Till Heaven
and Earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till aZZ be
fulfilled.
- Matthew 5:18
Why SheWept A certain widow walked into the study of a well-known pastor who is an earnest defender of the faith, and, with tears streaming down her face, said to him: "Dr. , you know that my husband believed the Bible just as you do, and that when he gave the money to establish and endow the----– Theological Seminary, it was his desire that only sound, orthodox theology should be taught there. Now all kinds of New Theology and Higher Criticism are being taught in that Seminary. I am heartbroken about the matter, and yet there is nothing 1 can do to change conditions.'' THIS GIFT WAS DIVERTED TO THE DEVIL'S USE How About Your Gifts? Your Gifts are Being Used INVESTIGATE Concerning Your Investments Be SURE You are Right Then GO AHEAD Every Investor Has a God-Given Right to Know, and will be Held Responsible to God for the Use Made of Their Funds DO NOT WASTE A PENNY Make It Go as Far as Possible in the Spread of the Gospel and the Saving of Souls You are Entitled to Know WHERE and HOW
(SEE INSIDE BACK COVER FOR FURTHER INFORMATION)
HE KING'S BUSINESS
MONTHLY BY THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES 536-H8 SOUTH HOPE STREET, LOS ANGELES, CAL. tered as Second-Class Matter November 17. 1910, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the Act of March 3, 1879 cceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for in Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917. authorized October I. 1918 SEPTEMBER, 1923 Number 9 CONTENTS ditorials: Our Managing Editor ( 899), The Preaching President ( 899), A Much-Needed Man (900), Restless Over the Radio (901), Real Revival (902), The Virgin Birth (902), From the Laymen's Viewpoint (904), Stirring News from a Far Country (905). A Summons to Christian Soldiers- ( 90 6) Back to the Bible--By William J ennings Bryan ( 907) The Unity of Scripture '.restlmony Concerning Things to Com<>-- Dr. A. C. Gaebelein (909) By What Authority?- Delavan L. Pierson (912) Jesus ls-T. T. Holloway (914) The Conflict Between Model'llism and the Old Faith in England- John Horsch (916) More About the Bible Union of China-T. M. Blalock (918) '.rhe Man Who Has Moved Ireland-( 920) Homiletical Helps- ( 926) Bible Institute in China- ( 928) Evangelistic Stories- ( 931) International S. S. Les!ons- ( 935) Fundamental S. S. Lessons-( 958) The ·whole Bible S. S. Lesson Course--(982) Current Comment- ( 986) Bible Institute Happenings- ( 988) Best Books- ( 990 ) PLEASE When sending subscriptions, address correspondence to omce of the King's Business, Bible Institute of Los Angeles, 586- 538 South Hope Street. Checks may be made payable to Bible Institute of Los Angeles. Do not make checks or money orders to Individuals connected with the Bible Institute. It wll1 save much confusion if orders for books are sent direct to BIOLA BOOK llOOM Instead of being enclosed with mail to The King's Business. Checks for books lhould be made separately to the Book Room. Y E A R FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING CANADA $1.25-SINGLE COPIES 15 CENTS Special Club Rate for Ten or More Subscriptions 75c Each REV. T. C. HORTON. Editor-in-Chief 0 N L Y 0 N E D 0 L L A R A
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REV. W. P. NICHOLSON, The Irish Evangelist.
In the three years in which he has been conducting evangelistic meetings in Ireland, over 23,000 people have made definite con– fession of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. Plans are being made for Mr. Nicholson to conduct an evangelistic campaign in Los An– geles, commencing September I st. Read page 920.
·D"'""""''111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111I~lllJ I EDI TO R IAL II A FORWARD STE P The October number of The King's Business will assume a new dress. We are planning to increase the size and t o introduce some new features. We desire to make it a magazine for the family. The present condition in church circles calls for a more definite emphasis upon the great essentials of the Word of God, and for deepened spiritual life in the home. We want to be used in bringing about this result. We will be assisted in this program by compet ent spiritual helpers and will be grateful for your prayerful cooperation. OUR MANAGING EDITOR Mr. Keith L . Brooks feels that he is called to devot e his whole time to the more definite spiritual work of the Correspondence School of the ible Institu te of Los Angeles and is therefore laying down the service 'n which he has been so abundantly used in assisting to make The King 's usiness what it now is. We shall hope to have contributions from him long his chosen line, from time to time, and covet for him y our continued prayers in his new field of labor. -T. C. H. THE PREACHING PRESIDENT President Harding, in his trip across the continent , has voiced a mes– sage well worthy the r epresentative of a country which was founded upon the Bible. He is a member of t he Northern Baptist Church and rings t rue to the faith. He is fearless in his plea for a return to the old time religion. We are glad to quote the words broadcasted by t he United Press to t he newspaper s: "The Presiden t speaks of God frequently In air his speeches. He doea 1t reverently and sin cerely, for President Harding, the evan gelist , believes most earnestly just what he is telling the American people-that what they need II not a political, social or economic reformation or revolution, but a spiritual revival. If the prea ch ers of; this country would follow the lead being set them by a tnan whose spok en word commands more attention today in the United States than that of a ny other, there is no telling what wave of r eligious fervor ml~ht not grow out of Mr . Harding's evangelistic efforts." This position, taken so fearlessly by our President, calls for our hearty commendation and our continual prayer in his behalf. May his example stir the hearts of the laymen of t he country,-irrespective of political association- and may t hey rally with this leader to t he spr ead of the good old Gospel of J esus Christ, of which our country is sor ely in need. -T. C.H. llllllll1Ul lll lll lll lll ltl lll111111Jll lll lll lll lll lll lll 1111ll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll llllll lll lll llllllllllll lll lll lll lll lll lfllll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll tll lll llfi
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A MUCH-NEEDED MAN An article in a recent issue of the Eastern Methodist on ''The Seven fold Man in Chr.ist" is so pertinent and true that we are glad to pass i along to our readers with our heartiest commendation. (The 'emphasize words and paragraph headings are our own) : "The Physical Man. John Wanamaker had a regard for physical weltar which amounted to reverence for his body and religious care of it. Eating neve a food which disagreed with him, abstaining from breakfast for months at time, watching his health keenly always, he lived to be over eighty with perfect mind and vigor. What a great reward comes to the man who wisely cultivates his physical nature, keeping muscles, nerves, organs and faculties In highest condition. Let us think how closely usefulness, largest service, happiness, per– sonal Influence, depend upon the best physical state, and let us cultivate our bodies tu live a hundred years. The last twenty may be the best. The Intellectual Man. Is there need of saying, cultivate the mind! Indeed, to develop it wisely, broadly, richly, for the truth and the truth only; to realize mental respousibi!ity for Independent thinking-real thinking througl) -and not mere echoing; and, while unyielding to ecclesiastical bigotry, to refuse also slavish following of conceited, unbelieving pretense of exclusive scholarship! to stand mentally erect before all men, bowing humbly to G
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In order to do this, commence with the prime essential-the spiritual– e life of God so freely bestowed upon those who, by faith, accept Jesus rist as Saviour. Then, having given first place to the spiritual, hold I the rest in proper proportion. Our Lord exemplified all these charac– ristics, for He was the perfect Man. He manifested them also in proper portion. He was never sentimental, but always tender-hearted. He onounced the most awful retribution for sin, but His arms were always tstretched to the sinner. Sophistry had no place in His being. Truth as always manifest. -T. C. H. ~ i\ i\ ESTLESS OVER THE RADIO 'l.'here is a natural sequence to this broadcasting of sermons over e radio. First. There is the natural jealousy lest some preacher or chnrch all have the precedence, by reason of their foresightedness and ability plan for a station. It costs money to run a radio station, and this ase of it becomes a real problem. Second. Does it create a "stav-at-home" habit with those who are le to install a first-class receiver,· enabling them to sleep longer before eakfast; cut off the message if it does not suit them and listen to a jazz rformance instead 1 Third. Does it seem to lessen the feeling of responsibility for church e and set a bad example to the children and neighbors 1 Fourth. Does it cut the revenue usually obtained from church visitors ho are thus saved the necessity of their personal presence in the nctuary? Fifth. Does a radio message have the same influence with the hearer reason of the lack of the persuasive power of the personality of the eacher and the atmosphere of the audience 1 Sixth. Are people likely to make a decision for Christ and the Chris– n life under such circumstances? And would they be so likely to be lped if they did as though they had had the instruction and prayer af– rded in the assembly? Seventh. Inasmuch as radio is here and is being used for all kinds commercial enterprises, and amusements and as the devil is the prince the power of the air,-should not the church-notwithstanding the objections, use this medium as far as possible to advertise e Gospel and keep the appeal on as high a standard as possible behalf of the Word of God and a holy life? We have had splendid testimonies frqm all over this land, from Mexico d Honolulu concerning the messages given over the Bible Institute io, and of souls who have accepted Christ because of them, but that es not settle the questions which have been suggested. The game will bably go on. Should we not avail ourselves of this newest agency for adcasting the Gospel, not allowing it to interfere with our emphasizing obligation to assemble together, and recogn~zing the fact that the io-with all of its advantages-is also another menace to the spread the Gospel and the saving of souls? -T. C. H.
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REAL REVIVAL A letter recently received by the editor from our good brother, Thom E. Stephens, of the Great Commission Prayer League, asks that we answ the following questions: " ( 1) Do you stlll believe that God Is as able and wllllng to send revlv today to the body of Christ at large as He ever was, provided His people pray r It In faith and otherwise meet the conditions? ( 2) Do you think that the Scriptures anywhere teach that revival or t true Church at large Is contrary to the will of God? It so, where? ( 3) Do the Scriptures seem to you to teach, that revival of His Church according to His will? Can you Indicate specific passages to support this view? To these questions we replied as follows: ''Dear Brother Stephens: Answering the questions you ask would say: All these questions are answered in the statement of the fact th ''revive'' means to ''keep on'' or ''give life.'' The word ''revival'' itself answers the question. Every true believ is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit in the believ is to glorify Christ, and Christ is glorified in our obedience to His wi His will is that believers should live out the life that He lives in. Give Him the right of way. That life is always abounding, and, permitted, will sway the believer. The one great purpose for which t believer is left here is to glorify Christ, and He is glorified in the sav· of souls. He died for that. He left the church here for that. He Ion for the church to do that. Why not call the church together and confess their sins,-the gre sin of indifference to the business committed to them7 Of what use is to pray for a revival if we are thinking simply of an evangelist,-of som one who will do our part T Let us correct the impressions which are current concerning the natu of a revival. A revival really means the bowing of the heart beneath t knees, and confessing the awful gross sin of unfaithfulness in our stewar ship as His ambassadors. When the church does that, the revival is on because new life wi be manifested. ' God forgive us for our sordid selfish lives l God forgive us for o indifference toward the millions who are being swept to untimely grave without God and without hope! God open our eyes to see as He sees,-to break our hearts as His he was broken! God fill our souls with a great compassion for the unsav~ God help us to be willing to die that others might have the supreme JO which is ours!" -T. C.H. ~ ~ ~ THE VIRGIN BIRTH "No mention in John's Gospel, therefore-." "Jesus never mentioned it, therefore-." "We pin our faith to the Sermon on the Mount and the Lord's Pray therefore-.'' ' Well, the Sermon on the Mount is in Matthew's Gospel and Matth gives us the record of the Virgin Birth. Therefore, Mr. Modernist, yo
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Is the Bible an inerrant revelation from God? Is Jesus Christ truly God as well as man? Was He born of a virgin? ------1 Did He work miracles? -------1 Does his shed blood atone for sin? ---i Did His body actually rise from the grave? And did that body ascend into heaven? Is He coming again? -------~ Did Higher Criticism ever turn a sinner from his evil ways? ---~
@Ir '~ii ((~~~~~\\\'f'\~ ,,
•
e ?
This champion of negation has for alJ such :f questions just one answer. ument against the Virgin Birth and for the Sermon on the Mount is cientific, unreasonable, unstable, and on a par with your other un– 'entific arguments against the verity of the Scriptures. When you deny the Virgin Birth you have the Old Testament against u. You have the New Testament against you. You have the history of the Church against you. You have all true believers against you. You have God against you. You have Christ against you. You have the Holy Spirit against you. YOU ARE WRONG! You are wronging the Church. You are wronging God the Father,
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God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. You are wronging the Word. Yo are wronging your own soul. REPENT in sackcloth and ashes lest the wrath of God be poured 0 upon you! -T. C. H.
FROM THE LAYMEN'S VIEWPOINT
The Bible Up To Date. The Illinois State Register of Springfield, Ill., has this to say concernin the proposed new Bible as planned in the home of J. P. Morgan, Jr.: ·'An organization of churchmen and laymen in New York is undertaki to rewrite the Bible 'in the light of the Twentieth Century,' or, in other word bring it up to date. Just what this means is hard to understand, for the Bible in its spiritu and philosophical teachings, deals with things that are eternal and unchangeabl based upon principles that apply to humanity in all states of existence, and in i dealing with facts and the use of metaphors and illustrations partakes of t times and customs of the historic periods it covers. We cannot re-write the historical narrative of the Bible in terms of Twentiet Century symbols any more than we could do it with the works of Homer witho making it ridiculous. There might be such a thing as r evising the language translation so as to fit the changing use of words, but it is not to be believe that any self-constituted body of clergy and laity can claim to have a better an clearer concept of the fundamentals of the Christian religion than those tha have been regarded through the centuries as the interpreters of the Divin message." It is always a good sign to have the layman's view of the Bible, an especially when it comes from the editor of a secular newspaper, and w are glad to pass this on. 'l'here are a good many translations of the original Hebrew and Gree Scriptures, but none of them change the meaning of the fundamental fac recorded in our King James and Revised Version. It has been tried an failed. We remember the statement made when the revised version w printed that the King James version would soon become obsolete, but i never has become obsolete and never can be superseded. The "comma people heard Him gladly" and the common people hold to the King ,Jam version gladly. -T. C. H. ~ ~ ~ Social Reform 'l'he secular newspapers, by r eason of their practical touch with me often have a clearer conception of what real church life should be thau t church leaders themselves. The Chicago Daily News says: "Not alo in modern times has the net of practical affairs enmeshed spiritual leade ship. The church in the eleventh century faced a similar condition. whe its bishops and abbots were feudal vassals, and even in some cases m1hta leaders and civil executives. 'l'hese responsibilities laid the churchm open to influences far removed from the spiritual. The present zeal the church in social reform also has a tendency to reduce the. emph~ upon more fundamentally spiritual problems which exist in spite of vogue for a sociological religion. Meditation is little practiced in the world today. Philosophy goes to 8 f in the modern university, while social science becomes increasingly popu
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et neither knowledge nor religion is limited to its social purpose. Social ience has its value, but only a sound philosophy can give it rational ·rection. In the church, social and charitable activities are important, but ey should not overshadow the spiritual realizations which are valuable themselves as well as a guide for conduct. The earnest minister as a social worker is not a real success if the mani– ld odds and ends of superintending his church and its activities deprive 'm of the time and quiet necessary to make his church a spiritual force stead of merely one competitor among many for the people's time and ttention." -T. C. H. ~ ~ ~ IRRING NEWS FROM A FAR COUNTRY A. recent letter from Dr. French E. Oliver who is having such won- rful meetings in New Zealand, says: "The Methodist, Presbyterian, ngregational and Anglican churches in New Zealand are largely com– itted to "Modernism" with all of its Satanic sneer at the Verbal In– iration of the Bible, the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch, the Virgin irth and Literal Resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead, and is glorious Return. The people are beginning to awaken to the fact at they are paying men to rob them of their faith, and I am advising them hit these scholastic crooks in the pocket book. Hundreds are being ved." We rejoice in the out-and-out, straightforward preaching of Dr. Oliver, d in the testimonies that come to us concerning it of which the following a sample: "My congregation and I heartily endorse Dr. French E. Oliver's mes- ges and ministry. We are backing the Doctor with our prayers, wherever may be. "-Rev. C. W. Duncomb (Baptist) Palmerston North, N. Z. "My personal testimony is that I have never seen such a work of ace in the hearts of men, nor have I ever seen such a deep conviction of ·u genervlly, in the community. In all, 609 persons openly confessed rist in the meetings. Gisborne is following Dr. Oliver in prayerful ex– ctations, "-Rev. E. Cox (Methodist) Gisborne, N. Z. We are sure the readers of The King's Business will be glad to take . Oliver on their hearts for prayer. He has a message which is greatly eeded in this crisis time. -T. C.H. The Fight Is On - Don't Be Slacker! We want to band together, from every denomination, those who stand true to the Bible, and to its fundamental teachings. We want to make battle against the enemies of God and of His Christ. We want to help save the boys and girls, the young men and the young women. Will YOU be a volunteer? See next page.
ASUMMONS TO CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS We are confronting conditiona in our land and throuahout the world of startling significance. The moral menace ia atupendoua. The lure of lawleaaneaa is swaying both young and old. From the dream of the dawn of a world p-ce we have awakened to awful conaciousneaa of a world calamity. The religious world i.s rank with Satanic sedition against the claim1 of Christianity. The clamorous cajoleries of the multiplying cults; the bombastic bickering• of the Bible-blasting preachers and profeaaora who aeek to rob the church of its God-given inheritance-the faith of the fathers in the infallible Word of God,-all testify to the truth of the pro· phecy concerning the last daya and demand a clarion call to the aleepilli' aoldiera of the Son of God. U you love your country-RALLY TO THE FLAG,-the red, the white, the blue, which speaks of the Bible upon which that country wa1 founded. If you love your homes- take unto you the WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD. If you love your children- take the SHIELD OF FAITH WHERE· WITH YE SHALL BE ABLE TO QUENCH ALL THE FIERY DARTS OF THE WICKED ONE. If you love the Church of Christ-take the HELMET OF SALVA· TJON and the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, which is the WORD OF GOD, and join HEAD and HEART and HAND with your brethren against the foe which faces ua. The fight ia on, and only united action and ceaaele11 prayer will avail. RESOLVE to make any sacrifice of your time and means which may be neceaaary in this fight for the faith of our fathers. RESOLVE to give yourself to prayer and personal effort to enlist the sympathy of those who are like-minded with you, but who have not yet aenaed the aeriouaneaa of the situation. RESOLVE to respond to this call, and DO IT NOW I The responsibility for the organization of Southern California along fundamental lines has been committed to the writer, and he ia expectin1 that every lover of the truth in Southern California will at once fill out and return the alip below. the
T. C. HORTON,
536 S. Hope Street,
Loa Angeles, Calif.
Dear Friend: Please enroll my name aa a member of the movement to fight the destructive deniers of the Word of God and aend me auageationa for carry· ing on the battle in defense of the honor of our Lord, our homes and our children. Name City and Street----------------------------------------------------------------··
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Back to the Bible A Survey of some Decisions Reached in the recent Southern Baptist Convention and in the Presbyterian General Assembly, and their Effect upon the Church William Jennings Bryan
Word of God and our standards that our Lord Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary." 3. "It Is an essential doctrine of the Word of God and our standards that Christ offered up Himself a sacrifice to satisfy Divine justice and to reconcile us to God." 4. "It is an essential doctrine of the Word of God and of our standards concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, that on the third day He rose again from the dead with the same body with which He suffered, with which also He ascended into heaven, and there sit– teth at the right hand of His Father, making intercession." 5. "It is an essential doctrine or the Word of God and the standard of our faith that our Lord Jesus showed His power and love by working mighty miracles. This working was not con– trary to nature, but superior to It." It will be seen that these are iden– tical in meaning and almost identical In language. They affirm the church's belief in the veracity of the Bible, in the virgin birth of Christ, In the theory of .the atonement, the bodily resurrec– tion of Christ and the truthfulness of the Bible record in regard to miracles. The Southern Baptist Church is the leading church In the South and the Northern Presbyterian Church is one of the prominent churches in the North. With these two churches, representing the two sections, thus united in the statement of the fundamental beliefs, the Issue is fairly before the country. There ls no doubt that the Southern Methodists and the Southern Presby-
URING the week ending May 19th, 1923, the Southern Bap– tist Convention endorsed as Its platform the presentation Christian principles set forth President Mullins in his opening ad- 1 quote what he says: "We record again our :unwavering dherence to the supernatural elements the Christian religion. The Bible God's revelation of Himself through an moved by the Holy Spirit, and Is ur sufficient, certain and authoritative uide in religion. Jesus Christ was om of the Virgin Mary through the ower of the Holy Spirit. He was the ivine and Eternal Son of God. He rought miracles, healing the sick, sting out demons and raising the ead. He died as the vicarious, aton– g Saviour of the world and was uried. He arose again from the dead. he tomb was emptied of Its contents. His risen body He appeared many Imes to His disciples. He ascended the right hand of the Father. He ill come again In person, the same esus who ascended from the Mount of lives." The following week the Presbyterian (Northern) General Assembly In ses– ton at Indianapolis reaffirmed the pro– ouncement made by the Assembly irteen years before. It reads as fol– ows: 1. "It Is an essential doctrine of he Word of God and our standards at the Holy Spirit did so inspire, ulde and move the writers of Holy rlpture as to keep them from error." 2. "It is an essential doctrine of the
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terians will take a similar position. There is little doubt that the Northem Methodists and the Church of the Dis– ciples will do likewise. The Lutheran and other churches have already ex– pressed themselves through many of their synods. If we can judge by the sentiment expressed in recent national conventions the contest will be closer in the Northern Baptist Church than in the other evangelical churches, but there is no doubt that the masses of that church will be found orthodox when a referendum discloses their views. The division in the various churches on the doctrines reaffirmed by the Southern Baptists and the Northern Presbyterians runs deeper than the dif– ferences between the denominations. Those in the various churches who be– lieve in the inerrancy of the Bible, the miracles, the virgin birth, the atone– ment and the bodily resurrection of Christ are nearer together than they are to those of their own church who deny the veracity of the Bible, reject the miracles, the virgin birth, the atonement and the bodily resurrection of the Saviour. The liberals denounce the conserva– tives as "ignorant" and "unintelligent" while the conservatives regard as un– Christian those who think Jesus the son of Joseph, divest Him of His deity and leave Him to sleep in the grave. This is the issue stated in language clear and explicit-it is the Issue in every church and throughout Christen– dom. When it is settled, as I have no doubt it will be, by the exaltation of the Bible and the adoration of Christ as both Saviour and Example, the Church will be ready for a great evan– gelistic movement which will present Christ as the hope of the world-as the only One whose blood can save and whose teachings can solve the problems t hat vex the heart and perplex the world.
PRAYERFUL STUDY The inspired Scriptures form th Inspired vehicle of the Spirit In com. municating to us the knowledge ot the will of God. If we think of God oq the one side and man on the other, the word of God is the mode of convey. ance from God to man, of His own mind and heart. It 1 therefore becomes a channel of God's approach to ue, a channel prepared by the Spirit tor the purpose, and unspeakably sacred u such. When therefore the believer uses the word of God as the guide to determine both the spirit and the dla lect of his prayer, he is inverting th process of Divine revelation and usln the channel of God's approach to him as the channel of his approach to God. How can such use of God's word fall to help and strengthen spiritual !IM What medium or channel of approach could so insure in the praying soul both an acceptable frame and language taught of the Holy Spirit? If the first thing Is not to pray but to hearken, this surely Is hearkening tor God to speak to us that we may know how to speak to Him.-Arthur T. Pierson. SHOHT-LIVED SERMONS A lamentable number of sermons sur. fer a kind of infant mortality. They are born on Sunday, but fail to live out the week in the hearts of those who hear them. Many of them don't sur– vive the Sunday dinner. The trouble is prenatal. Attention is centered too much upon the circumstances of deliV· ery, and not enough upon all those con– ditions that determine what is to be born and whether it is to have vitalit enough to survive the hour of comin& into the world, or, If it does, to be capa ble of any worthy purpose in life. ser mons that are not conceived in praye and developed by unstinted work ar doomed to short, unenviable careers. Biblical Recorder.
The Unity of the Scripture Testimony ConcerningThings to Come By Arno Clemens Gaebelin, D. D., Editor of "Our Hope" New York City
EARCH the Scriptures . . . they are they which testify of ME." John 5: 39. Thus our Lord spoke to the Jews. He their attention to their own
Every Bible student knows the won– derful harmony which exists among the writers of the Old Testament books con– cerning the sufferings of Christ and how these sufferings foretold by the prophets were literally accomplished in the first coming of Christ. But this is only a small portion of the witness of the prophets. The major portion of the prophecies of the Old Testament concern the glory-side of things. In other words the Old Testament in its prophetic testimony reveals much more about the glory to follow than about the suffering. That glory concerns Christ and while the predicted resur– rection glory of Christ and His exalta– tion at the right hand of God (Psalms 110) is fulfilled all that glory to come remains still unfulfilled. The unity of the Scriptures, the Old and New Testa– ments, concerning things to come is sublime. It bears a great testimony to the supernaturalnesio and the unique character of the Book of books. The Day of the Lord Sometime ago in looking over a num– ber of Japanese paintings, the writer was impressed with one feature prom– inent in each painting. There is in Japan a great, snowcapped, glorious mountain, the volcano Fujiyama. Every artist had that mountain somewhere in the picture; some put the mountain way off in the perspective; some showed it gilded by the sun of the dying day, some painted it in gorgeous colors, but each picture had that mountain. So every prophet in the Old Testament, like these artists, features one great coming event. It Is "The Day of the
criptures, the Old Testament. If ey had searched these Scriptures ey would have discovered Him in portion of the inspired record. testimony of Jesus is the 19:10). To Him give all the prophets witness." Acts 10: 4 3). After He arose from e dead He said to two of His dis- iples; "Oh fools, and slow of heart believe all that the prophets have Ought not Christ to have suf- red these things, and to enter into And beginning at Moses nd all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the hings concerning Himself." (Luke 24: 5-27). The risen Christ gave a Bible eading to reveal Himself through the criptures. And that ever must be the hief end of Bible study, to find Christ here in His matchless beauty and Jory. The Holy Spirit by Peter gives us the me information as to the content of he Prophetic Word, which our Lord ad mentioned to the disciples on the ad to Emmaus. "Of which salvation he prophets have enquired and search– d diligently, who prophesied of the ace, that should come unto you; arching what, or what manner of me the Spirit of Christ who was in em did signify, when He testified forehand the sufferings of Christ, d the glory that should follow." ( 1 eter 1: 10-11). pirit of prophecy." (Rev.
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Lord," that great day of consumma– tion when the Lord is revealed in per– son, when judgment overtakes His enemies, when His glory covers the earth, when Israel His chosen people receive the promised restoration and other blessings follow for all the earth. This prophetic testimony is progressive. There is a majestic unfolding starting as a seed in the book of Genesis and prophet after prop)let -testifying to it till finally we behold the little seed grown into a majestic tree. We cannot treat this great testimony as exhaust– ively as we have done in our "Harmony of the Prophetic Word," but give suf– ficient scripture passages which will help the reader in following this argu– ment. Take your Bible and look up every reference. The first Prophet is the Lord Him– self. The first prophetic utterance is that which came from His lips in the garden of Eden. Genesis 3: 15. The "seed of the woman" is Christ. The great day of consummation, still un– reached, is announced in this prophecy. The seed of the woman is to bruise the serpent's head. This will be ac– complished "in that day." (Rev. 20: 1-3). The next testimony is from Enoch. He was a prophet. (Jude 14-15.) He saw the day of consummation. when the Lord comes with ten thousand of His saints to execute judgment. Balaam, the heathen prophet, was forced by the Spirit of God to picture the glory of the King and His victory In that day. (Numbers 24:17-24). Moses prophesied about it in His great prophetic song. (Deut. 32:39-43). Even Hannah, the happy mother in Israel, in her wonderful song of praise and prophecy mentions that day, more fully than Enoch, Balaam or Moses did. Here are her inspired words: "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall He thunder upon them; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and He
shall give strength unto His King, and exalt the horn of His anointed (Christ)." 1 Sam. 2:10. Many of the Psalms are prophetic, celebrating in inspired song the coming day of the Lord, revealing all the dif– ferent features of that day. Here we read of the Glory of the Lord who ap– pears; the overthrow of His enemies; the blessings which come for Israel; the conversion of the world; the es– tablishment of His kingdom and the universal blessings of the earth. See Psalms 2:8; 22:27-31; 45; 50:1-5; 68; 72 and 110 besides the many other millennial Psalms like Psalms 97 and 100. Everyone of the prophetic books, except Jonah, (and he at least in type) bears witness to that day. Isaiah gives a complete picture of that day. See chapters 2: 1-4, 17-22; 4; 11; 13:6-11; 24-27; 35 and all the glorious visions in the closing chapters of this prophet relate to that day. See also 63: 1-6. Jeremiah pictures that coming day in 25: 15-38 and his words of comfort to Israel and J erusa.lem were uttered in anticipation of the day of the Lord. Ezekiel points forward to that day in his prophetic addresses in chs. 7 and 8, and the great climax of 0 his book, chs. 36-4 8 are all future events which cannot be till the "Day of the Lord" is enacted. Daniel. This great prophet does not mention the phrase "the Day of the Lord." The Stone which demolishes the image in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, the stone which becomes a mountain filling the whole earth,· predicts that day and what will take place when it comes. In ch. 7 we find the day on which the Son of Man comes in the clouds of heaven to receive the King– dom. Hosea. This prophet saw the daY of the Lord and its attending blessings when he wrote 2: 14-23; chs. 3 and 1~· Joel we have termed in our expos'.; tion "the Seer of the Day of the Lord.
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prophetic word. He r evealed nothing n ew except once when He spoke of His coming fo r H is own, a coming which n one of the prophets beh eld. (John 14: 1-3.) No prophet ever said that this J ehovah would come and take re– deemed sinners t o t he pla ce where He is, that is to the highest Glory. Fur– thermore Paul speaks of "that Day" In his epistles. See 1 Thess. 5: 1-4; 2 Thess. 2; 2 Tim. 4. So does P eter In his second epistle. (ch . 3) and the last book of the Bible, Revelation, is almost en– tirely tak en up with the great events which precede that day, the day itself, and what follows that day. Strange it is that there ar e men who claim superior scholarship and who say that there is but little in the Bible about a day of the Lord's manifestation and glory. (To be continued in October number) PLAYING WITH FEATHERS "Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a cannon planted at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The common fault with the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our thoughts go r oving hith er and th ither, and we make little progress to– ward our desired end. Like quicksil– ver, our mind will not h old together, but rolls off this way and tha t . How great an evil t his is! It in jures us, and what ls wor se, it insults our God. What should we think of a petitioner, If, while h aving a n a u dience with a prince, he should be playing with a feather, or catching a fly?-Spurgeon.
He is one of the earliest prophets and uses the phrase "the Day of the Lord" five times. Of especial interest is the second as well as the third chapter. Amos, the herdsman of Tekoa, men– tions "the day" in 9: 9-15; which is quoted in part in Acts 15. Obadiah, the smallest message among the prophets, points forward to that day when "the Kingdom shall be the Lord's" (v. 21). l\Iicah, contemporary with Isaiah, re– ceived the same message which Isaiah received concerning that day, found in ch. 4. Nahum pictures prophetically the overthrow of the great world-city, Nin– eveh, which typifies the coming over– throw of an ungodly civilization. Habakkuk in his magnificient Ode, ch. 3, describes the coming of the Lord and what that day will mean to the world, and to Israel. Zephaniah has much to say about the great day of the Lord in 1 : 14-18 and 13:11-20. Haggai de'tlares that the heavens and the earth shall be shaken, as well as all nations, before the desire of all nations comes and the house of the Lord will be filled with glory ( 2: 6). Zech ariah__ uses many times the phrase "in that day." (See 2:10-13; 3:10; 8:23; 12:9-14; 13:1; 14:1, 9, 20.) Malachi closes the Old Testament with a stirring message about the com– ing of the day of the Lord. Ch. 4. What a remarkable fact it is that all these prophets speak of "that day"! Such a unified testimony necessitates one author of all these messages. That author is the Holy Spirit. And let us remember that the Jehovah whose coming in judgment and in blessing all these holy men of God foresaw is our Lord Jesus Christ. In the days of His flesh our adorable Lord bore witness to the same day. All He spoke in His great prophetic disco urses confirms the Old Testament
THE FIGHT IS ON! Read about it on page 906.
"By What Authority?" A Fundamental Question by Delavan L. Pierson, Editor, The Missionary Review of the World, New York City questions harass the
present a large business corporation. Other representatives of the corpora- a tion are working in the same field. All are recognized as honorable, conscien– tious men who wish to advance the in– terests of the corporation. A letter purporting to come from the home of– fice gives certain .information and in- 1 structions to the agents, and claiming to reveal the will, workings and plans o of the corporation heads. One agent t reads the instructions and says: "This ' did not come from the president. It i was written by an office boy who knew a little, but not much." Another says: "It did Itot come from the home office at all but is a forgery and misleading. I understand what It says but do not believe it and will not follow Its instructions except Inso– far as they appeal to my judgment." ' The third representative concludes: "This ' communication bears the neces– sary marks of authenticity. I do not un– derstand the reason for all the require- i ments but will follow the Instructions to the best of my ability." Evidently, while these men hold such diverse views, they cannot agree or work together satisfactorily. 0nly one can be right and the fundamental question to be answered first is: "!~ this communication authentic and au– thoritative?" If the document and program have been tested for years and the man who believed and followed the instructions has been honored by the home office, then his case is greatly strengthened. If, again, a special member of the firlll has come out to the field, has declared the document to be trustworthy and has left explicit interpretations and further instructions, then it would seem
minds of Christians in these days of feeling for sure foun– dations. Is the Old Testa-
ment true? Was Christ born of a Vir– gin? Can we believe in the miracles? Did Christ physically rise from the dead and ascend into heaven? Was He crucified to atone for our sins? Conscientious, intelligent, devoted Christians differ as to these points. They cannot or do not agree. What difference does It really make? Has the liberal "Modernist" as much right to his opinions as the conservative "Fundamentalist," and vice versa? This Is an Important question. It 11 splitting the churches. Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Disciples and Congregationalists are more and more separating Into two opposite camps, divided on the question as to what shall be taught from pulpits, In denominational institutions of learning and through the Church press. After all, the one fundamental ques– tion, on which Christianity rests is that asked of Christ-"By what authority"? Does our faith rest In ourselves or In human wisdom or does it rest in Jesus Christ and His teachings as recorded In the New Testament? If it rests on the authority of human experience, in– vestigation and philosophy, then one man has as much right to his opinion as another and the majority is apt to be correct. If we have the authority of God's revelation then only those who accept and correctly Interpret that revelation can claim to believe and proclaim the truth. An Allegory A young man goes to China to re-
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Christ's Authentication We will indicate briefly only one line of evidence that the Bible Is a trust– worthy record and should be accepted as having Divine authority. This is the most fundamental ground for faith and should be all sufficient. A very few selected references are given out of a multitude that might be cited. 1. Christ fully endorsed the Qld Testament as we have it today. The Old Testament was completed over four hundred years before Christ's birth. It was translated into Greek and was accepted by the Jews as true his– tory and of divine authority in its teachings. ( 1.) Jesus studied the Old Testa– ment and knew it. He quoted from all portions of it-"The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms" (Luke 24: 25, 44). He referred to the flood (Matt. 24:37); Abraham (Matt. 8:11); Moses (John 3:14); David, Elijah (Luke 4: 25); Daniel (Matt. 24:15); Isaiah (Mark 7:6). ( 2. ) Jesus accepted the historical truth of the Old Testament, obeyed the teachings and instructed others to obey them. He distinguished between "laws and traditions" (Matt. 15:3) . He used the Old Testament to combat Satan (Matt. 4:1-11); He also observed th!! Mosaic feasts and laws. ( 3.) Jesus repeatedly identified tlhe Old Testament teachings with the words of God (John 10:35); He spoke of its promises and prophecies as inspired and fulfilled. "These are they that testify of Me" (Jno. 5:39). He Him– self fulfilled the Old Testament types, such as the Lamb (John 1: 29) etc'., and He came to fulfill other .Predictions (Matt. 5: 17) ; He declared that God spoke thro.ugh Moses· (Mark 7.: 9 )'. David (Mark 12: 36) and others. ( 4.) Even some of the passages that are most clisp_uted today Jesus quoted or referred to as authentic and im– portant: Noah and flood (Matt. 24:
that the question of authority should be considered settled. No matter how roany people in the home office have bad a part in writing the instructions or how many styles may be included in the document, only an irreconcilable anbeliever would under these condi– tions, refuse to accept the documents as inspired by the heads of the firm. The case is similiar with regard to Christians and the Bible. Granting that the New Testament truthfully re– cords the sayings of Christ and the be– liefs of the first apostles, is it to be accepted as reliable and authoritative, the court of last resort in all matters of dispute of which it treats, or are we at liberty to disregard its teachings in favor of the conclusions of THE KING'S BUSINESS 914 37); Sodom (Matt. 10:15); Jonah and the fish (Matt. 12: 39). 2. Jesus endorsed the New Testa– ment even more emphatically than the Old. He proclaimed that the words which He· spoke were God's words (John 8:26-28), that He spoke only the truth (John 3:11), and that His disciples who wrote the New Testament books would be especially guided as to what to write. Things were to be brought to their remembrance (John 14:26); they were to be guided into all truth (John 16: 13) and taught all thlnKs; and were to be Inspired to teach others (Matt. 28: 20). He said to them: "He that heareth you hear– eth Me" (Luke 10:16). The New Testament ;writers were conscious of their Divine inspiration and authority (1 Cor. 2:16; 7:10-12). etc. What more complete authentication and evidence of Inspiration could be de– sired than this? Moreover, the Bible and this view of its authority have stood the test of time. In apostolic days, Pentecostal power was given to those who believed and followed the teachings of Christ and the Bible as having Divine author– ity. Ever since then, In the days of Luther, Wesley, Calvin, Knox and Whitfield, the great Godward . move– ments have been led by men and women who studied and believed the Bible Today the successful evangelists l!ke Moody, Booth, Chapman, Billy Sunday and others have proclaimed the Bible as God's Word, while rationalists who have cast doubt on its truth and au. thority, may have written learned treatises and preached eloquent ser. mons, but they have not been noted for Pentecostal power converting and transforming men or for laying sure foundations of the Church. Moreover, on the mission fields to– day, rationalistic Christian workers 1 may engage in educational, medical and social work, but the great spiritual missionary movements have been fos– tered by such men as William Carey, Adonlram Judson, Henry Martyn, Alex· antler Duff, Hudson Taylor, Titus Coan, : Robert Moffat, Henry Richards, and 1 others who have believed, followed and o taught the Bible as the Word of God as t it claims to be. They accepted It as 1 having final authority in all matters o! dispute as Jesus and His disciples ac- 1 cepted It. I Anyone who starts out to follow r Christ may be led astray by following I the false light of misguided reason. They thus become "blind leaders of the r blind" and both fall Into the pit. 1 Those who follow Jesus Christ as the t Divine and Inerrant teacher may pass through shadows but will surely come out into the full light of God. Jesus Is By T. T. Holloway, Attorney, Dallas Texas ll E'l;' me give you a message of the rocks by the seashore. As this message came to me I took It as from above; I While wandering along the ocean shore, I happened upon some great blocks of soft sandstone, washed, at high tide, by the ocean's waves. I noticed that former visitors had enter– tained themselves by carving their names or Initials on the soft rock. WbY this desire to write one's name and tbUI received a blessing from It, and I am now passini: It on to you, with the hope that it may serve to bless your hearts •• well.
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