Hear ye, Hear ye, Hear ye! by Dudley Marvin Canright

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Sep 19, 1878

"Hear ye, Hear ye, Hear ye!"

By Dudley Marvin Canright

As I was passing by a court house, I stopped and looked. I saw a man standing in the door of the court house crying with a loud voice which was heard far up the streets, "Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye!" What did he mean? Listening a little farther, I soon learned that the hour had come for the county court to set, and he was giving everybody warning to that effect. The destiny of several men was now to be decided. Some were indited for stealing, and some for murder. For long weeks and months, with trembling anticipation, they had been dreading this hour. Now the day had come, the court was opened, and these cases must be decided. In order that every man might be ready, this proclamation was made beforehand; and this I learned was the custom always at the opening of a court.

Now I thought if the judges of earth do this in order that all may be warned and ready for this earthly judgment, shall not the Judge of all the earth give a warning to the inhabitants of the earth when the day of his judgment is at hand? It certainly is reasonable, to say the least.

Looking into the word of God, I find that the Lord has solemnly declared that he will give a warning to the world just before the hour of judgment and the second advent. Now hear the word of God: John, the revelator, was shown things to come. He had a view of the judgment and the second advent of Jesus. He was shown also what would precede these events. So, just before the advent, he says that he saw an angel proclaiming a solemn message to the world, and he tells us that that message was an announcement that the hour of God's judgment had come. Here is what he says: "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, the sea, and the fountains of waters." Rev. 14:6, 7.

This message as you will see is to be proclaimed near the end of the world. Every nation must hear it. Notice how definite that message is. "The hour of his judgment is come." Not is coming; not shall come at some indefinite time in the future; but it is come.

Here, then, the word of God emphatically declares that there will be a most solemn warning to the world, preceding the judgment and the second advent. Many scriptures all through the Bible plainly teach the same reasonable doctrine. We will give one quotation to prove that the day of the Lord is at the judgment. "But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Peter 3:7-10.

This, then, is the day of the Lord. Now, that there is to be a solemn warning, proclaiming this day at hand is thus shown by Joel. In chapter 1:15, he says: "Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come." Here is a reference to that day of the Lord. Again he says: "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, it is nigh at hand." Joel 2:1. Blowing the trumpet is always to give an alarm, to warn the people of the coming danger. So the Lord says, "Blow the trumpet and sound the alarm." How extensive is this to be, and what is it for? The answer is given,-"Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble." Something terrible is coming. When is this to be, and what is it to be? The answer is also given to this: "For the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Ah, here we have it! When the day of the Lord is coming, when it is nigh at hand; then the Lord says that the trumpet must be blown, and the inhabitants must be warned.

The Scripture must be fulfilled; these prophecies must be accomplished. When will it be done? At the very time specified-when the day of the Lord is at hand. This, then, shows that there must be a warning when the second advent is nigh at hand. So our Saviour says that at the second advent it shall be as it was in the days of Noah. Matt. 24:37, 38. Now, how was it in the days of Noah? Was there a warning then or was there not? We are all familiar with that event, and we know that the Lord raised up Noah and gave him a solemn warning for that generation. All the righteous believed then and prepared themselves for the flood. The wicked also heard it, but did not believe it. They paid no attention to it. They did not prepare themselves for it, and as the consequence, they were all destroyed. Jesus says it shall be so in the last days. So there must be a warning here. The righteous must hear the warning, the wicked also, though they will not believe it. As we have shown before, the Lord always warns the world of any impending crisis. He sent a warning before the flood, he sent a warning before the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah, he sent a warning before the overthrow of Ninevah, and he sent a warning by raising up John the Baptist to prepare the people for the first advent of our Saviour. Both Jesus and his disciples warned the Jews of the destruction of Jerusalem. And now shall the last great, fearful day come, and not a note of warning be sounded to the world? This is not reasonable. It is not Scriptural. There shall be a last final warning to the world. This will be the most solemn, the most extensive, and the most thorough of any that the race have ever heard.

That time has now come. God in his providence has thrust out his servants and everywhere over the land they are raising the cry, "The Lord is coming, the judgment is at hand. Oh, ye nations of the earth, prepare to meet your God."

Some say, "It is no matter if the Lord is coming if we are only prepared to die." Oh, my brethren, this is a deception of the devil. This is utterly untrue. You must look at this in a very different light, for you are deceived about it. Stop and think a moment! Is the world to be warned of the second advent? Then somebody must give that warning. The wicked will not do it certainly, men who have no faith in it will certainly not do it. It must be done by the men who do believe it. It will cost a vast amount of means to warn the doomed millions of this generation. It will cost money, it will cost labor. Hundreds of men are needed to engage in the work. Tracts must be printed, papers must be published, and printing houses must be built. Great sacrifices must be made. Who will do this work? God has said it shall be done, and it will be done. The Lord always works by men. He uses men to accomplish his work. Who will believe the Lord and his servants and assist in this great work? D. M. CANRIGHT.