The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1920-02-07

family of God, and the service of Christ. |
never really have been Gods by the New
Birth until last night, when my dear wife,
in company with all the waiting, longing
Church. was suddenly called up to be with
her Lord Not by death, dear friends-s
saw no death-but by that sudden trans
ation that has startled and awakened us all"
A low sobbing sound ran through all the
building. The gathered thousands, almost
to man, realized that they, with the speak
er, were equally lifeless, spiritually. Visible
emotion checked the Bishops speech for
moment Recovering himself, he went on:
"A blind leader of the blind, because un-
born of God | ought to have known that
Christ's return was near | should have
known it, had been spiritually minded, by
the signs of the apostasy, which (prophes1ed
to precede the Second Coming of our Lord)
have been having their fulhlment all around
us for years.
''Since last night I have lived a whole
lifetime I have read the whole of the Cos
pels and the Epistles with new under
standing.
t'Let us face Our present position, as those
who are left What is the future to be?
This is what you need to know, what |
need to know! First, let me say, the next
thing for each to do is to seek the Lord,
to cry unto Him for mercy and pardon,
while all our hearts are shocked and
startled and our thoughts are turned God
ward For unless we get close to God,
surrender to Him and live out the future
for Him, our portion will be hell and de-
struction."
A deep hush rested upon the gathered
thousands, as he proceeded
Zone thing appears very plain from
Scripture is, that when last night
Christ came into the air and caught up His
Church, living and dead, the Devil, who has
been the prince of the power of the air, had
to descend to earth. Christ and Beelzebub
can never live together in the same realm.
"In the recreation of this earth recorded
in Genesis God blessed everything that He
created, save the atmosphere; He did not,
He could not, bless that, because Satan
driven from the recreated earth by the
breath of the Divine Spirit, had taken re-
fuge in the air. He is therefore called in
Scripture not only the prince of this world
but the prince of the power of the air
Now, Beloved, the Spirit of God has left
the earth. The Devil has taken up his abode
here with all his myriad agents, and he is
going to make earth as hot for those of us
who will witness for God as is hell itself to
the lost.
IF we will witness for God during the
years we are beginning today-they will be
seven in number until the dawning moment
of the Milennium-if we will witness for
God, I say, during these intervening years,
we may expect to meet with hideous trial
and suffering. Antichrist will now soon
make himself known He will be man
not a system, mind He will mislead the
Jews who have been returning in large num-
bers to Palestine for the purpose of estab-
fishing homeland and rebuilding their tenn
pie For time, Antichrist will appear to be
the friend of the Jews, but he will seek to
force the most awful idolatry upon them
The mass of Jewry will accept all this. With
the Jew, every Gentle will presently be COM
PEELED to accept Antichrist and the Roman
Beast"
A sound of protest was heard from seat
near the pulpit. as the Bishop spoke of the
Roman beast" But the preacher took no
notice of the interruption, and went on:
"The Devil will be so mad at being cast
down out of heaven, and because he knows
he has such very limited time to work
against God, that he will call tip all hell to
stamp out Gods people"
For an instant the Bishop paused He
leaned over the pulpit edge, his eyes full of
the light of holy determination, but into
his voice there crept a tender yearning, as
he continued:
"Are we prepared for actual nartyrdom?
For this will certainly be the fate of many
who will not bear upon them the mark of
the Beast" Again there came growl from
that seat near the pulpit; but solemn hush
rested upon the vast mass of people.
Quietly, giving the impression that
the sense of a great shame rested upon him,
the Rev. -, the noted Noncon-
formist minister rose from his seat and
faced the congregation. Many of his own
church we're there Many others, who had
followed the criticism of the more spiritual
toned Christian papers upon his pulpit and
other utterances, were there. Every one
waited breathless, wondering what contri-
button he would make to the great matter
in hand
1t was evident that it was only by the ex-
ercise Of tremendous will-power that he
could restrain his emotions sufficiently to
speak.
God help me, dear friends!' p he began,
for I know now that have been Judas
to the Lord of Life and Glory Whose pro-