not a few Christians doubt the immi nence of the Lord’s return, believing that this event must await on world evangelism. The truth, however, is that this verse refers definitely to the period which in Scripture is called the Great Tribulation and which follows the Rap ture of the Church. If one reads care fully the first three verses of Matthew 24, a flood of light is thrown upon the passage in question. A humorous illustration of, the mis interpretation of Scripture because of the heretofore-mentioned practice is commonly told : In a certain colored church the women had taken to wearing their hair in a tight knot on the top of their heads. This displeased the pastor who preached a sermon on “ Topnot, Come Down,” taking his text from the 17th verse of this same chapter in Mat thew which warns the Jew in the time of the great persecution to “ Let him which is on the housetop not come down and take anything out of his house.” Isaac Watts, Hymn Writer I T has been suggested by the Hymn Society of America that 1948 be called a Watts’ year. Surely there is need for recognition and appreciation of this man of God who is the author of so many of today’s best-loved hymns. Isaac Watts was born in 1674 in England, be coming in 1699 the assistant pastor to the Independent Church located at Mark Lane, London. Always frail in health, he went to be with the Lord in 1748 at the age of 75. There is no question but that Isaac Watts was a man of great intellectual power, for when we consider the hymns which he has written we cer tainly grant him the place next to Charles Wesley as the greatest hymn writer in the English language. A few of his most widely-known writings are: “ Awake, Our Souls” ; “ Before Jehovah’s Awful Throne” ; “We’re Marching to Zion” ; “ Jesus Shall Reign” ; “ Lord of the Worlds Above” ; “My God, the Spring of All My Joys” ; “ 0 Bless the Lord, My Soul!” ; “ O God, Our Help” ; “ Praise Ye the Lord” ; “ There is a Land of Pure Delight” ; “ Give to Our God Immortal Praise” ; “ When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” ; “ Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove” ; “ Joy to the World!” In all that Watts wrote he showed himself to be an orthodox evangelical, and his hymns are an expression of the faith which will endure as long as there are Christians in the world. It Is Not Too Early Now is the time to plan Christmas gift subscriptions to the King’s Busi ness for friends and relatives. This is the kind of present that lasts the year around, giving joy and inspiration for twelve full months. What easier kind of Christmas shopping is there? T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
this fact to the careful Bible student. Hebrew, which has been for twenty centuries a dead language, has been revived and made the official language of Israel. Newcomers to Palestine may speak the language of their former home for the first two years, but after that they are expected to know and use Hebrew. It is interesting to note that a strik ing change in the physical make-up of the citizenry of this restored nation is taking place. The race seemingly is run ning to the large-boned, blue-eyed, blond, athletic type of Jew. Disappearing, ap parently, are the short stocky Jews typi cal of the Middle Ages. Yet there is still unbelief! Younger Jews show little or no concern for re ligion. Sabbath observance is at a low ebb and traditional customs are ignored. Let all of this, however, be carefully compared with what the Word of God prophesies: The nation is to be born, the people are to return to their land in un belief, great prosperity will come and, climaxing these conditions, will be the personal appearance of the greatest Jew of all time, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Importance of the Context B ECAUSE of an extensive radio min istry along the Pacific Coast, our editors are constantly in receipt of many Bible questions. After some years of reading and answering these inquiries, one finds that they fall into certain definite classifications. One of the most frequent causes of misunderstanding the Word of God is the failure to endeavor to interpret the text by its' context. Each verse has a strong relationship to the verses which precede it and to those which follow. There are very few prob lems of interpretation which will .not yield to the understanding if the reader prayerfully studies the context. Far too often a verse or phrase is ruthlessly torn from its place in Scripture and made to mean something which is not in harmony with the truth revealed in the related portion. For instance, in Matthew 24:14 -it is stated that the end will come when the g o sp e l of the k ingdom has been preached in all nations. Consequently,
Pilgrim Edition T O our desk has come one of the the first copies of this new edition of the Holy Bible from the Oxford Uni versity Press. Preliminary examination of the work reveals an editorial staff of men and women who are known for their stand in defense of the faith. Each one of the nearly two-score consulting edi tors is a dependable conservative, and the result of these ten years of prayer and study is a volume which no doubt will have wide distribution and exten sive influence among the Christian peo ple, especially the youth of our land. The main plan of the Pilgrim Edition comprises a series of simple explanatory notes easily understood by the most un tutored readers. A system of chain ref erences on great themes is another com mendatory feature. The paper is of good quality, the print is large and readable, and the introductory material is both clear and without equivocation. We would like to commend this new publi cation to the thoughtful consideration of Bible-loving Christians everywhere. Israel Wins T HERE seems to be no question but that the Jews are victors over the Arabs in Palestine. Regarding the recent triumph, Time, magazine, with character istic ability to delete unimportant de tails from its news items, reports: “ Out of the concentration camps, ghet tos, banks, courtrooms, theatres and fac tories of Europe the chosen people had assembled and had won their first great military victory since Judas Maccabeus beat the Syrian Nicanor at Adasa 2,109 years ago. “ Their success has been hidden from the world by U.N. maneuvering, and by a confusing war of a hundred skirmishes with no real battles. Although, in years to come, fighting might break out again and again, its probable pattern was fixed: the Jews were too tough, too smart and too vigorous for the divided and debili tated Arab world to conquer.” It would sefem 'that this is God’s time for the re-establishment of the nation of His ancient chosen people. Other ob servances add thrilling confirmation to Page Four
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