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Meet the Challenge We appreciate receiving your maga zine. Thank you for sending it. As we are about at the end of the line, our remarks may be rather late reaching you. I would like to meet the challenge set forth by Mary L. Gallivan in the July Reader Reaction. She challenges anyone to prove that it may NOT be through the “Virgin” that God bestows His power to the rest of mankind. She may prove this to herself if she is at all informed in the teaching of the Roman Catholic church. If she believes the Apostolic Creed to be the teaching of the Roman Catholic church, then she ought to believe in one indivisible God, who manifested Himself to us in three Persons—Father, Son and Holy Ghost. If she believes it to be the teaching of the Roman Catholic church that God is omnipresent and omniscient, then she will have to admit that nobody else is omnipresent or omniscient, not even the “Virgin.” Thus she will be compelled to see that the “Virgin” is in no position to hear any petitions made to her, much less to answer them. This should be suf ficient to any one with sound reason and fully in accord with the teaching of the Roman Catholic church. If the NOW teaching of the Roman Catholic church requires belief in things which are con trary to the original apostolic teachings, she has to decide on the consequences. God will hold each one of us responsible. C harles L ukesh U.S. Zone Germany I thank God for such a magazine as yours. It is such a blessing these days to read the latest news in the light of the Bible. I pray that it will continue to be published until the day of the Lord’s second coming. W illiam F yffe Bloomington, Indiana Seventh-Day Adventism As a Seventh-Day Adventist having read the article, “ Camouflaged Seventh- Day Adventism” in your July issue, which is intended to “enlighten many a believer who is uninformed,” I feel the proofs brought out are not very convinc ing. The author states that Mrs. E. G. White’s writings are “permeated with contradictions of the Scripture” ; yet he fails to cite one contradiction! Now I consider myself to be an open-minded person, ready to accept truth, yet should I find “ contradictions” which would an nihilate my faith in Mrs. White's writ ings, I would still be a Seventh-Day Adventist; because, as a Christian, I base my faith on the Bible, the supreme Word of God. In my studies I have found my beliefs to be substantiated in (Continued on Page H ) N O V E M B E R , 1 9 5 1
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W. Orr, D.D. Associate Editor
Editor in Chief
Copyright, 1951, The King’s Business No part o f this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. Voi. 42 November, 1951 No. 11
Reader Reaction ............................................................
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Editorially Speaking 4 The Work and the Workers, William W. O rr .......................................... .5 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box ....................................................................... 6 Israel Lives Again! George T. B. D a v i s .............................................. 7 Poem, Thanksgiving, John Greenleaf W h it t ie r .................................... 9 Portable Church Services, Donald Grey Barnhouse ........................... 10 The Enlarged Coast, Alfred Mathieson . ................................................ 11 Modern Science and the Long Day of Joshua, Harry Rimmer . . . . 12 Waters That Fail Not, Lloyd H am ill ..................................................... 14 His Coming Draweth Nigh! Frederick A. Tatf o r d ........................... 15 The First Thanksgiving............................................................................ 16 The Bible in the News, William W. O r r .............................................. 17 Temporal Mercies and Spiritual Blessings, Tom O lson ....................... 18 Biola Family C ir c le ................................. 20 Junior King’s Business: Patsy Learns to Give Thanks, May Sundell Brown .............................................................................. 21 Valuable Handshake............................................................. 1.................... 22 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. W ils o n ................... •........................ 23 Miscellanea ................... 29 A Texan Sees “ Mr. Texas,” Eugene Poole .......................................... 31 The President’s Fall Itin e ra ry .................................................. 31 Book Reviews, Donald G. Davis . ............................................................. 32 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison A rr ow o od ............. 33 Object Lessons, Elmer L. W ild e r ........................................................... 41 Picturë Credits: Cover, Harold M. Lambert Studios, Philadelphia; Pp. 7, 8, Israel Office of Information; P. 11, Don Knight, San Francisco; P. 13, Ransom Marvin, Sprague, Wash. ............................................. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION—“ The King’s Business’’ is published monthly; $2.00. on« year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES—Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING—For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street. Los Angeles 17, California. MANUSCRIPTS—“ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles. Cali fornia, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538. P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 17, California. Page Three
pel work. Don’t be too readily impressed by oratory, nor by proposed new insight into the Bible. Be very suspicious of any man or movement that speaks ill of men of God with years of honored serv ice. A mature Christian knows his doc trine, he knows sound principles of Christian service. Whether the winds be small or great, he maintains his steady course, unswerving and unmoved by the constant shifting winds of doctrine. Avoid the foolishness and spiritual trag edy of giving your name, your alle giance, your attendance, your money, to winds of doctrine that are only eddies for a moment and die away, soon for gotten, and leaving no good and lasting impress upon the world or the church. —B.R. The one hundred and third Psalm is one of those all-comprehensive Scrip tures which are a Bible in themselves. It could almost serve as the hymn-book of the church. It is all praise and not one petition is to be found in it. From the first two verses we learn that this praise is to be Godward, personal, spirit ual, wholehearted, purposeful, and in telligent. If we follow the Psalmist we shall find that he enumerates the five chief benefits of every believer. First, he notes forgiveness. The picture here is that of the Judge in the courtroom. If sin is not first forgiven, we can know nothing of the rest of the benefits mentioned. Some one has well pointed out that forgiveness is IN God (“there is forgiveness with thee” ), FROM God (for no one else can grant it), and LIKE God (full, free, and everlasting). Secondly, he mentions healing. The picture here is that of the Physician in the sick room. God is the Jehovah-Rapha and removes every soul disease. Thirdly, he points out redemption. It is the pic ture of the Protector in the time of danger. God has preserved the soul from the penalty of sin, but the Psalmist is thinking rather of the many deliverances in life from besetting dangers. The Lord watches over His own. Fourthly, he in dicates coronation. The scene is one of the King in the coronation room. lie crowns the saint with lovingkindness and tender mercies. Through His grace He makes us crowned sons of the King. Lastly, he sets forth satisfaction. The Psalmist is thinking of the Provider in the banquet room. He does save, He does keep, but He also satisfies. The heart was made by God and for God, and only He can meet its deepest needs. In the world the unbeliever may be sati ated, but he is never satisfied. Remember Kibroth-hattaavah (Numbers 11). For the benefits of forgiveness, heal ing, redemption, coronation, and satis faction let us exclaim: “ Bless the Lord, O my soul . . . and forget not all his benefits.” To be thinkful is to be thank ful. Praise the Lord! —C.L.F. Wholehearted Praise Psalm 103:1-5
“suffered for sins, the just for the un just, that he might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). The subject of one’s relationship to God which seems so clear to Christians may be utterly unknown to the people with whom we rub shoulders day by day. The part of real wisdom is to take nothing at all for granted but start at the very beginning of spiritual things as we witness to our friends of salvation provided by the Lord Jesus Christ. Winds of Doctrine It is to the perpetual dismay of this writer that there is a constant stream of little one-man, or little-handful move ments constantly arising within the body of professing Christians. Each of these little movements has a special or unique emphasis. The zeal of Christians is diverted from a healthy emphasis on the major truths of the faith, and the chief business of the church and is dis sipated by propagating the little wind of doctrine of the little group. Further, very precious and valuable money ur gently needed for the major functions of the church at home and abroad is directed out of the usual channels into these little groups and there lost in al most meaningless efforts. Paul tells us not to be “children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). It is a good sailor that tacks his way through a wind and keeps to his course. The amateur soon finds himself and his boat beached. So a good Bible-taught Christian is not one to be easily moved when the doctrinal winds blow. A soundly-taught believer is settled, root ed, and grounded. Don’t, dear Christian, be gullible. Don’t yield your allegiance readily to anything new. Don’t give precious tithe money to unworthy proj ects. Be a steward of your allegiance. Be a steward of your time and money. Value your name and only put it behind truly Biblical and soundly-operated gos
How Many People Really Know?
We always enjoy our friend Tom M. Olson’s page in his newsy publication Now. Recently Mr. Olson quoted from “ The Inquiring Fotographer” of New York’s Daily News who asked the fol lowing questions of seven persons: “ What are your chances of going to heaven when you die?” Judging from their answers, only one out of the seven had the faintest idea of the way to heaven, and even he confused it with his own good works. The first person said she had no per sonal chance but because her father was such a good man, and because he would put in a good word for her, she felt she had “ a great chance.” The second person made a joke of the question, and answered that his chances were “pretty slim because I can’t play a harp.” The third person, for some reason or other, said her chances were “ about one out of twelve.” The fourth said she spent so much of her time in taxicabs and has had so many close calls that her chances of being hit and going to heaven “ seem to be excellent.” The fifth said his chances were not so good because the requirements for ad mission into heaven were beyond his “ poor human limitations.” Yet this same person declared, “ However, the Bible holds out one big hope for all us poor sinners, and that is if we do go to heaven, we will get there by the grace of God.” The sixth person asked: “ How can I possibly tell ? Why not ask my hus band?” When the husband was asked, he said: “ An excellent chance because she joined the church of her own ac cord.” These answers reveal the sad fact that all seven persons are ignoring the Sa viour. One would think they had never heard of the Lord Jesus Christ, who
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
The W o rk and the W o rk ers By William W. Orr, D.D.
There is coming a time when everyone shall know the truth for some day, per haps not too far hence, the whole world from the least to the greatest will be brought face to face with the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth. He will come and will not tarry and the earth will know the immeasur able joy that His beneficent reign will bring. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. President Truman’s Challenge From the pulpit of the National City Christian Church in Washington, D.G., the President of the United States re cently voiced his irritation over the in ability of church leaders to get together on a common affirmation of faith. The President seemed to be very strongly moved at the bickering of various church groups and their unwillingness to get together on a common ground. The reaction to the President’s chal lenge was varied. There were those who quite agreed with him and deprecated strongly the divided front which Chris tendom presents. There were others who strongly disagreed, pointing out that a front cannot be maintained except on the basis of sacrificing some doctrines which they hold very dear. While, on the surface, a united front would be admirable to present the bat tle against Communistic encroachments, still the President or anybody else ought to know that such a thing will never in the world be possible as long as the Lord remains away. He is the only One who can ever bring the church together. The church will never present a visible union until that day when the skies part and He whose right it is to rule and reign will return. Surely the President should under stand that there are at least two great camps in Christendom. One is the con servative camp which believes whole heartedly in the faith once for all de livered to the saints and which would gladly die before surrendering any of that faith. The other camp is that of the liberals who hold that we need a new gospel for a new age and who look down their proverbial noses at the “ old fashioned” beliefs of the fundamental ists. These two are as far apart as the poles, nor can they ever come together. There are forces in the world which drag them apart, not the least being the subtle influence of Satan himself. But be assured there will come a time when the church shall be united but it must be united around its Head. When that time comes, there will be many so- called church people who have been say ing “ Lord, Lord” down through the years and concerning whom the Lord will say, “ I never knew you.” There is only one rallying basis for the church of Christ and that is around the person of Christ, His deity, His sinless life, His vicarious death, His physical resur rection and His second coming.
What The Future Holds According To Scientists
New York City was the location of the Twelfth International Congress of Pure and Applied Chemistry and was the place of enunciation of a number of predictions according to some of the world’s top scientists as to what we may expect for the future. According to some six Nobel prize winners from five nations, the food problem is going to be of lesser im portance. Science now knows enough to feed 4,000,000,000 people which is nearly twice the world’s population. The food supply will be abundant and not the low diets of most of the world of today. The plan included the use of more acre age. Another forward step was the use of plants that are more resistant to disease. Science is also reaching into the cause of cancer and according to these men the disease will some day be overcome. The most basic recent discovery throws a flood of light on this disease, and it is the opinion of the men of science that the causes of the disease and the result ant cure are just around the corner. An ironic note was sounded either consciously or unconsciously. While a number of improvements are in the air for the alleviation of some of the ills of mankind, science has nothing to give to men which will so change their na tures that they will stop fighting one another. While it is true that mankind has as a whole better life today than ever before, the potential of destruction is greater and threats of impending horror and misery are larger than at any time in the world’s history. Here is where science must stop and where faith must begin because it is a fundamental tenet of our belief that God Himself is able to change the sinful heart of humanity. In fact, this is the reason for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world. His advent was not for the purpose of making life easier but of making life better. He did not live and die in order that men should have more leisure time but in order that their sins should be forgiven and that they might have life which is eternal. This is the basic premise of the gospel story, that a genuine heart acceptance of the work of Christ on Calvary’s cross brings a miracle to pass in the lives of those whose hearts are dead in tres passes and sins. Over and over again in uncounted numbers the veracity of God’s claim has been dembnstrated. Men and women of all ages have known the thrilling joy of the life-giving message of Calvary’s cross. Would that the scien tists as they spoke in New York City had added one other sentence saying that while science had nothing to offer to change men’s hearts, faith does have something to offer.
Bible Lands Cruise The sailing date for the fifth annual Wheaton College Bible Lands Cruise is February 15, 1952, from New York, N. Y. The plan is to call at several Mediterranean towns of historical and Biblical interest and then make an ex tended stay in Syria and Palestine. The members of the party will visit Beirut, Damascus, Jerusalem, Jericho, Bethle hem, and many other points of Biblical and archaeological interest. Dr. Joseph Free, Professor of Archaeology at Whea ton College, is in charge of the ar rangements. Judge’s Tract A new tract from Hon. Judge Harold R. Medina is being published by the American Tract Society entitled, “ The Judge and his God.” Judge Medina was the presiding jurist in the recent suc cessful communist trial of New York City. The tract quotes Judge Medina as saying: “ We judges are the servants of the people . . . but we are the servants of someone else, too . . . I do not see why a judge should be ashamed to say that he prays for divine guidance and for strength to do his duty . . . After all is said and done, it is not we who pull the strings. We are not the masters, but the SERVANTS of our Master’s will; and it is well that we should know it to be so.” Decision on TV The Hour of Decision radio broadcast originating from the Billy Graham evan gelistic party has been started on the ABC Television network recently. Of the first four programs, three were pro duced on the Seattle Pacific College Campus in Seattle, Washington, with students from the college participating in the choir and assisting in the tech nical work of broadcasting. National “Quotedown” In a national Bible quotedown contest sponsored by the Rural Bible Crusade, several state winners left their milk buckets down on the farm while they journeyed to Wheaton, Illinois, to com pete. The national winner was Marilyn Roth, 14, of Gridley, Illinois, with Pauline Van Ham, 14, of Pella, Iowa, as runner-up. Neither of these girls made a single mistake in the four sessions of the contest. They thrilled their audiences for four nights by steady quoting, letter perfect, and giving the references. When Disaster Strikes The American Bible Society, through a carefully worked-out plan, is prepared (Continued on Page 27)
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N O V E M B E R , 1 9 5 1
1 have heard you say that every be liever is baptized with the Spirit. Will you please tell me your authority for such a statement? In his letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 12:12,13), Paul says, “ For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” When the Apostle wrote, saying, “We are all baptized into one body” by the Spirit, he was writing to the Corinthians, the most carnal of all the apostolic churches. Paul made it very clear that “the baptism of the Spirit” is that operation of the Spirit, by which a believer is made a member of the body of Christ. The baptism of the Spirit is not an experience following conversion; it is a dispensational act, whereby God unites the born-again soul to the true Church, which is the body of Christ. There is no such thing as a Christian who is not a member of the body of Christ. A passage of Scripture in Luke H:26, has always puzzled me. Our God is a God of love, and we are told to “ love one another,” yet here we read, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” You will find a parallel passage in Matthew 10:37 which explains this statement. There Christ says, “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter is not worthy of ime.” These words show that the Lord is not talking of an actual hatred, but rather of what would seem hatred by way of comparison with the God-given love, implanted in the heart of the born- again child of God, implanted there by the Holy Spirit alone. If I desire to fol low the Lord Jesus Christ, yet allow myself to be turned away from that object by my father, my mother, my wife, my children, then I am not worthy of the Lord Jesus, and can never be His disciple so long as this condition of heart remains. This text does not teach that natural relationships, as such, are to be repudi ated; but Christ must be first, and His claims set before all else, even one’s own life. What is sanctification, if it is not holi ness or sinless perfection? “ Sanctification” and “ saint” are kin dred words, and imply separation from the godless world. We are set apart for God; that is sanctification. Sanctification, however, is twofold: One aspect of the term has to do with
our standing before God; the other, with our'state. Sanctification as to our stand ing before God is brought about by the blood of Christ, and is eternal, complete, once for all. “ We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). Sanctification as to our state and daily walk is another thing. This is brought about through the operation of the Word of God, as we read it and allow it to judge our walk and ways. Christ said in His prayer for His disciples, “ Sancti fy them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). And Paul wrote of the same thing in Ephesians .5:25,26: “ Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of wa ter by the word.”As we read the holy Scriptures, meditate upon them, love them, and seek to live by them, we are being separated from the things that would defile. This is sanctification in respect to our life and walk. We have become afraid of the term because those who teach sinless perfec tion in this life often have appropri ated it, and perverted its scriptural meaning. But that should not cause us to give up the word or its message to us. It is the Christian’s duty and priv ilege to be sanctified, though he can never claim sinless perfection this side of Heaven. Then,, “when he shall appear, we shall be like him” in glory — free from sin and its power. I am a rather new Christian and 1 cannot understand how “ Tribulation worketh patience,” and how can I glory in tribulation? Compare this statement in the fifth chapter of Romans, with James 1 :3 and you will be enlightened. Trials may embitter those who do not love God, but they burn up the dross in the Chris tian as he lets his all-wise Father mold and shape his life. With Job the tested one may say, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10), and “ Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). Sometimes God permits one of His saints to be an example to an ungodly world of the sufficiency of God’s grace. Such was Job — an example before Sa tan, angels, men and demons. His ex ample has encouraged thousands to trust God, even when they could not under stand why they were called to suffer. Job did not know of Satan’s accusation to God; yet his faith did not waver. I have heard some Christians say that the church really began with Abraham. What is your opinion? It seems they do not rightly divide
the “word of truth.” In the first place the church began on the Day of Pente cost as in Acts 2; and in the second place, “the disciples were called Chris tians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26). Concerning the beginning of the church, much might be said, but the Old Testament saints did not even know that the church, the bride of Christ, was in the mind of God. He revealed this “mystery” to Paul, as all New Testament teaching proves. Christ said, following Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Son of the living God: “ Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). Thus the church began at Pen tecost, and will continue on the earth until the last member of the body of Christ is won to Him. God alone knows when that time will be. Not in Money — Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had an enormous fortune. When dying, he said, “ I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth.” Not in Pleasure — Lord Byron lived a life of pleasure and ease. He wrote: “ The worm, the canker and the grief, Are mine alone.” Not in Military Glory — Alexander the Great conquered the known world in his day. Then he wept, “ There are no more worlds to conquer.” Not in Political Power — William Tweed became the brilliant boss of Tammany Hall and ruled New York City. He said: “ My life has been a failure in everything.” Not in Unbelief — Voltaire was an infidel of the most pronounced type. He wrote: “ I wish I had never been born.” Not in Position and Fame — Lord Beaconsfield enjoyed more than his share of both. He wrote: “Youth is a mistake; manhood a struggle; old age a regret.” Where is Happiness? The answer is simple: In Christ alone. He said: “ Your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.” “Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he” (Prov. 16:20). —From a tract published by Faith, Prayer and Tract League, Grand Rapids, Michigan. W L r e J t appineââ : ?
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
IS R A E L L IV E S A G A IN ! Third In A Prophetic Series
By George T. B. Davis*
S HERE are now over one million Jews in the land of Israel, regathered from all parts of the world. And week by week and month by month, by ship and plane, great throngs of sons and daughters of Abraham are arriving at the ports of Israel. All of this modern migration of the Jews to the land of their forefathers is taking place today before our eyes exactly as predicted by the Old Testament prophets long centuries ago. In Isaiah 43:5,6 we read: “ I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” Among all the Jews who have returned to Israel during the recent months there are none whose home-coming has been more dramatic and interesting than that of the Yemenite Jews from the land of Arabia. God has indeed said to the south, “ Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth,” and 40,000 Yemenite Jews have come from the “ south” to the land of Israel. The bringing of 40,000 Yemenite Jews from Aden to Israel by plane was one of the most brilliant exploits of the young State of Israel. The quick air-transfer of these Jews from Aden to the Lydda airport in Israel was called “the magic carpet”—in remembrance of the story in the “ Arabian Nights.” The country of Yemen is an independent kingdom with its own king, in the southwestern part of the Arabian pen insula, next to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. A periodical published in Israel says: “ The Jewish com munity of the Yemen is one of the oldest in the world,
members of the community who preceded the recent arrivals are hard-working, law-abiding citizens, and the new immi grants are expected soon to become a productive and in dustrious element in the population of Israel. For genera tions they have dreamed and yearned for the day of their return to Zion, and the air-lift to Israel is to them a miraculous fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.” The Yemenite Jews for years had diligently studied their Hebrew Torah —the five books of Moses—and among the many passages that impressed them was a portion of Exodus 19:4: “ I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.” After the establishment of the new State of Israel, the Jews of Yemen expressed to the Israeli government their great desire to return and to become citizens of Israel. The Israeli government sent special representatives to the king of Yemen and a covenant was made with him to allow the Jews to leave the country. The king of Yemen permitted the Jews to take only a few of their personal possessions with them and they were robbed of some of these along the way through the desert. But they clung to their precious copies of the Torah and carried the scrolls with them as they toiled along the sands. Arrangements were made to bring them by air from Aden to Lydda as that seemed the only possible way to transport them out from the midst of the enemy countries round about them. After weeks of traveling through the desert by foot, and some on donkeys, the Yemenites arrived at Aden, and walked unafraid onto “ the magic carpet.” They had never flown before but these great planes were to them “ the eagles’ wings” that would bring them to Zion to await the Messiah’s coming. During our stay in Israel, Mrs. Davis and I saw many of these dark-skinned Yemenite Jews, small in body, but wiry and full of energy. We found them very likeable and friendly, and those we met gladly accepted New Testaments in Hebrew. While Mrs. Davis and I were in Tel Aviv, one day we went to see a photographer who with his associates had taken thousands of pictures of people and scenes in the land of Israel. As we were looking over their pictures, one of the photographers began to tell us about a trip he had made to Aden several months before. He spoke with enthusiasm about the Yemenite Jews and told us the following story of the discovery of these Jews bv the outside world: “ In 1858 two men from Great Britain visited the land of Yemen. They found large numbers of people there who declared they were Jews. They were dark-skinned like the people of Arabia but worshipped the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The visitors said to them, ‘You say you are Jews. How can you prove it?’ “ In reply the Yemenites showed them their scrolls of the Torah, the five books of Moses, and said, ‘Come and hear our children read the Scriptures in Hebrew even though the language of the land is Arabic.’ “The visitors were deeply impressed with the evidence that these Yemenite Jews presented and it was reoorted abroad that Jews were living in southern Arabia, largely cut off from the rest of the world.” The photographer continued: “ The Yemenite Jews have always been very industrious. They have been chiefly ar tisans, working with their hands at various trades. They Paae Seven
General view of Jerusalem with YMCA Building with a history dating back to the Second Temple and pos sibly even farther than that to the days of Solomon. The Jews of the Yemen are backward but quick to learn. The *Executive Secretary of the M illion T estaments C ampaigns . Reprinted from the book, I srael R eturns H ome A ccording to P rophecy , obtainable at 1505 Race Street, Philadelphia, Pa.
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have suffered great persecution from the Arabs of Yemen. The ruler of Yemen let them leave the country but with few of their possessions. Then many of them were robbed by the- Arabs as they trudged, old and young together over the desert sands. So most of them arrived in the British- controlled Protectorate of Aden with little or nothing ex cept the clothes they wore. But a number of them preserved their precious scrolls of the Torah. “ The faith of the Yemenite Jews is strong. They are returning to Israel, not because they are greatly interested in Zionism, but because they believe that the coming of the Messiah is near, and they want to be in the land when the Messiah comes.” In conclusion, the photographer told us this remarkable story. “ I saw a very touching sight at the time of my return from Aden. A Yemenite Jew, who appeared to be about 75 years of age, came to the plane carrying on his shoulder his father who was 106 years of age! The father wanted to die in Israel, and his son, who himself was an old man, had carried him 160 miles across the desert from Yemen to Aden. The father was very feeble and very frail —almost skin and bones. “ The son and his 106-year-old father were on the same plane on which I returned from Aden to Lydda. The plane was supposed to carry only 100 people, but the Yemenite Jews were so thin and emaciated that there were 160 of them in that one plane. “When we reached Lydda, the son carrying his father came down the gangplank of the plane. They went about 25 yards. Then the son whispered to his father, who was scarcely more than half-conscious: ‘Father, we are now in Israel!’ ^Then tenderly he let down his father from his shoulder to the ground. The father kissed the earth, and then quietly and gently died.” The father’s desire to die in the land of Israel was fulfilled! It is interesting to note that David Ben-Gurion, the Prime Minister of Israel, quoted Isaiah 43:5,6 in closing his ad dress, in Jerusalem, at the celebration of the second an niversary of Israel’s independence. The acting editor of the Jerusalem Post told me that the Prime Minister is greatly interested in the fact that the prophecies of the old Testa ment are being fulfilled in the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland. Here are the verses that Mr. Ben-Gurion quoted: “ Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” The editor remarked, “ I was reading those two verses and noticed that in the original text the word is translated ^south’ in our English version is really ‘Teman’ which in Hebrew means ‘Yemen!’ ” The statement of the editor was so remarkable that I could scarcely believe my ears. How ever, I verified it through a professor in the Hebrew Uni versity in Jerusalem, and found it to be entirely true. As the land of Yemen is in the southeastern part of Arabia, it was perfectly natural for the translators of Isaiah 43:6 to call it “ the south.” But it is most remarkable that the prophet actually specified the exact land of “ Teman” or “ Yemen.” Today, precisely as predicted 2500 years ago by the prophet Isaiah, God has fulfilled His Word: “ I will say to Yemen, Keep not back.” The ruler of Yemen let the Jews go! And more than 40,000 of them walked through the desert sands, for days, and even for weeks, to reach Aden, and from there thev were flown “ on eagles’ wings” to Lydda in the land of Israel! After such exact fulfillment of prophecy, after 25 cen turies, can anyone doubt the supernatural inspiration and divine authority of the Word of God! Another remarkable story that we heard during our stay in Jerusalem was regarding the Preservation of the Jews in Bulgaria during the second World War, and of their mass migration to the land of Israel. The narrative was given us bv a Bulgarian Jew who was our nearest neighbor in Israel. He and his wife have found the Lord as their Saviour and he is working earnestly for the conversion of
Tel Aviv—Allenby Road
his fellow-countrymen. He told us of the miraculous preserva tion of the Jews of Bulgaria during the second World War. It reminded us of the preservation of the Jews in the days of Queen Esther. Our friend said: “ During the second World War the Jews of Bulgaria did not suffer death at the hands of the Nazis as they did in most of the other European countries. Not a single Jew was killed or de ported though the Nazis occupied the country for several years. It was a miracle of the Lord’s goodness in answer to prayer. “ Several times the Nazis were about to deport the Jews of Bulgaria to concentration camps in Poland, but the deportation orders were not carried out. At last by the express order of Hitler thousands of Jews in Bulgaria were rounded up to be sent to the camps in Poland. This would mean certain death for many of them. “ The wife of the mayor of a certain town in Bulgaria was an earnest Christian. She belonged to an assembly of some thirty Gentile Christian believers. When this godly group heard of the order to deport the Jews, they gave themselves to prayer. They spent an entire day in fasting and prayer, crying to God for the preservation of the Jews from deportation and death. “ Following this day of prayer, the wife of the mayor besought her husband to go to the king. He, with the mayors of several other towns and some members of the Parliament, went to see the king in Sofia, the capital city, to plead for the Jews. The king granted their request, ,and signed a document, canceling the deportation order! “With joy the mayor returned home and told the good news, and with great rejoicing the Jews returned to their homes. “ A second time the Jews of Bulgaria were saved from death. Again a date was set for their deportation. But three days before the fatal date the Russians took Bulgaria from the Nazis, and the deportation of the Jews was never carried out. All this time the Bulgarian Hebrew Christians, and the Gentile believers had been praying earnestly, and once more the Lord marvelously heard and answered! “ The Jews of northern Greece and other countries around Bulgaria did not escape deportation, and many thousands of them were sent to the concentration camps of Poland, and comparatively few of them escaped death.” Still another miracle in the history of the Bulgarian Jews has been their freedom to come to Israel, since the Soviets have been in control of Bulgaria. It has been difficult for the Jews to get out of most of the countries of Europe that are dominated by the Soviets, but in Bulgaria the way was open and during the last few years ninety-five per cent of all the Jews of Bulgaria have come to Israel. When we asked our Bulgarian friend to tell us how he became a Christian, he said: “I was born in Bulgaria and as a boy went to a secondary school conducted by American T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
missionaries. I was impressed by the Christian teaching, but could not understand the Trinity. I asked myself, ‘How can I believe in God and in Jesus also?’ Our religion for bade us to believe in two Gods. But I believed thoroughly that at some time in the future God Almighty would re veal to me the truth about Jesus. “ Later I went to Switzerland and attended the University of Zurich. While in Zurich I heard the Salvation Army people giving their testimonies on the streets. They also gave out various tracts. One of the tracts I received from them told about the Second Coming of Christ, and about the regathering of the Jews to their ancient homeland. I was so interested that I secured a copy of the New Testa ment and read it diligently to see what was going to happen in the near future. “ I was greatly interested in the Sermon on the Mount. I read it through once, and then read it a second time, and a third time. I felt that such a great revelation of truth could come only from God. And since Jesus had revealed these great truths, he must be what he claimed to be— the Son of God. The very moment I finished reading the Sermon on the Mount the third time, I fell upon my knees and asked God to show me whether Jesus was the Messiah of the Jews. In those very moments the Holy Spirit re vealed Christ to me, and I accepted Him as my personal Saviour. “ Later I had a great desire to come to the land of Israel. I arrived here in 1928. I attended a Bible School and was graduated in 1932. Then I returned to Bulgaria but came back with my wife during the second World War. I told my relatives in Bulgaria that the time would come that they too would be in Palestine. They laughed at me but now all my relatives have come to this land, and some of them have accepted Christ as their Saviour since they arrived here. My mother has found the Lord, and my uncle and aunt say they believe, and they are praying in the name of Jesus. Their two daughters are reading the New Testament, and their mother is encouraging them to believe in Christ.” The preservation of the Jews of Bulgaria from deporta tion and death was nothing less than a modern miracle. The freedom of the Jews in Bulgaria to migrate to Israel was a second miracle. How very different was the condition of the Jews in Roumania during the second World War. A Roumanian doctor in Jerusalem told us: “ Before the World War there were 800,000 Jews in Roumania. Half a million of them were killed by the Nazis. At present there are about 60,000 Roumanian Jews in Israel. Many of them escaped from Roumania by illegal means. Recently, how ever, an agreement has been signed between Israel and Roumania, that Jews in that country will be allowed to return to Israel, provided that someone could be found to take the place of the Jewish person in his work in a factory or elsewhere.” We have ordered an edition of Bulgarian New Testaments for careful distribution among the thousands of Bulgarian Jews in Israel. We have also ordered an edition of Roumanian New Testaments. Pray that nothing may prevent their publication and distribution, and that the Books may be wondrously used in the salvation of multitudes of Jews in the land of Israel. The last day of our stay in Israel, shortly before we left for our steamer, we were told by a Jewess that a day or two previous a Hebrew newspaper had reported the con version of a Jew in Tel Aviv who had been the chief rabbi in Bulgaria. The newspaper said that the Bulgarian rabbi told the story of his conversion to a large assembly of Jewish people in Tel Aviv. The rabbi told the Jews that he had been fasting and praying for three days and three nights and at last “the Spirit of Messiah” had come into him. He publicly confessed Christ as his personal Saviour. Let us pray for the strengthening of this Bulgarian rabbi and that he may be mightily used to lead multitudes of Bulgarian and other Jews to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. This may be the beginning of a third miracle among the Bulgarian Jews.
T h a n k s g i v i n g
Once more the liberal year laughs out, O'er richer stores than gems or gold; Once more with harvest song and shout Is nature's bloodless triumph told. Our common mother rests and sings, Like Ruth among her garnered sheaves; Her lap is full of goodly things, Her brow is bright with autumn leaves. And we today, amidst our flowers And fruits, have come to own again The blessings of the summer hours, The early and the latter rain. To see again our Father’s hand Reverse for us the plenteous horn Of autumn, filled and running o’er With fruit, and flowers, and golden corn. We shut our eyes, the flowers bloom on, We murmur, but the corn ears fill, We choose the shadow, but the sun That casts it shines behind us still. Oh, favors every year made new! Oh, gifts with rain and sunshine sent! The bounty overruns our due. The fulness shames our discontent.
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Portable Church Services By Donald Grey Barnhouse
D WIGHT L. MOODY will preach cn Sunday morning to a group of lumberjacks in upper Michi gan. Charles Haddon Spurgeon will preach on Sunday afternoon in a school- house in the mountains of Virginia. Charles Wesley will preach four times next Sunday in the state penitentiary in California, repeating the same service for different groups of prisoners. Dr. R. A. Torrey will speak next Sunday in the parlor of John Farmer, R.F.D. No. 6, Pea Creek, North Fork, Ozark Coun ty, Arkansas, at 11 a.m. Such announcements as these, multi plied a thousandfold, will soon be cur rent in various parts of our country, and eventually in many other parts of the world. Complete Portable Church Services on tape, with the finest of music and the greatest sermons of history, are about to be made available at nominal cost to all who can make use of them. Three or four years ago the writer heard a home missionary remark that there were 30,000 small church build ings in the United States in which no services were being held^ The state ment set him to thinking. He simply did not believe it could be true. He began to make inquiries and found that it was an actual fact. He discovered, furthermore, that there were as many more small communities without church services which were also without church buildings. There are in continental United States towns with a population of as many as 500 which have had no Protestant church service in twenty- five years. Home missionary leaders re port that such is the case for many com munities in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon. Something must be done about it. In this age of mechanical marvels it seemed as if it must be possible to transcribe complete c h u r c h services which could be played back on a simple device which could be operated by any one. The writer went to a group of Christian friends and laid the burden before them. They gave five thousand dollars for a study of the problem, and one of the group became so increasingly convinced of the great need and the possibility of meeting it in this way that she brought in another thousand dollars the next day. A young Christian layman turned from selling oil to take hold of the project and began to work out the de tails. First of all it was decided that tape should be used rather than cum bersome and fragile phonograph rec ords. At the time the longest tape re cording available was fifteen minutes. Then a manufacturer produced a thirty- Page Ten
minute tape. We planned to make one church service with two tapes. But within a short time, they developed a sixty-minute tape, and now there is a tape which can be' played for an hour down one side and another hour back the other side, with two complete serv ices on one tape. But would people be interested in Por table Church Services? Were the fine Christian programs already on the ra dio meeting the need? There is no doubt that there has been great and effective blessing through radio messages, but there is no substitute for the gathering together of believers in a group. As rural people were questioned, they be gan to be enthusiastic. The program was tried out in many places. A home missionary in one of the mountainous counties of the Southeast made a study of his county and discovered thirty- eight places where Portable Church Services could be used from week to week. A chaplain in a great peniten tiary, which has more than 2000 prison ers and one Protestant service a Sun day, said that he could have a trusty play the service at two other periods and reach men who were not free at the regular hour of his service. A large city parish said that it could use eight services for the establishment of branch es in new housing developments. One of the deacons, who would hesitate to go out and preach regularly in such a branch work, would be quite happy threading a tape and presiding at the meetings. When it had been thus established that the technical problems could be solved and that the need was so mani fest, the problem of making up services to meet the need remained. The question of the sermons was, of course, the most difficult. The greatest sermons of all time are available in print, but they must be read effectively. A search was made for men who could read well, whose voices were resonant, and who yet had spiritual comprehen sion of the subject matter and were able to “ lift” a sentence and to “ put over” the message. The late Dr. Walter Maier, of the Lutheran Hour, was to have been the voice of Martin Luther on the Por table Church Services. One of the last letters Dr. Maier ever wrote was an enthusiastic approval of the plan which he felt would exalt Christ and reach the needs of multitudes in rural com munities. He agreed to undertake the editing of a dozen sermons by Luther, to recast them for modern listening, and to read them for recording. Unfor tunately he was called home before he could undertake the actual work which was then committed to a young Missouri
Synod Lutheran pastor who is at pres ent going on with the work. Many voices have been tested, and continuing tests are being made to find just the voices to make the sermons chosen live again to move the hearts of men. One of the outstanding musicians of the country was secured as musical di rector of the services. Robert Elmore, born in India of Baptist missionary parents, formerly of the music faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, now organist of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia and of the famed Phila delphia Orchestra, is responsible for the musical portions of the programs. Scores of preludes, offertories, and post- ludes have been recorded from the great organ music of the past and present. A consecrated choral group has befen assembled to play the part of the con gregation for the recording of hymns in which those who meet to listen shall join in the singing. A fine library of special music is be ing built up. In addition to the organ music of Robert Elmore, many piano meditations have been recorded by Jorge Bolet, who has played concertos with Toscanini and the New York Philhar monic, with Muench and the Boston Symphony, and with many other great orchestras. All of the solos of George Beverly Shea, put out by Singspiration records, have been added to the Portable Church Services Library. Plans are be ing made to record some of the major choral groups of the country for the great anthems of the church. In order to play these services it is necessary to have a machine that will play plastic tape on reels seven inches in diameter at a speed of 3 ^ " per second. Anyone who has access to such a machine can obtain the services for as little as three dollars a week. Por table Church Services, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is prepared to furnish a machine as well as the tapes for five dollars a week on a year’s subscription basis. These services are now ready for dis tribution. They cannot succeed alone. In every place there must be at least one person who is devoted to the Lord and who wishes to be the center of a missionary work for Him. That person will be responsible for getting people together to hear the service or for car rying the service where there are those who will listen. We have no doubt, of course, that these machines can ever supplant the living voice or the tender heart of the pastor. But our Lord did tell us that there were sheep without a shepherd, and our work is seeking to reach them. Anyone who is led into this work may begin at once. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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