Earlier text: THE OPPORTUNITIES OF FAITHTHE GREAT STONE.
By Francis M. Wilcox
IN the prophecy of the book of Daniel, we have very striking evidences that the reign of sin in this world will not be broken until the coming of our Lord. Proof of this is found in nearly every line of prophecy in this book. That presented in the second chapter is of special emphasis. Let the following narration justify this conclusion:— Daniel was a captive in Babylon, taken there by King Nebuchadnezzar in his first overthrow of the city of Jerusalem. With several others of his companions, he was placed under special tutorage, with a view to educating him to a place in the council of the nation among the so-called wise men. Sometime soon after the beginning of his captivity, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a most striking dream, and one very peculiar thing connected therewith was the fact that, altho so striking as to make a deep impression upon the mind of Nebuchadnezzar, in the morning he was unable to recall a single feature of the same. Naturally he had recourse to the counsel of those who pretended to possess the power of forecasting future events, and to give the meaning of mysterious signs and omens. He logically concluded that if these wise men could tell the meaning of mysterious questions and hard problems, they could likewise tell what these questions and problems were. Imagine his chagrin and surprise to find that among his counselors there was not one who even dared presume to tell the king the subject matter of his dream. The king gave decree that the wise men, in consequence of this failure on their part, and of the deception they had played upon him in the past, should be destroyed. It was at this juncture that Daniel comes into the question. He was not called with the other wise men. In this there seems to have been a purpose on the part of God, thus leaving him until the last, until the others had tried their strength, that by contrast the relative value and merits of the Christian religion could be compared with that of false systems. Time being given Daniel for the consideration of the matter, he, with his three companions, united in prayer, and the Lord in the night season gave to His servant the same dream that had been given to the king. The following is the dream, as related by the prophet to Nebuchadnezzar the next morning:— "Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." After relating the dream to the king, Daniel next proceeded to reveal to Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation or meaning of the same. This he does in verses 36 to 45 of this same chapter. These verses we would kindly request the reader to peruse from his Bible, as they are too long for quotation here. From this interpretation, however, we glean the following facts: That the four metals of which the image was composed, namely, the gold, the silver, the brass, and the iron, represent four universal kingdoms which should rule successively from the days of Daniel to the end of time. We are not at a loss to find the beginning of these kingdoms, because Daniel plainly declares to the king, "Thou art this head of gold." Then the head of gold represented Nebuchadnezzar, or the kingdom over which Nebuchadnezzar ruled. The breast and the arms of silver were a symbol of the kingdom that succeeded Babylon, Medo-Persia, which overthrew the city of Babylon in 538 B.C. The third kingdom of brass could have reference to none other than the kingdom ruled by Alexander, that of Grecia, which conquered and held possession of the whole world, fighting the last decisive battle with the Medes and Persians at Arbela, in 330 B.C. After the death of Alexander, his kingdom met a division into four parts, among his four leading generals, Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. These divisions fell under the power of the Roman Kingdom, which shortly after this came onto the stage of action as the ruling power of the world. Hence the fourth kingdom, as represented by the legs of iron, can be none other than the kingdom of Rome. The admixture of the iron and the clay in the feet of the image, must represent that division which took place in the Roman Empire, caused by the invasion of the Northern Barbarians, resulting in the division of Rome into what has been known as the ten kingdoms of Western Europe, from 356 to 483 A.D. As brought to view in verse 43, efforts have been made to unite these kingdoms under one universal sovereignty. Such efforts were made by Charlemagne, by Charles V., by Napoleon, and others; but all failed. Efforts have been made by intermarriage, by "the mingling with the seed of men." These efforts have likewise proved futile. This the prophecy foresaw—"these shall not cleave one to another." The iron and the clay, if weakly cemented, could never become united. Now there comes the objective point in this prophecy,—the fifth kingdom, represented by the "great stone cut out of the mountain without hands." Says the prophet: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." Thus it will be observed from this prophecy that the wicked nations of earth will continue in the possession of their power until the setting up of the kingdom of the Lord at the last great day. If it be argued that the kingdom here brought to view, the one represented by the stone, was set up at the first advent of Christ, we answer, such could not have been the case, because the God of heaven was not to set up His kingdom until after the kingdom of Rome had been divided. At the first advent of our Lord, Rome was a unit. Luke 2:1. We must come down several centuries this side of that time to find the divisions of the Roman Empire here indicated, from 356-483. Further, the destruction of these earthly kingdoms was not the transforming work of grace established by our Lord through His earthly ministry; the destruction of the earthly kingdom is a violent destruction. They shall be broken to pieces, not absorbed or incorporated into another kingdom, but ground into dust, to be blown away, or carried into oblivion. Such is the work that Christ will do when He comes the second time, at the end of this world's history. Says the psalmist: "Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Ps. 2:8, 9. This same destruction is brought to view in Rev. 18:11-24. But from the scene of destruction pictured in the scriptures to which we have referred, let us turn now to a more beautiful picture, that of the reward of the people of God. Of God's kingdom He says, "It shall never be destroyed." Throughout its length and breadth shall eternal bliss reign. Then shall the glory of God cover the earth literally, even as the waters cover the sea, and in all His holy mountain they shall neither hurt nor destroy; but the redeemed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their heads, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. No more pain, no more sickness, no more sorrow, no more tearful eyes, or heaving breasts; but joy and gladness and blissful peace shall fill every heart, and songs of praise and thanksgiving shall sound from every tongue. Soon, yes, soon, shall the kingdoms of this earth become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. May that glad day soon dawn. "SIN is the great sadness, the overmastering evil, the supreme sorrow, the most pathetic thing in a world that is full of pathos. There are no more unhappy people on earth to-day than those who disarrange the workings of their moral nature by introducing into the circle of their lives some sinful propensity, some ungodly ambition, some pagan purpose. Sin is the great troubler, the universal curse. Peace and abiding joy only come by righteous conformity to the will and purpose of God." WHEN we are connected with God’s people to worship and work together, we are in the best company this side of heaven. Pardon for Accusing Others
If you are guilty of accusing others without proof, talking about others’ inconsistencies, you need pardon. A MAN that criticizes more than he prays don't know Jesus Christ as an abiding Saviour. Luxury and Life’s Burdens
“LUXURY increases the luggage of life, and thereby impedes the march.” Independence Through Self-Exertion
"HE only is independent who can maintain himself by his own exertions." WHY SEND ELIJAH AGAIN?
By G.
THE last words of the Old Testament constitute a promise and an alternative: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; and he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Mal. 4:5, 6. In reply to the query, Why send Elijah again? we conclude that there are conditions on earth so similar to the former time of Elijah, that an earnest reform message and a heroic messenger, such as were Elijah and his message, are necessary to meet the emergency. To learn why the last messenger is likened to Elijah, and to get an understanding of what is meant by the promise we have quoted, we must revert to that which was "written for our learning." Elijah's ministry was mainly during the days of Ahab, king of Israel. For the condition of affairs at that time we quote the record in 1 Kings 16:29-33:— "And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel; and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him." We read also this further record in chapter 21:26:— "And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel." Ahab represented the government, and Jezebel not only dictated the worship of the people, but she also dominated the king. She killed the prophets of the Lord, and sustained the prophets of Baal. There was a union of religion and the State. Of course it was a false religion, for true religion never undertakes State control, stirring up the civil power to persecute those who adhere to other forms of worship. The result of that union would have been to utterly annihilate the people of God, had not the design of the tyrants been thwarted by His providence. Elijah was protected and provided for by direct interposition of the Lord, while a hundred others were hidden in caves and fed secretly by Obadiah, the governor of the king's house. In this history we have Ahab and Jezebel standing as a type of Church and State government in after times, and Elijah especially as the type of those who should suffer its persecution. In the Time of John the Baptist.
Coming down to the time of "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight," we have the counterpart of Ahab, Jezebel, and Elijah in the persons of Herod, Herodias, and John the Baptist. Herod was the head of the government, and a Jew; Herodias was a Gentile, and a bitter opponent of the Lord's prophet and therefore of His people. She greatly "stirred up" Herod, as Jezebel did Ahab, and succeeded in putting to death the special object of her hatred. Speaking by the Spirit of prophecy, Zacharias said of John before his birth: "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." Thus the Lord's purpose was that the prophecy of Malachi concerning the coming again of Elijah should be fulfilled in John. And, so far as John was concerned, he faithfully delivered his warning to the people. But he could not fulfil the prophecy on their part. He proclaimed the coming of the Lord, and many were convicted of sin under his ministry; but in the main his message was rejected, and he became, in effect, not the Elijah of Malachi's prophecy, but a counterpart type with Elijah the Tishbite, of the people who should fulfil that work before the second advent. Jesus, after He had shown to three disciples a representation of His kingdom of glory on the mount of transfiguration, explained the position of John:— "And His disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them." Matt. 17:10-12. Then we must look to the days just prior to the second advent of the Lord for a complete fulfilment of the promise given through Malachi. Therefore the spirit and work represented by Ahab and Jezebel continue in the world, receiving occasional setbacks through the providence of God, as they did in their case, and in the case of Herod. It became more than ever prominent in the Dark Ages, however, when it seemed about to conquer every opposition. Of this time of persecution Jesus had said, "Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Matt. 24:22. Testimony of the Revelation.
This time, and the reason for this dire persecution, are also portrayed in the Revelation. There the history of the Christian church unto the coming of the Lord is given in seven messages to the church under various conditions experienced during different periods. The message to the church at Thyatira is understood to cover the time which is now designated as the Dark Ages—the time from the rise of the Papacy to the Reformation. The message to this church is, in part, as follows:— "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass: I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not." Rev. 2:18-21. The spirit of Jezebel was allowed to permeate the church until it united with and finally was able to control the State. As Jezebel "stirred up" Ahab, and as Herodias swayed Herod, so "the church" in the Dark Ages influenced the State to persecute to the death the true people of God, who would not fall into line with Church and State religion enforced by the power of the State. The setback which this diabolical work received, and which for a time rendered it to a good degree powerless, was the Reformation. However, the tendency and eventual results of such "fornication" between Church and State, when having a comparatively free course, are described in Revelation 17, from which we quote as follows:— "So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication; and upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus; and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration ("a great wonder," R.V.)." Verses 3-6. At the time to which this description applies especially, the dominant civil government of earth was Rome, and it was dominated by the Church of Rome. But in chapter 18 we are given a later view, which involves all nations in the meshes of Church-and-State union, and shows the inevitable results to both, through such unhallowed connection. The first five verses of this chapter read as follows:— "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities." "All nations" must include every nation, of whatever form or pretense, and "Babylon" is the combination of false churches that dominate these nations. By virtue of laws, decrees, and judicial decisions, the nations will be supporters of the religion of Babylon, whose spirit was typified in Jezebel. So in these last days there is the necessity and the call for the reformation, in the spirit and power of Elijah, set forth in the prophecy of Malachi. The terrible apostasy of the professed Christian church in the last days is also pointed out by the apostle Paul in his second epistle to Timothy:— "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their7 own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away." 2 Tim. 3:1-5. Incidentally it may be noted here that the injunction, "from such turn away," is equivalent to that of Rev. 18:4, "Come out of her, My people," etc. But the present necessity of a message in "the spirit and power of Elijah," for the purpose of turning the heart of the fathers unto the children, and the heart of the children unto their fathers, is peculiarly prominent. Note, "men shall be lovers of their own selves," not of their fathers or of their children. Again, they are "covetous," and covetousness estranges one's heart from every one else. Another specification is, "disobedient to parents;" another is, "without natural affection." Such being the condition of the church, or those "having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof," it is not surprising to find them imbued with the spirit of Jezebel, and seeking the power of civil government to enforce a formal compliance with apostate religion. Surely the nominal church and "all nations" are ripe for the work of the antitypical Elijah—the "remnant" people of God, "which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:17), which is the "spirit of prophecy" (chapter 19:10). The striking signs of the times, in both religious and secular circles, make these things worthy of earnest consideration. G. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.” Ps. 119:1. IN the margin of this text, for “undefiled” we have “perfect, or sincere.” A synonym of “sincere” is “pure.” Then those who “walk in the law of the Lord” are perfect, pure. This must be so, for “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting [margin, “restoring”] the soul.” Ps. 19:7. Walking in a perfect “way” naturally produces perfection of character. It is so illustrated in the life of Christ. He gave up His very existence in the heavenly courts, took upon Himself our nature, took a new start from the very womb of a sinful woman, was born into this sinful world, and lived to mature manhood amid sinful surroundings. Yet He developed a perfect character. He “did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” 1 Peter 2:22. He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb. 4:15. How did Christ accomplish all this?—He walked, or lived, in the law of the Lord. This was the sincere, earnest, determined purpose of His heart when He volunteered the mission to earth. “Then said I, Lo, I come; in the volume of the book it is written of Me, I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart.” Ps. 40:7, 8. We see, then, that Christ was undefiled, or sinless, because He walked in the law of the Lord—an undefiled, sinless way. So long as He remained in this “way,” He could not sin; for “sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. Therefore Christ is the “way” unto us. “For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow in His steps.” 1 Peter 2:21. But why the suffering?—Because men had lost the “way,” had become subject to the penalty of sin, which is death (Rom. 6:23), and there was no remedy excepting through the suffering of an acceptable substitute. Paul, referring to the situation as stated in the fourteenth psalm, says: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Rom. 3:10-12. The purpose of Christ’s mission to earth was that “whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Therefore He “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14. In other words, the purpose was and is to bring sinful, polluted men back into the “way;” to purify them through His Word (John 17:17), and enable them to walk “undefiled” before Him. As Christ lived sinless, undefiled, in the world by walking in the perfect law of God, so must they who profess to know and to follow Him. “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His Word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked.” 1 John 2:3-6. Such are “the undefiled in the way,” who are assured of the continued blessing of God. In the first psalm we have this made emphatic by contrast. “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” A further emphasis is given by the apostle James: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” James 1:27. There is but one way in which one “can keep himself unspotted from the world,” and that is the way in which Jesus walked,—“going about doing good,” and resisting all temptation to do evil, resisting through the Word every evil impulse. “This is the way, walk ye in it.” THE STAYING OF THE WINDS OF WAR.
By T.
THE first part of the seventh chapter of Revelation presents a prophecy that is very interesting just now. Four angels are represented as “standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.” Rev. 7:1. It is a proven fact of Scripture interpretation that “winds” in symbolic prophecy represent the strife of war. Then here is a commission to angels to stand on the “four corners of the earth,” thus representing that they have control of the whole world, and hold these winds of strife and war. But they are not to hold these influences for war in check indefinitely, for the next verses say: “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Rev. 7:2, 3. Thus is the time limited for holding the furies of war in check. God has a definite work of gathering out those that will accept Him, and the angels are commissioned to hold the evil powers in check till this work is done. With these facts of Scripture before us, let us look at things as they exist in the world today. It would seem impossible to hold the nations back from the most horrible wars that the world has ever known. For a number of years the great question with the statesmen has been how they could contrive to keep their countries from war. Wars have been brewing all over the world, and here and there would appear an outbreak, but it would soon be suppressed. If these men could only have realized that angels of God have been holding with them in this great work of keeping the world at peace, how much more sublime would their work have seemed to them! How inspiring would have been the task! But, while the world has been kept back thus far from the great crash of all the nations, yet it would seem that the time for the angels to hold these winds was about at an end, and that the awful war of the great day of God was about to be let loose. For when the time comes that the restraining hand of God will be withdrawn, there are other scriptures that show that there will be a world-wide war that will be beyond the powers of description. Is not this time right upon us? How do the events of the present day impress you? Is it not perfectly clear that the dove of peace is departing from the world? And where is the prospect that she will ever return? These are momentous times, and momentous events are unfolding right before our eyes. Will we see them in the light that God throws upon them, so that we may not be destroyed in the ruin that is even now upon the world? And we should not forget that peace is departing from the earth, in those only who do not accept the Prince of Peace. All who know the Lord, will have the profoundest joys of peace through all the strifes incident to the closing days of time. His peace, that passeth all understanding, we may truly have to-day as never before in all the world’s history; but for the wicked world, peace is departing, nevermore to return. And you know that, as you read these words, there comes the irresistible conviction that they are true. T. How? Who? When?—“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, tho now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, tho it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:3-7.