King's Business - 1948-03

that day there shall he a great shaking in the land of Israel; so that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creep­ ing things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are, upon the face of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall he thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. We talk a great deal about the mercy and longsuffering of our God; and well we may! His mercy is as high as the heavens, and His longsuffering beyond all human comprehension! But let me tell you that there is surely coming a day of wrath of Almighty God- against His enemies and against the enemies of His people. The verses which we have just read give us a glimpse of His righteous indignation as it will be turned against Israel’s foes. His tender love for His chosen people will be manifest, even as He said in Genesis 12:3, “ I will . . . curse him that curseth thee.” Through many prophets God has given warning against mistreating His people. “He that toucheth” Israel “ toucheth the apple of his eye.” So we are not surprised to read that His wrath will be stirred to the depths by this wanton invasion of “ the pleasant land” by an ungodly, blatant dictator. However, we are given to understand that God will not be taken unaware by this .sudden decision to invade the land, for He has known about it from the beginning. He will make this a stupendous spectacle for the rest of the world to understand once for all His love for His chosen peo­ ple, and His hatred of unrighteousness and sin. We marvel at the patience of God as we look about us in the world today.

the land, and to the blanket of atmos­ phere over the land. Mountains shall be thrown out of their places; steep valleys shall be filled in; and buildings and walls shall fall. You are aware, of course, that from time immemorial God has used earthquakes to bring to pass His pur­ poses. And at that future time the whole land will tremble as an aspen leaf at the wrathful voice of the Creator of all things. "I W ill Call for a Sword" Against Gog, "Saith the Lord G od " Now as this shaking of the land is the prelude to destruction of the vast host of Gog, we note in the next few verses that it is to be completed by the use of a mighty sword. And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall he against his brother. And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his hands, and upon the many peo­ ple that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will he known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord (Ezek. 38:21-23). What is the sword which will be called to slay the great host of the prince of Russia? Some have seen in this the sword of the Roman prince who will fight against the soldiers of the northern confederacy. They have seen in this com­ bat a battle to the finish over the right to control the Holy Land. Palestine will have been under the protectorate of the Antichrist, but this authority, some hold, will be challenged by the Russian Gog. This may be so, for we cannot be dogmatic! about these things. But is not the whole tenor of the passage against this? Is not this rather the sword of God as He alone fights the battle against Gog? Is not the sword in this case the soul-terrifying earthquake with its de­ molishing and leveling of everything? Great ocean tidal waves could -easily send to the bottom mighty dreadnaughts of the northern navy, absolutely nullify­ ing all sea travel. Atmospheric torna­ does could bring every airplane and dir­ igible to the ground in flames. Moreover, God’s sword will doubtless include pes­ tilence and blood, with torrential rain and hailstones, fire and brimstone. Surely this will be enough to prostrate the proud might of the Russian and German in­ vaders! Nor will this be all, for in the black, weird confusion that will follow the fury of the elemental upheavals, “every man’s sword shall be against his brother,” and through this will be wrought a great slaughter. By the complete overthrow and anni­ hilation of the invading army, Almighty God will become known among the na­ tions. Israel will be preserved, and God will be glorified. (Continued Next Month) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S

Schemes and plans are being proposed by the thousands among governments and by citizens, with never a mention of God, and never a thought of His interest in the world. Sin is rampant and un­ righteousness abounds; but still God restrains His hand, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” But I do want to warn you in most solemn tones that the patience of God will one day be ex­ hausted. The age of grace will surely close, and the day of the wrath of Al­ mighty God be ushered in. As God waited 120 years in the days of Noah for men to repent and turn to Him; as He sent the flood of waters to destroy both men and beast and creeping things; so also there will come a time of punishment upon sin such as the world has never known. What I should like to know, my friend, as you listen to these words, is this: Are you ready to meet God? Have your sins been washed away in the blessed fountain of cleansing opened by Christ as He hung upon the Cross of Calvary? Have you been made “ a new creature” by the re­ generating work of the Holy Spirit? If you have not, let me beg of you that you do not delay, but that you look to Christ and be saved. As an unworthy sinner, accept by faith His wonderful and abund­ antly sufficient righteousness! "A Great Shaking in the Land of Israel" In the passage we have just quoted God spoke, saying that in that day there would be “ a great shaking in the land.” Part of the judgment upon the invading horde is to be this cataclysm. So great will the disturbance be that it will ex­ tend to the bodies of water in and around

EUROPE IS PLEADING to Us for Immediate Help— Physical and Spiritual Just recently Peter Deyneka returned to the United States after visiting Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, France and other countries. He saw their need and heard their urgent cry for spiritual help and physical relief of their immediate needs. Ten dollars will supply a parcel of food for hungry missionaries and other Christian families in Europe. The doors are wide open in Poland for preaching the gospel now. Hearts are hungry for the gospel message. Services lasting for several hours were overcrowded .The people are pleading for Bibles, New Testaments, hymn books and gospel literature in their language. Missionaries and a Polish Bible School in Warsaw, which opened January 15, must be supported through Christian friends. Mr. Deyneka saw great spiritual awakening, and scores of souls >came to Christ in Poland ■? and Germany. There is a great need for gospel workers in these and other countries. | Our Bussian Bible Institutes, which are giving free training, are going forward with great :| blessing in Toronto, Canada, and Rosario, Argentina. Missionaries must be supported in |j Alaska, South America, Canada, and the United States.- Pray, help and tell others about U these challenging opportunities. Let us redeem the time for the days are evil. When sending your checks, make payable to the RUSSIAN GOSPEL ASSOCIATION, INC. Peter Deyneka, General Director, 64 W. Randolph St., Dept. K, Chicago I, III. Peter Deyneka's European report and Russian Gospel News magazine will be sent free-upon request. Our mission representatives are available for Conferences, Rallies and Churches. Peter Deyneka

A college preparatory high school now occupying its own spacious campus. Accredited by the North Central Asso­ ciation and by the University of Illinois. ■Strong four-year courses. Orthodox Christian

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