Please explain how Christ was “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
We believe that the time referred to should be reckoned from the time when he was betrayed into the hands of the Roman power. Then it was that Christ’s hour of trial came. John 12:27–31. So he said to those who came to take him, “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:53. Then he was betrayed into the hands of the powers of earth, into the dominion of the great power of earth, Rome. See Ps. 2:2. If we knew that Jonah was just seventy-two hours in the great fish, we could tell whether Christ was the same time in the heart of earth; for “as Jonah was,” “so shall the Son of man be.” Day and night was used to mean a day in common usage among the Jews, and a part of the time was counted the whole. See Dan. 8:14, margin; Judges 14:12, 15, 17, 18; Esther 4:16; 5:1. The three days, night and day, did not take in the full three days; for before the third day ended, Esther went in before the king. So it was on the third day of the three days and nights that Christ was to rise from the dead. Matt. 16:21; Luke 18:33. Compare with Mark 8:31. So the Jews understood the expression “after three days” to mean “until the third day.” Matt. 27:63, 64. So also the disciples, near the close of the day on which he arose in the early morning, said, “To-day is the third day since these things were done.” Luke 24:21. If Jesus were betrayed on what would be our Thursday night, he would be in the hands of the powers of earth, in the control of the earth, the greater part of the night and day of sixth day, the night and day of seventh day, and the night and a part of the day of first day, making parts of three days and three nights. This is as reasonable an explanation as we can give and give it briefly. The reader is referred to a tract published by the Review and Herald, entitled “Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection.” Price, 4 cents.
No. 304. Petros and Petra.
Please explain what petros and petra symbolize. Where does the Bible refer to St. Peter’s death, and at what place? R. D.
The writer refers to answer given in SIGNS of February 27, No. 272, on Matt. 16:18, which reads, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The word “Peter” is from the Greek word petros, which means, according to Liddell and Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon, “a piece of rock, a stone,” and thus distinguished from petra. The word “rock” in the text above is thus defined by the same authority, “a rock generally, whether peaked or ridged, Latin petra,” which means a rock. Peter was a stone (John 1:42; 1 Peter 2:5), a stone built upon the foundation, the Rock, the Petra, Christ Jesus. See Acts 4:11, 12; 1 Cor. 3:11, and other scriptures. The Bible speaks of Peter’s death in two places, John 21:18, 19; 2 Peter 1:13, 14. But when he died, or how he died, or where he died, the Bible gives no further information.
No. 305. The Day the Lord Hath Made.
Please explain Ps. 118:24. I have seen it applied to prove the Sabbath was to be changed. M. E. W.
The text reads: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” The term “day” does not refer to any day of the week, but the entire Christian dispensation, beginning with Christ’s resurrection. What before had rested on promise was then made plain in fact; Christ was risen, triumphant over sin and death and Satan. The term “day” is used just as it is in 2 Cor. 6:2. It would be absurd to apply it to a day of the week. God gives the Christian the privilege to rejoice and be glad every day of the week.
No. 306. Picking Hops.
Is there anything in the Bible to prove that it is right to pick hops?
We know of nothing in the Bible to prove that it is right or wrong to pick hops, any more than it is right or wrong to reap barley, or gather grapes.
No. 307. Smoking Tobacco.
Will you kindly tell us through the columns of our much valued paper the effects of smoking tobacco rolled up in little papers made and purchased for that purpose? M. E. B.
The effects of the use of tobacco on the human system are always evil, whether by smoking, chewing, or snuffing. Smoking is the worst, and cigarette smoking, to which our correspondent refers, the worst form of smoking. Various diseases of brain, blood, stomach, and heart result from its use. Perhaps Dr. Godsmark or some other of our medical contributors will write an article on the subject.
No. 308. Christmas.
Will you please tell us when Christmas was first celebrated, and by whom? Also give the date of our Saviour’s birth. E. D. M.
The word “Christmas” comes from two words, “Christ” and “mass.” McClintock and Strong’s “Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Encyclopedia” says: “The observance of Christmas is not of divine appointment, nor is it of New Testament origin. The day of Christ’s birth can not be ascertained from the New Testament, or, indeed, from any other source. The fathers of the first three centuries do not speak of any special observance of the nativity [Christ’s birth]. The baptism of Jesus was celebrated in the Eastern Church by A.D. 220, but not in the Western until the fourth century; and the Eastern Church finally adopted the Christmas festival from the Western (about A.D. 380). Some writers (e.g., Cave, ‘Primitive Christianity,’ pt. i, ch. vii, p. 124) trace the observance to the second century, about the time of the Emperor Commodus [A.D. 180–193]. . . . But it is historically certain that the Christmas festival proper is of comparatively late institution’ (Schaff).” Its origin was doubtless twofold: (1) A superstitious desire to bring every event of Christ’s life into festival or fast, and (2) the desire to perpetuate as far as possible the pagan festivals. Christmas and many of its customs come from the old Roman pagan feast of the Saturnalia.
The year of Christ’s birth was thirty-three and one-half years before his crucifixion, and he was crucified in the spring of A.D. 31, which would make his birth in the year B.C. 4. As he began his ministry at thirty years of age, six months before246his first Passover, and was crucified in the spring at the last Passover, his birthday must have been six months from the Passover, or in the autumn, probably October, at which time of year the shepherds could well be in the field with their flocks by night. See Luke 2:8. See “Sanctuary and 2,300 Days,” by U. Smith.
There is always harmony in the Scriptures, that is, if no mistake has been made in transcribing or translating the originals. We can not make harmony, but we can endeavor to show that it exists. Elijah and Enoch were actually taken up into heaven, and are there now. Paul was caught up there in vision, as also were other prophets, but not as were Enoch and Elijah. When the vision ended, they were in earth. Eph. 4:8 relates to Christ at his ascension. But what John 3:13 means is that no man hath ascended up to heaven to learn the things of God, and then come back to reveal them to the world, save Jesus Christ. He spoke what he knew, what he had for ages experienced, and testified of that he had seen. See verses 11, 12. But no other man or being ever did this as did he.
No. 310. Longing for Flesh-pots.
Please explain how came the children of Israel to long for the flesh-pots of Egypt when they had such a great multitude of cattle with them. L. O. J.
That their cattle were not sufficient for continual flesh eating see Num. 11:22. The herds were kept for sacrifices, propagation, etc. God gave them manna; they lusted because perverted appetite craved the more highly seasoned foods of Egypt. They evidently did not have the leeks and onions and garlic in the wilderness. See Ps. 78:17–19; 106:14, 15.
No. 311. Image of the Beast.
Please tell us in your Question Corner what territory is occupied by the image to the beast. S. McElhany.
The United States of America. It may, under a union of all American republics, include all the western continent, in which this country would doubtless have the leading influence. It would in this fullest sense refer to territory not occupied by “the sea,” the great nations of history, having a connection with the work and people of God.
No. 312. The Apocrypha.
Please explain in the SIGNS OF THE TIMES what the Apocrypha of the Bible is, and why it is not printed in all Bibles? W. F. G.
The word “apocrypha” means hidden or secret. It is the name commonly applied to fourteen books considered of doubtful origin or authorship, and not inspired, as follows: 1 and 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, chapters of Esther found in neither the Hebrew nor Chaldee, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, Song of the Three Holy Children, History of Susanna, Bel and the Dragon, Prayer of Manasses, 1 and 2 Maccabees. They are valuable as literary and historical matter, but are not considered as authority in doctrine by Protestants. They are not printed in all Bibles because they are not considered a part of the Book of God. They are printed in some Bibles because there is a demand for them.
No. 313. Can Not Sin.
Please explain 1 John 1:8 and 3:8, 9. Can we attain to that degree of perfection that we can not sin? S. M.
1 John 1:8 is absolutely true; for all men are sinners; but “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Verse 9. God then counts us righteous in Christ. Chap. 3:8, 9 has reference to the purpose, the practice, the life. He that practices sin, whose purpose it is thus to do, is of the devil. He that is born of God, whose heart is changed, “does not practice sin.” So some translate it. He can not sin, because he will not, just as the man in the parable said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I can not come.” Luke 14:20. It does not mean that it is physically impossible to sin, but that we can not yield to sin or be led to sin, because we will not, because we have no desire to sin.
PARENTS’ WORK IN THEIR CHILDREN
By Ellen G. White
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
“THERE was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren; and they both were now well stricken in years. And it came to pass, that, while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, according to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias; for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. . . . And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.”
An angel from heaven came to instruct Zacharias and Elizabeth as to how they should train and educate their child, so as to work in harmony with God in preparing a messenger to announce the coming of Christ. As parents they were to faithfully coöperate with God in forming such a character in John as would fit him to perform the part God had assigned him as a competent worker. John was the son of their old age, he was a child of miracle, and the parents might have reasoned that he had a special work to do for the Lord, and the Lord will take care of him. But the parents did not thus reason; they moved to a retired place in the country, where their son would not be exposed to the temptations of city life, or induced to depart from the counsel and instruction which they as parents would give him. They acted their part in developing a character in the child that would in every way meet the purpose for which God had designed his life. By no careless neglect on their part shall their son fail to become good and wise, “to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” They sacredly fulfilled their obligation.
At the time of the birth of John the people generally were addicted to the use of unfermented wine. At the wedding feast in Cana, Christ turned the water into wine. By a miracle he transformed the water into the pure juice of the grape. Wine is good only when it is not fermented. It is then harmless; yet, notwithstanding this, the Lord God of heaven laid down the prohibition that John was to drink neither wine nor strong drink. Unfermented wine soon became sour in Palestine, and neither sweet wine nor sour wine was to pass the lips of John. Christ knew all things; he looked down the ages to our own time, and saw what would be the condition of society in the close of the world’s history. He saw thousands upon thousands perishing in the use of wine and strong drink. The world would gradually come into the same state as it was in the days before the flood. But heaven has lifted a danger signal, that men may take warning, and coöperate with God for their own self-preservation. He has given us examples of absolute abstinence, and provided instruction that, if followed, will result in the creation and preservation of the vigor, skill, and excellency of our children.
Fathers and mothers should have clear, unclouded minds, unaffected by the indulgence of perverted appetite,—such minds as God can connect with himself for the salvation of souls who are ready to perish. Those who use wine and fermented liquors weaken their physical and mental powers. Their minds become so clouded that it is impossible for them to discern sacred things. But if the human agent shall coöperate with divine agency, his physical and mental development will become higher and better. His mind will enlarge, and he will grow in power to do good. The grandest, most effectual work can be done by parents who follow the instruction of the Lord, and who train their children physically, mentally, and morally according to the Lord’s directions. If parents neglect to properly instruct their children, and the youth are left to have their own will and way from the days of their childhood, their characters will be greatly perverted; for the enemy will step in and rejoicingly take into his hands the work of training the children and youth.
Why is it that parents do not understand the greatness of the work that has been committed to them? The most patient, unremitting culture is required in order that children and youth may be preserved from the formation of habits that will deteriorate their character. Parents, with much prayer, should carefully guide the inexperienced feet of their children into safe paths. To let the child do as it pleases is to insure proficiency in evil. Satan will manage to make children wise in disobedience, in selfishness, and in all manner of waywardness. Look upon a field that is247left unworked, and what an unsightly place it is! Weeds and tares overshadow the precious plants, until finally nothing of worth appears. Early childhood is generally a period when marked depravity is made manifest. The child manifests a strong inclination to evil, and it requires a firm, wise hand to control the little one, or it will grow up in sin, a disagreeable, evil element of society. Parents who do not control their children will be controlled by them, and will indulge their children in vain desires, will gratify perverse appetite and inclination. Unless some one, in the providence of God, shall step in, and undertake the missionary work of training the child, will take it away from its parents, where they will have no opportunity to interfere in its discipline, or to indulge it in perverseness, there will be no hope that the terrible work done by its parents will be counteracted, or the peril of the child’s soul be removed.
A child who is thus neglected, who is allowed to be wilful and disobedient, will carry a malarious influence that will taint and pollute those who come into association with him. At a very early age children become susceptible to demoralizing influences, but parents who profess to be Christians do not seem to discern the evil of their own course of management. O, that they might realize that the bias which is given to a child in its earliest years gives a tendency to character, and shapes the destiny either for eternal life or eternal death! Children are susceptible to moral and spiritual impressions, and those who are wisely trained in childhood may be erring at times, but they will not go far astray. But a child left to form its own character is more likely to choose evil influences than good.
Association with evil-minded children is dangerous to the character of children who have been tenderly and carefully reared. Guard your children from every objectionable influence possible; for in childhood they are more ready to receive impressions, either of moral dignity, purity, and loveliness of character, or of selfishness, impurity, and disobedience. Once let them become influenced by the spirit of murmuring, pride, vanity, and impurity, and the taint may be as indelible as life itself. Parents are to look upon their children as intrusted to them of God to be educated for the family above. Train them in the fear and love of God; for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
STRENGTH
By Llewellyn A. Morrison
BY LLEWELLYN A. MORRISON.
“As thy days so shall thy strength be.”
“As thy days, thy strength shall be”!
What a promise this for thee!
Fear not then what time may bring,
Thou art safe beneath His wing.
Do the clouds of boding ill
Overshade the future still?
When the morrow comes apace,
Thou shalt have the morrow’s grace.
Dost thou dread the pain unborn?
Fear the cold world’s bitter scorn?
Is it not enough to know
He will needed strength bestow?
Does the conflict from afar
Make thee faint, before the war?
When the battle-dawn appears
Thou wilt laugh at all thy fears.
See! the warder angels teem
Where the beaconed watch-towers gleam!
Hear the cry they ring to thee,—
As thy days thy strength shall be.
The Elms, Toronto, Canada.
WORKS GOOD AND EVIL.
By S. N. H.
BY S. N. H.
FAITH can never take the place of works. Genuine faith always produces good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” These works are Christ’s works; for it is he that dwelleth in us. Our will is to be placed on the side of Christ’s will, and then we work out what God works in. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” The heart must be open to receive every ray of light that shines from the throne of God.
But there are works that God can not bless to the salvation of others, and such a life of such works must be a failure. The great apostle exhorted Titus to “bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them, and let ours also learn to profess honest trades for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.” The man who deals out intoxicating drinks has the wo of God upon him, for he not only destroys soul but body. “Wo unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that putteth thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! Thou art filled with shame for glory.” Hab. 2:15, 16. To him that drinketh the wo is also pronounced, “Wo to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!” “The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet.” Isa. 28:1, 3. There is no salvation in that which works evil and only evil continually.
It is the life of Christ, and the works he engaged in, that bring salvation to the one who yields himself to do the same work. But the works even which he did, as far as the outward acts are concerned, may be performed and there be in them only sin. The same motive that actuated Christ must actuate the doer. That motive was for the good of those for whom he worked. They were unselfish; his life was one of disinterested benevolence. He had an object, and that was to relieve suffering, bring happiness to the homes of all that would receive him. This was Christ’s life. This should be our life. By so doing we lift up Christ, and others see our works, and are thus led to glorify God. It is pure, disinterested benevolence; it is lifting the fallen; it is aiding the unfortunate, and relieving the suffering. This brings us nearer God and heaven.
Christ came as the Restorer, the Healer, the Deliverer, the Binder up of wounds which sin had made, and brought blessings to every one who would receive him. He delighted in purely unselfish acts of mercy; and wherever that spirit is manifested, there he is; for all such work is begotten by him.
God's Design Concerning Abraham and His Seed
By I. E. Kimball
ZION AND BABYLON. NO. 1.
BY I. E. KIMBALL.
God's Design Concerning Abraham and His Seed.
In early times God chose Abraham and his seed, to whom he made eternal promises. He settled them in the land of promise, with the assurance that it was given them as the days of heaven upon the earth. They were his portion, for a name and for a praise and glory before all people. They alone of all people were to show forth the wisdom, righteousness, faithfulness, and love of the Creator.
They should reveal the rich treasures of his grace. Thus run the promises: “Before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation; and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord.” Blessings were promised in the city, and in the field, upon the fruits of the body and of the ground, and upon their cattle also. They should be a holy and happy people, filled with peace and plenty.
But all these promises were upon condition that they “kept the commandments of the Lord, and walked in his ways.” Then would they be holy as he was holy, and able to show forth his life and favor to the world. So “all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. . . . And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath.” “And the Lord shall take away from thee all sickness.” Such were the assurances repeated over and over.
As to the wicked of earth, “thou shalt not be afraid of them; but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; the great temptations which thine eye saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hands, and the stretched-out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out; so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.” The arm which hurled Egypt to destruction would be stretched out against all who would assail them. Again we read: “The nations, which shall hear all these statutes,” shall “say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law.” Therefore, “ten men shall take hold out of all the languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you.” Zech. 8:23.
How great the favors proffered to this people! God would have made them a diadem of beauty to a fallen world. The clouds from above and the depths beneath should yield their full store, and the mighty God of Jacob through his loving-kindness and power would have been exalted in all the earth.
Such was the vision of all the prophets: “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea; thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off, nor destroyed from before me.” “O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him; but their time should have endured forever. He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” Why, O why, should Israel have so lightly esteemed the Rock of their salvation; for God reigned over them in all his goodness, majesty, and power?
Another Class of People.
Following the flood, immediately a giant of apostasy and rebellion arose. The mighty Nimrod, the beginning of whose kingdom was Babylon (see Gen. 10:10, margin), consolidated the nations under his hand; the kingdom of Satan was established, and the cords of Jehovah were snapped in sunder. In the plentitude of their haughtiness and pride they said, “Who is Jehovah that I should obey his voice.” In this kingdom which stood in opposition to the Lord, lust became law. Nimrod, or, as some will have it, his successor, Belus, or Bell, was deified, and henceforth worshiped as a god—the Bell or the Baal of all heathen times. So right there began the deification of dead men, which has continued in the demonolatry of all time. For the demons who were worshiped among the gentiles were understood to be departed worthies and heroes, who were promoted by8 (248)their merits to heaven, to be the carriers, the angels, of the celestial gods.
Such is demonology. In fact, it was believed in the later times that wicked men became wicked demons, and degrees and spheres and probationary periods were fixed, which prepared the demons for the highest positions with the gods. This is exactly the Spiritualism of to-day, and the sorcery, witchery, and dealing with familiar spirits which has characterized all time. And it is nothing else but the power of “the angels that sinned” exercised over wicked men.
So Babylon was the birthplace of sorcery and spiritual fornication. There, too, ambitious domination first took shape. Personal ambition, love of authority, headiness, covetousness, pride, hard-heartedness, lustfulness, the stony heart, and unmerciful spirit, were there first fully developed. Sorcery and sin ran wild in Babylon. Lust and adultery were enforced by statute law. Satan was chief and ruler. Even human sacrifices were offered to the vengeful deity. All Semitic tribes and nations seem to have been under the influence of Babylon in those early times, hence their community of custom and religion continued in after times. Virgil speaks of Baal as a deified Phœnician, evidently the same as the Babylonian Bel. We may see to what lengths they went in the offering of human sacrifices when we consider that at Tyre the image of Baal would contain twoscore or more of men. Thus were they immolated by the horrible fires beneath—as it were, roasted in an oven.
So we see that all about Israel the grossest idolatries and practices prevailed, but how went it in the Zion of God's choosing? Our hearts sadden to think how the above abominations were permitted to enter. The practices of heathenism were fostered under her sometimes diabolical kings, until the favored nation corrupted itself “more than they [Sodom, etc.], in all her ways.” The prophet of God spoke of Nineveh and Babylon, the heads of the Assyrian Kingdom, as follows: “Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. Behold, I am against thee. . . . For upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?”
Captive Daughter of Babylon.
In the Assyrian period we read how Manasseh and all Israel, excepting a very small remnant, made altars for all the host of heaven in the house of the Lord, made their sons to pass through the fire, observed times, used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits, all of which had been forbidden in the laws of God under pain of death. We can therefore see plainly enough how Satan made a spiritual conquest of Zion, uniting it to Babylon. The kingdom of God, being overthrown spiritually, was permitted to be overthrown visibly, and the chosen people were taken to Babylon to find for themselves a home. Babylon caused her iniquity to pass upon all the nations. Thus she pressed the golden cup of Jer. 51:7 to the lips of one and all, and the Zion of the Holy One of Israel became blinded and intoxicated, and finally found herself forsaken of her God. She was inured in the fortress of Babylonian superstition, and sank down under the iron heel of her tyranny.
So the Lord turned and violently tossed Zion as a ball into the hand of the Assyrians, where she should experience the iron yoke of oppression for seventy years.
It will be evident to all that Israel became a part of Babylon in truth, as soon as she was contaminated in life, and her practices became one with those over whom Satan exercised his authority; the twain became one in life. Babylonia's laws and religious statutes were accepted, and what should God in justice do, by what “testimony seal this fact to their understanding”? for they would not hear or believe the prophets who showed them their adulterous affinity with Assyria. The Lord said he would judge them as a woman that breaketh wedlock and sheds blood is judged; he told them there was a conspiracy of her prophets against God, and that the Babylonians had come to her into the bed of love, yet she would not heed. What more then could God do to convince them that he had departed from her because of her unfaithfulness, than to give up his dearly beloved, to go and dwell with the daughter of Babylon? This he did, and the kingdom of Israel passed to Babylonia.
GOD CARETH.
By Helen A. Steinhauer
BY HELEN A. STEINHAUER.
“Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” 1 Peter 5:7.
Not part, but all—and casting, leave it. It is our duty as well as our privilege to do this; but how many (how few) of us put it into practice? We go with bowed heads and shoulders stooped, tokens of the heavy-laden hearts within, instead of praising Him in brightness, with uplifted head and kindling eye.
Not longer ago than last Sabbath I was so burdened with anxiety for a friend that it actually threatened seriously to affect my health; and, altho for myself I take but little care, it seemed quite allowable, nay, even commendable, to be filled with apprehension over the pitfalls lurking in the pathway of another.
Suddenly there came to my mind something that I had read thirty-six years ago, in a sermon on the subject “He Careth for You.” The writer instanced a gentleman who, riding alone in a vehicle, overtook a man who was not merely on foot, but carrying a heavy pack. Being kindly disposed, he bade him “jump in and ride.”
Very willingly the man complied, and expressed his gratitude in profuse thanks.
After they had gone a short distance, the gentleman noticed that his passenger still carried his load, slung across the stick, on his shoulder.
“Put your burden down, man! Why don’t you? There is plenty of room for it here at my feet.”
“O, yes,” replied the man, “I know that there is room enough; but I will not be so bold! It is enough that you carry me—I could not think of allowing you to carry the pack as well. I will continue to support that on my shoulder.”
Instantly my burden dropped—or rather I “rolled” it on the Lord, who has carried both it and me ever since.
What foolish Christians we are, professedly to give ourselves with all that we have to God, and yet insist on going more or less burdened all our days! Let us have no more conscious (or unconscious) reserves—which we perhaps pride ourselves in carrying on our own tired shoulders. It is the Christian’s privilege to be a free man in every sense of the word.
Therefore, whether our burdens are the unsaved souls of our children, friends, or neighbors, or whatever they may be, let us avail ourselves of the room at the feet of our Lord, and, laying and leaving every burden there, let us rest in him, while he carries (“cares for”) both us and them.
Battle Creek, Mich.
THE DAY AND HOUR.
By H. L. Dieffenbacher
BY H. L. DIEFFENBACHER.
For many years Seventh-day Adventists have watched the fast-fulfilling signs which point to the end of all things, foretold in the sure word of prophecy. We know not the day or the hour, yet when we see these things, these signs and omens, come to pass, we should “know that He is near, even at the doors” (Matt. 24:33, margin), and that in this generation the Son of man will come (verse 34). Just before Jesus comes, Satan is to work “with all power and signs and lying wonders.” 2 Thess. 2:9. If possible, the very elect will be deceived. Matt. 24:24. But the elect “are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Cor. 2:11.
One of the devices of Satan is to work through false prophets or teachers in setting the day and hour for Christ’s coming. In the Christian Herald and Signs of Our Times, edited by Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, of July 6, 1892, there is an article by Rev. M. Baxter entitled “The Fast Closing Age.” It is taken from an address at a recent prophetic conference in Memorial Hall, London, England. What he says is founded on Dan. 9:25. He said:—
But then there is to be a future fulfillment of the sixty-nine weeks as weeks of days from a future commandment to rebuild and restore Jerusalem, to the day when Christ will be made a covenant to his people at his second advent, which we expect will be on March 5, 1896. . . . We believe that Christ will descend to the air to summon his waiting people to meet him on March 5, 1896. Even the very hour of the day is not left vague and indeterminate. We know by Daniel’s prophecy it is to be the hour of the evening sacrifice, which biblical expositors, such as Hartwell Horne, in his Introduction, states to have been the ninth hour, when Christ, the Passover Lamb, died on the cross. All Daniel’s dates are interlaced and interlocked, and9consequently whatever time of the day one begins or ends, the others will begin or end. The Jewish ninth hour was 3:00 P.M.
Thus this noted divine not only presumed to give us the day of Christ’s second advent, but he fixed the very hour at 3 P.M. of the above date. Will men never cease to pervert the right way of the Lord? It is just such statements as these that Satan uses to lessen faith in Bible truth when presented “as it is in Jesus.”
By the circulation of such articles Seventh-day Adventists have been given credit for setting the day and hour of Christ’s coming. But we say with our beloved Lord: “But of that day and hour knoweth NO MAN, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matt. 24:36.
