he Lord of hosts."--_Quoted in the Literary Digest,
May 6, 1911._

[Illustration: COMRADES AFTER THE BATTLE

Soldiers bringing in two wounded captives.

PHOTO BY CENTRAL PHOTO SERVICE. N.Y.]

What the ancient prophecy foretold--the preparing of war in the last
days, the waking up and arming of the nations--we have seen fulfilling
before our eyes in this generation.

Satanic Agencies at Work

In prophecies of the gathering of the nations for the last great
struggle, Inspiration draws aside the veil, and allows us to see the
agencies that have been stirring up the world for the war. As the
prophet John was shown in vision the scenes of the last days, he saw the
invisible powers of Satan, "the spirits of devils," going forth "unto
the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the
battle of that great day of God Almighty." Rev. 16:14.

Earnest-minded statesmen have lamented their helplessness to combat the
forces and influences pressing the world on toward conflict. In one of
his last speeches as premier of Great Britain, the late Marquis of
Salisbury was defending yet further calls for army and navy
appropriations. He said:

"For years public opinion was in favor of a pacific policy, but
now that state of opinion has passed away. The tide has turned,
and who am I, and who are we, that we should attempt to stem
the tide? If the tide has turned, we shall have to go with it.
We are in the presence of forces far larger than we can wield."

What those forces were, the aged statesman did not recognize, but the
prophecy tells us. The prophet was shown the evil spirits from Satan
going forth everywhere as the end nears, to stir up the whole world to
the last great conflict.

Sir Edward Grey, British foreign secretary, described these agencies
very accurately. Speaking in the House of Commons, Nov. 27, 1911, he
said:

"It is really as if in the atmosphere of the world there were
some mischievous influence at work, which troubles and excites
every part of it."

It is all coming to pass exactly as the sure word of prophecy foretold.

The conviction that great and decisive events are at hand has taken
possession of many hearts in all the world. When the European war broke
out in 1914, on a scale unprecedented in human history, it was no wonder
that the question sprang to many lips, "Is it Armageddon?"

The question was not lightly asked. The committee