King's Business - 1951-03

Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" ( 2 Timothy 1:10).

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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S

BUSINESS

T H E %

‘A

Official Publication of The Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Incorporated

Louis T. Talbot, D.D.

Betty Bruechert Managing Editor

William W . Orr, D.D.

Editor in Chief

Associate Editor

D É m e ó u r r e ction How calm and beautiful the morn That gilds the sacred tomb, _ Where Christ the Crucified was borne, And veiled in midnight gloom! O weep no more the Saviour slain; The Lord is risen— He lives again. And when the shades of evening fall, When life's last hour draws nigh, If Jesus shine upon the soul, How blissful then to diel Since He has risen that once was slain, Ye die in Christ to live again. -—Thomas Hastings Hangs U p a Record The other day I went into a Bible book store in Eugene to purchase a commentary. In my pocket was a copy of The King’s Business. The owner of the store asked me what was the name of the magazine. I told him, The King’s Business. He asked me how long I had been taking it. I took it out to look at the volume number, and it was hi. Then I told him I had been taking it for 41 years, as I had read it from the first copy. He said, “ A long time to read one journal.” During this time I have sent it to many ministers and Sunday Schools: I would like to know if any one can beat this. So please publish this. J . S. E llio tt Springfield, Ore. (Editor’s note: The first issue of The King’s Business was dated Jan uary, 1910.) (Continued on Page 5) M A R C H , 195 1

The Resurrection, Thomas Hastings ................................................... . 3 Editorially Speaking ............................................................................. 4 The Personal Meaning of the Resurrection, Louis T. Talbot .......... 6 From Death’s Dark Tomb, Blanton W. Jones .......... ........................... 8 Does the Bible Contain Scientific Error? Harry Rimmer ................ 9 The Lamb of God, Robert B. Brown ................................................... 11 The Bible in the News, William W. Orr ............................................. 12 What Shall We Say to the Bereaved Christian? Betty Bruechert.. 13 Junior King’s Business—The Missionary Lilies, Martha S. Hooker 16 Resurrection Joy ................................................................................... 18 Young People’s Topics, Walter L. Wilson ........................................... 19 Sunday School Lessons, Homer A. Kent, Allison Arrowood .............. 24 Biola Family Circle................................. 31 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ........ , ............................................... 32 Picture Credits: Cover, Philip Gendreau, New York City, N.Y.; p. 13, Eva Luoma, Weirton,W. Va. ; p. 16, Adeline Gordon, Los Angeles, 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 poet 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 17, California. MANUSCRIPTS— “ The King’s Business” cannot accept 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. Hop.e St., Los Angeles 17, California. Page Three

ofttimes a sad neglect of the capstone of the message, which is the resurrec tion story. Many messages have been delivered setting forth the anguish, the sorrow and all the cruel details of the death of Christ, and these things are truly words of life to sinful hearts, but without the glad note of the resurrection the gospel message is incomplete and, to a de gree, faulty. There are other reli gious leaders who have suffered and died, there are other religious leaders who have paid the price for their be lief. Practically all the religions of the world are founded in some degree or another upon the supreme sacrifice of the one who was the head. Chris tianity is not unique in the fact that its great leader died. The uniqueness of Christianity lies in the fact of Christ’s deity and of the truth that death could not hold Him. He rose from the dead because of who He is. Then there is the added truth that the resurrection is the stamp of God’s approval upon the death of His Son. Else how would the sons of men know that this death was divine, a death such as no other that has taken place since the world began? How would it be known that* the death of Christ was in truth the divine remedy for the woes of mankind? It is through the resurrection that notice is given once and for all that God has accepted the sacrifice of His dear Son, and that the way of grace and mercy has been made open for sin ners to become saints. Added to all of this, there is the related truth that the resurrection is the gladdest note in the Bible. It is the note containing the most hope, for inherent in the fact that our Lord came forth from the tomb is the wonderful promise of our own resur rection. It is because He lives that we, too, shall live. If Christ had not risen again there would be no pos sibility that any child of God should ever walk the heavenly streets, but with the resurrection of Christ comes the added guarantee that salvation includes not only forgiveness of sins, but new life eternally. It is rather a sad commentary on our spiritual condition and an ac knowledgement of Satan’s influence that in many Christian circles the all transcendent truth of the resurrec tion is sounded but once a year and that on Easter Sunday, whereas, this verity should be the natural culmina tion to every gospel sermon. Its preach ing accounted for the growth of the church in the first century. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S

communist domination. Whole chap ters of the world's history are ob literated and new ones substituted. For these hordes, what was formerly good is now bad; what was formerly black is now white; what was for merly cherished is now scorned; what once meant life can now mean death. The first fifty years of the twen tieth century—the most violent, the most dramatic, the most confusing the world has ever known—have fad ed into history. All this has been taken from the confusion of a news analyst. Perhaps he does not know that this is proof paramount, this is a demonstration of the fact that man kind is wholly unable to govern him self. Thank God, there will come a time when upon the throne of the world will sit none other than God’s dear Son in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. The Resurrection Is the Gospel Too T HERE is but one place in the Scripture where the gospel is defined. Contrary to the thinking of many people, the gospel is not synony mous with truth contained in the Scripture nor yet the Scripture itself. The gospel, as its name implies, is the good news for sinners. It is the open door by which lost, unworthy, condemned humanity may be forgiven and enter once more into fellowship with a holy God. First Corinthians 15. verses 1 to 4 categorically state the gospel. It is simply that Christ died, was buried and rose again according to the Scriptures. If a so-called gospel sermon does not include these three cardinal points, then it is by no means a gospel sermon. Wonderful as the truth may be re garding the death of Christ, and glorious as it is to preach, there is

The Editor’s Dilemma E DITORIALS appearing in the public press offer a barometer of the world’s thinking. Here is one from the pen of William L. Ryan of the Associated Press, entitled “ The World in Turmoil.” “ The year 1950” argues analyst Ryan, “ ought to go down in history as the year of unreality. It was a year in which ordinary words began to lose their meanings.” For instance, the word United in the United Nations meant that only for a part of the United Nations, for the United States was still at war with Japan and Germany technically, but in reality we were at peace with them; while on the other hand, the United States was at peace with the Soviet Union and China, but in real ity we were at war with these coun tries. The word democracy had two violently opposed meanings. For the eastern communists it was the peo ples’ democracy, meaning the iron rule of a police state which was supposed to be acting in the best interests of all the people, while in the United States the term democracy meant the rule of the people, by the people, and for the people. In 1950 enemies were friends and friends were enemies. The Soviet Union overran the Eastern Euro pean countries when those nations were her enemies. Now the govern ments of those countries clasp the Soviet Union to their bosoms as their only true defenders. Austria who was never actually at war as a nation can not achieve peace. The treaty she seeks is not a treaty of peace, but a “ treaty of independence.” She has neither peace nor independence, nor will she have so long as the Soviet Union persists. History has lost its meaning for hundreds of millions of persons under

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truth and potency of ideas . . . The ideal of taking a college degree, get ting married and settled, rearing a family, having a dependable job, mak ing lots of money and having a solid and ever expanding bank account— this ideal conceived purely in these terms is not good enough. It is . . . a very timid ideal. It is not dangerous enough; it does not answer to man’s deepest hunger for truth and com munity, where going out of one’s self is a joy, and where it is more blessed to give than to receive. Confronted with this ideal alone, Asia—if I must be frank with you— is not impressed. In fact, despite all her darkness and misery, Asia can still do better.” However, there is something to be said in regard to the challenge that communism presents. Because of the pressure of this false system many people in the Western world will be roused from their lethargy and forced to return to the great prin ciples and ideals of Christianity. There will come, and it is here al ready, a turning back from the things which do not count to the deeper things of the spirit, and a re-exami- nation of the foundations upon which our Christian source h a s been founded. It is true, of course, that Mr. Malik is neither a dispensationalist nor a premillennialist. We believe the Scriptures teach that conditions are to become worse, with communism developing more and more until that day spoken of by the Prophet Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39, when God Him self shall step into the picture and shall utterly blast to the ground the might of Russia in a great cataclys mic judgment from which commu nism will never rise again. Dr. H. A . Ironside O URELY a mighty man of God went ^ home to be with Christ in the pass ing of our beloved friend, Dr. Harry Allan Ironside, who slipped away home to Heaven in his sleep, January 13, from New Zealand. Dr. Ironside was a prince of Bible teachers with an ability to take great and transcend ent truths from the Scriptures and make them both plain and delightful to his listeners. Beginning with very little formal education, Dr. Ironside, through a splendid habit of careful reading, educated himself until he became one of the best informed men on spiritual matters our generation has ever known. However, Dr. Iron side is best known as the beloved

pastor of the Moody Memorial Church, a position which he held for a score of years. During that time some 50 or 60 books or pamphlets came from his pen. Nor was his ministry confined in any way to the city of Chicago, but churches, evangelistic meetings, Bible conferences and Bible schools through out the country came to know the forceful incisiveness of his preaching. It was only last year that Dr. Iron side was one of the speakers at the Bible Institute Torrey Memorial Bible Conference in Los Angeles and as for merly, his messages were Bible satu rated and a source of fruitful blessing to all who listened. In addition to all this, Dr. Ironside personally was a man whom you could not know without loving him. Always sincere, always humble, always giving glory to Christ, we feel our lives to be immeasurably richer because of contact with this devoted servant of our Lord. Your wonderful magazine has been such an inspiration to so many, and I assure you I read and reread the issues I get, and I try to share the best of it with some people here. Sometimes they’ll accept, and at other times they won’t. G a r y P . M u r p h e y Enid, Okla. Sunday or Saturday I have just finished the article by Dr. Oswald Smith on “ Sunday or Sat urday.” It is by far the clearest pre sentation of the truth about the Sab bath question I have ever seen. It is so needful these days. The King’s Business is a real help in many ways in my ministry. I love to deal with the children of our community, and find the object lessons by Mr. Wilder most practical and easy to use. G l e n n E . S m it h Sanford, Fla. Blessing The King’s Business is a great blessing to me and must be to all who receive it. May Christ bless you in all your good work. M r s . P au l K e e saw Oakland, Calif. READER REACTION (Continued from Page S) Inspiration

Character o f Communism W HILE it is true that practically everyone in our land expresses a stern dislike for communism, it is also true that very many of our peo ple have not the slightest idea what communism is nor what it stands for. In a recent article of the Christian Century, a speech from Charles Habib Malik, the delegate at the United Na tions from Lebanon, defines better than ordinarily the principles of this system and the tremendous spur which it involuntarily presents to the Western world. Far too* few people recognize that communism has its roots, not in military might nor com mercial power, but in spiritual things, or perhaps we should say anti spiritual things, for as Mr. Malik points out: “ Communism is predicated on the emphatic rejection of God . . . Com munist man . . . is pathetically de humanized . . . severed from his divine origin and divine destiny; de nied the spiritual principle which gives his reason access to the truth, which endows his conscience and will with the craving for the good, which empowers his heart to love; impris oned hopelessly in this world of strife and frustration, here to center all his hopes and here to erect his paradise . . . He is but a passing shadow of no duration, a fragment of no intrinsic or ultimate worth . . . ” The question naturally arises, Can there ever be real peace with com munism? Will it ever be possible for the Western democracies to live in the same world with communism? Mr. Malik’s answer is categorically in the negative. “ Obviously I cannot get along with one whose whole being not only con tradicts mine, but is bent on destroy ing mine. Therefore when anybody in the West says . . . ‘We can get along with.Communism,’ then one of four propositions is true: 1) either he is a Communist himself; 2) or he is an appeaser; 3) or he does not know what he is talking about; namely, he does not know the nature of the thing with which he says he can get along; 4) or—and this is the most grievous thing-—he does not know the supreme values of his own heritage, which Communism has radically rebelled against and desires to extirpate.” The Western world comes in for its share of blame as Malik points out the faults in our idealism. “ The Western world . . . trusts far more in gadgets and in the manipu lation of the emotions than in the

M A R C H , I 95 I

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H I D I l i o

H fìfl o v \ n v ì r u i ectn in a

l/^eòurrection By Louis T. Talbot, D. D.

ing with her. While it cannot be definitely proven that she was “ the sinful woman” of Luke’s Gospel, there is no question but that she had been a great sinner. Evermore she bore the designation, “ Mary Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils.” The “ seven” would indicate the lowest depths of human depravity. Apparently she had drunk the vile cup of iniquity to the dregs. The very name of her hometown, Magdala, was syn onymous with every heinous sin, and his tory records that its wickedness finally de stroyed it. Whether or not Mary became acquainted with Jesus at Simon’s feet, it is certain that somewhere along her life’s way she encountered Him and heard His call to sin ners : “ Come unto me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Ever afterwards she gave evidence that she “ loved much.” And why should she not love Christ? He was the only One whose love had not done her harm and the first really

Mary of Magdala How like the grace of God it was that Christ should have made His first post-resurrection appearance to Mary Magdalene! Tender and touching is the tale of His deal- But what of the individuals to whom Jesus made per sonal appearances after His resurrection? We are inter ested in knowing what the fact that Jesus was alive meant to W E have a risen Saviour! Because He lives, we live also. Because He lives, we are “ stedfast, unmove able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as [we] know that [our] labour is not in vain in the Lord.” Because He lives, we “ can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth [us].” Because He lives, “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Now the church militant, we suffer, we toil, we sacri fice, “ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” Soon we shall be the church triumphant, in the 'presence of our living Lord, “ a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.” And we owe it all to the fact that Jesus not only died for us, but that He also rose again “ for our justification” !

worthy Object that ever claimed her worship and affec tion. He saved her soul, forgave her sins, gave her a new life, and she yielded her heart to Him, in complete devo tion. As she had gone all the way in sin, so she went all the way with her Lord when she was redeemed. Imagine, then, Mary’s agony over the suffering and death of Jesus. One of the last to leave the scene of horror, she had lingered until Joseph took charge of the body of the Lord, and Nicodemus appeared with his hun dred-weight of myrrh and aloes. With a heart breaking under the weight of her woe, Mary hastened home to pre pare additional spices that she and the other women might perform the last sad ministrations for Christ. Her faith had suffered a staggering blow. She had believed Jesus to be God, for who but God could have forgiven her sin and changed her life? But could God lie silent and dead, wrapped in the garments of the grave? Restlessly, she hurried back to the tomb while it was still dark. Perhaps a faint hope stirred within her heart that Jesus might do something about His own death as He had done about that of Lazarus, who had been dead far longer than He. Mary “ seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.” When John and Peter heard these tidings, they started off immediately for

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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S

the tomb and quite likely Mary followed them, for she was there after they returned to their homes. “ But Mary stood without the sepulchre weeping.” She wept for the agony of her Lord upon the cross; she wept for the cruel end of such a blessed, holy life ; she wept for her own hopelessness and bereavement. Surely the end had come for her and for all of the world He had come to redeem. There was no one to whom to go: He only had the words of eternal life; He only could “ bind up the broken-hearted.” Her Lord was irretrievably gone, and the waves of doubt and sorrow rolled over her and en gulfed her soul. Of course, her grief was wrong, because it was the result of unbelief, but that did not make her less pitiable. But suddenly, in a moment, Mary’s mourning was turned into an ecstasy of gladness! Through tear-wet eyes she beheld Jesus, alive! Revealed to her in the men tion of her name, since “ never man spake like this man,” in an instant, her faith in Him as her God was restored, and her burden of sorrow was lifted. She knew it was He because again He met the need of her heart. It was not alone His familiar outward appearance and the tone of His voice when He called her “ Mary,” but it was because He was aware of her spiritual difficulty, and took care of it at once. Bidding her not to delay Him by clinging to Him since He was already on His way to the Father, He gave her a commission, “ Go and tell,” and Mary went singing on her way, a happy, triumphant witness of the resurrection! We turn from this joyous scene to another eyewitness, Thomas the Twin In the make-up of his personality, Thomas Didvmus (the twin) was the complete antithesis to impulsive, affec tionate Mary of Magdala. His was a thoughtful, inquiring mind. He was the calculating type that wanted to be certain of everything. He did not jump at conclusions; cautious and deliberate, he seldom made mistakes in judg ment. Lack of courage was not his weakness, for when Jesus was about to walk into the jaws of death by return ing to Judea to raise Lazarus, it was he who proposed: “ Let us also go, that we may die with him.” He may not have doubted any more than the others, but because he was so outspoken about it, the record stands against him. They were all guilty of not believing Christ when He stated that He would die and after three days rise again. If they heard Him at all, they must have believed that He was using some theological figure of speech. So ob sessed were they with the popular Judaistic Messianic view of a glorious kingdom to be restored to Israel that they gave no credence at all to His references concerning His passion. The incredulity of Thomas was reprehensible, and not to be passed over lightly. Jesus had once told the Jews, “ If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” While God has patience with an honest inquirer, unbelief has no virtue in His eyes. Contrary to the popular athe istic view of our day, skepticism is not an indication of intellectuality, either. The risen Christ was cognizant of the difficulty of Thomas, of the awful doubt that was shaking his soul, of the violent struggle that was taking place in his heart. “ He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.” Because He was God, He was aware too of those unbelieving words Thomas had spoken so hastily, in the bitterness of his soul, when he believed that all was lost at the crucifixion: “ Except I shall see . . . I will not believe.” It is amazing that when eight days later Jesus appeared personally to Thomas, He did not reprove him for his doubts. He had compassion upon him for He knew how MARCH, 1951

sick at heart Thomas was and He dealt with him as kindly as He had with poor, sorrowing Mary. “ Then said he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered . . . my Lord and my God.” Did Thomas touch the wounds of Jesus for proof? Certainly not! The fact that Christ understood his need was enough for “ Doubting Thomas,” who from that instant became “ Believing Thomas.” Not only was he transformed into a bright and shining witness for the resurrection, but after the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, he became a flaming evangel. His tory records that he gave a good account of himself as a missionary to distant Parthia. Christ lives! And He is interested in the soul trouble of those who, like Thomas, find it hard to believe in the supernatural. “ He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him . . . If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.” Thus Mary of Magdala became a witness of the resur rection, and so did Thomas the Twin, “And Peter” ’ All of us have a fellow feeling for Peter, because in so many ways he resembles most of us. Constructed of the same imperfect material, he was so rash; he made so many mistakes; he talked so much; he so often failed at critical times. But withal he was an interesting and lov able character, irresistible and irrepressible. It amazes us to note the reaction of Christ to Peter upon their first encounter: “ And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas . . . a stone.” In the three years that Peter followed Jesus as His disciple, very infrequent were the indications of any rock-like substance in his character. There was a brief glimpse of it when he made the Great Confession: “We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” But on the whole his performance was definitely disappointing and not up to Jesus’ estimate of him. But that was before the resurrec tion! Peter was a much more direct personality than Thomas; he was an extrovert in every respect, a man of action rather than a man of thought. He was not held back bv inhibitions, cursed by an inferiority complex, or tortured by a skeptical mind. His was a battle with a dis positional weakness which he attempted to conceal by bluster and bravado: he was a craven coward. No one was better aware of it than he, unless it was his Lord. But Jesus also knew a wonderful secret about Peter: He held the key that could unlock Peter’s personality. He holds such a key for the hearts of all of His children! After the crucifixion, Peter was in deeper soul trouble than even Mary and Thomas. Not only overwhelmed with the awful sense of loss that Mary felt, not only filled with a bitter doubt, as was Thomas, but on top of these experiences of sorrow and unbelief, he was suffering from a gnawing conviction of sin. No man ever hated himself more than did Peter after the death of Jesus. He remem bered with agony his egotistical boasting that he would never forsake Jesus, he who not only deserted with all of the others, leaving Jesus to His enemies in His hour of need, but who “ denied with an oath, I do not know the man” ! All four of the Gospel writers tell the shameful story of Peter’s treachery; apparently the Holy Spirit wanted us to know how far the best of men may fall, and how high the worst of men may be lifted by His grace. The heinous sin of Judas seems no worse than Peter’s, the only Page Seven

his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up . . . And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.” A prisoner of the Jews, in the presence of Annas and Caiaphas, he declared boldly: “ By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” Peter never stopped preaching the resurrection until the day the enemies of Christ crucified him, head down, a martyr for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake. Our hearts thrill as we recall these post-resurrection personal appearances of Jesus which brought such a change to the lives of Mary, Thomas, Peter, and many others that space does not allow us to mention. Paul, for instance, “ a man born out of due time,” whose meeting with the risen Christ on the Damascus road changed him from a hater to a lover of the Saviour, and transformed him into the greatest missionary this world ever knew. We could follow a great cloud of witnesses down to our day who, although they did not see Jesus bodily, believed and died for the truth of the resurrection. But the most important thing of all to us is not what the fact that Christ lives meant to them but what it signifies to You and Me Does it mean to us, as it did to Mary, that “ the bitter grief which no one understands” has been removed from our hearts; that our Thomas-like doubts are gone; that our personal sin question, like Peter’s, has been solved? Has the risen Christ met our own personal needs? If not, then there can be no Easter in our hearts, however fra grant the lilies, and however melodious the hymns of praise. There is no real knowledge at all except experi mental knowledge. So what we hear and read and learn about the risen Christ may thrill us, but it is our own personal experiences with Him that will change us. Are we of this day defrauded because we have not seen Jesus in person? Not at all. Since we have made our appearance so far along the stream of time, of necessity we are forced into the group of those who must believe without seeing. And Jesus says of us, if we accept these things by faith: “ Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” We thus have the advantage over the eyewitnesses. In addition, there is something glorious ahead for us: that is sight. Faith does very well for the present time, but what will it be like to see Jesus and be with Him? If you are a Christian, think a moment about your own conversion. When you received Jesus as your Saviour, was it because of these infallible proofs of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Palestine? I dare say it was not. You were bearing a load of sin and sorrow in your heart; you heard the Gospel; you came to Jesus, and He lifted your burden. You believed, not be cause of outward evidences, but because He met your innermost need. Afterward it was a joy to have the truth corroborated, and to know that there was a definite basis of fact for “ the things most surely believed among us.” Have you a need today in your Christian life? Bemember Christ lives and He can supply it. Trust Him and you will not be disappointed. Christ is experienced in dealing with human hearts. Let Him satisfy the deepest longing of your soul. And to you, my unsaved friend, the resurrection should mean that there is an all-sufficient Saviour, an almighty living Lord, in Jesus Christ, whom you may know if you will. “ If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” It is necessary for the salvation of your immortal soul to ac cept the fact that Christ lives. Receive Him today! T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S

difference being that Peter repented while Judas did away with himself, thus shutting the door himself to God’s mercy. Jesus, when a prisoner in the house of the high priest before His trial, “ turned and looked upon Peter . . . and Peter went out and wept bitterly.” What was in that look only Christ and Peter knew, for He deals per sonally and privately with the need of every heart. For the first time in his life, Peter saw himself as he really was, and he felt that he no longer had any claim upon the love and mercy of Christ. No wonder the angel in the empty tomb declared to Mary of Magdala and the other women: “ He is risen; He is not here . . . go your way, tell his disciples and Peter.” Can it be that Peter, because of his shameful conduct, no longer even claimed to be a disciple? His faith had been crushed and he had sunk into the depths of despair and self-incrimination. If he had only remem bered the promise of Jesus to him, he would, not have known such utter defeat. “ Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” Christ arose! the waking dawn's pure light, Revealed that victory, by men undreamed; Though till that morn all hope had died it seemed: With bitter hate did Satan crush and smite The Lord, but in defeat light vanquished night; From death's dark tomb, eternal life has streamed, Christ conquered death that men might be redeemed— God's weakness stronger than the devil's might. As earth each year renewed when spring draws nigh, That had before succumbed to winter's blow, O r like the seed whose lot it is to die, But through its death does live anew, and grow; God's Son now lives, who by cruel men was slain; That all who die in Him shall live again. So Jesus arranged to be “ seen of Cephas” in person after His resurrection. His initial appearance to him with the ten disciples apparently did not accomplish what the Lord wished, nor did the visit t o .the eleven when He dealt with Thomas. The third appearance to the seven at the Sea of Galilee was for the obvious purpose of restoring His erring Peter. Since Peter had denied Him thrice, three times Jesus put to him that burning, heart-search ing question: “ Lovest thou me ?” He had to separate Peter forever from his old occupation of fishing which he now probably felt was the only thing he was fit for; He had to draw out of his heart the love of which he was capable. He uncovered the rock. Did Peter believe in the resurrec tion after this experience? He did, because it was the liv ing Christ who remade his vessel which had been broken upon the wheel of sin. His sin freely forgiven, restored to his place of leadership among the disciples, Peter became one of the greatest preachers of the resurrection ever known on earth. Hear him on the day of Pentecost: “ Him, being de livered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up.” Listen to him in Solomon’s porch: “ The God of our fathers, hath glorified Page Eight —Blanton W. Jones From Death s Dark Tomb

Does the BIBLE CONTAIN SCIENTIFIC ERROR?

Second Article in a New Series by Harry Rimmer, Sc.D.

Reproduced, by permission from the book T h e H a r m o n y of S cien ce a n d S cripture Copyright by Research Science Bureau, Inc.

T HE third reason for saying that the Bible is in harmony with modern science is the remark able fashion in which the Bible dis agrees with modern error, exactly as it has contradicted ancient fallacy. This, indeed, is the source of the pres ent controversy. There are certain men, wise above that which is written, who are enamored of their own super learning. They never hesitate to state probabilities and theories in the dog matic terms of certainties. Their con clusions (which may, indeed, be based upon fact) are to be received as in fallible, or else their dignity suffers. When men of this type come face to face with the teachings of the Scrip ture, their mental attitude is, “ Away with such a Book, that dares to con tradict us!” Every student who has gone through a full college and university course has met this attitude repeatedly, if he attended a typical institution of higher learning. The Bible is declared to be old-fashioned, out-moded, fal lible, unscientific, and teeming with error, merely because it does not agree with the theories and conclu sions of fallible men. There have been men in other generations who have also thought that the Bible should have been re-written to con form to their conclusions. Had the men of that generation, however, tampered with the sacred Word of God to bring it into harmony with what they fondly believed to be un disputed fact, the Bible today would be useless to our generation. In that same manner, if we did rewrite the Bible today to suit the learned pro fessors in those same institutions, within twenty-five years the world would be laughing at the Bible which we had rewritten. Most of the controversy, of course, has come from the single field that deals with the problems of origin. We may as well state at the very outset that it is crass nonsense to talk about a science of origin. In science we deal not with origin. That is rather the MARCH, 1951

sphere of philosophy. Philosophy, in turn, depends entirely upon human conclusions. Unless we are prepared to make the assertion that our genera tion has reached absolute perfection, .we cannot weil claim that our phi losophies will not need to be revised by a coming generation. To illustrate this thought with a practical question, we suggest the utter incompatibility between the two present theories of the origin of man. The first of these theories is the Mo saic statement of specific creation. To this is opposed the philosophical the ory called organic evolution. Between these two theories every thoughtful student must make his choice. We have, of course, heard of those who maintain that they could and did believe in both evolution and creation. This school generally denominates itself as “ believers in theistic evolu tion.” The fact of the matter, however, is that these two theories are in such unquestioned opposition that one can not believe the Bible to be the infal lible Word of God and hold to the the ory of organic evolution. We have seen men who could ride two horses at the same time. This is a common spectacle in the circus, and is often seen in the western rodeos, when the cowboys are at play. When the cavalry of any army are putting on their field days, this is one of their most thrilling spectacles. We have noticed, however, that when a man rides two horses at the same time, he is careful to keep them close together and both going in the same direction! We never saw a rider so skillful that he could ride two horses at the same time when they were headed in opposite direc tions ! This, then, is the weakness of the theistic evolutionary school of philos ophy. The Bible gives a plain, sim ple account of the creation of man, in terms that a child can understand. By a fiat act, possible only to Omnip otence, Almighty God created man by a miraculous process.

The word for this creation that is used in the text of the Hebrew Old Testament is bara. Every commentary and lexicon that deals with the text of the Old Testament is careful to note that the word bara means to form something out of nothing, or to call into existence that which had no previous form or substance. The Mosaic account of creation states that man was made perfect, in the image and likeness of God. From this high position as God’s fellow, man fell to a depth of sin and degradation lower than the moral condition of the beasts of the field. From that low position he never climbed by his own power, in tellect, wisdom, or spirit. Indeed, to that fallen estate he would have been condemned forever had it not been that Jesus Christ came and lifted him. In a word, then, the theory of cre ation starts man as high as he can possibly be and portrays his fall to the lowest depths. Page Nine

Opposed to all this is the theory of organic evolution. According to this school of philosophy, man began as an infinitely small microscopic mass of protoplasmic substance, too low and humble and small even to be visible to the unaided powers of the human eye. From this lowly estate, by an infinite number of gradual changes, man has climbed, unaided by any ex ternal forced until he is today the highest living thing in the realm of biology. Here, then, are two opposing the ories. One says that man was created perfect and fell. The other .says that man happened, to start, and if he ever fell, he fell up in his age-long climb. Of course, we understand why cer tain educators and men who are filled with the pride of the flesh would re ject the Genesis account of creation. It must be clear to the reader who thinks this through that if the story of creation is true, the story of a fall into sin is equally so. If we accept the fact of the fall into sin, we must also accept the certainty of our own guilt and iniquity. If this is accepted, in turn there remains no possibility of escape, save that which is offered in the Scriptures. The single means of redemption from the effect of the fall is to humble ourselves before the cross of

Calvary and cleanse ourselves in the blood that was shed thereon. This is the one thing that the proud and stubborn hearts of self-satisfied men will not do. So in order to escape the necessity of the confession of sin and the humble suit for pardon in Jesus’ name, they deny the founda tional fact and seek to change the predication. But when the tumult and the shouting have died, and the cap tains of science and the kings of edu cation have departed to their long and final resting place, the world will come again to a truly scientific inves tigation of the evidences of the origin of man. The Word of God will emerge triumphant in that hour, because it has courageously opposed the false theories of a mistaken philosophy. We would advance a fourth and final reason for saying that the Bible is in harmony with modern science. That reason may be stated in this brief phrase: The Bible is in harmony with modern science, in that it has anticipated many of the discoveries of these recent centuries. We remember some time ago that a very excited and dogmatic corre spondent wrote to tell us of a ridicu- lqus scientific error that Isaiah had made in his prophecy. This corre spondent stated that Isaiah had made the assertion that the earth was flat, whereas modern science has proved that it is round. We wrote to the cor

respondent and asked for a citation, for we were not familiar with any reference in Isaiah that stated that the earth was flat. This man wrote at some length and said the assertion was made in Isaiah 11:12. Of course, we were familiar with this verse, as it is one of the stock quotations of every infidel and critical rejecter of the Scripture. Quoting the verse from Isaiah, “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth,” our correspond ent triumphantly stated that if Isaiah said the earth had four cor ners, he must have believed it was flat. He then followed with this ques tion : “Would you trust yourself on board a ship whose captain believed that the earth had four corners?” This query caused the writer con siderable amusement, as we had just returned from an ocean voyage of several thousand miles, sailing on one of the great liners that plied the Pa cific. The captain of that vessel was not only a friend of the writer, but one of the most genial companions it is possible to have while sailing the deep. In the course of a heavy blow that tossed the ship about and played with it as a terrier would worry a rat, we made some reference to the storm. This reference evoked considerable amusement on the part of the captain, who laughed and said, “ This is not a storm; this is just a good stiff breeze!” When we expressed some skepti cism concerning his knowledge of storms, the captain waxed warm and said, “ I have been in the four corners of the earth, and I have seen a storm in every one of them; this is only a strong blow.” We dropped the argu ment, as we had only sought to stir up the captain to some such state ment, hoping to get some reminis cence from him, which was always a delightful experience. But when this correspondent indignantly protested Isaiah’s language, we could not help remembering the captain who thought he had been to the four corners of the earth, and was thus as ignorant as Isaiah! Also, some time ago we received a brochure from the United States gov ernment, advertising the work o f the U. S. Marine Corps. One sentence in that leaflet sticks in our mind, “ The United States Marines are serving the flag today at the four corners of the earth.” Now what do you think of that? The United States govern ment thinks the earth is flat! (Continued on Page 18) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S

Page Ten

The Lamb of God A "Palm Sunday" Message by Rev. Robert B. Brown*

I T is my belief that the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on the first “ Palm Sunday” was indeed a tri umphal entry, although nothing in our Lord’s ministry seemed to fail in a more dismal way. True, to the cas ual observer this might appear to be an illustration of the saddest verse in the Bible, “ He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11). All the city was moved at His entrance; a great multitude laid palm branches before Him, and His dis ciples spread their garments on the colt on which He rode and in His way. The throngs cried out, “ Hosan na to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest . . . Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord . . . Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” Yet above these praises we hear the harsh voices of the white- robed Pharisees calling to Jesus to rebuke the unthinking multitude for their wild shouting. There was the command of official Judaism, “ Master, rebuke thy disciples.” Jesus quickly answered them, “ I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” I hear some one object, “What is so glorious about a triumphal entry that was marked by the tears of the King of the Jews” ? When the proces sion which started in Bethany and grew as the crowds surged out from Jerusalem, swept to that place in the road where Jerusalem stretched out before the eye in magnificent pano rama, Jesus “ beheld the city, and wept over it.” He foresaw the city under an iron siege that would result in utter destruction and cruel mas sacre “ because,” as He stated sadly, “ thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.” Does not this prove that the day was a failure and not a tri umphal day at all? Not at all. Let us dig deeper into the mine of God’s Holy Word. Re member “ Palm Sunday” took place on the tenth day of Nisan. In Exodus we read: “ Speak ye unto all the con gregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month [Nisan] they shall take of them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fath ers, a lamb for an house . . . Your * Pastor of the First United Pres byterian Church, Everett, Wash. M A R C H , 1951

spoiling by open violence the common people of their revenues.” Annas was high priest for only six or seven years, but five of his sons, his son- in-law Caiaphas and a grandson all occupied the office after him. Jesus disrupted the business which was supplying sacrificial lambs. Ac cording to Dr. Alfred Edersheim, the Court of the Gentiles was turned over to the sons of Annas for this busi ness. According to Jewish tradition it formed a square 750 feet on a side. It was not a small thing that Jesus did on this tenth day of Nisan. I believe He drove out those who were selling paschal lambs and pre sented Himself as the Lamb of God without spot and blemish. We know that at the Passover feast on the 14th of Nisan He said, “ Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” Christ is our Passover. Let us not lose sight of the tri umphal entry of Jesus Christ into the temple. It is true He came to His own and His own received Him not. It is not to be forgotten that He wept over the city. Notwithstanding, let us not--forget that the King of the Jews “ came not to be ministered un to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mark 10: 45). Should not we who are saved by the “ blood of the lamb” rejoice in His entry to present Himself in the tem ple as that passover lamb without spot and without blemish? Annas and Caiaphas, who were not only in the office which typified the high priestly work of the Messiah, but who also gained their revenue from the sale of the paschal lambs which typified Christ, were the ones who in sisted upon His death. What a ghastly scene when men who should have known the meaning of salvation by the blood clamored for the crucifixion of Christ and were guilty of the blood of the Jewish Messiah! Perhaps their very greed for monetary gain and their anger when Jesus disrupted the “ booths of the sons of Annas” made their desire to crucify Jesus Christ more intense. Shall we not at this Easter season consider again the tremendous price paid by the Lamb of God to “ take away the sin of the world” which in cluded yours and mine? Page Eleven

lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: and ye shall keep it up until the four teenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congrega tion of Israel shall kill it in the eve ning” (Ex. 12:3-6).

Rev. Robert B. Brown In three Gospel accounts of the tri umphal entry the entrance of Christ into the temple is mentioned. In Mat thew and Luke we read of the second cleansing of the temple and of the casting out of all them that sold and bought in the temple, the overthrow ing of the moneychangers’ tables, and the seats of them that sold doves. What was this selling in the tem ple? Whose business was being dis rupted ? Annas was the owner of the tem ple booths. The examination of the passover lamb was a very particular business. One official spent eighteen months with a farmer to learn what flaws in a lamb were temporary and which permanent. An animal brought to Jerusalem had to be inspected and a fee was charged for the inspection. There was much chance for corrup tion. But all trouble and possibility of rejection could be avoided by buy ing within the temple market. Pig eons sold for a Roman gold denarius ($3.50) in the temple and two cents on the open market. In an ordinary passover 265,500 lambs were offered. The Talmud records a curse on the family of Annas as “ a great hoarder up of money, very rich, and as de

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