The Greatest Religious Movement of the Ages; Another Pentecost Due by G. W. Reaser

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 28, 1913

The Greatest Religious Movement of the Ages; Another Pentecost Due

By G. W. Reaser

G. W. REASER

The Last Angel in the Series and the Power to Be Manifest in the Proclamation of His Message

Is there yet before us a great, prophetic revival movement? And if so, may we also obtain a correct impression of the power that will attend it?

With the mere mention of a more full measure of power to accompany God’s closing message in the earth, it would seem that the thoughts of every student of the prophetic word, would go quickly to the first five verses of Revelation 18, for here another angel is represented as coming “down from heaven, having great power,” “and he cried mightily with a strong voice.” The effect of his message is that the whole “earth was lightened with his glory.” Notice how much stronger are the descriptive adjectives applied by inspiration to this angel and to the glorious results of his message than to any of the preceding messengers and the effects of their messages. What does all this indicate for the climax of the Lord’s last series of religious movements in the earth? What blessed hope is herein held out before God’s patiently waiting, commandment-keeping people? Will their hearts erelong be gladdened by seeing this message laid hold of, as it were, by the mighty hand of our God, a new order of things ushered in, and a new era of power, reviving his people and hastening on his work in the earth to a glorious culmination?

That the message of Revelation 18 is not a separate movement organized and proclaimed by another people than those who have given the threefold message, is proved by the fact that that message embodies in a loud cry,—“a strong voice,”—the very essence of the second angel’s message, which thus far we have presented softly. But when Babylon is wholly fallen,—when apostate Protestantism has fully spanned the gulf hitherto existing between the Reformation movement and the Papacy,—and when we ourselves are so dedicated to God for service that he can trust us with the full baptism of the Holy Spirit, then we will raise our voices and swell the loud cry, saying “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.” “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues,” and thousands will respond to the call.

Christ’s Personal Relationship to the World’s Great Religious Movements

It is surely significant that never in the history of the world has there been a full Pentecostal experience, except at a time foretold in prophecy for a worldwide religious movement. To meet the necessities of such a movement, in its inauguration and progress, the Holy Spirit is given without measure. Such was the famous day of Pentecost and the work of the apostles which followed it, and such will be the closing work of this world’s history. Not my word, but the Word of the living God proves the assertion true.

How significant is the truth that the world’s greatest revivals are coincident in point of time with special dispensations of the work of Christ as our great High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. A brief explanation will verify this statement. It was important that Christ, having triumphed over sin, Satan, and death and having finally cast Satan out of Heaven (Rev. 12: 5-13), and just at the time when he was to begin his work as our great High Priest in the sanctuary above, should send announcement of these facts, and clothe his apostles with power to proclaim him as the crucified and risen Saviour, now occupying a place “on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.” Heb. 8: 1, 2. These very facts were embodied in Peter’s argument when he declared that Joel’s prophecy pointed forward to the infilling of the apostles with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 14-21), and that “this

Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” Verses 32, 33.

The beginning, then, of Jesus’ work as our great High Priest in the sanctuary above was marked on earth by the wonderful manifestations that came on the day of Pentecost, and Pentecost was therefore a mighty pulse-beat from the throne of the universe to our world, carrying the glad intelligence to fallen humanity that the kingdom of our God and the power of his Anointed had triumphed over the powers of darkness.

Such was Pentecost, and such was Christ’s relationship to the Pentecost movement. The arrival of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost was virtually the announcement of the glorious truth that Jesus had reached the throne of his Father, had cast Satan out of heaven, and was beginning his ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. While yet with his apostles in person, and only a few moments before his ascension, he promised that on reaching heaven he would send the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit (Luke 24: 49-51), and Peter declared that Christ had reached the Father’s throne and had received the promise from the Father, and sent it forth to rest upon his apostles.

(To be continued)

Phoenix, Ariz.