The Apostas^ Sweeping
0\)er the Churches
A n Address Delivered at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Sunday Afternoon, Aug. 17 , 1919
By DR. A . C. GAEBELEIN Editor o f **Our Hope”
Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-17. The greatest evidence that man has a darkened mind and a corrupt nature is not the existence of the gambling den, nor the house of ill fame. The greatest evidence is unbelief; the fact that thé human heart definitely and positively refuses to listen to the voice of God; that there is a heart which hates the light and loves darkness; and the greater the light which is rejected and refused, the greater the darkness, and finally God who is Love and Mercy can do nothing else. In fact, He must mete out judgment for a race which re fuses to listen to His voice. That has been the story of the race from the be ginning. God did not leave man, after he had transgressed, without light. Man had the light of creation and though there was not a written word, yet there was the Word of God nevertheless, and yet as you follow the Divine Record, you find that man’s evil na ture was evidenced by turning away from that Light. And though in 1650 years of the first age of this earth, they builded cities, invented instruments, were lovers of art and music,— the race wandered away from God, the earth became filled with violence and vile ness, the voice of God was rejected and finally God had to bring a judgment upon this earth. And let no one imag ine that that judgment, the deluge, is a myth; it is not. It is written in the Book and it is verified by science, by geology and by tradition. When you look to the favored race,, the people of Israel, you find the same
evidence of the darkened mind and cor ruption of human nature. The nation which received the tokens of God’s grace and mercy, were led out of Egypt, miraculously delivered from the hands of the enemy, seeing the demonstration of the power of God, the giving of bread out of heaven and water out of a rock and “Witnessing miracle after miracle,, listening to the voice of Jeho vah at Mount Sinai. A little time after, behold them bringing their ear-rings and making a golden calf, stripping themselves naked, dancing about this calf, saying, “ These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” Think of it! Thpugh God had given the highest manifestation of His presence,1 His power, His mercy toward His people, yet they could plunge into this apos tasy and if you follow their history, you will find, that it is made up of re vivals and apostasy, and revivals and apostasy, ^ always turning .finally against God, against His \Yrord, and sinning against, the Light until you find this Divine Record in 2 Chronicles 36: 15 and 16. And the Lord of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers rising up betimes and send- m g; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God and despised his words and misused his prophets, ♦•iiWS?tlx of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” Finally when the Lord of Glory came to that nation, educated in the very school of God, with a history of miracle behind it and promises of glory before, they rejected the Lord of Glory and, instead of giving Him the Throne,
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