King's Business - 1934-08

SEPTEMBER

1 9 3 4

SheüSible Tam ils 3 Ra$a 3 me PUBLISHED BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES

Courtesy Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Ry.

“I will remember the works of the Lord ... Thou art the God that doest wonders.”

©EJECTS TEAT TALE ANC TEACH By LOUIS T. TALBOT, Pastor, Church of the Open Door; President, Bible Institute of Los Angeles 52Object Lesons 1 for each Sunday for the Year ’ round 75 Cents Common Objects and Toys are made toTalkand Teach BibleTruths

PASTORS, EVANGELISTS, TEACHERS, YOUNG PEOPLE'S AND CHILDREN'S WORKERS AND PARENTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS H E L P F U L O F F E R

T HE King’s Business announces that it will mail post­ paid to any address a copy, together with a year’s subscription to The King’s Business, for $1.50. Objects that Talk and Teach is a book of useful object lessons for children, and is the direct outcome of Mr. Tal­ bot’s experience as pastor. Each of the 52 object lessons is ILLUSTRATED, the objects LISTED at the beginning of

the lesson, SCRIPTURE verses suggested, and the METHOD of presenting the lesson given. These Object Lessons Are Adaptable and Usable During the past year, Mr. Talbot, the author, has used these lessons as a part of his morning church service, to the delight and profit of several hundred boys and girls, and of several thousand grown-ups.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

REV. CHAS. E. HURLBURT, Bible Teacher and Pioneer Missionary to Africa: "The object talks by Mr. Talbot to the children, young and old, at the Church of the Open Door, are the finest and most markedly Spirit-inspired of any to which I have ever listened. It is a joy to know that they are to be put in shape so a wider circle may get their messages, and perhaps some of God's messengers may be able to use them again."

DR. E. L. McCREERY, Dean of Bible Institute of Los Angeles:

"I most heartily commend Mr. Talbot's book, OBJECTS THAT TALK AND TEACH, as it meets a long-felt need on the' part of many pastors and Chris­ tian workers, who are desirous of impressing spiritual truth on the minds of the children of their congregation."

ADD 25e FOR CANAD A OR FO REIGN CO UNTRIES. In case only the book is desired, order should be addressed to TH E K IN G ’S BU SIN ESS, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, California, and 75c enclosed. ORDER THIS HELPFUL, USABLE BOOK TODAY- - - - 52 OBJECT LESSONS FOR 75 CENTS

1,1 1 TfTTfn 'I1 111 6 THE RULE OF MY L I F E - - - S T U D Y THE B I B L E D A I L Y 1 ¡Ü /COMPREHENSIVE /CORRESPONDENCE $1.00 to ■ ® L /O n st r u c t iv e B o u r s e s $7.00 IN YOUR BIBLE Write for Bulletin From our Office ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ■>- To Your CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL Home 1 'I1'I1 111 111 2 tjt TfT 1,1 II 3 1,1 111 II l|l 4 111 ¥ 1|l TfT 5

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Bible Institute of Los Angeles 5 5 8 So. HOPE STREET , LOS ANGELES, CALIFORN IA

• IF YOU ARE A PREMILLENARIAN

afie 3îble Tamîïÿ ra ta t in e Motto: “ Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood ."—R ev . 1 :5.

I have a message for you. It is o f supreme value if you wish light for these dark days. I advertised this same message some time ago. The letters I re­ ceived from those who had sent for it were filled with gratitude to God for a new revelation that had come to them; almost every one said in effect, “ This should be read by every Christian in America.” So I am making the same announcement once again; I want to reach every true Christian who is longing for the coming o f the King, and I am doing my p a r t to accomplish it. Whether I reach you de­ pends on yourself. Just enclose 10c (stamps will do) in a letter and say, “ I am a premillenar- ian; send me your mes­ sage.” I f you are not a premillenarian p lea se do not answer this advertise­ ment.

Volume XXV

September, 1934

Number 8

TABLE OF CONTENTS / Around the King’s Table— Louis T . Talbot........................................ 298 The Lord’s Coming and the Two Great Separations —W . H. Rogers................................................................................... 300 Galatians—A True Cross Section o f Life—Roy L. Laurin............ 302 Personality and Personal W ork—Wade C. Smith............................. 305 ^ “ False Christs and False Prophets”—A S ign !— Louis S. Bauman..307 Girls’ Query Corner— Myrtle E. Scott.................................................310 Bible Institute Family Circle.................... 311 Our Literature Table...................................................... 312 Junior King’s Business—Martha S. Hooker........................... .......... 313 Helps for Preachers and Teachers— Paul Prichard...........................315 “ But Prayer . . . ” ........................................ ....................................... 316 Notes on Christian Endeavor—Mary G. Goodner..............................320 International Lesson Commentary......................................................... 324 Daily Devotional Readings....................................... 1........„..,.332

And may I remind you also o f the co n tin u o u s needs o f our missionary undertakings? Our work merits your every confi­ dence. It is a program o f world wide Gospel testi­ mony to the Jews. Your fellowship in prayer and in gift is always welcome and a p p r e c ia ted . O u r monthly publication, THE CHOSEN PEOPLE , is o f course sent to all con­ tributors. J. HOFFMAN COHN AMERICANBOARDOFMISSIONS TOTHEJEWS, INC. 31 Throop Ave., Brooklyn, N. Y. I f interested in Annuities, ask for our booklet, “ Jewish Mission Bonds.**

I N F O R M A T I O N

F O R

S U B S C R I B E R S

T E R M S: Single Copies................ .............................. 15c Annual Subscription............................................ ...........$1.50 Two-year subscription or two annual subscriptions. 2.50 Five annual subscriptions................ ........................... 5.00 Eleven annual subscriptions................ ..................\ ... 10.00 Subscriptions in countries outside of U. S. require 25c extra. REM IT TA N CE: Should be made by Bank Draft, Ex­ press or P. O. Money Order, payable to "Bible Institute of Los Angeles." Receipts will not be sent for regular subscriptions, but date of expiration will show plainly each month, on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. CHANGE OF A D D R E SS: Please send both old and new address at least one month previous to date of de­ sired change.

A D V ER T ISIN G : For information with reference to advertising in THE KING'S BUSINESS address the Religious Press Association, 325 North 13th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, or North American Build­ ing, Chicago, Illinois. Entered as Second Class Matter November 17, 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage pro­ vided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized October 1, 1918. THE KING’S BUSINESS cannot accept responsibility for loss or damage to manuscripts sent to it for consideration. M A N U SCRIPTS:

PO LICY A S D E F IN E D BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTO RS OF TH E B IB LE IN STITU TE OF LOS A N G ELES (a) To stand for the infallible Word of God and its great fundamental truths, (b) To strengthen the faith of all believers, (e) To stir young men and women %to fit themselves for and engage in definite Christian work, (d) To make the Bible Institute of Los Angeles known, (e) To magnify God our Father and the person, work and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; and to teach the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in our present practical life, (f) To emphasize in strong, constructive messages the great foundations of Christian faith. 558 So. Hope St., BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Los Angeles, California

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September, 1934

c Around the King’s Tabltj B y L ouis T. T albot

and the seven good ears o f corn which appeared in Phar­ aoh’s dream constituted a message from God to the one who would receive it. But why was the same truth pre­ sented under the symbolism o f both kine and corn? Joseph declared: “ And for that the dream was doubled unto Phar­ aoh, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” In other words, God is working. Should we not be able to see God’s hand in the providences about us, and to realize that by these means He would speak to discerning hearts ? “ Look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the l nd of E g yp t . . . . and let him appoint overseers over the land, . . . And let them gather all the food o f these good years that come, and lay up grain . . . for food in the cities,

[Until about October first, the President of the Insti­ tute, Louis T. Talbot, will be in Australia, his native land. In his absence, the portions provided for those who gather “ around the King’s table” have been either personally pre­ pared by or at the direction o f the Vice-President and Dean, Elbert L. McCreery .— E ditor .] A Modem Joseph Needed D rought is getting to be as fashionable among the nations as overproduction was only the other day.” What a startling observation this is—made by an editorial writer in the New York Times (May 30, 1934) ! In the newspapers o f America, such captions as these have be­

come common: “ Grain Odds Seen Lowest Since 1894,” “ Per Capita Production Lowest in History,” “ Biggest Calamity in Corn.” Dis­ cussion o f possible solutions o f this distressing problem fills the col­ umns o f daily journals. Yet, as the Times writer points out: No government can solve the problem. Federal relief is sorely needed all through the cattle and grain country to help the farmers and stockmen who have been ruined by the drought, but only the A l­ mighty can solve the larger problem o f ending the drought in time to save their breeding cattle and next year’s wheat crops. Has there ever been on earth a condition similar to that which pre­ vails in America today? If such perplexity has been faced before, and has been removed, America may well turn to history to learn the secret o f how deliverance came.

and let them keep it” (vs. 33-35). This was Joseph’s counsel to Phar­ aoh, following the interpretation o f his dream. And the king replied: “ Can we find such an one as this, a man in whom the spirit o f God is” (v. 38) ? These are the words o f Pharaoh to his servants after he had heard the divine wisdom at the mouth o f Joseph. Does not this ref­ erence give us a clue to a wisdom which is not o f this earth? Cer­ tainly in such an one “ in whom the spirit o f God is,” the spirit o f wis­ dom will abide, because God is the God o f all wisdom, and when His Spirit is indwelling a human being, there is the impartation o f a divine knowledge which cannot be at­ tained through any other means. When Joseph came into power, he did not destroy the surplus which accumulated in the days of plenty, but he laid it up, that there might be food against the days o f

Courtesy, Los Angeles Times.

As long ago as the time o f Joseph, the question o f threatened famine was rife. The king o f Egypt laid be­ fore Joseph a vexing problem— one which all the wise men (the Brain Trust o f that day) had been unable to.solve— a dream through which God had been speaking to Pharaoh. As Joseph was brought into the monarch’s presence, the king said: “ I have heard say o f thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it.” But Joseph did not pose as a wise man. With the true humility o f a ser­ vant o f God, he declared: “ It is not in m e : God will give Pharaoh an answer in peace” (Gen. 4 1 :16). The answer to the problem was God Himself. And He is the answer to every problem—whether it be personal or national. Is there not a lesson in this passage for peoples o f all nations in these times when difficulties multiply, with which man has no wisdom to cope ? Let us seek God, that He may give an answer o f peace. Notice the expressions: “ What God is about to do he hath declared unto Pharaoh” (v. 25) ; “ what God is about to do he hath showed unto Plraraoh” (v. 28 ). God has a plan. Men may know that plan if they wish to know i t ; a divine revelation has been given. The seven good kine

famine. It is insanely inhuman to destroy— on the plea o f overproduction— that which would sustain starving multi­ tudes. Yet in our own land, in spite o f the fact that thou­ sands are suffering the pangs o f hunger, a wholesale de­ struction o f foodstuffs is ordered. Is this practice according to the wisdom o f God? Or is it according to the folly o f man? The need of the present hour is for “ a man in whom the spirit o f God is.” Joseph was such a man in Pharaoh’s day. Can there be found a modern Joseph, a true leader o f the people, who with humility and fearlessness will turn them to God? Encouraging Word from China O rganizations for “ fellowship on a soundly evangeli­ cal basis” are not numerous these days. But that such groups are far from unpopular may be judged by the fact that one o f the number, the League o f Christian Churches (fo r all China), already has 70,000 members, representing thirty societies.

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In a news letter written by the General Secretary o f the League, Arie Kok, the plan to hold a five-day gathering “ in the nature o f a national Bible testimony or fundamen­ talist convention” is explained. The meetings are scheduled fo r the second week in May, 1935, to convene at Kaifeng, Honan. The announcement is made many months in ad­ vance o f the date o f the meetings, so that Christian people in all parts o f the world may have ample opportunity to pray for this important gathering. In stating the purpose o f the proposed convention, Mr. Kok makes known also the principles for which the League stands: Chinese Christian' leaders from different provinces, and connected with many churches and missions, will as­ semble to assert their unwavering belief in the Bible as the WORD OF GOD and to add their testimony that the simple preaching o f the gospel o f “JESUS CHRIST and H IM CRUCIFIED” is still triumphant in the conversion of sinners, despite the relentless opposition alike o f East­ ern superstitions and Western popular isms. Throughout the China mission field, the last few years have witnessed not merely a drifting tendency to­ ward liberal views in theological teaching, but also the working o f able exponents o f the popular rationalistic and Unitarian schools, who have made use o f well organ­ ized nominally Christian institutions to broadcast their doubts and disbelief o f the historic faith. In view o f this widespread pretentious humanism us­ urping the place o f the message of salvation through the blood o f Christ, the affiliated pastors, evangelists, and workers in this League stand, as it were, naked amidst armed warriors, lifting high the gospel banner regardless of the surrounding heresies and schisms. And their faith is justified. From all places where Christ is lifted up, there is testimony of blessing. News o f conversions, revivals, interest in the gospel message, and demand for Christian literature are giving cause for joyful praise_ in very many districts. And even where the sower’s lot is cast in seemingly barren soil, there is a witness of the Spirit that the labor is not in vain in the LORD. The reading o f Mr. Kok’s courageous words reminds one o f a familiar Old Testament incident. Once, long ago, a discouraged prophet, “ very jealous for the Lord God of hosts,” cried out in g r ie f: “ I, even I only, am left.” And many a believer in modern times echoes the prophet’s dis­ tressed complaint. But to the praise o f His grace, the Lord is still saying— o f Israel, o f China, and o f other lands — “ Yet I have left me [there] seven thousand . . . all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal.” And to make the encouragement tenfold greater, in China there are 70,000—and many m ore! A Forward Movement in Teacher Training T h e Evangelical Teacher Training Association came into existence as a protest against the modernistic control o f the International Council of Religious Educa­ tion. Under the leadership o f such Bible exponents as Robert C. McQuilkin, President, and Clarence H. Benson, Secretary, perhaps no modern movement has grown more rapidly and shown greater promise o f revolutionizing the standards o f the Sunday-school than has the Evangelical Teacher Training Association. Less than three years ago, five Bible Institutes, wishing to certify to the public their deep interest in and concern for Christian education, agreed to provide and promote a common course which would train the teacher for the Sunday-school as adequately and sys­ tematically as the instructor is trained for the secular school. They proposed to have for its major subjects Bible, Personal Evangelism, and Missions; and to recognize and encourage the use o f textbooks o f approved orthodoxy. Fifty-four Bible Institutes, colleges, and seminaries in the United States and Canada— o f which the Bible Institute o f Los Angeles is one— now constitute this organization.

The standard Training Course o f the Evangelical Teacher Training Association meets the collegiate recom­ mendation o f twenty-four hours (432 Bible Institute hours) for a Christian Education course, which, together with its resident requirement, affords the highest academic standards in training that have ever been offered a Sunday- school teacher. Graduates o f the Standard Training Course are ap­ proved as instructors for the Preliminary Training Course. A t the last meeting o f the Association, it was voted to offer the Preliminary Training Course by correspondence to students and teachers who would be unable to enroll in any o f the cooperating schools or attend church or community classes. Further particulars will gladly be furnished by the Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles, California. “ In addition to better qualifying our present teaching force, it will be necessary this year to recruit from the ranks o f our young people no less than 400,000 students, if the church is to.make any effort to provide for 36,000,000 American children and adolescents who are not now in Sunday-school.” Mr. Benson’s statement is a challenge. Dare we, who believe in the absolute authority o f the Word o f God, who recognize the shameful trend o f modern teaching concern­ ing that Book, who know that the only hope o f America or o f any other land lies in its youth’s acceptance o f the divine standard— dare we ignore the challenge and refuse “ to make any effort” to teach effectively to the leaders o f tomorrow the truths o f the eternal God ? The Menace of the Modern Saloon O ld Chicago Saloon Plus Women Equals New Chicago Tavern” was the title o f an extended state­ ment recently prepared by F. Scott McBride, general super­ intendent o f the Anti-Saloon League o f America. Senator Morris Sheppard o f Texas secured consent to have this data printed in the Congressional Record (May 28, 1934). Early in the discussion o f the question, Dr. McBride made this observation: Chicago, where the big drive for repeal started, and where both major political parties pledged that the saloon must not come back, should present the nation’s most con­ spicuous example o f a successful solution o f the liquor problem. But what do we find? Despite all promises, the saloon is back in Chicago, worse, more vile, more degrading, more dangerous than ever before in the history of that city. It is Dr. McBride’s opinion that excerpts from various Chicago newspapers “ show not only that the saloon is back, but also that its evils under modern social conditions are infinitely worse than those against which the people re­ belled when the Eighteenth Amendment was adopted.” Quoting from the Chicago Herald and Examiner (March 6, 1934), the representative o f the Anti-Saloon League added: Shocking evidence o f how Chicago’s high school girls and boys—children ranging between thirteen and eighteen years of age—are being lured into depravity by saloon­ keepers, who flagrantly violate the law by plying child patrons with liquor, has been . . . discovered during a fortnight’s survey o f the city’s unregulated saloons . . . Drunkenness and laxity o f morals are common in the dimly lit back rooms o f these saloons, many o f which carry on their vicious trade in the very shadows o f the city’s schools. Perhaps there are in the whole paper no more astound­ ing and disturbing sentences thafi these: Mayor Kelly, o f Chicago, was reported in the Chi­ cago Tribune o f December 19, 1933, as saying: “In my [Continued on page 310]

September, 1934

K e r e k w r o / d Z S C r t/ 7 Q A 0 6 V

K . The LORD’S COMING and the Two Great Separations B y W . H. ROGERS* New York, N. Y. R apture and R evelation First, Jesus Christ made very clear the distinction be­ tween the rapture and the revelation, a difference which we must see if we are to intelligently understand the Scrip­ tures in relation to this important theme. The rapture is one thing, and the revelation is another. The rapture has to do with Christ’s coming for His church, and the meeting will take place in the air. The revelation has to do with His coming with His church to reign upon this earth, with His throne in Jerusalem. In the rapture, the first great separation will take place: “ There shall be two men in one b ed ; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left (Lk. 17:34). Tw o shall be in the field o f toil, or at the millstone grinding, and the one shall be taken and the other left (Matt. 24:40-42). In the revelation, the second great separation will take place, when the sheep will be divided from the goats. The rapture will usher the church into the presence o f God, and will surrender the world to the great tribulation which is to follow, the period to which the Saviour referred when He said: “ Then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matt. 24 :21 ). The revelation will bring about the culmination o f the tribulation and usher in the millennial reign o f Christ. The rapture o f the church is clearly set forth in 1 Thes- salonians 4:13-17. A reading o f these words will plainly show that this event involves a threefold process: First, the resurrection o f the righteous dead (1 Thess. 4 :16 ; 1 Cor. 15 :22, 23) ; second, the transformation o f living be­ lievers (1 Cor. 15:51, 5 2 ); third, the translation o f all believers (1 Thess. 4:16, 17). Thus the church will be taken out o f the world, and there will be the separation of sinners and saints. The tribulation, which follows the rapture, is very clearly set forth in Matthew 2 4 :15-31, and the revelation is set forth in Matthew 24:29-31, which involves the reign o f Christ on earth. It is therefore clearly seen that the coming o f Christ is twofold— not two comings, but two stages in the one coming, or one great event with two parts. In the first stage, He comes as the Morning Star; in the second, He comes as the Sun o f righteousness. In the first, He comes in the air; in the second, He descends to the Mount o f Olives. In the first, He comes to receive His bride unto H im self: in the second, He comes to be received by penitent Israel, that is saved through the tribulation. The first stage is called in Scripture “ our gathering together unto him,” while the second stage occurs “ when the Lord Jesus Christ shall be revealed from heaven.” C haracteristics of the A ge In the second place, Christ set forth the characteristics o f this age of grace in which we are now living. In the professing church He said there would be declension, luke­ warmness, ease; a departure from the faith once for all delivered unto the saints; giving heed to seducing spirits

Photograph by Adelbert Bartlett

"A t the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

“ Then shall two he in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall he grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore ; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matt. 24:40-42). “ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne o f his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed o f my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation o f the world: . . . Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels ” (Matt. 2 5 :31-34, 41). I have taken the texts from our Saviour’s discourse in which He speaks o f His second advent. He was stand­ ing on the top o f Mount Olivet. His disciples had already come to Him and had propounded three important ques­ tions. The first o f those questions was, “ Tell us, when shall these things be?”—-that is, the things He had been talking about, namely, the overthrow o f Jerusalem and the destruction o f the holy temple within it—predictions which were literally fulfilled in A . D. 70, by the Roman armies under the military leadership o f Titus. The second ques­ tion was, “ What shall be the sign of thy coming?”— not His first coming, for they needed no sign of that ; He was already with them. The third question was, literally, “ And what shall be the sign o f the end of the age?” The Lord Jesus Christ delivered this discourse in answer to these three ^Significant questions. _ Note very carefully some o f the things which the Lord emphatically: and plainly declared. *Pastor, First Baptist Church,

September, 1934

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tion for them from the sinful. The living righteous shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and the dead in Christ shall be resurrected and their bodies fash­ ioned like unto His own glorious body, and they shall be forever with the Lord. The earthly and heavenly saints will be united and glorified and will stand faultless before the presence o f His glory with exceeding joy. The un­ godly will be banished into eternal night from all good­ ness, beauty, righteousness, and love, and sent into the place prepared for the devil and his angels. There are three significant truths suggested by our texts: First, there is a divine declaration o f a coming separation; second, the separation will be made according to our attitude toward the Lord and its consequent char­ acter; third, this attitude and character will be considered independently o f circumstances. - G od D eclares a S eparation First, there is the divine declaration o f a coming sep­ aration. This separation is occasioned by the Lord Jesus Christ. Even when He was on earth, He was the great Separator o f mankind. He sifted, separated, and sun­ dered men. He was set, as Simeon said, “ for the fall and rising again o f many in Israel.” “ Think not,” said Christ, “ that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). O f course, the word does not mean a carnal sword, but rather the sword of the Spirit which divides the human race and marks the godly and the ungodly. That separation continues to this day. There are many places where families can live together in peace even though separated in politics, where they can­ not live in peace because o f the religion o f the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan reveals his enmity against God through in­ spiring hatred in professed religionists against the fol­ lowers o f the Lord Jesus Christ. In the days of His flesh, He set father against son, and son against father, mother [Continued on page 304]

and doctrines o f demons; a denial of the deity o f Christ; a repudiation o f the virgin birth, blood atonement, physical resurrection and return o f the L o rd ; a church that would have a form o f godliness and deny the power thereof (1 Tim. 4 :1 -3 ; 2 Tim. 3 :1 -5 ). In the world, He said, there would be wars, international conflicts, famines, pestilences, persecutions, distress o f nations, and great perplexity, men’s hearts failing them because o f fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, and signs o f very little repentance. T he R eign of C hrist In the third place, Christ said that in the day o f His revelation He will take unto Himself His rightful authority and reign and reveal Himself as Messiah o f the Jews and God’s chosen King (Matt. 25:31-34). This will be the realization o f the prophecy uttered by John in Revelation 11 :15: “ The kingdoms o f this world are become the king­ doms o f our Lord, and o f his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” T he S uddenness of H is C oming In the fourth place, the Lord Jesus Christ said that His coming will be as sudden and unmistakable as the lightning flash which shines from one part o f the heaven to the other: “ For as the lightning cometh out o f the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming o f the Son o f man be” (Matt. 24 :27 ). U nprepared P eople In the next place, the Lord plainly declared that His coming will overtake an unprepared people. “ Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son o f man cometh” (Matt. 24 :44 ). The major portion o f the world will be immersed in secular pursuits and worldly pleasures, heedless o f the things which pertain to eternal peace (Matt. 24 :37 -39 ); just “ as it was in the days o f Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son o f man” (Lk. 1 7 :26). These unprepared ones will then call upon the rocks and the mountains to hide them, “ and then shall all the tribes o f the earth mourn” because o f His coming (Matt. 24 :30 ; Rev. 6:16, 17). In that day, the greatest prayer meeting the world has ever known will be held by unbelievers, and their prayers will not be directed to Jehovah, but to the rocks and mountains to hide them from the wrath o f Him whom they have rejected as their personal Saviour. A G reat S eparation ' In the sixth place, the Saviour makes clear that the day o f His coming will be a day o f discrimination, divi­ sion, and separation. Just as Noah and his family were saved from judgment—were saved by their faith—build­ ing the ark and entering it, so those who are ready by grace to welcome our Lord’s appearing, or His return to earth, shall pass with Him into the light and life o f the Father’s presence. And just as the wicked o f Noah’s day were destroyed in the flood o f God’s judgment, so will the wicked in the day o f Christ’s coming pass into outer dark­ ness, where there is weeping and gnashing o f teeth. This divine discrimination will separate the closest o f friends and will sunder the most intimate o f human relationships. Again notice that this division o f humanity is effected not by human authority, but by divine decree. Some o f us perhaps would like to have a hand in the separation, but our Lord forbids subtraction. Let us listen to His teach­ ings in Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43. He forbade any human being to have anything to do with the separation, knowing that men would err in their judgments and dis­ criminations. Thus, by the grace o f God, the twofold coming o f Christ will be a great reunion for all saints, and a separa­

"In the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."

Keystone Yiew Co.

September, 1934

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302

GALATIANS....o 'i True¿ross Section

By ROY L. LAURIN San GabrféiTCalif.

a f i o s A

.

H e r e is a letter which is unique in that it is not one letter ter written to a number o f churches. It is addressed “ unto the churches o f Galatia.” Galatia was that strip o f country in Asia Minor which lay beneath the Black Sea and was oc­ cupied at the time o f this letter by descendants o f ancient Celtic tribes. The circumstance o f the letter’s writing came about in a very provi­

ment a current o f electricity passes through a condemned criminal’s body, and he is dead, that moment marks his release from the law. A half hour before, a broken-hearted mother pleaded to take her boy back home, but the unbend­ ing law said, “ No.” But now, a half hour later, she tear­ fully takes his body from the prison yard, with no restraint upon her. A half hour before, the law said, “ No.” A half hour later, the law said, “ Yes.” And why ? Death has come, the warden writes “ discharged” after the name o f the dead man, and the law has no more interest in him nor claim upon him. The cross fulfilled the law for the believer by death. Christ’s death upon the cross fulfilled every legal re­ quirement o f the law. First, the demands were met because Christ’s life surrendered to the cross was the law’s perfect sacrifice. And then, Christ’s death on the cross met every legal obligation o f the law’s just and proper penalty. The cross released Christ’s life to the believer by death. The cross means more than Christ crucified. It means

written to one church, but one let­

dential manner. Upon Paul’s first missionary journey, he was taken sick and was nursed back to health by the be­ lievers among the churches o f Galatia. During his absence, certain Judaizing teachers from Jerusalem invaded the re­ gion and spread a false teaching— that only by observing the legal and ceremonial provisions o f the law could believ­ ers enter into the fullest blessings o f the gospel. This epistle is Paul’s answer to these false teachers and is called “ the Magna Charta o f Christian liberty.” The chief char­ acteristic o f the apostle’s answer is the presentation of a predominant and thrice-recurring argument— the cross. Government naturalists at the ranger station at the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees at Yosemite National Park are preparing a large slab o f a giant redwood tree, cut directly across the face o f its diameter. It is a cross section o f that tree in which one may see the stages o f its growth from year to year. Here are to be read the records of rains and droughts. Here, in the circles o f yearly rings, one, reads the parallels o f human history, for from various parts o f the tree-slab the rangers have made historical parallels. For example, when the tree was a seedling, Christ was yet unborn and the early Caesars were in power. Then at another stage may be seen the growth reached by the tree when Paul first carried his message o f Christianity to the barbarians in Macedonia. Then at another stage, the tree diameter is seen as it was when Columbus discovered Amer­ ica. Still another point is marked to show when the World War broke out. It is the tree’s cross section o f growth with the parallels o f contemporary history. The Epistle to the Galatians offers us something more important than the cross section o f a tree. It offers us the cross section o f life, fo r if one will cut across the face o f its diameter o f truth,- hie has laid bare to him this true cross section of life. It is the history o f a tree o f a d if­ ferent kind— the tree o f Christ’s death and our life. This cross section o f life shows but three aspects of the cross around which the contents o f the epistle are grouped. The T)eath of the C^ss “1 am crucified with Christ . . . ” (Gal. 2 :20). The arguments o f the Judaizing teachers revolved around a single conception, namely, that Christianity obli­ gated its believers to the law to fulfill all its legal and cere­ monial requirements. This the apostle vigorously denied, and he offered his argument of the cross— the death of the cross. The cross released the believer from the law by death. Paul said: “ I am crucified.” He is dead. He is dead to the law. The law has no claims upon a dead man; therefore the dead man is released from all its obligations. The mo­

more than I crucified with Christ. It means Christ’s life released by Christ’s death, so that now I can say: “ Christ liveth in me.” And now, the. cross, instead o f obligating me to the law and its death, has liberated me from the law and r e le a s e d unto me Christ’s very life. But along with the life o f Christ released to me by the cross, there is a daily death that I must die. I must die a daily death to my own affections, desires, ambitions, yea, to my own flesh. It is said in Galatians 5 :24 : “ They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the a f f e c t i o n s and lusts.” It is popular psychology that ex­ pression is the normal attitude — not repres­ sion. The modern psy­ chologist believes the normal attitude toward life is self-expression; his argument is predi­ cated under the false supposition that human nature is fundamental­ ly pure and righteous. But the evident lack of morals o f our day is the fruit o f this theory and a proof that it is wrong. The very first

The G ist of Four G r e a t Le t te r s

0 With the presentation of this article by Roy L. Laurin, pastor of the San Gabriel Union Church, San Gabriel, Calif., the K ING 'S BUSINESS brings to its readers the first of a new series of Bible studies. These four epistles contain the Lord's answer to some of the great problems which are vex­ ing the church and individual believers today. Studies which direct attention to the search­ ing of these portions of the Word are therefore timely and will meet a need recognized by many of the Lord's people. The nature and scope of these messages is suggested by the sub-titles: GALATIANS: A True Cross Section of Life. EPHESIANS: God's Purpose and God's People. PHILIPPIANS: A Christian in His Right Mind. COLOSSIANS: Heresies and Verities. • Each article develops: (I) The background of the writing of the epistle; (2) an analytical outline combined with a devo­ tional and expository treatment of portions of the text; and (3) a highly practical message for the bel i ever' s daily walk in Christ Jesus.

September, 1934

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word Jesus taught His disciples to say was “ No.” And this discipline o f the self-life is fundamental to a Christian philosophy o f life. This saying “ No” is not merely saying “ N o” to our sinful self nor to evil suggestions. It is also saying “ N o” to our righteous self and to some o f the good things and finer things. God sometimes wants us to say “ N o” to the better, that we may have the best. It would not be hard for you who have been “ crucified with Christ” to say “ No” to a glass o f liquor, but it might be hard to say “ N o” to some noble ambition which may not be in His plan for your life. But it is “ N o” to everything, so that the life I now live might be truly Christ living in me, and not I. A physician ordered a young minister, for his health’s sake, to seek the recovering benefits o f the soil. In obed­ ience, the young man went to the country and spent many days following the newly turned rows made by an old plow­ man. As they walked together, the young minister asked the old plowman, who was a devout Christian, what he thought was the hardest thing in religion. In response, the plowman returned the question, and the young minister said, “ I think the hardest thing in religion is to deny sinful self.” “ No, sir,” said the old plowman, “ the hardest thing in religion is to deny righteous self.” The Offense of the Cross “ Then is the of­ fense o f the cross ceased” (Gal. 5 :11 ). Although the cross

The Greeks were the philosophers o f the old world, and to them the cross was foolishness. It was an offense be­ cause it appeals not to reason but to faith, not to the head but to the heart. Therefore, to the intellectual, philosophical Greek, the cross was foolishness because the Greek was seeking after wisdom, or, rather, after philosophical dem­ onstrations o f Christianity. But Christianity begins, not by solving our intellectual difficulties, but by satisfying the heart that cries for forgiveness from sin. The cross is an offense to morality. “ Not by works o f righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us” (Tit. 3 :5 ). The cross is the mark o f God’s mercy. It is an offense to morality, because works o f righteousness cannot justify us— only faith. The cross is an offense to distinction. “ For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things . . . the weak things. . . And base things . . . and things which are despised . . . ” (1 Cor. 1:26-28). The cross is an offense to all kinds o f class regulation and segregation. It is a leveler o f men. W e stand at the cross on equal footing— not as wise men, not as mighty men, not as noble men, not as preferred men, but as the same men, utterly and equally dependent upon the sacrifice the cross bears for our salvation. The cross is an offense to those who perish. “ The preaching o f the cross is to them that perish, fool­ ishness” (1 Cor. 1 :18 ). The cross is an offense to those who perish, because a perishing man has an intelligence alienated from God and clouded by sin. To such an intelligence, the cross is an ab­ surdity, a religious folly. But the very objections and ridi­ cule mark that one for what he is— a perishing man. The Cjlory of the Cross “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross o f our Lord Jesus Christ . . . ” (Gal. 6 :14 ). In the eyes o f the Roman law, the cross was an object o f shame. As an instrument o f punishment, it was reserved only for the vilest malefactors and was associated with all that was most contemptible and loathsome. In the eyes of the cultured o f Greece and the religious o f Jewry, it was an object o f offense. It shocked the sensibilities made keen by worldly wisdom and pride. But to-the Apostle Paul, it was an object in which to glory and to boast. It was much more than an object o f religious veneration to wear upon one’s person. It was a real factor to change one’s life. It marked in Paul a double death: By this double death, the world had no claims upon Paul, and Paul had no desires for the world. For Paul, there was no longer a “ world problem.” It was settled in the double death. Pleasure, habits, companionships, ambi­ tions— all these no longer constituted a “ problem.” From this double death came three new things: 1. A New Creature : “ Neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature” (Gal. 6 :15 ). The cross meant a death but not a funeral, for out o f death came a new man. The cross gave Paul much more than it took away. Paul was not complaining about his salvation; he was glorying. He was not complaining about lost friends and lost pleasures; he was glorying in a- new life which made him a new man and gave him all the attrac­ tions o f a new world. First, the death o f the world to Paul. Second, the death o f Paul to the world.

is venerated as a reli­ gious object, it is in its deepest implication an offense. The cross is an of­ fense to religion. “ W e preach Christ crucified, u n t o t h e J e w s a stumbling- block” (1 Cor. 1 :23 ). The cross is an o f­ fense to natural reli­ gion. It is a thing that religion stumbles over, b e c a u s e the cross marks a finished work, leaving nothing for man to do but to be­ lieve what has been d o n e . B u t religion lik es pageantry; it likes creeds and rituals and mysteries and cer­ emonials and refine­ ments. And, conse­ quently, t h e J e w s , steeped in religion and tradition, s t u m b l e d over the cross while they looked for a Mes­ siah with the glory without the blood. The cross is an of­ fense to philosophy. “ W e preach Christ crucified, . . . unto the G r e e k s foolish­ ness” (1 Cor. 1 :23).

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Second, in that inevitable separation or judgment, Christ will be the infallible instrument o f the discrimination. The Scriptures repeatedly assert that Christ Himself will be the Judge, and the infallible One will make no mistake. “ Shall not the Judge o f all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). M an ’ s A ttitude and the S eparation In the next place, the separation will be made according to the attitude toward Christ and its consequent conduct. He Himself stands on the great dividing line. He was the great Divider in the days o f His flesh. They who stood around the tribunal of Pilate had an option o f two choices, Barabbas or Jesus. They took their choice and cried out in the very anger o f their hearts, “ Release unto us Barab­ bas,” and said o f the Lord o f glory, “ Away with this man, . . . Crucify him.” He was the great Divider in the day o f His death, and the division was determined by the attitudes toward Him o f those divided. He died between two thieves. One was penitent, and the other impenitent. The crucified Christ was then the line o f demarcation, and He has been ever since, and will be at the day o f His com­ ing. He is the issue. Those who are honestly good love Him with all their hearts; those who are evil hate Him with all their being, hence their rejection o f Him. In our attitude toward Christ, the essential man is revealed.- Thus you see the separations then and now and in the end are one o f principle, namely, the government o f Christ in thè individual life. What is your attitude toward Him ? Have you accepted Him as your Saviour? If not, then He is your Judge, and the conclusion o f His judgment will be your separation from life eternal (which means the life o f God in the soul o f man)— a separation from the presence o f God, and the fellowship o f the saints ; between you and them will be an impassable gulf. “W ithout E xcuse ” Third, that attitude and character will be considered in the judgment day independently o f circumstances. Any one can accept or reject Christ as personal Saviour. The pre­ rogative of choice is yours. Your father or mother may not be Christian, but you can be. Your environment may not be conducive to Christian character, but a man can become a Christian in the worst o f slums. Notice that the Scripture says that two shall be in bed sleeping, living under the same circumstances and in the same environment, but in the day o f His coming, the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two shall be in a field toiling, or grinding at a mill, living together in the same environment and under the same circumstances; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men lived in the company o f Jesus; one became a Judas, and the other a John, because o f choices that they made. Our destiny is in our hands. Choice determines char­ acter, and character determines destiny. It is not a matter o f heredity or environment; it is a matter o f the human will, or what you will to do with Jesus Christ. It is a ques­ tion o f life and death, o f attitude and character ; o f condi­ tion and conduct, and eternal destiny. “ These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” That is the divine decree, and none can escape it. I f He should come now, many would be taken— some would be left. There would be no mistake; “ the Lord knoweth them that ,are his.” Would He recognize you as His own ? Is the mark o f His grace upon you ? Are your sins buried by a personal faith beneath the blood ? What­ ever your circumstances, choose Christ, whom to know is life eternal.

2. A New Rule : “ As many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them” .(Gal. 6 :16 ). The new title was the rule o f the cross. Paul would measure everything by the cross. The cross would be his yardstick o f faith to test every religious scheme. It would be his yardstick o f morality to test every worldly indul­ gence. It would be his yardstick o f honesty to test every human practice. And to all who followed this new rule, would come “ peace.” When we measure our lives by the cross, we, too, will have “ peace.” 3. A New Mark: “ I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus” (Gal. 6 :17 ). The Greek word used for marks is stigma [pi., stig­ mata ], and the common English meaning is that of a mark o f infamy or disgrace. The marks Paul bore were not mere religious engravings or signs, nor were they the re­ productions o f the physical marks of crucifixion. Certain persons have claimed to have been supernaturally marked with the crucifixion wounds of Christ in imitation of His death. Nowhere do we read in the Scriptures that we are to be imitators o f Christ’s death, but rather o f Christ’s life, as here in Galatians:, “ Christ liveth in me.” This life is not an imitation o f Christ in a mechanical religious sense, but is instead the effect o f Christ in us. The stigma upon Paul was an allusion to the brands with which the Orientals marked their slaves. It was also a reference to the common custom o f being marked with the particular pagan god which one worshiped. Paul’s stigma was seen in the welts o f the Roman rods laid on his body, and the scars o f stones cast upon him. These marks he bore for his faithful tes­ timony to Jesus Christ. But they were more. They were an evidence o f moral and spiritual marks upon Paul’s char­ acter. They indicated divine ownership, and therefore sub­ mission to every divine requirement. Paul’s life was a cross-marked life. The Lord Jesus was cross-marked. The cross left its marks upon His head, upon His heart, upon His hands, and upon His feet. And when the cross has truly marked our characters, it will leave its marks upon our head with a crucified intelligence, upon our heart with a crucified affec­ tion, upon our hands with a crucified service, and upon our feet with a crucified walk. against daughter, and daughter against mother, and friend against friend; and that condition obtains to this day. Again and again we read in the gospel, statements like this: “ So there was a division among the people because o f him.” I f this separation occurred in the day of His humili­ ation, there is no reason to believe it will not occur in the day o f His glory. He says it will, and it will take place on a world-wide scale. The righteous will go into life everlasting, and the wicked— those who have rejected Him as their personal Saviour— into eternal punishment. There are two things to say concerning this parting. First, such a separation is a moral necessity; the justice of man and the holiness o f God demand it. There is no logic that cart convince me that in a universe created by a just and holy God, Judas and John, and Nero and Paul, and sinner and saint, will live together in eternal fellowship. The laws o f the universe demand that there be a separa­ tion in the final state o f things. And God says there will b e ; otherwise heaven would be hell, the universe demor­ alized, moral distinctions nullified, and the character of God destroyed. THE LORD’S COMING [Continued from page 301]

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