The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, vol. 77

April 10, 1900

“The Third Angel’s Message. The Making of the Beast” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 77, 15, p. 232.

The Beast, in it rise, its time, and its place, is so clearly marked in the Scriptures that there can be no mistaking it by any one who will carefully study the Scriptures. And when the Scripture is clearly understood, as to its characteristics, its rise, its time, and its place, the intelligent study of the thing itself in its different phases is easy. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.1

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul described that which, in other places, is set forth as the Beast, as follows: “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God [“setting himself forth as God,” R.V.: “and gives it out that he is God.” German]. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.2

“Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.3

Remember that was written to the Thessalonians; and notice what he says, “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” Thus, when Paul was at Thessalonica, he had preached to them the things which are here written. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.4

Now, in Acts 17:1-3, we read of his visit to Thessalonica, thus: “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.5

Notice that, in his preaching there, he reasoned with them out of the Scriptures. The only Scriptures that were then in existence were what are now the Old Testament Scriptures. These, then, it was out of which Paul reasoned with the Thessalonians. And he says that, when he was there, he told the people about this “falling away,” and the man of sin being revealed,—“the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God,“—“the mystery of iniquity,” and “that Wicked,” “whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroye with the brightness of his coming.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.6

Where, then, in the Old Testament did he find scriptures from which to reason to the people concerning all this, by which he could tell them these things? Look at Daniel 8. After the prophet had seen in vision the ram, and the he goat with the notable horn, and the four notable horns that came up after that one fell, “out of one of them [one of the four] came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.” “It waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host,” “and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.7

Now the Word plainly declares that the ram represents Medo-Persia; and the rough goat, Grecia; and the great horn, the first king; and the four that succeeded it, the four divisions of the Grecian Empire after Alexander died. Then, in the latter time of the kingdom of these four, “when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many; he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.8

This great power, which followed Grecia, is none other than Rome, as all the world knows. And that power, as described in this scripture throughout, is Rome in all its phases, from the beginning to end; from the entrance of ancient Rome upon the scene of the world’s action, unto the end of the world, when “he shall be broken without hand.” For this breaking “without hand” is evidently that time and event referred to in the second chapter of Daniel, when a stone cut out “without hand,” smites the image on the feet, and then all the kingdoms of the world are dashed to pieces and swept out of the world, and the stone becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth—and that is the kingdom of God. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.9

This is further pictured, and this same ground is covered, in the seventh chapter of Daniel, where the fourth kingdom is described as “dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.” Then among these horns came up another little one, “before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” And this power continued until the judgment was set, and the books were opened. And, says the prophet, “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.10

No one can attentively read these two passages of scripture concerning Rome, in the eighth chapter and in the seventh chapter of Daniel, and compare them with the passage in 2 Thessalonians 2, without being able to see plainly that 2 Thessalonians 2 refers definitely to these passages in Daniel. And this makes it certain that it was these passages of Daniel from which Paul reasoned when he was at Thessalonica, when he reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, and told them in words that which, later, he wrote in the passage here quoted from 2 Thessalonians 2, as to “the man of sin, the son of perdition,” “the mystery of iniquity,” and “that Wicked.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.11

And notice particularly that in both the passages in Daniel, it is Rome, from its beginning to the end of the world, that is considered: it is Rome in both its phases, ancient and modern, that is described. The passage in the eighth chapter, in ever feature, is applicable to modern Rome as well as to ancient Rome, and in some of its features is applicable only to modern Rome. The passage in the seventh chapter is first Rome in its pagan form, under the symbol of the great and terrible beast; then, after that fell, the subject is the rise of Rome, and its career, in its papal form, as the little horn. Yet, when it comes to the end of its career, and the time of its destruction, it is not said: I beheld until the horn was slain, and given to the burning flame; but “till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” And this shows plainly that it is in essence, and in characteristics, the Beast that continues, under the form and phase described as “the little horn.” This feature is also discerned in the description in the eighth chapter, where it is under the symbol of a little horn, which waxes exceeding great, that the whole course of Rome, from the beginning to the end of the world, is sketched. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.12

In a former study, in considering Revelation 12 and 13, we found that the power there described as the Beast is that power which Satan uses in his wrath against the church, in the time in which the church is in the wilderness. This power which is “the Beast” succeeds the power which Satan used to destroy Christ as soon as he was born, and to persecute the church after Christ was caught up to God and to his throne. That power, as we plainly saw, was Rome as it stood in the time of Christ. And the power which succeeded Rome in that phase, by which Satan persecuted the church when she “fled into the wilderness”—this power, as all the world knows, is Rome in its second phase, which is papal Rome. And this power it is which is plainly declared by the Scripture to be “the Beast.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.13

Therefore it is perfectly plain, by the Scriptures throughout, that the Beast is nothing else than the Papacy; and the making of the Beast is nothing but the making of the Papacy. Consequently, the study of the making of the Beast will have to be the study of the making of the Papacy. And it is necessary to study and to know the making of the Papacy, in order to be able to know the making of the Image of the Papacy, and to take warning and escape the worship of the Beast and his Image. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.14

Next week, therefore, the study of the Third Angel’s Message will be, The Elements That Enter into the “Falling Away” out of Which Came the Beast. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.15

“The ‘Return of the Jews’” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 77, 15, pp. 232, 233.

IN Jeremiah 11:16 it is written: “The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.1

This is the tree of Israel. The word in Jeremiah leaves the tree only where the branches of it are broken. In Romans 11 Inspiration takes up the subject, and carries it to completion. There it is shown that when the natural branches of the tame olive tree—the Jews—were broken off, in the place of these there are grafted in branches from “a wild olive tree”—the Gentiles. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.2

In Romans 11 it is also shown that these natural branches of the tame olive tree were broken off “because of unbelief;” and the branches of the wild olive tree are grafted in and remain “by faith.” It is also shown that if the Jews, the natural branches, “abide not still in unbelief,” they too shall be grafted in; “for God is able to graff them in again.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.3

This settles it beyond all possibility of legitimate controversy that no Jew will ever return, or shall ever be counted among the children of God, except by faith: precisely as any Gentile comes to God and is counted among the children of God. This again demonstrates the truth that “there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.4

The Gentile, from the wild olive tree, who is grafted in, is warned not to become exalted in his own merit and begin to boast against the branches that were broken off, that I might graffed in.” And the caution to all such in this is: “Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, IF THEY ABIDE NOT STILL IN UNBELIEF, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?” Romans 11:20-24. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 232.5

That tells the whole story, and in such a way that no one who will consider what it says can possibly fail to see that there is, indeed, no difference between the Jew and the Greek; but that when the Jews, because of their unbelief, rejected God, and, so, as dead and withered olive branches, were broken off, branches are taken from the wild olive tree of the Gentiles and grafted into the good olive tree in their places: so that, in the economy of God and the plan of his tree of Israel, the believing Gentile takes the place of the unbelieving Jew. just as he has said in another place: “They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Romans 9:8. Those who are of the flesh have no claims upon the Lord; for the minding of the flesh is enmity against God, and is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. They which be of faith, these only are the children of Abraham, and so the children of God. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.1

In the plan of God, there is the tree of Israel. As written, because of unbelief its branches withered, died, and were broken off. That left the tree incomplete. But he sends his husbandmen to the wild olive tree; and from that branches are gathered and grafted into the good olive tree—his own tree of Israel. And that work will continue until the branches gathered from the wild olive tree and grafted into the good one, shall fill all the places of the branches broken off—till these branches from the wild olive tree, by being grafted in and partaking of the root and fatness of the good olive tree, become live, fruitful branches of that good tree. And thus the good olive tree shall be caused to stand full and complete in its symmetry, as originally conceived in the mind of God. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.2

Thus the fullness of that broken olive tree is made up from the wild olive tree—the Gentiles. And this is the significance of that expression, “Till the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” This “fullness of the Gentiles” is the fullness of that broken, good olive tree which is made up from the Gentiles as the wild olive tree. That good olive tree, with its branches all broken, is marred and incomplete: it in no sense represents the idea of God concerning it. But when all those broken branches are replaced from the wild olive tree, and that tree stands, full and flourishing, as originally planned in the mind of God, then the “fullness” of the tree is there, as originally designed: it is a complete tree. And this “fullness” of that tree—that which makes it a complete tree, after it was all marred and broken—comes from the Gentiles, from the wild olive tree. This is the “fullness of the Gentiles,” and this is how that “fullness” comes in. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.3

And upon all this, as the conclusion of all, it is written: “And so all Israel shall be saved.” “So” signifies “in this way,” “by this means,” “after this manner.” There it is written: “In this way, by this means, after this manner, shall all Israel be saved.” And that is the only return of the Jews, and the only salvation of Israel. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.4

True, as already noted, from this the original branches are not arbitrarily excluded: any one of these will gladly be grafted in again, “if they abide not still in unbelief.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.5

“Editorial” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 77, 15, p. 233.

AN administration dispatch from Washington says that the New Philippine Commission “will sail from San Francisco, April 18,” with “plenary powers. President Taft of the commission will be the personal representative of President McKinley in the Philippine Group; and he and his colleagues will fully represent American sovereignty. The army is to be wholly subordinate to their orders.... The new commission is to be the government, just as if the President himself were to go to the Philippines with his cabinet, and exercise control under military law. It is necessary, therefore, that it have absolute authority over all civil government that may be established, and over the army, too.” But if even the President himself were to go there, he would not have absolute authority, unless he went without the Constitution. And if he went without the Constitution, he would have no authority at all; because it is only by the Constitution that he is president at all. And then all the authority he could possibly exercise would be merely personal authority. Consequently the president of the commission in possession of absolute authority, being the “personal representative of the President,” can be only the representative of the person of him who is president, and not of him as president; for as president he has not and never can have absolute authority. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.1

“Studies in Galatians. Galatians 3:22, 23” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 77, 15, p. 233.

The Greek word, translated in verse 23 “shut up,” and in verse 22 and Romans 11:32 “concluded,” is sunekleisan, sunekleisan, and signifies “to shut or coop up, hem in, inclose.” In Luke 5:6 it is translated “inclosed,” in the statement that “when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.1

Now, since this is the law by which is the knowledge of sin,—for by not other law is it possible to conclude, shut up, men under sin,—the question comes, How does the law of God, the ten commandments, shut men up? ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.2

Bear in mind that mankind “have all gone out of the way;” “there is none that doeth good, no, not one;” and “there is none that seeketh after God.” Romans 3:10-18. Therefore if any of them ever get into the way, it can be only by God’s seeking them. And when God seeks them, it is to bring them to himself. And since they are all under sin, in order to bring them to himself he brings them to righteousness. Since the character of men is altogether bad, the Lord, in bringing them to the knowledge of himself, brings them to the knowledge of a character that is altogether good. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.3

Since man is sold under sin, is the slave of sin, possessed of a mind that is enmity against God, and “is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be,” everything that he does is, in its very nature, wrong. How, then, can the Lord get him into the right way when he is out of the way, and under a power and possessed of a nature, by which he does only wrong? That he might reach man where he is, the Lord formulated for man a transcript of his own character, in such a form as to be particularly adapted to the condition and needs of man altogether as he is. And this transcript of the character of God is formulated in the law of God—the ten commandments in written form, as given at Sinai on tables of stone, and in the Bible. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.4

It was necessary for the Lord to present his law, the transcript of his character, in this form, because of the essential sinfulness of mankind. For “from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” Mark 7:21, 22. Since such is the nature and confirmed condition of all men, this is why it is that the law of God as it entered in written form “is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine.” 1 Timothy 1:9, 10. Here is included the principle of each one of the ten commandments, and the violation of it. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.5

Thus the law of God, entering, comes to every man, telling him not to do the very thing which it is natural and inherent in him to do. He has it in his heart to kill; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt not kill.” He has it in his heart to commit adultery; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” He has it in his heart to steal; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt not steal.” He has it in his heart to bear false witness; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” He has it in his heart to covet; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt not covet.” He has it in his heart to dishonor father and mother; but there stands the word, “Honor thy father and thy mother.” He has it in his heart to go on using all the time there is, the Lord’s day as well as all others, in disregard of God; but there stands the word, “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work.” He has it in his heart to take the name of God in vain; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” He has it in his heart to have other gods than the Lord; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” He has it in the evil imagination of his heart to formulate in an image his idea of God; but there stands the word, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.6

And thus the law of God meets every man in the world just where he is, and by its emphatic “Thou shalt not,” shuts him off from doing everything that is natural for him to do. Thus he is shut in with himself, and is “cooped up” with his sins, “kept under the law, shut up.” Thus there is revealed to the man the knowledge of himself, which is the knowledge of sin: he sees himself to be altogether wrong. There is awakened in him the desire for something better, and the longing to get away from his exceeding sinful self. He is stripped of every resource in himself; and, in his desperation, he cries out, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” And the answer is: “I thank God through Jesus Christ,” there is deliverance. In his longing to do something that is not forbidden by the holy law of God, he exclaims: What shall I do, that I might work the works of God? And the answer is: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” With the stings of sin pricking him to the heart on all sides, he cries out: “What must I do to be saved?” The answer is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.7

And thus it is that the law of God is an essential aid to men in bringing them unto the promises of God. Thus it is that by the law by which “is the knowledge of sin,” “the scripture hath concluded [shut up] all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” And thus it is that before faith comes to men, they are “kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which,” if they will only rightly use the law, and meet the true principle of the law, shall “afterwards be revealed.” ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.8

And thus in Galatians 3:21-23 there is preached the same gospel precisely as is preached in Leviticus 4 and in Romans 3:10—and everywhere else where the true gospel is preached. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.9

All men have sinned in doing somewhat against the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty. An offering must be brought, an atonement made, so that the sin may be forgiven, and the guilt be removed. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” And “when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed.” “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Isaiah 53:5, 6, 10; Galatians 3:29. ARSH April 10, 1900, page 233.10