December, 1933
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
422
beyond the material needs and even desires of mankind. Yet everywhere, nakedness, starvation, and death are on a rampage. With the earth’s storehouses filled to overflow ing, the problem o f meeting want would be simple indeed to tribes of savages. Even the dumb brutes of the forest, possessing the possessions of man, would lie down in the sunshine in peace. But, as for civilized man—his “ brain trusts” appear to succeed only in filling that which is empty with nothing more than disgust. But wait! This word “ perplexity,” according t o (the lexicon, literally means “ without a passage out” ; or, “ un able to reach an objective” ; or, “ unable to make headway.” It is the Greek word aporia, from which we get our word emporium, referring to a mart— a place o f trade. A careful study of the phrase in the original text, “ distress o f na tions with perplexity,” yields the thought that the nations in their troubles will be “ without a passage out because o f lack o f trade.” If this is the true interpretation, how tre mendously significant are world conditions today! Could a fulfillment be more absolute, more exact? And now for a closer look at this word “ distress” : It is the Greek word, sunoche, meaning, literally, “ meeting,” “ joining!| “ holding fast together.” “ Distress of nations” thus conveys the idea o f a joining together o f nations— in fact, a league of nations! Will it be doing violence to the Scriptures if we liberally interpret our Lord’s great proph ecy to mean: “ And [in their distress ] the nations will join
coming day of Israel decidedly in mind. And with the easing o f the pressure o f the Gentile heel, and the rapid setting o f the Gentile sun, what is to be expected but a tremendous stirring among the “ dry bones” of “ the whole house of Israel” ? (Ezek. 37:11). “ Signs” in the same sun, moon, and stars which bowed in obeisance at Joseph’s feet! Should this have been the hidden thought o f the great Master-Prophet, then what tremendous fulfillment is taking place! The leaves of the “ fig tree” shoot forth (vs. 29, 30), and the “ dry bones” are on the roll in all the valleys of earth! In the light o f the sun, the moon, and the stars, none but the willfully blind can fail to see “ that the kingdom o f God is nigh at hand” (v. 31). “ Distress o f Nations” with no W ay Out “And there shall be . . . upon the earth distress o f nations, with perplexity’’ (v. 25). “ Distress of nations” unparalleled in human history now grips the world. No nation is exempt. There are 30,000,000 human beings in the “ bread lines” o f the civi lized nations! All are in despair. Gigantic robots have crept in between them and the priceless jobs which meant self- respect and livelihood. A letter creeps out from a Russian timber camp to tell us o f misery “ unbelievable and indescribable, and its parallel is not to be found in any fiction. People eat the bark of trees and grasses. Children, women, and old men run and grovel about in the forest, and feed like animals or wild beasts. . . . Y o u would find
together in a league; but the league; due to Jack o f t r a d e [involving them in e c o n om ic wars ] w ill be unable to make h ea dw a y to ward their ob jective [ peac e and p r o s p e r ity ] ” ? W h a t a p r o p h e c y ! Think it over! T h i n k of the “ j o i n i n g to gether” o f the nations during the past sco re o f y e a r s , and e s p e c ia lly re cently. Th ink of the W o r l d Court— or does it yet exist in its pitiful im potence? Think o f the Wash ington “ meet ing,” the Ge
m u c h m o r e than I have de scribed. Take steps on our be half, help us, for God’s sake, for we are dy ing of hunger and oppression. There are not hundreds, b u t thousands and m i l l i o n s , of these wretched people.” Russia prob ably p resen ts the m ost h or rible picture of all the nations. But from China also come tales of hundreds of t h o u s a n d s dying o f mas sacre and fam ine, a n d t h e w o rld h a rd ly takes note. In dia’s a g o n ie s c r y to h i g h heaven for re
neva Conference, “ joinings” with disarmament as their objective, only to see those who thus meet together rush away to their respective dens to stack higher their arms and make more deadly their gases! Think of the mighty League of Nations utterly stalemated the moment Japan snarls or Germany grunts! Think of the recent World’s Economic Conference:—when sixty-six nations, at an ex pense o f $5,000,000, met in London—stalled as soon as it started! Britain’s Premier, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, ad dressing the delegates at the opening of this conference, solemnly affirmed: “ W e meet under the shadow o f the
lief. In those three lands alone dwell half the people o f the earth. All other lands are filled with want and terror of the morrow. Even in our own most favored land, our N. R. A . Administrator is warning us that millions are facing “ a winter of terrible distress.” And the distressing thing about this “ distress” is the “ perplexity” which accompanies it. First o f all, men are perplexed as to why there should be any distress at all. The markets o f the world are simply glutted with food and clothing, and man possesses the machinery to multiply the production o f all human necessities and even luxuries far
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