The Republican journal., 1915-03-11
The Present European War
and Luke 21st.

HUCiCcu Ill IeCclt ISSUE VI ue JouTudi
that reader suggested the Editor read
the 2lst chapter of Luke and apply it to
the war in Europe, and the 10th and 18th
verses were quoted.
Now, both this chapter of the Bible and
the present war inEurope are quite famil-
lar to all the readers of The Journal, but l
doubt if many see any connection be-
tween the two, and thought that few
lines on this subject might be of inter-
est.
To apply this whole chapter in ques-
ton to the present war, or to any other
single event, would be great misappli-
cation and | doubt if The Journal reader
had any idea of doing So To read this
chapter without careful study and COM
parlson with the records of the same dis
course as found in the oath chapter of
Matthew and the 18th chapter of Mark
one would apply it to the destruction of
Jerusalem, reading to the 25th verse.
But to apply the whole chapter to the
destruction of Jerusalem would be as
great mistake as to apply the whole to
the present war.
This prophetic discourse of our Lord
was given in answer to double question
asked of him by the disciples. Parts of
this sermon are found in the before
mentioned chapters Oath and 25th,
Mark 18th and Luke 21st Now to under
stand the passages, and to make the prop
er application OF them, we must first
learn what the questions were and why
they were asked.
Matt. 24:3 tells US the questions were:
"When shall these things be? And
what shall be the sign of Thy coming
and the end of the world?" Tor end of
the age.)
They asked Him these questions be-
cause-First, He had been teaching
them that He was going away to be
with the Father and that He was coming
back again at the end of this gospel dis
pensation or age, or, as the records
read, at the end of the world.
l wish to call the readers attention
to the fact that the second coming of
Christ at the end of this age is given as
much or more prominence in the Bible
than any other theme, being mentioned
about 3lS times in 260 chapters.
Secondly, When the disciples showed
to Him the beautiful temple He told
them that there would come a time
when there should not be left one stone
upon another that should not be thrown
down.
Now we can see that they asked Christ
these two questions: first, When shall
these things be? THAT is when will this
temple be destroyed) and secondly, What
will be the sign of Thy coming and of
the end of the world? Matt. 24:3.
Please take notice that if we apply
this whole discourse to the present war
and claim that it all pertains to Christ's
second coming, then the first question,
When will these things be, or when will
the temple be destroyed? would remain
unanswered. Furthermore, it is not rea-
sonable to claim that all the events pre-
dicted in these chapters could have had
their fulfillment in the short space of
time between the utterance of the
prophecy and Jerusalem's overthrow.
And history of that time gives no record
of any such events having taken place.
The Bible is not difficult book to un-
derstand if we study it in the light of
things revealed in it and in history, but
when we attempt to study it with our
minds darkened with creeds and our own
ideas and theories then the Bible becomes
darkness itself.
Owing to lack of space l will have to
give very brief explanation of this
prophetic sermon. Beginning with Luke
21:8 and reading to the goth verse, and
studying the history of events which
have TRANSFERRED between the time when
this was spoken and the present time,
we have to conclude that Christ was des-
cribing or fortelling the conditions of the
world throughout this whole dispensa-
ton.
He warns US not to be deceived, telling
us that many false Christs will arise and
deceive many, and that there shall be
wars, and that nation shall rise against
nation and kingdom against kingdom and
that there shall be earthquakes and fam
ines, and that the followers of Him shall
be prosecuted.
We will now present proofs that we
are correct thus far in our Interpretation
that this much of this chapter covers in
a general way the whole time from the
destruction of Jerusalem, up to the pres
ent and in the future to the end of time.
You will notice it says many shall come
in the name of Christ saying: II am the
Christ" Now we have no record of but
one man claiming to be Christ before the
destruction of Jerusalem, and his follow
ing was so small as to be unnoticeable.
But, in the first 1900 years after Christ
there were no fewer than "a false Christs
and many Of them had large followings.
Note the language: "Many shall come in
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