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MARCH, 1946
0 Dr. Hubbard's Department “ I recently subscribed to the King’s Busi ness. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed the magazine,, and how much help I have had from reading it. “ I have started giving object lessons in Sunday school, and I always take them from your magazine. *Tm a young Christian, and I’ve wanted guidance In reading my Bible, so when I could read Genesis under the guidance of Dr. Hubbard, I felt I was really getting somewhere, I am still studying on it, and expect to until the next issue comes.” Mrs. Helen Benson. Portland, Ore. “ I am still getting help from my King's Business. This new series of studies by Dr. John A. Hubbard is going tp prove very fine for all of us, especially for young Chris- ■tians who have a new love for His Word, but little understanding of it.” Mrs. W. C. Evans. Vero Beach, Fla. “ I am glad to tell you that the King's Business is deeply spiritual. The Question Box is very fine. I am especially interested In the ‘Bible Book of the Month’ by Dr. Hubbard.” Mrs. H. E. Eustace. Lawrence, Kan. Kind Words “We think your paper is one of the best magazines that we have seen in circulation, and we take over twenty Christian papers. Rev. A. J. Sharp. Spring City, Tenn. •‘I think the King’s Business is improving each year. Its make-up is Scriptural, funda mental, inspirational and very helpful to Christian living.” Rev. I. E. Johnson. Lancaster, Pa. “ I have always found your magazine help ful, but for some good reason your last Issue Just took me off my feet, it is so extraor dinarily excellent.” J. C. Hatz. Milwaukle, Ore. Golden Text Illustrations “ There is one thing I’ve missed in your magazine this past year, and that is the illustrations of the Golden Text for each Sunday’s lesson.’’ Mrs. Mildred Conner. Waynesboro, Pa. A Booster “ I send one two-year [King’s Business] subscription to some one each month.” Mrs. John Beyer. Camarillo, Calif. Junior King's Business “ I was greatly impressed by the Christmas story in the Junior King’s Business, Dec., 1945. The title was ‘Penny and the Christ mas Star,’ by Helen Frazee-Bower.” Mrs. Marjorie Snyder* Los Angeles, Calif. The Twenty-Year Test ‘‘The King’s Business has been my prize magazine for many years and I would not wish to be without it. In 1926 I first sub scribed for it. . . . Think it the best ever.” Mrs. Sam Griffin. Walla Walla, Wash. "Moire It a Memorial with SPIRITUAL significance ” That is the expressed demand of church people. To fill this need we offer three large beautifully framed pictures of Christ—each a true full-color reproduction of an original oil painting by Warner E. Sallman. You can find no more appropriate memorial to the church’s men and women in the Service. A Story-Interpretation, given FREE with each picture, furnishes excellent material for a dedication program. The lovely “Barbizon” frame is charming and elegant. Finished in gold- bronze, it fits into any setting. A true work of art, it augments the richness, warmth and strength of the pictures. In large rooms a combination hanging of two or three pictures is very impressive. “Verplexed” for Permanency “Verplexing” seals in the colors and protects the surface; gives an embossed effect which simulates the brush marks of the original oil painting. “Verplexed” pictures are framed without glass—after the manner of valuable originals. THREE Salima* SUBJECTS NOW AVAILABLE—LARGE SIZE No. 4000—Head of Christ, 35x45 _____________ $40.00 No. 4002—Christ at Heart’s Door, 35x45 ______ 40.00 No. 4003—The Lord Is My Shepherd, 35x45 ____40.00 A bronze name plate (available through your picture supplier) provides permanent marking of your memorial. A W A R N E R P R E S S P R O D U C T O R D E R F R O M Y O U R C H U R C H S U P P L I E S D E A L E R IMPRESSIVELY LARGE 35x45 FRAME Adequate for Auditorium, Chapel, Tabernacle, etc. THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 98 YOUNG T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S Published Monthly by and Representing The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated PEOPLE TODAY YOUNG MAN ON FIRE Mel Larson The Story of Torrey Johnson and Youth for Christ. ^ CHALLENGING YOUTH FOR CHRIST Mervin E. Rosell These “ personal pentalks” were written to challenge those unable to hear A the author, I «Uv REACHING YOUTH FOR CHRIST Torrey Johnson and Robert Cook A practical “ how-to-do-it, you-can-do-it" book which presents prayer-centered methods for winning today’s A AA young men And women. I *ww New Sacred Recordings Ransom Marvin John Bazart Illustrators Betty Bruechert, Managing William W. Orr, D.D. Associate Editor Editor Louis T. Talbot, D.D Editor-in-Chief No. 3 Vol. 37 M A R C H , 1946 DOCTRINE NUMBER She represents thou sands of Indians— the original Americans— who need the Gospel. Photograph courtesy George R. King, photograph*. The Keeper of the Keys, Rev. Vance Havner ................................................... 100 Th e Atonement, Harold John Ockenga, Ph.D. ............................... ................ 101 Is Life Worth Living for a Jew of the Present Day? Rev. Coulson Shepherd .................................................................................... 104 Editorially Speaking.............................................. ..................................................... 106 They A lso Serve, A. C. Feigert.. ......................................................................... 108 W e Rebuild in China................................... ................................:............................ I l l Th e Bible Book o f the Month, John A. Hubbard, D .D .................— -------- 112 Poem— “ Strong Son of G od” — Alfred, Lord Tennyson ............................... 113 When Prayer Does N ot “ Change Things,” Rev. George H. Clement ....... 114 Th e Bible in the News.............. ......i.....................................................................115 Devotional Readings...........................................................................1__________ .... 116 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker .......................___ _______ _______ 119 Bible Institute on the A ir.................................................................. ....... .— .— 121 Earth’s Treasure Heaps, Paul R. Bauman, D .D ............................................. 122 Book Reviews, William W. On, D .D .............................................................. ............ 123 D r. Talbot’s Question Box..................................... ................ ............................... 124 Greek W ord Treasures, Bernard Ramm, A.B., B.D ........................................ 125 “ The Likes O ’ M e,” Rev. E. W. Goodrick .......... ........................................ 125 Biola Family Circle.................................................................................................... 126 Y oung People’s Topics, D r. Walter L. Wilson. ............................................. 128 It’s an Idea, Rev. Carlton C. Buck ......................1............................................. 129 Sunday School Lessons......... ......................................................................... 132 Object Lessons for .April, Rev. Elmer L. Wilder ............................................ 142 SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “ The King’s Business” is published monthly; $1.50, one yr.; $2.00, two yrs:; 75 cents, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES—Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date of expiration will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING—For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los- Angeles 13, Calif., or our eastern representatives, Religious Press Association, 51 No. 52nd St., Philadelphia 39, Pa. MANUSCRIPTS— “ The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent in for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los. Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, Calif. CONTENTS: CO VER : Navajo Indian of Arizona at her loom. Well Known Christian Artists Write for Complete List Only$ 1 . 0 3 Postpaid Customers in California Add 2%% State Sales Tax BIOLfl BOOK ROOM (C. E. Andrew) 560 S. Hope St. Los Angeles 13 99 MARCH, 1946 7 f e 7 'O itttUaÿ THE BIBLE ¿ W TtfOTR^Vf Here is the answer to the world’s need— the preaching of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And to this challenge the Bible Institute of Los Angeles earnestly pledges itself. • Founded nearly 40 years ago on the Word of God • Nearly 9000 have enrolled in our courses • Tuition is, and has always been free • Our present student body is the largest in our history • We depend upon your gifts for our support i ininniiiusinn •NeORf•RATIO 558 S. HOPE ST., LOS ANGELES 13, CALIFORNIA Gentlemen: Please send me the folder on “ personal spon sorship" of students. Name .... ....................................................................................................... Address City and State ............................................................................................. You may assist in the ministry of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles by cash gifts, by bequests in your will, or by having part in our plan of personal sponsorship” for individual students. The cost of tuition for a student for one year is approximately $125.00. You are invited to mite for further details. T HE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S too kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1: 32, 33)., When a dying Saviour hung upon Calvary’s cross, there fluttered over Him the superscription, “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19). Indeed He was, and is, the King of the Jews. It makes > no difference that the Jews have never acknowledged Him > as such. The key to the house of David is His, and the throne of David is a throne as literal as the throne of the King of England. Some Bible scholars to the contrary notwithstanding, this is not a flowery figure of speech. By law, by lineage and by the eternal will of God, Jesus is the heir to the earthly, visible, actual throne of David, and God will see to it that He shall reign whose right it is. Until that time, Gpd’s chosen people can have no true head. Jesus alone has the keys to David’s house and when He shuts it, no man can open. He Has the Key of World Government There is coming a day when He shall reign “till he hath put all enemies under his feet” (1 Cor. 15:25). Kings, dictators; usurpers have tried to rule this world. Caesar, Charlemagne, Napoleon and Hitler tried it but they did not have the keys. They ran up against a stone wall. For Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords and when He closes a door, man cannot open it—not even with a blitzkrieg! Not long ago on a Sunday afternoon, I sat beside my radio, trying to tune in the familiar Old-Fashioned, Revival Hour. Reception was poor; interference was bad. I turned the dial right and left trying to get rid of the (Continued on Page 109) \ MONO the many titles of our wonderful Lord, is .. / \ the most significant one of ' “The Keeper of the X ” \ . Keys.” The Saviour carries at His side the keys of : Heaven and' of earth, keys to the seen and the unseen, keys to the past and keys to the future, keys to opdn your smallest problem and keys to unlock the universe itself. He Has the Key of the House of David In Isaiah 22, God, through His prophet, thundered against a certain official named Shebna. He was a politi cian, and a crook—nothing unusual. Because he was feathering his own nest at the expense of others, God threatened to disown him; He warned him, “I will toss thee like a ball.” Here is a corrupt treasurer being thrown out with a vengeance. In his place, God promised to install Eliakim: “The key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open” (Isa. 22:22). *Immediately these words spoken by our Lord in Revela tion 3:7 come to mind: “These things saith he that is holy, he-that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that ,’ operieth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man ppeneth." Eliakim prefigured Jesus Christ, who is ’the one and only rightful heir to the throne of David. '“The government shall be upon his shoulder . . . Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of DaVid, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with jus tice from henceforth even for ever” (Isa, 9:6, 7). It was the message of the angel to Mary: “The Lord God shall ' give unto him the throne of his father David: And he «ha.il rsign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his MARCH, 1946 i "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures“ (1 Cor, 15:3). T HIS is the doctrine of the atonement The word another, in this world; When we have Offended someone, it is necessary for us to make amends, to apologize, to make restitution, or, in other words, to appease the per* son who has been wronged. Technically speaking, in the Christian faith, atone ment deals with that reconciliation wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ by His incarnation, death and resurrection. It centers almost entirely about the death of Christ on the Cross, for it was on the Cross that the Lord Jesus carried the penalty of our sins. , In human relationships, reconciliation of individual with individual is essential. Leviticus 6:14 declares that when one man wrongs another, he must make restitution to the person as well as to obtain the forgiveness of the Lord. It would be well in approaching this subject of atonement to apply its requirements to our own particu lar experience; entirely too many people think that they can live acceptably before God without making a recon ciliation to other human beings whom they have wronged. The atonement about which we are speaking, however, deals with our guilt before God, which produces a sense of unworthiness. The very fact of the atonement implies the existence of sin, of estrangement from God, condemna tion of man, and offense toward God. Christ's Death Satisfied Justice What of expiation? Generically, the word means to appease by a religious ritej but in Biblical theology it indicates the appeasement or satisfaction of God by the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. The atonement was absolutely necessary; not merely conditionally essential, because of the very nature and being of God, because of His righteousness, His justice, the nature Of His law and the guiltiness of sin. If God is righteous, then He cannot overlook the existence of sin, which is an affront to His holiness, the authority of His law and the well-being of the universe. Individuals may arbitrarily forgive sin, but the Judge of all the earth cannot. Even if a person forgives sins committed against him, he nevertheless feels their effect, although the one who perpetrated the wrong may not suffer the conse quences. Either the evildoer or his victim must bear the results of the wrong. If one owes you a thousand dollars, and you forgive the debt, you ar-e poorer by one thousand dollars. You have taken the blow yourself. It is exactly this which the atonement makes necessary. When we speak of sin against the law Of God, we must remember that, unless the moral universe is to crumble and disintegrate, there must be satisfaction of righteous ness and of justice. The changelessness of law demands satisfaction. There can be no relaxation or adjustment of its demands in the moral universe. Someone has to bear the consequences o f sin; and if the sinner, the one who has transgressed the laws of God and the universe, does not bear them, then someone else will. If, therefore, God forgives our sin, He has to take that penalty into Himself and that is exactly what God did. “atonement” means to make reparation, amends, satisfaction for wrong. It is not only necessary in our relationship to God, but in our relationship to one THE K I N G ’ S BUS I NES S 102 ture of God and not in what the man Jesus did. Some times the atonement is represented as a third person stepping in between God and man and initiating recon ciliation. This is a misrepresentation. Biblical theology tells us that the atonement effecting our salvation was wrought out according to the good pleasure of God, ac cording to the eternal counsel of His will. It originated in the very nature and purpose of God. This truth reveals the other side of God’s nature, namely, that God is love and God’s mercy is His love in action toward men. If God is love, then before God ever created the world, He must have had a plan in mind whereby the violation of His holiness might be forgiven, and the creature who sinned could be saved and restored to fellowship with Him. God’s good pleasure, the eternal counsel of His own will, originated this atonement. It was not some secondary afterthought on the part of God when sin had entered the world. God’s love moved toward man so that by means of an atonement He could forgive sin. Thus His action remained in perfect consist ency and harmony with His justice. In order to accomplish this, there had to be a satisfac tion, an appeasement, a restitution made to God which would result in reconcilement between God and man. That was wrought out by Jesus Christ on the Cross. The atone ment brought reconciliation to the objects of judicial wrath, whom God loved. We have already said that this atonement was accom plished by Christ, not by a third person stepping between God and man. Rather it was God in Christ, who took sin into Himself, suffered the penalty thereof and thus for gave it. He came into the world, assumed human flesh, lived as a man, became the perfect representative of man, and went to the Cross, bearing the penalty of sin. There on the Cross eternal deity suffered the guilt and punish ment incurred by it in the moral universe and thus made a complete satisfaction. Salvation is thus a triune affair wrought by the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That Christ did so take our sin, guilt and penalty into Himself is the plain teaching of the Scripture. Isaiah declared, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” John the Baptist declared concerning Christ, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” That figure of the Lamb of God could mean nothing else to the Jewish mind than a substitutionary sacrifice. Paul said, “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Peter declared, “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot,” and “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed,” and also “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” The Bible is explicit and lucid in teaching us that Jesus Christ took the penalty of our sins in His body as He hung upon the Cross and thereby made an atonement for sin. If this is true, then who was appeased by this death? Did Christ die on the Cross to appease men? God had done mankind no wrong. Hence, Christ died not to con ciliate mankind but to appease God, to satisfy justice and holiness in the nature of God, so that God might continue to be righteous and just and still forgive the sins of man kind. The amends were not made to man, but to God. Thus all theories which teach that Christ died to set an example, or to give! a moral uplift to humanity, or to demonstrate righteousness in the governmental affairs of the world, fall short of the Biblical teaching concerning the Cross-. These may be secondary purposes of Christ’s How to Read the Bible Read the Bible, not as a newspaper, but as a home letter. If a cluster of Heavenly fruit hangs within teach, gather it. If a promise lies upon the page as a blank check, cash it. If a prayer is recorded, appropriate it, and launch it as a feathered arrow from the bow of your desire. If an example of holiness gleams before you, ask God to do as much for you. IF the truth is revealed in all its intrinsic splendor, entreat that its brilliance may ever irradiate the hemisphere of your life. —F.B.Meyer. Law is not to be differentiated from God. Some think that law is above God and that God is God because He conforms to that superior law. Others think that God is above law and that law exists because God established it and that it would not be authoritative if God had not said so. According to this principle, if God had com manded that it was good to steal and that it was wrong to be honest, such practices would be called moral because God established them. We hold that neither of these con ceptions concerning law is correct, but rather that law and God are identical. Moral law is an expression of the nature of God. Since moral law is drawn from the very being of God, it cannot be otherwise; law is neither above nor below God, nor is God God because He conforms to law, but rather because law and God cannot be otherwise in a moral universe. Presupposing that God has such a moral nature as that revealed in the Scripture, that He is a God of justice, and a God of righteousness, a God who must punish the wrongs which have been perpetrated against His law and against His nature, we can understand what is called “the wrath Of God.” Just as God’s mercy is the activity of God’s love toward man, so His wrath is the movement of God’s justice toward man. When the Bible refers to the wrath of God, it does not mean an ebullition of anger such as a human being displays. George Washington had one besetting sin which he called a weakness: an ungov ernable temper. Once when a lad, he was told by a serv ant that his mother and brother would be displeased if he went duck shooting on Sunday. He was about to push off in a rowboat on the creek, and he became so infuriated that he picked up an oar and cracked the servant over the head with it. Had the riienial not been a colored man with an extremely thick skull, the blow would have killed (him. This one incident taught George Washington more about his own nature than any one else could have ever told him. God’s wrath is not in any way comparable to this kind of anger. It is but the expression of His justice against the violation of His holiness and against the very existence of sin in the world. In this sense, then God is angry with the wicked. His wrath is manifested against those who withhold the truth in ungodliness. Because sin is guilt, because law is unchangeable, because there can be no ac commodation of law to the needs of a particular sinner, law must be satisfied by an atonement. The atonement is grounded in God’s good pleasure toward man. Righteousness is the fundamental attribute of God’s nature. Since God is righteous, there must be a satisfaction made for sin, but the wonderful fact in this connection is that this satisfaction is grounded in the na MARCH, 1946 103 death, but the primary motive was to reconcile God to man so that sinners might be freely forgiven. Calvary forever changed man’s standing before God. Therefore Paul says that God “was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.’’ Christ Substituted for Us in His Death on the Cross The word “vicarious” pertains to the substitution of one person for another. In Christianity, this means that the guilt of sin demanding eternal punishment was as sumed by an infinite Person. The vicarious satisfaction made by Christ means that Christ, in our stead, satisfied justice in the place of you and me so that we do not have to do it for ourselves. The infinite majesty of God which was offended by the rebellion of man and by the enmity of man, was satisfied by the obedience of Christ. In this act of obedience, Christ also demonstrated before man What it meant to act for the greatest good of the universe. In so doing, He satisfied the very nature of God which is at the heart of the universe itself. Such a satisfaction was called an expiation and the entire Old Testament teaches the significance of such a sacrifice. In Leviticus 1:4 the consummation of the cere mony of the burnt offering is described. The Word says, “And he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt-offer ing; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.” Again in Leviticus 4:26, 29, we read, “And the priest shall make an atonement for him as concerning his sin, and it shall be forgiven him . . . And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin-offering, and slay the sin-offering in the place of the burnt-offering.” Also in Leviticus 16:21, the directions for the day of atonement are given after the offerer brought two goats to the altar on behalf of the people, “Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head .of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their trans gressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness.” One goat was to be slain and one was to go free. This was the symbol of a substitute, hence the rise of the word “scapegoat.” Lambs, bullocks, goats, pigeons and other animals were substitutions for men in making an atonement for sin in the sight of the Lord. Thus a sacrifice was substitutionary when it was for the purpose of making atonement. The blood of the sacrifice was important because the life was in the blood. The Levitical law stated: “The life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” These sacrifices were all types or shadows of the sacri fice of Christ. They foretold the coming of God’s Lamb who would take away the sins of the world. None of these Old" Testament sacrifices took away sin, but because God foresaw the sacrifice of Christ, He overlooked the sins of the past which were covered by blood and forgave them. This was made possible because Christ was “ the Lamb slain'from the foundation of the world.” Sins of the Old Testament saints were covered in prospect as ours are covered in retrospect because of the Cross. The writer of Hebrews not only calls these Old Testament offerings “shadows,” but says “which are figures of the true” and “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.” Christ was both the priest who presented the offering and the offering which was made. He was priest after the order of Melchisedec. In attestation thereof, it is stated in Hebrews 5:5,10: “So also Christ glorified not him self to be made an high.priest” ; “Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.” Christ is frequently Griffith Park Planetarium and Observatory. Photograph courtesy Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce. called a priest in the New Testament, and He holds not only the offices of prophet and king, but also of priest, the mediator between God and man. He represents man to God and God to man, and His particular work as priest is to offer sacrifice on our behalf and to intercede for us. His is an eternal and changeless priesthood. Christ died vicariously in the sinner’s place. Paul asserted: Christ “loved me, and gave himself for me.” The words “for me” actually mean “instead of me.” The same expression occurs in these verses: “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” “He by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” It is clear that our sins, the curse of the law, the experience of death and all the consequences of sin were laid upon Christ instead of upon us. The substitution o f Christ for us involves obedience in two respects: Active obedience in that Christ was born, lived and died under the law, thereby fulfilling the law. “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Christ thus gave us the right to eter nal life. But such submission did not take care of the penalty of our sins. Therefore, Jesus also rendered a passive obedience: That is, He voluntarily took our de served sufferings upon Himself and paid the penalty of sin in our behalf. “He is the propitiation for our sins." The plot of Dickens’ great novel, “The Tale of Two Cities,” is built upon this principle of substitution. Charles Darnay, descendant of a French nobleman, was con demned to death by the Revolutionaries. Previously he had lived in England, where he had married one Lucie Manette, whose father had been confined in the Bastille through the villainy of Charles Darnay’s grandfather. There was no hope whatever for the condemned man. However, Lucie had been exceedingly kind to the dissolute Sidney Carton, a drunken lawyer who closely resembled Charles Darnay, and so great was Lucie’s influence that Sidney desired to befriend her. For her sake, therefore, he goes to Paris and in one of the most moving and dramatic scenes of all literature, he exchanges clothing with Charles Darnay and substitutes for him at the guil lotine. This is an excellent illustration of the substitu tionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ for us. (Continued on Page 110) THE K I NG ’ S BUSINESS 104 A GENTILE WHO LOVES GOD'S ANCIENT PEOPLE ATTEMPTS TO ANSWER THE QUESTION— REV. COULSON SHEPHERD A NTI-SEMITISM is based upon cruel, willful, ignorant preju dice. At its root and in its organized form it is satanic; it is more than an opinion or theory or plan; it is a spirit As a noted scholar re cently stated, “Anti-Semitism is a disease.” The masses of people do not truly know or understand the Jewish heart and home and life. They know only what they have heard from others, or form their opinions from one or two isolated experiences with Jewish people. Were they to enter into Jewish life, they would find, perhaps to their great astonishment, a people much the same in ideals and principles as themselves. Personally, I have found the Jewish people to be friendly and liberal. Of course, if Gentiles and Christians are going to allow this satanic spirit of anti-Semitism to pos sess them, their a t t i t u d e and be havior toward the Jewish people are going to be such as to put the Jewish people on their guard. Thus the Jews will reciprocate in ways not to their liking. These defensive characteristics were developed under persecution and because of being discriminated against through the years. Try showing a kindly interest in them, and you will discover them to be the kind and warmhearted people I know the ma jority of them to be. The same anti-Semitic spirit, that was responsible for the dastardly deeds performed in Europe between 1933 and 1945, has raised its ugly head in our own fair land. Yes, it is lying dormant, but, if and when the crucial moment comes, as it did in Europe, that spirit will manifest it self in frightful ways. Some of us are preparing ourselves for this, and we know that, because of kindness to and defense of the Jews, we will share in any persecution they may suffer here. Sometime ago 1 read a letter writ ten by a Jewish mother, in which she deplored these terrible conditions. Her grief of heart on behalf of her own boys and girls found expression in print. One sentence is unforget table: “I wish I had never given birth to my children.” Just about that very time, I read an article from a noted Jewish columnist. His subject, was “Being Bom in Days Like These.” ' Here is a statement from his pen, “Particularly because I am Jewish, I wish I had never been bom !" A Remarkable Prophecy These two statements recall the words of Scripture: “And Pilate . . . delivered Jesus to their will . . . And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus, turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for your selves, and for your children. For, be hold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck” (Luke 23:24-29). “These days,” here referred to are even now at our doors. The inhuman savageries perpet r at ed by demon- possessed Nazis during the late war actually made Jewish people here in America feel that it would have been better for them if they had not been born. Surely, they are sitting in the shadow of a great sorrow the world over. They are daily walking “in the valley of the shadow of death.” As a Gentile believer, I desire to offer a word of comfort to the Jews. I want to tell you that life is worth living, even in times like these. I call upon my Christian brethren to MARCH, 1946 105 join me in fighting all -forms-of anti- Semitism in this country. I want Christians to learn the true facts about the Jewish people, that they may know that many charges hurled against them are to a large extent untrue. A man once asked a Doctor of Med icine if he thought that life was worth living. The M.D. replied, “It all de pends on the liver.” He then went to a Doctor of Divinity and again asked, “Is life worth living?” The man of God answered, “It all depends on the liver.” The words used by both doctors were the same, but what a difference in viewpoint was revealed by their replies! The M.D. was partly right when he asserted that the worth whileness of living depended upon that glandular organ of vertebrates, which secretes bile, and is of great impor tance in metabolism, known as the liver. But the D.D. spoke the whole truth when he declared that it was all up- to the one living whether life was worth living or not. -Is life really worth living for Jew ish people today? Recently I was impressed with this quotation from The Mediator entitled, “As Jew to Jew.” “I am a Jew, a Jew despised, mis trusted and feared, living in every clime, yet nowhere at home. Jew! a name the very sound of which spells derision. My enemies hate me for the name I bear; my friends subcon sciously shrink from me. “Oft in the still night the echo of my name awakens me, and, like a hunted deer, I pant for breath—then realize that it was but a nightmare. : A nightmare? Next morning may make it as real as -life. “But—I am a Jew! Listen, brother Jew, I am a Jew and so are you. You and I belong to the race, scat tered-and peeled, hunted and harassed, despised and rejected. Yet you and I belong to the race of patriarchs and prophets, apostles and martyrs, the priestly people. Do you not feel the stirring of your blood at. the very men tion of. the name—JEW? “Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, were of the same race. So were Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest of the mighty seers. And so, were Peter, John, and Paul. And Jesus — what blood coursed through the veins, of His holy Being, but that which courses through y o u r s - and mine, my brother Jew? Not the blu est blood .of the most exalted king is as blue as that which flows in you, though you be a Jew.” U I Were a Jew We admit times are dark for Israel, and according to the Old Testament Scriptures, these things were foretold thousands of years ago, with assur ance that conditions would only grow worse and worse until the return of the King^Messlah- to deliver His .own. So it is not because I minimize Jewish hatred and' persecution that I insist that, in spite of all these things, life is still worth living for a Jew. I am not a Jew, but if I were, I should be proud to be a member of the greatest people who ever lived. Ah, to be of the seed of that great patriarch, Abraham, who was called “the friend of God” ! (James 2:23). He was the man who dared to change his religion because God told him to. Israel is the people whom God loves with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3); those to whom He refers as “the apple of his eye” (Zech. 2:8). They are the people whom He claimed would never be annihilated until the solar system was destroyed (Jer. 31:33-37). God declared that they would go through these awful times, and even greater tribulation (Jer. 30:7). He stated they would be refined as silver, as a result of these troubles (Psa. 66:10-12). These are the ones being “stirred up” in all countries to get back to their the. truth, t o ' the New Testament. There I would find the Jewish Scrip tures unfolded and fulfilled: there I would come face to face with God manifest in the flesh: there I would sit at the feet of that Prophet, spoken of by Moses (Deut. 13:15, 18; Acts 3:20- 23), “the teacher come from God” (John 3:2). He would show me some thing far more important than being born of my parents. He would say to me: “Except a man be, born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). He would reveal to me that, unless I am born again it were better for me if I had never been born at all. He would say to me so tenderly and lovingly, “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). He would show me that by believing in Him, God’s Lamb, Christ my Passover, sac rificed for me—by receiving Him as my Saviour-Messiah, I would be eter nally saved (John 1:29; 1 -Cor. 5:7). “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power [authority or right] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1: 11-13). If I were a Jew, I would be a believing Jew. I would believe in the Christ of God, who died for my sins (1 Cor. 15:1-3). I would receive Him as my personal Saviour, for I would see that He is the Stone set at naught of the builders, arid that there was salvation in no one else (Psa. 118:22; Acts 4:11,12). Being saved by His-matehless grace, I would hear Him, the Holy One of Israel, my Saviour (Isa. 43:3), saying to me: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have: tribula tion: but be of good-cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I believe with all my heart that we, Jews and Gentiles, were bofn so that we might have the opportunity, to be bom again, bom from above, If we go through life without being born again, we miss the purpose for which we were bom. Therefore, my Jewish friends', be glad you are bom: be glad you are living. Whether or hot it is worth while depends upon you. God is on the throne arid is silently planning for you in love. Remember, “Trib ulation makes a man,” and it can make you, as you believe in the Christ who died that you might have life, and that you might' have it more abundantly (John 10:10; Luke 12:15). “He that Asketh” An insurance salesman who had topped all others in the amount of insurance that he wrote was asked by a Chris tian worker, "What do you have that the other men haven't?" With a grin, he replied, "Nothing. I just ask them, that's all." Do we fail to lead others to Christ because we are not interested enough to "ask them"? own . land (Deut.. 32:11; Jer. 23:7-8), .fo r they are the people to whom a fountain will be opened for sin and .uncleanness. (Zech. 13:1)—the people who one day will.be saved as a nation, and bring much honor and glory to the Lord God (Rom. 11:26); the people of whom the Lord of hosts has. said: ‘‘In those days it shall come to pass, ■that ten men shall take hold out of •all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew,, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech. 8:23), .: Baiter Mot to Be Born, Unless Born Again Yes, .if I were a Jew, I would be proud of it. I would search the Scrip- tures on my knees and ask my God to. reveal to me .the true way of know ing Him. Like Abraham, I would be lieve God, even t h o u g h it meant changing my religion. I am certain that God would lead me on in my quest for Him, and the knowledge of THE K I NG ’ S BUSINESS 106 EDITORIALLY SPEAKING phase of Christian work, including Dr. Robert Wells, his associate; Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., of Cleveland, Tennessee; Dr. Hyman Appelman, noted Hebrew Christian leader; and Dr. Jesse M. Hendley of Atlanta, Georgia. The second conference was the elev enth annual Torrey Memorial Con ference of the Bible Institute, and featured as speakers, Dr. Walter Wil son, of Kansas City, Missouri; Dr. George McNeely, of Newark, New Jersey; Dr. George Palmer, of Phila delphia; Dr. Charles L. Feinberg, of Dallas, Texas? and Dr. John Linton, of Wheaton, Illinois. The tremendous spiritual impact of these gatherings is hard to estimate. While numbers found Christ and many were reclaimed for the service of the Gospel, eternity alone will reveal the complete results, At the time these meetings were held in Los Angeles, simultaneous services were conducted in Pasadena, Long Beach, and other nearby points. In the bulletin of the First Brethren Church of Long Beach, of which Dr. Louis Bauman is pastor, there ap peared the following comment with regard to this conference: “Never, in the memory of the pastor, has a Bible Conference been held in this church, in which there was a heartier expres sion of real spiritual blessings re ceived by those who attended, than we have heard at this conference. It seems that every message just couldn’t have been better. We wish to thank the Bible Institute of Los Angeles for bringing this conference to the people of Long Beach.” ★ ★ Aid to the Jew O NE TOPIC in the daily press re ceives space out of all proportion to the number of persons involved. This subject is the Jew, his history and his future. We believe that this is God’s way of stirring up interest in providing a homeland for these wanderers. This homeland can never be any other than that which God Himself has chosen, the ancient land of Palestine. Many panaceas for car ing for the Jews have been advocated, but the only solution which cannot and will not fail is given in the Word of God. This remedy is the preaching of the old-fashioned Gospel to Israel bolically dangerous system of error Which might haye changed the course of history and altered the destiny of millions. In America we have thought the claim of this Japanese ruler ab surd, but we have lately experienced in the war with Germany a startling demonstration of the power of propa ganda, however false it may be. There is a reason for this change of face by the so-called “Son of Heaven” apart from the American occupation of Japan by our army under General MacArthur. God has brought it about as a work of His amazing grace. There is to be opened to Japan an opportuni ty never hers before, that of having the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached without interference from the Bud dhist' and Shintoist leaders. Japan ese ears will hear the wondrous story that “ God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” for them. God grant that many may believe and be turned from darkness to light! It is interesting to contemplate the changes which may be wrought in the spiritual and economic structure of that land if the emperor is really Saved. It is a stirring challenge to prayer. ★ ★ Spiritual Uplift TOURING January, two great confer- U ences have been conducted at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and the Church of the Open Door. To these conferences men and w o m e n from near and far have come to obtain that spiritual refreshment which al ways accompanies the faithful proc lamation of the Word of God. With out a doubt, this is something the Spirit of God had in mind when He admonished God’s children to not for sake the assembling of themselves together. Christian people will do well to ponder the advisability of laying aside other duties, even at a financial loss to themselves, to prepare their hearts before the Lord and to receive from Him the rich spiritual uplift that comes from such conferences. Our first conference, directed by Dr. John R. Rice of Wheaton, Illi nois, emphasized evangelism. Dr. Rice brought to the West Coast a group of men outstanding in this particular One Hundred Million Dollars T HE ESTIMATED cost of merely ad- ' vertising the output of the dis tilleries- of the American nation fbr the year 1944 was one hundred mil lion dollars. Does this seem a very great sum to you? Listen, this is just “peanuts” (as we say) when we stop to consider the ramifications of this nefarious business. Do you know that the people of this land spend seven billion dollars annually to purchase the stuff? And who could ever com pute the cost in broken hearts, di vided homes, wrecked bodies or warp ed minds? This is not to even make reference to the general misery and economic loss due directly to the use o f liquor. Nor have we mentioned other by products of drink: the necessity for larger jails, penitentiaries, homes of correction; the demand for greater in sane asylums, more room in hospital wards and “ cure” sanitariums; the requirement for more and more insti tutions for rehabilitation. ’ For each dollar spent in advertising, the divi dends are a thousand dollars’ worth of misery, disease, and heartbreak. Yet our nation goes on advertising this merchandise — seventy-five mil lion dollars’ worth in 1943, one hun dred million dollars’ worth in 1944 —perhaps one hundred and fifty mil lion dollars’ worth in 1945—and what of 1946? What fools we are if we think that God will not some day have a reckoning with our land for permit ting this condition! ★ ★ A God Abdicates O F COURSE you read it in the daily papers. Hirohito, self-styled “Son of Heaven,” and scion of the sun god dess, proclaimed to his people that he is not, after all, no, nor ever was, the deity he has been claiming to be. Thus falls another colossal and dia MARCH, 1946: 107 and attempting to prove to them, as did Matthew the evangelist, that the long-awaited Messiah is none other than the lovely Jesus of Nazareth. For many years at the Bible Insti tute of Los Angeles, a work among the Jewish people has been in oper ation. Not only Los Angeles and en virons, but practically every section of our country, has felt the impact of this Jewish ministry. House-to- house calls have been made, letters have been written, and tracts have been mailed to hundreds of thousands. Public meetings, large and small, have been held. The present director of this work is Mr. Daniel Rose, a He brew Christian, with a deep love for the Lord Jesus Christ, and an earnest desire to win his people to Him. A by-product of this work is the recruit ing of many students from the Bible Institute who now plan to do Jewish work as a lifetime service for Christ. Friends who are interested in God’s ancient people should inquire into the possibilities of investing their money in this work. The “overhead” cost is surprisingly small, so that almost all -o f the donors’ gifts go into the actual work of evangelism. Mr. Daniel Rose may be addressed in care of the Jew ish Department, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, California. ★ ★ Without Excuse fpHE most stupendous and far-reach ing indictment ever made is found in the first chapter of the book of Romans, verse 20, the accused being the entire human race, against which is the charge of failing to recognize God through His creation, and subse quent refusal to give Him honor. Two of the most solemn words of the Scrip tures are found at the end of this verse in which God declares mankind to be “without excuse.” It is the editor’s lot to arise early for a radio broadcast three times each week. On the drive from home to the church where the program is broad cast, it is our pleasure to observe the glory of the sunrise. First, there is darkness; then, streaks of light, fol lowed by an ever-widening display of riotous color. After this moving pic ture of beauty and wonder, the whole earth and sky are ablaze with the light of the sun. How can it be that any one pos sessed of ordinary intelligence can be hold this phenomenon day after day, with all of its variegated wonder, and fail to reoognize the Master Artist, is something which passes comprehen sion. That is why that, in the face of overwhelming and conclusive evidence with regard to His power and God head, God declares the man who acts like an atheist to be “without excuse.” The sunrise is but one bit of evi dence proving the existence of God. There are millions of other phenom ena, each one giving strong testimony to their Creator. We shudder to think of the fate which will overtake those who utterly disregard this evidence. ★ ★ Contact With the Moon rpHE press has recently described an ■'• interesting attempt on the part of scientists to establish contact with the satellite nearest the earth, the moon. An elaborate apparatus employing the principle of radar was directed toward the moon, and the signals sent out. In the expected time, the response regis tered, confirming mathematically the distance between the earth and the moon. While nothing more definite than this was accomplished, the moon admittedly having no life upon it, what was proved by this experi ment was the ability of radar to pene trate through approximately 500,000 miles of space in a few' seconds. Ac cording to news commentators and magazine editors, this is a very note worthy accomplishment indeed. Nor do we differ from these conclu sions. It is quite a feat to send an electric impulse a quarter of a million miles away to a neighboring satellite and have it bounce back and be re corded in less than five seconds. What immediately came to our mind was this: How much more wonderful than this is the matter of a simple prayer to our Heavenly Father! A child of God may at any time he desires lift his heart to Him for help, in the name of Jesus, and the God of the universe will not only hear him, but answer him! This is not wishful thinking, theological conjecture, or simply the operation of the law of averages. Veri fied instances without number can be secured, producing an overwhelmingly convincing amount of evidence to the effect that such is the experience of a Christian. Time and space are no bar riers to this marvelous miracle of com munication and intercession! Alas, many Christians allow them selves to be satanically influenced to the extent that they fail to utilize the miracle a million times more wonder ful than radar. If reaching the moon thrills scientists, how much more should reaching the third Heaven and the throne of God with our petitions thrill the hearts of believers! ★ ★ Can This Succeed? TNTO our hand recently has come, a small brochure in which is set forth ' the text of the charter adopted by the United Nations Organization at San Francisco some months ago. In the opening paragraph, where one would quite naturally expect the delegates to the assembly to affirm their faith in a Supreme Being whatever their various, religions, we find absolutely no mention of the name of God. Throughout the body of the charter as well, there was no allusion to any deity. We had not expected any agree ment on the God whom we have come to know as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but this is the first time in all history when an instrument of this type, dealing with relationships of races and nations, has been formu lated as a totally atheistic document. A few months ago, an item in the daily press discussed this matter of calling upon God for His help. An earnest request had been made by the representatives of two South American countries, asking that the charter include a recognition of God, and this was denied by none other than the representative from our own “Christian” United States! That there is a God no intellectually honest person will ever deny, and that this God is a personal, living, loving and righteous-God, our nation in the past has affirmed to be true. This being the case, how can the United Nations Organization succeed in mak ing peace in the world If this heinous error is allowed? ★ ★ The Heavens Continue to Declare TNQUIRERS into that second science, -1 astronomy, find their study a source of never-ending marvels. With new in struments being constantly invented and improved, the discoveries daily astonish the intellect and delight the imagination. Two great facts still dominate the findings of the astron omer: the immeasurable d e p t h of space and the perfect order of the stellar system. God foreknew the reluctance of the human heart to believe, and because of this, has spread above man’s head an absolutely unanswerable proof of His existence and power. The deeper one is able to penetrate the heavens, the more one is overwhelmed by the revelation of an infinite God. At the same time, every system of the firma ment seems to operate according to well-established and clearly-defined laws. It does not take much thinking for one to reach the inevitable question: Who made the empyrean and by what authority are they maintained? Will one be intellectually honest, and give his heart the right answer, or will he side-step the whole issue and con tinue on in the path of atheism which leads to destruction?
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