The certainty of our hope is precisely the same as the certainty of the final triumph of the great threefold message of Rev. 14:6-12. In other words, the question of its certainty all turns upon whether God will fulfil his own Word or not. To every true believer this is a matter involving no doubt.
Every worldly enterprise has more or less uncertainty connected with it. “A sure thing” is always considered the best investment, even if the good to be gained is some distance in the future. An investment of millions of dollars, with the satisfactory results far in the distance, never discourages investors, so long as the promised benefit is sure. Why is it that men dare risk so much in worldly enterprises, where more or less uncertainty is always involved, yet are fearful to trust God, whose word can never fail?
With all genuine Seventh-day Adventists, worldly hopes, prospects, and desires have become secondary, while the hope of salvation when Christ shall come, has become primary. Their faith is founded on God’s immutable Word. It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one letter, or point of a letter, of God’s Word to fail. Change and dissolution are everywhere apparent. Men’s hearts are failing for fear as they look at the prospects before them. Suicides are increasing at a fearful rate. More than ten thousand occurred within the last year. Even the moral foundations among the masses are trembling. Millions are losing faith in the Bible as a standard of authority. Tens of thousands in so-called Christian lands—are even seeking for light in the midnight darkness of old pagan religions, groping for light and truth in Spiritualism, various branches of occultism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Mohammedanism, when the precious light of God, the true lamp of life, is within easy reach. These things are signs of the times.
Much of this darkness has come because the churches have rejected the glorious light of prophecy. From the time of the great Reformation till the last days were reached, the Protestant churches were God’s light-bearers to the world. Then God sent forth the first angel’s message: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come.” Rev. 14:6, 7. This was the glorious announcement of the beginning of that grand assize, the supreme court of the universe sitting in judgment upon a rebellious world, and deciding the destiny of every human being for time and for eternity.
A VIEW ON THE BAROTSELAND MISSION FARM, PEMBA, NORTHWEST RHODESIA
The message proclaiming the hour of God’s judgment was to be given from its first announcement until Christ shall close his work in the heavenly sanctuary. This was a fact when William Miller and some three hundred other ministers first proclaimed it in this country. It was proclaimed also in the Old World. Of this there is the most abundant evidence. No reasonable, intelligent man can deny that such a general proclamation has been and is being made. The message was a true message, because it was founded on God’s Word. From Dan. 8:14 we learn the time when it should begin,—“Unto two thousand and three hundred days [years]; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed,”—and further data are given in Dan. 9:24-27. The cleansing of the typical sanctuary suggests a work of judgment. The cleansing of the sanctuary which the Lord pitched and not man—the antitypical sanctuary—is the great work of final judgment, and immediately precedes the close of human probation, and the coming of Jesus the second time without sin unto salvation.
That long period of twenty-three hundred year-days, as the explanation discloses, began in 457 B. C., at the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem, and ended in 1844 A. D. Figures can not lie. When we have the beginning, the starting-point, we can surely tell the time of ending. The very year that period ended, the world witnessed some of the most remarkable instances of the fulfilment of prophecy ever seen. The advent movement was world-wide in extent. From fifty thousand to one hundred thousand believers in this country, besides thousands in other lands, identified themselves with it. How did the masses of the leading churches receive this wonderful announcement?—Precisely as the Jewish church received John the Baptist’s announcement of the coming of the Saviour the first time. At first they were greatly stirred by it. Multitudes heard the message. Some received it with gladness, and were blessed thereby. But the great, the rich, those in high stations, the rulers, the religious teachers, and the masses generally, rejected the message. So it was in Noah’s time; and so has it ever been. Our age is no exception.
The second message followed. It is simply the statement of a great fact; namely, the consequences of the rejection of light,—a moral fall among the great Protestant denominations because they rejected the prophetic truths of the Bible concerning the second coming of Christ. The grand truths of prophecy, comprising probably one fourth of the great canon of Inspiration, have been set aside as of little value. The effect of this rejection of light is plainly to be seen everywhere. “The sure word of prophecy” was to be the guiding star through the murky darkness of the world. Hence, God’s Word having been rejected, we now see multitudes groping for light in modern fables of the world’s conversion, man’s natural immortality, Spiritualism, Christian Science, heathen conceptions, etc. O that blind eyes might be opened to see the true light! The second angel’s message will be a true message till Christ comes.
The third angel’s message, united with the two preceding ones, is now being proclaimed. This threefold message embraces the great platform of truth designed to prepare a people for the coming of Christ. It is a fearful, warning message, the most solemn in all the Bible, discarding every doctrine which originated in the papal apostasy, and calling for a return to the purity of apostolic teaching and the glorious truths of God’s Word and law. This is in substance the great reform of the last days, to prepare a people for the coming of Christ upon the white cloud to reap the harvest of the earth, to punish the wicked, and to gather the righteous to the garner of the Lord.8
This, dear brethren and sisters, is a very brief and feeble presentation of the work committed to us,—the proclamation of the last message of mercy to earth’s fifteen hundred million inhabitants. Do you believe this great fact? Can any of us doubt it? Thirteen great lines of prophecy proclaim that we are now in the very last days of probationary time. No great event of the past has had such a wealth of prophetic evidence to herald its near approach.
We have not space in this brief article to recapitulate Daniel’s great lines of prophecy, the beloved John’s Revelation, the prophetic words of Christ, and the declarations of many prophetic writers, all pointing down to our time, to this wonderful age of light and knowledge. God’s Word clearly pointed out that such an age would come. Everybody knows it has come. Inventions flood the world. The Bible, printed in hundreds of languages, opens up as never before its glorious truths to all who welcome the light. Missionary operations reach to every land.
Many conclude from these facts that the world is to be converted, that man is to become his own savior, and a far more glorious age is to dawn upon humanity. But God’s Word plainly declares that the coming of this age of light and knowledge positively indicates that the very last days have come, when probation will close forever. Christ declares that when this gospel of the kingdom shall have been preached in all the world, then shall the end come. When the signs he gave shall have been fulfilled, the very generation then living shall not pass away till all things be accomplished, and the Son of man come with power and great glory. In solemn, positive language he declares, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” He further declares that when the signs he foretold are fulfilled, his people may know that the kingdom is nigh, yes, even at the door.
Brethren and sisters, do you believe these words of Christ? Do you know his coming is near, even at the door? Or do you doubt Christ’s statements? These are solemn questions. The lives of some of us have spanned the whole period of these messages. We heard the glorious proclamation, “The hour of his judgment is come.” It was a wonderful, a glorious proclamation, and it stirred the world. We have seen the progress of blindness and darkness, so far as a knowledge of prophetic truth is concerned, like a pall of blackness overspread the churches. We have seen the terrible condition of unbelief into which they have fallen, as stated in the second angel’s message. Multitudes profess to be Christians who really are unbelievers in the inspiration of the Scriptures. This same skepticism permeates the educational institutions, from which men come to fill the pulpits of the churches. A fallen condition surely!
We have, thank God, lived to see the proclamation of the third angel’s message, the last of the series. We have welcomed its glorious light. We have been included among those of whom it is said, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” We are waiting with the deepest interest to see the approach of the white cloud of angels with our glorious King, Christ Jesus, our Lord. We know it is time to watch for that event. We have for many, many years rejoiced in the benefits which have come to us in the presence among us of the testimony of Jesus, the spirit of prophecy. From the very dawn of this message, we have had this privilege, which the churches of eighteen centuries have not had, of being instructed by a special messenger of the Lord. Praise his holy name that this servant of the Lord is still with us, giving still the same precious help, encouragement, and light as in the past.
We witnessed the poverty, the weakness, the unpopularity, the heart-rending struggles, of the first pioneers in this work, as they brought out the hidden truths, the precious rays of light from the Word, constituting the present truth for this time. We saw the movement, too, when there were less than fifty true believers. O, what faith was that in those early days! Those pioneers struggled against mountains of difficulties we know little about, but they believed, yes, knew, that to be God’s truth, and the end to be very near. All the way along we have witnessed the constant growth of this movement. It has never retrograded. Most marvelous has been its growth, a gain of ten per cent a year in its progress, doubling in numbers and strength in every decade until the present time.
The truth now is reaching out to nearly every land and every clime. It is safe to say that there is not another religious denomination to-day which is making such rapid, continuous growth as are Seventh-day Adventists. Yet there is none so despised in the eyes of the churches and of the world. We hold truths, which, like the seventh-day Sabbath, are unpopular, and even greatly hated by many. Still our work is onward and upward, moving irresistibly forward. This is God’s work, or such results, considering all the circumstances and conditions, could never be seen.
The truths we teach are of Bible origin, heavenly and soul-inspiring. Christian temperance is taught and practised by our people as by no other denomination in the world.
Our work is onward. We are a united people. We thank God for the cross which is in this truth. It is a great blessing; it elevates and ennobles. The cross always goes with the crown; it is Christ’s emblem.
Do all who join us remain with us?—O, no. All the way along there have been some who dropped out of our ranks. This discourages some. But so it was at Christ’s first advent. Multitudes heard and followed him a while, and then left him. The way was too hard for them. Human nature is weak. But those who “endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” We have reached the stage when the old ship Zion is coming into port. What would we think should a passenger from Europe to America jump off at Sandy Hook, in discouragement at the length of the voyage? His folly would be nothing compared to that of those who now leave the old ship Zion as she is entering port. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. . . . For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”
Uses of light: Illustrate by reference to the lights in our homes, on the street corners, on locomotives, in lighthouses, used as signals, etc. Refer to the dangers resulting from important lights going out. Use the blackboard to focus attention upon two points:—
The Bible tells of a great light that is shining in a dark place. John 1:4, 5-9; 8:12.
This world is enshrouded in the darkness of sin. No light can pierce it save that which shines from God’s Word, revealing Jesus as the light sent from heaven to guide sinners in the way of life.9
Those who have not the light walk in darkness. Those who have the light, but do not walk in it, are in danger of darkness. John 12:35.
The light becomes brighter to those who walk in it. Prov. 4:18.
Those who walk in the light become “lights.” Matt. 5:14.
By using a lamp reflector, or a mirror in the sunshine, illustrate the fact that objects having no light in themselves may “shine.”
What should those who are in the darkness of sin see when they look at Christians? Matt. 5:16.
The light from Jesus shines out of every good action.
Read the description of the “star-like lights” dotting the moral darkness of the earth, as given on pages 378, 379, of “Gospel Workers.”
The attention of small children may be held by using different-sized candles for illustration. None of them are of any use unless lighted. A very small one will light others. The colored or fancy candles give no better light than the plain ones. An air-tight box over a lighted candle puts out the light.
Christ and the Sinner
By G. B. THOMPSON
G. B. THOMPSON
Reading for Monday, December 14
“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 2 Cor. 5:21.
“Made him to be sin for us who knew no sin.” The holy, pure, and spotless Lamb of God, who “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity,” in order that to save man is made to be that which he hated. This is a great and incomprehensible mystery. Another has truly said: “Hope not, my brethren, that I can grapple with such a subject. I am overcome by it. In my meditations I have felt lost in its length and breadth. My joy is great in my theme, and yet I am conscious of a pressure upon brain and heart; for I am as a little child wandering among the mountains, or as a lone spirit which has lost its way among the stars. I stumble among sublimities; I sink amid glories; I can only point my finger to that which I see, but can not describe. May the Holy Spirit himself take the things of Christ, and show them unto you.”
Jesus gave up all in order to save man. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” 2 Cor. 8:9. Jesus was not born in the splendor of courts, or clothed in imperial robes. He exchanged a throne for a manger, and riches for poverty. He did this that a race of lost, rebellious sinners might be exalted to be equal heirs with himself, and enjoy throughout all eternity the unspeakable riches which he sacrificed. Though possessing all things by right, he voluntarily relinquished them to save man. Though equal with God, he “counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:6-8, A. R. V.
The love of God was just as great for man after the enemy deceived him, and [[FIGURE]]
led him into sin, as it was before. Jesus could not be happy in the enjoyment of his “equality with God” while man was left to perish in sin, any more than a parent could be happy in the enjoyment of the comforts of home while he knew that one of his children was lost in the darkness, and was perishing in the cold.
Jesus loves sinners. When he was on earth as a man, the Pharisees said, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” Luke 15:2. But this intended reproach is his glory; for he came to save sinners. And he still receives them. He stands at the door and knocks, and to those who hear his voice and open the door, he promises to come in and eat and drink with them. Rev. 3:20.
Satan seeks to discourage us sometimes by telling us that we are too great sinners to be saved. But Jesus died to save sinners. His salvation reaches even to the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15), and those who come to him he will in no wise cast out. John 6:37. Are you lost? Then remember that “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. Are you weak, helpless, and without strength? If so, Christ died for those who are “without strength” and “ungodly.” Rom. 5:6.
It is impossible that Christ, who died to save sinners, should refuse to save any poor, sinful soul, who, with a truly penitent heart, comes to him and asks for pardon. It is his joy to save all such. To the penitent thief on the cross, with his whole life of sin behind him, and only a few lingering hours of probation before him, Jesus promised an eternal life of joy in his kingdom. He thus holds out eternal life to every repentant thief on earth. To Peter, who denied him, who cursed and swore and declared he never knew him, was sent the special word, on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection, “Go your way, tell his disciples and Peter.” Here is a call to every Peter on earth to come unto him and find forgiveness and rest.
Judas, when he gave him the kiss of betrayal in the garden, was addressed as his “friend.” Matt. 26:50.
The love of Jesus is great for those who need help. “Jesus loves to have us come to him just as we are, sinful, helpless, dependent. We may come with all our weakness, our folly, our sinfulness, and fall at his feet in penitence. It is his glory to encircle us in the arms of his love and to bind up our wounds, to cleanse us from all impurity. In “Steps to Christ” we read:—
“Here is where thousands fail: they do not believe that Jesus pardons them personally, individually. They do not take God at his word. It is the privilege of all who comply with the conditions to know for themselves that pardon is freely extended for every sin. Put away the suspicion that God’s promises are not meant for you. They are for every repentant transgressor. Strength and grace have been provided through Christ to be brought by ministering angels to every believing soul. None are so sinful that they can not find strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them. He is waiting to strip them of their garments stained and polluted with sin, and to put upon them the white robes of righteousness; he bids them live, and not die.”—Page 65.
“Made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;” that is, he took our nature.10He laid hold upon our sinful flesh. He became in very truth the Son of man. “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” Rom. 8:3.
“Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” Heb. 2:17, 18. “For we have not an high priest which can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb. 4:15.
What promises could be more encouraging to sinners than these? Clothed with the weakness of “sinful flesh,” made “like” those whom he came to redeem, in “all points tempted like as we are,” and having himself suffered through being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted. Are you tempted? Be of good courage; for your great High Priest once was tempted as you are. In the weakness of your flesh he met every temptation and trial that you meet, and conquered. Satan has been vanquished at every point, and you meet a conquered foe. In your flesh Jesus is waiting to manifest himself, and in your stead meet the adversary and win for you a victory over every besetment. This blessed experience is for all who believe. To every tempted, struggling soul, Jesus says: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19. He who spoke worlds into existence, and upholds them by his word, is “able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Jude 24. He would empty heaven of every angel warrior, rather than leave one believing soul to be overcome by the enemy. The gods of the heathen can not help those who worship before them; but our God made the heavens, and nothing is too hard for him.
The sacrifice to redeem man involved more than many suppose. It made possible consequences which the finite mind of man can never fully fathom. In taking man’s nature, Jesus must necessarily take with it all the risk of sin. This point should not be overlooked. In taking man’s place, our Redeemer risked something. It is this that made the sacrifice so great. We read in “Desire of Ages:”—
“Satan in heaven had hated Christ for his position in the courts of God. He hated him the more when he himself was dethroned. He hated him who pledged himself to redeem a race of sinners. Yet into the world where Satan claimed dominion, God permitted his Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted him to meet life’s peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss.
“Many claim that it was impossible for Christ to be overcome by temptation. Then he could not have been placed in Adam’s position; he could not have gained the victory that Adam failed to [[FIGURE]]
gain. If we have in any sense a more trying conflict than had Christ, then he would not be able to succor us. But our Saviour took humanity, with all its liabilities. He took the nature of man, with the possibility of yielding to temptation. We have nothing to bear which he has not endured.”—Pages 49, 117.
The human mind staggers beneath such a tremendous truth. It can be explained only through the love of God for man. Calvary demonstrated, not simply to this world, but to the whole universe, the love of God for sinners. To save lost man, nothing was withheld. Heaven itself was jeopardized. Man’s redemption cost all that heaven had to give.
There is no place for selfishness in the life of the one who yields himself to God. Especially is this true of this people. Jesus is soon coming. Prepared or unprepared, we must soon meet him. Viewed in the light of Calvary, and the closing scenes of earth’s probation, has not the time come when we should place all on the altar—ourselves, property, all? We can not, of course, obtain righteousness by works; we can not buy our way into favor with God, or purchase a right to the tree of life with money, or any works that we can do. But who can view the sacrifice made by the Son of God to save man, and selfishly cling to what he has, while millions perish, waiting for the gospel? In “Early Writings” we read:—
“The angel said, ‘Destruction is coming like a mighty whirlwind.’ I begged of the angel to pity and to save those who loved this world, who were attached to their possessions, and were not willing to cut loose from them, and sacrifice to speed the messengers on their way to feed the hungry sheep who are perishing for want of spiritual food.
“As I viewed poor souls dying for want of the present truth, and some who professed to believe the truth were letting them die, by withholding the necessary means to carry forward the work of God, the sight was too painful, and I begged of the angel to remove it from me. I saw that when the cause of God called for some of their property, like the young man who came to Jesus (Matt. 19:16-22), they went away sorrowful; and that soon the overflowing scourge would pass over and sweep their possessions all away, and then it would be too late to sacrifice earthly goods, and lay up a treasure in heaven.
“I then saw the glorious Redeemer, beautiful and lovely; that he left the realms of glory, and came to this dark and lonely world, to give his precious life and die, the just for the unjust. He bore the cruel mocking and scourging, wore the platted crown of thorns, and sweat great drops of blood in the garden, while the burden of the sins of the whole world was upon him. The angel asked, ‘What for?’ O, I saw and knew that it was for us; for our sins he suffered all this, that by his precious blood he might redeem us unto God.
“Then again was held up before me those who were not willing to dispose of this world’s goods to save perishing souls by sending them the truth while Jesus stands before the Father pleading his blood, his sufferings, and his death for them; and while God’s messengers are waiting, ready to carry them the saving truth that they might be sealed with the seal of the living God. It is hard for some who profess to believe the present truth, to even do so little as to hand the messengers God’s own money, that he has lent them to be stewards over.
“The suffering Jesus, his love so deep as to lead him to give his life for man, was again held up before me; also the lives of those who professed to be his followers, who had this world’s goods,11but considered it so great a thing to help the cause of salvation. The angel said, ‘Can such enter heaven?’ Another angel answered, ‘No, never, never, never. Those who are not interested in the cause of God on earth can never sing the song of redeeming love above.’”—Pages 49, 50.
Such love and sacrifice upon the part of our adorable Redeemer call for a full and complete consecration upon the part of those who believe that salvation’s hour is at hand. Every sin should be given up. Most fervently should we pray, ‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’
The judgment has begun, and will soon end. The times call for a deep and thorough repentance of sin. We should place ourselves, and our families, and all our substance on the altar, to be used wherever God in his providence may call. We should dedicate all to the work of the Lord. We should give liberally of that which the Lord has given us, that the message may be sent speedily into all lands, and millions yet unwarned may hear the message. Then will the end come.
A VIEW IN BLANTYRE, THE TRADING CENTER OF NYASSALAND
