Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-05-10
NECESSITY OF CONTINUOUS
REVELATION,
Or, Is the Bible Sufficient for the
Guidance Of Men to Salvation?
icy jan. s..

exiled Jews were permitted TO return
home during the reign Of Cyrus. a
soon as they had reached the Hol,
land, we find them uniting thei
efforts to re-establish the religion
rites Of their fathers, aided by thu
noble leaders, Zerubbabel, Joshua
Ezra and Nehemiah. They erec
an altar OF burnt offering and re
build the destroyed temple. Ther
the city wall is built, and vari
Gus officers appointed as circum
stances acquired. For further par
ticulars the reader is referred 10 tn,
book Of Ezra and Nehemiah.
1t may lie well to state here-al
though the remark may, to som,
extent deviate from the suffice
under consideration-that the restor
alton Of the Jewish nation at thi,
time Yves very far from being tina
complete restoration to more thar
former privileges, liberty and glory
Of which all the Prophets has
spoken in such glorious terms. TIL,
promise was that the whole rem
nant should he delivered, even i
they were as numerous as the SAM
on the sea shore. But from Babylor
only comparatively few ever re
turned. The company OF Zerubha
bel consisted Of $4,000 persons. and
Ezra led 5000 more home. The
great bulk Of the people that had
been born in the foreign land never
returned. (See Book Of Esther
Again, the promise was that a king
dom should be established, with the
Holy City Is the capital, an ever.
lasting Kingdom governed by God
Himself through Messiah. This
promise has never yet been fulfilled.
In fact the Jews have never
since their overthrow by Nebu-
chadnezZar been an independ.
ent nation, governed by rulers
OF their own, except during
the very short rule Of the Macca.
bees After their return they con.
tinued 10 be tributary 10 the Persian
king for about hundred years. as
province Of Syria. When Alex
ander had conquered Persia (Syria
and Palestine with IT., they fell into
his hands. When the Grecian en-
pire was divided, Palestine fell into
the hands Of Ptolemy Lagus as a
part OF the Egyptian monarchy, and
II remained 50 for about hundred
years, when II was transferred to the
kings OF Syria, in which situation !,
greatly suffered during the frequent
wars between Egypt and Syria.
Antiochus Epiphanes, one Of the
Syrian kings, plundersd the city aud
the Temple and enslaved the people.
For about three years and n half
they were reduced to worse than
Egyptian thraldOm. Their sacred
manuscripts were burnt, and the
people were compelled 10 sacrifice
to idols. The Temple itself was
dedicated TO Jupiter, a statue OF
which was erected on the altar of
God. Compare Daniels prediction
OF "the little hOrn'' (chap. s:
S-l2l. Through the noble enthusi-
assn and patriotism Of Mattathias
and his sons, n struggle against the
oppressor now took Ilace which
secured TO the Jews years Of dearly
bought liberty and independence,
but they were soon conquered by
the Romans. POmpey marched his
army into JutJea, conquered Jeru-
salem and made the country tribut-
airy TO Rome. HerOd the Great de-
posed the last Of the Maccabean
family from his Office, and Palestine
has never since been an independ-
ent state. Ever since the Babylonish
captivity the great bulk Of the Jew
ish nations have been scattered
abroad, without home, without
Temple, without IN altar. and
strangers have been masters in the
land of promise. It is therefore
clear that all the prophecies that
relate to the glorious restoration
OF the Jews must be understood OF n
restoration yet future, n very i'm
portant fact for the right under
standing Of those prophecies.
THE LAST PROPHETS OF THE OLD
COVENANT.
But to return 70 opr subIect. 1t
has been already stated that the first
care ofthe returned exiles was 10 re-
establish their religion. To DO this
they were undeg the nee sSilr OF
having new revelations. True.th
had the writings Of Moses and OF the
prophets, and they had inspired in
terpreters like Ezra and Nehemiah.
True, their aim was rot % uunstrrc,
a new economy, but simply 10 re-
theOld one. And vet even
this they cuuld not do acceptably 10
God without the aid Of revelation.
Hence God raised up three propbets
-HagGai, Zechariah and Malachi,
the last three Of the old covenant.
What an overwhelming proof Of the
necessity Of continuous revelationI
HAGGAI, B. &. 521-5ls, is thought
TO have been born In Babylon and
10 have emigraled with Zerubbabel.
His book cohiGins Tout pro-
phelic messages. In the first the
people are reproved for neglectiDg 10
build the Temple, while they were
adorning their own houses, and a
command is given 10 begin the con-
Immediately Chi: LII
10 which command the people, led |
~ Ierubbabel and Joshua, wiling
y responded l1i l2-l5l. But in n
month the zeal Of the people seems |
o have cooled of, and the second |
message is delivered, declaring that |
he Spirit OF God wEs still with the /
Deople. "a little while,'' Gcd saws.
and | viii shake the heavens, and /
he earth, and the gea, and the
Try land'twhich, according to Paul,
Hebrews xii: 22-9S, was fulfilled
when the old dispensation WIS I
upercedei by the Gospel dispensa-
ion), "aDd the desire OF all nations
Messiah) shall come; and 1 will I'll
his house. with glory, saith the
4ord Of Hosts" (ch. u, '. I-9l,
which ''glory" is thought TO refer
o the presence Of Christ in this sec
nd temple instead Of the Shekinsh
hat had Illuminated the first temple.
n n third message, delivered two
months afterwards the people are
eing rebuked for loIluting them
elves while working in the holy
and offering sacrifices. God
them that He had blessed
hem abundanily, from the time
hey had laid the cornerstone ofthe
ample tch. 2-l0 l9.) The fourth
iessage Is delivered the same day.
contains n general prediction of
le overthrow OF the kingdoms of
re world and the promise Of spe-
al blessing TO Zerubbabel at that
me. It is clear enough that the
ght Interpretation Of this promise
IN be comprehended by no man,
ntil divine revelation shall make
known.
Zechariah was, Ike Haggai, born
BabylOnla and went TO Palestine
18th Zerubhabel. The general OBJ
ct Of his ministry is identical with