7. The conflict between Capital and Labor.

"Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and He doth not resist you. Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the Judge standeth before the door" (Jas_5:1-9).

Observe that the above passage makes express reference to "the last days" (Jas_5:3). It tells us that in these "last days" there shall be a class of "rich men" (Jas_5:1). It speaks of them having "heaped treasure together" (Jas_5:3). It declares that their riches have been acquired by "fraud" (Jas_5:4). It makes mention of them having "condemned and killed the just" (Jas_5:6). It intimates that their rapacity and dishonesty will evoke and provoke a loud "cry" (Jas_5:4) from their victims. It denounces them for having "lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton" (Jas_5:5). It pictures the sorrows and anguish brought upon the laboring classes whose cries have entered into the ears of the Lord of hosts (Jas_5:4). It announces the terrible judgments of heaven which shall yet descend upon them for their crimes, and predicts that they shall "weep and howl for the miseries that shall come upon them" (Jas_5:1).

What human wisdom could have delineated so faithfully the present conflict between capital and labor! What mortal mind could have foretold, almost two thousand years beforehand, the amazing and heart-rendering situation that is now before our eyes. Who but men "moved by the Holy Spirit" could have foreseen the recent rise of multi-millionaires, the accumulation and concentration of three-fourths of the wealth of the world in the hands of scarcely one hundred men, the hoarded riches of the capitalist and monopolist, the extravagant and voluptuous living of the wealthy, the suffering which should be brought upon the laborer by the rapacity of his merciless employer! How remarkable is this prophecy in view of our twentieth century trusts and syndicates which corner the markets, hoard up raw materials, and rob the masses by fixing extortionate prices! And what is the significance of these things? They are another proof that the cud of the age is reached. They are further intimation that the "last days" are upon us. The cries of the distressed poor have reached heaven and the Divine Judge is just about to come to the deliverance of His people and deal in vengeance with those who have robbed them. The Lord’s people are not to resist and fight: the command is "Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned." Believers are here urged to stablish their hearts and be patient, for "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." We turn now to consider:

8. The Rejuvenation and Restoration of Israel.

The Jew has been termed the mystery and miracle of history. Terrible have been the privations and persecutions which he has suffered and yet has he survived them all. For two thousand years Israel has been a homeless wanderer among the nations and yet has he preserved his individuality. Sore have been the Divine judgments inflicted upon him and yet God has not made a full end of Jacob’s children.

In other chapters we have called attention to some of the numerous prophecies in both the Old and New Testaments which announce the revival of Israel, their return to Palestine, and their restoration of God’s favor, and ere pointing out the manner in which some of these predictions are beginning to receive their fulfillment, we would quote just one other. In Mat_24:32-33 we have a part of our Lord’s answer to the disciples’ questions—"What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the age?" Here our Lord says, "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 He (margin) is near, even at the doors." The fig-tree symbolizes the nation of Israel—compare Mat_21:19, etc. The putting forth of its leaves after the long winter of dispersion among and subjugation to the Gentiles, points to the reinvigoration of this ancient people. The taking on of new life by Israel is a sure sign that the return of the Redeemer is near at hand.

That the Fig-tree has begun to put forth leaves is evident to all who are acquainted with the leading events of the day. God is once more placing the Jew before the eyes of men as those by whom He has blessed the world in the past and through whom He has purposed to bless it in the future. In a most noticeable manner the Jew is today commanding the attention of both the church and the world. Until the last fifty years the Jew had no place on our missionary program, but now we behold "Missions to the Jews" springing up in many lands. Others besides Christians are interested: the future of Palestine is being carefully pondered by all the leading diplomats. In every realm the Jew is pushing to the front. More and more his rights and claims are being recognized, and as he is allowed to enjoy common privileges he is making his mark in all the leading professions and arts: many of our most influential positions are now filled by the descendants of Abraham, and it is well known that they control the finances of the world.

Perhaps the most significant and portentous episode in Israel’s history since their dispersion was the formation of the "Zionist Society." The Zionist movement has for its aim the return of the Jews to Palestine, and for its ultimate object the purchase of the Holy Land. During the past twenty years this movement has spread with startling rapidity. "All over the earth societies have been formed, bodies have been legally incorporated, and vast sums of money subscribed. Children are being taught that the day of Israel is at hand, and are speeding the ancient word "‘Zion’ from lip to lip" (Haldeman). At the time the War began, there were upwards of 100,000 Jews who had returned to the land of their fathers. Colonies had been established everywhere and soil which had lain idle for centuries was once more tilled and sown by the offspring of David. "The land, as foretold by Jeremiah, is being bought and sold at the very gates of Jerusalem. The Jew is already the preeminent factor in the once holy city. He controls its business and is the present guaranty of its prosperity. His synagogues are rising within the shadow of the Mohammedan mosques. His lamentations for the city of the ancient splendors and his prayer for the restoration of the former glory, and the swift descent of an avenging Messiah, resound every Friday beneath the moss covered stones of Solomon’s walls, where thousands turn their faces and weep as they contemplate the past, reciting the penitential Psalms, and whose same tear-wet faces shine as they sing of the day when Zion shall be as a garden planted of the Lord, and when the holy hill of the great solemnities shall be the place for the soles of the feet of Him who is their promised King" (Haldeman). If all this became possible under the Turkish government who shall say what shall come to pass if, as now appears most probable, Palestine should become a British or American protectorate! Yes, the rejuvenation of the Jews and their return to Palestine is one of the most striking Signs of the Times. It tells us that the Times of the Gentiles are rapidly drawing to a close. The budding of the Fig-tree evidences that Israel’s summer is nigh at hand and their Messiah is even at the doors. Let us next consider—

9. The Limitations of Earth’s great Week.

We are well aware that in broaching this point we shall probably evoke the criticism of honored brethren and be charged with "setting a date." for the Return of our Lord. Nevertheless, we feel constrained to set down our honest convictions, only asking our readers to examine in the light of Holy Writ what we now advance tentatively and not dogmatically.

In ancient times it was commonly held by Jewish rabbis before our Lord’s first advent, and by many of the most eminent of the church fathers afterwards, that the Creation week of Genesis one defined the limits of earth’s history. Before we proceed with our argument we shall first quote from three who lived in the second and third centuries, not that we appeal to them as authorities, but simply to show that the view was commonly held in the century which immediately followed the apostles and before the Blessed Hope was lost.

In the thirteenth chapter of the apocryphal Epistle of Barnabas, written about 150 A. D., we read—"God made in six days the works of His hands, and He finished them the seventh day, and He rested the seventh day and sanctified it. Consider, my children, what this signifies: He finished them in six days. The meaning of it is this: that in six thousand years the Lord will bring all things to an end. For with Him one day is a thousand years, as Himself testifieth. Therefore, children, in six days—that is in six thousand years—Shall all things be accomplished. And what is that He saith, And, He rested the seventh day? He meaneth this: that when His Son shall come, and abolish the season of the wicked one, and judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun, moon and stars; then He shall gloriously rest in that seventh day. Behold, He will then truly sanctify it with blessed rest, when we (having received the righteous promise, when iniquity shall be no more, all things being renewed by the Lord) shall be able to sanctify it, being ourselves first made holy."

Next we quote from the writings of the distinguished Irenaeus who was a disciple of Polycarp, who, in turn, was a disciple of John the apostle. It has been said that "for learning, stedfastness and zeal, he was amongst the most renowned of the early fathers." Consider then his testimony—"In whatever number of days the world was created, in the same number of thousands of years it will come to its consummation. God, on the sixth day, finished the works which He made; and God rested on the seventh day from all His works. This is a history of the past and a prophecy of the future; for a day with the Lord is as a thousand years." Similarly, Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who was martyred in the year 258, wrote—"In the Divine arrangement of the world, seven days were at first employed, and in them seven thousand years were included."

It may be objected to the above quotations that they are merely the opinions and speculations of fallible men, and that their views find no warrant in the Word of God. It is true that they were the beliefs of eminent saints, beliefs which were shared by many of God’s people in ancient times, and it is also true that this appeal to antiquity is no proof of the authenticity of the view we now advocate; but to say that it is has no warrant in God’s Word is more than we are prepared to admit, yea, as we shall seek to show there is not a little in the Scriptures which seems to countenance and confirm it.

First, we would appeal to the Septenary system of the sacred calendar of Israel. Here we cannot do better than quote from the late Dr. Johnston—"Through the whole Scripture, both of the Old and New Testaments, there is a striking typical representation of some great and important Sabbath, as a great septenary that has not yet taken place, and which evidently appears to be the Millenarian Septenary, as the great Sabbath of the whole earth. God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it In the Decalogue this peculiar distinguishment of the seventh day, or weekly sabbath, was most solemnly renewed. Every seventh year was appointed a sabbatical year. And the commencement of the year of jubilee which was every fiftieth year, was to be fixed by the running of a septenary of sabbatical years. "Thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years, and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years" (Lev_25:8). The number seven, because used in Scripture to complete all the sacred divisions of times, was regarded by the Jews as the symbol of perfection, and is used in this sense in Scripture. The question then arises, Is it to be supposed that all these events, which are interwoven with the Mosaic dispensation, which was itself symbolical or typical, and which are introduced into the New Testament, and abound so much in the Book of Revelation, have no antetype to correspond to them?—no great sabbatical septenary to which they all point and in which they all shall be accomplished? Is it not highly probable that they are all typical of the seventh millenary of the earth, which is the great Sabbath?" To which we answer, we certainly believe so.

Second; God is a God of order. In Scripture, in creation and in history, we find innumerable evidences that God works according to a mathematical plan. Numerical design is stamped upon all His handiwork. This fact is so freely recognized that we need not pause to illustrate. What we would now ask is, Is it likely that in His great dispensational plan He has departed from His general rule? We cannot believe it. But we are not left to bare conjecture. That part of God’s age plan which is already before us gives plain intimation that He who knows the end from the beginning and has "framed the ages" (Heb_1:2—Greek) has appointed symmetrical lines to the main divisions and the limits of the world’s history. From Adam to Abraham there were two thousand years. From Abraham to the Divine incarnation there was another two thousand years. May there not be another two thousand years then between the first and the second advents? We firmly believe there will be. God’s ways in the past foreshadow His dealings in the future, for He changeth not. That the proportions of the present dispensation will correspond with the preceding two great divisions of the world’s time we shall seek to demonstrate in our next argument.

Third; we would here call attention to a statement made in connection with the resurrection of Lazarus. In Joh_11:6-7 we learn that "When He had heard therefore that he (Lazarus) was sick, He abode two days still in the same place where He was. Then after that saith He to His disciples, Let us go into Judea again." Why are we told the exact length of tithe our Lord remained away from Judea after that He received word of Lazarus’ sickness? There must be some good reason for the record of this fact. There is nothing superfluous or meaningless in God’s Word. We believe that there is a deeper meaning to this than appears on the surface. Before we suggest what this meaning is, let us note another important word in this connection. In Joh_11:17 we read "Then when Jesus came, He found that he (Lazarus) had lain in the grave four days already." Again, we ask, Why this information concerning the precise number of days that Lazarus had lain in the grave? Is the answer far to seek? Did not Lazarus typify the condition of man at that time?—the time of the first advent, the time "when Jesus came." In what condition did the Son of God lind the one who had bees made in His own image? He found him dead—dead in trespasses and sins. And how long had man been in this state? According to God’s estimate of time—a thousand years as a day—exactly four days, for there can be little doubt that from Adam to Christ was just that length of time. Here then is the key to the "two days" of verse 6. Lazarus not only represented the natural man in his spiritually dead condition, but as the one whom "Jesus loved" he typified the nation of Israel, and just as Christ, after abiding for two days outside the land, said "Let us go into Judea again" and there, and then, raised Lazarus, so after two thousand years absence from the earth, our Lord shall return to Judea and restore Israel to life, "A fanciful supposition" says someone. Not at all, is our reply. Our conclusion is in perfect harmony with the express testimony of Scripture. Listen, "After two days will He revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight" (Hos_6:2)!

If further proof be required to show that our Lord will be absent from the earth "two days" (two thousand years) we have another typical hint in Joh_4:43, Joh_4:45—"Now after two days He departed thence, and went into Galilee. Then when He was come into Galilee, the Galileans received Him," and then follows the record of the healing of the nobleman’s son. Who can fail to see in this a dispensational picture which will be realized in the millennium! As John 11 presents our Lord’s return to Judea after an interval of "two days" which is followed, typically, by the restoration of Israel, so here, in John 4, after "two days" our Lord comes into Galilee "of the Gentiles" which is followed, typically, by their "healing"! The same time-mark is found in Joh_2:1. It was on "the third day"—after "two days" that "there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee," where the wine (symbol of joy, see Psa_104:15) is provided by Christ—the "best" kept till "the last" and where He "manifested forth His glory" (Joh_2:11)—how perfect the type!—which clearly pictures another millennial scene, and this also is on "the third day"—the "third" after two days absence from the earth! Still other illustrations might be adduced but these are sufficient. "Four days" from Adam to the first advent, "two days" of absence, making a total of six (6,000 years) and then the Lord returns to usher in the "seventh day," the Millennium, when the sick will be healed, the dead raised, the wine provided, and the glory of Christ fully manifested.

Fourth; in 2Pe_3:8 we read, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Two things here are to be particularly noted. First, the immediate context of these words directly connects them with the second advent of Christ! In verses 3 and 4 the apostle tells us that in the last days "scoffers" should ask, "Where is the promise of His coming?" to which they add, "for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." The force of this is obvious: men will point to the world around and declare that everything is stable and prosperous, refusing to see any indications of the approaching doom of Christendom. In reply the apostle declares, "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens which were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." Having silenced the objection of the "scoffers," the apostle now addresses himself to the saints, saying, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Thus we see that these words are directly connected with the subject of our Lord’s return. In the second place, observe the words, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing." The "be not ignorant" is in apposition to the "this they (the "scoffers") willingly are ignorant of" (2Pe_3:5 ). The "this one thing" calls attention to the importance of what he was about to say. God forbid that His people today should be "willingly ignorant of" what He has been pleased to make known to us. If, then, Scripture distinctly tells us that "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day," are we not fully justified in concluding that the six days’ work of Genesis one foreshadowed six thousand years of human toil and labor, and that the seventh day, the Sabbath, which God "blessed" and "sanctified" and on which He "rested from all His work" typified that dispensation of blessing which shall follow the six thousand years of human effort, a dispensation over which the Prince of Peace shall preside, and a dispensation which will last exactly "a thousand years"!

Fifth; as we have pointed out in an earlier chapter, the Transfiguration upon the holy mount was a seventh day scene. Matthew says, "And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them" (Mat_17:1-2). Luke says, "And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering"

(Luk_9:28-29). Why these time-marks? The "transfiguration" was a spectacular setting forth of the leading features and characteristics of the millennial kingdom, and the fact that the Gospels present this as a seventh day scene certainly seems to add weight to the conclusion that the Millennium will follow six thousand years (six days) of human toil and labor, and thus be the and-typical fulfillment of the seventh day of Gen_2:3.

Sixth; the Millennium is distinctly termed "a Sabbath-keeping"—Heb_4:9.

Seventh; whatever may be thought of what we have advanced above, personally, we know of nothing whatever in Scripture which contradicts it. It is true that Act_1:7 is often appealed to but it is clear from 1Th_5:1-7 that it will not hear the construction that is frequently placed upon it. We may be considered "fanciful," but if so, we are fanciful in company with it goodly and godly number—"Luther entertained it. Melancthon wrote it on the fly-leaf of his Bible, as a matter not to be disputed. Thousands of divines since his time have received it as pan of their faith. And when we come to place together certain statements of the Scriptures, there seems to me to be a weight of testimony in its favor sufficient to warrant us in regarding it as sacred truth, look at these sentences. —

"In six days the Lord made heaven and earth."

"On the seventh day He rested and was refreshed."

"One day is with the Lord as a thousand years."

"There remaineth therefore a keeping of Sabbath to the people of God." (Quoted from "The Last Times" by J. A. Seiss).

What then is the practical value of this computation? This, that it furnishes us with another proof that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. No doubt there is Divine design about the present confusion in human chronology. It is impossible for us to ascertain with certainty the precise year of grace in which we are now living. But it is almost certain, as certain as any human calculation can be, that the year 5900 A. M. was passed considerably more than a decade ago, and therefore less than a century is now required to complete the sixth millennium. The end of the sixth day is nigh at hand, and as we know that the Tribulation period which follows the Rapture will last at least seven years and probably much longer, then the descent of Christ into the air to catch up His saints to Himself is that much nearer still. Let it be distinctly understood that the period of "two days" when our Lord is absent, has to do with His absence from the earth and that His coming back to the earth at the close of the 6000 years to usher in the Millennium follows some years after the first stage of His second advent, so that in no sense are we "fixing a date" for the coming of Christ for His saints—the date of that event is absolutely "hidden in God." Yet, as we say, we know that the approximate time for this must be very near, because at the close of the present century (and how far this century has progressed we cannot say for certain) the Millennium itself will begin, and before that arrives there is the Tribulation period which may last forty or even seventy years. Consider now —

10. The Analogy between the two Advents of Christ.

That there will be a close analogy between the first and second Advents of our Lord is intimated by two Scriptures which contain a similar expression. In Gal_4:4 we read, "When the fullness of time was come God sent forth His Son, born of a woman." This, of course, has reference to the first advent. In Eph_1:10 we are told "that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him." This has reference to that which shall immediately follow the second advent. The Millennium will be "the Dispensation of the fullness of times" inasmuch as it will be the final one of earth’s Ages. The "gathering together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth" points to the uniting of heaven’s and earth’s interests under His blessed reigns. Then will be fulfilled that word of Joh_1:51—"Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man," for then will perfect communication be established between heaven and earth, or rather, earth and heaven. In order to understand the force of this expression "fullness of times" let us ponder the words "fullness of time" (Gal_4:4) in the light of the conditions which prevailed at the Divine incarnation.

The coming of Christ to this earth was not some sudden, isolated, unexpected event. The advent of our blessed Lord, and with it the dawn of Christianity, marked a climax and a consummation. The world was prepared through long processes for the coining of the one and the preaching of the other. From Paradise to Bethlehem the centuries were preparing for the appearing of Immanuel. As the processes of creation prepared the earth for man, so all history prepared the way for the birth of the Savior. The Holy Scriptures focus the preparation in one race, but all peoples shared in the process. Outside of the elect, God was at work, and all streams converged to one center.

If we look closely at the character of the age when Christ was born, we may, in some measure at least, understand the "fullness" of which Gal_4:4 makes mention. It consisted chiefly in two things—preparation and need. There was a wonderful combination of circumstances tending to prepare the world for the Gospel, and a terrible climax in the world’s need of redemption. The break up of old heathen faiths and the passing away of the prejudices of antiquity disposed men for a new revelation which was spiritual, humane and universal. The utter failure of Pagan religion from its immorality, and of Pagan philosophy from its impotency to cure that immorality and the misery which accompanied it, called loudly for some fresh faith which should be both pure and powerful.

The century immediately preceding Our Lord’s advent was probably the most remarkable in all history. Every thing was in a state of transition. Old things were passing away and there seemed little prospect that they would give birth to a better and brighter future. The fruit of the ancient order was rotting upon the tree without yielding the seeds of a new order. And yet there were strange rumors of coming relief afloat, and singular hopes stirred the hearts of men that some Great One was to appear and renovate the world. But to particularize—

The world had reached its climacteric of sin.

History has given a faithful record of the terrible moral conditions which obtained among men in the century which immediately preceded our Lord’s appearing. At Rome, which was then the metropolis of the world, the Court of Caesar was steeped in luxury and licentiousness. To provide amusement for his senators, six hundred gladiators fought a hand to hand conflict in the public theater. Not to be outdone, Pompey turned five hundred lions into the arena to engage an equal number of his braves, and delicate ladies (?) sat applauding and gloating over the flow of blood that followed. At this period children were the property of the State, to be disposed of as was deemed best for the public interests. Weak and sickly infants were looked upon as a useless incumbrance and generally suffered an early and cruel death. The aged and infirm were often banished to an island of the Tiber, there to starve out their few remaining days. Marriage, if such this holy institution could then be called, was wholly a matter of sensual caprice. Divorces were so common and frequent that it became the custom for women to count them by the number of rings worn on their fingers. Almost two-thirds of the population of the entire civilized (?) world were computed to have been slaves. Those who were in this unhappy situation were treated with utmost cruelty. Their masters had absolute power over them and were permitted to scourge or put them to death at pleasure. This right was exercised in the most merciless manner. When punished capitally slaves were generally crucified. So wretched was the lot of mankind that the sanest of the philosophers of that time calmly advocated suicide as the best way of escape from the miseries of life.

Conditions in Greece were even worse. Sensual indulgence and every species of cruelty were carried to the highest pitch. Eating, or we should say, gluttony, became the chief occupation, everything being ransacked to gratify the appetite. Fornication was indulged without restraint. Parents were at liberty to expose their children to perish with cold and hunger or to be eaten up by wild beasts. Such exposure was frequently practiced and passed without punishment or censure. Wars were carried on with the utmost ferocity. If any of the vanquished escaped death slavery of the most abject kind was the only prospect before them and in consequence death was considered preferable to capture. The nature of their conflicts then can well be imagined. The Greeks commonly sacrificed their captives at the tombs of their heroes. With what truth then did the Scriptures declare that, "the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty!"

We say then, the world had reached its climacteric of sin. Often-times a disease cannot be treated until it ‘comes to a head.’ In view of the above conditions surely the world was ready for the appearing of the Great Physician, and surely we can now discover a deeper meaning in the words "When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son."

The world had reached its consummation of Want.

It had bean predicted of old that the Messiah should be "the Desire of all nations," and to this end there must be a complete exposure of the failure of all human plans of deliverance. This time had fully come when Christ was born. Never before had the abject misery and need of men been so apparent and so extensive. Philosophy had lost its power to satisfy men, and the old religions were dead.

The Greeks and Romans, stood at the head of the nations at the time our Lord appeared on the earth, and the religious state of these people in that age is too well known to require any lengthy description from us. Without exception all were idolators. The fundamental truth of the Unity of God was held by the Jews alone. Among the heathen, Polytheism and Pantheism were the popular concepts. Innumerable deities were worshipped and to these deities were attributed the most abominable characteristics. Pagan worshippers represented their gods as guilty of drunkenness, thefts, quarrels, and incest. Mercury was a thief; Bacchus a drunkard; Venus was a harlot; and Saturn murdered his own children. The worship of their devotees entirely correspond with the characters their gods bore. Human sacrifices were frequently offered upon their altars.

Among the Romans, infidelity and atheism were rampant. The altars were forsaken and the temples were deserted. The general scepticism of his countrymen seems to have been voiced by the bitter words of Pilate—"What is truth?"

Judaism was also fully ripe for the accomplishment of ancient prophecy. Sadduceeism had leavened the ruling classes and afflicted the whole nation with rationalism. Phariseeism, which represented the ideas and ideals of the popular party, was too often only formal and hypocritical, and at best was cold and hard "binding heavy burdens" and laying on men’s shoulders a load which they refused to touch with their fingers (Mat_23:4). The Jewish people were under the government of Rome and were thoroughly dejected. Was there then no eye to pity, no arm to save? Was God unmindful of the tragic condition of mankind? No; blessed be His name. The "fullness of time" had now come. Earth’s fields were "white unto harvest." A platform was erected on which the glories of God’s grace might be exhibited. His own blessed Son now appeared among men and the glorious Gospel was proclaimed far and wide. The "fullness of time," then, spoke of ripeness of opportunity and consummation of need.

History repeats itself. As it was in connection with the first advent so it is concerning the second, just as there was a definite and unmistakable movement in all history preparing the way for the Dispensation of Grace, so is there a similar one going on now making ready the world for the Millennium. just as the world’s urgent need was fully demonstrated before the Savior appeared among men, so shall it also be ere He comes back as the Prince of Peace to take the government upon His shoulder. And to those who have "understanding of the times," to those whose eyes are not blinded by the glare of a false and foolish optimism, it is evident that the "fullness of times" is rapidly drawing nigh, yea, that it is already almost upon us.

History is repeating itself. Conditions in the world today more closely resemble those which obtained just before the first coming of Christ, than have those of any other generation since then. Today the same luxury and licentiousness; the same skepticism and credulity; the same coldness and formality among those who profess to be God’s people; the same lack of natural affection toward children and disrespect for the aged; the same military spirit and lust for blood, followed now by the enslaving of the conquered—deportation of the Belgians. The need of the world for a competent and righteous Ruler was never as apparent as now. The "Dispensation of the fullness of times" must be at hand. As all History prepared the world for our Lord’s first advent, so it is now "making straight His way" for His second coming, when He shall be seen not in a manger but on a throne of Glory; not as the victim, but as the Victor.

But we must restrain our pen and conclude in few words. We have examined many Scriptures, we have listened to the evidence of numerous witnesses, we have compared sundry and independent lines of prophecy, and we have found that they harmonize in their testimony, that they are mutually corroborative, that each sustains the truthfulness of the others, that singly and unitedly they affirm with voice loud and clear "the Coming of the Lord draweth nigh!" Never before did the Church of God gaze upon such a constellation of Signs attesting the near approach of the Redeemer, as it does today. Never before was there such unmistakable demonstration that this Gospel age is rapidly drawing, to a close. Never before was there such reason for the sinner to heed that word "Seek ye the Lord while He may be found; Call ye upon Him while He is near." And never before was there such urgent need for believers to obey that admonition—"Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning: and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord" (Luk_12:36-37). The Bridegroom cometh! Then trim your lamps and go forth to meet Him.