The Third Angel’s Message
By R. J. Lawrence
BRO. SMITH: I have often felt a desire to write and inform the brethren how I was getting along in the present truth. I would say that I firmly believe that the past Advent movement was of God, and marked the time of the judgment-hour cry, the cleansing of the Sanctuary, and the closing up of the prophetic periods. I believe also that we are living under the Third Angel's Message, and that the time hasteth when it will go with a loud cry. I feel deeply interested in the Review, and the truths which it advocates. It cheers my heart, and encourages me on my way. There has been a protracted effort in this vicinity for about eight weeks, commenced by the Methodists, who reported from fifty to one hundred conversions, and now continued by the Baptists at Mt. Vernon, where the work of conversion moves off rapidly. I have attended these meetings some. The preaching is mostly confined to faith and repentance. They tell the sinner that he is a transgressor of the law of God, but do not define the law; that he is justly condemned, and without repentance toward God and faith in Christ, he must forever perish; but I heard nothing of present truth, unless it were a discourse founded on Rev. i, 7. "Behold he cometh with clouds," &c., from which the minister argued that Christ was to come again sometime in the future, to gather all nations, both the living and the dead, in one mighty congregation; that the Jewish council and the Roman soldiery who condemned and executed the sentence of death against Christ, would be there at that time, and wail because of him; that then the parable of the sheep and the goats would be fulfilled. Brethren in the present truth can see how this view agrees with the work of the High Priest in the heavenly Sanctuary: the blotting out of the sins of his people, the closing up of probation, the pouring out of the seven last plagues, the coming of Christ on the white cloud, the resurrection of the righteous dead, the changing of the righteous living, &c. My mind has been deeply exercised in respect to these meetings. It does seem as though the Lord has been with the people, but how to reconcile it with present truth I did not at first know; but I have concluded that two ends will be answered by this movement: first, some will be brought to believe in Christ that will finally hear and believe the Third Angel's Message and stand on Mt. Zion; while secondly, the power of the two-horned beast will be greatly strengthened. What argument could be brought to bear against present truth like this? "Why," say they, "the Lord has been blessing the churches abundantly; and if they are Babylon, as you say, would he bless them so? I take this as an argument that your application is wrong;" and thus they will reject present truth altogether, and unite to make the image of the beast, and enforce its worship and its mark. O brethren of present truth, I feel more than ever the necessity of lifting up our voice like a trumpet, and warning the world of the approaching scenes of the seven last plagues, and the coming of the Son of man. Yours hoping for the kingdom.
R. J. LAWRENCE. Oakland, Mich., Feb. 24th, 1858.