11-CHAPTER ELEVEN - THE WOMAN

CHAPTER ELEVEN -

THE WOMAN

As I stated, in the seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of Revelation, the turbulent Babylonian river of religion, politics and commerce comes to its vast climax. It is such a climax that when the inspired pen of the aged John recorded it as prophecy, he "wondered with great admiration." (Revelation 17:6)

In those two chapters, as I have stated before, two statements particularly have disturbed my thought: the woman sitting upon the scarlet colored beast, and the mystery. I never have been able to take either or both for granted. What lies behind them? What is the philosophy of them? Why are they always together? Why is the woman the symbol of "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth"? (Revelation 17:18)

Today I shall confine myself to the woman; next week, I shall discuss the mystery.

I am not here today to argue the question, nor to explain it, nor to apologize for it. I am here today to say that woman always has been, is today, always will be the most powerful force on this earth, for good or evil. Her powers are more mysterious than sunlight, her charms more alluring than Arabia’s perfumes, her voice more persuasive than the strains of a great music, her presence more desired than shade and water in the desert.

Go back to that far Eden time. The voice of the CREATOR falls upon the ear of Adam, and he rises with a dignity, a majesty, a splendor, a shining glory and intelligence that Gabriel in flight never knew. Clothed in light, the currents of immortality flow through his veins, and his lungs breathe the pure life of spotless holiness. The infinite CREATOR has breathed into him His own infinite likeness.

But even so, Adam is a lonely man. GOD Himself says so. He is incomplete. And what a phrase, in the circumstances, that is. "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone" (Genesis 2:18) - ALONE in Eden? ALONE although in full fellowship with GOD? ALONE although the lord of all the earth?

"It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18)

And she came forth, not from his head - as the old fellows used to say - not from his feet; she came forth from his side. She emerged bone of his bone, flesh of his flesh, blood of his blood, love of his love.

I digress for a moment. Let men ridicule as they will, I don’t hesitate to affirm that the personality of Satan is as basic to the Christian system of truth as the personality of the SON of GOD. I don’t hesitate to affirm that Satan, while not omnipotent, nor omnipresent, nor omniscient, is the most powerful being in the universe of GOD with the exception of the Triune GOD.

Consider the question in the light of CHRIST. In the wilderness our LORD’s temptation was subjective or objective; if subjective, He had sin within Himself, and He is not a SAVIOUR. Apart from the personality of Satan, the entrance of sin into the world makes no sense. The materialists are right. In the materialistic system there is no place for sin (or morals) to enter. Without sin, there never was any reason for the Incarnation, nor for Calvary, nor for the Open Tomb to vindicate the Incarnation and Calvary.

If the third chapter of Genesis is fable, then the logic is on the side of the materialists and the Modernists when they reject the Incarnation, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection; there never was any premise of them. I don’t claim to be a scholar. I never have. But I have enough sense to know that the Incarnation, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection are the three most tremendous facts of history. And I have enough sense to know that behind them there must be, on the bad side, an equally tremendous fact of all the literature I have read, I have never found that fact except in the third chapter of Genesis.

So far as I have the capacity to evaluate and appraise, I say that the third chapter of Genesis is the premise of the whole Christian system of truth. If that chapter falls, the whole system falls with it.

And to reject the personality of Satan, is to make fable of the third chapter of Genesis. To reject the personality of Satan is, logically, to reject the deity of CHRIST. And this is exactly what such men will, ultimately, do. This is what the materialists and Modernists have done. And the logic, as I have already said, is on their side.

And now back to woman. If Satan when "going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job 1:7) took note of Job, you can be sure that he took note of the creation of Adam. And if you know anything about the penetrating, analytical, philosophical mind of that wonderful person, you can be equally sure that these words "it is not good that the man should be alone," (Genesis 2:18) reverberated in clear accents to the remotest depths of Satan’s being. "Ah, alone."

What a word is that - alone!

And Satan was looking on when woman emerged. Lucifer had the capacities to understand and appreciate what had happened when Eve in all her mysterious glory and appeal stood beside Adam. He himself was the "son of the morning." (Isaiah 14:12) He was in Eden before Adam came forth, and he had "walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire." (Ezekiel 28:14) He would, long ages afterward, create a Tyre and make Jerusalem yield to it as "the gates of the people." (Ezekiel 26:2)

I don’t for a moment doubt that Satan pondered with a great wonder all he saw on those sublime days. And I don’t for a moment doubt that his philosophical mind analyzed and appraised and evaluated it all as the first step in wrecking it all.

Not good to be alone. The woman.

He wasn’t long in coming to the conclusion that if he could get the woman, he would get the man. He knew that the man would follow the woman. He knew that the man would rather be on the outside of Eden with the woman than be on the inside without her. He knew that the man would rather dwell among the thorns with her than dwell in Paradise without her.

Satan was right. Man did follow the woman. He always has followed her. He follows her today. He will follow her to the end of the trail; and there at her bier he will grieve himself into eternal sleep.

Neither theologians, philosophers or scientists are able to explain the power woman has over man. It is one of the sublime mysteries of life. You take from the great music all the notes inspired by woman, and you will have nothing left but the tinkling cymbal and sounding brass of technique. All the soul and spirit will be gone. Take from literature all the Sarah’s, and Rebeccas, and Esthers, and Ruths, and Hannahs, and Marys, and Cordelias, and Guineveres, and Anna Belle Lees, and Helens.

You would take away all its sweetness.

Man himself cannot explain to you why it is that he loves one woman above all other woman; why that one woman is the light and soul and music of his life. She may be young, she may be old and thin, she may be in health, she may be an invalid, she may have money, she may not have enough money to buy her a wedding dress, she may be "suited" for him, she may not be "suited" for him, with her he may have to toil and labor, without her he might live in ease -

No matter; in some wonderful mysterious way her spirit and face and voice have made him her prisoner, and he never wishes to be free. He may be a philosopher, and she may be simple; no matter, she to him is dearer than all philosophy.

What is so strange in this world is that a man, otherwise resourceful, proud and independent, will become as a dependent child before a woman he deeply loves. The sun may shine ever so brightly and the birds may sing ever so beautifully; but if she withholds from him her smile and her voice, the world to him is a dark and dreary place. And if she will smile, if she will speak, all is well - thunder and hail storm and cold are but a fitting background and frame for her bright face. When is a man ever so dependent, ever so humble, ever so sincere, ever so yielding, ever so persistent as when he is trying to regain from her the smile and favor he has lost? He would crawl across a frozen mountain to regain it.

No need to tell him that the world is full of women thousands of them more beautiful, more gifted, richer than she. Not to him. In all the world there isn’t but one - and she’s the one.

Let theologians and philosophers and scientists explain that. I wish I had a record of the great and successful efforts in oratory, whether sacred or secular, women have inspired. In many cases the woman did not know she was doing it. Behind the most powerful and convincing discourses there has been a smile on a woman’s face. That smile did more than all the elocutionists ever did or ever could do. That smile did what no teacher ever did or ever could do.

Let theologians and philosophers and scientists explain that. And let them explain this:

At breakfast a man has a fuss with his wife. In the circumstances it is trivial. But his whole day is ruined. He goes down the street hoping that an automobile will hit him and send him to he hospital. He knows that she will be telephoned and that she will hurry there. He will hear her voice and feel the press of her hand. That will heal the pain.

But being unable to get hit by an automobile without being guilty of a criminal act of willful negligence, he spends a large part of the day trying to figure out a way to get back in good graces with his wife without going back and confessing to her that he lost his temper. Loving her though he does, that’s hard on him. At last he has it. He telephones the Johnsons and tells them that he will pick them up at six for dinner at the hotel. He then calls his wife. He is in a great hurry. He just phoned to tell her that the Johnsons are going with them to dinner, and that he will be by after her at 6:15. He then hangs up the telephone in a hurry and leaves the office, so that he won’t be there when she calls back for further explanation and details.

At 6:15 he is at the house with the Johnsons. She is all dressed, and smiling. It will cost him $10, in addition to the day’s misery. But it is money well spent.

And so at ten o’clock they are back at home. The fuss has been forgotten. She is smiling. All is well again. He guesses that next time he will be more careful at breakfast - since anything can happen before ten o’clock in the morning, or after three o’clock in the afternoon.

Yes, let the wise men explain all of that.

The Bible certainly does exalt woman as no book on earth ever exalted her. It exalts her when it says that Adam himself was alone without her. It exalts her in the remarkable details it reveals of Sarah, Rebecca, and all the others I have already mentioned. The Bible places Rahab in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, while Solomon is kept out. The Bible says that a man should love his wife as CHRIST loved the church and gave Himself for it.

Turn to that glorious chapter of Revelation, the twenty-first. There, descending from the purified heavens is a city, the composite of all the glories of all the temples, including Solomon’s and Ezekiel’s - multiplied a thousandfold. And when the inspired pen would convey to you something of that city’s jeweled light and glory, what does it tell you? It says to you that that city is "as a bride adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21:2)

They shouldn’t forget that when they are talking and writing of the curse that woman has brought upon the earth. They should remember that John did not say that the New Jerusalem descending from Heaven was as Adam in all his Edenic glory; he said that it was like a bride.

And on the bad side, behind the world’s sin and crime you find woman. Sin entered the world through her.

Idolatry (as I shall show next week) began with her. Nebuchadnezzar went to Ishtar’s temple and worshipped her. Philosophers, scientists, statesmen, and soldiers have worshiped, and do worship, some woman. Four hundred million Roman Catholics practically worship the "Queen of Heaven," - which is not Mary, but Semiramis, the wife of Nimrod.

The woman of Hollywood have done more to mould American life than all the other women of America. They have made divorce fashionable and adultery respectable. Woman is the heart and soul and spirit of the colossal advertising business. Whether you advertise a quart of whiskey, a glass of beer, an aspirin tablet or a cake of soap, you always do it against the background of a woman with alluring charms. Woman is the heart of the world’s commerce. Men want to make money to spend on woman.

Take from world commerce the inspiration of woman, and you would have little left. Woman is in the background of nearly all the cults. Woman has established the greatest of them; in cults such as "Father Divine," woman furnishes the incentive. Where would the Mormons be without women?

Woman is the heart of the world, good and bad, She is the heart of music, of drama, of literature, of religion, of politics: of commerce. She always has been. When Samson measured his strength against woman’s smile, Samson’s strength yielded. That was symbolic. The woman’s smile, not Samson’s strength, was decisive. It would seem that it is not too much to say that the world is at the mercy of a woman’s face and smile. The voice of a woman, not the hydrogen bomb, will be decisive.

And now, to come back to Satan. If Satan was shrewd enough to wreck Eden and the world through woman, isn’t it the most reasonable and logical thing to assume that when this same Satan wishes to pervert the true religion with a counterfeit religion; when he wishes to substitute true worship with idolatrous worship, that he would do it through woman? Knowing, as he surely did and does know, that the whole world would expect the "seed of the woman" to ultimately bruise the serpent’s head, isn’t it reasonable to suppose that Satan would raise up his own woman and his own seed?

If Satan began with woman, isn’t it reasonable to suppose that he would continue through woman?

If Satan can use Cleopatra to lure men like Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony to the Nile, isn’t it reasonable to suppose that he would use woman to turn men from GOD? Knowing that Mother is the dearest word ever to fall upon the ears of the lonely sons and daughters of men, isn’t it the most logical and natural thing that Satan would make them believe that a "Queen Mother" was in the heavens above them all, remembering them with all the understanding, sympathetic love of their childhood days?

In view of all this, why should it ever sound strange when one points out that the evidence points to Nimrod’s wife as the mother of the world’s idolatry, and that she is the grand original of the harlot of Revelation 17? Why should it sound strange that the evidence points to Nimrod and his wife as the original mother and child of the Madonna?

More of this later when I discuss the mystery.

~ end of chapter 11

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