9
January; 1946
An Address Delivered on the Bible Institute on the Air at the 11 A. M. broadcast over Radio Station KMTR.
By Frank E. Lindgren, D. D. Assistant Pastor of the Church of the Open Door
I AM NOT inclined to undue excite ment or to particular elation over some special event that may seem to have some prophetic signifi cance. When, in the early part of the war, Germany and Russia were united against the Allies, some enthusiasts immediately saw prophetic utterance fulfilled, and began to chart the re mainder of the course, but their whole program faded out when those two nations went to war with each other. An Awakened World Prophetic teachers have often called' attention to the licentiousness of this day—the utter disregard of decency; drunkenness with its attendant vices; warfare between capital, and labor and between labor unions; the general re ligious apostasy and various other signs that seem to indicate the immi nent return of the Lord. On the other hand, these conditions are nothing new in the world’s history; we are merely growing very much worse in every bad thing. But the atomic bomb has startled even the most complacent individuals. Utterances are coming from unexpect ed sources that compare favorably with the things we “illiterate funda mentalists” have been saying for years. When we are told by Einstein that atomic bombs can easily kill two-thirds of the world’s population, we wonder about the Jot of the re maining one-third. Some go further and see the complete annihilation of the human race. In fact, if you let your imagination run riot, no horror seems beyond the range of possibil ity. Is This the End? George Bernard Shaw, noted British author, contemplating the changes so suddenly thrust upon us, states: “If my thinking has been sound, then this world is at the end of its tether. The end of everything we call life is close at hand and cannot be evaded. Hith erto events have been held together by a certain logical consistency, as the heavenly bodies have been held to
gether by the pull, the golden cord of gravitation. Now it is as if that cord had vanished, and everything is driv ing anyhow to anywhere, at a steadily increasing velocity.”
The Coming World Ruler The world will be secure when one nation controls all nations and that nation, in turn, is under a supreme ruler or dictator. That, growing out of an ever increasingly desperate sit-' uation, is exactly what is going to happen, and, in all probability, it will occur within the next'five years. Otherwise, complete destruction of the greater part of the world will take place. The scientists have given the world about five years for any de gree of security. The major nations will have, by that time, full informa tion as to the structure of the atom bomb and will be engaged in its man ufacture. Again we quote Einstein: “If a world government is not created by agreement, it will come in a much more dangerous form, with a war, or wars, ending in one supreme power dominating the rest of the world.” The Tribulation This brings us to prophetic utter ances. Certainly, according to the Word of God, there will be a world government, and it will exist by agree ment. We bring the assurance, how ever, that the world will not be com pletely destroyed—not yet. This should be welcome news to the mod ernist even if it comes from a funda mentalist. In Revelation 7:9 we are told of “the great tribulation” aind given a picture of the multitude who will be saved “which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues.” So all nations will be in existence at that date, but, prior to that period, a world dictator, called in Scripture language “the man of sin,” “ the antichrist,” “that Wicked," will hold the reins of government over all the world. He cannot make his appearance, however, until the true, blood-bought Church is taken up to be with the Lord. "The mystery of lawlessness doth already work; only there is one that restraineth now, un til he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless (Continued on Page 12)
Dr. Lindgren What can be done must be done at once. That there is no successful de fense against the atom bomb is gen erally admitted. According to scien tists and politicians, there is but one hope: a world government, or some international organization, to which the secret and manufacture of these bombs may be intrusted. But we should know by this time that there is no security in the agreements of nations over anything. In the face of the facts, it is almost ludicrous to hear liberal religionists talk of “build ing a new world.” Out of what? Cer tainly they have not an ounce of in fluence anywhere in the whole world. With but little faith in the Bible, what can they do? This matter-of-fact world is not gullible enough to take any stock in a plan from this source.
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