December, 1940
4M
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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