Not Beyond Help by Clarence Santee

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 11, 1903

Not Beyond Help

By Clarence Santee

CLARENCE SANTEE

In these days when the judgment work is drawing to a close, and when the destiny of all hangs upon a short work, there is a tendency on the part of many conscientious persons to believe that they have sinned too long, and that their cases are hopeless. This was Satan’s last great lie when some of the angels who had joined him in rebellion were about to turn again to God. We read, “But Lucifer had another deception ready. The mighty revolter now declared that the angels who had united with him had gone too far to return; that he was acquainted with the divine law, and knew that God would not forgive. . . . So far as Satan himself was concerned, it was true that he had now gone too far to return. But not so with those who had been blinded by his deceptions. To them the counsel and entreaties of the loyal angels opened a door of hope; and had they heeded the warning, they might have broken away from the snare of Satan.”—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” pages 40, 41.

There is no soul who desires, truly desires, to live a better life, who has gone too far in sin to return to God, and have the snare of Satan broken. Let me ask, What is the unpardonable sin? Consider with me one text that gives an idea of what it is: “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.” Ps. 19: 13. “Presumptuous sins” are known sins persisted in, in this way presuming on the mercy of God. He says, “Let them not have dominion over me.” To have dominion presupposes the fighting of a battle; the victory has been won; the vanquished has laid down his arms. It is not necessary that a man be as strong as his antagonist, to contest the dominion. As long as he resists, the dominion is not assured. And as long as presumptuous sins do not have the dominion, the Spirit of God says that we are “innocent from the great transgression.” “The great transgression” must be the very unpardonable sin. It does not refer to different sins, but it is “the great transgression,”—one that towers above them all. It is the climax.

Then I will say again to that one who still longs for the better life, You are not beyond hope. You have not yet surrendered all. The dominion is not yet assured. If you have done that which would cause you to be pushed out as unfit for companionship, the pure and holy angels will still be with you. Did they see you do the wrong?—Yes, but they are not prejudiced against you. If you are willing to turn, they will help you. God has promised, “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” Isa. 30: 21. This voice will always be heard “behind thee,” because the Spirit of God will call the erring one back to the place where he left the right way. Many undertake to step into the way farther on, leaving the past sin uncorrected, but it will not bring success, nor the peace of God. Return and take up the duty at the point where the Spirit calls, and you will again be in harmony with it.

While none need feel that their case is hopeless, yet this does not warrant delay. If sins persisted in will finally bring us to “the great transgression,” then every step in that course is one step nearer the last one. To-day, there is assurance and hope, and that is all the time with which we have to do. That the final limit in every case will very soon be reached, is evident to all who will with an unprejudiced mind consider the evidences that the Lord has given. Think of some of these. In Matt. 24: 29 the Lord speaks of signs which were to herald his coming. He speaks of the sun and moon being darkened, then the stars falling, then the shaking of the powers of heaven. The shaking of the “powers of the heavens” is spoken of in this place, also in Luke 21: 26, 27, in close connection with Christ’s second coming.

The Lord says, “Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” Then this occurs but “once more.” This will occur in close connection with Christ’s second coming, and after probation has closed. “And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings: and there was a great earthquake. . . . And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.” Rev. 16: 17, 18, 20. Another writer says, “The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake.” Joel 3: 16. “The powers of heaven are the sun, moon, and stars. They rule in the heavens. . . . The powers of heaven shall be shaken at the voice of God. Then the sun, moon, and stars will be moved out of their places. They will not pass away, but be shaken by the voice of God.”—“Early Writings,” first part, page 53.

The signs in the sun, moon, and stars are to be the special signs of the nearness of the close of probation, with the added statement, as recorded in Luke 21: 25, 26, that after the falling of the stars, there would be seen “upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.”

We have seen all these, and to what point do they bring us? We read in Matthew: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it [“he,” margin] is near, even at the doors.” Mark also says that these signs will be evidence to us that “it is nigh, even at the doors.” What occurs when he is “at the doors”?—He comes in to see the inmates. “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on the wedding garment.” He comes in to see if we have a wedding garment, which garment is a righteous character. Rev. 19: 8.

Then can we not see that this coming in means the coming to our names in judgment? In James 5 we read of the labor troubles, the strikes, and the disagreements between the rich and the poor. Then after admonishing his brethren to then “be patient,” the apostle adds, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” Verse 9.

From this we see that when he stands before the door, it is as a “judge.” This is also evident from the fact stated, that if the heart then is found with grudges and hardness, the coming in will be to condemn. It is also evident that he is speaking of the judgment of the living, as he speaks to those who can exercise emotions, can carry grudges. The dead are unconscious and can not do these things. Eccl. 9: 5, 6.

Then we are again brought to the conclusion that, while there is hope for every soul who desires life, there is no time to loiter, and thus presume on the mercies of God; for in so doing, every step shortens the distance, and makes one step less, to the unpardonable sin. Some have already been long in the path of “presumptuous sins,” knowing the right, yet risking disobedience. The path for all is very short to a final decision, and some will make that decision before others.

There is but one way. Do what the Lord points out as duty to-day, just now, and the outcome will be blessed of God; for he will send every angel out of heaven rather than let one soul be defeated who will trust in him.