T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
August, 1939
299
First, there is the popular doctrine of the “finite God.” Second, there is the identification of this “God” with the “soul” or “social consciousness” of humanity. And third, there is a grow* ing recognition of the high value of symbolism in religion. These tendencies finally can lead to but one end: Let the world once come to identify God with humanity, and the next logical step 'Will be the apotheosis of some great representative of humanity as a symbol of God. And the coming “prince” will be th e . greatest man (save One) the world has ever seen. Godet, writing nearly fifty years ago, pointed out that the “theological system” of the Anti* Christ could be summed up thus: “Y. There Is no personal God with out and above the universe. 2. Man is himself his own god—the god of this world. 3. I am the representa tive of humanity; by worshiping me humanity worships itself.” More than ever in our day we may see t h e rapid development of this humanistic religion, which will reach its consummation in the blasphemous claims of the Roman Beast. But thank God, even in his awful day, there will be some refusing to bow the knee. “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble” 5. The breaking of the “firm cove nant” between the Jews and the Roman prince will mark the beginning of a period of unparalleled “desolations” for the Jewish people. Since this period of “desolations” be gins Jn the middle of the week and lasts “even unto the full end” (Dan. 9:27, R. V.), obviously it will continue for three and a half years. This is exactly the time specified, in Darnel 7:25 during which the Roman Beast “shall wear out the saints of the Most High,” the same measure of time given in Revelation 13:5-7 when this Beast shall “make war with the saints, and . , . overcome them” ; the same time mentioned in Revelation 11:2 during which the holy city shall be trodden down of the Gentile nations; the same time referred to in Revelation 12:6, 14, during which the “woman” (Israel) shall be given the special protection of God. Thus all of divine prophecy fits together perfectly: the same persecutor, the same kind of persecution, the same nation under persecution, and exactly the same length of time. A number of very ingenious prophetic schemes have been worked out by the artifice of tak ing these ,1,260 days and turning them into years. How much more simple and satisfactory it is to take these passages just as they read without any tamper ing with the language! In this way the prophecy of the Book of Revelation synchronizes exactly with Daniel’s great prophecy of the end-time. This is the “time of Jacob’s trouble” [ Continued on Page 324 J
Photograph by Adelbert Bartlett
FOCUS OF WORLD CONTROVERSY Known as “The Dome of the Rock,” this Mohammedan mosque stands above the ancient site of Solomon’s temple on Mount Moriah, Jerusalem. Only here could orthodox Jews offer blood sacrifices in accordance with their sacred law. Thus the yearning of believing Zionists is centered on this spot. The tremendous influence of this fact upon future world history is suggested in the accompanying article.
ments violated on the slightest pre text, and obligations, undertakings, promises and guaranties unfulfilled have left the world in a state of moral chaos.” It is not a pleasant picture. We live today in a world of what is called “power politics,” which means that force has taken the place of morality. And let us not forget that the Roman Beast honors only a “god of forces” (Dan. 11:38). But what are the motives which lead the Roman prince to tear up his treaty with the Jewish people? The reasons for his change of attitude are not stated in the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks. But one reason may be deduced easily from what we know of his character and career. No one could hate our Lord Jesus Christ and at the same time really love the chosen people from which He came according to the flesh. By his very nature, the Man of Sin will be violently anti-Semitic. His treaty with the Jews will be based wholly on political expediency. There fore once he has reached the pinnacle of world power aided by their great wealth and influence, he has no further use for them. And just as he will break with the Jewish people in the middle of the 70th week, even so he will break with the apostate church which he has supported as long as he needed her in fluence in his rise to world power. Just as the Jew will pay dearly for the treaty with the Roman Beast, so the Great Harlot will pay dearly for her
ride to great influence (Rev. 17). But there is another reason for the Roman Prince’s change of attitude to ward the Jew. According to 2 Thessa- lonians 2:4 and Revelation 13:8-15, we learn that, intoxicated with his great power, he will actually take his seat in the temple of God and demand the honors and worship of God Himself. This to the sternly monotheistic Jew will certainly be the very “abomination of desolation,” and many will refuse to bow the knee, in spite of the fact that this idolatrous worship will become al most universal (Rev. 13:8). This refusal on the part of godly Jews will furnish the Roman Beast with the necessary pretext for the breaking of his treaty and the forcible cessation of the Jew ish temple sacrifice. It should be noted here that according to the exact lan guage of Daniel 9 :27, the Beast’s treaty will be made with “the many” of the Jewish nation, the - clear implication being that some Jews will not join in the compact from the beginning-of the last week. Furthermore, we should not forget the effect of the testimony of the two witnesses Who undoubtedly will denounce the treaty throughout their ministry during the first haif of the week, and who will seal their testimony with martyrdom. To some this idea of the world’s worshiping a man may seem to be ut terly incredible. But already there are certain tendencies appearing in the world of scholarship and religion which are leading definitely in this direction.
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