PROPHECY BEING FULFILLED

Evening Star, Issue 23677, 10 September 1940, Page 10

PROPHECY BEING FULFILLED

GERMANY AS THE BEAST LECTURE BY MR M. TOLLAND In the course of an address on ‘ The Present World Conflict in the Light of Prophecy ’ last night. Mr H. Tolland, dean of the New Zealand Bible Training Institute, said that the present struggle was largely a conflict between two opposing ideals ■ of world government, the democratic and the totalitarian. The State was made for man, not man for the State. Totalitarianism reversed this and made man the slave of the State, deprived him of. his individuality, and stood between his conscience and his God. In particular, totalitarianism was a most evident fulfilment of the prophecies found in Revelation xxii. and xxiii. There indeed was the anti-Christ. Scripture was explicit as to the dragon, which was Satan. The characteristic marks_ so clearly and concisely given - in Scripture were

nowhere more evident than in Hitler and tho German State which he controls, Mr Yolland said. Tho characteristics of the dragon were identical with those of the beast—namely, antagonism to good, falsity, cruelty, and subtlety. It was further stated in Revelation xiii. that tho beast was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. Here were clearly figured swiftness of action, the crushing power of the blow, ana devouring rapacity. Every figure used had had its fulfilment in Hitler’s campaign against civilisation. The war would not end through man’s efforts in universal goodness and justice, nor would Christianity be eclipsed entirely. The Scriptures contained the apparently contradictory statement that the beast prevailed, yet was overcome. That showed that Christianity was to be faced yet more and more with a hostile world dominated by antiChristian things, but that the truth for which Christianity witnessed would bo maintained in spite of those conditions. . Would England and the Empire go clown before this dread assault? the lecturer asked. Ho did not think so. Tho citadel of liberty and justice was manned by loaders who wore increasingly realising not only their dependence upon God, but also the righteousness of their sacred cause.