Knowing the Time by Editor

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 7, 1902

Knowing the Time

By Editor

Editorial

Knowing the Time

In the development of God’s plan for the establishment of his kingdom in the earth there have been times when it was necessary that a special work should be done. Human instrumentalities were needed to co-operate with God in the carrying out of his purpose. At such times men have arisen who recognized the call of God, and were used by him in a special manner. A marked illustration of this is found in the case of John the Baptist. With a mind enlightened by the Holy Spirit he saw in the words of the prophets the picture which had been drawn of his own time, and he recognized the place which he was to fill as “the prophet of the Highest.” With confidence he entered upon his work. His message carried such authority in it that the professed interpreters of God’s Word, confused by their own misapplication of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, sent to ask him concerning his work. The dialogue between this visiting committee and John the Baptist shows how definite was his knowledge of his time and work, and upon what he based his message. “This is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.” John the Baptist knew his time, and he knew his own work, and he knew that in doing his work he was fulfilling definite prophecy.

Those who do the work of God in this day of his preparation should have the same clear view of their time and work, and should have the same sure foundation for their message in the prophecies. This will give a unity and definiteness to the whole movement, and the authority of the truth will be recognized. As “the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness,” so may it come to every one who goes forth to proclaim this message to-day, that, as an accredited messenger of heaven, he may “go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.”

In Expectation

In addition to all the general predictions concerning the coming of the Messiah, the time was definitely stated in the prophecy of Daniel. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.” Sixty-nine weeks would be four hundred and eighty-three days; and as each day of prophetic time stands for a year, the period covered by the prophecy would be four hundred and eighty-three years. It was therefore plainly revealed that from the time of the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem there would be just four hundred and eighty-three years to the appearance of the Messiah, the anointed One. From the book of Ezra the Jews knew that this commandment went forth in 457 B. C. They therefore knew that this prophetic period would expire after the close of the year 26 A. D., and that during the year 27 A. D. they might expect the appearance of the Messiah. And this looking for the Messiah was not confined to the chosen people. “The Jews were scattered everywhere, and their expectation of the Messiah’s coming was to some extent shared by the Gentiles. Among those whom the Jews styled heathen, were men who had a better understanding of the Scripture prophecies concerning the Messiah than had the teachers in Israel.” And so it was that when the fullness of the time was come, the minds of the people were stirred with the idea that the long-expected Messiah was about to be revealed. “The people were in expectation.” And so it is at the present time. There is a widespread feeling that the coming of the Lord is

near. It only needs “the voice” giving definite expression to the truth on this subject, and there will be a response in many hearts. The message of John the Baptist is to be proclaimed anew. He took up the word of Isaiah, “Behold your God!” and with it he pointed out the Messiah, saying, “Behold the Lamb of God.” The same word is to be spoken again: “Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come.” “Behold, he cometh with clouds.” And the prophecies are to be presented, so that we may say with authority, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.” The Spirit of God will bear witness to this message, and conviction will take hold upon the hearts of the people.

Witnesses

Every one who has experienced the saving grace of Christ is to be a witness for Christ. This is the Lord’s own method for the spread of the gospel. To his disciples he said, “Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” The disciples recognized this as their work, and so Peter on the day of Pentecost told the people, “This Jesus did God raise up, of whom we all are witnesses.” Again, after healing the lame man, he said in his talk with the people who came together, “Ye . . . killed the Prince of life; whom God raised from the dead; of whom we are witnesses.” Again, before the council he said: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, hanging him on a tree. Him did God exalt at his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins. And we are witnesses of these things.” When Jesus met Saul on his way to Damascus, he said to him, “Arise, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and of the things wherein I will appear unto thee.” By thus acting as witnesses in all parts of the world the disciples were to be the representatives of Christ, who is declared to be “the faithful witness,” and in this way they were to fulfill the commission to “preach the gospel to every creature.” The work is the same to-day. We are to be willing witnesses of what the Lord has done for

us, and the Lord will use such testimony to convince others of his forgiving mercy and keeping power. And this testimony includes not merely our words, but also the whole conduct in daily life.

“So let our lips and lives express The holy gospel we profess; So let our works and virtues shine, To prove the doctrine all divine.

“Thus shall we best proclaim abroad The honors of our gracious Lord, When his salvation reigns within, And grace subdues the power of sin.”

Life-Love

THROUGH the gospel of Christ we learn that l-i-f-e and l-o-v-e spell the same thing. When we view things from the right standpoint, to live is to love, and to love is to live. “God is love.” “With thee is the fountain of life.” When we learn how to love, we learn how to live. The evidence that we have learned how to love, and consequently how to live, is that we love those about us. And the evidence that we love those about us is that we share what we have with them. This extends both to temporal and spiritual things. “Whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee.” It is in the very nature of love to give. God loved and gave. He so loved that only the best he had could measure his love, and in thus loving the world he gave life unto the world. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life.” To receive this life is to receive this love. To live this life is to reveal this love. It is not, then, an arbitrary judgment that the decisions of the great day depend upon the treatment which one gives to his brother. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. . . . Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.” And this ministry of love is taught in all things, animate and inanimate. “When God formed the rose, he said, ‘Thou shalt flourish and spread thy perfume.’ When he commanded the sun to emerge from chaos, he added, ‘Thou shalt enlighten and warm the world.’ When he gave life to the lark, he enjoined upon it to soar and sing in the air. Finally, he created man, and told him to love. And seeing the sun shine, perceiving the rose scattering its odors, hearing the lark warble in the air, how can man help loving?” It is only when man forgets God and his message to him that he rejects the life of love. “He that loveth not knoweth not God.”