On the Way to the Holy City by W. A. SPICER

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 11, 1915

On the Way to the Holy City

By W. A. SPICER

Reading for Thursday, December 16

On the Way to the Holy City

W. A. SPICER

In the little book “Early Writings,” by Sister E. G. White, a view is given us of the journeyings of the Adventist people to the city of God. This was the first message to the Adventist believers by the spirit of prophecy; and in words that can never die it points now to the end of the pathway, and cheers us on in the little journey that we have yet to make.

The thought that we—of many peoples and nations and tongues—are pressing along together in this pathway, soon to meet at Jesus’ coming, is a precious one to the believers in all the lands. We are more than a denomination of Christians. This is a movement that we have come into. We are a people on the march—going somewhere; and as we pass along the road, the waymarks multiply that show that we are nearing the journey’s end.

How those in one part rejoice at every word of progress in every other part of the one world-wide work! And a blessing showered in one place, seems, by the very hearing of it, to bring showers of similar blessing and revival over all the fields.

This week our prayers, ascending from widely separated homes and companies, unite our hearts at the throne of grace. All are rejoicing in the same “blessed hope,” praying for one another and loving one another. The Adventist people do love one another. No storms that scourge the world can break the tie that binds together the family of believers in this bright hope of Christ’s soon coming. This week of prayer, in a troubled world, we thank God for this anew.

“There is a scene where spirits blend, Where friend holds fellowship with friend. Though sundered far, by faith we meet Around one common mercy seat.”

And this year at the mercy seat we meet multitudes of new fellow believers—of many nations and tongues. What good cheer in that record of baptisms last year. It is a shining column of figures in the statistical report. Fifteen thousand persons—lacking but one soul—were baptized into the faith of the Lord Jesus. That means an average of over forty souls every twenty-four hours, coming into the ranks, and helping to swell the cry of the message. They have found the path.

Let us read again that story that never grows old, of the journey of the Adventist people as revealed to the little band of believers at the beginning of the way. May the reality of it all be impressed anew upon our hearts. It was out of a wonderful experience of fulfilling prophecy and providential guiding that this movement rose in the days of 1844, to spread through all the world. May God keep our hearts in the simplicity and joy of the Adventist faith, and give us grace to follow all the way. If any have not stepped into this path by full surrender to the Lord Jesus, now is the accepted time.

This is the view that was sent to cheer our hearts:—

“As God has shown me the travels of the advent people to the holy city, and the rich reward to be given those who wait the return of their Lord from the wedding, it may be my duty to give you a short sketch of what God has revealed to me. The dear saints have many trials to pass through. But our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, will work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory—while we look not at the things which are seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. I have tried to bring back a good report and a few grapes from the heavenly Canaan. . . . I declare to you, my brethren and sisters in the Lord, it is a goodly land, and we are well able to go up and possess it.

“While I was praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, ‘Look again, and look a little higher.’ At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the advent people were traveling to the city, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path, and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, who was just before them, leading them to the city, they were safe. But soon some grew weary, and said the city was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising his glorious right arm, and from his arm came a light which waved over the advent band, and they shouted, ‘Alleluia!’ Others rashly denied the light behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out, leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below. Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. . . .

“Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man’s hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer, and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man. His hair was white and curly and lay on his shoulders; and upon his head were many crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in his right hand was a sharp sickle; in his left a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched his children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that God had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried out, Who shall be able to stand? Is my robe spotless? Then the angels ceased to sing, and there was some time of awful silence, when Jesus spoke: ‘Those who have clean hands and pure hearts shall be able to stand; my grace is sufficient for you.’ At this, our faces lighted up, and joy filled every heart. And the angels struck a note higher and sang again, while the cloud drew still nearer the earth.

“Then Jesus’ silver trumpet sounded, as he descended on the cloud, wrapped in flames of fire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints, then raised his eyes and hands to heaven, and cried, ‘Awake! awake! awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise.’ Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality. The 144,000 shouted, ‘Alleluia!’ as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were

changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. . . .

“Angels were all about us as we marched over the sea of glass to the gate of the city. Jesus raised his mighty, glorious arm, laid hold of the pearly gate, swung it back on its glittering hinges, and said to us, ‘You have washed your robes in my blood, stood stiffly for my truth, enter in.’ We all marched in and felt that we had a perfect right in the city. . . .

“We tried to call up our greatest trials, but they looked so small compared with the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that surrounded us, that we could not speak them out, and we all cried out ‘Alleluia, heaven is cheap enough!’ and we touched our glorious harps and made heaven’s arches ring.”

Here we close the quotation from that first view given us in “Early Writings.” By the ear of faith we can hear those harps of the ransomed making heaven’s arches ring. By the grace of God we must be there. Our voices must join in that grand “Alleluia” to the Lamb. And what a solemn thought that this path we are walking in actually leads on into experiences and scenes such as these described.

We cannot walk this path in our own strength,—

“I must have the Saviour with me, For I dare not walk alone.”

And, thank God, he promises to go with us all the way; and his power can keep us and make even our poor hearts clean and pure and strong, and take us through to the city. We will let him do it; and we will plead with others to come and walk in this glorious way with him.