Meetings for the Children During the Week of Prayer
By Vesta J. Farnsworth
VESTA J. FARNSWORTH
ONE reason for the appointment of a week of prayer for our people should be the spiritual condition of our children and youth. Never before were the temptations of the world so strong, never multiplied to such an extent as now the things which tend to create unbelief in the truth and to lead away from God’s people be spared, that the children be gathered together by those who love them, those who will show them their need of seeking God with all the heart.
This week of prayer affords another opportunity for personal work for the children. However hopeless any case may be, let not that one be passed by. Carefully plan for the children’s meetings, so that the younger members of the Lord’s family be not left to look wistfully on while the older ones eat at a well-filled table.
Where regular meetings cannot be held, let parents study these lessons with their children at family worship each day, then all unite in seeking the Lord together. “If there is in the family one child who is unconscious of his sinful state, parents should not rest. . . . Let everything in the home be diligently examined, to see why this child is lost.”—“Christ’s Object Lessons,” page 195.
It is high time to “sound an alarm,” and that prayer mingled with weeping be heard from the ministers, that God’s
The special reason for prayer and earnest work now is that the great day of the Lord is near and hasteth greatly. Events of the past few months show how suddenly probation may close, and the warning voice be silenced.
Our love for the children in our homes, Sabbath schools, and churches should lead to an effort never equaled in intensity, earnestness, and self-sacrificing labor. We must know that the children are not cherishing a false hope. The time is coming when those who would can “deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered.” Each must gain an experience for himself.
“Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem.” Some sons and daughters are far from being a comfort to those in charge of them, but this promise may be kept before God until it is fulfilled. Parents, church-school teachers, and Sabbath school officers and teachers may insist on its fulfillment after doing their part to clear the way. In some cases confessions should be made, earnest prayer offered, and the dangers and duties of the children set before them.
Children are keen readers of character. No assumed interest, no empty sound of words will reach the heart. The ring of sincerity must be in looks, speech, voice, and method. While we undertake the work with trembling, yet it should be with a confidence that will not be denied results, for “we are laborers together with God.”
Preparation for the End
By Arthur G. Daniells
(Reading for Sabbath, December 12)
Preparation for the End
A. G. DANIELLS
“REPENT ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt. 3: 2. This is the statement with which John the Baptist began his message, as the herald and forerunner of Christ at his first advent. It is also the message proclaimed by Jesus as he entered upon his public ministry among men. Matt. 4: 17.
That message was full of meaning to the generation then living. An important prophetic period had terminated, a great event had transpired, a new era had begun. Compared with former events in the history of the church, such as the announcement of the gospel of the kingdom to Adam, the destruction of the world by a flood in Noah’s day, the Exodus of Israel from Egypt under Moses, and the Babylonian captivity in Daniel’s time, the kingdom of God was, as John declared, truly at hand. Hence the call to repentance and amendment of life necessary to enter that kingdom. It will be helpful to review, briefly, the time and7events upon which John the Baptist based his message, and compare them with our time and the events now taking place.
The Time
John began the proclamation of the message, “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” at the close of the prophetic period of 483 years. That was the first part of that long line of prophecy covering 2,300 years as recorded and explained in the prophecy of the eighth and ninth chapters of Daniel. The beginning of this prophetic time was to date from the “going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.” Dan. 9: 25. This commandment consisted of three decrees, issued by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, respectively. Ezra 6: 14. The last decree was given by Artaxerxes 457 B. C. Ezra 7: 12-28. In 483 years from that date Christ, the Messiah, was to be baptized and enter upon his ministry. Four hundred and eighty-three years from 457 B. C. reach to A. D. 27. In that year Jesus came from “Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.” Matt. 3: 13. As John saw him coming, he said to the people, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1: 29. The “fulness of time” had come, Jesus was in their midst, the kingdom of heaven was at hand.
A Great Event
The presence of the Son of God as a man among men in this world, was a great event—the greatest since creation. It was that event of which patriarchs and prophets had prophesied with joyful hearts, and to which they had all looked with longing eyes. He had come to live and die for the world. By his death salvation would be made possible for every sinner. “Upon him who had laid off his glory, and accepted the weakness of humanity, the redemption of the world must rest. He saw and felt it all, but his purpose remained steadfast. Upon his arm depended the salvation of the fallen race, and he reached out his hand to grasp the hand of the Omnipotent.” He was victorious. At the close of his triumphant life he said to his Father, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” And at the last, when expiring on the cross, Jesus cried, “It is finished.” He knew that the “destruction of sin and Satan was forever made certain, that the redemption of man was assured, and that the universe was made eternally secure.” Truly this was the greatest event that had ever taken place among men.
A New Era
It was the beginning of a new era to both the church and the world. The advent of Christ brought a fuller revelation of God’s purpose as set forth in the gospel. It gave the church a larger vision and a wider field of service. It was then that the church of Christ received the command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” The impetus given the church at that time has resulted in the world-wide missionary movement of today.
When the gospel was first revealed to man, it was made plain that the Son of God must come to this world and give his life a sacrifice for sinners. His coming, after four thousand years of looking and waiting by his people, was, indeed, the beginning of a new era. It brought the kingdom of heaven nearer to his people than it had ever seemed to them before. Now they felt that they could almost see the end.
Our Time
The first advent of Christ, which took place at the close of the 483 years, was but one of a number of events set forth and connected together by that long prophetic period covering two thousand three hundred years. The last event of that period is given as follows: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” The prophecy began, as already shown, 457 B. C. The first 483 years of the time ended in A. D. 27, when Christ was baptized. Taking 483 years from 2,300, we have left 1,817. Adding these to A. D. 27, we are brought to A. D. 1844. “Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Thus we are brought by this long line of prophecy to our day and generation for the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary.
Photo by E. E. Thorpe
Just what the cleansing of the sanctuary signifies may be learned by a careful study of the earthly sanctuary and its services, as set forth in the books of Exodus and Leviticus. The sixteenth chapter of Leviticus contains the instruction given to the priests for the cleansing of the sanctuary. This service was to be performed on the tenth day of the seventh month. Lev. 16: 29. That day was named the day of atonement. Lev. 23: 27, 28. The atonement was made because of the “uncleanness of the children of Israel.” Lev. 16: 19. It was also to cleanse the people: “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” Verse 30. This was done by the act of the priest in laying his hands on the head of the scapegoat and confessing “over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins,” and taking this goat, laden with the sins of the people, “unto a land not inhabited.” Verses 21, 22. Thus the sanctuary was cleansed from the sins of the people that had been transferred, or borne, into it by the daily ministry of the priest.
But the earthly sanctuary with all its service was typical of the heavenly sanctuary and its service. There Christ, our High Priest, ministers his life for the world. There he bears the sins of all who come to him seeking forgiveness and cleansing. That sanctuary will be cleansed in the antitypical day of atonement. Then the great High Priest of the heavenly sanctuary, who bears the sins of all who accept him as their Saviour and remain steadfast to the end, will lay these sins on Satan, the antitype of the scapegoat. Satan’s destruction will be the end of those sins.
Thus the sanctuary will be cleansed. It is evident that the cleansing of the sanctuary involves a work of judgment. Only the sins of those who accept Christ are transferred to him in the sanctuary. Therefore only those sins can be removed from the sanctuary. For this reason complete and final atonement can be made for those only who yield themselves wholly to the Saviour, giving to him their sins, and receiving in their place his perfect righteousness.
This is where the work of judgment so definitely set forth in the Scriptures comes in. Whose sins shall be removed from the sanctuary and blotted out, must be determined by the record found in the books. The investigation and decision and execution constitute the judgment. Hence the atonement, the cleansing of the sanctuary, and the judgment are inseparably connected, if not practically one. They begin at the same time, namely, at the close of the 2,300 years in 1844, but the exact time when this judgment work ceases in heaven is not made known. This time when Jesus8is to receive the kingdom, the Father keeps in his own power. See Acts 1: 6, 7. When this work is finished, Christ will close his work as priest and begin his glorious reign as king. His death on the cross at his first advent laid the foundation for the establishment of his kingdom. This made salvation possible to all men. The cleansing of the sanctuary closes the ministry of Christ for the salvation of men. It is then that he receives the kingdom from his Father and begins his eternal reign. The judgment and the giving of the kingdom to Christ are inseparably connected, as will be seen by the following statement:—
“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Dan. 7: 9, 10, 13, 14.
This is the kingdom promised by the angel Gabriel when he said to Mary:—
“Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1: 30-33.
When this promise is fulfilled, then will be fulfilled also the following: “And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever.” Rev. 11: 15.
The two events surpassing all others foretold in the prophecies are the first advent of Christ and his return as king to establish his everlasting kingdom. At the first advent the message was given, “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The time that has elapsed and the events that have transpired since the first advent have brought the kingdom of heaven much nearer than it was when John proclaimed it near. That message must, therefore, be correspondingly more applicable and full of meaning today than in John’s day. If men needed the message of John and Jesus then, how much more do we need it today!
Repentance implies sin, for it is sin that the Word of God everywhere commands men to repent of. In his last interview with his disciples Jesus told them that after his departure “repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Luke 24: 47. In the first public meeting held by the disciples after their Lord had left them, they called the people to repentance. Said Peter, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2: 38. Repent of sin, that there may be forgiveness of sin. Again: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.” Acts 3: 19. Repent of sin, that sin may be blotted out.
In exhorting the people to repent, John the Baptist explained the nature of true repentance and its results. Said he, “Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance.” To the publicans, or tax-gatherers, he said, “Exact no more than that which is appointed you.” To the soldiers, “Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.” Luke 3: 8, 13, 14.
From all these statements it is plain that repentance lies at the very beginning of true Christian experience. It is genuine sorrow for the sins of our lives, which have injured us and others, and grieved and dishonored our Lord. It is sorrow that leads to the confession and renunciation of sin. And more still, it is sorrow that leads to amendment of life, to the bearing of the fruits of righteousness. It leads to honesty in all the relationships of life toward both God and man.
Writing to the Corinthians the apostle Paul says: “Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” 2 Cor. 7: 10, 11.
This kind of sorrow for sin is greatly lacking in the church today just at the time when it is most essential. We are living in the very last days of the great day of atonement. Our High Priest is about to leave the most holy apartment of the sanctuary, where he has ministered for so many years, a full generation, or seventy years, for the cleansing away of sin. Only those sins, it must be remembered, that are repented of, confessed, and renounced can be transferred to Satan to forever perish with him. Thus these days of lingering probation are very precious indeed.
Of all the people in the world, Seventh-day Adventists should have a full realization of the terrible character of sin, and experience that true repentance and godly sorrow that mean complete separation from it forever. When we think how Jesus, our great High Priest, sweat great drops of blood in Gethsemane for us, striving against sin, it should cause us to abhor it in all its hideousness, and pray most earnestly to be forever delivered from it.
The end is upon us. Soon Jesus will lay off his priestly robes and be clothed in kingly garments. Then the choices we have made must stand forever. If all our sins have been put away and our robes made white in the blood of the Lamb, we shall be able to endure through the time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, and to stand before the Son of man as he comes in all his glory.
Scenes taking place in heaven down at the close of time when the third angel’s message is closing are described by the servant of God: “I saw angels hurrying to and fro in heaven. An angel with a writer’s inkhorn by his side returned from the earth, and reported to Jesus that his work was done, and the saints were numbered and sealed.” Then I saw Jesus, who had been ministering before the ark containing the ten commandments, throw down the censer. He raised his hands, and with a loud voice said, “It is done.” And all the angelic host laid off their crowns as Jesus made the solemn declaration, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”
“Every case had been decided for life or death. While Jesus had been ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead, and then for the righteous living. Christ had received his kingdom, having made the atonement for his people, and blotted out their sins. The subjects of the kingdom were made up. The marriage of the Lamb was consummated. And the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, was given to Jesus and the heirs of salvation, and Jesus was to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords.”—Early Writings, pages 279, 280.
This day is just before us. Brother, sister, are you ready for it? “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
We Should Repent
Lesson for the Children — No. 1
We Should Repent
MEMORY TEXT: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19.
Have the children commit this verse to memory. Ask what it means to repent. “To be sorry.” Illustrate what true repentance is. A boy may be sorry he did wrong when he is punished, but still not be sorry for the sin. A thief is sorry because he is sent to prison, but not because he stole. Judas was so very sorry he sold Jesus that he hanged himself9; but Judas repented because he saw that he himself was lost, not because he was a betrayer and murderer.
The right kind of repentance makes us sorry for what we have done, instead of for the punishment we suffer.
When Job repented he said, “I abhor myself.” There are some things we do not like, some we even hate, but abhor is a still stronger word. Job abhorred himself. When he saw how holy God was, and that he had sinned against him, he felt like sitting down in dust and ashes to show his sorrow.
Illustrate true repentance further by the people of Nineveh. Try to make the children see the stranger coming up the main street. “Hark!” the people may have said, “he is saying something. Now he is near enough so we can hear his words. Listen!” “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
The people grew pale. They looked at one another. “Did you hear what that man said?” they asked one another. Then they began to tell others what they had heard. Some ran home to tell their wives and children.
Still Jonah kept going on through the streets all day long, calling out the solemn words, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.”
Somebody told these words to the king of Nineveh. He left his throne, took off his rich robes, and put on rough cloth to show that he was mourning. (Describe the proclamation made, and how all the people repented.) They not only prayed, but they turned every one from his evil way. That was true repentance.
A lady heard two boys talking. “They say Jesus is coming, and that will be the end of everything,” said one. “I don’t want to see him,” replied the other. “If I thought he was coming so soon, I’d want to kill myself.” Would you feel that way? Perhaps the first thing you would think of would be the cross words you spoke to brother or sister, or you would remember how you tried to deceive father, or disobeyed mother. O, you would want more time to get ready!
The Ninevites cried “mightily unto God.” This week of prayer is a time when we should do the same. They knew how much time they had. We do not. Our time to prepare may be shorter than theirs. The only safe way is to get ready now.
(Call for those who truly repent of sin to stand. Close with a season of earnest prayer that God may help each one to repent.)
The Winning of Souls
By I. H. Evans
(Reading for Sunday, December 13)
The Winning of Souls
I. H. EVANS
THE greatest work ever committed to man is that of winning souls to the kingdom of God. There are many callings, which possess merit and bring reward, that are good for men to follow; but never has a work been committed to man equal to this great work of winning souls.
The Value of a Soul
The parables recorded in the fifteenth of Luke give some idea of the value that the Son of God puts upon a soul.
Before him was a mixed multitude,—publicans and sinners, scribes and Pharisees, haughty doctors of the law,—ever ready to ensnare the Teacher; men who came to cavil and sneer; others who hung upon his words for comfort and life; rich and poor, high and low, blooming youth and feeble age; some proud and self-satisfied; others humbly longing for pardon and cleansing. It was, in fact, such a throng as would gather before him today if he were present in the flesh; for in its pride and its sin and its great and overwhelming need, the human heart does not change.
“And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.”
“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbors together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
As sinful beings, our senses are too gross, our ideals too material, our desires too earthly, fully to appreciate the value of salvation. Sinless beings alone know the value of eternal life. Only the Maker of man can appreciate the possibilities of eternity.
On another occasion, our Saviour showed how precious are the believers to the heart of God. “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me,” he said, “it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depths of the sea.”
One purpose, and one only, actuated the Son of God in his earthly life,—“to seek and to save that which was lost.” This was his life work. And those who have accepted the salvation bought at so fearful a price, and tasted its joy in the heart, can render no service so valuable in the sight of Heaven as to carry on his work,—to seek the lost, find them, love them, and if possible save them, turning them to righteousness. Those who do this work, for Christ’s sake, live his life in their labors, and multiply the life of Christ in their service.
In the past some have experienced this hungering for souls in a very marked manner. The great Gentile apostle felt its compelling power. He gave utterance to this consuming desire when he said, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.” And again: “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” Matthew Henry said: “I would think it greater happiness to win one soul for Christ than to gain mountains of gold and silver for myself.” Doddridge is quoted as saying: “I long for the conversion of souls more sensibly than for anything besides. Methinks I could not only labor but die for it, with delight.” Many other men have there been, such as Whitefield, the Wesleys, Finney, Moody, and Spurgeon, who could truly say,—
“The love of Christ doth me constrain
To seek the wandering souls of men.
With cries, entreaties, tears, to save,
To snatch them from the fiery wave.”
The early ages were blessed with many consecrated souls who gladly gave life and all for the extension of the work of the gospel. So ready were they to endure persecution, and so little did they fear earthly powers and oppressive legislation, that some writers have even charged the people of God with courting a martyr’s grave.
Travail of Soul
There have been but few born into the kingdom of God without great travail of soul on the part of some one. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” When a new life begins, some one has suffered. Zion cannot beget her children without travail.
Every great revival is preceded by prayer and seeking God. Pentecost followed ten days of heart searching, fasting, and prayer. If Peter, James, John, and the other disciples had spent these ten days in committee work, studying Parthia, Media, Judea, Pontus, Asia, Egypt, and other lands where the truth must be preached, drafting recommendations, assigning to each the part he was to act in spreading the gospel, there could have been no Pentecost. It was the travailing of soul in that upper chamber that prepared the way for the descent of the Holy Spirit, resulting in winning thousands of souls to Christ.
Prayer has ever been a mighty factor in extending the kingdom of God. Martin Luther said, “The church converteth the whole world by blood and prayer.” And Wallace wrote, “Prayer moves the hand that rules the world.” It was John Knox’s prayers that moved Scotland to accept the Protestant religion. “Lord, give me Scotland, or I die,” was the cry of his heart. So earnestly and with such power did he call upon God that the queen said, “I fear that man’s prayers more than the armies of England.”
No great reformation nor any great revival has ever been carried to a successful termination without much prayer by the leaders and the people. Soul winning and growth in the spiritual life depend far less upon human wisdom and native ability than on communion with God in prayer.10
We have a great work, a work that is soon to be finished. It is world-wide in its movement, it reaches every nation of earth. No people ever before undertook such a program as we. Looking at it from a human standpoint, we can see “Impossible” printed in bold type. Then it is we reckon without our Leader. But our strength is not in man’s wisdom or power, but in the living God; and when we seek him with all our hearts, the work can and will be done.
SHANGHAI CHURCH SCHOOL, TAKEN IN FRONT OF ONE OF OUR CHAPELS
The man on the left is the gatekeeper. The next two are our native evangelists.
The two at the right are school teachers.
Spurgeon said: “The Lord give me a dozen importunate pleaders and lovers of souls, and by his grace we will shake all London from end to end yet. The work would go on without the mass of you, Christians,—many of you only hinder the march of the army; but give us a dozen lionlike, lamblike men, burning with intense love to Christ and souls, and nothing will be impossible to their faith.”
Today our denominational strength lies in our praying people, those who have learned to wrestle with the angel and to prevail with God. Unless we stand with God, we labor in vain to give the message to the nations of earth. But the work will be finished; it will be completed in God’s appointed time. Those who hear these words may have a part in that work. But let us not forget that before the loud cry of the message reaches its fullness, there must be great travail of soul among God’s people. “For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.”
Personal Work
We often think our greatest source of strength, next to divine help, is our ministry, while we overlook the value and importance of personal work. We expect and, rightly, too, great things from our ministers, for they are God’s ambassadors; but our ministering brethren can never do the work that he has laid upon each individual. Personal work is the strongest, surest method of leading men to Christ. Most of the conversions recorded in the four Gospels were the result of personal work. Christ came in close touch with those whom he won. He spoke to them with a personal appeal which was irresistible.
Such work is the need of the world today. They have reading matter of all sorts. They have clubs, society meetings, and social functions till the very life seems crammed, stuffed, crowded to the limit. But here and there are hungry hearts, yearning for help, comfort, peace. It is personal help that many such souls need, and to which they will most readily respond.
A young boy, the son of one of our ministers, was in a meeting where many were seeking God. He seemed unmoved. He resisted the sermon; he hardened his heart against the pleadings of the Spirit. Finally his mother came to him, and putting her arms of love about him, with tears flowing down her cheeks, asked him to give himself to God. For a moment he hesitated, but when his mother bent down to speak to him, and he saw her soul anguish, he cried: “I will, mother; I will serve God for your sake. Your tears will break my heart.” What hosts of sinners have found the Lord through the strong personal appeal of others!
The Finishing of Our Work
We have a definite, positive, reformatory message. It is hedged in by time. It is one of those great warning messages that from time to time God has sent to this lost world, and it must be given to accomplish his purpose. It is not a man-devised message. Behind it are all the heavenly agencies used by God in saving men. This message is from heaven, and it must be given to the world. If God’s people hold their peace, if man refuses to proclaim the warning, the God of heaven will see that it is proclaimed by some agency; for it is due the world, and it must be given.
And just as truly as the message is to be heralded to the world, it is also to be finished. There must come a day when it can be said, “The work is done.” Then there will be nothing left for any of us to do for souls. There will not be another sermon to preach, for the time for preaching will be past; not one more book need be sold, for reading will not lead another soul to God; not a tract given away, for the hour will be past in which to find salvation; not a prayer for the lost uttered; all will then have been finished.
Mercy will have closed her gates. The flood tide of God’s wrath against sin will have been opened, and on every hand will be widespread suffering, unutterable distress, and hopeless despair. The presses now used in printing books and papers that contain the message, will be rusting in idleness. The keys to the doors of our offices, schools, and other institutions will then have been turned for the last time. The work then will have been finished in all the world.
At that time, the workers, the soul winners, will look in solemn silence into one another’s faces, and each know the others’ thought,—“It is done.” The minister, the colporteur, the writer, the teacher, the physician, the nurse, one and all will say, “The work of God on earth is finished.”
No more will be heard the warning voice against sin; no more will Christ be pointed to as the sin bearer. Hope will have died in the hearts of all save the chosen company. They will look upon their friends and neighbors, knowing that the warning messages of Revelation 14 are finished. The mother will look upon her first-born son who is out of Christ, and she will know his final lot. The wife will look into the face of her husband, and will know that she is gazing upon a lost soul. The work of warning the world will be ended. Far and near the plagues will be tormenting the people, while those who have chosen God’s service will wait the coming of their glorious King. The work of earth is done.
Brother, sister, the day of service is now. Your work for souls must be done while you are living, while you have probation. The time has come to finish the work. Now, this very time, belongs to us for service. The church of Christ must rise with renewed and holy zeal, and warn the world of its soon-coming doom. We must do personal work. We must plead for sinners to accept Christ and escape the wrath to come.
The Reward
As the work of soul winning is the greatest work ever committed to man, so is the reward for such service the greatest reward ever bestowed. It is a lasting11an enduring, and eternal reward.
Every other work will perish in the day of God’s wrath. The cities, with all their wealth, art, and beauty, will be laid in ruin; the inventions of men, developed by generations of constant application and patient labor, cannot endure; the thoughts of men whose fame has commanded the respect of the ages will be of no value; the honor of man, which has so often been purchased by wasting war and the sacrifice of human life, will count for nothing. All earthly things will avail not; they must perish. But the souls we are instrumental in saving will be our eternal glory, our crown of rejoicing. The redeemed, saved by the power of God through our efforts, will be stars in our crown through endless ages.
“He that winneth souls is wise.”
“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.”
