THE SABBATH OF THE LORD by Dudley Marvin Canright

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Apr 1, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 13.

THE SABBATH OF THE LORD.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

REFERENCE was made last week to the last warning message of Rev. 14:6-14. That it is a closing message, is indicated by the fact that it ushers in the coming of Christ to reap "the harvest of the earth." Verse 14. "The harvest is the end of the world." Matt. 13:39. Those who reject this warning will receive of the unmixed wrath (wrath not mixed with mercy, compare Ps. 75:8; Hab. 3:2; Isa. 51:17) of God. Probation closes with the message. The decree goes forth from the heavenly temple, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still, and he that is holy, let him be holy still." Rev. 22:11.

The foundation of this whole message, so far as Bible truth is concerned, is found in verses 6 and 7, quoted last week. These are here given again, with some of the prominent words italicized:—

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."

Let us briefly consider this scripture:—

1. Angel is the anglicization of the Greek word meaning messenger. It here symbolizes that body of God's faithful servants which will bear this message to all the world.

2. The messengers bear the everlasting, or, literally, age-lasting gospel. It includes the all of the gospel. The general idea of the gospel is that it is simply glad tidings of a Redeemer who will forgive sins, and in some way make us happy. But it means much more than is generally conceived. Gospel does mean glad tidings of a Saviour. Luke 2:10, 11. He is a Saviour from sin. Matt. 1:21. Sin is the transgression of the law of ten commandments. 1 John 3:4; Rom. 7:7. Therefore if Christ saves a person from sin, he saves him from the transgression of every command of his law. Further, the wages of sin is death. Rom. 6:23; Jas. 1:15. If Jesus saves from sin, he not only saves from transgression, but he saves from death by giving life. John 3:16. But he gives this life at the last day, at his second coming. John 6:40; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; et al. Therefore the gospel includes the second coming of Christ, and the kingdom of God, which will then be given. In fact, that is the blessed hope of the gospel, as it is the climax of all its hopes. Titus 2:13. The gospel also recognizes the integrity and holiness of the law, and demands obedience thereto. But of this more further on.

3. The message is world-wide. It is to go to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." The same thing is taught by Matt. 24:14: "But this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."

4. Men are called from giving glory to the creature. It is an age of man-fearing and man-worship. "What will the world say?" "How will Mrs. Grundy look at it?" are stock questions, asked mentally, if not vocally, when an unpleasant, unpopular duty is presented. God foresaw this. The very words indicate that this spirit would be manifest. Giving glory to men is a prominent characteristic of our age. Men are lauded and flattered and glorified for what Christ may do through them, and the Master is left in the background. And many times glory is given to men for that which is unworthy of thought even. All this the Lord knew. And just when Christ is about to come, this message falls due: "Fear God, and give glory to him."

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments." Such is the wisdom or understanding that the fear of God teaches. This is also stated by Job 28:28: "And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." Departing from evil is to cease to transgress God's commandments. Again, the way the people of God are to glorify, or honor, him, is to "bear much fruit." John 15:8. But to be the people of God we must have the Spirit of Christ (Rev. 8:9); and the fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal. 5:22). But as "this is the love of God that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous" (1 John 5:3) the fruit which glorifies God is obedience to his holy law. Again, the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. And God's law is righteousness and truth. Ps. 119:143, 176; Isa. 51:6, 7. Therefore to glorify, or give glory to, God is to be obedient to all his commandments through the grace of his gospel, and the strength of Christ.

5. That this is a just conclusion is shown by the reason given why men should do this, "For the hour of his judgment is come." If men do not turn to God and fear and glorify him, they will be condemned in the Judgment. Therefore not to fear and glorify God is to transgress the standard of the judgment. But the rule, or standard, of the judgment is God's law. Eccl. 12:13, 14; Rom. 2:12; Jas. 2:8-12. Hence to fear and glorify God is to render obedience to the law of God, the rule of his judgment.

6. "And worship Him that made heaven, and earth, the sea and the fountains of waters." And who is this Being?—The Creator, who has "made his wonderful works to be remembered" (Ps. 111:4); and the memorial of those works is "throughout all generations" (Ps. 135:13). This carries us right back to the fourth commandment. "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work; . . . for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore [for which reason] he blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it." Ex. 20:8-11. The Sabbath is God's memorial throughout all generations. It points out the one supreme God, the Creator of all, and it is the only part of God's law which does. And to worship him as Creator, is to hallow the day which he has set apart. No other conclusion from the text is legitimate.

This part of this threefold message which we have quoted from Rev. 14:6, 7 is to bring men back to obedience to all the commandments of God, including the fourth.

The next part of the message foretells the result to the divided church of rejecting the first part. "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." The rejection of light brings darkness. The church divided becomes the church fallen. "We would have healed [the divisions in] Babylon," says the Lord through the prophet, "but she is not healed." Jer. 51:9. She rejected the remedy, the divine means of healing.

The next and last part of the message, borne by the third angel, is a solemn warning against all errors and practices condemned by the truth of God. The first part of the message is positive injunction; the second a solemn lamentation; the third a solemn warning, with fearful penalties for its neglect. One cannot heed the first without heeding the third. The result of the message is seen in the development of two classes. The first is mentioned in Rev. 16:1, 2; the second, with which we are chiefly concerned, in Rev. 14:12: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Now the commandments of God do not have reference to the gospel; for that is expressed in the faith of Jesus. They refer directly to that law which godly fear will lead us to keep, which to keep is to render glory and worship to God, which will be the rule of judgment, which is comprehended in the decalogue.

But if they keep the commandments, they must keep every one. A man who was breaking the first or sixth could not be said to be keeping the commandments. Is it not just as true as regards the fourth? Are they not in the same law? Were they not spoken and confirmed by the same Being again and again? Then the unavoidable conclusion is that this threefold message develops a class of commandment-keeping, or Sabbatarian, Christians. Of the Reformation church it is said, "Here is the patience and faith of the saints." Rev. 13:10. They were not commandment keepers; they had not yet seen the light. But the remnant church keeps all the commandments of God. This arouses Satan's wrath, causing him to influence earthly powers to persecute them. Rev. 12:17: "And the dragon was wroth with the woman [the church], and went to make war with the remnant [the very last] of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus." This is the same class brought to view in Rev. 14:12, who are prepared for Christ's coming. Their robes have been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb; God's holy law has been written in their hearts. They have gotten the victory over the beast and his image; they are numbered with the true Israel of God, to whom the holy Sabbath was to be a perpetual sign.

This series of articles will be concluded in the next number. M. C. W.