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April, 1936
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
discussing the merits of the “ haves” or o f the “ have nots!’ We simply are saying that this poor sick world is about ready for the reign of its last great dictator, who will not rule in justice andwith equity, butwhowill place the “ mark” o f his favor upon a class, and deny all others the right even to buy or sell. Even thus it is written: “N o man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name o f the beast, or the number o f his name” (Rev. 13:17 ). The President o f the United States himself said in his Message to Congress at the opening o f the present session: The temper and purposes of the rulers of many of the great populations in Europe and Asia have not pointed the way either to peace or to good will among men . . . A point has been reached where the people of the Americas must take cognizance of the growing ill will, o f marked trends toward aggression, of increasing armaments, of shortening tempers—a situation which has in it many of the elements that lead to the tragedy of general war. The appalling situation that this great nation now faces is that, while its President knows the “marked trends” as he does, yet he himself fails to “ take cognizance o f the growing ill will” of class against class in his own vast dominion. No less a spokesman than Walter Lippmann wrote but a few days ago: Roosevelt has recently taken to rousing the masses against the rich, and Smith has taken to declamation about Communism and the Red Flag . . . Each has ended by making his destructive and unworthy appeal to popular passion. Last January 27, in Philadelphia, James P. Warburg, former “ brain-truster” for President Roosevelt, said: .Mr. Roosevelt has fallen into the habit of deliberately inciting the hatred o f one part of the people against another. At first there were sneering references such as the one to gentlemen who come “ from their warm and well-stocked clubs” and who wish to “dictate to the government how it shall let the people starve.” . . . Per haps he really does know such people. If so, it is too bad that he does not identify them. He then said further that the President’s Message to Congress on January 3 “ deliberately incited Congress and the people to hate and fight what he calls ‘our resplendent economic autocracy.’ . . . I shudder at the thought o f what aroused class hatred might mean fo r this country.” W e shudder at the thought o f what class government urged forward by class hatred is going to mean for the whole world. W e have fallen upon an evil hour when those in authority begin making their appeal for contin uance o f power to the passions and prejudices o f particular classes rather than to the people as a whole. Let America remember this: In a class conflict there can be no victory except fo r a tyrant. Whether that tyrant be from the autoc racy or from proletarian ranks, whether he be fascist or communist, matters little. And let no Christian deceive himself. When the political tyrant arrives, following closely upon his heels will come the spiritual dictator. The two-horned beast (Rev. 13:11) follows in the wake o f the ten-horned beast (Rev. 13:1). Upon the heels o f Hitler comes Alfred Rosenberg, dictat ing to the souls of the German people, even as Hitler dic tates to their bodies. And the “ spiritual dictator” now declares Christianity to be the enemy o f the German State because Christianity’s goal is brotherly love, and such love he holds to be unworthy o f the Teutonic superman. The idols of Satan’s man are will and strength. He worships no other. T he S eething W orld The editor o f World Dominion Movement (London) tells o f how some years ago he was standing in a Chinese city in conversation with a Chinese friend on the subject o f racial animosities, when, suddenly, in the “ half-shut
glances of Cathay,” an angry light shone forth. “ I was startled,” he says, “ by a torrent o f Chinese which, being interpreted, amounted to a declaration o f hatred against other people.” “ We shall hate them forever,” he declares that the Chinaman exclaimed; “ we shall enshrine our hatred in our school books and teach it to our children!” And then the editor comments: Terrible declaration I As terrible for those who uttered it as for those against whom it was directed; a double- edged weapon, the use o f which would mean mutual extermination; a wrong principle which, like a faulty compass, would point a course straight to destruction; It is the adoption of wrong principles today that creates the ■ confusion which everywhere abounds. The editor is right. But as long as the nations of the earth continue to lift their mailed fists against the God who ruleth in the heavens, as long as Jesus Christ is snubbed and counted out of their council chambers, just so long will the angry waves o f the sea continue to foam out their wrath. Verily, “ the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (Isa. 57 :20, 21) . “ P eace , B e S till ” ! The world today is described aptly by the Holy Spirit— “ a seething pot” (Jer. 1 :1 3 )! But, “ Time marches on” ! And Time marches swiftly! “ Once upon a time, One appeared at the junctions o f the world, One who belonged neither to the East nor to the West, and His voice arose above the storm and there was a great calm.” That Voice will rise again, and above the storm. He will know special favor for neither rich nor poor, autocrat nor proletarian, high nor low, fascist nor communist, Jew nor Gentile. “ He shall not judge after the sight o f his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing o f his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth.. . . His rest shall be glorious” (Isa. 11:3, 4, 10). And therefore, amid the turmoil and the strife, as the “ hire of the laborers . . . crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears o f the Lord o f Sabaoth. . . . Be patient,” brethren; “ stablish your hearts: for the coming o f the Lord draweth nigh” (Jas. 5 :4-8). Next Door— But Lost A young Filipino traveled to Chicago and registered at Hotel Sherman. Taking a walk about the business dis trict o f the city, he became confused. He was ignorant of the name, location, and appearance o f the hotel at which he had registered, and was unable to find it again. Conse quently, it was necessary for him to secure another room, and he selected one in Hotel Astor which is next door to the Sherman. Then, unwilling to acknowledge to the authorities that he was lost, he tried for five days to find the place where he had deposited his baggage. Being un successful in his attempts, he was finally compelled to ap peal for help. The police soon found, his original registration and in formed him that for five days he had been living right next door to the place where he had left his baggage. Although he was so near, he lost five days’ peace o f mind, five days’ time, and five days’ use o f his baggage, all be cause he would not tell an officer he was lost. All who do not understand God’s simple way of salva tion are likewise lost, according to these words o f the Apos tle Paul: “ If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god o f this world hath blinded the minds o f them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gos pel o f Christ, . . . should shine unto them” (2 Cor. 4 :3 ,4 ). [Continued on page 159]
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