p. 3 | Coming as a Thief by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 14, 1903

Coming as a Thief

By Editor

Editorial

Coming as a Thief

“BEHOLD, I come as a thief.” “The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.” “As a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” “Soon an awful surprise is coming upon the inhabitants of the earth. Suddenly, with power and great glory, Christ will come.” To be taken by surprise is proverbially a thing to be dreaded. To have the coming of that day take us by surprise would be the most dreadful thing that could befall us. And that fate may befall, will befall, many who know the truth; for they who hold the truth in unrighteousness will fare no better than the unbelievers. We may have a knowledge of all the prophecies of Christ’s coming, yet if our hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and the cares of this life, that day will come upon us unawares. Some of us may not stand in great danger from surfeiting and drunkenness, but let us look out for the cares of this life. These may prove a snare to us, and defeat our prospects for eternity. Our returning Lord does not design to come upon any as a thief. He comes to us now, not as a thief, but as a friend seeking to engage our attention. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev. 3:20. A thief does not knock on the door, nor call to the one within, and ask admission. It is by hearing the Saviour’s knock and his voice and opening unto him, now, that we shall effectually guard against the possibility of any surprise. If he comes to us by our own will now, he will not come to us against our will by and by.

L. A. S.

The Power of the Spirit

God’s final message of mercy to the world is to be given in the power of the Spirit. “We have a message from the Lord to bear to the world—a message that is to be borne in the rich fullness of the Spirit’s power.”—“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. VII. Until the fullness of the Spirit’s power is received, the work can not be done. The power of the Spirit is unlimited, and those upon whom the Spirit is poured out in full measure possess unlimited power. But only those can be given unlimited power whom God can trust with such power; and only those can be trusted with this power who have severed every connection between themselves and the powers of evil. Any cherished wrong in the heart is an avenue through which the prince of evil may gain access to the soul, and no such soul can be safely trusted with power. Hence, none can share the refreshing, the latter rain, but such as shall have obtained the victory over every evil besetment. Above all, the blessing of God can not be poured out upon the spirit of strife and disunion. The spirit that is to characterize the closing work of this message is a spirit of unity,—a spirit which turns the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, and binds the hearts of all believers together, as was the case with those who received the first refreshing, on the day of Pentecost. No more grievous mistake can be made than that of promoting the spirit of strife and discord at such a time.

L. A. S.

No More Delay

THE message of no more delay has gone forth from our divine Leader. There has been delay heretofore—the work of God has moved much more slowly than he has desired that it should. He has been ready, and the world has been ready, but we have not been ready. He has been waiting for us to get ready. Now “there shall be delay no longer;” he has ceased waiting. What more solemn admonition could come to us to delay no longer in the work of getting ready? No safety is assured to stragglers on the march to Canaan..