands of wives to be widowed,
Millions of mothers to mourn,
Thousands in sorrow to wait the tomorrow,
Millions of hearts to be torn. “Thousands of fathers to perish,
Millions of children to moan,
Ages of time to prepare for a crime
That eons can never atone. “Thousands of homes to be shattered,
Millions of prayers to be vain,
Thousands of ways to the glory that pays
In poverty, panic, and pain. “Twelve million men in God's image
Sentenced to shoot and be shot,
Kill and be killed, as a ruler has willed,
For what? for what? for what?” The prophet of God, centuries ago, must have been beholding some such scene as the present when he said:— “My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my rents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.” Jer. 4: 19, 20. These things surely are a fulfillment of11 prophecy, and a tremendous call to consecration, that we may be prepared for the closing scenes of earth's history and for a home in the kingdom of God.