The Death of Christ a BIBLE STUDY R
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41t 4' o‘. WORLD EVENTS IN THE LIGHT OF PROPHECY VOL. 42, NO. 25 Melbourne, Victoria,, Australia, June 20, 1927 ONE PENNY COMING—A World Teacher Christ or Krishnamurti? A NEW ORDER IS PROCLAIMING A NEW GOSPEL SOCIETY which calls itself by the name of a native of India, a Theosophist, the personal protégé "The Order of the Star in the East," with of Mrs. Annie Besant, the leader of the Theosophical some 50,000 members, is now loudly pro- Society. It is claimed by the Order that twice already claiming the coming of the Christ, or the this young man has been overshadowed by the "spir- "Great Teacher." The Christ of their ideas itual force," and that on the second occasion the is not the Christ of the Bible. This Order Great Teacher spoke through him in "a voice of declares that it exists for the sole purpose of pre- penetrating sweetness," giving this message :— paring the way for the coming of the Christ. "I come for those who want sympathy, who want The head of this Order is Mr. J. Krishnamurti, happiness ; who are longing to be released ; who are l'actite dL Al.tuutcc hot° POPULAR ROYALTY There was probably no place that the Duke and Duchess of York visited where they were not warmly welcomed. The photo shows the head of the West Indian delegation reading an address of welcome when the royal party arrived at Colon, Panama. [Registered at the G.P.O., Melbourne, for transmission by post as a newspaper.] 2 SIGNS OF THE TIMES June 20, 1927 longing to find happiness in all things. I come to noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, reform, and not to tear down ; not to destroy, but to the earth also and the works that are therein shall build." be burned up. Seeing, then, that all these things This message sounds to us very much like the shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye messages that come by audible voice through spirit to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking mediums—just about as indefinite and all-inclusive, for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, and equivocal as spirit messages generally. Mr. wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, Krishnamurti did not speak it; the Great Teacher is and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. Nev- supposed to have spoken it through him. Everybody erthelss we, according to His promise, look for new wants sympathy, wants happiness, wants to be re- heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth right- leased from everything and anything that may be eousness." 2 Peter 3: 9-13. 41 hindering them from doing what they want to do, That is God's programme; but it is not the pro- whether it is right or wrong. To find happiness in gramme of Theosophy. They are directly opposed all things, iniquity as well as righteousness, is the each to the other. Which shall triumph? God does aim of every unconverted soul. There are many not desire that any shall perish ; but they who will things that cannot be reformed, but must be torn not "have this Man to rule over" them, who will not• down ; there are some things that must be destroyed have His programme, must not be surprised if no before the eternal kingdom of righteousness can be place is found for them in the programme of the' established in this world. Christ came into this Almighty—which they would not have. God does world to build righteous characters in the souls of not destroy for the sake of destruction ; but He is' men. To do that, He must first destroy sin in the determined to put an end to sin and rebellion in souls of men. He came to build a kingdom of right- His universe. When the time has passed that was eousness ; but He will never build it upon a founda- allotted for the gospel to do its cleansing work in tion of sin, or a foundation tainted with sin. The the world, and the inhabitants have made their choice "Great Teacher" who speaks through Mr. Krish- as to whether they will have God's programme, or namurti has a very different objective from that will reject His for one of their own, God Himself of the true Christ. will declare, "It is finished." Then will go forth When the true Christ comes again, a power goes the decree : "He that is unjust, let him be unjust before Him that will destroy sin and sinners out of still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: this world. The Old Testament as well as the New and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: declares this. "Our God shall come, and shall not and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold keep silence : a fire shall devour before Him, and I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He every man according as his work shall be." Rev. shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, 22 : 11, 12. that He may judge His people. Gather My saints Destruction then awaits the one class, and a re- together unto Me ; those that have made a covenant ward that will never fade awaits the other class, with Me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare with eternity in which to enjoy it. Men and women His righteousness : for God is Judge Himself." Ps. are deciding right now as to which programme they 50 : 3-6. will have a part in—God's or man's, the one leading In speaking of His attitude toward the law of upward to eternal life ; the other downward to de- God, Christ did say, "I am not come to destroy, but struction and eternal night. to fulfil." He had not come for the destruction of This Besant-Krishnamurti teaching has us com- the law of God, or to set it aside as so many religious ing into this world again and again, reincarnated for teachers are declaring today; He had not come to our perfecting, a teaching that has grown up in hea- overthrow the teachings of the prophets, or to under- thenism and has no part in the gospel of Jesus Christ. mine their declarations, as the modernists and higher Nevertheless, these teachers are openly claiming that critics are trying to do today ; but to fulfil their Jesus taught the reincarnation of human beings, an predictions. He was the One whom they predicted ; assertion that is as far from the truth as the celestial His coming fulfilled their predictions. But He was poles are apart. Another charge—we may rightly in the world to destroy sin and the works of sin ; and call it an accusation—that is made against our Lord He will at the end of this dispensation destroy sin is that He "directs and inspires the education and and sinners and every human organisation, every religion of all mankind on this planet." That is order, not established in Him, not in harmony with why they call Him "the World Teacher. He inspires the principles of the kingdom of righteousness. Hinduism and Buddhism, as well as Christianity, and The last of the Old Testament prophets spoke is the actual Founder of all religions." very decidedly upon this matter, and left no place We say this is an accusation ; for not the Christ, for doubt as to what will happen when the real Great but the enemy of Christ, is responsible for every re- Teacher does come. Let us listen to his declaration : ligion in this world that does not have the Lord "For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as Jesus Christ as its sum and substance, its centre an oven ; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wick- and circumference, its sacrifice and its Saviour. edly, shall be stubble : and the day that cometh shall There is only one religion that does that, and that burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall is the Christian religion. The religions which the leave them neither root nor branch. And Theosophists name as being on an equality with ye shall tread down the wicked ; for they shall be Christianity have no real Christ, no Saviour, no plan ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that of salvation but self-works, no authority from hea- I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." Mal. 4: 1-3. ven for their existence. They work contrary to • And with this agree the words of the inspired Christianity in that they teach salvation without the Apostle Peter :— atoning blood of "the Lamb slain from the founda- "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, tion of the world." The real Great Teacher taught as some men count slackness ; but is longsuffering the necessity of the sacrifice of the Son of God to to usward, not willing that any should perish, but atone for the sins of a guilty race. Theosophy, that all should come to repentance. But the day of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, know nothing the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the of an atonement for the sins of man through the life which the heavens shall pass away with a great and death of the Son of God. Spiritism repudiates June 20, 1927 SIGNS OF THE TIMES 3 the idea of Christ's sacrifice for our sins, and de- should wage open and tireless warfare against it, and this clares the story of the cross to be merely a sweet, sad form of warfare would save the world and save every house- story which has nothing really to do with our salva- hold in it." tion.