OUR READERS’ OPINIONS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXIII, Issue 11538, 15 January 1932, Page 7

OUR READERS’ OPINIONS

ANTI CHRIST AND THE APPLE. (To the Editor). Sir. —Unless I am unaccountably insane. I am utterly unablo to see any solid ground to stand upon in the fluid matter flowing from the trinity df scribes dealing with Anti-Christ and a legion of other things. The most lmnulinti.ng...thing io me is the egotism and eocdcsiu'oness with which they so lamentably struggle to extract hidden meanings from the most-' highly, symbolical portions o! Holy Writ. Their manner of fighting one another’s contradictions, and re-examining, forecasting, calculating and .manipulMiUg- things too high for them, reminds me of the American estimate of how many apples Adam and Eve. ate. , 'fhe QJd Version says: Eve 8 and Adani -2 (Eve ate and Adam too) Total 10. This is what; i,.certain American newspapers, have- to say about it;— Nebraska, Heralfl: ‘‘Eve 8 anu Adam 8. Total 16.” Mississippi Gazette: “AVe don’t seo this. Eve 8 and Adam 82. Total 90.” -New -York Screamer : “Our contemporary is entirely wrong. ‘Eve 81 and Adam 812. Total 893.” ;"> Ohio Advertiser: • “We reason .like this; Eve 814 herself• and Adam 8124 Eve. Total .8938.” ' Illinois Telegranh: “Eve 8142 know how it tasted, and Adam 28142 see what it would he like. Total 26.284. v "Is it any wonder the human race has had indigestion ever since? And when a trinity of scribes handle Anti-Christ and his alleged implications in a 'similar way, is it, any wonder your readers have their mental and spiritual,, and physical, digestion damaged almost; beyond recovery?— I m, Yours etc., “AGUECHEEK.” THE ANTI-CHRIST. (To the Editor). Sir.—Those who cavil at the Books of Daniel and the Revelation may as well shut v their months, for the time is coming when they will be speechless before tlieir Maker, for the Scripture must lie fulfilled to the very letter of the “written word.” Out of all this turmoil, and strife, and anxiety that is going on in the world, there will arise seven of the foremosj- Naval Powers and through them will he established that tentoed, ten-horned Kingdom of Daniel (hut it will not he next month).. Then, when they are established to control the old Roman Empire that, was ruled by the Caesars, there will arise ‘‘the little horn” of Daniel 7, “and his power 'shall be mighty, hut, not by his own power,” “for the dragon shall give him his power, and his sent, and great authority,” Then, in one of the conflicts, ho receives his death wound, which is healed by Satan and is also restored to life, to the amazement of tlie oilier seven Kingdoms, who seem to submit to him, as we read, “all the world wondered after the boast,” so that, no doubt, he will proclaim himself as the long-promised deliverer of the Jews, who he.R come back from the dead for that purpose, and they receive him. When God through Moses promised ‘that a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto mo; him they shall hear.” So, no doubt, they will think he has come now as King for their deliverance. Just in passing, let me say that there are 40_ distinctcomparisons between Christ and Moses, commencing with threatened murder in infancy, and so on.. But this beast is quite the opposite in every way to both A loses and Christ. “Christ came unto His own, and His own received Hire not,” hut they receive this man. Christ came in His Father’s name—-this man comes, in Ins, own name. Christ was despised and rejected and would not receive worship—this man. is worshipped. Christ was mock and lowly and of .no reputation—this man .is vain, proud and blasphemous, Christ was seen only by His own chosen ones alter He rose from the dead—-this man is seen by all the world. Christ’s followers had no outward mark to distinguish them from others—this man has ins branded. And so we could keep on multiplying the distinctions. But there were no- marks of the. nailprints in the hands or feet of this man. nor the thorn crown on the brow nor the spear wound in his .side, the (indelible marks of a crucified Christ, yet they receive him, worship him, make him an image, and worship it, on the pains of death, like the image on the plains that tested their ancient brethren. The faithful servants of the Living God do not ,worship images. So this trinity of evil (Satan, Beast and prophet) gain their diabolical purpose, and have them branded, sold spirit, soul and body to Satan, for ever (sec chapter 14, 9-11:) No doubt, those branded are the many with whom he confirms the covenant for one week (7 years). Is it any wonder that, when the faithful old Daniel beheld this awful beast in vision as *he persecutor of his beloved people, ho cries, out in the anguish of his-heart, “O, my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?” And if" we had the annointod eye to see “the things which must shortly come to pass,” vve would cry out the same and say, “How long, 0 Lord?’ Lot us follow this trinity of evil to the end. In chapter 16. 13-16, they '-encl out the spirits of devils “to gather the Kings of the whole world to battle—and ho gathered them together into a place called —‘Armageddon,’.” Then, in the nineteenth chapter, when that mighty host is destroyed, this trinity of evil are taken alive, two are cast into torment and one is kept a prisoner for over the Millennium. Then, at tile close of that reign of righteousriess, he is loosed again for a little season, and then he gathers, another mighty host, only to have them destroyed also while he is taken alive and “cast- into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the hea.st and false prophet are (have been there for 1000 years) and shall lie tormented day and night, for evor and ever.” Oh fearful doom! “Who is wise, and lie shall understand these things,? Prudent, and lie shall know them. For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them ; .but the transgressors shall fall therein.” “If any man shall take away from the words of the hock of this prophecy, God shall take away hi s part -out of the Book of Life.”—l am, Yours etc., “TERTTTTS.”

(To tho Editor). gir. “Tertiiis” charges me with putting forth a theory. Well, has ho not done the same? Surely ho won’t state dogmatically that ho is correct in all he says and that others are necessarily wrong because not in agreement with him? ■ Tie goe fi 0n..t0 I say that, undoubtedly., tho Beast will bo' a resurrected person, having been raised bv Satan, who has tho power of death. Cortainly, Satan ha s the power of death. But, surely, thero is a. jot of difference between having the power of death and the power of life? The power' to give life belongs' to God alone and I know of no rehorded instance where • this • Divino pferogat ive has been.' delegated to Satan to further his rebellion ngamst ‘Grxi In Exod; S:lß.' 19,- we. have

proof of this, so A can’t,.believe in the literal resurrection of the 'Beast unless “Tenins” can ghe ine better proof than lie has so far' advanced. AVhv “Torthis” should assume that the' Beast, and the Anti-Christ war against each other because I state the Anti-Christ will lie 'king in Jerusalem at the time when the Beast makes; war with the Saints of God, 1 do hot know. Apparently, he fails to discern between the Godly Jew (Saints oi God) and the ungodly Jew. Tt is with the Godly Jew (those who keep the commandments of God) that the Beast makes war, and, no doubt, the Anti-Christ aids him in this war, as they have disobeyed him by ref using to receive the' mark of the Beast, because it. is he who is said to cause-all to receive a mark in their forehead or hand and that no man might buy or sell nave he who had that mark. It is impossible that the Beast and AntiChrist should be in disagreement, seeing they are both the tools of Satan and receive their great power from him. When “Tortius” says that Jerusalem is the seat of the Beast I disagree with him and say that Rome will ho. As the other six heads will -be there, it is only reasonable to suppose that the seventh' head will be there also. I am after the truth and, if “Tertius” can teach me, I am a willing student— -T, am, Ynifs re

“TRUTH.”