August, 1939
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“parted” from its true possessors should also be a matter of common knowledge. For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psa. 24:1). And He who owns all, made a covenant with Abraham, saying: “Unto thy seed have I given this land” (Gen. 15:18). And when Isbael shall at last return to his inheritance, it will only be fulfilled as written: “Upon mount Zion shall be de liverance, . . . and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions” (Obad. 17). Prime Minister Chamberlain and his advisers should meditate, lest they fight against God. He who fights against God always loses. The Commercialization of Israel’s Flesh and Blood The Gentiles’ commercialization of Is rael’s seed is vividly foretold in ' the words: “They havé cast lots [gambled] for my people; and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine” (Joel 3:3). The commercialization of Israel, as every historian knows, has been a sin of Gentile tyrants through
the ages. If “the Jew has an eye keen to business,” as the Gentiles so often twit him, has he not simply out-witted the Gentile in the latter’s own game? We were vividly reminded of Joel’s pro phecy recently when the German gov ernment tried to barter her Jews for trade. “A boy for a harlot, and . . . a girl for wine”! Small, indeed, has been the Gentiles’ valuation of Jewish flesh and blood! “Prepare War” ! But, God is still on His throne, and the decree goes forth: “Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; .Prepare war” ! (v. 9). And just that—those last two prophetic words — r e s o u n d today throughout every nation on the face of all the earth. Never has any genera tion in the history of mankind talked so much, worked so hard, and given so much, to attain disarmament. And, never has any generation witnessed such enormous construction of armaments as has ours. Never have there been such pleading calls for “Peace, peace” as there are today. But, behold, “there is no peace” (Jer. 8:11).
“The Monthly Forecast,” of New York, “America’s oldest financial ser vice,” which prides itself on “accurate information,” said editorially on Nov ember 18, 1938: “In the ten years prior to the out break of the World War, world ar mament expenditures a v e r a g e d about 2 billions per ,year. By 1934, they had risen to 4 billions. In 1937, they had risen to 12 billions. For this year (1938) they are estimated at 17 billions. For next year they are estimated at 20 billions. In oth- - er words, armament expenditures in the year 1939 promise to be as great as they were in the ten years pre ceding the outbreak of the World War.” The estimate of the cost in 1939 for preparing for war may have appeared to be exaggerated. However, the latest information is that not less than $22,- 546,300,000 will be spent for blowing Gentile culture zones into the realms of Pluto. The nations expended $1,300,- 285,334 in 1914 for the destruction.of man’s civilization; $5,251,000,060 was ex pended in 1936. Only three years later, $22,546,300,000! That is unregenerate man’s glorified “progress.” He ought to arrive somewhere soon! He will! . There were 29,095,288 men under arms in 1914. In contrast we find 46,750,010 in 1936; 67,545,765 in 1939. ■There were 40 airplanes loaded with death, in 1914, with 12 reserves. What added power with 22,534 battle planes in 1936 with 41,233 reserves and 27,890 in 1939 with 72,500 reserves! All this when the treasuries of the nations are practically bankrupt! Mil lions are undernourished, standing in bread lines, unemployed, facing squalor and starvation, while the rulers of the nations beat their plowshares into swords and their pruning hooks into spears (v. 10). And every nation, even the “weak” (v. 10) nations stack up arms upon arms, hump their-bayoneted backs, and boast: “I am strong”! The previous story of man has never seen anything comparable to it. And if this world-wide preparation for war is not an exact, literal fulfillment of Joel’s prophetic words, then how in all the future can a beggared world better act the part? The Challenge of the Almighty The prophet hears a challenge ring forth! It is the challenge of Omnipo tence: “Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves to gether round about: . . . and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen [‘nations’] round about” (vs. 11, 12; cf. Matt. 25:31, 32). Thus the divine reveille has sound ed; and the prophetic eye of the seer beholds the nations marshal their le- [Continued on page 325]
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