The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
The inquiry is a question put to the watchman about the night, asking where things stand in the course of history and seeking light with earnest interest. The answer given is that both the morning and the night are coming, and both are near together. The morning is the coming deliverance and glory of the coming King for the righteous, opening into endless day, while the night is settling judgment and eternal darkness upon the wicked. Those who ask are therefore urged to keep inquiring and seeking truth rather than remain in darkness, and to turn back to God without delay where He will pardon and heal. The watchman must speak this warning with assurance and a certain sound, and the people must awaken from sleep, seek God for themselves, and be ready to stand in the great day.
Night Inquiry and Answer
The inquiry put to the watchman is what of the night, a question about the night that is still asked and still to be answered. The watchman's reply is that the morning is coming and the night also. Through careful study of prophecy this inquiry and answer make known where people stand in world history and that Christ's second coming is near.
The question is to be put with earnest interest that seeks light. It is not to be put by pale faces peering fearfully into the darkness. The watchmen on Zion's walls are to return the answer with assurance and authority for those seeking to know what lies ahead.
The watchman must know the time of the night, which means recognizing the time and warning people as the great day of God approaches. Faithful watchmen do not sleep but clearly declare the time of night. They do not sleep nor remain silent when truth is threatened, but stay alert, speak, and take decisive action. Their office is to see dangers beforehand for the people and to distinguish truth from error and righteousness from unrighteousness. Because passing moments matter, God's people must be spiritually awake and prepare others to stand in that day.
Morning and Night Meanings
The watchman's answer is that morning comes and night also comes, the two arriving together and both near. The morning is the coming deliverance and glory of God's people at the revealing of their coming King, the opening and beginning of endless day for the righteous. The night is the settling of judgment and eternal darkness upon the wicked, an eternal night for them set over against the endless day.
The morning is also the present time and opportunity to work, with the night following as the time when no one can work. Therefore the warning must be given and the message carried into every field without delay while there is still time to act. The night and morning further picture present tribulation and surrounding darkness encircling God's people, followed by the dawn of the eternal day when there will be no more night and no more darkness. Faith and hope look beyond present gloom to that soon-coming morning with confidence that the darkness will not last.
The morning comes to the faithful and true, to God's people when they rely on His Word and follow His counsels. The night comes to those who walk and work by human wisdom, to the slothful and ease-loving and to those working against God. Because both light and darkness lie ahead, faith and conduct must be examined rather than accepted without question.
Call to Seek and Return
The call to enquire is a call to keep on asking, to wake up and inquire rather than sleep through the nearness of the end. It urges those who ask what of the night to seek guidance, to seek the truth, and not to remain in darkness. It is joined to the call to return and come, urging people to turn back to God. That return is an invitation to come without delay, where He will pardon and heal those who have turned away.
Those who thus inquire are to be guided and fed in safety by teachers who are clear about the faith and who discern the time. Uncertain teachers who will not take responsibility are to remain silent rather than mislead seeking souls. The answer to be given to those seeking the message is to sound forth the Laodicean message. That message includes justification by faith and the righteousness of Christ.
Christ's Return Is Near
The verse assures waiting people that the revelation of Christ's glory is near, with the coming King bringing the opening of endless day for the righteous and eternal night for the wicked. Through careful study of prophecy people can know where they stand in world history and that His second coming is near. The present night is that solemn time when the evidences that His coming is near are many and very plain.
The watchman must know the time of the night, which means discerning the solemn nearness of that soon coming and the great day of God. It is a time when iniquity abounds everywhere and the love of many has grown cold and the plagues are just upon the world. Knowing the hour makes the watchman a faithful steward who stays awake and earnest rather than asleep while professing to look for Christ, who gathers up the important truths given for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, and who acts in reference to that great day and makes ready a people to stand in it, since failure to do so is registered in the books of heaven as unfaithful stewardship.
The warning must be given because the time for work is limited, for morning is followed by night when no one can work. God's watchmen must therefore carry the message into every field without delay, while the angels are holding back the four winds. Yet the prophecy of future events has been sounding while men are asleep, and watchmen are few, with few feeling deeply impressed with rightly understood, living gospel facts. What will arouse them to sense their peril is the urgent need.
Watchmen's Warning Work
The verse belongs to spiritual watchmen, watchmen on the walls of Zion, those in responsible positions, ministers and teachers, including those charged to warn in places such as Australia, who stand at their post as sentinels feeling the responsibility to tell the people the time of night. They are to awaken to that responsibility, guard every outpost, and call people back to God without delay to pardon and healing, warning souls rather than leaving them uncertain or leading them into error. The trumpet must give a certain sound in the great day of the Lord's preparation, when both morning and night come. It is to speak clearly and decisively under the Holy Spirit in wide-awake, unsleepy terms, with no whispered tones, sleepy minds, uncertain sound, tameness, or smooth deceitful prophesying, presenting important truths applicable to this time in the clearest manner to agitate, stir, and arouse men and women from slumbers of peace and safety to inquire for themselves. This stands against soothing consciences with pleasing fables and crying peace and safety, for human appeals to the highest authorities, however earnest and eloquent, gain nothing unless the Lord works by His Holy Spirit in hearts.
The watchman must announce both morning and night, proclaim the time of night as a warning that the Lord is soon coming, and rouse people from spiritual lethargy lest they sleep the sleep of death. That message is a solemn call to awaken church and world from spiritual sleep and urge them to seek God while there is opportunity, warning of sudden destruction upon every soul not watching awake and waiting for His appearing. It is a warning of two outcomes, morning for the faithful and true, while night comes for the slothful, ease-loving, and those working against God, and therefore watchmen are to awaken, warn the people of the time, and work faithfully for the salvation of souls.
The watching and warning is the work for the present time and the final conflict, when the true watchman's voice must be heard. In those solemn hours just before the judgment faithful watchmen call to their fellow watchmen about the night and answer with assurance and authority that morning comes and also night. They are to rouse one another to remain alert, courageous, and faithful rather than relax, hide their witness, or compromise. Those solemn hours are not to be spent in warfare among believers, since strife between believers is Satan's work and believers must be kept from an unbelieving heart. Those who have light are commissioned to speak that answer in constant, aggressive warfare for truth, and ministers and all who know truth are not to spend labor only strengthening those who already know it but to communicate truth to those still in darkness and error.
The warning is not merely to be heard: each person connected with God is to take it up and pass it through the churches as a channel of light. God's watchmen must therefore give the warning and carry the message into every field without delay, for morning is followed by night when no one can work. Watchmen must watch and keep their garments unspotted from the world, with no hiding of colors, no treason, no laying down or hiding of weapons, no relaxing of effort, and wholly entire employment of every power for God in maintaining allegiance and bearing testimony for God and truth without compromise, or Satan will stand as captain. Watchmen are accountable to God if people perish through misleading counsel, and there is no place for sleepy, silent, or soft watchmen. If the call to a fellow watchman brings no response, it proves the watchman called to is unfaithful.
People's Required Response
The answer calls for waking out of spiritual sleep and slumber into a spiritually awake, alert, earnest, and prepared condition. Those who profess to look for Christ must not remain asleep while the evidences that His coming is near are many and very plain, but must gather up the important truths given for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. They must understand the importance of passing events in reference to the great day of God, discerning the solemn nearness of that day at a time when iniquity abounds everywhere, the love of many has grown cold, and the plagues are just upon the world. In this way they are to act in view of the coming day and make ready a people to stand in it, since to fail to be awake and earnest and to gather and act upon that light is registered as unfaithful stewardship.
The same call urges every person to inquire for themselves, to seek God and seek the truth rather than remain in darkness, while there is opportunity and while there is still time to work. The morning is the present time and opportunity to work, and the night is coming when no one can work, so the warning must be heeded and the work carried forward, including through fields such as Australia, before that darkness closes in. Faithful warning is meant to agitate, stir, and arouse men and women from slumbers of peace and safety to this personal inquiry, in contrast to soothing fables and cries of peace and safety that leave consciences undisturbed. Upon every soul not watching awake and waiting for the appearing of the Lord sudden destruction will come, so the seeking cannot be delayed.
Those waiting for His appearing are to remain separate from worldly amusements and gatherings and to faithfully warn others, living pure, divested of self, steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work. They are to rely on the Word and follow its counsels, for the morning comes to those who do so, while night comes to those who walk and work by human wisdom. Human appeals to the highest authorities, however earnest and eloquent, will not gain what is desired unless the Lord works by His Holy Spirit in the hearts of professed believers. Only the religion bearing God's superscription and stamp will stand, while men, doctrines, and nature fulfill His sure word of prophecy in His grand closing work in this world's history, and He will honor and elevate the humblest trusting soul and unite His power with human effort.
By faith and hope believers can look beyond present gloom, tribulation, and surrounding darkness to the soon-coming morning. The alternation of night and morning pictures present tribulation followed by the dawn of the eternal day, when there will be no more night and no more darkness. That coming dawn gives confidence that the darkness will not last.
The inquiry is a question put to the watchman about the night, asking where things stand in the course of history and seeking light with earnest interest. The answer given is that both the morning and the night are coming, and both are near together. The morning is the coming deliverance and glory of the coming King for the righteous, opening into endless day, while the night is settling judgment and eternal darkness upon the wicked. Those who ask are therefore urged to keep inquiring and seeking truth rather than remain in darkness, and to turn back to God without delay where He will pardon and heal. The watchman must speak this warning with assurance and a certain sound, and the people must awaken from sleep, seek God for themselves, and be ready to stand in the great day.
Night Inquiry and Answer
The inquiry put to the watchman is what of the night, a question about the night that is still asked and still to be answered. The watchman's reply is that the morning is coming and the night also. Through careful study of prophecy this inquiry and answer make known where people stand in world history and that Christ's second coming is near.
The question is to be put with earnest interest that seeks light. It is not to be put by pale faces peering fearfully into the darkness. The watchmen on Zion's walls are to return the answer with assurance and authority for those seeking to know what lies ahead.
The watchman must know the time of the night, which means recognizing the time and warning people as the great day of God approaches. Faithful watchmen do not sleep but clearly declare the time of night. They do not sleep nor remain silent when truth is threatened, but stay alert, speak, and take decisive action. Their office is to see dangers beforehand for the people and to distinguish truth from error and righteousness from unrighteousness. Because passing moments matter, God's people must be spiritually awake and prepare others to stand in that day.
Morning and Night Meanings
The watchman's answer is that morning comes and night also comes, the two arriving together and both near. The morning is the coming deliverance and glory of God's people at the revealing of their coming King, the opening and beginning of endless day for the righteous. The night is the settling of judgment and eternal darkness upon the wicked, an eternal night for them set over against the endless day.
The morning is also the present time and opportunity to work, with the night following as the time when no one can work. Therefore the warning must be given and the message carried into every field without delay while there is still time to act. The night and morning further picture present tribulation and surrounding darkness encircling God's people, followed by the dawn of the eternal day when there will be no more night and no more darkness. Faith and hope look beyond present gloom to that soon-coming morning with confidence that the darkness will not last.
The morning comes to the faithful and true, to God's people when they rely on His Word and follow His counsels. The night comes to those who walk and work by human wisdom, to the slothful and ease-loving and to those working against God. Because both light and darkness lie ahead, faith and conduct must be examined rather than accepted without question.
Call to Seek and Return
The call to enquire is a call to keep on asking, to wake up and inquire rather than sleep through the nearness of the end. It urges those who ask what of the night to seek guidance, to seek the truth, and not to remain in darkness. It is joined to the call to return and come, urging people to turn back to God. That return is an invitation to come without delay, where He will pardon and heal those who have turned away.
Those who thus inquire are to be guided and fed in safety by teachers who are clear about the faith and who discern the time. Uncertain teachers who will not take responsibility are to remain silent rather than mislead seeking souls. The answer to be given to those seeking the message is to sound forth the Laodicean message. That message includes justification by faith and the righteousness of Christ.
Christ's Return Is Near
The verse assures waiting people that the revelation of Christ's glory is near, with the coming King bringing the opening of endless day for the righteous and eternal night for the wicked. Through careful study of prophecy people can know where they stand in world history and that His second coming is near. The present night is that solemn time when the evidences that His coming is near are many and very plain.
The watchman must know the time of the night, which means discerning the solemn nearness of that soon coming and the great day of God. It is a time when iniquity abounds everywhere and the love of many has grown cold and the plagues are just upon the world. Knowing the hour makes the watchman a faithful steward who stays awake and earnest rather than asleep while professing to look for Christ, who gathers up the important truths given for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come, and who acts in reference to that great day and makes ready a people to stand in it, since failure to do so is registered in the books of heaven as unfaithful stewardship.
The warning must be given because the time for work is limited, for morning is followed by night when no one can work. God's watchmen must therefore carry the message into every field without delay, while the angels are holding back the four winds. Yet the prophecy of future events has been sounding while men are asleep, and watchmen are few, with few feeling deeply impressed with rightly understood, living gospel facts. What will arouse them to sense their peril is the urgent need.
Watchmen's Warning Work
The verse belongs to spiritual watchmen, watchmen on the walls of Zion, those in responsible positions, ministers and teachers, including those charged to warn in places such as Australia, who stand at their post as sentinels feeling the responsibility to tell the people the time of night. They are to awaken to that responsibility, guard every outpost, and call people back to God without delay to pardon and healing, warning souls rather than leaving them uncertain or leading them into error. The trumpet must give a certain sound in the great day of the Lord's preparation, when both morning and night come. It is to speak clearly and decisively under the Holy Spirit in wide-awake, unsleepy terms, with no whispered tones, sleepy minds, uncertain sound, tameness, or smooth deceitful prophesying, presenting important truths applicable to this time in the clearest manner to agitate, stir, and arouse men and women from slumbers of peace and safety to inquire for themselves. This stands against soothing consciences with pleasing fables and crying peace and safety, for human appeals to the highest authorities, however earnest and eloquent, gain nothing unless the Lord works by His Holy Spirit in hearts.
The watchman must announce both morning and night, proclaim the time of night as a warning that the Lord is soon coming, and rouse people from spiritual lethargy lest they sleep the sleep of death. That message is a solemn call to awaken church and world from spiritual sleep and urge them to seek God while there is opportunity, warning of sudden destruction upon every soul not watching awake and waiting for His appearing. It is a warning of two outcomes, morning for the faithful and true, while night comes for the slothful, ease-loving, and those working against God, and therefore watchmen are to awaken, warn the people of the time, and work faithfully for the salvation of souls.
The watching and warning is the work for the present time and the final conflict, when the true watchman's voice must be heard. In those solemn hours just before the judgment faithful watchmen call to their fellow watchmen about the night and answer with assurance and authority that morning comes and also night. They are to rouse one another to remain alert, courageous, and faithful rather than relax, hide their witness, or compromise. Those solemn hours are not to be spent in warfare among believers, since strife between believers is Satan's work and believers must be kept from an unbelieving heart. Those who have light are commissioned to speak that answer in constant, aggressive warfare for truth, and ministers and all who know truth are not to spend labor only strengthening those who already know it but to communicate truth to those still in darkness and error.
The warning is not merely to be heard: each person connected with God is to take it up and pass it through the churches as a channel of light. God's watchmen must therefore give the warning and carry the message into every field without delay, for morning is followed by night when no one can work. Watchmen must watch and keep their garments unspotted from the world, with no hiding of colors, no treason, no laying down or hiding of weapons, no relaxing of effort, and wholly entire employment of every power for God in maintaining allegiance and bearing testimony for God and truth without compromise, or Satan will stand as captain. Watchmen are accountable to God if people perish through misleading counsel, and there is no place for sleepy, silent, or soft watchmen. If the call to a fellow watchman brings no response, it proves the watchman called to is unfaithful.
People's Required Response
The answer calls for waking out of spiritual sleep and slumber into a spiritually awake, alert, earnest, and prepared condition. Those who profess to look for Christ must not remain asleep while the evidences that His coming is near are many and very plain, but must gather up the important truths given for admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come. They must understand the importance of passing events in reference to the great day of God, discerning the solemn nearness of that day at a time when iniquity abounds everywhere, the love of many has grown cold, and the plagues are just upon the world. In this way they are to act in view of the coming day and make ready a people to stand in it, since to fail to be awake and earnest and to gather and act upon that light is registered as unfaithful stewardship.
The same call urges every person to inquire for themselves, to seek God and seek the truth rather than remain in darkness, while there is opportunity and while there is still time to work. The morning is the present time and opportunity to work, and the night is coming when no one can work, so the warning must be heeded and the work carried forward, including through fields such as Australia, before that darkness closes in. Faithful warning is meant to agitate, stir, and arouse men and women from slumbers of peace and safety to this personal inquiry, in contrast to soothing fables and cries of peace and safety that leave consciences undisturbed. Upon every soul not watching awake and waiting for the appearing of the Lord sudden destruction will come, so the seeking cannot be delayed.
Those waiting for His appearing are to remain separate from worldly amusements and gatherings and to faithfully warn others, living pure, divested of self, steadfast, unmovable, and always abounding in the work. They are to rely on the Word and follow its counsels, for the morning comes to those who do so, while night comes to those who walk and work by human wisdom. Human appeals to the highest authorities, however earnest and eloquent, will not gain what is desired unless the Lord works by His Holy Spirit in the hearts of professed believers. Only the religion bearing God's superscription and stamp will stand, while men, doctrines, and nature fulfill His sure word of prophecy in His grand closing work in this world's history, and He will honor and elevate the humblest trusting soul and unite His power with human effort.
By faith and hope believers can look beyond present gloom, tribulation, and surrounding darkness to the soon-coming morning. The alternation of night and morning pictures present tribulation followed by the dawn of the eternal day, when there will be no more night and no more darkness. That coming dawn gives confidence that the darkness will not last.