The Family as a School—Hand and Mind and Heart Were Trained Social Intercourse a Part of the Plan—Educative Value of the National Feasts
By the late MRS. E. G. WHITE
THE system of education established in Eden centered in the family. Adam was “the son of God” (Luke 3:38), and it was from their Father that the children of the Highest received instruction.
In the divine plan of education as adapted to man’s condition after the fall, Christ stands as the representative of the Father, the connecting link between God and man. He is the great teacher of mankind. And He ordained that men and women should be His representatives. The family was the school, and the parents were the teachers.
THE FAMILY AS A SCHOOL
The education centering in the family was that which prevailed in the days of the patriarchs. For the schools thus established, God provided the conditions most favorable for the development of character. The people who were under His direction still pursued the plan of life that He had appointed in the beginning. Those who departed from God built for themselves cities, and, congregating in them, gloried in the splendor, the luxury, and the vice that make the cities of to-day the world’s pride and its curse. But the men who held fast God’s principles of life dwelt among the fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil, and keepers of flocks and herds; and in this free, independent life, with its opportunities for labor and study and meditation, they learned of God, and taught their children of His works and ways.
ISRAEL’S CONDITION AND PECULIAR NEEDS
This was the method of education that God desired to establish in Israel. But when brought out of Egypt, there were among the Israelites few prepared to be workers together with Him in the training of their children. The parents themselves needed instruction and discipline. Victims of lifelong slavery, they were ignorant, untrained, degraded. They had little knowledge of God, and little faith in Him. They were confused by false teaching, and corrupted by their long contact with heathenism. God desired to lift them to a higher moral level; and to this end, He sought to give them a knowledge of Himself.
In His dealings with the wanderers in the desert, God was seeking to strengthen their faith by revealing to them the power that was continually working for their good. And having taught them to trust in His love and power, it was His purpose to set before them, in the precepts of His law, the standard of character to which, through His grace, He desired them to attain.
Precious were the lessons taught to Israel during their sojourn at Sinai. Here their surroundings were favorable for the accomplishing of God’s purpose. On every hand, vast, rugged heights, in their solemn grandeur, spoke of eternal endurance and majesty. Man was made to feel his ignorance and weakness in the presence of Him who hath “weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance.” Isa. 40:12. Here, by the manifestation of His glory, God sought to impress Israel with the holiness of His character and requirements, and the exceeding guilt of transgression.
IN PITY FOR THEIR WEAKNESS
But the people were slow to learn the lesson. Accustomed as they had been in Egypt to material representations of the Deity, and these of the most degrading nature, it was difficult for them to conceive of the existence or the character of the Unseen One. In pity for their weakness, God gave them a symbol of His presence. “Let them make Me a sanctuary,” He said; “that I may dwell among them.” Ex. 25:8.
In the building of the sanctuary as a dwelling place for God, Moses was directed to make all things according to the pattern of things in the heavens. God called him into the mount, and revealed to him the heavenly things; and in their similitude, the tabernacle, with all that pertained to it, was fashioned.
So to Israel, whom He desired to make His dwelling place, He revealed His glorious ideal of character. The pattern was shown them in the mount when the law was given from Sinai, and when God passed by before Moses and proclaimed, “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” Ex. 34:6.
THE LESSON IN THE SANCTUARY
But this ideal they were, in themselves, powerless to attain. The revelation at Sinai could only impress them with their need and helplessness. Another lesson the tabernacle, through its service of sacrifice, was to teach,—the lesson of pardon of sin, and power through the Saviour for obedience unto life.
“True education is not the forcing of instruction on an unready and unreceptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest aroused. For this, God’s method of teaching is provided.”
Through Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose of which the tabernacle was a symbol,—that glorious building, its walls of glistening gold reflecting in rainbow hues the curtains inwrought with cherubim, the fragrance of ever burning incense pervading all, the priests robed in spotless white, and in the deep mystery of the inner place, above the mercy seat, between the figures of the bowed, worshiping angels, the glory of the Holiest. In all, God desired His people to read His purpose for the human soul. It was the same purpose long afterward set forth by the apostle Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” 1 Cor. 3:16, 17.
A GREAT INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
Great was the privilege and honor granted Israel in the preparation of the sanctuary; and great was also the responsibility. A structure of surpassing splendor, demanding for its construction the most costly material and the highest artistic skill, was to be erected in the wilderness, by a people just escaped from slavery. It seemed a stupendous task. But He who had given the plan of the building stood pledged to cooperate with the builders.
What an industrial school was that in the wilderness, having for its instructors Christ and His angels!
In the preparation of the sanctuary and in its furnishing, all the people were to cooperate. There was labor for brain and hand. A great variety of material was required, and all were invited to contribute as their own hearts prompted. Thus in labor and in giving they were taught to cooperate with God and with one another. And they were to cooperate also in the preparation of the spiritual building—God’s temple in the soul.
AN ALL-EMBRACING EDUCATION
The education of the Israelites included all their habits of life. Everything that concerned their well-being was the subject of divine solicitude, and came within the province of divine law. Even in providing their food, God sought their highest good. The678manna with which He fed them in the wilderness was of a nature to promote physical, mental, and moral strength. Notwithstanding the hardships of their wilderness life, there was not a feeble one in all their tribes.
THE EDUCATION OF SONG
As the people journeyed through the wilderness, many precious lessons were fixed in their minds by means of song. At their deliverance from Pharaoh’s army, the whole host of Israel had joined in the song of triumph. The commandments as given from Sinai, with promises of God’s favor and records of His wonderful works for their deliverance, were by divine direction expressed in song, and were chanted to the sound of instrumental music, the people keeping step as their voices united in praise.
Thus their thoughts were uplifted from the trials and difficulties of the way, the restless, turbulent spirit was soothed and calmed, the principles of truth were implanted in the memory, and faith was strengthened. Concert of action taught order and unity, and the people were brought into closer touch with God and with one another.
SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION IN EDUCATION
In the laws committed to Israel, explicit instruction was given concerning education. To Moses at Sinai God had revealed Himself as “merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” These principles, embodied in His law, the fathers and mothers in Israel were to teach their children. Moses by divine direction declared to them: “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deut. 6:6, 7.
Not as a dry theory were these things to be taught. Those who would impart truth must themselves practice its principles. Only by reflecting the character of God in the uprightness, nobility, and unselfishness of their own lives can they impress others.
TRUE EDUCATION NOT BY FORCE
True education is not the forcing of instruction on an unready and unreceptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest aroused. For this, God’s method of teaching provided. He who created the mind and ordained its laws, provided for its development in accordance with them. In the home and the sanctuary, through the things of nature and of art, in labor and in festivity, in sacred building and memorial stone, by methods and rites and symbols unnumbered, God gave to Israel lessons illustrating His principles, and preserving the memory of His wonderful works. Then, as inquiry was made, the instruction given impressed mind and heart.
In the arrangements for the education of the chosen people, it is made manifest that a life centered in God is a life of completeness. Every want He has implanted, He provides to satisfy; every faculty imparted, He seeks to develop.
PROVISION FOR SOCIAL NEEDS
The Author of all beauty, Himself a lover of the beautiful, God provided to gratify in His children the love of beauty. He made provision also for their social needs, for the kindly and helpful associations that do so much to cultivate sympathy and to brighten and sweeten life.
As a means of education, an important place was filled by the feasts of Israel. In ordinary life, the family was both a school and a church, the parents being the instructors in secular and in religious lines. But three times a year, seasons were appointed for social intercourse and worship. First at Shiloh, and afterward at Jerusalem, these gatherings were held. Only the fathers and sons were required to be present; but none desired to forego the opportunities of the feasts, and, so far as possible, all the household were in attendance; and with them, as sharers of their hospitality, were the stranger, the Levite, and the poor.
THOSE IMPRESSIVE JOURNEYS
The journey to Jerusalem, in the simple, patriarchal style, amidst the beauty of the springtime, the richness of midsummer, or the ripened glory of autumn, was a delight. With offerings of gratitude they came, from the man of white hairs to the little child, to meet with God in His holy habitation. As they journeyed, the experiences of the past, the stories that both old and young still love so well, were recounted to the Hebrew children. The songs that had cheered the wilderness wandering were sung. God’s commandments were chanted, and, bound up with the blessed influences of nature and of kindly human association, they were forever fixed in the memory of many a child and youth.
The ceremonies witnessed at Jerusalem in connection with the paschal service,—the night assembly, the men with their girded loins, shoes on feet, and staff in hand, the hasty meal, the lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs, and in the solemn silence, the rehearsal of the story of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and the grand march from the land of bondage,—all were of a nature to stir the imagination and impress the heart.
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING SERVICE
The feast of tabernacles, or harvest festival, with its offerings from orchard and field, its week’s encampment in the leafy booths, its social reunions, the sacred memorial service, and the generous hospitality to God’s workers, the Levites of the sanctuary, and to His children, the strangers and the poor, uplifted all minds in gratitude to Him who had “crowned the year with His goodness,” and whose “paths dropped fatness.”
By the devout in Israel, fully a month of every year was occupied in this way. It was a period free from care and labor, and almost wholly devoted, in the truest sense, to purposes of education.
A knowledge of God, fellowship with Him in study and in labor, likeness to Him in character, were to be the source, the means, and the aim of Israel’s education,—the education imparted by God to the parents, and by them to be given to their children.
The Final and Everlasting Kingdom
By Allen Moon
Christ Reclaims This Earth — Promises It as the Location of His Eternal Kingdom of Glory — The Redeemed to Enjoy Forever the Bliss of That Realm
By ALLEN MOON
AFTER His resurrection, the Saviour came to His disciples in Galilee, and said, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.” By His sacrifice, the Son of God had redeemed to Himself the dominion of earth. As the prophet had said, “And Thou, O Tower of the flock, the Stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto Thee shall it come, even the first dominion.” Micah 4: 8. And now, having redeemed the dominion of earth, and, by the Father’s decree, it having been given to Him when He ascended up on high after His resurrection, He is at liberty to enter upon and exercise the “all power” in earth at will.
WILLING FOR NONE TO PERISH
The Son, like the Father, is long-suffering, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” So He sent forth the children of the kingdom to preach the glad tidings of redemption and salvation as long as men would hear and believe.
But the time will come when, because many turn away the ear from hearing the law, and will not honor the Son, the word of the Father will come to pass: “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.
The prophet is still more explicit in his statements relating to the last-day kingdoms that have corrupted the earth. He says: “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.” Dan. 2: 44. This cannot mean the conversion of the world, nor the federation of the nations into one great world power; but in the days of the existence of nations, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom.
First He will break the nations until they become as the chaff of the summer threshing floor; and the wind carries them away, that no place is found for them. Verse 35. Then will apply the Saviour’s words: “As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom [dominion] all things that offend, and them which do iniquity. . . . Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” Matt. 13: 40-43.
THE EARTH FOR THE CHILDREN OF MEN
The earth is the Lord’s, and now He is come into His own. But He does not alter His purpose concerning man, whom He created to inhabit it; for it is written that “the earth hath He given to the children of men.” “Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matt. 25: 34.
From these scriptures, there is no mistaking the location of the kingdom of which the children of God are subjects. But the earth in its present condition is not fit to be the eternal dwelling place of the Redeemer and the redeemed. John tells us: “He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Rev. 21: 5, 3. The prophet, foreseeing this time, and being informed as to what should follow, was inspired to write, saying, “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the679saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” Dan. 7: 27.
KING OF GLORY PROMISED
The kingdom promised here is the kingdom of glory; for in the same vision, the prophet saw One like the Son of man come with the clouds of heaven. “And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Verse 14. Again the Lord said by the mouth of the prophet: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.” Isa. 65: 17, 18. In this language is set forth the earth renewed and free from the curse, and the capital city—a new creation; and the redeemed people—the joy of the whole earth.
THE CAPITAL OF THE KINGDOM
Once more, we draw from the prophetic Word reference to the capital city of the eternal kingdom. John says: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Rev. 21: 1, 2. Isaiah spoke of this city as a new creation. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you.”
John says this new creation prepared for God’s people comes down from God out of heaven.
Zechariah says: “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.” “And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.” “All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited. . . . And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.” Zech. 14: 9, 4, 10, 11.
GOD PRESENT IN PERSON
John says: “I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. . . . And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” Rev. 21: 3, 5.
Of the city whose walls were of stones most precious, with gates of pearl and streets of gold, John says: “Having the glory of God, and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” Verse 11. “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever.” Rev. 22: 5.
How grand and inspiring the story contained in the word of God! And as God promised to Abraham and his seed an inheritance, and fulfilled His promise to the literal children of Abraham, so surely will He fulfill His promise of an eternal inheritance to Abraham’s seed through Christ. It is the promise of the earth redeemed by the Son of God. He sends forth His angels, and gathers out of His kingdom all things that are evil and offensive, and renews the face of the earth. The New Jerusalem—the heavenly mansions that He has gone to prepare—comes down from heaven to earth, and rests upon the Mount of Olives—the place made sacred by His footsteps when He came to offer Himself a sacrifice for the sins of the world. The city and the earth made new are given to the saints of the Most High. God Himself shall dwell among them, and be their God. Christ shall sit upon the throne of His glory, and the place of His throne shall be most glorious, and He shall reign forever and ever.
THE MYSTERIES OF HEATHEN WORSHIP ARE REPLACED IN SECRET ORDERS BY BEAUTIFUL RITUAL.
Such is the story of redemption—the hope of the Christian. “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord.” Isa. 66: 23.
SPIRITUALISM
By Walter E. Gillis
The Present Revival of Its Workings—Its Invasion of the Church and Other Intellectual High Places
By WALTER E. GILLIS
ONE of the most commonly accepted doctrines of the modern church is that known as the “immortality of the soul.” That it should be so, seems strange; for one of the most clearly stated facts of history has to do with this doctrine, and places its origin in a state from which the Scriptures distinctly and specifically say that God has called His people; namely, Egypt. Matt. 2: 15; Hosea 11: 1.
FIRST TEACHINGS OF IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL
From Herodotus, the father of history, we learn that “the Egyptians were also the first who asserted the doctrine that the soul of man is immortal.” But we find one other who at an even earlier period taught it: “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: . . . your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods.” Gen. 3: 4, 5. And of him we learn on the authority of the Saviour, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” John 8: 44.
The whole theory of man’s nature and destiny is dependent upon the Scriptures for analysis. The Bible is the one book that speaks with authority on the subject, and throughout tells one connected story. You may search the annals of the nations with untiring zeal, to find at last that every age had its ideas and contradictions, and that the whole subject of man’s destiny is littered deep with the superstitions of all peoples, and is as little understood to-day as in any age of human existence.
THE ONLY SOURCE OF IMMORTALITY
But to the student of Scripture, the topic is one of intense interest and illuminating simplicity. Every statement is a nail in a sure place. In 1 Tim. 1: 17, we learn that God is immortal; and in the sixth chapter and the sixteenth verse, we are told that God is the only one that is immortal. 2 Tim. 1: 10 states that immortality is brought to light in the gospel—not in the esoteric teachings of the heathen; and Rom. 2: 7, that it will eventually be bestowed as a reward upon those “who by patient continuance in well-doing” seek for it. The time of its bestowal is definitely fixed at the resurrection, as will appear by studying 1 Cor. 15: 52-54, and comparing it with 1 Thess. 4: 15-17.
SHALL A MAN LIVE AGAIN?
Job, one of the most ancient patriarchs to be especially approved of God, understood the subject thoroughly; for he says: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.” “But man dieth, and wasteth away.” “So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.” “If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.” “Thou shalt call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the work of Thine hands.” Job 14: 1, 10, 12, 14; 17: 13; 14: 15.
After having thus stated the problem, this ancient worthy exclaimed: “Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! that they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock forever! For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; my reins within me are consumed with earnest desire for that day.” Job 19: 23-27, margin.
And Solomon, the wisest man, says, “The dead know not anything.” Eccl. 9: 5.680
SPIRITUALISM DENIES IT
Notwithstanding these statements, spiritualism comes to us with the declaration that the communicating spirits are the dead of earth, who continue to take a hand and an interest in the affairs of earth. As further evidence of their identity, they declare that “the Bible is a transcript of heathen fables” (Dr. Weise); that “it is just as sensible to pray to the ocean, or to the sun, as to the Christians’ God.” (A. J. Davis.)
MIGHTY DECEPTIONS
The discredited Bible, however, foretold their advent and work in these last days. The Saviour, while discoursing upon the scenes connected with His second coming, said, “For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matt. 24: 24.
Paul, the greatest of the apostles, cautions the church by declaring, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Tim. 4: 1.
These seducing spirits will control men who will counterfeit the work of the church, as is clearly stated in 2 Tim. 3: 8: “Now as Jannes and Jambres [the magicians who stood before Pharaoh] withstood Moses [by counterfeiting his work], so do these also resist the truth.” And in his last letter to the Thessalonian church (2 Thess. 2: 8-12), Paul points out that the time of Christ’s return will be one of marvelous developments, Satan, the chief of those angels who “kept not their first estate,” working “with all power and signs and lying wonders.”
DENIES THE WORD, EXALTS SELF
Spiritualism epitomized is found in the question of the serpent in Eden, “Yea, hath God said?” We will find, in final analysis, that in its outworkings the fusing point is the law of God. From the genesis of man, and on to the last act in human history, it pits self against God. The holy record reads, “In the beginning God”; but the annals of spiritism, mirrored in the writings of its most modern apostles, present the exaltation and gratification of self as its keynote.
Who is it you find consulting the medium? Is it the self-sacrificing Christian worker, daily crucifying self in order that the poor who are cast out may hear the gospel?—Oh, no; it is the self-satisfied church member, who often sits in service for mere show. Is it the woman whose heart hungers and thirsts for a fuller consecration to the service of God, and a fuller experience of the Christian graces?—Oh, no; it is the social leader, who joins the church because it is popular.
Self, self! This is the towering affinity of spiritism. Find it where you may, when the root purpose is exposed, the spirit directing spiritism is the same spirit of whom the Lord said: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Isa. 14: 13, 14.
The present renaissance of spiritualism has been marked by a veritable flood of mediums, clairvoyants, palmists, sympathetic healers, etc., together with the usual accompaniment of charlatans, tricksters, and society leeches.
ASLEEP ON THE SUBJECT
The average citizen is cognizant of the condition, marvels at it a little, but does not realize that it is the development of Satan’s masterpiece of deception. He does not realize that the world has drawn so near to absolute harmony with the principles of iniquity, that evil spirits have unparalleled opportunities for controlling and operating through the minds of men.
Idolatrous nations have always been claimed as the lawful prey of the enemy; and for the same reason, the children are his heritage. Spiritual conflict occurs only where God’s truth has been manifested, for it is the point of attack. As the Saviour pointed out in Matt. 10: 34: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” The final engagements of that conflict are at hand. They will be sharp and decisive. The present moribund condition of society and of the popular church indicates that the crisis is near.
WILL BE A WORLD CONFLICT
The preparations are numerous and mystifying in the extreme; but a close examination of the principles involved, exposes the fact that the conflict is against truth, and that all the confederations now occurring are for the purpose of finally boycotting the followers of truth, who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.
What Loyola planned and almost accomplished for the Church of Rome by means of the Inquisition, Satan himself is now marshalling the forces of Christendom to accomplish in all the earth. The situation is a desperate one for mankind. The issue is finally to be for individual decision, and the conflict will be world-wide.
The systems of idol worship have been provided and fostered by Satan. The favorite shrines of all nations have been the oracles that have directed their destinies, so far as the choice of man could provide. Though we do not now pay homage to the heathen gods, yet the spirits attending them have penetrated everywhere, and Satan is just as verily worshiped to-day in the professedly Christian nations as ever in the citadels of paganism. But modern refinements spread a shroud over the hideous facts, and the professed worshiper of God yields to the witchery and enchantments of the present-day cults. Moral and natural law have been disregarded to such a startling extreme that notwithstanding the remarkable triumphs of medical science, it has not been able to keep pace with the resulting disease.
MYSTERIES OF HEATHEN WORSHIP ARE FOSTERED
The mysteries of heathen worship are replaced in secret orders by beautiful ritual. Here the professedly righteous and the wicked meet together on common ground, and finally worship at the same shrine. Why?—Because whatever turns one from the worship of the true God is an idol; and idolatry, in last analysis, is devil worship. 1 Cor. 10: 20. The processes have been refined, the declivities veiled, until only those who earnestly search the Scriptures, and submit every desire and purpose of life to that unerring guide, can possibly run the gauntlet and be saved. All who do not seek God in sincere prayer for a knowledge of His will, must surely wander from the right road, and fall under the deception of Satan.
THE HARVEST FOLLOWS THE SEED SOWING
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Gal. 6: 7. When the parents of our race sowed the seed of spiritism, its taking root discomfited them. But that was not to be the end of the matter. The law of growth requires “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Through six thousand years, spiritism has been developing for the harvest time. We have now reached that time. Can we expect to find less than the fully developed fruit? And like all weeds, its growth is rank and its fruit abundant.
As in gardening, the constant uprooting of the weeds fosters the growth of the good seed, and retards the development of the worthless, so the activities of the church have, during certain periods of human history, caused spiritism to recede from view. But we find, in our study of history, that whenever the church became dormant, and its energies flagged, then the baneful plant of spiritism shot forth, and quickly undid the work of centuries.
To-day the popular churches of Christendom, in their own official papers, acknowledge that stagnation stares them in the face on every hand, and their statisticians report declension and loss. What must we naturally expect?—Why, a rank growth of weeds. And who that has given any thought to the present-day issues, can say that weeds do not fitly represent the crop? The Scriptures say, “Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them,” Matt. 13: 30. Reader, are you in one of those bundles?
Hurricane Devastation Near New Orleans
Photograph by Underwood & Underwood
Wreckage of a railway station, and of the buildings of a rowing club, near New Orleans, following the terrific hurricane that swept through that section of the country the last week in September.
Whole towns were swept away by the storm, which reached a velocity of one hundred and twenty to one hundred and forty miles an hour. Many persons are reported killed and injured, and a rough estimate places the property damage at over twelve million dollars.
The Master said, when He was here in person, that immediately preceding His second coming, there would “be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” Luke 21:25, 26.
Any one who is at all observing, does not require the aid of statistics to show that destructive and terrifying storms are increasing from year to year; and according to the prophetic Word, they will continually increase until the world meets the great climax of physical disturbances in the seven last plagues that are foretold in the sixteenth chapter of Revelation. These things have no terrors for the one who understands what they mean, and who knows, from practical experience, the protection of the almighty Father.
