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A SHORT WORK

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Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Dec 26, 1906

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 32, No. 50.

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A SHORT WORK.

By H. A. St. John

"For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." Rom. 9:28.
AS the Lord has all eternity in which to work, and all power with which to work, it is obvious that He can use as little time or as much time as He chooses in which to do anything. In the above text He has told us that He will cut His work on the earth short in righteousness. Now it is revealed in the Scriptures that the Lord will finish His work on the earth by and with His remnant people. Hence, for the Lord to do a great work on the earth quickly, with His people, it is necessary that His people

1. Get Righteousness Quickly.

To be filled with the righteousness of Christ we must hunger and thirst for it. All such are blessed while they thus hunger and thirst, and they "shall be filled," saith the Lord. And when thus filled, and not till then, the Lord can use His people to do a great work quickly. Let every soul that would come up to the help of the Lord in this mighty, closing, and short work, get righteousness quickly and then

2. Get Rich Quickly.

The Laodicean church now think themselves rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing. But Jesus says they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," and hence, have need of everything. Then Jesus counsels us to be zealous and repent, and to buy of Him gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eye-salve, and then we shall be rich indeed. Faith and love, the righteousness of Christ, the fulness of the Holy Spirit,—these are the only true riches, and they await our demand and reception. Reader, get a clear view of the inestimable value of the true riches so freely offered you, and then heed the injunction of Jesus, to get rich quickly. Then you may next

3. Get Well Quickly.

The remnant church, who shall get the righteousness and riches of Christ, who shall be filled with all the fulness of God, who shall rise and shine, and upon whom the glory of the Lord shall be seen, will become the healthiest people on earth, not one feeble person among them. Their light has broken forth as the morning, and like the sun they have arisen like a strong man to run a race, with rejoicing, and their health shall spring forth speedily. Then they will be fully and wholly in the hands of the Lord, and hence can

4. Get His Work Done Quickly.

The Lord will then have fully in His hand and at His service the instrumentality by which He will cut His work short in righteousness in the earth. The whole earth will then be quickly lightened with His glory, and the Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then will the end come. And then will come the glad hour when all the redeemed host, whether they wake or sleep, will

5. Get Glorified Quickly.

Our glorified Saviour will then appear in great glory, with all the angels of glory. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, the resurrected saints and the living saints will be changed from mortality to immortality, their mortal bodies fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body. They will all hear the blessed words, "Well done," and will be glorified quickly. It is then that every one of the glorified saints will ardently desire to

6. Get to Jesus Quickly.

They will behold Christ in the heavens above, surrounded with the innumerable hosts of shining angels, and their yearning hearts will go out toward Him, and they will long to get to Him quickly. They hear Him say to the angel host, who ever hear and obey His commands with alacrity and delight, "Gather My saints together unto Me." With what ecstatic joy will the glorified saints be caught up by the holy angels to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall they ever be with the Lord. Jesus comes quickly, and quickly His saints, shining like the sun, are in His glorified presence. Then
He looks upon the travail of His soul, the work of their redemption completed, and He is satisfied. Who can describe that greeting of loved ones long unseen? Who can describe that meeting of Redeemer and redeemed? The next glorious aspiration of this glorified throng of redeemed ones will be to

7. Get to Paradise Quickly.

Paul, in holy vision, out of the body, was caught up to the third heaven,—caught up to Paradise,—but all the overcomers, all together, and all at one time, will be caught up to the third heaven,—or to Paradise,—not in vision, but personally, really, bodily. And they go not for a brief visit, to hear and see remarkable things and return, but they go to stay, to reign with Christ. And they will go quickly. If it takes a whole week of seven days to make the heavenly journey, how swiftly will the days go by! No dangers can imperil the journey. He who stilled the tempest with a word will lead the way. The wonderful works of God will be seen all around. Homeward bound! Thus the innumerable host of glorified ones will keep one glorious Sabbath on their shining way, and all together under the never-ending blessing of keeping the commandments of God, with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads, will enter the Paradise of God, their eternal home. Evermore by Immanuel's side they will dwell in a rapture of love. The quicklies of the work of redemption will then be in the past. A millennium of glory, and an eternity of unalloyed bliss, will be their everlasting portion.
Reader, are you traveling this shining pathway, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day?
  1. Get righteousness quickly. 1 Cor. 15:34.
  2. Get rich quickly. Rev. 3:18.
  3. Get well quickly. Isa. 58:8.
  4. Get His work done quickly. Rom. 9:28.
  5. Get glorified quickly. 1 Cor. 15:51; Phil. 3:21.
  6. Get to Jesus quickly. 1 Thess. 4:17.
  7. Get to Paradise quickly. Rev. 2:7; 22:14. H. A. ST. JOHN.