Untitled article by R. F. Cottrell

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Sep 2, 1875

The Closing Message of the Gospel.—No. 1.

By R. F. Cottrell

IN working out the great plan of human redemption and salvation, there are two most important and conspicuous events, the first and second advents of the promised Saviour. These two events are the subjects of special predictions in prophecy, the fulfillment of which constitute infallible signs of the true work of God, in the fulfillment of his plan and promises; and they serve as a guard to the believer against the claims of any false fulfillment of the promises of God.

The gospel, good news, or glad tidings of salvation to our ruined race is not limited to a particular age or period of time, but extends to all from first to last. The ancients, i. e., those living before the first advent of Christ, had it in promise, all living since that event have it in process of fulfillment. The point reached in the fulfillment of the divine plan and promises at any particular period is the "present truth" to those living at that time. And as new points in the plan are reached in the fulfillment, new messages of the gospel announce it. That becomes truth in fact which before was only truth in promise. These important facts, demanding new messages for their announcement, mostly cluster around the two advents, at the first of which Christ died for our sins, and at the second he is to give the reward of eternal life to those who have accepted the offered salvation in the appointed way.

The great message of the gospel introduced in connection with the first advent was based upon the fulfillment of several things before promised in prophecy; and as they were successively fulfilled several gospel messages became due and were announced in order. 1. Before the open manifestation of the Messiah to the people at the baptism of Jesus, a gospel promised before was preached, the substance of which was, The long-promised One is about to appear. Repent and make preparation. 2. Then it was proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God." "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth." "Hosanna to the son of David!" The Son of God is here. "The time is fulfilled: repent and believe the gospel." 3. But the death, burial, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ, were not yet facts. When these had been accomplished, the proclamation of these facts were united to the gospel message.

A crucified, risen, and exalted Saviour; a High Priest, an intercessor at God's right hand, is now the theme of the gospel; but the former messages are not done with; the apostles still refer to that of John the Baptist, showing the harmony of all. Acts 13 : 24. They could truly say, "We declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto their children, in that he hath raised Jesus again."

Since the ascension and exaltation of Christ, repentance and remission of sins have been preached in his name. For some eighteen hundred years he has been a priest in the sanctuary of God in Heaven. "We have such an High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." Heb. 8 : 1, 2. The gospel message for these eighteen hundred years has been based upon the fulfillment thus far of the revealed plan.

That the Son of God has appeared in the flesh as a prophet or a teacher sent from God, that he was led as a lamb to the sacrifice and thus died for our sins, that he was buried and rose again the third day, and that he was exalted to the right hand of God, and, as a priest, makes intercession for all that come to God for remission of sins in his name, are facts which have been, and are, the theme of the gospel. As we have seen, new messages of the glad tidings have announced the fulfillment of these things, step by step. And the Messiah's mission is not yet completed. He is to judge mankind, give reward to his people, and destroy his enemies. Messiah in the Hebrew and Christ in the Greek, signify the anointed. And Jesus, according to the prophecy of Isaiah and his own testimony, was anointed by the Spirit of the Lord "to preach the gospel to the poor;" he was sent "to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord;" and he might have added, "and the day of vengeance of our God," but he wished to refer only to that which was then having its fulfillment, of which he could truly say, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." Isa. 61 : 1, 2; Luke 4 : 18-21.

The acceptable year was then the present truth, but the period of the judgment and vengeance of God was hundreds of years in the future, and therefore was not the special subject of proclamation at that time. But the sense of the prophecy requires that at the proper time the day of vengeance shall be preached or proclaimed, as well as the acceptable year of the Lord. And when that day shall have actually come, it will be too late to preach it. Therefore the preaching will be that the day is at hand; and therefore it will be the closing message of the gospel, proclaiming the wrath to come in time for men to escape it by repentance and reformation. It will be a merciful warning of the near approach of the great day of wrath, which, if heeded, will save men; otherwise there would be no gospel or good news connected with it, and so the preaching would be in vain.

Christ is now our High Priest; but when the great day of the wrath of the Lamb (Rev. 6 : 16) shall have come, he will no longer be an intercessor. In that day he comes to give reward. "Behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22 : 12. Men are judged before they are rewarded; therefore, as Christ is to bring a reward to each of his people at his coming, it is a necessary inference that they are judged before his coming. At his second coming the dead in Christ arise to life everlasting. 1 Thess. 4 : 16. At their resurrection they receive their recompense. Luke 14 : 14. They that have part in this resurrection are blessed and holy, and are exempt from the second death. Rev. 20 : 6. But they do not receive the great reward of eternal life and an inheritance in the world to come, until they have been judged worthy of it. Our Lord describes his people as those "which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead;" Luke 20 : 35; hence it is clear that they must be adjudged worthy of these things before he comes and gives them the life of which he says, "Neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection."

When does the period of the judgment begin? When are the righteous accounted worthy of a part in the first resurrection and the eternal world? The answer is deferred to another number.

R. F. COTTRELL.