"He wist not." Ex. 34 :29 ; Judges 16 :20.

Moses had been with God on the Mount forty days, and when he came down his face shone in such a fashion that it made the people afraid to come near him. It reflected the light in which he had been. So it always is. God is light, and God is love. Communion with Him makes us like the One with whom we commune. And what is exceedingly beautiful is this:"Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone." Intercourse with God and occupation with the holy and blessed things which He communicates to men, takes us out of ourselves. It leaves us unconscious of self. The more we realize and enjoy the glories into which the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has introduced us, the less we will think of self or of any attainments we may have reached.

But we read of another who "wist not." It was Samson when asleep upon Delilah's knees. "He wist not that the Lord was departed from him." Born a Nazarite, he is a figure of the true Christian. In his affections for that attractive but deceitful woman he pictures the Christian who is attracted by this world and plays fast and loose with it. He imbibes some of its principles, enjoys some of its pleasures, keeps some of its company, forgets that his strength as a Christian is in heartfelt separation to Christ, and almost unconsciously he finds himself asleep in the world's lap. He awakes only to wonder that his strength for prayer, for service, for worship, for enjoyment of the word of God, of His grace and love, for the interests of Christ and of His people is gone from Him. " He wist it not;" but now some special occasion has come, and it has manifested it. Blessed be the God of all grace who is able to restore us out of such a state.

"Many Antichrists."

In i John 2:18 we read, "Little children, it is the last time:and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time." The true Christ is Jesus, the Son of God, also by incarnation, the Son of David, heir to David's throne, and therefore King of the Jews-the One promised throughout the Old Testament as the only Hope of Israel, as also of the Gentile nations. All rulers have failed to govern the earth according to God, so He has appointed Jesus as Christ, or Messiah, to do it, with Israel as His special, head nation.

When He came and offered Himself to Israel, they would not have Him; they crucified Him. But God raised Him from the dead and took Him back into heaven, since which time He has been saving sinners in all parts of the earth, and making of them "one Body"-"the Church"-which is to reign with Him when He returns to reign, but must share His rejection while He is rejected.

The devil is a revolted creature in heaven whose ambition is to have supreme authority. Christ has that, and Christ is therefore before his jealous, envious eye continually. Having caused man to revolt on earth as he did in heaven, he uses man against Christ, and when the time has come for Christ to return and take the rule over the earth the devil will have produced a man who will claim to be the Christ. He will be "the Antichrist." He is described in a Thess. 2:3, 4.

Meanwhile everything which, sheltering itself under the name of Christ, is really in opposition to Christ, is called by Scripture an antichrist. It testifies that in Christendom "there are many antichrists." For instance, "Christian Science," Mormonism, Unitarianism, Seventh-Day Adventism, Spiritualism, "Millennial Dawn "ism, every one of which is a destroyer of Christianity while decking itself with its mantle. Openly or with subtlety they all set aside the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and if Jesus is not as truly God as He is man, we have no true Christianity left.

Of these antichrists the most subtle is perhaps the last mentioned. Others may be too gross and vulgar or silly to attract a true Christian, but " Millennial Dawn " puts on a pious face at the start, only to lead more easily and, if possible, more fatally into the ditch. We earnestly warn against it all who value their souls. If any have been ensnared by it, and desire to know why we speak so strongly about it, let them address us personally and we will send them what will show abounding reasons from Scripture for it.

Christendom is rapidly becoming apostate, as prophesied in Scripture. The once " Orthodox Denominations" are fast becoming leavened by these "many antichrists," and God's beloved people need to be wide awake lest they become confused in mind and spoiled in heart. To the night-watcher the hours toward morning are the most trying, but the coming of our Lord is near and our long watch will be over forever.