The Mark of the Beast

d, in some cases, fearsome dread, at the ever increasing discov

he Great Societies, "is this, that whether we look at the gaps in our own committee, or of any other committee, or of any church-as far as I have bee

office of the "Courier." Allied to this thought there came another-an almost necessary corollary o

rd over the years to that remarkabl

of Christ, has been silently, secretly caught up to her Lord in the air. She was 'the salt of the earth,' she kept it from the open putrefaction that has already, now, begun to work. Then, too, that wondrous, silent, but mighty influence of restraint upon evil.-The Holy Spirit,

deep thought. Suddenly glanc

other papers are sa

ffice phone. The lad came promptly. B

evening papers, Charley, and be smart about it, and

ced at them separately, noting the several times of their issue, then wi

sitatingly, a mo

's yer fink as people's sayin' 'bout the '

things relative to the stupendous event that has just taken place, and I think, for a few days

ot's missin' hev been carted off in aeroplanes by some o' the other religionist

" smile

k anybody kno

om that great Translation know-they have been 'caught up' into the a

e adopted daughter of mine, whom you once asked me w

ks, sir, she wur too boot

boy, with a hurried, "it's all dreadf

d journalist at here and there a column or paragraph, and was on the point of tossing the last n

ernal power had hurled him, head on, against the wall of the room. Whether we believe, or disbelieve the statements concerning the taking away, by some mysterious Translation process, of a number of

the Prophet's chair." He felt his insufficiency, he realized the need of being God's true witness in this ho

itness with death, must face martyrdom, then let me be counted worthy to die for Thee. In the old days, before yesterday's great event, all praye

soul, he presently took his pen and began to write rapidly, his mind

traints were taken away, he went on to show that now that the Devil, who had, for ages, been the Prince of the Power of the air, with all his foul following of demons, had been ca

cent to earth, of the Devil and, with him all the invisible hosts of evil. The wildest, weirdest imagination could not concei

ense of some presence, other than his own, came ove

sitor. The man was the most magnificent specimen of the human race he had ever seen, a

ily leaped to his fee

, but I did not

y there came the recollection of his turning to look into the face of that magnificent looking young man who had been the cynosure of all eyes as he left the chu

had become familiarized by the illustrated papers and magazines, with the

Courier,' you know who I am when you know my name, even though we have never met before. You we

e door, or how, since he had heard no sound.

n of commercial capacity, the croesus for wealth, and master of all courts and diplomacy. But I had not heard that you were in England, the last news pa

to recover his mental balance, for his nerves had been considerably st

le Ralph was speaking. The latter noted it and had an uncomfortable c

d to-day," re

r?" ask

ught me from Babylon to London in about as many minutes as it would hav

yet musical, it was eerie yet merry. Involuntarily Ralph thought of

tor went on. "I have, of course, seen this morning's 'Courier,' and ha

. Apleon?"

"I do not mean with the issue as regards its general conten

stioningly, inclined his

e been translated into the air? That the Holy Spirit of the Christian New Testament, the third Person of the Trinity, whom that same New Testament declares was sent to the earth when the Nazarene Christ went home to His Father-please, note, M

l this, and much more was true, and I should have found my way in penitence and faith to the feet of the Nazarene, of Jesus Christ the World's Redeemer, and, finding pardon for my sin, as I should have done, I should have been made one

, leant forward over this desk-he was sitting where I am-to lay his hand on my wrist, when, with angry imp

to my friend, but his chair was empty, he was gone-gone to the Christ whom he loved, 'cau

le pamphlet-" He laid his hand, as he spoke, upon a small book that had been Tom Hammond's, which bore the title "THE SECOND COMING OF OUR LOR

e actual Bible texts, all that I have written in that article, but also many other truths and texts which hav

ical smile, the handsome Ap

mish Church, The Greek Church, The Anglican Church

turn to smile n

n and women who had been born again by the Spirit of God, and who, numbered among every section of so-called Christians

he vast bulk of the worshippers at the va

ing a lady say that visiting the houses of one of the worst streets in Winchester, and speaking to the people as to their eternal welfare, she found one woman particularly hardened. To this woman she said: 'But, my dear sister, think of what it will be to be eternally lost, to be separated from G

led the full lips of

prepared for the Devil and his angels, and that woman and her neighbours find themselves there, they will realize that hell, for its lost, is th

to note the expression on the handsome face. The eyes, unutterably sad for one instant, turned suddenly to savage ha

more by the tones of

om you have spoken and written? Do

ainly do," r

ile filled all Apleon

e. If he is to be so powerful, and if the devil is to energize him, as you say;-even as you profess to believe that he has called into being-is now actually dwelling on the earth, though invisible, and all his angels (demons, I believe they are called in the Bible) are moving abo

n as the same sort of smile transfigured the faces

d. "The only care I have now is to be t

"Excuse me one moment, Mr. Apleon,

on the 'phone, then replacing the recei

r a sound of his going, any more than I did o

he called. The messenger boy, Charley,

t, Charley?" he asked. "Did he go down s

uldn't pass my little hutch wivout me a seein' on 'em. I ain't been out no wher

come up, Charley, show him

answer, to recover himself from the amaze that

ley!" he added, t

, lingered for the fraction of a second,

d passed in that moment of the boy's hesitancy, though he had purpos

, "I should suppose that the whole inci

filled his face

es it al

is, I believe, a young man of noble stature, exceedingly attractive, wealthy, fascinating, bewitching in fact, since 'all the world will wonder after him'-yes, somewhere in the world, perhap

moment, Ralph asked himself: "I

den startling sense of assurance of

ve seen the

in deep thought, and occasionally referring to a book o

s hands, and held silent communion with God, seek