Earlier text: APPEAL TO PILATEFAITH AND WORKS.
By W. M. Healey
TEXT: But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Heb. 11:6.
"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead." James 2:20. From the above we learn that if we would please God, we must believe in him not only as an existing being, but as one who cares for his people, and rewards them that diligently seek him. Thus Paul says, "Who will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life." Rom. 2:6-7. Faith and works are everywhere through the Bible mentioned as the means by which we can please God. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect." James 2:21, 22. In Matt. 25:31-46, Christ tells us that when he comes, and sits on the throne of his glory, and separates the people, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats, and sets the sheep on his right hand, then he will say to them on his right hand, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat." The Lord continues to mention quite a list of good works which they had done, not to him directly but to those that were his. "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me." But to those on the left hand he says, "Depart from me, ye cursed," Why depart, is it because they do not believe he is the Lord? He tells them, it is because, they have not done good works. They call him Lord, and seem to expect to be rewarded by him, but they have not sought to obtain that reward by well doing. They have believed in him as one that would reward them, because they acknowledge him as the shepherd. No doubt in their lifetime they had said, "If I only believe in Christ, that is all God requires of me," and perhaps many of them had taken great delight in singing, "Nothing remains for me to do. Nothing either great or small." And when Jesus comes nothing is brought for them but the curse of an offended God. They have been blinded all their lives, and lost at last. Oh what a terrible condition is theirs! worse than if they had never expected anything, for to their other sufferings is added such a bitter disappointment. Dear reader, stop; examine your faith. Is it of the right kind? There can be but one true faith, but there are many systems of belief. Paul in defining faith says: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb. 11:1. Thus we understand faith is a trust in God's word and promises. Noah had faith and built an ark. He had never seen a flood, but God said there would be one and he believed it. All the world believed it when it was upon the earth, and they were vainly trying to gain some point of safety, but their's was not faith, it was only the recognition of an existing fact. In the second chapter of Daniel, we find recorded a vision in which a great image is seen. The prophet says the golden head symbolized the then existing kingdom of Babylon; the breast and arms of silver, another kingdom; and the sides of brass, the third kingdom that should bear rule over all the earth; and the legs of iron, the fourth kingdom; and this kingdom was to be divided into ten parts, as the image was divided at the feet into ten toes, and he says it shall remain thus divided, till the God of heaven sets up his kingdom. In the time when this vision was given, it would have required faith to believe that the powerful kingdom of Babylon could ever be overthrown. But after a few years the Medes and Persians succeed in its conquest, and they in turn were conquered by Alexander, of Grecian fame. And finally the fourth kingdom, Rome, rules the world, and in the year A. D. 483, it was divided into ten parts, and that division remains in the old world to day. Now it does not require any saving faith to believe this, it only requires a knowledge of the history of the past. When Media and Persia ruled the world, no faith was needed in God's word to believe that Babylon had passed away, that was something seen, but it would have required faith to believe in the coming of the kingdom of Greece to rule the world, and so on to the present time. We know that all this has taken place except the setting up of God's kingdom. Are we required to believe that God has done as he said he would in the past, and not believe he will do in the future that which he has declared? No, it is the true faith that believes in the things not seen. We are required to trust God's word and believe he will set up his kingdom as the next universal one. This is the present truth for our time, a faith in what God will do, and is doing, is the kind he requires of his people. "Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them and be established in the present truth." 2 Pet. 1:12. There are some truths which apply at one time, and do not apply at another, and these truths may be so important that a man's salvation will depend upon receiving them. Other truths may apply at any and all time. There is a living God, man is a sinner and can only be saved through faith, repentance, etc. The above is always true. But not so of all truths. For instance: God gave Noah a special message to the antediluvians. They were warned that a flood was coming, which was true. But suppose that, for one hundred years after the flood, Noah had kept on preaching the same message to the world, it would not have been true, and no one would have been required to believe it, but at the time when it was true it was so important that those who did not accept it were lost. There are many examples of this kind; just before the first advent of Christ, John the Baptist was raised up to herald the glad tidings to men; that was "the present truth" for that time, but if Noah had taught that Christ was coming in his generation, instead of the flood, it would have been false. Similar examples are seen in the works of Moses, Abraham, Lot, Jonah, and many others. God has always had a present truth for his people which applied to a particular time, and with such truth he has connected special duties. Suppose in Noah's time men had said, "Well, I guess Noah is about right, the world is so wicked that I feel sure God cannot suffer it to continue this way much longer, I am sure Noah has the truth." But if, notwithstanding they feel satisfied the end is near, they make no special preparation for the coming flood, would they not be lost? Certainly they would all have been drowned. What saved Nineveh from the destruction that Jonah proclaimed was at hand? It was not their saying that they thought very likely what he said was so, and then go on doing just as they had done in the past. Oh no; they believed the message and saw that it brought a special work for them, which they made haste to perform, and from the king down to the beast of the field, they put on sackcloth. And the king proclaimed a fast for both man and beast, that they should not eat or drink, but cry mightily unto God. And this was not all; they were required to turn from their evil way. Jonah 3:5-8. And this was what pleased God. "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way, and God repented of the evil, that he said he would do unto them; and he did it not." Verse 10. Most men who live in Bible lands, and claim any faith in God and his word, believe in these special warnings and present truths which God has given in the past, and they seem to think this is sufficient to save them. But it can be easily shown that to simply believe what God has done is not enough. In Noah's time men were lost for not accepting his work and warning. In Moses time they believed Noah's work was of God, but they were lost for not believing in the work which God was doing in their own time, by his servant Moses. See Numbers 16, and read how Korah, Dathan and Abiram, and two hundred and fifty persons, with many of the people, rebelled against God's work at that time and were destroyed. If they had been asked about the flood, and if they believed that God taught Noah to prepare for it, they would likely have answered, "Yes, and the people were very foolish at that time or they would have believed and been saved." Thus they had faith in God's work in the past, but none at all for it in their own time. The same is true of the times of Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and nearly all of the prophets. In Christ's time, they had all come to believe in the work of God performed in Moses' time, also Elijah's work and teaching was accepted as of God, and in fact nearly all of God's teachers of the past were now acknowledged as coming from him. And as they called to mind how these faithful men had labored and suffered for the good of others, and then were rejected and often killed by the very ones they were trying to help, they felt sad because their fathers had been so blind and wicked, and they would gather the bones of these prophets and place them in a tomb, which they had taken great pains to ornament and make beautiful. Read what Christ said of them, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets." Matt. 23:29, 30. Possibly they thought just as they talked, but what do they do? They turn from weeping over the sins of their fathers in rejecting the "present truth" that had been sent to them by God's holy prophets. And now will they take warning, and be careful to accept what God may send them? One would think so, but no, they despise and slay the Son of God himself. Dear reader, God has always had a test of faith for his people in some special truth, and this truth has always brought its particular duties. What is that truth for our time? It is the proclamation that Christ is coming, and this test of faith is not in merely saying that we think the time is near, as the signs which were to precede it have appeared; but it, like God's testing messages of the past, requires a preparation and repentance on the part of those to whom it is given. It is not enough for us to say, "Yes, the world is in just the condition Christ said it would be in. 'As it was in the days of Noah, so shall the days of the Son of man be.'" We may know that the evidences of the end are thickening around us, that the events foretold by our Lord and recorded in Matt. 24, have been fulfilled. Jerusalem was destroyed A. D. 70, and after its destruction came the fearful time of tribulation such as never should come again, the persecution by Rome, known as the martyr age, during which time, reaching down into the eighteenth century, over fifty million persons were put to death, a greater number than the entire population of the United States. This persecution had principally ended in 1755, but entirely so in A. D., 1779. Immediately after the tribulation, the sun was to be darkened, the moon refuse to give her light, and the stars fall from heaven, and then Jesus says the end is even at the doors, so near that the generation that should live to see these signs fulfilled should not pass away till all these things be fulfilled, that is his coming and the end of the world, as these were the things they were talking about. The tribulation having ended 1779, the sun was supernaturally darkened May 19, A. D. 1780, and the night following the moon refused to give her light, and all the authorities admit that the true cause of this darkening is not known. See Webster's Dictionary, edition of 1869, in vocabulary of noted names, headed Dark Day. November 13, 1833, occurred the last sign to mark the generation, the falling of the stars. Ask those who saw them. We may be aware that all these things have taken place, and consequently know that we are in the generation which will witness the second advent of our Lord, and so far acknowledge the truth, but that is not all we should do. Peter in speaking of the second coming of Christ, 2 Pet. 3:1-14, tells us that the brethren at that time are to be found without spot and blameless. When Christ comes it is as king, he is no longer priest and therefore there is no longer forgiveness for sin. The decree has gone forth, He that is filthy let him be filthy still. The church then must be living up to all the moral requirements of God. And these are summed up in his moral law of ten commandments. Is his church to whom he is to come keeping all of these? If they have not all been kept by her in the past, they must be presented in this last testing present truth, that they may be without spot when he comes. And so it is. One of those moral commandments, the fourth, which commands us to keep holy the Sabbath day and tells us the seventh day is that Sabbath, has been trampled under foot; and now with the closing scenes of probation, God presents the duty of its observance to his people. Dear reader, consider this matter. Are you believing in God's present truth and the duties it brings. Let us repent, and accept God's work in our time, and be saved when Jesus comes.
W. M. HEALEY. Battle Creek.
By James White
WE give the following from the Detroit Tribune and Post, as a candid statement of what the Seventh-day Adventists are doing at Battle Creek, Michigan, Oakland, California, in Europe and in most of the United States. The readers of the SIGNS will be interested to know the facts relative to what our people are doing:— "THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS.
"A most potent factor in the development of Battle Creek's prosperity was the location there of a large number of 'Seventh-day Adventists,' which has grown until that city is now the world's headquarters of the sect. "They date their origin from the great Advent movement of 1840-44; the disappointment of many when the world's business was not wound up at the time appointed lead them to look into the matter more closely, and to the conclusion that no prophetic period of the Bible is given to reach to Christ's second advent. These disappointed and thoughtful ones founded the sect of Seventh-day Adventists. For the rest we submit herewith a sketch of their work in Battle Creek, prepared mainly by Mr. Ed. W. Freeman, of that city, to whom we are also indebted for aid in compiling material for other parts of this article. "The authorized head of the denomination is Elder James White. He established the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald at Paris, Me., in 1849, and after several removals set it up in Battle Creek in November, 1855. That city thus became the center of the Advent movement greatly to its advantage morally and materially. The wants of the cause demanding an enlargement of operations and the employment of more capital in the publishing business, an act of the Legislature of Michigan, for the incorporation of associations for publishing purposes, was secured and approved in March, 1861. Under that act a legally incorporated association, under the name of 'The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association,' was organized in this city in the same year. They immediately erected a two-story brick building in the form of a Greek cross. In 1871 a second building of the same size and form was erected to meet the necessities of the increasing business. In 1873 a third building of the same kind was built for the same reason. These all stand side by side, opposite the city park, on the corner of Main and Washington streets. Another building, to be used for publication purposes, is now under contemplation, and will no doubt be erected this year. In the last named building is located the bindery, furnished with improved modern machinery for the manufacture of blank books and all branches and varieties of book-binding. "The different periodicals issued by the association have an aggregate monthly circulation of 40,000, and are as follows: The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, weekly; Youth's Instructor, monthly; Health Reformer, monthly; Advent Tidende, Danish monthly; Advent Harold, Swedish monthly; College Record, quarterly. "Books on the Prophecies and other Biblical subjects have been largely issued from the beginning and have reached an aggregate of 200,000,000. One hundred hands are regularly employed in the work, and the capital invested is $130,000. It is by all odds the most complete and largest publishing house in Michigan. A large amount of all kinds of job work is turned out which will compare favorably with any printing that is done in the country. Seven large power presses have been brought into requisition to do their printing. Electrotyping and Stereotyping have lately been added, and in fact there is no kind of work that is done in a publishing house but what can be done by this association. "The organization of this sect is plain and simple. A body of believers associate together, taking the name of Seventh-day Adventists, and attaching their names to a covenant simply to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ. The Bible is their only creed, they have a creed nevertheless, as all churches do. Their distinctive principles are: That the seventh day (Saturday) is the Sabbath, to be kept holy; that at death we pass into a state of silence, inactivity and entire unconsciousness, from which we are called, at last, by the trumpet of the archangel; the righteous rise first and reign with Christ a thousand years, when the wicked are called to life again and annihilated, becoming as if they had never been. They also believe that the second coming of Christ is to precede the millennium and that His second advent is near at hand, although they do not pretend to fix the date of His coming. "The number of members of this branch of God's church is estimated at about 30,000, with 500 churches and over 100 ordained ministers. None of the churches have pastors stationed with them. They maintain their worship without the aid of a preacher, only as one may occasionally visit them, leaving the ministers free to devote almost their whole time to carrying these views to those who have never heard them. During the summer months they carry forward their work by means of large tents. "Seventh-day Adventists can now be found in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Kansas, California and Oregon. This sect thoroughly believes in health reform, as a person's moral and spiritual nature is largely affected by his physical condition. Their system, as at present advocated, banishes the use of tobacco in any and all its forms, none addicted to its use being received into the churches, except upon the promise and expectation of its immediate abandonment. The result is that, as a denomination, the sight and scent of tobacco are not found among them. They also exclude from their diet pork, tea and coffee. Rich and highly-seasoned food is discarded. Grease and spice take a back seat in the culinary department. Meat of any kind is but rarely used. Two meals a day are considered preferable by most of them, those meals to consist of grains, fruits and vegetables. Their health reform embraces not only their methods of living, but the right means of recovering from sickness. Being impressed with a sense of the evils of the drug medication, the friends of this movement felt so great an interest in this matter that steps were taken in 1866 for the establishment of an institution to which persons might resort, not only to learn the principles of healthful living, but also for the recovery of health. A high and beautiful site of eight acres a short distance from the publishing buildings was purchased, buildings were added to those already on the ground, and the 'Health Reform Institute,' was opened for the reception of patients and boarders in September 1867, and a short time thereafter an act of the Michigan Legislature was procured, and a legally incorporated association was formed. Increasing patronage demanded more facilities, so that in 1877 the MEDICAL AND SURGICAL SANITARIUM BUILDINGS were commenced and completed only a short time ago. This fine building constitutes the largest and most perfectly constructed edifice of its kind in America. The sanitarium building is on a mammoth scale. The dimensions of the main building, are 150x50 feet, including the verandas. The rear extension, containing the bath-rooms, is 60x60 feet. The entire depth of the building through the middle is 137 feet. The building is of brick, four stories high, besides the basement. The fourth is in the mansard roof. The style of architecture has a simplicity and massiveness quite rare in these days of ornate designs. Altogether, the building presents an imposing appearance. Verandas seven feet wide extend around the three stories of the entire building. The bakery and kitchen is located in the basement. The cooking is done by steam, and a dummy waiter elevates the prepared food to the dining-rooms above. The perfection of neatness, excellence and dispatch is attained in the management and execution of business in the culinary quarters. Bread and crackers are made by machinery and baked in one of the most improved rotary ovens. "On the first floor of the building are the parlors, library, dining-rooms, gymnasium, physician's office and business office. The bath-rooms are 25x60 feet, and all of the appliances for over 50 different kinds of baths, are brought into requisition. "The system of ventilation adopted in the institution is of the newest and best yet known. The building is heated by steam, which is generated by the boiler in the basement and distributed by means of pipes. The building has also all the modern improvements in regard to water supply. Every room is supplied with hot and cold water, and is thoroughly ventilated, so that patients can have the benefit of pure, fresh air. "Nothing has been overlooked in the construction of this Sanitarium. All of the rooms are handsomely provided. The building, with its systems of heating and ventilation, was planned by Dr. J. H. Kellogg, after a careful observation and study of all the principal establishments of the kind in the United States. The entire cost of the building, including the ornamentation of grounds, will reach fully $100,000. The institution is managed by a board of seven directors, of which Elder James White is President. "The corps of physicians are J. H. Kellogg, M. D., physician-in-chief; W. J. Fairfield, M. D., W. B. Sprague, M. D., Miss Kate Lindsday, M. D., and Miss Dr. P. M. Lamson, as assistants. The number of persons employed in the Sanitarium is from 70 to 80. No special method of treatment is either advocated or practiced. The institution is neither a 'water-cure' a 'mineral spring' establishment, nor anything of that sort. Its physicians follow the rational method of treatment, employing all remedial agencies which have been proven to be of real value in the treatment of disease. The building will accommodate from 350 to 400 persons. Patients from all parts of the country have been treated here with beneficial results. The total number of invalids that have been treated in this institution since its formation has been 4,000, of which 500 have been treated during the past six months. "The Sanitarium grounds occupy 15 acres, a part of which is in vegetable gardens, vineyard and orchard. Seven beautiful cottages situated on the property are in the immediate vicinity of the main building. All of these are for the occupation of guests. "A great deal of pains has been taken to beautify the grounds about the Sanitarium. Beautiful gardens of flowers and ornamental shrubbery and evergreens can be seen. A fountain plays in front of the building. A natural grove of fruit trees extends along the whole street front of the Sanitarium grounds. "The institution is not only an honor to Battle Creek; but to the State. "The Health Reformer, which is published in the interest of the institution, has attained the largest circulation of any health journal in America. "The views taught by the Adventists have gone beyond the shores of their own land, as missionaries are now at work in various portions of Europe. "The free catalogue of the publications issued at their publishing house embraces 13 different works in French, 21 in Danish, 15 in Swedish, 13 in German and one in the Holland and 200 in the English language. "The next largest headquarters of this religious sect is at Oakland, California, where they have a large publishing house. "Perhaps the most effective and eloquent minister in this denomination is Mrs. E. G. White, wife of the Elder. She has a voice of great power, and is said to be one of the most eloquent, clear, forcible female speakers in the United States. "Elder Uriah Smith, who is the editor of the Advent Review and Herald, is also a preacher of considerable note. "The Adventists have a college here, also, the building being located just across the way from the Sanitarium. The first movement towards founding it was made early in 1873, and it was incorporated May 16, 1874. The building of brick, three stories high, 37x71, with two hall wings 17x37, was opened for use January 4, 1875, and can accommodate over four hundred students. About three hundred students are now in attendance. The faculty consists of Elder James White, president; S. Brownsberger, principal; with six professors and six instructors. Instruction is given in the Hebrew, Swedish, and Danish languages, in addition to those ordinarily taught in colleges. "The Adventists began to have meetings here in 1854, in a small frame house—16x24—on Cass street. In 1857 they built a larger one—28x42. Their present church is a neat wooden building, corner of West Main and Washington streets; will seat 700 persons; worth, perhaps, $2,500. They design building a new brick on their present site, this season, at a cost of $25,000. They have 375 church members; Elder James White is pastor. "To their other enterprises they are about to add the manufacture of school furniture, and are putting up large buildings for this purpose. They are, indeed, a moral, healthy, thrifty people, and, of course, a great blessing to the section in which they choose to make their abiding place. Their location in the western part of the city is all that could be desired, and their homes show every evidence of the possession of taste by their owners." The praise and glory of this work should not be given to any one man, as it is very evident that it is the Lord's marvelous doings to prepare a people for his coming.
J. W. The New Jerusalem.
By Uriah Smith
REV. 21:1. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." The New Heaven and Earth. By the first heaven and first earth, John unquestionably means the ones which now are. Some have supposed that when the Bible speaks of the third heaven, in which are paradise and the tree of life, 1 Cor. 12:2; Rev. 2:7, it refers to the heaven which is yet future, and does not prove that there is a paradise and tree of life literally in existence at the present time. They base their view on the fact that Peter speaks of three heavens and earths; those before the flood, the ones which now are, and the ones which are to come. But all theories based upon this one fact are overturned by this first verse of Rev. 21; for John here reckons but two heavens and earths: the ones which now are, he calls the first, so that the future new heavens would be the second, and not the third,197 as Peter reckons. Hence it is certain that Peter did not design to lay down a numerical order, that we should speak of the one as the first, the other as the second, and the last as the third. The object of his reasoning was simply to show that as a literal heaven and earth succeeded to the destruction of the earth by the flood, so a literal heaven and earth would emerge from the renovation of the present system by fire. There is no proof therefore that the Bible, when it speaks of the third heaven, refers simply to the third state of the present heavens and earth, for then all the Bible writers would have been uniform in their reckoning on this point. Thus the arguments of those who would endeavor to disprove the idea of a literal paradise and tree of life at the present time, fall to the ground. We believe the Bible recognizes three heavens all existing in the present constitution of things; namely, the first heaven which the fowls of the air inhabit, the second, the region of the sun, moon, and stars, and the third, high above them all, where paradise and the tree of life are found, where God has his residence and his throne, to which Paul was caught up in heavenly vision, to which Christ ascended when he left the earth, where he now shares the throne of his Father as priest-king, and where the glorious city stands awaiting the saints when they enter into life. Blessed be God that from that bright land intelligence has been brought to this far off world of ours; and thanks to his holy name that a way has been opened from the dark places of earth, which leads like a straight and shining path of light up to those blest abodes. Verses 2-4. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. In connection with the view which John has of the holy city coming down from God out of heaven, a voice is heard, saying, The tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them. The conclusion naturally follows, that the tabernacle here mentioned is the city. This same city is called in John 14, the Father's house in which there are many mansions. If an objection should arise in any mind that this is too permanent a place to be called a tabernacle, we reply that the word tabernacle sometimes has the signification of a permanent dwelling place. And it seems that the great God takes up his abode on this earth. We do not suppose that God is confined to this, or any other one of the worlds of his creation; but he here has a throne, and earth enjoys so much of his presence that it may be said that he dwells among men. And why should this be thought a strange thing? God's only begotten Son is here as a ruler of his special kingdom; the holy city which is called the Father's house, and which, it is natural to suppose will be the most beautiful and glorious place in the universe, will be here; the heavenly hosts take an interest in this world probably above what they feel in any other; yea, reasoning from one of the Saviour's parables, there will be more joy in heaven over one world redeemed, than over ninety and nine which needed no redemption. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. He does this not literally; for there will be no tears in that kingdom for him to literally wipe away; but he does it by removing all the causes of tears. Verses 5, 6. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write; for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that sits upon the throne is the same that is mentioned in verses 11, 12, of the preceding chapter. He says, I make all things new, not I make all new things. The earth is not destroyed, annihilated, and a new one created, but all things are made over new. Let us rejoice that these words are true and faithful. And when this is accomplished, "It is done." The dark shadow of sin has forever passed away from the universe. The wicked, root and branch, are wiped out of the land of the living, and the universal anthem of praise and thanksgiving, Rev. 5:13, from a redeemed world and a clean universe, goes up to God.
U. S. Those Which Sleep in Jesus.
By John Nevins Andrews
"BUT I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thess. 4:13-18. These words have a most decisive bearing upon the subject under consideration. They were written for the purpose of giving instruction on the state of the dead. Moreover they relate to all the righteous dead. It is also to be noticed that they were written for the express purpose of comforting those who mourn the loss of friends. 1. The first great fact which Paul recognizes and affirms is that our dead friends are asleep. But they "sleep in Jesus," for they are "the dead in Christ." 2. Those which sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him even as he brought Jesus from the dead. Heb. 13:20. This does not mean that Jesus will bring those persons from heaven unless the souls of the dead sleep in heaven! But God does not come to our earth. He sends his Son to bring the saints to him. They are asleep in the dust. Dan. 12:2. 3. The manner in which Christ brings the saints to glory is that he descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And at the sound of the trumpet, those who are asleep, awake to immortality in an instant of time. Then the living are changed in like manner, and all being made alive are caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. Having stated this great fact that the sleeping ones shall thus awaken, and with the living shall be caught up to meet Christ, he then says: "And so shall we ever be with the Lord." This reveals the only way that the saints can ever be with Him. It is by the resurrection and the change to immortality, and these are at the advent of Christ. 5. This is Paul's comfort concerning the saints that are under the power of death. They are asleep, but they shall awake to immortality when Christ comes again. "Wherefore comfort one another with these words." Such was Paul's doctrine concerning the state of man in death. The dead who die in the Lord rest from their labor in quiet sleep. The time of that rest is to them only a moment, and then they awake in the likeness of Christ. It is not till after the sounding of the seventh angel that the time comes to reward the prophets and all the servants of God. Rev. 11:18. France and Southern Switzerland.
By Daniel T. Bourdeau
I HAVE been under the necessity of visiting Valence, France, where I found the believers in great need of help. I did my best to supply their wants in visiting from house to house, and enjoyed more than ordinary freedom in giving five discourses, which the Spirit of God set home to the hearts of most of those who were present. I have also spent fully two weeks in laboring earnestly with Brother Gabert in and about St. Didier, France. There a discussion was urged upon me. God gave a signal victory, my opponent, who was said to be a champion debater, having but little to say in the last session. Instead of occupying thirty minutes (the time allotted to each speech), he did not exceed five or ten minutes, and the discussion occupied but one day instead of lasting about four days, according to written regulations. My opponent made fatal confessions, and was frank enough to admit that he was mistaken on one important point, a thing which, it was said, he had never before been known to do. A preacher in Morges has been advertising us and our work in three papers, with the design of crippling our efforts. We thank him for his services; for though he has associated us with false ideas, yet he has said some things about us that will arouse the curiosity of many.