Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-06-27

'N9N NCNAN -
meat in due sea
IiRASJOR. RuSSflDI SON ia the house
hold of faith and
every way mos,
important tn be uu-
derstood, it is. nevertheless. a subject
difficult to trea, without giving ~offense,
without being misunderstood. without
seeming harsh. Bear with me. then,
while expressing what I believe to he the
Divine Message. in just as kindly a man
ner as know how.
There vas no Mystic Babylon i'm the
days of Jesus and the Apostles. The ex-
presSions therefore. in Revelation. bearing
upon Mystic Babylon. were prophetic OF
the systems aud conditions which have
since arisen IN the church. The word
Babylon" has a double signifcance-'The
Gate of God"-also, 'Confusion." 1t
comes from Babel" 1t calls our minds
back to the period when the sons of Noah
lost faith I'm the Divine. Providential care,
and the promise of the rainbow. and en-
deavored 10 erect a structure for their
own preservation-the Tower of Babel.
This attempt led TO the confusion OF
tongues.
6abylon's Golden Cup.
Under the figure of a woman clothed in
purple and scarlet the Mothe System oft
Babylon, long centuries ago. made all
the nations drunk with her wine" the
doctrines which she had in her golden
cup. trey. xvii. l-6) The golden cup
represents the bible, the Divine standard.
or authority. IL was misused when the
wine of false doctrine was put into it
when the bible was claimed as authority
for various erroneous teachings of the
dark ages. The Intoxicating wine which
made the nations drunk. and which led
them To support the woman and to call
themselves Christian nations. Papacy still
holds in her hand, and still offers to all
who will receive IL. But the nations are
gradually SOLDERING up, and becoming less
and less inclined to take more of the
wine.
IL is not necessary to suppose that every
doctrine presented by Papacy was false
and Intoxicating. The thought is rather
that a commingled wine-a stupefying l,o-
7 on-was put into the wine already IN the
cup; for Instance. such doctrines as that
Gods Kingdom mad already been set up,
and that the papal throne in the world is
tho Throne of Christ. that the pope reigns
as Christ's viceresent. or substitute, and
representative. Other poisonous elements
had threatened the people with Purga-
torial torture. or eternal torment. if they
failed to keep IN line with the i'apal au-
tholitH-this claimed viceregent authority
of Christ.
The protestant denominations were all
born under those Intoxicating influences
and false theories. While they did sepa-
rate from the mother system, and de-
nolnced her. nevertheless they hold doc
~tr:nally to many of the intoxicating err
rors of her cup Consequently they. too,
claim that somehow. they know moi how,
Messiah's kingdom is set up and is reign
ing. They JOIN in giving the nations some
of the same dope that the mother gave
them. telling them that they are Chris
tian nations. even though they nave any
thing but the Christian spirit. and are
building great guns and dreadnoughts TO
blow each other off he face Of the earth.
So strong is the power OF his intoxication
that the Inconsistencies OF such theories
are moi discerned by the intoxicated ones.
But what is signitied by the water. the
river? We answer that in symbolic IAN
slage generally, water has two distinct
interpretations: % Water symbolizes
truth. ~ Water also Synbolizes reve-
nr;es. from outside peoples and Kingdoms.
And so in Revelation We read tina the
woman with the golden cup '.sitteth upon
many water" and the waters which
thou sawest are peoples and mlltitudes.
and nations. and tongues ,pcvelation
xvii, !. 80
The "Euphrates" to Be Dried Up.
In Revelation MOI merely the name
Babylon is used. long after the literal CITY
was blotted out. but the symbolical de-
srription includes also the name of The
River Euphrates. and we read txvi. ~ of
the great River i.uphrates. tina, 1.-The wa
ter thereof was dried up that the way OF
the Kings OF the East nigh, he prepared
III we are correct in Interpreting
these waters" to signify revenues from
All nations. what would be sisnified by
the drying up OF the river? 1t would i'm
ply a cessation OF the revenues of Baby
Ion. a decline IN the contributions which
heretofore have made her w~ealthy-mil-
lions coming every year from rich and
poor OF all nations for her support. Il, H.
in fun accord with this divine predic-
ton of what is yet to come that we hear
cfyings and distress arising from all de-
nominations. Catholic and Protestant. Ia
the effect that the waters" the reye-
nues. are being dried up and this at the
time when the world is larger than ever
before.
History tells us that the great city OF
Babylon was captured by Cyrus and his
army after a considerable siege. which
was unsuccessful until his soldiers dieged
d fresh channel for the river and turned
it's course aside. Thus was the Rive,
Euphiates dried UP. and the army Of CIV
rus entered literal Babylon. suddenly, in
the night. While these things were ira ms.
piring the princes OF Babylon, CORE
spending to the notables of Christendom
were holding high carnival. rejoicing In
their security, Boosting OF the strength Of
their walls and the impregnabilty OF
their gates. and the snreness Of thei,
waters" their revenues.
Unhappy Medium.
From the Kansas City Times.
A French woman of noble family.
who had beer unfortunate In her mar.
rage. one day said 10 a party Of friend.