(258 259) children, by choosing fellowship with the world;—by commingling to some extent with the world, the flesh and the devil, even tho, like Lot, disapproving their surroundings which vex their righteous souls. Such, the Apostle tells us, shall be “saved so as by fire.” (1 Cor. 3.15) Such the Lord illustrates as coming up out of great tribulation, washing therr robes and making them white, and eventually obtaining a blessing, but not the chief one which they might have obtained had they followed faithfully with the pilgrims and strangers, the “little flock.’—Rev. 7:9, 14. The story of Lot's haste out of Sodom, and of his wife’s transcression of the angel’s command in looking back and hankering after the things left behind, are brought to our attention m that pait of our Lord’s great prophecy relating to the end of this age;—‘‘Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32) This reference seems to corroborate the thought that Lot’s experiences were somewhat typical. The Lord’s people will be tested along the line of their separation from the spirit of the world. Those who, like Abraham, are the friends of God will be far off from the danger; others not so faithful will he in the full midst of the trouble, yet if loyal at heart to the Lord they will be delivered with great loss, and the sufferings which such disappointments and_ losses will imply; yet in the end such will gain the heavenly, spiritual life for which they started out. None, however, will be delivered if they remain in the city of destruction, Babylon. If they do not avoid it at first, they must at least be willing to leave it, and that with great energy, ere its destruction comes: and if they love the things behind, more than they appreciate deliverance—so that they in any degree Jook hack or long for the evil things doomed to destruction in the coming trouble, it will mean that they will not be worthy of having any part or lot in the deliverance. The record is that Lot’s wife became a pillar of salt, and altho infidelity has been inclined to dispute such a miracle, we have every reason to believe the truthfulness of the record; and like all miracles, if explained, it would no doubt seem reasonable enough. An explanation of the miracle has been suggested by a traveler, as follows: “Just as some of the victims of Pompeii stumbled in their flight, and were buried under the ashes, which still keep the outline of their ZION’S WATCH TOWER ALLEGHENY, Pa, figure, so Lot’s wife was covered with the half-liquid, slimy mud.” “An atmosphere heavily charged with the fumes of sulphur and bitumen might easily produce suffocation, as was the ease with the elder Pliny in the destruction of Pompell. And as no dead body would ever decompose on the shores of this salt sea, if left in such an atmosphere, it would become encrusted with salt crystals. Pillars of salt are found in the vicinity which have formed from the spray, mist and saline exhalations of the dead sea, and are constantly growing larger.” SUFFERING THE VENGEANCE OF ETERNAL FIRE Jude tells us that the destruction of Sodom was intended by the Lord to be an illustration of the fate of the wicked. But it certainly does not illustrate what that fate is generally supposed tc be: it does not illustrate perpetual fire, with the Sodomites continually burning and never destroyed, and with demons poking the fires and torturing the victims, Nothing of the kind. The “eternal fires” which God intends for the wicked, and which he illustrated in the case of the Sodomites, signify fires, whose work of destruction is complete and everlasting. It is divine vengeance or retribution against sinners—‘‘they shall be punished with an everlasting destruction” (2 Thess. 1:9), beyond all hope of recovery. The “lake of fire’ of Revelation, and the Dead Sea of Sodom represent in symbol the second death—extinction, from which there is no hope by a resurrection or otherwise. None will go into the second death on account of ignorance. All who enter it will do so because of wilful, deliberate paiticipation in sin, or because of sympathy with it. Supposing Sodom to represent sin, the lesson would be that all finding themselves in an evil condition of life. even tho, like Lot, their hearts be out of sympathy with it, should and must flee from it if they would avert the consequences. They must flee in haste and tarry not in all the plain. Yet it is a comforting thought that as the angel laid hold of the hands of Lot and his daughters and helped, urged and encouraged them to flee, so the Lord’s providences will take hold of every one who shall seek to escape from sin, and will so codperate with their good wills in the matter that they shall eventually be fully rescued from it. Vou. XXIT ALLEGHENY, PA., AUGUST 15, 1901 A PROPHET, LIKE UNTO MOSES No. 16 “For Moses truly savd unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass that every soul that twill not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people.”—Acts 3:22, 23. We amee that the time for the fulfilment of this prediction is nerr, even at the doors: and now one, styling himself “Rev.” John Alexander Dowie, heralds himself to the civilized world as hemg this Prophet. We are not hastily to accept his dictum, and ta exelaim, “Verily. this is he of whom Moses in the Law, and the prophets did write.’ Nor, on the other hand, ate we hastily to decide that he is an impostor, a filse qyoophet, simply beeause he happens to live in our diy Rather. im view of the fact that we are expecting the fulfilment of this Scripture we should look the subject carefully over aud weih all the Seriptural testimony, and thus decide as to the truth or falsity of Myr. Dowie’s claims. And, dowstless, in doing this, our investigation of the subject from a Scriptural standpoint will prove profitable to us, whether favorable or unfavorable to Mr, Dowie;—whether they prove him the Prophet foretold, or a deceived and deceiving false prophet Analyzing our text, we perceive that its expression, “like unto,” has the sense of antitypical: hence the Prophet to be expected must be much greater every way than Moses, as an antitvpe is always far superior to its type. Moses was the Mediator of the Law Covenant, and thus stood between Israel and God, as we read in reference to the sealing and delivery of the Law Covenant: “The Lord our God made a covenant with vou In Horeb The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of fire. I stood between God and you [a mediator, or go-hetweeen], at that time, to show vou the word of the Lord; for ye were afraid by reason of the fire. and went not up into the mount.” (Deut. 5:25: From this we see that Moses, the typical prophet, was very great verv influential, hed a very high office; and this would sienify that the future Prophet whom God had in mind. and whose coming was foretold thirty-five hundred «rs avo by Moses himself, and further pointed forward to the Apostle Peter in our text, must, as the antitype of be wonderfully great, wonderfully powerful, a still greater Mediator between God and men, a still mightier Lawgiver whose word would be omnipotent, and violation of which would eventually mean destruction:—as it is written “Every sovl which will not hear that Prophet shall he destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) Tven at first glance every unprejudiced mind would say that Mr. Dowie, and every other man on earth, seems far too insignificant, far too small to fill the requirements. Not only too small for the antitype, but far inferior even to the type. Turning to the record of Moses’ words in the Old Testament, we find them in Deut, 18:15-20, and here we see that the particular feature of Moses’ work as a prophet and lawgiver to Israel, which is here referred to as typical of a greater work to be accomplished by a greater Law-giver and Prophet, was the work which he performed for Israel ag the Mediator of the Law Covenant at Mount Sinai, in the district called Horeb, already referred to. At the time of the giving of the Law, Israel witnessed a wonderful manifestation of divine power. “All the people witnessed the thundering and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it they removed and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us and we will hear; but let not God speak vith us, lest we die.” (Exod. 20:18, 19) In response to this their request God appointed Moses to be their Mediator or representative. Moses communed with the Lord in the mount, and received from him the Law, and came to the people and communicated the Law to them. and obtained their assent to the covenant; and then, as a representative both of God and of Israel, Moses sealed the covenant ;—ratified it by taking the blood of bulls and of goats and sprinkling first the book of the Law, or tables of stone on which the commandments were written, as representing Jehovah, and sprinkling, secondly, the people, as binding them. Thus the covenant between God and Israel was established at the hands of Moses, the Mediator. It was at this time of the recognition of Moses as the Mediator of [2858]
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