492
T h e
August lv¿ '/
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
The Greatest Battle Ever Fought I I B y G. B. M. G eouser
On these plains Gideon routed and put to flight the count less armies of the Midianites, slaying 120,000 men. And here on this battlefield of the ages, the great battle of Armageddon, the last fierce conflict of earth, will take place. T he F orces of G ood and E vil And what is the meaning of it all? The philosophy of history is simply the ways of God traced in the struggle of nations and in the destinies of men. These have a divine meaning, and often answer the purpose of illns- tration, pointing to a mightier truth than can be read in mere human events. The two potent forces of good and evil have been, in a sense, co-existent with the human race. The conflict betwéen these sums up the history of the world. The struggle through weary centuries had been long and fierce, but Waterloo hád not yet been reached when the Prince of Life was born in Bethlehem. His once congenial asso ciate who occupied the highest position in the heaven’s ser vice is now-his' sworn enemy, who would rather “rule in hell than serve in heaven.”- But not'content with ruling there, he chose this sphere as a field of adventure, and for four millenniums it had been the scene of his nefarious work.' Haying full possession of the field, and his forces skillfullyv organized, he was called the “prince of this world.” Yet he must have,felt and known that there were tremendous issues at stake, and that his position was not secure. He was ever conscious of being a usurper, know ing that he had stolen from heaven a world and ruined it, but it must not be given up without a struggle. Rev. 12 :17. The time had come when two mighty princes were to meet and decide not only the destiny, of a province or empire, but of an entire world. All earth and heaven were interested in the results. Never in; human history did such awful possibilities hinge upon a Supreme moment or single event. A> fine stroke in diplomacy is seen in the effort to secure peaceful terms when the royal Prince was offered the kingdoms -of this world for his homage. But He who had been the theme - of heaven’s praise, and destined to be the object of universal worship, could not accept his terms. Through a traitor the end was hastened, and to all.appearance the cause of truth was lost. Heaven’s' royal Prince is a captive,•; surrounded by malicious foes and nailed to a tree. Bleeding, groaning, praying, he sur renders to death; but the end is not yet. T he K ingdom of D arkness D efeated Loosed from the armor of clay, he put on “the gar ments of vengeance,” and with the sword, of the Spirjt he descended into the kingdom of darkness, to the very throne of satanic rule, and there decided who shall be the rightful heir to the kingdom of this world. The personal combat is not given except in type and shadow, but David’s sling again did its deadly work on G°liath while the hosts of heaven and earth were waiting in suspense. In that tragic hour the “seed of the woman” bruised the serpent’s head, and snatching the keys of authority from the girdle of the. arch-fiend, he came forth from that region of death, the mightiest conqueror that ever trod this
John 12 :31 I F E is a journey across the continent of years, to find love, rest and home at the end of the way, if we have followed the true Guide. : It is an investment of talents, time and influence, with the promise of permanent wealth in the day of final test. Life is a racé in which we may hope to win only as we observe the rules; it is also a battle from start to finish. Whether it is the individual, the institution or the nation, there is' ever the need of fighting for inalienable rights, and for things regarded as priceless and precious. When the story of human conflict is finished it will be seen that the most eventful battles of earth have been fought, not on fields of bloody strife, but in solitude, or in the presence of invisible,hosts. The,conquest of self is a moral duty, and the greatest earthly task. “He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he that ruletli his Spirit than' he that taketh a city.” To obey the voice of conscience, to have the courage of one’s convictions— refusing to allow friends, position or wealth to turn one aside from principles in tended to mould, a noble life—requires a brave, uncom promising conflict with the baser self until the victory is gained and the day is won. Jacob’s future battles were all decided and his destiny determined when," separated from family and flock, he stood alone at the ford Jabbock, and the angel of the Lord wrestled with him at Peniel. Here it was that Jacob with all his craftiness and love of gain gave place to “Israel” the prince, because the highest and best of the man had conquered. M ighty C onflicts B etween .M en . Organizations of enduring worth have through the centuries bravely fought against prejudice, ignorance and evil.,. Institutions that have stood as beacon lights amid the debris and darkness of primeval times, influencing permanently the moral and religious world, have struggled heroically for existence until right was might, ánd-error, vanquished and alone, confessed that truth had won. The'myriad hosts of the silent dead who fell on the field of strife^ bear mute but eloquent testimony to the maddening conflict and fearful sacrifice made in defense of those principles from which a nation’s life has come. The “Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World” tell the story of human passion, of the hunger for possession, and the thirst for vast power. From the plains of Marathon down to the immortal conflict on the slopes p f Gettysburg, men have fought for what they believed to be right, and where the conviction of right was deepest there the conflict has always been most desperate. The most famous field of Strife is perhaps the plains of Esdraelon,H-the; sacred soil where kings have fought and died in ages now dimly seen through shadows of time. Here Thosmes I II . fought a great battle before the Exodus, 119 towns having been conquered. Here Necho, another of the Pharaohs, seven centuries before Christ, on his march to Assyria, defeated the Israelites, and slew Josiah^—Judah’s honored king. Here Barak over threw the hosts, o f Sisera with his 900 chariots of iron.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker