Earlier text: Judgment Begins at God’s HouseThe Impending Judgment
By Asa T. Robinson
THAT there should be a day of judgment, a time of final reckoning, is the only view that is in keeping with the idea of free moral agency. When God created man, He left him free to choose between good and evil, between right and wrong, between sinning or not sinning. It is reasonable to conclude that what applies to man in this respect applies equally to the created intelligences in all the worlds. So far as we can learn from revelation, sin has never invaded more than two of the unnumbered provinces of God's universe. We read of the "angels that sinned" (2 Peter 2:4), and again we read, "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 6. It is further in harmony with reason that the time of the judgment should be fixed beforehand. This is in harmony with the Scripture statements, which read as follows: "I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work." Eccl. 3: 17. "Because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead." Acts 17: 31. The Warning of the Impending Judgment.
Since the judgment is an event in which men and fallen angels are especially concerned, and since the time of the judgment has been definitely fixed, it is reasonable to conclude that the time of the judgment would be revealed, and that just prior to the judgment a warning message, to prepare those living in the world for that event, should be given. When Paul, a prisoner, was called before Felix to answer for his faith, "he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come." Acts 24: 25. The apostle, then, looked forward to the judgment as an event to take place in the future from his day. In Revelation 14, a message is brought to view, just following which the revelator says: "And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. . . . And He that sat on the cloud thrust in His sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped." The message to be given just prior to the second coming of Christ is given in these words: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come." Rev. 14: 6, 7. This shows clearly that the message announcing the hour of His judgment is given as a message due to the world just before the second coming of Christ. The Judgment a Threefold Work.
The judgment is brought to view in the Scriptures as a threefold work; first, there will be an investigative judgment, in which it will be determined who shall be accounted worthy of everlasting life; secondly, there will be the time of the passing of judgment upon the wicked; and thirdly, there will be the execution of "the judgment written." The Investigative Judgment.
The following words of our Saviour make it clear that the investigative judgment must take place before the resurrection of the dead, which will be at the second coming of Christ: "But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection." Luke 20: 35, 36. Here is brought to view an accounting to determine how many of the countless millions who will be sleeping in the dust of the earth shall be worthy of a part in the first resurrection. The warning of our Saviour, addressed to those who will be living on the earth at the time of His second coming, shows that such an investigation of the living will take place: "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21: 34-36. Here it is clearly stated that those who will stand before the Son of Man when He comes, will have been previously judged or "accounted worthy." A forcible description of this judgment scene may be quoted from the prophecy of Daniel as follows: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down [set up], and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool; His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him; thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him; the judgment was set, and the books were opened." Dan. 7: 9, 10. This same scene is described by the revelator, in the following language: "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell [hades, the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man according to their works." Rev. 20: 11-13. Passing Sentence on the Wicked.
As we have already seen, the first phase of the judgment, the work of investigation, will take place during a period of time just prior to the second coming of Christ. Those who shall then have been accounted worthy of eternal life will be "caught up . . . in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air," and will reign "with Christ a thousand years." During this thousand years, the saints will sit in judgment, meting out sentence upon the wicked. "To execute upon them the judgment written; this honor have all His saints." Ps. 149: 9. The execution of the judgment, which will take place after a thousand years, is described as follows: "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, . . . and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. . . . Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power. . . . And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle; the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20: 4-9. We have found: (1) that there is to be a day of judgment; (2) that the time was appointed before the foundation of the world; (3) that a message announcing the7 hour of His judgment was to be given just before the second coming of Christ; (4) that the investigative judgment was to take place prior to the second coming of Christ; (5) that the passing of sentence upon the wicked will be during the thousand years of the saints' reign in heaven; (6) that the execution of the judgment upon the wicked will be at the close of the thousand years. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12: 13, 14. "For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." Rom. 14: 11, 12. "For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." 2 Cor. 5: 10. The Condition of the Church of God.
O, if the church of God would realize its responsibility in the midst of the growing darkness! If with clarion voice it would sound an alarm to the nations of men, rebuke sin and iniquity in high places, and raise a standard and beacon light for the succor of those who are now wandering in error's paths; but alas! the great professed church of God itself has become permeated by the evil influence which surrounds it. Religion to-day has become too much a form and theory. It is used too much as a profession for personal ends and material benefit. The vital breath of heaven, which once energized it for the conflict, has been lost, and the church which should have stood in the might of God, breasting the tide of evil, stands weak and powerless, totally unable to meet the situation. Above its altars an unseen hand has written "Ichabod." The apostle Paul, in his letter to Timothy, thus describes the condition of the church of God to-day, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." Here is an enumeration of eighteen different sins which would be found among those who possess a form of godliness, but in their lives deny the power of the profession which they make. Step by step the church of God has been retreating. It has ceased to be an aggressive, uncompromising moral force against the hosts of sin. True, we hear of its philanthropy, of its slum work, of the erection of orphanages, of its efforts in the halls of Congress to enact religious measures, but what of its vital godliness, the personal piety of its members? Does it stand in the purity and simplicity of Christian living, meekly and humbly following in the steps of the lowly Jesus? or has it degenerated into a great social, fashionable organization? We fear too much the latter. This, in brief, is the condition existing in the world and in the church of God. No optimistic outlook do these conditions present, and, from a human standpoint, the situation would appear well-nigh hopeless. Unpleasant indeed they are to contemplate, but we must not close our eyes to unpleasant things, but seek rather the remedy for bettering the conditions which exist. And we are not alone in viewing the situation in this light; for even tho Israel has fallen by its iniquity, God still has faithful children in every church and in every denomination; and these faithful ones, by whatever name they may be known, are burdened over the sins of Christendom. They deplore the conditions which exist, and mourn for the glory which has departed. With grieving hearts they long for a revival of old-time godliness. Day by day their prayers ascend to high heaven, "Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach." Will God heed this cry? Will He abandon His children? We must remember that even in the darkest hour light breaks forth from unknown quarters. It was when all seemed lost that Jesus Christ appeared as the Saviour of men. The doom of Sodom and of Nineveh was not without offers of mercy. The morning star of the Reformation appeared from an unexpected quarter, when all the world seemed hopelessly sunken in the superstition and darkness of the middle ages. God's opportunity is best afforded in the hour of weakness. The condition of the world and the church to-day demands that God should again speak. In the very nature of the case, there is demand for a message of reproof and healing. His true and tried ones in every church need to be awakened to the dangers which exist. The nations of men need warning of the impending judgment, and afforded opportunity for repentance of life unto salvation. That such a message is due the world to-day, and that it will be given to the world in the loving and tender mercy of our God, let the succeeding articles of this symposium demonstrate. "All Things Work Together for Good."
By Max Hill
"And we know that to them that love God, all things work together for good." Truly here is a promise that is precious to the children of God. How often it is quoted when trials come, by lips that speak the faith of the heart, tho often tremblingly. The soul grasps the promise and makes it true, believing that tho trials do come, the promise is sure. But read the remainder of the passage and see whether that is the idea of the promise: "Even to them that are called according to His purpose." And what is His purpose? Is it that there will never be a storm on the sea of life, nor a peril to the mountain-climber? A text or two will explain. "To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna." "And the God of all grace, . . . after that ye have suffered a little while, shall Himself perfect, establish, strengthen you." "For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory." Then "according to His purpose" means more than ease and comfort, more than easy sailing. When hard knocks come, know that they are a part of His plan to develop His children, and that they will work for good. Those who are "called according to His purpose" are called to trial and affliction, and to glory. Max Hill. Only to Follow.
By F. E. Y.
Not always in green pastures, Lord, my prayer,
But only that my feet may follow where
Thy footprints lead.
And when I reach the highest golden stair,
My greatest joy when I shall enter there,
That I have recognized and made my care
My brother's need.
F. E. Y. Prayer in Nervous Troubles.
IN the mad rush of our present-day civilization, we are developing all kinds of nervous diseases. The good old lady who thanked God that she was born before nerves came into fashion was gathered to her ancestors a long time ago. Ours is the neurotic age. An eminent doctor explained recently how he had studied physical culture to learn to relax his muscles, and then practised self-hypnotism to cure insomnia after a season of overwork. This recalls a statement made some time ago before the British Medical Association by Dr. T. B. Hyslop, superintendent of Bethlem Royal Hospital, London, in which he said: "As an alienist and one whose life has been concerned with the sufferings of the mind, I would state that of all hygienic measures to counteract disturbed sleep, depressed spirits, and all the miserable sequels of distressed mind, I would undoubtedly give the first place to the simple habit of prayer. "Let there be a habit of nightly communion; not as a mendicant or repeater of words adapted to the tongue of the sage, but as a humble individual who submerges or asserts his individuality as an integral part of the greater whole. Such a habit does more to clean the spirit and strengthen the soul to overcome mere incidental emotionalism than any other therapeutic agent known to me." Between these two methods of healing these troubles, the simpler and more efficient seems to be that of the Great Physician.—The Circle. Circumstances Reveal Character
By Thomas A. Kempis
CIRCUMSTANCES do not make a man weak, but they show what manner of man he is. God’s Message for This Time.
By Editor
What Does It Mean to You?
SOMETIME, according to “the Scriptures of truth,” the end of the proclamation of the Gospel will come. The last call will have been given. The judgment of God will have passed upon all men. Christ will have come in glory to take to Himself those who have served Him and waited for Him. Why may not all this occur in our day—in yours and mine? What reason have we for putting it far off in the future? Of course we may wish to put it off; for we may not be ready. But as the time-tables of railway companies do not consult the wishes of tardy passengers, so God’s great time schedule of this old world will not change to suit us. We may be ignorant of the evidences which God has given that the coming of Christ is near. We may not know that there is line upon line of prophecy, sign following sign, evidence piled on evidence, in the “more sure word of prophecy” that the day of Christ is at hand, that the priestly work of Christ is to be finished. Yet our ignorance will not stay His chariot wheels, will not hinder His coming, will not stay proceedings in the court of heaven, will not postpone our case. Surely, in these momentous times, it behooves every intelligent soul to study God’s word and to know God’s great time-table of the centuries. It behooves us to know what our standing will be in that day. We may or we may not own real estate here, but have we a title clear to a mansion in the skies? They are writ clear and plain in the blood of the Crucified, and your name may be placed in the title deed by faith if you will have it. Your claims here are for time alone; there they may be for eternity. Which is the more important—the pleasure or gain of time, or the eternal riches of God? O soul, do not be deceived. As sure as the Bible is true, God has a message for this time. It is recorded in the fourteenth chapter of Revelation, verses six to fourteen. It is the everlasting Gospel of God announcing the judgment come. It calls from the fear of man to the fear of God; from giving glory to men to giving glory to God. It calls from the worship of the vain, the ephemeral, the temporal, to the worship of the living, eternal Creator—God. It brings every soul to the judgment-seat now, that he may not fear to meet God’s glory face to face when it shines from the face of the coming Christ. That message declares that great Babylon—the human way, the human perversions of the good, the great, inflated bubbles of human speculation—is fallen. Union of religion with all the power of earth is powerless to preserve or conserve life. That message warns against all human combinations not of God, set forth under the beast and his image, warns under the most fearful penalty ever written. Is it safe not to heed such warning? If we fail, what shall we answer to God in that day? This great Threefold Message in its wonderful scope covers every human need, meets every reform demanded, prepares men for the coming of Jesus Christ and a place among the truly immortals. This issue and the two following deal with this great Threefold Message. We entreat you to study it with us. Lay aside all preconceptions, and drink from the great Fountain. Weigh all that we say in the balances of God’s sanctuary; test them by His holy law; then believe and find in Him joy and salvation. Swearing, Breaking Faith, Killing, Stealing.
THE Book of God pictures to us a time that will be characterized by extremes of wickedness. The language of the Book is as follows: “Hear the word of Jehovah, ye children of Israel; for Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land. There is naught but swearing and breaking faith, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood.” Hosea 4: 1, 2. At the time when the foregoing scripture applies, the text says that “Jehovah hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.” And the text further says that this controversy is occasioned, or brought about, “because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.” But while there is “no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land,” yet there is profession of goodness in that time, for the following verses say: “Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away. Yet let no man strive, neither let any man reprove; for thy people are as they that strive with the priest. And thou shalt stumble in the day, and the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night; and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me; seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were multiplied, so they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. They feed on the sin of My people, and set their heart on their iniquity. And it shall be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will requite them their doings. And they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall play the harlot, and shall not increase; because they have left off taking heed to Jehovah.” Hosea 4:3-10. Note that the foregoing scripture shows that the “priest” is still in the land when the fearful wickedness is going on. And the “prophet” is also in evidence, for it is said of him, “the prophet also shall stumble with thee in the night.” But, while both priest and prophet are there, it is only to “stumble” with the people. And the reason why the “prophet” and people, as well, are stumbling is made plain in the text. Observe that it says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me: seeing thou hast forsaken the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” Knowledge has been “rejected;” the law of God has been “forgotten.” This is the one age in all the world’s history when it is most prominently and most conspicuously true that the Bible as a whole has been discounted by the infidel teaching of the professed church itself. There is scarcely a portion of the Bible that has not been attacked and declared to be a “fable.” And those who have not joined the ranks of the “higher critics” and dissected the Bible as a whole, and thus made it of none effect on the minds of the masses of the people, have taught that the law of God is abolished. The binding obligation of the true Sabbath has been earnestly taught, and to try to nullify the force of the conviction that has come with this teaching, men have said that the whole Ten Commandments have been abolished. And thus have the people been led to forget the law of God, just as the foregoing text says. This week the papers are reporting “epidemics of crime” in Berlin, in New York, in Chicago, in San Francisco, and elsewhere. These “epidemics of crime” are the fruitage of the seed-sowing that has been going on for the last century. Critics and infidels both without and within the professed church of Christ have spread doubt and ridicule of the Bible. There has also been the perverse teaching that we are under no binding obligation to keep the law of God. And now we are reaping the fruit in these “epidemics of crime;” and we have not seen the end of it yet. The terrible condition of wickedness brought to view in the prophecy from which the text herein is quoted, is by no means at its height yet. Speaking of the “last days,” Paul tells us, “Evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” The knowledge that is given in the good old Book shows us just what the events and conditions of this time mean. If we are not among those who are fulfilling the prophecy already quoted by “rejecting” this knowledge, it will be very interesting to watch the developments. And not only will it be interesting, but we will find an indescribable pleasure in the salvation that the Book of God guides us into. We can be saved and sheltered from the storm of wickedness and crime that is breaking upon the world by accepting with simple faith the knowledge that God has for us in His word. To reject this knowledge means our eternal ruin. Gospel Healing for Every Hurt
The great world is sick—sick with disease, sick with sin, just as tho there were no great loving Physician who is pouring out His remedies upon them. These remedies are healing if men would but receive them in faith. In the blessed Gospel of Christ there is balm for every bruise, there is healing for every hurt. The God of the Living.
By Max Hill
THAT men go to their final reward at the moment of death, the righteous to the joys of eternal life, the wicked to the endless eternity of agony, is widely taught and almost universally believed. Notwithstanding the fact that there is no Scriptural foundation for it, men still believe the lie that Satan told our first parents in the garden, "Ye shall not surely die." One statement from the Saviour Himself will make the matter clear. The Sadducees propounded to Jesus the question concerning the woman who had been the wife of seven brothers in turn. "In the resurrection therefore whose wife shall she be of the seven?" they asked, thinking to prove that there is no resurrection. Answering their question, He showed that they themselves did not understand the Scriptures, and to show their wrong position He continued: "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." They knew that these patriarchs were all dead. Further, they did not believe they would ever be raised from the dead; but Jesus reminded them of the statement God Himself had made, that He is the God of the living and not of the dead; and in order to make the other statement true, that He is the God of the patriarchs, He will raise them from the dead in the resurrection and be their God. Jesus taught, and His followers believed, that the resurrection is not at death. When Martha reproached Jesus for not coming to heal Lazarus, Jesus said, "Thy brother shall rise again." Martha's reply indicated the definite time of the resurrection, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Then God will truly be the God of the living. MAX HILL. The Catholic Federation
By Charles M. Snow
ONE of the most important features of the convention of the American Federation of Catholic Societies at Indianapolis, Ind., was the annual report of the national secretary, Mr. Anthony Matre. It revealed the growth of the organization as well as the methods by which it accomplishes its purpose. The Growth of the Federation.
The report showed that the federation had grown from 1,500,000 to nearly 2,000,000 during the past year; and it is confidently expected that very soon, thru the pressure that the priesthood can bring to bear, they will have enrolled the entire membership of all the various Catholic societies in the United States. Nor do they expect to cease with that accomplishment. Already the federation idea has taken root in the Old World, and we may expect to see a similarly rapid growth along these lines in the Eastern hemisphere. The actual work of organization has already begun in England, Spain, and India; and with the prestige given the movement by the pope at this convention, we can foresee the rapid evolution of a mighty world federation of Catholic societies. A Most Important Catholic Undertaking.
These societies are not federating for sentiment. Archbishop Chatard declared at the first mass meeting of the convention that "one of the most important undertakings of the Catholic Church at the present time is the cementing of Catholic bodies into one organization to carry out the purposes of the church." He declared, further, that "the underlying idea of federation was to bring the various Catholic forces of this country and of the world into unity for action of a more general nature than any of the various societies could accomplish by themselves." The various Catholic societies, taken individually, can not exert any strong or commanding influence over the legislation of the country, nor help the church materially in enforcing its demands; but that they can do all this when cemented into one organization, directed by one mind for the accomplishment of any set purpose, was well illustrated in more than one particular in Mr. Matre's report. The Federation and Sunday Work.
A matter in point was the demand of the federation that Sunday work cease at the various slaughtering houses in the city of New York, in order that the Catholic laborers there might attend church on that day. The demand was made direct to Secretary Wilson of the Agricultural Department at Washington. In answer to the demand, the Secretary of Agriculture replied that he had taken up the matter, and further that he was "in sympathy with the effort to enforce the observance of Sunday by the establishments, and to secure the day as a day of rest for the employees." The Federation Influences the Senate.
The federation took special pride in the work which it was able to accomplish in connection with the Kongo affair. Congress had been besieged with petitions asking that this government take some action to assist in bringing to an end the terrible atrocities practised upon the Kongo natives by those in the employ of the Belgian Government. So insistent had these petitions become that the Senate seriously contemplated action. But the American Federation of Catholic Societies threw the weight of its numbers and influence into the balances, and there was an immediate cessation of activity in the Senate regarding intervention in the Kongo. How was it that one organization could step in between the Senate of the United States and its purpose, and say to that august body, "Hold," and see its demand complied with? It is a new thing in the history of the United States that this chosen body should "halt" and "right-about-face" at the word of one organization. Had some powerful nation ordered our government to make such a metamorphosis, the government would have set its teeth and plunged ahead. When the American Federation of Catholic Societies speaks, the government gives respectful attention and turns from its purpose. Mr. Matre explained in his report how this was brought about. A strong letter of protest against American intervention in the Kongo was sent to President Roosevelt and the fifteen senators composing the Foreign Relations Committee. That letter informed these gentlemen of the size of the organization, of its belief in the "good faith of the King of Belgium," characterized the charges of cruelty as unfounded and inspired by religious and commercial jealousy, and asked that this government "refrain from any acts of intervention in the Kongo." Lest this protest should not accomplish the desired result, the machinery of the federation was put at work in all parts of the country. Letters were at once sent to the secretaries of all the societies in the federation and to influential individuals, requesting them to send telegrams and letters of protest to the United States officials, especially to the senators of their respective States. The plan worked. Telegrams and letters came pouring into Washington from nearly every State in the union, and our government officials, even to the highest, at once took note of the power of that organization that had set its hand to the work of opposing the purpose of this government. Concerning this matter, the Chicago "Tribune" said: The Protestants Failed: the Federation Did It.
"Flooded with appeals of Protestant missionaries urging the United States to intervene in the Kongo matter, the Senate at first favored intervention. Then Catholic protests came pouring in, and the Senate paused." The Senate still pauses, and there is no indication that it will ever muster courage to look toward Kongo again, much less raise a protesting voice against the terribly cruel work which the agents of the Belgian king are carrying on there, protected by the powerful influence of a great religious body. The reason for this Catholic support of the Belgian administration is not difficult to determine. Catholic missionaries have been granted the utmost freedom to pursue their work, and have been granted concessions which Protestant missionaries are not allowed. A change in the administration would be likely to equalize the situation there in this respect, and this would be regarded as a calamity by the Catholic Church. Because of that danger, the whole machinery of the federated Catholic societies of the United States is set in motion, and the great men from the President down take careful note of a threatened tempest, and steer the ship of state out of its purposed course. Succeeding in a Great Nation: Why Not Take the World?
The federated Catholic societies of one of the greatest nations in the world have asserted their demands and declared their power, and that nation has bowed in submission. Now they will seek "other worlds to conquer" by the same means, for the same purpose. What they are able to do in this nation, they will be able to do in other nations as well, especially in those where the proportion of Catholics to the whole population is larger than here. It is their striking success here that has prompted them to begin operations to the same end in other countries. Thus when any move is made in any part of the world looking toward the progress of evangelical Christianity, we shall soon have the federated societies of the Catholic Church in all the world bringing their united power to bear against it. Then we shall see more than influential organizations and influential men demanding of a nation that it do or refrain from doing a certain thing. We shall see influential nations uniting in their demand upon one nation that it change its course into harmony with the wishes and purposes of the Catholic Church. With the Catholic societies of all the nations federated, that would be a no more astonishing procedure than what we have already witnessed, and a procedure no more difficult to bring about. The federated societies of the10 individual nations have only to bring pressure to bear upon their respective governments, and the thing is done. The World under a Single Head; the Prophecy.
That is the point toward which the American Federation of Catholic Societies is earnestly laboring; and when accomplished, it places the legislation of the world under the control of one head; and the official acts of rulers will harmonize with the wishes of that head. Then, whatever the law desired by that head, it will be enacted. It will mean trouble; it may mean civil wars in various countries; but out of it will come the unity of the world under the headship of the Vatican. See Rev. 13:7, 8. Then will come the decree "that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Rev. 13:15. In the work already done and now being done by this federation, we see the beginning of the fulfilment of the eleventh and twelfth verses of Revelation 13. This federation has already begun the work of molding this nation into that image.