California Conference of Seventh-day Adventists · Oakland, Cal. · Feb 11, 1875
The Sermon.
By James White
SIGNS OF THE END.
BY ELD. JAMES WHITE.
"What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world."—DISCIPLES.
"When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."—JESUS. Matt. 24:3, 33.
J. LITCH, in his lecture on Matt. 24, Advent Herald, Nov. 23, 1850, says: "Many supposed the wars of Napoleon were the wars of the last days, to precede the millennium; and that the battle of Waterloo was the battle of Armageddon, as it is called. But the discussion of the subject of prophecy drew forth inquiry, and a few discovered the true light, the doctrine of Christ's personal reign on earth, and began to teach it. Among these was a Spanish Roman Catholic, who wrote an able and voluminous work under the anonymous signature of Ben Ezra. His work fell into the hands of Edward Irving, the celebrated and eloquent advocate of the doctrine of the pre-millennial advent of Christ. It opened his eyes to the glorious truth, and led him to devote himself most zealously to its advocacy. He first translated Ben Ezra, and subsequently wrote and published several valuable works on the subject. For a time, the excitement on the subject in England, under his labors, was as intense as it subsequently was in this country, under the labors of Mr. Miller. Thousands flocked to hear him wherever he went, and listened with wonder at the strange and glorious truths he brought forth from the word of God. The cause received an impulse under his efforts which it will never lose till time shall end. Many of the clergy of the Established Church, as well as dissenting ministers of all denominations, caught the theme, and joined to spread it abroad."
"Nor has the influence of Rev. Joseph Wolfe been unfelt. He visited and proclaimed 'the gospel of the kingdom,' in the four quarters of the globe, to Protestants, Catholics, Mohammedans, Jews, and pagans. The seed thus sown will not be lost. A work similar to that of Ben Ezra, in Spain, appeared in Germany, the production of Bengel. This, by the evangelical portion of the German people, is esteemed as a standard work on prophecy. It has been widely circulated and read as far as the German language extends throughout continental Europe. It was from this source the Russian Milk-eaters, of whom an account was given in the Advent Herald a few years since, obtained their information on the speedy second advent of Christ."
"The Great American movement on this subject, and the diffusion of information with regard to it, within the last ten years, is too well known to need extended remarks in this place. Neither labor nor sacrifice was regarded in the wide and rapid extension of the good news of the kingdom, as far as the English language could make it known. It was sent to the four quarters of the globe, and to the islands of the sea, upon the wings of all the winds."
E. R. Pinney, in his exposition of Matthew 24, says: "As early as 1842, second-advent publications had been sent to every missionary station in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, both sides of the Rocky Mountains. We find this doctrine in Tartary, about twenty-five years ago, and the time for the coming of Christ to be in 1844. This fact is obtained from an Irish missionary in Tartary, to whom the question was put by a Tartar priest, when Christ would come the second time. And he made answer that he knew nothing at all about it. The Tartar priest expressed great surprise at such an answer from a missionary who had come to teach them the doctrines of the Bible, and remarked 'that he thought everybody might know that, who had a Bible.' The Tartar priest then gave his views, stating that Christ, he thought, would come about A. D. 1844. The missionary wrote home a statement of the facts, which were published in the Irish Magazine, in 1821. The commanders of our vessels, and the sailors, tell us they touch at no point where they find this proclamation has not preceded them, and frequent inquiries respecting it are made of them."
"I noticed, in a late number of the Voice of Truth, that a brother traveling on the lakes, met with a Russian gentleman, direct from his country, who informed him that the doctrine of 'Christ's coming, and the end of the world,' had been preached there, but was received only by the lower classes. Rev. Mr. Mansfield had an interview with a Moravian missionary, stationed in Antigua, who said that several years since, the doctrine of immediate coming was extensively preached in Germany, and that the whole of the south of Germany was aroused upon the subject."
The Advent Shield, Vol. I, No. 1, pp. 86, 87, says: "We look upon the proclamation which has been made, as being the cry of the angel who proclaimed, 'The hour of his judgment is come.' Rev. 14:6, 7. It is a sound which is to reach all nations; it is the proclamation of 'the everlasting gospel,' or 'this gospel of the kingdom.' In one shape or other, this cry has gone abroad through the earth wherever human beings are found, and we have had opportunity to hear of the fact. Within the last six years, publications treating on the subject have been sent to nearly every English and American missionary station on the globe; to all, at least, to which we have had access."
An English writer, Mourant Brock, thus remarks: "It is not merely in Great Britain that the expectation of the near return of the Redeemer is entertained, and the voice of warning raised, but also in America, India, and on the continent of Europe. I was lately told by one of our German missionaries, that in Wirtemburg there is a Christian colony of several hundreds, one of the chief features of which is, the looking for the second advent. And a Christian minister from near the shores of the Caspian Sea, has told me that there is the same expectation among his nation. They constantly speak of it as 'the day of consolation.' In a little publication, entitled, 'The Millennium,' the writer says that he understands that in America about three hundred ministers of the word are thus preaching 'the gospel of the kingdom;' whilst in this country, he adds, about seven hundred of the Church of England are raising the same cry."—Advent Tracts, Vol. II, p. 135.
The Signs of the Times, for Feb. 14, 1844, says: "A brother, the captain of a vessel now in England, writes his friends that his vessel lay at Newport, in Wales, forty days, on account of storms, during which time a continued concourse of individuals thronged him to inquire about the coming of the Lord, having heard that he was an Adventist. Among these were ministers and laymen that received the truth gladly, and embraced it with all their hearts."
Eld. R. Hutchinson, Midnight Cry, Oct. 5, 1843, says: "I send about 1,500 copies of the Voice of Elijah [an Advent paper], to Europe every fortnight, besides what I scatter over the Provinces. This I have done regularly for the last four or five months. The result, eternity will unfold."
Speaking of Eld. Hutchinson, and his Voice of Elijah, F. G. Brown says: "He has forwarded them to the Canadas, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Germany, Constantinople, Rome, &c., &c.
"But it will be asked, Is the news that such a truth is preached a sufficient proclamation to fulfill the prophecy? Rev. 14:6, 7; Matt. 24:14. The answer is, If it was sufficient in the days of the apostles, it is now. That it was then, is clear from Acts 19:8-10, where Paul preached or taught in Ephesus two years, so that they in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord. They could not all have heard a sermon, but they heard the sound of the gospel. In this sense, I have no doubt but the gospel of the kingdom is preached in all the world." We still wait for the approaching end. But when the purpose of God in the proclamation of the coming reign of Christ shall be fully accomplished, then will the end come.
WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE?
Our Lord having passed over the important events in the Christian age down to the end, in verses 5-14, goes back and introduces the destruction of Jerusalem, at verse 15, in the answer to the inquiry, "When shall these things be?"
Verses 15-20: "When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand); then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains; let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house; neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day."
The "abomination of desolation" is called "armies" in Luke 21:20, and refers to the Roman army. "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." This desolating power is spoken of by Daniel as follows: "And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. . . . And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." Margin, "desolator." Dan. 9:26, 27. Here is a clear prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies. Our Lord referred to the book of Daniel, and taught his disciples to read and understand it; and when they should see what was there predicted take place, they must make their escape.
The flight of the Christians of Judea to the mountains would be attended with difficulties. And their subsequent condition would be that of hardship and suffering. The Lord knew this, and gave them the instructions and warnings necessary. The statement of verse 19 was given to save them from the sorrows of unnecessary woe. That was a time of trouble. But one, "such as never was," is just before the people of God.
Jesus recognizes the existence of the Sabbath in verse 20, as late as the destruction of Jerusalem, as verily as he does the seasons of the year.114The Sabbath, is the uniform term of both testaments to designate the very day on which Jehovah rested after the creation, the day upon which he put his blessing, and which he set apart for man. Jesus does not speak of the Sabbath as being only a seventh part of time, or one day in seven, and no day in particular. The Sabbath, is the term used, referring to the last day of the first week of time, and to the last day of each subsequent week. But if the term, the Sabbath, means only a seventh part of time, or one day in seven, and no day in particular, then we may read this definition into the text as follows: But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on a seventh part of time! or on one day in seven. If such a prayer could be answered, pray tell us when the disciples could take their flight.
Verse 21: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." The "great tribulation" here mentioned is that of the church of Jesus Christ, and not the tribulation of the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem. We offer the following reasons:—
1. It is a fact that the tribulation of the Christian church, especially under the reign of the papacy, was greater than God's people had suffered before "since the beginning of the world." But it is not true that the tribulation of the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem was the greatest tribulation the world ever witnessed. The tribulation of the inhabitants of the cities of the plain when God rained on them fire and brimstone, or, the tribulation when God destroyed all men from the face of the earth, save eight souls, by the flood, was certainly greater than that at the destruction of Jerusalem.
2. The tribulation of the Christian church has been greater than it will ever be again. True, a time of trouble, "such as never was," spoken of in Dan. 12:1, is coming upon the world; but we find in the same verse this blessed promise, "And at that time thy people shall be delivered." The tribulation of the Jews at the destruction of Jerusalem was not greater than the world will ever witness. The vials of Jehovah's unmingled wrath are yet to be poured out, not upon the people of one nation only, but upon the guilty thousands of all nations. "The slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried." Jer. 25:33.
3. If this tribulation be applied to the Jews, or any other class of unbelieving men, it cannot be harmonized with Dan. 12:1, which speaks of the time of trouble such as never was, when Michael shall stand up. Certainly there cannot be two times of trouble, at different periods, greater than ever was, or ever would be. Therefore, we apply the "tribulation" spoken of in Matt. 24:21, 29, to the church of Christ, extending down through the 1260 years of papal persecution; and the "trouble" mentioned in Dan. 12:1, to the unbelieving world, to be experienced by them in the future.
4. The period of tribulation was shortened for the elect's sake. Who are the elect here mentioned? The Jews? No; their house had been pronounced desolate. They were left of God in their hardness of heart and blindness of mind. Says Paul, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles." The elect were the followers of our Lord Jesus Christ. And where were they when tribulation was upon the Jews? They had fled to the mountains. How absurd, then, to say that the days of the tribulation of the Jews, in the city of Jerusalem, were shortened for the sake of the elect, who had fled from the place of tribulation.
5. The connection between verses 20 and 21, shows that the tribulation was to commence with those Christians who were to flee out of the city.
"But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day; for then shall be great tribulation." Our Lord here speaks of the tribulation which his people would suffer from the time of their flight onward. We follow them in their flight to the mountains, and then pass along down through the noted persecutions of the church of God under pagan Rome, and we see, indeed, tribulation. And when we come to the period of papal persecution, we see them suffering the most cruel tortures, and dying the most dreadful deaths, that wicked men and demons could inflict. This last period is especially noted in prophecy. The prophet Daniel saw the papacy, its blasphemy, its arrogance, its work of death on the saints, and its duration as a persecuting power, under the symbol of the little horn. "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Chap. 7:25. It is generally admitted that "a time and times and the dividing of time" is 1260 years. Commencing the 1260 years A. D. 538, they reach to A. D. 1798, when Berthier, a French general, entered Rome, and took it. The pope was taken prisoner and shut up in the Vatican. The papacy was stripped of its civil power. Here ended the period of tribulation spoken of by our Lord, which was shortened for the elect's sake. (To be Continued.)
The Doer.
HER hands were not soft and waxen,
Of a pale and delicate hue:
They were brown and hard and rugged,
With always something to do.
Something to do, when squanderers
Were wasting the time away;
Still doing, when dreamy idlers
Sat moping the livelong day.
She had not gold in her treasure—
In her veins no royal blood;
But her noble, heartfelt duty
Was the only path to good.
So to the faint and weary,
Her hand it was firm and strong.
Her smile was never so cheery
As when helping the weak along.
To the lone, the sad, and sorrowing,
She came like a ray of light,
Gilding the darkest, dreariest shores
That fell from the train of night.
She lived, but the world scarce knew it,
She died—there was little to say:
The pulpit "just heard of the woman,"
Who for others toiled night and day.
But He of the many Mansions
Had waited to take her in,
Well knowing that always faithful
To the Master she had been.
—Methodist Protestant.
Ministration of Angels.
By D. M. C.
SATAN AN ACCUSER.
THE word Satan means an adversary, an accuser. It is one part of his business to accuse God's people. Says John, speaking of Satan's being cast out of Heaven, "The accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." Rev. 12:10. God sends his angels to watch over the saints for good. Satan sends his angels to watch them for evil. Now if a Christian does a wrong action, or speaks a wrong word, probably the evil angels note it down and immediately accuse the person to the holy angels. Sin, unless repented of and abandoned, places the sinner in the hands of the devil, and debars him from the protection of the good angels. This is just what Satan wants. Hence he is watching "day and night" to find some accusation against God's servants, that he may get them into his power.
Wicked men always greatly delight in finding any wrong in the people of God. In this they only manifest the spirit of their father the devil. Christ said to them, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." John 8:44. The case of Jeremiah well illustrates how Satan and his children watch God's servants to find and report some wrong in them. "For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him." Jer. 20:10.
How careful, then, ought the child of God to be that he may not please Satan and get into his hands. Jesus tells us that there is joy in Heaven among the angels when one sinner repents. So we may be sure also that there is joy among the devils when one saint sins against the Lord, or deviates from his word.
MAN IN PRISON.
"Sinful man is Satan's lawful captive." When Satan has used him as long as he can, has worn him out, he does not give him a discharge, but shuts him up in prison (the grave), there intending to keep him forever. This we will now prove. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:12. All die and go into the grave. "All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." Eccl. 3:20. "The heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead." "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl. 9:3, 10. It is a sad truth with which we are all familiar, that every man must go into the grave, "the house appointed for all living." Job 30:23.
Now, we ask, By whose will does he go there? Not by his own, certainly. All are ready to testify that death is the "king of terrors," and that they will give everything, and suffer anything, rather than go into the grave. Job 2:4. It is evident that he does not go there willingly. Then who sends him there? Does God? No; for death is the consequence of sin, Rom. 5:12, and God is not the author of sin. The devil introduced sin into the world. Gen. 3:1-6.
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8.
Satan was the author of sin and of death; he, by deception, lead man into sin. Then death and the grave followed as the result. By this we see that Satan is the one who sends man into the grave. That the grave is the prison-house of the devil for the dead, we will now prove. Says Job, chap. 17:13, "If I wait, the grave is mine house." Again, in speaking of the grave, he says, "There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together." Chap. 3:17, 18. The grave is called a "house for the dead," and they are said to be "prisoners" there; hence it must be a prison-house for the dead. As declared by the prophet, one part of Christ's mission was "to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house." Isa. 42:7. Again, speaking of those who are slain, the Lord says, "And they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited" (margin, found wanting).Isa. 24:22.
We have seen that Isa. 14 applies to Satan. Of him it is there said that he "opened not the house of his prisoners!" Verse 17. Here it is. Satan is the one who puts man into the grave and keeps him there. He is the prison-keeper. In Heb. 2:14, it said that Christ died "that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." This is another testimony to the point, showing that the devil is the one who holds men in the grave. All who go into the grave go into the land of the enemy. Jeremiah teaches that the children slain by Herod went into "the land of the enemy," i. e., the grave. See Jer. 31:16, 17, and Matt. 2:16-18. Paul calls death an enemy. "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 1 Cor. 15:26. Death came upon man, not as a blessing, but as a curse, Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:17-19, and men go into the grave, the same as men are sent to prison, for their crimes.
Now, as we have learned that all men go into the grave, the prison-house of Satan, unless there is some way devised to bring man from this prison, there is no hope for him in the future. So Paul thought. "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep [dead] in Christ are perished." "If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to-morrow we die." 1 Cor. 15:17, 18, 32. By this we see that Paul rests all upon the hope of the resurrection of the dead. If that does not take place, all is lost; there is not a ray of hope for man. This shows the importance which Paul attaches to the resurrection of the dead.
I do not wonder at this; for Satan has robbed man of all his possessions and shut him in the dark prison, the grave. Where now is his hope? None can fail to see that his only hope is that he may be rescued from this prison. Nothing can be of any use to him as long he remains there. Can man himself alone break the mighty bars of death and throw open the gates of the grave and deliver himself? Can he overpower Satan and the hosts of evil angels, and regain his lost possessions? No; he can do neither. He is a helpless captive in the land of the enemy. Unless some one stronger than man comes to his aid, Satan can reign triumphant, and man is forever doomed! Now we eagerly cast our eyes around, and ask, Is there no help? is there no help? must man forever perish? must Satan forever triumph?
THE MISSION OF JESUS.
Paul, after noticing the high position which man occupied when he was created, next speaks of his fall, his present abject condition, and then introduces the plan of salvation. He says, "But now we see not yet all things put under him." Heb. 2:8. Why is this? Because Satan has been at work; has lied to him; has cheated him; has got all his possessions from him; has made him a servant; and at last has shut him up in prison. Now does Paul see any hope for man? Hear him: "But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus"—Ah! yes; there is hope yet. After looking at man's sad state, his ruined and lost condition, after looking in all directions for help, the apostle at last exclaims, "But we see Jesus!" Yes, blessed be God; he so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God says, "I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people." Ps. 89:19. Jesus Christ, the Holy One of Israel, the Son of the living God, leaves Heaven and comes to the rescue. The poor, perishing sinner looks from his dying bed, the verge of his dark prison, and shouts, "Glory to God, there is yet hope, there is yet salvation for me."
But what did Jesus accomplish by his coming? What did he come to do? How extensive was the plan of salvation? Did it not cover all that was lost? We think it did. He says himself, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10. To illustrate: Suppose that a wealthy Lord in England has three sons. The oldest one, by the law, inherits all of his father's estate. But the father, wishing to do something for the other two, comes over to America with them and buys for them a farm. He furnishes it with houses, barns, stock, tools, etc., and gives them possession of it. He then leaves them to work out their own destiny. But the two brothers manage very badly. They squander their property, get in debt, mortgage and lose their farm, and are finally cast into prison for debt. Their brother in England hears of their sad condition. He pities them. So he asks leave of his father to come and see what he can do for them. The father tells him to go. So he comes and redeems the farm, and takes the deed in his own name. He then says to his brothers who are in prison, "I will pay the debt for which you are cast in here, and you may go back on the farm again to work. I will put you on trial for five years. At the end of that time, if you have been industrious, have taken good care of everything, and have kept out of debt, so that I can safely trust you with the farm again, I will give you a clear deed of the farm and all that is on it. But if you have been idle and shiftless, and have done no better than you did before, I will keep the farm myself and let you pay your own debts. Now all depends on your own actions."
All must say that this would be kind, just, and reasonable. This would be all that he ought to do for them. Here we see that he saved the brothers from prison, but whether they will have the farm or not must be determined by their own deeds. Although this parable cannot be pressed too closely, we think the general features of it will illustrate the plan of salvation.
God created the earth and put everything on it that would be useful to man, and gave it to him as his home, his farm. He then left him to work out his own destiny. Man failed, lost his possession, and got into prison. Now Jesus, his elder brother, pities him, and offers to come and help him. The Father loves man, and is grieved at his sad condition. So he sends his Son to do all he can for him. Jesus now comes to the earth "to seek and to save that which was lost." Luke 19:10. To save that which was lost, not simply those who are lost, as it would read if it meant that his mission was only to save man.
"That which was lost" embraces more than man. It includes his lost dominion also. Was not the earth lost as well man? It certainly was. Jesus came to save that which was lost; then how do you make it appear that it was only man, a part of that which was lost, that Jesus came to save? If nothing but man had been lost by the transgression in the garden, God might have destroyed Adam, might have left him to perish alone, and thus have put a stop to all the misery that has been entailed upon the world. Then he could have created a new race of beings to inhabit the earth. But we see that the earth also was lost by Adam's fall. A plan must be devised by which this can be redeemed from the power of the usurper—the devil. Unless this can be done, it would be useless to place another race on the earth to live. Besides this, Satan's kingdom would be forever secure. Would God leave things thus? No; the plan of salvation embraced the lost earth, as well as lost man. Jesus came to save them both. D. M. C.
The Saints' Inheritance.
By John Norton Loughborough
ISAIAH describes the saints' inheritance in chap. 35 : 1-7 : "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." On the great deserts, the weary traveler now plods his way, scorched with the burning rays of the sun, finding no cooling shade beneath which to rest his aching limbs, but, faint with thirst, he lays himself down to die. No merry songsters beguile his sufferings, and as his voice grows husky and still, nothing meets his vision but a vast plain of burning sand : not one beautiful flower to change the sad monotony of the desert; and in the distance, the driving simoon threatens to bury him in columns of sand. How changed the scene when the restitution work shall have been accomplished. The desert shall blossom as the rose. Yes, and it shall rejoice even with joy and singing. When it is clothed with green foliage and decked with blossoms abundant, the merry songsters will chirp from bough to bough, and warble forth their songs of praise to the Most High.
Verse 2. "It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, even with joy and singing; the glory of Lebanon [the forest of Lebanon is described as the most beautiful in appearance of any in the eastern world] shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon." The valley of Sharon was anciently decorated with the most beautiful flowers of every description. In view of this glorious clothing which is to be given to the desert, the prophet says (verses 3, 4), "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you."
Who would not feel strengthened with a hope of such a glorious inheritance as this, constantly before him? These promises have been given, not only that we might know what is coming, but to impart strength to us who are heirs of promise. Reader, are you a believer in these glorious promises? We would say to you, when your heart gets fearful amid the trials and conflicts of the way, look at these hope-inspiring records respecting the future, and be strong : for in Jesus' name we are able to go up and possess the goodly land. Thus Paul could say, "Our light affliction." "While we look not at the things which are seen [the affliction], but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Cor. 4 : 17, 18.
Isaiah continues in verses 5, 6, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert." As an aid to an understanding of the rejoicing of those who in that glorious state have been made free from all their infirmities, our mind turns to a case of healing that was performed in the days of the apostles, as recorded in Acts 3. A man who had been lame from his birth, was daily laid at the beautiful gate of the temple, to ask alms, saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, and asked an alms. He expected no relief from his infirmity, but asked a little pittance to enable him to protract his miserable existence here. When Peter said to him, "Look on us," his expectation was raised that they would give him a portion of money; but when Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none," his hopes in that direction was blasted, and how unexpectedly must the next sentence have fallen on his ears: "Such as I have, give I thee. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk! And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up; and immediately his feet and ankle-bones received strength." What a thrill of joy must have filled his heart at this unexpected healing of his infirmities. He "entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God." If this temporary relief would cause the poor cripple to leap for joy, what must be the feelings of those in the resurrection morn, who all their lives have been bowed down with lameness and infirmities of the flesh, when they find not only their feet and ankle-bones made straight, but their whole being glowing with the vigor and energy of eternal youth! "Then shall the lame man leap as an hart." Agile as the deer bounding through the forest, they shout forth their praises to the Most High.
Isaiah speaks again of this glorious state (chap. 51 : 3), "For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord." In the garden of the Lord, planted eastward115in Eden, there was every tree that was pleasant to the sight, and good for food. In the restitution, this will be the condition of the whole earth. As is stated in Isa. 55 : 13, "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle-tree." Thorns are a part of the curse that was put upon the earth. Gen. 3 : 18. But these are to be removed. In that glorious state God's people can "dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods."
We now examine John's testimony in Revelation, chaps. 21, 22, concerning the new-earth state. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." We have already shown that the new heavens and new earth are brought in by the melting of the elements of the present heavens and earth, and the burning up of the works in the earth.
"And I John saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." Not only will these not exist, but, as we have already seen, the opposite will exist : life, joy, rejoicing, and eternal pleasures. What a contrast with the present state of affliction, weeping and death. No raging epidemic there, sweeping its thousands into an untimely grave, and in a moment filling joyous hearts with the keenest anguish; no miasma or destructive thunderbolts: no funeral knell; no pall; no bier; no death-dirge will there be sung; no graveyards ever meet our sight, and sadden our hearts; the grave digger's spade will find no labor there; no aching limbs and weary head; but immortality and the tree of life will forever accomplish the work of freeing the saints from all liabilities to pain or suffering. Yes, "the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." Isa. 33 : 24.
"Death will be banished, his scepter be gone."
Says John Wesley : "We may more easily conceive the change which will be wrought in the lower heaven, in the region of the air. It will be no more torn by hurricanes, or agitated by furious storms, or destructive tempests. Pernicious or terrifying meteors will have no place therein. We shall have no more occasion to say,
'There like a trumpet, loud and strong,
Thy thunder shakes our coast;
While the red lightnings wave along,
The banners of the host!'
"No! all will then be light, and serene; a lively picture of eternal day. And what will the general produce of the earth be? Not thorns, briars and thistles; not any useless or fetid weed; not any poisonous, hurtful or unpleasant plant; but every one that can be conducive, in any wise, either to our use or pleasure!"
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
(Concluded next number.)
A Happy Home
By Hamilton
A HAPPY HOME. — "Six things," says Hamilton, "are requisite to create a home. Integrity must be the architect, and tidiness the upholster. It must be warmed by affection and lighted with cheerfulness; and industry must be the ventilator, renewing the atmosphere and bringing in fresh salubrity day by day, while over all as a protecting glory and canopy nothing will suffice except the blessing of God."
The Educated Man
The Bishop of Manchester, England, gives a good definition of an educated man: "When a man goes out into the world knowing when he does know a thing, knowing when he does not know a thing, and knowing how knowledge is to be acquired, I call him a perfectly educated man."