p. 1098 | Review and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 46. (11/13/1913)

Earlier text: (Reading for Sabbath, December 13)

A Hurry-Up Call

Lesson for the Children—No. 2

A Hurry-Up Call

MEMORY TEXT: “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.” Zeph. 1:14.

To haste means to hurry. When we wish to reach a place quickly, if we can

we “go across lots,” that is, take the nearest way. (Illustrate by a large square drawn on blackboard or paper, with diagonal line drawn through.)

When we are very near the end, the Lord will work fast; he will take a little time to do a great work, so Jesus can soon come. Rom. 9:28. “He will finish the work,” and when he works none can hinder. He will cut the work short, that is, he will not take a long time to finish it. He will “come quickly.”

Describe a storm as it seems to come slowly at first over the sky; but when it is very near, the clouds seem to tumble over one another in their haste as they are driven by the wind. So the last events to take place before Jesus comes will be “rapid ones.”

There has been a “tarrying time” while we have waited for Jesus, but now “there shall be delay no longer.” There is just a little time left in which to get ready. Notice the words the Lord uses to tell us how short the time is:—

Haste Quickly A Short Work No Delay } H U R R Y

They all mean to hurry, and that he will soon be here.

Illustrate by the parable of the ten virgins. Matthew 25. The girls were all invited to a wedding. But they had to wait quite a while. They got sleepy and tired. They took their lamps along so they could see in the night. Some thought they had better take some oil, for they might be delayed, and they kept their lamps and oil-cans close by; even when they got tired they went to sleep.

Suddenly at midnight they were all awakened by somebody shouting, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” They arose quickly, and trimmed their lamps before they started; and those who had brought no oil said to the others, “Give us of your oil; for our lamps are going out.” “No,” the others said, “there isn’t enough for both us and you; but go and buy some.” While they were gone, the bridegroom came. Those who were ready went in, and the door was shut. When the other girls came back, they could not get in, and were left outside crying. How much they wished they had taken along some oil for their lamps, so they would not have been late; but that did not unlock the door for them.

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matt. 25:13.

Did a thief ever visit your house in the night? Did he send word that he would be there at three o’clock in the morning?—No; he came when you were not looking for him. Jesus says, “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Rev. 16:15.

We know he will come “quickly,” but he has not told us what day or year he will appear. He bids us, “Take ye heed [be careful], watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is.” It is to those who are not ready that the Lord will come as a thief; “but ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

Let us pray as we go from this meeting, and let us keep watch every day till Jesus comes, that we may be ready.

(Sing to close No. 885, “Christ in Song:” “Waiting and Watching.”)

Reading for Monday, December 15

By William Ambrose Spicer

Open Doors in the Mission Fields a Sign of the End

W. A. SPICER

The open doors are there. A few ways are still barred, but we know by experience that these gates, too, will fly open as soon as the herald of the third angel's message approaches. And these open doors in all the earth are indeed a sign of the end.

The doors were not thus open when this advent movement began. The way has been prepared of God for the bearing of the last gospel witness. We can see it almost as plainly as if the divine hand had been visible to human sight.

Observers who do not read events in the light of the definite advent movement, nevertheless see that this is the time of wondrous preparation in the vast mission fields. They are impressed with the fact that a new fulness of time has come for the evangelizing of the world. The Archbishop of Canterbury, England's highest ecclesiastic, says:—

“Whatever the facts of other days, there can be no manner of doubt about our own. The opportunity is almost limitless. It is urgent, and even clamorous. It is perhaps temporary, and even passing away. And it is ours. . . . The place of missions in the life of the church must be the central place, and none other. . . . Secure for that thought its true place in our plans and policy and prayers, and it may well be that ‘there be some standing here’ tonight who shall not taste of death till they see—in a way we know not now—‘the kingdom of God come with power.’”

Many like words might be quoted.

To us who know the time and the prophecy these conditions speak with yet clearer voice to tell us that the last things are being done to prepare the way, and that Christ is verily at the door. Heaven and earth are being moved for the last closing scenes. The promise of the Saviour grows brighter and nearer: “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.”

To Cyrus, of Persia, called to do service in fulfilling prophecy in ancient times, God said: “I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of brass. and cut in sunder the bars of iron. . . . I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me.” Isa. 45: 2-5.

Just so the living God and his angels have wrought to prepare the way before the last message. Just a glance at the time of the opening of doors shows a work timed of God for the fulfilment of the prophecy. The “sure word” had declared that when the hour of God's judgment should come, in 1844, the last message of the everlasting gospel would be carried “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” And the same living God who launched the definite advent movement on its way at the exact time of the prophecy, began at the same time in a special way to open the doors of access to “every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.”

We have seen the way open again and again immediately before our own feet as the heralds of the third angel's message have entered the various lands. In 1886 we made the first move toward Africa. Even as late as that the interior of the continent was far away. In that very year a number of Christian boys in Uganda were burned at the stake, by the king's orders—in regions where now our missionaries enter by steam railway to prosecute their work amid peaceful conditions. Within a few years from the time we were ready to enter

Africa, there came the full partitioning of the continent into colonial possessions of the European powers, bringing new means of reaching all the tribes and tongues.

No sooner had we entered South America than countries like Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador, where open Protestant missionary effort was forbidden by law, began to take down the age-long bars. No sooner are we in China, really getting a foothold for service, with a constituency of earnest Chinese believers and workers forming to press the work, than here comes the sudden turn of affairs,—the changes of a generation wrought in a few years,—and, lo, China is open as never before.

Our brethren who are on the ground, in all these far fields, seeing the gates flung widely open before their faces, plead now with us to send on the men and the means to enter the open doors. Events of the Balkan-Turkish conflict give now new hope for freer course on both sides of the Bosporus. We have just entered Persia. ‘There are increasing signs in Persia,’ says the Missionary Review, ‘of a breaking free from the traditional trammels which restrict intercourse between Moslems and non-Moslems.’

It is the same story wherever we turn. The powers of heaven have been in real conflict with the powers of darkness to open these ways. The Lord says:—

‘I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.’ Isa. 42: 14-16.

The powers of evil are endeavoring to fill the earth with strife that will culminate in Armageddon. The storm seems ever just ready to break. But God's angels are holding the winds, in all the four quarters of the earth, under command to hold until the sealing message of the Sabbath reform reaches all. Such a time of activity in heaven must demand the outlay of every power and resource in the church of God on earth to give the message for which heaven holds open the way. There seems something almost prophetic in the pronouncement of the great world's missionary congress held in Edinburgh, three years ago. That gathering of thousands of missionaries sent the message to Christendom: ‘The next ten years will, in all probability, constitute the turning-point in human history.’

Truly everything cries to us that the time to favor Zion, yea, the set time, is come. Now, with the salvation of God in our souls and the simplicity of the love of Jesus filling our hearts, we are to heed the call of God:—

‘O Zion, that bringest good tidings, . . . lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold, the Lord God will come.’

The Lord is pouring out his Spirit upon all flesh. True-hearted souls are being prepared everywhere for the coming of the messengers of truth. To give one example: Early this year, Brother John Boehm, of the German Seminary, was sent to Brazil. Now he writes from an interior point:—

‘Before, and on the way, we prayed that the Lord would send his angels before us to prepare hearts for his message. We had been in San Bernardo no longer than a week when a call came for some one to come several hours' ride by train into the interior, where an interest had been awakened by one of our canvassers. As Brother Spies had no time to answer this call, he asked me to go.

‘So I came, and found the hearts of the people prepared for the message. I returned and reported to the brethren, and just as soon as they had decided to send me back to the colony, one of the men from that place came to plead for me to come. They were hungering for the truth. This is a colony of about two hundred German families from various countries. There is no church in the colony as yet, and the prospects are very bright that Seventh-day Adventists will have the first one here. May the Lord help us. The first Sabbath after my return to these people, two families kept the Sabbath with me. They had always wondered why people keep Sunday when the Bible speaks of the seventh day as the Sabbath. They had no one to explain to them how it was, and knew of no one who kept that day, as they were Roman Catholics. As soon as they saw a people that kept the day, they were ready to join them, for they took the Bible as their leader. For three years, they had been praying for more light. It would do your heart good to hear them praise the Lord on his holy day, and thank him for answering their prayers, even sending a man from North America just for them.’

These are the experiences—and they could be repeated of various lands—that cause the hearts of our missionaries to cry out to God for help. They see the elements developing that threaten to close the open doors or to make the way more difficult. ‘Now, just now,’ as the spirit of prophecy has said, ‘is the time to work for foreign missions.’ Elder E. M. Adams, of the Philippines, tells how they shed tears of joy there as they received the news that more helpers were to join them this autumn. He refers to the conviction on the part of many in the Philippines that stormy times are just ahead for that vast island possession. But now the way is wide open, and our workers feel that all about are the signs of the latter rain. Brother Adams relates an incident showing how native believers, of brief experience, are growing in the message:—

‘We had a little experience in electing and ordaining another deacon at Malolos which made me feel that we are near the time when the Lord will let his blessing rest upon, and indicate his will to, his church, even as he did in the days of the apostles. The church was so divided as to who should fill this new office that we called for a season of prayer to decide the matter. After prayer the selection was clear, and before the roll was called this brother was ordained. When his name was called, in place of bearing his testimony he asked to pray. We bowed in prayer, and his prayer brought the Spirit of the Lord into that meeting so that hearts were touched and the people wept. After this he bore his testimony. While he was speaking, the evangelist who was sitting by me, said to me, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon the new deacon.’ O, for a closer walk with God!’

About one hundred and fifty new missionaries will have gone to the fields in 1913 before the year ends. Pray that every one may be an additional soul-winner. Pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth yet more laborers into the fields white for the reaper. Prayer will raise more money for missions, and open new treasuries for the Lord's work on earth. Right on through these open doors in all the world, we can see, by faith, the twilight glory of the coming dawn. More and more let us pray definitely for the coming of the Lord. That is the last prayer of the Bible. In response to the last words of Jesus in Revelation, ‘Surely I come quickly,’ the church is to respond, ‘Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.’ It is time to pray daily for the coming of the Lord. It will bring the ‘blessed hope’ as a living thing into the heart to transform the life. For ‘every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.’ Jesus will cleanse every stain of sin, and give to us the story to tell other souls far and near.

‘O, bliss of the purified! bliss of the free! I plunge in the crimson tide open for me! O'er sin and uncleanness exulting I stand, And point to the print of the nails in his hand. O sing of his mighty love, sing of his mighty love, Sing of his mighty love—mighty to save!’

How We Know

Lesson for the Children—No. 3

How We Know

MEMORY TEXT: “So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.” Luke 21: 31.

Ask the children what season comes when the leaves turn red and yellow. How do they know when it is winter? When they see the buds appear, what do they know? Some things we guess at, we are not quite sure about them, but others we surely know even though

we do not yet see them. Illustrate by watching the rising sun each day, etc.

Our text tells of something we may know and be perfectly sure about. What is it? — That as surely as we know summer is coming when we see green leaves begin to grow, so, when we see the signs Jesus gave fulfilled, we may know he is very near. How near? Matt. 24:33. Show that when they see friends coming, and watch till they are at the door, the next thing is for them to come in.

Write the signs Jesus gave, on the blackboard. Matt. 24:29; Luke 21:25, 26; 17:26-30.

Sun darkened, May 19, 1780.
Moon like blood, May 19, 1780.
Stars fell, Nov. 13, 1833.
Distress of nations, Now.
Men's hearts failing, Now.
Time like Noah's, Now.
Like days of Lot, Now.

Every sign has been fulfilled. What next? Rev. 22:12.

Shall we be like the people in Noah's time, or like the men of Nineveh? John 3:5-8.

Let us be thankful we know Jesus is near.

(Reading for Tuesday, December 16)

By J. T. Boettcher

The Message; Its Proclamation in All Lands a Sign of the End

J. T. BOETTCHER

THROUGH sin man fell, and would have been forever lost had not God in his compassion prepared a way of escape. It was the message of the gospel which gladdened the ears of our first parents, and no wonder Eve exclaimed at the birth of her first son, “I have gotten a man from the Lord.” Gen. 4:1. She thought to see in him the one who would break the power of sin and let the captives free. But the time had not yet come. It was to Mary that the angel said, “Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35. Many things had to be accomplished before the Redeemer could come to this earth upon his mission of mercy.

When we look at the conditions in the world at the time of our Lord’s first advent, it is evident that God had prepared the way in a wonderful manner for the proclamation of the gospel. The nations that had been at war with one another were now united under one great Roman Empire, so that almost universal peace reigned, and the glad tidings, within a single generation, could be heralded everywhere. “Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.” Rom. 10:18. Speaking of the church of the Thessalonians, Paul says, “For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia; but also in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak anything.” 1 Thess. 1:8.

Popular religion had become stagnant; the whole system consisted in outward forms and an untold number of ceremonies. Instead of the spiritual weapons, they used the carnal; and instead of helping sinful man, they passed by on the other side. Luke 10:25-32.

Christ introduced a new order of things: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), was his message. The disciples were not to stay in any one place permanently, for thus they would become as dormant as the Jews were. After a church had been raised up at Antioch, the Holy Ghost said: “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” Acts 13:2, 3. God had prepared these men to do a great work for him. Even though trials and hardships met them everywhere, they knew they were called by the Holy Ghost “to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:6. Wherever the gospel was preached, it made new creatures of all who by faith accepted it.

But soon after the death of the apostles, there came a falling away from the true principles of the gospel, and again human traditions took the place of the divine teaching. Salvation was no longer regarded the gift of God, but the reward of good works. But when the darkness was the densest, God sent the Reformation of the sixteenth century. He had long been preparing the way for it. The historian D’Aubigne says: “An observant mind might then have discerned two laws by which God governs the course of events. He first prepares slowly and from afar that which he designs to accomplish. He has ages in which to work. Then when the time is come, he effects the greatest results by the smallest means. He acts thus in nature and in providence. For the production of a gigantic tree, he deposits in the earth a tiny seed; for the renovation of his church, he makes use of the meanest instruments to accomplish what emperors, learned men, and even the heads of that church have failed to effect!”

And so it was; the Reformation shook the thrones of kings and emperors, and was heralded everywhere. It was the theme of conversation at the royal courts as well as around the fireside of the most humble peasant, until within a generation it had extended all over Europe, and even to countries beyond.

But this was only a preparation for the greater work that was to be done in the time of the end; for the threefold message of Rev. 14:6-12 was to lighten every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. At the right time God again had men ready everywhere who, yielding to the influence of the Holy Spirit, stepped out by faith, keeping the commandments of God and having the faith of Jesus.

In the tenth chapter of Revelation a vivid description of this message is given. A mighty angel is represented as coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire. Angels are the messengers of God, and in this case represent those who give the message. As the rainbow is the sign of sure promise, so this message is not indefinite, but certain, having the promise of God for its very foundation. Noah, to whom the rainbow was first shown, had believed what God said, and on the strength of it had given up all earthly things in order to build the ark. Having given up all, he received all in return. There is a rainbow around the throne of God (Eze. 1:28), ever reminding those who give the message that God is looking with mercy upon the inhabitants of this world.

The face of the angel was as the sun. Full of glory and splendor will the message be; there will be nothing uncertain about it. As the sun can be seen by all, so the truth will shine everywhere. His feet are as pillars of fire, which devour everything that is false, yet they themselves stand fast forevermore.

This angel has in his hand a little book open; his right foot is upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth. What a wonderful, clear illustration this is to prove that the message of Christ’s second coming must be sounded all around

the globe! The ships on the sea must carry the messengers. On the way to the General Conference we saw this fulfilled to the letter. We were over forty missionaries on one ship, and not only were important committee meetings held, but occasion was taken to preach the truth to a large number of the passengers gathered in the dining-room. It was well known on board the ship that we were missionaries going to the World’s General Conference.

The little open book in the angel’s hand represents God’s Word. Not man-made theories will be presented in giving this message, but the prophecies pure and simple; precept must be upon precept, line upon line; here a little and there a little. Isa. 28:10. We are exhorted to seek out of the Book of the Lord and read: ‘No one of these shall fail, . . . for my mouth it hath commanded, and his Spirit it hath gathered them.’ Isa. 34:16. While the Reformation of the sixteenth century gave to the people the Bible, this last reformation opens, or explains, it to them.

With an oath the angel declares that there will not be another message following this one. Even time should be no longer, which proves that all prophetic time culminates now. How solemn the thought that we are living right in the days of this last message! The wise will understand it, and be purified, made white, and tried. Dan. 12:10.

In order that we may know when this message is to be given, the prophet refers to the seventh trumpet. Rev. 10:7. When it shall begin to sound, the mystery of God shall be finished. Under this war trumpet the nations are angry with one another, making great preparation for the final battle. While this is going on, the angels are holding the winds, so that the servants of God can be sealed and the mystery of God finished. The gospel hope of patriarchs, prophets, and all the saints will now be fulfilled. The voice of God, pleading with the indifferent ones, will not be heard much longer. The gentle Spirit that has so long called sinners to repentance will soon cease to strive.

This threefold message started in different parts of the world from a very humble beginning. Like a seed planted in the ground, it has now become a gigantic tree, spreading its branches over all the earth. I have in my possession a little hymn-book of seventy-one hymns. This booklet was published in 1873, in Barmen, Germany. Near this place a group of earnest Christians had, by reading the Bible, found the true Sabbath, and gave expression to their new-found faith in sacred song. Thinking themselves to be the only Christian Sabbath-keepers in the world, they did not realize that in forty years’ time they would be surrounded with churches, conferences, and unions of Sabbath-keeping Christians. Two stanzas from one of their hymns, translated from the German, express their faith and obedience in the following language:—

‘O Lord, before whom naught is hidden, Thou knowest why we gather here On this thy holy Sabbath morning To worship thee, our Saviour dear. O, let us never be ashamed; And take our humble offering. Thou didst great things for us, O Lord, And now we praise and honor bring. ‘And though for long and weary ages The Word of God was changed around, We now, before the plagues soon coming, Thy precious light and truth have found. We want to live on thy command, O Saviour, on thy Word alone; We know that only in that way The right and godly fear is shown.’

When Elder J. G. Matteson was sent to Denmark in 1877, and the following year organized the first church in Sjælland, his faith would hardly have grasped the fact that within thirty-six years there would be in Scandinavia alone over 3,300 believers, with sanitariums and many schools.

Also in the early days of the message the truth had entered Switzerland, and the first European Conference meeting was held in Neuchatel, November, 1874, the year that Elder J. N. Andrews went there from America.

In 1886 Brother B. L. Whitney, writing from Switzerland about the work in Russia, said: ‘According to the reports received from Elder L. R. Conradi, 75 persons have accepted the present truth in the Russian Empire.’ At present there are 223 churches in Russia, with a membership of 5,528 believers, and more than 100 missionary workers. Hundreds are obeying the truth every year, and although from the beginning great obstacles presented themselves, so far all have been conquered by the power of God.

All over Europe God is working in behalf of those who are seeking truth, and the message is onward, be it in Protestant, Catholic, or Mohammedan lands. There are at present in the European Division Conference 99 organizations, 700 workers, more than 1,000 canvassers, and nearly 30,000 members. Although the war-cloud has been hanging over the continent during the past year, and at times has even burst, and although a number of our young men were drafted, the triumphs of the cause were never greater, and our brethren were able to testify for the truth in the army. This is because our people are devoted to the light which they have received. But how much more could be accomplished were our consecration more thorough! Not only are the European unions working their own fields with their vast millions, but they are endeavoring to do missionary work in dark parts of Asia and Africa. Young men and women are giving their lives to missionary service, and faithful members in the home land are supporting them with their means, and are praying for their success. Where a few years ago the name of Jesus was not known, now the sweet sound of prayer and praise to God is heard. Yes, even these converted heathen are extending a helping hand to their benighted neighbors.

Soon the whole earth will be lighted with the glory of the message, and the gospel work be finished. The same divine providence is directing now as in days of old. God is preparing a people who will be without spot or wrinkle at the coming of Christ our Saviour. John, seeing in vision the final triumph of the gospel message, writes: ‘After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.’ Rev. 7:9, 10.

Our Brothers and Sisters Over the Sea

Lesson for the Children—No. 4

Our Brothers and Sisters Over the Sea

MEMORY TEXT: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Matt. 7:12.

Describe how we all try to help and care for one in the family who is ill or helpless. If we have a brother or a sister who is afflicted, the tenderest care, the best things, are given the weaker one.

So it should be with the blessings given us of God. There are so many who do not know Jesus. They would love him if they knew him. In heathen countries little children are taught to pray to ugly-looking images, not because they love them, but because they are afraid they will do them harm.

One father came to our missionary after he had been taught the right way and said, “Sir, my little girl should study this way of salvation.” Poor child! Who will go to teach her?

Not only this little girl, but many, many others should be taught. In India there are 400 little baby girls only one year old who are widows before they can talk. There are over 7,000 little widows less than five years old, and 35,000 child-widows from five and under ten years of age. These poor children are abused, starved, cursed, and beaten because they live in a heathen land and are blamed for things they never did.

In the sunny South Sea live a multitude of little brown people. Were they to meet you, they would say softly, “Talofia,” which means, “Love to you.” Many would love Jesus if they heard how he came to save them, and they would also love the teacher who taught them.

If you were a little heathen boy or girl, what should you think Christian children ought to do for you?

Not so long ago Christian teachers could not go to heathen countries as they can now. Today they call for us to help them, and this is another sign that Jesus will soon come. (The leader may relate incidents

gleaned from missionaries in other lands, or tell of conditions, as time will permit.)

Let us pray today for the little boys and girls in other countries, that they may be taught to be Christians, and let us think of what we can do to help them.

Continue reading: (Reading for Wednesday, December 17)