p. 9 | THE LAST GREAT MESSAGE by Wm. Covert

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 28, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 47.

THE LAST GREAT MESSAGE.

By Wm. Covert

BY WM. COVERT.

A Simple Outline.

The sign of the near coming of Jesus most prominent and suggestive to the people of God is the proclamation of the great threefold message of Rev. 14: 6–12.

It is a proclamation of the everlasting Gospel, coupled with the following fearful warning, which goes forth with a loud voice:—

“If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

This is the warning against the worship of the beast or his image, with a statement of what the punishment will be to those who heed not the message.

Following this statement is a description of the worthy characters who refuse to reverence the unholy alliance which demands homage from all. Of them it is said, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

The going forth of this message to all the world is the very last Gospel work to be done in the earth before Jesus comes. Immediately following the preaching of the message John describes the coming of the Lord as taking place:—

“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud One sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Rev. 14: 14.

This text does not describe a sign of Jesus’ coming, but speaks of the very event itself. But the last great sign of his coming, the preaching of the last message of mercy, is even now far out on its mission to the nations. The beast power against which this message warns mankind is that leopard beast which John describes as rising up out of the sea. Rev. 13: 1. It is the same beast that made war with the saints and overcame them (verse 7); it is this power that wore out the saints of God, and thought himself able to change the times and laws of God (Dan. 7: 25).

This beast is the symbol of the Papacy and all its correlative associates in evil. The image to the beast is that grasping, scheming, persecuting church power in the United States of America, which is using the civil law as a cat’s paw to make every soul do its bidding. Wherever the Papacy is the dominant power, it will, of course, endeavor to enforce its own ecclesiastical laws, yet most prominently its chief badge,—the Sunday institution. But in this country professed Protestants are at present doing this work for the Papacy. As matters are now going in this nation, the Papacy can sit and nod assent, while professed Protestants do the unholy work of executing the religious laws placed upon the statute books of the states, which laws simply enforce papal institutions upon unwilling subjects.

The power which is doing the work is not exactly the Papacy, but it is so much like it that in the Scripture it is called “an image to the beast.” Rev. 13: 14, 15.

The attitude of the Papacy is that of a person seated before a camera to have his picture drawn, while our country stands in a receptive mood to receive the impression and give the lifelike touch to the image.

The image has already been quickened into life, and is learning to talk, and it speaks as a dragon, in making war upon those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. 12: 17.

It is the mission of the last great message to warn the world against the worship of the beast and his image. It is also to present, instead of the beast worship, the everlasting Gospel. Rev. 14: 6, 7.

In the Gospel are found the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ. Rev. 14: 12. Not simply the form of these things, but the very life of Christ, is manifested through his children who truly accept this message. These are becoming a shining mark for the wrath of Satan, and so the last great conflict is on.

Those who had carefully noted the fulfillment of the earlier signs of Jesus’ second coming, such as are indicated by the progress of empires, the darkening of the sun and the moon, the falling of the stars, the signs in the social, moral, physical, and the political aspect of things, had foreseen what the last great message would be. They had through the study of the prophecies become informed as to the issues of the last great conflict, and were, therefore, early in the field with the last great message.

The everlasting Gospel under this message has already developed many thousands who

are keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ. These are now giving the warning and proclaiming the message upon every continent of the earth and in many islands of the seas. At this very time every principal country in the world is hearing the last great message and furnishing laborers for this work.

If our Saviour could say of the signs in the sun, moon, and stars that when these things begin to come to pass, “then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21: 28), what should be the emotion of our hearts as to the nearness of that event now? Surely it hasteth greatly.

But in conclusion let us take both a retrospective and perspective view of our relation to the end. It is known that in going over a journey every waymark and every station, from the starting point to the end, must be passed before the destination is reached. No gap can be left out by which to shorten the road; but each interval must be filled up in detail. As with journeys, so with time; no invention will shorten it. As distances are made of inches, feet, yards, rods, and miles, so is time composed of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years.

In passing over the line of time not one second could be left out, nor one epoch omitted. In this detailed manner, age after age has slowly “ticked” away, until we now see that the great dial is registering the last hour in the day of probation. We have passed the dark valleys of many ages, and eternal joys are beaming upon us. As we now stand, we must look backward over the line which we have passed in order to read the waymarks which have been erected on Time’s highway. Looking around us now we see ourselves rapidly nearing the end of our journey. Many objects in clear view are plainly described by our Guide-book as being located in the very suburbs of our destination. O, it is inspiring now to see the many “run to and fro”! It is encouraging during these latest moments to read the signs of the times, which show so clearly that we are almost home. In every direction may be seen the heralds of his near coming, speeding their way to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, with the glad news that the Lifegiver hastes his return.

Looking upward we shall soon behold the white cloud that is coming with its thousands of chariots to carry the people of God to their mansions of gold, which have been prepared for their reception.

Dear reader, are you ready for Christ’s coming? Have you by faith received the righteousness of Christ, which will prepare you to stand without fault before the throne of God? If you have not, there is no time to waste before you surrender all your interests into the hands of Him who alone can make you ready for that great event, which is just upon us.