1947
B U S IN E S S
Th rou gh the B ib le S tu d y Genesis to Revelation« Chapter by Chapter. By Dr. Harlin J. Roper« Pastor Scofield Memorial Church For Sunday Schools, Bible Classes, Young People's and Missionary Societies, Vacation Bible Schools, Prayer Meetings and Home Study. Sample copy, 20c; 4 Grades, 75c; Complete Set (24 books) $3.60. THROUGH THE BIBLE STUDY, 4112 Gaston Avenue, Dallas 4, Texas.
Send for your free copy of this remarkable testU mony of hatred turned to love. A JEW A N D THE N AM E of JESUS mrr iff# ya& nr« mrr Hear, O Israel; Jehovah Our Cod, Jehovah is One!
^ ^ I I | | At present there are 16 workers labouring for the Lord In Spain under the SPANISH ^ I |V| CH RISTIAN M ISSIO N . W ill you not prayerfully support this work of faith in order e # I I I I that we may be able to bring His Gospel to every sinner in Spain before our Lord Jesus returns? SPAN ISH CHR IST IAN M ISS ION North American Headquarters Rev. Zacarías P. Carles, B.A., L.Th., S.C.T., Founder and Director 3 Hillsboro Avenue Toronio 5, Canada
ONE OF THE THOUSANDS WAITING . . . waiting for the healing, saving Word of God in the six Republics between Mexico and Colombia. Let the light of the Gospel radiate throughout the land-bridge of Central America which joins the conti nents of the Western World— hope of humanity. Need of the Field a Challenge to Faith Our program expands as God’s people respond. A Gospel radio station and Bible Institute in Guatemala, a Hospital in Honduras, and a vigor ous ' campaign of evangelizing over more than a thousand miles of territory invite your prayerful interest. Thirty-five resident missionary Stations now maintained. Others are planned. Thousands to be reached! The time is short. ILLUSTRATED FOLDER FREE ON REQUEST. W R IT E TODAY. Address inquiries to THE CENTRAL A M E R IC A N M ISS ION Founded by C . 1. Scofield, D.D. Dept. KB 3611 Congress Ave. Dallas 4, Texas
Daniel Rose, Director Trustee, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, Elder, Church of the Open Door
ONE BOOK
The Bible Institute of Los Angeles maintains a Jewish Department whose ministry deals with the preaching of the Gospel to God’s ancient people, Israel, From this office go out thou sands of pieces of literature especially prepared to interest the Jews. Also many of the students are engaged in visitation work, calling upon the Jew ish people and inviting them to the meetings. Teams of students hold regu lar street meetings in places where an audience can be secured. Various prayer meetings are held and every Sunday at 4 p.m. in the lower auditorium of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles a mass meeting is held with fine speakers. You are invited to pray for the work of the Jewish Department, and to support this ministry by your prayers and gifts.
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Page Two
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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
Copyright, 19U7, The K ing’s Business No part o f this magazine may be reproduced without permission. All Rights Reserved.
TH A N K SG IV IN G NUMBER
Vol. 38
November, 1947
No. I I
« T > LESSING, and glory, and wisdom, JDand thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 7:12).
CONTENTS Editorially Speaking .................................................................................. 4 The Bible in the N e w s ............................................................................ 5 “ Be Ye Thankful,” Robert G. L e e ............................................................. 6 A Thousand Thanksgivings..................................................................... 7 Palestine, Russia and Ezekiel 37, Louis T. Talbot .............................. 8 Thanksgiving, John Oxenham .............................................. .................. 9 I Saw China’s Need, Louis T. Talbot ..................................................... 10 Biola Family C ir c le ................ 12 Not a Word, Stephen M e r r itt. ................. .................................................. 14 Biola Again in Session................................................... .......................... 15 Young People's Topics, Walter L. Wilson .......................................... 16 It’s an Idea, Carlton C. Buck ................................................................. 17 Seventh-Day Adventism, E. B. Jones ....................................................... 19 Sunday School L e s s on s ........................... 20 Junior King’s Business, Martha S. Hooker ............................................ 27 Object Lessons, Elmer L. Wilder ........................... ................ ................ 28 Picture Credits: Cover, Harold M. Lam bert; p. 6, Eva Luoma; p. 9, K eystone V iew ; p. 11, George R. King. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION— “The King’s Business’* is published monthly; $2.00, one year; $1.00, six months; 20 cents, single copy. Clubs of three or more at special rates. Write for details. Canadian and foreign subscriptions 25 cents extra. It requires one month for a change of address to become effective. Please send both old and new addresses. REMITTANCES— Payable in advance, should be made by bank draft, express, or post office money order payable to “ The King’s Business.” Date pf expiration will show plainly on outside wrapper or cover of magazine. ADVERTISING— For information, address the Advertising Manager, 558 South Hope Street, Los Angeles 13, 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, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in the Act of February 28, 1925, embodied in paragraph 4, section 538, P. L. and R., authorized October 1, 1918, and November 13, 1938. ADDRESS: The King’s Business, 558 So. Hope St., Los Angeles 13, California.
A LW A Y S A N D ALL FOR G O D By A. B. Simpson N O time for trifling in this life of mine; Not this the path the blessed Master trod, But strenuous toil; each hour and power employed Always and all for God. With ceaseless blessings from my Fa ther’s hand My earthly path is every moment strawed; God ever -thinks of me; should I not be Always and all for God? I catch the meaning of this solemn age; With life’s vast issues all my soul is awed. Life was not given for trifling; it must be Always and all for God. I see the heathen perishing around, While heaven asks, “ Where is thy broth er’s blood?” How dare I meet my Lord if I am not Always and all for God? I hear the footfalls of God’s mighty hosts Whom God is sending all the earth abroad; Like them let me be busy for His cause, Always and all for God. Full soon will come to us the harvest time, The reaping of the seed that here we strawed; Oh, then we’ll not regret we spent earth’s spring Always and all for God!
Gipsy Smith Goes Home H E WAS a world evangelist for near ly three-score years. Bom in Great Britain, Rodney Smith, known to the world as “ Gipsy,” went to be with the Lord from the liner Queen Mary as he was planning to make another visit •to the United States. No one who ever heard Gipsy Smith will ever forget his fervent preaching of the gospel. He was a frequent visitor to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and the Church of the Open Door and on each occasion, the great auditorium was filled with vast crowds who were stirred by the power of his preaching. There was nothing sensational about his methods; in fact, his language was clear and simple, but there was behind his words a passion for souls in his heart as he tried to persuade men and women to give their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is most wonderful to think that while the Gipsy has literally hundreds of thousands of friends in all countries of the world, he has now gone to a land where there are just as many, if not more, who found Christ through his preaching. England’s Problem T HERE is no doubt but that the great British Empire is in serious trouble. Since the war, the entire British economic structure has been dangerously near complete collapse. Many proposals to ward off bankruptcy have been made, for the problem of Britain is the prob lem of the United States and of all those nations which desire peace and economic sufficiency. Looking at the question from other than purely economic factors (for we most sincerely believe that no nation’s prosperity is geared merely to economic laws) we note that over a third of the English population professes no belief whatever in God. In addition to that, only a very small percentage of English people frequent any house of worship on the Lord’s day. While ,it is certainly true that the his tory of the English people has been one of outstanding achievement in religious and missionary enterprise, it is sad to contemplate that for the last fifty years there has been a steady retrogression. More than that, there is that blot upon England’s character in their shameful renunciation of the Balfour Declaration which promised to the Jewish peoples of the world a national homeland and a national state. Coupled with this, there is the almost daily news of British cruel ty in regard to Jewish immigrants." To these things God cannot turn a deaf ear, for He is vitally interested in the Jews and the English people. The key to the entire British tragedy may be found in a national revival of evangeli cal religion. T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S ☆
prince of Bible expositors. He advised the rather rapid reading of books of the Bible at one time in order to fasten in one’s mind the complete message of the book. It is the testimony of those who have changed to this method of Bible reading that instead of finding Bible reading a tiresome duty, it has become an intensely interesting and delightful exercise. Small books of 1, 2, 3, or 4 chapters can be read easily in from 5 to 15 minutes. If one has additional time, he will find the Gospels becoming in creasingly precious as they are read at a sitting. ☆ The Plight of the United Nations E ACH day, the press brings into bold er relief the pitiful inadequacy of the United Nations Organization. With world-shaking problems in the balance, the United Nations concerns itself with soft talk and generalities which fool no one and settle nothing. We are not un aware of the fact that this group faces a stupendous task. The problem of set tling the woes of 2,000,000,000 people is huge, but our contention is that both wisdom and adequacy could be the lot of any government if proper recogni tion of God were made. At the inauguration of the U.N.O. in San Francisco, an attempt was made to have the parley opened with prayer, but a representative from the United States ruled out the suggestion. As far as we know, from that time to the pres ent, there has been no acknowledgment of God in the sessions. How can we ex pect any organization so begun and so maintained to have anything but trouble upon trouble? Does it not seem reason able that God who is intensely and minutely interested in the affairs of this world should feel grieved when an or ganization purporting to represent all the nations of the earth fails utterly to recognize Him as the creator and main- tainer of all things? It is not too late to rectify this sin, for our God is a God of mercy and forgiveness, and we are sure that if the U.N.O. were yet to call upon God for help and guidance in this dark hour, we would be amazed to see the efficiency with which the world’s problems could be solved.
And Be Ye Thankful I T IS a splendid thing to have a day set apart by our country when special attention is called to the goodness of God. In spite of the fact that Thanks giving Day each year has many extra neous features, still the heart of the day beats with sincere gratitude and appre ciation to the Lord. God is anxious that in the life of His children every day should be a Thanks giving Day. His mercies are constant and continuous. They are new every morning and fresh every evening. Every Christian has been guaranteed that all things will work for his good. Therefore the heart of every child of God should be an altar on which are offered sacri fice and praise day after day and hour by hour. On the other hand, those who are un grateful,' and who fail to give God the praise due to His Name, are not only robbing themselves of blessing, but are bringing upon themselves severe punish ment. One of the reasons for the ter rific indictment of mankind as found in Homans 1 is explained by the phrase, “ Neither were thankful.” There is this added truth as well that oftentimes the key to both peace and joy is found in a thankful heart. Even when circumstances argue anything but good, thanksgiving may be forthcoming because of the as surance within our hearts that our Heavenly Father not only has all power both in heaven and in earth, but that He loves us with an everlasting love. ☆ How to Read the Bible I T IS a well known fact that both chapter and verse divisions in the Bible were arranged as merely a matter of convenience. The original text, as found in the most ancient manuscripts, divides the subject material only by paragraphs. As a result, there are some unfortunate errors both in verse and chapter divi sions where the thought is broken and the meaning distorted. If one is merely used to the habit of reading a chapter a day or certain verses here and there, he is due for a happy surprise when he reads an entire book at a time. This was the method ad vocated by the late Dr. James M. Gray, Page Four
Giant Telescope <£* Recently the huge 200-inch reflecting mirror was moved from the California Institute of Technology at Pasadena to the new stellar observatory on Palomar Mountain near San Diego. This is one of the final operations before the new giant telescope will be turned toward the heavenly regions. Many questions bearing vitally upon the sum total of human knowledge re main to be solved. It has taken nearly 20 years to build this telescope and more than six million dollars have been spent on the project. However, we are sure of one thing. As this giant man-made eye peers into space, the heavens will continue to “ de clare the glory of God,” by revealing the magnitude of God’s power and the in exhaustibleness of His wisdom to all of «S* A beneficial result of the hectic years of the war is the industrial chaplaincy which is the placing of men of spiritual vision on the payrolls of large commer cial enterprises. Recently one of the largest depart ment stores in the South announced the appointment of a former army chaplain to act as spiritual counselor to the store’s 1,250 employees. This appointee is also pastor of a church in Birming ham which connection will enable him to feel the spiritual pulse of the entire city. Too long we feel the teaching and practice of the Christian life have been confined to one day a week and to church buildings, whereas it is to be lived 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. This recognition of the spiritual law in the commercial world is a step in the «9* It has long been common knowledge that the value of the chemicals resident in the human body amounted to approxi mately $1.00. Recently, however, a North western University chemist revised this estimate. He figured that on the basis of today’s inflationary market, the body’s chemicals are now worth about $31.04. Whether this will be of any comfort to those who are struggling with the problem of the increased cost of living is problematical. However, there is another side to the question, and that is the value which God places upon the human soul. Of this estimate we are sure because God demonstrated it, beyond the shadow of a doubt, when He gave His only Son to die for the sins of the world. Religious Pressure *5* An event of great significance was the recent opening to the public of a collection of hitherto unpublished letters and memoranda of Abraham Lincoln. One of the interesting sidelights con tained in this formerly secret collection was the evidence of “ lobbying” by Amer- N O V E M B E R , 194 7 those who have eyes to see. Department Store Minister right direction, Increased Value
land is Canada’s most blessed province. It has no unemployment, and very little poverty. Though it permits divorce and has a divorce court provided for, only one divorce was granted in 60 yeans. There are no highwaymen, no gangsters, no commercialized vice, no real crime problem, and no penitentiary. There are only 13 policemen for its 90,000 people, and it has had no executions in 40 years . . . Its per capita savings rank propor tionately greater than in any other Canadian province, and for its size it has more railways, more postoffices, more telegraph lines, than any other province. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 motor cars on the island, and the roads are winding and danger ous, yet in some years there are as few as two motor car accidents. “ Is Prince Edward Island heaven? There must be some catch in all this. No; it is simply that the Islanders adopted prohibition of the beverage al coholic traffic many years ago (1900), believe in and practice it, and have let it work out its own consequences.” King of Nations & That the United States is, in its in dustrial might and scientific achieve ment, the greatest nation that has ever appeared on the face of the earth, no intelligent person would deny. The basis for such power and wisdom, however, has long been a subject for debate. It is our earnest conviction, however, that God has made America great be cause of America’s insistence upon an open church and an open Bible. Recently, there was introduced in our national legislature a resolution to amend the Constitution, making the spe cific recognition “ of the authority and law of Jesus Christ, the Saviour and King of nations.” While we believe wholeheartedly in the sentiments expressed, we are also well aware that the universal Kingship of Jesus Christ will never be a reality until God Himself places His Son upon the throne. But this is exactly what God has promised to do, and in His good time there will come a day when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Page Five
ican religious forces during the martyred President’s terms in office. It seems the outstanding individual clergyman of that day was Henry Ward Beecher, who petitioned the President with many letters and telegrams urging extreme measures. He is not alone in this, however, for more than 100 other petitions and resolutions are included in the Lincoln collection. Without a doubt, this method of ex pressing the religious convictions of our Christian population is of some value. However, there is absolutely no doubt that God’s way for His children to bring about reforms and improved conditions is by the tried and true method of pre vailing prayer. Without discouraging the former, let additional pressure be made on the latter, and the arm of God will move in behalf of the ways of •£ The recent decision by the United States Supreme Court granting the right to transport Catholic students in buses operated by tax money is arousing a storm of protest. News releases inform us that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has upheld the directors of a school dis trict in refusing to provide transporta tion for parochial school students. In the State of Maine, the Senate killed a bus transportation bill for the same purpose and in our national capi tal a resolution has been introduced to amend the Constitution, prohibiting the giving of aid to any educational institu tion under sectarian control. More than that, in at least a score of other states and state legislatures, there are debates going on as to what to do with this very involved problem. Meanwhile, a Catholic paper published in Brooklyn bemoans the fact that while other children are transported to school in well-equipped buses, the Catholic children are obliged to walk. They do not mention, however, that the same Catholic children may hop right into the bus and go to any public school. Not Heaven <£ Here is an interesting note from The Voice, the temperance publication of the Methodist Church: “ Prince Edward Is righteousness. Rising Storm
These three potent words are found in Colossians 3:15. They speak to us of—
ing his hymn of thanksgiving. What an inspiring individual he! But now consider— The Imperative “ Be ye thankful!” That is imperative. Mohammed claimed that he was transported to heaven once where he saw a gigantic angel. This angel had 70,000 heads; each head had 70.000 faces; each face had 70,000 mouths; each mouth had 70.000 tongues; each tongue spoke 70,000 languages—and all were employed in singing praises unto God. I think the prophet of Islam did not intend this story to be taken liter ally, but that he meant thereby to symbolize the spirit of praise which possessed innumerable inhabitants of heaven. It brings to mind Wesley’s hymn: But the imperative appeal is for us to be thankful as Christians in all things. Thankfulness —& duty and a delight —is given much attention in the Bible. How sad it is that so many lives are unscriptural at this point. Thankfulness— a consummating grace, the crown of graces, is a completion of character. Without gratitude we miss life’s central melody, and we become grave diggers of spiritual optimism. To have spiritual joy without murmuring, we must give obedience to this command and be instant and constant in giving thanks to God. To be disobedient to this imperative is to be unscrip tural, and to be unscriptural is an offense to God. But think of— T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’ s praise — The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace.
The Individual T HESE words came from the Apostle Paul, who stormed the capitals of proud empires in the name of Jesus, who compassed the earth with the truths of redemp tion, who left a trail of glory across the Gentile world. When this intense individual greatly believed, he was greatly saved. Greatly saved, he greatly served. He was in peril of his life in Damascus, coldly suspected by his fellow-believers in Jeru salem, persecuted in Antioch, stoned in Lystra, assaulted in Iconium, beaten with many stripes and imprisoned in Philippi, attacked by a lewd and envious crowd in Thessalonica, pur sued by callous enmity in Berea, despised in Athens, blas phemed in Corinth, exposed to the fierce wrath -of the Ephe sians, bound with chains and sent as a prisoner to Rome. Yet at all times, in all places, in all things, Paul gave thanks, con tinuing in prayer with thanksgiving, being “ careful for noth ing . . . but with thanksgiving” making his requests known unto God—abounding in gratitude. Perpetual, not spasmodic, was his thanksgiving; Though he was “ in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of his own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilder ness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness, painfulness, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness,” he was always abounding in thanksgiving. Though he was in prison without his freedom, in winter without an overcoat, in court and before magistrates without a friend, in poverty without help, a wanderer without a home, he was ever sing- Page Six
The Iniquity By iniquity I mean the evil of ingratitude—manifest or se cret. The world’s greatest poet, Shakespeare, describes in gratitude as “ a marble-hearted fiend.” He thus expresses himself: I hate ingratitude more in man He feels that the cutting, icy winds of winter that find their sharp way to the marrow of the bones are not so unkind as man’s ingratitude. How sharper than a serpent’s tooth It is to have a thankless child. Milton brands ingratitude as besotted and base. And we will not think crookedly if we agree with him who wrote: He that’s ungrateful has no guilt but one; All other crimes may pass fo r virtues in him. Swift declares that he who calls a man ungrateful sums up all the evil of which one can be guilty. Thomason states that ingratitude is treason to mankind. Fuller writes: And Colton declares that brutes leave ingratitude to man. Again we hear another defclare the iniquity of ingratitude in this question: Is it not as if this mouth should tear. this hand for lifting food to it? Another asks us to believe these severe words: The thief may have some streaks of honesty in him, the deadbeat spots of honor, the liar hours when he loves the truth, the libertine occasions when he has impulses to be pure; but there is nothing redemptive in the ingrate. Ingratitude will steal money from a blind man’s cup, tram ple love underfoot, sneak into the graveyard under cover of darkness and rob the graves of patriots. It fits one for the infamous company of “ Knights of the Kloudy Kountenance.” It makes one talk and think as if all good men were dead, youth were hopelessly corrupt, and God a merciless tyrant. It rewards its benefactor with wounds. It is the serpent one takes to his bosom, warming it back into life, which rewards its benefactor by lifting a heinous and hissing head and by striking its poisonous fangs into the heart. The indictment of the ungrateful soul was expressed by a wise man in words that blister: Trust the ungrateful soul with money—and he will steal it; with honor—and he will betray it; with virtue—and he will violate it; with love — and, with hellish alchemy, he will transmute it into lust; with your good name—and he will besmirch it. It is a shame that thanksgiving is a rare virtue! Many fail more often in gratitude than in any other of the Chris tian graces. Is not this an iniquity? Consider, then, The Inclusiveness By inclusiveness we mean giving thanks in all things and under all circumstances. Paul expresses it: “ In every thing give thanks” (1 Thess. 5:18), “ Giving thanks always for all things” (Eph. 5:20). Of course we are to give thanks. “ Con tinue in prayer . . . with thanksgiving” (Col. 4 :2). “ I ap pointed two great companies that gave thanks” (Neh. 12:31). “ Daniel gave thanks before his God” (Dan. 6:10). “ Offer unto God thanks” (Psa. 60:14). Jonah said: “ I will sacri fice to thee with the voice of thanksgiving” (Jonah 2:9). “ The angels . . . worshipped God, saying . . . thanksgiving . . . be unto our God for ever and ever” (Rev. 7:11,12). Paul said: “ I thank God.” Jesus “ gave thanks”. Jeremy Taylor said: “ Every furrow in the Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving.” Thankfulness as a duty and as a delight is prominent in the Bible. It should have a big place in our lives, for thankfulness is the declarative mood of gratitude, a bright fire in the world’s frigid zone, a great incentive to faith, a glorifier of God, a subduer of the N O V E M B E R . I 9 4 7 Ingratitude is the abridgement of all baseness—a fault never found unattended with other viciousness. Than lying, vainness, babbling, drunkenness, or any taint of vice, whose strong corruption Inhabits our frail blood.
& QTijouganb QTimnkggtbtngg || T HOU life of my life, blessed Saviour, Thy death was the death that was mine; jjj For me was Thy Cross and Thine anguish, Thy love and Thy sorrow Divine; Thou hast suffered the Cross and the judgment That I might forever go free; A thousand, a thousand thanksgivings I bring, my Lord Jesus, to Thee! jjj F OR me hast Thou borne reproaches, The mockery, hate and disdain, The blows and the spitting of sinners, The scourging, the shame and the pain; To save me from bondage and judgment Thou gladly hast suffered for me. A thousand, a thousand thanksgivings jjj I bring, my Lord Jesus, to Thee! jjj O L0RD, from my heart do I thank Thee, For all Thou hast borne in my room, Thine agony, dying unsolaced, Alone in the darkness and gloom, That I in the glory of Heaven jjj For ever and ever might be. A thousand, a thousand thanksgivings I bring, my Lord Jesus, to Thee! lower nature. “ It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord” (Psa. 92:1). But what about giving thanks in every thing? When the road is rough, when circumstances are try ing, when the night is dark, when situations are disagreeable, when the cup of woe is bitter, when the black wings of dis ease flutter over the cradle, when the wolf of want howls at the door, when from our neighbors we receive unkind treat ment, when friends despise and forsake—well, we are to give thanks. Yes, that is the inspired imperative—to give thanks in all things that enter into the experiences of all believers. Does “ in everything” include the occasions on which happy faces bend above the cradle, and when the crepe is on the front porch and the coffin in the parlor? Does it include the gall with the honey, the martyr’s fire with its suffering as well as the hearthstone fire with its comfort, the hailstorm that ruins the fruitful field as well as the rain that drives away the drouth, tribulations severe as well as triumphs sweet, good-byes that break our hearts as well as greet ings that cheer our hearts, voyages when tempests churn the sea as well as voyages when the seas are still? Does it include the desert place as well as the garden, the sun-blistered des ert road along with the grass-carpeted riverside? Yes! when we are bereaved of loved ones, when we find traitors among friends, when uncongenial circumstances crowd and conquer us, when sickness brings prostration, when dream houses col lapse, when hopes wither, when orchards are barren, when we have only summer clothes for winter time, when only scraps are on our plates—yea, in everything we are to give thanks! We are to thank God in tribulation, distresses, persecutions, famines, nakedness, perils; we are to give thanks for all things. John Ruskin said: “ Among my chief calamities I had noth ing to endure.” Remembering that, let us be found “giving thanks always for all things,” sharing the confidence of Paul that “ all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). Then shall we find that, even as ingratitude is evil, so, with Gray in his “ Ode for Music,” we shall joyously agree:
Sweet is the breath of vernal shower, The bees’ collected treasures sweet, Sweet music’s melting fa ll; but sweeter yet The still, small voice of gratitude.
Page Seven
d ddzekiel 3 7
f-^a feó tin e ,
u to ia cut
Second in a Series of Prophetical Messages
By Louis T. Talbot, D.Dl
T HE thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel opens with a strange vision, which God gave to His prophet, with the interpretation thereof. This intensely dramatic scene must have made an indelible impression upon the prophet’s mind as he gazed upon it. Lis ten to the account: The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry (37:1,2). The Valley of Dry Bones As Ezekiel looked upon this valley, filled with the bones of human skeletons, bleached and dry, the horrible desolation of the scene must have caused him to wonder what message God wanted to de liver. Then the Lord Himself spoke to His prophet in the question which fol lows: Can these bones live? Ezekiel had never been more at a loss to know what to answer than when God asked him this question. Humanly speaking, there was not the slightest possibility of bringing life to this dismal scene. His answer was wise, O Lord God, thou knowest. God knew; Ezekiel did not. Ye shall live. Again God spoke to Ezekiel, saying: Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, 0 ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the Lord (37:4-6). What a strange audience, before which to prophesy! But Ezekiel obeyed God, and as he did so, a miracle was per formed. And the bones came together. The prophet continued: So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them (37:7,8). Page Eight
The prophet looked out upon a valley full of the dead bodies of human beings. And breath came into them. Told to “ prophesy unto the wind,” Ezekiel said: Thus saith the Lord God; Come from the four winds, 0 breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army (37:9,10).
nation of Israel does not represent, as some think, a physical resurrection to a second chance. This would be contrary to all the positive teaching of the Word of God. What a man does with the Lord Jesus in this life determines forever the destiny of his never-dying soul. More over, every individual, whether Jew or Gentile, must accept Christ as his own personal Saviour if he would spend eter nity with Him. What we see in this thirty-seventh chapter of Ezekiel is God’s prophecy of Israel’s national resurrec tion. For many dreary centuries, the Jew has been buried in the cemetery of the Gentile nations. But the day will come; indeed, it seems to be upon us, when God will open the “graves,” so to speak; and He will lead His people back to their own homeland. National Israel has long been dead in the “ graves” of Russia, Ger many, England, France, Italy, Canada, and the United States. Her bones have been bleached throughout the passing centuries in the valley of the nations of the world. But a glorious resurrection awaits this long-despised people of God. Then they will be “the head” of the na tions of the world, “ and not the tail” (Deut. 28:13). The coming together of the dry bones, and, indeed, their being covered with “sinews” and “flesh” and “ skin,” repre sent what we are witnessing today in the Zionist Movement, a world-organiza tion to restore Palestine to the Jew. As many as are permitted to return to the land of their fathers are going back, but in unbelief. There is “no breath in them,” Spirit-given life from God. Why? Because, as a nation, they still reject their Messiah and the only Saviour. They are still “ dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1). The Zionist Movement is political and national, not spiritual, but it is preparatory to the time when “breath,” spiritual breath from God, shall be given Israel, that they may live unto Him. Zechariah foretold that won derful day when he wrote, saying, “ They shall look upon me whom they have pierced . . . In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zech. 12:10; 13:1). T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S The Zionist Movement— Coming Together of Dry Bones
Dr. L. T. Talbot, Pastor of the Church of the Open Door and President of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles What a sight to behold! How the prophet must have wondered at the meaning of so strange a miracle! But God did not leave him in doubt, for He gave to Ezekiel also the interpretation of the vision as well. Israel's National Resurrection God’s interpretation is unmistakable: “ These bones are the whole house of Israel.” The “graves” are the nations of the world, in which Israel has been buried nationally for centuries, but the day will come when God will restore His ancient people to their own land. For a long, weary period of the world’s history the oppressed Jew has said, “ Our bones are dried, and pur hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts.” But the Lord has a message for His people: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel . . . and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord (37:12-14). This vision of the restoration of the
The Zionist Movement began in 1896 with a group of Jewish patriots who banded together to work for the repatri ation of world Jewry in their ancient homeland. Since that day revolutionary changes have taken place in Palestine, in preparation for the time when God will put “breath” into His people. The first World War of 1914-1918 rad ically changed the picture in the Near East as it took the Promised Land from the domination of the “unspeakable Turk” and placed it under the protection of Great Britain. Along with this came the significant Balfour Declaration, is sued by the government of the British Empire. It read, in part, “His Majesty’s government views with favor the estab lishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use its best endeavors to facilitate the achieve ment of this object.” No wonder the Jewish press on that memorable day jubilantly reported: “With one step the Jewish cause has made a great bound forward. The Jew is at last coming to his rights. In place of his being a wan derer in every clime, he is to be given a home in his ancient land. The day of his exile is to be ended.” There were few Jews in the land be fore the turn of the twentieth century, but the real influx of immigration began about the year 1921. Orders were given to allow the Jews to enter as quickly as the land could be prepared to care for them and great numbers did return. World War II brought other great changes in the Holy Land. At the pres ent time, .another bloody conflict is rag ing, the end of which only God knows. Transformation Into a Fruitful Garden The will to work and the joy in the doing, manifested by those Jews who do make their home in Palestine, is a sight beautiful to behold. Progress goes on apace. Hoads have been repaired and surfaced throughout the land. New high ways have been completed. Fever-infested swamps have been drained; and the Val ley of Jezreel, which was pestilential for so long, is now a fruitful garden. On the barren slopes of many hills grape vines have been planted. Fruit produc tion is greatly on the increase. Millions of cases of oranges are produced and exported from the Jaffa section annu ally. Travel facilities are so good that it is possible to pick grapes from the Samaritan hills in the afternoon and have them on the breakfast tables of Egypt the next morning. Some son of Abraham, with marvelous patience, has tabulated the flowering plants growing on the hills of Palestine, and has found them to number over 2,200 species. Does not the Word of God promise all this? “ The desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose” (Isa. 35:1). Surely this is coming to pass today, at least, in antici pation of that yet further blossoming forth, when Jesus comes again! N O V E M B E R , 1 9 4 7
Increase in "The Early and Latter Rain"
THANKSGIVING 3Toim ©xettfjam For all things beautiful, and good, and true; For things that seemed not good yet turned to good; For all the sweet compulsions of Thy will That chased, and tried, and wrought us to Thy shape; For things unnumbered that we take of right, And value first when once they are with held; For light and air; sweet sense of sound and smell; For ears to hear the heavenly harmonies; For eyes to see the unseen in the seen; For vision of the Worker in the work; For hearts to apprehend Thee every where— W e thank Thee, Lord. For all life's beauties and their beaute ous growth; For nature's laws and Thy rich provi dence; For all Thy perfect processes of life; For the minute perfection of Thy work, Seen and unseen, in each remotest part; For faith and works and gentle charity; For all that makes for quiet in the world; For all that lifts man from his common rut; For all that knits the silken bond of peace; For all that lifts the fringes of the night, And lights the darkened corners of the earth; For every broken gate and sundered bar; For every wide-flung window of the soul; For that Thou bearest all that Thou hast made— W e thank Thee, Lord. For perfect childlike confidence in Thee; For childlike glimpses of the life to be; For trust akin to my child's trust in me; For hearts at rest through confidence in Thee; For hearts triumphant in perpetual hope; For hope victorious through past hopes fulfilled; For mightier hopes, born of the things we know; ' For hope of powers increased ten thou sand fold; For faith, born of the things we may not know; For that last hope of likeness to Thy self— When hope will end in glorious cer tainty, With quickened hearts, That find Thee everywhere,
In the days of Moses, God told His people that, if they would obey Him, He would give them “ the rain” of the land “ in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain,” that they might gather in their “ corn” and “wine” and “ oil” (Deut. 11:14). James, writing to Chris tian Jews many centuries later, also spoke of “ the early and latter rain” (James 5:7). For many, long years the early rains of Palestine had been insuf ficient, and the latter rains of little
The Old and the New in Jerusalem value. But a few years ago, the latter rains began to increase, with the result that in some parts of the land the soil is able to produce three crops a year. And the ancient pools of Solomon have overflowed for the first time in centuries. These pools were recently measured, and were found to have a capacity of more than sixty million gallons. When this land comes into full productiveness, it is believed that it will be without par allel in all the world. It thrills our hearts when we realize what is involved in the transformation of Palestine into a “ land flowing with milk and honey” ! It is but one of many significant “ signs” which point to one thing, that Israel is again to behold her Messiah, perhaps very soon. And this time He will come, not as the Babe in Bethlehem’s manger; He will come riding upon “ a white horse,” as “ King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16). How earnestly we ought to pray, “ Come quickly, Lord Jesus” ! And as we pray, let us remember that these vast and tremendous changes in the land of Palestine are tokens of the “sinews” and “flesh” and “ skin” as they are appearing upon the “ dry bones.” They are a prepa ration for the coming of the One who is to be the “ Breath” of life to Israel. (In the December number of The King’s Bust- ness this discussion of present-day signs of the return of the Jews to Palestine will he continued.)
W e thank Thee, Lord. (Used by permission)
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• y U U l 6
By LOU IS T. TALBOT, D. D.
flew from Shanghai to Wuchang, where we were met by Mr. Russell Davis, Busi ness Manager of the Hunan Bible Insti tute. It was a good thing that Mr. Davis took us in charge, for no one could un derstand us, and we would have been stranded indeed! We crossed the yellow Yangtze by ferry to reach Hankow, where we were entertained at the Lu theran Missionary Home, and in the eve ning of the same day returned to Wu chang, where we boarded a primitive and rickety train which required eight een hours to transport us the two hun dred miles to Changsha. It was quite a contrast to the luxurious airliner on which we had travelled! We wish we could go into the details of that trip. At least, there was one advantage: the slow transportation enabled us to see the countryside. The villages were intri guing, and the people who gathered at the stations to sell their wares most appealing. Everywhere was such filth as we had never imagined. Every Chinese home is not only blessed with large num bers of children, but there are pigs, and ducks, and chickens, and quantities of livestock of much smaller size, often re ferred to as “ China’s millions,” though more correctly, it should be “ trillions.” At last on September 17th we reached Changsha! Our hearts were d e e p l y moved as we for the first time beheld that great citadel for God, the Hunan Bible Institute. There were tears in our eyes and great gratitude to God in our hearts. The buildings stand on a fifteen- acre compound, right in the heart of Changsha, a city of 500,000 population, which is the capital of Hunan, the last province of China to admit the Gospel. The story of the establishment of our school is a thrilling one. But in order to understand it, one must go back into the last hundred years or more of mis sionary history in China. In 1807, Robert Morrison, the first Protestant mission ary, arrived, followed fifty years later by J. Hudson Taylor, and a great army of heroic souls who sacrificed themselves to the gigantic task of reaching China for Christ. The work of various missions followed and progressed, until the first great blow came with the Boxer Upris ing in 1900, when anti-foreign feeling rose to fever pitch, and many of God’s servants were martyred. Out of this per secution, God hammered a church for Himself in that land. With the loss of so many foreign missionaries, the re sponsibility fell upon the native church, which grew in courage and strength. But the political picture was ever shifting. The rise of the young republic brought to China a national consciousness she had never known before. Russian aid was sought, and a new anti-foreign, anti- God element was introduced. At the hands of the Communists, many of the Lord’s children climbed to heaven by the T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
First post-war conference at Changsha including faculty members, delegates. Dr. Talbot and Mr. Allder. A T 8 p.m. on Monday, September 8th, to the accompaniment of many fervent “ God bless you” ’s
very simple Gospel message. The Chi nese Christian workers were very thorough, spending considerable time with the inquirers, grounding them in the Word of God, and making clear to them that being a Christian not only meant a personal acceptance of Christ, but an utter abandonment of idolatry, Buddhism, Confucianism, and all other known evils. That a real work of God had been done in the hearts of Chinese youth was evident from the fact that the ushers and choir m e m b e r s who served in those meetings had become Christians a year before, and were still walking with the Lord. Chinese pastors, evangelists, and youth leaders pleaded with me to present the challenge of China’s need to Bible Institute and Semi nary students in America. The rising generation of Chinese, es pecially the students, have lost all faith in idols, in Buddha and Confucius, and in ancestor worship, some even going so far as to ridicule their parents for such superstitions. But th is leaves but a vacuum in their' hearts and lives, and they are very susceptible to the two great rival forces which are battling for th eir sou ls — Christianity and Com munism. Although Russia is presenting its godless ideology with a zeal that the devil always gives to false systems, and is making great inroads in their think ing, still tens of thousands are eager to hear the claims of Christ. This condition exists not only in the larger cities and along the Pacific Coast, but also in the interior villages of China as well. At present, China has not buildings large enough to accommodate the thousands who will come to hear a servant of Christ with a real ipessage. Some evan gelistic meetings have been held in the open fields, where as many as 20,000 have gathered in one place to hear the Gospel. Certainly it is one of the great est opportunities for evangelism of this generation! On September 16th, Mr. Allder and I
from an enthusiastic crowd from the Bible Institute and the Church of the Open Door, Mr. James Bussell Allder, Executive Vice-President of Biola, and I, boarded a giant Clipper at the Los Angeles airport, and soon were winging our way across the mighty Pacific to ward the land of China. This was not a trip for pleasure. Our objective was to attend the first postwar Bible Confer ence of the China branch of our school, located at Changsha, Hunan, and to set tle various business matters connected with its maintenance. Although we had an extremely interesting flight, we have not space to describe our experiences at Honolulu, Manila, and other points en- route. It is sufficient to say that every where missionary friends gaVe us a hearty welcome, and that we saw vast devastation which recalled to our minds very vividly World War II, and caused us to pray more earnestly that we might have a long period of peace in which to send the Gospel to the ends of earth. • Our feet first touched Chinese soil at Shanghai at 6 a.m. on September 13th, where we were met by a number of alumni of Biola who are serving under the China Inland Mission. It is difficult to describe my feelings as for the first time I looked upon the great mission field of China. As I gazed into the faces of Chinese men, women and children making their way along the narrow, crowded streets, I realized as never be fore something of the appalling spiritual, moral and material needs of that coun try. We spent three days in Shanghai, during which time I was honored to preach five times, twice to great Youth for Christ gatherings through in te r preters. Literally thousands of Chinese youth attended these meetings, and in one service alone one hundred came for ward to accept Christ in response to a Page Ten
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