Signs of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 44. (11/8/1910)

Signs of the Times

Nov 8, 1910

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Nov 8, 1910

Important Articles in This Number

By Editor

"Preach the Word"--God's Commission to His Ministers . . . . . . 3

The Revelation, What It Is and Its Object. Chapter 1:1-3 . . . . . . 5, 7

The Master's Coming--A Literal, Personal, Visible Appearing . . . . . . 6

The Holy Law of Jehovah (wholly from the Bible) . . . . . . . . . . . 8

"Is Christ a Minister of Sin?" . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Revolution in the Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Engines of Destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Have We the True Seventh Day? . . . . . . . . . . . 2

(For full Table of Contents see last page)

3285.—Enoch, Elijah, and John 3:13

In view of the fact that Enoch and Elijah had been translated to heaven, and that Moses had been resurrected, how would you show the harmony between these facts and John 3:13? R. S.

It is easy to be understood if we will remember that Jesus is speaking of His divine mission. No man had ascended into heaven and come back to tell the news. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, was the only One who had thus declared God. Men had ascended into heaven, but not to learn of God and then come back to tell it. The Son of God only came from heaven filled with the Father's love, to reveal the Father.

Schedule for Week Ending November 19

Sunday	November 13	Acts 22-24
Monday	" 14	" 25, 26
Tuesday	" 15	" 27, 28
Wednesday	" 16	1 Thessalonians 1-4
Thursday	" 17	" 5
		2 Thessalonians 1-3
Friday	" 18	1 Corinthians 1-4
Sabbath	" 19	" 5-7

Acts 22-28 gives us the closing chapters of Paul's wonderful experience. The middle of the week covers his two epistles to the Thessalonians, the earliest of his letters which have come down to us. The people to whom the Thessalonian letters are written are those who inhabited Thessalonica, now known as Salonica, still a prominent city in Southern Europe. It was anciently called Therma, after the sister of Alexander the Great. The church was founded in A.D. 51 by Paul and Silas. The evangelists were driven from the city by the violence of the Jews.

THE first epistle commends the Thessalonians for their faithfulness and devotion; the last epistle, written the next year or perhaps the same year, corrects an error which they seem to have imbibed from the first that the Lord was soon coming. He tells them that this is not the case, and that Christ will not come until the great falling away, or apostasy, takes place.

THE last two days of the week bring us to Corinthians and the church of Corinth. This church at Corinth seems to include not only the Christians who lived in that city but those who lived in the district of Achaia. It was a great commercial center at that time, and on the overland route from Rome to the East. It lay also between upper and lower Greece, possessing the only good harbor in that section. Its population was mostly foreign, including many Romans. The epistle speaks for itself and points out various sins and weaknesses which had crept into the Corinthian church, some of which the apostle severely reproves.

"IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE."

By Editor

This Inquirer's Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, only as they agree with the infallible Word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the Word. Such questions only will be answered as, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.

3279.— Have We the True Seventh Day?

Please give the historical proof or reference which will establish a connection between the Sabbath that Christ kept and the Saturday of to-day, which will prove that Saturday is the identical day indicated by the fourth commandment. Of course, the calendar gives Saturday as the seventh day, and encyclopedias confirm it. But they have a good reason for it, which reason I would like very much to have. C. W. D.

There are some things which, if we will take time to consider, are self-evident. (1) It is not an uncommon occurrence for an individual to lose count of the days of the week. It is a rare thing for an entire family to do so, yet we may hear or know of an instance or two in the course of a lifetime. But no one ever heard of a neighborhood losing the order of the days of the week or the day, much less a township losing the day, or a county, a province, or a state. If one should lose such reckoning, the rest would immediately set him right. In the very nature of the case a change of the day is impossible unless there was concurrent agreement among the nations; but history records nothing of this kind. (2) It is a well-known fact, as a writer in the North British Review some years ago remarked, that Sunday is "the wild solar holiday of all pagan times." Religion would hold the pagans to the day. Religion has also held many of the professed people of God to the observance of the day which comes just before the first day of the week. Whenever the Jews and other nations have come in contact, the seventh-day Sabbath and Sunday stood related in the week as they do now. (3) The late Wm. M. Jones, D.D., of London, an antiquarian, prepared by great research, large expense, and indefatigable labor, "A Chart of the Week, Showing the Unchanged Order of the Days and the True Position of the Sabbath, as Proved by the Combined Testimony of Ancient and Modern Languages." This chart was completed in 1886. It gives in nine columns (a) the name of the language, when spoken, read, or used, (b) the name of the cluster of seven days called a week, (c-j) the names of each of the days in the original languages, the transliteration and translation into English in 160 ancient and modern languages and dialects; and 108 of these languages know the seventh day by the name of Sabbath or its equivalent, while the entire number bear testimony to the identity and order of the days of the ancient and modern week. That part dealing with European languages was compiled by the noted linguist Prince Louis Lucien Bonaparte. (4) Astronomy and the testimony of the records of eclipses confirm the same, as does also the history of the Jewish people. These strong, obvious reasons, which might be greatly elaborated, furnish sufficient ground for the correctness of calendars and encyclopedias.

3280.—Jephthah's Daughter. Judges 11

Was Jephthah's daughter offered as a burnt offering?

We do not think so. (1) Because it was unlawful for God's people to offer human sacrifices. If a vow included that which it was unlawful to offer, its value was estimated, and the value given. Lev. 27:2-8, 11, 12. Jephthah's vow was, "Whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, . . . shall surely be the Lord's, or I will offer it up for a burnt offering." Judges 11:31, margin. As it was his daughter that met him, he could not offer her as a burnt offering, but he could dedicate her, his only child, to the Lord as a perpetual virgin. This he did, and thus yielded all hope of having any descendants; hence his lament in verse 35; hence also her period of mourning, not because she was to be made a sacrifice, but because she was to be deprived forever of being a mother in Israel. Verses 37, 38. Then her father fulfilled his vow, and she knew no man; that is, she never married.

To honor that sacrifice the daughters of Israel went four days a year to meet and comfort her. Verse 40, margin. All depends on the understanding of his vow, and its nature. It would have been sin to burn his daughter. God did not want rash, wrong vows fulfilled. Lev. 6:4, 5.

3284.— Phil. 1: 21-24, and Moses

By Editor

Please explain, through your Question Corner, Phil. 1:21-24. B.

Note the following great facts of Scripture, repeated over and over: (1) The dead are in unconscious sleep. Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:4; Job 14:20, 21. (2) Man's only hope of waking is the resurrection from the dead. Job 19:25; 1 Cor. 15:12-19. (3) The resurrection will occur, and reward of the righteous will be bestowed, at the second coming of Christ. 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Luke 14:14; Matt. 16:27; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12. Phil. 1:21-24 is in harmony with these, and must be so understood.

Now as to what it means, note the following: (1) In verses 12-19 the apostle speaks of his sufferings for Christ, and declares that instead of injuring the Gospel, they had fallen out for its furtherance, had really advanced its message. And therefore he concludes that whatever may happen to him,—whether life or death,—Christ shall be magnified in him; and he declares to his brethren,

"For to me to live is Christ [it is for His glory in the souls I shall win], and to die is gain [to Christ's cause also]." Yet after all it were better for them that he should live. (2) Between these two the apostle can not choose, but he desires a third thing: "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better." (3) The being with Christ will be when He comes. 1 Thess. 4:16-18. What Paul could not choose, between was life and death; what he desired was his Lord's return, and to be with Him. 2 Tim. 4:8.

3281.—Sinning Wilfully. Heb. 10:26

By Editor

Will you please explain Heb. 10:26?

The above scripture should be read with the context. That which precedes shows that there is but one means of cleansing from sin—the blood of Jesus; but one means of sanctification—the Spirit of God, by which the law of God is written on our hearts. Now if after we have received the knowledge of this in experience, we willingly, deliberately, turn to the way of sin again, we can find in such a course no forgiveness, no sacrifice. For the sacrifice of Christ avails for those who long to be rid of sin, not for those who would walk therein. In the language of verse 29, he counts the blood of Christ an unholy thing, and despises the Spirit of grace. He who sins wilfully, willingly, longingly, places himself outside of God’s purposes in Christ Jesus. His sins are unpardonable because loved and unrepented of. Every repentable sin is a forgivable sin.

3282.—Sin Against the Holy Ghost

By J. U.

What is the sin against the Holy Ghost?

J. U.

It is to reject to the uttermost all the means of salvation in Christ Jesus, the only name given under heaven among men whereby we can be saved. Acts 4:12. See also Heb. 10:29.

3283.—Absent and Present

2 Cor. 5:8. How is it possible to be present with the Lord, and yet be absent from the body? From the context I do not think Paul refers to visions.

The context and related passages show that Paul is speaking of three different conditions in which man may be: (1) The terms our "earthly house," "in this tabernacle," "mortality," "at home in the body," "absent from the Lord," indicate man's mortal condition in this world; (2) The terms "dissolved," "unclothed," "naked," refer to the passing away of this condition, or death, a condition not desired by the apostle; (3) The terms "a building from God," "a house not made with hands," "clothed upon," "swallowed up of life," "present [at home] with the Lord," refer to the glorious immortal state when Jesus comes. 1 Thess. 4:17.

"Preach the Word"

By Ellen G. White

By Mrs. E. G. White

"SANCTIFY them through Thy truth; Thy Word is truth," was the prayer of Christ for His disciples. In every age God has committed to His people some special truth which is directly opposed to the desires and purposes of the human heart, and which tends to separate His church from the world; and it has been the duty of His ministers to proclaim this truth, whether men would hear or forbear.

When Christ came as the teacher and guide of mankind, He brought to them truths glowing with the light of heaven, showing in contrast the darkness of error, and revealing the superstition, self-righteousness, and bigotry of that age. His heart overflowed with love for the poor, the ignorant, the afflicted, and the fallen. He healed the sick, comforted the desponding, cast out devils, raised the dead, and preached to all the words of eternal life. But many who listened to the divine Teacher received His words with little favor. The priests and elders, the professed expositors of divine truth, were sending forth no rays of light. In their self-righteousness they held themselves aloof from the benighted people, who needed instruction and guidance. When Jesus took up the work which they had left undone, they felt that His life was a constant rebuke to them, and they feared that He would turn the hearts of the people from them. They were filled with pride, love of ostentation, and desire for praise; and they despised the humility and self-denial of Jesus.

They hated the purity while they feared the power of His teachings. They refused to accept Him themselves, and bent all their energies to hinder others from believing in Him. No wonder He brought against them the terrible accusation: "Ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered."

It Is No Argument Against the Truth

that there are few who are willing to accept it. Few accepted the world's Redeemer. Tho the multitude flocked around Him, eager to receive temporal blessings, yet He sadly declared, "Ye will not come to Me that ye might have life." Men are now no more favorable to practical godliness; they are just as intently seeking earthly good, to the neglect of eternal riches. And reformers of the present day will meet with the same discouragements as did their Master.

The work of the faithful minister is no child's play. Earnest, untiring effort is required to wrench the prey of Satan from his grasp. But God will sustain His servants in the work which He Himself has committed to their hands. Said Christ to His disciples, as they toiled upon the Sea of Galilee, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." When the Gospel net is cast, there should be a watching by the net, with tears and earnest prayers. Let the workers determine not to let the net go till it is drawn ashore, with the fruit of their labor. Sometimes, indeed, we may say with Peter, "We have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing;" but still it is the Master's command, as of old, "Let down the net on the right side of the ship,"—work on in faith, and God will give success.

The Great Yoke-fellow

Whatever the trials and difficulties that the ambassador of Christ may have to meet, he can carry them all to God in prayer. He can weep between the porch and the altar, pleading, "Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach." And by study of the Scriptures, and earnest, wrestling prayer, he may become "a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Labor on, then, while the day lasts, you who have been called to preach the good news of salvation through Christ; for the night cometh, wherein no man can work. God has called

us to labor in His vineyard; and if we neglect our duty, souls will be lost through our unfaithfulness.

Tho the servants of Christ may, at times, feel almost disheartened as they see how many obstacles there are in the way of Christian living, and how slowly the work of God seems to advance, their duty remains the same. They are to sow the seed of truth beside all waters. A constant effort to promote personal piety should be seen in all their public labors. Practical godliness should find a place in every discourse, and the discourses should be short and to the point.

Personal Work

The minister should not merely present the truth from the desk, but as the shepherd of the flock he should care for the sheep and the lambs, searching out the lost and straying, and bringing them back to the fold. He should visit every family, not merely as a guest to enjoy their hospitality, but to inquire into the spiritual condition of every member of the household. His own soul must be imbued with the love of God; then by kindly courtesy he may win his way to the hearts of all, and labor successfully for parents and children, entreating, warning, encouraging, as the case demands. Let him seek to keep the church alive, and laboring with him for the conversion of sinners. This is good generalship; and the results will be found far better than if the minister performed all the work alone.

Deeper Experience Needed

Jesus bids His people, "Go forward." The minister may labor for the people, but he can not take the responsibility that God has placed upon them. There are higher attainments for us, there is a purer love, a deeper experience, if we will consecrate ourselves to God, and humbly take Him at His word. The sweet sense of sins forgiven, the light and love which Christ alone can give, fill the soul with peace and joy. The assurance that we are under the protection of Omnipotence, imparts courage and confidence, inspires a hope that is "as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." This assurance is a source of strength unknown to the worldling or to the half-hearted professor. So long as we have the presence of our Saviour, difficulties can not dismay nor dangers appal us; and we are ready cheerfully to perform whatever duty God requires of us.

Shall we not consecrate ourselves to God without reserve? Christ, the King of Glory, gave Himself a ransom for us. Can we withhold anything from Him? Shall we think our poor, unworthy selves too precious, our time or property too valuable, to give to Jesus? No, no; the deepest homage of our hearts, the most skilful service of our hands, our talents of ability and of means,—all are but too poor an offering to bring to Him who was slain, and has redeemed us to God by His blood "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."

A Contrast

By James Montgomery

The Desire of the Converted and the Unconverted

By James Montgomery

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so; but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." Psalm 1.

THE contrast here between the man who serves God and the one that serves Him not is very marked, and the effects of their respective conduct are both here and elsewhere very vividly contrasted.

The converted man certainly has the better of the situation in the above contrast. The reason why he walks not "in the counsel of the ungodly," is that "his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night." As a consequence he is like a tree planted by the waters — his roots find the moisture, and his leaf withers not; whatsoever he does prospers.

The prosperity here mentioned is the direct opposite of the prosperity mentioned in Psalm 73. The latter is the kind that prospers "in the world" "like a green bay-tree;" while the prosperity spoken of in Psalm 1 is that which follows the intelligent efforts of the godly to do the right. "Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper," and he is careful not to undertake anything not in harmony with that law upon which he "meditates day and night." He it is to whom the promises are given, and of him do we read upon every page of the Book. He it is who may with the psalmist say: "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me." Ps. 3: 4, 5. He it is about whom the angels encamp "to deliver them;" and to him are the angels sent as "ministering spirits" to serve him. It is the righteous man who finally overcomes and enters the undefiled kingdom, there to abide forever.

But the ungodly are not so. Like the chaff before the wind are they driven away and scattered, and "thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be." They can not stand in the judgment, nor can they demand a place in the congregation of the righteous. He it is who has rejected all that a wise and just God — full of love and compassion and of tender mercy — could do for his salvation. He has spurned the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus; and he has done despite to the spirit of grace. He reaps the fruit of his own sowing.

This phase of the contrast is so very sad and melancholy that we forbear to follow it farther. Verily, he who meditates upon the law of God day and night, tho suffering adversity in this world, is far better situated than are the ungodly "whose end is destruction," and whose present existence is "like the troubled sea, when it can not rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked." Isa. 57: 20, 21.

Newark, Ohio.

Beautiful Hands

By Mrs. W. H. McKee

Dedicated to Christian Nurses

By Mrs W. H. McKee

BEAUTIFUL hands are only those that deeds of love are doing, Beckoning souls from sins away and on toward heaven wooing.

Not of the snow-white grace and charm, patrician, languid air, Are hands that can always truly claim to be the hands most fair.

No; for the sad world's dearest hands, of surest, truest beauty Are ever the hands that will work with love, and never spurn a duty.

The pillows of sick ones often feel the grateful touch of smoothing; The brows of the suffering ones of pain are glad- dened by the soothing.

Dear are the hands that minister, and bring the sweetest rest— These are the hands of beauty true, these are the hands loved best.

Hands that will never weary grow, toiling for others' sake— These will bind up the broken heart, "beauty for ashes" make.

These in their daily tasks find joy, whatever they find to do; Finding a pleasure evermore—these loving hands too few.

Give me the hands of the soothing touch for ach- ing, care-worn brows, Faithful and willing and strong and true, with virtue Heaven endows.

Beautiful hands are the noble hands that joy in homely duty, Patiently laboring day by day—these are the hands of beauty.

Heartily serving, "as unto the Lord," loving the service given, "All to the glory of God the toil," will be the record of heaven.

When in the future, the blissful day of toil and labor o'er, Welcome these same dear hands will find on Eden's shining shore.

Heavenly harps will be swept by hands immortally strong and fair, And music enchanting, celestial sweet, will float upon the air.

But none will there be in that fair host, in that immortal sphere, But knew of the service of love below, and shunned no duty here.

These are the hands that we love to clasp, strong for the task of duty. These are the hands that Heaven's love will clothe with lifeless beauty.

Looking at What We Have

By Lucy C. Smith

The chronic mood of looking longingly at what we have not, or thankfully at what we have, realizes two very different types of character. And we certainly can encourage the one or the other.—Lucy C. Smith.

Making the Best of Life

By Smiles

We may make the best of life, or we may make the worst of it, and it depends very much upon ourselves whether we extract joy or misery from it.—Smiles.

The Revelation---II

THE Revelation! Praise God, then, it is not a closed book. The Master who gave it has not barred or locked its riches of knowledge. He has not sealed its wonderful mysteries, its living truths, from His children. The Greek word Apokalupsis, from which the title comes, means revelation, disclosure, unfoldment, manifestation. And the book is a revelation. Ages ago God assured us that "the secret things belong unto Jehovah our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever." Deut. 29:29. The book belongs to us.

BUT, reader, we will not gather its most vital meanings by a superficial reading or study. God's wells of living water, like Jacob's well, are deep, and he who quaffs the coolest waters must be willing to sink his pitcher down to its crystal depths. The Comforter of God sings many songs to the despairing children of earth which are never heard by ears which ought in their need to hear them. They are not attuned with the song. Many a miner sinks his shaft to a depth just short of the richest products of earth; it costs time and labor to go on, and he is weary. The soul who gathers the most precious things of God must "dig deep," must search "as for hid treasures," must yield himself to the harmony of the universe. He must follow where the Shepherd leads if he would find the green pastures and the waters of rest.

THE book is not only a revelation, it is "the Revelation of Jesus Christ." And who is this Person? We may learn something from the names. "Jesus" means "saviour." "Thou shalt call His name JESUS," said the angel; "for it is He that shall save His people from their sins." Matt. 1:21. He is the only Saviour; for in none other is there salvation; "for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved." Acts 4:12. The meaning of "Christ" is "anointed." It is the Greek term for the Hebrew word "Messiah." He is called by this term in the Old Testament Scriptures, centuries before He dwelt among men in the flesh. Ps. 2:2. He is therefore the Anointed of God to save all who wish to be saved. "How God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power." Acts 10:38. See also Luke 4:18; Isa. 61:1, 2. He is one with the Father. Before the world was He sat enthroned with God the Eternal. He was the One through whom and by whom all the worlds were created. 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16, 17. "For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell." Col. 1:19. He is the "Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last." And the book is the Revelation of God to Him, in Him, of Him; His personality, His character, His work, His love, His sufferings, His glorious and eternal triumph with His people.

BUT it will not be a revelation of Jesus Christ to us, unless He is revealed in us. That is the desire of the infinite God in giving to us this disclosure. He desires to make known to us "the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Col. 1:27. This is that which He has so longed to reveal to every soul from the time that man through selfishness cut himself loose from the Continent of Heaven and left himself a drifting derelict on the stormy sea of sin. The promise early came to the sin-despairing pair in the morning of earth's sad day that the Seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. The power to triumph over the destroyer did not come from the man or the woman; for both had fallen under the tempter's power. It must come from a new life from above, from the incorruptible seed of the Eternal Word, from the presence of God within the soul. "Ye must be born from above," are the words of Jesus. John 3:7, margin. God must dwell in the flesh. Jesus-Christ is the revelation of this life of God in the flesh. It is said of Him, "They shall call His name IMMANUEL; which is, being interpreted, God with us." Matt. 1:23. "The Word was God, . . . and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and truth." John 1:1-14. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. . . . Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:19, 21.

The Answer of the Text

1. Of whom is the Revelation, and how did He come by it? "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him." 2. For what purpose was it given? "To show unto His servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass." 3. How and by whom did He send it, and to whom? "And He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John." 4. What did John do with the Revelation? "Who bare witness of the Word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw." 5. What encouragement is given to those who read and hear the Revelation? "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy." 6. On what condition is the blessing assured? "And keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand."

Notes of Explanation

1. "SHORTLY COME TO PASS."—It is true that

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

(Continued from page 5) the unfoldment of, or fulfilment of, this great book of prophecy began in the days of the apostle; but the Revelation, as are the prophecies of Daniel, is for the last days. While it teaches blessed truth by precept and promise, always practical, its great warning messages (Rev. 14:6-14) against threatening dangers, against persecuting powers, against awful latter-day apostasies, calling God's children back to primitive faith, purity, and obedience, are especially for the time immediately preceding Christ's second coming. In the nature of the case the book could not be understood in its comprehensiveness till the last days. Now God's Spirit is impelling to its study. Now "the time is at hand." Isaiah's prophecies (40:3; 61:1, 2) waited almost seven centuries for fulfilment in John the Baptist and Jesus. Then John could say, "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness." Then Jesus could say, "Now is this prophecy fulfilled in your ears." And we may say, Now is the time of the Revelation.

2. "BY HIS ANGEL."—The first two verses seem to indicate God's general method of giving His truth to the world. First, through Christ; "the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." See John 1:18; Matt. 11:27. Secondly, by the angel Gabriel, God's messenger to Daniel, Zacharias, John, and all the prophets. (See Dan. 8:15, 16; 9:21; 10:10-21; Luke 1:19; Rev. 22:9.) Thirdly, the angel passes on the revelation to God's human prophets and messengers. Fourthly, the human messengers bear the message to God's people, and they join with the messenger in giving it to the world. But does God come into life-connection with every one of His children?—He certainly does. Could He not then communicate with each one?—He certainly could. Why then this roundabout way of imparting truth and blessing?—Simply this: it is the divine, better way. God desires that all His servants—His heavenly messengers and earthly messengers—shall share with Him in the glorious result of a redeemed and sinless universe. He wants all to join in the song of eternal triumph. But no one can do this unless he have part in the labor, the struggle, the pain, the travail, the conflict. Too, idleness is an awful curse, next to active wickedness against God. To all His servants God gives the joy of doing something. All will be associated with Christ Jesus in the work. No work is wrought for God by one alone. No soul will be saved by one alone. In the salvation of no sinner will one rejoice alone. Both sower and reaper will "rejoice together," and all will ascribe all honor and power to the Giver of all, while He will reward His servants for the work which He has wrought through them.

3. "WHO BARE WITNESS."—That is the work of the children of God, to be witnesses. The chief qualification of a witness is knowledge. He must know in order to testify. This knowledge can not come from rumor or hearsay, or second hand. There are many who know OF God, but they do not know God. There are many who know OF the Gospel, but not the Gospel. John "bare witness of the Word of God;" for he knew God's Word and its power in the fellowship of an indwelling Christ. 1 John 1:1-3. He knew the testimony, the witness of Jesus Christ in himself. John 3:33; 21:24. God's character is on trial in this world. Satan, the accuser, has maligned Him in every way. God has left with His Son and all His children, the precious, holy work of witnessing for Him, of His goodness, His love, His power to save from sin. "Ye are My witnesses, saith Jehovah, and I am God." Isa. 43:12. Would God that every one of His children so knew Him as to rightly witness in word and deed to His glorious character.

4. "BLESSED."—Blessed are the READERS, because of the God-given opportunity; blessed are the HEARERS, because of God-given privilege; but all the blessing will be turned to cursing if readers and hearers are not all KEEPERS. The word "keep" comes from tereo, "to keep watch upon, guard, to watch over protectively, to mark attentively, to observe practically, keep strictly, to store up." The only way to KEEP God's Word is to treasure it up in the heart. "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee." Ps. 119:11. "I delight to do Thy will, O My God," says Christ through the psalmist; "yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps. 40:8. There is blessing to the doer. "He that looketh unto the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a DOER that WORKETH, this man shall be BLESSED IN HIS DOING." He who yields himself to do for God places himself in the current of God's great, beneficent, outflowing life. READ, then, and HEAR and KEEP the things which God reveals to you in the Revelation of Christ Jesus.

Continue reading: Lesson 1