p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 24. (6/15/1904)

LESSON 13.—JUNE 26.—QUARTERLY REVIEW.

Golden Text.—“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name.” Phil. 2: 9.

LESSON I.—Jesus Visits Tyre and Sidon. Mark 7: 24-37. Golden Text: “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Heb. 11: 6. Real faith in Christ is not turned away by apparent indifference, nor even by humiliating comparisons. The true child of God will accept any position assigned by the Master. He knows his unworthiness. Another point in the lesson is, that salvation is not limited by any national or social lines. Whosoever will, may come and receive eternal life.

LESSON II.—Peter Confesses the Christ. Mark 8: 27-38. Golden Text: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matt. 16: 16. This is the confession that all must make in order to secure salvation. But a mere mouth confession is not sufficient. There must be heart belief (Rom. 10: 9), and obedience to His will (Matt. 7: 21; Luke 10: 25-28). The life must be a continuous confession.

LESSON III.—Jesus Transfigured. Mark 9: 2-13. Golden Text: “A voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him.” Verse 7. The transfiguration was a miniature representation of the kingdom of glory, in fulfilment of the promise of Christ made six days before. See Verse 1 of lesson chapter. Here was the glorified King; also Elijah, representing those who shall be translated when the Lord comes in glory, and Moses (who had been resurrected, Jude 9) representing those who will be raised from the dead at that time. See 1 Thess. 4: 15-17.

LESSON IV.—The Mission of the Seventy. Luke 10: 1-16. Golden Text: “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He would send forth laborers into His harvest.” Verse 2. As with the mission of Christ Himself, that of the twelve, and also of the seventy, was to be characterized by good works in addition to the verbal proclamation of the Gospel. And legitimate Gospel work is the same to-day. See Matt. 5: 16.

LESSON V.—Prayer and Promise. Luke 11: 1-13. Golden Text: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find.” Verse 9. The petition commonly called the Lord’s Prayer was not given as a ritual for parrot-like repetition on all occasions, but as a sample of comprehensive brevity, and showing daily needs. The Lord does not tire, as earthly parents often do, of having His children ask for things they need, or will use for His honor.

LESSON VI.—Watchfulness. Luke 12: 35-48. Golden Text: “Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching.” Verse 37. The oriental dress was worn loose when in the house or at leisure; but when traveling it was girded up. The girded loins signified activity, or readiness for action. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1: 13.

LESSON VII.—The Prodigal Son. Luke 15: 11-24. Golden Text: “Come, and let us return unto the Lord.” Hosea 6: 1. Every sinner is a wanderer from his Father’s house, spending his substance in the recklessness of sin and folly. The Father’s love is reaching out for him, and watching for the first sign of an inclination to return. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”

LESSON VIII.—Jesus Teaches Humility. Mark 10: 35-45. Golden Text: “For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.” Verse 45. Jesus won His exalted position in heaven by first humbling Himself (Phil. 2: 5-9), and the disciple can succeed only by following in His footsteps. “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” Luke 14: 11.

LESSON IX.—The Passover. Matt. 26: 17-30. Golden Text: “For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” 1 Cor. 5: 7. At this last feast of our Lord with His disciples before His death, Judas the traitor was pointed out and left the company forever. His covetousness (“which is idolatry,” Col. 3: 5) led him to perdition, as it will every one else who yields to it. At this feast, also, were instituted the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, in commemoration of the death of Christ, and the ordinance of feet-washing, a memorial of His humble life.

LESSON X.—Christ’s Trial before Pilate. Mark 15: 1-15. Golden Text: “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this Man.” Luke 23: 4. Here was the world’s official declaration that Christ was unjustly put to death, which corroborates the scripture which says: “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3: 18. The apostate people of God could not see what was clear to the mind of a heathen judge. “If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” Matt. 6: 23.

LESSON XI.—Christ Crucified. Mark 15: 22-39. Golden Text: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15: 3. Thus He magnified the law and made it honorable (Isa. 42: 21); that is, He vindicated its claims. Had He designed to abolish it as having outlived its usefulness, His death would not have been necessary in behalf of those who have lived since its abrogation. But He died for our sins, and “sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3: 4. So firmly established is the law that not one jot or tittle could be repealed. Matt. 5: 17, 18. The penalty of sin is death (Rom. 6: 23), and “all have sinned” (ch. 3: 23); therefore all must die, or some acceptable substitute must die in their stead. This Jesus did, and all who accept Him by faith acknowledge the just claims of the law upon them. Verse 23.

LESSON XII.—Christ Risen. Matt. 28: 1-15. Golden Text: “Now is Christ risen from the dead.” 1 Cor. 15: 20. No fact of history is better attested by evidence that in any ordinary case would be deemed not only competent, but overwhelming. “He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; after that, he was seen of about five hundred brethren at once; . . . after that, He was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all He was seen of me [Paul] also.” 1 Cor. 15: 5-8. He is now “at the right hand of God,” making intercession for all who will “come unto God by Him.” Rom. 8: 34; Heb. 7: 24, 25.

LESSON XIII.—EVENTS OF THE SEVENTH TRUMPET.

(Study for Sabbath, June 25.)

NOTE.—In Rev. 10 and 11: 1-13, the scene is slightly changed to give the prophet a view of special events associated with the times under review in the series of the seven trumpets. Rev. 11: 14 again resumes the series of trumpets and the fate of nations.

QUESTIONS.

1. To what specific date are we brought in the sixth trumpet?—Aug. 11, 1840. See Lesson 10.

2. What is said of the time of the next trumpet? Rev. 11: 14.

3. When did the seventh trumpet begin to sound?—1844. Give the evidence.—Rev. 10: 7 shows that Christ was to take up the final phase of His ministry as the seventh trumpet began to sound. The beginning of this final ministry, the cleansing of the sanctuary, is fixed by the prophetic period of Dan. 8: 14, ending in 1844.

4. As the trumpet sounded, what was heard? What did the voices declare? Rev. 11: 15. Note 1.

5. What prophets will then be fulfilled? Dan. 7: 27.

6. Before that time shall come, what takes place in the heavenly ministry? Dan. 7: 26, 9-11.

7. What reference to the opening of the judgment is there in the record concerning the seventh trumpet? Rev. 11: 19. Note 2.

8. With whom does the judgment work begin? Verse 18.

9. When the judgment has passed upon the living, what will have been accomplished? Rev. 10: 7.

10. What was to be the condition of the nations in this time? Verse 18 (see also Luke 21: 25, 26; Joel 3: 9-11, 14-17). Do we see these conditions to-day?

11. What is the Lord to do to the warring nations? Verse 18, last part. When? 2 Thess. 1: 7-10.

12. When did Christ receive the kingdom?—At the close of the judgment work. Dan. 7: 13, 14. Where will it be bestowed? Ps. 2: 6-8.

13. What shout will then ring through heaven? Rev. 11: 15-17.

14. In what office will He come the second time? Rev. 19: 11-16; Matt. 13: 41.

15. What will He then do for His children? Rev. 11: 18; 22: 12.

16. What assurance have we now? Rev. 3: 10, 11; 2 Tim. 1: 12.

NOTES.

1. Before entering upon details of events to come under the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the prophet's view is first of all directed to the triumph when Christ's ministry for sin is finished.

2. The study of the sanctuary question shows that the investigative judgment that precedes the coming of the Lord is the cleansing of the sanctuary, the finishing of Christ's ministry in the second apartment of the heavenly temple. The opening of this apartment, where the ark of the testament is, and the opening of the judgment, are one and the same events.

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What They Say About It.

By Editor

The following quotations indicate the reception the new blanks for Church Librarians are meeting:—

I have just received the new Librarian’s Record and Order Book. I think Brother ______ has done good work for the librarians in getting this up. I shall make an effort to have the librarians of this Conference adopt it. Our camp-meeting coming so soon will give a good opportunity to introduce it. Very truly, B. B. NOFTSGER, Secretary Ontario Conference.

I received the sample copies of the new Librarian’s Books, and feel that they are what we have needed for a long time. Yours for the work, C. F. CURTIS, Secretary Atlanta Tract Society.

The series consist of a:—

Librarian’s Record ................................ $0 35 Librarian’s Order Book ........................... 10 Librarian’s Quarterly Report, per doz. ........... 10

The record contains full instruction to the Librarian, has 19 pages ruled for cash account, seven pages devoted to a new but very simple system of keeping account of periodicals, 24 individual ledger titles, two year’s summary of Librarian’s Quarterly Report, seven pages ruled for accounts with depository, four pages for general memorandum. Instead of being bound in expensive cloth covers it has a press board cover, which may be rolled up if necessary. The Order Blank is in duplicate with carbon-paper attached, so that the Librarian may keep copy of all orders sent. We believe this series will recommend itself to those who wish to carry on their church missionary work in a simple, inexpensive, yet business-like manner.

Language Studied at Home.

Prof. Geo. W. Rine, the author of the articles now appearing in this paper on the Labor Question, has written a book entitled “The Essentials of Our Language.” In the preface he says, “This book has been written with a special view to the needs of a large number of young and middle-aged persons, who, unable to attend school are yet desirous of mastering the essentials of good English. It has been planned for the convenience of all who, in default of schools and teachers, are willing to teach themselves.” Here is an example taken from the chapter entitled, “Accuracy in the use of words”:—

“As depot is properly used to designate a storehouse, it is better to apply the word station to a stopping-place on a railway. The officers in control of some of the leading railways of America require their employees to use the word station instead of depot.”

A helpful, practical book. 282 pages. Bound in cloth, 75 cents.

The New Lesson Pamphlet.

The International S. S. Lesson Pamphlet for the third quarter is now ready, price five cents each. If you do not have the book “Thoughts on the Revelation,” we suggest that you order one with the new pamphlet, as it is very helpful. Price 25 cents.

Is Sunday the Lord’s Day?

An edition of the work entitled “The Lord’s Day the Test of the Ages” is just completed, in which both sides of the Sabbath Question are treated in an interesting, thorough-going manner. The pamphlet contains 128 pages. The price is 10 cents.

Signs of the Times Representatives.

In another column our readers will notice a list of those who are acting as special representatives of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Orders given them will receive prompt and careful attention.

A New Reading Rack at a Little Price.

We believe the reading rack problem has been solved. Mr. B. W. Walters, of the Review and Herald, Washington, has devised a substantial little rack made of oak-grained strawboard in imitation of wood, which will hold five or six different kinds of tracts, and presents a very neat appearance. The price is only 20 cents, postpaid.

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING COMPANY Oakland, Cal. 18 West 5th St. ........ Kansas City, Mo. 201 Second St. .......... Portland, Ore. 1505 E St. .............. Lincoln, Neb.

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REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

By Editor

Following is a list of those whom we know are selling quantities of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES each week. Our new rate encourages this class of workers by furnishing them fifty or more copies at 1½ cents each. This rate is only given where the papers are sold by the one individual, however. May we not expect this list to be greatly enlarged?

For information address SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal.

Name	Address	No. Copies
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C. H. Bates	211 W. Golden Ave., Cripple Creek, Colo.	50
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Mrs. S. A. Beamon	Sedalia, Mo.	300
Jane E. Harris	1308 Gales St., Columbia, S. C.	50

Scripture References

This pamphlet groups the more important references on twenty-four different subjects in a very helpful way. Some of these subjects are; Signs that Show Christ’s Coming Near, The Millennium, The Sanctuary, The Sabbath, Spiritualism, The Soul in the Old and New Testaments.

Price 2c each. $1.40 per hundred, post-paid.

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The California Camp-Meeting.

At this writing the California Camp-meeting at Bushrod Park in this city is well under way. The grounds are delightful. They lie in one oblong plot between Telegraph and Shattuck Avenues, with four rows of large, thrifty eucalyptus trees, whose grateful shadows reach nearly all parts of the ground, and whose fragrant odor fills the air with a deliciously healthful perfume. The soil is adobe, quite smooth and very hard, so that there will be little, if any, dust. Water is piped on the ground, and electric arc lights illuminate it by night. Street-cars run at each end of the ground, but just far enough away as not to be noisy. All told, the place is almost ideal, and the spirit of the meeting is good. We shall have more to report at our next writing.

Does He Believe the Bible?

A Spiritualist friend, who claims to believe the Bible, writes us that he thinks we have “never investigated Bible Spiritualism;” and further says:—

That is true—the dead know nothing; but it is strange that one of your intelligence should so misrepresent the Bible as to say, man dies. There is a separation, not a literal death.

But what does the Bible say?—“Man dieth, and is cut off; yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; so man lieth down, and riseth not; till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” Job 14: 10–12, margin. “The Lord said unto Moses, All the men are dead which sought thy life.” Ex. 4: 19. “The Lord spake unto Joshua, saying, Moses My servant is dead.” Joshua 1: 1, 2. “There was a dead man carried out.” Luke 7: 12. Jesus said, “Your fathers did eat manna, and are dead.” John 6: 58. “Jesus said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” John 11: 14. “Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom Jesus raised from the dead.” John 12: 1. It is said of many of the antediluvian patriarchs, “He died.” Gen. 5: 5, 8, 11, etc. “And Joseph died.” Gen. 50: 26. “Aaron died.” Deut. 10: 6. Such passages of scripture could be greatly multiplied. Does our friend believe them? It is no argument to say that the death and lack of knowledge refers to the body, “the shell,” “the husk;” for when did the body ever know anything? Neither does the Bible put it that way. It does not say, “The body dies.” It does not say, “Moses’ body died,” but “man dieth.” “Aaron died,” the whole man. Furthermore, we are expressly told, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Eze. 18: 4, 20. Now why not believe the Bible? To do otherwise makes the resurrection from the dead through Jesus Christ of none effect; and to say that man “never dies,” makes his salvation inhere in himself, and makes of none effect the Gospel of Christ.

God’s Ministers.

God’s angels minister to God’s children. Heb. 1: 14. They have been associated with His servants through all the past. Rev. 22: 9; Dan. 8: 16, 17; 10: 10–13; Luke 1: 19. But the angels are not dead men, or spirits of dead men; they existed before sin entered, before man fell, therefore before man died. Job 38: 4–7. Some of them rebelled, sinned, “kept not their first estate,” but fell with their great leader, Lucifer. 1 Peter 2: 4; Jude 6; Rev. 12: 3, 4. And the great deceiver and his angels, “which deceiveth the whole world,” are operating now as never before. They deceive men into believing that he would not die, tho he did die, and they have deceived a great part of the human family into believing that all the dead still live and think and know and feel, when the Bible declares, “The dead know not anything.” “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” “Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.” Yet our Spiritualist friends, who profess to believe the Bible, tell us that all these statements refer to the body, which, according to their own view, never did think or love or hate or envy, while the souls or spirits exist conscious and come to us, flutter about us; are pained at our neglect, rejoice at our success, weep over our sins and failures. The devil and his angels, knowing that men believe this, knowing the garb and manner of the dead, come in the guise of deceased relatives and friends, and thus delude the souls of those who receive their messages. It is not a new thing for Satan to come as “an angel of light.” 2 Cor. 11: 14. “Be not deceived.”

Effect of the Belief.

Belief in the immortality of the soul as a conscious entity, capable of conscious existence apart from the body, is responsible for more error and corruption than any other perversion of truth. It has led to deification of the dead, and all the ancestral and idolatrous hero worship of the past,—metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls, saint worship, beast worship, purgatory, eternal torment, Mormonism, Spiritualism, and other perversions of truth. The belief makes of none effect Christ’s death and resurrection, the judgment, and His second coming. It makes the messages from the supposed spirits of the dead paramount to the Word and law of God, and so opens the soul that receives them to every delusion of the devil. We appeal to our readers to simply believe the Bible.

Christianity

Christianity is not a system of ethics; it is a life, the life of God brought down to men, and made available for every man to cleanse away all past sin, and enable every soul to cease from sin and sinning.

There is no comparison to be made between Christianity and other great religions. They all were and are mere systems of ethics, with human power to fulfil them; Christianity is the life and power of God transmissible to men, transmutable into character in all that believe.

Volunteers Wanted

By Editor

Volunteers Wanted.—In a statement in another column it will be seen that sixteen of our agents dispose of 2,743 copies of the SIGNS weekly. That is over 170 copies a week each. Why should there not be ten times as many workers. They would sell 27,430 each week. But it would not be too much to ask in these strenuous times of error that there should be, among the 80,000 professed friends of the SIGNS, 1,600 who would give themselves to the work of circulating its vital truths among the people. This would mean a circulation, through agents alone, of 274,300 each week, besides the subscriptions. O, let us have volunteers in this glorious work.

Farnsworths Visit from Australia

We were pleased to greet a few days ago two of our old fellow-workers, Pastor and Mrs. E. W. Farnsworth, on their way from Australia to England. They bring good news from the Southern Continent. They will stop a few months in the United States, attending general meetings. There were many in California who regretted greatly that these experienced laborers could not have stopped at our camp-meeting here, and we know that Brother and Sister Farnsworth would have greatly enjoyed it, but appointments farther east hurried them on. May the Lord bless their labors abundantly.

How Does He Know?

—A Spiritualist friend lets the inspired poetry of a child one year old (he tells us) express his belief. It reads thus:—

“Death makes no change at all in man. When from the earth he goes; He leaves his body on the land, Just as he leaves his clothes.

And then with minds that are the same, As he himself has been, A castle or a mansion fair Will then receive him in.

But darkness will the castle be If he the truth has spurned, Then mansions fair he will not see, Except his dross be burned.”

Now if the spirits of men and women, that come back to these sensitive mediums are the same as before they “shuffled off this mortal coil,” what particular help are they? Some of them were unconscionable liars before they died; why will they not lie now? Taking off one’s clothes does not make him veracious. The judgment of some was greatly lacking; can we depend on it now? And yet our friend thinks the messages like the above are sublimer than ever fell from preachers’ lips!

The Great Power of God the Same Old Gospel

Not long ago we received from a Boston man a message:—

Read Acts 13:9-13, and know that Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are now named Hypnotism.

Our correspondent reads wrongly. The hypnotist of whom the scripture referred to, speaks of Elymas, the sorcerer, who sought to turn men from Jesus Christ. It was Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, which destroyed the hypnotic spell. The statement of our correspondent was the old infatuation of the half-pagan Samaritans, who, witnessing the influence and listening to the claims of Simon, another sorcerer, were carried away by his suggestions, and declared, “This man is that Power of God which is called Great.” Acts 8:9-11. The only power then as now, which could save from the subtle, hypnotic influence and suggestion is the Spirit of God, received through faith in Christ Jesus.

Illustrations in Preaching.

—The Christian Advocate points out the danger of illustrations leading astray from the truth, and gives this instance: “You know you plant roses in the sunshine, and heliotrope and geraniums, but if you want your fuchsias to grow you must keep them in a shady nook.” After the sermon a woman came up to him with her face beaming with pleasure, ‘O, I am so grateful for that sermon,’ she said, clasping his hand and shaking it warmly. His heart glowed for a moment—only for a moment, tho. ‘Yes,’ she went on fervently, ‘I never knew before what was the matter with my fuchsias.’ Let the illustration be secondary to the truth to be applied or enforced.

God Alone Makes a Day Holy

To assume that man's resting on any day makes it holy, is to assume that man's acts are equal to God's. To assume that man can make anything at all holy or sacred, is to assume that the creature is equal to the Creator. To assume that man can change a commandment of God, even to the extent of a jot or tittle, is to assume a superiority over God. Yet all this is involved in the assumption that the first day of the week is the Sabbath, or Lord's day.