p. 5 | Into All the World

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D.C. · Jun 16, 1904

Into All the World

The command of our Leader is, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.” There is no exception in this command. No country is so remote, no nation is so highly educated, and no people is so degraded that it is not included in this great commission. Jesus knew the world. He knew its need. He knew that no man, high or low, rich or poor, could save himself. He has given us his own picture of the world’s condition:—

“There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God; They have all turned aside, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not so much as one: Their throat is an open sepulcher; With their tongues they have used deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

And yet God loved and loves the wicked world. Jesus loved and loves sinners, and he became the Saviour of sinners. To save his people from their sins he gave himself. He left a throne of glory to share the woes of humanity, and to bring salvation to those who were without hope and without God in the world. He paid an infinite price, sufficient to redeem every soul, and he desires that every soul should know of the good news. So long has the gracious invitation been extended, that some have charged the Lord with forgetfulness concerning his purpose to bring probation to a close by coming to gather his people home, but “the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is long-suffering to youward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” He still waits for the last warning message to be given to all the world. He still repeats his command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.”

Until this command is obeyed, the Lord will not come the second time. “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.” This is not an arbitrary decree, but rather a statement of cause and effect. It is the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom which brings the end. And in the last generation “the everlasting gospel,” the proclamation of the setting up of the everlasting kingdom which shall stand forever, must go to every people, in order that not one individual may be able to say in the day of his appearing, “I never heard about his coming.” “God’s people have a mighty work before them, a work that must continually rise to greater prominence. Our efforts in missionary lines must become far more extensive. A more decided work than has been done must be done prior to the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s people are not to cease their labors until they shall encircle the world.”

“The vineyard includes the whole world, and every part of it is to be worked. There are places which are now a moral wilderness, and these places are to become as the garden of the Lord. The waste places of the earth are to be cultivated, that they may bud and blossom as the rose. New territories are to be worked by men inspired by the Holy Spirit. New churches must be established, new congregations organized. At this time there should be representatives of present truth in every city, and in the remote parts of the earth. The whole earth is to be illuminated with the glory of God’s truth. The light is to shine to all lands and all peoples. And it is from those who have received the light that it is to shine forth. The day-star has risen upon us, and we are to flash its light upon the pathway of those in darkness.”

“A crisis is right upon us. We must now by the Holy Spirit’s power proclaim the great truths for these last days. It will not be long before every one will have heard the warning, and made his decision. Then shall the end come.” It will come in this generation. There is danger that the work near at hand should so occupy our minds that we should forget “the regions beyond.” However great may be the needs which we see, there are just as great needs in other places. Conferences with twenty to fifty workers, and with only a few hundred thousand people within their limits, should remember the weaker conferences both in this country and abroad. Some of our fellow laborers are struggling under the greatest difficulties and embarrassments, trying to do their part in obeying our Leader’s command. One conference president writes: “One reason why we have not reported to the REVIEW more than we have is because of the peculiar situation in which our work has been placed. We do not want to be continually talking of our poverty and begging for means, and yet if we should relate the facts as they actually exist in our conference to-day, it could be interpreted in no other way than as being a pitiful call for assistance and for means to help carry forward our work. . . . During the last month I have preached over thirty sermons besides doing all my other work, and most of these sermons have been preached to congregations who know nothing about the truths connected with the third angel’s message. Last Sunday I preached three times at two different places. It is beyond our power to fill all the calls which are coming to us from every direction, both to preach and to visit. Thus we see that God is giving us the ears of the people. . . . The entire tithe of our conference this year has not enabled us to pay our workers more than an average of three dollars a week since the first of January last. What laborers are to do in the immediate future is beyond my power to divine. Unless assistance shall be given this conference, our workers must suffer, in fact, they are already suffering.”

We need to be reminded that “the field is the world,” and not simply the conference in which we happen to be working. The whole world must have the message, and the Lord will not come until the message is given to the whole world. Every faithful worker is our fellow worker, and is entitled to the same consideration as any other worker. The home work will be done more quickly if we carry on our hearts the burden of the work in other fields. “The home-missionary work will be further advanced in every way when a more liberal, self-denying, self-sacrificing spirit is manifested for the prosperity of foreign missions; for the prosperity of the home work depends largely, under God, upon the reflex influence of the evangelical work done in countries afar off. It is by working actively to supply

the necessities of the cause of God that we bring our souls in touch with the Source of all power.”

The stirring calls from many fields need to come to our ears anew. We need to consider again that millions in various countries are still waiting for this message. We need to lift up our eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already unto harvest. We need to reflect seriously upon the urgent command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation.” This long-neglected work must now be done. This will prepare the way for the coming of our Lord in glory.