Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Sep 18, 1901
CHARACTER, NOT FLESHLY DESCENT.
THE wall in our illustration, battlemented and turreted, is a portion of the northern wall of modern Jerusalem. The portal in the wall is also modern. It is called the Damascus Gate. It is the end of Damascus Street, which runs from the center of the town to the northern wall, separating the “Christian” portion of the city from the Mohammedan quarter.
THE view of our illustration seems to be from the north, outside the wall. About a dozen sheep, meekly following their shepherd, three foot persons, broken walls, and scattered stone—all speak eloquently of departed glory. Jerusalem that is, is in bondage with her children. No promises to Israel will be effectual to restore her greatness when the faith of Israel is wanting. No lineal flesh-and-blood descendants will again reign on David’s throne, who are not born again. No human wall so high or strong but will crumble when the righteousness of God again shakes the earth.
THE condition of Israel’s continuance as a nation, according to the flesh, is thus set forth by the prophet:—
“Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, O house of Israel, can not I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand, O house of Israel.
“At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; if that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them.
“And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in My sight, that it obey not My voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them.” Jer. 18:5-10.
The above words are specially addressed to Israel, tho they are just as applicable to other nations; for “God is no respecter of persons.” Israel’s planting and building and permanent establishment depended upon the nation’s being in harmony with God and His eternal purposes. And when God’s purpose was rejected by that nation, the plucking up, the pulling down, and the destruction inevitably followed.
THE descendants of Jacob, like the people of to-day, possessed the belief—born of desire and fostered by national pride—that Israel as a nation should stand forever; that irrespective of character or condition it would be so. It was because of this that the opposite was stated so emphatically by John the Baptist and Jesus. Said the former to them: “Bring forth therefore fruit worthy of repentance; and think ‘not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father;’ for I ‘say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto2‘Abraham. And even now is the ax laid unto the root of the trees; ‘every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, ‘and cast into the fire.’” Matt. 3:8-10. How more conclusively could be stated the only conditions on which the Jews could continue God’s people!
OUR Lord carries it farther still. He tells the Jews that, tho descended from Abraham, they were not even Abraham’s children in truth. They said: “We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man.” Jesus said to them: “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant [of sin] abideth not in the house forever, but the Son abideth ever.” But they say again, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus replied: “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. . . . Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” John 8:32-44.
BE not deceived. The true children are the children of character. The true Israel are the prevalers with God. The true seed of Abraham are those of the faith of Abraham, whether Jew or Gentile. The true Jerusalem is the new Jerusalem above, the mother of us all. No national ordinances, no human descent, no city wall, no boundary line of earth, no human creed, constitutes separation unto God. The mightiest wall which can be built around any soul of earth is the favor of God, vouchsafed to every soul who will yield to Him, obedient to His law through Jesus Christ. Walls of cities in this sin-cursed earth often prove traps of destruction to those who vainly trust in their seeming security. But those whose names are written in the glorious city above shall call her “walls Salvation, and her gates Praise.”
THE lesson is obvious, dear soul, whoever you are. God’s law is the law of thy life. Transgressed, it is inevitable death. Observed by faith in Christ Jesus, it is strength and salvation. May these few reflections, as we pause by the perishing wall of stone and the Damascus Gate, lead us to put our trust, not in the human, but in the Lord Jehovah, in whom is “everlasting strength.”
“YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE.”
By Ellen G. White
We have considered the obligation resting upon those who have not accepted Christ as a personal Saviour. But how are they to be convinced of the importance of obedience to the truth? Is it not by the work of unselfish, self-sacrificing Christian men and women? “There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”
Is it not time for the church to arise and shine because her light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon her?
In order to reflect light to those in darkness, we must receive the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness. In order to give the bread of life to starving souls, we must ourselves receive this bread from the hand of the Saviour. In order that the soul may be surrounded with the pure atmosphere of heaven, we must breathe His Spirit.
For the health and vitality of the soul the divine Physician has prescribed communion with Christ. Spiritual health is dependent on the food which is given to the heart and mind, and on the atmosphere which is breathed. The soul needs food, and in order to get this food, the Word of God must be studied. Christ declares:—
“I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. . . . I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. . . . Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. . . . It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life.”
The breathing of pure air is essential for physical health. And it is no less true that the air we breathe in the spiritual life must be pure if we would make healthy growth in grace. Breathe the atmosphere which produces pure thoughts and noble words. Choose Christian society. The Christian will not be spiritually healthy unless he carefully guards his associations.
Exercise is essential to growth in grace. When the spiritually diseased are given exercise in spiritual things, there is seen a transformation of character. But spirituality can not grow while the heart is full of the corrupting sores of selfishness. The soul must be cleansed and purified by the refining grace of God. The channel of communication between earth and heaven must be kept free from all obstruction, that the soul may receive from Christ a supply of living water. Every spiritual muscle and sinew must be put to the test. God has given us many opportunities to work for Him. Unless we improve these opportunities, we can not be growing Christians. When Christ is formed within, the hope of glory, a decided change will be seen in the religious experience of professing Christians.
The young convert to truth must not always remain a child in spiritual knowledge. A child, however beautiful as a child, is a dwarf if it makes no development as years pass by. And every Christian who is indeed a Christian, must grow. He must constantly increase in wisdom and knowledge. Day by day he must approach more nearly to the full stature of a man in Christ Jesus. He must advance into a deeper appreciation of the love of God, and a clearer knowledge of His will. If his light does not shine more and more brightly, his faith becomes weak, his love grows feeble; and unless he seeks and acknowledges his danger, he is doing the cause of God more harm than an avowed unbeliever. Piety leaves the soul-temple. The man turns carelessly from duties and responsibilities. By him the Son of God is crucified afresh and put to open shame.
We are living in an age of doubt. The Christian life has been cheapened by unbelief. Even those who claim to be looking for their Lord’s return are not all true to principle. The truth may be taught with so little life, so coldly and so heartlessly, as to make it of none effect. Unless church-members arouse and repent, and consecrate themselves to God, their influence will do more harm than good to unbelievers.
“These things saith He that holdeth the seven stars in His right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars; and hast borne, and hast patience, and for My name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works: or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”
God calls upon us to draw near to Him. As we do this we resist the devil, and he flees from us. Unless we follow on day by day to know the Lord, unless our faith increases, and holiness comes into the daily experience, we shall lose our first love. Its freshness and power will disappear. The candlestick will be moved out of its place.
Before we can enter the heavenly courts, we must be refined, purified, elevated, and ennobled. In order to preserve the purity which God requires, the truth must be brought into constant contact with mind and heart. God calls upon His people to walk with Him, as did Enoch. Study His Word, if you desire to have Christ abiding in you, the life-blood of the soul.
The Christian church needs to be purged and purified. The members must be consecrated to a higher office than they have hitherto occupied. “Go,” said Christ, “and preach the Gospel to every ‘creature.’” God calls for a decided reform. You call yourselves Christians. Are you Christians? Are you not afraid that you misrepresent Christ by taking His name, and saying, “The temple of the ‘Lord, the temple of the Lord’” are we, while you allow the love of money to lead you to withhold your tithe, your offering, and your service from Him? The neglect and indifference of professed Christians are cast by the world as a reproach upon God.
How can we, men and women who have a knowledge of present truth, be so listless and indifferent, so careless in regard to the work which must be done to warn souls perishing in sin? Christians need a clear conviction of duty. The heart needs to be filled with the child-like faith which takes God at His word. Then the deathlike stupor resting upon the church will be removed. The Lord will work upon hearts. The soul-temple will be purified. There will be no fungus growth. Sloth and stupidity will no longer endanger faith. There will be seen spiritual elasticity and vigorous growth.
God calls for a decided change in His people. Heart-conversion is needed. The Lord calls upon us to reveal to the world the sanctifying power of the truth. He calls upon us to lay ourselves upon His altar, a living sacrifice, consecrating all that we have and are to His service. MRS. E. G. WHITE.
THE FINAL DECISION OF HEAVEN EXECUTED.
By J. O. Corliss
THE first thing we read of the saved, after their reception into heaven, is their ascription of praise unto God because of His mighty power to save. Rev. 19:1, 2. In the next place we find them partaking, with Christ, of the marriage supper in the presence of God and the angels. Verses 7–9; Matt. 26:29; 22:2, 11–13. Then they appear in another act of the great drama. During the one thousand years immediately following the coming of Christ, and His reception of the saints to Himself, the earth remains desolate and void,—a veritable “bottomless pit,”—wherein are the wicked dead, who fell down in that condition before the glory of the Lord’s coming (Jer. 4:23–26; 25:31–33), with Satan shut up in their midst. Rev. 20:1–3. At the same time the saints who had suffered martyrdom in all ages for the truth, are seen sitting on thrones of judgment. These are they who came up in the first resurrection, and on whom the second death will have no power. Verses 4–6.
To this place and position they are called to examine, and pass judgment on, the cases of the wicked who are to remain dead until the thousand years are ended. Verse 5; 1 Cor. 6:1–3. Those given this important work will have been fitted for it by long service of suffering for Christ’s sake. 2 Tim. 2:3, 9, 11, 12; Luke 22:28–30. They were not permitted to stand in such a place while in the flesh, and moved by human passions; for then they would likely have passed retaliatory judgment on some who had been active in persecuting them. At the proper time, however, when the Lord came and made them immortal, and they were transported to the heavenly atmosphere, then and there the Lord would reveal to them all the hitherto hidden parts of the lives of those whom they are to judge. 1 Cor. 4:5. Even then, the saints are not permitted to pass on the cases before them according to their best judgment; for as their own cases were settled by the standard of the Word of God, so in pronouncing judgment upon others they will simply announce the decisions of the infallible Word of Jehovah.
This Word will then still be living and energetic, and sharper than a two-edged sword, to divide asunder the parts of men’s lives, and so discern even the thoughts and intents of their hearts. Heb. 4:12. This is the only two-edged sword permitted to be used by any one in the work of the judgment. Ps. 149:5–9. The conclusions of that time having been rendered upon the wicked according to the infallible Word, at the end of the thousand years Christ joins the saints in returning to the earth to execute the decisions announced while the saints occupied their heavenly thrones of judgment. Jude 14, 15; Rev. 19:11–21. Accordingly the royal city, New Jerusalem, inhabited by the saints, descends to earth, to a spot specially prepared to receive it. Rev. 21:1, 2; Zech. 14:4, 5. The wicked have been raised in the meantime, thus loosing Satan again to influence men, and he deceives the nations with the thought that they may capture the city for their own. Rev. 20:8, 9. By the breath of Christ’s mouth these are then consigned to the second death (Rev. 19:15, 21), and fire falls from God out of heaven and consumes them. Rev. 20:9. But the city of God is preserved in the midst of the fire, as was the ark in the time of the deluge. Isa. 33:10–15.
This consuming fire of God continues its work until the last vestige of sin has been removed from the earth. 2 Peter 3:12, 13; Ps. 97:1–5. In this cleansing, the world is reduced to its first chaotic state (Gen. 1:2; Jer. 4:23); but from the ashes of the old world, another, a “new earth,” is to be brought forth, which will so eclipse the old one by its beauty and glory as to shut it forever from every redeemed mind. This re-creation will be the eternal heritage of the saints. Ps. 37:11, 22, 29; Matt. 5:5. But it will not be all of their heritage; the Lord Himself will be forever theirs, and will dwell among them. Rev. 21:3. The former curse will have been removed, so that no tears will be seen, or sorrow known. God will honor His Son’s redemption and restoration of the earth, by making it the place of His throne. The one lost sheep which had been found will then be the cause of far more rejoicing than the ninety and nine which were never lost. Matt. 18:11–13. At that time the whole creation will “rejoice, and blossom as the rose.” The luster of Lebanon and the purity of Sharon will be its portion, as it witnesses the “glory of the Lord,” and the “excellency of our God.” Isa. 35:1–3.
J. O. CORLISS.
The Water Within the Ship
“THE water without the ship may toss it; but it is the water within the ship that sinks it.”
Keep Good Men Company
KEEP good men company, and you will be of the number.—George Herbert.
Some Hindrances to Watchfulness
By W. S. Sadler
SOWING FOR WATCHFULNESS.—No. 2.
Some Hindrances to Watchfulness.
He said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a ‘man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which ‘he possesseth.’” Luke 12:15. Here is the keynote to a great deal of our trouble. If we could watch each of these little dangers and wrong tendencies toward covetousness, pride, self-exaltation, and the various things which kill our spiritual life; if we could but keep these things under; if our faithfulness could first be directed toward those things that put us to sleep spiritually, it would not be so difficult to watch for our Lord’s return. Let us watch some of these causes of moral lethargy; let us carefully watch for some of the first causes of sin and selfishness, which, when they have brought forth fruit, lead men to say, “My Lord delayeth His coming.”
It is written that in the last days the evil servant begins to smite his fellow-servant, and to eat and drink with the drunken. That does not mean necessarily that the evil servant frequents the saloon, but rather that he eats and drinks in the same way—the same things—as do the drunken; so that he is not able to watch any better than the drunken watch. In Luke 12:45 we read: “And to eat and drink, and ‘to be drunken,” an utterance which is made all the more forcible when taken in connection with Eccl. 10:17: “Blessed art thou, O ‘land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due ‘season, for strength, and not for drunkenness.”
When we lose our intensity—fall asleep, as it were—the real source of the trouble often lies in failing to watch for those things which are the cause of stupefying us spiritually, and putting us to sleep morally, and thus render us incapable of watching for the great event in which we are so interested. It is fatal to our watching to eat and drink those things which produce stupor of mind, lethargy of soul, and weariness of body. Suppose you wished to be warned of the time when a certain procession is to pass your house; would you put a half-drunk man out on the corner to watch for it? And so alcohol and all kindred stimulants represents the whole class of those things which produce moral inactivity, and cause us to slumber and sleep spiritually. We must recognize the secret and source of divine strength; we must also avoid the causes of moral poisoning and spiritual paralysis. If we desired to watch for some great event, would we be likely to allow a doctor to give us chloroform? Would there be any power in heaven or earth to keep us awake after we placed ourselves under the direct influence of a powerful sleep-producing agency? We must keep our souls diligently, to see that Satan does not chloroform us with the soul-poisons of negligence, pride, selfishness, and drunkenness.
“Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning.” Luke 12:35. This means that we are to be giving to others, hour by hour, what God has given to us. One great and important means of keeping awake, and thus being able to watch, is to be constantly employed in giving out to others what God has entrusted to us. There are two ways in which we hide our light. One is by putting it under a bushel; that is, hiding our light for the sake of business, mercenary, and commercial interests; the other is by putting it under a bed; that is, seeking comfort for ourselves; refusing to do this or that because it will deprive us of ease. The same activity required to keep your lights burning and loins girded about will keep you in such a state of mind that you will be able to watch for your Lord’s coming.
“Be ye therefore ready also; for the Son of man cometh in an ‘hour when ye think not.” Here is the secret of the whole thing. The man who is not ready can not watch; and the man who is ready will be watching. Let your attitude and life be such as will indicate a fitness for the society of angels, and indicate that your sole purpose and ambition in time and eternity is to be like God, and to do His bidding. Those who are awake and watching when the Lord comes will be ready for Him. They say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for ‘Him, and He will save us.”
If we are ready, it makes little difference when He comes. Be sure of this thing: the soul that has gone through the experience that makes it ready is the soul that has acquired the ability to watch; but the soul that has not sown the seed of watchfulness is one whom no amount of determination can keep awake and watching. So, then, the problem of watching resolves itself down to this point: day by day, moment by moment, it is our duty to do those things, get those things, and give those things which will make us ready to meet Him when He comes. Then by sowing for watchfulness every day, we will reap the harvest of being found on guard when He comes. David said, “I ‘shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.” “It doth not ‘yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall ‘appear, we shall be like Him.” W. S. SADLER.
