The Topeka state journal., 1916-12-01

ureS OF speech pass the knOWledSe oI
US occidentals, the Book of The Reve-
of the Bible. Avowedly mystery
book, with hidden meanings, it is yet
meant as revelation. 1t was written
| by one Christian to other Christians
TO convey comfoct and instruction
Any open-minded person who will
read thru the entire Revelation at
| sitting, as it was originally meant to
be read, will find it full of clear
teaching, in addition to the passages
that are veiled. 1t is book of reve-
lation. and not of observation.
Several times during the present
year these comments have pointed out
the extraordinary and Providential
timeliness of the current Sunday
SO than the three studies in the Book
of Revelation. Now, as perhaps never
before within the memory of mar.
the world is in n state of religious be-
wilderment. People are wondering
what the spiritual significance of the
universal upheaval can be. Usages
and institutions which were thought
to be permanent are tottering- A vast
and fundamental questioning of old
beliefs are abroad among men. Not a
| few thoughtful and reverent spirits,
appalled, by the awfulness of the world
tragedy are even asking whether there
can be a God; or whether Ee cares for
mankind. The cloud that overshad-
terrible days of the prosecutions un-
der Domitian. when this book was
written. is now resting upon many in
the Church today. May Johns mes
sage serve the same purpose today
that it served at the end of the first
century of the Christian era.
A Real Mans Vision.
It is only the unknown that is baf-
fling. So the first reasonable step in
aPh he nf An0Ca
/ (and 1t is well to remember that
apocalyptie literature, tho not now in
vogue. was a common vehicle of
teaching two thousand years ago) is
to fix firmly in mind the mundane
and historical facts in the case Let
us get the book down out of the realm
of unreality.
A real man wrote it. He was our
old friend John, author of the Fourth
Gospel and of the three New Testa
ment letters that bear his name. This
| is the same John whom we call 'the
beloved disciple" and who reposed on
the breast of Jesus at the Last Sup
per. He had the clearest comprehen-
sion of the mind of Christ on earth,
and now it is given to him to see
farthest into the purposes of Christ
| in heaven. They who are closest to
Christ best understand His will. John
was the only surviving apostle. He
had been minister of the church at
Ephesus, and had been exiled to Pat
mos by the anti-Christian persecution
that was harrying all the Christians.
1t was a real island on which he
wrote Anybody who cares to do SO
may visit Patmos Doesn't it seem
as if Christian with a private yacht
would most of all delight to visit the
Mediterranean, and all the Seaports
mentioned in the New Testament, go
! ing ashore to traverse the scenes of
the earthly life of Jesus? Patmos is
a rocky island, about ten miles long by
six miles wide. short distance off the
coast from Ephesus. The usage of
sending notable prisoners to islands
| is both old and new. General Town
shend, the British defender of kut Ell
Amarra, is at this moment a prisoner
on a small island in the same AEGEAN
sea-
There were seven real churches to
whom this Revelation was sent They
bore the names of seven great cities
| of Asia, as the Roman province was
then called which comprises the pres
en- Turkish district of Anatolio, or
western Asia Minor. I myself have
visited four of them The cities were
Ephesus-we may be sure that John
would put his beloved Ephesus first
Smyrna. which today is the second
city of the Turkish empire; Pergamus.
Thyatfra. Sardis (where Princeton
university was conducting notable
archaeological researches when the
war broke Out), Philadelphia and
Laodicaea. All these cities may he
found On the map of the ancient
of their characteristics in the year 80
A. d. help to an understanding of the
Book of Revelation. In truth, one
needs a measure of historical and
geographical perspective if he is to
read this book with profit. 1t is an
unsafe record for one without a sense
of proportions. Nothing is easier than
to exalt ones own time and place into
undue Importance. Also it is essential
to proper reading of this book to
makes upon Old Testament figures of
speech, specially as drawn from Isaiah
Daniel. Ezekiel and the Psalms.
Getting the Main Idea.
There are a thousand beautiful re-
fiections to be drawn incidentally
from the study of the Apocalypse; /;
such as the possibility of making a
Patmos of every prison experience of
the soul; of the visions that come to
one who is in the spirit on the
Lords day; of the fellowship of suf-
, fering which all Christians may share
with the saints. living and dead, and
with the Saviour Himself.
Lessons" however, must wait on
, the facts. Unless we get a grasp
upon the main purpose of the book
and the conditions attendant upon. its
writing, we shall miss the real sig
| nificance of the teaching. So the truth
first to be borne in mind is that this
Christian leader this apostle, John the
beloved. was in prison for his faith in
, Jesus. His churches were suffering
worse than he. The fires of persecu-
ton were raging fercely. Nero had
barred his cruel sword to the Chris
tians, and now Domitian. in turn, had
II