The Special Work of the Spirit Attends Every Special Work of God.
By Roswell F. Cottrell
MANY have rejected the third angel's message, and many stand aloof and in doubt concerning it, not because its teachings in respect to the law and the gospel are false, but simply because the work is accompanied by a special manifestation of the Spirit of God. If there was nothing of this kind in the work, they think they could receive it as the truth, and as a genuine work of God. Take away the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy—rob the work of its special credentials as a special work of God—and they could receive it. Then they could number themselves with the remnant of the woman's seed, "which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Now it is self-evident that the proclamation of the last message of probation is a special work. In its importance it is not exceeded by any work ever performed among men upon earth. At different times in the past, when the special promises of God became due, there have been special interpositions of God's providence in their fulfillment. The fulfillment of these special promises in the development of the great plan of salvation is what I call special works of God. And I affirm that God never performed such a work without the presence of direct and special inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Let us notice some examples. God made a promise to Abraham that after his children should serve the Egyptians four hundred years, he would bring them out of their bondage to the land he had promised to give them. And when "the time of the promise" was come, he sent Moses, filled with the Spirit and endowed with miraculous powers, and with the promise, "I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say;" and so redeemed the promise which he had made. Another instance we find in the fulfillment of the promised restoration after the seventy years' captivity in Babylon. Few and feeble were the Israelites that returned to build again Jerusalem and the temple of God. Their enemies stood ready to oppose the work by every available means. There was much to discourage the people; but God had promised; and it was not by the power of the people, but by the Spirit of God, that the work was to be accomplished. Zech. 4:6, 7. But for the prophesyings of Haggai and Zechariah, it is evident that the work would not have been accomplished. But "they prospered through the prophesyings of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel." Ezra 6:14. Can the exceeding great and tremendous work of the closing messages of probation be accomplished without the gift of prophecy to unite and encourage feeble laborers? No. With emphasis all must say, No! Without it the work could never have been brought to its present state of development; but with it, it will prosper to its completion. We have another instance in John the Baptist. The Lord had promised to send a messenger before the Messiah to prepare the way. In order for Christ to be the Christ of promise, the promised messenger must precede him. There was no greater prophet than John; and yet it is expressly affirmed of him that he "did no miracle." The light of prophecy, without the aid of miracles, was sufficient proof of his mission. It was by the inspiration of the holy Spirit that his work was accomplished. No special message, no special work was ever done without divine inspiration. Will the closing messages, than which there has been no greater, be an exception to this general rule? The idea would be preposterous, had not the Spirit described the remnant of the church as having "the testimony of Jesus," which is "the spirit of prophecy." The work in which we are engaged is a work of promise; and it is second in importance to no other, from the beginning to the end of the world. It should have the special sanction and aid of the Spirit of God. This is promised in the Scriptures of truth. And it is not only reasonable and scriptural that it should be expected, but the promise is being fulfilled. The builders in this work know what is promised in prophecy—that such a work must and will be done; but they would lack the essential unity and courage to prosper in the work, and might in discouragement conclude, as the returned Israel of old, "that the time is not come" for the work to be performed. Hab. 1:3. It is encouragement to put forth united effort that is needed. It is the assurance that the builders will be successful when they put all their energies into the work. Encouraging words like these: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel. Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? Before Zerubbable thou shalt become a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." The hands of Zerubbable have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it." If God spoke through the gift of prophecy to aid and carry forward the work of rebuilding the temple, that his promise might be fulfilled in its restoration, will he not speak in that way to those who have the last message to proclaim to mankind—a message upon which the destiny of the last generation living is to be decided. Reasoning from analogy the conclusion is inevitable; and besides this we have the sure promise of God's word for it. The presence of the gift of prophecy, therefore, is no objection; on the contrary, its absence would be the greatest objection against the genuineness of the work.