In the Aberdeen Herald of Jan. 3, 1901, is an article bearing the title, “An Awful Question.” That article contains no words of hope for its anxious readers, and as it treats on a subject of great importance, one which will be discussed until the end comes, I will quote the opening paragraphs:—
“What would be the commercial effect of the certain knowledge that the world was coming to an end in fifty years?”
“Well, the first effect would be rather social and moral than commercial, though, of course, it would react very strongly on the business world. Those who in the ordinary course of affairs would be dead before fifty years had passed, would be the least affected, and younger people would probably become as resigned to the universal death as they are now to the equally certain individual death.”
It is indeed “an awful question,” and the bravest would shrink from being an eyewitness to the sufferings of humanity during the last few years of the world’s history, but for the promises of God. You and I may not be eyewitnesses of the terrible plagues that shall fall upon men because of their transgressions, but some one must be. That time will come. It is nearer than many like to believe, and the little one in your arms may have the glorious privilege of rejoicing when Jesus comes.
God wishes to prepare a people who shall be able to stand in defense of His word. He has mercifully withheld the knowledge of the day and the hour when he shall say, “It is done,” just as He has withheld the knowledge of the day and hour of death. He is giving His children an opportunity to accept or reject His mercy. Jesus paid for every human being, and God is waiting until all who will, shall have accepted that redemption, and willingly keep His commandments.
The mere supposition that the end of the world may occur at the expiration of fifty years, should have the effect of causing immediate action on the part of those engaged in commercial pursuits. Storekeepers should give food and clothing to the needy, and enjoy the fruits of their benevolence; although they need not go out of business. Christ says, “Occupy till I come.” Work while it is yet day! Neither is it necessary that there be “religious frenzy,” as is implied further along in the article from which the preceding quotation is taken. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah’s confidence should be ours.
Satan, knowing that time is short, will put forth every effort to keep men in ignorance of what God wishes them to do at this time. He has so blinded them that they do not search the Bible to see how near to the end of the world we are. Time is short. It is true we do not know the day nor the hour when Christ shall return, but when He does return, the dead who believe in Him shall rise first, and they that remain, who are waiting for Him, shall together meet their Lord in the air, and be saved from the terrible fate of those who have chosen darkness and death, instead of accepting salvation at the hands of Jesus.
When He comes, it will be too late for men to repent! When He comes, man must meet his punishment or his reward, according to his works. That is just what the Bible says will happen at the end of the world. There will be no middle, or debatable, ground to stand on then, no haggling over creeds. All will be “for” or “against” God and His commandments.
“O joy! O delight! should we go without dying,
No sickness, no sadness, no dread, and no crying,
Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory,
When Jesus receives His own.”
Whether the end comes fifty years, ten years, or one year hence, there would still be those who would not accept Christ as their Redeemer. Though He is “not willing that any should perish,” Satan will so blind them that they will choose death rather than believe God’s word, which says that a beautiful new earth shall be the dwelling place of the saved when this shall be no more.
It is not yet too late to believe; and it would not be “religious frenzy” either; but only the same calm trust that filled the hearts of Abraham and Isaiah, of Paul and John. Has not Satan caused you enough anguish and soul-torture already? Submit to God’s will, and be with those who shall rejoice to see the victory of Jesus in that day.
God will give those who trust Him, power to stand if they but use the light they have to enlighten others. He will give them strength to sing as only those can sing who go through the closing scenes, which are even now passing like a panorama before us, bringing us rapidly to the end.
The end, the contemplation of which fills many hearts with anguish unspeakable, is only the beginning for those who take God at His word. The last few years will be appalling only to those who continue to reject the truth of the Bible.
Do you doubt the dispatches from Africa or Turkey, the Philippines or any other foreign country?—No! But the Bible, that wonderful, inspired Book,—the word of God, which teaches us how to live and how to die, as no other book can,—that grand Book, which gives the history of the world from the beginning to the end,—is not regarded as a reliable source from which to obtain information on this most absorbing question, How near is the end?
Why do so many who have once been Christians doubt that Word now? “There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.” 2 Peter 3:3. Has any one ever said to you, “Oh, nonsense! The end of the world?—what nonsense! Everything is just as it has always been, just as it always will be”? Has any one said anything like that to you lately? And how did you reply?
Satan will say those very words to as many as he can from now on till the end comes. If he can get Christians to give up their faith, he is quite sure to be able to keep business men too busy to go to the only source where truthful information on this subject can be obtained. Satan would much rather you and I should remain in ignorance of what the Bible says concerning the end of the world and the signs preceding it.
Any newspaper you may pick up contains one or more articles on this vital question. Those who have slept so long are waking up. Even those who make no religious profession whatever realize that the end is near, and are forced, by the existing condition of things, to acknowledge it. But in the articles I have lately read on this subject, there has been no reference to God, who “gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That is as Satan would have it. He keeps many who write under such a spirit of subjection that even though they hope Jesus will come soon, they dare not express it. What a difference it would make if those who believe the Third Angel’s Message would tell it just a little oftener than Satan tells his dark messages! Oh, what a difference it would make in the ranks entering the gates of the beautiful city! When Jesus comes, it will be too325late to drop the scales Satan has placed on so many eyes. Cast them aside now, that God may show you the wondrous things in His law. Trust His word before everything else, and all will be well.
God will speak to the hearts of parents presently; and though some turn a deaf ear to His pleading voice, many will obey, and teach their little ones that it is more important to serve God than it is to study Greek and Latin, algebra and geometry; that it is more beautiful to give a drink of water and a slice of bread to the needy than it is to execute the latest waltz.
Satan has made parents believe that a fashionable life is necessary for the development of character in their children; and the result is something pitiable—youth unhappy save when engaged in the whirl of balls and theaters, their young hearts burning and unsatisfied!
Parents, what have you done with the beautiful ones God lent you to train for Him? Will you answer when He comes: “I’m sorry, Lord, but I let Satan have them. It was the fashion not to believe the Bible, and I didn’t think you meant, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old,’ he will not depart from it.’ I tried to follow in some things, but I let my children go where they pleased”?
Nothing pleases Satan quite so much as to keep parents so engrossed with worldly matters that they overlook the responsibility of training their children. Children need parents now as never before—good parents—not good father or mother, but good, earnest, God-fearing parents who shall help each other train their little ones for the blessed Saviour. One-sided homes are not pleasing to the Lord. In every home that would please God, the hearts of the parents should be turned to the children, and the hearts of the children should be turned to the parents.
Fifty years is not a long time, and the signs that show the end near are so rapidly fulfilling that it may come much sooner. Many of those dear to us may be eyewitnesses of the most glorious sight it is possible to behold—the second coming of Christ. “Every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him.”
Turn to God’s word, you who are troubled and in doubt concerning the crisis that all must soon meet. There, and there only, will you find strength for the closing scenes of earth’s history, whether it comes fifty years or one year hence. Now is the time to obey God. Be with those who are “looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God,” who, “according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3.
If I can not do great things for thee, Lord,
Accept this mite that I give.
It may be the crumb of comfort
That shall help some soul to live;
It may contain drink for the thirsty
That shall cause some one to say,
“I repent, I believe in the word of God.”
O, let me be glad that day,
When earth and its works shall perish,
And the heavens shall roll away;
When Christ shall appear with His angels,
O, let me be glad that day!
THE KINGDOM OF JESUS
By P. M. Howe
P. M. HOWE(Chatham, Ontario)
In these last days, when the closing history of the nations is being rapidly made, all eyes are turned to the various kingdoms, monarchies, and republics, watching every movement with intense interest. We read in the book of Revelation that just before the end, all who dwell upon the earth will wonder, except those whose names are recorded in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, when they see certain developments that result from the concerted action of all the nations.
The whole world has been, and is even yet, looking for deliverance from trouble between the nations of this earth; but alas for their hopes! For a short time, they wonder, then they go down to destruction in the mighty wreck, and only those are saved who have secured a name and citizenship in a better kingdom, eternal in the heavens.
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.”
This Michael, whom Daniel prophesies of as a deliverer, is the Jesus that Pilate called the king of the Jews. The same Michael said: “My kingdom is not of this world.” Although here in this world, He was the same Prince and King that had created the earth, which men had parceled out in kingdoms.
We have read of great kings and kingdoms, but no king was ever so great, so good, or so kind as Jesus; and no part of this world has been made so beautiful as to compare with the beauty of the kingdom of Jesus.
We read of the beauty of Jerusalem of old; of Babylon with its two-leaved gates of brass, and its mighty walls, its palaces, and its hanging gardens, one of the wonders of the world; but of the Jerusalem above, the mother of us all, the writer of the Apocalypse says: “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.”
The glory that the prophet saw was grand beyond the power of human language to describe,—walls, great and high, all of jasper, with foundations marvelous in beauty of color; gates of pearls, with the name of one of the twelve tribes upon each gate; the streets of gold, as clear as crystal.
Nearly eighteen hundred years ago, the King of that country and kingdom came here to look after this world, which was lost; and although He was its Creator and King, and had come to save it, the world rejected Him, refusing to have Him for a king. He at last told those who received Him, and thus became the sons of God, that He would go and prepare a place for them in His Father’s house, where there are many mansions, and then would come again to receive them unto himself, that where He is, they may be also.
He has gone. He went many years ago. Will He come again?—Oh, yes; He is coming soon, to destroy all the nations of this wicked, rebellious world, and to take to their own home the strangers and pilgrims who wander here.
The lakes, seas, and oceans of this world, with all their fine harbors, are not to be compared to the sea of glass, where the one hundred and forty-four thousand will stand, having the harps of God, and singing the song of Moses and of the Lamb.
We read of the wisdom and knowledge, the literary attainments of earthly rulers; but what ruler was ever so wise as Jesus, in whom God has hid all the treasures of wisdom? What king is there so wonderful in knowledge that he knows all the stars by number and by name? Ps. 147:4. In Jesus only is hid such wisdom. All the wisdom of man is foolishness with Him; for by the power of His word He upholds all the worlds. “Ask of me,” says the psalmist, singing of Jesus, “and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Then will the kings and kingdoms of the world remain?—No, even now they are weak and crumbling to dust, ready to pass away. “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” As we read about great men, and their attainments in literary knowledge and science “so-called,” though they be peasants, princes, or kings, let us not fail to study Jesus, the lowly one, in whom is the fountain of all wisdom. He is our King in whatever country we may be dwelling. The fear of Him is the beginning of wisdom. He established the school of the prophets of old, and would found many more all over the earth if men would only learn of Him. His kingly rule is not to be confined to a little place like America, England, or Sweden; for He made the world itself. His name is Wonderful, Counselor, Saviour, Prince, Priest, and King.
It is good to learn about this earth and its great kingdoms; but we seek “a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Let us make haste to have our names “written there,” so that when all these earthly kingdoms are dissolved, we may be translated with the faithful of the ages, who, like their King, have had no real abiding place in this earth, but have laid up their treasures above, where Christ, their King, sits upon the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high.
Joining the Lord Jesus
“Joining the church is one thing, but joining the Lord Jesus is quite another thing; and only those who have done the second have any clear right to do the first. . . . When you wed your heart and hand to Jesus, you become a sharer in His kingdom and crown, a joint heir with Christ! The joint heir has the promise of the Father’s love, of the indwelling of the Spirit, of the peace of God, of pleasures for evermore, and of the society of all the just made perfect throughout eternity! ‘Where I am, there shall ye be also,’”
Set Your Affection on Things Above
“SET your affection on things above.”
WHY SHOULD WE DRESS PLAINLY ?
By M. E. Hanes
MRS. M. E. HANES(Battle Creek, Mich.)
The Bible commands us to dress plainly. 1 Peter 3:3, 4; 1 Tim. 2:9, 10; Isa. 3:16-24. If God did not care how His people dressed, He would never have mentioned anything in regard to it.
In ancient times women in general were proud of their hair, and spent much time and money for hair dressing. Are not our minds too much absorbed with fashionable hair dressing and the wearing of ornaments? Are not these things just as displeasing to God to-day, when practiced by a people professing to live lives preparatory to translation?
But, says one, “I am not proud, I never think of my dress.” Dear sister, the Lord requires us to think, or He would not mention these things in the Book He has given as a guide for His children.
Why should we adorn the temple of God with cast-off clothing, first worn by the lower animals, and take pride in so doing? No one follows the fashionable world because he loves Jesus so much; but in so doing we rob God of time and money. Our devotion to God demands plain dress. 1 John 2:15, 16; Col. 3:17. Love to our neighbor requires it. James 1:27; 2:1, 2; Phil. 2:4; 4:9. Who of us are willing to buy for our destitute neighbor as good raiment as we buy for our personal adornment? Who buys a set of diamonds for her hired servant?
The outside should manifest the work wrought within. Rom. 12:1, 2; 2 Cor. 5:17; I Corinthians 13. When the heart is changed, the desire for display gone, and the meek and quiet spirit has taken possession of the soul, then the outside should be a rebuke to the pride and vanity of this world.
EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE
As to our reading circle, we are getting along very well with our studies. We have our meetings on Sabbath after the Sabbath-school.
I am still trusting God to open up ways of usefulness for me. I ask Him to give me the Spirit of Christ in every detail of every-day life.
I believe we should be faithful in paying our tithe, however it may be used. When it goes out of our hands, the responsibility goes with it, and if it is not economically used for the giving of the message, God will take care of that.
I wish to express my appreciation of our good paper, the REVIEW AND HERALD. I am especially interested in the Woman’s Gospel Work department, and while reading the many requests for prayer, I have wondered if there are not those who have had blessed experiences, a brief narration of which would be a blessing to others. There are many sisters who are deprived of social meetings, and these would be benefited in this way. A praise service is often as beneficial as one full of petitions.
If the dear sisters who have so much to bear from members of their own family that it seems as if they can bear it no longer, will, at the time the abuse is being heaped upon them, look to Jesus, and remember that in His severest trial, He could say, “Father forgive them; for they know not what they do,” the love of such a Saviour, without which we are nothing, will make the trials seem much lighter. I know this from experience, and I thank God for it.
Two little ones have come to brighten our home, but at present six are warmed and fed, and call us papa and mama. For fifteen months at a time our family has not been less than fourteen, three of the number being homeless women, seventy or eighty years of age. God always provides help when He sends the helpless. He knows all about it, and always does all things well. He has given strength to one pair of faithful hands to furnish supplies to this great family, and while not one dollar of pecuniary aid has ever been asked for, or received beyond some half-worn clothing, yet God has signally blessed us, and we have always had plenty. I truly believe we have just as much to-day as if we had shut ourselves up to our own family. It is God who does all, and I believe that if we put ourselves in harmony with His will, we may expect great things of Him. I pray for seeing eyes and listening ears, that I may read God’s message of love in the faces of fallen humanity as well as in bird, leaf, and flower.
I have been again to see the poor lepers. We had a good meeting yesterday. For the past few weeks I had been sending them REVIEWS and tracts through the post-office, so I felt free to talk with them about the truths these contained. There are only four Protestants here, and two of them are nearly blind from the effects of the disease. The English woman of whom I spoke before, reads to them. They were all able to come to a large, airy room on the third floor, where we had a good talk about the soon coming of Christ. Then I sang two hymns, read slowly the fourteenth chapter of John, dwelling especially on the first three verses, after which we had a season of prayer. I believe that two of the four Protestants are Christians, and one of the others, a young man, is under conviction. I could not understand the speech of the other, as he is an Icelander, but I noticed his poor disfigured face light up as I talked to him of Jesus’ love. Dear sisters, I can not describe to you my feelings as I sat there and talked with those persons. I felt the presence of Jesus by my side, and talked to them with great freedom.
I have been wishing to write for a long time, but I hardly know how to state my needs—they are so many. I fear I am slipping back, and sometimes I am perfectly frightened at my lack of zeal for souls. I ask the dear sisters to pray for me. I am the only Adventist in this town, so far as I know, and I fear that I am yielding little by little, and almost unconsciously, to the influences of those about me. I know I need more faith, more love for my husband and neighbors, and a great sense of their danger, and more willingness to work and pray for them.
Love’s Sunlight Shining
By Helen Keith
If we bravely resolve to do our part,
And bear our griefs with a patient heart
And free from all repining,
We shall be led to a higher way,
To a better work than we do to-day,
And find love's sunlight shining;
For truth of spirit and strength of soul
Will make the darkest cloud unroll,
And show its silver lining.
— Helen Keith.
SOW BESIDE ALL WATERS
By Mrs. S. N. Haskell
MRS. S. N. HASKELL
The following letter, which has been received from a sister, we trust will inspire many others with the same spirit breathed in it:—
Dear Sister: If you know of any sister who has not the privilege of taking the REVIEW, yet would enjoy it, I would be pleased to send her mine from week to week for the next few months, also the Life Boat. If she will send her address, she is welcome to the papers, which ought not to lie idle.
In many homes the REVIEW, Signs, Instructor, and other papers are taken, and after being read are simply thrown aside, and often become so soiled as to be unfit to give to others. This ought not to be. These papers contain precious truth, and all around us are souls hungering and thirsting for this very light which we could send to them if we would. Every paper containing precious truth should be treated as precious, not thrown around carelessly, but preserved. There is no one who cannot secure the address of those who do not know the truth; it may be the address of an entire stranger, or it may be one received from a stranger, but if we send the papers and pray earnestly, the Lord will bless them, and in the kingdom of God we shall see fruit of our effort.
No amount of wealth would I take in exchange for the joy I expect to experience in the kingdom of God in seeing fruit of this kind of missionary work,—papers that I have sent to entire strangers, to addresses taken from directories and secured in various ways. I know of only a few who have accepted the truth as a result of this work, but I know that the many papers I have sent out with prayer and faith will bear fruit in the kingdom. Let us improve this opportunity.
If from love to God and His work, the papers containing the precious truth, after having been read, are mailed to some one who knows not the way of life, God will bless the efforts put forth. If you have never done any of this work, begin at once. If you have done it in the past and have become negligent, renew your zeal. Let us go to work in earnest and sow beside all waters. The Lord has promised a blessing upon those that do this. Isa. 32 : 20.
Never Scold Your Children
“NEVER scold, or permit scolding in your house. Never give your child a passionate blow, unless you want him to learn to fight and quarrel. As parents you stand in the place of God to your children, and you are to be on guard.”
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
“Please remember at the throne of grace my husband and son, who are unconverted.”
An aged sister requests prayer for her wayward, drunken son. He is her youngest, and she is filled with grief at his course.
“I would especially ask that my brother be remembered in your prayers. He is addicted to the tobacco habit, and desires to give it up, but seems unable to do so.”
“Please pray for my husband, who is a Universalist. Also pray for a son and three sons-in-law, who are not in the truth; and for me, that I may live the truth before them.”
“I ask an interest in your prayers, as I am isolated, and my husband is in a backslidden condition. I can not complain as long as I have my Bible, the privilege of prayer, and the good Review to read.”
“I especially ask the prayers of the sisters for my husband and children. My husband is a backslider. I also ask prayer that I may be able to bring my little ones up in the way they should go.”
“I request prayer that the Lord will heal me, so I may be able to attend to my household duties. I am not well, as I overworked in my younger days, and ate improper food.”
“I make special request for prayer for my children, who are out of Christ, for a cousin who has not yet seen the light of the Third Angel’s Message, and for a missionary and his wife who have recently returned from China.”
“I ask the dear sisters to pray with me for my two sons and their wives, who seem to have no desire to become Christians. My soul is burdened about them. Will you remember them at your appointed hour of prayer?”
A brother who is fifty miles from others of like faith, and who is strongly opposed in his adherence to truth by his wife and relatives, requests prayer for himself and family, that he may do his duty, and that soon he and his loved ones may be united in Christian fellowship.
“Please pray that my husband may be converted, and accept the truth. Pray also for my father, sister, and brothers, who keep the Sabbath, but are not converted; and also that a sister who keeps the Sabbath, but is in poor health, may be restored, or be resigned to the will of God.”
“I have a rupture that troubles me very much, and I request earnest prayer that I may be cured. I have great faith in prayer. I am trusting the Lord, and leaning on Him. I see His hand plainly in many things, and believe I can be healed if my case is brought before the people of prayer.”
“I ask an interest in your prayers in behalf of my daughter, who is afflicted with fits. She is not a Christian. Pray that she may be converted and healed, and live to train her babe for a home in the kingdom of God. Also pray for my husband, who is not a believer in the soon coming of Christ.”
A sister requests prayer for herself and her family, who are quite young in the truth. Her oldest stepson is a Methodist minister. He is very bitter against the truth, and is making an effort to keep the other children from obeying it. She says her three boys make no profession, and she asks prayer that all may be converted, and led to accept the truth, which she and her husband have learned to love.
“As I read from time to time the requests for prayer, I, too, am emboldened to send in a request; for I believe the united prayer of God’s children is heard, and that not one honest prayer is turned away, but will be answered in God’s own time. I have a son, who is a good boy, and thinks he is walking in the right way, but he is indulging in a criticizing spirit, which is destroying his usefulness in the cause of God. I ask prayer that his eyes may be opened, and that he may be led to consecrate his life to the Master’s service.”
A REVIEW
By S. N. H.
Some of the Wonderful Truths of the Book of Revelation
S. N. H.
The book of Revelation is the complement to the book of Daniel. It covers the period from the time Rome was in its glory, to the end of earth’s history, and reaches over into the new heavens and the new earth. It presents the history of the people of God, their trials and prosperity and final triumph. Many of them, like John, were regarded the offscouring of the world, cast out from citizenship, banished to lonely and desolate places of the earth; yet the eye of God was upon them, and like a great magnet that draws from the dust all particles of steel, so the Lord’s eye runs through the earth and separates the precious from the vile.
The book of Revelation is the fulfillment of the Saviour’s words to Peter, “If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?” In his Gospel, and especially in the book of Revelation, John still lives, and in twenty-two chapters he is especially speaking to the remnant Church. He is a latter-day prophet. Five times does the angel Gabriel make direct reference to this book, as to no other one book in the Bible. Its title and object are specifically stated in the first verse of the first chapter. A blessing is pronounced on those who hear, read, and do the things written in it. Verse 3; 22:7. John was not to seal the prophecy of this book. Chap. 22:10. If any man adds to the words in Revelation, God will add to him the plagues written in the book. Verse 18. If any man takes from them, God will take away his part out of the book of life. Verse 19. We are told how, or in what particular manner, God speaks through His prophets; namely, God gave the Revelation to Christ, and Christ sent His angel to deliver it to the prophet.
It is the book of Revelations. It reveals Christ in His relation to His ministers and churches. Chap. 1:13, 20; 2:1. It reveals Him as the leading power in the vegetable and animal kingdom. Chap. 5:5. It reveals Him as God sees Him in the midst of His throne, when a prayer from a broken and contrite heart comes to the heart of God. Chap. 5:6. It reveals His personal appearance in the courts above. Chap. 1:13, 14. It reveals Him as He will come in the clouds of heaven. Chap. 1:7. It contains the only reliable ecclesiastical history from the days of Christ to the end. Chapters 2 and 3. The sixth chapter again goes over the history of the Church, giving its relation to the powers of earth. The signs in the heavens are given with a distinctness that is found in no other part of the Bible. Chap. 6:12-14. This book reveals Him as the beginning of creation, and the ending of revelation. Chap. 3:14; 1:5, 8, 11, 17; 2:8; 21:6; 22:13. It shows how God regards every martyr. Chap. 6:9, 10. It records the birth of Christ, and the experience of the Church with that government which, of all earthly nations, most fully represents Satan in its different phases. Chap. 12; 13:1-10.
It describes those who receive the seal of God under the sixth seal, their experience in this life, and their position in glory. Chap. 7; 14:1-5. It gives the breaking up of Rome, showing the results of every government that rejects great light. Chapter 8. In a few words it gives the fall of modern Persia, the rise and work of Mohammedanism, with the most exact dates of any prophecy in the Bible. Chapter 9. The history of the great Advent movement, and the nature of the message proclaimed, are clearly given. The book of Daniel is seen in the hand of the angel, representing the message going by land and sea, proclaiming that prophetic time is no more. Chapter 10; Dan. 8:14-19; 12:4, 8-10; Rev. 14:6. The United States is brought to view as a power with lamblike pretentions, but in the end, a persecuting power in union with the Beast. Chap. 13:11-17. The last solemn warning to every nation under heaven—a warning against worshiping the Beast and his Image—is represented as being given just before Christ takes His seat upon the great white cloud. Chap. 14:6-14.
The unmixed wrath falling upon those who do not give heed to that warning is distinctly described, also the end of the judgment of God on the earth. Chapter 16. The angel explains why such terrible judgments of God fall upon the powers of earth. Chap. 17:1-7. The Beast is explained to be the great city that reigneth over the nations of the earth. Chap. 17:18. The final conflict is described in verses 11-16. The manner in which the loud cry of the loud cry is given to the world is found in Chap. 18:1-6. Rev. 18:7-24 gives a description of the judgment of the great whore. The second coming of Christ and the attitude of the world at that time are dwelt upon in Chap. 19:11-19. God’s regard for His people is spoken of in Chap. 19:1-10. The two leading governments of earth are seen going into the lake of fire, in Chap. 19:20, 21.
In Rev. 20:1-5 there is a vivid description of the binding of Satan and the judgment of the wicked during the thousand years. A record of the second resurrection and the gathering of the wicked around the city, and their final end, is found in verses 6-15. The prophet was then given a view of the heavens and the earth after the curse was removed. Chap. 21:1. He saw the city promised to Abraham (Heb. 11:10, 14-16), promised by Christ (John 14:1-3), prepared for them that love Him.” God has those in heaven. Chap. 21:2; Zech. 14:4, 5. He heard the announcement, “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.” Chap. 21:3; Eze. 37:26-28. Tears, sorrow, and crying are then forgotten; for all things are made new. Chap. 21:4-8.
Then one of the seven angels who had the vials of God’s wrath gave the prophet a clear, distinct view of the heavenly city as the bride. It was the outworking of the plan of salvation that had been in progress for six thousand years. The end of sin and sinners was outside the city of God. Chap. 21:8-27. The twenty-second chapter gives a view of the river of life, which proceeds from the throne of God at the head of the broad place,—the original garden of Eden,—the tree of life on either side of the river. Chap. 22:1, 2. The leaves are for the healing of the nations, which will enable those who eat of them to grow to the stature they would have attained had sin not entered the world. Mal. 4:2. If we would enter that city, and have a part in the glories of the future, this book cannot be ignored; for it was given for the purpose of enlightening, encouraging, warning, in the midst of trials and temptations, through which we must pass if we would enter the reward of the righteous at the end of the race.
The last book in the Bible is truly a Revelation. It clears up the subjects that have been mentioned but not clearly defined in other books. It gathers up all the threads that seemed by the casual reader to be loose in many of the other books, and weaves them into a beautiful web, which sparkles with precious promises and divine consolation, and the whole is made glorious by the beauties of the new earth and the city of God. So overcome was the beloved disciple as he viewed the reward of the righteous, that he fell down to worship the angel. Chap. 19:10; 22:8.
Oh, the glory of the future! who can tell it? Language fails; for it has never “entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” God has those things all in mind, and holds them out before a fallen race. Christ came close to this beloved disciple, and the closing words are not spoken through an angel, but by Jesus Christ. As He closes with a promise of a speedy return, John responds, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” A heavenly benediction is then pronounced upon the reader of this book. Thus closes this wonderful prophecy.
The Full, Sweet Word
“What silences we keep, year after year,
With those who are most near to us and dear!
We live beside each other day by day,
And speak of myriad things, but seldom say
The full, sweet word that lies just in our reach—
Beneath the commonplace of common speech.”
BEREAN LIBRARY STUDY
Review of the Book of Revelation
DAILY READING FOR MAY 26 TO JUNE 1
Sunday,
Revelation, chapters
1–4.
Monday,
"
5–9.
Tuesday,
"
10–13.
Wednesday,
"
14–18.
Thursday,
"
19–22.
Friday,
article for Review of the Revelation, this page.
QUESTIONS
What is the book of Revelation?
What period of time does it cover?
How have many of the people of God been viewed? How has God regarded them?
In what way is this book a fulfillment of Christ's words in John 21:22?
What is the substance of the first verse in the book?
Upon whom is the blessing pronounced in verse 3?
What does the angel say will befall him who adds to or takes from this book?
In how many ways is Christ revealed in this book? What are they?
What is the difference between the history in the second and third chapters and that in the sixth chapter?
How does God regard the martyrs?
What nation in its different phases most fully represents Satan?
Describe the prophecy of the tenth chapter.
What special warning do we have in chapter fourteen?
What is the image-beast?
What is brought to view in chapter seven?
Give the order of the judgment as brought to view in the fourteenth and twentieth chapters.
What is to be the final end of sin and sinners?
What lesson do we learn from the eighth and ninth chapters?
How many miles square is the city of God?
Where is the garden of Eden finally found?
Whence proceeds the river of life?
How many times does the angel especially refer to this particular book?
How did John feel when Christ said He was coming quickly?