sons. First of all, Confucius was a teacher and Christ is a Saviour. China needs a Saviour more than she needs a teacher. In the second place, Confucius is dead and Christ is alive. China needs a living Sav iour. In the third place, Confucius is some day going to stand before Christ to be judged by Him. China needs to know Christ as Saviour be fore she meets Him as Judge.” How true this answer is, and how it un derscores the truth that it is proph ecy which sets before us clearly the coming judgment by the Lord Jesus Christ. When prophecy is neglected the Church emerges with a changed outlook on the world and an altered testimony to it. As a matter of veri fiable history, when the Church shut her mouth on prophecy in the Middle Ages, the Church became wedded to a worldly system and a dead Churchianity, now better char acterized as a dead Marianity. This abortive system emphasizes form and externalities to the detriment of the core of the matter. Yes, if the hope of the Lord’s coming had been kept bright and meaningful, the Church would have achieved a greater degree of unity, purity and energy. Many more would realize the truth and reliability of the whole Word, viewing the marvel of fulfilled prophecy. More effective would be the message to the un saved, Jew and Gentile. When the Church is lulled to sleep in these matters it is disastrous. It is a standing reproach to the truth of the Word. The incident is related of a French dramatist who read his lat est production to a circle of critics, and while he was reading, one of the critics fell asleep. The reader stopped long enough to remark, “How can you criticize my produc tion when you are sound asleep?” Rubbing his eyes, the critic an swered, “I submit that sleep is a criticism.” And so it is. If Christian truth is worth anything, it means everything, and a Christian asleep on the vital matter of prophecy is a perpetual argument against the truth. Prophecy will not put us to sleep but to work after prayer. The Church is suffering this hour from neglect of prophetic truth. Let us believe it, preach and teach it, live it and labor on in the light of it.
sage in America for about half a century, and J. Edgar Hoover can be consulted as to whether the plane of morality in this country is rising or declining. When Christ’s coming and kingdom are neglected the re sult is an emphasis on the social gospel. Men put their energies into communal and world reform. Less and less attention is paid to the fact and accomplishment of the cross. Never forget, when the cross is preached, society is invariably af fected thereby. But the social gospel attempts to refashion God and His requirements; it wants a God with whom it can feel comfortable in the old nature. Tragic results are evi dent when the prophetic word is neglected. When prophetic truth is soft- pedaled there is a loss in missionary interest and zeal. Soon we hear of attempts for world conferences and world amalgamations of all reli gions. When prophetic truth is laid aside every straw is grasped at to spell out the coming of the kingdom Your Prayer Requests Each morning at eight the editorial staff of T he K ing ’ s B usiness magazine gathers for prayer. Over the years God has answered the heartcry of thousands. Should you have a request we would count it a privilege - to take it to the throne of grace. Your request will be held in the strictest confidence. Address: The Editors, T he K ing ’ s B usiness , 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17. Phone: MAdison 5-1641. of Christ. If the Church does not sound the alarm in perilous days, the unsaved elements in Christen dom will sweep on to contribute their weight to the establishment of an anti-Christian kingdom on earth. It is told that a native Chris tian leader of China visited this country some years ago. One Sun day he spoke in a modernistic church in California. At the con clusion of the message a young col lege student asked this question: “Why should we export Christian ity to China when you have Con fucianism in your country?” The answer was: “There are three rea
and there is none like me; declar ing the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure; calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man of my coun sel from a far country; yea, I have spoken, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed, I will also do it” (46:9-11 [ASV]). (See also Dan. 2:47 and 2 Pet. 1:20,21). God alone can predict; prediction is a miracle of utterance. Texts such as those just quoted settle for all time the fact that the Bible is inspired of God. Prophecy is a confirmation of divine omnis cience and omnipotence. Think of His word relative to Moab, Edom, Assyria, Egypt, Syria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Nineveh, Tyre, Sidon, Philistia; the predic tions concerning Christ, Israel, the Church, the Gentiles. There is no movement of world significance but what the Word has predicted it long beforehand; whether it be world conflict and unrest, spiritual declen sion, rise of totalitarian states or widespread fears and distresses. Sir Robert Anderson has cogently ob served, “No student of prophecy is a sceptic.” If the Church neglects prophecy there will of necessity be a change in her preaching. She will invar iably fail to conform to God’s re vealed plan in her preaching. The slogans will center about a con verted world and a reformed social order and a bringing in of the king dom by human agency or an aboli tion of lawlessness and war. Think of the effort expended to bring about world peace alone. Yet God’s purpose for our day and hour is to be found in Acts 15:14-16. This is our chart and it has not been altered from the day it was pro nounced in the Jerusalem Confer ence. The Lordship of Christ must be preached or man will try to be that Lord himself, as Hitler and Stalin and Mussolini sought to do. When prophecy is disregarded, the Church invariably turns to a solely ethical interpretation of the Christian faith. Stress is placed on morality instead of the new birth and regeneration. Men forget so easily that the mere preaching of morals does not bring about moral ity. We have had that kind of mes
18
Made with FlippingBook Online document