DECEMBER 1940 10 CENTS
CHRISTMAS SONG By HELEN FRAZEE-BOWER T od a y the earth lies hushed and white, j The crim son b erries sh in e; But it is Christmas in MY heart B ecau se the Christ is mine. Oh, world, in vain the white drifts fall, In vain your halls you trim: ; There is no Christmas anywhere. Unless men turn to HIM.
Photo by Ewing Galloway, N.T.
^ R M lK A f U f ify i Litî/e
W f
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The King's Business The True-to-the-Bible Family Magazine The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-In-Chief W . F. KEMPF, Advertising and MILDRED M. COOK, Managing Editor • Circulation Manager
AT LAST! The Book You Have Been Hoping For! "The Chosen People Question Box" A compilation, carefully and pains takingly made, of hundreds of ques tions and answers which appeared in the Question and Answer Department of THE CHOSEN PEOPLE over a period of more than forty years. The late Ex-rabbi Leopold Cohn, a hum ble Christian and a brilliant Hebrew scholar, in his handling of these ques tions, drew upon the vast knowledge of Talmudic lore in which he had been steeped by a lifetime of rab binical studies. And he wove that knowledge into' this fabric of Bible explanation and interpretation. Thus the book opens new vistas of Scrip ture truth, and throws the search light of Jewish Christian scholarship pn many passages whose meanings are obscure -to the average Christian mind: - For the first time the Christian has access to rabbinical explanations of difficult Scripture passages; but with this advantage, that these explana tions are given by a Christian Jew, to whom the Old Testament types and symbols became complete only as they were unfolded and fulfilled in the New Testament. This is not a book which you will read and then set aside. You will treasure it as an invaluable book of reference, a storehouse of informa tion, a priceless addition to your li brary. The pastor, the Bible student, the Sunday-school teacher, all will find this book indispensable. A posthumous work of Dr. Leopold Cohn, something that will be a last ing memorial to his life and work. Beautifully bound in silver, with blue stamping; indexed by ¿subjects, and cross-indexed by Scripture. Also a table of contents, 825 pages, original ly produced to sell for $ 2.00 a copy, the price has now been reduced to ' $ 1.00 in response to hundreds of pleadings. American Board of Mission, to the Jews, Inc. SI Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. Dear Friends: Please send me ................. copies of The ChoSen People Question Box at $1.00 a oopy. I enclose $.............................. I also enclose $...............................as a gift for your worldwide Gospel ministry to Israel, still beloved of God for the fathers’ sakes. Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Street City................................... S tate.. . . . . . .-.a i-.-
Motto; “ Unto him that loved as, and washed us from our sins in his own blood’* (Rev. 1:5).
Volume XXXI
December, 1940
Number 12
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ransom D. Marvin, Staff Artist
ft Around the King’s Table— Editorial. .......................,...................................452 Significance of the News— Dan Gilbert: .............................. .............. .......'.454 The Faith of the Bethlehem Shepherds— Charles G. Trumbull...........ASS The Coming World Dictator— Louis T . Talbot....... .................... .....___ 456 Mary’s Query, and Ours— Theodore M . Bomber.... __457' His Name— A . W . Tozer __________________________________......___ .....459 Souls from the Streets.............. ....... ............1_____.....______ i. ______ ____.,..460 Passionless Preaching—And Its Antidote— Herbert Lockyer _____..¿....462 The Spirit-Filled Life— J. Douglas Adam. ............... ..............„....„.,....,...463 Our Literature Table....__....______________________...............................465 Junior King’s Business;— Martha S. Hooker... ___ ’.... .............................„....467 Bible Institute Family Circle......................___________ _________ ..........469- International Lesson Commentary_____........._______........................._....4!fo Notes on Christian Endeavor— Lyman A. Wendt...................... ____ ......484 Daily Devotional Readings______ _____________________________....._____ 487 SUBSCRIPTION PRICE! “The King’s Business“ is published monthly. $1.00— one year; $1.50— two years; 50 cents— six months; 10 cents— single copy. Clubs of five 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. REMITTANCE—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 each month on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING—For information with reference to advertising in “The King's Business,” address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los ; Angeles, Calif., or our eastern representative, Religious Press Association, 1108-10 Colonial Bldg., 13th and Market Streets, Philadelphia, Pa. MANUSCRIPTS— “The King’s Business” cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent to it 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. THE KING’S BUSINESS 558 South Hope Street • Los Angeles, California INFORMATION FOR SUBSCRIBERS
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Around the King s Table E D I T O R I / ^L
revelation of the Father. The very word “Incarnation" means to embody in flesh. Christ, then, by His birth became God manifest in the flesh. And it will not be forgotten that Jesus not only revealed and reflected God—He was God. 2. Christ Came to Redeem Mail. He came to do a work of atonement, by means of which men, alienated from God because of their sins, might live forever in His holy presence. To make possible this blessed relationship, Christ, the Sinless One, came into the world to die. He could say, as no man could ever say, “I lay down my life. . . No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself” (John 10:17, 18). Nev ertheless, “the wages of sin is death,” and those wages must be paid. Justice must be satisfied. Penalties must be met. No mortal man could meet the requirements of divine law, but the Lord Jesus Christ, God incarnate, be came the sinner’s Substitute, and on the cross of Calvary the sin of the world was rolled upon Him. Since that day, God’s message to sinners has been to believe on Jesus Christ, who died for their justification. Strange though it may seem, never theless the truth remains, Jesus was born to die. He turned aside from the ivory palaces, not that He might be come an example for us to follow, but that He might die as the Sinless Sub stitute for sinners. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, that prince of preachers, de clared that his theology could be ex pressed in four words: “ Christ died for sin.” Jesus, then, clothed Himself with our humanity that He might take upon Himself the load gnd curse of our sin. He was born a Saviour. Mary herself recognized this stupendous truth when she sang, “My spirit hath rejoicfed in God my Saviour.” The question for you to answer, my friend, is clearly evident. Is this Saviour, whose entrance into our world was over 1,900 years ago, your personal Saviour? Although He came as the Saviour of the world, this fact will not avail on your behalf, unless He is your very own Saviour. He came to save from sin. Has He saved you ? Bom in? Bethlehem’s manger, has He been bom within your heart ? 3. Christ Came to Renew Fellowship, . Our Lord’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection form a triad of truth our minds never tire of meditating upon, We have already indicated the vital
bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (Johri 1:18). In Old Testament days, men knew something of God. The psalmist speaks of the heavens as de claring the glory of God and of the firmament as showing His handiwork. But .,there is more to be known of God than can be grasped through this reve lation in nature. And Jesus, as He walked among men, brought that fuller understanding. He said, >n effect: “I am God uncovered; I am God unVeiled.” If one would know who God is, and un derstand something of His nature and work, he must study the four Gospels, for therein is Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, revealed as Emmanuel, “God with us.” - in the days of His flesh, Jesus could point to Himself and say, “He that hath ,seen me hath seen the Father.” If we want to know what God is like, all that we have to do is to study the words, works, and ways of the Son. Christ came as the culmination of the
W hy Christ Came At this time of the year, when men’s thoughts turn to the coming into the world of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is well f0r those who know and love Him to recall clearly just why our Saviour came to earth. What is the true-Sig nificance of His coming to earth? We know, of course, that He lived before He was born; by His ‘‘birth” we mean the beginning of His appearance in hu man form. Hundreds of years before the incar nation, the Holy Spirit drew portraits of the coming Messiah, the Christ of God. And these inspired word pictures, preserved for us in the Word of God, emphasize the purpose of Christ’s birth according to the flesh. There are at least three truths wrapped up in the glorious fact of our Lord’s incarnation. 1. Christ Came to Reveal God. ‘‘No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the
Plan to Attend the Sixth Annual TORREYMEMORIAL RIRLE CONFERENCE January 19 to 26, 1941
B. A. TOBRET*
"Things Which Cannot Be Shaken 1 The theme of the Sixth Annual Torrey Memorial Bible Conference to be held at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles
T h e r e w i l l be morning, afternoon and .evening sessions. Prominent preachers and Bible teachers will present messages from the written Word from a variety of viewpoints. Full details announced next month.
•Bean, Bible Institute of Los Ángeles, 1912 to 102 *— an internationally known 1teacher of'.fhe "faith . . . once fot all delivered." Torrey Memorial Conference Committee THU BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES INCORPORATED 5 5 8 Sou th H o p e S treet L os A n g e le s , C a lifo rn ia
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association between Christ’s birth and His death. Let us now think of the union existing between His birth and His resurrection. In the virgin womb of Mary, the human body of Jesus was fashioned. In the virgin tomb of Joseph, the glorified body of Jesus was pre pared. And the Holy Spirit was respon sible for both miracles. By His broken bodyf Christ madte possible our salva tion. But had His body remained within the grave, we would have been of all men most miserable. The truth of the gospel, however, is that although de livered for our offenses, He was raised again for our justification. As some of the Early Fathers were wont to explain it: “The resurrection was God’s receipt for Calvary.” And how true this is! Hallelujah, the debt has been paid! Further—Christ’s own resurrection was not only the evidence that the de mands of God’s holy law had been fully met, and that, if he be in Christ, the sinner is justified; but that resurrection is also a pledge that one day believers shall be raised from the dead or changed “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” their bodies macfe like unto His glorious body, their natures capable of fellowship with God throughout eter nity. My friend, have you this hope? Do you believe that the Christ whose com ing to earth we recognize at Christmas, and who died and rose again, is to re turn before long? Some of us believe that His coming is at hand. This may be pur last Christmas. Who knows ? Are you ready? If 'not, then why not fill the heart of Jesus with joy this Christmastide by surrendering yourself unreservedly to Him ? Give Him a happy Christmas. Receive Him as your Sav iour, and then at His coming He will receive you unto Himself. —Louis T. Talbot. Emmanuel in a Manger “Let us now go . . . and see this thing which is come to pass’’ (Lk. 2:15). , These were the words of shepherds who had learned that lying in a feed trough at a Bethlehem road camp was a babe whose name was “Emmanuel”— God with us! It might seem that God could have done "this thing’’, in a style more befit ting Himself. Why should He not mani fest Himself in the purple robes of royalty ? Why should He not appear among men with jeweled scepter in hand and in kingly surroundings? What would have happened in such a case? He would have been surrounded by the “upper crust” who love pageants
The Saviour Is Come I cannot tell why He whom angels worship Should set His love upon the sons of men, Or why as Shepherd He should seek the wanderers And bring them back, I know not how or when. But this I know, that He was born of JVIary, When Bethlehem’s stable was His only home, And that at Nazareth He lived and labored, And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world is come. I cannot tell how patiently He suffered When with His peace He graced this place of tears, Or how upon the cross His heart was broken, The crown of pain to three and thirty years. But this I know, He heals the broken-hearted, And stays their sin and calms their lurking fear, And lifts the burden from the heavy laden, And so the Saviour, Saviour of the world is here. I cannot tell how He will win the nations, How He will claim His earthly heritage, And satisfy the needs and aspirations Of East and West, of sinner and of sage. But this I know, all flesh shall see His glory, And He will reap the harvest He has sown. And some glad day, His name will shine with splendor, When He, the Saviour, Saviour of the world is known.
and processions. T h e r e w o u l d have been shout- in g s of “G o d save the King,” and many look ing for honors in His k i n g d o m . Those attracted would have come to see His robes rather t h a n to l e a r n of H i s righteousness. Who are these m en of history who have worn
IQuoted in The Glory of the Manger, by Samnel M. Zwemer, American Tract Society .]
the planets along. They seem to think He should approach us with displays of omnipotence and expressions of His omniscience’. But could He ever have won us thus—frail children of the dust that most of us are? Rejoice, Christian reader, that the God of your Christmas carols meets us at the cradle, the shop, the garden, the cross, the tomb. No monarch ever ruled over such a host as has the meek and lowly Jesus. There is but one explana tion. He was "God manifest in the flesh” : Emmanuel.—Keith L. Brooks. W . P . White— with Christ Called from a ministry of spiritual fruitfulness, W. P. Wh i t e , who was President of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in the years 1929 to 1932, en tered into the joy of Christ’s presence on November 3 from his home in Los Ailgeles. In recent years, and indeed al most until the time of his death, he was engaged in extensive itinerant evangel ism, especially in Idaho, Montana, Wyo- \Continued on Page 458]
the paraphernalia of regal power? Very ordinary fellows indeed—most of them! Without stage setting, gay robes, and flashing jewelry, they would not have looked like much. The infinite God requires none of these things. He can afford to come in humility, even as a peasant babe in the borrowed manger of a bare bam. And of those who were invited to meet Him there, no one doubted that He was the King eternal. The little fellows are the ones who have to have something to raise them up. Diogenes could live in a tub. The Lord of Glory could be laid in a feed trough and could work in a carpenter shop. The Creator was too poor to get into a crowded inn, as a rich person could have done by the giving of a tip. Did you ever stop to rejoice about all this? Deity meets us right where we are—looks us straight in the eyes in all our ignorance and underprivileged exist ence and says: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Some people may be perplexed by a humble God. They seem to want a proud God, using the tone of voice that rolled
A CHR ISTMAS SUGGEST ION: Get for yourself or for a friend the recent publication by Louis T. Talbot, which Herbert Lockyer aptly styles “a start ling book for the last days." See page 473 for more detailed information.
December, 1940
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That French army a decade ago was the best army in the world; and if the present regulations with respect to drinking had been in vogue tile past ten or twelve years, there would have been a different tale about liberty-loving France. “Today France has banished all liquors having more than sixteen per cent alcoholic content—and dur ing three days of the week absolute prohibition. All this was the re sult of a military commission of experts reporting that alcohol had caused the collapse of the proud army of France.” AMENDMENT TO PREPAREDNESS: • After pointing out the “lesson of France,” Congressman Guyer offered an amendment to the Third Supple mental National-Defense Appropriation. It provided that ho funds set aside for national defense and the training of the army should be available “for ex penditure for the operation and main tenance of facilities where intoxicating beverages are sold or dispensed.” Speaking in fhvor of this amend ment, Congressman Guyer declared: “The military leaders of the United States can read a lesson in the story of defeated France., With the recent development of mechan ized and aerial warfare, total ab stinence becomes a military neces sity. “This amendment suggests that we do not wait, like conquered France, until the war is over to adopt a system for a sober army, but begin now as a necessary policy of the army. This will conserve the health, wealth, and morals of the young men of the nation. . . . Put only sober generalii, sober soldiers, and sober pilots on guard.” The amendment was defeated by a [ Continued on FageA(A\ A Newspaperman’ s Testim ony Popular appreciation has demanded' the annual reprinting in the CHICAGO DAILY NEWS of the cartoon shown on this page. The artist, Vaughn Shoe maker, is staff cartoonist for this large metropolitan newspaper. Known for win ning the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 with his Armistice Day drawing, “The Road Back,” he has also the reputation of be ing a stanch witness for the Lord Jesus Christ, not only through many of his newspaper cartoons, but in Chicago’s business world as well. “It is not diffi cult to bear testimony for the Lord even in the business world,” he declares, “but it is essential that one take his stand and make his position known. There is only misery in store for the Christian who attempts to conceal his testimony, and humiliation and loss for the Chris tian who Is on the fence.”
Significance of the News By D A N G ILBERT Washington, D. C., and San Diego, California
French army. It was saturated with alcohol; You could not expect it to win. "After t h e surrender of the French army a n d the ghost of France set up at Vichy, General Petain has imposed upon the most bibulous people on earth a regime of prohibition by which, if insti tuted twenty years ago, the great debacle in northern France and Belgium would neyer have occurred.
DRINK AND. DEBACLE: ♦ The collapse of France will, perhaps, always be a subject for deeper investi gation by historians. Many factors, doubtless, played a part. U. S. Guyer, representative from Kansas, has pointed out the relationship between drink and debacle in,France: “I call attention to the fact that the Vichy Government has placed alcoholism as one of the main reasons for the collapse of the
Copyright, 1934. Used by permission of the Chicago Daily Jiews.
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The Faith of
Bethlehem
Shepherds
Haye YOU this faith?
something God has told us in His Word, or about some clear leading God has given us. But what a. shining contrast we find in the very verse that tells us that “ the angels were gone away from them into heaven” leaving the shepherds a lon e - alone in their old circumstances, in the same old field or place of service which they knew so well and which was so humdrum, so commonplace in their lifé; with the same flock dependent upon their care that they had known so long. What do we read? “The shepherds said to one an other, Let us now go even -unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.” Not “ IF” but “ IS” My pastor of years ago said some thing like this: “I am afraid that, if some of us had been there that night, and had t a l k e d t h e m a t t e r over sifter the angels went away, we might have said something just a little dif ferent from what the shepherds said. I sun afraid we might have put it this way: ‘Let us now go. even unto Beth lehem, and see if this, thing is come to pass.’ ” You notice there is only a very slight change in that sentence from the sen tence the shepherds actually spoke. We would be tempted to say, “Let us see IF this thing is cpme to pass.” The shepherds said: “Let us see this thing which IS come to pass.” Now the shepherds liad not been to Bethlehem since the good news had [ Continued on Page 490]
the beloved and inspired physician Luke. Faith’ s F ounda tion : Th e W o rd o f G od We all know the story well, almost by heart. These shepherds were in a field near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flock by night, when, the angel of the Lord came to them. They were sore afraid because of thp glory of the Lord that shone round about them in the midst of the darkness of the night. But the angel said it was no time to fear! For “I bring yqu good tidings of great joyf which shall be to all people! For unto you is bom this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the''Lord.” He told -them how they might identify this Saviour, for they should “find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a man ger.” The angel’s message was con firmed by the sudden appearance of*“a multitude of the heavenly host prais ing God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest,- and on earth peace, good Will toward men.” The heavenly light faded out. The angels disappeared. The shepherds were left alone in the field, in the darkness of the night, with their flock. What did it all mean? W'as it a hallucination? Had it really happened? Even if it had really happened, might they be mis taken in understanding what the angel had said? These are the questions we sometimes find ourselves asking about By C H A R L E S G. T R U M B U L L Editor of “The Sunday School Times” Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
"1W *TEVER before in our life time, | probably never before in the 1 nineteen cent ur i es of the Christian era, has there been a Christ mas season so filled with darkness, dis couragement, suffering, tragedy and heart-break throughout the world as this present Christmastide in the Year o f Our Lord 1940. Many unbelievers see no hope ahead. Even many Christian people confess that their faith is sorely shaken, well-nigh gone. What comfort can we find in days like these? We can find all the comfort we need, infinitely more comfort than we need, if only, we are willing to have and to use the faith of the Bethlehem shep herds. They had only slight knowledge of God, and almost no knowledge at all of His Son, as compared with the knowl edge that God has given so abundantly to Christian people today; yet those shepherds exercised a faith that is a glorious example to the most mature Christians of today, and to God’s people of every degree of faith, ^ittle or much. There is both comfort and challenge in the faith of the Bethlehem shepherds, but it is so simple, so easily had and acted upon, that a little child can make it his own. A good many years ago I heard a Christmas sermon, preached by a be loved pastor who s’incei then has been taken home to be with the .Lord, which revealed the shepherds’ faith, to me in a way I can never forget, and in a way I had never heard described or ex plained before. Yet it is simply, clearly set forth in the immortal story of the first Christmas night, told with scru pulous care and infallible accuracy by
December, 1940
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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
The Coming World A Radio Address Given in Los By LOUIS T. TALBOT*
Dictator Angeles
f | ^ HE BIBLE p o r t r a y s three great confederacies which are to JL function under dictatorships at the end time. There is, first, the great northern confederacy with Russia at its head, which will include also Ger many and •probably other northern European countries. Then there is the eastern or “sunrising” confederacy under the probable leadership of Japan. And there is the revived Roman Empire with the superman or Antichrist as its nominal ruler. Do not think that the three powerful heads of these confederacies are to be warm friends. Quite the contrary, they will be deadly enemies; their enmity toward one another will provoke a por tion of the final struggle of the armies of the earth that is to culminate in the battle of Armageddon. Likewise, the so-called friendship of the dictators to day, written all over the' pages of our newspapers, is to be of short duration, we believe. Th e Head o f the R evived R om an E ippire The particular “sign” to which we want to give our attention at the pres ent moment is the future revelation of the "man of sin.” The manifestation of this “lawless ohe” will take place as soon as the church has been translated (1 Thess. 4:16, 17; 2 Thess. 2:1-12). Be cause that event has not yet taken place, no one can say dogmatically who the Antichrist is or will be. But we know his characteristics. The seventh and eighth chapters of Daniel,describe a man known as the “little horn,” and we believe that he and the “lawless one” are one and the same, none other thstn the Antichrist, who is to be the head of the revived Roman Empire. What that individual’s name will be we can not say. The nations which now occupy the territory which was once a part of the old Roman Empire of the Caesars will confederate into a revived Homan Em pire. In this new grouping there will be ten kingdoms, each one ruled by a dicr tator, with one supreme dictator exer cising control over the others. This su preme personage will be the Antichrist, whose seat of authority is clearly seen in Daniel 7:7, 8 . Read these verses care fully.
11:36-39 for a complete and life-sized picture of this man. Note the character istics which the Spirit of God has caused to be recorded concerning him. 1. “The king shall do according to his will” (v. 36). We have seen dictators with varying degrees of power. Some must consult their advisers before they can act. Others have a representative govern ment of some sort. Here, however, is a man who will do only and always ac cording to his own will. And when we understand that to this one the wisdom and shrewdness of Satan himself will be given, we can readily see that he will be “miles ahead” of the most brilliant statesmen the world has ever seen. 2. “He shall . . . magnify himself above every god” (v. 36). Not only will this world dictator be unchristian, but he will be also violently and bitterly antichristian. His heart will be filled with the most vehement hatred and blasphemy against God. It may seem inconceivable to some individ uals that God in heaven should allow such a person as this to live and breathe on the earth, but we must remember that these conditions are allowed only until “the indignation be accomplished.” At the appointed time, God will thunder His voice in the most terrific judgments the world ever has witnessed. 3. “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers” (v. 37). Twice this statement is made here. It is thought by many Bible students that the words definitely identify this super man as a Jew, since this is distinctly a Jewish phrase. This person will be re ceived by the Jewish people as their Messiah, and the Jews would not coun tenance any one for this exalted posi tion who was not a member of the promised race. 4. “Neither shall he regard . . . the desire of women” (v. 37). What was the desire of the Jewish woman? Was it not her supreme hope that she might be selected to become the mother of the Messiah who was to be born? But this desire will be utterly disregarded by ¡this “wilful king.” In his planning, he will have nothing to do with Christ, the Saviour-Messiah. 5. He “shall , . . honor the God. of forces” (v. 38). His supreme attention is to be given to the God of Forces, or “fortresses,” as f Continued on Page 466]
Grasping f o r P ow er How very significant these prophecies become when they are interpreted by events of the last six months ! For in stance, there appeared in our news papers not long ago some dispatches from Rome, in which the present Roman dictator gave his war aspirations. These included thè Suez Canal, Egypt, all of North Africa, Corsica, the island of Malta, Gibraltar, and Spain. Some ten years ago, the expression of these as pirations would have been thought the brainstorm of a mad man. Statesmen would have said that these aims were absolutely impossible of realization. But today’s governmental leaders do not say any such thing. When dispatches come today from Rome, the whole world lis tens. If you were to go to Rome and enter the old Colosseum where, about 1,900 years ago, the early Christians were made sport of and tossed to the lions, you would see on the walls of that build ing three great sets of maps or plaques. The first of these wall decorations out lines the glory of the empire of the ancient Caesars, showing all the coun tries which were under the domination of these rulers. The second plaque rep resents the empire in a state of decline, stripped of territory and power. The third shows the empire coming back to new life under the direction of the pres ent dictator. There is every evidence that Rome is reviving. Every true follower of Mussolini is said to believe sincerely that it is Italy’s destiny to become once more the mighty, world-encircling em pire she was centuries ago. And destiny it is, for God’s Word has decreed it. But how much do Mussolini and his people understand just why the Roman Empire is to rise again to world domination? It is ultimately to reach great human heights under the leadership of Satan and his “man of sin,” only to fall in what will be the most momentous de feat in history. Characteristics o f the Com ing D ictator The Bible tells plainly of the cunning and subtlety of Satan. And this subtlety will, in great measure, be given to the one who is to rule the revived Roman Empire (Rev. 13:1, 2). With wisdom which is more than human, Satan’s man will be able to deceive, and thus to rule, the nations of the world. Turn to Daniel
* President , the Bible Inetitute of Loe Angelet.
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TH E K I N G ’ S BU S I N E S S
December; 1940
"Said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be . . .? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy G h ost. . . " (Lk. 1:34, 35 ).
By T H EO D O R E M . B A M B E R * Peckham, London, England
Mary s Query, and Ours
P ROTESTANTS h a v e probably ailed to do justice to Mary. We have failed in this respect because of our hatred of/all the falsehoods per petrated by Rome concerning her. We cannot admit that she is an intercessor for us. We declare that there is nothing in Scripture to suggest that we may in voke her aid in securing blessings from our Lord. We insist that while she is the mother of Jesus, she is never in Scripture declared to be “Holy Mary, the mother of God.’’ John, to whose home she went after thé crucifixion, never mentions her after that event. Peter makes no reference to her, al though those who claim to be Peter’s successors make much of her. From all this false teaching the Protestant shrinks with horror. At the same time, we must be careful that in our proper reaction to such heresy as this we do not fail to do Mary justice, and I rather think we have. She must have been a woman of beautiful faith and character. Indeed, this is proved in the Scripture record. She is “highly favored” and “blessed . . . among women,” and she stands out in all the Scriptures as a wo man full of faith and devotion. We see her at the great and critical moment in her life. Doubtless she shared with the women of her country the hope that she might be the mother of . the Messiah. With her the desire would be peculiarly strong because she moved among those in whom the Messianic hope was strong. True, the circle was not a large one and certainly not im portant. There were Simeon and Anna, frequenting the temple in expectation
shall endeavor to imitate Jesus, who shall claim Him as a great Example and seek to emulate His deeds. To do that would be to adopt the policy of the frog who aspired to become as large as the ox, to his own destruction. It is not the imitation of the life of Jesus that God asks for, but for the manifestation of His glorious life. Paul addresses the Galatians: “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you” (4:19). Paul was aim ing not at imitation but at manifesta tion. The question for the believer is not, “How shall-1 attempt to imitate Jesus?” but, “How shall the divine life of the Lord Jesus be manifested in me ?” And the answer from God is, “The Holy Ghost . . .” In the Person of the Holy Ghost is to be found the secret of how the divine nature may be found in us. Paul in the same Epistle to the Galatians (4:4-6) outlines the wonderful program of Beth lehem and redemption. He shows that out of- redemption there is adoption, for we take the same relationship to God as the One through whom we have re ceived life. And because we “are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son” into our hearts whereby We cry, “Abba, Father.” All the , beauty o f Jesus in serenity of life, inward peace, purity, love, truth, holiness, gentleness, meekness; and faith can and will be manifested in us as we trust the Hply Spirit. We may feel, and rightly, that out of our carnality such a life as this is impossible. As we perceive the divine commission and recognize our utter deadness and weakness, we may whole heartedly rely upon God in His Word. To our feebleness, dismay, and wonder, He brings the fullness of blessing in the answer: “The Holy Ghost.” And next?
inspired by a strong faith that they should see the Lord’s Anointed.* So far as,the record indicates, no similar reve lation was given to any of the great ecclesiastics of the temple, but God had spoken to these two trusting ones. God takes the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty. And thus it was that the commission to become the mother of the Messiah came, in God’s inscrutable wisdom, to this young woman of little account among men, but highly favored in the divine estimation and blessed among women.- She faced two great issues, which, in a spiritual sense, are to be dealt with by the present-day believer as well. For every sincere Christian there must be at least two questions. We may not always see them precisely in the way of Mary’s seeing, but in principle •they are in the forefront of our per petual and earnest quest. They repre sent in us both the longing and the questioning of Mary, and they are just as critical in their way for us as for her. The first is: How shall the divine nature be formed in me ? . And the second, is: How shall the divine purpose be fulfilled through me? Consider these questions prayerfully. T h e D ivine Nature in the Christian How shall the divine nature be formed in me? The divine nature is seen in its . beauty, grandeur, and excellence in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will teach us from the Word that what we see in Jesus, and indeed all that Jesus is in the perfection of His holy charac ter, is precious and pleasing ■to God. God wants to see that likewise in us. God is not seeking men and women who
* Minuter , Rye Lane Chapel and a speaker at the well-known English Keswick Convention.
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THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
December, 1940
to be a good and true young woman, she was really an utter sham, and thgt now their worst suspicions were con firmed. For Mary, those months were months of exceptional difficulty. Even - Joseph, to. whom she was espoused, was ' broken in mind and heart until God spoke a word to him. We may think it was a strange path that Mary was permitted to travel, and . we may wonder why God did not in some way deliver her from embarrass ment, but therein is a deep secret: Nobody can reallyV be used of God to fulfill His purpose in his life until that pne has proved himself. ‘ Anybody, of course, can be engaged in Christian activity and be an officer in a Christian organization, counting his importance by the number’ of committees upon which he serves, but the fulfillment of the divine purpose is quite another matter. There are three inescapable qualifica tions for all who would know the divine purpose to be fulfilled through them. Immediately we submit to God for that, we shall find, experimentally that the curriculum will include a trial of patience, a willingness to forgive, and the power to endure unjust suffering without complaint. All these elements were present in Mary’s experience, and no doubt she visualized them before she consented to the angêFs commission. Preeminent, however, was the willing ness to endure unjust suffering and re proach. How little we understand this ! We attend a convention, hear the call of God, and respond. Then the test comes, and we prove ourselves utterly unable to sustain it. In England, some of our bridges have a red diamond-shaped symbol at either end.-Ht is a warning to those who would cross that the bridge cannot take any weight, but is limited. If, therefore, a lorry driver comes with a ten-ton wagon to a bridge .which cannot take more than five tons, he must make a , detour and, find another bridge that is strong.enough to bear the load. Some Christians have that diamond-shaped symbol against them, too. God has had to put a warning: “This believer, very energetic, cannot stand the strain of injustice1!” Hence when God would use us, He cannot, and He must needs find another. Is this the reason that you have not fulfilled the purpose God has for you? Is this the reason that you are put aside? And do you feel it to be an impossibility for you to be patient^ to suffer unjustly, to forgive in the spirit of Christ? Are you crying out, like « Mary, “How shall this be?” Then hear thé answer of that angelic voice: “The Holy Ghost.” The good news is that God is willing to do the impossible for you, even as He did for Mary. He is willing to carry out His purpose in you as He did in
Mary. To your cry of bewildered hesi tancy He answers: “The Holy Ghost.” Now He is waiting for your answer. Will it be, like Mary’s, “Be it unto me according to thy word” ? If as you come to the conclusion of this meditation, the call of God is coming to you ijr a new and deeeper way, then quietly bow be fore Him even now, and let the reply come,from the heart: “Be it unto mç, according to thy word.” You may lie sure that from the very.instant that you thus surrender with all your heart to the way and will of God, a secret work will begin within you, the work of the Holy Spirit. The divine nature and the divine purpose will be fulfilled in you to His glory and to infinite blessing to others. Th e P rince A woman in India had leafaed that she was ai sinner, and that God is holy and cannot pass by sin. She often said, ■ “I need some great prince to stand between my soul and God.” After a while, she heard that the Bible contained the account of a Saviour who had died for sinners. So she asked a Pundit to read the Bible to her. He be gan at the first chapter of Matthew, and as he read the list of names in the gen ealogy of Christ, the woman thought, “What a wonderful Prince this Jesus must be to have such a long line of an cestors!” And when the Pundit read, “Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins,” the woman exclaimed, “Ah, this is the Prince I want! This is the Prince I want!”—C. Hickman. ming, and Utah. Traveling with auto mobile and trailer, he and Mrs. White engaged in-highway Bible teaching, go ing to C. C. C. camps and to churches up and down the Pacific Coast, pre senting Bible conferences for needy con gregations. He often testified that this opportunity to preach the gospel to the “ unreached” was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. When one considers the several outstanding positions in which he formerly labored—as pastor, for thirty years in three"pastorates, as West Coast Regional Director for the Moody Bible Institute for seventeen years, and as *President of the Bible Institute of Los •Angeles—one realizes the signifi cance of this fervent evangelistic pas sion. Sympathy for Mrs. White, for the son, William C. White, and • for Miss Alma Beckley will be felt by many in all parts of the country who learn of the Home-going of this servant of His who “made a ptilpit of his circum stances” and sought to teach others the happy art of doing likewise. AROUND THE KING’ S TABLE [Continued, from Page 453]
Fu lfilling the D ivine P u rpose How shall the divine purpose be ful filled through me? How many of us who know something of divine grace have not yearned to know the vital answer to this question? The years are slipping by so rapidly, and so little seems to have been accomplished! What does God really want to do through me, and how shall it be done? The answer is at once simple and profound. The experience of Mary will make it clear. Prom the moment she accepted the divine commission, the Spirit began His work. But that did not mean that a life of ease was hers. It was not long before she was the subject of village conversation. There , were those who had believed in her and were profoundly disturbed in mind, not know ing what to think or how to act toward her. There would be others who would at once declare that they were not in the least surprised at the news that was current. They might say they had al ways thought such a thing would hap pen, for they had seen beneath the sur face and knew that, while Mary seemed
“ For u n to y o u is born . . . a S A V IO U R ” ILk. 2 : 11 ).
“ Look unto me, a n d be ye SA V E D , all the e n d s o f th e earth; for I am God, and there is none else’’ (Isa. 45 :22 ).
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December, 1940 fjBBÊBtÊÊIIIIÉ
His Name By A . W . T O Z E R * Chicago, Illinois
saw him heal the sick, still the waves, and open the eyes of the blind. So they said, but some have doubted this. They have felt it to be impossible, and have attributed all such stories to the mis taken zeal of loving disciples whose in flamed imagination saw miracles where none existed in fact. But the church has always believed in the veracity as well as the accuracy of those first disciples. And she has done well so to believe, for the man himself has been greater than his miracles, has been himself the great Miracle, establishing the possibility of miracles and authenticating the record of his own. '■ . "This beginning of miracles did Jesus,” wrote John of the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee. “This beginning of miracles was Jesus,” might be as truthfully said of the fact that he Was a forth-bursting of spiritual power from a people which had lost all vitality generations before, and was, at the time of his coming, effete; decadent, spent. The Israel of Moses and the prophets was no more; in her place was a wrinkled beldame, „ a desiccated shadow of her early self. As well ex pect a child from Sarah when she was old as to expect life to spring up there. Nothing of lasting spiritual significance had come out of Israel for weary gen erations, and then suddenly he came, and his coming was like thunderous dawn after a night of waitiiig. This is as great a wonder as any miracle he performed while he lived among men. W on d e rfu l in T ran sform in g P ow er Later, when he began his revolution izing work, he selected disciples to form the nucleus of that which, after his resurrection, was to be his church, and it is noteworthy that he deliberately ignored those who might have been ex pected to bring him help, money, pres tige, or talents, and chose for his dis ciples a dozen uneducated men from the humbler walks of life. As men view such things, it was, all told, a pitiably weak and amateurish beginning. There was not a single great personality, not an ounce of formal education, not a wealthy patron to help the cause along [ Continued on Page 466]
“And his name shall be called Won derful” (Isa. 9:6). R EARLY two thousand years ago, He was bom in obscurity. He came from no great center of civilization, no city famous among the cities of the earth. Prom Judea he came, and from little Bethlehem, the very name of which was strange a mile beyond the borders of Palestine. But the living wonder is here, that his little country, in less than one hundred years after he came, had moved to a place of first im portance in the thoughts and affections of a large part of the earth’s papulation, and it has held it without challenge down to this present time. And that solely because he Was bom there, and lived there, and died there! '• The world when he came had known her great men; she had loved them much and celebrated them well. To gain a place of eminence in the esteem of mankind, it was necessary that he should hurdle the big names—and how many there were—of poets, artists, philosophers, soldiers, lawgivers, states men; but this man did it. He did it with out trying to do it, and reached in one easy bound such exalted heights of greatness as to dwarf all other of the World’s great and make comparison futile. Paul could explain this only by saying, “God . . . hath . . . given him a name which is above every name.” And this has been the testimony of his tory. W on d e rfu l in L ife They say that while he walked on earth he Worked miracles, that he did things that no mere man could do. Men *Pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Tabernacle, Chicago, III. In a letter accompanying the manuscript, Mr. Tozer made this explanation which readers will wish to have in their minds as they read the message : “I have used no capitalization in the pronouns referring to Christ. I usually do so, but I felt that the tone of the article was such that capitalization would be beg ging the question, that is, ASSUMING ■that which we were trying to PROVE.” The proof is doubly convincing as one moves through the arguments which' the author advances.
in a village in Palestine, was bom the man Jesus, later called the Christ, the man of wonderful name.
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