The Ohio Independent Baptist, September 1954

Page Foltt_· _________,______ ....:..;.T .::..::...:rl=E OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST _ _________ September 1954 THE CONFLICT OF THE AGES Tl1is 111e sage l))" D1·. "F1tl111a11 \Vcl l)t1bli. llecl i11 Tl1 c ()llio I11<lcJJe1iclent BaJ)list in ,J1111C1 of 1952 a11d i bri11g 1·e1:)1·i11ted at tl1e t1~rg tio11 of a ~ 111>. rril)C1r. Tl1 111e a~e ,,.. ill b of i11i.ere t to the £rie11cl~ of ( 1 Pcla1 .. ,,.ille I3apti t ollege, Wheato11 ( 1 ollege, a11d all i11 tit11tio11 ta11cli11g· £01· tl1e Faith. (Eclito1· ) "" l"e ,,,e c1111az c1 di, 111aved 111ade .. afr·aid bJ· '\\"l1at ,, 1 e e t1·a11 pir·iuo· i11 the world toda)'"? ,,,..e hould be 11either an1azed 1101· af1·aid, and lea t of all 11ot a leep a to v-.. hat i tra11 piri11g·. The prophetic " "ord ha lo11g fore– told the fi11al co11flict at tl1e co11- 11mn1atio11 of the age and to all appea1·a11ce that co11flict i1 upo11 u today. R ead aO'ain lowly prayerfully the word c1 ..ibe the e day : careft1lly that de - Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. Luke 21 :25-26. And ye shall hear of ,vars and rumours of wars· see that we be not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom : there shall be f aniine and pestilences, and earthquakes in di– vers places. All these are the be– ginning of sorrows. Matthe,v 24: 6-8. Di tre of nation . . . pe1·plex– ities . . . the raging-- of the ma es likened to the roaring of the ea . . . fear . . . war a11d ru1no1-– of war ! Added to the e fear– ful factor in human relation i the clear prophecy of apo ta y– a falling a,vay from the faith– with the r e ult that me11 ,vill be– lieve all manner of lie . Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling a,vay first, and that man of sin be re– vealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is ,vorshipped; so that he as God sit– teth in the temple of God, sho"ring himself that he is God. . . . For the mystery of iniquity doth al– ready work: only he ,vho now let– teth 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, even him whose coming is after the ,vorking of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all de– ceivableness of unrigl1teousness in them that perish, because they re- V. R. E d11iari ceivod not the love of the truth that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send tl1em strong dilusion, tl1at they sl1ould believe a lie. II Tl1essalonians 2: 3-11. I r epeat, distr· es of natio'Yl per·– plexity, fear tll e ragirig of tJie 11iultit11,des, war· a1id ritrrio1· of 1va.rs on the earth are related to piritt1al conflict in the heavenlie . ~ 1 aid the Lo1;d J e u ·,;rery plainly ' ] or the po,,;rer .. · of l1ea..,;ren hall be halce11. gli1np e of that co11flict i. give11 i11 Revelatio11 hapter 12 ,,,hich peal{ fo1·th the dreadful ,var11i11g \Voe to the in– habite1.. of the earth and of the ea ! f 01· the de,,il i come do,vn unto you ha, 1 ing great ,vrath, be– cau e he l{110,, 1 eth that he hath l)tlt a ho1 ..t ti1ne.' (ver e 12) Another glimp e behi11d the cene of hl11nan e,,ent that hould give 11 cau --e to reflect and al o to cau e U..: to h11ml)le ot1r elve before God i the 1111lea hing of great de1no11ic force i11 thi co11- flict of the age . And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the moutl1 of the beast, and out of t11e mouth of tl1e false 1:>rophet · for tl1ey are t11e spirits of devils, working miracles, ,vhich go forth unto the kings of the earth a.nd of the "·hole ,vorld, to gather them to the battle of tl1e great day of God Almighty. Revela– tjon 16: 13-14 In the long col1r. e of ht1ma11 hi - torv no f 01·ce a diabolical ancl deaclly to huma11 ,velfare a com- , n1u11i m ha e,,.er appeared nor has there been o ,vift a co11c1ue t of the mind and bodie. of men. It vta ju t 104 year ag'o that there , appear ed the con1n1uni t manife - to of Karl :Thiarx ~ a11d for 11early 70 }Tear hi program of hatred, cla trife, deceit and de truction, . ee1ued to have little effect · bl1t the I bitter eed of commu11i m ow11 i11 the heart of de perate a11d di - t illu ioned men pra11g forth . \viftl)r ,vith the Ru ia11 re,Toll1tio11 of 1917 anc1 the co11cl tl ion of the fir t ,,..orld ,,Tar. Within 011e generation comml1ni m ha overrt1n and en- laved va t po1·tion of the earth area and populatio11 and ha filled the free nation of the earth ,vith fifth column of traitor that are I the ready tool. of their o,riet I 1na ter . And what i thei1.. aim bt1t to conquer the earth, to tamp out human freedon1 to e tabli h l1pon blood hed a \vorld 01--der without I God. ommu11i n1 i. tl1e mo t 11early perfect prepa1·ation for the coming of the A11tichri t tl1at h11- 111a11 hi to1·)T ha e,·e1-- een. ,ve ome a11d a,:vf11l indeed i~ the pligl1t of tl1e ,vorld; bl1t the picture i not 011e of amazemen1 or di may to the belie,ri11g chilcl o1 God. Beyond the leepeni11g darl{· ne the1·e hine ""ith i11c1·ea ed clarity and lo, ..eli11e the light o1 tl1e new clay the da)r of h1·i t ,~ appeari11g. B}r the light of God } ,'\7 orc1 we llnder. ta11d that ever, .. acl'e i 1narked at long le11gth b~ f 1·ebellio11 a11d recl{le 11e tha· 1nake 11ece ary the juclo·111e11t o~ God. Earth' ea1--lie t civilizatio1 becan1e . o cor·rupt that the flooc " ~a the only po ible cu1·e. On1 remember the prot1·acted a11d un I briclled idolatry of the tribe o I ~ rael that ended i11 the captivit: i11 y1·ia a11d Babylo11. Did th, co11tempo1--ari of J er en1iah re pent whe11 they 1·ealized the jt1dg