Denying the Light Behind
By T. E. Bowen
THE Lord is doing much for his people. With great patience and love he has led his children along the narrow, rugged pathway leading out from the cold, barren mountains of sin and unbelief to the golden city of promise, to which so many eyes by faith have turned. From the very beginning of the time for the closing messages, when the church was to encounter the wrath of Satan as never before, God gave his people such a thorough experience that it was ever after to be looked upon as a waymark by which the wayworn traveler11might know where he was in his journey, and from which he was to gather encouragement and light. The experience given believers in 1844 was of God. It was not a fanatical movement. That message was a genuine test. It stirred the world. The work of self-examination was thorough, and some among the many were prepared to go out to meet the Bridegroom. Being prepared for this, they were prepared by faith to enter in with him into the most holy place on high, as he there should begin the last and most solemn work to be done for fallen humanity. But many who seemed sincere were not. They were ready after the time passed when they looked for Jesus to come to the earth, to deny their own experience, and at the same time judge that the experience of every other one was false, like their own. This was the test. This was the very purpose the God of wisdom had in view by permitting this experience to come. Had they known beforehand how it was coming out, it would have been no test. It is equally important now that we do not deny the experience of the first advent message. Note the following, found on page 10, of “Early Writings:” “While 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 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. . . . Others rashly denied the light behind them, and said 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.” The advent people are still on this path. It will be observed that the light set up behind shone all along the path,—its light only was to cease in the glory of the city at its end,—also that to ignore this light behind resulted in missing the mark, losing sight of Jesus, and to those who thus denied the light behind, it went out, and they were left in perfect darkness. They were left in this perfect darkness while still on the path. Do not lose sight of this. However, without the light behind, without eyes fixed on the mark, the city, and on Jesus, their guide, these could not long remain even on the path, but stumbled and fell into the world below. By this let us be warned not to cast away our confidence in the messages entrusted to remnant Israel. Does the way seem long? Did you think the city was nearer than you have since proved it to be? Well, what of it? Has Jesus deserted you? Is it any the less true that the city is at the end of the path now, than when you began your journey toward it? Ah! it is much “nearer” than when you “first believed.” Let us look to Christ. He has encouragement for every wayworn pilgrim. “We shall reap, if we faint not.” But above everything else, let us not deny the light God has set up behind, which is to shed its friendly rays for our feet on the path that ends only in “eternal day.”