OCTOBER , 1950
(Psa. 139:9,10) If I take the wings of the morning. . . Even there shall thy hand lead me
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Best Seller Publicity I have just laid down the current issue of The King’s Business in which I read the challenging account of the wide ministry of Best Seller Publicity. More than once have I wondered about the background of that silent service that has reached many who never open a Bible or attend any church. Now I know and how glad I am to have learned of another wonderful way in which God is trying to reach hearts. Could I reach 189 West Madison Street, that would be my first objec tive and then, to shake hands with you and say, “ God bless you. I shall pray often for you.” I have been in the Presbyterian Home Hospital for seventeen months, not to leave it again, until the call to go Home comes. I have been enriched today be cause of what I have learned of your work for God. In these days of uncer tainty and fear for many, His Word is needed to be broadcast as never before. The enclosed will not go far, but I am glad to share in this widespread service. I am glad that your face was shown us! I was glad to see Mrs. Ar- msur’s name. ELIZABETH STALKER Evanston, III. P.S. I am not sitting up. Having read the article in the August issue of The King’s Business, and then having seen your advertisement in the September issue, I would like to re ceive literature describing your work. There is truly a great need for the Word to be publicly displayed here and in this area. Are the Posters and Bill boards available in the Spanish lan guage? I have a particular interest in that field since I am engaged in mis sionary work here among the Spanish speaking people. I believe that many wbuld be reached through this type of ministry. May the Lord abundantly bless your endeavors in every way. REV. ROBERT L. ANDREWS Douglas, Ariz. I am much interested in posters that I might use here in my home town. Please send information as to how I may obtain some of these, cost of them, how often they should be changed, etc. Thank you very much. GENEVIEVE CRAIG Wayne, Nebr. I want to praise the Lord for the wonderful way He is using Best Seller in spreading the gospel. I will ask my church and I will pray for your work. I have noticed the pos ters in Los Angeles, and the Lord will ing I am praying that we may have them in Sun Valley. The Lord bless you. JOHN TAYLOR
Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated
Louis T. Talbot, D.D.
Betty Bruechert Managing Editor
William W . O r , D.D.
Editor in Chief
Associate Editor
Copyright, 1950, The King’s Business No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved. Vol. 41 October, 1950 No. 10 CONTENTS Reader Reaction ........................................................................................ 3 Editorially Speaking .................................................................................. 4 Dr. Talbot’s Itin e ra ry ................................................................................ 5 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box ........................................................................ 6 Report from China . . . ; ............................................................................ 6 Israel Lives Again! Louis S. Baum an ................................................... 7 The Bible in the News, William W. O r r .............................................. 10 The Christ o f Incomparable Glory, J. B. R ow ell .................................. 11 The King Who Stopped Too Soon! Alan Livingstone Wilson . . . . 13 He Staggered Not, Glenn C. Smith ......................................................... 14 Junior King’s Business: The Story o f the Fountain Pen, Martha S. Hooker ............................................................................................. 15 Biola Family C ir c le .....................................................................................- 1 6 Book Reviews, Margaret J a cob sen ......................................................... 17 New Workers for B io la .............................................................................. 17 Poem, Harvest Home, Fannie B. B r o w n .............................................. 18 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. Wilson ............................................ 19 Christian Fellowship, Arnold D. Ehlert .............................................. 22 The Double Cure, Arthur H. Townsend ................................................. 22 Bible Quiz, Vernon Howard ..................................................................... 24 The Amusement-Mad World...................................................................... 25 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A . Kent ; Allison Arrowood ........... 26 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ........................................................... 33 Picture Credits: Cover, Eva Luoma, Weirton, W. V a .; p. 11, Don Knight, San Francisco, Calif. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “The King’s Business” is published monthly; $2.00, one year; $1.00, 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 IT, California. MANUSCRIPTS— “The King’s Business” cannot aceept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts mailed to us for consideration. Entered as second-class matter November 7, 1938, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, Cali fornia, 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 17, California. Page Three
Sun Valley, Calif. O C T O B E R . 1 9 5 0
is this world coming to, if our lives are to hang in the balance day after day, with fear gnawing at our hearts and uncertainty eating away our peace o f mind as to whether we shall be able to live another twenty-four hours. Who remembers the battle cry of World War I when this country was aroused with the slogan, “ Save the World for Democracy,” or the loud protestations o f World War II that this was to be “ A War To End Wars” ? Now newspapers solemnly warn us to get rid o f trash, leaves, rags and old newspapers; to wear loose- fitting and light-colored blouses with long sleeves buttoned at the wrist for protection. When the warning comes, to lie flat on the stomach with our face in our arms and our eyes cov ered. These things are labeled “ Blue Prints for Survival.” Our imagina tion can easily take us back to the darkest days o f the Dark Ages. But such is the discouraging summit o f man’s upward climb apart from God. Do not be deceived! There is no defense against man’s inhumanity to man. There is no safety against hu man hatred. There is no bomb shelter against potentialities o f the unloosed wrath o f wicked men. On the other hand, there is safety indeed for the child o f God who has come to know the peace of God through the accep tance o f the sacrifice o f His Son. When God promised peace to His child He meant exactly that, and safe ty too, and all the resources o f an immeasurably Omnipotent God are placed in defense around the soul that has put his trust in Christ. No one and nothing on earth, in Heaven or hell, can disturb that one who has come by faith into the sheltering love o f our Heavenly Father. Come atomic explosions or man’s hatred, the child o f God has the divine ironclad guar antee o f both peace and safety. The Rock o f Ages has sheltered many a trusting soul through the centuries and is the safe rock o f our defense today. The Roman Church Proclaims Another Dogma N OW comes the announcement from the propaganda presses o f the Vatican that it is a dogma (un questioned, unassailable, taught doc trine) o f the Roman Catholic Church that not only was the Virgin Mary born without sin but that a few years after the death and resurrection of Christ, she, in her physical body, was transported into Heaven without hav ing to pass through the gates o f T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
sponsive audiences, and are witness- ing the power o f the Gospel o f Christ to save people in this generation. In scores o f communities plans are under way for the churches to unite in an endeavor to reach souls for Christ. Many organizations are taking their cue from these revivals and are en larging their borders and strengthen ing their stakes. It may be that our beloved land o f America is in for a real heaven-sent revival. It may be that these are the beginnings o f a miraculous sweep o f the Spirit o f God across the country which will bring in its wake such a turning to God as has not been known since the days of the Great Awakening. Surely these are signs o f over whelming importance and they call for the most earnest prayer support from everyone who loves the name of Christ. I f God is moving, let us move with Him. If this is God’s call, let us answer the call. If this is God’s opportunity, let us meet the challenge. I f God is going to give us a revival, then let us understand that this is a mark of His mighty grace calling unto His loving heart additional thousands and perhaps millions of precious souls. It is a solemn thought o f the utmost importance that if this be God’s revival it is, without a doubt, the last great revival that this world will know before the coming o f Christ and the subsequent terrible struggle between the forces o f God and Satan. If there is ever a need for Christian people to pray, it is in the present hour in which we live. Do This If You Want To Live! T HE instructions which are given in various newspapers and maga zines as to what to do in case of atomic blasts are grimly ironical. It is almost laughable to endeavor to reconcile the pride, high-sounding as pirations and achievements o f the en lightened twentieth century with the horrifying details o f how to scurry around and protect one’s life in the event o f an atomic explosion. What
Is It To Be Revival? I N OUR present age, a popular ser mon subject has been: “ Revolution, Rapture, or Revival.” The idea was to set forth three alternatives: world revolution, the coming o f Christ for His own, or wide-spread national, and perhaps international, revival. It is easy to see the possibility of world revolution. Hardly a day goes by without hearing o f it from press and radio. On the other hand, signs of the coming o f Christ multiply, with Israel back in her own land, and con ditions on the European continent lending themselves to the formation o f a United States o f Europe. But during the last two years, re vival fires have appeared to flame up from almost nowhere, and today are burning brightly across our land. The meetings under the leadership o f Dr. Billy Graham in Portland, Oregon, reached an astounding total of nearly 700,000 people in attendance in a six- weeks’ campaign. On one occasion when the evangelist spoke to women only, the newspapers reported an au dience o f 30,000. All o f this teaching was centered around straight Bible preaching without high pressure methods. Serious students o f revivals seem to feel that Billy Graham is God’s man for this hour. Kansas City too has known the soul- thrilling warmth o f revival fires. An other young man, Mervin Rosell, preaching Christ to great audiences has seen more than 2,000 people come forward to declare their new faith in the Saviour. Kansas City, which has long been known for other things, has been stirred to its core by the present campaign. Still another young man, Jack Shuler, has been holding meetings in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the story has been somewhat the same. First in a rather large church, then to a great tent seating 5,000, then overflow crowds with large num bers surging to the front. Nor are these evangelistic fires con fined to large campaigns. Over the land many other devoted servants of God in smaller cities are finding re- Page Four
and 39. The Western European na tions are to be united, not merely under the laws o f emergency or ex pediency, but under the iron will o f a world dictator who will cover his mailed fist with the velvet glove of inescapable logic. The day will come when union for Western Europe and possible other nations will appear as the unique plan o f the ages and the inescapable an swer to world problems. All o f this must needs wait the emergency of that sinister character whom the Bi ble describes as the “ man o f sin” and the “ son o f perdition.” But as great events cast their shadows before, so the stirrings in diplomatic circles of present European nations call unmis takably to our minds world-shaking events which are in the not-too-distant future. This is no reason for fear on the part o f the child o f God. Rather, when we see these things coming to pass, we lift up our heads, knowing that our redemption draweth nigh. Even so come, come quickly, Lord Jesus! Bellingham High School Auditorium, Rev. Paul T. Nelson, Chairman Youth for Christ, Don Reed, Director First Presbyterian Church, 7th Ave. and Spring, Dr. F. Paul McConkey Maranatha Bible Hall, 2930 Norton Ave., Snohomish Co. Evangelical Minister’s Fel lowship, Rev. Robert B. Brown, Sec’y. First Presbyterian Church, 1221 Chester St., Rev. Wilbur W. Scafe First Presbyterian Church (Union meet ing) Youth for Christ, Mr. Jesse K. Leise, Di rector Ahtanum Congregational Church, Rev. Ralph M. Hettrick First Baptist Church, 8th Avenue & 8th St., Rev. J. Clarence Orr Hillyard Baptist Church, Wabash & Nel son, Rev. Clate A. Risley Neighbors of Woodcraft Auditorium, Aus pices, Evangel Baptist Church, Rev. Louis P. Lehman, Pastor First Baptist Church, Dr. Curtis B. Aken- son Omaha Gospel Tabernacle, 2006 Douglas St., Dr. R. R. Brown.
death. The Roman Church followed their usual scheme o f trying this doc trine out on the members o f the church for a number o f years before it was proclaimed an unchangeable dogma. The teaching of the assump tion was first begun in 1925 and be came a dogma, or irrefutable truth, in the year 1950. Do not misunderstand us. It is right to honor Mary whom God chose to be the mother o f His dear Son, because the Scriptures so honor her. When the Angel Gabriel was sent to acquaint Mary with the truth of the coming birth of the Holy One, Mary was described as “ Blessed among wo men” and one that is “ highly fa vored.” There is not the slightest doubt but that Mary was a most won derful, sincere and modest young maiden in Israel and the honor which God gave her of being the human ve hicle through which to bring into the world His beloved Son should never be lost sight of. But we must re member that Mary was not divine, she is not to be worshiped, and her salvation was accomplished on exact ly the same basis as the salvation o f millions o f believers from that time to this. There is not the slightest teaching in scriptures that Mary was ever to be worshiped and this would seem to be blasphemy o f the worst sort and idolatry hateful to God. . To the uninitiated Protestant mind this dogma seems puerile to the last degree. What is to be gained by in sistence that Mary was transported bodily to Heaven unless it be a fur ther Satanic attack upon the unique ness of the death and resurrection of Christ, or unless it be to add still fur ther idolatrous practices to an al ready idolatrous church? For Scrip ture to confirm all this one looks in vain. Not a line o f New Testament truth encourages such a belief. In fact, the teaching o f the New Testa ment strongly discourages Mariolatry in any form. But this does not worry the Roman Church which embarked many centuries ago on its anti-scrip tural program and today continues unchecked in its headlong race toward paganism. Why Europe Won’t Ever Unite R ECENTLY a very well-written , article appeared on the pages of one o f our widely-read magazines, by W. B. Courtney, who wrote on the impossibility o f the states o f Europe ever becoming united as suggested by Winston Churchill. Race, culture and economy were advanced as reasons for a United States o f Europe never be- O C T O B E R , I 9 5 0
coming a reality. While there may be cultural union, and economic agree ment, the author strongly feels that it is merely wishful speculation to hope that a strong fortified union can ever actually take place. We concur in this view. However, what worldly writers do not take into consideration is the fact that our God is a God o f the humanly impossible; that His ways are not ours; and that He has methods of bringing things to pass transcending all the basic laws o f human relation ships. God has set forth on the pages of prophetic Scripture that there is to be a revival of a coalition o f na tions known in history as the Roman Empire. This grouping o f nations outlined in geography must o f ne cessity include most o f the Western European countries and must exclude Eastern Europe. The broad outline o f both this and the Russian confed eracy are already dimly seen. The present satellites o f Russia were never a part of the ancient Roman Empire. They are to form the great Northern Confederacy o f Ezekiel 38
far.
i f a m t ’jÿ t ih e ra r ij
Oct. 5- 6 BELLINGHAM, WASH.
Oct. 7 SEATTLE, WASH. Oct. 8-13 SEATTLE, WASH.
Oct. 14-17 EVERETT, WASH.
Oct. 18-21 BREMERTON, WASH.
Oct. 22-27 TACOMA, WASH.
Oct. 28 TACOMA, WASH.
Oct. 29-31 YAKIMA, WASH.
Nov. 1- 3 LEWISTON, IDAHO
Nov. 4 OPEN Nov. 5-10 SPOKANE, WASH.
Nov. 12-17 PORTLAND, ORE.
Nov. 19-24 MINNEAPOLIS, MINN.
Nov. 26-Dec., 1 OMAHA, NEBR.
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soul, no one can take your salvation from you. But if you neglect your duty, and allow others to step in and do what Christ intends you to do, then they will receive your crown, or reward. Please explain Matthew 16:28: “Ver ily I say unto you, There be some stand ing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” These words of our Lord foretold His transfiguration, which was witnessed by Peter, James, and John after six days. These three saw Christ transfigured—a foreview of His coming glory, when He will be manifested before all the world as King of kings and Lord of lords. The transfiguration scene is described immediately after these words in chap ter 17. Will you please explain Matthew 24: 18? This verse states that he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. In this study of this chapter we see that this entire passage refers to the great tribulation that shall come upon the earth. The Lord Jesus referred to that period of time when he uttered these words in verse 13. He had in mind the faithful remnant in that day when He said: Many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many . . . But he that shall endure unto the end shall be saved (w . 11,13). I accept the principle here set forth. If a man does not endure unto the end, he only reveals what he was all the while, a mere professor, not a born- again soul.
Dr. L. T. Talbot the Corinthians were carnal Christians. Among other sins, they were making the Lord’s Supper a time of eating and drinking. Therefore, Paul wrote to them, saying: For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. In other words, if Christians fail to give a testimony to the world of the power of Christ; if they are a hin drance to the spread of the gospel, some times God has to take them out of the way. Their souls are saved, but their works following salvation are not worthy of reward. That leads us to say also that one way a Christian is punished, to quote your question, is by the very fact that in Heaven he will not receive certain rewards for service rendered. He will suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ, even though he himself shall be saved. (See 1 Cor. 3:11-15.) Again, if a born-again soul does not obey God, he loses the great joy of fel lowship with his Lord. The child who disobeys his parent does not lose his sonship; but so long as he rebels, he is out of fellowship with the parent. So it is with the child of God. He does not lose his sonship, but he does lose the joy of his salvation until he gets right with God, confesses his sin and seeks to do His will. If the believer in Christ is eternally secure, why should the Lord give him the warning of Rev. 3:11: “Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” ? The Lord Jesus did not say, that no man take thy salvation; but He did say, that no man take thy crown. And these two statements mean entirely dif ferent things. Salvation is the free gift of God. The crowns are rewards for service rendered in Jesus’ name and for His glory, after one has been born again. They are to be given at the judg ment seat of Christ, where only the re deemed shall stand before God and His holy angels. (See Rom. 14:10; 2 Cor. 5:10.) I cannot see any difficulty in this passage. If you are a really born-again
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Be hold, the Lord cometh with ten thou sands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly commit ted, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” How could Jude say that Enoch prophesied according to this verse when there is no record in the Old Testament that he ever made such a prophecy ? It is true that there is no such proph ecy recorded in the Old Testament, as having been made by Enoch; but Jude wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit knew what utter ances Enoch had made, even though there is no record of them. “ All scrip ture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). “ For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21). It is suggestive, to say the least, that Enoch, who was translated that he should not see death (Heb. 11:5), thus became a beautiful type of the saints who will be living on earth when the church is translated. It is interesting to know that he preached the second com ing of Christ, with His saints, to judge sin and “ to execute judgment” upon the ufigodly. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world (Acts 15:18). And the seventh from Adam, even Enoch, was God’s mouth piece many centuries ago, to warn men to flee from the wrath to come. “And it repented the Lord God that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.” Why do we read that God “ repented"? When used concerning God, repent in all of its forms simply means that, to man, God appears to change His mind. Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world (Acts 15:18). In reality it is man who changes, or repents, which accounts for the seem ing repentance of God. Please explain how Christians will be punished for wrong doing? One answer to your question is found in First Corinthians 11:30-32. Some of Page Six
Dr. Charles Roberts, Superintend ent o f the Hunan Bible Institute, writes from Hong Kong, “ The en closed picture is the graduating class o f 1950, the second class to graduate since the close o f the war. As we look at that small group o f students who have finished their course in the midst of the greatest social upheaval China has known in her history, it is mar velous in our eyes. The young men on the back row are the first gradu ates from our newly-opened Theology Department. The Class wrote me a letter on the day o f graduation and (Continued on Page 24) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
J ^ S r a e l cJlive A s ^ a a i n
By Dr. Louis S. Bauman, o f Washington, D. C. The Second Message on the Restoration o f Israel in a Prophetic Series
1
I N November 1947, a writer in a widely circulated magazine set forth his “ good and sufficient rea sons” for rejecting the idea that the children o f Israel would ever again be a sovereign nation in the land o f Palestine. Since his objections are those worn threadbare by men who refuse to believe in the restoration of Israel as an actual nation, we will quote briefly from his statements: “ To say that the land o f Palestine is for the physical Jew today is mis construing God’s plan fo r this dispen sation . . . The •physical nation, Jews, broke the covenant with God to the degree o f termination.” (Italics mine). But, what saith the Scripture, which Jesus declared “ cannot be broken” ? “ I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations . . . If his children for sake my law,” [and only “ the physi cal nation” could be in view here] “ and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Neverthe less my lovingkindness will I not ut terly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out o f my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure fo r ever, and his throne as the sun before me” (Psa. 89:3, 4, 30-36). What does this unconditional, un breakable covenant involve? Go and read! “ So shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord o f hosts . . . I will appoint a place for my peo ple Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children o f wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime . . . Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after O C T O B E R , 1 9 5 0
thee, which shall proceed out o f thy bowels . . | and I will establish the throne o f his kingdom for ever . . . If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes o f the children o f men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul” (2 Sam. 7:8-15). Note it carefully; “ 1 will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out o f thy bowels” ! Now Peter, on
‘scattered among the nations’, ‘tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms o f the earth’, ‘rooted out o f the land in anger’, etc.” But, what saith the Scripture? “ Hear the word o f the Lord, 0 ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattereth Israel” (again only the “ physical na tion” can be in view) “ will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock . . . and they shall not sor row any more at all” (Jer. 31:10-12). Again : “ Thus saith the Lord, the God o f Israel . . . Behold, I will gather them out o f all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger . . . and I will bring them unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God . . . And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not de part from me . . . For thus saith the Lord ; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them” (Jer. 32:36-38, 40, 42). Again this writer wrote: “ There is no hold-over for a natural Israelitish nation. Since Israel ceased as a nation in 70 A.D., the prophecy must refer to the spiritual Israel, and not to the physical Israel, or Jew.” But what saith the Scriptures? “ Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances o f the moon and o f the stars for a light by night, which di- videth the soa when the waves there o f roar; The Lord o f hosts is his name: I f those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed o f Israel also shall cease from being a nation from before me for ever. Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations o f the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed o f Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord” (Jer. 31:35-37). By what sort o f reasoning is it pos sible to read a “ spiritual Israel” into the passage just quoted? Now, since Page Seven
Hill of Mareh on the plain Esdraelon
the day of Pentecost declared that the fleshly body o f Christ was not allowed to see corruption because “ God had sworn with an oath to him [David], that o f the fruit o f his loins, accord ing to the flesh, he would raise up” the Christ who came literally through the fleshly line o f David through the virgin Mary; and, to fulfill His cove nant, that body o f flesh must sit upon David’s throne, over the fleshly sons o f Israel. Verily, God has spoken: “ I WILL NOT LIE UNTO DAVID!” The covenant with God “ broke to the degree o f termination” ? Never, never, never ! God’s faithfulness to a covenant He made with David does not depend upon the faithfulness of the Jew, but upon His own faithful ness. Again, this writer declared: “ And God removed them [the Jews] from the land, as He said He would do, the land promised them forever. ‘Ye shall be plucked off the land,’
cruel nails piercing his hands and feet, crowned with thorns, the spittle o f men running down over His pre cious face — bleeding — dying? What must she have thought as she recalled the words o f Gabriel? One passage o f Scripture must have comforted the heart o f Mary as she stood there. She knew the reality o f the miracle o f His birth, and she remembered the prom ise o f her God: I will not “ suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven” (Psa. 89:33-37). God well understood the struggle between faith and doubt that must have existed in the hearts o f that lit tle band that stood on old Olivet’s brow, and watched the Lord depart from this earth without having ful filled the promises made to Israel. We can readily understand why two men were sent all the way from glory, to reassure them as He mounted the cloud chariots and rode away: “ Ye men o f Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1 :11 ). Unless words have no meaning—- unless the solemn promises of God are to be broken—unless God is un able to perform that which He has promised—Jesus Christ, the Son of Mary, MUST return to this earth, and reigning upon the throne o f Da vid, establish “ on earth peace, good will toward men.” Therefore, how tremendously sig nificant are the events now transpir ing before our very eyes! And most significant o f them all is the resurrec tion o f Israel now taking place in the land o f Abraham. That such a resur rection must take place is as certain as the dawn. “ I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I am also an Israelite, o f the seed o f Abraham, o f the tribe o f Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew” (Rom. 11:1, 2). Again, Jonah is the sign. “ Cast away” ? Yes, pitched overboard into the sea, he was. “ Cast away” ? No, he was not, for God provided a real sub marine to carry him back to land! Even so, the Apostle Paul declared that “ God hath not cast away his peo ple which he foreknew” ; yet, he asked, “ I f the casting away o f them
be the reconciling o f the world, what shall the receiving o f them he, hut life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:15). “ Life from the dead” ! That’s resur rection ! Again, Ezekiel related a strange ex perience through which he passed. He said: “ The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit o f the Lord, and set me down in the midst o f the valley which was full o f bones . . . as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and flesh came upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son o f man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, 0 breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army” (Ezek. 37:1, 7-10). Such was the vision. Again God was His own interpreter: “ Then he said unto me, Son o f man, these bones are the whole house o f Israel . . . Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; behold, 0 my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out o f your graves, and bring you into the land o f Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, 0 my people, and brought you up out o f your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord” (Ezek. 37:11-14). Nearly fifty years ago, the writer, as a boy preacher, read this vision. But at that time the Turk was in pos session of the land o f Palestine, and the Mosque o f Omar covered the Tem ple ground; but, I believed the Scrip ture, and said, “ The Turk must g o !” I preached a sermon on the subject: “ The Doomed Turk.” I still possess the notes o f that sermon. I soon dis covered that a lot of folks didn’t be lieve the Scriptures. Those people still exist! “ For four hundred years,” they said, “ the Moslem has occupied the land. Three hundred million Mos lems will rise in a vast Holy War if you try to drive him forth.” Less than a score o f years later, General Allen- by marched into Jerusalem, and de livered that city from the grasp of the Turk without firing a shot. At his T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Young People working in the fields at Ginegar.
the ordinances that govern the heavens still endure, and since the sun does not rise in the west and set in the east, “ physical Israel” remains a nation before the Lord, no matter what the attitude o f the nations to wards that ancient people may be. Since “ the Scripture cannot be broken,” absolutely nothing the “ nat ural Israelitish nation” has done or can do, will cause the eternal God to break His unconditional covenants. “ No hold - over for a n a t u r a l Israelitish nation” ? And almost be fore the ink used in writing those words was dry, the modern nation of Israel arose from the grave where it had lain for two thousand years! On May 14, 1948, the State of Israeli arose, and is now the 59th member o f the “ United Nations” . But that event, significant as it is, is only the begin ning. Not a part, but the whole o f the city o f David, and the land o f Abra ham, is yet to be possessed! And that day is at hand! And what about the unconditional promise that God sent the angel Ga briel to deliver to the virgin Mary, telling her that her Son must reign on the restored throne o f David? “ Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son o f the High est: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne o f his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and o f his kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1 :BO SS). Is that promise to the mother of our Lord going to fail ? Who can know the thoughts that must have been in the heart o f Mary as she stood by the cross, where hung her Son, with the Page Eight
very presence the Turks ran like scared rabbits. Our God can still per form miracles. The events that followed that day (December 9, 1917), are so well known I need not repeat them here. Then came the day when Hitler de creed the destruction o f the Jew, and World War II was on. But Hitler only succeeded in confirming the prophetic Scriptures: “ All they that devour thee shall be devoured” (Jer. 30:16). The combined foes o f the Jew only succeeded in aiding the children of Jacob to realize their dream—a re turn to their ancient home in Pales tine. The day of miracles is not past. “ Behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed” (Ex. 3 :2 ). God was in that bush— Israel for centuries upon centuries has been in the hot flames o f persecution, but Israel is not consumed. “ Dry bones” they may have long appeared to be; but behold, the nations are shaking and the “ dry bones” are rolling about in all the valleys o f the earth, “ bone to his bone.” The trek o f the ages is on! From every land they come, and Jerusalem is their rendezvous! In 1867, there were only 10,000 of Israel’s children in all Palestine; in 1900, about 50,000. In 1948, the Jew ish population reached 655,000. Last December, it passed the 1,000,000 mark! At least 2,000 came from In dia during the past year—and a col ony of Indian Jews is in the home land. Another Indian colony is soon to be founded. The greatest airlift in all history is now in full swing, or ganized to transport 100,000 Jews out o f Iraq, back to their ancient home land. From Tripoli they come— from Portugal— from Cyprus, Yugoslavia, Austria, Cyrenacia, Yemen and Bul garia until six Jewish communities o f the Diaspora are almost completely liquidated. From at least 64 nations they come, speaking 60 different lan guages— a veritable Israelitish tidal wave rolling in and over the little State o f Israel which is only about the size o f Connecticut! Housing, wa ter supply and food, impose extreme austerity upon the land, and yet the poorest and humblest son or daughter o f Israel, receives a warm welcome when arriving in the tiny homeland; 100,000 of the recent immigrants are living in very temporary quarters, but are supremely happy! Are they not in Zion? During the month o f April, 18 new towns were laid out, post offices estab lished, schools were erected and stores were opened. Down on the Egyptian frontier— the country so de- O C T O B E R , 19 5 0
void of vegetation that Jeremiah wrote— “ Baldness is come upon Gaza” (Jer. 47 :5 ), and was described by Luke as “ Gaza, which is desert” (Acts 8 :26 )—a part o f Palestine that has put more land under cultivation than all the rest o f the State o f Israel,—^ down there more than 80 new towns and settlements have begun, the pio neers toiling as they did in the days o f Nehemiah, every man with a trowel in one hand and a weapon in the other. Another 100,000 immigrants is ex pected to swarm into the State of Israel this year out o f Iraq alone. The critics of Zionism have objected that Palestine could never support more than 1,000,000 Jews. Now, these for mer objectors are themselves ad mitting that under the magic touch o f the Jew, at least 4,000,000 can be comfortably cared for. Moreover, there is no unemploy ment. At the latest available statistics more than 5000 factories are running full blast. Extensive programs are be ing worked out. Hundreds o f men are digging, blasting, battering their way through the rocks, while great cranes are lifting huge pipes into long, nar row ditches, which before the end of this year will be pouring desert-heal ing waters out over the centuries- parched ground. Verily, it was writ ten: “ The wastes shall be builded. And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight o f all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden o f Eden . . . I, the Lord, have spoken it, and I will do it . . . So shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men” (Ezek. 36: 33-38). This land is being planted with “ pleasant plants” (Isa. 17:10), the deserts begin to “ blossom as the rose” (Isa. 35 :1 ), “ the glory o f Lebanon shall be given unto it” (Isa. 35:2) as every man plants a tree, and to its branches once again “ the time o f the singing o f birds is come” (Song of Sol. 2 :12 ). Those branches are laden with apples, quinces, apricots, plums, pears, pomegranates, oranges and lemons, not surpassed in the fairest lands o f earth. Marvelous is the transformation! Marvelous is the fulfillment! Across the line from the State of Israel, in old Jerusalem and in Trans jordan, the turbaned (Esau) Arab still sits on the ground amidst squalid surroundings, working only with his ancient stick fo r a plow, jealous and despising his brother Jacob. The des ert is still over there! Only the touch o f the Jew will ever restore it to its
ancient fruitage. (Cf. Num. 13:20-27; Lev. 26:32-35). Once again, the critic a few years ago scoffed at the resurrection o f a united nation for the glory o f Israel must have a cultural background. It was said that it would be impossible to weld together into one nation, a people estranged to each other through long centuries, and speaking fifty or sixty languages. Were there not even fifty or more varieties of Yiddish alone? But God had spoken, and God is not mocked. Upon the slope o f Mt. Scopus, the university was built. And today, un derneath those growing trees and upon those school playgrounds little children gather out o f all nations and for the first time in two millenniums they play and chatter in the pure lan guage o f their ancient fathers— the Hebrew — fulfilling Zephaniah’s sign o f the approach o f Armageddon and the complete end o f Gentile dominion, not over merely a part, but over the whole o f the land that God gave to Abraham and his seed. “ Then will I turn to the people [Israel] a pure language [the He brew], that they may all call upon the name o f the Lord, to serve him with one consent” (Zeph. 3 :9 ). Verily, verily the day dawns when— “ The Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from trans gression in Jacob . . . This is my cove nant with them, saith the Lord” (Isa. 59:20, 21). And soon re-gathered Israel will see her glorious Messiah descending the sky above old Olivet, “ King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16), and they shall cry : “What are these wounds in thine hands ? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends” (Zech. 13:6 ). Then shall the blinded eyes of Israel be opened (Continued on Page 18)
Sheep at Ginegar.
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multiplied organizations working among adults. Want To Be Centenarians «** A recent survey by the American Institute o f Public Opinion put the question to a balanced cross section o f adults o f all ages as to whethèr or not they would like to live to be 100 years old. More than half of all adults, in fact, 57% said they would like to live to be 100. Considerably more men than women wanted to reach this ripe old age and the older a person is, the more he desires to attain 100 years. Those who disclaimed interest in liv ing that long gave a number o f rea sons, chief among them being that they did not want to be a burden to those round about them. It is true that many more people live longer today and yet the average life is, according to reliable insurance statistics, still below the Biblical three score and ten. While it is sure that very few people will attain the 100 year mark, it is glorious to remember that God has given life eternal to all those who put their faith and trust in His Son. Crocodile Tears The up and coming, but rather lib eral, Christian Herald takes many a pot shot at the liquor industry. In a recent issue o f the Herald, attention was called to the paradox o f the liquor industry blandly assuring the world that it will continue to tackle in forth right fashion the causes and cure o f alcoholism. Along with this straight- faced announcement, they loudly claim that through the industry’s ef forts 140,032,345 gallons o f whisky were bottled in the U. S. last year, at the same time disclaiming any respon sibility for the creation o f 350,000 alcoholics and 350,000,000 excessive drinkers. The Herald asks signifi cantly, “ Now who do you suppose could really be doing it? ” Student Drinking ^ In a recent session o f the Institute o f Scientific Study for Prevention of Alcoholism, estimates were given that about 50% o f high school and college students use alcohol. According to this report, alcohol is becoming a ma jor problem even among junior high school students o f 13 and 14 years o f age. Discipline with education was suggested as a means o f meeting this problem and the convention urged that the effects o f alcohol on society be taught as a senior high school course. A warning was presented that if the present trend continues, we will be a nation o f Alcoholics Unani mous. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
William W . Orr, D.D.
Insurance Advice & Some o f us have been agreeably surprised by the advertisements of various commercial organizations calling upon the American people to live lives o f righteousness. An ex ample outstanding is the John Han cock Mutual Life Insurance Company, Boston, Mass. Under the caption, “ The Lord Was Their Shepherd,” and a picture o f one o f the early colonial churches, attention is directed to the simple faith o f our Puritan ancestors. The copy continues “ It was not only on Sundays, or in church alone, that they thought o f Him, but always and everywhere. They felt that the world was God’s house, and they walked reverently in it, and they tried to re member to live by His ways.” Of course, this is not pure altruism on the part o f an insurance company, but it is good business for insurance companies when people live godly lives. Sinful living cuts down the years, and consequently the payment of insurance premiums. The man who loves God and lives for Him often finds his years extending far beyond the average. On the other hand, we do not mean to discount the influence o f such unequivocal approval o f spir itual values on the part o f a commer cial concern. New Sanhedrin? «** Readers will remember that at the time of our Lord’s life the ruling body o f the Jewish political-religious economy was the Sanhedrin, a group o f 70 Jewish leaders who directed most o f the affairs o f the Jewish State. Today, if Rabbi Judah L. Mai- mon has his way (he is the new Israeli Minister o f Religion) the Jewish San hedrin will be revived. I f this plan goes through, the Sanhedrin will be made the highest spiritual authority for world Jewry. There are several rather influential groups o f people Pag« Ton
who oppose the plan, but you may be sure that if this is God’s time it will certainly be carried through. The re establishment o f the old temple wor ship is but another strong indication o f the near return o f our Lord. Penny Christians Each year the Golden Rule Foun dation sharpens its pencil and makes some very enlightening calculations. During the year 1949, the average church member gave not 10c out of every dollar, but 2 l/1 0 c out o f every dollar. In contrast, the average Amer ican citizen, counting both church and non-church members, give 1 l/1 0 c out o f every dollar. This means that the church people are one penny closer to God than those who have nothing to do with the church. As a background for these figures, let us not forget that church members spend 28 billions for food, 21 billions for housing, 13 billions for clothing, 1.2 billions for hair cuts, 5.3 billions for recreation, and for all re ligious purposes 2.2 billions o f dol lars. This is a good indication o f just how much the American church mem bers really love God. Sunday School Convention Christian workers from all parts o f our land are expected to convene in Philadelphia, November 2 through 4, for the fifth annual convention of the National Sunday School Associa tion. Meetings will be held in Town Hall and some 30 leading Christian educators will be included in the heav ily-packed program. The supporters o f the Convention are the Evangelical Teacher Training Association and the Philadelphia Area Sunday School As sociation. One o f the extremely heart ening signs o f the day in which we live is a revival o f interest in the Sunday school program. This institu tion, properly supported, is capable of doing more real work fo r God than
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