EVANGELIZATION OF THE WORLD.
1. What is God's desire concerning humanity?
"Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Tim. 2:4. 2. How broad is this invitation?
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved, and all the ends of the earth." Isa. 45:22. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16. See, also, Rev. 22:17. 3. How extensively was the Gospel preached in the past?
The grace of God, as shown by His works according to the Nineteenth Psalm, had been world-wide. "Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world." Ps. 19:1-4. See also 1 Chron 16:23-34, showing that the salvation of God was to be proclaimed to all the world in His works and by His Word. 4. How broad is the Gospel commission?
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matt. 28:18-20. 5. What is especially said of the closing work of that Gospel in the last days?
"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." Rev. 14:6. "And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matt. 24:14. 6. Because of God's goodness in thus giving His truth to the world what will many people be led to say?
"And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." Isa. 2:3-5. 7. But what does the prophet say is the Lord's attitude toward those who raise this false call?
"For Thou hast forsaken Thy people the house of Jacob, because they are filled with customs from the East, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners. And their land is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land also is full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots. Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made. And the mean man is bowed down, and the great man is brought low; therefore forgive them not." Isa. 2:6-9, A. R. V. "When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them; . . . and they shall not escape." 1 Thess. 5:3. 8. What will be the condition instead of peace?
"Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up; beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about; thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat; for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about." Joel 3:9-12.
See also the context showing that this condition of things is right at the time when the harvest of the earth is ripe, when the great day of the Lord is near, and multitudes, multitudes are in the valley of decision. Chapters 16 and 19 of Revelation and 25 of Jeremiah teach the same awful state of universal war. 9. Yet what plea does the Lord make?
"As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for why will ye die?" Eze. 33:11. 10. What will be the effect of this Gospel?
This is shown in Rev. 14:6-12. As the sun and rain of heaven ripens both weeds and grain in the field, so in the spiritual world the latter rain of God's Spirit and the sunlight of His Word will develop and ripen the tares as well as the wheat, will develop and work in men hardened by their resisting its truths, and will also bring forth such a purity and strength of character as has never been known in all the past, so that it can be truly said of them, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12.