The Day Is Approaching—It Will Be a Glorious Time—Every Heart Should Thrill with the Prospect
“AND that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Rom. 13:11, 12.
A SHIPWRECK EXPERIENCE
The reader will recall the experience of the great apostle Paul on his journey to Rome, and the story of his shipwreck. For thirteen long, weary days and nights, neither sun nor stars appeared. The boat was tossed with the tempest, the sea being lashed into fury by the gale. About midnight on the fourteenth night, the shipmen “deemed that they drew near to some country.” They “sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.” Then, fearing lest they should be driven upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the ship’s stern, and “wished for the day.”
LONGING FOR REENFORCEMENTS
Think what an anxious night that must have been. Oh, how ardently did the two hundred and seventy-six souls aboard that great Alexandrian corn ship long for the morning! It seemed to them long ere the breaking of the day, and their anxious souls inquired: “When will the morning dawn? What time is it?”
You have read of the battle of Waterloo, and will recall the fact that the duke of Wellington fought the battle on the understanding that the Prussians would come up on his left and help him against the French. But the way was long, and the road was rough. The day was far spent ere the recruits appeared in sight. Hour after hour the battle raged, while one gallant man after another was slain or carried away wounded. How often, that afternoon, did the loyal soldiers of Great Britain look across the way to the left to see if help was coming! How often the sun and the shadows must have been observed! How often the general’s eye must have turned longingly to the left! How often must he have consulted his watch, while the anxious inquiry was made, “What time is it?”
LOOKING FOR THE DOCTOR
Some of you have passed through the sad experience of watching by the bedside of a loved one stricken with disease. You have seen him hovering between life and death, and have passed weeks of painful suspense. With a heart breaking with sorrow, you have watched the ebbing of the life current. You have sat by and watched the struggle with the cruel disease, and have felt the miserable helplessness of not being able to do anything but look on. You have longed for some power to arrest the approach of death, to dispel the last enemy, to save the sick; and you asked, “When will the physician come again?” The clocks and the watches seemed to stand still, and the sun appeared to have forgotten to rise. Again and again you asked: “Will the morning never come? What time is it?”
ETERNAL DESTINIES SOON SEALED
Nearly sixty centuries have passed since the dark shades of the night of sin and suffering and woe settled down upon this old world. Reader, you and I are in a world that is rapidly rolling on toward the hour when the decisions of the great day of God will determine the destiny of all men; when the judgment written will be executed; when, before the King, seated upon the throne of His glory, “shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” “Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matt. 25:31-34, 41.
An issue far greater than of shipwreck, battle, or disease is before us. Surely we have occasion to think seriously of that day. Is it possible that it is near at hand, and that we may live to see it? Are we ready for it? Is it near, or is it far off? What time is it?
NIGHT NEARLY GONE
Consider once more the words of inspiration: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Rom. 13:12. This is certainly a very definite message, summoning us to immediate preparedness for the great day of God.
There are in this scripture four points that appeal to me as being worthy of special consideration.
We have the present condition of the world. It is night.
We have the condition yet to come. It will be day.
We have the particular time in which we live. The night is far spent, the day is at hand.
We have the duty of all believers who know the time. They ought to cast off the works of darkness, and to put on the armor of light.
First let us briefly consider the present condition of the world. It will not be a difficult matter now to convince the thoughtful that this is night. Ever since sin entered the garden of the Lord, and its dark shadows settled down over the earth, this world has been passing through its night. The prophetic Word is “a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn.” 2 Peter 1:19. The work of the Saviour was in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.” Matt. 4:16.763
“The Morning Cometh.”
THE DAYSPRING HAS VISITED US
While God’s goodness and mercy and love toward the children of men is everywhere apparent; while there is much that is beautiful, and for which we should be profoundly thankful,—we are never to forget that all these blessings which we now enjoy are given by a loving Father, to help “to give knowledge of salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:77-79. God “left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14:17. God’s goodness is manifested in the night as well as in the day. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” Ps. 19:1, 2. How thankful we should be that the darkness cannot hide God’s goodness!
THESE DARK SHADOWS MUST PASS
Think of the deep shadows that are now cast over nearly all the world by the terrible war which has been in progress more than a year. Think of the millions of newly made widows, of fathers and mothers whose sons have been slaughtered, of the great army of children whose fathers and elder brothers will gladden their home no more. Think of Belgium, of Poland, of Galicia, of Servia, of Armenia, and then say if this is not night.
“For twelve months now,” says the August, 1915, number of Current Opinion, “the most civilized nations of the earth have been devoting their greatest energies to the destruction of each other’s lives and property. There are no very clear signs that the war is nearer an end to-day than it was two months after it began. On the contrary, it is being waged with greater resources and on a larger scale than ever, and the sodden misery that it spreads is deeper than ever, though it is becoming a little less articulate as it becomes more despairing. The deadlock in France remains unbroken, and the results in Poland and Galicia do not point to any finality. Probably eight million casualties have been incurred, and fifteen billion of dollars worth of property destroyed.”
Truly this is nighttime. Sin, for the time being, prevails on every side. “In the world,” said Jesus, “ye shall have tribulation.” The world is in rebellion against its rightful King.
“Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend of grace,
To help me on to God?”
THE MEN WHO CAN SEE IT
“The time present is night,” said Bishop Ryle. “An unconverted man may not perceive it. A graceless man may not comprehend it. The blind eye sees no difference between noon and midnight. The deaf ear makes no distinction between discord and sweet music. The mortified limb has no feeling either of heat or cold.” But to the true believer, sin is grievous. He longs for the shades of night to pass away, for the morning to dawn; and he inquires: “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” The response from the faithful watchman may be heard clear and distinct: “THE MORNING COMETH.”
WHAT WILL THE DAY BE?
If this is nighttime, what will the day be? If it were not for sin, this would be day. Because of sin, we have sickness, sorrow, pain, and death. A mighty change awaits the world, a change so great that it will be like turning night into day. The darkness of this present evil world is not always to continue. Some day the Sun of Righteousness shall arise upon it, with healing in His wings, the dark shadows will pass away, and the eternal day will break. The Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth, even as He has promised, in power and great glory. The voice of the Archangel and the trump of God shall awake the sleeping saints, and with glorified bodies they shall come forth, refreshed and strengthened, and far more beautiful than when they lay down; the living righteous shall be changed from mortality to immortality; and all shall be caught up to meet their Lord. Their toils and hardships, their persecutions and sufferings, their sickness, sorrow, and death, will be at an end. Matt. 24:29-31; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; 1 Cor. 15:42-57. Surely that will be day.
A VISION OF THE NEW CREATION
“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. 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. 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 overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son.”
Then follows a beautiful description of the city of God, the New Jerusalem, with its walls of jasper, garnished with all manner of precious stones, its gates of pearl, and its streets of gold. “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign forever and ever.”
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 21:1-7; 22:1-5, 14.
Oh, this will be day, ineffably, transcendently, eternally glorious! And fervently we pray, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus,” and bring the long-looked-for day. E. E. A.
“Watchman, What of the Night?”
THRILLING EXPERIENCE IN THE NEW HEBRIDES
Wild Fight Among the Natives — The Influence of a Missionary in Quelling the Riot
ELDER J. E. FULTON, who for several years has had charge of our work in the Australasian field, which includes the New Hebrides, has forwarded to us a very interesting letter from one of our workers in that island. It shows, in such a striking way, the influence Christianity has upon the savage heathen mind, that we pass the letter on to our readers. It is as follows:
ATCHIN, NEW HEBRIDES,
September 1, 1915.
Dear Brother Fulton:
I append these few lines to let you know that we are passing through stormy times again. The influence of Mr. ——, of whom I have written before, has fanned the waning embers of their old heathen customs and traditions into a roaring flame again. He has encouraged them to hold on to their old customs and practices, and not to listen to the missionary about giving them up and adopting the more peaceable practices of the gospel. He paid the initiating fee to their mysteries, and was initiated. He took off his clothes and danced in his nude condition764with them. He went over with them to Oba, and took part in their ceremonies there.
THE PEOPLE GONE MAD
For the past two months, the people here have seemed possessed. Hardly a night has passed but they have had one of their dances, and the night has been made hideous with their wild, howling yells, which Mr. —— calls music. All this has been in connection with the performing of the rite of circumcision, which they practice. One has said, “The people seem to have gone mad.” It culminated, just as we expected it would, and as all these things have in their past history, in a general fight.
Mr. —— came to me after it had started, and asked me to go and use my influence in stopping it, as he could do nothing, and it would be a terrible fight. I told him then and there that he was the responsible party, as he had been undoing the very work that had been bringing quiet to the island and the people. Then I rushed away as fast as I could run. I worked as hard as I could with all the leaders. It was a terrible sight — four towns against two. There they were, dancing back and forth, brandishing their clubs and muskets, throwing stones, shouting their challenges, etc.
A PRAYER THAT NEVER FAILED
I had just about settled matters with them to lay down their arms and have a friendly talk, when some one called out something, and it set the magazine off. I will never forget the sight. I grasped the arms of the leader, and held his club, and pushed him back as he rushed forward to lead. Blows from the clubs were falling all around me, stones whizzing past my head. I sent up that silent prayer which has never been set aside, and almost instantaneously the men backed away from each other, and the next thing I heard was the voices of their chiefs saying: “Esu, esu ko ats! Kamulu! Kamulu!” (Finished, finished completely! You go home! You go home!) They all went back to their towns, and I spent a number more hours going from town to town as their mediator.
SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST MISSIONARIES AT ATCHIN, NEW HEBRIDES
WHAT THE MISSIONARY HAD DONE FOR THEM
This fight has caused a very bad spirit on the part of the four towns that were attacking the two, as they had five men wounded. They say that they must make reprisals on the others before it is finished. Now the island is divided into two parts, and the two parties can have no intercourse with each other. We are working with them, and some are becoming friendly again; and we trust that with God’s help, which is the all in all, we can see these men shaking hands again in friendship.
The two towns that were attacked by the four did not want to fight, though they were the strongest, and the old warriors of the island. They made no advances, only stood to defend their Amil.
Mr. —— said he could not understand their attitude and their forbearance. He spoke to them about it, and some of them spoke up, and said: “It is because we have been attending the missionary’s school, and we have been taught not to fight. We do not want any trouble, and are willing to do what is right to settle the matter.” I think he can see that the work of the missionary is not so out of date as he thought it was. We are positively certain that this trouble would never have come up if Mr. —— had not used his influence to have this heathen custom engaged in with all of its old spirit. All he wants out of it is to write a book, which, no doubt, he thinks will make him famous.
THE TROUBLE MAKER WAS HUMBLED
I had a three hours’ talk with him afterward, and I pointed out to him how his influence had been exerted from the very first to tear down our work and bring it to naught. Now he had the result.
He was very much humbled and subdued, and talked in a more gentle and quiet manner. He admitted that he had made mistakes. He said that from a former talk he had had with me, he had given up some of his positions. Then he made the statement that our mission commended itself.
We need your prayers, Brother Fulton, as this condition of affairs has cut our school attendance down so that we have only from two to seven attending, and also it has affected the attendance at our services, though not in so large a degree. I have written this so that you can understand present conditions.
Yours,
(Signed) C. H. Parker.
P. S. Later.—Mr.—— has just come to me and said: “Mr. Parker, I have come to see that your position about the natives is right. I will go mad if this tension is not taken off.”
He sleeps in the woods at night instead of his house. A fear seems to have taken hold of him as to what may happen. He wants to leave and go up to another island for a time. He has sown the wind, and now he must reap the whirlwind.
C. H. P.
THE SABBATH BEFORE MOSES
By L. A. R.
IN Rom. 5: 13, we are told that “sin is not imputed when there is no law.” In the twelfth verse, we are told that death came through sin.
Put these two statements together. There is no sin without a law, and death comes only as a result of sin. Then death proves the existence of a law. And the fourteenth verse reads that “death reigned from Adam to Moses.” This is equivalent to saying that from Adam to Moses, or before the formal proclamation of the law on Sinai, there was law; for sin is not imputed where there is no law, and death comes only as a result of sin.
It is illogical to declare that the Sabbath did not exist during these years, because the record does not mention it in connection with each one of God’s servants. Just as truly, the Sabbath is not mentioned from Moses to David, a period of 500 years, during which its observance was enforced by the penalty of death.
By a similar argument, the Jubilee could be said not to have been observed; for in the whole Bible, not a single instance of its observance is recorded.
What is still more remarkable, there is not on record a single instance of the observance of the great day of Atonement, notwithstanding the work in the holiest on that day was the most important connected with the service of the earthly sanctuary.
Therefore to use this argument against the Sabbath, is illogical and a case of sophistry. L. A. R.
Dorcas and a Life of Service
By G. B. T.
THAT was a pathetic yet grand scene Peter beheld when he came where Dorcas was lying dead, and saw widows weeping, and showing the coats and garments she made for them when she was living. We frequently see flowers and much display at funerals; but better some such scene as this. Should we die, what would our friends show as a reminder of our lives? Are we devoting ourselves to ease and selfish enjoyment, or to toil and tears for those who need our help? Would it be said of us that the needy went empty-handed from our presence, or that we did what we could? G. B. T.
Can Man Keep the Law of God?
By Iva F. Cady
EVEN ministers of the gospel are sometimes heard to say that it is impossible for man to keep the law of God. Perhaps such forget that we have a Saviour who “shall save His people from their sins.” “He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him;” and that means salvation from sin, or from transgressing the law, that it may prove in the end to be salvation from eternal death.
“When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.” Ezek. 18: 27, 28.
Should we trust in our own strength to keep the law, it would be impossible; but “with God all things are possible.” We are told that “God’s commandings are enablings.” Through the life and death of the Son of God, all provision has been made whereby we may be saved from sinning, and enabled to live the Christ life here on earth.
“Able to deliver! Can it really be?
Is there any power can deliver me?
Tell me, tell me truly, is the Christ once
slain
Able to deliver me from Satan’s chain?
“Able to deliver! Able now to save,
When you are, my brother,
Able to believe.”
MRS. IVA F. CADY.
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“ONE of the strongest temptations that man has to meet is upon the point of appetite.”
“Those who are slaves to appetite, will fail of perfecting Christian character.”
“Appetite and passion are overcoming thousands of Christ’s professed followers.”
“Continual transgression for over six thousand years has brought sickness, pain, and death as its fruit. As we draw near the close of time, Satan’s temptations to indulge appetite will be more powerful and more difficult to resist.”
“Alexander fell through the indulgence of appetite. Daniel and his companions formed temperate habits, which enabled them in the fear of God to make wise decisions.”
“Christ fought the battle on the point of appetite, and came off victorious.”
The all-wise Creator has made ample provision for all His creatures to maintain health without indulging in unnatural appetite; but we must give heed to the injunction. The restraint of unnatural appetite is the main thing to be considered in seeking for physical and mental health.
