THE PRODIGAL SON

"For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."—See Luke 15:11-32.

It is the same with this parable as with all other parables—they all represent history written, beforehand concerning coming realities, which realities throw as it were their shadows behind them. The parables which illustrate the fufillment of prophecy in type and antitype also bring to light the fatherly love of God toward all who seek him.

This parable is a singularly worded figure of the household of God divided into two houses, from which historic incident come the names, "the house of Judah," representing the elder son and comprising two tribes, and "the house of Israel," representing "the younger son" and including the ten tribes. Here the possessions of the Father consisted of the kingdom, the power, and the glory, which were divided between the two sons when the ten tribes under the leadership of the Ephraimite, Jeroboam, seceded from the throne of David in the time of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. The two tibes, Judah and Benjamin, were connected with this throne until they had crucified the heir apparent, Christ. And when Jerusalem was destroyed by the power of Rome, they were de­prived of that which remained of their governmental power; there­fore the Jews of our time can be recognized as that peculiar nation.

Ephraim was the youngest son of Joseph. Jacob adopted both Ephraim and his elder brother, and counted them among his twelve sons. (See Gen. 48:5 14-20.) But when he pronounced his prophetic paternal blessing over them, he laid his hands on them crosswise, giving the birthright to the younger, and determining thereby their future inseparable relations to one another. When the prophecy begins to assume form in the movement of restoration awaiting all of the twelve tribes, the tribes of Ephraim and Manas­seh must be so related to each other as two nations that their posi­tion will bring to mind the youths under the crossed kingly hands of the prophet when he uttered his prophecy concerning them. These two nations must be united under one ruler, with the elder, though smaller, of the two nursing an unsatisfied desire for libera­tion from the uncomfortable union so humiliating to its elevated feelings—this was to be an act of identification to be remembered and to pay special heed to at the time of their liberation and their union with the God-anointed King over the whole house of Jacob.

Norway and Sweden occupied just such a position in the year 1905—then the prophetic connection had been already established between them—which position made Manasseh feel that the uncom­fortable civil head of the Swedish government was superfluous. Since then Norway has been a self-ruling nation; but the Nor­wegians and the Swedes are becoming more and more united as brethren under the food question and under the banner of freedom represented by the international labor movement, which has ef­fected a stronger fraternization of the laboring classes of all coun­tries since that year. And the hard pressed, but spirited, Eph­raim is now seen at the front, driven there in lockouts and strikes by the Egyptian overseers, so that the whole world has been com­pelled to observe him.

Both of these nations represent Joseph; but since the tribe of Ephraim was the leader of the house of Israel when they seceded from the throne of David, Ephraim will become the leader when all the children of Jacob return to the house of their Father. We can therefore say that he is the youngest son of Jacob. With Jero­boam as king, Ephraim was the leading factor in causing the ten tribes to establish their own government, with which they incor­porated their idolatrous worship of golden calves as gods. This is how the idolatry of the heathens was established among the chil­dren of Israel.

This division in the family of Jacob became still greater when Shalmaneser brought them into captivity in Assyria in the year 724 B. C. Since that time they have become so thoroughly mixed with the heathens, whose idolatry they have imitated, that they have completely lost their identity, and are called by both God and men "the lost tribes." The following prophecy then became fulfilled over these ten tribes. God spoke through Azariah to the king of Judah and Benjamin when the apostatized house of Israel went forth to battle against the house of Judah, saying, "Now for a long season Israel hath been ("shall abide," Heb. 3:4) without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the countries. And nation was destroyed of nation, and city of city: for God did vex them with all adversity." (2 Chron. 15:3-6.) This cannot be applied to the, house of Judah, because in its scattered state it has had its priests, its law, and its Jehovah. But the house of Israel is completely lost among the heathens, and this because they made for themselves images and likenesses, and obeyed not the Word of their God.

During their long captivity of 2,625 years they have been com­pelled "to feed swine"—the most degrading work an Israelite could think of—serving the idolators in every conceivable manner, build­ing their houses, cultivating their fields, making their idols, and entertaining these oppressors, besides many other things.

When Christ appeared among the Jews, the latter were still in possession of the Father's property and boasted that "they had never turned aside from the commandments of God." The Sama­ritans, a remnant of the ten tribes amalgamated with the heathens and inhabiting their former capital city, Samaria, were just as abominable in the eyes of the Jews as the Can aanites, and were likened unto "dogs."

Now the so-called "faithful" children of Mammon have as­sumed the position of the elder, and the "unsaved" that of the younger. The elder son has kept everything by violence, and he is fully described in the 16th chapter of Luke under the figure of "the rich man," at whose gate "the poor Lazarus" lies. The Father says, "All that I have is thine," but he leaves the house of the Father in a fit of anger at the return of the younger son, who has then learned through suffering the value of his Father's kind­ness.

The parable of the prodigal son was not fulfilled at the time of Christ's first coming except as an incomplete, foreshadow, be­cause no restoration of the lost ten tribes was then . effected—the disciples were all Jews—neither did the scene end with a nuptial feast as signified by the "ring," by "the best robe," and by making "merry." These last specifications remind us of the second com­ing of Christ and the events connected therewith. We must there­fore endeavor to ascertain where these two sons are to be found to-day and who they are. That the Jews do not at present have the privileged position of the elder son, need hardly be said. And that a so-called "spiritual Judah and Israel" has gradually come into power since the Jews lost their position is a fact that should be known to all. The latter speak the same self-righteous lan­guage as the Pharisees spoke. They boast of their being "the children of God," of their spiritual and temporal riches. Yea, they even boast of their sins. They are in control of politics and reli­gion, land and sea, heavens and hell, spiritual and temporal things. From the pope down to the most insignificant Salvation Army sol­dier, the same feeling prevails toward the class which neither can nor will buy the forgiveness of sins at the altars of these grandilo­quent saviors. From the king down to the most inferior sheriff and constable, the honest, but poor and unsaved, workingman is looked down upon with the same contemptible, overbearing feeling that once controlled the elder son representing the two tribes of the children of Jacob.—See Isa. 49 :3-8.

The natural was superseded by the spiritual at the throne of Christ. Now it is no longer an advantage to be a Jew, but a Christ­ian. The whole of this bloodstained, whiskey-soaked, tobacco-spiced civilization, ruined by idolatry and greed, calls itself "Christ­ian"; and every illegitimate child is called a Christian because it happens to be born in a so-called Christian country, and because the imposed ceremonies of Catholic priests are forced upon it at its birth. The name of Christ serves these in the same manner as the name of Mpses served the elder son 1,900 years ago. Christ's verdict concerning those of his time fits excellently upon the present elder son. He said, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham . . . If God were your Father, ye would love me [the representative of truth and righteousness]."—John 8.

Before the ecclesiastical and civil powers there crawls a humili­ated people devoid of rights, who of the mighty elder son are called "the mob," "the plebs," "the accursed people," and so forth, and who have not the slightest voice or right of decision in politics and religion.. History testifies of these people from time immemorial. They have been bought and sold on the market places of the Christians. Now they sell themselves for bread. Yes, they have often been sold to the lowest bidder—sold as slaughter­house cattle under the lash of the war-lords. Without the slightest trace of Christianity, the pastors, barons, lords, and kings of the world have in a manner suitable to themselves disposed of the lives and possessions of these poor people, and the lives and pos­sessions of their sons and daughters. Who are these, who have thus been mistreated for centuries by their very own spiritual brethren? No one calls them "the people of God."

In all Christian nations there arises a cry of despair from this class. They are gradually becoming conscious of the fact that they are "lost." They desire permission to become human beings, and cry, "Give us the right to, vote !" "We want freedom of thought, speech, press, and assembly !" "Away with intoxicating liquors !" "No more wars !" and so forth.

Driven by the pangs of despair, the prodigal son seeks con­solation from harlots—those described in Rev. 17:1-5, representing the ecclesiastical and social power connected with brick and stone institutions, also all other impoverishing corporations—who draw unto themselves the means of this miserable people. And when his last cent has disappeared into the jaws of this voracious abyss, he finds a heartless harlot instead of a tender, helping, spiritual mother. "The house of prayer" is no place for the economically ruined. Those who belong there smile at his tears, mock at his protests, kill his propositions, and sneer at his cries of distress. They threaten him with cannon and the sword if he refuses to serve "the swine," and with everlasting hell if he fails to think as the pastor desires.

If he talk of holy things, "the dogs" bark at him, and if his words concern righteousness, "the swine trample the pearls under­neath their feet, turn again and rend" him. Christ refers here to two-footed swine, whose viciousness is so confusingly similar to the nature of their namesakes that only by the footprints is it possible to distinguish between them.—See Isa. 56 :8-11; Mat. 7 :6.

1. The younger son journeys away with a feeling of haughti­ness. "A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his Father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living."

About 975 B. C. the kingdom and tribes of Jacob were divided, the ten tribes adhering to Jeroboam the Ephraimite, so that only Judah and Benjamin remained in God's covenant, which belonged to the throne of David, upon which throne Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, reigned. The reason for the division of his kingdom is as follows: The people demanded an alleviation of their burdens, but the king "answered them after the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add thereto: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. And Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day." (2 Chron. 10:14, 19.) For a period of about 251 years they were ruled by their own kings, who led them into the abomina­tions of the heathens until God through Shalmaneser brought them into captivity in Assyria about 724 B. C. Here the parable picks up the thread again:

"And not many days after the younger eon gathered all together, and took his jcurney into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger!"—Luke 15:13-17.