CHRISTIAN DEVELOPMENT UNDER GOD'S LAST WARNING MESSAGE.
By B. Franklin Richards
IN all ages of the past the Lord has given ample warning to the people before the occurrence of any great event. Since the creation there has been nothing of greater importance to the world than the second coming of Christ, since it marks the cessation of the world's activity, and the end of the age. The last warning message of God to the world is recorded in Rev. 14:9-11: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." In all the Bible there is no denunciation as fearful as this. It is a special message of God's special warning to the people of the earth against receiving the "mark of the beast" or worshiping either the beast or his image. So somewhere in the Word there must be a record of a power which compels the people to do this very thing. Such a record is found in Rev. 13:11-17: "And I beheld another beast, . . . and he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, . . . and he doeth great wonders, . . . and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast; . . . and he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads; and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." The reader can see that the person who, in the face of this cruel power, will remain loyal to God, must be a Christian of undoubted courage. He will also be a reader of the Bible and acquainted with God. He must know that God is talking directly to him when He says, "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed; for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." Joshua 1:9. This will make him a true worshiper; for he will be depending each moment on God for protection and support. He will be A Member of the True Church
also, for he will heed the command of the Lord to come out of any church that has become "the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." Rev. 18:1-5. The distinctive feature of the Christian developed under this last warning message11will be the keeping the commandments of God; for while this last message is sounding, and the compelling power of the "beast" is enforcing its worship by the death penalty, there will be a people, the true church of God, who are described by the angel thus: "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12. Because of their strict obedience to the commands of the Lord, none of the diseases or plagues, that will afflict the people of the world will come upon them. "If thou wilt diligently harken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Ex. 15:26. "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." Ps. 91:9-11. While they themselves are living in accordance with the laws of health, it is reasonable to conclude that they will be teaching to other people proper ways of living. Because of their desire to know the mind of God the people of the true church will so earnestly apply their minds to the study of the Bible that they will become skilled in explaining the Scriptures. "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Tim. 2:15. A Thoughtful and Careful People.
This message will develop a people who will call into activity every power of their being in consecrating themselves for the salvation of souls. They will obey the injunction: "Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." 1 Tim. 4:15, 16. Because of the fearful persecutions of the beast power, the extreme wickedness of the times, the people of God who are giving this last message are waiting anxiously for their coming Lord, and with this desire uppermost in their minds, it becomes the theme of their conversation. "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Isa. 25:9. We have seen by the last quoted text that God's special and "peculiar" people under the last message are Adventists because they are proclaiming His second coming and are looking for Him. They also "keep the commandments of God" (Rev. 14:12), and since the fourth is one of the ten, and enjoins the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath, they become Seventh-day Adventists by its observance. The experience through which that people have passed and the character which they have developed under this message in standing loyalty for God in spite of the tyrannical persecution of the beast power, enable them at last to join in that triumphal chorus before the throne of God. "And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb." Rev. 15:2-4. Their lives measure now with the life of God. Eternity is before them; they keep the Sabbath holy. "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the Lord." Isa. 66:23.