APRIL 1, 1906 ture of the permission of evil, the end of the first dispensation and the end of the permission of evil being alike in that they end in catastrophe. (2) The race which was destroyed at the flood represented Adam’s whole progeny; while the replenishing under Noah represents the new race which shall find life under the Life-giver, the Everlasting Father, our Lord and his bride. (3) Noah and his family, therefore, do not represent those of the human family which will be carried over from this present evil world into the kingdom of heaven soon to be established on the earth. Rather he and his family with the ark represent the church. Lifted up above the whole earth, saved by the flood, they will be preserved from the terror of the trouble, and ‘‘when the trouble is overpast’’ will come down from heaven to bless and replenish the earth. But it is in reference to the time features that I now write. From the day when Bible chronology was seen 80 explicitly, accounts of time in the Scriptures have always demanded their full measure of regard; and the account of the days of the year of the flood, given so particularly, have always been regarded as of importance. But as the forty days of rain and of the breaking up of the fountains of the great deep seem so clearly to correspond with the forty years of the present harvest, one has, perhaps naturally, looked for the other periods of the flood year to follow, in type, on into the establishment of the kingdom. But without result, for there seems to be a complete lack of Scripture corroboration of this thought. Now, I think that way is not the correct one, and that probably we should view the matter from this standpoint :— ZION’S WATCH TOWER (241-115) (4) That the first dispensation covers the entire period of evil under present ruling powers, which last until October, 1914, A.D.; and that (5) The year of trouble so remarkably detailed is a figure of the year of trouble, 1915, a.p., and that probably the details fit exactly to the events of this year. If the kingdoms of this world are undermined, as many Scriptures and parallels indicate will be the case, when the restraining power of God is removed little will be needed to bring about their destruction, Probably the forty days will be ample for the overthrow and utter ruin. The remaining part of the 150 will serve to let anarchy have its raging and tossing whirlpool, and, to an extent, to exhaust itself. From that time the trouble will begin to abate, partly for lack of power, and partly because the horror and desolation is being felt. The raven may signify that even yet trouble is rampant. It found no need to return to the ark, while the gentle dove soon came back. But a little later the dove brings the olive leaf: there is capitulation, the trouble is fast dying down and peace is wanted. Soon the waters are dried up, and on the ‘‘first day of the first month’’ of a new and blessed year and dispensation the earth is ready to be blessed by those whom God has prepared. No doubt most of these thoughts are old to you; but I wonder if you have connected the year of the flood with the year of trouble, and if you have whether you think this is the type. A little time ago one was almost precluded from seeing the above by reason of the thought that all the trouble would be over in October, a.D., 1914. Much love to you, as ever. Your brother in the Lord, J. H&MERY. Vou. X XVII ALLEGHENY, PA., APRIL 15, 1906 No. 8 THE ‘‘HELL CYCLE’? STARTED In ‘‘The Westminster,’’ a Presbyterian journal, Philadelphia, Reverend H. H. Barstow predicts a return to ‘‘The Hell Cycle.’’ He says: ‘¢We ministers have easily caught the eue from the popular demand, and have fed the people the love of God and the beauty of holiness and the doctrines of sweetness and light—shall I say it?—ad nauseam.’?’ He believes that the signs of the times indicate that ‘the pendulum has touched its limit in that direction; that the cycle of hell-fire—figurative, yes, but for that reason all the more awful and appalling—is due once more.’’ Are we to understand the gentleman to mean that the preachers merely watch the popular sentiment that they may preach what will please the majority of the people? Does he mean that it was because of the popular demand which he mentions that he was preaching the love of God, the beauty of holiness, ete.? Evidently he has been preaching more of it than he believed, as is indicated by his nausea in connection with these teachings. His nausea is somewhat relieved now, and he feels a little more free to speak against the beauty of holiness and the love of God because he realizes that the ‘‘popular demand’’ is turning his way again and bids fair for another hell-fire cycle. This is what we have feared for some time—that a great many preachers are merely endeavoring to find the popular demand, and are proportionately careless respecting the will and Word of the living God. They have been telling the people of their dreams respecting politics, woman’s rights, social fads, ete., and sending them off wholesale to a dreamy heaven quite contrary to the Word of God. The people are waking up to a realization of the fact that they have been fed ad nauseam something unsatisfying, and an increasingly large proportion of the intelligent, especially of the male sex, no longer attend such preaching. Reverend Barstow believes he has the secret, and that ‘‘popular demand’’ is moving toward a love for hell-fire for other people, and that if he gets in on the tidal wave soon enough it will score him a big success. Perhaps the gentleman is mistaken. We believe he is, and that he will find it out before very long. In our opinion many people are getting awake, so that they begin to know the difference between dreams and realities, and are wanting something more substantial. Their craving is in line with the divine direction, ‘‘He that hath a dream let him tell a dream, but he that hath my Word let him speak my Word.’’—Jer. 23:28. After calling attention to the wave of sentiment in favor of pure politics that is sweeping over the country and the vV—5 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER general arousing of the public conscience on the subject of graft, the gentleman says: ‘(This is our revival, the answer to our prayers. And this is the cause and heart of it. What is true in the civic sphere is just as true in the spiritual, and the two are not to be separated. I firmly believe that the hearts and consciences of the people are ready for the preaching of judgment on sin, without dilution or reservation, given with the clear note of Christ to the Pharisees and laid hot upon life for this world and the future: ‘How can ye escape the damnation of hell?’ Let love glow undimmed—but let justice flame. The fear of the Lord is still the beginning of wisdom; and some will never learn wisdom unless fear be stirred. The Felixes of the home, the mart and the throne need to tremble at the message of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come, and we all have them in our congregations. Let the hell-fire cycle strike once more.’’ So this is the revival that has come in answer to prayers —not a revival of the Lord’s saints to renewed zeal in selfsacrifice on behalf of the divine Word and plan, nor a conversion of sinners to repentance and reformation of life and consecration to God, but merely the arousing of the spirit of righteous indignation against trusts and boodlers—an indignation which is usually fraught with anger, malice, hatred, strife, ete. This is what one minister at least has been preaching for, and is now rejoicing that his prayers have been heard. It is well that he states himself so exactly: on our part we see the uncovering of rottenness in political and financial circles highly esteemed amongst men, and to us it reads that we are in the day that the Lord referred to when he said that whatsoever things were hidden would be made manifest. This manifestation of the hidden corruption of the hearts of the respectable, the wealthy, the influential, is not, so far as we know, leading others to paths of righteousness, but rather exciting their bitterness and resentment—that others have had the advantage of greater opportunities for the accumulation of vast wealth by unscrupulous means, and chagrin on their part that the opportunity had not been their own, and the determination that if they cannot at some time in the future find a prospect for accumulating vast riches in some such manner they will be ready to wreck the interests of those who have fared better. From our standpoint this uncovering of the weaknesses of human nature means loss of confidence in the rich and influential generally, and spells eventually the hatred which ere long will fulfil the prediction, ‘‘Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.’’— James 5:1. [3757]
Folosim fișiere de tip cookie pentru a vă oferi o experienţă mai bună online și pentru a îmbunătăți acest site. Continuând să utilizați acest site, vă dați consimțământul asupra utilizării cookie-urilor. Dacă doriți mai multe informații sau nu acceptați folosirea acestor fișiere când utilizați site-ul nostru, vă rugăm să accesați paginile Politica de ConfidențialitateCondiții de utilizare.