PROPHECY
SPEAKS
by
E. A. ROWELL
Whether believer or nonbe-
liever, here is a book you will
thoroughly enjoy. The author
was reared in an infidel home,
and is himself a eonverted in-
fidel. He beeame a prominent
lecturer, visited many cities on tlie Pacific Coast some years
ago, advertised his meetings, invited all classes of unbe-
lievers to attend, and to interrupt him with questions at
any t_me during tlie lecture. This book depicts in intimate
detail tlie result of these experienccs. The author’s argu-
ments on tlie divine source of the Bible record are incon-
trovertible, and his stimulating book is intensely interesting
from first to last. Paper covers, 112 pages. Price, 25 cents.
Review and Herald Publishing Association
Takoma Park,	Washington, D.C.
THE BIBLE MADE PLAIN
Topiccri Studies
A series of twenty-four short studies
c«n populär Bible subjects: Inspira-
tion of the Bible, Origin of Evil,
Prophecies of Daniel, Second Com-
ing of Christ, Bible Sabbatli, Millen-
nium, and many others. Arranged in
simple form for personal study.
Paper covers, 128 pages
Price, 25 cents
REVIEW AND HERALD PUB. ASSN.
Takoma Park,	Washington, D.C.
YOUR BIBLE SAYS
If There Ever Was a Time When the Admonition of Christ to “Search the Scriptures” Was Fitting, It Is Now.
In Them We May Find the Solution to Our Perplexing Present-Day Problems
Your Bible Says—
by
GWYNNE DALRYMPLE
REVIEW AND HERALD PUBLISHING ASSN.,
Takoma Park, Washington, D.C.
Peekskill, N.Y. ..... South Bend, Ind.
Copyright, 1937, by
Review and Herald Publishing Association
CONTENTS
Foreword—What Is Truth?........................7
The Signs of the Times.........................9
The World’s Future Government.................19
Will Jesus Return?............................23
The Origin of Evil............................28
The Law of God................................33
The Sabbath...................................39
The Seal of God and the Mark of Apostacy -	-	47
Christian Liberty.............................56
Where Are the Dead?...........................65
Eternal Life..................................73
What Can Jesus Do for Me?.....................81
God’s Message for Today.......................89
Like a Mighty Lighthouse the Ei üe Stands Today, Projecting
Its Prophetie Beams o£ Light In:c the Darkness of the Future
FOREWORD—What Is Truth?
Today, in many lands and under the most diverse
circumstances, men are searching for truth. The happy
optimism which followed the World War has given place
to a feeling of insecurity, o£ cynicism, or o£ actual despair.
Men ask, “What. is truth?” and their tone indicates, many
times, that they do not believe there is any truth,. though
they would like to find it if there were.
But there is truth. And it is found within the pages of
your Bible.
The Holy Scriptures form a book which is extravagantly
praised but seldom read. People are more willing to admire
it than to obey it. Yet there, within the pages of that
volume which God has given to mankind, is found the Solu-
tion of the problems which perplex humanity. There is
found the explanation of this stränge, chaotic world. There
is revealed the heavenly Father who loves His earthly chil-
dren, and seeks to save and redeem them. There are found
the prophecies which make clear that a divine purpose is
working through all, and that a divine plan will uldmately
be accomplished.
Do you know what your Bible says? Many people do not.
We are busy; we are rushed with the press of daily duties or
pleasures. But the Bible has a message for you. ln this
little booklet before you, various problems are taken up in
question-and-answer form; first the question is asked, then the
answer is given from the Bible. Notes are added where it
seems necessary to emphasize the Scriptural truths; though
the importance of this work lies, not in its notes, but in its
plain citations from the word of God.
There is truth; and God has revealed that truth to man
in His word. As you read and study these pages, we trust
that you will be helped and strengthened by the assurance
that God is *real, and that He is calling every soul to find
its rest and happiness in Him.
A GASPROOF OFFICE IN LONDON
Ths Fear of War With Tts Ruthless L'se of Chemicals and Gas for
Da?truction, Has Led to the Building of Underground Gasproof
Shel:ers for the Civil:an Popula:ion
THE SIGNS OF THE TIMES
1.	Is there a widespread conviction everywhere, among
thinking people, that our world is entering into stränge and
alarming eonditions? that our times are "out of joint"?
Yes. In proof of this assertion, consider the following
Statements gleaned from leaders in the world’s thought and
activity:
“It would certainly appear, after this hasty summary of
international eonditions, that the world is once more ‘heading
toward an abyss,’ ” says Walter Consuelo Langsam, Ph.D.,
Columbia University, in bis book, “The World Since 1914.”
“The path of reparation, debts, tariffs, supernationalism, and
widespread ignorance of eonditions in other countries, can
only be the path to destruction.”
Says Viscount Milner, of England, “Whatever may be
our hopes of a future reign of ‘peace upon earth and good
will to men,’ we have to face the ugly fact that international
relations today present in too many cases the picture of a
seething mass of ‘envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitable-
ness.’ ”
“Was the devil numbered among the slain in the last
war?” inquires David Lloyd George. “I have never seen his
name in any casualty list. Look around. His agents are
more numerous, more active, more pressing and efficient than
ever. Europe today is a caldron of suspicions and hatreds.
It is well to speak frankly. Celt and Teuton are now inter-
locked in a conflict which is none the less desperate because
one of the parties is disarmed. [And more desperate because
both are now arming.] There is a suppressed savagery which
is but ill concealed, and there are new hatreds which, if they
have not been brought into existence during the war, have at
any rate come to the surface. . . . Europe is a seething cal-
dron of international hates, with powerful men in command
of the fuel Stores feeding the Harnes and stoking the fires.”
“The world of 1935 is in a flux,” declares Nathaniel Peffer,
a prominent American writer. .“The civilization of the last
hundred years, perhaps o£ the last four hundred years, appears
to have gone into solution. Nothing can be certain for more
than the day thereof. . . . The social order is being unmade
and remade under our eyes amid fierce but confused conten-
tion over what form it shall take and who shall have the
right to determine its form. Wars are threatened on every
side. Men lack the means of subsistence. Governments are
in disrepute. All the hard-won guaranties of individual rights
are denied or insecure, and, paradoxically, at the same time
authority is flouted, whether religious or political or pa-
rental.”
Prime Minister J. B. M. Hertzog, of the Union of South
Africa, asserts that the world is ‘‘beginning a long, and if
we must judge by what has gone before, one of the bloodiest
and cruelest periods it has ever known.”
“It is a stränge irony of history,” admits Reinhold Nie-
buhr, leading Protestant clergyman and writer, “that the
modern era, which was ushered in by high hopes of progres-
sive justice and peace, should draw to a sorry close in a
bewildering confusion of civil conflict and international war.”
We might multiply authorities on the desperate condition
of world affairs today. But the evidence is sufficiently clear
to any one who reads the daily papers, and keeps in contact
with the trends of men and nations. Our civilization is
pitching forward into stränge and terrifying problems—prob-
lems which have no human solution.
2.	With what did Jesus reproach the great religious lead-
ers of His day?
“He answered and saicl unto them [the Pharisees and Sad-
ducees], When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather:
for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul
weather today: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypo-
crites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not dis-
cern the signs of the tim.es?” Matthew 16:2, 3.
Note.—When Jesus came to this world two thousand years
ago, His coming was the fulfillment of many definite proph-
ecies found in the Old Testament. But though the Pharisees
and Sadducees claimed to be the students and interpreters
of the word of God, they failed to receive Christ as the prom-
ised Messiah. They could discern the weather, said Jesus, but
they could not discern the One sent of God. They ignored
the signs of the times which indicated that the hour for His
appearing had come. Their refusal to open their minds to
the truth which He proclaimed, resulted in their rejection of
Him—and in their rejection of God’s message and purpose.
It is important for us today to discern the “signs of the
times”—the world conditions as predicted by the Bible.
3.	What question did the disciples once ask Jesus?
“As He sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came
unto Him privately, saving, Teil us, when shall these things
be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the
end of the world?” Matthew 24:3.
4.	What was Jesus' answer?
“There shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and
in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; rnen’s hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be
shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in
a cloud, with power and great glory.” Luke 21:25-27.
Note.—A time of universal perplexity and confusion is
here predicted by Jesus Himself as one of the signs which shall
precede His coming. But, it will be argued, haven’t there
been many times of perplexity and confusion?
Certainly. But Jesus here prophesies something more than
the turmoil of unrest such as accompanied the fall of the
Roman Empire or the invasions of the Saracens hundreds of
years ago. Terrible as were those convulsions of history, they
were comparatively localized. But Christ here predicts a
universal condition of unrest and confusion. It is to cover
all the world. “Men’s hearts,” generally and everywhere, are
to fail them “for fear.” This has been true in no generation
until our own. By reason of modern skill and inventiveness,
Japan and China are now as close to the Western World as,
in centuries of the past, England was to France, or France to
THE ONLOOKER
It Recuires No Prophetie Foresight to See the Inevitable Doom
Awaiüng the Feverishly Arming Nations of Today
COURTESY. “WASHINGTON >T A R * *
N. SLDDUTH. ARTIST
Italy. All the world, far and near, is now one. A collapse
of the Chinese silver market affects the cost of living in Amer-
ica. A revolt in Brazil affects the markets of London. A
war between Italy and an obscure African people, the Ethio-
pians, tenses every nation in the world.
In the times of the past, nations were a law unto them-
selves; now all are bound together. Backward peoples are
awakening. The Orient demands its rights. Strange political
creeds—socialism, communism, Fascism, Naziism—are working
upon the hearts of men and stirring them with vast warlike
dreams of national triumph and conquest. The spirit of hate
is abroad in the world. Economic conditions are unstable;
dass hatred rises; there is uncertainty, perplexity, and terrible
fear.
Who knows what a day may bring forth? What can sur-
prise us, in these unsettled times? Our world has cast its
hopes and aspirations into the molten flux of instability, and
no one knows what may come out of it. We scan the papers
for thoughts of peace and assurance. We find instead the
rehearsal of crime, violence, and aggression.
Armaments are rising. Militaristic nations look forward
to the next war, and peaceful nations dare not remain un-
armed. Despite much publicity and approval, the six or seven
disarmament Conferences that have been held, have uniformly
failed to cut down on military expenditures and preparations.
Men seek for security against invasion, against unemployment,
against natural calamity; but they do not find it.
Naval Expenditures by the Powers for Four Years
Ending 1936
United States __________________________________ $1,673,200,944
Great Britain ---------------------------------£	220,334,453
Japan ---------------------------------------yen	1,716,832,327
France ___________________________________francs	10,973,665,700
Italy --------------------------------------lire	6,754,140,986
Düring the World War 65,038,810 men were mobilized, of
whom 8,538,315 were killed in action or died, 21,219,452 were
wounded, and 7,750,919 taken prisoners or missing, the total
casualties being 37,494,186.
Armies of the World
National Army
Active Army Including Reserves
Belgium _________________________  89,224	584,274
British Empire __________________ 390,291	1,068,937
China _________________________ 1,750,200	1,750,200
Czechoslovakia __________________ 176,500	1,887,500
France __________________________ 600,505	6,134,857
Germany ........................	426,800	2,276,800
Greece ..........................  85,875	583,450
Italy ...____________________ 1,111,593	6,527,287
Japan ..........................  280,000	2,175,000
Roland ______________________     266,015	2,048,852
Portugal _______________________   71,846	502,375
Rumania ......................... 198,468	1,874,464
Russia ________________________ 1,185,000	15,770,000
Jugoslavia ....................   141,836	1,696,629
Spain ___________________________ 203,033	2,303,814
Sweden ___________________________ 34,179	876,879
Turkey ........................   133,000	665,800
United States __________________  137,960	438,064
5.	What Old Testament passage, in speaking of the time
of Christ's return, predicts a great increase in human knowl-
edge and in means of travel, just before that event?
“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the
book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro,
and knowledge shall be increasedDaniel 12:4.
Note.—At the time of the end, knowledge has certainly
been increased, and men now “run to and fro”—travel over
the earth—in ways that earlier generations did not even
dream of. In 1807 the steamboat was put into successful
Operation. The reaper was invented in 1831; in the same year
came the electric telegraph. In 1839 the first photograph
was taken, and the first sewing-machine patent of which there
is any record was granted on February 21, 1842. Then we
notice the use of anesthesia by Chloroform and ether in 1831
and 1842, respectively; then, hardly so beneficent, the Gatling
gun in 1861 and the first armored battleships in the following
year (the revolver had already come out in 1836).
The year 1868 brought us the first crude typewriter; 1876,
the telephone; 1877, the phonograph; 1879, the electric rail-
way; 1884, the steam turbine; 1886, the linotype was used in
printing; 1895, motion pictures; 1896, the X ray; 1897, wire-
less telegraphy. Then in our own twentieth Century, within
a period of less than forty years, we notice the invention of
the airplane, the radio, television, the autogiro, and a large
number of industrial methods and processes which do much
to make our civilization what it is.
So remarkable have been these modern discoveries that
they have changed our wliole thought and language. “Let’s
get in the auto.” ‘Tll telephone you this evening.” “The re-
ception from the National Broadcasting Company was rather
poor tonight; too much static.” “The doctor recommends
local anesthesia instead of general.’’ “The aldermen voted to
take out the trolleys and put in a bus line.” “The pilot flew
from Omaha to within a few miles of St. Louis, where he
made a forced landing.” All of these are ordinary sentences
of everyday twentieth-century speech. Yet to George Washing-
ton or Benjamin Franklin, who lived less than two centuries
ago, they would be as unintelligible as sentences expressed in
Zulu or Hindustani, and far more mystifying.
6.	What peculiar moral conditions does the apostle de-
clare shall prevail in the last days?
“This know also, that in the last days periluus times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, un-
thankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are
good, traitors, heady, liigh-minded, lovers of pleasures more
than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying
the power thereof: from such turn away.’’ 2 Timothy 3:1-5.
Note.—It is common knowledge that we live in times of
shifting moral Standards. We parallel the days of decadent
Rome, when the philosopher Seneca could declare that “vice
no longer hides itself; it stalks abroad betöre all eyes. Inno-
cence is no longer rare; it has ceased to exist.” We may note
that in the United States, since the beginning of the present
Century, the number of divorces has nearly tripled; out of
every six marriages, one goes on the rocks; and the number
of children thereby affectecl is estimated at more than 100,000
annually.
Lax conditions prevail socially. There has come in a
subtle philosophy which teaches that right and wrong are
merely different ways of looking at the same thing. It is
widely taught that happiness, obtained in any way and at
whatever cost, is the supreme goal of life. Low ideals of
pleasure are the stock in trade of the motion-picture theater,
which 11,500,000 persons in America attend daily, besides
many millions in other lands. Literature, particularly in
magazines of large circulation, assiimss that moral conduct
is a matter of taste or whim, rather than of obeclience to
divine requirement. “The fear of the Lord,” recommended
by the Bible, has become a negligible element in modern life.
7.	What general attitude will be taken in the last days
toward the message that Jesus is coming again?
“There shall come in the last days scoßers, walking after
their own lusts, and saying, Where is the prumise of His com-
ing? for since the fathers feil asleep, all tliings continue as
they were frorn the beginning of the creation.” 2 Peter 3:3, 4.
Note.—The doctrine that “all things continue as they
were,”—that there is no divine hand of Intervention in the
history of the world,—is increasingly populär. Men joke at
the idea that Christ will literally return. But tliis scorn and
contempt is exactly what the apostle Peter, in the passage we
have quoted, declares will be one of the signs that we are
“in the last days.”
8.	But what counsel does Jesus give to those who believe
on Him and are willing to trust His word?
“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an liour as ye
think not the Son of man cometli.” Matthew 24:44.
Note.—We cannot teil the day or hour or year when the
Saviour will come. Jesus especially warns His followers
against efforts to set any date for His appearing. “Of that
day and hour,” He says, “knoweth no man, no, not the angels
of heaven, but My Father only.” Matthew 24:36. But while
the exact time is hidden from human knowledge, signs are
described by which, as we see them fulfilled, we may know
that the time of His appearing is near. Said Jesus to His
disciples, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree: When his
branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that
summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these
things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say
unto you, This generation shall not pass, tili all these things be
fulfilled.” Verses 32-34.
The apostle Paul teils us, in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4-6, that
as far as the exact time is concerned, Jesus will come as a
“thief in the night.” And he goes on to say: “But ye, breth-
ren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as
a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of
the day. . . . Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let
us watch and be sober.” The Christian believer will be look-
ing for his Lord’s appearing, and so will not be taken una-
wares.
9.	How will Christ's coming overtake those who do not
believe, but say in their heart, "My Lord delayeth His
coming"?
"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My
lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow
servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of
that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him,
and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him
asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.”
Matthew 24:48-51.
10.	But what promise is made to the faithful servant of
Christ?
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord
hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in
due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he
cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he
shall make him ruler over all his goods.” Verses 45-47.
11.	With what fervent prayer does the New Testament
close?
"Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20.
COf’K’FIGHT. NEWTON	DIT3N. 1=IT1-;T
li the Great Image Shoun to King Nebuchadnezzar Wa; Symbol i.^ed ite
History of Futirre Kingjdoms Down to the End of Time
13
THE WORLD'S FUTURE GOVERNMENT
1.	According to the Scriptures, how did God once reveal
io a king of ancient Babylon the rise and fall of empires?
“There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and
maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in
the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head
upon thy bed, are these: As for thee, O king, thy thoughts
came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass
hereafter: and He that revealeth secrets maketh known to
thee what shall come to pass.” Daniel 2:28, 29.
Note.—The “dreams and the visions” here referred to,
took place about 603 b.c. Babylon was then the greatest em-
pire in the world; and Nebuchadnezzar, the man who had
raised it to this position of supremacy, was yet reigning.
2.	What was Nebuchadnezzar's dream?
“Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great Image. This
image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and
the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of
fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, bis belly and his
thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part
of clay. Thou sawest tili that a stone was cut out without
hands which smote the image upon his feet that were of
iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron,
the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces
together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing
floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was
found for them: and the stone that smote the image became
a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the
dream; and we will teil the interpretation thereof before the
king.” Daniel 2:31-36.
3.	According to the prophet Daniel, what was symbol-
ized by the image's head of gold?
“Thou, O king, art a king of kings. . . . Thou art this
head of gold.” Verses 37, 38.
Note.—For opulent splendor, it is doubtful whether any
succeeding empire has surpassed Babylon by the Euphrates.
Jeremiah speaks of that ancient metropolis as “a golden cup in
the Lord’s hands” (Jeremiah 51:7); and Isaiah calls it “the
golden city.” Isaiah 14:4.
4.	But what was to come after Babylon?
“After thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee.”
Daniel 2:39.
Note.—After the death of Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon went
into rapid decline. Finally the sentence went forth, “Thy
kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”
Daniel 5:28. The Persian Empire lasted for two centuries.
5.	What power was to succeed the "breast" and "arms"
of silver?
“Another third kingdom oj brass, which shall bear rule
over all the earth.” Daniel 2:39.
Note.—The Greeks and Macedonians, commanded by
Alexander the Great, overthrew the Persians in three great
battles in the fourth Century before Christ. Alexander soon
died of a fever brought on by drunkenness, and his enormous
conquests were divided among his generals; but the Greek
influence continued predominant throughout the ancient
world for many, many years.
6.	What fourth power was to rule the world?
“The fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch
as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as
iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and
bruise.” Verse 40.
Note.—The iron empire of Rome erected itself upon the
ruins of the Grecian world. Its strength and severity are
described in every page of history, and it endured for cen-
turies.
7.	What change was ultimately to take place in the iron
kingdom?
“Whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’
clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided;
but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch
as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the
toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the
kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle.” Verses
41, 42, margin.
Note.—In the fourth and fifth centuries of our era the
Roman Empire, corrupted by luxury and vice, was broken
up. Barbarian tribes rushed in from the north and east, and
partitioned its provinces among themselves. From these
barbarians sprang the modern nations of Europe. They still
remain. No other universal empire, such as Babylon or
Persia or Greece or Rome, has ever arisen.
8.	Would efforts to unite this divided kingdom ever prove
successful?
“Whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they
shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall
not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with
clay.” Verse 43.
Note.—From time to time great conquerors have arisen,—
Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon,—who have sought to
forge anew a world empire such as that of the Caesars. When
arms have failed, recourse has been had to matrimonial alli-
ances and the hope of inheritance. But all efforts have been
useless. “They shall not cleave one to another,” was the
dictum of God twenty-five centuries ago; and no human power
has been able to break that word.
9.	What universal government is yet to come?
“In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the king-
dom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut
out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in
pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold;
the great God hath made known to the king what shall come
to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the Interpre-
tation thereof sure.” Verses 44, 45.
Note.—What power is to succeed the divided nations
of Europe? The kingdom of God! Not communism, not
Fascism, not socialism, not populär democracy; none of thc
great and striking movements at present focusing the atten-
tion of the world, but the government of God Himself. “1
heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the taber-
nacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and
they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them,
and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:3, 4.
The nations of Europe have continued long. Their his-
tory runs back a thousand years. Signs are not wanting that
the civilization of the West is breaking up. But note that
the kingdom of God does not come about by any human
means, for the stone which smites the image is ‘‘cut out . . .
without hands.” Neither does it come to pass in a quiet,
peaceable way, as by the conversion of all men, but it is to
break “in pieces and consume all these kingdoms.” Daniel
2:44, 45.
10.	What prayer, which has been ascending from Chris-
tian hearts for centuries, will then be answered?
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is
in heaven.” Matthew 6:10.
WILL JESUS RETURN?
1.	Before He left His disciples to return to heaven, what
promise did Jesus make?
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe
also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it
were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, / will come
again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also.” John 14:1-3.
2.	Will His coming be silent, secret, and unknown, or
will it be apparent to all the world?
“T’hen shall all the trihes of the earth . . . see the Son
of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory.” Matthew 24:30.
‘‘Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see
Him.” Revelation 1:7.
“The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and luith the trump
of God.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
‘‘Whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of
bim shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come
in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.”
Luke 9:26.
Note.—It is sometimes urged that the return of Jesus will
be known to only a few. But no such doctrine is found
with in the pages of the Bible. Instead, the Scriptures liken
our Lord’s approach to the flash of lightning which splits the
sky from horizon to horizon. “As the lightning cometh out
of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:27.
3.	Why will Jesus come a second time?
“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
Myself; that where I am, there ye may he also.” John 14:2, 3.
Christ’s Volnntary Death and Resurrection Was the First Great Step to Save
Men. He Has Promis ed to "Come Again” the Second Time
and Bring Salvation (See Heb. 9:£8)
4.	What great event will be connected with the second
coming of Christ?
“The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” 1 Thessalo-
nians 4:16.
Note.—The resurrection of the righteous, according to
this text, will occur when Jesus comes. This resurrection
will be the most joyous event the world has ever witnessed.
Millions have passed under the power of death. With bitter
tears their loved ones have seen them borne to the grave.
But there is hope in Christ. At the hour of His coming, our
loved ones shall live again. “We shall not all sleep,” says the
apostle Paul, “but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on in-
corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Co-
rinthians 15:51-53. Not as they went down into death—
aged, feeble, or struck down in youth by cruel disaster or
lingering disease—shall they be raised therefrom; but with
an incorruptible bocly, free from sickness, changed so as to
be above the affliction of sin and death.
5.	What will be given to the righteous at this time?
“Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to
give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation
22:12.
6.	What other text says that the righteous will receive
their reward at the time of the resurrection and the second
coming of Christ?
“Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the
just.” Luke 14:14.
7.	But will all the world be ready to meet Jesus when
He comes?
“Then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Sou of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30.
“Behold, He cometh with clouds; . . . and all kindreds of
the earth shall wail because of Him.” Revelation 1:7.
“The heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled to-
gether; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men,
and the rieh men, and the chief captains, and the mighty
men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid them-
selves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and
said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from
the face af Him. that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Larnb: for the great day of His wrath is come;
and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:14-17.
Note.—There is at present a good deal of preaching to the
effect that God will save all men, and no one will be finally
lost. Wliatever may be thought of this view, it has not the
slightest foundation in the Bible. The Scriptures present
to us two classes, and only two: Those who have been re-
deemed from sin, and those who remain in sin. At present
both classes exist siele by side in this world; sometimes it is
even difficult to judge who are in which. But a day of Separa-
tion is coming.
“When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all
the holy angels with Him, tlien shall He sit upon the throne
of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations:
and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats. . . . Then shall the King
say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for von from the foun-
dation of the world.’ “Then shall He say also unto them
on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25
31-34, 41.
Fhere is, says the Bible, an end to human probation. The
time is coming, yea, and now is, when “God shall bring every
work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be
good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14. The deci-
sions then made are final.
8.	But what will be the attitude of those who have made
that preparation of heart and life necessary to meet their
Lord?
“It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have
waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we
have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His Sal-
vation.” Isaiah 25:9.
Ihe Wise Mens Hope of Finding the Newborn King Was in
Following the Star. So the Hope of His Second Coming
Is in the Promise, “I Will Comc Again”
THE ORIGIN OF EVIL
1.	What two forces are at work in the human heart?
“I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no
good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to per-
form, that which is good I find not. For the good that I would
I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.” Romans
7:18, 19.
2.	What is the moral character of God?
“This then is the message which we have heard of Hirn,
and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Hirn is no
darkness at all ”	1 John 1:5.
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of
God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth
He any man.” James 1:13.
3.	Who, then, is the originator of evil?
‘‘He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sin-
neth from the beginning.” 1 John 3:8.
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it.” John 8:44.
4.	Was Satan created evil?
“Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou
wast created, tili iniquity was found in thee.” Ezekiel 28:15.
5.	What reason does the Scripture assign for Satan's fall
into moral evil?
“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have
set thee so.” “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy
beauty; thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness.” Verses 14, 17.
C. CDRTI. S;DLPT3E
Lucifer (Saiani Was a Perfect Being Und] Iniquity
Was Found in H m
' How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning! how art thou crut down tc the ground. whieh didst
weaken the nations! For thou hast said in ihlne heart, I will
ascend into heaven, 1 will exalt my throne above the stars
of God. ... I will ascend above the heights of the clcuds;
J will be like the Mort High.” Isaiah 14:12-14.
Note.—Ezekiel and Isaiah address Satan undef the litLes
of “prince of Tyre” ar:d “king of Babylon/' because Satan
was tlie instigator and prime mover of the persons who an-
ciently occupied those positions. Satan originally was an
“anointed cherub,” perfect in all his ways, ranking high in
the heavenly councils. The reason for his downfall was pride,
unsanctified amhition. Though a created being, he aspired
to become equal with God.
6.	Was Satan alone in his rebellion against God?
“The angels which kept not their first estate.” Jude ö.
“If God spared not the angeh that sinned, but cast theni
down to hell [from the Greek word tartarus, a place of dark-
ness], and delivered them into chains of darkness, to he re-
served unto judgment.’’ 2 Peter 2:4.
7.	In what place has evil finally been allowed to work
out its course and demonstrate its principles?
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also
among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Wlience comest
thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going
to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
Job 1:6, 7.
“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for
the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Revelation 12:12.
Note.—It may seem stränge that sin could originale with
a being in heaven, and seduce pari of the angelic hosts. In a
sense, there can be no reason for it; for sin is without excuse.
It may help us to undersland the matter, however, if we
remember that sin was a novelty. No one, except God, knew
what its bitter fruits would be. The idea of rebellion against
God, of exalting the will of the creature against that of the
Greator, had all the allurement which usually attaches to the
unknown and untried. Lucifer doubtless argued that the
restrictions which divine love had placed upon created beings
were burdensome and unnecessary; were they not all holy?
Against these insinuations the angels who were disposed to
be loyal had only God’s word; no one really knew what evil
was like.
In His wisdom, the heavenly Fatlier saw that it was best to
allow Lucifer, or Satan, the opportunity which he craved
to work out his plans of rebellion and disobedience. By
tempting our first parents, Adam and Eve, and inducing them
to transgress God’s requirements, Satan gained a foothold in
this world. (See the third chapter of Genesis.) From that
day to this, our planet has beeil the tlieater whereon lias beeil
enacted before all the watching universe the drama—or better,
the tragedy—ol sin. As the ages liave slowly passed, the true
results of rebellion against God, and defiance of His law, have
become increasingly clear. And when the great experiment
is finished, God’s universe will be through with sin forever.
8.	Yet though sin has entered into this world, what gra-
cious Provision has God made for the redemption of those
who seek Him?
“God so loved the world, tliat He gave His only-begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
9.	What will be the final outcome of the struggle against
good and evil?
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some
men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not will-
ing that any should perish, but that all should come to re-
pentance. But the day of the Lord toill come as a thief in
the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a
great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up. Seeing then that all diese things shall be dissolved, what
manner of persons ouglit ye to be in all lioly conversation and
godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the
day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dis-
solved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Never-
theless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” 2 Peter
3:9-13.
Note.—1 he fires of the last day will burn up sin and all
who refuse to separate themselves from sin, including its
great originator. “The day that cometh shall burn them up,
saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root
nor branch.” Malachi 4:1.
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away.” “And He that sat
upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” Reve-
lation 21:1, 5.
10.	While the struggle between good and evil is going
on, what opportunities are offered every man?
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,
that I have sct before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therejore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest
obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him; for
He is thy life, and the length of thy days.” Deuteronomy
30:19, 20.
Note.—The Bible is the most cheerful book in the world,
for it sees beyond the darkness and drabness of this present
world, into the glorious triumph of the kingdom of God.
It offers man a chance for eternal happiness. Without the
Bible, the problems of sin and death, suffering and evil,
remain cruel but inescapable enigmas. But instructed by the
Bible, the Christian looks forward to a cleansed, redeemed,
purified world, peopled with righteous men and women,
free from sin and free from suffering. He knows that once
evil has been eradicated, it will never return, for God has
promised that “affliction shall not rise up the second time.”
Nahum 1:9. This is why Christianity is the happy religion,—
because its followers know that God is at the heim of the
universe, and will in the end bring out all things to His own
glory and the happiness of all His creatures.
THE LAW OF GOD
1.	What is the whole duty of man?
“Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the
whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13.
2.	What does the Scripture declare as to the moral qual-
ity of God's law?
“The law of the Lord is perfect, Converting the soul: the
testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The
Statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the com-
mandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Psalms
19:7, 8.
3.	What does the New Testament say concerning the
character of the law of God?
“We know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold
under sin.” “Wherefore the law is holy, and the command-
ment holy, and just, and good.” Romans 7:14, 12.
4.	What counsel did Jesus give to one who came to Hirn
asking the way of life?
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:17.
5.	What summary did Jesus give of the ten command-
ments?
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and
great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:37-39.
Note.—The rabbis used to dispute as to which of the ten
commandments was the most important. When they brought
their contention to Jesus, He avoided selecting any one com-
mandment as preeminent, but summarized the whole law in
two requirements: First, Love God supremely; second, Love
Jesus, the Aulhor of the Decalogue, Kept Its Precepts Himself
and Said, “If Thou Wilt Enter Into Life, Keep die
Commandments.” Matt. 19:17
your neighbor as yourself. If one examines ihe ten command-
ments, he will notice that the first four—worship only God,
adore no idols, take not the name of God in vain, and keep
the Sabbath—express our duty to God, and may be summed
up in the simple requirement, Love God; for one who truly
loves God will not worship false gocls, nor take God’s name
in vain, nor break God’s Sabbath day.
Again, in examining the last six of the ten commandments,
one will notice that they all relate, not to our duty toward
God, but to our duty toward our fellow men; and may be
summed up in the phrase, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself. For one who truly loves his neighbor will not kill
him, nor steal from him, nor commit adultery, nor covet what
is his neighbor’s. Thus Christ’s famous reply to the question,
“Which is the great commandment in the law?” (Matthew
22:36), emphasizes every commandment in the law, and the
need of keeping all through the perfect spirit of love to God
and love to man.
6.	Did Jesus teach that by His righteousness and by His
sinless life He would destroy the law?
‘‘Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily
I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one
tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, tili all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least command-
ments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least
in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach
them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven.” Matthew 5:17-19.
7.	What is sin?
“Sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4.
8.	What was Christ's mission to this world?
“Christ died for our sins.” 1 Corinthians 15:3.
Note.—It is sometimes urged that Christ died upon Cal-
vary in order that the law, and its binding Claims upon men,
might be abolished. But no such doctrine can be found
within the pages of the Bible. Rather, the Scriptures teach
that the law of God, which is really a transcript of His charac-
ter and holiness, was so sacred that when man violated its
requirements, Christ did not set those requirements aside, but
instead came and died upon Calvary, that an atonement
might be made to satisfy the demands of the law,—His death
in place of ours. Jesus never weakened the Claims of the law.
On the contrary, He offers to every believer the grace and
power necessary to keep that law.
9.	How are we saved?
“By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your-
selves: it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8.
10.	But does the fact that we are under grace mean that
we should no longer keep the law of God?
“What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the
law, but under grace? God forbid.” Romans 6:15.
Note.—The fact that we are under grace only places us
under so much the deeper Obligation to obey God’s will as
expressed in His law. The argument that grace relieves us
from the necessity of keeping the law is fallacious, as the fol-
lowing illustration proves:
Here is a man who commits a murder. There is no ques-
tion as to his guilt. He admits it himself. He therefore
comes under the penalty of the law, which says that he must
die. But the governor, believing that he might do better in
the future, intervenes and gives him a pardon. He is now
free from the law; he is under grace. Whose grace? The gov-
ernor’s grace. By virtue of that pardon, the law can no longer
touch him. He is let out of prison, a free man.
He returns to his home. And he begins to think of a
certain man who had grievously wronged him. He thinks
he will wreak vengeance on that man. “I am no longer under
the law,” he reasons; “I am under grace. Therefore there’s
no reason why I can’t shoot that fellow who did me that dirty
deal, and get square with him.” So he takes his gun, and
shoots the other man. He is promptly arrested. Where is
he now? Back under the penalty of the law. For the gover-
nor’s grace was to free him from the sentence of death, and
not to free him from the Obligation of keeping the law.
So with God’s grace—it is never a license to steal, commit
adultery, murder, teil lies, or break the Sabbath. It is simply
a remission of the penalty of death which hangs over every
sinner for his past transgressions and his unworthy life. This
remission is granted to him by reason of his faith and repent-
ance—a faith and repentance which, so far from encouraging
him in continued transgressions of the law of God, are the
strongest pledge of his loyalty ancl obedience to that law, now
that he has been redeemed.
11.	How may we know that we have the spirit of love in
our hearts?
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when
zue love God, and keep His commandments.” 1 John 5:2.
12.	Indeed, what is the love of God?
“This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments:
and His commandments are not grievous.” Verse 3.
13.	What was the attitude of Jesus toward God's law?
“I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is
within My heart.” Psalms 40:8.
Note.—Paul, in Hebrews 10:7, points out that this verse
of Scripture was really a prophecy of Jesus and the work
which He came to this earth to do. So far from undermining
the law of ten commandments, that law was written within
His heart. So, too, it is written within the heart of every
one whom Christ has redeemed. “Behold, the days come, saith
the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house
of Israel and with the house of Judah: not according to the
covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I
took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded
them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord:
I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their
hearts: and I will he t.q them a God, and they shall be to Me
a people.” Hebrews 8:8-10.
What is the new covenant? Not the abolishing of the law
o£ God, but the writing of that law in the heart of every onc
of God’s people. The old covenant was outward; but the new
covenant is inward, and thereby leads to a more careful and
scrupulous obedience to every requirement of God.
14.	What characteristic does the Bible note as especially
marked in those who are ready to meet Jesus at His second
coming?
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revela-
tion 14:12.
“Fear God, and Keep His Commandments: for This Is the
Whole Duty of Man.” F.ccl. 12:13
THE SÄBBÄTH
1.	When and by whom was the Sabbath made?
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the
host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work
which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from
all His work which He had made. And God blessed the
seventh day, and, sanctijied it: because that in it He had rested
from all His work which God created and made.” Genesis
2:1-3.
2.	Why was it made?
“In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore
the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus
20:11.
Note.—God intended the Sabbath as a memorial which
should ever remind men of His Creative power. Had the Sab-
bath day been faithfully observed, there would never have
been either an atheist or an idolater.
3.	For whom was it made?
‘‘He [Jesus] said unto them, The Sabbath was made for
man, and not man for the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27.
Note.—Jesus did not say that the Sabbath was made for
the [ews, or for any special group or sect of people. He
declares that it was made for the whole race of mankind,
and all are to share in its benefits and blessings. God created
all, and in memory and acknowledgment thereof, all are to
observe that day on which God rested, and which He has
blessed and sanctified.
4.	Was the Sabbath day known to God's people before
Sinai?
“Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain
bread from heaven for you: and the people shall go out and
gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them,
whether they will walk in My law, or no.” Exodus 16:4, 22.
“It came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice
as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the julers
of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto
them, This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is
the rest of the h.oly Sabbath unto the Lord ” Verse 23.
Note.—In the wilderness, alter their flight from Egypt,
the multitude of Israel were fed by God with the supernatural
manna. On the sixth day of the week, twice as much manna
feil as ordinarily, and the people gathered enough for two
clays, so that there would be enough to eat for both Friday
and the Sabbath; on the latter day no manna feil at all. The
events referred to in the text quoted above, took place more
than a full month before the people came to Sinai. When
they were in bondage in Egypt they had grown lax in their
Sabbath observance, and God used the striking miracle of
the manna to draw it once more to their attention.
5.	When Jesus was living among men, which day did
He keep?
“He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up:
and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the
Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” Luke 4:16.
6.	What did Jesus declare was His relationship to the
Sabbath?
“He said unto them, The Sabbath was made for man, and
not man for the Sabbath: therefore the Son of man is Lord
also of the Sabbath” Mark 2:27, 28.
7.	What dispute did Jesus have with the religious leaders
of the Jewish nation over the manner of observing the Sab-
bath?
“It came to pass also on another Sabbath, that He entered
into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose
right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees
watched Him, whether He would heal on the Sabbath day;
that they might find an accusation against Him. But He
knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the with-
ered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he
arose and stood forth. Then said Jesus unto them, 1 will ask
you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath days to do good,
or to do evil? to save lije, or to destroy it? And looking round
about upon them all, He said unto the man, Stretch forth
thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole
as the other. And they were filled with madness; and com-
muned one with another what they might do to Jesus.” “And
the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with
the Herodians against Hirn, how they might destroy Him.”
Luke 6:6-11; Mark 3:6.
Note.—I he rabbis of Jerusalem aimed to set special reg-
ulations about the Sabbath day. In this way they would in-
crease their own reputation for sanctity, and would also
prevent all desecration of the Sabbath. By the time of Christ,
these regulations had grown to an incredible number, and
had resulted in changing the Sabbath from a day of rest and
gladness, into a petty and burdensome ritual.
The rabbis held, for instance, that there were thirty-nine
major classes of work prohibited on the Sabbath. Included
in these thirty-nine major classes were such acts as weaving
two threads; Splitting two threads; tying and untying; sewing
two stitches or ripping apart in order to sew two stitches;
writing two letters of the alphabet or erasing for the purpose
of writing two letters of the alphabet. These major prohibi-
tions were then expanded to include rnany other acts, such
as plucking fruit from a tree or cutting off a flower. Even the
act of healing was forbidden; a salve or bandage might be used
to prevent a disease or wound from becoming worse, but
nothing might be done which would make it become better;
for that would be work.
Jesus sought to sweep away this mass of man-made regu-
lation. He wished to restore the day as God had ordained
it in the beginning,—as a day of physical rest and spiritual
refreshment for all.
Notice that Jesus and the Jews never disputed over whether
there was a Sabbath, or which day was the Sabbath, or whether
the Sabbath should be kept. On all these points they were
agreed. The only issue was, How should the Sabbath be
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kept? And here Jesus sought to take away tradition and
speculation, and restore the Sabbath as the Bible set it forth.
One commentator has wisely remarked: .“It is a fact
worthy of note that over the question of proper Sabbath ob-
servance the Jews not only persecuted Jesus, but first took
counsel to kill Him. Not the least of the malice which finally
culminated in His crucifixion, was engendered over this very
question of Sabbath observance. Christ did not keep the
Sabbath according to their ideas of Sabbathkeeping, and so
they sought to kill Him. And they are not alone. Many
today are cherishing this same spirit. Because some do not
agree with their ideas regarding the Sabbath, or Sabbath
observance, they seek to persecute and oppress them,—seek
laws and alliances with political powers, to conrpel respect
for their views.”
8.	In the period following Christ's death, what was the
attitude of His disciples toward the Sabbath?
“They returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and
rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment.”
Luke 23:56.
“In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to daran toward
the first day of the rveek, came Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary to see the sepulcher.’’ Matthew 28:1.
Note.—From these verses it is evident tlrat even alter
Jesus’ death, the Sabbath was to be kept “according to the
commandment;” and that “the first day of the week,” Sunday,
began only after “the end of the Sabbath.”
9.	How did the apostles regard the Sabbath day?
“When they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch
in Pisidia, and zvent into the synagogue on the Sabbath day,
and sat down.” Acts 13:14.
10.	Did the apostles ever preach to Gentiles upon the
Sabbath?
“When the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gen-
tiles besought that these xaords might be preached to them
the next Sabbath. . . . And the next Sabbath day came almost
the whole city together to hear the word of God.” Verses 42-44.
Note.—In this instance the Gentiles expressly requested
Paul to speak to them concerning the gospel. If the Sabbath
really had been changed from the seventh day to the first,
or from Saturday to Sunday, as many claim it has been, liere
was a fine chance for the apostle to explain that while the
seventh-day Sabbath was all right for the Jews, the Gentiles
were to keep another day and assemble upon another day.
But no such message ever proceeded from apostolic lips. In-
stead, Paul evidently encouraged the Gentiles to assemble on
the following Sabbath day, and then “came almost the whole
city together to liear the word of God.”
11.	In what other instances did the apostles recognize
the seventh-day Sabbath as the day appropriate for reli-
gious assemblage and instruction?
“On the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside,
where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and
spake unto the women which resorted thither.” Acts 16:13.
“Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and
Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue
of the Jews: and Paul, as his mariner was, went in unto them,
and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scrip-
tures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have
suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus,
whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” Acts 17:1-3.
“He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and per-
suaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Acts 18:4.
12.	What text mentions the sanctity of the first day of the
week, commonly called Sunday?
No text.
Note.—It is a fact that nowhere does either the Old or the
New Testament refer to Sunday as possessing any special holi-
ness. On this point there is excellent testimony, both Catholic
and Protestant. Says Cardinal Gibbons, in his well-known
work, “Faith of Our Fathers:” “You may read the Bible from
Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line
authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures en-
force the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we
never sanctify.”
Dr. Edward T. Hiscock, a Baptist, remarks that “there
was and is a commandment to ‘keep holy the Sabbath day,’
but that Sabbath was not Sunday. It will, however, be readily
said, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was
transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week. . . .
Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not
in the New Testament, absolutely not.”
Authorities of tlris kind might be multiplied, though we
shall forbear to do so here. We may sum up the matter by
saying that no careful Bible scholar Claims that there is any
direct authority in the New Testament for the change of
the day.
13.	Where do the Scriptures refer to Sunday as "the Sab-
bath"?
Note.—While the word “Sunday” nowhere occurs in the
Scriptures, there are several references to “the first day of the
week,” but not as the Sabbath. While the Sabbath, the sev-
enth day of the week, is mentioned rnore than fifty times in
the New Testament, the first day of the week is mentioned
only eight times. On six of these occasions it is found in the
four Gospels, in each instance referring to the day of Christ’s
resurrection and events connected therewith. The other two
instances may be found in Acts 20:17 and 1 Corinthians 16:2.
The first clescribes the only religious gathering held on
the first day of the week which the New Testament records;
it is an isolated and unique instance, and nothing is said
about the sanctity of the day or that Christians ought ordi-
narily to assemble on that day.
The second requests the church at Corinth to make a sys-
tematic series of donations—the money to be laid away at
home on the first day of the week by the individual donors
until Paul should come—for the distressed poor in Judea and
Jerusalem, where there was at that time a famine. Nothing is
said in any place to the effect that the first day of the week
is a Sabbath or a Lord’s day, or that it possesses any sacred
character whatever.
Archdeacon Farrar, probably the greatest scholar who has
ever adorned the Church of England, says, “The Sabbath is
Saturday, the seventh day of the week." Willi iliis agrees the
testimony of the Waich man, a Baptist publication, which re-
marks that “the Scriptures nowhere call the hrst day of the
week the Sabbath. . . . There is 110 Scriptural authority for
so doing, nor of course any Scriptural Obligation.”
14.	According to the Scriptures, what was Christ's Con-
nection with creation?
“God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” Ephesians
3:9.
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fatliers by the prophets, hath in these
last days spoken unto us by His Son, . . . by whom also He
made the worlds.” Hebrews 1:1, 2.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were made by Hirn; and without Hirn
was not anything made that was made.” “And the Word
was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:1-3, 14.
Note.—The Bible expressly cleclares that Christ was the
active member of the Godhead in creation, and that He was
the agent of His Father in this work.
15.	If Christ was associated with God as the active agent
in creation, what must be His relation to the Sabbath which
commemorates creation?
“On the seventh day God ended His work which He had
made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work
which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and
sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His
work which God created and made.” Genesis 2:2, 3.
Note.—If Christ was the Creator, and “without Hirn was
not anything made that was made,” obviously it is His work
which the opening chapters of Genesis describe, and His bless-
ing which rests upon the Sabbath. Thus the Sabbath becomes
in a special sense His day, and He is truly the Lord of the
Sabbath. No other day has ever at any time been blessed
and sanctified by Hirn.
THE SEAL OF GOD AND THE MARK OF
APOSTASY
1.	What is the proper use and purpose of a seal?
Webster’s New International Dictionary clefines a seal as
“that which confirms, ratifies, or makes stable; ratification;
confirmation; pledge; guaranty; assurance.” In Bible times,
the seal was used by kings to authenticate and make valid
their decrees. Thus we are told tliat Jezebel, the wife of
Ahab, king of Israel, “wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and
sealed them with his seal.” 1 Kings 21:8.
2.	What three essentials must a complete seal have?
It sliould bear (1) the name of the person whose seal it is;
(2) his office, title, or the capacity in which he acts; (3) the
extent of his jurisdiction. Thus: “Edward [I], by the Grace
of Gocl King of England, Master of Ireland, Duke of Aqui-
tania.” Here we have the name, the office or title, and the
extent of jurisdiction. So, too, in the common notary’s seal
we notice the same three elements; for example, “Richard P.
Rowe, Notary Public, Santa Clara County, State of Califor-
nia,”—the name of the individual, the capacity in which he
acts, and the territory in which he may act.
3.	What passage of Scripture indicates that there is a
Connection between God's seal and His law?
“Bind up the testimony, seal the law among My disciples.”
Isaiah 8:16.
4.	But is there anything in God#s law, the ten command-
ments, which corresponds to a seal such as we have de-
scribed above? or that has the three essentials of a seal as
mentioned above?
“Thon shalt have no other gods before Me” (Exodus
20:3), is the first commandment; but it says nothing to reveal
the identity of the God who is speaking. It might express
God Bas. Set His Seal on the Fourth Commandment. When It Is
Disregarded, His Name Is Dishonored
the will and command of any deity. Nor—as you can find out
by examining each one—is there any indication in the second,
third, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, or tenth command-
ment as to who is the lawgiver, the author of these require-
ments and prohibitions.
5.	Which commandment, alone of the ten, reveals who
is the true God, the Author of the decalogue?
“Reraember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days
shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hal-
lowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11.
Note.—Here we have the answers to our questions, Who?
By what authority? Where? The lawgiver is ‘‘the Lord thy
God.” His authority is that of Creator, for He “made” all
things. The extent of His jurisdiction is “heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is”—in a word, the uni-
verse.
Thus the fourth commandment brings us face to face with
the test of loyalty to our God and Creator. The Sabbath is,
in a special and peculiar sense, the sign or mark or seal
of obedience to God and Submission to His authority. The
man who keeps the Sabbath acknowledges before all his
fellow men that he worships God, and only God, as the Sov-
ereign of all the universe.
6.	Of what eise is the Sabbath a sign?
“Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between
Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know
that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” Exodus 31:13.
“I am the Lord your God; walk in My Statutes, and keep
My judgments, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths; and
they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know
that I am the Lord your God.” Ezekiel 20:19, 20.
Note.—The Sabbath is a sign of sanctihcation. Why? and
how? Because the same power that in creation made the
worlds, in redemption makes in humanity a new life, a new
spirit, a new heart. “Wherefore i£ any man is in Christ, there
is a new creation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17, A.R.V., margin. It is
all one power, though exercised in different ways; and thus
the Sabbath, which commemorates creation, also celebrates
redemption.
7.	What is said in the Bible about a special sealing work
which God shall accomplish among His people?
“Alter these things I saw four angels Standing on the four
corners of the earth, holding the four winds o£ the earth, that
the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor
on any tree. And 1 saw another angel ascending from the
east, liaving the seal of the living God: and he cried with a
loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt
the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither
the sea, nor the trees, tili we have sealed the servants of our
God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them
which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and
forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of
Israel.” Revelation 7:1-4.
8.	What other description of this Company of 144,000 is
given?
“I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and
with Hirn a hundred forty and four thousand, liaving His
Father’s name written in their foreheads.” Revelation 14:1.
Note.—The seal is a sign or stamp of authority and own-
ersliip. In the Sabbath commandment, which is the seal of
God’s law, His name is found. The Sabbath, kept in holiness
as God designed it to be kept, is an acknowledgment that
the individual belongs to God; that he has renounced every
false god, and yields allegiance only to the Creator. (See
Exodus 31:13.) That God’s grace and sanctifying power are
at work in the heart is evidenced by the observance of God’s
holy Sabbath. And in the new earth those who stand upon
Mount Zion will bear the Father’s name, His character.
Their wills will be wrapped up in His will. They will yield
implicit obedience to all His commandments. In the worltl
to come, all will keep the Sabbatli, and will therefore have
this seal or mark of sanctifi cation, holiness, and perfection
of character. (See Isaiah 66:22, 23.)
9.	What other characteristic of the 144,000 is noted by
the Scriptures?
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep
the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revela-
tion 14:12.
Note.—This verse supports the view previously taken,—
that the sealing of God’s people is especially connected with
His law. Here, in a comment upon those who are sealed,
we are especially told that they have two distinctions: First,
they keep the commandments; second, they keep the faith of
Jesus.
10.	Besides those who receive the seal of God, what
other dass are especially noted in the Bible?
“The tliird angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his Image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in Ins hand, the same shall drink
of the zuine of the zvrath of God, wliich is poured out without
mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tor-
mented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9, 10.
Note.—Here, of course, is a dass quite opposite to those
who have received the seal of the divine character, and are
thus prepared for translation into the kingdom of God. This
second group, too, has its sign or mark or seal. It may be
either in the forehead, indicative of willing intellectual assent,
or in the hand, indicative of outward conformity to something
which is not believed in, but which is obeyed through fear
of the consequences.
The “beast” here mentioned refers to the gigantic com-
bination of civil and political power which has in the past
been achieved by the Roman Catholic Church, and which
for a brief time will be largely restored before the return of
Jesus.
11.	To what does the Catholic Church point as the pe-
culiar mark of her power and authority?
Examining authoritative Catholic writings, we find many
quotations such as diese:
“Question.—Whicli is the Sabbath day?
“Answer— Saturday is the Sabbath day.
“Ques —Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
“Ans— We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the
Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (336 a.d.),*
transferred die solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”—“Con-
vert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine,” hy Rev. Peter Geier-
mann, C.SS.R., second edition, p. 50. (This work received the
‘‘apostolic blessing” of Pope Pius X on Jan. 25, 1910.)
“What Bible authority is there for changing the Sabbath
from the seventh to the first day of the week? Who gave the
pope the authority to change a command of God?—If the
Bible is the only guide for the Christian, then the Seventh-day
Adventist is right in observing the Saturday. . . . But Catholics
learn what to believe and do from the divine, infallible au-
thority established by Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church, which
in apostolic times made Sunday the day of rest. . . . Is it not
stränge that those who make the Bible their only teacher
should inconsistently follow in this matter the tradition of
the church?”—Father Bertrand L. Conway {Catholic), in his
work, “The Question Box,” p. 254.
“Ques—What warrant liave you for keeping the Sunday,
preferable to the ancient Sabbath, which was the Saturday?
“Ans— We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church,
and apostolic tradition.
“Ques.—Does the Scripture anywhere command the Sunday
to be kept for the Sabbath?
“Ans.—The Scripture commands us to hear the church.”—
“The Catholic Christian Instructed,” p. 209.
* What was done at the Council of Laodicea was but one of the Steps by which
the change of the Sabbath was effected. The date usually assigned is 364 a.d.
In a letter written in November, 1895, Mr. H. F. Thomas,
chancellor to Cardinal Gibbons, replying to an inquiry as to
whether the Catholic Church Claims to have changed the
Sabbath, said: “Of course the Catholic Church Claims that
the change was her act, . . . and the act is a mark of her
ecclesiastical authority in religious things.”
The Substitution of Sunday for the Bible Sabbath, Satur-
day, is a bold stroke at the commandments of God. Further-
more, it is wholly without Scriptural authority. It is, however,
in harmony with the Roman Catholic view as expressed in
Ferraris’ Ecclesiastical Dictionary, that “the Pope is of so
great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or
interpret even divine laws.” (Source Book, p. 410.) Thus
Protestants yield homage to the Papacy when they observe the
day which that power Claims as the mark of its authority.
12.	But are there not thousands of honest Christians, of
every denomination, who have sincerely kept the first day
of the week as the Sabbath, and believed that by doing so
they were honoring God?
Undoubtedly. God does not judge men by what they do
not know, but by what they do know. “The times of this
ignorance God winked at,” declares the apostle Paul; “but
now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.” Acts 17:30.
The apostle was here speaking of those who had ignorantly
transgressed the second commandment, but the same prin-
ciple applies to those who have been transgressing the fourth.
The fact that many godly people, observing the first day, never
suspected the discrepancy between their conduct and that re-
quired by the commandment, which sanctifies the seventh
day, is no excuse for any one after he has learned the will of
God in this matter. Our grandfathers were not responsible
for truth which they did not perceive. But we are responsible
for truth which we have had unmistakably brought to us.
The principle has been well illustrated by a prominent
clergyman and writer in the following manner: “Suppose I
have in my pocket a twenty-dollar bill. I decide that I want
a pair of shoes, and will pay for them with this money, and
receive some change.
“I go to a large department störe. I select a pair of shoes.
They cost five dollars. I order the pair of shoes, and hand the
twenty-dollar bill to the clerk. Am I an honest man? Cer-
tainly.
“The clerk takes the bill, looks at it, hesitates, then excuses
himself for a moment. Soon he comes back, this time with
the cashier of the firm at his side. The cashier is very apolo-
getic, but explains that they cannot take that money. It is
counterfeit—a very ingenious counterfeit, to be sure; it might
have cleceived anybody; but, of course, they cannot take it.
He says they are very sorry.
“When I hear that, I am very sorry, too. I cancel my order
and take back my twenty-dollar bill. I walk down the Street,
and wonder what I can do about it. I hate to lose twenty
dollars.
“Finally I get away from the downtown section of the
city. On a side Street I notice a little shoeshop. I enter.
The proprietor comes out. He is evidently a foreigner; and
he does not look as though he knew half as much as the
cashier of that big department störe.
“I ask to see a pair of shoes. He shows me some. I select
a pair. He wraps them up. I hand him that twenty-dollar
bill.
“Am I an honest man? Certainly not. I am a crook, a
cheat, a swindler. But why? Wasn’t I honest when I handed
the cashier in the department störe the same identical money?
Yes. But then I did not know. And now I do know.
“The proprietor comes back with the change. I pocket it,
thank him, ancl walk out of the störe. And now I know that
I am a scoundrel and a thief. He does not know it—yet; but
I know it, and God knows it.”
This principle applies forcefully to the keeping of the Sab-
bath. There is a true Sabbath, the seventh day of the week;
and there is a counterfeit sabbath, the first day of the week.
If some in times past have been misled into observing the
counterfeit, that is no excuse before either God or man for
not observing the genuine Sabbath when the divine require-
ment has been brought to our attention.
13.	What is the final issue in the great confliet between
truth and righteousness on this earth?
“The dragon was wroth with the woman, and wem to
make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the com-
mandments of God, and have the testirnony of Jesus Christ:
Revelation 12:17.
Note.—The “woman“ represents the church of Christ, all
commentators are agreed. The “remnant“ indicates the end
of anything; in this case, the members of the church who will
be living at the very end of time. We understand, therefore,
that in the last days, the wrath of the “dragon,” satanic wrath,
is to be especially active against God’s people, who observe the
commandments—all of them, including the fourth. I his
scripture, again, is in strong harmony with those previously
quoted, to the effect that God’s seal, the fourth-command-
ment seal, will be upon His people, the remnant church, in
the last days.
14.	How does the Bible picture the final triumph of God's
people, in spite of Opposition and persecution?
“I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and
them that had gölten the victory over the beast, and over his
image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name,
stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they
sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of
the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord
God Almighty; just and true Thy ways, Thon King of saints.
Who sh all not fear Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?
for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and wor-
ship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest.”
Revelation 15:2-4.
CHRISTIAN LIBERTY
1.	What should be the attitude of the Christian toward
the government under which he lives?
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For
there is no power bat of Gocl: the powers that be are ordained
of God.” Romans 13:1.
2.	Should the Christian resist the observance of the laws
which his government may see fit to pass?
“Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the or-
dinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to thern-
selves damnation.” Verse 2.
3.	What further teaching shows the attitude of the early
church toward the laws, Statutes, and enactments of the gov-
ernment?
“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the
Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto
governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punish-
ment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using
your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants
of God. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.
Honor the king.” 1 Peter 2:13-17.
Note.—The apostle who by the inspiration of God wrote
these words, lived under the Roman Empire. This govern-
ment was corrupt, in many ways unjust, and often very bitter
in its attitude toward the followers of Christ. Even so, Chris-
tians were to do all in their power to live honestly and peace-
ably with the state. They were not to mingle with subversive
and disloyal movements, but were, as Paul says, to “render
therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom
honor.” Romans 13:7. They were to respect the good and
56
Christian Liberty
57
“Nebuchadnez-
zar the king made
an image of gold:
... he set it up
in the plain of
Dura, in the prov-
ince of Babylon.
.. . Then a herald
cried aloud, To
you it is com-
manded, O peo-
ple, nations, and
languages, That
at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sack-
but, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down
and worship tue golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king
hath set up: and whoso falleth not down and worshipeth
shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery
furnaee.”1 Daniel 3 1-6.
Three Yonng Hebrews "Mho Chose to Obey Ged
Ra:her Than Men :n Matters of Conscience
useful functions
fulfilled by that
government, even
though it did
much of which
they disapproved.
4.	But will the
servants of God
obey the law of
the land when
that law conflicts
with duty toward
God?
“Shadrach, Mesbach, and Abednego, answered and said to
the king. O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer
thee in tliis matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is
able to deliver us from the burning fiery Eurnace, and He will
deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known
unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor wor-
ship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Verses 16-18.
Note.—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were three
young Hebrews who hacl beeil earried off in the Babylonian
captivity at the same time as Daniel. Despite unfavorable
surroundings, they were loyal to the God of Israel. In this
instance, they took the stand which has been taken by loyal
servants of God in every age. They would not worship the
idol set up by the king; if God sent them a divine and mirac-
ulous deliverance, well and good; but if not, at all regards
they would not transgress the second commandment.
A similar case is found in the sixth chapter of Daniel, in
the celebrated instance where the prophet was cast into a den
of lions. Here the particular law which caused the crisis was
a decree of the king that “whosoever shall ask a petition of
any god or man for thirty days,” except of the king, should
be cast “into the den of lions.” Daniel 6:7. We read that
“when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into
his house; and his Windows being open in his chamber towarcl
Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and
prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.”
Verse 10. The story of the prophet’s deliverance is well
known; but the moral lesson is that when decrees or legisla-
tion interferes with the Claims of conscience and of God, the
believer, in refusing to commit sin, may be unable to avoid
disobedience to even the highest temporal powers.
5.	By what clear principle did Christ indicate the bound-
ary where civil allegiance is to be superseded by our
allegiance to God?
“Then saith He [Jesus] unto them, Render therefore unto
Caesar the things which are Caesars; and unto God the things
that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21.
Note.—Christ here makes verv plain the distinction be-
tween government and religion. The former is to regulate,
by force when necessary, the relation of Citizen to citizen, and
for this purpose it may justly levy taxes and establish laws
Controlling the general society. But religion concerns man’s
spiritual duty; it never Controls by force, and its power over
men clepends upon their voluntary acceptance of its teachings.
Denominations are not to interfere with the state, and the
state is not to interfere with denominations.
Nothing is rnore important than a man’s religious duties.
But these, important as they are, can never be coerced by
legislation. An inquisitive and officious government can
make hypocrites of men, but it cannot make them into saints.
The attempts—and they have been very numerous—to support
the church by the state, or the state by the church, have
only led both government and religion far astray. As Dr.
Philip Schaff has observecl, “Secular power lias proved a
satanic gift to the church, and ecclesiastical power has proved
an engine of tyranny in the hands of the state.”
6.	How is the principle of rendering religious obedience
only to God, illustrated in the history of the early church?
“They [the Sadducees and priests of Jerusalem] called
them [Peter and John], and commancled them not to speak
at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John
answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight
of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and
heard.” Acts 4:18-20.
“The high priest asked them, saying, Did not we straitly
command you, that ye should not teach in this name? and,
behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and
intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. Then Peter and
the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God
rat her than men.” Acts 5:27-29.
7.	Notwithstanding the broad principles of Christian lib-
erty, what is the prediction of the Scriptures regarding those
who are loyal to Christ?
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12.
Note.—In every age the people of God have suffered op-
pression and maltreatment for their faith. Paul speaks of
those “who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought right-
Protestants Driven From Their Homes and Pursued by Armed Soldiers. True Christianity Has Always
Suftered at the Hands of Religious Intolerance. It Is Even So Today
eousness, obtainecl promises, stopped the mouths o£ lions,
quenched the violence o£ fire, escaped the edge of the sword,
out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight,
turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received
their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resur-
rection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings,
yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned,
they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the
sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;
being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was
not worthy).” Hebrews 11:33-38,
And during the centuries of the Christian Era, these ex-
periences have been largely repeated. Organized Cliristianity,
or professed Cliristianity, became eager to meddle in state-
craft, and sought to use the power of the government to lead
men to obey religious enactments. The principles of Chris-
tian charity and love were entirely lost sight of. Ingenious
and learned men, as St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas,
argued that it would be for the glory of God and the welfare
of the state if all persons, regardless of their convictions, were
forced by law to conform to the teachings of the church.
The fallacy of such arguments has been exposed by Macaulay,
in his famous sentence, “The doctrine which, from the very
first origin of religious dissensions, has been held by all bigots
of all sects, when Condensed into few words, and stripped of
rhetorical disguise, is simply this: I am in the right, and you
are in the wrong. When you are the stronger, you ought to
tolerate me; for it is your duty to tolerate truth. But when
I am the stronger, I shall persecute you; for it is my duty to
persecute error.”
Nevertheless, once bigotry was in power, it took steps to
stay there; and then began the grim history of medievalism,
with its heresy trials and tortures, its massacres and burnings.
As a result, persecution raged unchecked for hundreds of
years. As one competent historian has remarked, in speaking
of the church most active in these furies: “That the Church
of Rome has shecl more innocent blood than any other insti-
lution that has ever existed among mankind, will he ques-
tioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of
history. The memorials, indeed, of many of her persecu-
tions are now so scanty that it is impossible to form a com-
plete conception of the multitude of her victims, and it is
quite certain that no powers of imagination can adequately
realize their sufferings.”
8.	What assurance and comfort does Christ give to those
who suffer for their loyalty to Him?
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye,
when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say
all manner of evil against you faisely, for My sake. Rejoice,
and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven:
lor so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”
Matthew 5:10-12.
9.	What indicates that religious persecution on an ex-
tensive scale will again occur in the last days, just before
the second coming of Christ?
“He [a power which has renounced the principles of civil
and religious liberty] causeth all, both small and great, rieh
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right
hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or
seil, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or
the number of his name.” Revelation 13:16, 17.
Note.—“The mark of the beast,” as we have seen in the
chapter immediately before this, is Sunday, the spurious Sab-
batli, which at the time of the end will become the distinguish-
ing mark of apostasy, just as the true Sabbath will become
the sign of those who are determined to be loyal to God at all
costs. It may appear incredible that severe persecution could
ever arise over this issue. But the word of God declares that
it will; and we must remember that the areas of liberty in
this world are continually contracting. The great democratic
ideals which swept over all humanity at the close of the
World War, now seem faded and illusory. Everywhere men
are exalting the conception of thc supreme state,—the gov-
ernment which holds in its omnipotent band the lives and
property, tJie thought and creed, of its citi/ens.
Such agitations as the so-called “calendar reform,” which
would destroy the unvarying cycle of the week, and make
the seventh day fall on various weekdays, indicate how readily
the Sabbath coulcl become an issue between those who are
cletermined to obey the commanclments which God’s grace
has written in their hearts, and those who are cletermined
to secure at all costs uniformity of conduct among the citizens
of the state.
10.	Despite the fury of persecution, what assurance is
given of the final triumph of those who are faithful to God?
“One of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are
these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence catne
they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he saicl
to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation,
and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of
God, and serve Him day and night in His temple: and He
that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall
the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is
in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead
them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe
away all tears front their eyes.” Revelation 7:13-17.
4 ARL A4 PHOTO	A. SAINT GAUDENS. SCUUFTOR
Tne Sting of Death Is Effectively Witnessed by Tliis. Silent Symbol oX
Human Grief. Not Until Christ Genies, Will ihe Dead Be
Raised and Loved Ones United. Hasten, Glad Day
WHERE ÄRE THE DEÄD?
1.	What is the wages ol sin?
“The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.
2.	How does the Bible define man's nature?
“Shall mortal man be more just than God?” Job 4:17.
3.	But what is God's nature?
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only
wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1
Timothy 1:17.
Note.—God is immortal—He by His own power exists for-
ever. But none of His creatures are so; for their life is
secondary and derived. Yet in the beginning it was not God’s
plan that death should come to mankind.
In the Garden of Eden, where He put Adam and Eve, He
placed “the tree of life also.” Genesis 2:9. This tree was
evidently to perpetuate and immortalize life, for we read that
after the fall, “the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become
as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put
forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and
live forever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the
Garden of Eden.” Genesis 3:22, 23. In other words, God
did not wish to immortalize sin and sinners, and He therefore
deprived mankind, after they had become involved in sin, of
access to the tree of life.
That death came as a result of sin is also clearly stated in
the New Testament. “As by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin,” says Paul; “and so death passed
upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12. Death
is not a part of God’s plan. It is not normal, even though by
the long experience of the race it may have come to seem
normal to us. It is the penalty and result of sin and trans-
gression, which came upon all the race, represented by
Adam, at the time of the fall.
3
65
4.	How was man made in the beginning?
“The Lord God formed man of the dust of the gronnd.”
Genesis 2:7, first part.
5.	By what act did God give him life?
“And hreathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and
man became a living soul.” Verse 7, last part.
6.	Do any other creatures besides mankind possess this
"breath of life"?
“All flesh died that moved upon the eartli, both of fowl,
and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth, and every man: all in whose
nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry
land, died Genesis 7:21, 22.
7.	Is the term "living soul" ever applied to any other
creatures besides man?
“The second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and
it became as the blood of a dead man: and every livi?ig soul
died in the sea.” Revelation 16:3.
Note.—We eite tliese texts to show that the expressions
“breath of life,” “living soul,” and similar phrases, are not
used in the Bible as referring to some immortal entity which
lives forever, but simply to the experience and fact of life as
it is possessed by all earthly creatures. Thus a prophet of the
Old Testament expressly declares that a “soul” can die. “Be-
hold, all souls are Mine [i. e., God’s]; as the soul of the
father, so also the soul of the son is Mine: the soul that sin-
neth, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:4.
8.	As far as the conditions of existence are concerned,
does man have any preeminence over the beasts?
“That which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts;
even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the
other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no
preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.” Ecclesiastes 3:19.
Note.—The physical basis of life is the same in the animals
as in man. What destroys one destroys the other. Their
deaths, physiologically, are the same. The results are the
same,—unconsciousness, a ceasing of every bodily function,
and finally corruption and decay. But before man there is
held out the possibility of a future and immortal life. By
faith in Christ, man rises to a preeminence which the ani-
mal cannot attain.
9.	What happens at death?
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and
the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Ecclesiastes
12:7.
Note.—In the beginning man was created from the dust
of the ground, and was made a living soul by having the
breath of life breathed into him by God. At death this
union between the breath of life and the body ceases, and
man becomes nothing. The body reverts to its original ele-
ments, and is returned to the dust of the earth. The breath
of life, which God has simply lent to man, returns to Him
who gave it. There is no longer a conscious individual exist-
ence. The individual no longer exists as a living, conscious,
thinking being. He exists only in the mind, plan, and pur-
pose of God through Christ and the resurrection. In this
sense “all live unto Him” (Luke 20:38), for all are to be
raised from the dead. (See John 5:28, 29; Acts 24:15;
Romans 4:17.)
Many persons will inquire, “But what does the Bible say
about the ‘immortal souls’?” The answer is that no such ex-
pression occurs anywhere in the Bible. The word “soul” is
found hundreds of times, so that the writers of the Scripture
had hundreds of opportunities to describe it as immortal, if
ever the Spirit of God had led them to do so. But on the “im-
mortality” of the “soul” the Bible is entirely silent. The idea
crept into professedly Christian circles from pagan philoso-
phy, rather than from the teachings of the word of God.
10.	To what do the Scriptures compare death?
“I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concern-
ing them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13.
Note.—Similar comparisons of death with sleep are found
in a number of places in the Scriptures. See, for example,
John 11:11, where Jesus speaks of Lazarus as sleeping, though
he lrad already died, and Jesus knew that he was dead. Verse
14. Why do the Scriptures compare death to sleep? Because
sleep is a state of unconsciousness, in which one recognizes
neither the happening of events nor the passage of time; and
death is the same.
11.	Where does the sleep of death occur?
“Many of them that sleep in the dnst of the earth shall
awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and ever-
lasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2.
12.	Düring this sleep, how much do those that are dead
know?
“The living know that they shall die: but the dead know
not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the
memory of them is forgotten.” Ecclesiastes 9:5.
13.	What share do they have in earthly activities?
“Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now
perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in any-
thing that is done nnder the sun Verse 6.
14.	Do they know anything about those whom they have
left behind?
“His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they
are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.” Job 14:21.
15.	What happens to a man's thoughts at death?
“His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that
very day his thoughts perish.” Psalms 146:4.
16.	Do the dead spend their time in praising and wor-
shiping God?
“The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down
into silence.” Psalms 115:17.
“In death there is no remembrance of Thee: in the grave
who shall give Thee thanks?” Psalms 6:5.
Note.—It is often alleged that the teaching o£ the Scrip-
tures on this point is a gloomy one, that the idea that those
who have passed away are sleeping in their graves is repulsive.
Those who thus complain, forget that the same Scriptures
wliich teach that the dead are entirely unconscious, hold out
also the hope of a resurrection. They are “asleep.” They
know nothing of thought or Sensation; they cannot mark the
passage of time. Deliverance will come, but when it comes,
it will seem to them, even to those who have rested the longest,
as though but a moment has passed front the hour when they
closed their eyes in death, to the hour when they are awak-
ened. And, after all, God’s way is best. If the dead were in
heaven, and could note the vicissitudes of earthly life and
every grief and affliction which came to those wltorn they had
left, how harrowing would be their experience! God spares
them this. They sleep.
17.	But while death must come upon all humanity, what
hope is offered us of an eternal life?
“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.
18.	Why did Christ come to this world?
“That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
19.	Where is this life?
“God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not
the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:11, 12.
20.	How long is the sleep of the dead to continue?
“Man lieth down, and riseth not: tili the heavens be no
more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.”
Job 14:12.
Note.—That the expression “tili the heavens be no more”
refers to the time of the second coming of Christ, may be
seen from a comparison with Revelation 6:14, “The heaven
departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every
mountain and island were moved out of their places,” a
text which undoubtedly refers to the second coming of Christ.
21.	But what did the Patriarch Job expect. after the time
appointed for his rest in the grave had passed?
“If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my ap-
pointed time will I wait, tili my change come. Thou shalt
call, and I will answer Thee: Thou wilt have a desire to the
work of Thine hands.” Job 14:14, 15.
22.	How does Paul speak of this "change" which is to
mark the end of death?
“Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:51, 52.
Note.—The apostle here declares that not all Christians
shall die, but that all shall be gloriously transformed at the
hour of Christ’s appearing. The reason why all shall not die,
is given in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17: “For this we say unto you
by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain
unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [go before]
them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel,
and the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Some Christians
will be alive at the time of Christ’s return; these shall not die,
but together with the resurrected saints, shall be caught up
into the presence of Christ.
23.	What two classes are to be raised from the dead?
“There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the
just and unjust.” Acts 24:15.
24.	What more explicit teaching does Christ give on this
point?
“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which
all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of
life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation.” John 5:28, 29.
25.	What will be the state of the righteous who are raised
from the dead?
“Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto
the angels; and are the children of God, being the children
of the resurrection.” Luke 20:36.
26.	But what is the fate of the wicked who have been
raised from the dead?
“They [the righteous who have been resurrected] lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.
. . . And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall
be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the
nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, . . . and
they [the wicked who have been resurrected] wem up on the
breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints
about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God
out of heaven, and devoured them.” Revelation 20:4, 5, 7-9.
27.	What do the Scriptures teach concerning the ultimate
end of those who in this life reject God's grace and therefore
cannot enter into His kingdom?
“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared
for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41.
“The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they
shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and
them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace
of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Mat-
thew 13:41, 42.
“Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and
all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:
and the day that comelh shall burn them up, saith the Lord
of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor brauch. . . .
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes
under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this,
saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 4:1-3.
Note.—The Bible predicts the complete extinction of the
wicked. It is sometimes argued that such expressions as “eter-
nal fire,” ‘‘unquenchable fire,” prove an eternity of suffering
for the wicked, but examination of otlier Bible passages proves
that this is not so. Jude (verse 7) speaks of Sodom and
Gomorrah as ‘‘suffering the vengeance of eternal fire,” though
those cities are not still burning. It is the results of the fire
which are eternal, and not the sense of pain of which it is the
cause.
28.	After the destruction of this earth and of the finally
impenitent by fire, what does the prophecy reveal?
‘‘I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away. . . . And I hearcl a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of
God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they
shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them,
and be their God.” Revelation 21:1-3.
29.	What beatitude of Christ's will then be fulfilled?
‘‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.’-
Matthew 5:5.
ETERNAL LIFE
1.	What promise is given to the Christian?
“This is the promise that He hath promised us, even
eternal life.” 1 John 2:25.
2.	When is this eternal life to be revealed in its fullness?
“Ye are dead, and your life is hid witli Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:3, 4.
Note.—In this world the Christian is still surrounded by
evil; he is still on Satan’s ground, even tliough he is as the
fortress of God in a revolted land. But at the second coming
of Christ, as we have seen in our previous studies, there is
set up a new order of things. Then sin shall be done away
with, the kingdom of God shall be completely established,
and the redeemed shall enter into the very fullness and glory
of all that God has promised to His faithful children.
3.	What descriptions does the Bible give of the earth as
it will be in its redeemed state?
“I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away.” Revelation 21:1.
“The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for
them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and
singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the ex-
cellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of
the Lord, and the excellency of our God. . . . Then the eyes
of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be
unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and
the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall
waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs
of water. . . . And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their
74
Your Bible Says
heads: they shall
obtain joy and
gladness, and sor-
row and sighing
shall flee away.”
Isaiah 35:1,	2,
5-7, 10.
“The wolf also
shall dwell with
the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie
doiun with the
kid; and the calf
and the young
lion and the fat-
ling together; and
a little child shall
lead them. And
the cow and the
bear shall feed;
their young ones
shall lie down to-
gether: and the
lion shall eat
straw like the ox.
And the sucking
child shall play
on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his
hand on the cockairice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah
11:6-9.
Note.—The hikeritance which the Bible declares shall be
given to the saints of God, is not merely a state of mind, or
an etheres.1 and unsubstantial nothingness. But in many
respects it will be different from this our present world, for
the taint ar_d affliction of sin will be gone, and with it the
long chain of suffering and death which humanity by long
acquaintarce has come to consider inevitable. Instead of a
INNES FR1PP. ARTIST
John, tht Beloved Apostle, Given a View
of the Holy City
“nature red in tooth and claw,” there will be a perfect world,
with the marring trace of evil unknown, as it was in the
beginning.
On the reality of the future world, note also the words of
God through the prophet: “Behold, I create new heavens and
a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor
come into mind. . . . And they shall build houses and inhabit
them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of
them. They shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days
of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long
enjoy the work of their hands. . . . And it shall come to pass,
that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet
speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed
together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and
dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord.” Isaiali
65:17-25. The current conception of heaven as a sort of dim
cloudland suspended in nowhere is not taught by the Bible,
but is a survival of scholastic theologies which regarded the
flesh, and everything connected with the material, as inher-
ently evil. The Scriptures do not recognize this Superstition.
4.	What description is given of the New Jerusalem, the
Capital city of the earth made new?
“I John saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming
down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband.” Revelation 21:2.
5.	What conditions will prevail in the New Jerusalem,
and in the redeemed world generally?
“I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with
them, and be their Crod. And God shall wipe away all tears
from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for
the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon
the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.” Verses 3-5,
6.	What promise is made to Ihose who overcome evil in
this life?
“He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will
be his God, and he shall be My son.” Verse 7.
7.	But who will have no part in the kingdom of God?
“The fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Verse 8.
8.	What vision of the heavenly city was given to the
apostle John?
“There came unto me one of the seven angels which had
the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with
me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the
Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a
great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the
holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having
the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most
precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” Verses 9-11.
Note.—The “jasper stone’’ here mentioned is considered
by the best commentators to be a stone of a greenish color,
perhaps transparent, and certainly translucent.
9.	What is said of the walls and foundations of the city?
“And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates,
and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon,
which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of
Israel: on the east three gates; on the north three gates; on
the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the
Wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the
names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” Verses 12-14.
10.	What are the dimensions of the city?
“He that talked with me had a golden reed to measure
the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And
the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the
breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thou-
sand furlongs. T he length and the breadth and the height of
it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred
and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a
man, that is, of the angel.” Verses 15-17.
Note.—The question arises, Are these dimensions real?
We can only reply, Why were tliey given in such detail, i£ they
are not real? The last two chapters of the Bible describe the
city, the New Jerusalem, witli an exactitude which becomes
trivial and meaningless, if we do not take it as it reads.
Reduced to modern figures, the dimensions as given would
make the city of God tliree hundred and seventy-five indes
long on each side. The wall would be two hundred and
sixty-four feet high. The word “equal” in verse 16 may be
properly translated “proportionate,” and that seems to be the
idea in the text,—that the length and breadth and height of
the city are in beautiful and harmonious proportion.
11.	Of what is the city made? And of what are the foun-
dations of the walls made?
“The building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the
city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the founda-
tions of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner
of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the sec-
ond, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chryso-
lyte; the efghth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chryso-
prasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And
the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was
of one pearl: and the Street of the city was pure gold, as it
were transparent glass.” Verses 18-21.
Note.—This description of the New Jerusalem, with
streets of gold and walls and foundations of precious stones,
is often made a subject of jest by persons who do not think
the matter through. To be sure, we cannot build a city with
such substances, for the simple reason that we do not have
enough of them. It has been estimated that the world’s entire
supply of gold, if fused into a single mass, would form a
cube only thirty-six feet on end. We therefore build our
cities of concrete and brick. But God is under no such
limitations. He who created the atoms of stone and clay and
COURTESY. DR. J. F. GERNHARDT
The Imagination Is Inadequate to Picture the Glories and Realities of the New Earth. The Scripture Says We
“Shall Build Houses, and Inhabit Them.” Life Will Be Real and Eternal
78
iron, can with equal ease create the atoms of gold or of other
precious substances,—precious to us because they are so rare.
It is neither stränge nor fantastic that God should build a
city of the most beautiful materials imaginable. We would
do the same—if we had the materials.
In regard to the precious stones of the foundations, it is
interesting to note that sapphire is azure in color, and ‘ almost
as transparent and glittering as a diamond; chalcedony is
probably bluish white; emerald, vivid green; sardonyx, of a
ilesh color; sardius, red; chrysolyte, yellow or golden; beryl,
sea green; topaz, pale green; chrysoprasus, greenish yellow; ja-
cinth, deep red or violet; amethyst, violet. The effect of
splendor produced by these substances, illuminated by the
glory of God, must be beyond anything that we can conceive;
we really have no Standard of comparison for it.
12.	What other features of the city are especially men-
tioned?
“He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the Street of it, and on either side of the river,
was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of
fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations. Revelation
22:1, 2.
Note—“The tree of life” is mentioned in the early chap-
ters of Genesis, where we are told that it was originally in
the Garden of Eden, but that God denied humanity access to
it after the entrance of sin, lest by partaking of it sinners and
sin should become immortalized. The closing chapters of
Scripture represent it as once more restored to mankind, after
the curse of sin has been banished.
13.	What is the moral and spiritual character of those
who inhabit the New Jerusalem?
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they
may have right to the tree of life.' and may enter in through
the gates into the city." Verse 14,
Note.—While the Scriptures state in detail the material
splendors of the world to come, they teil us even more em-
phatically of the moral and spiritual splendors which shall be
there. For, after all, life even in a city of gold and precious
stones would be miserable and unhappy if the mischievous,
the violent, the impure, and the rebellious were there. But
God intends that in the kingdom which He shall establish,
the outward splendor of the surroundings shall be matched
by an inward splendor of character. There is to be no sin
there. Moral imperfection will be as unknown as physical
imperfection. It is to be a new world; and it is not to be like
the old. It is sometimes assumed that the divine requirements
are trivial; that a general spirit of benevolence and “a goocl
character” in the worldly sense, are sufficient to entitle a man
to a home in heaven. But nothing in the Bible encourages
these flippant and illusory hopes. “They that do His com-
mandments” shall have right to the tree of life, and shall
enter through the gates into the city. It is those who “are
written in the Lamb’s book of life,” who shall be subjects
of that eternal kingdom. None of us of our own selves are
good enough to go there. Only through the transformation
of character wrought by Jesus, “the Lamb of God, which
taketh away the sin of the world,” can we hope to enter
therein.
14.	With what invitation does the New Testament close?
“The Spirit and the bride say, Come. . . . And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely. . . .
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come
quickly. Amen.” Verses 17, 20.
WHAT CAN JESUS DO FOR ME?
1.	By what way only can a man enter into the kingdom
of God?
“Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not
that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:5-7.
2.	What is the condition of one who believes on Christ?
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Note.—The margin of the American Revised Version reads,
“a new creation.” That is, when a man truly receives the
Lord Jesus as his Saviour, he is spiritually re-created; a new
principle of life enters him.
But why must a man become a new creation? Why must
he be born again? Because in every human heart there dwells
sufficient of sin and evil to shut us forever out of the kingdom
of God. Most of us consider ourselves “good moral citizens,”
and as good as the next man; but that is not God’s Standard.
Before His perfect righteousness we all stand condemned,
“and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.” Isaiah 64:6.
True, no man exhibits every form of sin. Evil is so de-
structive that no man could be the abode of all of it. But
in every natural human heart some evil is enshrined. It may
be profligacy. It may be covetousness. It may be dishonesty.
It may be rnalice. It may simply be a spirit of rebellion
against God, and of unwillingness to submit to His righteous-
ness. The form is not so important as the essential evil which
underlies it.
Therefore we need a new heart and a new life, and only
God can give them to us. “Create in me a clean heart, O
82
Ycur Bibie Says—
Vcw J;- the Dcy of Salvation. The Appeal to Every Man Is a Present,
Evayday Asstirance That Divine Help Is Near and Availaole
God; and rensw a right epirit within me.” Psalms 51:10. It
is not enough that we should read of the life of Jesus, and
exrlaim, “What a wonderful Man!” “Wha: a remarkable
character!” Admirahon is not salvation We must come to
Christ as to our Saviauu We must receive from Him a new
heart, a purrfied life, a transformed character.
Nor is He unwilling. He longs to save us. For this pur-
pose came He into the world. “All that the Father giveth Me
shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no
wise cast out.” John 6:37. He invites us to come. “Come
unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will
give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto
your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My bürden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30.
We call this “conversion.” It means a turning away from
the world and from one’s seif, and a turning toward God.
3.	By what ordinance do men enter the church of Christ?
“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their
heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men
and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them,
Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.” Acts 2:37, 38.
“As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for
ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are
ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:27-29.
Note.—Baptism is an ordinance commemorating the death,
burial, and resurrection of Christ, and showing that these ex-
periences are spiritually repeated in the life of the believer.
“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into His death. Therefore we are buried
with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was
raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so
we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3, 4.
The rite is a declaration to all the world that we determine
to follow in the footsteps of the Saviour. It is the outward
sign of a new and inward allegiance.
The importance of such an open and public confession
of Himself before the world was taught by Christ. “Also I
say unto you, Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him
shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.
But he that denieth Me before men shall be denied before the
angels of God.” Luke 12:8, 9.
4.	What guidance and leadership is promised to the
Christian believer? Under this leadership, what character-
istics will the believer develop?
“The Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will send in My name, He shall teach you all things.” John
14:26.
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” Galatians
5:22, 23.
Note.—The Holy Spirit, sometimes called “the Comforter,”
is promised by Christ to every believer. Thus the Spirit of
Christ will guide and direct and sustain those who look to
Hirn for aid. “At all times and in all places, in all sorrows
and in all afflictions, when the outlook seems dark and the
future perplexing, and we feel helpless and alone, the Com-
forter will be sent in answer to the prayer of faith. Circum-
stances may separate us from every earthly friend; but no
circumstance, no distance, can separate us from the heavenly
Comforter. Wherever we are, wherever we may go, He is*
always at our right hand to support, sustain, uphold, and
cheer.”
5.	What is to be the experience of the Christian after
conversion?
“Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18.
“Beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and
to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to
godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness char-
ity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make
you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:5-8.
Note.—Christian experience is not a static affair. We
may, and must, continually advance. New qualities of strength
and character are to be developed. Over old temptations
new victories are to be gained. God is with us, and He calls
us onward and upward.
6.	Does the Bible promise that those who are faithful in
obeying Christ shall always have an easy and agreeable
time?
“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when
he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord
hath promised to them that love Him.” James 1:12.
“We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation
worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience,
hope: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of
God is shed abroad in our liearts by the Holy Ghost which
is given unto us.” Romans 5:3-5.
“Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous,
but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable
fruit of righteousness.” Hebrews 12:11.
“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good
cheer; I have overcome the world/’ John 16:33.
Note.—A certain amount of hardship and affliction are
the lot of all who dwell in this world. No man can wholly
escape sorrow, or sickness, or responsibility, or misfortune.
But in the case of those who believe on Him, God uses these
very experiences to test and develop character, and to prepare
us for His heavenly kingdom. “The Lord will not cast off
forever: but though He cause grief, yet will He have com-
passion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He
doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.”
Lamentations 3:31-33. It is often true that by our very hard-
ships we are drawn closer to our heavenly Father. We are
led to realize our need of Him. We are brought to sense
our spiritual weakness apart from Him.
“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”
Thus step by Step, through every vicissitude of life, we are
so led that we shall be prepared for His kingdom, and for an
eternal life when tliis present world shall have passed away.
It is an amazing thing that simple obedience to the word
of God will often bring to one a certain measure of Opposition
and even persecution. Yet this is true. Plain obedience to
the Bible, one of the most frequently praised books in the
land, will often lead to difficulty and the Charge of fanaticism.
Jesus plainly told His followers, “If ye were of the world,
the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the
world, but I have chosen you out of the world, tlierefore
the world hateth you.” John 15:19. Even as Jesus encoun-
tered Opposition and adversity, so will His followers. We
live, of course, in an age which is professedly Christian. But
the infusion is very slight. In reality, the current of life in
the world around us is pagan. Yet in the midst of Opposition
and misunderstanding, Jesus assures us of His grace and
strength. He will be with us today, as He was with His dis-
ciples of old.
7.	What quality is the Christian bidden to cultivate?
and why?
“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.”
Philippians 4:4.
“We know that all things work together for good to them
that love God, to them who are the called according to His
purpose.” Romans 8:28.
Note.—Christianity is the happy religion. It is the only
happy philosophy of life. Apart from Christ, the beginning
of existence is folly, and its end is disappointment and disillu-
sionment. Pleasures fade, physical powers wane, even the
mental qualities must ultimately decay. Death ends all.
One of the great modern writers has put into the mouth
of one of his characters these words: “My wife is going blind;
and on the whole she is glad of it; there is nothing worth
seeing. She says she hopes she will also become deaf; for
there is nothing worth hearing. The best thing about being
old is that you are near the goal.”
This is perfectly logical—apart from God. Without Him,
What Can Jesus Do for Me?
87
what is there? Contrast with these words of weariness and
disillusionment, the farewell words of the apostle Paul: “I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept
the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also
that love His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7, 8. What triumph!
What assurance! And this is the Christian attitude—not weak-
The Christian Life Is Not a Passive Belief in the Scriptures, But
an Active Determination to Avail Oneself of Its
Promises and Live Out Its Precepts
ness and exhaustion and cynicism, but the fullness of joy,
knowing that God guides all, directs all, and assuredly in the
end will bring His children unto Himself, where are pleasures
forevermore.
8.	What promises are given to those who undertake the
Christian warfare?
“Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and
this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, hut he that helieveth
that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:4, 5.
“Thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57.
Note.—Christ can save any one who will come unto Him.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us front all unrighteousness.” 1 John
1:9. Our former guilt need not hold us back. Our present
weakness need not hinder us. Our environment may be bad,
our heredity unfortunate. Christ can save us just the same.
“God never leads His children otherwise than they would
choose to be led, if they could see the end front the beginning,
and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling
as coworkers with Him.” If we turn to God with humble and
prayerful hearts, we will find in Him a present help in time
of need.
9.	How sure is our final triumph in Christ?
“Who sh all separate us from the love of Christ? shall trib-
ulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness,
or peril, or sword? . . . Nay, in all these things zue are more
than conquerors through Him that lozjed us. For I am per-
suaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princi-
palities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.” Romans 8:35-39.
GOD'S MESSAGE FOR TODAY
1.	What intention towcxrd the believers was expressed by
the apostle Peter?
“Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in
remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be
established in the present truth.” 2 Peter 1:12.
Note.—The expression “the present truth“ refers to a
special message adapted to a special time, and due under God
to be proclaimed at that time. There are great truths in the
Bible which are of permanent validity,—the atonement, the
supreme righteousness and Fatherhood of God, and similar
great doctrines. But there are also truths which are of press-
ing importance to certain generations.
Noah, for instance, preached of the flood; that was a
present truth for that generation, though not for ours. Jonah
cried out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown;’’
and that was a present truth for his hearers, though not for us.
Even one of the great unvarying doctrines of the Scripture
may be a special “present truth” to a certain generation of
men, if that doctrine has been largely obscured or forgotten.
Thus Luther’s great message was “justification by faith,” and
from this arose the Protestant Reformation. By their attitude
toward these great truths men are judged of God; it is not
enough to believe in the teachings of the past; we must de-
clare ourselves for or against the present truth that God
sends to us.
2.	What is God's special message for these last times?
“I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having
the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the
earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to
Hirn; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship
Hirn that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the foun-
tains of waters.” Revelation 14:6, 7.
Note.—Here is a message which emphasizes “the ever-
lasting gospel;” that is, it proclaims to men all the eternal
truths relating to salvation in the kingdom of God. But it
also definitely declares that “the hour of His judgment is
come;” hence we know that it must be a last-day message.
It warns all men that human probation is about to dose;
that the judgment having begun, its completion cannot be far
off, and mankind must make decisions quickly and surely
while mercy yet lingers.
3.	What other truth, formerly held by all who claimed to
be Christians, does the message given by this angel em-
phasize?
“Worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea,
and the fountains of waters.” Verse 7.
Note.—Until recent times all believed in God as Creator,
and held to the account given in the first chapters of Genesis.
But in these last days so subtle and widespread an apostasy
has crept in, that the majority of Christians no longer credit
the account found in the Scriptures, but instead lend their
faith to evolution, which teaches that mankind evolved from
anthropoid apes, and ultimately from the primal ooze. Against
these errors, disguised by all the prestige of a Science falsely
so called, God sends a warning message, and this message is
to go to all the earth.
4,	Which of the ten commandments stresses this same
truth, that God is Creator, and made this earth in six days?
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days
shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any
work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant,
nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is
within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh
day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hal-
lowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11.
Note.—From this we conclude that God’s last message to
mankind will especially emphasize the fourth commandment;
and, indeed, the law of God generally. That this conclusion
is not an error may be seen by noting Revelation 14:12, where,
immediately after the description of the three angels who take
this final message of warning to the world, we read, “Here is
the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the com-
mandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’’ Those who in
the last days are especially regarded by God as His people
will be commandment keepers—keepers of all the command-
ments, for, as the apostle says, “whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” James
2:10. This people, however, will not rely on legalism or
“salvation by works,” for they keep also “the faith of Jesus.”
It is to Him that they look for atoning grace, and He is their
hope and their salvation.
5.	What second message follows the announcement that
the hour of God's judgment is come?
“There followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen,
is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink
of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Revelation 14:8.
Note.—What is Babylon? Literally, it is the great city,
now desolate, which once was by the banks of the Euphrates,
and was the rival of Jerusalem, not commercially but spir-
itually. The name means “the gate of God,” and Babylon
was the splendid Capital of a System of worship which sought
—very successfully—to lead men away from the altar of Je-
hovah, to bow before the shrines of idols. “Babylon is sud-
denly fallen and destroyed,” declared the prophet of the Old
Testament. “Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver
every man his soül.” Jeremiah 51:8, 6.
In New Testament times the city had ceased to have any
practical importance, and so we find the name used there in its
spiritual significance, as referring to a System of false worship
which under brilliant and attractive features conceals a strong
antipathy for the gospel of Christ as it is taught in the Scrip-
tures. It especially refers to the Roman Catholic Church,
which, having left the true faith, has, during the centuries,
adopted the rites and even the doctrines of paganism,—prayers
for the dead, worship of the saints and of the virgin Mary,
persecution of all who differ from her doctrines, a priesthood
vested with special powers and privileges, the adoration of a
wafer which has been blessed, holy water, and many other
features alien to Christianity. In Revelation 17:5, we find
this System described as “Mystery, Babylon the great, the
mother of harlots and abominations of the earth.”
But who are the daughters of which Babylon is the mother?
This can refer only to those professedly Protestant churches
which originally having left Rome for a purer faith, have
ended by drifting into an apostasy as great as hers. For
it can scarcely be maintained that populär Protestantism
points the way to God. Its worldliness, its reliance upon
traditional Interpretation rather than upon the simple word
of God, and its enthusiastic acceptance of Modernism, a specu-
lative philosophy opposed to the plainest teachings of the
gospel, all forbid us to believe that the great ecclesiastical
Systems of the day can be the instruments chosen of God to
proclaim His last message of warning to the world.
Nor is there any evidence that these great religious bodies
are carrying such a message to the world; they themselves
would be the first to deny the Suggestion. God therefore
calls His people to separate themselves from Babylon, this
great but misleading System of faith compounded with world-
liness, and truth shot through by error and distortion. (See
Revelation 18:4, 5.) Those who would be God’s cliildren,
are to accept the Bible as their teacher, and to follow all of
its instruction. They are to be the true successors of apostolic
Christianity.
6.	What warning is given to all mankind at the time of
the end?
“The third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his
mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of
the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without
mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tor-
mented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of
their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have
no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image,
and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” Revelation
14:9-11.
Note.—The expression “the wine of the wrath of God,
which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His
indignation,” is remarkable. Almost invariably the wrath of
God is mixed with mercy. Hut we read, “He will not always
chide: neither will He keep His anger forever.” Psalms 103:9.
There are times when mercy makes her last plea, when,
having said all, she can say no more. Thus when the ark
was being built, Noah preached for a hundred and twenty
years to warn men of the coming flood. Nearly every one
thought it funny. Eight persons were saved. When the ark
was fxnished, and Noah had entered therein, the antediluvian
world had lost its last opportunity to be saved. So, too, when
the angels of God visited Sodom and Gomorrah, they would
have spared the city could ten righteous persons have been
found. But when ten could not be found, the city perished
forever in the fires of God.
So, too, there will come an hour when divine mercy will
no longer plead for a rebellious world. The drama of sin
is to be finished. Mankind has had its opportunity and made
its decisions. There sounds forth the decree, “He that is un-
just, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him
be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous
still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation
22:11.
7.	What did Jesus predict would happen before His sec-
ond coming?
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come.” Matthew 24:14.
8.	Has this prophecy yet been fulfilled?
It is being fulfilled to a remarkable degree. The modern
missions movement is only a little over a Century old. Before
that time, Christendom since apostolic days had feit no thrill-
ing urge to evangelize the world. But there came an awaken-
HARIAN PHOTO	%
Thousands of Christian Youth Are Trained Ancua’ly for the Specia!
Task of Heralding the Gospel ol the Kingdom to All the World
ing. Missions came to be regarded as an essential part—as the
essential part—of the church’s program.
Simultaneously with this religious awakening, came an
awakening of the heathen world at large. Countries formerly
closed to the white man, were thrown wide open. Backward
peoples began to progress. India, China, Africa, the islands
of the sea, South America,—all became accessible to the mes-
sengers of the cross.
9.	In fulfillment of this threefold message of warning, is
there any religious group or movement which is—
(a)	Going to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people?
(b)	Warning men everywhere that the hour of God's
judgment is come?
(c)	Drawing men's attention to God as the Creator whose
Sabbath should be sacredly observed?
(d)	Declaring that Babylon—embracing every religion
that teaches traditional and man-made theories of
salvation—is fallen?
(e)	Asserting that the wrath of God will surely fall on all
who do not yield themselves to the sovereignty
and righteousness of God, and receive His seal in
hand and heart?
Yes, just such a movement is going to all the world today.
It began about the year 1844, in unpopularity and obscurity.
Since that time it has prospered and spread, until its outposts
may now be found in the most distant parts of the earth. This
religious movement has no written creed, but it cherishes a
firm faith in the Bible as the word of God, and in Jesus
Christ as Saviour and Redeemer. As an Organization, it has
taken the name of “Seventh-day Adventists.”
In the year 1863 there were only 3,500 Seventh-day Ad-
ventists; and all of them, so far as is known, were in the
United States. By 1934, the membership had risen to 404,509,
of whom 253,293, or 62.62 per cent, were outside of the United
States. The number of Seventh-day Adventist churches the
world over is 7,818; of evangelistic laborers, 11,642. To their
work of spreading “the gospel of the kingdom” “to every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people,” they liave dedicated 69
Publishing houses, which produce literature in 171 languages.
Altogether, both by printed page and orally, they are declar-
ing the message of Christ’s soon return in 578 languages,
though these figures will soon be outdated, since every month
brings their missionaries in contact with new language areas,
and necessitates the proclamation of the gospel in native
tongues previously unattempted.
It is the belief of the Seventh-day Adventists that their
far-flung work is in fulfillment of the prophecy found in the
fourteenth chapter of Revelation. They are convinced that
they are accomplishing the work foretold by Jesus when He
predicted that “this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall
the end come.”
The studies in this little book have necessarily been brief.
Within the limits of our allotted space, we have had to pass
by tempting and important lines of Bible truth, and many
prophecies the fulfillment of which is occurring in our own
days. We have tried, however, to sketcli certain outlines of
truth as contained in the Scripture—truth which is being
taught in all the world by the Seventh-day Adventist denomi-
nation. We trust that our readers will be interested, many
of them, in further study of the word of God, and of His
work for today.
Alone With God Belief and Work of Seventh-day Adventists Back to God Better Meals for Less Bible a Twentieth Century Book Bible Made Plain Challenge of the Twentieth Century Christ the Divine One Christian Sabbath Cigarette as a Physician Sees It Decalogue of Health Earth’s Last Hour
Faith of Our Fathers
From Sabbath to Sunday Gospel in All the World Great Judgment Day Is the End Near?
Is the World Going Red? Lord’s Day the Test of the Ages
Marked Bible
On the Eve of Armageddon Other Side of Death
Our Lord’s Return Our Paradise Home
Prophecy Speaks Road to Health
Satan, His Origin, Work, and Destiny Shadow of the Bottle
Signs of Christ’s Coming Simple Treatments for Common
Ailments
Spiritualism and the Bible Steps to Christ Thoughts From the Mount of
Blessing
Three Times a Day Twelve Great Signs
Two Great Prophecies The Way to Christ Your Bible Says
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