August 1931
342
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
They Shall Fly for Violence H abakkuk 1 :8, 9 ; I saiah 31:5, 8; 60 :8
The reader can judge for himself whether or not this great prophecy is in the course of fulfillment. One thing is sure, that there wds a great “shaking” in 1914 to 1918; and as a result, the “bones” of the old Jewish nation, bones picked bare by the greed of Gentile nations, appear to be rolling about in preparation for the resurrection of the Jewish state in the homeland. The famous “fig tree” is thrusting forth its leaves (Lk. 21 :29-33). The Word of God is literally filled with prophecies affirming that such an impulse will come, and that the Jewish dream of the ages will be realized. And Lloyd George is right, for the blessing therefrom will be “not for Palestine alone, but for the world, not only for the children of Israel, but for the children of men.” The covenant of our God with Abraham stands fast and sure: “I ‘¿¿ill1make of thee a great nation . . . and in thee shall all families of the earth he blessed” (Gen. 12:2, 3). The Earth Weis Filled With Violence M atthew 24:37; G enesis 6:11 ut as th e days of Noah were, so shall alsó the coming of the Son of man be.” Such was the ring ing declaration of our Lord before He mounted the cloud chariots and rode away. And how were the days of Noah? The inspired answer is that “the earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” The daily newspaper tells the sickening story. Its col- urns are almost wholly given oVer to the account of each day’s violence the world around. Shooting and killing seem to be the ruling passion of the time. The least quarrel brings the flash of a gun! The second-hand stores everywhere prominently display guns for sale. Men carry them in readiness. Women tote them in their handbags. .Disregard for human life is almost an epidemic. The nations aré even worse than the individuals. Great prophets for peace are ruthlessly cast aside, while nations continue to beggar themsélves for the implements of war. Money flows forth in streams for powder and shot, while the people starve for bread. Horrible, awful beyond description, is the picture of the destruction and death which will strike through the loins of all nations if ever again they march forth to war. They all know it. Statesmen declare it. Scientists confirm it. And yet, in a perfect frenzy, they rush their munition factories day and night in preparation for it. Did ever God look down from heaven upon a madder world ? But all was foretold. It is in preparation for the Antichrist himself, who will honor no god save “the god of fortresses” (Dan. 11:38). Mussolini may not be the man; but he is doing his best to act the part. He said in a public address: “Order comes before culture; the policeman is more important than the professor.” Again: “Every young man, as he grows up, gets two things from me: an appointment in the ranks of the blackshirts, and what is infinitely more important, a first-class gun with plenty of cartridges. I am not satisfied with soldiers who fight only when they are ordered. I want a more aggressive spirit in my army. I want men who fight for the sake of fighting, men who are looking for battle and whose ruling passion is combat and the encounter with the enemy. We are ready now with an army of five million men!” No wonder peace conferences arrive nowhere in Europe! But let the storm come, since come it must! “The god of fortresses” worries us not. We await the upcalling from the God of the mansions.
h en th e ravaging enemies of Israel sweep into the land of Palestine for the last time, those enemies “shall fly as the eagle that hastest to eat. They shall come all for violence” (Hab. 1 :8, 9). “They shall fly . . . all for violence!” How significant that statement! But it is also written: “As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; . . . Then shall the Assyrian [Antichrist] fall,” . . . and, “Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness” (Isa. 31:5, 8; 32:1). The last days of the age are seen by the prophets as days when the forces of violence shall clash in the air about Jerusalem. Mussolini declares that his “flying birds” must darken the air above Italy by 1936. Russia’s civil aviation schools are training no fewer than 18,000 pilots this year in a three-year course—to be ready for business, if need be, in 1934. The Red Air Force is con stantly engaged in manoeuvers under severe conditions. Pilots are trained in long-distance bombing attacks, with the destruction of whole cities as their objective. First come the “moral” planes whose bombs are intended to create panic. These are followed by heavier machines for dropping high explosives. Then come machines laden with incendiary bombs of a new type, to set the ruins alight. Last come the high-flying, invisible planes from which will be released the deadly poison gas, lingering for days on the earth as a mist, penetrating, agonizing, kill ing—completing the harvest of death. There is just one ray of sunshine in the whole picture: “Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast” (Isa. 26:20). Are we ready? The Danger of Lowering One’s Standard B y G uy E dward M ark I know parents who can date their own spiritual de cline from the hour when they compromised w ith their children and adopted the children’s standard which was lower than their own. I know parents for whom the sun has set, and out of whose lives all joy has gone because they did not have the heart to oppose their children. Manoah and his wife, the parents of Samson, were godly souls with high standards. A son was born to them. God fully informed them regarding the influences with which they were to surround their boy. The son grew to young manhood; and, alas, like so many other young men, he turned his eyes toward the land of the Philistines. He went down to Timnath, and there he fell in love with a woman of the uncircumcised enemies of God. But what about his parents ? They protested, but it was a mere lip protestation. He was their son. Why shouldn’t he do as other young men did? So they went down to Timnath with him! What soul agony, what heartache came to those parents later on as they saw their son, the finest specimen of manhood in all Israel, fall to the depths of sin and shame! My parent friend, maintain your high standard. Of course your children will think you are narrow; they will look down upon you; and they may even rise up in re bellion against your control. But do not compromise with them, for the time will come when they will bless you a thousand times for loyalty to your principles.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker