January 14, 1897

“Front Page” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

“Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent.” Matthew 27:50, 51.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.1

This veil was a heavy curtain suspended from the ceiling of the sanctuary, dividing it into two parts, called the holy place and the most holy place. In the inner, or most holy place was the ark of the covenant, with its covering, which was called the mercy seat, above which, from between the cherubim, the glory of God appeared. The ark in this most holy place, screened from all human eyes, except those of the high priest, who could go within the veil only once a year, was a symbol of the throne of God in heaven. See Exodus 25:10-22; 26:31-34.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.2

For this tabernacle, with all that pertained to it, was but a shadow, a very faint shadow, of realities in heaven. It was called by Stephen “the tabernacle of witness,“ because both it and the tables of the law within it were witnesses against the unbelief of the Israelites. Solomon, who built the house to the Lord, said in his prayer at the dedication, “But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built.” 2 Chronicles 5:18.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.3

In like manner Stephen said in his testimony before the Jewish council: “Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool; what house will ye build Me? saith the Lord, or what is the place of My rest?” Acts 7:48-50.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.4

We see that those who lived in the time of the temple, who were in touch with the Lord, knew very well that it was not the real dwelling-place of God. All the people of Israel were accustomed to sing, “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord's throne is in heaven.” Psalm 11:4. Those who heard Stephen's discourse, being perfectly familiar with the service connected with the temple, could plainly see that if they allowed him to continue, his next words must be something like this:—PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.5

“Now of the things which we have spoken, this is the sum; We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:1, 2.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.6

That is why they were so incensed against Stephen, for they had positively rejected Christ, and did not want to hear of Him.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.7

Yet some of these priests must have seen the veil of the temple mysteriously rent asunder when Christ died, and they knew that it was not done by human hands, and they could hardly have failed to recall the words of Jesus, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” Never the absolute dwelling-place of God, it was not then even a symbol of it.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.8

If the professed people of God in olden time had been faithful to their high calling, there would never have been any earthly tabernacle, with its exclusive priesthood; for God's promise was, “Ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests.” Exodus 19:6. Even so all God's people to-day are “a royal priesthood,“ “an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5, 9. No other sacrifices have ever been acceptable to God.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.9

Every believer is a priest, and therefore every one has a right to come into the presence of God. The rending of the temple veil at the death of Christ, was to emphasise the fact that by the blood of Jesus we have boldness or liberty to enter into the holiest place by the new and living way through the veil, which He hath consecrated for us, that is, His flesh. Hebrews 10:19, 20. We are not kept standing in the outer court, but having been “made nigh by the blood of Christ,“ are urged to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 17.10

Seeing therefore that Christ, our Brother, is High Priest, and we are partakers of Him, let us come with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our priestly work of showing forth the excellencies of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvellous light.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.1

“He Saw the Inconsistency” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

Writing of the proofs of “genuine conversions” from heathenism in a variety of cases a Japanese missionary tells the following story. Let it be noticed that appreciation of the Gospel of Christ itself caused this man to see that the enslavement of the tobacco habit was not compatible with freedom in Christ. And he saw the point more clearly than the missionary who relates the story, as will be seen:—PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.2

On visiting a certain town recently, on a tour in the country, I was much impressed by the interest taken in Christianity by a man who not only came to meetings himself, but brought several of his friends with him. I was told that he was very constant in his attendance, and that he supported the work very earnestly. Seeing his interest to be so genuine, I had some conversation with him, and found him to be very conversant with the truths of Christianity, and to express hearty belief in them.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.3

Naturally enough I sought to know what hindered him from uniting with the church by baptism. He said that it was his intention to do so later, but he could not do so now. The reason, he said, was that he was a tobacco merchant, and that if he united with the church he must give this up. He did not believe that a man should be a church member and sell tobacco.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.4

He could not go out of the business at once without great loss, but as soon as he could he should give up the business, and then he wished to join the church. Calling to mind the many members of Christian churches at home who sell tobacco, and yet do not think that it interferes with their being church members, I told him that his purpose was commendable, but if such was his purpose in fact that he could be received into the church now on confession of his faith by baptism, if there was nothing else that stood in his way.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.5

He was much impressed, and asked for time to think of it. Later he returned and said that Christianity was just being established in his town, and he did not want to set a bad example that it would be for a Christian to sell tobacco, and that as he had begun an arrangement by which he hoped to dispose of his business, he thought it better for him to wait till his hands were clean of the business, before he united with the church. Until that time, however, he would help all he could in the work of the church. I have no doubt that in a few months he will be numbered among the believers in that town. “Rice Christians” we do have on the mission field, but it is greatly to be doubted if they are more numerous than the advantage Christians to be found at home.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.6

“Profession and Practice” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

Profession is one thing, and quite essential,—but it is not practice. Practice should accompany profession, even as light the sun. But in daily experience of life the two are so often found asunder that even those who think before they speak are apt to say, without apparent hastiness, that profession and practice are two different things. Their only difference should be that one is the accompaniment and resultant of the other,—where the one is there the other should always be, and there should never be any conflict between them.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.7

That the world is acknowledged to have come to that pass that few are expected really to practice what they preach, is, actually, when one thinks of it, almost equal to a virtual verdict of insanity against the whole human race. It certainly is an unsound and unhealthy state of mind and morals which makes it possible for such an anomalous condition to exist.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.8

The creature which continues to eat when it is already surfeited, or fasts when food is placed before it, mistaking the sensation of surfeit for hunger, and of hunger for surfeit, has no more reversed the natural order of things than has the man who acknowledges and professes truth and righteousness, and practices falsehood and unrighteousness.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.9

The trouble with such men is that in a greater or lesser degree the devil has entered into them. When the devils entered into the Gergesenian swine they rushed madly down the peaceful seaside slope, on which they had previously been reasonably and comfortably feeding, and were drowned. The act was totally inexplicable except by the madness of the sudden possession which had overtaken them.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.10

The course of those who hear the Gospel and will not listen to it, who understand and believe the truth and will not live in it, who know there is a God and will not obey Him; who profess and preach righteousness, but live and practise folly and all manner of evil; the course of these is only explicable by the fact that they have admitted Satan into their hearts and lives, and he is leading them to destruction no less sure than that which befell the swine, and one in which their suffering and shame will be proportionately greater in the same degree that they are higher in the scale of being and endowed with intelligence and responsibility.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.11

“The Outlook at the End of the Century” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

One of the writers in The Church Family Newspaper, in his summary of events in the past year, and the present outlook states the case thus:—PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.12

“And what about the world at large. Has civilisation made any great strides. Are we nearer the millennium? I troth not.... What the European Powers are really in earnest about is getting their armies and fleets ready to destroy each other. We read on all sides of preparations for “defence,“ and of millions of money being lavished upon new rifles, and new powder, new bullets, new ships, new guns, new death-dealing machines. Here, indeed, we have the keenest rivalry, and plenty of it. Is it not enough to make us rather shame-faced, and to ask our consciences some pertinent questions about our boasted civilisation at the end of this vaunted nineteenth century?”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.13

Mr. Henry Norman, who is a keen student of European and Eastern questions, concludes a statement of the situation thus:—PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.14

Such, then, is the situation in Europe to-day: three drawn swords, sharpened to a rasor edge pointing one-way, and two drawn swords face them, with England nervously fingering the sword in its scabbard, looking on and wondering whether, if she does not draw her own weapon to range herself on one side or the other, all the swords will not be shortly at her throat.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.15

May the winds of strife be held yet little longer.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 18.16

“The Promises to Israel. Israel a Missionary People” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

When God sent Moses to lead Israel from Egypt, His message to Pharoah was, “Israel is My son, even My firstborn; and I say unto thee, Let My son go, that he may serve Me” (Exodus 4:22, 23); and He brought them forth, and gave them the lands of the heathen, “that they might observe His statutes and keep His laws.” Psalm 105:44, 45. The great advantage of the Jews over other people was that “unto them were committed the oracles of God.” Romans 3:1, 2. To be sure they did not receive those “lively oracles” in all their living power, and thus make their advantage infinitely greater; but that was not the fault of God, and we are not now considering what Israel actually had and were, but what they might have possessed, and what they ought to have been.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 19.1

Two things have always been true namely, that “no man liveth unto himself,“ and that “God is no respecter of persons;” and these two truths combined form a third, which is, that whenever God bestows any gift or advantage upon any person, it is in order that he may use it for the benefit of others. God does not bestow blessings upon one person or people, that He does not wish all to have. When He promised a blessing to Abraham, it was in order that he might be a blessing-that in him all the people of the earth might be blessed. It was in the line of the promise to Abraham that God delivered Israel. Therefore, in giving them the advantage of possessing His law, it was that they might make known to other people that inestimable advantage, so that the other people also might share it.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 19.2

God's purpose was that His name should be made known in all the earth. Exodus 9:15. His desire that all people should know Him was as great as that the children of Israel should know Him. To know the only true God, is life eternal (John 17:3); therefore in revealing Himself to Israel, God was showing them the way of Eternal life, or the Gospel, in order that they might proclaim the same Gospel to others. The reason why God made Himself known to Israel in so marked a manner, was that they were, so to speak, nearer at hand than other people. The memory of God's dealing with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and of their faith, was preserved among the Jews, thus making them more accessible. God chose them, not because He loved them more than He did others, but because He loved all men, and would make Himself known to them by means of the agents that were nearest at hand. The idea that God ever was exclusive, and that He ever confined His mercies and truth to one special people, is most dishonouring to His character. Never did He leave the heathen without witness of Himself, and wherever He could find a man or people that would consent to be used, them He straightway enlisted in His service, to make a more full revelation of Himself.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 19.3

EFFECT OF THE PROCLAMATION OF THE GOSPEL IN EGYPT

The Gospel is the power of God to salvation, and since God's mighty power was exhibited in the salvation of Israel from Egypt, it is evident that the Gospel was at that time proclaimed as it has never been since. The effect of that proclamation is shown by the words of a heathen woman, the harlot Rahab. When the two spies came to her house in Jericho, she concealed them, and said to them:—PTUK January 14, 1897, page 19.4

“I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you; for the Lord your God; He is God in Heaven above, and in earth beneath.” Joshua 2:9-11. And then she begged for and received the promise of deliverance.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 19.5

“By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies in peace.” Hebrews 11:31. That which happened to her might have been the lot of every other resident of Jericho, provided they had exercised the same faith that she did. They had heard the same things that she had, and knew as a matter of fact, as well as she did, that “Jehovah your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” But knowledge is not faith. The devils know that there is one God, but they have no faith. Faith is trust-submission. Rahab was willing to submit to the requirements of God, and to live as one of His people, while her fellow-countrymen were not. In her case we see the evidence that God saves people, not because they are good, but because they are willing to be made good. Jesus is sent to bless us, in turning us away from our iniquities. That poor heathen woman of disreputable life, who could utter a lie with a composed countenance, and with no consciousness of guilt, had a most meagre idea of the difference between right and wrong; yet God acknowledged her as one of His people, because she did not turn away from light, but walked in it as it came to her. She believed to the saving of her soul. Her faith lifted her out of her sinful surroundings, and set her in the way of knowledge; and no stronger evidence can be found that Christ is not ashamed to acknowledge even the heathen as His brethren, than the fact that He is not ashamed to have one of them, a harlot, to boot, recorded in the roll of His ancestry after the flesh.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 19.6

GOD's SOLICITUDE FOR ALL MEN

But the special point in this reference to Rahab is that God had not shut Himself up to the Jewish people. Wherever there was an idolatrous inhabitant of Canaan, who was willing to acknowledge God, that moment he was enrolled among God's people. This lesson is not merely theoretical, the point being that the promise to Abraham included all the world, and not merely the offspring of Jacob, but it is practically consoling and uplifting. It shows us how longsuffering the Lord is, “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. It shows us how quickly God seizes upon the slightest inclination to seek Him, and uses it as a means of drawing the erring soul still nearer. He gently breathes upon the tiniest spark, if possibly it may be enlarged to a flame. His ear is continually turned to earth, alert to catch the faintest whisper, so that the feeblest cry, yea, the first impulse to call, from the lowest depths, is instantly heard and responded to.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.1

PRIESTS OF GOD

That God's design for Israel was that they should proclaim the Gospel to all the world, is seen in the fact that if they abode in His covenant they were to be a kingdom of priests. All were to be priests of God. Now the work of a priest is thus set forth in Malachi 2:5-7, where God says of Levi:—PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.2

“My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith He feared Me, and was afraid before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.3

To turn men away from iniquity, is the work of Christ through His resurrection; therefore the work of the true Priest is simply to preach the Gospel;—to proclaim the living Saviour, in whom is the living law that is perfect, converting the soul. But since all the children of Israel were to be priests, and therefore all familiar with the law, it is evident that they were to be priests in behalf of others, and not merely to be settled teachers among themselves. If they had accepted God's proposition, and been content to abide in His covenant instead of insisting on one of their own, there would have been no need of any priesthood to make the law of truth and peace known to them; they would all have known the truth, and consequently all have been free; but the office of a priest is to teach the law, and therefore it is positive that God's purpose in bringing Israel out of Egypt was to send them all over the world preaching the Gospel.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.4

What an easy and speedy task this would have been for them, backed by the power of God! The fame of what God had done in Egypt had preceded them, and as they went forth with the same power, they could preach the Gospel in its fullness to people already prepared to accept or reject. Leaving their wives and little ones safe in the land of Canaan, and going out two by two, as Jesus afterward sent forth His disciples, it would have taken them but a short time to carry the Gospel to the remotest parts of the earth. Suppose enemies attempted to oppose their progress? One could chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight. That is, the power of the presence of God with any two of them would render them in the eyes of their enemies equal to ten thousand men, and none would dare attack them. So they could go about their appointed work of preaching the Gospel, without fear of molestation. The terror which their presence would inspire in opposers, shows the power which the message they proclaimed would have on hearts open to receive truth.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.5

As they should go forth thus clothed with the full power of God, the ground would not need to be gone over the second time. All who heard would at once take their position either for or against the truth; and this decision would be final, since when one rejects the Gospel proclaimed in its fulness, that is with the mighty power of God, there is nothing more that can be done for him, for there is no greater power than that of God. So a very few years, or possibly months, after the crossing of the Jordan, would have sufficed for the preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom in all the world as a witness to all nations.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.6

EVIDENCES OF GOD's IMPARTIALITY

But Israel did not fulfill its high calling. Unbelief and self-trust deprived them of the prestige with which they entered the promised land. They did not let their light shine, and so in time they themselves lost it. They were content to colonise in Canaan, instead of possessing the whole earth. They assumed that the light which God had given them was due to the fact that He loved them better than He did others, and so they became haughty, and despised others. Nevertheless God ceased not to indicate to them that they were to be the light of the world. The history of the Jews, instead of showing that God was shut up to them, shows that He was continually trying to use them to make His name known to others. Witness the account of Naaman the Syrian, who was sent to the king of Israel to be healed of his leprosy. See the case of the widow of Sarepta, to whom Elijah was sent. The Queen of Sheba came from far to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Jonah was sent, much against his will, to warn the Ninevites, who repented at his preaching. Read the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and see how often the various nations are directly appealed to. All of these things show that God was not then, any more than now, the God of the Jews only, but of the Gentiles also. At last, when Israel had utterly refused to fulfill the mission to which God had called them, He sent them into captivity, that thus the heathen might receive some of the knowledge of God, which they would not impart voluntarily. There a few faithful souls were the means of bringing the truth clearly before the heathen king Nebuchadnezzar, who in time humbly acknowledged God, and published his confession of faith throughout the whole earth. King Cyrus, also, and other Persian kings, in royal proclamations made known the name of the one true God in all the world.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.7

GATHERING INTO ONE FOLD

Thus we see that there was nothing God so much desired as the salvation of the heathen round about the Jews, and not only of those near at hand, but those who were most distant, for the promises were not only to the Jews and their children, but to all that were “far off.” See Acts 2:39; Isaiah 57:19. That God made no difference between Jews and Gentiles is seen in the fact that Abraham, the head of the Jewish race, was himself a Gentile, and received the assurance of acceptance with God while he was yet uncircumcised, “that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also.” Romans 4:11, 12. God was always as ready to accept people from among the heathen as He was when He called Abraham out from among them. When Christ came, He declared that He was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and even while He said that, He showed who were the lost sheep of the house of Israel, by sending healing to a believing heathen woman. Matt. xv.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 20.8

What Christ did for that Canaanitish woman, He was equally ready and anxious to do for every believing inhabitant of Canaan and of the whole world, in the days of Joshua. All who did not stubbornly cling to their idols, were to be gathered into the fold of Israel, till there should be but one fold, under the One Shepherd. There was salvation for all who would accept it, but they must become Israelites indeed.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.1

ISRAEL TO BE SEPARATE

It was for this reason that the Israelites were forbidden to make any league with the inhabitants of the land. A league implies likeness, equality, the union of two similar powers. But Israel, when true to its calling, had nothing in common with the inhabitants of the land. They were to be a separate people, separate solely because of the sanctifying presence of the Lord. When God said to Moses, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest,“ Moses replied, “If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight? is it not in that Thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.” Exodus 33:14-16. To make a league with the nations round them, was to be joined to them, and that meant separation from the presence of God. The presence of God was the one thing that would make and keep the people of Israel separate from the nations, and His presence could have no other effect than that very thing. The presence of God will do the same thing in these days, for He changes not. Therefore if one should say that it is not necessary for the people of God to be separate from the nations, he would really be saying that it is not necessary for them to have God's presence.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.2

The same principle was involved when the people wanted a king. Read the account in 1 Samuel 8. The people said to Samuel, “Give us a king to judge us like all the nations.” The thing displeased Samuel, and doubtless hurt his feelings, but the people insisted, saying, “Give us a king to judge us.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken Me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.” Then Samuel, at the command of the Lord, set before the people some of the evils that would result if they had a king; but they refused to be persuaded, saying, “Nay, but we will have a king over us, that we may be like all the nations.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.3

In the Bible the “nations” are the heathen. The Hebrew word which is often rendered “nations” is the identical word from which the word “heathen” always comes. Perhaps Psalm 96:5 makes the case as clear as may be to the English reader. “For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens.” Here it is very evident that the “nations” are heathen. In Psalm 2:1 where we read, “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” The Revision has it. “Why do the nations rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” Such an idea as a “Christian nation” is as much a contradiction of terms as a “Christian heathen,“ or a “Christian sinner.” A “nation” in God's use of the term, when speaking of earthly nations, is a collection of heathen. So what the Jews really said was this: “We will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the heathen.” That was what they wanted, because all other people acknowledged other gods than Jehovah, and all the people on earth, with the exception of Israel, had kings over them. The Danish Bible renders 1 Samuel 8:20 plainly, “We will also be like all the heathen.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.4

God's plan for Israel was that it should not be a nation. We are apt to look at what was, as though it was what ought to have been, forgetting that from first to last the people refused, to a greater or less extent, to walk in the counsel of God. We see the Jewish people with judges, and officers, and all the paraphernalia of civil government; but we must remember that God's covenant provided something far different, which, on account of unbelief, they never fully realised.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.5

ISRAEL THE CHURCH OF CHRIST

The word “church” is in very common use, yet perhaps comparatively few of those who use it realise that it is from a Greek word which means “called out,“ and that it applies to Israel more than to any other people. They constituted God's church; they had been called out of Egypt. In the Old Testament they are referred to as “the congregation,“ that is, those who were assembled or had flocked together; for they formed the Lord's flock, of which He was Shepherd. God is known as the “Shepherd of Israel.” Psalm 80:1; see also 23:1. So the church in later times is called God's flock. Acts 20:28. Stephen, in his talk before the Sanhedrim, spoke of Israel as “the church in the wilderness.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.6

There is but one church, for the church is Christ's body (Ephesians 1:19-23), and there is but one body. Ephesians 4:4. That one church is composed of those who hear and follow the voice of Christ, for Christ says: “My sheep hear My voice,“ “and they follow Me.” John 10:27. That church in the wilderness is therefore identical with the true church of Christ in every age. This is most clearly shown by Hebrews 3:2-6. As you read the passage; remember that “the house of God” is “the church of the living God.” 1 Timothy 3:15. Now the text says that Christ was faithful in the house of God, even as Moses was. Moses was faithful in the house of God as a servant, and Christ as a Son over the same house, “whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Jesus was called out of Egypt, as it is written, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son.” Matthew 2:15. He was the Head and Leader of the host that came out with Moses. 1 Corinthians 10:1-10. Christ and Moses therefore, are in the same fellowship and communion, and whoever is a partaker of Christ, must acknowledge Moses as a brother in the Lord.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.7

These facts are most important, since as we learn God's plan for Israel, we learn the true model for the church of God in all ages, even unto the end. We may not indiscriminately quote what Israel did, as authority for what we should do, since they often rebelled against God, and their history is more often a record of apostasy than of faith; but we may and should study God's promises and reproofs to them, for what He had for them He has also for us.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 21.8

THE CHURCH THE KINGDOM

The people of Israel constituted a kingdom from the beginning, centuries before Saul was set over them; for the church of God is His kingdom, and His subjects are all His children. The “household of God” is “the commonwealth of Israel.” Ephesians 2:19. Christ, with the Father, sits upon “the throne of grace,“ and the true church acknowledges Him, and Him only, as Lord. The Apostle John, in writing to the church, subscribes himself, “your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 1:2. Christ declared Himself to be a King, even the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11), and received homage as “the King of Israel.” John 1:49. But even while claiming to be king, Jesus declared, “My kingdom is not of this world; if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is My kingdom not from thence.” John 18:36. As Christ's kingdom is not of this world, so His church, His body, the people whom He has chosen and called out of the world, are to form no part of the world, although in it. It is to make no sort of alliance with the world, for any purpose whatever. Its sole use in the world is to be the light of the world, the salt by which as much of the world as possible is to be preserved. It is to be no more a part of the world than the light is of the darkness in which it shines. “What communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14. There are two distinct classes on earth-the church and the world; but when the church forms an alliance with the world, whether formally, or by adopting the world's methods or principles, then there is really only one class-the world. By the grace of God, however, there have always been a faithful few, even in the time of greatest apostasy.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.1

NOT A THEOCRACY

It is quite common to speak of Israel as a theocracy. This is indeed what God designed it to be, and what it should have been, but what in the truest sense it never was. Least of all was Israel a theocracy when the people demanded an earthly king, “that we also may be like all the heathen,“ for in so doing they rejected God as their King. It is passing strange the people will refer to what Israel did in direct opposition to the wishes of God, as a warrant for similar action on the part of the church now, and to their rejection of God as evidence that they were ruled by His power.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.2

The word “theocracy” is a combination of two Greek words, and means literally, “the rule of God.” A true theocracy, therefore, is a body in which God is sole and absolute ruler. Such a government has rarely been seen on this earth, and never to any great extent. A true theocracy existed when Adam was first formed and placed in Eden, when “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Genesis 1:31. God formed Adam of the dust of the ground, and set him over the works of His hands. He was made ruler “over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” Genesis 1:26. He therefore had all power given to him. But at his best state, when crowned with glory and honour, Adam was but dust, with no more power in himself than the dust on which he walked. Therefore the mighty power that was manifested in him was not his own power at all, but the power of God working in him. God was absolute Ruler, but it pleased Him, so far as this earth was concerned, to reveal His power through man. During Adam's loyalty to God there was therefore a perfect theocracy on this earth.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.3

Such a theocracy has never existed since, for man's fall was the acknowledging of Satan as the god of this world. But individually it existed in its perfection in Christ, the second Adam, in whose heart was God's law, and in whom dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. When Christ shall have renewed the earth and restored all things as in the beginning, and there is but one fold and one Shepherd, one king in all the earth, that will be a perfect theocracy. The will of God will be done in all the earth as it now is in heaven. Christ is now gathering out a people in whom His character will be reproduced, in whose hearts He will dwell by faith, so that each one of them, like Himself, may “be filled with all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19. These gathered ones constitute the church of Christ, which, as a whole, is “the fulness of Him that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:22, 23. So while the true theocracy is first of all in the heart of individuals who day by day sincerely say to their heavenly Father, “Thine is the kingdom,“ the multitude of them that believe-the church-when perfectly joined together in the same mind by the Holy Spirit, constitutes the only true theocracy that has ever existed in this earth. When the church is apostate, it seeks by alliances with the world, by assuming kingly power, to exhibit a theocratic form of government, but it is only a counterfeit form, with no Divine power, whereas God's true followers, few in number, scattered throughout the world, and unknown to the nations, furnish an example of a real theocracy.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.4

Through the prophet who opened his mouth to curse, but who instead uttered blessings, God said of His people Israel, “The people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” Numbers 23:9. The people of God are in the world, not of it, for the purpose of showing forth the excellency of Him who has called them out of darkness. But this they can do only as they acknowledge God to be supreme. The church is the kingdom in which God rules alone, and its only law is God's law of love. It is God's voice alone that it hears and follows, and it is God's voice alone that speaks through it.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.5

NO EARTHLY MODEL

Nothing among earthly kingdoms or associations of whatever kind can serve as a model for the true theocracy, God's church and kingdom; nor can the acts of human organisations be taken as precedents. It is unique in every particular, depending on none of the things upon which human governments depend for the maintenance of unity, and yet so marvelous an exhibition of order and harmony and power, that it astonishes all.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.6

But although the true people of God are to dwell alone, not reckoned among the nations, and consequently having no part in the direction or management of civil governments, they are by no means indifferent to the welfare of mankind. Like their Divine Head, their mission is to do good. As Adam was the son of God (Luke 3:38), the whole human facility, although fallen, are His children,—prodigal sons,—and therefore God's true children will regard all men as their brethren, for whose welfare and salvation they are to labour. Their work is to reveal God to the world as a kind and loving Father, and this they can do only by allowing His love to shine forth in their lives.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.7

Christ's kingdom on earth has as its sole work to show by practical likeness to Christ, its allegiance to Him as rightful Lord of all, and by thus showing forth His excellencies, to induce as many as possible to accept Him as King, so that they may be prepared to receive Him when He comes on the throne of His glory. Matthew 25:31. Christ, the King, came into the world for no other purpose than to bear witness to the truth (John 18:37), and so His loyal subjects have no other object in life; and the power by which they witness is that of the Holy Ghost abiding in them, and dwelling in them (Acts 1:8), and not by their mingling in political or social strife. For a little while after Christ's ascension to heaven, the church was content with this power, and wonderful progress was made in the work of preaching the Gospel of the kingdom; but soon the church began to adopt worldly methods, and its members to interest themselves in the affairs of State, instead of Christ's kingdom, and the power was lost. But let it be remembered that in those days of the church's loyalty, the very same power was present that was given to Israel for the same purpose hundreds of years before; and remember further that the people through whom the power of God was thus manifested were in both instances the very same, “for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 22.8

“As for God, His way is perfect,“ and we know that “whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him.” Ecclesiastes 3:14. Therefore although Israel in the days of the judges and the prophets proved unfaithful to their trust, and the same church from the days of the apostles has been to a large extent unmindful of its privileges and duty, the time must come when the church-the Israel of God-shall come out from the world and be separate, and so, free from all earthly entanglements, and depending alone upon Christ, will shine forth as the morning, “fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 23.1

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

—There is now in Paris a legible papyrus roll that is 4,000 years old.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.1

—Three hundred and twenty-five thousand persons have left Bombay through fear of the plague.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.2

—One hundred and five people lost their lives in London fires last year,—an increase of fourteen over 1895.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.3

—It is expected that the Russian railway to the Pacific will measure 4,750 miles in length, and will cost $35,000,000.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.4

—Italy has followed the example of Germany in filling the civil service positions in the gift of the Government from the military.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.5

—According to General Booth the revenue of the Salvation Army is considerably more than one million pounds sterling yearly.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.6

—A Wesleyan missionary writes from Jobalpur, India, that, in his district, during the past year, 90,000 persons have died from starvation.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.7

—Our Queen now rules 367,000,000 people, a greater number than has ever before acknowledged the sovereignty of either king, queen, or emperor.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.8

—A trans-Pacific telegraph cable is to be laid from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Australia. It will be an all-British cable, and go is more than a thousand miles out of its way to accomplish this.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.9

—Ship-building in Great Britain increased enormously in 1896, over previous years, the total output being 751 vessels with a tonnage of 1,323,709-an increase of 208,000 tons over 1895; of these vessels fifty-five were war ships.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.10

—The United States Government has invited the Post Office authorities of Great Britain and the colonies to send delegates to Washington for the Universal Postal Congress to be held there next May. The London office sends four delegates.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.11

—The number of persons in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland who use Gaelic as their native language is much larger than is commonly supposed. It includes 660,000 in Ireland, 350,000 in Wales, and 280,000 in Scotland.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.12

—The commercial supremacy of New South Wales in toe Southern Hemisphere is nowhere illustrated more convincingly than in the official statistics connected with Australasian snipping. Of the 17,691 vessels entered and cleared at Australasian ports during 1894, 6,583, or considerably more than one third, were entered and cleared at New South Wales ports.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.13

—A writer, recently returned from Siberia, says that many of the Russian colonists who want into the Siberian districts where grants of land were made are returning. On the platforms of stations he saw them waiting for trains, “frightened incarnations of misery, huddling together against the rain that came down in torrents, and crossing themselves at every lightning flash and thunderpeal.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 30.14

“Back Page” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

A new Roman Catholic monastery was opened near Oxford last week.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.1

Famine grows apace in India, and the increasing plague follows after. Public attention is now being called to the serious prospect. A vast responsibility rests upon those who hoard the world's wealth, while millions of fellow-beings lack for food.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.2

Reports in Catholic journals of the Pope's recent speeches against Italy show that the newspaper despatches correctly represented him as expressing the hope that he might soon be able to call military forces about him to fight against the Italian Government.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.3

The exodus of the people from Bombay, all linked to the outbreak of the plague, is said to have reduced that great city's population by nearly one-half. Sanitarians are anxiously watching lest the coming summer witness the coming of the plague to Europe.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.4

It is said that corn merchants in India are in many cases holding back supplies from the starving people in order to increase the price. They may yet feel the force of the first portion of the proverb: “He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.5

The Marshall Islands of the South Pacific are under German administration, and a law declares that the missionaries can be landed without permission of the authorities, who are determined that none other than missionaries of the one recognised society now theirs shall be allowed to work. Our missionary ship Pitcairn called at the group in October to see what the situation is there.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.6

It has been an usually deadly year for white people on the West African Gold Coast. Of the company of four of our Society's mission to that part, one died last week in Liverpool, whither he had recently returned, stricken with serious disease. He died praising the Lord, and could not regret having obeyed the commission, “Go ye into all the world,“ even to the fever-stricken West Coast regions.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.7

The one who abides by truth need never be alarmed lest the tongue of error or slander win a triumph over it. “The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.”PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.8

When Dr. Martin went to Hong Kong in 1850 he found less than 200 professed Christian converts. Now, he says, there are over 50,000 and hundreds of native pastors.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.9

Cardinal Gibbons says in a Catholic journal that a century ago Romanists in America were but a few thousands, under the care of less than fifty priests. To-day the priests number over eight thousand and they claim to have ten million adherents, while churches, schools, and other institutions are increasing everywhere.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.10

The rapid growth of Ritualism, which is now noted week by week as a matter of course in England, is also, it is said, seen in both the Established and Free Churches in Scotland.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.11

“In the New Hebrides” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

In the New Hebrides.—Those who have read that most wonderful story of modern missions, the life of John G. Paton in the New Hebrides, and know of the transformations wrought by the Gospel in those islands touched by it, will appreciate the difference between the true missionary and the mere civilised heathen, when it is reported that some of the islands are being almost depopulated by traders, who forcibly or by deception get the natives on board ship, and sell them at several pounds per head to work on plantations in various parts. A Sydney newspaper says “the natives are absolutely sold like sheep,“ although it is not called slave traffic, but labour traffic.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.12

“Blind and Deaf” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

Blind and Deaf.—When Jesus was upon earth He repeatedly told the Pharisees that they were both deaf and blind. They did not hear His teachings. They did not see His works. His words, however, were spoken in their ears, and His miracles performed in their sight. The same thing is just as true to-day. God's miracles are daily in the sight of men. God's Word is open to the world. The Gospel is preached from sea to sea. Those who are spiritually blind and deaf to-day are self-condemned, as were the Pharisees of old.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.13

“The Wages of the Poor” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

The Wages of the Poor.—The very poor often suffer because they do not promptly receive what is due them, sometimes feeling deeply the need of amounts so small that the one owing thinks delay a matter of no consequence. A pitiful case recently occurred in New York, and the Sentinel (one of our Society's organs in that city) records the incident and points to a moral which employers may well consider:—PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.14

In the late big storm in the city a man perished because he had no shelter, although he had worked the day before. When his employer saw him dead, he exclaimed, “Why, that's Louis Bressler. He went to work for us yesterday. We would have paid him to-day if he had not died.” The Lord has said, “The wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.” What untold blessings would come to the poor if only those who had it in their power would do as the Bible says.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.15

“When Union is Strength” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

When Union is Strength.—“There is no end to the possibilities when Christians unite,“ says a clergyman in a recent newspaper article. If they unite as men their power is no greater than that of any equal body of men who do not profess Christianity. It is union with God which gives man power. Then how extensive is the human co-operation needed, when one man, if he but have faith like a grain of mustard seed, can move mountains?PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.16

“The Sin of Witchcraft” The Present Truth, 13, 2.

E. J. Waggoner

The Sin of Witchcraft.—There is constantly a steady, and we can safely say, a rapid growth of Spiritualism in England. Many of the Christian workers engaged in connection with our Society, up and down the country, report finding it firmly established in most of the towns, and in some centres has the most vigorous propaganda of any of the societies. What the people need to know is what the Bible says of it; but very few know the positive testimony of the Scriptures on the question. Every reader who has not seen it should get “The Sin of Witchcraft” (by our agents, 2nd.), and after reading and studying it by the Word may be able to warn those in danger of falling into this fearful delusion. Our publishers have also an illustrated Bible reading on Spiritualism for distribution at 6d. per packet of 100.PTUK January 14, 1897, page 32.17