THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. III. October 1, 1920 No. 19
Table of Contents
OUTLOOK
FROM THE WALLS OF ZION
THREE
CONVENTIONS LONG TO BE REMEMBERED
VIEWPOINT
OF OUR DEAR BRETHREN ACROSS THE SEA
THE
REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
JESUS
BEGINS HIS MINISTRY
WHAT
THE KING REQUIRES
BEREAN
STUDIES IN THE REVELATION
VOL. III. October 15, 1920 No. 20
Table of Contents
HALLOWED
MEMORIES
THE
REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
HEW
DOWN THE CORRUPT TREE
PRINCIPLES
OF CHRISTIAN LIVING
SYNOPSIS
OF SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS
BEREAN
STUDIES IN THE REVELATION
ENCOURAGING
MESSAGES
VOL. III. October 1, 1920 No. 19
OF MORE than usual interest, especially to Bible Students, are' the
developments and the trend of events amongst the civil and ecclesiastical forces of
Christendom, looking favorably in the direction of the Vatican, and toward at least a
temporary rise and increase of the power and influence of the Romish system in the affairs
of the world.
Those of our readers who
are following closely the Revelation Series published in this journal recognize that the
visions of St. John seem to indicate a short period of prosperity on the part of the great
Apocalyptic (Papal) "Beast" which may mean in some measure the restoration of
its power and influence in the affairs of men by
which it might be enabled to speak in connection with "the image of the Beast,"
with considerable authority in the not far distant future, just prior to its final
overthrow and complete destruction. The following, published in the Literary Digest of September 25, will be found of
special interest to many, bearing along this line, under the following caption:
"'DIPLOMATIC VICTORIES' OF THE VATICAN
"Several 'DIPLOMATIC VICTORIES' have recently been won by Rome,
and as France is soon to resume relations with the Vatican, the United States, we read in
the Catholic press, is now the 'only Great Power not -officially represented at the Holy
See.' As Catholic editors note with pride, Germany receives a Papal nuncio; the
Czecho-slovak Republic is represented by a minister; Italian Catholics are now permitted
to take part in political elections, and with England the Vatican 'has secured a far
better understanding than it has enjoyed for centuries.' When the embassy is actually
established at the Vatican, France expects to resume the protection of Catholic interests
in the Far and Near East, we are told, and also to receive recognition of her influence
elsewhere which went unchallenged before the war. But, according to Maurice Colrat, one of
the members, of the French Finance Commission, who is quoted in America (Catholic), no question could be raised in
the negotiations between the Vatican and the Government concerning the internal
legislation of France, and 'the fact that an agreement has been reached does not in any
way imply any modification of the Laws of Separation.' Foreign politics demand the renewal
of diplomatic relations, observes America, 'since
without the Pope many questions relating to the Togoland and the Kamerun, to Syria,
Palestine, and the Sarre Valley can not be properly regulated! And in the preamble to the
bill recently passed by the French Chamber of Deputies asking for a credit to re-establish
a French Embassy at the Vatican it is argued that 'French diplomacy must be present when
questions interesting to France are being discussed. It can not remain any longer absent
from the seat of the spiritual government at which the greater number of states are
careful to be represented.' And at this time
'The putting in force of the peace treaties that are closing the
world-war makes the resumption of relations with the Holy See particularly opportune. . .
. Each alteration of frontiers in central Europe raises religious questions, particularly
in districts where races are mixed and where conflicts of nationalities and tongues are
associated with those of rites and confessions. . . . The new situation created in Syria,
Palestine and Constantinople, and throughout the whole East makes an agreement necessary
as to the part which is dictated to us by our time-honored traditions, and by the sympathy
of populations who are deeply attached to their worship and beliefs and whose political
statutes are often confounded with their religious statutes.
"However, the bill granting the necessary credits for the
embassv was strongly opposed, and protest against it is still .uttered. Asserting in The Continent (Presbyterian) that 'when the
world-war broke out the papacy remained neutral and became the center of various intrigues
and influences,' Victor Monod, a French Protestant pastor, says that the French
Protestants are grieved 'to see the moral leadership of the European world apparently
return to Rome.' The responsibility he puts on other shoulders, and explains:
"'Following the armistice, the spiritual and moral authority of
the United States and of Great Britain in France was unquestionable. It was the great
Protestant Powers who were to direct the moral reconstruction of the European world which
the war had destroyed. The papacy, on the contrary, had aroused the indignation of many
upright minds by its too prudent and too silent neutrality. But for the last eighteen
months the refusal of the United States to join the League of Nations and to assume
international responsibilities, with the independent and somewhat dictatorial policy of
England, has offended many French minds, and so the moral supremacy of the
English-speaking world has become compromised and weakened in France. A great number of
persons, accordingly, have again turned toward the Catholic Church, not so much, perhaps,
on account of religious belief as through the fear of revolution and Bolshevism. It was
noticed that the first meeting of the League of Nations was convened in Catholic Brussels
and not in Protestant Geneva. Numerous and converging signs have marked a return of public
opinion to its pre-war preferences.'
"The Christian Century (Disciples),
in observing these 'victories' of the Vatican, is impressed with the belief that the Pope
is concerning himself with a return to temporal power; and recalls that
"'As against these victories there was recently published a
criticism of the Pope by the King of Spain. The King charges that during the war the Pope
was pro-Ally one day and pro-German the next, and can not be depended upon. All of this
indicates that instead of renouncing her political ambitions, the Catholic Church is using
this time of confusion to strengthen her hand. The temporal power of the popes arose in a
period of chaos and anarchy, and the politicians of the Church have seen the opportunity
of the present hour and made the most of it. In the long run, however, this political
machination of the Catholic Church is destined to alienate popular support. With the
increase of democracy only the intelligent love of the people can save the Church!
"But the Catholic press are eminently satisfied with the outcome
of the negotiations which bring France and the Vatican into harmony again, and see in it a
generally beneficent result for the world. As identical editorials in The Catholic Citizen (Milwaukee), The Catholic Universe (Cleveland), and other
Catholic weeklies put it:
"'There are now twenty-one ambassadors or ministers representing
as many Powers in papal Rome. The Czechoslovak Republic is the latest nation to send its
minister. France even now is represented, more or less informally, by a Charge d'Affaires,
pending the resumption of open diplomatic relations.
"'Nearly one-third- of the nations that thus recognize the
influence of the Vicar of Christ are predominantly non-Catholic, such as Holland, Prussia,
Great. Britain. But these nations possess considerable Catholic populations, and their
rulers recognize that the. interests, .of all nations, and of all peoples, are bound up
with that Church which alone is world-wide and permanent.
"'When-France joins these Powers, only the United States will
lag behind in diplomatic representation at St. Peter's See, which now possesses a larger
diplomatic corps than at any time since 1870, when the temporal power of the papacy ended.
The secular sovereignty of the Pope is now only a chapter-albeit a chapter of tremendous
importance--in the history of the past, but the spiritual force of the Church and of its.
Holy Father reveals itself more and more as one of the most. significant facts of the
present, and among the most hopeful presages of the future. . . . The visible head of the
Catholic Church may no longer be forgotten or ignored by rulers or statesmen, as they
themselves at last begin to realize.' "
The three Conventions previously announced for the month of September
-- Dayton, St. Louis and Providence are in the past, and now there remains sacred and
hallowed memories of three very precious seasons of communion in Christ.
We believe that these gatherings were all, and more, than was
anticipated, especially in the enjoyment of spiritual blessings-in fresh courage and
loving zeal experienced by the brethren; and these results, of course, were what we
specially sought, and were the inspiring motive in our coming together.
Though the cities of Dayton, Ohio, and St. Louis, Mo., are centrally
located, the attendance at neither of these places was so large as that of Providence, R.
I. Perhaps not more than one hundred were present at either Dayton or St. Louis; one
reason, no doubt, being that the Conventions in these two cities were held on the same
dates, that being a more favorable time owing to the national holiday following Sunday,
September 5; also, it was thought best to hold these two Conventions at the same time so
that the brethren journeying from the East at considerable expense could address both
Conventions in connection with the one trip. This arrangement, we feel sure, has worked
out the better results, in that having the two meetings a much larger number of the
brethren have been served.
The two Mid-West Conventions were attended by quite a general
representation of the friends -- some from as far West as Colorado Springs, Colo., and
from the East as far as from Boston, Mass. The heart fellowship in the Lord we know will
long be remembered; all seemed to clearly manifest by their earnest zeal and longing for
spiritual things, that they had come to the Conventions with hearts prepared to both give
to others and receive a blessing from the Lord. The loving thoughtfulness on the part of
the classes of Dayton and St. Louis, in warmly welcoming the brethren, and making all
comfortable, was indeed appreciated.
The Convention at Providence, R. I., September 17-19, was attended by
upwards of three hundred of the friends. These days of rich spiritual joys and communion
in holy things we are sure are held especially sacred, and the. memory of them will ever
be cherished. Here also there is, much to be said in praise of the forethought, love'. and
attention, on the part of the -Providence' class in behalf of the visiting brethren and in
the interests of the Convention. May the Lord reward their work and labor of love! At all
three of these Conventions the sweet peace of the Lord and that fullness of union in
Christ, sustained by the bonds of Love Divine, were very much in evidence.
The general intercourse, fellowship and testimonies of the friends at
all of these gatherings revealed clearly also the fact that ail seemed to realize
increasingly the necessity for great watchfulness, -sobriety, purity of heart, and full
consecration to God, in order to be accounted worthy to stand the severe tests of this
evil day. It was repeatedly remarked by the friends that though our gatherings seemed
small in comparison with Conventions of past years, yet this fact was full of solemn
significance, and there was special satisfaction in realizing that the comparatively small
numbers assembled at these Conventions represented, not the listless, nor those who are
merely superficially interested and who would come largely on, of self -gratification, but
rather they were principally brethren who had passed through fiery tests and trials at
home and who at great cost had taken their stand loyally and courageously on the side of
truth, principle, honesty, and Christian liberty-the side of the Lord. And hence those who
gathered at these Conventions, some of them traveling long distances and at much expense,
inconvenience and self-denial, were prompted out of a deep and holy desire to thus seek
renewed strength from the Lord and to become more thoroughly fortified along those
spiritual lines which would enable them to the better succeed in living the victorious
Christian, life.
We believe it can be very truthfully said that those who addressed
the various Conventions were brethren, sound in the Truth and in pure doctrine, and whose
messages gave evidences of sobriety, moderation, as well as deep spirituality. The
essential truths that have to do with building character and preparing for the Kingdom
were made most prominent; and in view of the strong and invincible proofs of the
truthfulness of our Father's Message and that consolation given in the Divine Word to the
faithful, all were repeatedly admonished to "hold fast to the confidence and the
rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."
An interesting feature in connection with the Providence Convention
was the public meeting held Sunday afternoon at the Providence Opera House; this
auditorium being one of the most desirable in the city. The dear friends of the Providence
class had labored hard, and at cost of much self-sacrifice and inconvenience, to make this
meeting a success by advertising it well. We are sure they must have felt well repaid for
their efforts, as the number attending the public meeting arose to upwards of one thousand
persons. The theme, advertised involved a discussion of the great dispensational changes
at hand, ushering in Messiah's Kingdom. The attention given to the. discourse was indeed
very pleasing and gave evidence that many are investigating and thinking, and longing to
know the meaning of present events and the outcome. Surely there was much in connection
with this meeting to stimulate our interest and zeal in trying to reach the public and to
bear the message to all who have ears to hear. The Providence newspapers deserve our
praise in the courtesy extended to us in the good reports they gave of the Convention and
of the public meeting.
Finally, we return thanks to the Giver of all good gifts, that by His
kind providence, faithful followers of Christ are still permitted to meet in these
-convention gatherings and enjoy that fellowship of kindred minds, so like to that
above--a foretaste indeed of the joys of the Kingdom.
Since the return of our two visiting brethren from Great Britain- a
number of very cheering messages have come from the friends
across the sea, assuring us of renewed confidence, courage and hope in connection
with the recent seasons of fellowship. In these results, of course, we rejoice, and
give thanks to the Giver of all good, realizing in -these manifestations of His
providences over His people we have that which should increase, our confidence in the sure
word of. promise that He is able
and will cause all things to work together for good to those who put their trust in Him.
Believing that all the brethren would enjoy reading these messages, we are appending a
number of them below.
__________
Dear Brothers Hoskins and Streeter:
Greetings in the Name we love!
We are glad of this opportunity of conveying through this letter our
warm love and appreciation for your service on behalf of some of the Lord's people here in
England. Our hearts have been reassured and comforted and our faith stimulated.
We are confident that our Heavenly Father will not be unmindful of
your labor of love. We were especially glad to note that you continually put us in
remembrance of those simple, basic truths of the Gospel, such simple truths which never
fail to gladden the hearts of God's faithful people.
Indeed, we were glad to have you with us. Brother Streeter merely
echoed our own sentiments when he declared he was "glad to be here." We pray
that inasmuch as you remain firm to the principles of God's Word, you may have an
ever-increasing sense of His approval. "Now we commend you to God and to the word of
His grace." He is able to build you up and give you your inheritance among His
people.
Praying His continued favor and blessing upon your ministry, and
thanking Him for every remembrance of you, with much Christian love.
Your Sisters in the One Hope, (Signed
by nine friends.)
__________-
Dear Brethren:
I am enclosing a few more items that have just come to hand since you
left us. For your encouragement, dear brethren, I should like to say that your visit to
England has been a source of much blessing and encouragement to the brethren on this side.
On every hand we have heard nothing but expressions- of appreciation and gratitude to our
Heavenly Father for the blessings received through your ministry during the short time you
were with us. Personally, 1 felt that the whole atmosphere of the Convention and your
later gatherings seemed to carry us back to the spirit of the early Conventions when we
*first received the Truth. As one brother remarked, it was indeed a "revival amongst
the Truth people." For all these blessings we can only thank our Heavenly Father, the
Giver of every good gift to His children.
I trust that both of you will have a safe and prosperous journey back
to the States and that the Lord will still continue to use you and all the other dear
brethren who are endeavoring to hold to the unity of the faith and the one Head, to the
end that His name may be glorified and the dear saints of God comforted and strengthened
to resist the subtleties of the Adversary in these trying days. May grace, mercy and peace
be your portion always.
With much love in the Lord,
Your brother in His service, W. C.-Eng.
___________
Beloved Brethren:
With grateful appreciation of the visit to this country by the dear
Brothers Hoskins and Streeter -- which visit will ever be remembered by us as most
opportune, and most blessed-we feel impelled to send you a short account of the event from
the viewpoint of the British friends, thinking that something ,of the kind might be
appreciated by the dear brethren in America.
The friends here had been enjoying sweet fellowship for three days in
succession before the advent of the brothers from America. The gatherings had been fully
up to expectation in respect to numbers, and everyone felt that the messages were good and
appropriate; the general "atmosphere" recalled memories of past days when our
dear Pastor had been with us.
The two dear brothers arrived in our midst just at the close of a
somewhat protracted business meeting held on Monday afternoon, August 2. They came direct
to us from the boat train, on which they had. traveled over 200 miles, after journeying
nine days upon the ocean.
Quite shortly after their arrival Brother Hoskins addressed the
friends very acceptably, and was followed by Brother Streeter, who spoke to us for a short
while upon the subject given on the Programme--"Peace." The friends Were just
delighted with all, they saw and heard, and it was plainly manifest that the two brethren
had already won the hearts and confidence of their hearers. This was a good augury, and
subsequent events have proved it so.
Universally the friends expressed their gratitude for the
ministrations of our brethren, and many who had sadly felt their isolated condition were
overjoyed by their visit amongst them.
The farewell gathering was held on Tuesday evening, the 17th inst.,
in a very suitable building in the center of London. In this building, some twelve years
before, Brother Russell conducted his first Memorial Service in England, and the occasion
was brought very vividly to the minds of many present. The meeting began at 6:30 p. in.
and continued until 9 p. in., with a break in the middle of three-quarters of an hour for
fellowship and intercourse. About 450 friends were present, and, a short address was given
first by Brother Hoskins and later by Brother Streeter.
It would, of course, be possible to write a much more glowing account
of the visit to this country of our dear brethren, but as nothing is gained by so doing we
prefer to be strictly moderate in our statement.
Realizing the "threshing-floor" experience which the Lord's
"wheat" are passing through at this time, the British friends are grateful to
the Lord for this time of strengthening and encouragement, and their gratitude extends to
those dear ones in America who, at some sacrifice, made the visit of our dear brethren
possible; our hearts go out to all in sympathy and love, and our prayers ascend on their
behalf.
As we look back upon the rugged road of the past few years we feel
deeply thankful to God for His keeping power, and to our precious Lord for His sustaining
grace. It is no small matter in these last days to stand clear of all mental reservations,
of all deviation from principle, and of all violation of conscience. Who amongst us can
hope to abide strictly by the dictates of God's Word except he be free? And who can hope
to stand in His presence except he has clean hands and a pure heart? Any disregard for
these things will surely lead to disap-pointment eventually.
We send our greetings and our tender love to that little flock of
God's people everywhere who love Him first and last.
Your brethren and fellow-servants,
BIBLE STUDENTS COMMITTEE.
SERIES XL
THE DECLINE AND FINAL DOOM OF BABYLON
"After these things 4 saw
Another Angel coming down from Heaven, having great Authority; and the earth was illumined
with his Glory. And he cried with a strong Voice, saying, 'Fallen! fallen! is Babylon the
Great! and is become a Habitation of Demons, and a Haunt of Every impure Spirit, and a
Haunt of Every unclean and hated Bird; because [of the wine] of the Wrath of her
Fornication All the Nations have fallen, and the Kings of the Earth committed fornication
with her, and the Merchants of the Earth were enriched, by the Power of her
Luxuries.'"--Rev. 18:1-3.
THE statement "after these things," we understand to mean,
after St. John saw, and had explained to him by the symbolic angel, the vision recorded in
chapter 17--that of the "Harlot" Woman seated upon the scarlet colored beast,
symbolical of the great mother system. of the apostate Church, the Church of Rome. The two
most prominent phases showing the exercise of its influence upon, and its -relation to,
the governments of Western Europe were described by him. These were, first, that
particular phase of its history during which these governments gave their support to the
Church of Rome and obeyed her persecuting decrees against God's saints; and second, that
later period of its history, beginning at the Reformation of the sixteenth century, more
particularly perhaps since 1799, when these governments turned against her and gradually
stripped her of her power and wealth and influence. The first phase of the- apostate
Church is described in the words, "These [kingdoms] have One Purpose, and they give
their Power and Authority to the Beast," i.e. to its Papal head; the second, by the
words, "And the Ten Horns which thou sawest, and the Beast, these shall hate the
Harlot, and will make her desolate and naked, and. will eat her flesh, and burn Her with
Fire." (Rev. 17:13,16.) This latter, expression is de signed to represent in a
general way the two stages by which the Divine judgments have been in the past, and are in
the near future to be executed against the Romish Church system; the first, which is
largely in the past, that of a gradual consuming process; and the second, which is in the
near future, a quick, sudden, complete destruction. It will be noted by the student of the
prophetic Scriptures that this is precisely the way that these judgments upon Papacy are
described by the Prophet Daniel and by St. Paul. Daniel was informed concerning the
"little horn," another symbol of Papacy as a temporal power, that "the
judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." (Dan. 7:26.) St.
Paul, who refers, to it under another symbol, that of "the Man of Sin,"
describes this same judgment as being accomplished in the same way: "Whom the Lord
shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coining
[presence]." (2 Thes. 2:8.) The consumption process, as we have seen, has already had
a most remarkable fulfillment. just as Pharaoh. and the Egyptian hosts were similarly
wasted by the ten plagues, before being overwhelmed, in the Red Sea, so has it been with
this great enemy to the true people of God. Only those who are familiar with the history
of this power can appreciate how remarkable has been the fulfillment of this consuming
process.
The wealth of the Romish Church system in the zenith of its power was
immeasurable. It not only possessed the wealth of the cities and provinces of the ten
Italian States, but through its monks and nuns held possession of a large share of the
landed territory in all the European kingdoms. The dominion of the Popes was supreme, in
all the Italian States, and they also exercised a subtle and despotic influence over all
the kings of Europe. Their spiritual influence once extended over a large part of the
civilized world-to the king on the throne, as well as the peasant that tilled the soil. In
fact, it was once considered even necessary, in order to secure salvation, to be subject
to the Roman Pontiff. How remarkable has been the change from this condition. The
territorial possessions of the Pope have been lost to him, and the immense landed property
belonging to the different orders of monks and nuns in European countries, have been
largely confiscated by the State. The political power of the Popes, once such a dread
reality in Europe, has departed. The spiritual influence, although great at the present
time, is small compared with past generations.
It is our understanding that in this vision of chapter 18 we have
portrayed the effects of this consumption process, but more especially its final
destruction. The destructive feature described
in this vision, however, seems to refer more especially to the overthrow of its ruling
headship, the great hierarchy itself, whose center is at Rome, rather than to its
supporters over the world.
THE ANGEL'S SOLEMN PROCLAMATION
This vision of chapter 18, portraying this judgment, is introduced to
St. John by another angel, whom he saw come down from heaven, having great authority. The
effect, of the advent of this angel was to illuminate the earth with a halo of light ,
which evidently proceeded from his person. All this, of course , is symbolical. The
angel's descent from heaven, together with his proclamation of the fall of Babylon the
Great, etc., is seemingly, like other uses in the Revelation of this same symbolism, the
representation of a great movement or religious awakening among men. The effulgence
proceeding from his person, illuminating the earth, seems to describe the light of Truth
being proclaimed in organized society, which had the effect to expose the apostate
character of this great "Mother of Harlots." This seems implied in the statement
that Babylon had become a haunt of every impure spirit, and of every unclean and hateful
bird. The symbolism is evidently-taken from the description of ancient Babylon, after its
fall. (Isa. 13:21,22; 14:23.) As ancient Babylon after her overthrow became the abode of
wild beasts, and her abandoned houses were filled with doleful creatures, as owls, satyrs,
etc., so this symbolical Babylon after her fall becomes the habitation of those things
that these in general symbolize or represent. Concerning what these things represent, we
quote as follows:
"How true it is, that the most execrable of society seek and
wear the garb of Christian profession and ceremonialism, in some of the various quarters
(sects) of Babylon. Every impure principle and doctrine, somehow and somewhere, finds
representation in her. And she is a 'cage' which holds securely not only the Lord's meek
and gentle doves, but also many unclean and hateful birds. Of all the defaulters, and
deceivers of men and women, how many are professedly members of Christ's Church! And how
many even use their profession as a cloak under which to forward evil schemes! It is well
known that a majority of even the most brutal criminals executed die in the Roman Catholic
communion. Babylon has contained both the best and the worst, both the cream and the
dregs, of the population of the civilized world. The cream is the small class of truly
consecrated ones, sadly mixed up with the great mass of mere professors and the filthy,
criminal dregs. -- "STUDIES, Vol. 111-162.
After St. John heard the proclamation announcing the fall of this
great Harlot, mother system, Babylon, the symbolic angel announces the reason of her fall,
i.e. her rejection: she had caused all nations to become intoxicated by drinking of the
mixed wine of her false, corrupting doctrines. This seems clearly to teach that her
rejection was, and. final destruction is to be, in
consequence of her propagation of an idolatrous perversion of true Christianity, causing
the nations and the people in general to lose all taste and appreciation for the true and
soul-satisfying water of life. Millions and millions have been ,in the past, and many
still at the present time are, deceived into thinking that Rome's idolatrous rites and
ceremonies constitute the religion instituted by Christ.
The symbolic angel further states that the merchants of the earth had
become enriched by trafficking in her delicacies. (Rev. 18:3.) The merchants referred to
symbolize the nobles and dignitaries of the Church who hold the patronage of her
benefices. They, and others also, have grown rich by trafficking in these things. All that
art and music can furnish to make her idolatrous worship attractive has been introduced
into her idolatrous ritual. Those who furnish these things have in the past been enriched,
or at least have gained a livelihood thereby.
COME OUT OF HER, MY PEOPLE
"And I heard Another Voice from Heaven, saying, 'Come out- from
her, my people, so that you may have no fellowship with her Sins, and that you receive not
of her Plagues, because her Sins were builded together even to Heaven, and God remembered
her Unrighteous Acts."' -Rev. 18:4, 5.
It is most evident that this call out of Babylon, like the
announcement of its fall, comes from Heaven. In other words, it is the Lord Himself who
calls. The "Voice," as in other instances where the symbol is employed,
represents the human agencies used. As the visions of the Revelation describe two great
fallen, rejected. systems, the Papal and Protestant ( ?) from which His people are to
separate themselves, the call includes a command to come out of both. It is seen quite
clearly by many of the Lord's saints at the present time that both the mother and daughter
systems have fallen from God's favor, and have been rejected by Him. It was seen just as
clearly by many of the Lord's saints in the Reformation of the sixteenth century and
after, as history shows, that the great mother system was even then a fallen, rejected
one. It would seem apparent, therefore, that the fulfillment of this vision under
consideration, as applied to the great Romish system, the more wicked of the two, began in -the great Reformation movement four
centuries ago. The illumination of the earth by the, first angel and the voice from Heaven
seem to denote that at that time, sufficient light, truth, was given to expose the false
doctrines and corrupting influences of the great "Mother of Harlots," and to
cause a cry for the Lord's people to separate themselves from it. - The historian records
the fulfillment of these things. This would denote that at the time of this beginning of
exposure of Papal corruption, some of God's true saints would be more, or less entangled
in this corrupt system. In fact, this was true all through the history of the Romish
Church, up to the period of the sixteenth century Reformation; some of the most devoted
and godly of men being connected with this great apostate Church system. History furnishes
us the names of many prominent saints of God, who up to this time had thought it their
duty to remain in her fold, hoping by so doing to accomplish her reformation.
A statement by Pastor Russell bearing upon this point seems indeed
confirmatory of the above as to the time when this vision of Babylon's fallen condition
was to begin to have its fulfillment,
particularly as it relates to the Romish system:
"The Reformation was, in a sense, the beginning of a new era, a
dawning of light where all had been darkness, the separation of the true from the false,
and a new start in the way of Truth. No doubt all the powers of Satan were exerted to
close the door then opened; but 'He that is true' had said, 'which no man can shut.'
Compared with the mighty hosts of their enemies, the little band of Reformers had but 'a
little strength'; but they knew that, they had the Truth, and they fully trusted the
Giver. Thus the Master could say, 'Thou hast kept My Word, and hast not denied My name.'
"During the Philadelphian period,. especially during the first
and the last phases of it, the faithful have either been obliged to come out of the
nominal temple or have been cast out for their straight testimony. The reward promised
them is that they will be, not simply an unimportant part, but a vital one--a pillar in
the true and eternal Temple -- a part which cannot be removed while the structure exists.
During their trial state their names were cast out as evil. They were branded as infidels
and heretics."--Z.'16-347.
Concerning the necessity of Divine interference in behalf of the
cause of Truth during those times, one has said truthfully:
"A system which travesties the truth, hardens the conscience,
enslaves the mind, corrupts the heart, which buries the Bible, prostitutes the ministry,
profanes the sacraments, persecutes the saints, betrays and butchers the flock of Christ,
and outrages all that is sacred and all that is Divine, deserves and demands to be
exposed, detested, judged, destroyed, and swept out of an injured world.
"And God raised up the Reformation to do this work of protest,
exposure, condemnation and deliverance. . . . He who had raised up the Prophets and
Apostles in olden times, He who raised up confessors and witnesses in the middle ages,
raised up reformers in the sixteenth century, lion-like men, to undertake this mighty
enterprise and accomplish this glorious work. We wish to invite your special attention to the fact that the convictions of the Reformers with
reference to the character of the Papal Church, and
the duty of separation from it, were largely
derived from their study and interpretation of the prophetic Scriptures. . . . To the
Reformers, Rome was the 'Babylon' of the Apocalypse, and the Papal pontiff the predicted
'Man of Sin.' Separation from the Church of Rome and
from its pontifical head, was regarded by them as a sacred duty. They urged on all
Christian persons within the Church of Rome, the apocalyptic command, 'Come out of her, My
people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues! To
them separation from Rome was not separation from Christ, but from anti-Christ. This was
the principle upon which they began and prosecuted the -work of the Reformation, the
principle which 'directed and supported, and rendered them invincible."--GUINNESS.
THE REFORMERS SAW MAN OF SIN IN PROPHECY
In the fall of 1520 Luther printed a treatise on the "Babylonish
Captivity of the Church." In this treatise Luther called the Papacy "the kingdom
of Babylon." A little later he boldly denominated the Papacy the "Man of
Sin" (2 Thes.2), and exhorted all Christian princes to shake off his usurpations. In
another publication he says, "When Daniel saw the terrible wild beast which had ten
horns, which, by the consent of all is the Roman Empire, he also beheld another small. horn come up in the middle of them; This is the Papal power, which rose up in the
middle of the Roman Empire."
Philip Melancthon, a man of wonderful ability and application, a
companion of Luther, composed the celebrated Confession of Augsburg in 1530. As this.
Confession Was to be read publicly to the Roman Catholic Emperor, Charles V, in the
presence of princes and Roman Catholic dignitaries, Melancthon sought to avoid arousing
the anger of the Roman Catholic Church, and for this reason toned it down. Luther chided
Melancthon for this, and said, "Satan. sees clearly that your apology has passed
lightly over the articles of purgatory, the worship of
saints, and. above all, of the Pope and of anti-Christ." Referring to the second Thessalonian epistle. later on, however,
Melancthon waxes bold, and said, in another treatise, "Wherefore I affirm that no heresy hath arisen,
.nor indeed shall be, with which these descriptions of Paul can more truly and certainly
accord and agree, than to this Papal kingdom."
John Calvin,. in the conclusion of a letter to the Emperor Charles V,
said; "'I deny that SEE to be apostolical wherein nought is seen but a shocking
apostasy; I deny him to be the vicar of Christ, who in furiously persecuting -the Gospel,
demonstrates by his conduct that he is the anti-Christ."
William Tyndale, who first translated the New Testament from Greek
into English, and who suffered martyrdom on account of his faithful testimony for his
Master, in his exposition of 1 John 2:18, spoke on this subject: "Though the Bishop
of Rome and his sects give Christ these names [His rightful names], yet, in that they rob
Him of the effect, and take the signification of His names unto themselves, and make of
Him but a hypocrite, as they themselves be, they be the right anti-Christs, and
deny both Father and Son; for they deny the witness that the Father bore unto His Son, and
deprive the Son of all the power and glory that the Father gave Him."
Indeed, all the other English Reformers, including Latimer, Ridley,
Cramner, Bradford and Jewell, gave testimony to the fact that the great Romish system was
the anti-Christian apostacy foretold by Daniel, St. Paul and St. John -1 likewise
later on did John Knox of Scotland. Latimer's words to. this effect are: "Yea what
fellowship hath Christ with anti-Christ? therefore it is not lawful to bear the yoke with
Papist. 'Come from among them, and separate
yourselves from them, saith the Lord."'
Ridley gave this testimony: "The SEE of Rome is the seat of
Satan, and the bishop of the same, that maintaineth the abominations thereof,--is
anti-Christ himself indeed; and for the same causes this See at this day, is the same that
St. John calls in his Revelation, Babylon and spiritual Sodom and Egypt, the mother of
fornications and abominations upon earth."
THE TRUE CHRIST OF PROPHECY CONTRASTED
Of all the Reformers, none gave testimony more clearly than Jewell.
In a commentary on Thessalonians, he proves the pope of Rome to be the "Man of
Sin," the anti-Christ. We quote a few sentences from this exposition:
"Some say that he [anti-Christ] should be a Jew of the tribe of
Dan; some that he should be born in Babylon; . . . some that Nero was anti-Christ; some
that he should be born of a friar and a nun; some that he should continue but three years
and a half. . . . These tales have been craftily devised to beguile our eyes, that whilst
we think upon these guesses, and so occupy ourselves
in beholding a shadow, or probably conjecture of anti-Christ, he which is anti-Christ indeed may unawares deceive us.
"He will come in the name of Christ, yet will he do all things
against Christ, and under pretence and color of serving Christ; he shall, devour the sheep
and people of Christ; he shall deface whatsoever Christ hath taught; he shall quench that
fire that Christ hath kindled; those plants which Christ hath planted he shall root up; he
shall undermine that house which Christ hath built; he shall be contrary to Christ, his
faith contrary to the faith of Christ, and his life contrary to the life of Christ.
"Christ was humble and lowly. The prophet, in his own person,
speaks of Him, Psa. 22: '1 am a worm, and not a man; a shame of men, and the contempt of
the people.' And the apostle saith, Phil. 2: 'He humbled Himself, and be came obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross.' Be hold His parents, His birth, His cradle;
behold His life, His disciples, His doctrine, and His death; all were witnesses to His
humility. He saith of Himself, 'The Son of man hath not where to lay His head'; and to His
disciples He saith, 'The kings of the Gentiles reign over them, and they that bear rule
over them are called gracious lords; but ye shall
not be so.' And again, 'Learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find
rest unto your souls.'
"Now, on the other part, take
view of anti-Christ. Behold his birth, his place, his chair, his estate, his doctrine,
his disciples; and all his life you shall see nothing but pomp and glory. He is proud in
life, proud in -doctrine, proud in word, and proud in deeds; he is like Lucifer, and sets
himself above his -brethren, and over nations and kingdoms.
"He makes every knee to bow down to him and worship him; he
makes kings to bring him water, to carry his train, to hold his cup, to bear his dish, to
lead his bridle, and to hold his stirrup; he claims power over heaven and earth-.. he
saith he is lord over all the world, the lord of lords, and the king of kings; that his
authority reaches up into heaven and down into hell; that he can command the angels of
God; that he condemns whom he will condemn; that he makes saints at his pleasure; that
whatsoever he blesses is blessed, and that whatsoever he curses is cursed.
"He sells merits, the, forgiveness of sins, the sacrifice for
the quick and the dead; he makes merchandise of the souls of men; he lays filthy hands
upon the Lord's anointed; he removes kings and deposes the states and princes of, the
world.' This is antichrist; this is his power.
Thus shall he work and make himself. So shall he sit in the temple of God. The people
shall wonder at him, and shall have him in reverence; they shall, say, Who is like unto
the beast? who is so wise,
so mighty, so godly, so virtuous, 'so holy, so like unto God? So intolerable and monstrous
shall be his pride."
Cramner, who when sorely tried by his persecutors, recanted, but
later on repented, when brought to the scaffold to be burnt, said: "Forasmuch as my
hand offended writing contrary to my heart, my hand
shall first be punished therefor; for may I come to the fire, it shall first be
burned; and as for the Pope, I refuse him as Christ's enemy, and anti-Christ, with all his
false doctrines.
When the fire was kindled and began to burn near him, he stretched
out his arm and put his right hand into the fire, holding
it there immovable, his eyes being lifted to heaven and often repeating the words:
"This hand hath offended; 0 this unworthy hand!" And finally, as the flame
enclosed around him, he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit," and died.
John Bradford when led to the stake, took a fagot in his hand,
kissing it; and then standing by the stake, with both hands uplifted to heaven, he cried,
"0 England, England! repent thee of thy sins; repent thee of thy sins; beware of
idolatry; beware of false anti-Christs; take
heed they do not deceive thee."
THE LOUD CRY OF PROTEST
All of these saints of God sought to expose the errors and
abominations and usurpations of Romanism, and called upon their fellow-Christians to come
out of this false system. These men were the successors of those mentioned as the faithful
ones of "Thyatira," and the few names even in "Sardis" who had not
defiled their garments.--Rev. 3 and 4.
It will be seen, therefore, that in the beginning of the sixteenth
century, it became evident to some of the Lord's saints, chiefly through an understanding
obtained of the visions of the Prophet Daniel and of St. John, and also the second
Thessalonian epistle of the Apostle Paul, de, scribing this great corruption of
Christianity, that reform was impossible, and a loud cry went forth for God's saints to
separate themselves from this corrupt and idolatrous Church. This warning cry continued to
be heard and heeded to a greater or less extent, until the close of the' eighteenth
century, at which time the Papacy, as we have seen in other visions, suffered the greatest
humiliation it had ever experienced up to that time. This -was at the hands of Napoleon;
and since then, the Papacy has become more and more humiliated, by being shorn of its
landed estates, as well as of its power and influence by other rulers. Thus was fulfilled
the prediction of the gradual consumption of the Mother system's power and influence,
foretold by the Prophet Daniel and by St. Paul, as well as St. John.
We are not, of course, to understand that all who engaged in this
movement were of the Lord's "little flock" of consecrated ones, nor that all who
came out of the Romish Church during this period were of this, "little flock"
class. On the contrary, they constituted the few. In this connection it is well to keep in
mind that it was during the period following the sixteenth century that the Protestant
sects were organized; thus was the way prepared for the "image" of Papacy, the
Protestant Federation, to be formed, and the rejection of the Protestant image
also-necessitating the extension of a last and final call out of the daughter systems of
the great Harlot. That which now alone remains to be fulfilled of this Revelation vision,
is the complete destruction of these systems, symbolized by the Mother and daughters.
Referring to those, portions of this vision as it applies to the
complete destruction of the Romish Church system, we have a very able and instructive-
comment by MR. BARNES!
"This chapter [Rev. 18] may be regarded as a still further
explanatory episode, designed to show the effect of pouring out the seventh vial, (ch.
16:17-21) on the formidable anti-Christian power so often referred to. The description
[symbolism] in this chapter is that of a rich merchant city, reduced to desolation, and is
but carrying out the general idea under a different form."
TAKE HOLD OF EVERY FOUL SPIRIT
Commenting on the words, "Babylon is become the habitation of
demons, and is become the bold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and
hateful bird," we hive the following of deep interest: "This I is an
allusion to the common opinion that the demons inhabited abandoned cities, old ruins, and
deserts. The language here is taken from the description of [literal] Babylon in Isa.
13:20-22. . . . The idea is that of utter desolation, and the meaning here is, that
spiritual Babylon-Papal Rome (ch. 14:8)--will be reduced to a state of utter desolation,
resembling that of the real Babylon. It is not necessary to suppose this of the City of
Rome itself- for that is not the object of the representation. It is the Papacy,
represented under the image of a city, and having its seat there. That is to be destroyed
as utterly as was Babylon of old; that will become as odious, as loathsome and detestable
as literal Babylon, the abode of monsters, etc."
This judgment seems to refer, not to the followers of Papacy, but
rather to the great hierarchy itself, i.e. the symbol discriminates between the city and
its inhabitants; which signifies that in the fulfillment there is a distinction between
the hierarchies of the Church and its members. What the walls and dwellings of a material
city are to the people whom they protect and shelter, the hierarchy of a Church is to the
members who place themselves under its authority. The following will be found to the
point:
"The symbol is that of a literal city like Babylon, of palaces
and dwellings, of merchants and artisans, of merchandise and luxury, having a sea and
land, and sustaining relations to civil rulers. That to, which the symbolic city refers is
an analogous structure of human beings, sustaining a relation of authority and supremacy
towards vast multitudes of fellow-beings, resembling- that of a city of walls and edifices
towards the population that is sheltered within it. It is an organized body of men,
therefore, or an assemblage of organizations that exercise official influence and dominion
over a community of communities. It is not a political body, masmuch- as it is
distinguished from the kings -and.great men of the earth. It is therefore
ecclesiastical, -and is the organized body of the rulers and teachers of the nationalized
church, not the whole body of the church itself; no more than the walls and edifices of a
city are the population that inhabit it. It is that vast hierarchy of rulers and teachers
whose -authority and sway overshadow the unofficial multitude of the church, as the walls
and dwellings. of a city invest and shelter the inhabitants that reside in it.
"Her punishment is to be a wholly different event from her fall,
and is speedily to follow that catastrophe, and is to be inflicted by the hand of men; it
is to be the work of the multitude in place of the rulers, as is shown by. the -regrets of
the kings and nobility at her destruction. These retributions are to overtake her
suddenly. Her 'plagues shall come upon her in a day, death and mourning and famine, and
she shall be burned with [symbolic] fire.'"-D. N. LORD.
PASTOR RUSSELL READS DOOM OF CATHOLICISM
IN LIGHT OF SACRED PROPHECY
PASTOR RUSSELL,in
an introduction to an exposition of the different visions portraying this anti-Christian
system, has thus commented on its fulfillment in past history:
"We hope to prove, to the. satisfaction of every con
scientious reader, that this great apostacy or falling away mentioned by Paul has come,
and that this Man of Sin has been developed, has sat in the 'temple of God' .(the real,
not the typical), has fulfilled all the predictions of the Apostles and Prophets
concerning his character, work, etc., has been revealed, and now, since A.D. 1799, is
being consumed by the spirit of the Lord's mouth (the Truth), and will be utterly destroyed during this day of the Lord's
wrath and revelation with flaming fire retribution, already beginning.
The book of Revelation, too, is in large part a detailed symbolic
prophecy concerning this same anti-Christ."--STUDIES,
Vol. 11-272,273.
It would seem from the words, "She saith in her heart, 'I sit as
a queen . . . and shall know no sorrow,"' that the overthrow of the great Papal
system will be at a time when she will be loud in her boastful claims to be the one true
Church of Christ. The following from a Roman Catholic journal of a few years ago is a
sample of its present claims:
"The Papacy will regain its temporal sovereignty, because it is
useful and convenient to the Church. It gives the head executive of the Church a fuller
liberty and a fuller sway. The Pope can be no king's subject long. It is not in keeping
with the- Divine office to be. so. It cramps him and narrows his influence for good.
Europe has acknowledged this influence, and will be forced to bow to it in greater times
of need than this. Social upheavals, and the red hand of anarchy, will yet crown Leo or
his successor with the reality of power which the third circle symbolizes, and which was
once recognized universally."
Commenting on this utterance, we have the following, which bears
closely on the manner of, and circumstances associated with, the downfall of the Papal
system:
"Upon the prophetic page we may clearly read the doom of
Babylon, Christendom; and it is none the less clearly expressed in the signs of the times.
That her destruction will be sudden, violent and complete is thus forcibly stated:--'And a
mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying,
Thus, with violence, shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no
more at all! (Rev. 18:8,21; Jer. 51:63,64,42,24-26.) And yet that it was to undergo a
gradual consuming process is shown by Daniel (7:26),--But the judgment shall sit, and they
shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.' The Papal dominion (and much of the abject reverence of the
people for ecclesiasticism in general),
as already shown,* was broken down at the beginning" of the Time of the End -1799;
and, though the subsequent process of consumption has been slow, and there have been
occasional signs of apparent recovery, which never seemed more flattering than at present,
the assurance of Papacy's final destruction is positive, and its death-struggle will be
violent. First, however, she must attain more of her old-time prestige, which will be
shared with a confederated association of her daughters. Together they will be
lifted up, that together they may be violently thrown down."--STUDIES, Vol. IV-37.
__________
*Studies, Vol. III,--40.
___________
IN CRISIS OF THE NEAR FUTURE
"As the day of trouble draws on, ecclesiasticism will endeavor
to use its power and influence more and more to secure its own political welfare,
by its control of the turbulent elements of society; but in the crisis of the near future
the lawless element will spurn all conservative influence and break over all restraints,
the red hand of Anarchy will do its dreadful work, and Babylon, Christendom, social,
political and ecclesiastical, shall fall. 'Therefore,' says the inspired writer,--i.e.,
because she will violently struggle for life and power,--'shall her plagues come in one day [suddenly], death and mourning and
famine, and she shall be utterly burned with fire (symbolic fire -- destructive
calamities], for strong is the Lord God. who judgeth her.'--Rev. 18:8. . . .
"As we call to mind the long train of evils by which Babylon hag
oppressed and worn out the saints of the Most High (the true Zion), and how it is written
that God will avenge his own elect, and that speedily; that, according to their deeds, he
will repay recompense to his enemies; that he will render unto Babylon a recompense (Luke
18:7, 8; Isa. 59:18; Jer. 51:6), we begin to 'realize that some fearful calamity awaits
her. The horrible decrees of Papacy,--the reproach and reward of which Protestantism also
is incurring by her present compromising association with her,--for the burning,
butchering, banishing, imprisoning and torturing of the saints in every conceivable way,
executed with such fiendish cruelty in. the
days of her power by the arm of the State, whose power she demanded and received, await
the full measure of just retribution; for she. is to receive 'double for all her sins.'
"That the punishment of Babylon will be great is assured. It is
written prophetically that, 'Great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto
her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.' 'And He hath avenged the blood of
His servants at her hand.' 'Her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her
iniquities. Reward her, even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to
her works. In the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath
glorified herself and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her; for she
saith in her heart, "I sit a queen and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow."'
(Rev. 16:19; 19:2; 18:5-7.) While the broadest application of this language is, of course,
to Papacy, it also involves all who are in any degree in confederation or sympathy with
her [and we may add, all who partake of her spirit of boastful claims, etc. Let him that
readeth understand!]. All such will be sharers in her plagues. (Rev. 18:4.) Although the
kings of the earth have hated the harlot and cast her off (Rev. 17:16), still she says, 'I
sit a queen and am no widow,' loudly boasts to her right to rule the nations, and claims
that her former power will soon be regained."--STUDIES, Vol. IV, 38-43, 37.
MR. BARNES has commented on the words, "I sit as a queen and -shall see no sorrow":
"This is indicative of. a state where there was nothing feared,
notwithstanding all the indications which existed of approaching calamity. All this
indicates security and self-confidence. In this state we I may
expect to find Papal Rome, even when its last judgments are about to come upon it; in this
state it has usually been; in this state it is now, notwithstanding all the indications
that are abroad in the world that its power is waning [through the plagues that have come
to her] and that the period of its fall [destruction] approaches."
"DESTROYED WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS COMING"
While this vision, as applied to the Romish Church hierarchy, the
mother system, is clearly seen at the present time by the Lord's consecrated, who have
been served with the Present Truth, and indeed has been seen by many for centuries, the
symbol undoubtedly describes a much wider, a more extensive enlightenment concerning the
false claims, etc., of this degenerate system. Indeed, as prophecy seems to teach that the
final overthrow of this false system will be accomplished by the rise of the masses
against it, this would require that many of its now ignorant, earnest supporters would
become enlightened concerning its false and blasphemous claims. Possibly therefore there
may be a more 'conspicuous movement than has yet taken place, which will have to do with a
more extensive uncovering of the true character of this great religious hierarchy, the
Mother of Harlots. It is not necessary to suppose that such enlightening influences would
proceed altogether or to the greatest extent from the Lord's consecrated; no more than
that the liberation of the nations from Papacy's yoke in the great Reformation of the
sixteenth century was accomplished through the efforts of the Little Flock of the Lord's
consecrated of those times. The Lord's consecrated will doubtless continue to proclaim the
Glad Tidings of deliverance through the Kingdom even unto the end, or until their -work in
this particular is stopped, which may be because of the great troubles that will come in
connection with the overthrow of the present order. While the call out of the mother system to some slight extent continues, and
occasionally one hears the call and obeys it, the call out of the daughter systems is the
special one during the Harvest period (See H.'20-90), and is, and will continue to grow
louder as we approach the time of judgment. It must be ever kept in mind that the call is
to come to the Lord Himself, and not into other-new religious
organizations. All such religious organizations will share to a greater or. less:
extent, in proportion to their guilt, in the judgment punishments in which Babylon is
destroyed. Let the following be carefully noted:
"Since it is the Lord who calls His people out of Babylon
[including its different precincts], we cannot doubt that, whatever may be His agencies
for giving the call, all truly His people will hear it; and not only will their obedience
be tested by the
call, but also their love of Babylon and affinity for her errors will be tested. If they
approve her doctrines, methods, etc., so as to
be loth to leave her, they will prove. themselves unworthy of present Truth, and deserving
of her coming plagues. But the words of the call indicate that God's true people in
Babylon are not to be considered as implicated in her sins of worldliness and ignoring of
Divine Truth up to the time they shall learn
that Babylon is fallen-cast off. Then, if they continue in her, they are esteemed as being of her, in the
sense of approving her wrong deeds and doctrines, past and present, and shall be counted
as partakers of her sins, and therefore meriting
a share of their punishment, the plagues coming upon her."--See Rev. 18:4. STUDIES,
Vol. 111-161,162.
TRUE SAINTS NOT GATHERED TO NEW HUMAN SECT
"Though coming out of Babylon [Rome and her daughters] is one
step, and a
long one, in the direction of complete overcoming, it is by no means, the last one; and we should be
careful to guard against a disposition to rest after every advance step of the way:
"'Ne'er think the victory won,
Nor once at ease sit down;
Thine arduous work will not be done
Till thou hast gained thy crown.'
"The step out of Babylon has generally been preceded by other
steps of obedience, which in turn have exercised and strengthened the character for
subsequent conflicts and victories. And it will be followed by various other tests and
opportunities for overcoming, in view of which Paul (Gal. 5:1) wrote: 'Stand fast in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with a yoke of
bondage.' Every one who comes to realize the liberty of the sons of God, and full freedom
from Babylon's bondage, should expect to meet other attempts of the great Adversary to
bring him into other bondages, or to stumble him. The Lord permits these severe testings,
that the class now sought may be manifested, and prepared for His service in the Kingdom
of Glory.
"For those who would obey this command to come out of Babylon,
there is BUT ONE PLACE OF REFUGE; and that is, NOT IN A NEW SECT AND BONDAGE, BUT IN 'THE
SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH,'--the place or condition of entire consecration, typified
by the Most Holy of the Tabernacle and Temple." -STUDIES,
Vol. 111-188; IV-43, 44.
We would merely add to the above, "He that hath an ear to hear,
let him hear!"
KINGS AND MERCHANTS OF EARTH MOURN OVER HER
"And Those Kings of the Earth, who with her committed
fornication and lived luxuriously, will mourn and lament over her, when they see the Smoke
of her burning, standing at a distance on account of the Fear of her Torment, saying,
'Alas! alas! the Great City Babylon, the Strong City I
Because in One Hour came thy judgment."' --Vs.
9-10.
These kings or governments here mentioned are of course those who in
the Dark Ages supported this great Mother of Harlots; and, in view of the fact that in the
great Reformation, and especially since 1799, until quite recently, they have manifested a
hatred towards her, by robbing her of her power and influence, the following deductions
bearing on future events seem indeed reasonable. These are:
(1) That another change in the attitude of these governments toward
Papacy is yet to come,--one that will be favorable towards her. Indeed, we see this
already fulfilling to a considerable extent.
(2) That these governments may in considerable measure survive her
punishment; in fact, to witness and lament over it.
(3) That through fear these governments will stand as it were at a
distance, leaving the executors of the Divine wrath to fulfill their commission without
obstructing them. This shows that this final plague of God's wrath will be accomplished by
the lawless masses, as is taught in other Scriptures, of whom the governments at the time
will stand in fear. The destruction of the last phase of the "Beast"* and of the
"false prophet," is seen as a later event.-Rev. 19:20.
____________
*The last phase of this Apocalyptic "Beast," as we have
seen, is the Beast without a head--the Romish system, both civil and ecclesiastical, in a
state of anarchy.
_____________
"And the Merchants of the Earth weep and mourn over her, Because
no one buys their Merchandise any more." _V. 11.
In order to. an understanding of this feature of the vision let us
keep clearly in mind that the symbolism is that of a great, commercial city, and the
Merchants are those who have engaged in commercial intercourse with this city. The
enumeration of the articles of merchandise, which, in the verses that follow are
described, seems to have been given for the purpose of filling up the symbolism, and the
cessation of this traffic is designed further to fill up the symbol-that of setting forth
the utter desolation that comes to great Babylon. The Merchants, as we have already
explained, symbolize the nobles and dignitaries of this great system, who have held her
patronage and benefices. These, and others who have grown rich or have obtained a
livelihood in serving the peoples by holding. the cup containing her idolatrous rites,
ceremonies, etc., will witness the overthrow of this great religious hierarchy, without
being able to interfere or intercept it. These also are to. lament over her.
HOLY JOY THAT GOD HATH JUDGED HER
"Exult over her, 0 Heaven!
and you Saints, and you Apostles,. and you Prophets; Because God judged your, judgment on
her."--V. 20.
The term Heaven as employed here, would seem to symbolize the true
Heavenly, righteous, spiritual class those who are-right with God and true co-workers
together with Him and who recogize the righteousness of His cause; and this spiritual
class is made up of such as those mentioned in the text, "you Saints and you Apostles
and you Prophets." In the language of another expounding this verse: "There is a
strong contrast between this language and that which precedes. Kings, Merchants and
Seamen, who had been countenanced and sustained by her in the indulgence of corrupt
passions, or who had been enriched by traffic with her, would have occasion to mourn, But
not so the Church of the redeemed. Not so heaven itself. The great oppressor of the
Church, and the corrupter of the world, was now destroyed; the great hindrance to the
spread of the Gospel was now removed, and all the holy in heaven and on earth would have
occasion to rejoice. This is not the language of vengeance, but it is the language of
exultation and rejoicing in view of the fact that the cause of Truth might now spread
without hindrance through the earth. "-BARNES.
In the next verse (21), reminding us of the prophetic action that
Jeremiah instructed Seraiah to perform when he came to literal Babylon and read the
prophecies of Jeremiah concerning the fall of that city (Jer. 51 :60-64), St. John saw a
mighty angel take up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying,
"Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be
found no more forever." As one has truthfully said: -- "Interpretation is hardly
needed in all this. The detail of judgment seems intended rather to fix the attention and
give us serious consideration of what God judges at last in this unsparing way. Surely it
is needed now, when Christian men are being taken with the wiles of one who in a day of
conflict and uncertainty can hold out to them a rest, which is not Christ's rest; who in
the midst of defection from the faith can be the champion of, orthodoxy, while shutting up
the word of life from men; who can be all things to all men, not to save, but to destroy
them at such a time, how great is the need for pondering her doom as the word of prophecy
declares it, and the joy of heaven over the downfall of the sorceress at last."
-GRANT.
The next verses (22-24), are designed to portray her complete
desolation, indeed her destruction. Not only shall her traffic, her merchandise cease, but
there shall he no sign of life in her at all, no pleasant sound of music, no mechanic's
craft, no light of lamp, no voice of bridegroom and the bride-all of which is designed to
teach that her destruction is to be final and complete. As a millstone when thrown into
the depths of the sea, sinks forever from the sight of men; so she is to be swept from the
earth, and leave not a trace of her greatness or mischievous dominion; because she is a
sorceress, whose whole agency has been to seduce men from God; and a murderess who has
shed the blood of prophets and saints and all who have been slain in the empire for the
Word of God during her sway.
"What a tremendous doom thus awaits these apostate powers! What
a demonstration it is to form that God rejects them! What a refutation of their impious
pretences that they are His ministers, that they are exclusively invested with authority
to teach His 'will, and that they enjoy His sanction in their usurpations, their
idolatries, their blasphemies, their persecution of His worshipers! And what an
illustrious vindication of the witnesses and martyrs who resisted alike their seductions,
and their vengeance, and maintained allegiance to the King of kings!"--LORD.
--OCTOBER 17--Matt.
4:12-25--
Golden Text.--"Repent ye;
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."--Matt. 4:17.
FOR a considerable time our Lord's ministries were .confined to
Galilee, except as occasionally He went up to Jerusalem on national holidays. His message,
"The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," is called the Gospel-the good news: because
Israelites, like the rest of the groaning creation, had been long waiting for the promised
Golden Age, when all the bitterness of the curse would be removed, and when the blessings
of the Lord would come down richly and bountifully upon the earth. It was indeed good news
then as it is good news now to everyone that
believeth. But then, as now, it was difficult to believe. Then the Scribes and
Pharisees and Doctors of the Law rejected Jesus, repudiated His claims and jested about
Him and His followers, that they must be lunatics to think that any knowledge on this
subject of the Kingdom of God could come through the carpenter and some fishermen
associates, and not through the great and notable Chief Priests, Scribes, Pharisees and
Doctors. Moreover, they ridiculed the fact that without wealth and social influence, and
by the preaching of the Gospel of repentance, an army could ever be raised which could
vanquish the Roman legions, and deliver Israel and conquer the world before her, so as to
give her the chief position of authority as the Kingdom of God. Their hearts being in the
wrong condition, the religious rulers were less prepared to grasp the Truth then due than
were the hearts of the humble, faithful , unlearned fishermen. Likewise today, the Doctors
of Divinity and all the socially and religiously great of Christendom scout the idea of
the establishment of the Kingdom by the power of God in the hands of Christ and His Little
Flock of the Royal Priesthood; and declare on the other hand that they are the Lord's Kingdom, and leave us to infer
that notwithstanding all the pride and crime and ungodliness abounding in so-called
Christendom, nevertheless, God's will is
"done on earth as it is -done in
heaven." And, with their show of wealth and power and learning and dignity and
influence they say today as the Scribes and Pharisees said of old-Have any of the great
ones of Church or State believed in this coming Kingdom of God which you preach, saying
that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, and the
elect membership being gathered? The answer to the question now, as in the past, must be
NO; not many great, not many wise, not many rich, not many learned according to the course
of this world have believed in the coming Kingdom and are looking for it, and are waiting
and laboring to enter into it; but chiefly the poor of this world, rich in faith, whom God
has ordained to be heirs of the Kingdom.--1 Cor. 1:26,27; Jas. 2:5.
While it was an object of our Lord's ministry to awaken and draw the
interest of the people of Palestine to Himself and to the Message which He had to deliver,
nevertheless it was not the object of that Message to gather all the people to the Lord,
but rather to separate the wheat from the chaff -- to gather the wheat to Jesus and,
naturally, to array the chaff class in opposition. This foretold result of the Lord's
ministry we see was fully accomplished. "He came unto His own [people], but His own
received Him. not, but to as many as received Him, to, them gave. He liberty [privilege]
to become the sons of God" to be transferred from the house of servants, of which
Moses was the head, to the house of sons, of which our Lord Jesus is the Head. For
centuries Israel had been looking for the Kingdom of Heaven-the Kingdom of God-expecting
according to their covenant that the chief place in that Kingdom should be theirs, as the
servants of God, the ministers of righteousness and truth; and that they should be used of
the Almighty to rule and instruct all nations: in fulfillment of the promise made to
Abraham, that in his seed all the families of the earth should be blessed. All true
Israelites had this promise distinctly before their minds as their great hope, and indeed
the only object of their national existence.-See Acts 26:617.
To these, therefore, the proclamation, "Repent, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand," meant,--God's time has now come for the fulfillment of His
promise to this nation, in its establishment as His representative. Kingdom to rule and to
bless the world; but in order to be fit for this Kingdom every Israelite should prepare
his heart, humble himself before God, repenting of sins and thereby reforming his life,
seeking a readiness for the Divine blessing and exaltation, in whatever form it might
come. This Message was the same which John delivered in His public ministry; the same also
that was given to the twelve disciples, and afterwards to the seventy also, whom Jesus
sent, forth, clothed with a share of His power over diseases and unclean spirits, to
announce Him in all the cities which He later would visit.
We remark incidentally, however, that although faithful servants were
gathered during our Lord's ministry, they were not begotten again until Pentecost.
Pentecost brought the begetting of the spirit to such of them as were then ready-the
begetting necessary to a spirit development of character, necessary to an ultimate birth
of the spirit in the First Resurrection.
Our lesson relates to the calling of some to become Apostles of
Jesus, to be our Lord's constant companions, and the training for their work as Apostles
after His glorification. As the narrative shows, in Luke 5:1-11, Jesus was on the shore of
the Lake of Galilee, and the public attracted to Him -- hungry for the word of life --
pressed so closely as to inconvenience Him, and He stepped into one of the fishing boats
moored to the shore. It was Peter's boat, and our Lord requested him to push the boat a
little from the shore, from which position He could the more easily address the large
crowds on the shelving beach. Peter and his brother Andrew were managing one of the boats,
and James and his brother John another of the same partnership, while hired helpers were
also assisting. (Mark 1:20.) They were cleaning and mending their nets, for they had been
out all night; the were -preparing for the next night's fishing, for at that time it
appears that most of the net fishing is done. These fishermen and perhaps others in the
same vicinity proceeded with their work while the Lord was preaching, no doubt giving
earnest attention to His words at the same time.
THE GREAT DRAUGHT OF FISHES--THE LESSON
When our Lord had finished His discourse He suggested to Peter that
he take the boat to deep water and let down his nets for a catch of fish. The response was
that no fish were to be expected-that they had toiled all nigh without results; but
through respect to the Master, if He desired it, they would let down their nets again,
without having any expectations as fishermen that they. would meet with any success.
The result was a net full of fish, -the weight of which began to
break the meshes of the net. Their partners were signaled to come to assist, with the
final result that both boats were heavily laden with fish, so as almost to endanger their
safety. When Peter noted the miracle performed he fell at Jesus' knees, saying,
"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord." He realized that he was in the
presence of one possessed of more than human wisdom and power, and correspondingly he felt
afraid. Although he and his partners had known Jesus for now over a year, he had never
before so thoroughly realized the wonderful power hidden in Christ.
It is evident that this miracle was performed for the purpose of
fully and finally convincing Peter, Andrew, James and John respecting the Lord's
relationship to the Father, and His power of control in respect to things temporal as well
as things spiritual. The lesson evidently had its designed effect, and our Lord clinched
the matter by then and there inviting the four to become his permanent disciples-to become
fishers of men. This was the opposite course from what Potter had suggested-that the Lord
depart from them because He was perfect and holy and had direct intercourse evidently with
the heavenly powers, while they were poor and weak and sinful, imperfect through the fall.
Separation did indeed take place, but it was between the disciples and their earthly
business, not between them and the Lord. "They forsook all and followed Him."
Similarly tests have come to all whom the Lord has called throughout this Age.
The record of our Lord's ministry very properly embraces His
wonderful miracles such as that of healing the physically sick and afflicted and even
raising the dead. The thought would be that the miracles of our Lord were not intended to
be restitution blessings, because the restitution times had not yet come-that the miracles
performed were merely to witness, to attest, to substantiate, fortify and clinch our
Lord's teachings.
The healing of sicknesses by our Lord and His followers at the First
Advent was a foreshadowing 'of the blessings which would more fully come when the Kingdom
itself would be established; and the miracles served also to draw the attention of the
people to the Message proclaimed, and to spread abroad the fame of the Teacher, and,
incidentally, His Message respecting His Kingdom to come, and the repentance necessary to
a share therein. This multitude was not merely a local gathering, but one from various
quarters, some coming great distances, as people naturally will do in hope of relief from
physical disease. Alas, how much more anxious people seem to be, to get rid of diseases of
the flesh than to be rid of the diseases of the soul-sins: yet of the two the latter is
the much worse disease and the more difficult to cure, and in our Lord's preaching these
were given first place, as of greater importance, as expressed in the' word
"repent"; the physical healing being merely an incidental matter, unworthy to be
mentioned in the- general proclamation.
We urge, however, upon the Lord's people, as a
matter of far greater importance than any physical healing, the necessity of bringing
their friends and coming themselves to the Great Physician for healing of
soul-sickness,--for the opening of their eyes that they may see clearly the "goodness
of God as it shines in the face of Jesus Chris'. our Lord;" for the opening of their
ears that they may hear fully and clearly the great Message of salvation and understand
distinctly the terms and conditions of self-sacrifice upon which depends their attainment
to the Kingdom glories as members of the "little flock" to whom it is the
Father's good pleasure to give the Kingdom. Let those who are lame through pride and
self-will, -and unable to follow in the "Narrow Way," cast away these crutches,
and, coming to the Lord in full- submission and contrition and humility, let them learn to
walk in His ways of meekness and gentleness, patience and suffering and
brotherly-kindness, that He may exalt them in due time. These sicknesses, these
infirmities, these diseases, with which the new nature contends, and the evil spirits of
selfishness and pride, and the palsy of fear of man, which bringeth a snare, are diseases
far more terrible than earthly sicknesses, and from these, the Great Physician is both
able and willing, yea anxious, to relieve us.
Miracles are not necessary today amongst the Lord's people, and hence
they have passed away. Not that the Lord has any the less power, but that the tithe for
restitution has not yet come, and the necessity for miracles as introductions to the
Gospel Message is no longer manifest. Hence, although not for a moment doubting the Divine
ability to heal all manner of diseases today, we are inclined to look with suspicion upon
the miraculous healings of the present time, whether done by Mormons or by Christian
Scientists or by Christian Alliance people or by Spiritualists or by others. We are
inclined to look upon miracles as some of the "wonderful works" mentioned by our
Lord, to the performers of which He will say, I do not recognize you as my faithful
disciples.
Satan and his work are undoubtedly opposed to life and healing, etc.;
nevertheless, he is quite able and willing to reverse his processes and to become either a
preacher or a healer, as may best suit his convenience. Our Lord in speaking on this
subject implied such a course on the part of Satan, but intimated that it would mean the
fall of Satan's kingdom -- that it would imply that such efforts were necessary in order
to perpetuate the superstition and blindness which he has been exercising over mankind,
necessary in order to distract attention from the glorious light of Present Truth,
gradually breaking in upon the hearts and minds of those who are the Lord's truly
consecrated people.
The present time, so far as the Lord's people are concerned, is a
time for sacrifice and not a time for restitution -a time for laying down their lives and
not a time for saving them. It is a time for the binding up of their broken hearts, though
not a time for the repairing of their marred bodies; a time for a reckoned deliverance
from sin and death, but not a time, for actual deliverance. As for the world, it has now a
sufficient witness on every hand to the greatness of Messiah and to His merit as a
teacher, it needs no temporary healing of the sick for this purpose, and as for the
permanent healing of the world's sickness, the time has not yet come for this; but, as the
Apostle Peter points out, it will come at the establishment of the Lord's Millennial
Kingdom at His Second Advent. "The times of restitution of all things spoken by the
mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began" shall follow, and they will
indeed be "times of refreshing."
--OCTOBER 24-MATT.
5:1-10,43-48--
Golden Text. -- Therefore shall
be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect." -- Matt. 5:48.
WHAT characteristics are essential to our attainment of the most
blessed condi-tions God has to bestow? What must we be in order to inherit the Kingdom, be
filled with righteousness, obtain Divine mercy and everlasting comfort, be called the sons
of God, and be permitted to see His face, obtaining a great reward in Heaven? What
question, what topic, what Bible lesson, could be more interesting to us or a more
profitable study than this one? The great Teacher made it the topic, the text, of one of
His principal discourses at His first advent, and caused the gist of His argument to be
recorded for the admonition of His true followers throughout this Gospel Age.
While the character of our Lord, which we as His followers are to
copy, is one; and the attainment of that one character or disposition means the attainment
of all the blessings God has to bestow; nevertheless, in order to present the matter the
more distinctly to our minds the Lord divides this one character or disposition into
different sections, giving us a view of each particular part; just as a photographer would
take a front view, right-side view, left-side view, rear view and angling views, of any
interesting subject, so that all the details of construction might be clearly discernible.
THE FIRST ESSENTIAL
The first character-picture which our Lord presents we may reasonably
assume was in some respects at least most important: It is Humility. "Blessed are the
humble-minded [poor in spirit], for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." We do not
understand this to signify that humility is the only essential grace, and that whoever is
humble will therefore attain the Kingdom; but rather that to the attainment of the Kingdom
humility is a prerequisite of first importance. In other words, while all humble people
will not attain the Kingdom, the Kingdom cannot be attained by anyone who is not humble:
the Kingdom is theirs, in the sense that it is possible for this class to accept the terms
and to attain to the honors and blessings, while all of a different attitude of mind-the
.proud, the haughty, the self-conceited, are absolutely debarred from any possibility of
attaining the Kingdom so long as these contrary conditions lie at the foundation of their
characters.
0 that all of the Lord's people might see this point clearly and
distinctly, and realize once and forever that "The Lord resisteth the proud and
showeth His favors to the humble" exclusively! How this thought should put a guard
upon every one of the Lord's little ones who is seeking to be conformed to the image of
God's dear Son. How jealously they would watch and foster the development of this spirit
of humility in their own hearts, and how it would be more and more discernible to others
in their daily course of life, and what a blessing and what an influence for good,
especially upon the "brethren," would result!
CONSOLATIONS THE REWARD OF SYMPATHY
The second beatitude or blessed condition mentioned by our Lord
stands closely related to the first--"Blessed are they that mourn." Mourning of
itself is not a grace, but it betokens an attitude of mind which is acceptable in the
Lord's sight. Nor should we think of a mournful spirit, without consolation or joys, as
being a Christian spirit. We cannot suppose that our Heavenly Father and the holy angels
are continual mourners, as they
would certainly be if mourning possessed any merit of itself. The thought rather is,
Blessed are ye that mourn now--to whom present earthly conditions are not entirely
satisfactory and happifying--who are not blind to the difficulties and trials through
which the human family as a whole is passing-sin and sickness, pain and trouble, dying and
crying: blessed are those who have sympathy of heart under present conditions, and to whom
they are not satisfactory; for the time is coming when, under God's providence, a better
order of things shall be instituted, and their dissatisfaction with present conditions
will but bring them into closer sympathy and fellowship with those better things for which
the Divine Plan is preparing. When God's Kingdom shall come and His will be done on earth
as it is done in Heaven, all cause for mourning and for sorrow and for tears will be done
away: that will be a time for consolation, for satisfaction, to this class.
As we can cultivate the first of these graces, humility of mind, and
by cultivation develop more and more of this first and essential characteristic, so we can
cultivate also the second grace, the sympathetic spirit. To do this we should frequently
think of others-their interests, their trials, their difficulties, and should seek to
enter into these as though they were all our own, and should seek to lend a helping hand
and to "do good unto all men as we have opportunity, especially to the household of
faith."--Gal. 6:10.
HOW THE GENTLE INHERIT
The third of these graces which the Lord declares blessed is
Meekness, or, as, we should say, Gentleness. Webster's Dictionary defines meekness to be,
"Submis-sion to the Divine will; patience and gentleness from moral and religious
motives." It will be perceived that there is quite a difference between this patient,
gentle submission to the Divine will, and the ordinary gentleness and patience which may
frequently be exercised simply for the gratification of selfish desires. Patient
submission to the Divine will is impossible to those who have not the first grace in the
list, a humble mind: the. proud and self willed find it impossible to be submissive to
Divine conditions; self rises up, perverts their judgments, and misleads their consciences to such an extent that
they cannot have full confidence in Divine
providence, but feel that they must put forth their hand and steady the ark.
Moreover, patient submission can be developed only in those who
mourn, in the sense of having large sympathies, and who have been comforted by the blessed
promises of God, through which the holy spirit comforteth His people. Realizing the evils
of our time, and that they are permitted of God for the present for a wise purpose, these
not only sympathize with the groaning creation, but this sympathy and the comfort received
as its reward tend to make them patient, submissive to the Divine will. Remembering that.
all things are working together for good to them that love God, they are prepared to
recognize Divine providence in whatever may befall them, and prepared also to look for the
lessons of those providences, as blessings which will be helpful to them and to others, in
preparing for the future and eternal joys.
FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS
The fourth blessing is that of Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness.
No one can have this hunger and thirst unless he previously have to a considerable extent
the previous characteristics. If he have not humility of mind he will be satisfied with
his attainments of righteousness, being unable to see beyond his own low plane, unable to
discern the heights and grandeurs of the 'Divine perfection.' He cannot hunger and thirst
after that which he does not in. some measure comprehend. Unless he have the spirit of
sympathy, which discerns the wrongs, the inequities of our present time (which in great
measure mankind is unable to counteract and overcome-by which some of the human family,
very deficient in the virtues, have an overplus of wealth and influence and authority,
while some possessing superior virtues have scarcely the necessities of life), he cannot
yearn for the better condition of things which the Scriptures declare can only be
introduced by the establishment of Messiah's Millennial Kingdom. It is a blessed
indication, then,, if we find in our hearts a hungering and a thirsting for justice, for
righteousness, for truth-an antipathy to untruth in every form, and to all injustice,
inequity-an antipathy, nevertheless, modified, influenced, controlled, by the third grace
of this list, viz., by patient submission to the Divine will. The control of this last
quality is what the Apostle refers to when he says, "Let your moderation be known
unto all, men."
HOW TO OBTAIN MERCY
The fifth blessed condition is that of Mercifulness. Mercy is the
outward expression that man can discern, resulting from an appreciation of righteousness
and a hunger and thirst for it in the renewed heart. After we have taken the preceding
steps, and have learned to appreciate the inequities of the present time, and our own
imperfections (unrighteousness) and those of other men; and after we have learned that God
alone is able to right these matters in the full and complete sense, and that He has made
provision for the righting of every wrong, and for the restoration to His favor of all who
will accept His grace in Christ, to be made known to all in due time it is then we begin
to feel merciful, benevolent, kind, toward others, to an extent- and degree that we could
not feel these sentiments previously. Worldly people, who have not traveled on the pathway
marked by these blessings of character and growths in grace, cannot to the same degree
sympathize with nor feel merciful toward others.
The Lord lays great stress upon this quality of mercy, declaring that
whatever else may be our attainments of knowledge or of grace, if we have not this one we
can never be acceptable to Him-if we do not have mercy upon others neither will our
Heavenly Father have mercy upon us. And to insure that we do not consider this mercy to be
merely an outward form, an expression of forgiveness and benevolence, our Lord expounds
the matter, saying, "If ye do not from the heart forgive one another, neither will
your Heavenly Father forgive you." It must be a genuine mercy, and not a feigned one;
it must cover from sight, and so far as possible blot from memory, the failings and
weaknesses of others, else it cannot hope for forgiveness and blotting out of its own
shortcomings which its hunger and thirst for righteousness has clearly revealed to it.
Only the merciful shall obtain mercy: and if we have not mercy at the hands of the Lord
all is lost; for by nature we were children of wrath, even as others, and under just
condemnation.
The exercise of mercy, benevolence, forgiveness, is a blessing, not
merely because it is essential to our own forgiveness, and hence to our salvation, but
also because this condition of heart which sympathizes with others in their failures and
imperfections helps to rid our hearts of certain of the works of the flesh and of the
devil, which incline to cling. to the Lord's people long after they have been justified by
faith, and even after they have made full consecration of themselves to the Lord and are
seeking to "walk after the spirit."
While justice may not be blind in the Lord's people, while they may
discern the faults of others most clearly, and while they may seek to let justice rule. in
respect to all of their own words, and thoughts, and actions, nevertheless they are to let
mercy triumph in their hearts over justice as respects those who trespass against them,
and they are not to hold resentments against those who have done them injury, nor to seek
to avenge themselves and to inflict justice upon their opponents. Rather, they are to say,
It is for God to be just; it is for me, who am a transgressor also against perfect
justice, through the weaknesses which I have inherited, to have compassion upon my
fellow-creature, who has inherited similar yet different weaknesses: it is for me to
exercise accordingly the Divine command, the blessed characteristic of mercy, compassion,
forgiveness.
"WITHOUT HOLINESS NO MAN SHALL SEE THE LORD"
The sixth step of blessedness is Purity of Heart -- purity of motive,
purity of intention, purity of effort, purity of will: purity, in the sense of sincerity,
of transparency, of truthfulness. In other words, Blessed are the honest-hearted, those
who have absolutely right intentions. True, there are worldly people who to some extent
might claim honesty of heart, purpose, intention, but until they have come along the way
of Divine appointment in Christ, until they have become His followers through faith and
consecration to Him, and until they have taken the preceding steps of blessedness, we
could not recognize them as being of the class here specified.
Many have misunderstood this statement, "pure in heart,"
and have thought of it as signifying absolute perfection-not only outward, but inward; not
only of words and of deeds, but also of thoughts. This view of the matter has tended to
discourage some who honestly said to themselves, I am not perfect in deed nor in word nor
in thought; how then can I claim to be blessed under this provision as one of the pure in
heart? We answer, that this is a misconception. The Lord knows as well and better than we
do, that in our flesh dwells no perfection, that by reason of the fall all of Adam's
children have their teeth set on edge by the sour grape of sin, so that sometimes we
cannot do the things that we would do, and through ignorance we no doubt frequently leave
undone the things which we ought to do.--Jer. 31:29,30; Rom. 7:16-18.
Having assured us that we may obtain mercy, He is not in this sixth
Beatitude declaring that we must be absolutely perfect in thought, word and deed; for if
we were so, or could attain to such a condition, it would be wholly unnecessary for God to
provide us mercy and forgiveness of sins through Christ's sacrifice.
Only the pure in heart have the promise of seeing God. They continue
faithfully to the end of the pilgrimage, not only attaining the likeness 'of the Lord
Jesus Christ in the present life (Rom. 8:29) in their purity of heart, purity of
intention, sincerity of their efforts toward God and men, but eventually according to the
Lord's promise, they shall, by the power of the first resurrection, be changed from
earthly to heavenly, spiritual conditions. Then, as the Apostle declares, "We shall
be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." And when we have thus become changed to
be like the glorious Son of God, who is "the express image of the Father's
person," we shall be able also unquestionably to see the Heavenly Father Himself, and
shall be introduced to Him - by our dear Redeemer-"complete in Him,"
"without spot or wrinkle or any such thing."--1 John 3:2; Heb. 1:3; Eph. 5:27;
Col. 2:10.
THE SONS OF GOD ALL PEACEMAKERS
The seventh Beatitude is an outward manifestation of the sixth. The
purity of heart toward God, which others cannot discern, will manifest itself in this
seventh characteristic of blessedness and growth-namely, in peaceable desires and efforts
to promote peace in others. For beyond question no one will be a peacemaker from this
Divine standpoint unless he have already become sincere, pure in heart toward God; and
unless he have also the preceding developments of grace in his heart: (1) humility, (2)
sympathy, (3) patient submission, (4) hunger and thirst for righteousness (which includes
trust), (5) a love or mercifulness toward others, (6) sincerity of heart. And one who has
developed these characteristics to any particular degree can surely be nothing else than
peaceably disposed himself, and a peacemaker with others.
Very evidently but a small number of the Lord's people have
progressed so far as to have this grace markedly developed and exemplified in their lives.
The great majority, even of those who have named the name of Christ, seem to pursue a
reverse course, which indicates that even if their hearts are pure and their sympathies
large, they have still much to learn in the school of Christ; for instead of being peace
promoters they are strife promoters. Yet this is not of evil intent, but rather of habit,
and of ignorance and of failure to discern the wide difference, between the Divine course
of love, and the opposite course of selfishness which prevails in the world. Strife-making is chiefly stirred up with the tongue, though
it may be aroused by a gesture or by a glance. Likewise, peacemaking is chiefly done with
the tongue, though it also may operate through the eye. How many Christian people we all
know who have tongues which are continually stirring up strife! The Adversary controls
many in this manner, long after they have escaped from his control in many other respects;
and this is largely because they do not detect that in this they are doing Satan
service-do not even detect that they are stirrers up of strife, hatred, envy, malice, and
planters of roots of bitterness by which many are defiled.
ATTAINING GREAT REWARD IN HEAVEN
The blessing that comes through persecution is the eighth Beatitude.
It is not until the Lord's people have experienced some of these preceding blessings of
His grace that they reach the point where they can "glory in tribulations also,"
as did the Apostle Paul. But our Lord carefully distinguishes as between different kinds
of persecution, marking out the blessed kind as distinct from all other sorts. WE ARE NOT
TO INVITE PERSECUTION by fault-finding and general cantan-kerousness and combative
opposition to everybody and everything; nor are we to invite persecution by fanaticism.
Rather, we are to cultivate the ."spirit of a sound mind," and to learn
gradually what the Sound mind of the -Lord- is, as revealed in the Scriptures. Even then,
no doubt we will be falsely accused by the
world of "fanaticism," because the wisdom of God is oft esteemed foolishness
with men, as often the wisdom of men is foolishness from the Divine standpoint.
Whenever a course of action would appear to be fanatical and unreasonable, we are to hesitate to do it until we
have first made sure that we find the same spirit, teaching and example in our Lord and
in the Apostles: then we may safely follow, regardless of what the World may say or
-think respecting our course.
IF PERSECUTION COME TO US AS A RESULT OF OUR FOLLOWING THE LORD, and
the Apostles, -their teachings and example, and if it
is because of our faithfulness to the vows of
consecration to His service that all manner of evil is said against us, falsely, THEN
INDEED WE MAY REJOICE.; for so were the Prophets persecuted, so was our Lord persecuted,
so were the Apostles and all the faithful ones since persecuted. Being thus in good
company in our experiences, it becomes a witness or testimony to us that we shall be in
like good company in that day when the Lord shall make up, His jewels.
All who have such experiences may well rejoice, and if, as the Lord's
words intimate, the more of such experiences we have the more will be our reward in
Heaven, then the more we may rejoice in these experiences. And if we be without any such
experiences it behooves us to look well to ourselves, lest peradventure it mean that we,
are not faithfully walking in 'the "narrow way" of self-, sacrifice,--or are not
doing with our might what our hands find to do, but are holding back our sacrifice.
Should. such be the reflection of any let him not be discouraged, but, in the language of
the Prophet, let him "bind the sacrifice to the altar," with fresh cords of love
and of zeal, praying the Lord to accept the sacrifice, and to furnish opportunities for
being and doing and suffering for. His cause, and for the Lord's and the Truth's sake.,
-Psa. 118:27.
The prismatic sum of all these graces is Love; and,, those who have
them are loveable and shall by and by, be made gloriously lovely, with and like Him Who-
is "altogether lovely." Our call is to attain these blessed conditions in the
Kingdom.
STUDY XXXI--Oct. 3
THE SOUNDING OF THE SECOND TRUMPET
(151) What is the chief symbolism employed in the vision of the
sounding I
of the second Trumpet, and what is its significance as employed in other
Scriptures? H'19-152.
(152) What is the significance of the symbolic Sea, and what
conclusions would we draw as to. the symbolic Mountain and its being cast into the Sea?.
H'19-152.
(153) At what point in. history should we reasonably look for the
fulfillment of this vision of the overthrow of a great kingdom or empire? and state why we
cannot accept what some other historical expositors have given as the fulfillment. of,
this vision. H '19-152, 1531.
(154) Describe what great kingdom that through wars and commotions
was gradually overthrown soon after the fulfillment of the first Trumpet symbol.
H'19-153.,
(155) Was the overthrow of that empire an event of great
significance. in. the fulfillment of other inspired prophecies? If so, state. which.
H'19-153.
STUDY XXXII--OCT. 10
THE SOUNDING OF THE SECOND TRUMPET (Cont.)
(156) What is the relationship between the symbolic' Mountain of the
second Trumpet and the symbolic Beast of Dan. 7:19?
(157) What was the cause of the fall of the Roman Empire, and in what
way was it cast into the Sea?. H '19-15.3.
(158) What is symbolized by the third part of the, Sea becoming blood
as a result of the Mountain cast into, it? H 119-154.
(159) What were the circumstances that fulfilled that part I of
the- symbol, the "third part of the creatures which, were in the sea, and had life,
died, and the third Part of the ships were destroyed"? H'19-154.
(160) Was the overthrow of the Roman 'Empire of special importance,
in the developing of the true Church If so, explain in what way. H'19-153.
VOL. III. October 15, 1920 No. 20
AS WE once more approach the anniversary of the departure of our well
beloved Brother and Pastor, CHARLES T. RUSSELL, the sacred memory of his worthy example
and his life work, and particularly of his closing days on earth, are as ever fresh and
dear to our hearts. Surely this is an appropriate occasion for those who knew him to
review some things pertaining to his life and ministry.
When four years ago the news was flashed across the earth and the
tidings reached us that our Brother had passed from our - midst, so strange and unreal
seemed the event that for a time we were dazed, and for a moment our hearts sank within
us. For more than forty years our Pastor had been intensely active and was unceasingly
attentive to the Lord's work, and to a large extent the care of all the Churches rested
upon him, so that many of the friends had come to feel that his earthly pilgrimage must
continue on, and that his departure would perhaps be among the very last of the feet
members. But alas, as it has so often proven, so again it came to pass, that man's
thoughts and ways were different from God's, and it is since clearly recognized that He
had other designs to be worked out by discontinuing the earthly ministry of our Pastor.
Great indeed seemed the loss to the Lord's faithful people when
Brother Russell finished his course and was called Home; yet remembering that God is at
the. helm, and that He doeth all things well, none of the faithful could for an instant
think that the death of our Brother would be allowed of God to result in any real disaster
or calamity to them as new creatures. True to His promise, there is indisputable evidence
that our great Heavenly Shepherd has continued to shield and guide His loyal, faithful,
humble children unto this present hour.
Standing now at the fourth anniversary of our Pastor's departure, and
reflecting again upon the life of this great man of God, it is with unspeakable gratitude
and admiration that we love and cherish his memory. Nor are these sentiments which burn in
our hearts, in the slightest degree, those of blind reverence, as of some human idol or
fetish. To the contrary, they are emotions and impulses that are the inevitable outworking
of certain unchangeable laws, and have as their basis the most worthy and sublime of
causes. Every person who truly has a knowledge of
God and of His Son, our dear Redeemer, must have some keen
appreciation of, and love for the great ideals, the principles of truth and righteousness
for which they stand. Every faithful Bible student recognizes that the more he learns of
the greatness and goodness of God, the more his soul is constrained to worship and adore
His blessed majesty.
Those who truly knew and, loved Pastor Russell, saw in his person and
life work so much that reflected the beauty and glory of the Divine character. Most
logically -.therefore we admired and loved our Pastor because his life and teachings
revealed-the fact that he was a true and faithful expounder of godliness, and of the great
fundamental principles of the Divine government-justice, truth and righteousness. Indeed,
we consider that we are honoring our Heavenly Father, when we honor the memory of our
Pastor who was a faithful servant of God.
Most prominent throughout his writings as well as in his example, the
spirit of the Lord is observed in great effulgence, and most eloquently proclaims that our
Pastor loved righteousness and hated iniquity--that he was in full heart harmony with the
Lord. And how ardently he labored with others to help them see the vital importance of a
life of holiness; in confirmation of which he frequently quoted the words of St. Paul:
"Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." He most earnestly taught that the
daily conduct should be squared with the principles of truth, honesty, justice,
righteousness, and love -- the sum of all graces; and reminded us in this connection of
the words of the Prophet, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall
stand in His holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart." It is remembered
in this connection that the words of the Prophet as used in the Manna for January 15, and
Brother, Russell's comment, are exactly to the point: "What doth the Lord require of
thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"--Micah
6:8.
Those who truly appreciated Pastor Russell and who remain loyal to
his memory, feel justified in taking the position that not since the days of our Lord and
the Apostles has there one arisen whose faithful ministry has exercised such a
revolutionary and sanctifying influence among God's faithful people; so luminous have been
both his oral and printed statements on the Bible. Thus was made most prominent his large
possession of the spirit of wisdom and revelation, by which he was enabled to read from
Genesis to Revelation the stately steppings of our God in the Divine Plan of the Ages. The
Bible was the dearest of all books to Pastor Russell because he found in it the very
fountain of truth and grace -- a most satisfactory revelation with regard to mail's past,
present and future. As he saw therein the glory of the Divine character, and the hope of
deliverance for the whole groaning creation, his heart was stirred to its depths and his
tongue touched as it had been with coals of fire from off the altar. Early in his career,
having dedicated his earthly life and fortune to the service of God, he went forth to bear
to all who had ears to hear, what he considered to be the kernel of the Divine Message. "Jesus and the resurrection"
-- the Redeemer and His Work-the coming reign of righteousness under the whole heavens.
Possessing by birth a magnanimous heart, full of loving sympathy, it
could be truly said of him, as of the Master, that as he beheld the multitude, the lowly,
the sorrowful and the suffering of mankind, he was moved with compassion; he longed for
the fulfillment of our Lord's prayer that he, so often repeated: "Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth as in heaven." How well we remember that it was his chief
delight to explain -what that Kingdom would signify to all the living and the dead, and
how eloquently he portrayed in great contrast with the present dark time of the reign of
sin and death, the blessings of joy and peace that shall abound among-men when "the
earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea." Thus the last sermon he wrote, but which he was not permitted to deliver, was
along this line: "The morning cometh -- a night also." The thought that the
Second Advent of Christ was at hand, and the fact that the dark night of sorrow and
weeping, was about to give place to the morning time of light and joy for the whole
groaning creation, gave great impetus to his enthusiasm and zeal to make known the Glad
Tidings, and caused him to travel far and near, yea, around the earth to reach as many of
the Truth-hungry as possible.
Nor did our Brother take to himself any credit or glory for the words
of revelation that he so clearly presented. To the contrary he disowned that it was his
message; he disclaimed any unusual ability or talents on his part that so many were
blessed by the Truth which he gave out. He-made no boastful claims for himself or for the
business corporation that he used to carry on the ministry. In great humility he set forth
that the Lord could just as well make use of any instrument as an index finger, as this
was the due time for the Truth to be made manifest. In fact, he repeatedly stated that the
message he was presenting was not a new message, but
was the same old story of heavenly love taught by Jesus and the Apostles and Prophets;
that on account of the sowing of seeds of error and superstition by the great Adversary in
the darker past, the precious truths of the Bible had become greatly beclouded, and many
of them lost sight of; and that now in the end of the Age, the due time had come for the
uncovering of these truths, for the consolation of the faithful, and that they might be
enabled to stand in. this evil day.
Neither did Pastor Russell regard it as his mission, nor that of
other followers of Christ to berate, brow-beat, or speak
evil of other bodies of professed Christians. He did not regard it as the mission of the
true saints to undertake to "tear down Babylon," for he recognized that God had
other agencies at work accomplishing that feature of His Plan. Accordingly, he admonished
the saints:
"We are not commissioned to tirade against these Churches. The
command, 'Speak evil of no man,' may properly be applied also to religious systems,
particularly those that recognize the redeeming merit of Christ's death as the foundation
of Christianity and that teach morality. Undoubtedly the Lord has permitted sectarianism
for some .wise purpose, even as He has permitted the Gentile governments to hold sway
until the end of 'the Times of the Gentiles.' Let us not interfere with the fulfillment of
the Divine purposes. Let us be content to fulfil our mission of assisting the brethren by
building them up in the most holy faith and telling the Good Tidings to whoever may have
an ear to hear."--Z '16-234.
Again he gives us splendid advice:
"Avoid as much as possible all unkind references to Christian
ministers or others who differ from us in Bible interpretation. Preach the Gospel! Let its
mighty power do the work. In referring to others, speak as sympathetically as possible,
endeavoring to . make apologies and allowances rather than to condemn, which is 'not our
province."--Z '12-183.
That our Pastor was well aware that his loyalty to God and fidelity
to the Truth would bring certain sufferings and persecutions, there can be no doubt. But
the question of what. he was willing to endure for Christ's sake had been settled early in
his life when he made a full consecration to God of all of his powers, earthly
opportunities, name, etc., and buried his own will in the will of God. It was as if God
had forewarned him as he did St. Paul, that having called 'him. for a special mission he
would show him what great things he must suffer for-His sake; and in showing him his
sufferings, he doubtless showed him also the significance of the invisible crown of glory,
which would be given at the end of his earthly pilgrimage.
For this reason our Pastor did not allow the forces of darkness to
deter him in the prosecution of the work of the ministry. His example in this regard is
well worthy of our emulation. He allowed no defamation of his reputation, no threats of
the Adversary, to beat down his Christian fortitude which was well supported by his great
faith in God. His dauntless courage and confidence were fully expressed in his own words,.
familiar to all:
"My life is hid with Christ in God, and nothing can by any means
stop my work until it shall have accomplished the Divine intention. Until then I am
immortal as respects my life. When, from the Divine viewpoint, my work shall have been
accomplished, the Adversary, no doubt, will have full power, not only against my
reputation, but also against my life.
"When God's time shall come, I am ready to be offered. Only if,
in God's providence, I should perish as an evil doer, let not my friends forget that so
others have perished, martyrs to their convictions and their faithfulness to the Word of
God. Of these was St. Paul, St. Stephen, John the Baptist, and our Lord Himself."
In harmony with this expressed sentiment our Father spared him well
and long to minister to the needs of the saints, and we are fully confident that his
labors were not permitted to cease until his work on earth was done. Remaining to the very
last, patient, steadfast and resigned, yea, through the greatest suffering withour murmur
or complaint, his example now stands out as a living revelation of the words,
"Faithful unto death."
What was it indeed that won for our Pastor the Lord's final approval?
We find the answer in his great .loyalty to and love for the Divine will, and his implicit
obedience thereto. Was it not the fact that, yielding himself to a wise and loving
Providence through evil and through good report, the holy image of God was wrought out in
his character, and he was made indeed a copy of God's dear Son.
Dearly beloved, we do not have our Pastor's personal presence with us
today as of yore, for God has taken him. He does indeed rest from his labors and his works
do follow him; this mortality having put on immortality. But while we are bereft of his
bodily presence, he has left us the sacred and hallowed treasure of his illustrious
example, which speaks to us with an eloquence that is better than that of tongue or pen;
and we do have with us his words of wise counsel, of admonition and of instruction. Then
let us forget not this noble example and the wise instructions that have been left us, and
ever regard as hallowed, the memory of our faithful Pastor. So shall it be well with us,
and we too shall shortly be borne across the mystical river, passing through the gates of
glory, into the New Jerusalem, into immortality "changed in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye.
SERIES XLI
THE VIS1ON OF THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON
AND THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB
"After these things I
heard a loud Voice as of a great Crowd in Heaven, saying, 'Hallelujah! the Salvation and
the Glory. and the Power of our God., Because true and righteous are His Judgments,-
Because He judged the Great Harlot, who corrupted the Earth with her Fornication, and
avenged the Blood of His Servants [shed] by her Hands.' And a Second time they said,
'Hallelujah!' And her Smoke rises up for the Ages of the Ages."--Rev. 19:1-3.
IT IS most obvious that the events portrayed in these visions of
chapter 19 are yet to meet their fulfillment. Indeed, to a considerable extent, as we have
endeavored to show in the preceding article of this series, this is true also of chapter
18. For while it is clearly seen by students of the Revelation that Babylon in both its
Papal and Protestant aspects has fallen from God's favor, it is of course apparent that,
as a great system, it still exists; therefore, its destruction described in chapter 18 is
still future. This being true, it is most obvious to the reverent student of the
Revelation that the prophecies describing these future events will be better understood in
detail as history gradually unveils them. However, in their general outlines they can even
now be clearly seen.
As we begin the study of the visions of this chapter, we are
immediately confronted with the necessity of settling a certain important question before
even a forecast of the various features of the visions can be given, and that is, does the
final doom and destruction of Babylon, described in chapter 18:21, which is the cause of
the great rejoicing, etc., recorded in chapter 19:1-3, quoted above comprehend all the
different phases that are represented in-the symbol of Babylon, or does that chapter
describe only the destruction of that phase of this great system that is embodied in the
expression, "Mother of Harlots"?--Rev. 17:5.
FOUR ASPECTS OF BABYLON
It will be recalled that we have in our previous expositions noticed
that several distinct, separate phases of the great anti-Christian apostasy are embraced
in the one symbol Babylon. The first and chief of these is that of Babylon the Great, the
Mother system, which seems to have comprehended previous to its losing its temporal,
civil power in 1870, the Papal hierarchy in its -exercise of both civil and ecclesiastical
authority from the city of Rome; and since that time, the same Papal hierarchy in its
exercise of ecclesiastical authority only.
The second aspect of symbolical Babylon is that of the Protestant
daughter (Harlot) systems of the Great Mother, as pictured since their efforts to form a
Federation in 1846 began, and their fall from Divine favor in more recent times-early in
the present Harvest period--had become manifest.
A third aspect of symbolical Babylon is that of the same daughter
systems as they will appear in the near future, it would seem, when this great Federation
is consummated and it begins to act authoritatively. This we have interpreted, in harmony
with PASTOR RUSSELL, to be described under the two symbols of the "Image of the
Beast" (Rev. 13:14), and. the "False Prophet."--Rev. 16:13; 19:20.
The fourth aspect of the Babylonian symbol is that of the so-called,
Christian nations, which to a greater or less extent have, as described in the symbolic
language of the Revelation, been made drunk by the wine-false doctrines -of the Great
Mother system.
All four of these phases or aspects of Babylon are understood by many
prophetic students to be comprehended in the term Christendom, which in all
these aspects is to be destroyed in the judgment troubles described in the closing visions
of the Revelation. It would seem hardly possible, however, that these different divisions
of BabyIon would be destroyed all at-one and the same time. Indeed, the visions that we
have already considered (chapters 14 and 16) as well as those of chapters 18 and 19
confirm this thought.
If we examine the numerous comments made by PASTOR RUSSELL in his
writings, it will be seen, as we have shown in previous expositions, that he very
frequently makes mention not only of the Babylon Symbol but very definite ly explains
the symbol as comprehending these four aspects or phases of Christendom. However, a closer
examination of these brief comments on these Revelation visions which describe the
judgments that cause the destruction of the various divisions of symbolic Babylon will
show that he gave no more than a general explanation; i.e., his interpretations reveal
simply that the judgments on the various phases or divisions of Babylon all meet their
fulfillment at some time during the great "time of trouble" that closes the
Gospel Age, which time of trouble was understood by him to cover a considerable period of
time. The destruction of the Babylonian systems in the trouble are thus described by
him:
"The time of trouble, as it will affect the world, will be after
Babylon has begun to fall and disintegrate. It will be an overturning of all human society
and governments, preparing the world for the reign of righteousness. During the time of
trouble, fleshly Israel, which was cast off until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in,
will be restored to God's favor, and the Gospel Church, or spiritual Israel, will, be
completed and glorified."- STUDIES, Vol I241.
It seems to have been his thought to have later on given an
explanation more in detail and in the successive order in which these judgments are
portrayed in these chapters -18 and 19. He passed beyond the veil, however, withput
undertaking this work.
However, just before his death in October, 1916, he issued a
statement, in the new FOREWORD to STUDIES Vol. IV, clearly showing that it was his thought
that the great Mother system would go down in advance of the world powers, and that the
Gentile governments would be consumed soon after:
"But the Bible declares that this reign 'as a queen' will be a
short one, and that the fall of Babylon will be, tremendous-like a great millstone cast
into the sea. It will be during the power of this so-called 'queen,' for a little season,
that the world will be under a great strain as respects, any presentation of the Truth.
And those found loyal to God and to principle will doubtless suffer therefor.
"At the time of Babylon's
fall, the mighty ones of the earth, financial and political princes and kings, -will
stand afar off, keeping clear of too close an affiliation with her, although they will
greatly lament her destruction, realizing that it
forebodes their own. Then very shortly will come
the complete overthrow and destruction of the present Gentile governments,
symbolically represented in the Bible as a great conflagration which will consume the
whole earth-all institutions-religious, social, political, and financial."
THE MOTHER SYSTEM REPRESENTED IN
THE PAPAL HIERARCHY JUDGED FIRST
Having presented what seems to be the different aspects comprehended
in the Babylon symbol, we again ask the question, is it the destruction of the Mother
system, the Papal hierarchy located at Rome, that is described in the judgment of chapter
18, or are we to understand that the chapter includes also the different divisions of
Babylon that are comprehended in the word Christendom? Carefully viewing the symbolic
picture in
the light of all the developments and facts of history, our conviction is that
chapter 18 portrays that aspect of' the judgment that is comprehended in the symbol of the
Great Harlot referred to so frequently in the Revelation visions as corrupting the earth
(organized society) with her false doctrines. This symbol is very generally, and we think
correctly, understood to represent the Romish Papal government or hierarchy. This system
is very appropriately named the "Mother," because out from it, since the great
Reformation, have come the Protestant. sects (harlots), as also' many false doctrines, and
retained in the creeds of these sects. Nearly all of these sects and the so-called
Christian nations also have been so permeated with Rome's false dogma of inherent
immortality that a clear conception of the great plans and purposes of God becomes
absolutely impossible so long as this dogma is held.
It will be noted that the "Image of the Beast" which we
have -interpreted in harmony with PASTOR RUSSELL'S latest expositions to be the great
Protestant Federation, and the "False Prophet," another symbol of the same, is
not mentioned in the judgment vision of chapter 18. Still further as confirming this
interpretation, it will be noted that we have it stated in chapter 18 that the
"Kings" of the earth and the symbolic "Merchants" stand afar off
lamenting over the fall, destruction of Babylon, the Mother, which is clear evidence that
these parts of Babylon for a time survive her fall. Indeed, it will,. we think, be clearly
seen that if all Christendom is represented in chapter 18 as destroyed by the judgment
there portrayed there would be no governments or supporters either civil or ecclesiastical
left anywhere in Christendom to mourn and lament over her destruction.
THE LAST FORM OF THE BEAST
And still further in this same connection, the "Beast" in
its last form still continues to exist after the destruction of Babylon occurs, that is
described in chapter 18:21; thus chapter 19:19, 20 clearly shows the subsequent
destruction of the "Beast." It should be kept in mind that the "Beast"
symbol does not always refer to Papacy. Let it not be forgotten that the fourth
"beast" of Daniel 7, the Roman power in its varied conditions of rulership from
its rise until the end of the Age, is referred to as the "Beast." The Papacy is
frequently referred to as the "Beast" because of its exercising a controlling
influence over the kingdoms that occupy the territory of the old Roman Empire.
In Revelation, chapter 17, the fourth "beast" (empire),
exercising the power of its ten horns (kingdoms), is Called the "scarlet colored
Beast," because of the power exercised by the ecclesiastical system of Papacy over
that empire, which power is derived from, and exercised through, the agency of those
kingdoms symbolized by the ten horns. Likewise, when these ten horns, kingdoms, turn
against Papal ecclesiasticism (as portrayed in the Great Harlot), and exercise their power
for its humiliation and consumption, they, the ten horns, exercise the Beast's (the fourth
empire's) power, and in this way are properly called the "Beast." The
"Beast" in chapter 19 seems to refer to the last or eighth form of the fourth
power of Daniel's vision-the peoples of all nations, the body of the Beast without an
organized government, the last phase of the Beast both civil and religious in a state of
anarchy, foreshadowed by the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. There would be
included in' this "Beast" symbol, as used in this 19th chapter, that which will
be left for a time of Roman Catholic ecclesiasticism, as represented in the local churches
and other semi-religious organizations over the world which belong to this system, in a
state of disintegration, after the great hierarchy itself is destroyed. Both of these seem
to be mentioned in Daniel's vision as the "body of the beast" which is referred
to in the words: "I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body [various
portions and fragments of that system] destroyed, and given to the burning flame."
(Dan. 7:11.) Rev. 19:20 evidently refers to the same event.
And finally it will be noticed that the "False Prophet,"
which is another symbol, applied by us in a previous exposition of Rev. 16:13 (in harmony
with PASTOR RUSSELL'S expositions) to organized, united, federated Protestantism,
continues to exist after the destruction described in chapter 18, and comes to its end
only when the last or eighth form of the Beast is destroyed, which occurs immediately
before the binding of Satan. Compare chapter 19:20 with 20:1.
It seems very apparent that the judgment scene described in the
closing verses of chapter 19:11-20 occur after the
"Marriage of the Lamb" takes place. It is the last judgment scene, and seems to
meet its fulfillment in close contiguity with the great "Winepress" treading of
chapter 14:20, in connection with that phase of Christ's Second Advent in which He is
represented as coming with His saints (Rev. 19:11), and not that phase described in Rev.
14:1, symbolized by the Lamb standing on Mt. Zion, which occurs at the beginning of the
Harvest.*
___________
* Chapter 14, as we have seen, describes Christ's assumption of
kingly power-His coming as a thief to gather His saints unto Himself.
___________
Taking into consideration all these matters, it seems to us,
therefore, that the destruction described in chapter 18 refers to that of the great
"Mother" system, the Great Harlot, upon whose forehead in the symbol is written,
"Babylon The Great, The Mother of Harlots -and Abominations of The Earth;" and
that this event will occur before the
"Marriage of the Lamb," or the completion of the First Resurrection It is after
St. John hears the announcement that the Marriage of the Lamb has come that he beholds the
vision of the opening of the heavens and the issuing- forth from the same of the Son of
God, and as the symbol shows, clothed in robes of a judgment executive, riding upon the
white horse, followed by the armies of heaven, evidently the glorified saints, likewise
riding upon white horses. The description that follows shows that the object of this
descent is to destroy all that remains of the anti-Christian powers of evil (Rev.
19:11-20), to bind Satan, and introduce, the victorious Millennial reign.-Rev. 20:1.
REJOICING OVER THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB
With these introductory and preparatory unfoldings we now proceed to
consider the vision of chapter 19 more in detail. The chapter opens with the statement
that a loud Voice is heard by St. John which seems to him to proceed from a great
multitude in heaven. In a general way that which is designed to be represented in these
words that St. John heard is that of the great rejoicing that will take place
because of the fall and destruction of the great Mother of Harlots, the ruling authority
or ecclesiastical hierarchy, located at Rome. There is also implied in the words that
those who are symbolized by the loud Voice had come to understand at the time that this
destruction was a just judgment proceeding from the hand of God.
The "Heaven" from which this loud Voice proceeds is
understood by BARNES, LORD, and most others, to be the heaven of God's presence, the abode
of angels. The great rejoicing over the fall of the great false religious hierarchy is
understood by most of these as proceeding from angels and others of the heavenly host.
There can be no question concerning the fact that heavenly angels and others of the
heavenly host are. observing with intense and unabated interest the things that have been
transpiring on earth in connection with the eventful history of Christ's true followers.
There can' be no question that the terrible persecutions and sufferings that have come to
Christ's followers at the hands of the great Mother of Harlots have been amongst those
vital causes that have aroused the indignation and sympathy of the heavenly hosts. And
when the hour of her destruction arrives there can not be the slightest doubt concerning
the fact that there will be great rejoicing in heaven over her f all.
However, by a further and more careful examination of this vision we
believe the conclusion is justified that the Heaven of this scene is the symbolic heaven
and will have its fulfillment here on earth. Accordingly, the loud Voice of rejoicing
would represent peoples in the ecclesiastical heavens, who will see in the downfall of the
Papal hierarchy a judgment of God, and who, on account of this fall, are moved to rejoice
in the great deliverances wrought thereby. This is the interpretation MR. ELLIOTT gives to
this vision and he indicates it as synchronous with the Jewish restoration:
"I infer that Jews will probably just at, or after this
catastrophe [the fall of Papacy], be converted - . . . join, and indeed take the lead, in
the earthly Church's song of praise on this occasion. The language used to-designate this
song in the Apocalyptic prefigurations being now for the first time, Hebrew, 'Hallelujah,'
a circumstance certainly very remarkable and noted by many previous commentators* as
hav ing the meaning I suggest: not to add that its probability is enhanced as I think by
the fact that the Jews themselves-at least some of the more learned of their Rabbies, have
sup posed that the restoration of their people is to follow on the fall of Rome."
______________
*Brightman, Vitringa, Daubez, and Bickerstath.
_______________
If we may infer that MR. ELLIOTT means the complete restoration of
the Jews, we can agree with him. We have given his interpretation simply as confirmatory
of and as elucidating the thought that the rejoicing referred to in the vision, takes
place here in the earth, rather than in the heaven of God's presence.
SAINTS IN THE FLESH MAY WITNESS BABYLON'S FALL
PASTOR RUSSELL, when in a general way he describes the final doom of
Babylon the Great, thus comments on the words of the Scripture under consideration:
Only then [i.e., on the occasion of Babylon's fall] will the people
realize their wonderful deliverance and that her overthrow was by the hand of God. -- Rev.
19:1, 2. -- STUDIES, Vol. IV-40.
Another of his comments reveals his thought that some of the Kingdom
class would still be on this side of the veil and witness the Great Harlot's fall:
"However, instead of the Kingdom waiting for the living members
to finish their course, the Kingdom work began at once; . . . We read. similarly that the
Kingdom reign will. begin before 'Babylon' falls; and that Babylon will fall as a result
of Kingdom judgments,-discerned later by some in her who are represented as getting
light and liberty through Christ after her fall. They say: 'True and righteous are His
judgments: for He hath judged the great Harlot which did corrupt the earth with her
fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.'--Rev. 18;
19:2-7."--STUDIES, Vol. IV -622, 623.
Still another comment by PASTOR RUSSELL on the closing words of this
same symbolic loud Voice very evidently shows that it was his understanding that chapter
18 referred to the destruction of Papacy alone. Let his words be carefully noted:
"Rev. 19:3, speaking of one [not all] of these systems, says:
'Her smoke rose up forever and ever.' That 'is to say, the remembrance ('smoke') of the
destruction of these systems of deception and error will be lasting, the lesson will never
be forgotten-as smoke which continues to ascend after a destructive fire, is testimony
that the fire has done its work.-See also Isa. 34:8-10."--Z '10-42, 43.
A recent expositor has applied this "loud Voice" to the
Great Company of tribulation saints, meeting its fulfillment after the saints, the. Little
Flock, are glorified--after both Papacy and the other sects have been -destroyedThis view,
we believe,' cannot be sustained and it certainly was not PASTOR RUSSELL'S thought as is
implied in the words quoted from him above. Still further, as corroborating this, PASTOR
RUSSELL makes an application of the words of verses six and seven which describes;
another, a later great Voice: "as it were the Voice of a great multitude," who
are represented as rejoicing because: of a discovery of the fact that the Lord God, the
Omnipotent was reigning, and that the Marriage. of the Lamb bad come. He applies this
language to the Great Company of consecrated ones who fail to become of the Bride, the
Kingdom Class:
"Every one who has built upon Christ anything else than the
gold, silver and precious stones of truth, and a character consistent therewith, will find
himself sorely beset during the time of wrath ('fire'); for all the wood, hay and stubble
of doctrine and practice will be consumed
Even in 'the Harvest,' while the living members of the Bride are
being separated from others by the Truth, the ears of others, including class the [Great.
Company] will be dull of hea ring. They will be slow to believe and slow to act, in the
time of separation [unto the Lord]. They, will, no doubt, be greatly dismayed, when they
afterwards. realize that the Bride has been completed and united too, the Lord, and that
they, because so listless and overcharged, have lost that great prize; but the beauty of
God's Plan, which they will then begin to discern as one of love, both for them and for
all the world of mankind will quite overcome their grief, and they will shout 'Alleluia!
for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honor to Him,
for the Marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.' (Rev. 19:6,
7.)"--STUDIES, Vol. 1-240.
It seems very evident that these words of rejoicing over the Marriage
of the Lamb, have even a much wider application. This -has been the thought of several
commentators. PASTOR RUSSELL makes 'a broad application of these words, as we read:
"Then [when the reign of Christ is fully introduced] indeed all
will understand and appreciate the promises now being grasped by the 'Little Flock;' and
they will rejoice in the obedience and exaltation of the Church, saying, 'Let us be glad
and rejoice, and give honor to God, for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and His wife hath
made herself ready.' (Rev. 19:7) They will rejoice in the glorification of the Church,
through which blessings will them. be flowing to them; and while they will realize that
the ,exceeding great and precious promises' inherited by the Anointed (Head and Body) are
not for them, but are fulfilled upon us, they will be blessed by the lesson illustrated in
the Church; and while they run for the blessings then held out to them, they will profit
by the, example of the Church, and glorify God on her behalf."--STUDIES, Vol1-86, 87.
Indeed it was his thought that this rejoicing reaches heaven itself:
"And great will be the rejoicing in heaven and in earth at her
abundant entrance into the King's palace (2 Pet. 1:5-8, 11): man y will say, 'Let us be
glad and rejoice and give honor to Him; for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and His Wife
hath made herself ready.' (Rev. 19:7)"--STUDIES, Vol. 111-193.
However, before this latter
Voice, announcing the Marriage of the Lamb, is, heard and meets fulfillment, we have
recorded that the twenty-four Elders and the four Living ones join in the rejoicing that
is mentioned in verses I and 2 over the fall of the Great Harlot. We read: "And the
Twenty-four Elders and the Four Living ones fell down and worshiped That God who Sits ,on
the Throne, saying, 'Amen! Hallelujah!"'
It will be noticed that this is the last that we have mention of the
"Elders" and the "Living ones." There seems to be a peculiar
significance to this fact, which is, that it is
after the fall of the Papal hierarchy that the Church, symbolized by the twenty-four
Elders,* passes beyond the veil. The four Living ones, also being seen no more would
indicate that that feature of the administration of the government of God that had to do
with the completion of the Elect Church was now finished.
_________
*H '20-276-278,
__________
"And a Voice came forth from the Throne, saying, 'Praise our
God, all His Servants and Those who Fear Rim, the Little and the Great."'--Rev. 19:5.
The Throne is represented as resting on the Four Living ones. The
Four Living ones, as we have seen, appear to stand for or represent certain essential
qualities, attributes or foundation principles that support the Divine government. The
Voice from the Throne calling upon all the Servants of God of every rank to praise Him
would imply that the overthow of the Great Mother of Harlots was a result of the
enforcement of these principles and of the activities of these attributes, and was a
vindication of the wisdom and righteousness of Him who sat upon the Throne, thus causing
all who had become acquainted with Him to acknowledge and praise Him.
HIS WIFE HATH PREPARED HERSELF
"The. Marriage of the Lamb came, and His Wife prepared
herself."--Vs. 7.
The union of Christ with all the faithful overcomers of the Gospel
Age by the power of the First Resurrection is the great event that is set forth in these
words. just as these overcomers in their earthly trial state are spoken of figuratively as
espoused to Christ as chaste virgins, so at the time of this vision's fulfillment the full
number to complete the Bride are represented as having faithfully carried out their vows
of espousal and are united to Him, to share in all the glories and honors of Christ,
taking His name and partaking of His nature Divine. As a bride by her marriage is united
to her husband through life, so the overcomers are by their union with the Lamb to be
-exalted to stations as joint-heirs forever in His Kingdom, and this is doubtless that
which is shown in this symbol. Their Marriage, therefore, of necessity involves their
resurrection to the Divine nature, the nature of their Lord. It is very important to
notice that it is at this point in the Revelation visions that Christ takes complete
possession of affairs in this world, and the vision following represents His glorified
Church associated with Him, descending from the opened heavens to overthrow all that
remains of opposition to His peaceful reign over the earth for the restitution of all
things, the blessing of all mankind.
"And it was given her that she should be clothed with Fine
linen, bright and pure; for the Fine Linen represents the Righteous Acts of the
Saints."--Vs. 8.
The change in the translation in this verse of the word
"righteousness'' in the Common Version to that of "'Righteous Acts" in the
Diaglott and other translations, conveys a different meaning to the expression. The words,
"And it was given her," evidently at the time of her Marriage, implies a reward.
The symbol of "fine linen," when applied to the saints during the period of her
espousal, refers to the imputed righteousness of her *Lord, Christ. In this verse it is
explained, differently. One writer has most beautifully unfolded this difference:
"How overwhelming is this! God has noted the walk of His saints;
Christ of H is own, and brought it out thus; for this is really the righteousness spoken
of here. Whatever faithfulness to the Truth of their death and resurrection with Christ;
of the Headship of Christ to the assembly; of the coming of Christ;-whatever separation
from the world and living alone for Him; whatever occupation with Christ in fellowship
with-Him who gave Him; whatever of loss of all things was suffered for Him; whatever of
anything, though imperfect and feeble, had Christ alone as the Object, the purpose of
living in obscurity and reproach with many failures in all;-whatever thinking upon Him in
a time of, defection and weeping for it; whatever filling up of the afflictions of Christ,
caring for His name and honor; whatever little or much sprang from Him;--this is
remembered as the 'widow's mite,' 'the doing what she could,' 'the confessing before men;'
the care for the saints; the ministering to the weak, comforting the feeble minded,--all
these and other acts, the results of Christ having been here, of their acceptance of Him,
are the righteous acts of the saints. How precious! and how gracious that those eyes so
keen to detect evil, are as keen for all that is according to Him [or done for Him]. This
shall be her manifestation in the glory, not one thing of the old nature, the old life;
but all of Christ, nothing of a reformed man. reaching up to higher manhood; but 'rather
all the new man in Christ Jesus."--TAYLOR.
In other words, the glorification of the Church in the First
Resurrection will signify her entering into the per fect life in the fullest sense,
after which she will forever stand in her own personal perfection and righteousness.
INVITED TO THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB
"And he says to me, 'Write;--Blessed are Those who have been
Invited to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.' He also said to me, 'These are the true Words
of God."' -Vs. 9.
This word "Write," seems to make it a proclamation to those
left on earth who will read these words and understand them after the Lamb's Marriage, the
union of Christ and His saints, has taken place. Various interpretations have been given
these words. 'Some understand those addressed to be the Old Testament saints; but the
-command for St. John to "Write," seems to make it apply to those who will at
the time of the vision's fulfillment hear these words, as an invitation. The marriage
supper always follows the marriage. It seems not to apply to the Bride, but to others.
MR. D. N. LORD has applied this invitation to the Marriage Supper to
different. persons from the raised. and glorified saints denoted by the Bride, and says of
them, that they apply to unglorified saints left on the earth after the Bride is
glorified. PASTOR RUSSELL has said on this feature of the vision that this "will be
the Nuptial Feast in honor of the Marriage of the Lamb, after His wife bath made herself
ready. (Rev. 19:7-9.) At that feast, we are assured, will be a secondary company, not
worthy -to be of the Bride class. These may be figuratively styled the bridesmaids, the
Great Company class; for after the account of the gathering of the Bride we have the
Lord's Message to these subsequently delivered from Babylon [not the Mother], saying,
'Blessed are they that are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb."'--Z '14-74.
"And I fell before His Feet to worship him. And he says to me,
'See; no! I am a Fellow-servant with thee, and of Those Brethren with thee who Have the
Testimony of Jesus; worship God.' (For the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of this
Prophecy.) "-Vs. 10.
St. John, at this stage of the symbolic visions seems to have been
entirely- overcome with the majesty of the revealing angel, and of the wonderful truths
disclosed in the angel's words; and in this rapturous state he fell down to the earth
before the anger in the attitude of worship. Some, have supposed that St. John took the
angel to be his Lord and Master, Christ; however this may be, it is certain that St. John
in doing this is designed to teach the Lord's followers a very important lesson, The
general teaching of the incident is that it is wrong, even idolatrous, to give to the
creature the adoration and honor' that belong alone to God. Nothing is more plainly taught
in the Scriptures than this. It has been this worshipping of men, of organizations, etc.'
that is, ascribing to them qualities or attributes belonging only to the Creator, that has
frequently caused God's people to fall. DAVID N. LORD, has, as follows, very fittingly
commented on this incident: "The response of the angel to the Apostle when falling to
worship him, is eminently beautiful, indicating a befitting sense of the sanctity of God's
rights, and exalting the services of the witnesses of Jesus to an equality with His own.
.1 am a servant of the same order as you and your 'brethren who bold the testimony of
Jesus,- for you and they in proclaiming that testimony before the nations and kings of
earth are to fulfil essentially the same office as I,--guided by the revealing spirit
-have fulfilled in interpreting the prophecy to you."
In this work of interpreting the visions of the Revelation God has
used many servants. We should, therefore, refrain from making St. John apply to any one
individual, as many seem to have made the mistake in doing. Even though it were possible,
which it is not, to apply it to one individual, we must. ever recognize that the
individual is simply bearing testimony to the same Message to which all the members of the
Body of Christ are called to bear witness. These are all, whether literal or symbolic
angels, whether apostles, prophets, or other teachers, appointed for this work, and should
be regarded as brethren, and none should claim or receive adoration, or even honor, that
would cause them to be looked upon or recognized as "great ones." "What
hast thou that thou didst not receive?" are the words of St. Paul in this connection.
"Cease thee from man, whose breath is in his nostrils."
All who own Christ as the One to be honored even as the Father is
honored will always refuse other honor than that of being servants, bond-slaves together
of His will and grace. How ready is the natural, fallen heart to, in some way, if not in
this, share the glory which is Christ's alone, with. some visible object, creature or
organization 1 Rome's idolatrous forms of worship to saints and angels is only a
grosser-form of what even some of Christ's followers are often found doing and for which
rebuke has often been needed. Our God is a jealous God. He is very jealous of any
usurpation of His rights, etc.; and we put ourselves in opposition to Him when we in any
measure assume these or accord them to others. "Let him that readeth
understand!"
--OCTOBER 31--MATT.
7:13-29--
Golden Text.--"Every tree
that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire."--Matt.
7:19.
FOLLOWING our Lord's course, we reach in this lesson a more
particular stage in His work. After the example of Peter, Andrew, James and John, others
became disciples or followers of the Lord, until we may presume that His company was of
considerable numbers. It was about this time that, after prayer in solitude in the
mountain, our Lord made choice of the twelve who should be His special representatives or
apostles; and whether it was before or after this selection from amongst the other
disciples or followers that He gave the Sermon on the Mount, we may not be too positive,
but evidently the two events occurred about the same time.
Our lesson is really a portion of the Sermon on the Mount--a
conclusion to it. Supplementing Matthew's statement with that of Luke 6:43-49, we find
that our Lord gave several illustrations. of true discipleship at this time: (1) The
straight gate and narrow way by which any might become His disciples; (2) the fruitbearing
test of being His disciples; (3) the difference between words and deeds in the Lord's
estimation; (4) the vital results as illustrated by the two buildings, the one on the sand
and the other on the rock.
THESE TESTS IGNORED BY CHURCHIANITY
In our day, when the public teachings of the ministry of nearly all
denominations is so different from the teaching of the Scriptures, we believe that the
degeneracy of faith and practice would be much more rapid than it is were it not that very
many feel it a duty to read a portion of the Scriptures daily, even though they think
little about their meaning. In such readings, les. sons like the one we are now
considering occasionally present themselves; and the lines of true discipleship are here
so distinctly drawn, that the merely nominal professor is made to shudder while the true
Christian is profited in proportion as he determines by the grace of God he will seek to
so conform his life that he may become more and more a copy of God's dear Son.
The general thought of today in the 'pulpits and in private
conversation and at funerals seems to be that in civilized lands everybody is a Christian
and sure to go to heaven eventually, except such persons as are moral reprobates--such as
are to be found in penitentiaries and prisons-and even for them hope is entertained that
ere they die they may express some regret for their misdeeds. Such regrets are seized upon
by their friends as evidence that they have become Christians, and gone to heaven too.
FALSE DOCTRINE IS CHARGEABLE FOR THIS
While condemning the foregoing as wholly wrong, we nevertheless
sympathize with those whose confusion of thought is thus manifested. Their unscriptural
views of what constitutes a Christian is the result of two things: (1) Teachings of the
Dark Ages handed down through the creeds of Christendom from the "Mother of
Harlots" to her "daughters"--creeds inspired by the teachings of those who,
in centuries gone by, persecuted one another to the death for differences of opinions on
doctrinal subjects-tortured one another with rack and sword and fagot. (2) To this bad
foundation of error there has come within recent years a larger spirit of enlightenment
and generosity in which we rejoice. But the two qualities-the errors of the past and the
generosity of the present-produce a very bad combination of doctrine for modern
Churchianity--a doctrine which seeks to be reasonable with itself, and which, in. so
doing, runs counter to a great many teachings of Scripture. The present lesson is an
illustration of this.
From the standpoint of orthodox churchianity and its teaching of
eternal torture for all except those who be come Christian, our Lord's words in this
lesson seem very unreasonable, very unsatisfactory, very heart-rending. From their
standpoint a strict application of this lesson would mean not only that the heathen world
is without hope in the future, but also the civilized world and the vast majority of those
called Christians have nothing to expect in the future except tribulation -- eternal
torment, because rejected of the Lord and not recognized as Christians, not recognized as
members of His Kingdom, His Body, of His Church.
THE TRUTH ALONE IS CONSISTENT
It is only when we get rid of the smoke and darkness and confusion of
Babylon and the Dark Ages and their creeds; and get back to the pure, unadulterated words
of the Lord and Apostles and Prophets, and by the grace of God are granted some opening of
the eyes of our under standing, only then can we see these matters in their true light.
Our Lord's discourses continually reiterated that He was seeking for some who should be
counted worthy to constitute His Kingdom, to sit with Him in His throne, to be His
joint-heirs, to rule and to judge Israel and all the nations of the world. Not until we
learn to differentiate between the Church, His Bride, the members of His Body, the Kingdom
class, and the world that is to be judged or ruled by this is Kingdom class in due time,
can we get a. clear conception of the Divine purposes progressing throughout this Gospel
Age.
From this standpoint we can see most clearly why none can be of the
Kingdom class unless they shall develop faith and character above and beyond that of the
world in general. We can see why these should be called upon to bear the good fruits; we
can see why they must walk the Narrow Way of self-denial, self-sacrifice and character
development in order to be fitted and prepared for the great work the Lord has for them to
do for the world in the coming Age-in the Millennium. It seems to be peculiarly difficult
for the majority of people long blinded by false doctrines to see that the Heavenly Father
has
SPECIAL TIMES AND SEASONS
FOR THE VARIOUS DEVELOPMENTS OF HIS WORK
The world is getting a certain kind of experiences in the present
time which will be valuable to it in the future -when God's due time shall come for
blessing - all the families of the earth to be on trial for life or death everlasting.
Meantime, with those present experiences come the disciplines of the laws of nature-under
which poverty, sickness, and mental and moral derangements follow excesses of evil doing
as pain follows contact with fire. And it is not an unreasonble hope that with the lessons
of the present time before them, the world during the Millennial Age will act more wisely
than at present; that under the favorable conditions prevailing then many will not only
rejoice in the great Plan of Salvation, but will avail themselves of it--many who are now
careless in such matters, partly because they cannot see or walk by faith.
It is when we realize that the present time is one for schooling,
discipline, chastening, proving the characters of those who hear and accept the Divine
invitation, that we see the reasonableness of all the restrictions and requirements
attaching to such special discipleship. No longer do we wonder that our dear Redeemer said
"Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it"; no longer do
we wonder that it is recorded that He spake in parables and dark sayings to the intent
that the majority should not understand His Message-to the intent that only Israelites
indeed might appreciate and accept His call. No longer do we wonder that He declared that
only those who would forsake all could become His disciples; no longer do we wonder that
discipleship means self-sacrifice even unto death. Now we see that our Heavenly Father
could make no easier terms than these in connection with the peculiar High Calling to
joint-heirship with His Son in the Kingdom to which He is now calling a Little Flock.
"NOT EVERY ONE THAT SAITH UNTO ME, LORD, LORD,
SHALL ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN"
The point of this lesson is specially for those who have named the
name of Christ, and who are professing to be His disciples. It is not enough that we
profess discipleship; unless the matter goes deeper than this we will be rejected. Our
professions of discipleship must be sincere, and the Lord knoweth the heart and will.
Although He will judge as leniently so far as unwilling and unintentional weaknesses and
imperfections are concerned, He will judge us most strictly in respect to our purposes,
the intentions of our hearts. Our Lord is not here referring to the Church in her present
condition as the embryo Kingdom: He refers to the glorified, actual Kingdom to be
established at His Second Advent. His faithful will enter into that. Kingdom by the
resurrection change-by participation in the First Resurrection, which is to include only
the blessed and holy.-Rev. 20:5, 6.
While the Lord's people of the present Age are not to be judged by
their works but by their faith, as the Apostle Paul distinctly points out, saying,
"By the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified in God's sight," but we are
justified by faith, nevertheless, works. will be required. By our works we must
demonstrate our faith, and, thank God, imperfect works can demonstrate to Him the loyalty
of our intentions, our wills. Hence the Apostle James says, "I will show thee my
faith by my works," and to this all the Scriptures agree. If our works demonstrate to
the Lord the sincerity of our faith, that faith will be acceptable to Him and. we will be
counted perfect and be granted a share in the Kingdom, great and precious things which the
Lord has' in reservation for those who love Him-not merely in word but also in deeds--for
those who strive by the deeds of life to, show forth, to demonstrate, their love.
The Lord carries this illustration to a considerable length, showing
that He does not merely refer to people who are nominally called Christians en masse. From the Lord's standpoint the great
majority of these would be merely classed as Gentiles; because they have never entered
into any covenant relationship -with God. The reference in this passage is evidently to
those who have outwardly made a consecration of themselves to the Lord-to those who have
outwardly professed a change of heart and vital relationship to the Lord. More than this,
He includes not only a few, but "many," who in their outward course of life have
in some measure acknowledged the Lord publicly and as here expressed.
Not content with giving us a word-picture distinguishing between
wolves and sheep, between injurious plants and fruitful ones, our Lord next institutes
another illustration still more searching -- contrasting a healthy fruit-tree with a
diseased or evil one, contrasting a healthy Christian with a perverted and misguided one.
He declares that a sound tree brings forth good fruit, but a corrupt or diseased tree
brings forth undesirable, evil fruit. How we have all witnessed this in nature the sound
apples come from good apple trees that are in healthy condition. The knotty, wormy,
unsatisfactory fruit comes from trees that are diseased, under-nourished, uncared for,
unpruned, attacked by worms, etc.
In this illustration our Lord seems to refer to. the fact that those
who are His disciples, sound and proper enough to begin with, might become evil, might
lose their spiritual strength and fruitfulness-their carefulness. Lack of nourishment in
the soil would expose a tree to disease, blight. So the Christian who would add to his
attainment in knowledge is liable to decline in spirituality unless he have spiritual
nourishment of the right kind. As without pruning the tree Would develop suckers, which
would corrupt it and ultimately destroy its fruitfulness, so the Christian needs the
disciplines, the prunings, that he may-develop in character and the graces of the Spirit.
Our Heavenly Father is the great husbandman and has promised us the proper care, yet it is
not exactly with us as with the trees; for because of our, higher endowment, our godlike
quality of individuality, will, we are dealt with differently.
The sound tree cannot bear poor fruit , nor the corrupted or decayed
tree bring forth good fruit. While each of the Lord's people is to examine himself before
the mirror of God's Word, to ascertain his own character, disposition, likeness or
unlikeness to Divine standards, nevertheless, in this matter of deciding about fruit,
whether it be good or bad, each of the Lord's people is called upon to exercise judgment
in regard to others as well as to himself-what are the results, the fruitage, the token of
my own life, and what is the fruitage, results, token of my brother, my neighbor. Our
Lord's intimation is that these tests are specially applicable to those who would be
leaders of His flock. They should all be examples, bearers of good fruit; and these good
fruits should be looked for as a test of good sound character--a character fully in
harmony with the Lord.
In Palestine, to this day, fruit trees are taxed, and hence a tree
which will not bear, whose fruitage is poor, cannot be tolerated, for it would entail a
loss instead of a revenue. Similarly, the assurance that the Lord will ultimately cast.
away every unfruitful one--"every branch in the vine that beareth not fruit He taketh
away"--while every branch that beareth fruit is purged, that it may bring forth more
fruit, is a further lesson along the same line.
"IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS,
DONE MANY AND WONDERFUL WORKS"
This represents a class claiming relationship to the Lord and public
ministry in His name-far above the ordinary masses of churchianity. Our Lord declares that
unless our consecration shall lead us to more than miracle-working and calling ourselves
Christian, and preaching to others in the Lord's name, it shall profit us nothing. In
order to have His approval "in that day" it will be necessary that we shall
develop characters in conformity with the Father's will-in conformity to the Lord's Word.
Nothing but character will stand the final tests.
All about us in so-called Christian lands we see and hear many in
public prayer and hymns of praise call repeatedly Lord, Lord, yet whose conduct, so far as
we can see, bears no good fruit, but rather evil fruitage. Many of them are like the
thorns and briars to which the Lord likened them. They reach out with helping hands to
lift man up, to bless and to ennoble, but the thorns and briars tear and do injury. We
live in a day when little of this injury is done physically, because the laws of
civilization would take cognizance of such evil deeds and punish the evil doers.
Nevertheless, the thorny and briary people find abundant opportunity for injuring others
with their lips, with their tongues. Slandering, backbiting, malice, hatred, envy, strife,
proceed from them because this is their nature. These bramble and thorn bushes may indeed
tie on clusters of grapes and figs to deceive, but the thorny and brambly character will
be sure to manifest itself to those who come near them in the contact of daily life.
No wonder that our Lord determines that such are unfit for a share
with Him in His Kingdom and its great work of judging and blessing the world of mankind.
How could busybodies and backbiters and slanderers be fit for the Kingdom of God's dear
Son? Saying, Lord, Lord, or performing some miracle in His name, does not warrant them in
expecting the great blessings which the Lord has in reservation for those who love Him and
who in turn are controlled by the spirit of love toward Him and toward all the household
of faith.
OUR FAITH STRUCTURE MUST HAVE PROPER FOUNDATIONS
Our Lord's illustration shows the possibility of building upon two
kinds of foundation--a worthy and an unworthy sort. But let us notice before we go further
that this parable does not represent the heathen in any sense of the word, nor does it
represent any who, living in civilized lands, have the eyes of their understanding so
beclouded by ignorance and superstition, and their ears so dulled by the god of this
world, that they do not hear distinctly the Lord's Message. The parable is addressed to
him "that heareth these sayings of mine"--who understands my teaching. The
heathen have no place under this designation, neither have the great majority of those who
profess churchianity.
The parable then most clearly finds its two classes in those who have
heard the Good Tidings and who have received them, who outwardly have made consecration to
the Lord, and who outwardly are building their hopes upon His promises. The hopes built
upon the Lord's promises and unaccompanied by works are hopes built upon the sand. It is
only a question of. time until the great testing time shall come and such hopes will be
shown to be worse than useless. They' will be shown to have deceived their possessor, who
thought himself safe in His assurances of a share in the Kingdom. Such hopes, such faith,
as fail to obediently strive to do' the Lord's will, such faith and hopes as consider that
obedience is not essential to a place in the Kingdom, are falsely founded; their overthrow
will come with great disaster.
On the contrary, those who build with obedience, their hearts as well
as their tongues confessing and honoring the Lord, their deeds corroborating their faith,
and their fruits bearing testimony of their vital relationship with the Lord-these shall
pass through all the storms of life and shall never be moved, never be shaken, because
they are on the foundation. No wonder that His hearers thought that our Lord's teachings
were different from those of the Scribes and Pharisees. There was a positiveness in His
teachings not to be found elsewhere. And so it is to-day: the Word of the. Lord is
reasonable, logical and satisfying in a manner and to a degree that nothing else is.
The Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 3:10-15) uses this same illustration in a
slightly different manner. His illustration shows only those who are built upon the rock,
Christ Jesus, but shows that two classes are building upon the rock, and that while all
such builders will be eventually saved, gain everlasting life, there will be nevertheless
two classes of them-some saved abundantly in the Kingdom and others "saved so as by
fire"--by passing through great tribulation.
The general tenor of all these lessons is that all those
who think worth while to be on the Lord's side at all in this present Age will do wisely
if, after counting the cost, they completely lay aside not only their besetting sins but
their ambition and their hope and every desire of an earthly kind-that their entire
interests may be devoted to the Lord, to knowing His will, to serving Him. These are they
who really love the Lord more than they love houses or lands or father or mother or
children or self; these are the Lord's jewels, who shall be joint-heirs with Him in the
Kingdom and in the great work of blessing all the families of the earth in due time.
--NOVEMBFP 7--MATT.
6:1-7:12
Golden Text.--"Seek ye first
His Kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you."--Matt. 6:33.
PERHAPS no other sin was as roundly and thoroughly denounced by the
Great Teacher as was the sin of hypocrisy. Its meanness is recognized and acknow-ledged,
even by those who practice it. It is falsehood and deceit, the very opposites of
righteousness and truth. No matter what forms, ceremonies and garbs the hypocrite may
wrap himself up in he cannot deceive God. Ere long he is sure to disclose his deformity to
his fellow-men, also. So surely as one is dishonest, hypocritical, he is unworthy of the
Truth-not one of the kind whom the Lord is now "drawing" and "calling"
to membership in the Body of Christ, the elect Church. The hypocritical, .therefore,
cannot see the Truth, cannot comprehend it. They live on the plane of dishonesty and, in
that sense of the word, are unrighteous or impure, and unworthy of the Truth.
This does not signify, however, that all hypocrites are worthy of
Second Death-extinction. It merely means that they are not worthy of a place with those
now called to be joint-heirs with Christ in His Millennial Kingdom. Thank God, all that
came down to us from the Dark Ages respecting eternal torment as the Divine provision for
all who would not be of the Little Flock was falsehood -blasphemous misrepresentation of
the God of Love and Justice. The Millennial Kingdom is for the very purpose of dealing
with those who are hypocritical and otherwise degenerate. Under its restraints,
corrections, rewards and punishments many of them "will learn righteousness,'' as the
Scriptures assure us. (Isa. 26:9.) Only the finally incorrigible will be destroyed in the
Second Death.
Today's Study illustrates various forms of hypocrisy and condemns
them all:
(1) The doing of righteous acts' before men to be seen of them, while pretending to do these
for righteousness' sake, to be in harmony with the Divine will. Such will have no reward
from God, though they may or may not get the reward they seek, namely, human praise from
those whom they deceive. The alms and other righteous acts which God would approve are the
unostentatious -- not done for human praise, but from principle, from love for God and His
righteousness, and love or sympathy for fellow-men. So quietly should this be done that
even those close to us in life might only by accident discover our unselfish generosity.
(2) Hypocrisy may take the form of religion-pretended piety, worship,
praise, church attendance, "chief seats," the amen corner, etc. It delights in
religious garbs which say ostentatiously, My coat or bonnet or collar or tie will tell you
that I am specially holy. Praying in the streets has become unfashionable, except for our
Salvation Army friends. We should not be understood to mean that all who dress peculiarly,
who go to church, who pray in public, etc., are hypocritical-! God forbid! Nor do we
understand this to have been the teaching of the Son of God. He taught rather that these
supposed manifestations of holiness might be used hypocritically. His warnings were not
that we should undertake to correct those who are addicted to these condemned practices,
but that we should see to it in our own hearts and lives, and all of our own religious
sentiments, that they are sincere-to God and not to men. He who does such things for
outward effect upon his fellow-men should know that his hypocrisy is distinctly known of
the Lord, even when not recognized by his fellow-men. He should know that so far from
receiving a blessing he goes the more deeply into Divine disfavor.
True prayer should be to the Lord-never to the public. Individual
prayer is specially commended by our Lord. Family prayer is also Scripturally proper.
Prayer in the Church is proper, because supposedly amongst those who constitute the
family, of the Lord--this is not public prayer
in the proper sense of that term.
The prayers of God's people should be simple, earnest, heart-felt.
They need not be long. Repetitions are useless. The Heavenly Father knoweth better than we
what things we have need of. He waits to be gracious-waits to be asked for blessings. In
so doing He cultivates in His people a proper spirit of appreciation of their needs and
longing desires for the good things He is willing to give-to the intent that they may be
blessings in the highest sense and degree.
THE SAMPLE PRAYER
What is generally styled "the model prayer" was given
merely as an example. We are to pray after that manner, but not necessarily in those
words. The order of the prayer is beautiful. How properly it opens by addressing "Our
Father in Heaven" and by expressing desire that the great name of God be hallowed,
revered, honored, by all, and therefore by the petitioner also. It proceeds to express a
desire that the Divine will may be accomplished on earth as in heaven and the confidence
that this ,can come about only through the establishment of God's Kingdom-by Messiah's
Millennial reign of righteousness, which will be enforced for the blessing and uplifting
of mankind and the bringing of all the willing from
sin and death conditions to life everlasting.
Thus the chief thing, the glory of God and the out working of the
Divine Plan, should be the most prominent things in our hearts as we approach the Throne
of Grace. Then we may remember our own physical needs and ask for the bread of life. It is
not for us to specify the spiritual or temporal food, but to petition the Giver of all
good, in the spirit of submission to the Divine arrangements, whatever they may be.
We have not. the wisdom which would warrant us in specifying,
particularizing our wants; rather the proper spiritual child delights in the Father's will
and providence in all things:
"Back of the loaf is the snowy flour
And back of the flour the mill;
And back of the mill is the wheat and shower
And the sun and the Father's will."
When told to pray, "Forgive us our trespasses," we are not
to understand thereby Original Sin. That great transgression committed by our father Adam,
which involved himself and all of his posterity in the sentence of death, cannot be
forgiven upon request. For its cancellation God has already arranged the death of Christ,
"the just for the unjust."
But we trespass through imperfection and temptation, contrary to our
better intentions and wishes. These sins require acknowledgment and forgiveness. Divine
mercy is pleased to remit the guilt of all unintentional sins and to reckon them as
covered with the precious blood as part of Original Sin. The Lord waits to be thus
gracious, but, desiring our blessing and development, He requires that we shall be
similarly forgiving toward those with whom' We have to do. "But if ye forgive not men
their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matt' 6:15.)
What an incentive to sympathy, generosity and forgiveness is here!
In this lesson (Matt. 7:1-12) we have another leaf from our Lord's
great Sermon on the Mount. This is not a sermon to sinners but to the Lord's consecrated
people; and although there were multitudes within the hearing of our Lord's voice, all of
whom belonged to the typically consecrated nation, yet our Lord addressed Himself
specially to His twelve chosen disciples, who were being particularly and fully
instructed, that they, under the spirit dispensation soon to be inaugurated, might become
the twelve foundations of the Heavenly Kingdom, represented symbolically in the New
Jerusalem of Revelation.--Rev. 21:14.
Following our Lord's example and injunction, we are endeavoring to
set meat in due season, "things new and old," before the household of faith, the
children of the Kingdom, and not before "dogs"--those who are still outside of
Divine favor, who have not yet received the grace of God and been adopted into His family
and constituted sons. These precious truths are pearls of great price-of great value-to
those who have the hearing ear and the understanding and appreciative heart-those who have
been begotten of the spirit and are "new creatures in Christ Jesus," and seeking
to live the new life.
If they have been fault-finding, cynical, hypercritical, etc.,
judging others harshly and uncharitably, it will be a clear token that they have not
developed the spirit of Christ, the spirit of love,--which is full of kindness and'
consideration: hence such would be judged or condemned as unfit for the Kingdom, for
according to our way of judging others we will be judged-since nothing else will better
demonstrate our true spiritual condition,--the presence or absence of love.
Whatever measure of mercy and generosity we mete out to others will
be the measure of Divine' mercy that will be extended to us. If all the Lord's people
could have well impressed upon their hearts this lesson from the great Teacher's lips, how
wonderfully it would affect their attitude toward others, in thought as well as in deed;
how generous, how forgiving, how sympathetic for the weaknesses of others they would
become; how the spirit of love would grow in their hearts and manifest itself in their
words and deeds!
RAFTERS IN THEIR EYES
Emphasizing this lesson, our Lord suggests that those who are always
finding fault with the "brethren" who, like themselves, are seeking to walk in
the Narrow Way-- who can never see the noble efforts of the "brethren" to copy
the Master, but are continually picking at them, are
the very ones who have the greatest of faults in themselves--lovelessness. The exaggeration
of our Lord's words of reproof to this class seems to imply a vein of sarcasm, for
literally He says, Why do you stare so at your fellow who is troubled with a grain of
sawdust in his 'eye, while you have a whole rafter in your own eye? All the
"brethren" are more or less troubled with difficulties of one kind or another,
weaknesses of the flesh,--because all have the treasure of the new nature in imperfect
earthen vessels-marred by original sin. "There is none righteous, no, not one"
absolutely perfect. Yet the brethren whose hearts are full of love, even though they have
sawdust in their eye of faith,. or intellectual discernment, or 'spiritual discernment,
and perhaps also splinters in their hands, which affect all the deeds of life, and render
their work imperfect, and the many of them have splinters in their feet also, so that
their walk is by no means perfect, as they would desire it to be-yet if they have the
spirit of faith and of love and of sympathy, the spirit of Christ, they are His, and far
more acceptable to Him than any could possibly be who are devoid of the spirit of love and
sympathy, and who therefore in this parable are represented as wholly perverted in their
judgment of others , because possessing so little of the Lord's spirit and so much of the
spirit of the Adversary--the great "accuser of the brethren."
This loveless, fault-finding, brethren-accusing class the Lord
denominates hypocrites. Why? Because in finding fault with others they are evidently
wishing to give the inference that they are not afflicted with the same malady of sin
themselves; they evidently wish to give the impression that they are holy, and since they
know in their own hearts that this is untrue, and that they have many failings, many
imperfections-theref ore their course is hypocritical, false, deceptive, displeasing to
God., Their claim that their fault-finding is
prompted by love for the erring and a hatred of sin is deceptive and hypocritical, as our
Lord's words clearly show. Otherwise they would find plenty to do in hating and
condemning and battling with their own sins and weaknesses-casting out their own rafter of
self-conceit and hypocrisy' The experiences thus gained would make them very tender and
merciful and loving in their assistance of others.
TYING GRAPE CLUSTERS TO THORN BUSHES
But while we are not to judge our "brother," who with us
professes-to be endeavoring to walk in the footsteps of our Master, and who gives any
evidences at all of sincerity in the matter, we nevertheless are to do a certain kind of
judging as respects mankind in general. Elsewhere the Lord intimates that "by their
fruits" we are to "know" grapevines from thorn-bushes, and figs from
thistles. And in this sermon He intimates that we are to judge or discern as between the
brethren and "dogs" and "swine"--the selfish, the sensual, who mind
earthly things and who have never been begotten of the-spirit of God. We may know these by
outward evidences, for "If any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of
His;" and if he is none of His, not a branch of the Vine, we are not-to waste our
time in trying to tie onto him bunches of the fruits of the Vine. We are not to attempt to
deceive others or ourselves by helping to counterfeit the true holy spirit in the selfish,
unregenerate world. We are not to expect that this class, whose appreciation is only for
earthly things, to appreciate holy, heavenly things, any more than we would expect that
dogs would appreciate the difference between meat from the butcher shop and the. holy,
consecrated meat eaten only by the priesthood. We are not to expect that the swinish and
groveling, who think only of money and the things of this life, would appreciate the
pearls of Truth which are so precious in the sight of the brethren, begotten of the
spirit.
This does not mean that we should never bring holy things to the
attention of those who are-not the Lord's consecrated people; but it does mean that a mere
presentation of the first principles of righteousness and truth should quickly manifest to
us those who have an ear for the Truth, and those who have not,--that finding the hearing
car we might give diligence to serve it, and finding the ear closed we might cease to
waste our time, knowing that the effort would be fruitless as respects the calling of this
Gospel Age-to saintship, to the Divine nature, to joint-heirship in the Kingdom. The
Millennial Age will soon be ushered in, and that will be God's time for breaking the hard
hearts, for opening the blind eyes, and unstopping the deaf ears.
Indeed, in some respects the efforts which have been expended upon
the "dogs" and the "swine"--the thorn bushes and the thistles,
endeavoring to tie to these various imitations of the fruits of the spirit of Christ, and
to make the meat of the household palatable to them, have been positively injurious to the
Lord's cause. The "brethren" have been neglected in the endeavor to feed the
"dog" class; the making ready of the Bride for the Bridegroom, and adorning her
with the pearls of Truth, has been neglected in the endeavor to interest the
"swine" in the pearls. The real value of the true Vine, in producing good fruit,
and the wide difference of nature between it and a bramble bush, has been greatly obscured
by the appropriation of the Vine's natural fruitage to the bramble. Let us not be wise
above what is written; let us attend in the
present time to the work which God has appointed for this Age, and leave to His appointed
time the general work for the world of mankind.
HOW TO OVERCOME LOVELESS SELF-CONCEIT
Returning to the lessons which the "brethren" must learn,
and possibly having specially in mind the correction of the tendency to judge one another,
our Lord gives instructions how these wrong qualities may be eradicated, We are to ask of
the Lord the needed measure -of love and sympathy which will hinder us from judging
others, and which will help us in correcting our own defects. If we ask
sincerely, truly, we will receive His grace and help in this direction. And while asking,
it is our duty to be seeking the things which we lack, the holy spirit of love to fill our
hearts; and if we seek it we shall find it. We are to knock upon the Lord's store-house of
grace -and blessing by continued efforts, as well as prayer without ceasing, and as a
result it will surely be opened to us. The asking, the seeking, the knocking, will all
imply faith in the Lord, which will be pleasing in His sight, and it will also imply
faithfulness on our part and a desire to be conformed fully to the Lord's will.
Luke's reference to this discourse (11 :13) declares -that the good
thing that God will be pleased to give these asking, seeking, knocking ones, is His Holy
Spirit. And this is exactly what is needed, as an offset to the unholy, unloving, selfish,
judging and fault-finding spirit of the flesh, which must be cast out. The antidote for
the poison is that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit, the spirit of love, for
"love worketh no ill to his neighbor;" love "suffereth long and is
kind;" love "is not puffed up" to see the faults of others and to be blind
to its own; it "vaunteth not itself" to be a general critic, fault-finder and
"accuser of the brethren." Love is sympathetic, helpIful, the spirit of God.--1
Cor. 13:4; Rom. 13:10.
"Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men .should do
unto you, do ye even, so to them." The word "therefore" shows the
connection between this and the preceding features of the lesson: it signifies that this
will -be a test or rule by which we may, discern when and to what extent we are misjudging
the motives of others, and officiously endeavoring to perform the very delicate operation
of removing their splinters. This verse is therefore known as the "Golden
Rule"--the rule which God would have His people use in respect to all the affairs of
life-especially in their relationship and dealings with the "brethren." When
disposed to find a fault, or pick a flaw, when disposed to condemn another or to criticize
another's faults, or to hold him up to odium, we can generally know of the propriety or
impropriety of so doing or thinking by asking ourselves the question: Would I wish the
brother to do, to say or to think thus respecting me, if I were he and he were I?
NARROW IS THE WAY
Our Lord intimates that such a life of carefulness respecting not
only our actions but also our words and even our very thoughts (which are the springs from
whence proceed our words and actions) will be a very "narrow way"--a difficult
way. And yet it is the only way by which we can hope to enter into the life and Kingdom of
joys which are now set before us in the Gospel call. The broad way, the easy way, the
selfish way, the worldly way, does not lead to the Kingdom: on the contrary, it leads to
death-to the Second Death, to utter destruction. The many are going in that way now, and
only the few find and enter into the straight gate and narrow way to the Kingdom and its
glory, honor and immortality.
A grand highway of holiness shall be opened to the world of mankind
during the Reign of Christ's Kingdom. No lions shall be in that grand Millennial highway;
nothing to hurt or destroy or intimidate from well-doing; nothing to seduce or to devour
as a prey those who seek to walk righteously and to come back into harmony with the Lord;
whereas all these besetments are now about us, because Satan, the prince of this world, is
still unbound. (Isa. 35:8, 9; Rev. 20:2.) All who now enter the "narrow way" are
compelled to fight a good fight, to contend earnestly for the faith, to resist the devil,
if they would secure the greater "prize" of our High Calling. We must not only
contend with the weaknesses of the flesh, which we have inherited, but we must also
wrestle with wicked spirits in exalted places (Eph. 6:12), but the Lord giveth us the more
grace, that thereby we may come off conquerors through Him Who loved us and bought us with
His Own precious blood.--1 Tim. 6:12; Jude 3; Jas. 4:7; Rom. 8:37.
Nov. 14, 21, 28,
Dec. 5 and 12
Golden Text.--"Then saith
He unto His disciples, The Harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few. Pray ye
therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth laborers into His
harvest."--Matt. 9:37, 39.
Owing to the fact that the HERALD for November will be a double
number, combining the 1st and 15th issues, and that all the space will be devoted to
special matter, we will find it necessary to omit the regular treatment of five of the
Sunday School Lessons for lack of space. We are, however, printing the subject of the
Lesson for each of these dates, together with the Golden Text, and citation of Scripture
containing the Lesson. Additionally, we are submitting a reference to a selection
from our Pastor's writings treating the Lesson under discussion. Thus the study of the
Lesson may be pursued in the regular way without any break, up to the Lesson of Dec. 19
which will be reviewed in the regular way in the Dec. 1st HERALD.
THE POWER AND AUTHORITY OF JESUS
--Nov. 14--MATT. 8:5-13;
9:35-38--
Golden Text.--"And Jesus
went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and
all manner of sickness."--Matt. 9:35. Subject treated in Z '12-294, 145: "To
The Jew First," and "The Harvest is The End of The Age."
THE TWELVE SENT FORTH
--Nov. 21--MATT. 10:5-8,
29-31, 37-42--
Subject treated in Z '10-120; '12-247: "The Kingdom of Heaven is
at Hand," and "Preaching the Kingdom."
HOW JESUS
WAS RECEIVED
--Nov. 28--MATT. 11:1-6,
16-19, 25-30; 12:14--
Golden Text.--"Come unto
Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."--Matt. 11:28.
Subject treated in Z '10-122, 132; '12-248: "The Least in the
Kingdom," "More Tolerable for Sodom," and "Brought Down to Hell."
THE GROWTH OF THE KINGDOM
--DEC. 5--MATT. 13:1-43--
Golden Text.--"Fret not
thyself because of evil-doers." -Psa. 37: 1.
Subject treated in Z '10-202, 203: "Good Seed for Good
Ground," and "The Wheat and the Tares."
WHAT THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE
--DEC. 12--MATT. 13:44-58--
Golden Text.--"The Kingdom
of God is not eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."--Rom. 14:17.
Subject treated in Z '12-200: "The Kingdom a Prize."
STUDY
XXXIII--OCTOBER 17
THE SOUNDING OF THE THIRD TRUMPET
(161) Describe the symbols employed in connection with the third
Trumpet events. H '19-200.
(162) What is the general significance of the stars when symbolically
employed in the Bible? And what is' the lesson to be drawn from the fact that there are
fixed stars and falling stars (meteors) ? H'19-200.
(163) What does the name of the falling Star', "Wormwood"
signify? What does the falling Star itself symbolize, and what are the facts of history
showing the fulfillment of this vision? Dan. 8:10-12; H '19-200, 201.
(164) What was the "heaven" from which the "great
Star" fell, and about what time in history do we locate the fulfillment? H '19-201,
202.
(165) What do the Rivers and Fountains of Waters on which the Star
fell signify, and what should we understand by many dying as a result of drinking the
bitter Waters? H '19-201, 202.
STUDY XXXIV--OCTOBER
24
THE SOUNDING OF THE FOURTH TRUMPET
(166) As preparatory to the study of the fourth Trumpet symbols, give
a brief
review of the three preceding Trumpets. At what point of time should we -look for the
fulfillment of the fourth Trumpet symbols? H '19-214.
(167) What are the symbols employed in connection with the sounding
of the fourth Trumpet, and what are the natural results to be looked for from the smiting
of the Sun, Moon and Stars? H '19-214.
(168) What is the symbolical significance of the Sun, Moon and Stars
as here used? And how are we to understand the darkening of these? H '19-215.
(169) What is the symbolical significance of the Day and Night, and
how are we to understand that these were darkened? What are the evidences and proofs by
the historian? H '19-215, 216.
(170) How do historical expositors generally apply these symbols?
Show how a recent expositor is in error. H '19-216.
STUDY XXXV--OCTOBER
31
THE SOUNDING OF THE FIFTH TRUMPET
(171) Give a brief review of the symbolic significance of the first
four Trumpets; and what do we note particularly with regard to the third and fourth
Trumpets? H '19-230.
(172) In what particular manner are the three last Trumpets
distinguished from the preceding four? Rev. 3:13; H '19-228.
(173) What is signified by the "Eagle" flying in Mid-heaven
uttering the solemn proclamation; and are we to understand that his utterance is
necessarily a truthful one? H ' 19-228.
(174) About what time and what event. in history would seem to fulfil
this vision of the flying Eagle? and explain what was the nature of the appeals and
messages of that time. H '19-228.
(175) What in a general way is portrayed in the fifth Trumpet symbol
of the fallen Star, and what are the evidences that a false religion is here depicted? H
'19_229.
STUDY XXXVI-NOVEMBER
7
THE SOUNDING *OF THE FIFTH TRUMPET (Cont.)
(176) What is signified by the Abyss, and what other word is
sometimes used to translate the original Greek word corresponding to the term
"Abyss"? Rev. 20:1; H '19-229.
(177) Explain in what way a false teacher might be said to be given
the "key," and to open the Abyss. What further evidence is there that a false
religion came forth as a result of the opening of the Abyss? H '19-229.
(178) What is taught in the symbolic Locust army that came from the
Abyss? and cite other instances in the Bible in which the locust is referred to; what is
the apparent significance of this symbol? H '19-229.
(179) What would seem to be the requirements in order to locate the
fulfillment of this vision of the Locust army in history, and what in a general way should
we look for, as the symbolic fulfillment of this fifth Trumpet symbol, and about what
time? H '19-230.
(180) What special character and what religious movement do we find
in history about this time that would seem to -meet the requirements of this vision? H
'19-230.
STUDY
XXXVII--NOVEMBER 14
THE SOUNDING OF THE FIFTH TRUMPET (Cont.)
(181) Give a description of Mahomet and show how he has fulfilled the
symbol of the fallen Star, and the title "Apollyon," and in what way he had to
do with opening the symbolic Abyss. H '19-230, 231.
(182) Explain the significance of the Smoke that darkened the
sunlight, and the significance of the Locust army that came forth from the bottomless Pit,
and what is the testimony of the historian bearing upon this matter showing the
fulfillment of Rev. 9:3, 4? H '19-231.
(183) What is the import of the statement that they should torment
men five months, and is this symbolic time? H '19-232.
(184) Explain verses 6-10 and show from history how these have had
fulfillment in connection with the reign of Mohammedanism. H '19-231, 232.
(185) What is a recent expositor's interpretation? and show its
fallacy. H '19-232.
STUDY
XXXVIII--NOVEMBER 21
THE SOUNDING OF THE SIXTH TRUMPET
(186) Upon what communities or nation of the earth does the sixth
Trumpet judgment seem to fall? Give some testimony from history as to the religious
condition of Christendom about the time of the sixth Trumpet. Did this judgment produce
repentance? Rev. 9:20, 21; H '19-247.
(187) What is the significance of the Golden Altar as employed in
this vision, and of the Voice from the four Horns of the Altar? H '19 247.
(188) What seems to be the thought in the part of the symbolism of
the Four Angels bound at the River Euphrates, and the proclamation that they be unbound?
H'19-247, 248.
(189) What great power succeeded that of the Saracens that seemed to
meet the requirements of this symbolism of the Four Angels? H '19-248.
(190) What general facts concerning this great power would seem to
correspond with and fulfill the symbolism ,of the Four Angels? H '19-248.
STUDY
XXXIX-NOVEMBER 28
THE SOUNDING OF THE SIXTH TRUMPET (Cont.)
(191) Name the four divisions of armies of the Ottoman Empire that
were freed from restraint, and without mercy executed judgments upon apostate Church
systems. Give the testimony of the historian concerning each of the divisions or agencies.
H '19-248, 249.
(192) What lessons are suggested in the symbolism of the riders with
breastplate of fire, etc., and of the Lion-headed Horses and of the Fire, Smoke and
Sulphur that issued from their Mouths? H '19-250.
(193) What is the significance of the symbolic description of the
Serpent-like Tails that injure, and what is our conclusion from the facts of history? H
'19-250.
(194) What would seem to be a reasonable conclusion as to the
statement that the Four Angels were prepared for an "Hour, and Day, and Month, and
Year" to slay the third part of men, and what are the facts of history showing the
decline of the Ottoman Empire and the loss of its power? H '19-250.
(195) How has a recent
expositor applied this vision? show how the application is faulty. H- '19-250.
LIKE A DRAUGHT OF WELL WATER
Dear Brethren:
I am in receipt of a number of copies of the "HERALD" and
have perused same with a lively sense of interest and satisfaction.
It seems strange to pick up a "Truth" journal today and
find in it no evidence of partisan feeling and a "we are the people" attitude.
What struck me as possibly the most prominent characteristic of the copies I received was
the "peaceful" tone of the entire series of articles, and the commonsense
attitude adopted towards modern happenings, not seeing in every little fluctuation of this
or that political group the solution of some obscure prophecy never before considered as
of value to the saints, but rather viewing the whole situation as the grand outworking of
Jehovah's Plan, the multiplicity of detail merely serving to show how true Vol. 4 was and
is.
Your attitude towards the "door" being closed or open is so
in harmony with BROT11ER RUSSELL and my own poor opinion that I can but view the article
referred to as an answer to prayer-and have thereby satisfied a doubt that has caused me
vague annoyance for over a year. . . .
May I also mention your articles on Revelation-thank the Lord for the
clear, sensible way you are making the exposition. After vainly trying to assimilate a
present prominent book dealing with this series of visions, and after accumulating a mass
of evidence to the contrary of the exposition there set forth, it is like a draught of
well water to a thirsty man to read the "readable" and straightforward analysis
you present. Your honesty in quoting Brother Russell so prominently is refreshing-and your
general attitude of tolerance to those who do not see eye to eye with you is doubly so.
Truly we are in an evil day, but our faith in others is increased
after reading the "HERALD".
I am enclosing $5.00 for a year's subscription. and all. back numbers
it will buy. I hope shortly to procure a vote-with whatever of responsibility that
implies.
Ever your brother in Him,
D. H. C.--Can.
NEW JOY AND GLADNESS EXPERIENCED
Dear Brethren:
Beloved in the Lord-fond greetings!
Just a word to express our thankful appreciation to our Heavenly
Father for the rich blessings of spiritual food so lovingly provided in the HERALD OF
CHRIST'S KINGDOM. All its subject matter bears the seal of truth and is very full in
deed of those, qualities that go to the edifying and. building up of the Lord's people.
After the trials of justice, wisdom, love and faith towards and amongst the brethren, it
is com forting to refresh one's self at this fountain of living water. We cannot find
words to fully express all our joy and glad ness since it entered our home. This being
so, we desire to encourage our brethren thus used as instruments of His grace, and pray to
our Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus that the richest blessings of His love and
peace be ministered unto you as you comfort, and minister unto others.
Your brethren in Christ by His kind favor,
F. & P. B.-Eng.
NEED TO LOOK UP NOW
Our dear Brethren:
I had forgotten when my subscription for the HERALD was due. I
enclose the sum of five shillings, whether over or under due.
I have received the HERALD regularly, for which I thank you so much.
I look for it as eagerly as one did the Watch Tower prior -to our late beloved Pastor and
Brother's departure; not only for the exposition of the Revelation which I enjoy
exceedingly-to me it. is a beautiful unfolding of that wonderful book, so acceptable and
understandable, so full of "that servant's thoughts and teaching, by the Holy
Spirit's gift of revealing to the one and only seventh messenger-besides the above, the
HERALD contains such rich articles for our spiritual needs, and helps to carry us along
the way that leads to the culmination of our 'High Calling, and to help the Bride to make
herself ready. . . . The PASTORAL BIBLE INSTITUTE is often in my daily remembrance. The
Lord give you much joy in the blessed work for Him who gave Himself a ransom for us.
I have heard from our beloved Brother Shearn what a splendid
Convention they had in August and the large number who were interested attending it. Sorry
I was not able to be there-for age and circumstances would not permit.
We live in perilous times, and portentous, and if ever there was a.
time for the need to "look up for your redemption draweth nigh," it is now.
With much fervent love and brotherly wishes for the success of your
work, that the Lord may fill you with His joy,
Your brother in Him, by grace alone,
G. M.-Eng.
LONGING FOR MORE LIGHT
Dear Sirs:
I have had a copy, of the "Inauguration of God's Kingdom"
and I am very much interested in same. I see you are offering free on request some
pamphlets. I would be very glad if you would send me some of them, especially the one
about our Lord's return, its glorious purpose, etc., and I promise
to use them faithfully.
Respectfully,
M. E.-N. Y.
_____________
Gentlemen:
Have just finished reading your leaflet on the "Inauguration of
God's Kingdom." Will you kindly send me pamphlet that shows the Bible teaching'
respecting our Lord's return, the state of the dead, and the texts in which the word Hell
is found. By so doing you will greatly oblige,
Yours truly,
MRS. L. M. H.-Pa.
___________
Dear Sirs:
I write to let you know that I received the Bible quite safely, and I
must thank you for the same. I will study it with my whole heart and soul. I have learned
a great deal from reading those booklets you sent and as time goes on I will let you know
of my studies, and how I am learning by taking the Bread of Life before going to work
mornings and again in my evening studies.
I must tell you that I am surrounded by all kinds of the devil's
works where I am staying, . . . but by the help of the Lord and my own faith I will try to
succeed and get to my Master's blessed feet, at the foot of the cross. Please pray for me,
. . .-a one time poor, miserable sinnernow a new beginner in the new life, directed by our
Lord and Master.
Yours truly,
H. D. J.-Can.
______________
Dear Brother:
I have read with much interest the leaflet "Inauguration of
God's Kingdom." I should be glad to have you send me a few additional copies for
distribution, also anything else that you may have on kindred subjects.
Very sincerely,
H. A. C.-Me.
________________
Gentlemen:
I have read your leaflet, "The Inauguration of God's
Kingdom," and have enjoyed it very much. I would be very pleased to get any
literature you may have to send. The coming of Christ is a glorious reality with me.
Sincerely,
MRS. C. V. S.-Me.
HYMNS OF DAWN FOR DECEMBER
As a part of the devotional exercises at the beginning of each day,
brethren of the Truth find it a profitable feature to sing one of the Hymns of Dawn.
Additionally, it is recognized that there is a strength of fellowship in the fact that the
friends
realize that though scattered and separated, they ate singing the
same hymn during the morning worship. The following selections are suggested for the month
of December:
(1) 130; (2) 213; (3) 136; (4) 91; (5) 160; (6) 196; (7)
198; (8) 322; (9) 67; (10) 10; (11) 112; (12) 145; (13) 95; (14) 296; (15) 288; (16) 114;
(17) 208; (18) 286; (19) 44; (20) 267; (21) 268; (22) 229; (23) 272; (24) 139; (25) 16;
(26) 184; (27) 125; (28) 202; (29) 70; (30) 19; (315 277.
1920 Index |