third World War with its possibility o f total destruction. The Scriptures seem to indicate no great holocaust with nations using the terrific weapons developed within the past few years. Rather, the Book o f Revelation seems to indicate that God Himself will pour out destruction upon the sons o f men who have been hateful and disobedient to His offers o f mercy and love. Do not misunderstand. It is not that mankind would not destroy itself, but rather that God will not allow it to be self-annihilated. The punishment which is to come will be from the hand o f God upon a disobedient world. So we may expect incidents like that o f the Korean war and others, perhaps even more dangerous, but in and through it all great world-encircling movements are shaping up, such as the division o f the nations o f the world into two camps, with the Roman Empire as head o f one, and the great Northern Confederacy headed by Rus sia constituting the other. These are aligning themselves for the last great world conflict which will take place on schedule as God has before declared. The message in this for us today is that blessed and bright one o f the Lord’s return for His church. Rapidly- moving events seem to indicate un questionably the nearness o f that great event. The church of Christ ought to be busy about her Master’s business, seeking to utilize every mo ment for the spread o f the gospel and the salvation o f never-dying souls. According to many Bible expositors, this may take place at any moment. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! Readers o f this magazine will re member that last fall Dr. Louis T. Talbot, President o f the Bible Insti tute of Los Ángeles, visited various mission fields o f the world where alumni of the Bible Institute and other missionaries are carrying on their work for the Lord. Upon his return, Dr. Talbot brought with him over 15,000 feet o f beautiful Kodachrome, motion pictures. Beginning with .the first o f Septem ber and continuing through October and November, Dr. Talbot will be speaking in the major cities o f Oregon and Washington, and showing these pictures. Everywhere they have been shown, there has been a real quicken ing o f the missionary pulse of the people and an acceptance of the chal lenge for missionary service by the young people present. Friends o f the Bible Institute are A U G U S T , 1 9 5 0 Dr. Louis T. Talbot in Oregon and Washington
asked to pray that the ministry o f Dr. Talbot may be even more widely used to bring about a widespread revival of missionary interest to the people o f the West Coast. Churches desiring bookings with Dr. Talbot or with Rev. George Wheatley, a member o f the Field-Extension Staff o f the Bible In stitute, who is also equipped with copies o f these films, are asked to write to the Extension Department of the Bible Institute, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, California. The God of the Volcanoes One o f the most persistently-recur ring questions in the minds of many Christian people has to do with God's dealing with those who have never heard the name o f the Lord Jesus Christ. It seems entirely consistent to many that God should utterly condemn those who have repeatedly rejected the claims o f Christ, but it has oc casioned no end o f questioning that God should inexorably demand the eternal death o f those who have never heard of Christ. A true story here will serve as a good illustration: Two missionaries in Central Amer ica were making a journey to a village into which no gospel witness had ever gone before. The village was very in accessible, taking three weeks by muleback to reach it; it was located, too, on the slopes o f an extinct vol cano. As was the custom o f the mission aries, as soon as they began their meeting in the town square, they at tempted to tie in their message with a point o f local interest. So their first words were, “We come from the God who made the volcano, and we preach the message that the God o f the vol cano would have us preach.” A fter the message was given, there were two men who came up to the missionaries, their faces radiant, and made known to them their joy and delight over the missionaries’ coming. The native men remarked that they had been praying for the coming of the missionaries for two long years, and now their prayers had been an swered. This was puzzling, indeed, and they were asked how they had known about praying fo r the coming o f the true gospel message. The answer was sim ple. These two natives were in the habit o f praying in the local temple and one day, one said to the other, “ These are not our gods here. These are images we have made with our own hands. Let us pray to the true God. Let us pray to the God who
made the volcano, and let us ask Him to send us information about Him self.” This they did, for two years continuing to pray to the God who made the volcano, asking for light and wisdom concerning Himself. The result was that God heard the prayers o f these men who, although they knew not Christ, recognized the fact that there was a God in Heaven so powerful and so compassionate that He would send the truth about Him self to an earnest inquirer. Many feel that this story is re peated times without number the world over. Heathen lift their hearts to the God o f the volcano, or the God who made the sun, or the God who created the earth, and in answer to their sincere cry for more light, God sends the messenger with the gospel o f salvation in Christ. Of this one thing we are absolutely certain. Our God is a righteous God, not desiring that any should perish, and He will most surely deal in absolute justice with the entire world, including the heathen. Not Too Late It is not too late to plan to attend one o f the conferences sponsored by the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles this summer. Here is the pertinent in formation : August 5-9 —Pacific Palisades ( Gen eral— adults and young people). Near Santa Monica in Southern California. Meals and lodgings from $13.25, var ious accommodations available. Dr. Talbot will show his world pictures. August 13-20— Mt. Hermon (General — adults and children). Near Santa Cruz in Central Calif., meals and lodging from $20.00, various accom modations available. Speakers will be Drs. Talbot, McGee, and Feinberg. Dr. Talbot’s world pictures will be shown. August 13-20— Mt. Hermon (Young people). Held concurrently with above general, meals and lodging (dormi tory) $16.00, transportation available from Southern California. Pastors Wendt, Padgett, and McGee will be the speakers. August 20-27 ■— Covenant Beach (General—adults and young people). Midway between Seattle and Tacoma on the Sound, meals and lodging from $20.00, various types o f accommoda tions available. Dr. Talbot’s world pic tures will be shown. Write at once for further informa tion to : Dr. William W. Orr, Exten sion Department, The Bible Institute o f Los Angeles, 558 So. Hope Street, Los Angeles 17, California. (Continued on Page 18J Paae Five
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