Signs of the Times — On Russell's 1914 Prediction (December 15, 1914)

Download: PDF — Signs of the Times — On Russell's 1914 Prediction (December 15, 1914)

Signs of the Times

SURPASSING LOVE REVEALED IN HIS PLAN

When the Note of Discord Came In—An Eternal Plan Was Ready—Angels Had Seen No Escape He So Loved that He Gave and Saved

By Mrs. E. G. White

THE law of love is the foundation of God's government, and the service of love the only service acceptable to heaven. God has granted freedom of will to all, endowed men with capacity to appreciate His character, and therefore with ability to love Him, and to choose His service. So long as created beings worshiped God, they were in harmony throughout the universe. While love to God was supreme, love to others abounded. As there was no transgression of the law, which is the transcript of God's character, no note of discord jarred the celestial harmonies.

"KEPT IN SILENCE FROM TIMES ETERNAL"

But known unto God are all His works, and from eternal ages the covenant of grace (unmerited favor) existed in the

mind of God. It is called the everlasting covenant; for the plan of salvation was not conceived after the fall of man, but it was that which was "kept in silence through times eternal, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations unto obedience of faith." Rom. 16:25, 26, A.R.V.

REDEMPTION NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT

The purpose and plan of grace existed from all eternity. Before the foundation of the world it was according to the determinate counsel of God that man should be created and endowed with power to do the divine will. The fall of man, with all its consequences, was not hidden from the Omnipotent. Redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam, but an eternal purpose, suffered to be wrought out for the blessing not only of this atom of a world, but for the good of all the worlds that God had created.

Before Him who rules in the heavens, the mysteries of the past and the future are alike outspread; and God sees, beyond the wo and darkness and ruin that sin has wrought, the outworking of His purpose of love and blessing. Though clouds and darkness are round about Him, yet righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.

MADE KNOWN IN HIS LOVE

Through creation and redemption, through nature and through Christ, the glories of the divine character are revealed. By the marvelous display of His love in giving "His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life," the character of God is revealed to the intelligences of the universe. Through Christ our heavenly Father is made known as the God.of love.

HEAVEN IN SADNESS THE ANGELS PERPLEXED

When man sinned, all heaven was filled with sorrow; for through yielding to temptation, man became the enemy of God, a partaker of the satanic nature. The image of God in which he had been created was marred and distorted. The character

of man was out of harmony with the character of God; for through sin man became carnal, and the carnal heart is enmity against God, is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

To the angels there seemed to be no way of escape for the transgressor. They ceased their songs of praise, and throughout the heavenly courts there was mourning for the ruin sin had wrought. Out of harmony with the nature of God, unyielding to the claims of His law, naught but destruction was before the human race. Since the divine law is as changeless as the character of God, there could be no hope for man unless some way could be devised whereby his transgression might be pardoned, his nature renewed, and his spirit restored to reflect the image of God.

Divine love had conceived such a plan. It was through Satan's misrepresentation of God's character that man was led to doubt the reality of His love, and came to look upon God as his enemy. As Satan had done in heaven, so he did on earth,—declared God's government unjust, the restrictions of His law unnecessary, and bade men, as he had angels, to throw aside the yoke and let the dictates of their own nature be their only guide and law. He promised liberty; but as he himself is the servant of corruption, he brought the race into bondage to sin, misery, and death. He represented God as claiming all, and giving nothing, as requiring men's service for His own glory, but denying Himself nothing for man's good.

HE ALONE COULD SAVE

In the work of creation, Christ was with God. He was one with God, equal with Him, the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person, the representative of the Father. He alone, the Creator of man, could be his Saviour. No angel of heaven could reveal the Father to the sinner, and win him back to allegiance to God. But Christ could manifest the Father's love; for God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself. Christ could be the "day's man" between a holy God and lost humanity, one who could "lay His hand upon us both."

None but Christ could redeem man from the curse of the law. He proposed to take upon Himself the guilt and shame of sin,—sin so offensive in the sight of God that it would necessitate separation from His Father. Christ proposed to reach to the depths of man's degradation and wo, and restore the repenting, believing soul to harmony with God. Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, offered Himself as a sacrifice and substitute for the fallen sons of Adam, though in this offering all heaven was involved in infinite sacrifice.

HE SO LOVED THAT HE GAVE

But the Father so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that through His smitten heart a channel might (Continued on page 9) A PROTESTANT REPUBLIC AS SEEN BY THE PROPHET

The Ecclesiastical Beast Loses Its Power to Oppress — Freedom Given the World as the Result—A Great Liberty-Loving Protestant Republic Arises—It Finally Degenerates, Speaks with the Dragon Voice, and Becomes a Persecutor

By ROSS C. PORTER

This is the first of two articles in which Elder Porter will present some of the prophecies showing that religious tyranny and despotism are again to arise. In the article this week, he deals especially with the prophecy. Next week he will give more attention to events that are tending in the direction of the usurpation of political power by the churches. EDITOR.

" AND I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Rev. 13:11.

This text follows the statement that the beast, the papacy, which had been leading into captivity and killing with the sword, must itself be led into captivity and killed with the sword. It was in 1798 A.D. that the papacy was led into captivity, as the result of the Reformation and of the pope's being carried from Rome a captive into France, where the next year he died in exile. He who had been killing with the sword, saw his power broken with the sword. The chronology of the rise of the power here mentioned is definite, as it is to be seen coming up at the time when the temporal supremacy of the papacy was broken by the sword.

THE WAY PREPARED FOR PROTESTANT REPUBLICS

Long before this time, the way had been prepared in the world for the rise of Protestant republics. The great Protestant Reformation in Europe had reached its zenith in the sixteenth century, during which the national churches of Britain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland became separated from the Church of Rome. Also in Hungary and France large portions of the population were separated from the Catholic faith.

The causes leading to the Reformation were various. The most prominent were the corruption of the Church of Rome, and its apostasy from the word of God. Under these conditions, Wyclif in England, Huss and Jerome of Prague, arose early in the fifteenth century, with a decided protest against the misdoings of the papacy. In 1415, Huss, under promise of safe conduct, was betrayed and burned by the papacy. Thus Bohemia kindled afresh the fires of the Reformation. Soon after this, Reuchlin arose in Germany, and Erasmus in Holland, and gave a strong impetus to the spirit of reformation that was awaking in all parts of Europe.

In 1517, aroused by the sale of indulgences by Tetzel, a Dominican friar, Luther, who

had but recently, by the Catholic Church, been created a doctor in the Holy Scriptures at the University of Wittenberg, seeing the evil influences of the system of indulgences upon his own flock, decided to raise his voice against it. "God willing," he said, "I will beat a hole in his drum."

He began the Reformation in Germany by posting his famous ninety-five theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg. Following this, the pope issued a bull against him, which Luther burned at one of the gates of Wittenberg, on December 18, 1520. Summoned to Worms, he was urged to retract. His reply was: "I neither can nor dare retract anything unless convinced by reason and Scripture. My conscience is captive to God's word, and it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. There I take my stand. I can do no otherwise. So help me, God. Amen."

He was not to be intimidated. He had staked his life on the success of the Reformation movement; and under the hand of God, the mighty power of the great Catholic apostasy was shaken to its foundations. Melanchthon came to the support of Luther, with his mild but mighty arguments in support of Protestant principles. Frederick, elector of Saxony, foreseeing the danger that confronted Luther, captured him on his route homeward from the diet of Spires in 1526, and confined him in the Wartburg for safety until the fury of the raging storm had passed. Under the indefatigable labors of Zwingli and his associates the supremacy of the papacy was abolished in Switzerland by a civil council held at Bern in 1528. In Poland, Holland, and other countries, the same work was rapidly gaining solid footing.

WILLIAM OF ORANGE AND THE DUTCH REPUBLIC

The work of the Reformation found no more stanch and fearless support in any land than that given by the dauntless William, prince of Orange, which resulted, in the sixteenth century, in the change of the seven provinces of the Netherlands into the Dutch republic.

Hamilton in Scotland began to carry forward the movement, but his death in 1528 cut short this work. John Knox then became the leading spirit of the Reformation in Scotland. Cranmer and Latimer in England kept up the fires of the Reformation in that great empire. In France, Poland, and the Scandinavian countries, the spirit of the Reformation spread with the same earnestness

that was seen in other countries. Europe was ablaze with the desire for civil and religious freedom, that came with the Reformation movement. The rupture between the pope and Henry VIII of England over his obtaining a divorce from his queen, augmented the forces that were soon to fulfil the prophetic forecasts of the captivity of the gigantic persecuting power which for centuries had led others into captivity.

THE REFORMATION ESTABLISHED IN THE NEW WORLD

Another event was likewise taking place in the New World, that was to play a great part in the development of civil and religious liberty. In 1620 the Mayflower landed the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. Different reformed churches were established. Unfortunately they fell to persecuting those who differed from them in creed. Baptists and Quakers were the special objects of persecution. They were whipped through the streets at the tails of carts, banished beyond the bounds of civilization, and otherwise ill treated.

In the midst of these scenes in the American colonies, the question of taxation without representation became a subject of dispute. The break finally came when, under these grievances, on July 4, 1776, the declaration of American independence was signed by the representatives of the thirteen colonies. The war of the Revolution followed, but that was regarded by the colonies as a war of defense of their rights. In 1787 the United States constitution was framed. In 1789 it was ratified. Hence in 1798, when the papacy went into captivity, the United States government was just nine years old as a nation. At this point it is introduced into the prophecy. "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon." Rev. 13:10, 11. Just as the beast, the papacy was led into captivity, and its supreme broken by the sword of Europe, the pope was carried an exile from Rome into France. Then there was seen another beast "coming up."

There was at that time no other nation rising but the American republic. The United States government was then in its infancy, and its history must determine whether it fulfils the specifications of the prophetic symbol of the two-horned beast, which was to be seen arising when the papal beast went into captivity.

ANOTHER BEAST SEEN COMING UP

The two-horned beast was to be "another beast." Rev. 13:11. The United States government was strictly a nation separate from the papacy. In 1798 it was to be seen "coming up." The United States was at that time just arising among the nations of earth as an independent government. Its wonderfully rapid growth fulfils all that is indicated in the expression "coming up." Beginning its national history in 1778, the United States quickly became the most progressive country of the world.

It began its national career with 3,000,000 people. It now has 100,000,000. The wealth of the country in 1850 in round numbers was 7,000,000,000, in 1890 it was 65,000,000,-

(Continued on page 8) Will the World End in 1914?

A Prediction Without Any Warrant from Scripture Pastor Russell Will Be Found Mistaken Begins to Fear It Himself, and Seeks to Explain

By JEAN VUILLEUMIER

FOUR-PAGE periodical, which is volume 2. No. 1, of the Bible Student's Monthly, published by the "International Bible Association," Brooklyn, New York, is circulated everywhere. On its first page is a sermon preached recently by pastor C. T. Russell, the well-known religious writer and lecturer, who for the last thirty years or more has been very active and successful, with his colaborers, in circulating books, papers, and pamphlets about the "dawn of the millennium."

CLAIMS CHRIST RETURNED IN 1874

Russell's leading work is entitled "Studies in the Scriptures." It comprises six bound volumes, and was copyrighted in 1889. In the claim is made that Christ reit the claim is made that Christ returned to this earth in 1874, and that forty years from that date that is, in 1914-"the kingdom of God will obtain full, universal control . . . in the earth. . . on the ruins of present institutions."

Let me quote his words more fully in reference to the first date: "The next chapter will present Bible evidence that 1874 A.D. was the exact date of the beginning of the 'times of restitution,' and hence of our Lord's return." (Volume 2, page 170.) "The antitypical thousand years of restitution of all things commenced October, A.D. 1874. (Page 181.) See also pages 187, 39, 40.

And now on the second date: "In this chapter, we present the Bible evidence proving that the full end of the times of the Gentiles, that is, t'e full end of their lease of domin- will be reached in A. D. 1914; and that that date will be the farthest limit of the rule of imperfect men. At that date, the kingdom of God will obtain full, universal control. It will then be 'set up,' or firmly established, in the earth, on the ruins of present institutions. He whose right it is to take the dominion will then be present as earth's new Ruler. From that time forward, Jerusalem will no longer be trodden down of the Gentiles. Before that date, God's kingdom, organized in power,

Such is Mr. Russell's unequivocal prediction.

Let not the point be misunderstood or evaded. The Bible teaches, and many Christians believe, that there is to be an "end of this world," or age; that this earth will be shaken by an awful earthquake, which will lay all its cities in ruins, and that our Lord will then appear in power and glory to call forth the dead from their graves.

kings, presidents of republics, sultans, viceroys, governors, senators, etc.

Mr. Russell leaves out the geological and cosmic disturbances, and the "glorious appearing," and reduces them to political changes, including also a gradual betterment in physical conditions. But the end of the age, as he understands it, must appear right away. This overwhelming political revolution, he

SAID ALL KINGDOMS WOULD BE OVERTHROWN IN 1914

will be in the earth and then smite and crush the Gentile image (Dan. 2:34)and fully consume the power of these kings. The Bible evidence is clear and strong that the 'times of the Gentiles' is a period of 2,520 years, from the year B.C.606 to and including A.D.1914." (Pages 76-79.)

If words mean anything, the above sentences plainly and emphatically state that by the end of 1914, at the latest by January 1, 1915, all the governments of this world will be abolished that empires, kingdoms, republics, dominions, colonies, protectorates, duchies, principalities, clans, and tribes, in Europe or in America, in Asia or in Africa, would all come to an end, to a "full end"; would be "ruined, smitten, crushed, and consumed." At that time—that is, on January 1, 1915—"earth's new Ruler," Jesus Christ, "will obtain full, universal control" of this world, and assume the duties now devolving on all emperors,

tells us, will take place within a few weeks from now. We are therefore well prepared to test the truthfulness of his prediction. A few more weeks will either vindicate or explode the bold assumption of the founder of Millennial-Dawnism. If this worldwide political transformation takes place within the next sixteen days, there will certainly be some reason for paying attention to Mr. Russell's teachings and interpretations, and for believing that our Lord Jesus Christ did come to this earth in 1874, and has been here ever since.

But lo, Mr. Russell has come to doubt the correctness of the wonderful prophecy he has been palming off on the world during the past thirty years. Likely enough this doubt has been growing to formidable proportions in his mind for the last few years or months. The only honorable thing for him would be to admit and confess his error. But he does not. He begins by disclaiming his own prediction, and fastening it on some one else. The sermon above mentioned is entitled: "End of the World in 1914 Not the View of Pastor Russell." This view, he says, has been "recently" uttered by a "Canadian minister." Then he jumps on some side issues, and finally, coming back to the crucial point, says composedly:

"We are looking very interestedly

RUSSELL HIMSELF IN DOUBT

[well he may] to see what the present year may bring forth. If this great change from the dominion of Satan to the rule of Christ shall begin to manifest itself this very year, 1914, it will be a cause for rejoicing to all. If we have the correct date and chronology, Gentile times will end this year 1914. What of it? We do not surely know. Our expectation is that the active rule of Messiah will begin. Our expectation [not that "Canadian minister's"] true or false, is that there will be . . . the breaking up of many institutions of the present time, if not all."

CLEVERLY CHANGES FRONT

Witness how cleverly Mr. Russell, after half admitting what he has flatly denied in his title, changes his positions and statements in order to bridge himself over the chasm of his error. What was to take place in 1914 as the "farthest limit." "may

(Continued on page 9) WILL IT BE

PEACE OR ARMAGEDDON?

A Prophecy of Peace and Also a Prophecy of War—One Is What God Says—The Other What God Foretells the People Will Say—Both in Striking Fulfilment of the Divine Book

By W. H. ADDIS

GEN. RADKO DIMITRIEFF RUSSIAN ARMY

Boston Photo News Co.

IN view of the fact that the universal peace movement to which so much discussion is given at the present time is claimed to be a fulfilment of prophecy, it is interesting to compare the scriptures that speak of the movements for peace, with those that speak of the last great war, which terminates with the battle of Armageddon. What is before us? Whither are we drifting? Two distinct lines of prophecy foretell these two distinct movements. One records the sayings and actions of men and nations in their efforts to establish universal peace, and the other reveals the real outcome of the situation. We will consider the latter.

COMES SUDDENLY, AS A THIEF

"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." 1 Thess. 5:2,3.

"PREPARE WAR"

"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about. . . . Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe." Joel 3: 9-13. The harvest is the end of the world. See Matt. 13:39. The valley of Jehoshaphat is the valley that lies to the west of the Dead Sea, and south of Jerusalem.

This scripture foretells a gathering of all the armies of earth, near Jerusalem. Is this gathering of God? What is the prize that lures all nations to the fatal spot? What is

the reason that they should gather to this particular place? These are questions that fill the mind of every student of prophecy.

SPIRITS OF DEVILS

The battle of Armageddon takes place under the sixth of the seven last plagues. "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared." Rev. 16:12.

Water is a symbol of peoples, nations, and tongues. See Rev. 17:15. The great river Euphrates drains the territory occupied by the Ottoman empire. This nation is to be dried up, that the kings of the east may march their armies through its territory. The kings of the east are the nations of Japan, China, and India.

"And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. And He gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Rev. 16:13-16.

Before the end, the world is to witness a mighty display of satanic power. Christ, speaking of this, said: "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Matt. 24:24.. And Paul, in 2 Cor. 11:14, adds, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

WHY ARMAGEDDON?

Why should the devils gather the nations to this particular location? And what will

be the almost overmastering deception that will be employed? Paul tells us that at the time they cry Peace, sudden destruction comes. 1 Thess. 5:3. A careful consideration of the world peace plan reveals the germ of Armageddon, the great war, in embryo.

THE PEACE PROPHECIES

The favorite scriptures of the peace advocates are Isaiah 2 and Micah 4. The latter reads: "But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Micah 4:1-3.

This is the much talked of prophecy of universal peace. It simply tells us that in the last days many nations will receive a lesson in the horrors of war, that will make them cry, "We will not learn war any more."

Mountains are a symbol of governments in the Scripture. See Jer. 51:1, 2, 11, 25. This is a prophecy that in order to establish peace, the nations will exalt the government of the Lord's house, or the church, above the governments that have proved failures, and thus establish a reign of righteousness by religio-civil decree.

THE GERM OF ARMAGEDDON

Incidental to this movement will be the cry: "The law shall go forth from Zion. We must take Jerusalem for Christ."

The Turk must come to his end. This present conflict will leave the Eastern question still unsettled. The Turk may be driven from Europe, but will take up his seat government "between the seas in the glorious holy mountain" (Dan. 11:44, 45), which is Jerusalem. See Dan. 9:16. The cry of Christendom will be, "Jerusalem for Christ, and then we will have peace." In olden time, the Lord promised Israel that if the people of Jerusalem would keep the Sabbath, their city should remain forever. Jer. 17:20-27. Religious zealots will reason that if they capture Jerusalem from the Turk, and set up an international court, and enforce an international Sunday law, they will be able to maintain righteousness by civil decree.

Marvelous will be the display of satanic zeal. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven. Satan will appear in person to the rulers of the nations, and personate Christ, assuring them that theirs will be the favored government that will rule the world. Then the gathering will commence.

The great pagan hordes of the kings of the east, represented by the dragon, will start their long march to destruction.

The second division of earth's armies, those that bow the knee to the papal beast, gather from the great Catholic nations.

The false prophet is the power that will deceive the world with the message of peace. This is graphically portrayed in Ezekiel 13. Fallen and apostate Protestantism, making an image to the beast, will lead the world to Armageddon. Concerning the message of the false prophet, the Lord says: "Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God. And Mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies. Because, even because they have seduced My people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace." Eze. 13:8-10. "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." Isa. 57:21.

Obeying the command of Satan, the proudest of earth's armies will gather to battle for the supremacy of the world. As they besiege Jerusalem, it is then that the waters of the great river Euphrates will be dried up. The armies of the dragon (paganism), the beast (Catholicism), and the false prophet (apostate Protestantism) will unite to wipe out the common enemy that holds Jerusalem. The Ottoman empire will become the spoil of her enemies. Concerning this, we read in the prophecy of Zechariah: "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken." Zech. 14:1, 2.

It is then that Jerusalem will become a burdensome stone to all people, with the combined armies of Christendom facing one another. Then the question arises, Who shall take the spoil?

"And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day." Amos 8:9.

It is at noon that a strange, unnatural darkness will cover the earth, and the armies will tremble as a man that must quaff a poisonous cup.

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of

near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust." Zeph. 1:14-17.

GOD'S MESSAGE TO THE NATIONS

Isa. 34:1-4: "Come near, ye nations, to hear; and harken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies: He hath utterly destroyed them, He hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses. . . . And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll."

"For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand." Rev. 6:17.

THE GREAT CLIMAX

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.

"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven. Come and gather yourselves together unto

trembling [margin, "a cup of slumber, or poison"] unto all the people round about. . . And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. In that day, saith the Lord, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his rider with madness." Zech. 12:2-4.

CANADIAN ARMORED CARS SENT TO THE BATTLE FRONT IN EUROPE

© Underwood & Underwood

"The great day of the Lord is near, it is

the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army.

"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that had worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." Rev. 19:11-21.

OUR REFUGE

"Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought His judgment [kept His commandments]; seek righteousness seek meekness: it

Boston Photo News Co.

SERVIAN SOLDIER ON GUARD DUTY

may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Zeph. 2:1-3.

Impressions

IMPRESSIONS come through different agencies, some from God and some from the devil. The only sure way is to test them. Our feelings are no test, neither is the imagination. The "toss-penny" arrangement is no test, for that is nothing but "religious gambling."

When one is impressed very strongly to do a certain thing or to take a certain course, the only safe thing to do is to wait and pray over it, and thus give God's Spirit time to direct the mind to some Scriptural thought which may open the way and solve the difficulty.

The Bible rule is, "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20.

Any impression which is not in harmony with the teaching of the Bible, we may know is from beneath.

ELIZA H. MORTON.

"Out of the Mouth of Babes"

AT Nancy a man told Colporteur Riner that he did not believe in God, because he could not see Him. Thereupon a little girl who was listening said in a modest way, "When you put a piece of sugar in a glass of water, you can see it; but when it is melted, you see it no longer." "No," said the other, "but I taste it." "Just so with God," said the girl. "We don't see Him, but we taste Him. He acts in the world as the piece of sugar in the water. You ought not to believe in the piece of sugar when you can not see it." The unbeliever grew so confused that he walked away. — Bible Society Gleanings.

The Supreme Climax of Christ's Work on Earth

To Be Crowned King Before His Father's Throne—The Event Marks the End of All Gospel Work—Christ's Coming Will Follow Shortly After—Are there Events on Earth to Indicate When the Crisis Is Reached?

MANY are impressed that some great and important event is about to take place. This is true. That event is the end of this world's career of sin. A burning question is, May we know when that period is about to begin which is spoken of in the Bible as the time when Christ receives His kingdom? With what event does it begin? While the Bible points out the event at its beginning, the exact time is nowhere given.

IN HEAVEN, NOT ON EARTH

The great event that begins the reign of Christ as King takes place in heaven. It is the event that was uppermost in the minds of His followers during the ministry of Jesus; namely, His entering upon His reign as King. On several occasions, the disciples were ready to crown Jesus king; but He would not permit them to do so. He knew it was not the purpose of His Father that He should enter His kingdom at His first advent. To Pilate's question, "Art Thou the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world." But He puzzled Pilate, as well as His followers, by adding, "My kingdom is not of this world," in the sense of His ruling as king over any nation in their present sinful state.

THIS TIME A SECRET OF THE FATHER

While Jesus was born to be King, He abides His Father's time. He told His disciples, before leaving them, that the time when He should take the kingdom, the Father kept in His own power. Acts 1:4-7. They did not know then that the entering

upon His reign as King meant the end of all earthly kingdoms as such. But this is the truth. The time when the reign of Christ begins is when He goes to His Father in heaven to receive of Him the earthly kingdom—the rule of the whole earth. Shortly following this coronation ceremony is the visible coming of the Son of God to this earth as King in power and great glory to get His subjects.

When Christ goes to the Father to receive His kingdom, He will have ceased His ministry as Priest. This brings the end of the gospel on earth. This is identical with the closing of the ark's door in Noah's day. The door of mercy for sinners, the opportunity for sinners to find life, will then cease forever.

By T. E. BOWEN

That time comes at last to all on earth suddenly, as a thief in the night. Of that day and hour knows no man. Not even Jesus Himself, nor the angels in heaven, nor God's people on earth, know the time until it is announced by the Father, and the events to take place in connection with it begin to come to pass. This occurs, however, some time prior to Christ's personal advent to

this earth to get His people the subjects of His kingdom.

JESUS RECEIVING THE KINGDOM

"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds [angels] of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they [the angels] brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Dan. 7:9-14.

As Jesus leaves His mediatorial work as Priest, nothing stays the pouring out of the vials containing the wrath of God, placed in the hands of the seven angels commissioned to pour them out "into the earth." Neither is there anything to hold the winds of war and strife, that they should not blow upon the earth.

EVENTS ON EARTH

The questions arise at once: May we know, by events on earth, when this important one in heaven is about to take place? Is there any clue by which we may know the time is about reached for Jesus to be summoned by His Father to come before Him to receive His kingdom?

For more than fifty years, Seventh-day Adventists have proclaimed to the world that there was one event to take place among nations that would be the last to occur, as

Boston Photo News Co.

A VETERAN TURKISH CAVALRYMAN OF THE BALKAN CAMPAIGNS ON HIS WAY TO JOIN HIS TROOP

recorded in the word of God, before Christ should take His kingdom. They have held that from the information given the prophet Daniel twenty-five hundred years ago by the angel Gabriel, that one event yet unfulfilled was bound up in the government now known as the Ottoman empire, or more familiarly spoken of as Turkey. Not that this nation was or is the most important of nations —

not that! The solution seems to be found rather in that this nation, at the time of the end, should occupy territory counted as strategic, and that because of this, God foretells us what some of its last movements would be. When these should take place, then we might know that the next great and important event would be Christ's standing up in heaven to receive the kingdom given Him by His Father.

AN IMPORTANT EVENT FORETOLD

We shall not go into the technical points leading up to the text giving us this light, but will simply state that the eleventh chapter of Daniel records the principal events among nations from the opening of the Persian kingdom, followed by Babylon, where Daniel was then standing, on down to the close of human history, or the end of all nations as such.

And further, we understand that this entire chapter has been transferred to the pages of history, except the last verse, which reads: "And he [Turkey, occupying territory north of Palestine, and hence designated as the king of the north] shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him." The next clause, verse 1, chapter 12, adds, "And at that time shall Michael [Christ] stand up."

The palace of Turkey is now at Constantinople. The expression "between the seas in the glorious holy mountain" is understood to mean Jerusalem so long held by the Jews as God's sacred and glorious dwelling-place. Therefore we understand

the seat of the Turkish gov ment is forced from Europe, either immediately or at some later time, Jerusalem will be chosen as the seat of this gov ernment; and that the next event

although it should be emphasized that no one knows, even then, how long afterward the next event will be this very important one of which we have been speaking Jesus' receiving in heaven His kingdom, as presented to Him by His Father.

THE WORLD'S OUTLOOK

Do events point in this direction? Are there indications that the Turk's power is waning in Europe, and that he will be forced to remove his seat of government elsewhere? Every

one who has given it any thought, knows that this is so. Russia for years has sought an outlet from the Black Sea through the Dardanelles. England has opposed this until this late war. Now England and Russia are allied in opposing Germany. Turkey has entered into the war arena, backed by the foe of Russia and of England. What the outcome may be, no one knows; but here is a significant statement, taken from the Washington Star, under date of November 4, 1914: "Emperor Nicholas, of Russia, has left for the front, after issuing a manifesto, in which he says that Turkey's action [of bombarding Russia's Black Sea ports] opens the way for Russia to accomplish her historic mission on the Black Sea."

This refers to instruction of Peter the Great many years ago, that Russia must secure this warm water outlet.

Why has Turkey remained so long in Europe, especially when even two years ago, during the Balkan war, the war slogan was that the Turk must go? Evidently God has had a hand in it. Apparently now the entire situation is changed; and with England bombarding Turkish forts, the prospects are that this waning power will not be able long to hold its strategic position in Constantinople, unless Germany should in some manner enable Turkey to do so a while longer. At all events, this is the last recorded change given us in the Book of God, to occur among nations before Christ takes His kingdom. Coincident with Jesus' receiving the kingdom on high, many events press in for fulfilment on earth; but in this one event God gives His believing people a token by which they may know that the end is at hand.

The prophet foretold when Babylon should pass away and the kingdom be transferred to the Medes and Persians. Many years before this happened, the Lord named Cyrus, and pointed out that the river gates to that proud city would be left open in the siege that would seal Babylon's doom. Literally that was fulfilled.

KINGDOM TRANSFERS

Again, Jesus very definitely indicated by a token to His disciples the time when Jerusalem, their beloved city, should be destroyed. Forty years later, that literally came to pass.

Among many other very striking conditions that would prevail at the time of the end, when all earthly kingdoms were about to be transferred to Jesus, one event is angled out by the angel Gabriel to Daniel as a token by which we may know that this most important event is very near — so near that the Word puts it, "at that time."

JESUS' EXHORTATION TO HIS PEOPLE DOWN AT THE END

Looking down to this very hour in which we now live, Jesus said: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only. . . Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come [from His ministry as Priest to receive of the Father His kingdom]. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Matt. 24:36, 42-44.

"I HAVE blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee."

"He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT THE LAND

This Soul-Encouraging Proclamation Is from Above The Decree Will Finally Be Universally Enjoyed

By C. S. LONGACRE Editor of "Liberty Magazine"

GOD is the Author of liberty. His enemies introduced bondage and oppression into the universe. Christ came into this world to set all men free, and to proclaim liberty to the captives.

It was His original plan that all His creatures should remain free from the taint of sin and the pangs of bondage. He created every being a free agent, and perfect in form and attributes; but having the power to choose good or evil, some, in the course of time, frustrated God's purpose concerning their welfare.

After sin and bondage were introduced into this world, a voice from heaven was the first to speak hope and a promise of deliverance. When

the inhabitants of this earth were oppressing one another everywhere, the Lord stood up for them, and sent the following message to Moses in Mount Sinai: "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." Lev. 25:10.

WAITED LONG TO REALIZE IT

The world waited in chains of cruel oppression to earthly sovereigns for 3,268 years after this wonderful proclamation was made from heaven, before there was a legislative body that had the moral courage and Christian charity to affirm this same truth of universal freedom, and make it a possibility in civil government.

Individual liberty in civil government is of divine origin. God was the sole Ruler of all His creatures in the beginning. By virtue of being the Creator of all, He was entitled to sovereignty over all. There was a time when God had no rival rulers. He was the supreme and only Ruler of the universe. His only-begotten Son, by virtue of His position as Son, as well as agent of the redemption of the portion of His Father's creation that sinned, is to become a joint Ruler of the universe.

"THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD"

God made this world a principality, and gave Adam dominion over all of it in the beginning. But Adam, by sinning, delivered it over to Satan, and thus Satan became "the prince of this world." John 14:30. All the inhabitants of this world became the captives of Satan at his will. 2 Tim. 2:26. "Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?" asked the prophet. The Lord answered His servant: "Thus saith

the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children." Isa. 49:24, 25.

From this we may learn, upon the authority of God's word, that God rules in the affairs of this world, and "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." Eph. 1:11. Some day we shall all know "that the heavens do rule," and that the will of God will "be done in earth, as it is in heaven." God's original purpose will be fulfilled, and

all who have been subjected in hope "shall be delivered from the bondage

of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Rom. 8:21.

GOD IS AT THE HELM

While this world is drifting, like a vessel among dangerous rocks, through "the rapids," yet God is at the helm. No human agencies or devices can save this world of sin from utter wreck and ruin ultimately, but God can and will turn repentant man's hopeless condition and failure

into a glorious triumph. We are not left in darkness as to the outcome of the conflict between truth and error, between right and wrong, between liberty and bondage, between Christ and Satan; for God will triumph over every foe. All who accept Christ will triumph with God and His truth. "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." John 8:36.

Eternal Torment

JOHN 3:16: "Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Does "perish" mean, to live in torment?

According to what God says in this verse, we can not receive any other wage for sin than death. Rom. 6:23. And "death" does not mean life, temporal or eternal.

If "death" means life, then "life" means death. What, then, is the difference between the rewards of the just and those of the unjust, when God promises life to one and death to the other?

Surely God means what He says, and will give life eternal to the righteous, and death eternal to the wicked. Jude 6, 7.

M. A. H.

A Protestant Republic as Seen by the Prophet

(Continued from page 2)

000, and a report in 1909 shows that the national wealth has grown to the enormous sum of 107,500,000,000. The same report shows the annual wealth production of farms to be 7,412,000,000. That was more than the entire wealth of the country half a century before.

Surely the United States government fulfils the specifications of the new government that was seen in 1798 "coming up." It was not only described as "coming up," but as "coming up out of the earth." The beast representing the papacy was seen coming up out of the sea. Rev. 13:1.

COMES FROM UNOCCUPIED TERRITORY

In Rev. 17:15 the symbol of water is explained to represent "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." In contrast to this, the nation symbolized by the two-horned beast is to come up out of the earth. That would suggest a previously unoccupied territory. The United States arose in territory not previously occupied by civilized nations. J. P. Thompson, LL. D., in a speech at the "Continental Dinner," Westminster Palace Hotel, London, on July 4, 1876, said: "I am sick of that type of history that teaches our youth that the Alexanders and Cæsars, the Fredericks and Napoleons, are the great men who have made the world. It is with a sense of relief and refreshment that I turn to a nation whose birthday commemorates a great moral idea, a principle of ethics applied to political society — that government represents the whole people, for the equal good of all. No tide of battle marks this day; but itself marks the high-water line of heaving, surging humanity."—"United States as a Nation," pages 13, 14.

G. A. Townsend speaks of the United States as follows: "The mystery of her coming forth from vacancy." "Like a silent seed we grew into empire."—"The New World Compared with the Old," pages 462, 635.

AN EMPIRE EMERGING IN SILENCE

A writer in the Dublin Nation spoke of the United States as a wonderful empire which was "emerging," and "amid the silence of the earth daily adding to its power and pride."

Thus the world has recognized the struggle which the United States government had at its birth, as being a struggle for the maintenance of the great moral principles involved in the Reformation of the sixteenth century, and not as the result of wars for conquest.

HAD TWO HORNS LIKE A LAMB

Speaking further of the manner of the rise of this power, John says in the Revelation, "He had two horns like a lamb." The goat and the ram of Daniel 8 had horns. In Daniel 7 some of the beasts had horns. The same is true in the symbol representing the papacy in the beginning of Revelation 13. In some of the foregoing symbols, a horn represents civil power; but in the case of the papacy, a horn represents ecclesiastical power. In this symbol, horns evidently represent the two leading principles for which the United States government has always stood—republicanism and Protestantism.

The Hon. J. A. Bingham, speaking of the object of the coming of those who sought

the shores of this New World, said it was to found "what the world had not seen for ages, viz., a church without a pope, and a state without a king." Both the Declaration of Independence and the United States constitution declare openly and unqualifiedly for civil equality and religious freedom. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are specially mentioned among the inalienable rights of man. Of religious freedom, article 1 of amendments of the United States constitution guarantees that Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; while article 6 of the constitution guards against any religious test as a qualification for office in the United States.

ACCOUNTABLE ALONE TO GOD FOR HIS RELIGION

George Washington, the first president of the United States, thus stated his views of

"And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a iamb, and he spake as a dragon."

these principles: "Every man who conducts himself as a good citizen is accountable alone to God for his religious faith, and should be protected in worshiping God according to the dictates of his own conscience."

In 1830 the United States Senate adopted a report refusing to legislate in favor of Sunday observance, on the ground that it would be legislating on a religious subject, and would therefore be unconstitutional.

From that report the following extract is taken: "The framers of the constitution recognized the eternal principle that man's relation to his God is above human legislation, and his right of conscience inalienable," that is, untransferable. A man could transfer certain rights to delegates to act in his stead, as government officials; but his rights of conscience were personal rights, which could not be delegated to another.

IT STOOD FOR TWO GREAT LAMBLIKE PRINCIPLES

It is plain, from these references to the Declaration of Independence, the United States constitution, and the utterances of the leading American statesmen of that time, that it was understood that the United States

government stood for two great principles, civil and religious liberty, or republicanism and Protestantism. In further evidence of this view, there stands the fact that on the reverse side of the great seal of the United States government is stamped in Latin these words: "A new order of things." Equality of rights to all people in civil and religious matters was a new order of things. The world had seen but little of this order of government. In contrast with the beast before it—the papacy—and imperial forms of government in the Old World, it stood as a new order of things. These two fundamental principles, republicanism and Protestantism, were certainly fittingly represented by the mild, lamblike horns of the symbol of Rev. 13:11.

NEITHER AFFIRM NOR DENY RELIGIOUS DOCTRINE

The American principle of civil government is defined by Samuel T. Spear, D. D., in the following manner: "Those who drew the plan of our national government built the system upon the principle that religion and civil government were to be kept entirely distinct; and, for the most part, all the state governments are constructed upon the same theory. The general character of both is that they neither affirm nor deny any doctrine in respect to God, and that they command no duty as a religious duty. They deal with the temporal rights and obligations of citizenship, without any reference to the question whether the citizen is a religionist or not. His religious faith is no part of his citizenship, and no criterion of his rights. It confers upon him no immunities, and imposes no disabilities. It is a matter between himself and his God, and with it the civil authority does not concern itself. He is not forbidden to be an atheist, and commanded to be a Christian. He forfeits no rights by being the one, and gains none by being the other; and as between these two extremes of opinion, the state does not undertake to decide which is the true and which is the false opinion. Such is the great American principle in respect to the sphere of civil government."

DARED TO SET THE EXAMPLE

In harmony with this view is the clause in the treaty with Tripoli, written by a Congregational clergyman, and adopted by men who lived contemporaneously with those who founded the United States government, which states: "The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion."

George Bancroft, in his. "History of the Formation of the Constitution," says: "Vindicating the right of individuality even in religion, and in religion above all, the new nation dared to set the example of accepting in its relations to God the principle first divinely ordained of God in Judea. It left the management of temporal things to the temporal power; but the American constitution, in harmony with the people of the several states, withheld from the federal government the power to invade the home of reason, the citadel of conscience, the sanctuary of the soul; and not from indifference, but that the infinite spirit of eternal truth might move in its freedom and purity and power."

GREAT STATEMENT OF A CLERGYMAN

Judge Welch, of the Supreme Court of the state of Ohio (23 Ohio Reports, Granger, pages 249, 250), says: "When Christianity asks the aid of government beyond mere impartial protection, it disowns itself.

Its essential interests lie beyond the reach and range of human governments. United with government, religion never rises above the merest superstition; united with religion, government never rises above the merest despotism; and all history shows us that the more widely and completely they are separated, the better it is for both."

Thus far the United States government fulfils every specification of the prophecy. It arose at the right time. It came in the right manner. It developed the right principles, and established a new order of things in contrast to the beast—the papacy—before it.

HE SPAKE AS A DRAGON

There is one more characteristic that must still meet its application in the government represented by the two-horned beast. "And he spake as a dragon." The dragon made war with the woman — the church — because she kept the commandments of God, and had the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. 12:17.

This is a returning to the old order of things seen in the beast before him. "And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. . . . And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Rev. 13:12, 16, 17.

Here is plainly depicted a terrible apostasy from the lamblike principles of republicanism and Protestantism, an apostasy that develops a likeness to papal tyranny and oppression against those who are loyal to the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Will the United States ever fall away from her original principles sufficiently to fulfil this prediction? The prophecy forecasts a complete reversal of the order

for which the nation originally stood. Is the United States taking steps in the direction of the fulfilment of this part of the prophecy? To speak as a dragon is to become a persecuting power.

MUST FORMULATE A STATE CREED

What is it to "make an image to the beast"?—First, it is to formulate a creed; secondly, it is to punish by the civil power, as heretics, all who do not conform to that creed. It is to unite church and state. Under the reign of the beast, the papacy, Gibbon says: "And as the emperor ascended from the holy fount still glowing with the warm feelings of regeneration, he dictated a solemn edict, which proclaimed his own faith and prescribed the religion of his subjects. We authorize the followers of this doctrine to assume the title of Catholic Christians: and as we judge that all others are extravagant madmen, we brand them with the infamous name of heretics, and declare that their conventicles shall no longer usurp the respectable appellation of churches. Besides the condemnation of divine justice, they must expect to suffer the severe penalties which our authority, guided by heavenly wisdom, shall think proper to inflict upon them."—Gibbon's Rome, chapter 27.

In the fifth council of Toledo, can. 3, the "holy fathers" say: "We, the holy council, promulgate this sentence pleasing to God.

that whosoever hereafter shall succeed to the kingdom, shall not mount the throne till he hath sworn among others to permit no man to live in his kingdom who is not a Catholic."

FOUNDATION FOR RELIGIOUS DESPOTISM

As early as 1863 there started what was called a national reform movement in America, which, according to article 2 of its constitution, had for its avowed object this reversal of the principles for which the United States government stands. Article 1 reads, "This society shall be called 'The National Reform Association.'" Article 2: "The object of this society shall be to maintain existing Christian features in the American government, and to secure such an amendment to the constitution of the United States as will indicate that this is a Christian nation, and place all the Christian laws, institutions, and usages of our government on an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental law of the land."

…