great destruction upon its mighty foe, Imperial Germany.

27. During the peace that followed November 11, 1918, how did the “little horn” magnify itself still more against the “prince of the host” by setting up an idol?

²⁷ During the truce of peace that followed from November 11, 1918, it magnified itself still more against Jehovah, “the prince of the host.” In rejecting the message that the sanctuary class had tried to proclaim to all nations, the Anglo-American dual world power promoted the establishment of a modern world idol, the League of Nations. The British war premier, Lloyd George, had had thoughts of such an international alliance of nations;d and the American war president, T. Woodrow Wilson, included it in his Fourteen Points which he submitted for a peace settlement. Although acting president, he emboldened himself to attend the Paris Peace Conference in order to push through his Points, including the international pact, the League of Nations.

28. What prophecy of Revelation did the Anglo-American dual world power thus fulfill, and what was this political idol as respects God?

²⁸ The Anglo-American dual world power thus fulfilled the prophecy concerning the “beast” that “had two horns like a lamb” but that “began speaking as a dragon” in telling earth’s inhabitants to make an “image to the wild beast.” The Anglo-American dual world power gave “breath to the image” so that it would speak with some authority and cause itself to be worshiped by those who were against God’s established kingdom and who were in favor of the “wild beast,” Satan’s visible world system of government. (Rev. 13:11-15) The symbolic “image to the wild beast,” this League of Nations, was an abomination, a disgusting thing, to Jehovah God, just as much so as the golden image sixty cubits high and six cubits broad that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, set up for all the provinces of his empire to worship, including Daniel’s companions Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. (Dan. 3:1-15) Jehovah’s witnesses saw that the League of Nations was disgusting to him just as an idol is.

“THE ABOMINATION THAT MAKES DESOLATE”

29. When was the League of Nations covenant made effective, when did the League begin to function, but what did Christendom lead off in doing?

²⁹ The peace conference opened in Paris, France, on January 18, 1919, attended by the American President Wilson. The resulting peace treaty, including the covenant of the League of Nations, was signed in Versailles, France, on June 28, 1919. On October 13 that year it had been ratified by three big allied powers and it went into effect with its League of Nations covenant. The United States Senate refused to go along with President Wilson and ratify this treaty. The Senate considered that America’s national sovereignty was not safeguarded enough in the League of Nations covenant. America concluded a separate peace with Germany later. The League of Nations, the symbolic “image of the wild beast,” really began to function on January 10, 1920, at London, England. But before this event religious Christendom led off in idolizing the symbolic “image.”

30. What did the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America offer to do, and how did it give the proposed League a Messianic role?

³⁰ The Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America offered itself at once as a priest to minister before the “image.” Ahead of the peace conference, and while President Wilson was merely advocating the League of Nations, the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America spoke forth in favor of it and gave to it the role of Christ the Messiah. The executive committee of this Federal Council met in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and on December 12, 1918, it passed an endorsement of President Wilson’s plan for a League of Nations. It adopted the following Declaration (quoted in part):

The war crisis of the world has passed, but a world crisis is upon us.

. . . “Are we to lapse back,” asked Lloyd George, “into the old national rivalries, animosities and competitive armaments, or are we to imitate the reign on earth of the Prince of Peace?”

The time has come to organize the world for truth and right, justice and humanity. To this end, as Christians we urge the establishment of a League of Free Nations at the coming Peace Conference. Such a League is not a mere political expedient; it is rather the political expression of the Kingdom of God on earth.

. . . The heroic dead will have died in vain unless out of victory shall come a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.

The Church has much to give and much to gain. It can give a powerful sanction by imparting to the new international order something of the prophetic glory of the Kingdom of God. What is the Kingdom of God, if it be not the triumph of God’s will in the affairs of men, “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”? And what is this vision of a world-federation of humanity organized on a basis of justice and fair-dealing, for the effective and impartial maintenance of peace, if it be not of the Kingdom of God?

The Church can give a spirit of good-will, without which no League of Nations can endure. . . .

The League of Nations is rooted in the Gospel. Like the Gospel, its objective is “peace on earth, good-will toward men.” Like the Gospel, its appeal is universal.

Let us implore our Heavenly Father, God Almighty, that the Peace Delegates of the Nations may be guided by the Divine Spirit and enlightened by the Divine Wisdom to the end that they may embody in the new fabric of the world’s life His righteous, loving and holy will. . . .

31. What did the Council’s Executive Committee do for having the above documents presented, and what did it send to President Wilson?

³¹ The executive committee of the Federal Council of the Churches also passed supporting Resolutions. One of these was for the appointing of a “suitable Special Commission representing, so far as practicable the Protestant Churches of America, to present the above documents to the Peace Conference of the Allied and Associated Nations.” Following the adoption of the Declaration and Resolutions, a recommendation was acted upon and a cablegram was sent to President Wilson at Paris by the executive committee, advising him of its action. Later, a letter dated December 18, 1918, was addressed to President Wilson, enclosing a copy of the cablegram, the Declaration and the supporting resolution. It also told of the appointing of the Special Commission to present officially the Declaration to the Peace Conference soon to convene.e

(To be continued)

“Caricatures of What Christ Intended”

Speaking of Christendom’s churches, British clergyman H. R. L. Sheppard, at one time canon of St. Paul’s Cathedral, wrote in If I Were Dictator: “Christianity is not in possession. . . . While religion attracts, the churches frequently repel by their strange and inhuman attention to secondary and irrelevant affairs. . . . It is impossible to suppose that the complicated forms which Christianity has so far assumed are any better than caricatures of what Christ intended.”