p. 58 | Let Us Be Encouraged by Wm. G. Buckland

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jul 24, 1866

Let Us Be Encouraged.

By Wm. G. Buckland

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke xxi, 28.

THIS is the language of our Saviour addressed to the little flock living in the last days, though spoken more than eighteen hundred years ago. It was given as words of encouragement, comfort, and good cheer, to his faithful followers that should be living just prior to his second advent, and not to them that lived centuries in the past. In order that this promise should be a promise of hope and encouragement to them, it is necessary for the class of believers addressed, to know when they are in the last days. Some may tell us this is impossible; that no man can know anything about when the Lord will come; that as the world has been in existence thousands of years, it may continue for thousands of generations to come. Our only reply to such is, that they do not believe the record of creation, neither is it thought a thing incredible for them to disbelieve the testimony given relating to the glorious appearing of our Deliverer, though that testimony should come from a high source of authority, even Jesus our Lord. We find in the Scriptures the record given for our instruction, that the world was once destroyed by a flood of waters.

"But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2 Pet. iii, 6-8.

Furthermore, we are told that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night upon the wicked, for when they cry peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh. They are sounding a false alarm; they choose the fables and commandments of men, which turn from the truth, rather than the truth itself; therefore they will find themselves like a man who neglects to fasten his house and awakes only to find the midnight assassin standing by his bed with drawn revolver pointed at his head, knowing it is too late to make any preparation for safety, or to offer resistance.

But Paul says, "Ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief." The evidences are, that some will, just prior to the event, know something about it; there will be some, the loins of whose minds will be girded up; they have heard the voice of the Great Shepherd, they have watched the signs of the times, they have prepared for the time of trouble, and stood through the shaking of the nations of the earth, have folded righteousness around them as a garment, and are waiting for their Lord to return.

My brethren, are we looking for this? do we have a hope in this promise, or is it those that are afar off? I think it is very important for us to understand this, and be in earnest to prepare for it.

We will briefly examine the evidences of our faith, and the reason of our hope, commencing with the great chain of prophecy as found in Dan. ii. In this we have a brief history of the world, bringing us down to the end. Going through with, successively, the 7th, 8th, and 9th chapters, each brings us to the same point, viz., the end. Then to Rev. xiii, in the meantime not forgetting Paul's man of sin, tracing through the two-horned beast down to the end, we might notice the sounding of the trumpets, and then the three messages of Rev. xiv. The third message is to call out a people to stand in the waste places and repair

the breach, that is, to restore the Sabbath of the Lord. This people are to have the "testimony of Jesus." This message is to seal the people of the Lord; to prepare them to look up and wait for deliverance. With this brief history before us, let us see if we can find our reckoning. As we look at these prophecies, we see they are fulfilled in the past. Two of the messages are in the past, and the last is sounding. There are those living in our day who can testify to the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, with distress of nations. And we find a people spoken of as keeping the commandments of God, and having the testimony of Jesus. Then here seems to be the very point, and this the people, that this language is addressed to. Yes, we find this people beginning to look up, for their redemption draweth nigh. They have long waited for their absent Lord's return, and they know his delay will not be long.

WM. G. BUCKLAND.

Battle Creek, Mich.