Bible Institute ofLosAngeles (IN CO R PO R A T ED ) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. Free Training School for Christian Workers
D IRECTORS
R. A. Torrey, vice-president Leon V. Shaw, treasurer W illiam Evans
Lym an Stewart, president J. M. Irvine, secretary T. C. H orton, superintendent H . A. Getz N athan DOCTR INAL W e hold to the H istoric Faith of the of Evangelical Christendom and including: The T rinity of the Godhead. The D eity of the Christ. The Personality of the H oly Ghost. The Supernatural and Plenary authority of the H oly Scriptures. The U nity in D iversity of the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ. The Substitutionary Atonement.
Newby
J. O. Smith
STATEMENT Church as expressed in the Common Creed
The N ecessity of the New B irth. The M aintenance of Good W orks.
The Second Coming of Christ. The Im m ortality of the Spirit. The R esurrection of the Body. The Life Everlasting of Believers. The Endless Punishm ent of the Im penitent. The Reality and Personality of Satan. T H E WORK free of cost, accredited men and women, in the
SCOPE OF
PU R PO SE :
The Institute trains, knowledge and use of the Bible. D EPARTM ENTS : O) The Institute Classes held daily except on Saturdays and Sundays. (2) Extension work. Classes and conferences held in^ neighboring cities and towns. (3) Evangelistic. M eetings conducted by our evangelists.^ (4) Spanish W ork. Personal w ork am ong Spanish speaking people. (5) Shop W ork. Regular services in shops and factories. (6) Jewish Evangelism . Personal w ork among the H ebrews and mission for Jews. (7) Bible W omen. House-to-house visitation and neighborhood classes. (8) Oil Fields. A mission to men on the oil fields. (9) Books and T racts. Sale and distribution of selected books and tracts. (10) H arbor W ork. F o r seamen at San Francisco harbor. (11) The Biola H all. D aily noon m eetings for men in the down-town district, with free reading-room privileges. Evangelistic service every evening. (12) P rin t Shop. F o r printing Testam ents, books, tracts, etc. A complete establish m ent, profits going to free distribution of religious literature.
THE KING ’S BUSINESS MO TTO: “I, the Lord, do keep U, I will water It every moment, lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. — ----- Isa. 27:3 — P U B L I S H E D M O N T H L Y B Y T H E BIB LE I N S T I T U T E O F L O S A N G E L E S Entered as Second-Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California . _ . . under the Act of March 3, 1879 Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3 1917 authorised October 1, 1918. Volume X Julÿ, I 9 I 9 Number 7 Editorials: Signs of the Times (587) Open and Shut Doors (595) Re construction (596) Federation of Churches (597) Is the World Getting Better (598) The Shortened Bible (599) Sentence Sermons (600) As It Was in the Days of Noah, by G. H, Pember (601) Bible Institute Happenings (608) The Progress of Medical Science, by E. G. Rowland, M. D. (611) Evangelistic Incidents (617) Thoughts for Unsaved People (624) Notes Concerning the Jews (625) Homiletical Helps (627) Life and Immortality, by Keith L. Brooks <629) International Sunday School Lessons (634) Daily Devotional Readings, by Dr. F. W. Farr (665) Missionary Notes (676) We need funds to send this magazine to Missionaries and Christian workers who cannot subscribe themselves. LEADING ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
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Bj) I. M . Haldeman, D . D.
HE Church is h ere to w itness to the immense tru th th a t in Jesus Christ dwelleth all the fullness of th e deity bodily. He is God m an ifest in the flesh.
He is th e visibility of God in humanity. He is th e “ image of the invisible God.”
The Church is here to w itness th a t God Can never be seen or known ap a rt from Jesu s Christ as risen, immor tal, glorified Son of God and God th e Son. “ GOD IN CHRIST”— th a t is the testim ony of the Church. God in Christ, no t God in creation, not God in providence—bu t God in the risen, glorified, imm ortal man— Jesus Christ. The Church is h ere to testify th a t faith in God, to be saving faith, must be faith in th e God revealed in flesh— God in Christ. The Church is here to say to th e world: “ You may believe in th e existence of God— th ere is no m erit in th a t, only th e fool denies it. “You may believe in God as the C reator— no faith is requ ired for th a t— th e heavens declare th e glory of God and th e firm ament showeth His handiwork. “You 'may believe in th e existence of one God— th ere is no saving value in th a t, devils believe, trem ble and are lost forever. “ If you would be saved you m ust believe in th e God revealed alone in Christ.” God in Christ! th a t is th e testimony to which th e Church is called. The Church is here not only to w itness to the hum anity of Christ, to His proper and tru e deity, no t only th a t He is God and man in one body, two n atu res and one person forever; bu t th a t He is th e Lamb of God, the complete and perfect fulfillment of all th e sacrificial types; th a t th e cross was the antitypical a lta r and His blood the only ground of approach to God, the only way of redemption and salvation for man. The Church has been brought in to preach— “ Jesus Christ, and H im crucified.” The Church is here to deny salvation by character, to repudiate the righteousness of man and proclaim th a t th e obedience of Christ unto death makes Him the righteousness of God unto all and upon all them th a t believe, to all who offer Him by faith as a sacrifice for sin and claim Him as personal sub stitu te for the sinner; th a t He now sits upon th e F a th e r’s th ron e th e new Head of th e hum an race, the second and la st Adam, th e visible God of the universe, able to give new and sp iritu al life to all who confess Him as such: able to save unto the u tterm o st all who come unto God by Him. The Church is here to Witness th a t He is coming again to raise th e dead who died in H is name, transfigure the living who are His and give them immortal, glorified bodies like His own.— (I. M. Haldeman, D.D., in recent booklet “The Olive Tree.” )
T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S T . C . H O R TO N , Editor KEITH L. BROOK S, Managing Editor R. A .T O R R E Y , D. D. FR ED ER IC W . FA R R , D .D . J. H . H U N T E R W . H . PIKE Contributing Editors
EDITORIAL
S IGN S of tke Times Luke 12:54-56: “And He said to th e m u ltitud es also, When ye see a cloud rising in th e west, straigh tw ay ye say, th e re cometh a shower; an d so it cometh to pass. And when ye see a south w ind blowing, ye say, T here will be a scorching h ea t; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to in te rp re t th e face of th e e a rth and th e heaven; b u t how is it th a t ye know n o t how to in te rp re t th is tim e?” (R. V.) The Lord is speaking to the people and says, “ Yon are weather-wise, but yon are blind otherwise. You know what the wind will bring, but you don’t know what the Word will bring.” The people were blind to the corruption of the priests and scribes, to the hollowness of their pretensions. . Their ears were closed to the low thundering of discontent, and the approaching conflict between the people and the government of Rome. Were He here today could He not say to the church, “ How is it that ye do not discern the signs of the times?” IN W H A T N A T IO N Is There Rest? During the whole period of the Peace Conference, we do not remember having seen any mention of a Bible being upon the peace table. We have rejoiced in knowing that there were praying men at the head of the armies, but the statesmen seem to be lacking in wisdom, or they would have con sulted the oracles of God. The peace pact is signed, but where is the sign of peace? A knowledge of the Word of God would have made it very clear that no permanent peace could ever be maintained without the presence of the Prince of Peace. Man is sinful by nature. Nations are simply a multiple of individuals. How could sinful nations hope for a period of peace? Sin is selfish, and every note at the peace table evidences the purpose of the nations involved to serve their own interests, and this is natural. We were told we must enter the war and fight for our self-pro tection, and we fought, big and successfully. Now every nation is preparing for war for commercial supremacy. We are not seeking to promote Eng land’s prosperity. Every nation is fearful now of the other, and what is remarkable is that there is not a nation on the globe that is at rest. Every where there is a strange consciousness of fear of the future. No nation knows what a day may bring forth. Statesmen, soldiers, politicians, busi ness men, are looking into the future with deep concern.
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THE KI NG' S BUS I NES S
willthis rnncE mimm back ? What meaiis this strange unrest, this foreboding of the future? The war is over, but we are not at rest. There are strange, significant sounds; a rumbling of discontent; and he is far from wise who does not recognize it and its significance. W H A T ARE TH E SIGNS of the Schools? Our nation is th e g reatest in the history of the world. Founded upon the Bible, it has had th e favor of God in an unusual degree. P rosperity has filled us w ith pride. We have d rifted far from our moorings. In th e early days, th e Bible was read and ta u g h t in our public schools, and children were ta u g h t to revefe and respect it as God’s Word. The Roman Catholic Church, ever on th e a le rt for supremacy, played well th e political game un til th e Bible was elim inated from th e schools, and then ta u g h t her own children in her parochial schools. This d ep artu re from th e Book was th e beginning of th e downfall of a g rea t people. Now the Bible is not perm itted in our schools, b u t teachers a!re perm itted to under-
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S 589 m ine th e faith of pupils in th e Bible and to sow th e seed of doubt in its inspira tion, and to inculcate th e seductive and destructive teaching of th e German schools. F a ith in th e Word of God is ridiculed as ou t of date. Our gramm ar schools, our H igh Schools, our colleges, our universities and sem inaries, are honeycombed w ith these insidious teachings and denials of th e Word of God. Christian paren ts desiring to send th e ir children to college, are hard p u t to' find one where they will be safe from th is ungodly propaganda. The theological sem inaries, endorsed and supported by tru e believers, have become a source of peril to th e evangelical church. Young men attend ing these in stitu tion s in p reparation for a life m inistry of th e Word of God, come fo rth w ith th a t Word which is to be th e ir tex t book, in th e ir hand, w ithout ever having in any m easure m astered it, and w ith vague and m isty conceptions of its inspiration, and are never able to say “Thus saith th e Lord.” , The Sunday School lite ra tu re of some denom inations is abom inable. I t is an in su lt to th e Lord Jesus Christ who H imself set His seal to th e inspiration of the Bible. In May num ber of “The P ilgrim Magazine,” published by" th e Congrega tional people, under th e head of “Teaching th e Lesson to Boys and Girls of High School Age,” a Mr. F iske w riting on the lesson “Man Made in th e Image of God,” gives u tteran ce to th e following: “A cen tu ry ago religious teachers m ade th e g reat m istake of b elittlin g hum anity, thinking perhaps th a t by so doing they w ere honoring God. On the co n trary they w ere dishonoring God by dishonoring H is hum an children. Teaching a boy th a t he is a ‘m iserable w orm ’ does no t give him a m oral incentive to a b e tte r life, it only helps to discourage him and cu t th e nerve of -m oral effort. A nd, anyw ay, it isn ’t tru e. H e is no t a ‘w orm ’; he is th e ‘child of a K ing.’ If we can teach o u r boys and girls by th is reason th a t they are related to God, th a t they are really H is children in a vital, sense, and th a t H e w ailts them to share H is w ork in the w orld, th ey will hold th eir heads higher,^ w ith a new self-respect w hich will give life a new and sp iritu al m eaning, and a pow erful m otive for noble and effective living.” In th e lesson on “Sin and Its Consequences,” he says: - “P resen t th e P arable of the T alking Snake frankly as a parable; you m ay get into w orse trouble if you do not, for th ere are elem ents in th e sto ry w hich you cannot explain on any other basis. * * Its no t being literal histo ry has nothing to do w ith its essential tru th . Soine teachers will be troubled by _th e fact th a t ‘A dam ’ in th e old version, is tran slated ‘the m an’ in the revised version.^ The fact is ‘A dam ’ is no t a proper nam e a t all, b u t in th e H ebrew sim ply m eans man. The w riter lived so m any centuries after the events of his story he does no t preten d to know ‘the m an’s’ nam e.” H ear w hat he has to say about “The Saving Grace of God” : “W e m u st first u n d erstan d ju s t w hat it m eans to be ‘saved*. * f I t will repay us to study Jesu s’ m ethod of sav in g prodigals and M agdalenes w hen He lived in P alestine. W e shall discover th a t He^ saved them by challenging the b est th a t was in them and th en g e ttin g them to dare to share H is cross. I t takes m ore th an one cross to m ake C alvary. R edem ption is a' m utual m atter. W e are saved by C hrist’s sacrifice plus our own. W e are saved by faith in C hrist, plus H is faith in us. W e are saved by C h rist’s love plus purs for H im .” These th ree samples are sufficient to show the design of some teachers to destroy th e faith of young people in God’s holy Word. Job says, (2 5 :4 -6 ): “How then, can m an be ju s t w ith God? O r how can a m an be clean th a t is born of a woman? Behold even th e moon h a th no b rig h tn ess, and th e sta rs are no t pure in his sig h t; How m uch less m an, th a t is a worm ! A nd the son of m an th a t is a w orm !” Isaiah say s: (41:14). “ F ear not, th o u worm Jacob, and ye m en of Israel; I will help thee, saith Jehovah, and thy R edeem er is th e H oly One of Israel.” Of course, Jacob was a worm, b u t man has wriggled out from his low estate by th e evolutionary process and is now a full-fledged man, capable of telling God th a t He is a liar! Mr. F iske tells us th a t th e snake story was a parable and not literal history and a reh ash of th e older Babylonian story. W hat a pity Mr. F iske had not been borne 2000 years sooner so th a t he Could have enlightened th e Lord Jesus Christ and th e apostles concerning Old T estam ent statem ents. Evolution certainly failed in th is case, and Mr. F iske came upon th e scene too late in the process of th e evolu tion of his person from protoplasm !
590 THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S Now, w hat conception of the Bible will these young people have into whose lives th is poison is injected; and w hat will become of th is country of ours-— should th e Lord ta rry ; and w hat about th e responsibility of p aren ts who uncon cernedly are silen t p artn ers to th is offense; and how about th e m inisters who aid and abet these devilish devices to ru in our youth? There is no word from Mr. F iske about th e necessity of a blood atonem ent for sin; nothing about being born from above. U n i v e r s i t y Paganism In an article in “ The Eastern Methodist,” entitled “ University Pagan ism” by Rev. L. W. Munhall, occurs the following: “A series of sta rtlin g and irrefu tab le articles have recently appeared in the Sunday School Times, in which th e w riter, speaking from experience, plainly dis closes th e infidel and paganish ch aracter of th e teaching in our universities. * * Speaking of th e surprise and shock he received when he came in direct contact w ith th e teaching and atmosphere of th e university, he says: ‘I t was no t so much the conversations of th e stud en ts who would rep eat w ith good-humored glee the clever blasphem ies of one of th e teachers in commenting on th e Garden of Eden and o ther Bible n arrativ es, though these occasional outcroppings did cut me deep. Nor was it th e bold atheism of some of the philosophy teachers who saw no need of a God. These things I had m et before. I t was the intangible sp iritual force th a t underlay th is new world, which I was finding to be a t every point a t enm ity against th e world where I had been living for five years. * * * There was no t so much noticeable an active opposition to th e revelation of the Bible, as th e calm assurance th a t th e question was settled .’ University professors make th e ir polite bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, and profess to adm ire Him and recognize Him as one of the world’s g reat teachers. But most university pro fessors, and certainly th e very large percentage of those w ith th e g reatest mould ing influence in the classroom, tram p le under foot w ith quiet, perhaps uncon scious scorn, or w ith outspoken, coarse ridicule, th e fundam ental verities of the C h iistian faith. They do no t deign to argue ag ain st such ideas as th e fall of man, or atonem ent th rough th e blood, or th e inspiration of th e Bible or th e Koran! The argum en t is all over. These things are interesting, as relics of m atters th a t our fo refathers really considered serious and v ital.” A N D the Church Sign: To one who has been a close observer of church life for fo rty years and more, th is subject is of supreme in terest. The change of a ttitu d e of th e church toward th e world has resu lted in a rem ark ab le change of a ttitu d e of th e world tow ard th e church. As th e church has softened down its message, trimm ed its garm ents and pussy-footed among men, th e world has tu rn ed a cold shoulder tow ards the church, and has no t favored its efforts to be chummy w ith it and im itate its life. As long as th e church m aintained its dignity as the representative of Jehovah, it was respected even by its enem ies; b u t when it sought to compete w ith th e world and provide literary en tertainm en ts and semi-worldly amusements, th e world has resented its efforts and laughed a t its silly pretensions. I t is humorous, yet hum iliating, to see th e Church of God fo rgetting its call and commission and ignoring th e command of its Lord and Master to preach th e Gospel and to te ll the story of God’s sacrificial offering for sin,— dishing out literary diffusions, dabbling
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S 591 in politics, seeking to please and en tertain the souls th a t are hu rry ing to hell,— ra th e r th a n seeking to save some from th e doomed wreck. The a ttitu d e of th e church has changed, and th e world has lost confidence in it, and men are restlessly seeking re st in every form of devil’s device, and false systems are th riv ing everywhere. In using the term “ church,” it is to he under stood th a t we are speaking of its tendencies as a whole. T hank God, th ere are churches and preachers, tru e as steel, standing hy th e ir guns, holding fearlessly fo rth th e Word of God, pure in purpose, self-sacrificing in life, and as ready to go the stake as were th e m arty rs, and these preachers and people compose the sa lt which saves th e world from th e impending w rath of God. D O M EN Really Care for tke Church ? In a city of 600,000 people, th e w riter has spent th irte en years in finding out w hat are conditions, and w hat is the a ttitu d e of men and women tow ard the evangelical churches. F rom ten to tw enty choice, intelligent, devoted Bible Women, w ith a knowledge of God’s Word, and w ith h earts full of sympathy, have gone from day to day, from house to house, visiting homes, holding neighborhood classes, talk ing w ith mothers and daughters, seeking w ith earnest desire to be as helpful as possible to them . These women have learned th e ir life stories as only such women could learn it, and know well the a ttitu d e of homes toward the church, and some of these stories would make angels weep. F o r ten years a larg e class of young women, in number from one to two hundred, have gathered once a week. These young women come from th e offices and stores and rep resen t the average homes of th e city. The life sto ry of some of these young women as told into sympathetic ears, would astound some of these easy-going “world getting b etter every day” theologians. But these stories only reflect the a ttitu d e of th e home tow ard the church. In o rd er to feel th e pulse of business men on th is subject, the services of a practical business man were secured. He had a fine personality and a sincere love for th e souls of men. F o r more th an a year he spent each day calling upon men in th e offices and stores, conferring w ith business and professional men in a can did, practical manner, w ith reference to th e ir relation to Jesus Christ and the church. The consensus of opinion was th a t th e m ajo rity of men did no t care for th e church. Most of them used Sunday for th e ir holiday. Many had found th e m inistry of the church w ithou t in te rest to them . Many had followed th e ir wives into Christian Science, Theosophy and Spiritualism , b u t the bulk were uncon cerned, giving as th e ir reason th a t th ere were so many cults, so many denom ina tions, so little of definiteness in the preaching, th a t they were satisfied to d rift to etern ity “ doing th e best they could.” The following extracts are from “The Life of F a ith ,” an English paper: One of th e prom inent “ signs of the tim es”*—clearly p ointing to our Lord’s im m inent “appear in g ”—is the C hristlessness in o u r m odern pulpit and pew. Spiritsim , C hristian Science, U nitarian- ism , in its m ost d estru ctiv e form as E thical R eligion, and o th er cults are -openly preached, and as openly practised, today. I had th e painful experience recently, a t a B rotherhood m eeting held in one of our prom inent B ap tist churches in N o rth London, of hearing a m in ister of C hrist telling his audience th a t he cared not “a b u tto n w hat they believed—it w as th e life w hich m attered ” ; and th a t “th e m an who h u n g on yonder Cross died for an ideal for w hich you and I are too full-blooded to die” ; and th a t “ Spiritualism w as th e religion of th e soul,” &c., &c. Is th ere no t here evidence of “a falling aw ay” from “th e faith once delivered to th e sain ts” ? The present condition of the churches. T he g reat m ajority are m erely “carry in g on,” as the soldiers say, w ith th eir established or usual system s. M any preachers are denying th e tru th . „ afe
592 THE KI NG' S BUS I NES S Spiritualism fis even ta u g h t in some churches (Rev. 2:13). T here are o th ers who hold the W ord of T ru th w ith accuracy, b u t see no fru it. M any are very earn est, b u t fruitless. Viewed from the outside, th e preaching is as an idle tale (though it be tru th ). M en hear th e W ord, b u t fear not (Rom. 3:18). W hat, are called m en’s “B ible-classes” are often dom inated by a com pany of unbe lievers who receive greedily the erro rs of R usselism , &c. T his I say from a considerable experi ence. Few of these have fru it unto conversions. T hank God th ere are a^few w hich are no t like th is 1 M ay o u r God bless and m ultiply them . Then the training of the m inistry is largely in the hands of unbelievers or hig h er critics or those who are m erely “ scholars.” A stu d en t told me th a t (at th e tim e of speaking) they had no t considerd a Scripture a t his college for two years! A nother (now a clergym an) told in a m eeting th a t th ere w as no t one teacher _he had in college who believed th e S crip tu res to be the W ord of God. No w onder som e of th e m in isters find th em selves serv in g in politics in stead of the Spirit of God, o th ers preaching o th er m en’s serm ons, &c., &c. B u t enough. A re we prepared to acknow ledge th ese th in g s to be so—even as God sees them ? D aniel fo u n d 'fav o u r w ith God as he prayed and confessed his own sins and the sins of his people (D an. 9:20-23). These plcures of th e a ttitu d e of th e people in general tow ard th e church are not fancies, h u t cold facts from faith fu l w itnesses, and m ust be looked upon as some of th e “ signs of th e tim es.” There has been a m arked change in th e home life of Christian people. The new era for women has developed a new type of mother. Children see h u t little of th e ir parents. F ath e rs are absorbed in business, politics, lodges and pleasure. Mothers have th e ir clubs, th e ir social functions, and th e re is very little fam ily life or prayer. There is a scarcity of old-fashioned home life fo r little children. Not many m others have th e knack of gath ering th e ir children around th e ir knee, and telling them Bible stories. Few even tuck th e ir children in bed and kneel to pray w ith them , and many C hristian homes are no t much more th a n family boarding houses. In no departm en t of th e world’s life are th e signs more significant th an those which confront us in th e social life of our country and of th e world. The d rift from th e moorings of th e Word of God in th e schools and homes, is evidenced in th e life of th e young people, and th e statistics concerning crime are startling . A large percentage of th e crimes for th eft, burglary, bandittry, arson, and sometimes m urder, are found to have been comm itted by th e boys and girls, th e young men and women. F rom twelve to tw enty years m arks the average age of crim inals. Even if we were w ithou t a Bible, we would be compelled to believe in a personal devil; some m alignant enemy of God and man, plying his devilish trad e everywhere. Go to th e Juvenile Courts and Detention Homes; ta lk w ith th e Moral Efficiency leaders; h ear the stories of almost unbelievable crime comm itted by those we used to call children; ask th e white slave experts; go to the dance halls; visit the movies; listen to th e conversation; consult physicians; ask our judges; confer w ith newspaper reporters. The policeman can tell you; so can th e detectives in th e reta il stores. Read the newspapers. No m a tte r where you go for inform ation, you will have your eyes open to a picture w ith a background as black as hell itself. We have veiled our eyes; we have slumbered over th e volcano, u n til it has broken ou t and is now belching fo rth its fire. We have been so busy w ith little things, so occupied w ith th e cares and pleasures of life, so engrossed w ith tu rn in g wheels which bring no grist, th a t we have been blind to conditions, and T h e s o c i a l Sign T H E C H A N G E in Home Life:
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S 593 now they sta rtle us. The little, chirping reform ers are always painting rainbows for us and assuring us th a t we are steadily moving upward and onward toward th e rosy ideal. They are su re th a t th e world is getting b etter and b etter every day; th e outlook is so pleasing; we m ust be cheerful and courageous; evolution of th e divine sp irit is slow b u t su re; they are very positive of this! We m ust not believe w hat the Bible says about th e d ark days; it must no t be tak en literally ; it does no t mean w h at it says; they are probing the m atter, are organizing new societies; they have a glorious vision; be p atien t; be hopeful; be happy; don’t be a pessimist! In th e meanwhile, th e devil is ram pant. Divorces multiply; homes are broken; children neglected; crime increases; churches are closed; jails are filled; taxes increase, and th e little d illetan te lectu rers go on singing th e ir lullaby of “Keep sweet, all is well.” The g reat bulk of people are unconscious of the appalling facts. Many good Christian people really believe th a t these are th e palmy days of th e church, and th a t th e world is slowly being converted. P acts do not mean anything to these people who are doing “ fancy w ork,” sw inging in th e ir hammocks, and dream ing blissful dream s of a coming m illennium . ^ 4 . .$&. .s&. a ? » T h e J e w i s h Sign H ere we have a sign big w ith meaning, and notw ithstanding th a t we have been told th a t th e Jews would never re tu rn to P alestine; th a t th ere was no prophecy concerning th e establishm ent of a kingdom on earth ,— the beginning of th e end is before us. A Jew ish Republic is assured. The Zionists are on the job. Thousands of Jews go w ithout a meal a day to fu rth e r th is cause. Many have daredyto make ligh t of God’s Word, and now He answers th e ir audacious challenge by verifying His predictions. W ill these lying critics confess th e ir erro r? Never. Before th e late w ar they insisted th a t th e re would never be ano th er war. Now they are predicting again th a t th ere will be no more war. They tell us th a t th e establishm ent of a Jew ish Republic does not mean th a t the Lord will come to sit upon th e th rone of David. Oh, no,— they are sure th a t such a th ing is not possible. He would not be so unkind as to spoil all of th e ir theories and bring a tim e of trouble such as th e world has never known! “Never m ind th e predictions. Ju st be hopeful! We have a few more societies to form ; a New E ra movement to in augu rate; all is well; God is on th e th ron e; we are evoluting upw ard; look up; be cheerful; be optim istic; th e best is ju st ahead; tak e a few more doses of the H igher Critics soothing syrup and be buoy an t!” There is, however a Jew ish aw akening to the Gospel and never since the crucifixion have th e Jews been so ready to listen to the Gospel message; never so many Jew ish believers. A fter persistent, faith fu l years of sowing now, every where, Jew ish eyes are opening to th e tru th and hundreds are coming to Jesus as th e ir Messiah and the Scriptures are being fulfilled.-—T. C. H.
LA TTER D A T DELUSIONS, the Supreme Effort of Satan The Biblical prophecies indicate th a t in th e la st days of th e age in which we are living, we are to expect an intensified apostasy, to be manifested along th ree
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distin ct lines, namely— infidelity, heresy and fanaticism . The infidel has already come, and in many cases has found his way behind the pulpit. He has induced thousands to reje ct the au tho rity of th e Bible. The heretics also are w ith us in numbers never before known. H undreds of strange doctrines are exploited, each bolstered up w ith scattered passages from th e Bible. Each of these manages cleverly to shroud th e very h ea rt of th e Gospel, if not to openly, abhor the doctrine of th e Cross and scorn those who “ hang th e ir souls on such a barbarous tragedy as the crucifixion.” On top of these two classes of delusions, we are also w itness ing an increasing number of fanatics who push thousands beyond the bounds of common sense or Bible au tho rity , all unaw are th a t in th e ir extrem ism they are being used of th e devil as much as th e infidel or heretic. The infidel appeals to th e worldly m inded; th e heretic gets th e inquisitive- minded ones; th e fanatic captures th e emotional ones. J. Hudson B allard points ou t th a t Scripture defines th ree leading character istics of la tte r day delusions. (1) G reat power. 2 Tim. 3 :8 ; Mt. 24:24, 7:22, 23; 2 Thes. 2:9. The devil oils the tongues of his servants, charges them w ith Satanic magnetism and gives them power over the m inds of whole bodies of men. (2 ) G reat deception. Rev. 13 :14 ; 2 Thes. 2 :10 ; Mt. 24:24. Satan is a prince of deceivers and in these days he is calling fo rth all the depths of treacherou s cun ning th a t are in him . Some of his servants carry Bibles under th e ir arm s, have 'i a t th e ir tongues’ end and apparen tly quote it w ith reverence. They have the rig h t b ait for every case. (3) G reat success, th e n a tu ra l resu lt of g reat power and g reat deception. Mt. 24:11; 2 Thes. 2 :3 ; 1 Tim. 5-: 1; 2 Tim. 3 :3 ; 2 P et. 2:
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S 595 1-2. People have an idea th a t the success of a teaching is the evident m ark of God’s favor and they resen t one’s m aking any attack s upon them , saying “ If it be no t of God it will come to nough t.” Don’t forget, however, th a t th e success of FALSE TEACHINGS is clearly prophesied for th e days ju st p rio r to the second coming of Christ, and th e g reat strid es of these modern religious movements which have parted company w ith th e fundam entals of Scripture, are therefo re only an indication of th e ir in fern al origin. W hat shall we do in days like these? Whose doctrine shall we accept? How shall we keep from being swept off our feet? “TO THE LAW AND TO THE TESTIMONY.” Take God’s Word from the pure stream . No filters are needed. A real revival of Bible study is th e only hope of the church. Not only th a t, b u t we must, in connection w ith th e completeness of God’s Word, know God H imself th rough prayer. Well may we trem ble if we do n o t w alk w ith God and search H is Word. “My soul be on thy guard, ; Ten thousand foes arise. The hosts of sin are fighting hard To keep thee from the skies.” —K. L. B. I k H i O P E N A N D SH U T Doors “ The doors of entrance into th e different countries of th e world are open. L et th e church get busy and send m issionaries into these countries w ith th e Gospel.” This is th e one argum en t th a t has been found in almost all of th e m is sionary appeals for th e past fifty years. God has marvelously opened th e doors of th e nations and fulfilled Rev. 3:7, in which Jesus speaking from heaven, afte r H is ascension, said to the Philadelphian church, “These th ing s saith He th a t is holy, He th a t is tru e, He th a t h ath th e key of David, He th a t openeth, and no man sh u tte th .” W hat an opportunity h as waited before th e church of the p ast century. W h^t aids she has had in th e improved methods of travel and modern appliances. It is tru e th a t th e pioneer m issionaries opened th e way into these isolated, hide bound peoples; and the tra d e r and modern methods of civilization have followed. Over 30 years ago th e preachers were saying th a t all the world stood open to the preaching of th e Gospel, except Bolivia and Tibet. Now th e church has m ission aries in both of these countries. As to w hether th e church has m easured up to th is opportunity, judge ye. Many have th e conviction th a t she has no t; although we have seen some grand trium ph s of th e cross in th e past century. But now comes a world w ar th a t up tu rn s nations and brings them into closer relation politically. Many churches and societies have been burdened w ith w ar m atters. New laws are being made in different countries. W ill these laws restric t th e spreading of th e Gospel or aid it? The other day a form er m issionary said a t a meeting of one of the m issionary councils, in speaking of a certain portion of Africa, “We will have to pray th is field open again.” Africa h as been open to th e Gospel since those heroic days of Livingston and Moffatt. Shall any of h er provinces be closed again to th e Gospel of Christ? Shall any p a rt of th e world be closed again to heaven’s “Good News?” In answer to these questions read again in Rev. 3:7. “He th a t openeth, and no man sh u tte th .” But th e verse does not stop there. It goes on to say “and shut-
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THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S te th an d no m an openeth.” W ill th e tim e come th rough the m isuse of m issionary opportunities, and abuse of n ational privileges, and th e neglect of th e church, when men will pass laws th a t will b ar th e open preaching of the Gospel? If so, then, let us jum p a t every opportunity to make Christ known now, lest th e la tte r p a rt of th is verse become tru e in our day, “He th a t sh u tteth and no man openeth ” —W. H. P. T H IS M A TT ER of Reconstruction We have before us a copy of th e New York Herald, dated April 15, 1865. It records the assassination of P resid en t Lincoln, th e su rrend er of Gen. Lee, the movements.of Gen. Sherman, the la st appeal of Jeff Davis to his followers and an article on th e question of “R econstruction a fte r th e W ar.” The problem of reconstruction in those days was great, b u t a mere drop in th e bucket to w hat it is today w ith the whole world involved. The world had been generally suppposed to have arrived a t th e point where w ar was impossible, when th is most terrib le cataclysm came upon us. Is it any wonder th a t a prom i nen t note in th e peace parleys has been PEAR OF THE FUTURE? In spite of th e extremely optim istic views heralded by some preachers as to th e new born world brotherhood of man, it becomes more and more apparen t th a t not only is it impossible to make the world safe for democracy, b u t equally out of th e question to make democracy safe for th e world. The spectre of the fu tu re persists in h aun ting the best dream s of statesm en, and th e re is abundan t S crip tu ral reason for believing th a t th ere is yet to come upon the world th a t which can only be stayed from en tirely destroying hum anity, by the personal coming of th e Prince of Peace. Clemenceau is no prophet bu t he says: “W ar is no t a t an end; th e re is merely a lull in th e sto rm .” The P rim e M inister of G reat B ritain says: “ I would n o t like to predict w h at will happen in th e next year or two. Civilization, unless we try and save it, and save together, may be precipitated and sh attered into atom s.” Secretary of W ar Baker says: “ I do no t know w hat we will have in the next war, b u t I know th a t already we were on th e eve of seeing implements which will be controlled by w ireless devices, and which will be launched from here, say, and aimed a t a place 150 miles away and will be controlled by w ireless waves un til they get there, and then drop down in th e m iddle of a populous city 500 pounds of TNT and blow up men and women by the thousands.” Secretary of th e Navy Daniels, says: “ If the conference does not resu lt in a general agree m ent to pu t an end to naval building on the p a rt of all nations, then th e U. S. m ust bend her energies, m ust give her men and give her money to th e ta sk of th e creation of incomparably the g reatest navy in th e world.” Ju stice Clarke of the U. S. Supreme Court says: “Something new ; something different, m ust be introduced into th e in tern ation al organization of th e world if we can legitim ately hope for anything like perm anent peace. Unless something is done, we shall cer tainly d rift into ano ther war, and w hat is th a t next war to b e?” W hat is th a t SOMETHING NEW and D IFFERENT? Have we not yet learned th a t th ere can be no perm anent reconstruction ap a rt from th e sp iritual reconstruction of th e individual? ; We are th ink ing too much in m ultitudes. We ta lk of SOCIAL regeneration. It is easy to th in k in the mass. I t gives some people a terrib le sensation to get down to th ink ing of the individual. An English
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NESS 597 exchange says: “We are brought sharply to th e conclusion th a t reconstruction Is a topic th a t vitally affects each one of us, inasmuch as society is made up of sep arate individuals and unless individuals are remade, th ere is no chance of th e new age being superior to th e one th a t preceded it.” It all am ounts to one thing. Until Jesus Christ comes to “ru le w ith a rod of iron,” th ere is ju st one way to really get a t the problem of reconstruction: by a vigorous p resen tation of th e Gospel of salvation to th e individual. “ If any man be in Christ he is a new creatu re.” Of course God’s plan of reconstruction will not be taken under consideration by th e Peace Conference and th e name of Christ will probably not be mentioned. Nevertheless we are compelled to affirm th a t now is th e tim e for every Christian to be busy declaring “ th e whole counsel of God.” Those m inisters who, in such a time, are trying to m ake soup ou t of th e Gospel are simply helping to ru sh the world on to th e tim e when the an ti-ch rist “by peace shall destroy many” (Dan. 8 :2 5 ).— K. L. B. T h e f e d e r a t i o n of ckurckes I t has come a t last. Slowly, b u t surely, the evangelical church has been progressing tow ards a federation. F ed eration is in th e air. The League of Nations has been evolved for the settlem en t of world troubles. Now a federation of churches is to settle th e church troubles. Bishop Greer of the Episcopal Church say s: “W h at we need in these tim es is organic union in the churches. If all denom inations, Catholic and P ro testa n t com bined and becam e one, we would th en have a g reat universal church. In England, th e w ar has broken down some of the b ars betw een th e Episcopal and non-C onform ist churches, and in Canada a p artial union exists betw een the M ethodist and P resb y terian denom ina tions, so th a t th e U nited S tates is no t alone in h er m ovem ent tow ards g reater u n ity .” Bishop Greer has asked th a t a Roman Catholic p riest be perm itted to conduct one of th e Holy Week services, and said th a t he was in full sympathy w ith the official steps in th e direction of unity. O ther denom inations in th is country besides th e Episcopalian and Congregational churches, have expressed th eir sym pathy w ith th e movement. Here are a few of th e recent utteran ces among th e leaders in England: , „ “I? th e fu tu re, C atholics and P ro testa n ts should finally m eet in a comm on devotion” (BishoD of H ereford). , “i i we !?a,XS,a M odernist Pope, we should all be in th e Rom an Catholic church tom orrow ” (R. J. Campbell, of The New Theology” fame). , “ I, am looking for th e creation of a U nited C atholic C hurch th ro u g h o u t the w orld.” (Bishoo of London). Mr. J. Scott L idgett, Secretary of th e F ree Church Council says: Ü j “In Éjjf ju dgm ent we o ught frankly to co-operate w ith the R om an Catholic C hurch, the O rthodox C hurch and all o th er form s of C h ristian ity , w ith th is object; If th e Pope is prepared to lead the w ay, no ecclesiastical or theological difference, how ever im portant, should be allowed to prev en t p ro te sta n ts from joining him .” Two years ago a le tte r was addressed to th e Pope by the representatives of
FORM OF BEQUEST To Bible Institute o f Los Angeles
I give and bequeath to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, incorporated under the laws o f the State o f California .................... dollars, and I direct that the release o f the President o f the Board o f Directors o f said Bible Institute o f Los Angeles shall be sufficient discharge to my executors in the premises.
598 THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S “ The World Conference of F aith and O rder” and a reply was sent from Cardinal Gaspari and read a t a session of th e conference held in New York, attended by delegates from tw enty denom inations, and received w ith vociferous applause, from which the following sentences are taken : - “ThankinK you, then, th a t you have th o u g h t well to req u est the aid and support of the Rom an Pontiff in expediting your w ork and project, H is H oliness expresses his earn est desire th a t the end m ay answ er your expectation. He know s th a t he him self, (the Pope) as th e one to whom all m en have been given over to be fed, is th e 'so u rc e and cause of the unity of the church. It certainly is a rem ark ab le conclusion th a t the Pope is th e one in whom is headed up the unity of th e Spirit! . .. Can we discern w hat is foreshadowed in th is tendency, m preparation for the fulfillment of th e S cripture (Rev. 1 7 :5 ). ‘‘A nd upon her forehead a nam e w ritten . M ystery, Babylon, th e G reat, the M other of H arlots and of th e A bom inations of th e E a rth .” The P ro te sta n t church came out from th e Roman church under protest. Is she to go back and find a resting and nesting place w ith the “m other of h arlo ts?” Is th e re not ano th er call to th e P ro te sta n t churches to lift the voice and cry out in p ro test against such a federation of churches? L isten to the prophet Isaiah: “ For th e L ord spake th u s to m e w ith ’a stro n g hand, and in stru cted me not to w alk in the Say ye *noL A c.conspiracy, concerning all w hereof th is people shall say , A co n sp iracy ; n eith er fear ye th eir fear, nor be in dread thereof.” (Isa. 8:11, 12).—T. C. H. I s TH E W ORLD Getting Better? Is th is age b e tte r th a n all preceding ages? W hat is m eant by th e word “ b e tte r’ ” Do we mean more civilized, more enlightened, g reater advances m science’ Of course, we look back for ideals in music and poetry and art, b u t the machinery of the world has been oiled by inventions. Engines are b etter; ships an d train s ru n faster; th ere are more conveniences; we have appliances, automo biles and airplanes; b etter buildings for homes and schools; more delicacies for th e table- more com fortable beds; b etter clothes. If th is is w hat we mean by the world being b etter, we can say yeff. We have higher wages, less hours of work, more holidays, g reater p riv ileg es— b u t is th e world pu rer, m ankind holier? Let us ask ourselves a few fran k questions. A re politics p u re r? Ask a real politician. He will laugh a t you. The two words “ politics” and “ pu rity ” never can be joined together. They were divorced in th e ir creation. Try and get a good law passed and your eyes will be opened. Ask a lobbyist. , . I ... , „ 1 Is th e business world p u re r? The sta tu te books are crowded w ith laws to hinder men from dishonest dealings. Are combinations and tru sts organized for th e benefit of th e “ little fellow,” on a brotherly love basis? Well, hardly. It is “ every tru s t for itself and the devil take th e little fellow” and he does, and often th e big fellow, too. . . . . . . I Is it b e tte r over in Russia? Ask th e starving, dying millions. Ask th e crazed Bolsheviks, w ith knife in hand. | I Is it b etter in Poland? Ask th e persecuted Jews, robbed and m urdered and peelecL b e tte r ^ Ire ian(j? Does peace, sweet peace hover over the Em erald Isle? Of course, you would not expect an affirmative answer from Germany, or A ustria, or Turkey or the Balkan States. N either F rance, or Italy would say th a t th e ir world was growing b etter. Honestly now, is th ere a place on th e footstool where an honest man could claim th a t these are th e best days we have ever known? Listen, hark , h ear; there is a sob a moan, a cry going up from th is poor, sin-cursed world such as has never been heard1before. Is society better? Well, women dress more expensively, but do they w ear as many clothes? Are men being purified by seeing half naked women parading th e streets? Lewd men used to* stand on th e stre e t and watch for th e wind to blow so th a t they m ight get a glimpse of a woman’s ankles; now .they see th e ir knees. f . . jj■.... . k SroHifflro , H i Is th e dance b e tte r? One of th e leading dancing m asters said recently th a t
THE K I N G ’S BUS I NES S 599 dances are now designed to promote lust. Are th e crowded dance halls a sign of th e pu rity of h e a rt of th e people? F o r years, th e w riter has tried to get some man in a Men s Meeting to say th a t he has engaged in round dances w ith pure thoughts, h u t has never found one. A re th e homes b e tte r? Domestic life cleaner; divorces fewer; children more obedient and respectful and happier? Is crime on th e decrease; are th e re fewer holdups, fewer bandits, fewer thefts, fewer seductions, fewer m u rd ers’ ’ Are th e re as many m urders in all Italy as in th e city of Chicago in one year? A re th e re few er bombs th row n? Are th e re fewer checks on salesmen con ductors and other employees? Are th e churches and Sunday Schools fu lle r’ Do we need fewer policemen? Are the jails em ptier? Who is it believes th a t th e world is getting b etter? Certainly, God does not th ink so, for He predicts in H is Word th a t it will be worse and worse un til the end. The devil does not th ink so for he knows his tim e is sh o rt and he is working over time. Lawyers know the world is no t getting b etter; th a t is why they are so busy Doctors know it isn ’t b u t th ey cannot tell all they know. Don’t let any one tell you th a t th ere is g reater advance in science, nor won derful improvement in machinery, th a t you can travel th rough the sky to the moon, th a t it is far more com fortable to live. T h at is no t th e question. Is th e age improving, morally and spiritu ally ? You will find some preachers and teachers who will say it is, b u t you never can find one who can prove it Make them prove it.—-T. C. H. ¿1^, Ms? M i T H E SHORTEN ED and Improved (?) Bible This is one of the signs of the times: that men will not endure sound teaching and that they shall turn away their ears from the truth. (2 Tim. 4.3, 4), There are some portions of the Bible that men are willing to endure, if they must, but there are other portions which they consider immaterial or entirely outworn. Hence the recent movement to get a “ shorter Bible” trimmed to suit the modern mind. “ The Shorter Bible” is now ready, the New Testament being already in print, the Old to appear soon. Professor Kent of Yale University with the help of one or two others has done the job. Many scholars have given their approval and the thing is booming. It is true that the professor is a great scholar, but his scholarship is that of liberalism, and we need not go on to say what type of passages have been eliminated as “ unimportant” and what passages have been patched up to meet the popular demand. The shorter Bible is remarkable— for its omissions. One well known Christian seholar says of it, “ The deadliness is seen, not in how much is omitted, but in what is omitted. *’ There may be a real call for an edition of the Scriptures giving only the most vital truths necessary for the study of busy Christians or for using in dealing with others. This might be a convenience, provided one did not make it a substitute for the whole Bible. But beware—when some self- appointed scholar who does not believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scrip tures gets out his scissors and paste-pot and proposes to give us what there is of the Bible that “ is of practical value.” J. B. Smith after reviewing the work, well says “ The tactics of Professor Kent and his associates are a modern repetition of the tactics of the first higher critic (Gen. 3 :1) and it is a mark of the apostasy.” We agree with the statement of the Sunday School Times: “ The Shorter Bible rejects the inspiration of the Word of God, therefore evangelical Christian believers must reject the Shorter Bible —K. L. B.
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