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*^9 heK in g ’s (Business W illiam P. W hite , D.D., E ditor Motto: “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.’’ Rev. 1 :5 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY AND REPRESENTING THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES Volume XXII April, 1931 Number 4 Table o f Contents Crumbs from the King’s Table—The Editor......................... .....147 There Shall Be Signs—Louis S. Bauman...................................... 149 The Power of His Resurrection—H. A. Ironside....... ............... 150 Among the Women Students of the Hunan Bible Institute —Mrs. Frank A. Keller.............................. .......... ................ 152 Does the United States Appear in Prophecy ? —Canon F. E. Howitt........ ......................................................153 Structure in Scripture—Norman B. Harrison...............................155 The Return of the Tide—Zenobia Bird....................................... :..159 Studies in the Epistle to the Hebrews—John C. Page...... ............ 162 Heart to Heart with Our Young Readers —Florence Nye Whitwell........................................................164 Junior King’s Business—Helen Howarth Lemmel.......................167 Our Literature Table.................. ...... ......................... ....... ............ 169 International Lesson Commentary....... ............. ..................... ......... 170 Homiletical Helps...................................................... ....... t.,,.r...... .....182 Notes on Christian Endeavor—Milo F. Jamison............,...... ...... 183 Daily Devotional Readings........................................... ............ ....... 187
Can You Answer These Questions? W a s m a n “ c re a te d ” o r “ e v o lv e d ” ? H ow d o w e k n ow th e B ible is in sp ired ? W h a t a re th e g re a t m ys teries o f th e B ible? D o e s co n sciousness co n tin u e b e tw e e n d e a th a n d th e re su rre c tio n ? W h a t th e B ible te a ch e s o n th e se a n d m an y o th e r equ ally v ita l sub je c ts is c le a r ly s ta te d in th e h elp s fo u n d in th e The Scofield Reference Bible Printed in two sizes of type, all styles being page for page the same, TWO SIZES—The same, page for page. Handy Size—Minion black-faced type. Size 7x4% inches. Larger Type—Brevier black-faced type. Size 8%x5% inches. NO. Price Cloth, Postage extra.............. 40 $ 1.95 90 2.50 Cloth ................................. 5.50 French Morocco, divinity cir cuit ............ 7.00 Persian Morocco, divinity cir cuit, leather lined to edge Oxford India Paper Edition 53x 7.00 French Morocco,* divinity cir cuit ......................... 55x 8.00 French Morocco, divinity cir cuit, leather lined............ 58x 8.50 Alaska Seal, limp, leather lined ........................... 59x 9.00 Persian Morocco, divinity cir 65x 10.50 Real Morocco, divinity cir cuit, calf lined to edge, silk sewed........................... 66x 12.00 Levant Morocco, divinity cir cuit, calf lined to edge, 70 73 59 cuit, leather lined to edge.. 79x 85x $ 2.75 50 53 3.25 6.50 79 8.50 73x 9.00 75x 10.00 78x 11.00 11.50 12.75 Handy Size Larger Type
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POLICY AS DEFINED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES (a) To stand for the infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, (b) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (c) To stir young men and women to fit themselves for and engage in definite Chritian work, (d) To make the Bible Institute of Los Angeles known, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize in strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith.
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Can We Have a Revival? story of the church is a story of seasons of spiritual apathy followed by .visitations of pow- er. In the Sixteenth Century occurred the great revival known as the Reformation, in which the voice of Luther rose above all others, crying: J. ±1 “The just shall live by faith.” In the Seven- teenth Century, the fires of devotion were kept alive by such choice spirits as Milton, Owen, Baxter, and Bunyan. These were giants in those days. In the Eighteenth Century came the Wesleys with their field preaching, the Pennents, Jonathan Edwards, and Whitefield mak ing his frequent journeys across, the sea to preach to the colonies where he led fifty thousand souls to Jesus Christ. The opening of the Nineteenth Century was marked by the infidelity of Paine, Voltaire, Rousseau, and their kind, so that righteous hearts were failing them for fear. But when the enemy came in like a flood, the Lord lifted up His standard. Roland Hill, Lyman Beech er, Nettleton—a roll call of mighties, with Moody to crown it, arose to bear aloft the banner of the cross; and despite all forebodings, the numerical increase of the church during this period was greater than in all the eighteen centuries before it. Almost a third of the Twentieth Century has passed. The years have been marked by spiritual dearth. Some are asking, ,“Are we ever going to have another great revival, or are revivals out of date?” If God is law and Christ is a mere man, if there is no virtue in the atoning blood, if the Holy Spirit is a mere influence, and if rea son is to usurp the function of faith, then farewell to the old evangelism. But if the fundamental truths of Chris tianity are to abide, we may still look for seasons of re- J. freshing. Revivals are not out of date while trouble is in the world. The world is full of pain, weeping, disappoint ments, loneliness, breaking hearts, envy, jealousy, lurk ing treachery and despair, death and bereavement. All this proceeds from sin. The Christian Scientist who pronounces disease an “opinion of mortal mind” is regarded as a weak sister, and the man—minister or otherwise—who minimizes sin is in the same category. The world knows better, because its nerves and sinews are tingling with the pain of it. The world is dark with the shadows of sin, and as long as this condition lasts, we need to pray for a revival that will bring back the conviction of sin. Men and women need to hear from the preacher of the enormity of sin. Time was when sin was an ugly thing; wrong was wrong, and right was right. There was a clear dividing line. Today the line is indistinct. That is what is the matter with the world. Some one has said that man is a fine study in comedy. He is a finer study in tragedy. We are told that when Jesus Christ saw the city He wept over it. Do we not have even more to draw out our compassion today? Has sin ever caused you a sigh or a sob? We weep over ,
sorrow, business, failure, disappointment, broken hopes. In the philosophy of Jesus, there is but one mistake—sin. There is only one matter to weep over—sin. Revivals are not out of date as long as sin and its consequences are in the world. Revivals are not out of date while there is salvation in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Sin is the source of all our trouble. The vital question is : What will heal it ? There is only one cure,for this heart malady—the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God. The gospel has lost nothing of its healing power. “Therein is a righteousness revealed.” The righteousness of God is all that God commands, demands, requires, and has Himself provided in the life and death of His Son Je sus Christ. So long as there is salvation offered through belief in Jesus Christ, so long are revivals of the old kind possible. The business of the preacher is to point to the Lamb of God. It is not to dream dreams or to philoso phize or to debate or to present new theories of moral ther apeutics, but the one task of the preacher is to point to Him in whose sacrifice was gathered the judgment of the sins of the world. Revivals are not out of date while the church is more or less indifferent to her work. Alas! The bride sleeps while the Bridegroom agonizes. He must needs awake her with the reproach of love: “Could ye not watch with me?” • Such apathy, whenever and wherever it occurs, may be traced to a misapprehension of the real business of the church. It is an error to suppose that the church is an organized body of truth seekers. The value of truth is indeed above rubies, but it is not hard to seek. God has been pleased to give the revelation of truth and to emphasize it in the teachings of His only begotten Son who said: “I am the truth.” Our quest ends at the revela tion and at Jesus’ feet. It is a mistake to say that the supreme purpose of the church is to make this world a better place to live in. It is a fact that a. true follower of Christ must hold him self in readiness to do good unto all men as he has op portunity. But the Christian who allows his energy to be monopolized by the sociological propositions of our time falls infinitely short of his divine commission. To clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to provide better homes for the neglected poor, and then to send them out into eternity without a vital interest in the gospel of grace is poor philanthropy from the standpoint of Jesus Christ. For “what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Sociology, standing by itself, is nothing short of Epicureanism of our time, since it speaks on this wise: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” By such conceptions of Christian life and service, we have been sidetracked and diverted from the main con- "What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me pure within? ■ Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
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cern, which is the quest of souls. The Word of the Lord is plain. “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” Revivals are not out of date while the Holy Spirit is here. He is the Executive of this economy. To Him, as the Third Person of the infinite Godhead, is committed the building up of the church whose foundations were laid in Jesus Christ. The instrument which, for the most part, He avowed ly and habitually uses in the establishment of this church is the Word of God which is said to be “quick, and power ful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” As a sword, it pierces the seared conscience and convicts men of sin; and then, as a balm, it heals the wound by bringing the soul ,into peace with God: But the Holy Spirit also uses the man behind the sword. No doubt God could evangelize the world without us, but in infinite condescension and kindness, He confers upon us the high privilege of cooperation with Him. ’We are promised “an enduement of power” for this work. The enduement which a Christian receives for service is power in the practical use of the one weapon by means of which he proposes to bring men to the knowledge of God. The function of the Holy Spirit is to open the Scriptures, to bathe their pages with light, and to anoint the reader’s eyes with eye salve that, seeing, he may un derstand. Revivals are not out of date as long as we have the Holy Spirit and His message and a man who is willing to allow God to use him as He wills and to clothe him with His power. “Revivals are out of date” may well be the expres sion. of the man who has lost his message or has never had one. But it is the expression of. folly to the one who is commissioned of God, and who wishes to stand before Him unashamed at His coming.- —Io— The Bible In stitu te of Los Angeles The following facts will interest our friends:: 1. There is no danger of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles ceasing to exist. We shall not die but live and de clare the works of the Lord.
2. On account of a heavy debt, contracted during former administrations, our financial burdens are exceed ingly heavy, but we have tried to carry them without the lowering of the standards of our school. 3. The financial condition of the country has placed our friends in circumstances that make it impossible for them to give largely; but our monthly income is increas ing, and we are praising God for remarkable answers to prayer. 4. We have not cut off the Hunan Bible Institute in China. We own it. This work in China is wholly under our care. It is being blessed of God. 5. We are not selling any property belonging to the Institute, winch the Institute needs in order to carry on its splendid program. 6. We have been compelled to dispense with some of our teachers in order to reduce expenses. But the teachers .who remain are bearing the very heavy extra burdens and are happy to do it. 7. We have registered over four hundred students in the day classes of the Institute this year. 8. The Biola Challenge brought in money at less ex pense per dollar than is spent by some other Bible Insti tutes. It gave us splendid advertising; and while it was a little disappointing, it was not a failure. 9. The Board of Directors is composed of persons who are true to God and His Word. For honesty and business ability they are above adverse criticism. 10. Our annuities are properly secured. No one need hesitate to take out our Annuity Bonds. We present again the Biola Honor Roll. It is the most satisfactory way of supporting the Bible Institute at this time. Promise to pay as many dollars per month as possible, but do not forget to pray. We believe some man, or men, of large means will yet come to our help, and that soon we will be able to en large our testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ. But we. are sure that God can bless and increase the smaller gifts. Under God, we will “ hold the fort."
Bible Institute of Los Angeles 536 South Hope Street Los Angeles, California
The plan of the Honor Roll is as follows : PURPOSE: To help prepare men and women to spread and teach the gospel of Christ. CONDITIONS: First, to pray for God’s blessing upon the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Second, to give One Dollar or more on the first of each month for a period of one, two, or three years. Third, to secure another Honor Roll member, if possible, either personally or by sending in new names.
Firmly believing in the importance of training young people for Christian service, I hereby request that my name be placed (contihued) on the Biola Honor Roll for a period of one, two, three ( ...........-.............. ) years, and I express my willingness to ( Years desired) cheerfully and faithfully meet the conditions of membership. Name.
Street No.............................. City........................................ Date................................... . Date next payment due..... . Representative......................
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Such is Nevada’s reply to Arkansas and Idaho, seeking the .same sort of ill-gotten gains upon which Nevada has fattened her treasury for years. Divorce everywhere over the earth is constantly being made easier. The “joy” of free-lovers increases—such joy as it is. But what about the way of God ? Hear it ! “Whoso ever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery : and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery” (Matt. 19:9). “What: therefore God hath joined to gether, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:6). God’s way is plain. But, once again, man has “corrupted his way upon the earth.T Unless God in mercy shall move upon some earthly forces not now apparent, to halt the present orgy of free-love-ism which is aided, abetted, and encouraged more and? more by the laws,of men, moral collapse “as in the days of Noah” is not far ahead. And with that collapse comes judgment. '"V §* —°— The Renaissance of Hebrew T HE renaissance of the Hebrew language is one of the most strikirig present fulfillments of the prophetic Word. Hear the prophecy : “Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the Lord . . . my determination is to gather the nations, that I may as semble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indigna tion.” That means Armageddon’s battlefield. But, when the nations are marshalling their hosts for their last awful conflict, the Almighty says : “Then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may call upon the name of the Lord.” See Zeph. 3 :8, 9. What would the Lord God of Israel designate as “a pure language,” if not the tongue of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacol>—the language in which the holy oracles were giv en? W. M. Christie, D.D., of the Mount Carmel Bible School, Haifa, Palestine, says: “Of all modern languages, Palestinian Hebrew is the purest, and that position is likely to be perpetuated.” Hebrew, admittedly based on the Old Testament vocabulary, has already become a med ium of communication suited to all the emergencies of modern life. It is said : At the present- moment, ninety-eight per cent of the Jewish population of Palestine speak Hebrew; that means 160,000, and all are enthusiastic for the language, as it brings a practical unity into the life of the land, all facilities to that end being afforded for Gentiles as well as Jews at the University of Jerusalem. When the Pope spoke from his golden throne in Rome some days ago, who among the peoples understood his tongue? When, to all the nations of earth, “out of Zion shall go forth the law [via radio?], and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa. 2:3), it will create a necessity for a universal tongue. We do not hestitate to predict that that tongue will be pure Hebrew.
The Desolate Land “ Set w ith Strange Slips” ^VEN straws are showing “which way the wind blows.” Of the last days, in which “the nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters” (Isa. ’17:13), it is written: “Therefore shalt thou [Gentiles] plant pleasant plants, and shall set it [the desolate land] with strange slips” (Isa. 17 : Soon after the war, millions of vine slips and other plants were shipped to Palestine. . . . Now, through modern railway connections, table grapes are conveyed from Palestine to Egypt, and ar.e in twenty-four hours on the table for consumption. 0 — “Fields Shall Be Bought in th is Land” I IKE as I have brought all. this great evil upon this peo- J pie, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought .in this land. . . . Men shall buy fields for money” (Jer. 32:37-44). Study the context fully, and you will see that this prophecy of Jeremiah awaits its complete fulfillment—- awaits the day when Jehovah shall “bring upon them [the Jews ]all the,good,” that He has promised them. The fulfillment of that promise is not to be left wholly to the fortunes of war. “Fields shall bê bought for money.” In view of this prophecy, the following item,from The British Weekly becomes quite interesting: How is the Jew getting his land for colonies? In every case, by purchase; and if fault Is to be found it is mainly with the “real estate Arab agents” . . . In no case,., has the Jew received a yard ; of land except by . purchase. And when he has got the land, he has shown what can be made of it . : . Indeed, wherever you see a fruitful piece of land, you may safely infer/ that it is a Jewish colony. “As th e Days of Noah” ' A S the days of Noah were” (Matt. 24:37, 38). “God i l s a w that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart vyas only evil continually . . . And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had cor rupted his way upon the earth” (Gen. 6:5, 12). “The days of Noah” were simply days'of utter moral collapse. Such a condition follows the breaking up of the home. When the home collapses, moral collapse is in evitable. Meditate upon this news item: Carson City, Nev., March 6.—In order to retain the State’s $3,000,000 annual divorce business, the Assembly of the Nevada Legislature today passed a bill providing that applicants for matrimonial freedom may file their complaints and obtain a decree after a residence of only three weeks. The Senate also is expected to pass the bill. Think of i t ! A sovereign State seeks to replenish its treasury by making easy the wreckage of its homes! — 10) ; that is, “cuttings of plants from far.” Now read this news item :
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The; Power of His Resurrection B y H. A. I ronside * ( Chicago, Illinois)
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrec tion, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made con formable unto his death” (Phil. 3:10). ROM the moment that God, in grace, revealed fjpvM His Son in Saul of Tarsus, transforming the persecuting Pharisee into the flaming apostle to the Gentiles, Paul’s great and yearning desire
spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing.” Our salvation is altogether of God. The same power that wrought in Christ to bring Him again from the dead is the power that is involved in the salvation of every in dividual. Through faith, he becomes a child of God. P ower for S ervice In the second place, this is the only power for true
“ H lJJ was expressed in the words: “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.” I would ask you to consider this remarkable expression from three standpoints. First, God is the God of resurrection. He works with what He brings,, not with what He finds. The excellency of the power is in Him and not in us. He who created all things by Jesus Christ, so that the vis ible universe was brought into existence by the Word of His power alone, is the God who now works in a creation ruined by sin, dem onstrating His omnipotent grace. The same power that raised the dead body of the Lord Jesus Christ from the grave is the pow er that quickens dead souls into newness of life. In the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, ev ery person of the Godhead had a part. He was “raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father.” He was “put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit,” that is, the Holy
Christian service. Fleshly energy counts for nothing. It is even worse than noth ing, for it gets in the way of the acting of the Spirit of God. The servant of Christ needs, above every thing else, to rely implicitly upon that divine power that alone can make the good seed to fructify and give life through the message. The great object of many today is to put over some kind of a program which they judge will prove effec tive in gaining the attention of men and in bringing them to some kind of a decision. But the true servant of Christ is not called upon to formulate a program, nor to put over one that others have devised, but to live in such fellowship with the risen Christ that he will know the power of >His res urrection in a practical way. Thus he will be enabled to see the working of the holy Trinity as he, feeble and helpless, and perhaps a broken vessel, holds forth the Word of life in a scene of death. No one who is at all familiar with the Holy Spirit’s quickening opera
T H E RESURRECTION MORN (ENDERS)
Spirit. He Himself said: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it ilp.” And again: “I lay down my life, that I might take it again . . . I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” Likewise, in the regeneration of lost men, in the quickening of those who are dead in trespasses and in sins, the entire Godhead has a part. It was the Father who planned our salvation. It was the Son who died that we might be redeemed. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts and attracts the soul to Christ. Jesus said : “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” and “all that the Father giveth me shall come to me.” But “it is the *Pastor Moody Memorial Church, Chicago, 111.
tions today questions the reality and actuality of Christ’s, resurrection. It takes just the same power to turn men from sin to righteousness, from the power of Satan unto God, and from spiritual death to life in Christ that it took to revivify the dead body of the Lord Jesus. To the observant Christian, happily engaged in his Master’s ser vice, life is full of miracles, every one manifesting in some degree the power of Christ’s resurrection. P ower for V ictory In the third instance, this resurrection power is the dynamic for holy living. It is when I take my rightful place, as crucified with Christ, and reckon myself dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God in Him, that the pow-
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er of His resurrection works in me to enable me to rise into newness of life. Eternal life is far more than ever lasting existence. All men, whether saved or lost, will exist forever. Eternal life is more than immortality. All believers who are living when the Lord returns will put on immortality, even as all who sleep in Christ will put on incorruption. But this refers to the body, not to the new life which we now possess in Christ. Further more, eternal life is not merely eternal security, though the one is inseparably linked with the other. Eternal life is the very life of God Himself, communicated to the believer in the power of the Holy Spirit. This life has its own affections and desires. Sin is abhorrent to it. Holiness is its delight. Love is its expression. So truly is it the life of God, as revealed in Christ, that He Himself is called “that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.” Therefore, it is written: “He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God, hath ndt life.” The possession of this life gives capacity for the knowledge of, and communion with, the persons of the Godhead. In His great high-priestly pray er, our Lord said to the Father: “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” This is not a definition of eternal life. It expresses, rather, the capacity which we have as possessors of that life. Such life is enjoyed only as we enter, in a practical sense, into the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings and know Him, as only they can know Him who are identified with Him in His rejection by the. world, and who take the place of death to all to which He died as Man. That is, we experience death to the world, death to the law, death to sin, in order that we may live a heavenly life down here in the liberty of grace, manifesting that holiness which the Spirit alone imparts. This indeed is to know the power of His resur rection. This was the truth which the apostle pressed upon the young preacher, Timothy, when he wrote, exhorting him to “lay hold of eternal life.” And this is the ideal which, I am persuaded, the majority of Christians have before them from the very moment of their conversion; yet many of them have to confess with sorrow that they never seem to realize it, practically. What, then, is the trouble? Why is it that so few of us know the power of His res urrection in our daily lives? May I suggest again three things ? C auses of D efeat First, it takes us so long to get to the end of ourselves! Even after we have realized that “the flesh-profiteth noth ing,” so far as earning salvation or justification is con cerned, we still imagine that, saved by faith in Christ, we are to be made perfect by the flesh. So by law, we en deavor to harness our carnal nature and to bring it into subjection to God, forgetting that the Holy Spirit has de clared: “The carnal mind . . . is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Therefore, we struggle on, vainly endeavoring to please God on a merely human plane, “doing our little best” to work for Him and to glorify His name, only to learn at last that this old nature of ours is as incorrigibly evil at the end of years of Christian testimony as it was at the beginning. This discovery has a tendency to cast us into doubt and gloom and to make us wonder, whether we have ever been converted at all, or whether every thing is a hopeless sham. At such times, we are tempted to give up the conflict, to cease witnessing for Christ,
Intensely Interesting—Altogether Helpful! T h a t is w h a t you, to o , w ill say w h e n you h a v e re a d th e n ew serial sto ry a p p e a rin g in this issue. E n jo y th e first ch ap te r, a n d y o u w ill w a n t to re a d th e rest. W h o d o e s n o t k n ow Z e n o b ia B ird? T h ro u g h h e r sp le n d id book s, “U n d e r W h o se W ing s” an d “ Eyes in th e D a rk ,” h e r n am e h a s b e com e fam ilia r to h u n d re d s o f ap p re c ia tiv e re ad e rs. N ev er d id she w rite m o re in te re sting ly th a n in th e p re se n t serial. Note the special announcement on page 160 and to sink back to the low level of that world from which we sought deliverance. But “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Christ.” He, the blessed Holy Spirit, holds us fast. Deep in our hearts we know, through the inward witness, that we have passed from death unto life; that a great change has taken place; and that, unsatisfactory as our actual experience may be, we are the children of God. With many there is then the tendency to assume that there is no real way to escape from the hopeless conflict as long as we are still in the body. This leads to a settling down to a low level of Christian living, as though it were the best we could expect to be under existing cir cumstances. Yet the Spirit of God is constantly seeking to make us to be dissatisfied with such a state and to long for something betfer. Little by little we come to the place where we are ready to admit the hopelessness of the flesh. “I know that in me, (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” Then, in the second' place, comes another step, one that we are generally very slow to take. We have to learn that, just as we were saved through the blood of the cross, so we enter into a life of victory through the death .of the cross. When George Mueller was asked on one occasion how he accounted for the marvelous way (Continued on page 161) —o—— The Pilgrims’ Hour The Pilgrims’ Hour, conducted in the interests of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and broadcast through the Columbia Broadcasting System every Sunday afternoon from 4:30 to 5 o’clock (Pacific time), has already become popular among friends of the truth. There are seven large Pacific coast stations included in the chain by means of which the gospel in song and story reaches thousands of people—more than could possibly be reached through station KTBI. It is hoped that sufficient financial sup port may be provided to make possible the addition of other stations. The program, arranged by Rev. Charles E. Fuller, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles* is one of the best on the air. Tune in on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 on any one of the follow ing stations: KHJ Los Angeles, KFRC San Francisco, KOIN Portland, KOL Seattle, KFPY Spokane, KVI Tacoma, KMJ Fresno. If you desire to send a contribution, or a commenda tion, or a criticism, address The Pilgrims’ Hour, P. O. Box 123, Los Angeles, Calif.
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Among the Women Students of the Hunan Bible Institute
B y M rs . F rank A . K eller ( Changsha, Hunan, China )
Our readers who ha/ve looked forward eagerly for news of the work of Biola in China will welcome this in teresting and up-to-date account written by the wife of the superintendent of the Hunan Bible Institute and mail ed on February 12, 1931. We trust that with the reading there may come a determination to pray more earnestly than ever for our four splendid representatives in China, Dr. and Mrs. Frank A. Keller and Mr. and Mrs. Everett F. Harrison, as well as for the large number of Chinese Christians. The Bible Institute of Los Angeles is both responsible for and proud of its department in China. I t is still under our care. — Editor. ilEhad reach stitute, and one evening the women studen ts gathered in our home for a little social fellow ship and to talk to gether about the good ness of the Lord dur ing the four months that had just passed. We were greatly re freshed as one after an -' other gave their word of testimony. I want to pass on a few of the experiences of these young women, so that you will be better able to pray for them. A B rave G irl w ith F a ith for L arge T h ings One of the first to speak was a Miss Yang, who comes from the northwest of this province. She told of the great joy that had filled her heart all through the term, and of how her faith in God had been strengthened by the difficulties and dangers through which she had. passed during the Communistic uprising last August. Miss Yang planned to spend the summer here on our school compound, as her home was so far away that she could not return. But when the Communists came, she had to go and live with a friend whose house is in a narrow street just opposite a large residence occupied by some wealthy people. One day news came that the Communists intended to burn that fine house. She and her friends were fearful that the house they occupied would surely catch fire if the Reds carried out their plan. She immediately decided to make it a special mat ter of prayer, asking the Lord, if it was His will, to save them from this calamity. She prayed on, day after day, and God restrained the Communists, and the threatened fire was never kindled. M ISS WANG LAI YING ed the end of the fall and winter term in the Bible I n
Later, an order was issued by the Reds that all who wanted to save their lives must put on the badge of the Communists—a red band around the arm—and all women must bob their hair. This would be the sign of their al legiance to Communism. A house-to-house inspection would be made, and any one found without a red band on, or any woman with long hair, would be killed. Miss Yang determined that she would neither put a red band on her arm nor bob her hair, but would pray earnestly, ask ing God, if it was His will, to spare her life and deliver her from these evil men. Again God heard and answered her prayer, and the house in which she was living was never searched. After the Reds left
this city, Miss Yang be gan praying that the Bible Institute might be opened in the fall, and that she might go on with her studies. As you already know, we were permitted to open the school for the fall term right on schedule time. Miss Yang was the first woman student to come back, and because of her courage and ex ample, others followed. Now she is praying that next term may be as peaceful as this one has been, so that she may
M ISS YANG YEH CHEN
M ISS KAO S H U N CHEN
be able to finish her course and graduate in June. And we believe God will answer her prayer. After she grad uates, she expects to go to a very needy field to work, and we feel confident, that God will make her a hipping there. A B eautiful C hange W rought by th e W ord of G od Another Miss Yang, the daughter of a pastor in Hupeh, the province to the north of Hunan, told us how her whole life had been changed since coming to the school. She said she was naturally very proud, self- willed, and stubborn. Her father was greatly troubled about her and longed to see her an earnest Christian. He tried to interest her in Bible study and prayer. But she said, “No, the Bible always rebukes me, and I don’t care to study it.” After she graduated from high school, she was somewhat improved, and her father suggested that she come here and take a course in Bible study. She finally agreed to his proposal. When she arrived, I could see she was an unusual character, and I wondered how she would turn out. As the Word of God took hold of her, the proud self-will became transformed into an earnest zeal to have her. life yielded to the will of God. Now she is one of the most earnest students in the school. (Continued on page 157)
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Does the United States Appear in Prophecy? By C anon F. E. H owitt ( Hamilton, Ontario, Canada )
C . ■' is® . ! »chapter begins should be translated “ho.” It is a call to attention. I want to call your attention, first, to the “land shadowing with wings.” What are we to understand by that expression? I consulted a good many commentators. They near ly all apply this prophecy to Egypt. They do so because it is the land that lies beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. That is a very indefinite statement, and it does not necessarily follow that it is Egypt at all. But to corroborate their view that the allusion is to Egypt, they cite as proof the fact that it is “a land shadowing with wings.” This is how they interpret the wings: They say they are the two strips of land and mountain on either side of the Nile, which practically form Egypt. I can see no such likeness myself. Then it has been suggested by one- or two commenta tors that the expression may refer to the winged disc which was the symbol of authority in the land of Egypt. You will see it carved upon the monuments and temples at the present time, and there is no doubt that it symbolized authority in days gone by. Even if it were Egypt that is referred to, Egypt is not such a land as is spoken of here. Egypt is (compara tively speaking) an insignificant country today; it does not send ambassadors by the sea. I mean it does not send ambassadors everywhere. It may be represented in the United States and in England and in some of the other leading countries, but it certainly has no ambassadors all over the world, as one would be led to infer would be the case from the statement here. This is a very important cotintry that “sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels-of bulrushes.” Therefore, I do not think this con clusion will hold. “W ater -D r in k in g V essels ” Let me say a word about the “vessels of bulrushes.” Dr. Cummings, a very competent Hebrew scholar, in speaking of this passage says that when our translators in 1611 (the ones who gave us our Authorized Version) translated this passage, they did not know what to make of this text. Therefore, they translated this word “vessels of bulrushes.” The word really, he tells us, signifies a ’“water-drinking vessel.” He says that it can apply just as well, and probably much better, to steamships. Steam ships were not heard of in those days. If they had put “steamships” there, they would not have known what it meant. There was no such word. The best interpre tation they could devise was to call them “vessels of bul rushes.” The fact of the case is, it refers to the present day; they are “water-drinking vessels,” and every ocean liner is a “water-drinking vessel.” It is propelled by steam, and it has to take water in, in order to make the steam by which it travels. What are we to understands by this “land shadowing with wings” ? From what I have already said, you w,ill see that the general impression of commentators is that
“Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia : That sendeth ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of bulrushes upon the waters, saying, Go, ye swift messengers, to a nation scattered and peeled, to a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out and-trodden down, whose land the rivers have spoiled” (Isa. 18:1, 2) ! HE question has often been asked—is the United States found in prophecy? The answer almost invariably is “no” ; and that was my own opin ion until very recently. I was well aware of the teaching of the Anglo-Israelites who claimed that the United States was Manasseh and that England was Ephraim; but that did not satisfy me. Some years ago, I went very carefully into the teachings of the Anglo-IsraeliteS, and, while I was greatly taken with them at the outset, I began to examine their proof texts in the light of their context, and I found that they did not teach what they were sup posed to teach. In this case especially, how can the Unit ed States be Manasseh and England Ephraim ? Manasseh was the elder son of Joseph, and Ephraim was the younger son. How can the younger be made to represent the elder? Is not England older than the United States? How can the mother be made to represent the daughter? I could not accept such teaching as that. It seemed to be incredible to me. Therefore, I rejected the idea of trying to make out that the United States was spoken of -in the Word of God under the figure of Manasseh. Yet it seemed strange that a nation that has taken such a prom inent part in world politics as has the United States, and that apparently is destined to play a tremendously impor tant part in the days to come, should not find reference in the Word of God. Therefore I set thyself to seek again and to find, if possible, if anything could be construed as being truly an allusion to the United States. • I came to the eighteenth chapter of Isaiah, and the more I studied it, the more I began to believe that it did refer thereto. While I speak with great diffidence, not authoritatively at all, I am going to show you the line of my hypothesis; and then I leave it with you to say whether you think this passage refers to the United States or not. This chapter is professedly a most difficult chapter to interpret. Bishop Louth, who wrote voluminously on Isaiah, says: “This is one of .the most obscure prophecies; the people to whom it is addressed, the person he sends, the ambassadors, the nations to whom they are all sent are extremely doubtful.” No commentator has ever, to my knowledge, definitely stated to whom this chapter re fers. Therefore, we are not contradicting any accepted teaching when we apply it to the United States. W hy E gypt I s N ot M eant Now for the reason: Let me say, first of all, that this chapter brings before us two separate peoples. There is the “land shadowing with wings,” and there is the people “scattered and peeled.” The word “woe” with which the
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wings, and, therefore, it is actually a “land shadowing with wings.” T h e Two K ings — of B easts , and B irds I should like to compare that thought with Ezekiel 38:13. Here you have an allusion, as many believe, re ferring to the British Empire: “Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil ? hast' thou gathered thy company to take a prey ? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?” “Tarshish and the young lions thereof”— that means that Tarshish is the old lion, or England, and that the colonies of Great Britain are the young lions. During the war, three times I saw that in picture form. It occurred in your magazine, Life. There was a picture there of an old lion followed by a group of young cubs, ranging in size. The old lion was labelled “England,” the next cub was “Canada,” the next “New Zealand,” etc., naming the various colonies of the British Empire. Just as the British Empire is symbolized by a lion, the king of beasts, so the United States is symbolized by an eagle, the king of birds. Therefore, I ' cannot help thinking that this passage refers to the United States. Is E gypt to be L inked w ith th e U nited S tates ? Now let us see if there is any connection between Egypt and the United States. I believe there is a very intimate connection. Perhaps the origin of your eagle was the winged disc. I do not know that that is the case; it may be so. I know how you got your flag, but I do not know how you got your national-emblem, the eagle. You will remember the first discovery of America by the Norsemen. They sailed from Greenland at a very memorable time in the world’s history. They went just at the end of the first thousand years after Christ, and that was a very memorable time. It was a period of great expectation, because men had got into their minds that it was the close of the age; that the world was coming to an end. Therefore, there was a great deal of excitement. In that very year, the Norsemen sailed away from Green land and came over to Massachussetts and to Canada. The records show that, when they came to this continent, they found it was inhabited. Where did the inhabitants come' from? The human race began in the Garden of Eden, somewhere in the region of Mesopotamia, and it is very easy to see how they spread all over Asia, Europe, and Africa. But how did the people ever get across the 3,000 miles to America ? And yet there they were! You remember that in 1492, about five hundred years later, Christopher Columbus, after great difficulty, found the means and the way by which he could try and seek, as be expected to find, India, by way of the Atlantic Ocean; but he landed in Central America. When he ar rived, he found the country inhabited. Where did these inhabitants come from? Some have thought they came from Asia. Some thought the American Indian was a product of the Mongol race. But I differ from that opin ion myself, and I want to show you what I think about the origin. You know there have been traditions that there was at one time a great island where the Atlantic Ocean now stands, and that that island was known as the Island of Atlantis. Plato refers to it again and again. He had received the belief by tradition. There was a very remote (Continued on page 158)
Gardens To me a garden brings An ecsatsy that sings, A stirring as of wings; Beauty of the breeze, Companionship with trees, And quiet peace—all these A garden means to me; And yet, 0 Christ, to Thee It meant Gethsemane!
WM—Martha Snell Nicholson.
this land is the land of Egypt. Yet I have tried to show you that it does not seem as though Egypt could possibly fill the bill in the present day; and the time to which this chapter refers is a time that is very near at hand. T h e E agle w ith S pread W ings as a S ymbol Believing that it refers to Egypt primarily, let-us see how this bears' upon the United States. Perhaps I ought to say that this prophecy does, to my mind, refer to the United States more probably than to Egypt. What is your national emblem? It is the eagle with spread wings. Everywhere you go in the United States you see this symbol. If the inference is right that it refers to the winged disc, it certainly refers much more to the eagle’s spread wing than it does to the winged disc. I asked one good Christian man what he thought of this expression, and he said it might possibly refer to air planes. If it did, you would have possibly the best claim to the fact, because it was here that the airplane, through the genius of the Wright brothers, was made useful; it was they who brought it to its present state of perfection and made it utilizable. Certainly the United States has the right to claim, as far as practicability is concerned, the invention of the airplane. I believe the expression refers to the spread eagle. While other countries have the eagle as their national em blem, no other country has, as far as I know, an eagle with spread wings. Mexico has an eagle with closed wings; Germany has an-eagle with closed wings and a double head; Austria has an eagle, but there again it has closed wings. The United States has an eagle with spread
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