THE CLOSING WORK by Albert Stone

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 22, 1877

THE CLOSING WORK.

By Albert Stone

Those whose experience includes a knowledge of our Lord’s closing work in the sanctuary above have been greatly benefited thereby. Such is their testimony. It has been a help to their faith and a strength to their hope. Unity of faith also and growth in grace generally are among the results of such experience. The subject of the sanctuary receives much attention in the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists. It is to be regretted that it does not thus engage the attention of other Adventists. This subject involves the facts connected with the disappointment, and shows why the Lord did not come in 1844. It has sometimes been the case, that the strength of Israel was to sit still. Isa. 30:7. The apostles were disappointed when their Lord was crucified, so were the Adventists when their time passed. Their cases were similar. Yet in both cases prophecy was fulfilled. Neither the apostles nor the Adventists could explain matters in the least. For either to act, in their then present state of mind, was only to act wrongly. Peter moves, but he takes the sword. Others move, but they forsake their Lord. Their strength had been to sit still. The Adventists spoke, but for the first time their language was confused. There were many messages of which God was not the author. It had been their strength to sit still. Prophetic truth was marching straight along in all this jostling, both of the apostles and of the Adventists. Both were having an experience designed for their benefit.

The peculiar trials of the one class were soon to be relieved by the light of the Pentecost, and those of the other by the third angel’s message. It was the Adventists that were jostled, and not their computation of the prophetic periods. These, as explained by William Miller, are proved to be correct by an array of testimony from astronomical, chronological, and historical coincidences that shows their correctness beyond the shadow of controversy. And a large class of Adventists have always held this view.

They believed the advent movement to be the work of God, and they well understood that the preaching of the time was the means employed; and there was no doubt among Adventists previous to the disappointment that the Holy Spirit indorsed the preaching of time. And with many, there has to this day been no doubt. They were disappointed in the passing of the time, but they did not attempt to readjust the time. But while waiting, and praying that God would be his own interpreter, the third angel of Rev. 14 commenced his flight in the midst of heaven.

The light of this angel showed at once that the Adventists, who had thought their work was done, had, as yet, seen but a small part of the programme of the advent movement. It showed that their work thus far was approved, but that a still greater work, requiring time, remained to be done. It corrected the erroneous view, that the earth was the sanctuary to be cleansed at the end of the periods, and pointed, instead, to the closing work of Christ’s priesthood in Heaven—a work that concerned the church and not the earth. It introduced a predicted reform, based on the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

The work of the third angel is designed by the Holy Spirit to shed light on the path of the saints through the perils of the last days to the close of human probation. Those who would have such light must receive it through the third angel’s message. The subject of the atonement, especially its concluding events, are wonderfully illustrated by the Bible doctrine of the sanctuary.

We deeply regret the backwardness of our first-day Adventist brethren to investigate this subject. They have never yet given it a candid hearing, nor will they allow it to be discussed in their papers, or preached in their pulpits. What can we do for our brethren to help them? At times we have much feeling on this subject. Many of these brethren are our personal friends. Side by side with them we fought some of the hot battles of the first angel’s message.

They were faithful soldiers of the cross, and solid witnesses for the truth. They have not forgotten how Satan trembled, and infidelity turned pale, in those days, when the truth was brought before the people. They saw and believed that God was in the first message. Why not believe he is in the third message? Has he begun a work, and left it unfinished? or has he concluded to finish this work without the aid of the third angel? No, no; God is not a man that he should lie, or the son of man that he should repent.

Why should it be thought a thing incredible that the law of God should be made a test and pattern of character for the Judgment? Are not the ten commandments the divinely wrought pattern by which our Lord sought to fashion the character of his hearers? It is not the office of the gospel to originate moral principle, but to enforce it. There is no original law outside the ten commandments enforcing moral principle. To abrogate the law is to disannul moral obligation.

What is religion good for with moral principle cast out of its creed? But the third angel’s message includes both the law and the gospel, and was due to the people of God at the close of the prophetic periods. A great work is to be done for God’s people, and the third angel has that work in charge. God has set his seal of approbation to this work in a most remarkable manner. ALBERT STONE.