the
JANUARY
1943
Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES. Incorporated
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“And the Lord . . . said . . . If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:12*14).
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Motto: "Unto him that loved ns, and washed ns from our sins in his own blood” (Rev, 1:5), The g's Bus iness
GOD REVEALS IT, STALIN KNOWS IT, HITLER DOES IT! WHERE DO YOU STAND? We mean God’s irrevocable in structions with regard to world missions—“To the Jew First.” The devil believes this, brother, and together with Hitler, prac tices it! For has not the Jew been always first in every ex plosion of world hate? Is it not upon the Jew that the devil has ever concentrated his fiercest fires? When the Pharaohs sought slave labor for the rearing of their pyramids, “To the Jew First” was the passion which possessed their wicked souls. “To the Jew First” likewise possessed the soul and body of such an arch fiend as Haman.' Callous indeed must he be who in the face of an Israel going through such hellish agony as she has never known in all her long, dark years of torture, will still deny the Gospel ministry “To the Jew First!” If the world has put the Jew first in its scheme of hate and destruction, then in the name of all justice where should the Church put the Jew in her scheme oi love and Gospel ministry? Ever eternally fixed, whether you accept i t ' or not, dear reader, stands God’s order, “To the Jew First!” We are astride the world, at grips with the most gigantic tasks that ever a Jewish Mission Society faced. If ever the Mace donian cry needed to be shouted out, it is now. In our own coun try, across the seven seas, in the lands of Nazi oppression, in the land of Arab hate, almost wher ever the sun shines, this Mission of yours is trumpeting the call to the last remnant of Israel for the final shout which we all await with bated breath. Your fellowship in this God- given task will prove rich be yond compare. “THE CHOSEN PEOPLE” loved by Bible stu dents for its helpful information on Prophecy and the Jews, is sent to contributors. MAY WE HEAR FROM YOU? AMERICAN BOARD OF MISSIONS TO THE JEWS, INC. 31 Throop Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. Here is my .offering, $................. “To the Jew First.” May the Lord bless this gift for Israel’s salvation. Name..............................................- Street........................... .................. City.........................State_________
January, 1943
Number 1
Volume XXX IV
The True-to-the-Bible Family Magazine
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ransom D . Marvin, Staff Artist
Around the King’s Table— Louis T. Talbot ............. ......................... .—______ 3 Significance of the News-— Dan Gilbert .......... .................................................... 4 Torrey’s Challenge for Decision—And What It Meant to M e . Karl D. Hummel __............ ................................................................................ 5 The God of the Valleys—i f . A . Ironside ................ ......................... .................... 6 Escape from Poland— Part II— Karl Faulkner as told to Anne Hazelton ....... 8 Dr. Talbot’s Question Box.............,r .................................................................. ...10 'Dear Soldier— B, B. Moore ____ ___:_______ ............ .............. ......:____ _____________ 11 International Lesson Commentary............__________________________ _________14 Notes on Christian Endeavor—1 '■Carlton C. Buck, Morena Holmes Downing, Paul A . Uhlinger, Geraldine Hamlett __ ...................... .......... ....................... 26 Daily Devotional Readings............ .......... ......................... ......................................31 Bible Institute Family, Circlel_________________ _______________ ______________36 Our Literature T a b le ___________________ _____ ....................................................36 Junior King’s Business-1— Martha S. Hooker..... .......... ....................................... 1...37
The Official Organ of THE BIBLE INSTITUTE OF LOS ANGELES, Inc. LOUIS T. TALBOT MILDRED M. COOK ■Editor-In-Chief - Managing Editor
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January 1943
3
Around the King's Table LOUIS T. TALBOT, Editor-in-Chlef
LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY By MABEL M. SEVERN Some early morning trysting hour Hath g i v e n Thee its need of power And made Thy ministry to flower; Teach us to prayl What heavenly vision hast Thou seen That giveth Thee a kingly mien. Thy brow unruffled and serene? Teach us to prayl What gavest power to walk the wave, A trusting, doubting Peter save? To learn of Thee our spirits crave. Teach ¿us to prayl What lavish graces dost Thou bring1 What comfort on Thy healing wing! Thou drinkest from some hidden spring. Teach us to prayl . In the last issue of THE KING’S BUSINESS, the eighth annual Torrey Memorial Conference was announced to be held January 24 through 31, 1943. However, since that time two considerations have appeared which make the holding of the conference unwise. . First, the government has requested that civilian travel be limited as much as possible. A number of the speak ers who had been engaged for this gathering would have had to come from the East or Middle West. Second, due to gas rationing, many of the friends in Southern California who would desire to be present at the Torrey Conference, could not travel the comparatively g r e a t distances from their homes to this downtown Los Angeles center. Accordingly, for the duration, the conference will be omitted from, the annual program of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles and the Church of the Open Door. But the challenge of R. A. Torrey, which was to have been the basis of this year’s meditation and inspiration, will still ring forth: “ God is calling all Christians to rouse up and go to work, witnessing for Christ!” In new ways and under changed cir cumstances, m a y t h a t witnessing nevertheless increase, for God’s glory. Torrey Memorial Conference Cancelled
Inspired with faith and courage by these words, let uS turn again to the work that confronts us in this time of national emergency; in the armed services and the Merchant Marine; in factories and offices; on farms and in the mines; on highways', railways and airways; in other places of public serv ice to ÿie nation; and in our homes. Now, therefore, I, Franklin D. Roose velt, President of the United States of America, do hereby invite the at tention of the people to the joint reso lution of Congress approved December 26, 1941, which designates the fourth Thursday in November of each year as Thanksgiving Day; and I request that both Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1942, and New Year’s Day, January 1, 1943, be observed in prayer; publicly and privately. In witness whereof, I have here unto set my hand and caüsed the seal of the United States of America to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington this eleventh day of November in the year of our Lord, Nineteen Hundred and Forty-two, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and sixty-seventh. (S E A L ) By The President: Franklin D. Roosevelt. This Issue— and the Next , It is fitting that this issue of- THE KING’S BUSINESS, the first in 1943, should center attention particularly on prayer. The words on the cover crystallize America’s need, and the articles which follow all bear upon the theme in some way. Next month, the Lord willing, we shall publish a. Bible Number, for we believe that t h e tw o necessities, prayer and Bible study, go together. Two very significant' articles have been chosen for publication in Feb ruary: “The Bible and Science,” by O. E. Sanden, a Phi Beta Kappa man and a staunch believer in the Scrip tures; and “The Romance of the Bible in Old Mexico,” by W. Cameron Town- •send, one who has been privileged to witness, perhaps more closely than any other man, remarkable openings which the Lord has made for His Word among our Southern neighbors. As is apparent, every effort is being made to publish material that is strikingly up to date in its interest value. Cordell Hull, Secretary of State.
President Asks Prayer on Two Holidays
In an unusual proclamation—which we quote in its entirety — President Roosevelt called upon the American people to observe ‘both Thanksgiving and New Year’s as days of prayer.
By the President of the United States of America: A PROCLAMATION
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord. Across the uncertain ways of space and time our’ hearts echo those words, for the days are with us again when, at the gathering of the harvest, we solemnly express our dependence upon Almighty God. The final months of this year, now almost; spent, find our Republic and the nations joined with it waging a battle on many fronts for the preserva tion of liberty. In giving thanks for the greatest harvest in the history of our nation, we who plant and reap can well re solve that in the year to come we will do all in our power to pass that mile stone; for by our labors in the fields we can share some part' of the sacri fice with our brothers and sons who wear the uniform of the United States. It is fitting that we recall now the reverent words of George Washington: - “Almighty God, we make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection,” and that every American in his own way lift his voice to heaven. I recommend that all of us bear in mind this great Psalm: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. “He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. “ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever."
Significance of the News By DAN GILBERT Washington, D. G , and San Diego, California
These were among the replies: “Science has not discovered where the human race originated, although it has disproved the account of crea tion as given, in the Bible.” - “It is impossible for us to teach anything regarding the origin of mankind. The w h o l e subject is steeped in a realm beyond our knowl edge. We can guess, but we cannot know.” "Mankind is part, parcel,, and prod uct of the animal kingdom. But as for a time and place at which man emerged from the jungle, we can have no accurate knowledge.” V Having eliminated the Bible as a guide and authority, modern educa tion seems to be bent on a course of directionless drifting. It. can no more give the a n s w e r to the question, “Whence?” than it can supply an an swer to the ^question, “Whither?” THIS NEW DARK AGE: • It is customary to call certain cen turies in the past “the dark ages.” But as the twentieth century has produced a “new barbarism,” so it has ushered in a “new dark age.” This dark age is characterized by the most dismal ignorance regarding things which bur fathers took for granted. It is true, of course, that this is also an age of scientific enlightenment. We know more than any previous generation regarding electricity,- high explosives, and the like. But we know less about the nature of man and his destiny than some of our forbears knew. OUT OF THE NIGHT: • A few decades ago, it was popu larly taught that science could replace religion in showing men how to live. Education can mean nothing unless it reveals to men the way in which they should utilize their lives. Education based on science alone leaves man uneducated, unlearned, in total ignorance. Education alone which is based upon the Bible can give to youth a goal and a purpose in life. Christian education alone can show youth how to live and how to die, and where to live aftér death. God’s truth alone can lead us out of this darkness, this wilderness, this dark age- “Back to thè Bible” must be the s l o g a n for our schools, oui homes, and our country.
THE DEEPER AND DENSER IGNORANCE:
THE HIGHER UNLEARNING: • This writer is constantly asked by parents to recommend institutions of higher learning. Uniformly, he sug gests that Christian parents should send their c h i l d r e n to definitely Christian educational institutions. This advice, however, is frequently protested, if not rejected.. The most common objection is that non-Chris tian or secular colleges and universi ties offer a “higher form of te am in g '1 than do our outrightly Christian in stitutions. To check up on this oft-repeated claim, a questionnaire has been di rected to faculty members of some twenty of the nation’s leading secu -. lar ‘ -universities, including Y a l e , Dartmouth, the University of Chica go, the University of California, the University of Wisconsin, New York University, and the. University of North Carolina. To the president of one of our larg-. est state universities, this question was directed: “What can a student expect to learn at your university re garding life after death?” My tetter was returned, with one word scribbled at the bottom, over the signature of the university presi dent. That one word was, "Nothing." Another ■ state university president was less blunt. He replied-, “It is not the business of this university to en deavor' to teach anything regarding a problematical existence for the in dividual beyond the grave.” In reply to that comment, I wrote, “What, then, is the purpose of your university?” He replied, “To prepare young peo ple to live this present life.” I answered by saying, “What is this present life except a preparation for the life eternal? This life is mean ingless unless it is related to the here after. An institution which teaches n o t h i n g regarding the life eternal would seem to be dedicated to un learning, rather than learning." I re ceived no reply to that letter. Even savages have' some conception of a life beyond the grave. Among the f i r s t thoughts of children are those which concern what happens after death. Educational institutions which leave'their students completely in the dark on this all-important sub ject have developed unlearning to, perhaps, its highest point.
.• This question was directed to the university head in a certain depart ment of psychology: “What do you teach regarding the immortal soul of man?” The reply was, “Nothing. So far as m o d e r n psychology'is con cerned, the soul is an unscientific con cept.” To the professor of ethics, this ques tion was submitted: “What standard of ethical conduct has God dictated to humanity?” The answer was, “We know nothing of any ethical standard derived from God. If such a thing exists, we have yet to discover it.” To the professor of sociology, this question was advanced: “Is marriage a divinely ordained institution?” The reply was, “Modern sociology knows nothing of any such thing as a di vinely ordained institution.” Other questions were answered in the, same spirit of prideful ignorance. Natural ignorance may be humble; but sophisticated ignorance, of the deeper and denser sort, seems to be always haughty and boastful. The pinnacle of intellectual superiority is assumed by those who proudly pro claim themselves agnostics, or self- confessed ignoramuses. DIRECTIONLESS DRIFTING: • It has been said of Columbus, “He did not know wherè he was going when he sailed for America. He did not know where he was when he arrived. And he did not know where he had been when he arrived back home.” Our universities profess the same ignorance as to man’s origin as they do with respect to his destination. This question was submitted to a number, of prominent educators: “Do you teach that, the human race originated in the Garden of Eden, and that Adam and Eve w e r e humanity’s original parents?” The query is simple and straightforward—surely n o t difficult to answer.
January 1943
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Torrey's Challenge for Decision And What It Meant to Me
Letter from Mrs. Torrey Wheaton, IIIinois
November 23, 1942
Dear Friends: In looking through Dr. Torrey’s sermons, I found the enclosed in nis handwriting. As most of'his sermons were typed, I was surprised to find this, and glad to find it. My son Reuben, who came home from China on the GRIPSHOLM, had the opportunity of preaching in the Moody Memorial Church last night, and met some who were in his father’s congregation years ago. It is most gratifying to me to know that my husband’s messages still live in the hearts of his students and others. Sincerely yours, Clara B. Torrey.
By KARL D. HUMMEL Dallas, Texas
messages of Dr. Torrey, notes that I prize highly and from which I still glean much blessing as I peruse them
^ HERE MAY be a legitimate dis cussion as to how far the JL preacher should go in pressing for public demonstration of decision. But there is no argument against the tremendous and vital necessity for the making of decisions. In everyday life, ohe must constantly make choices: in business deals, in companionships, and in other matters too many to mention. Of even greater importance are the things of the spirit, the de cisions that relate to eternity. Dr. R. A. Torrey was not only a great expounder of the Scriptures and of Bible doctrine, but he also possessed the rather rare gift of challenging his hearers to decision during the very deliverance of his message. He did not often indulge in an extended in vitation at the close of a serrhon, but in few and direct words, he urged his hearers to act upon that which had just been presented to them from the Word. During the years that it was my privilege^to sit under the ministry of this man *of God at the Church of the Open Door in Los Angeles, few indeed were the Sunday nights when there were no public professions of faith in Christ—decisions made, not in response to emotional pleading, but as the result of a clear and powerful presentation of the gospel couched in language that d e m a n d e d -action. Hearts were either opened to the Saviour, or else they were deliberately closed to His offer of mercy and life. At the Sunday morning services, Dr. Torrey seldom would ask for any kind of public demonstration or response. But that does not imply that there was any lack of decisions being made. These morning messages naturally were directed to believers; they con cerned d o c t r i n a l themes, or were treatises on Christian conduct and experience. I still have on file quite a collection of outline notes on those morning
now and a g a i n . Scriptural, logical, simple and yet pro found, t h e y were directed to the very heart and s o u l of the believer. To such messages one could not be indif ferent. The heart would have to say, “No, I am n o t ready or not willing to take this step” ; or (the far bettqr answer), “Lord, I take this word to my own soul; I say ‘yes’ to T h e e in t h i s m a t t e r . ” I never can express an o u gh gratitude to God for the per sonal blessing I re ceived from these morning messages of Dr. Torrey. Two of them stand out as high lights. Action—And Assurance The first of these* tw o outstanding messages was on the subject of as surance of salva tion. With his cus tomary thorough ness, Dr. T o r r e y dealt with the var ied experiences of people; why they lacked assurance, how to obtain it, and so on. He re- f e r r e d a l s o t o [See P a ge 12 ]
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
♦
The God
Jl
By H. A . IRONSIDE* Chicago, Illinois
our armies, and will come against Is rael at the turn of the year, but we will be careful not to be lured by them into the highlands. We will draw them down into the plains, and there we will overwhelm them, and we will prove that our gods are the gods of the valleys, and theirs is not.” When this word came, Jehovah sent a prophet to Ahab, saying, “Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord” (1 Ki. 20:28). The people of Israel were just a little company, and the Syrians en camped against them were a great
expect any blessing, yet, because of the need of His people, and because of the proud and.hard Syrians, God intervened in a wonderful way; and in the hill country, in the northern part of the land, He gave to Israel a great victory so that the Syrians Were utterly scattered. Trying to account for their defeat, the Syrians said something like this: “It is very evident that the God of Israel is .a God of the hills;, our gods are gods of the valleys. These Is raelites are highlanders: they are used to the mountains, and their God is accustomed to giving them victory in the hiJI. country. Their God is a God of the hills; He is not the God of the valleys; therefore, we will reorganize
"And there come a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said. Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said. The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will 1 deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that 1 am the Lord" (1 Ki. 20:28). •T "jT THEN AHAB of evil memory \ / \ / was king of Israel, Ben-ha- V Y dad, king of Syria, sought an occasion of quarrel with him, and invaded the land of Israel with a great army. Although Ahab had no real title or right to cry to God and
*Pastor, Moody Memorial Church .•
January 1943
1
Remember that He has said, “Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psa. 50:15). II. The Valley of Achor. There is another valley of which we read in Hosea 2:14, 15, where the Lord, speaking of Israel, says: “There fore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. And I will g i v e h e r her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt,” But what is the valley of Achor? Do you remember where we first read of that valley in Scripture? You re call how God gave Israel a marvelous victory when they Went up against Jericho. He told them, however, that they were not to take of the riches of Jericho for themselves. .Then a few days later, ivhen they went against Ai, only to suffer a humiliating de feat, Joshua threw himself down be fore God and said, “O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!” (Josh. 7:8). : And God said, “Get, thee up; where fore liest thou, thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they hafve also transgressed ifty covenant w h i c h I commanded them': for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their owri stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their ’enemies” (Josh. 7:10-12). Then you will recall how the tribes passed before the Lord, and the tribe of Judah was taken, and then a cer tain family of this tribe, and then God pointed out Achan, and said, in effect, “That is the reason I cannot give you the victory.” Achan soon confessed his coveting and hiding a part of the forbidden spoils (Josh. 7:20, 21). A messenger was sent to Achan’s tent, and found it was exactly as Achan had said; and then because it was the dispensa tion of law, and not of grace, Achan and his family, were taken out into the valley of Achor and were stoned 'With stones until they died. What is the valley of Achor? It is the valley of retribution; it is the val ley of suffering for one’s own failures, for one’s own sins. The greatest grief that Christians can ever be called upon to bear is to be brought into the valley of Achor, where they realize that things might have been very dif ferent if in years gone by they had only walked with God. f Continued on Page 131
¿ J i' of the Valleys
host. The result was a tremendous vic tory for Israel. They did not deserve it, but God, who delighteth in mercy and is rightly jealous of the honor of His own name, took this way of prov ing that He was just as truly the God of the valleys as He was the God of the hills. You know many of us live in the valley of the commonplace the great er »part of the time. Very few of us attain the ideals that were in our minds years ago. Many of us can look back to the time when we were young and had very high ambitions—ambi tions which we have never realized. As the years have gone on, we find that most of us live our lives down in the valleys of the commonplace; we do not get very high up; we do not know very much of fame or honor. But God is the God of the valleys, and He is interested in the people of the lowlands, and not merely in those who climb to the mountain tops. President Lincoln said, “ God certainly must have loved the common people because He made so many of them.” But I am not thinking so much of the valleys in that sense; I have in mind certain valleys of which we read in the Word of God, valleys through which all of us will have to pass some time or another. I. The Yalley of Baca. We read of one of these valleys in Psalm 84:5, 6: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in.whose heart are the ways of them. Who pass ing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.” You may consult any Bible atlas; you may look over any map of an cient lands, but you will never find the valley of Baca. The fact of the matter is that this valley is a well- known district indeed through which all our feet pass at some time as We go through this life, for the valley of Baca'is really the valley of weeping, the valley of trouble. You know some thing of that—of the valley of sorrow, the valley of trial, the valley of per plexity, the valley of testing, when the tears will start, try to keep them back as you may. But what a blessed thing to know that God is with us when .we go through the valley of Baca! Those who
are in fellowship with Him find that in this valley He provides springs of refreshment: “The rain also filleth the pools." It is wonderful the way God makes Himself known to the troubled heart in such a manner as He cannot reveal Himself to those with whom all is going well. It is in the hour of trial, and it. is in the valley of weeping, that the blessed Lord can reveal Him self as at no other time, for He, too, has passed through that valley, and thus we speak of Him, as “The Man of Sorrows.” . “ ‘Man of Sorrows,’ what a name For the Son of God who came, Ruined sinners to reclaim! Hallelujah! what a Saviour! “Bearing shame and scoffing rude, In my place condemned He stood, Sealed my pardon with His blood; ! Hallelujah! what a Saviour! And up there in the glory, He is "this same Jesus” who once trod the valley of weeping here on earth. “When He conies, our glorious King, All His ransomed, home to bring, f Then anew this song we’ll sing. Hallelujah! what a Saviour!” When we Ibok at His wonderful face, upon that visage that was once marred more than ^any man, we shall know that He is indeed our blessed Jesus, the Man of Sorrows acquainted with grief, who has been our Companion, our F r i e n d , o u r Sustainer, as we walked through the valley of weeping. The Bible does not exhort to stoical indifference to trial, and does not in sist that we dry our tears. The Lord Jesus Himself wept with the sorrow ing sisters of Bethany. Be assured to day if you are going through the val ley of weeping, that His heart beats in tender love and sympathy; for «if “one member [of the Body of Christ] suffer, all the members suffer with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). Yes, the God of the valleys is with His people as they pass through the valley of weeping. Do not hold anything back from Him; avail yourself of the privilege of pray er, of going to Him with your troubles. “Lifted up was He to die, ‘It is finished,’ was His cry; Now in heaven exalted high, Hallelujah! what a Saviour!”
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SYNOPSIS OF PART I—Satan and men close doors. War, with its in creasing hatred and ferocity, seeks to obliterate o v e r n i g h t the work of Christian missions. But, by God ' s grace, even the wrath of men con tinues to praise Him. For a humble servant of His, God made a path of light across the darkness of Europe. Wa r s aw, Poland, in 1937, was "journey's end" for Karl Faulkner
(Biota '37). There he was to minister to God's chosen people, the Jews, un der the auspices of the American European Fellowship. But with the spring of 1938 the shadow of the swastika was falling across Europe. Suddenly the young missionary had to be left alone in charge of a work among Jews in Warsaw. The clouds of human ani mosity gathered, dnd soon the storm of malignity and race hatred broke. Mr. Faulkner found himself fleeing Poland, stranded on the border be tween Hungary and Czechoslovakia, eventually entering Yugoslavia, and f i n a l l y arriving in Budapest, Hun gary. All along the treacherous path he ministered to fear-stricken Jews. As the world conflagration spread, and the news of Pearl Harbor reached him, Mr. Faulkner found himself an "enemy alien." It is at this point that this month's narrative begins. : Escape from Poland Part II
By KARL FAULKNER as told to ANNE HAZELTON
informed that Bulgaria had declared war on America an hour before! When I reached the Roumanian consul, the same message was given; Rotimariia was at war with America and a visa was refused. Permission to fly tb Yugoslavia needed a German permit. Every way seemed shut tight. The quota for the diplomatic trains was full. There was no 'way out for me. God must intend for me tq witness for Him in a concentration camp, I thought. He gave me a quiet peace and I found that it really did not matter whether I left or stayed, as long as I was in His will. I was fully prepared to accept the thought that I had seen my home for the last time. > Three weeks passed. Then, to my surprise, the United States consul called ’ me in, and I found myself waiting with about forty other Amer icans. We were asked to sign a paper stating that we would take nothing out of the country with us, and then thirteen were chosen from the forty, to be given a place on a special diplo matic train just leaving. I was one of the thirteen. Words cannot express my feelings at that time. Somewhat in a daze, for I had ceased expecting a way out, I boarded the consul’s special train, and in four days, instead of the usual two weeks, we had reached Lisbon. Truly it was a non-stop journey. Traveling second class pullman (I had never traveled that way before), I was filled with thankfulness as the special train sped through Italy, Southern France, Spain, and to Lisbon. Policed all the way, the train stopped only at borders to change police guard.
fTT^HE DARK WATER licked at the bow of the small shjp plowing , .X. along like a huge b l a c k shadow. Overhead, dark clouds ob scured the moon and the cold, distant stars. Dark waters, dark ship, and dark skies. I stood alone on the deck and felt-infinitely small in all that vast space of restless, shadowed water. What was it the Canadian soldier in Jamaica had said to me the day be fore? “You are in good waters,” he had said jokingly. “Only ten ships have been sunk in the last fourteen days!” But I was not afraid. How could I fear when the Lord had said, “ Fear not,” and had led so clearly, this far? I knew; unmistakably, that His best had been mine all along.'Tt was mine now. I thought back over the way He had brought me, marveling that I had been brought all that distance with no mishap, brought through rather than out of terrible experiences—a miracle that only God could do. From even as far back as the days in Poland, my “escape” from Nazi-controlled Europe had been a long-continued, step-by- step procedure, with the Lord’s own gifts of opportunity for service along the way. ; Looking Backward I remembered now that in Hungary In those first confusing days after America’s declaration of war, expect ing concentration camp any moment, I had sought a permit to leave the country. With little difficulty I had secured a visa for Turkey, but when I approached the Bulgarian consul for a permit to cross that country, I was
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permitted to witnesi in person. Stand ing there on that ship in the intense darkness I prayed. I prayed for. the p'eople of Poland,-a nation drenched in its own blood by a reign of terror that probably has no parallel in all history, where the persecution of the Jews has been more brutal than it was in Germany, where churches have been desecrated, church bells melted for guns, and where men, women, and children have been carted out in cattle cars to death or worse. I thought of Hannah ’and Chaim, of Moses, of Joseph and the many others there. And suddenly I was not afraid for them, I knew that, whatever they may have suffered, their future in heaven would be perfect, for they loved Him. I prayed for the people of the vil lages in the Carpathian h ills' in Czechoslovakia and for the trainloads of Jews, locked into box cars—no food, no water—young, old, looking out of barred windows, on their way to con centration camps. To them had been given the gospel as we went among them, giving out literature and speakr ing with them when we could. I prayed, now, that the Word would be brought to their remembrance in convicting power. I remembered the family I had seen being taken away on foot, an expect ant mother, two small children hang ing to her skirts, the father carrying their worldly goods in 'a few bundles, a Hungarian gendarme behind them urging them to go faster. It was just at sunset and* they were silhouetted against the glory of the setting sun. What if they had known Him? Surely, in spite of their circumstances, some of that glory would have bCen re flected in their haunted faces. I thought of the fear I had seen on the faces of all the Jews, fear even of me whom they had known, because I was a foreigner. I remembered one couple I had spoken to. The man knew me and was not afraid, but his wife was terrified and kept wringing her hands and muttering, “Don’t speak, don’t speak,” afraid he would say something incriminating. The Jews of Czechoslovakia had laughed when I tried to speak to them of God. “Yes, we are the chosen people,” they said in bitter, hard tones, “ chosen to suffer.” The majority looked upon their suffering as an un-. fairness on the part Of God. They laughed at the mention of Christ. “Look what His people are doing to us,” they taunted. In their eyes it was Christians who carried on the perse cution. Then I prayed for Hungary and for the three’ workers we had left there, Agnes, a Gentile, Christian, Rose, a Christian Hungarian Jewess, and a Jewish man who owned a little book shop. I prayed especially for Rose, an
Passage to America The Lisbon consul was surprised when we arrived, as could be expected. He -was very cooperative, but there were no ships. Every sailing was full. I remembered, now, my first feeling of disappointment when I thought I had come all that way to remain in Lisbon. Then I realized that the Lord had brought me that far; the rest of the way also was in His hands. Hardly had I prepared myself for a continued stay in Lisbon, when the consul called me to say a- Jewish Re lief Society ship was sailing on Satur day. I called at headquarters and was told they coiild give our party five places, second class, at $575.00 each. Thrilling? Yes. But I did not have $575.00, and they would not permit me to travel third class. I did not know what to say when, to my surprise, the man went' on, “It would be better i f you paid the money in New York.” I was amazed. In all Europe I had found no place where you -did not have to pay everything down in spot cash. This was wonderful. This was the way out. But was it? The mission ary society in New York might not have that much money on hand. I would have to cable before I could give assurance the money would be ready. The agent thought for a moment and then said, “There isn’t time to cable. This is Wednesday; the ship sails Saturday. Two cables, passing two censorships, would take too long. We’ll have our agent in New York col lect later. You come on Friday and get your ticket.” I was left speechless. Surely this was the Lord's doing. I could but ac cept it and go forward. My place on the boat could have been sold several hundreds of times. There were people there who had been waiting for months for a passage home. We had waited but four days! On the Way Home In French Morocco we picked up a number of Jews who had come from concentration camps in occupied coun tries. I rejoiced at a further opportunity to witness to His chosen people. But I found these Jews much more hardened than any I had dealt with before. Con centration camp and their bitter suf ferings had done that. “Why worry?” they said. “Take all the pleasure there is, for tomorrow we may be dead.” “Yes, tomorrow we may be dead,” I thought, as, I stood there on the open deck.. "But what is death if we have Him?” My heart was heavy for them, and I longed to be able to give them the peace I had through the Lord Jesus. But what could I do if they would not listen? I could pray. Yes, and 1 could pray for those in the lands of bloodshed, where I was na longer
U. S. S .,--------------- Ban Francisco, Calif.
“In the absence of an ordained minister, as Chaplain, aboard, I find your magazine, THE XING'S BUSINESS, very helpful in ob taining material for my weekly sermons, which 1 conduct.'' M.------ -- W.---------. Other men In military service are eager to receive THE KING’S BUSI NESS* Will you not Mend it to them? Annual subMcriptionn are accepted at the special rate ot tour tot $3.00. They will be « e n t to individual .names and addreaaes if provided by the donor» or to a waiting list of military camps and reading rooms, AddresMt 55S South Hope Street, I,os Angele*# Calif* ideal convert, so filled with desire for prayer and study of the Word. Once she had beep a spiritualist medium! Now she was a channel for the Lord. I remembered her going from village to village in the Carpathians, handing out Bibles, and tracts, as long as she could get them, in spite of the food problem. For it is not possible to use food tickets outside the village in which they are issued. In one village she found that the persecution had left thirty families out' of 150 and those thirty families lived in daily fear of being carted away to death. They had no rights. Their businesses, their homes, their families might be taken away at any moment, men up to fofty-five, sent’ to labor camps, women and children banished. Little wonder that this Christian Jewess endured all hardships to seek to minister to her own people. Speak ing six different languages, highly educated, she is yet willing to identify herself with her people at any cost. She tried to go along to a concentra tion camp so that she could witness there, but was not permitted. I asked God’s protection over her and the other Christian workers. The ship plowed on*and my heart was at peace. I would have chosen to be back among those in the hard places. But God had led otherwise. The terrors of Poland, the misery of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia would remain a memory forever. I could not forget their claims on me. Surely the criés of bleeding Europe would serve to strengthen the ties of prayer the world over. I prayed that it might be true in my own America and asked God to give me the message that would raise up prayer for the Chris tians in occupied countries, for the Jewish.people in their torment, and for the handful of Christian workers still able'to minister there. Hope lies in prayer.
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Dr. Talbot's Question Box Questions for answer in this department should be sent to the E d i t o r i a l Department, THE KING’S BUSINESS, 558 So. Hope Street, Los Angeles, Calif.
that God is a just God. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). His righteous wrath falls upon the ungodly, and particularly upon the ungodly who reject His grace and mercy. However, we need to re member that God has placed the cross of Christ between every sinning son of Adam and eternal punishment. “The Lord is . . . not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).,God created man with an undying per sonality, and if he does not choose to identify himself with Christ and His atonement, he is eternally lost (Rev. 20:15). QUE:: You said that the chil dren of the Canaanites were de stroyed, as well as their elders, because of the sins of the people. And yet you say that children who die before they reach the age of accountability are not lost. Please explain. The children destroyed along with the elders were physically destroyed. This , does mot mean that they were lost. The fact is that God, in mercy, destroyed the children of the Canaan ites because, under the influence of the wicked people with whom they lived, they would have been under condemnation as they grew to years of accountability. So God’s act was really an act of mercy in letting them die before they had grown up to be evil men and women. QUE.: Who were the Nicolai- tans (Rev. 2 :6 ) ? The word “Nicolaitan” comes from two Greek words which mean the rule pf the people. Who they are the Bible does not tell us specifically. But we believe that the reference applies to the tendency of certain church leaders to lord it over others and dictate to the children of God, virtually assum ing sovereignty that belongs to God alone. It is this spirit that God hates. QUE.;,Do vou think Isaiah 5 :30 and 3 5 :8 refer to the present coastal difnouts and the wide
spread gasoline and rubber ra tioning? The verses read as follows: “And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow; and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof” and “The highways lie waste, the 'wayfaring man ceaseth.” These two passages of Scripture have to .do with the days of the com ing of the Lord. It is perhaps going too far to make them apply to “coastal dimouts and present widespread gaso line and rubber rationing.” It looks a little that way, however, when we read, “Behold darkness and sorrow and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.” A little girl said to me on one of the' nights that Los Angeles was blacked out: “Why do people put the lights out?” The answer was: “Because the Gov ernment says they must. It’s a black out.” “Well, why don’t they turn off the moon?” she asked, “That is God’s light. No one can control it except God.” S To me, the picture in Isaiah has more to do with the solemn thought of what God alone will do in the period of coming judgment than it does with any man-made restrictions that are being experienced today, al though one is suggestive of the other. QUE.: We are taught that “ the Lamb” is Christ, but from Revela tion 2 1 :9 to the end of the chap ter, it seems to me that the pas sages speak of Israel, although still speaking of the Lamb’ s wife. I understand that the Gentiles who are saved during this age are the Bride of Christ. Will you please explain? One of the names of Christ is the Lamb of God. John the Baptist, refer ring to the Lord Jesus, said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The Lamb of God is the One who has provided atonement (1 Pet. 1:19). [ Continued on Page 39]
QUE.: Please e x p l a i n Luke 12:48. I Our Lord holds people accountable for knowledge. One who lives in a land of light, with the Word of God available to him, With faithful min isters and teachers about him, and who then refuses to hear the truth will suffer more stripes than will the one who never has known the things of God. The heathen will be lost be cause .they have not lived up to the light they had’ However, their judg ment will not be the same as that of those individuals who had definite knowledge concerning: salvation, and who spurned that knowledge. In Matthew 11:21-24 and 12:41,42, the Bible plainly speaks of judgment that is heavier uppn those who had the light and rejected it, than it is upon those who did not have the light, even though the latter were morally the more corrupt. QUE: Why does God punish men with eternal death? One might just as well ask „why God punishes men at all. We know
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