p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 28, No. 49. (12/3/1902)

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LESSON 12.—DECEMBER 20.—THE TWO MYSTERIES.

The secret or mystery which was revealed unto Daniel (Dan. 2: 19) in a night vision was fully revealed as a fact to all the world when “the Word became flesh.” This was the mystery of godliness (1 Tim. 3: 16), the essence of Christianity. During the life-time of those who proclaimed this pure Gospel to the world, the prophecies of the seventh and eighth chapters of Daniel began to be fulfilled. In writing to the church at Thessalonica concerning this matter the apostle Paul also throws additional light upon these previous prophecies. 2 Thess. 2: 3-12. Compare “the falling away” of verse 3 with the “transgression” of Dan. 8: 12, R.V. Compare the “man of sin” of verse 3 with the horn in which were eyes and mouth. Dan. 7: 8. Compare the “self-exaltation” of verse 4 with that of Dan. 7: 25 and 8: 10, 11, R.V. This “man of sin” is evidently the very one who is the leading subject of the prophecies of the seventh and eighth chapters of Daniel. And of this man of sin it is distinctly stated that he substitutes himself for God in the sanctuary service. 2 Thess. 2: 4. And the work which culminated in this self-exaltation, which had already begun in Paul’s time, is called “the mystery of iniquity.” 2 Thess. 2: 7. It thus appears that the work of the Papacy in corrupting the true temple service by taking away the continual is accomplished by putting man in the place of God, thus substituting the mystery of iniquity for the mystery of godliness. This means substituting tradition for the Bible, the authority of the church for the command of God, the civil power for the power of the Spirit, justification by works for justification by faith, and the outward and the visible in worship for that which is spiritual. The result is a mere human organization instead of the church of Jesus Christ.

The tabernacle in the wilderness, and later the temple, was a copy of things in heaven. Ex. 26: 30. By the rending of the veil of the temple at the time of the offering of the true sacrifice (Mark 15: 38), it was intended to mark the close of the earthly priesthood and ministry. Type had now met antitype. “By virtue of His death and resurrection He [Christ] became the minister of the ‘true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.’” Under the enlightening influence of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost the apostle Peter beheld Jesus as our high priest. Compare Acts 2: 32, 33 with Heb. 8: 1, 2. By taking the flesh and offering Himself for man, Jesus took away the typical continual service (Dan. 9: 27), which had degenerated into mere ceremonialism, and revealed the eternal reality in its place. This was the mystery of godliness. In its work of corrupting Christianity, the Papacy has taken away the continual, the real presence, and has put an earthly service in the place of the heavenly. “Popery has a god of its own,—him, even, whom the canon law calls the ‘Lord our God.’ It has a saviour of its own,—the church, to wit. It has a sacrifice of its own—the mass. It has a mediator of its own—the priesthood. It has a sanctifier of its own—the sacrament. It has a justification of its own—that even of infused righteousness. It has a pardon of its own—the pardon of the confessional; and it has in the heavens an infallible, all-prevailing advocate, unknown to the Gospel,—the ‘mother of God.’ It thus presents to the world a spiritual and saving apparatus for the salvation of men, and yet it neither sanctifies nor saves any one. It looks like a church; it professes to have all that a church ought to have; and yet it is not a church. It is a grand deception—‘the all deceivableness of unrighteousness.’” This is the mystery of iniquity.

QUESTIONS.

How has the mystery revealed to Daniel been made manifest to all?
What is the inspired definition of this essence of Christianity?
What prophecy is especially valuable in the understanding of the seventh and eighth chapters of Daniel?
What specific points of comparison make it evident that the theme of this prophecy is the same as in Daniel’s prophecies?
What does the man of sin do to destroy the value of the temple service?
What expression is used to define this effort to shut God out of His own temple?
What light does this prophecy throw upon the method by which the Papacy takes away the “continual”?
In what particulars does it appear that the Papacy has put man in the place of God?
What is the result of these changes?
Of what was the tabernacle a copy?
What was the significance of rending the veil of the temple?
By virtue of what experiences did Christ become the minister of the true tabernacle?

What shows that the apostles recognized this ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary?
What did Jesus take away by the offering of Himself on the cross? What did He establish in its place?
How has the Papacy attempted to make of none effect this work of Jesus and His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary?
What has popery substituted for the Gospel of God concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord?
What does the apostle Paul call this perversion of the Gospel?

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL

LESSON II.—DECEMBER 14.—THE BOY SAMUEL.

Lesson Scripture, 1 Sam. 3: 6-14, A.S.R.V.

(6) “And Jehovah called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. (7) Now Samuel did not yet know Jehovah, neither was the word of Jehovah yet revealed unto him. (8) And Jehovah called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And Eli perceived that Jehovah had called the child. (9) Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Jehovah; for Thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

(10) “And Jehovah came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel said, Speak; for Thy servant heareth. (11) And Jehovah said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. (12) In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the beginning even unto the end. (13) For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not. (14) And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering forever.”

Golden Text.—“Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.” Verse 9.

Special Helps.—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” Ch. 55, pp. 569-574; Ch. 57, pp. 581, 582.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) Who were the parents of Samuel? To what service had his mother dedicated him? Where was he when the Lord first spoke to him? (2) What did Samuel do when the Lord spoke to him the first and second times? What did Eli say to him? Verse 6. (3) Of what was Samuel yet ignorant? Verse 7. (4) What did Eli perceive when Samuel came to him the third time with the same words? Verse 8. (5) What counsel did Eli then give the boy? Verse 9. (6) What position did the Lord assume when speaking to Samuel the fourth time? What was Samuel’s answer? Verse 10. (7) What did the Lord say He would do in Israel? Verse 11. (8) What would be done against the house of Eli? Verse 12. (9) Why was the house of Eli cut off? Verse 13. In what strong language was this sentence emphasized? Verse 14.

NOTES.

THE SELF-PRONOUNCING HOLMAN NEW Testaments

are leading the market. Handy volumes, 4 sizes:— A. J. HOLMAN & CO., Philadelphia, Pa. Vest-pocket, Agate, Minion, Large Pica.

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ONE-HALF interest in well established bulb and lily growing business. Stock consisting of about $8,500 worth of bulbs, lilies, land, etc. The bulbs produce about $1,000 worth of flowers annually, besides the income from sale of bulbs, etc. Would sell to seventh-day observer for only $3,000. Could make terms whereby party making part payment could pay balance from a portion of income from the business.

Address the Golden Gate Bulb and Lily Farm, 6660 Shattuck Ave., Oakland, Cal.

OLD STAMPS

Wanted to buy, collections of old postage stamps, also used stamps from old letters, United States or foreign. Address “Collector,” Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal.

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The Winning of Margaret

How Margaret and her skeptical friend Ralph were converted. A well-told story.

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LIVE TRACTS

On Live Subjects

Waymarks to the Holy City—B. S. L. No. 115

A study of the 7th chapter of the book of Daniel, in which is brought to view four great beasts, representing four universal kingdoms of the earth. The work of the little horn which was to make war with the saints, is discussed, and its final ending portrayed. Then comes the glorious kingdom which was given to the saints of the Most High. Illustrated. Price, 1 cent each; per hundred 72 cents.

Wonders of the Nineteenth Century—B. S. L. No. 155

The wonderful and rapidly increasing inventions of the present day constitute the subject-matter of this tract. The writer brings to view the deep and far-reaching meaning in all these wonderful discoveries, for certainly it can not be just a happen-so that so many marvels are crowded into the latter half of a single century. You can't help being interested in the conclusions drawn. Illustrated. Price, 2 cents each; per hundred $1.40.

Labor and the Money Power—B. S. L. No. 160

In this tract the writer gives many valuable statistics, showing the rapid increase of wealth. The prevalence of poverty is next noted, and practical lessons from history and the Scriptures drawn, showing the inevitable outcome of the controversy on this great subject, which will prove of special interest and benefit to the reader. Illustrated. Price, 2 cents each; per hundred, $1.40.

The Eastern Question—B. S. L. No. 144

What its solution means to the whole world. This subject has to do with the kingdom of Turkey, showing its rise in prophecy and history, prophecies fulfilled, and those still to be fulfilled concerning it, and the crisis that comes to the world when this power comes to its end. Price, 1 cent each; per hundred, 72 cents.

The Return of the Jews—A. G. L. No. 62

The subject treated in this tract is one that has attracted the general attention of Bible readers, but unfortunately is not well understood. The writer presents the subject from the standpoint of God's promise to Abraham, clearly showing who are the true Israel, and when and where they will be gathered. Illustrated. Price, 2 cents each; per hundred, $1.32.

The Great Day of the Lord—B. S. L. No. 65

There is wide diversity of opinion in the Christian world in regard to the character, length, and scope of the great day of the Lord, as well as its relation to man. In the light of Scripture, the writer makes clear this important subject. Price, 2½ cents each; per hundred, $1.74.

Heralds of His Coming—A. G. L. No. 51

Is it a literal coming? Is the end really near? May we know the time? These are a few of the questions treated in the tract. Some of the special signs of Christ's second coming are pointed out, and a very interesting chart produced, portraying in a vivid manner the points dwelt on in the tract. Price, 1½ cents each; per hundred, 98 cents.

The Great Threefold Message—A. G. L. No. 47

While the Gospel, or God's plan for saving man, has always been the same, it has had special saving truths connected with it for each generation. In this tract a great threefold message for our day is brought to light, and offered to the world as God's remedy for the ills of Christendom. Price, 1 cent each; per hundred, 68 cents.

God's Message for To-day—B. S. L. No. 81

A tract of like nature to the foregoing, showing that God has had special messages for His people and the world at different times in the past. The warnings of Noah and Jonah, the message of John the Baptist, and the work of the Reformers are produced as evidence. Then the searchlight is turned on the prophecies which have their fulfilment in our day, showing the events to transpire, and how they concern us. Price, ½ cent each; per hundred, 36 cents.

The Temporal Millennium—B. S. L. No. 121

This tract defines the word millennium, and shows when and where the millennial reign with Christ, as brought to view in Revelation 20, will take place. Those acquainted only with the popular view of this subject will be especially interested in reading this tract. Price, 1½ cents each; per hundred, $1.10.

Spiritualism, Its Source and Character—B. S. L. No. 112

The writer treats this subject from a Bible standpoint, beginning with some of the deceptions of olden times and carrying the study down to the modern phases, manifestations, and teachings of this great deception, showing clearly its source and character. Price, 1 cent each; per hundred, 72 cents.

Sound an Alarm—B. S. L. No. 167

This tract treats of a number of the evils abounding in the social, political, and religious world to-day. The conditions are certainly alarming, and we need to view them in the light of God's Word, and find a place of refuge for ourselves and as many more as will enter. “The prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.” The tract is illustrated. Price, 1 cent each; per hundred, 72 cents.

Babylon Is Fallen—B. S. L. No. 169

In Rev. 14:8 we have the statement, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” The tract answers the questions, What is Babylon? What is her fall? and What the remedy and salvation from her ruin? Price, 1½ cents each; per hundred, $1.10.

Marshaling of the Nations—B. S. L. No. 161

A pamphlet of 44 pages, dealing with the movements of the great nations of to-day, showing how a few great powers are rapidly gaining control of the whole world. There are several instructive maps, showing the partitioning of the world as it is being made. There is a meaning in all this that concerns every one, and the writer brings forth light from the divine Word for our consideration and profit. Price, 20 cents each.

Any of the foregoing tracts will be sent post-paid upon the receipt of the prices named. Many thousands of these have already been sent out on their life-saving missions, but there are millions still who need to read the stirring messages they contain for the world at this time. We appeal to you to help circulate them everywhere. If you are not supplied with a complete list of tracts, ask for one when ordering, also our little booklet, “How to Use Tracts.” They may be obtained of your State Tract Society, or

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AN ELECTION DOCUMENT.

A Voucher for Your Election.

(2 Peter 1:2-11, American Standard Revised Version)

Grace to you and Peace Be Multiplied In the Knowledge of God And of Jesus our Lord; Seeing that His Divine Power hath granted Unto Us All things that pertain unto life and Godliness, Through the Knowledge of Him that called us By His own Glory and Virtue; Whereby He hath granted Unto Us His precious and exceeding great Promises; That through these ye may become Partakers of the Divine nature, Having escaped from the corruption That is in the world by lust. Yea, and for this very cause Adding on your part all Diligence, In your Faith supply Virtue; And in your Virtue Knowledge; And in your Knowledge Self-Control; And in your Self-Control Patience; And in your Patience Godliness; And in your Godliness Brotherly Kindness; And in your Brotherly Kindness L O V E. For if these things are yours and abound, They make you to be not idle nor unfruitful Unto the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he that lacketh these things is blind, Seeing only what is near, Having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. Wherefore, Brethren, Give the more Diligence To make your Calling and Election S U R E: For if ye do These Things, Ye shall never stumble: For thus shall be richly supplied Unto You The Entrance into The Eternal Kingdom Of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

A CONVERTED GAMBLER ON CARD PARTIES.

I HAVE been in the saloon business, with a gambling room attached, for the last four years, and claim to know something about what I am now going to tell you. I do not believe that the gambling den is near so dangerous nor does it do anything like the same amount of harm as the social card party in the home. I give this as my reason: In the gambling room the windows are closed tight, the curtains are pulled down, everything is conducted secretly for fear of detection, and none but gamblers, as a rule, enter there, while in the parlor all have access to the game, children are permitted to watch it, young people are invited to participate. It is made attractive and alluring by giving prizes, serving refreshments, and adding high social enjoyments. For my part, I never could see the difference between playing for a piece of silver moulded in the shape of money and silver moulded in the shape of a cup or thimble. The principle is the same, and whenever property changes hands over the luck of cards, no matter how small is the value of the prize, I believe it is gambling.—Last Days.

POLITENESS IN SWEDEN.

By Anon.

When a train leaves a platform or a steamboat pier, all the lookers on lift their hats to the departing passengers and bow to them, a compliment returned by the passengers. If you address the poorest person in the streets you must lift your hat. A gentleman passing a lady on the stairs of a hotel must do the same. To enter a shop or a bank with one’s hat on is a terrible breach of good manners. If you enter or leave a coffee-room you must bow to all the occupants.—Anon.

A Question to Decide with God.

By Editor

Recently, the Globe-Democrat, of St. Louis, tells us a Seventh-day Adventist was dismissed from a clerkship in the appraiser’s office in the port of New York, because he refused to work on the seventh day. The Globe-Democrat correspondent in Washington declares, under date of November 4, that this dismissal “has had the same effect as the death of the martyrs in the days of the early church.” Among those who have interested themselves in the Sabbath observers in the government employ at Washington, is, the correspondent declares, “a senator noted for the care he takes of his constituents already in the government service, or anxious to get into it.” This senator “has come forward in behalf of a clerk who hails from his State, and is employed in one of the auditor’s offices. This employee is reasonable enough to propose that he will take his thirty-days’ annual leave spread over as many weeks, one Saturday at a time, and that for the other twenty-two Saturdays of the year he shall be allowed to absent himself from the office at his own expense. As he is a very satisfactory clerk, whose services can be dispensed with only at a considerable sacrifice, the Secretary of the Treasury will have an interesting problem to solve when he returns from the West. It is not unlikely that a test case will be made of this man’s plea, and that the opinions of the civil service commission and the attorney-general may be obtained, with a view to making up a case for presentation to the President, who may have to make the ultimate decision, and establish a precedent. If the government only admits its liability to change the routine of departmental work in response to conversions to the seventh-day idea, it is feared that the consequences may become pretty serious. Some of the administration’s officers are feeling uncomfortable now on account of the publicity given to the New York case, in view of its sequel.”

But there need be no great fear. There will not be such an overplus of them as to worry the government service. It will, however, be interesting to note whether a government boasting of its liberty in this period of the world’s history can be as liberal as were ancient pagan powers, in whose employ were devoted Sabbath-keeping children of God. Why should the officers of the administration feel uncomfortable? The publicity of the Sabbath question will not down, because it is of God; and men, all men, all governments, must decide concerning it, not because of a few men in government employ, but because it is a great God-given, world-testing subject. He who decides for God need not be uncomfortable.

Opportunities at Healdsburg College

Read of the opportunities offered at Healdsburg College, on page 12.

A Tract on the Christian Sabbath

A worthy little tract comes to us from the Society for the Promotion of Bible Study, Philadelphia, Pa., entitled, “A Layman’s Review of a Sermon on the Christian Sabbath.” It is presented in a forthright way and with a sweetness of spirit which are winning. It contains a diagram showing that the civil days of the week are not identical with the Bible days of the week. It is worth reading and circulating. The price, we should judge, is about five cents.

Whisky

“Whisky” is the name of a forty-eight-page tract which comes to us from the publisher, D. E. Scales, Washburn, Mo. It is filled with a variety of matter, not in favor of whisky, however, but telling us of whisky’s fearful work. It contains parables, poems, facts, and figures, and a song, “Old Dad Made New.” The price is 5 cents; but until Jan. 1, 1903, the publisher will make a special rate. On orders of 100 or more he will send the tracts post-paid for $2.00 a hundred. It contains much valuable matter.

The Rush to Get Something for Nothing

The Master says to His servants, “Go work to-day in My vineyard;” but the tendency of the world and its imitators is toward labor-saving devices—as nearly as possible to get something for nothing. The capitalist wants large returns for small outlays. The manufacturer or other producer wants a large output from a few employees. The laborer wants larger pay for fewer hours. The student wants a show of education with as little effort as possible. The mass of humanity want salvation without the cross of Christ, without the obedience of faith, without the sacrifice of self. And so the warring classes and the clashing multitude go heedlessly on in the mad rush to get something for nothing—each striving to get some advantage of his fellows. How much better to enlist under the banner of Him who says, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work;” and when the work is over will say again, “Well done, good and faithful servant; . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

Mental Significance of Adolescence.

By Editor

The following is characteristic instruction of what may be found in all of Dr. Mary Wood-Allen's articles to begin in the SIGNS the first of the year:—

The child who has heretofore been amiable and docile perhaps now begins to manifest perversity and wilfulness. . . . The girl is peevish and petulant; the boy unamiable or even impudent. . . . Many mothers suffer greatly with the feeling that everything is going wrong.

What to do in such cases is told by this experienced woman. Now, as never, you can not afford to let your subscription to the SIGNS lapse.

Another Object-lesson—Lights and Shadows.

By Editor

Ye editor often rides home on his wheel in the night. In so doing he passes through spheres of light and darkness. The brightness of his own lantern is made ashamed by the flooding radiance of the great arc lights at various street corners. Sometimes for several blocks there are no street lights, and he finds his own light a great blessing. There are various suggestive lessons; here is one: As he approaches one of the great arc lights, his own black shadow is cast behind him. When he comes under the full blaze of its radiance, all shadow vanishes; it is under his feet. When he goes directly from the light, he plunges in the darkness of his own shadow along an obscure path. Even so it is with the believer and Christ. When our face is toward the glory of the light of our Lord, the whole way is illuminated; all our shadows—our sins—are behind us. But when we turn from that Light, when His radiance no longer floods our way, our pathway grows darker, not only by the light growing less; it is darkened by our own black shadow of self. Thank God, Jesus Christ is not a stationary arc light. He goes before His people, a light to brighten all their way, to cast all shadows behind them and beneath them, to give them light for every step. But if we turn from Him, the black shadow of our own selfishness obscures the path, and “he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Keep the face ever toward the Light of life.

The Decadence of Faith

Continually we are hearing of the constantly decreasing subscription lists of religious newspapers. Nearly all the old-timers that are making a success are now merely secular journals, having little to say on religious subjects. Such are the Independent and Outlook. We met an aged colporteur a few days ago, a former Presbyterian minister, who was doing colporteur work. He was carrying Moody’s sermons, Sheldon’s novels, and a few tracts and pamphlets, but said that he found almost no one who cared to buy or read religious literature. He found it greatly different from what it was eighteen years ago. He said that he must sell a book that day, or go without his dinner. This is one item of many which show the decadence of faith. “When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith in the earth?” We are in those days. If men neglect the Bread of Life, they will pine and die; and the churches of to-day are filled with the dying and the dead. It is time for every true child of God to awake.

The Interdependence of Christ’s Church

No child of God is sufficient of himself, not even in God alone; for God has so ordained it that His whole family are bound together, interdependent, parts of one great whole. This oneness is not effected by coercive bonds, but by the one life, as God designed that it should be demonstrated in His own church, as it is demonstrated in the illustrations Inspiration uses of that church, the human body, and the vine and its branches. The head represents Christ; the vine represents Christ; and with Him every member has life connection; but the members need more than the head, the brain, the mind. The eye needs the ear, the hand needs the eye, one hand needs the other. The hand needs the arm, the arm the hand. Who ever heard of one hand binding up itself, if wounded? A knee is an indispensable member; but who ever heard of a knee dressing its own wounds? So God has placed in His church various gifts, such as wisdom, knowledge, rulership, ministering. The gift of wisdom is there to give counsel to the man of action, and the gift of ministry is to give effect to the counsel of the wise. Christ is the Head of every man, and every member has life connection with the Head. But no member can be a body by himself, and if he attempts it, the result will be a monstrosity. But he who truly unites with Christ Jesus will be an effectual part of a harmonious whole, receiving completeness from every part, and in turn blessing and adding to every part.

The Object of Faith.

A minister who has established weekly boxing classes in a gymnasium attached to his church, propounds this theory to the reporter of a newspaper:—

If I can hit a boy on his nose, and keep him from hitting me, that boy knows I am his superior, and he believes in me.

And if a minister of another creed should come along, and hit this minister on the nose, and keep the same minister from hitting him, the boy would logically believe in the superior boxing minister. And if an infidel should be able to “best” both of them, the boy would logically believe in the infidel. That minister is out of his business. The object of faith, or belief, is no mortal man, but Jesus Christ and Him only. He is beyond and above all men. The minister who attracts men to himself hides Christ Jesus.

Trust Power

Trust Power.—As illustrating how everything seems to play into the hands of the monopolies, take the new ordinance prohibiting the use of common matches in New York City after January 1 next. This will give the Safety Match Trust, says a New York paper, a “cinch” on the match market of over 3,500,000 people. And its matches cost from two to five times as much as the other kinds.

The Possibility of Eternal Life

If there is even a possibility of eternal life—eternal living—with all its glorious possibilities, is it not worth seeking?