APRIL,1951
fiUSIHESS
110 acres— 11 buildings, 10-acre athletic field— the 4 main buildings house furnished classrooms and dormitories, 5,000-volume library, equipped science laboratory, chapel and business oifices. How The "MIRACLE DOLLAR CAMPUS" May Be "WHOLLY THE LORD'S"
THIS THIRD VICTORY WOULD MEAN . . . the propertv would be “ wholly the Lord’s” . . . God would be honored and further praise would be given Him . . . a saving of $6,000 annual interest . . . more recruits training for the Lord’s Army to obey the Command o f the Great Commission. • THE EYES OF THOUSANDS are still turned toward “ Providence” watching and waiting to see if the balance can be raised to pay for this property “ in full.”
N o t by the FIRST VICTORY— the bid of a single dollar more than our competitor— for which we praise God! Order of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart of New England....$331,000 Providence Bible Institute...........$331,001 • Nor by the SECOND VICTORY— the 181,- 001 “ miracle dollars” that poured in from God’s people to meet the deadline for the down payment and thus secure title — for which we likewise praise God! • But by our receiving, by June 1, the last “ Miracle Dollar” of the $150,000 yet needed to make the final payment on the property. This would be the THIRD VICTORY for which we would also praise God!
ONE SINGLE DOLLAR from every one who reads this appeal— and that's all we ask, unless you care to give more —will help achieve this THIRD GLORIOUS VICTORY! Will you help make this campus “ WHOLLY THE LORD’ S” by sending your “MIRACLE DOLLAR” TODAY? PROV ID ENC E B IBLE INST I TUTE 100 STATE STREET PROVIDENCE 8, RHODE ISLAND The complete story of “ The Miracle Dollar” will be sent you upon request. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Page Two
BUSINESS
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"Doesn't Like Labels" If you were in our home (which would be a happy occasion for us) you would find many religious periodicals. We like every feature of The King’s Business and are glad to have a publication which so earnestly contends for the faith once delivered unto the saints. I cannot agree with the lady who wrote in your Reader Reaction that she did not like labels. Labels are necessary to designate poisons. A correct label is our safeguard. Some of our church dignitaries and those under their con trol poison the spiritual lives of many whom they fascinate with their winning personalities and persuasive oratory. They should be “ labeled.” A few quotations from Federal (now National) Council leaders should suffice: “ Is not the tendency to deify Jesus more heathen than Christian?” “ Jesus Christ is the summit of evo lution.” “ Of course I do not believe in the Virgin Birth . . . I do not know o f any intelligent Christian minister who does.” “ The legend of the fall . . . bristles with difficulties.” “ Nothing is easier than to make a joke of the whole story of the .flood.” “ It would be an error to consider the Soviet leader a wilful man who believes in forcing his ideas upon others.” C. H. W r ig h t Fredericktown, Ohio I find your magazine a great help by exposing apostasy and false teaching. I especially enjoy Reader Reaction and Dr. Talbot’s Question Box. With reference to the letter in the February issue entitled, “ Doesn’t Like Labels” we read In Genesis 6:15 “ God set a mark upon Cain.” It is easy to understand that it was for his protec tion, “ Lest any finding him should kill him.” This mark would also serve as a warning to separate from his danger ous religious practice. I believe we should expose everything endangering the soul wherever it is manifested. May God help The King’s Business to keep the readers posted! H o w a r d F l in t Randall, N. Y. I am interested in true Christian doctrine . . . according to the Scriptures. Am non-sectarian, and believe that “ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” I do not believe in the so-called Federal Council o f Churches, to bring people together into the unity of true faith under a compromise of man’s wis dom; it would not be Christian. But I do believe that Christians should come into a better unity of faith. H e r m a n J. H e g w e r
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
William W. Orr, D.D.
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
Editor in Chief
Associate Editor
Copyright, 1951, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. Vol. 42 April 1951 No. 4 Reader Reaction ................................................................................... 3 Editorially Speaking ......................|.................................................. 4 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box ................................................................... 6 The Bible Institute and Revival, James H. Jauncey ...................... 7 Are You Ready for M-Day? Sergeant Ralph L. Johnson ................ 8 Poem, Today I Walk in Strength, Kathryn Blackburn Peck ............ 8 Four Thousand Miles Up the Amazon, Louis T. Talbot .................. 9 Ancient Wisdom on Revelation? Harry Rimmer .............................. 10 The Steps of Sin, Eddie Wagner ..................................................... 12 Thou Shepherd of Israel and Mine, Charles Wesley ........................ 12 The Formosan Miracle, Dick Hillis ...................................................... 13 Poem, “ Behold He Prays,” William Cowper .......... ........................... 15 The Lord Meets His People at Bogoro, Marjorie M cIn tosh .......... 16 I Saw Folsom, Louis T. Talbot .. 9 g ................................................ 17 Biola Family Circle ....................................................................... 18 Love, Courtship andMarriage, William W. Orr ................................ 19 Junior King’s Business: Are You a Weed? Bernice C. Thursen .. 21 Book Reviews .......................................................................... 23 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. W ilson ......................................... 24 Bible Quiz, Vernon Howard ............... 27 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison Arrowood ............ 29 Miscellanea ..................................................................................... .. •• 37 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ..................................................... 40 Picture Credits: Cover, Eva Luoma, Weirton, W. Va. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “ The King’s Business” is published m onthly; $2.00, one year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs o f three or more at special rates. W rite for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change o f 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 o f 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 A ct o f March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the A ct of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 638. 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.
Escalon. Calif. A P R I L , 1951
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God’s Billion Dollars I N a brochure published by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., it was disclosed that in 48 denominations, with a combined membership of more than 36,000,000, the total gifts dur ing the year 1950 rose to more than $1,000,000,000, which total was about $122,000,000 higher than in 1949. At first sight the sum of a billion dol lars contributed to the Lord’s work seems impressive and would tend to show that the American Christian people are really in earnest about con tributing to causes which further the spreading of the Gospel in this land and in countries across the sea. But when one remembers that the total income of our country amounted to more than $300,000,000,000 for that same year, God’s one billion seems impressively small. Not even one per cent is given to the Lord’s work— only about one-third of one per cent! When we consider that only one-fifth of the population contributed this bil lion dollars, this shows that Christian people gave less than 2% of their income to all forms of the Lord’s work. A further breakdown into one of the largest denominations showed that the average Christian in this church contributed $26.00 per year while perhaps the average income of this same member might have been between $2,000 and $3,000 for the same year. The whole story is that while God has blessed America with exceedingly abundant blessings, and while our shores have been preserved inviolate against enemies’ attacks, still our fi nancial expressions of appreciation to the Giver of all good gifts are piti fully inadequate. What a mighty force we could be if the Christian people of our land were really to become dead in earnest about contri butions for benevolent causes. Nor is God mocked in this, for money which is not freely given is frequently taken away. Our recent defense program has caused a rise in taxes to be felt by almost every man, woman and child in America. Not one billion for defense but tens of bil lions. Nor is that on a contributory basis, but rather a basis which de mands payment. One example in this connection is the recent appeal of Christian forces in Japan voiced by General MacArthur which appealed to the people of America for Bibles and missionaries and which call was almost drowned out by the din of the manufacture and purchase of new T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
that it was quite possibly in the minds of the leaders of the Kremlin to effect a raid upon the rich English and American oil concessions of Iran, a country of itself almost defenseless. But the amazing thing about the map was that it showed another possible military expedition coming from the north and engulfing the land of Israel. This was described as the path to power, revealing an absolutely vital and necessary need on the part of the Russians for additional petroleum re sources to oil the sinews of war. This need is well known in the capitals of the Western nations who are greatly worried over the possibility of a Soviet seizure of additional Near Eastern territory. All of this might be filed in the military or diplomatic pouch were it not for the fact that the Word of God very distinctly cites the inevita bility of such a future raid. In the 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel this identical military campaign is minutely outlined, showing the cause, progress and defeat of the Soviet project as seen from the standpoint of heaven’s strategy. Whether the fulfillment of this prophecy be near or far depends entirely upon God’s will and time. No one can say with positive certainty that the day in which we live is the day of Russia’s rise and fall but this much is true that all events seem to be pointing to that all-transcending event when God’s Word shall be fulfilled and His Son will come. Then righteousness and peace will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Bible students will do well to read their newspapers carefully and to listen intently to news broadcasts for in them will be found references to all these things. Even so, come, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Israel’s Progress I N a recent issue of one of Amer ica’s foremost magazines there were two references to the new nation of Israel which, to the Bible student, were both startling and reassuring. The first was a double-page spread, paid for by the Israeli government entitled, “Wine, Diamonds, Ships, Prayer Shawls and You.” The article in itself, an arresting one, pointed out the amazing progress of the Is raeli factories and their potentialities for still further advancement. But in the article there was a very pro nounced reference to the spiritual side of this new nation under the heading of “ Prayer Shawls.” The writer of the advertisement asserted: “ For in a material world, in a world of technological fantasy, these prayer shawls are not merely religious sym bols, but the symbols of a great her itage . . . the indestructible substance which has defied the fires of history for over twenty centuries.” It is no new thing to any one with Bible knowledge that the re-establish ment of the nation of Israel is not merely the culmination of centuries- old desires on the part of the harassed Jewish people, but a very definite working of God’s hand in the national life of God’s ancient chosen people. Surely there is a tremendous coinci dence of Bible prophecy and present- day fulfillment which ought to be more than convincing to the thought ful student of world affairs. In this same issue under the title of, “ Background for War,” a map of the Near East was displayed with the southern end of the Soviet Empire fringing the top of the map and the countries of Turkey, Syria, Arabia and Iran filling out the rest of the picture. The gist of the article was Page Four
only incidental to the theme of the book, which is the coming of Christ in power and great glory. The brief rise and fall of the Antichrist and his helpers serve only to high light the fact that this is counterfeit while Christ is genuine. Any child of God who sincerely loves his Lord will be tremendously interested in the vin dication which God will give Him. The last look that the world had of Christ was when they saw Him hang ing upon a cross of shame, dying be tween two thieves. Thank God, there is to be another look at Him—every knee shall bow and every tongue con fess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The third reason that every Chris tian should be definitely interested in a study of the Book of Revelation is that Revelation furnishes the cap stone and completion for all the great trunk lines of truth running through the Scripture. In the Book of Genesis we have the beginning of all things. In the Book of Revelation we have the consummation of all things. Without Revelation truths, numerous important questions in life are left hanging—as it were—mid-air. For the complete picture of God’s deal ings with the sons of men, a knowl edge of the truths that only Revela tion holds is essential. So, while it may be true that the book requires more than ordinary study and while it is .certainly true that there are some things which perhaps will never be known in their entirety, encouragement should be given to all Christians, to not neglect the study of this book. Petition should be made for Divine wisdom and understanding in order that the apprehension of this glorious truth may be from God and not from men. New Catholic Bible J UST published is the Holy Family Edition of the Catholic Bible, a massive 1700-page volume designed for family reading. This book con tains 335 handsome plates reproduced in color, large-size type with a 300,000 word Bible dictionary quite heavily imbued with Roman Catholic doc trine. It is a little difficult to understand the attitude of the Roman Catholic church. Ostensibly they claim to quite believe in the authority of the Holy Scriptures, and just as ostensibly (Continued on Page 22)
automobiles, refrigerators, television sets and various gadgets. What must God think of the way in which America divided her money. It is good to remember, however, that God views not only the lump sum of America’s billion dollars, but also God takes note of the individual per son’s contributions. Let us be found faithful in this regard. Blueprint for Union I T IS no news to readers that a tremendous amount of planning is being done to bring about a formula for church union. The idea seems to be for all denominations to agree on some basic plan for a united church which would not interfere with the particular differences of the separate groups. It is not all easy sailing and there are many rough places to be made smooth before the eventual union will be consummated. But the very fact that a great deal of effort is being expended is in itself a com mentary on a vast trend in Protes tant circles. Without a doubt there will come to pass some sort of a united front by the larger denomina tions which will have more influence and power as the years unfold. Many Scriptures seem to indicate this to be one of the signs of the times. Ap parently, from a study of the 13th and 17th chapters of the Book of Revelation we would be led to be lieve that not only will Protestantism unite, but Protestantism and Catholi cism eventually will find a common ground of union. The coming union, however, will not take place until after the emergence of the Anti christ and his false prophet. But as coming events cast their shadows be fore, so this world-wide church is already seen in the trend for union in Protestantism today. We should not be discouraged or perturbed about these matters. They are as sure to come as God’s Word is sure, and happy is that person who is well enough informed so that these portentous movements do not cause him to fear. One thing, however, ought to be made clear and that is that the eventual coming world union is not to include the true church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rather, these saints of God are to be caught up to meet Christ in the air according to First Thessalonians, chapter four. Then will take place this ecclesiastical world organization with the great enemy of God as its head.
Blessings Promised T HERE are 66 books in the sa cred canon. Each of these books has its own separate character and each can be read with great profit. But there is one book out of the 66 that has at its very portals a promise of blessing to those who read or to those who hear. This promise refers to the last book in the Bible, the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Why is this promise so given? It is the experience of many Bible teachers that there is a tragic igno rance on the part of Christian people concerning the truths of this Book of Revelation. Admittedly the book is a difficult one and full of signs and symbols. It may be because of the difficult character of the book that many Christians have thrown up their hands and refused to study its contents. As they have glanced through the volume they have been discouraged by the material found therein, and sb their Christian lives have been stunted and lacking in the essential elements that only this por tion of God’s Word can provide. It is quite conceivable that God, foreseeing all this; has placed in verse three of chapter one, the promise of blessing which is to be found no where else in Scripture, as a means of encouragement for careful study and for divine enlightenment. There are three great reasons why the people of this day and generation should be familiar with the truths contained in this last book of the Bible. The first reason is that it is the last book in the Bible, and its very position in the canon coincides with the heart convictions of many servants of God today that we are living in the last times. If the present age is about to come to its consum mation, and if that chain of events culminating in the return of Christ is about to be begun, then surely the Book of Revelation would be of the greatest possible moment to the thoughtful Christian. It is unwise for any of God’s children, living in this closing period of the age of grace, to be ignorant of the events and happenings which are. just around the corner. The second reason a study of the Book of Revelation should be under taken is its essential character. As the title sets forth, the book is con cerned with the revelation of Christ, or His unveiling, or the laying bare of the glorious facts concerning His coronation; the judgments and sor rows of the tribulation period are
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Please explain Matthew 12:13-15: “ When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it he also unto this wicked generation.’’ All kinds of interpretations and ap plications have been made o f this pre diction. It is very clear, however, that there is but one explanation, and that is in respect to the unbelieving gen eration. Note how verse 45 closes, “ Even so shall it be unto this wicked generation.” The word generation is certainly to be understood in the sense of race. (Compare the footnote in the Scofield Reference Bible on Matt. 24:34 for the meaning of the Greek word used here.) The unclean spirit in Israel in Old Testament times was idolatry. In the time of Christ, it had left the nation; for the captivities had brought God’s people to see the folly and sin of idol atry. Even now Judaism is swept clean of that evil spirit, and boasts of re form. But it will not be so forever. The unclean spirit will return and bring seven others with him. It will take possession of the house again, and the last state will be worse than the first. Because Israel, as a nation, has re jected her Messiah, the Lord Jesus, she is still in spiritual blindness. And when she makes a covenant with the Antichrist, during the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy, then she will be allowing the return of the demon, with seven other spirits, as it were. The Antichrist will try to force all the world to worship his image. That will be idolatry in its last, bold form. Is rael will see that the Antichrist is a false Messiah; will break her covenant with him; and will, consequently, have to go through the great tribulation. Only the return of the Lord in glory will save His chosen people, Israel, from annihilation from the earth. The Antichrist and his forces will seek the utter destruction of God’s people, but the Lord will come and save them. In John 3 :2 9 ,1 read, “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which stand- eth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.” This was spoken by John the Baptist. Please explain. Page Six
To a man who ha's taken Christ as his Saviour, we bring God’s message and declare sins forgiven. To the man who spurns Christ, we bring God’s message that his sins are retained, and that he is “ in the gall of bitter ness, and in the bond of iniquitv” (Acts 8:23). Both Peter and Paul forbade any one to worship them, even to fall down before them in reverence. There is not the slightest intimation in any Scripture that either Peter or Paul or any apostle permitted sinner or saint to confess sins to them as is done according to the so-called doc trine of “ priestly absolution.” Every believer, in his dealings with men, declares sins forgiven or unfor given according to what the inquirer does with Christ. The text has no other meaning. Why did God let sin enter the world? If I could answer that question, I should be God; it is one of the things we have to leave with Him, knowing that the Judge of all the earth will always do what is just and right. (See Gen. 18:25.) However, even with our finite minds, we can understand how God seeketh such to worship him as do it voluntar ily, rather than because they cannot do otherwise. (See John 4 :23, 24). We ourselves want the love of those who, of their own accord, love us; we spurn favors from those who are self-seek ing and selfish in their motives for acts of kindness or a show of affec tion. Therefore, it seems very clear to me that God permitted us, as free moral agents, to choose His love, rather than make us automatons who could do only as He commanded. For true love to express itself, there must be a choice. God allowed the temptation, in or der that man might become righteous; and righteousness is innocence tested. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He placed them in a state of perfect innocence; but innocence is not righteousness. Right eousness is what God wants, as set forth on every page of the Bible. And innocence cannot become right eousness until it is tested. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Dr. Louis T. Talbot In this statement we have the dif ference between the relationship of the Old and the New Testament saints to Christ. John the Baptist, who rep resents the Old Testament saints, said that he was glad to know the Bride groom. John was not a part of the bride, which is the church. He died before the Day of Pentecost, when the church had its beginning. How ever, John said, in substance, “ I am glad just to know the Bridegroom.” As for the bride, she has the Bride groom. In this John showed his great humility, even as he also said, “ He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Do these passages teach “priestly absolution" as held by the Roman Catholic Church: Matthew 16:19; 18:18; John 20:23? What did Christ mean when He said, “ Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye re tain, they are retained” ? There is no such thing in Chris tianity as priestly absolution. There was priestly absolution in Judaism, as in Leviticus; but this does not belong to the Christian Church or to Chris tianity. In this age of grace, all of God’s children are priests—women as well as men. (See 1 Pet. 2 :9 ; Rev. 1:6.) And no other priesthood exists in Christianity. To remit sins is to declare sin for given on the basis of faith in the Lord Jesus. We find Peter declaring remission of sins in the household of Cornelius: “ To him [Jesus] give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).
THE BIBLE INSTITUTE AND REVIVAL By James H. Jauncey, M.A., B.Sc., B.D., Th.D *
I AM very much a newcomer to the Bible Institute, but nevertheless during these past few months have become very much aware that the In stitute is in a position to wield a tremendous influence in the conserva tive Christian world. Its graduates for years have proven themselves in almost every country of the world, both as missionaries and ministers and in lay leadership. All around the world devout Chris tian people regard our school with the greatest respect and love. This means that the roots of this center in Los Angeles go deep down in the hearts of believers wherever there is an evangelical faith at all. Thus if re vival comes here, its effects automat ically will be transmitted all over the world. It may mean, also, that if we fail in our task, the world will be very much the poorer spiritually be cause of it and perhaps tens of thou sands of souls will be lost for the whole of eternity. We rightly regard the function of the Bible Institute to be that of training young men and women for leadership, but the prestige that we have now demands also that we should be a dynamo of spiritual power to move the world for Christ. In these days of emphasis upon machinery and efficiency, it is some times felt that if by modern methods we make salesmen out of our soul winners we will create this spiritual awakening. But it is not in the nature of revival to be engineered in this way. Kevivals come about only when a certain critical spiritual tempera ture has been reached. In some forms of internal combus tion engines, the gas is raised under pressure to a certain critical tempera ture at which an explosion automat ically occurs. It is the energy pro duced for this explosion which pro vides the power. No amount of coax ing will be of any avail until that temperature is reached. *Head of the Department of New Testa ment at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles A P R I L , 1951
The same is true for this world wide spiritual awakening for which we are praying. Evangelical missions will not bring it about. Prayers for revival will not be sufficient. Appeals over the radio will be fruitless. But if we, who are affiliated with this In stitute, can raise our spiritual tem perature, a point will be reached when the Divine spark will set off this explosion. It is obvious to all of us that such a spiritual awakening is .the only an swer to the challenge of the hour in which we live. No amount of states manship or scholarship or economics or education or sociology can more than scratch the surface of the world’s great problems. The reason for this is that the basis is spiritual. We live in a world which has forgotten God. It has said something like this to God : “ God, we don’t need You any more. You were very handy in the Middle Ages when everything was dark and ignorant and we did not have any thing better, but now we have our democracy and our American way of life, our science and our education, and we don’t need You. We won’t fight You or persecute Your Chris tians or anything like that, but we just don’t want You. Please go out of our affairs.” So, because God is a gentleman, He has done as we have told Him. But one thing we didn’t foresee and that is that there could not be a spiritual vacuum. When God goes out, sinister and evil powers always take His place. Isn’t it astonishing that in a time of the greatest expression of brain power that the world has ever known, we are unable to solve our interna tional and social problems? In fact, we seem about to open the flood gates of a third world war of de struction. What is it that has made us insane? I am reminded of the demons which entered into the herd of swine so that in frantic madness they rushed over the precipice to their doom. We are doing the same thing because the
Dr. Jauncey
o r same forces have gained the control of us. These entrenched forces of Satan can only be vanquished by the power of God being expressed in a religious awakening. It is because of this that a terrible responsibility rests upon the Christian world, and let us say partly on the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles. We hold the solution to this terrible peril which is threatening on every hand. It looks as if it may be within our power to bring or to hinder this revival. God help us if we fail in this becaflse if we do, we are the world’s last line of defense and there will be blood on our hands at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It seems timely that God is only too anxious to bring about this spirit ual awakening. Already there have been drops of blessing which indicate that the rain clouds are not far off. The cloud may be only the size of a man’s hand across the world’s horizon, but it can grow and precipi tate its rain which will drench the world in blessing. Whether it will come or not depends upon us. We need to come under a sense of conviction because of the terrible urgency and become men of God as we have never done before. There are three primary ways in which we can hasten such a revival. The first is, we must make sure there is no sin in the camp. The great Israelitish defeat at the city of Ai was caused by the selfishness and sin of one man. Occasionally the head lines of newspapers tell the story of unfaithful Christians who have been carrying on scandalous behavior even though naming the name of Christ. There are many others like this who are using their Christianity as a (Continued on Page 28) Page Seven
AREYOUReadyforM-DAY? A Serviceman Asks a Vital Question
misled by others around you. The smaller percent of men in your bar racks will be the ones reared in “ pool rooms” so to speak. Actually, the larger percent will be those who were brought up in some kind of Christian surroundings. Perhaps they need a leader, and a witness—that is all. Can you stand up to it? Doing any sort of work for God in the service is one of the most diffi cult tasks you can ever undertake. The opposition is greater by far than almost any other situation in life. Obviously, Satan gives all-out atten tion to the demoralization of such easy prey. With no Christian fellow ship, far from Christian influence, the soldier faces many of the prob lems of a missionary in a strange land. He must learn to dig into God’s word DAILY—not just now and then. He must aid his chaplain in organ izing Christian effort in any form possible. He must be prepared in wardly for battle as well as outwardly. It is not hard to see the hand of Satan at work everywhere. The diffi culty in finding time or appreciation for your efforts are all the result of his opposition. You cannot stand alone; there is no neutral corner in which to hide. Returning to civilian life will be hard enough, without bringing back evil habits. Now is the time to prepare yourself and your attitude for your coming military life for as long as it may last. If you depend upon God, you will become “ strong in the Lord and in the power of his might” and a better Christian for having served your country and your God. TODAY I WALK IN STRENGTH Because I lingered for a time on bended knee Before the throne, at starting of the day, And listened to the gracious words of truth The precious Lord and Master had to say, I find the problems that confront me now Seem trivial — I see the way more clear, And through the weary routine, common-place, I sense His presence, strengthening and near. Why should I ever, then, unfortified, Go blindly, weakly, through a day alone, When strength and light and confidence are mine, If I but wait for Him each morning at the throne? —Kathryn Blackburn Peck T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
By M/Sgt. Ralph L. Johnson
I HAVE been in Southern Japan for over a year. When this “war” started, the boys and I on shift that morning heard the first reports from the CAA Operator at Kimpo describing the strafing by Yak 9’s. Some time later the operator reported American fighters overhead (protect ing the evacuation of Kimpo Air drome), dog fighting with enemy fighters. Then came the report that one enemy fighter had been shot down. The younger men in the con trol station listened breathlessly, just as the rest of us had listened at the start of the last war. To them this was new and exciting; to us they were memories of just a few years ago. In the next few days the infantry was flown out of here day and night, to halt the advance of the enemy. The 24th Division boys had been stationed just a few miles away and many of our men knew them well. When re ports came through, along with pho tographs of the many young Ameri can soldiers shot through the head in the gullies and roadsides of Korea, the reality of the terrific hatred exist ing toward all for which we stand was evident. The cold chill of reality in creased when the enemy continued to advance southward in spite of all our efforts. Boys became men overnight and actuality took the place of mere memories. The all-out effort of every man stemmed the ugly advance, and pushed the godless enemy back up the peninsula. With typical Satanic pol icy these numberless armies of Satan struck again, feeding human life into the muzzles of our own guns in an attempt to annihilate the troops of the freedom-loving peoples of the world. Perhaps never before in history has God been working more in the hearts of men who are called to arms against the godless than in these whose fath ers fought so valiantly to build our God-fearing nation. Because of our origin, we rightfully hold the title of “ Christian nation.” But it is up to each new generation of Americans to uphold the honor of such a heritage. We who are sent now to the four corners of the globe to fight for free- Page Eight
dom or to prepare for the fight must show evidence of our faith in God and what we fight for. You men who are soon to be called up to active service either for the first time or from your reserve units will be well trained for your job. You will be screened and interviewed and in most cases located in the job where you can serve best. But there is one side of your training that may be overlooked if you allow it. That same training that was sadly neglected by men and women in the last war.
When you leave your local com munity and report for duty, you leave behind all of the personal contacts that helped you fill your spare time back home. You no longer receive the friendly advice of parents and friends who were unselfishly interested in your future. More important than that, it will be your job and problem to find fuel to feed your relation to God. Perhaps never before in your life were you in a situation where it was necessary to “ seek out” your God. Chances are you will be billeted in a crowded barracks within a sea of- humanity on the loose—men far away from the ties of home. True, there will be military restrictions, but a 12-hour pass into the nearest town may mean the abandonment of all inhibitions and the severest test of Christian manhood. Will you follow the advice of newly-acquired friends or the words of Christ? Will you “ Search the scriptures” ? Will you learn to drink or will you learn to pray? Do not be
Four Thousand Miles up the Amazon
BY LOUIS T. TALBOT, D.D.
B Y the time you read this article, I will have begun my investiga tion of the foreign missionary work in the jungles of the Amazon Valley in South America, a task simi lar to what I was privileged to accom plish a little more than a year ago in Japan, India, Java, Singapore and other Asiatic lands. This 4,000 mile journey along the Amazon will be taken by plane, muleback and canoe. The purpose of it is to gather infor mation about the millions of people living in the Amazon basin, who do not know Christ, those, in fact, who have never heard His name. We (Mr. J. Russell Davis, my photographer, and I) expect to secure 20,000 feet of colored moving pictures of this great area so that young people in our land may see the great harvest down there waiting for the messengers of God to gather it into His garner. I know that you will be much in prayer for us. Now, as this is my last dictated message before I leave, I want to write a few words about this great statement that fell from the lips of the Lord Jesus as recorded in John 4:35, 36: “ Say not ye, There are yet four months and then cometh har vest; behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” Here is the Lord giving to the disciples a vision of the world’s need. In fact, in these verses He unveils three visions. The first vision is of the Lord Him self. He had revealed Himself to the woman of Samaria as the Messiah of the Jews. She had stated that when the Messiah camp He would tell them all things, and JesUs declared to her, “ I that speak unto thee am He.” This is the first vision this poor, old world needs: the vision of the Eternal Son of the Eternal God. The second vi sion was that of a sinful and wasted life. After her conversation with Christ, the woman o f Samaria went away, saying, “ Come, see a man, which told ifte all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?” No man can ever get a real appraisal of him self until he sees himself in the light, of Him who said, “ I am the light of A P R I L , 1 9 5 1
eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.” In other words, the Lord was telling His disciples, “ Can’t you see the harvest?” What harvest is Christ talking about? Does He mean corn and wheat? Cer tainly not. That harvest is not so im portant. There are millions of people starving in India and China while there are billions of bushels of wheat and corn stored in this land of ours that they do not know what to do with. God takes care of these har vests. The trouble is that man is fall ing down on the job of distributing it. There would not be a hungry man woman or child in the world if it were not for the greed of the human heart. God supplies enough for all. (Continued on Page 86)
the world.” The third vision was that of the world’s need. “ Look upon the fields” (not singular, but plural). This means India, China, Africa, the Ama zon basin — all the unevangelized areas of the world. “ They are white already unto harvest.” Now these three visions constitute the making of a Christian worker and if you are to be of any use to God in fields at home or abroad you must have them: first, of the risen Christ Himself; second, of yourself as sin ful and unworthy; and third, of the world’s need. Let us look at this third vision a little more closely. The Lord Jesus said, “ Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your
Dr. Louis T. Talbot, President, and Mr. J. Russell Davis, Assistant Business Manager, of the Bible Institute, plan a missionary journey to Latin America. Page Nine
ANCIENT WISDOM, OR REVELATION? Third Article in a New Series by Harry Rimmer, Sc.D. Reproduced by permission from the book
T h e H a r m o n y o f S c ie n c e a n d S c r ip t u r e Copyright by Research Science Bureau, Inc. But now in this ingenious genera tion when one is in a hurry to com municate, he dictates to a machine. There are offices in our land that are connected with as many as thirty far- distant cities, by a marvelous mech anism called the teletype. The head of one of these concerns, desiring to communicate with all of his branch managers, speaks to the operator of this machine, whose flying fingers depress keys as fast as the speaker can dictate. Instantly, without any appreciable lapse of time, in a score and a half far-flung cities, machines synchronize to the one in the home office and reproduce the words of the executive as fast as they can fall from his lips. A hundred miles, a thousand miles, or three thousand miles, make no difference in communication today. Very often the writer has taken down the phone in New York City and saluted the operator with the number of his home in distant Los Angeles. Fifteen seconds after the operator has received the call, a loved one in Los Angeles is speaking into our ear. Recognizing the voice, we say, Hello, and although we are sep arated by three thousand miles of space, the answer is instantaneous. No lapse of time of any longer dura tion than that required by light to make that same journey, ensues be fore the reply falls upon our listening ear. This, to a past generation, would have appeared miraculous. In the reproduction of the written word, with automatic presses grinding out hundreds of thousands of words a minute, which words are distrib uted over counties and states ere the ink is dry upon the paper, mark the progress of humanity in the conquest of culture. Verily was Job premature when he said to the men of his gen eration, No doubt ye are the people, and wisdom will perish with you. We are almost convinced that if Job had waited until our generation, he could have made his famous sarcastic fling and it would have been received as solemn truth by us to whom it was later addressed. Yet when all this has been said and done, there is in the dim recesses of
I T would be folly for any intelligent human being to question the mar velous progress of this age. We are surrounded on every hand by in disputable evidences of the mechanical ingenuity of our generation, which is our modern criterion of an advanc ing culture. With an engaging lack of false modesty, man named himself genus homo sapiens. There is only one genus of man and but one species. There are several varieties of homo sapiens. No longer should man be denominated as sapient. It is time now to classify this generation as the genus homo scientifaciens! We realize, of course, that if one is not scientific now, one just is not! Perhaps the best way to get a picture of the cultural progress of our gen eration would be to contrast the cul ture of the twentieth century A.D. with that of the twentieth century B. C. In almost every avenue and channel of living, we have made won derful progress. In the case of trans portation alone, we could surely prove our contention that we are far ahead of our primitive ancestors. In those ancient days when one was in a hurry to journey, his swiftest means of travel was the horse. If the horse didn’t balk, run out of hay, or decide to turn away from the path and go his own sweet course, man could flee across the terrain at the astounding speed of fifty miles a day. But in our generation when we desire to get somewhere else in a hurry, we climb into a vehicle to which we have given the wings of a dove, and cross continents and oceans at a speed of two hundred and fifty miles an hour. Verily, indeed, has the genius of this generation conquered the realms of space. Even more startling is the progress in the field of communication. Our minds go back in fancy to the time when some ancient business man en tered his innermost office cave and saluted his stenographer with these words, Miss Stonehatchet, take a let ter. In our fancy we see two strong men carrying in a stone block, while the maiden grabs her chisel in one hand and her hammer in the other and prepares to take dictation. Page Ten
our conscience a monitor which seeks to call attention to what we are pleased to call lost arts. When men talk about perfection in architecture, their minds journey back to ancient Karnak or to the Coliseum, whose ruins astound the tourist today. When men speak of sculpture, they breathe with awe the name of Phidias . In the realm of painting, voices hushed with reverence comment upon the work of the old masters, and in some things we have made progress backwards. The chief sphere in which man must stand humbly before the mystery of antiquity is in the realm of literature. Almost two thousand years ago, the pen of the last writer of the great Book was laid aside, and no word has been added to the Bible in the long succession of hurrying centuries. Yet the wisest of men on the earth still go to this great Book of vast antiquity for the highest inspiration that liter ature contains. One of the greatest wonders of the Scripture is the manner in which its writers have anticipated much of our modern scientific discovery. This the sis cannot be disregarded when an honest inquirer seeks to survey the problem of the harmony of science and Scripture. Remembering that the Bible was written multiplied centuries before our modern knowledge was gathered, it is inconceivable that human wisdom could have kept that Book in harmony with our advancing discoveries. So when, in the laboratory of science, we make some marvelous discovery in our generation and then find that the writers of the Bible had incorporated our discovery in their ancient records, we find ourselves be tween the horns of a dilemma. Shall we decide that the ancients were in possession of our modern scientific knowledge? We could not concede that possibility. First, our body of knowledge and wisdom, slowly accumulating by pains taking accretion over hundreds o f years, is indeed far in advance of that’ possessed in those dim, dark years when the Bible was being written. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
when Moses walked the earth, the one sea that was known to men was the Mediterranean, and perhaps some small regions of the nearby Atlantic. When the seven seas were .discovered and became known to men, it was not long before all of their magnitude had been explored by the eager inter est of humanity. Whereupon we find that Moses had apparently sailed their uncharted bosoms before our ships of discovery and search were builded and launched! We know now that the oceanography of Moses was accurate, in that the seven seas do occupy one bed. How did Moses know this? Had he discovered this fact by human wisdom and research ? The casual reader will say, That’s just a coinci dence. For the sake of that reader, we will admit that this could be a coin cidence, and look again. Our famous California scientist, Dr. Bobert Millikan, some time ago received the Nobel prize in physics for isolating the atom and making it ponderable to human vision. Dr. Mil likan, of course, did not discover the atom, nor invent the atomic theory. Men had been familiar with the the oretical existence of the atom for many years before Dr. Millikan con summated his great work. We can remember back in the days more than a score of years ago, when we at tended college. We had a professor by the name of Dr. Brooks, whom the boys facetiously called, Up and at ’em Brooks, for every time the good doc tor got up, he was sure to talk about the atom. Indeed, a lad not prepared to recite sometimes escaped the threatened doom by getting the good doctor interested in a discussion of the atomic theory. In this manner we learned a great deal about the atom, all of which, we have since found out, was not so! But that is the general fate of a college education. You spend four years learning things to pass examinations. You spend the next twenty-four years finding out that what you learned was not necessarily true! For instance, Dr. Brooks conveyed to us the dogmatic idea that the atom was the smallest divisible particle of matter that the human mind could conceive. He assured us that no eye would ever see the atom, as it was the ultimate division of matter, and man’s ingenuity would never make it visible. He gave us the idea that atoms were little solid globes of matter like ball bearings or marbles or solid rubber balls. While it is true that the atom is infinitely small, it is not the ultimate (Continued on Page 22) Page Eleven
tom of the scale of life. Coming up through the water-dwelling creatures to the lower forms of the Metazoa which dwell upon the land, the ad vancing scale of life climaxes with man. This arrangement of vital life in ascending orders, demanded by the science of biology, meets the
Undoubtedly, the heritage of the re cent years upon which we have build- ed our modern structure of super learning, has come by painstaking investigation, all of which has been demonstrated by experimentation. We must not forget, also, that as Ayers has so truthfully pointed out, Modern scientific discovery is the result of a machine technology. By that, Ayers meant to convey a picture not only of the technique but of the equipment o f modern research and study. What is the great advance in biol ogy? You might say that it was the discovery of the apparatus Golgi that fluctuates in the cytoplasm of the cell. In that case, you would be wrong. The great discovery in biology is the invention of the super-microscope that makes apparatus Golgi visible to the human eye. When we have the instru ment at our command, it is inevitable that we shall discover the things made visible by that instrument. The great advance in physics is not the splitting of the atom, but is rath er the invention of the instruments o f research which made it possible. When men have the telescope, it is only logical that the solar system dawns upon their vision and under standing. Men could not know of the exist ence of the infinitely microscopic bac teria before the microscope revealed them to human vision. Since our mod ern advancement is dependent upon instruments of precision that were totally unknown to the ancients, it follows that by wisdom and under standing alone these men of old could not have possessed our current body o f knowledge. Therefore, if these men in antiquity did write in one Book things that we are learning today with our new ma chines of investigation, the only other explanation is that an Intelligence higher than human directed their writings, and their material was de rived by revelation. So then, the greatest argument for the inspiration o f the Bible and the surest proof of its harmony with science would be to find in the pages of this ancient Book instances wherein the writers antici pated the discoveries of modern sci ence. It is possible for the careful student of science and Scripture to discover literally scores of such an ticipations! We would start, for instance, by citing the fact that in the first chap ter of Genesis, Moses divided the workdays of God into six periods of time, consummating with the crea tion of man. The modern science of biology places vegetation at the bot- A P R I L , 1 9 5 1
acquiescence of Moses, who has placed the orders of creation in the exact systematic advancement that biolo gists contend for today. The only difference between Moses and biology is that biologists contend for a super hatching process by which one order evolved from the other, while Moses, contends for the more scientific ex planation of specific creation of each order in turn. We are somewhat surprised to note that on the third of those creative days, in dealing with physical geog raphy, Moses makes this simple state ment: “ And God said, Let all the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” The word that Moses used in the Hebrew is maqom, and it should be literally translated, one bed. The statement of Moses, then, is that in this act of creation God gathered all of the oceans together into one bed. We suggest that the reader take his globe of the earth and trace his finger from point to point, journeying from sea to sea. The reader will find that Moses was literally and scientifically accurate in this simple statement. All the waters under the heavens are gathered together into one place. Moses was careful, however, to keep the oceans separated, in that he put them in the plural in the statement, “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas.” In the day
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