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1938
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Special Features In FEBRUARY Issue • THE FOUR GREAT POWERS OF THE END-TIME Is the political and military power of the modern world arranging itself around the four conflicting centers fore cast in Biblical prophecies of the end- time ? . . . What is the central and underlying philosophy which appears beneath the external clash of these four different political systems? DEADLY POISON GAS IN TAX- SUPPORTED SCHOOLS Is it true that more than one-half of the students who enter leading Ameri can universities as “ Christians” become agnostics or atheists before they are graduated? . . . . Is it true that every year more than 3 6 ,0 0 0 girls lose their virginity while attending American col leges and universities? . . . . What ac tion can aroused parents take? DAN GILBERT— young, brilliant, mili tant in the cause of righteousness— writes fearlessly concerning “ a means of outlawing subversive teachings from tax-supported schools.” • THE PERIL OF “ADJUSTING” THE SCRIPTURES What about “ policemen” who come along with an air of ordering you off private property, just when you are making some precious promise of God ’s Word your own, and who tell you it was meant solely for somebody else? . . . . What is to be done for Christians who suffer from the double error of making the Scriptures fit their own explanations on the one hand or their own experiences on the other? A L V A J. M cCLAIN discusses the rea sons that this philosophy sooner or later in every place must engage true Chris tianity in deadly and uncompromising conflict. His article is the second in the Prophetic S y m p o s iu m directed by LOUIS S. BAUM AN .
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From a Missionary Recipient o f a Club Subscription Bolivia, S. A . I do thank God for THE KING’S BUSINESS which comes each month. Here where my fellow worker and 1 never have the opportunity to hear a sermon of any kind, such a magazine is indeed a source of blessing and in spiration. W e are living at an altitude of 13,000 feet, working among the Que- chua Indians, descendants of the an cient Incas. W e are about three days on horseback from the railroad and get our mail only twice a month, and then have to send an Indian for it. So every other mail brings my KING’S BUSINESS, which is more than most subscribers can say. —A.R. Buys “ Silent Adviser” with “ The King’s Business” W est Pittston, Pa. Enclosed is a money order for full subscription price for THE KING'S BUSINESS, and 30 cents additional which covers the cost of a “ Silent Adviser** [the filled receptacle for tracts and Scripture portions] under the terms of your special offer. Thank you. — R. W . • Adds Ten Names to a List Ashland, K y. I desire to add the following ten names to m y list of ten subscribers, which I sent you on October 5, 1937. — E. H . G. • Renews Entire List Honolulu, T . H . I sent you ten names for a club for the year- 1937. Please send to these same persons for the year 1938, with the one change of address noted. — G. S. B. • Two Grandsons Remembered Prospect, Pa. A week ago I sent $1.00 to you and asked you to send THE KING’S BUSI NESS to my grandson, for his twelfth birthday. Today I received your time- limited offer to give TH E KING’S BUSINESS for 75 cents a year. I am enclosing 50 cents to add to the $1.00 so that you can send the magazine to another grandson in Pittsburgh, Pa. This is another birthday gift. — F . P. C. • The Mother o f Our Youngest Salesman Writes Us Yakim a, W ash. I am enclosing $1.05 for the first ten magazines sold this month by our boy, Teddy [her nine-year-old son ]. He misses no opportunity to sell them from day to day. I really think twenty copies a month are sufficient to keep him busy. In this terrific weather he is not able to sell them on the streets, so must depend upon customers and friends. _ __ — M rs. P. K. • Why W e Keep the Price Down Tacoma, W ash. I was glad to see that you will send THE KING'S BUSINESS again at a reduced rate, as 1 thought 1 would have to stop my subscription, not hav ing been able to get work; but with this arrangement I will take it another year, when perhaps times will be bet ter. P. S. W ill do what I can to get more subscribers. '■■-O. A . S.
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THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S
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“TO THE JEW FIRST” This is the bed rock upon which we predicate the Jewish Mission appeal to every Bible - believing soul. “ To the Jew first“ is as basic in Missions as faith in Christ is basic in Salvation. Every January brings to us an increasing number of gifts “ To the Jew first.“ And many letters tell us, “ Thank you so much for calling my attention to my duty and privilege. I want to start the New Year right.“ Think it over, for some day you too Will join this blessed host and you too will say, “ 1 want to preach God's Gospel in God's way— to the Jew first." Our work merits your every confidence. Our field is not only the 2,000,000 Jews of New York, not only the 4,000,000 Jews of America, but, under divine im pulse, we are at grips with the problem of reaching a world Jewry with the Gospel testimony. In America, branches are maintained in the larger cities as the Lord gives us means and workers. Abroad the Lord is wonderfully blessing our own Stations in Paris, in Warsaw, and in Jerusalem. And through affiliated missions and mis sionaries, our Yiddish publications are being distributed in other important Jewish centers of the world. Your help and prayers are al ways needed. “ THE CHOSEN PEOPLE," loved by many Bible students for its helpful informa tion on Prophecy and the Jews, is sent to all contributors.
She !BihIe Tam ii# S t ta j^ in e Motto: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood .”— R ev . 1 :5.
Volume X X IX
January, 1938
Number 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS ♦ Cover Picture: Vernal Fall, Yosemite National Park.
Around the King’s Table— Paul W . R o o d ..................................... 4 Expectation!— Northcote D e c k .................................................................... 5 Facing Old Cathay, and War— Charles A. Roberts . . . . 6 “ The Kings of the East”— H. A. Ironside . .....................................8 “ This Brightening Path of Pain” ............................................................10 International Lesson Commentary . 11 Junior King’s Business— Martha S. Hooker . . . . . . 23 Notes on Christian Endeavor— Mary G. Goodner . . . . 25 Daily Devotional Readings ,. . . ............................................. 30 World’s Christian Fundamentals Association............................................ 37 Girls’ Query Corner— Myrtle E. S c o t t ................................................... 38 Bible Institute Family C i r c l e .................................................................. 38 Our Literature T a b l e ................................................................................. 39
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(a) To stand for the infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, (b) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (c) To stir young men and women to fit themselves for and engage in definite Christian work (d) to act as the official organ of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work, and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize in strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith. 6
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T H E K I N G S B U S I N E S S
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Around the King's Table
By PAUL W . RO O D
cannot be classified as a science. The chasm between the highest form of animal life and the lowest form of human life has never been bridged, and the missing link is still missing. The religious in stinct is found among humans everywhere but is not found among animals.1 The theory of the nonmiraculous origin of life is contrary to reason and revelation. The theory of brute nature brings the brute reaction. Those who believe they are mere animals have a tendency to live like animals. Behaviorism denies human re sponsibility and tends toward abandonment to perverted instincts and impulses. Mod ernism—which is refined atheism, denying the authority o f the W ord of God—tends toward lawlessness. Thus it prepares for communism and the overthrow of Con stitutional government. Present-day youth is at the crossroads. What a challenge to parents! If we are concerned for the welfare of our chil dren and the future of our nation, we must now lead our children by precept and example into the old paths and bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. W e must reestablish the broken- down family altar and bring back old- fashioned godliness in the home. If Amer ica is to survive, educators will have to recognize their tremendous responsibility and will need to counteract the influence of the materialistic philosophy of life now dominating the thinking of the growing generation. Young people themselves will have to become God-conscious. They will need to recognize the exceeding sinful ness of sin, the inadequacy of materialism, and the necessity of seeking first the king dom of God and His righteousness. Only Christ can solve the problems of youth and can satisfy the hunger of the human heart. Christ alone can forgive sin, save the soul, fortify the will, and give the vision that will enable young people to become world conquerors of the kind that God desires. Through Christ’s aton ing death on the cross of Calvary, youth can be reconciled to God ; and through His resurrection life, consecrated youth can be empowered to evangelize the world. Thus Christian young people can speed the day of our Lord’s return when righteous ness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms o f our Lord and of His Christ. Young people are challenged to consider the claims of Christ, to accept Him as a personal Saviour, and to follow Him to the ends of the earth. The result if they obey? They shall ultimately share the glory of the K ing of kings and Lord o f lords who will conquer the world I
“ is long-suffering to us-ward” (2 Pet. 3:9) will give His people yet another year of opportunity to witness to His Son. Let us pray that every day will be used to the glory of God. Let us pray for a revival in our churches and communities and in the body of Christ throughout the whole world. Truly, “ Pray, without ceas ing” (I Thess. 5:17) is an exhortation that we need to remember continually. May we above all else be men and women of prayer during 1938. Pray at the start. Praise at the finish I Young people like to project themselves into the future. Old people live in their memories and young people live in their hopes. The young build air castles— and who would deny them that privilege? He who never builds castles in the air will never build a castle on the ground. Some of us who are now in middle life re member how during our childhood school days, teachers and visiting speakers would stir our ambition by telling us that some one in our school might be President of the United States some day. None of us in our community became President, but some of us did better work in the class room because of the lure of the goal that was set before us. It is obvious that present-day youth will capture the world. Among the young people of America today we have the fu ture mayors, governors, senators, and presi dents of our land. In that group are to be found the future educators, editors, preachers, and missionaries. The young people of today are captur ing the world. The demand of our day is for youthful leaders. W e used to look for maturity and experience in persons vested with responsibility, but today these qualifications are discounted. There is an almost universal demand for young lead ers in every phase of life. Youth move ments are the order of the day. “ Chil dren should be seen and not heard” was a copy book maxim forty years ago, but today children are heard as well as seen — and often are the only ones heard! Young people must be reckoned with in the present era. Youth is being captured and dominated by a materialistic philosophy of life. Evo lution in the realm of philosophy, be haviorism in psychology, modernism in re ligion, and communism in political economy are capturing the young. Evolution is a philosophy and not a scienee. Science is knowledge gained and verified. Evolution is an unproved theory and consequently When Present-Day Youth Captures the World
Pray at the Start; Praise at the Finish
Some months ago while riding in an automobile with Dr. and Mrs. N. A. Jep- son from Seattle to Everett, Wash., I no ticed a sticker on the windshield with the words, “ Pray at the start; praise at the fin ish.” Realizing there must be a story con cerning this sticker, I asked for an explan ation. Mrs. Jepson related that she had only recently learned to drive 'and that while she was learning, she was coní* stantly praying for protection from accident and danger. One day she wrote out the words, “ Pray at the start and praise at the finish,” and placed the card on the windshield. The idea struck fire. By and by, others asked whether they might have a similar card. Their interest led to the printing of thousands of stickers that have been dis tributed all over Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. What an appropriate slogan for a Christian motorist 1 Certainly every Christian who drives a car will recog nize the need of prayer. W e should pray about everything, but not the least about our driving. Certainly none of us should start out on a trip without asking for G od’s protection. At the conclusion of the trip, we should return thanks to God for bring ing us safely to the destination. Pray at the start. Praise at the finish! This slogan, however, has an even wider application. It certainly applies to every venture and task in a Christian’s life and ministry. W e should begin the day with prayer and end it with praise. In the morning, let us look to God for His guid ance during the day and for His blessing upon the activities of the day. T o be sure, the heart attitude of the Christian contin ually should be one of praise and wor ship to the ■-Lord. But as we look back on the answer to our petitions, let there be special gratitude to Him. When the day’s work is done, let us never forget to return thanks to God for His goodness dur ing the day. Pray at the start. Praise at the finish 1 W e stand now at the opening of a new year, and we look back upon the year that is drawing to a close. W e have reason to thank God for all the blessings that He bountifully has bestowed upon us. Let us thank Him even for testings and for heartaches, for “ we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called accord ing to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). As we begin the new year, let us pray that this may be a year of spiritual growth and achievement. Perhaps our Lord will come for His church before the year draws to a close, or it may be that God who
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THE K I N G ' S B U S I NE S S
January, 1938
• 2 - l M Y SOUL, wait thou only upon G od; for my expectation is from him” (Psa. 62:5). “My expectation” I How the words ring down the centuries, out of the Psalmist’s troubled life. For here was a man who might easily have become a cynic or a pessimist, at least with regard to men, after his treatment by King Saul. But happily he had learned the useful habit of getting his eyes off men and circumstances, and on to God. Like Elijah, who followed him in the pathway of trust, he had “ looked into the face of God.” The result was that he could remain not only unmoved by present distresses, but positively ex pectant of relief and deliverance and final blessing. In this confident Psalm, David, as was his custom, placed his soul oppo site him, to address and exhort it. And just here he is led to ring the changes on the word “ only,” from the “ only” expectation of his enemies to cast this is an attitude of soul toward God which is nei ther easy nor natural, but which needs to be deliberately cultivated, for it is both God honoring and God-compelling. Such expectation is more than pas sive trust, is deeper than honest de sire, and higher than hope in the ab stract. It outruns all of these, for it is positive, aggressive, and divinely ambitious. And I am sure it is a qual ity of mind, an attitude toward God, which must be deliberately cultivated and steadfastly maintained by ail of us. W e are too liable to transfer to the spiritual realm those disappointments which often come to us in human af fairs, and to become almost pessimists toward God. And this same attitude of “ expecta tion” toward God is carried over into the New Testament. And at once there comes to mind the Saviour, who, at the right hand of God, is depicted “ expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.” But here the word is dif ferent from that used about men; it is “ ekdekomai,” which has the sense of waiting rather than expecting. For expectation implies uncertainty as to the future, and, blessed be God, there is no uncertainty as to His future or the finality of His dominion. But in Luke 3:15 we do have a very beautiful state of mind described, for all the people were “ in expectation” [ The author served many years as ex ecutive of the South Sea Evangelical Mission, Solomon Islands .— E ditor .] him down, to the only source of his safety, his rock of salva tion, to hold him up. Yet far more than mere security, his ardent soul goes out in sane and eager “ expectation” in God for blessing and pros perity. Expectation Centered in God For such expectation as
(prosdokau). A t that time the expecta tion was as to the first advent of the Son of God. Today, thank God, in many quarters there is a similar expec tation as to His second advent. Yet, may I say, even more vital to the soul than that second advent is the present advent of the Saviour into the heart in fullness. Perhaps our present and rightful ex pectation in God might well be summed up in the declaration of J. Hudson Taylor, at the last annual meeting of the China Inland Mission he attended before his death. His em phatic words were these: “ There is a living God. He has spoken to us in His Word. He means what He says, and will do all He has promised." T o many that may seem a slender basis for a man or a mission to rest upon, as Mr. Taylor was warned by a well-mean ing Christian friend: “ You are mak ing a great mistake in going out to China without any organization behind you. W e live in a busy world, and you will all be for gotten. The Mission won’t live seven years.” Well, it has lived over seventy years, and in that time has received more than five million sterling. O f late years, perhaps, this Mis sion has been as great a blessing and tonic to faith in the land in which it was born, as in the land to which it has gone. No, it is no vain thing to trust in Him, who is the Changeless One, on whom all our pres ent and future prospects de pend. The Lord Jesus Christ: "Our Hope" Now it is an interesting fact that the triple Christian graces of faith, hope, and love, everywhere pervade the Old Testament, and the center grace of hope of expectation (tiqvah) is set forth as the only solution of human problems and pain. Again in the Epistles, “ now abideth faith, hope, love,” which run like a refrain all through these mes sages of God to lighten human hearts and change human lives. Yet when we consider the Gospels, though faith and love are again most prominent— faith being the entrance door to salva tion, and love the enjoyment of it— yet, strange to say, hope is never once mentioned except when Herod “ hoped” to see some miracle done. In the Gos pels, hope is never advocated as a needful virtue. And the reason for the remarkable omission of this cardi nal virtue from the Gospels is as simple as it is blessed. For the Lord Jesus Christ is Himself the Hope, the only hope of His people. Before He came and after He went, there was constant need for the exercise of hope for Him and in Him. But “can the children . . . mourn, as long as the [ Continued on page 9]
WHAT WAIT I FOR? By HELEN FR a ZEF. BOWER
About me reels a world of storm and chaos And over me the troubled waters pour; Unmoved, my spirit casts a quiet anchor. - What wait i for?
Expectation!
By N O R T H C O T E D ECK F.R.G.S.
What wait 1 for, when hosts of darkness gather, jSBgjM When shadows hide the day's familiar rim When all the heart grows hushed with espcc tatlon^ ■ I wait for HIM wait for Jesus Christ, the only Saviour, The spotless Son o f God, the living Word; me cannot stay His steps, death cannot hold Him— | My risen Lord My l ord has ever brought the grace sufficient For every earthly need He has sufficed Now. on the margin of each new encounter, I wait for Christ»- I ' ■ JBMK I wait for Christ— the hope in flesh exhausted. I wait as one who has already di~a God let a doubting world see ir my waiting Christ magnified. . Mv
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THE K I N G ' S BUS I NE S S
January, 1938
• Long threatened, the war between Japan and China had not begun when Charles A . Roberts, who is Treas urer of the Hunan Bible Institute, the China department of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, sailed for China in the spring of 1937. Within a few months war had burst upon China. “ Dugouts” were constructed for the safety of residents in Changsha and elsewhere in China, and once the terror of war came so near to the Hunan Bible Institute that Mr. Roberts cabled:
Bombed. Safe.” In this article, in changing pano rama, Mr. Roberts unfolds the promising state of mis sionary activity when he returned to his field, and then shows the acute problems raised by the Japanese inva sion. The first portion of this article was written before the “ incident” of August 10 which resulted in the bom bardment of Shanghai and which shifted the center of war interest from North China to Shanghai. Readers will note the effect of this event upon inland China.
O ld Cathay, and W a r By CHARLES A. ROBERTS Changsha, Hunan, China
Changsha, August 5, 1937 O FF the California coast the ocean was a translucent blue as we passed under the Golden Gate bridge, that last word in beauty and en gineering skill, and nosed our way out for
My next companion was a young Persian, born in Bombay, India, and returning there from England via America, having com pleted special studies in radio engineering. He was a brilliant, racy chap, who at the most trivial annoyance would swear most profanely. A t the very first opportunity, I suggested to him that he was not aware ef the reality of the Person whose name he so frequently took in vain. He replied pleasantly regretting that he had formed the habit while in England! And catching a glimpse of my New Testament on the bureau, he inquired whether I was a mis sionary. Then as if to cover his own posi tion, he retorted that he was on his way back to India, and that India’s troubles would soon be solved if she had ninety per cent less of religion 1 As he disrobed one evening to retire, he smilingly called my attention to the fact that around his body he had worn since childhood three strands of a yellow silken cord. His mother had given him that silken cord on the day of his “ baptism” in the religion of Zoroaster. There was my point o f contact. Mother! And the need of salvation 1 Before we parted at Yokohama, we had prayed to gether, and for the first time in his life he had understood that Jesus Christ was a Mediator, and that Life, not religion, was man’s greatest need. That I should have a Turkish gentle
ment and to read it when he reached Nanking. My three “wise men of the East” have gone each on his own way. Was it pos sible that each had been in America, and yet had not found Him “that is born king . . t.” ? But too frequently it is so. Extraordinary Missionary Opportunity Back again on the shores of Cathay, and how happy I am ! It seems that during the first few weeks after my return I have been introduced to a new China indeed. Such missionary activity! Never in China in all the years that have followed the coming of Rob- _
a n i n t h t r i p across the Pacific. Soon we had left our pilot boat far b e h in d bobbing among the white- ca p s, and w e were making full steam ahead for the Orient. Never before on crossing the Pa cific have I had the rare pleasure of a three-time
ert Morrison, the first Pr ot es t ant m i s s i o n a r y to land at Canton, have there been such opportunities for the preaching o f t h e g o s p e l ! Since the deten tion of Generalis simo Chiang Kai Shek last Decem ber, and his tes- timony of God’s hand and care in
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change of cabin companions. On this journey each change introduced me to an Oriental friend who was traveling East for a very different pur pose than I. And by the time I had reached my destination, Shanghai, I was impressed as never before with the im portance of my particular mission —to preach Christ. M y first cabin mate, a Chinese gentle man, was returning to his home in Can ton, having completed his studies in Amer ica, where he had received a degree of Doctor of Science. W e had a number of good talks together, in Chinese and in Eng lish, but he was somewhat chary of Chris tian missionary work, although he admit ted later that he himself had received his early training at a mission school! That Christ should return to earth and set up a rule where kingdoms and states submitted to harmonious control was an unheard of ideal to my friend. A day or so later, arrangements were made for him to move into another cabin with a Chinese friend who had boarded the ship at the last moment. Brief though my opportunity had been, I thanked God for the message I was privileged to bear to such a man as this one. Dravotngs on this page are by Ransom D. Marvin. Three "Wise Men"
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his marvelous escape, a new impetus is felt everywhere. The rich man and the poor man, the educated and the illiterate, the officials in high government position and the lowly plowman in the country, are all alike ready to hear the message of the gospel. In Shanghai I found crowd ed churches, and up the Yangtze at vari ous cities the same situation obtained. And last Sunday—the first Sunday of August— I preached at the largest church in Chang sha to an audience that was unusually large for the hot sticky weather of the summer months. Look on the fields; they are already white unto harvest! A t Changsha, Hunan, our Biola Evan gelistic Bands have just closed their fiscal year. Five evangelistic bands with seven evangelists in each band have visited 38,000 homes with the gospel in the course of the year. And well over 100,000 Scripture portions and tracts have been distributed. There are numerous instances of whole families that have accepted Christ and have cast away century-old
man for a travel in g com p a n io n f r o m Yokohama to Shanghai was perhaps the fur thest from my t h o u g h t s , but when a very tall, large-nosed man moved in, I was to meet an official of the diplomatic service of Tur key; H e w a s t r a v e l i n g from Tokyo to Nan
king for a new ’ appointment. He smoked Turkish cigarettes incessantly and used Vicks Vapor for his cold! Noncommittal at first, this nominal follower of Mahomet shortly became very friendly. The trip from Japan to China is a very short one, but on arrival at Shanghai as we parted, he consented to accept a small New Testa- • Persia
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THE K I N G ' S B US I NE S S
January, 1938
The answer is reflected in the condition of the church at home. Is she strong and true to her Lord who bought her? If she is, then we shall have no fear for her child! If we fail to meet China’s great spiritual need in this s'crucial hour, it can never be said that it is because of the peculiar psychology of the Chinese people to ward peoples and things
idols. A missionary writing from his dis trict south of Changsha states that the work of the Band in his field this year has been phenomenal. Each one of the fifty-eight graduates of the Institute at Changsha this spring has found a definite place of service, and there have been calls for many more trained Christian Chinese workers. Unquestionably we are upon a crest of the wave of opportunity. Let us work while it is day, for the night cometh. How Will War Affect the Chinese Church? While I write, the dark clouds of an inevitable struggle are thickening fast in North China. And it may be that by the time you read these words, the heavens will grow black with the holocaust that is coming. Unprecedented as the oppor tunities are before us, yet lurking in the background is the working of Satan to resist every forward attempt at proclaim ing the gospel of Christ. Christ’s church in China faces enemies from without and from within. That our Christian effort in China is at the crossroads is as certain as the fact that China and Japan are now face to face with each other in a bloody struggle for a leadership that will end eventually in the arraying of the Kings of the East against the coming Confederacy of the West. Whither then the missionary? When missionary and means from the West have gone, will the church in China be strong and virile enough to carry through the storm that is about to break?
C H ÌJ 4 A
K FOOCHOW Location of Changsha in Relation to Nanking and Shanghai which their communions officially stand, but to which they as individuals can no longer subscribe. From such a Chris tianity no vigorous foreign missionary enterprise can be expected. Unless new revivals reinvigorate it, it is doomed even in its strongholds.” foreign. Neither may we assume that it is because of the linguistic hurdles we have had to jump to convey our thoughts, but simply that an awful, poisonous virus has located itself within the church in the home lands. And that virus is the deadly teach ing that the kingdom of God may be ushered in by means of social revolution, and that society can be renovated through human effort. The situation at home and abroad has been well summed up by a keen student of missionary work. Writes this ob server : “ Today everywhere even among the clergy, men are seeking a social revolu tion for the religious convictions for EVANGELISTS IN WAR TIME Members and leaders of the Biola Evangelistic Bands, photographed at Changsha on Octo ber I, 1937, with Charles A. Roberts, Treas urer of the Hunan Bible Institute at the extreme left of the picture; Frank A. Keller. Superintendent, at the extreme right, and Andrew Gih of Bethel Mission sixth from the left on the front row. A t this point we shall do well to recall that the first missionary efforts in China— from the sixth to the ninth centuries, when flourishing churches of the Nestorians existed in such large centers as Hsianfu, recent, scene of Generalissimo Chiang’s detention, Yangchow, Hangchow and other places— faded completely out of the picture, with nothing remaining save a few ruins and a large stone monument with a lengthy in scription of the history of that early church in China. And it is not without significance that the famous inscribed monument of Hsian has no direct reference to the suffer ings of Christ and but a faint allusion to the resurrection! The church of those early centuries sank into oblivion losing itself in a syncretism of mysticism, forget- \Continued on -page 36] 8 THE K I N G ' S B US I NE S S January, 1938 T HERE "are certain aspects of pro phetic truth which in the very nature of things could not be understood clearly until the time of the end drew near. This principle is indicated in the angel’s instruction to Daniel when he says: “ But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased . . . . But go thou thy . way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days” (Dan. 12:4, 13). Many things were re vealed to Daniel which it was not the mind of God for him to understand fully in his- own days, nor could they be comprehended clearly in the early centuries of the Chris tian dispensation. The Book of the Revelation, contrary to the Book of Daniel, was to be unsealed, and thus this unsealed book of New Testament prophecy has to a very large extent re moved the seal from Daniel, the outstand ing book of Old Testament prophecy. But even in Revelation there is much which it pleased God to conceal from general under standing now that the end has drawn nigh. Take, for instance, the prophecy relating to the kings of the East and their apparent onslaught upon the powers of the West. In Revelation 16:12-16 we read: “ And the sixth angel poured out his the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way o f the kings of DR. BAUMAN’S EDITORIAL COMMENT • High in the Japanese Alps, soldiers of thé "Empire of the Rising Sun" are shown in rigorous training for mountain fighting. What might this preparation mean when the time comes for "the kings that come from the sun- rising" to march westward across Asia? shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Identifying "The Kings of the East" Who are “ the kings of the east” here referred to? They are clearly distinguished from the powers of the West animated by the unclean spirits that proceeded out of the mouth of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. Armageddon is really the clashing of vast Eastern and Western armies contending for the possession of Palestine. This, I have no doubt, is all in the future and perhaps in the very near future, though not to take place until after the rapture of the church. It has often been noticed that the trumpet and vial judgments [beginning in Revela tion 8:6 and 16:1, respectively] run paral lel, to a certain extent; that is, in each in stance the same spheres of influence or groups of people are referred to under the respective numbers. The first trumpet and of the sixth trumpet (Rev. 9:13 ff.) be compared with that of the sixth vial (Rev. 16:12-16), we may see that the kings of the East are the leaders of a tremendous Oriental army which will come down upon Palestine in the last days. For the sake of convenience I quote the trumpet passage from Revelation 9:15-21, that it may be considered carefully in connection with what we have already read: “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for the first vial are similar in character, and so on d o wn t h r o u g h the lists. Now if the prophecy Opening the 1938 Prophetic Sympo sium, H. A . Ironside, Pastor of the Moody Memorial Church of Chicago, brings a timely article related to the tense Far Eastern situation that is arous ing the concern of thoughtful citizens of all nations. Unquestionably, Dr. Ironside is right in his location of “ the kings of the east.” Prophecy, in so far as it deals with the nations of this earth, clusters almost en- tirely around Palestine, “ the navel of the earth (Ezek. 38 :12, R. V . margin). This fact enables us to locate with rea sonable certainty “ the king of the north” and “ the king of the south” (Dan. 1 1 :4 0 ), as well as “ the kings of the east.” The expression, “ kings of the east” (Rev. 1 6 :1 2 ) compels us to think of China, wherein one out of every four human beings first sees the light of day. Nor could it exclude the hordes from Asiatic Russia, from Japan, from Persia, and other Asiatic countries. It must be so, for it is written: “ I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle” (Zech. 14 :2) when the hour for the war of Armageddon arrives— a terrible hour. First Article in the 1 9 3 8 Prophetic Symposium Directed by Louis S. Bauman All of this means that the ages-dormant four hundred millions of Chinese are certain to become militaristic. They must have fighting forces that are willing to march beyond the borders of China. Per haps the most significant thing about the present strife between Japan and China is that Japan is forcing China to become what she never has been before but must become before Armageddon— war-mind ed— militaristic in her spirit. Napoleon Bonaparte once pointed his finger toward China on the map [Continued on page 9] 9 THE K I N G ' S B U S I NE S S January, 1938 EXPECTATION ! [ Continued from page 5] to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horse men were two hundred thousand thou sand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest o f the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, .and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of w ood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.” In reading such a passage as this, we must recognize the fact that we have be fore us a very highly figurative vision. The angel made known the unveiling to John in symbols: “ He sent and signified it by his angel” (Rev. 1:1). “ Signified” is literally " sign-i-fied ”—that is, symbolized. If this key is kept in mind when one is reading the Apocalypse, it will save from many erroneous interpretations. The symbolic picture, then, of the sixth trumpet judgment is that of a great army — on land and in air belching forth fire and smoke— coming down over the eastern steppes and plains of Asia, across the Eu phrates into the land of Palestine, with the cry “ Asia for the Asiatics.” Who will be the leaders of this horde? The definite explanation of the sixth vial makes this clear. The way of the kings of the East is to be prepared by the drying up of the great river that was once the eastern boundary of the Roman Empire. I am inclined to believe that this symbolizes the complete destruction of the Turkish power which has acted as a buffer between the East and West for so long. Others think it refers to the actual drying up of the river itself, that river which was one of the four that of old went forth from Eden. In either case, as a result of some great cataclysm, the way is to be effectually opened up for the onslaught of the kings of the East. Symbolism in the Revelation Who are these kings? It is not necessary to guess. The word for “ East” is simply “sun-rising.” The kings of the sun-rising! Japan has been known as the empire o f the rising sun for a millennium. * The last three decades have brought this nation to the front in a marvelous way, but recent events have shown up her malignity, her ferocity, and her evident determination Viewing the Empire of the Rising Sun OH, QU ICKLY COME , LORD JESUSI Oh, quickly come, Lord Jesusl The long night waxeth old, Thine own are waiting, watching, Thy glory to behold; The warring world grows weary And knows no rest or peace— Oh, quickly come, Lord Jesus, And bring Thy saints release! Oh, quickly come, Lord Jesusl We long, we long, for Thee Ev'n more than wearied watcher Longs coming morn to see; For wars and strife are round us, And troublous times begin— Oh, quickly come, Lord Jesus, And end this night of sinl Oh, quickly come, Lord Jesus! In yonder paling sky We see the crimson flushing That tells us dawn is nigh; Break forth in all Thy splendor From out Thy starry dome— Oh, quickly come, Lord Jesus, And bear Thy children Home! — E. Margaret Clarkson. bridegroom is with them?” (Matt. 9:15), “ for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” (Rom. 8:24). Indeed, He “ is our hope” ; so while He was present with His people on earth, hope centered in Him and was satisfied, and was no longer in operation. This remarkable omission of any mention of hope in the Gospels is an other happy reminder of how much, indeed everything, centers in one blessed Person, for us His children and servants. Our Present Expectation But now He is gone, as to bodily pres ence, and in His absence hope must again come into active operation. And thus the noun or verb reappears sixty times in the Epistles, from the “ consolation and good hope” which results in “ rejoicing,” to the confident “hope . . . in God,” which “ mak- eth not ashamed” and includes the present “ hope of the gospel,” and the future “ blessed hope” of Christ’s return. For if faith is the upward attitude of the soul;/ and love the outward, hope or expec tation is that forward attitude, which reaches out to those things which are be fore, and anticipates the promises. How blessedly different from the condition of the poor worldlings who are “ having no hope, and without God in the world.” So we have thought a little of the Psalm ist’s expectation of coming events, and of the waiting people’s expectation of God’s visita tion and blessing, which is still in the hearts of God’s people today. But there is one more “ expectation” which needs to be found in our hearts as well. It just expresses the apostle’s outlook. And so eager is his desire for “ this grace also,” that a special intensive form of the word has to be used— "apokaradokia," “ earnest expectation” (Phil. 1:20). And what was the object of this most eager expectation? Was it “more worlds to conquer,” more mis sion fields to evangelize, more Epistles to write? No, it was none of these, yet some thing really even more important. Magnifying Christ Paul’s ambition expressed in this passage was just that, like the magnifying lens of the astronomer, which, unseen itself, brings the heavenly body nearer and makes it vis ible, so he might “magnify” Christ in the eyes of all around him. Surely this is a safe and very pure ambition, for the bet ter the lens is doing its work, the less it will be seen itself. And the same very great privilege and service is open to the very humblest of His own. Many of our lives have to be lived among common things, but if this grace o f magnifying Christ becomes ours, they will never be commonplace. Gracious Lord, may the self in. each of us be so lost sight of that Christ, and only Christ, shall be seen through the little lens of our lives, and that we may ever and effectually magnify Thee to the needy world around I As we face the year 1938, let us say with the Psalmist: “M y soul, wait thou only upon G od ; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation.” to dictate all the policies and dominate all the nations of the Far East. The puppet king of Manchukuo, possibly Japanese-con- trolled rulers in other northeastern Chinese territories, perhaps at last an alignment with China itself, and there you have the kings of the sun-rising— all in readiness for the great day of God Almighty—the Arma geddon conflict. The instructed believer in the inspired Word of God knows that the fierce winds of the great tribulation will not be let loose on the earth till the church is raptured and the remnant of Israel sealed, but “ coming events cast their shadows before,” and we may well look with bated breath upon the amazing and truly horrible developments in the territory of the coming kings of the East. The tocsin of doom is sounding. The yel low peril becomes more and more ominous. The preparation of the day of the Lord goes on apace. Christian, lift up your head. Your redemption draweth nigh. and said to a group of military leaders: “ Gentlemen, there lies a lion asleep 1 Let him sleep!” The bayonets of Japan are arousing that lion to fury. China can throw into battle five times as many men as Japan has, and see them die, and have plenty left for battle. If Japan forces China into modern armor— and she may do that very thing— what then? Arma geddon? “ O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” Such was the question that burst from Daniel’s lips when he saw the events of the last days in his vision across the centuries. Well may we echo his exclamation in the days when “ these things” are taking place. — Louis S. Bauman. DR. BAUMAN’ S EDITORIAL COMMENT [ Continued from page 8]
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