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Signs of the Times, Vol. 4, No. 31.

THE RESURRECTION

Signs of the Times

Aug 15, 1878

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Aug 15, 1878

THE RESURRECTION.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
Every preparation had been made at the sepulcher to prevent any surprise or fraud being perpetrated by the disciples. The night had worn slowly away, and the darkest hour before daybreak had come. The Roman guards were keeping their weary watch, the sentinels pacing to and fro before the sepulcher, while the remainder of the detachment of one hundred soldiers were reclining upon the ground in different positions, taking what rest they could. But angels were also guarding the sepulcher, one of whom could have stricken down the whole Roman army by the putting forth of his power.
One of the most exalted order of angels is sent from heaven; his countenance is like the lightning, and his garments white as snow. He parts the darkness from his track, and the whole heavens are lit with his resplendent glory. The sleeping soldiers start simultaneously to their feet, and gaze with awe and wonder at the open, lighted heavens, and the vision of brightness which approaches. The earth trembles and heaves; soldiers, officers, and sentinels all fall as dead men prostrate upon the earth. The evil angels, who have triumphantly claimed the body of Christ, flee in terror from the place. One of the mighty, commanding angels who has, with his company, been keeping watch over the tomb of his Master, joins the powerful angel who comes from heaven; and together they advance directly to the sepulcher.
The angelic commander laid hold of the great stone which had required many strong men to place it in position, rolled it away, and took his seat upon it, while his companion entered the sepulcher and unwound the wrappings from the face and head of Jesus. Then the mighty angel, with a voice that caused the earth to quake, was heard: Jesus, thou Son of God, thy Father calls thee! Then he who had earned the power to conquer death and the grave came forth, with the tread of a conqueror, from the sepulcher, amid the reeling of the earth, the flashing of lightning, and the roaring of thunder. An earthquake marked the hour when Christ laid down his life; and another earthquake signaled the moment when he took it up again in triumph.
Jesus was the first-fruits of them that slept. When he came forth from the tomb he called a multitude from the dead, thus settling forever the long-disputed question of the resurrection. In raising this multitude of captives from the dead, he gives evidence that there will be a final resurrection of those who sleep in Jesus. The believers in Christ thus receive the very light they want in regard to the future life of the pious dead.
Satan was bitterly incensed that his angels had fled from the presence of the heavenly angels, and that Christ had conquered death, and shown by this act what his future power was to be. All the triumph that Satan had experienced in witnessing his own power over men, which had urged them on to insult and murder the Son of God, fled before this exhibition of the divine power of Christ. He had dared to hope that Jesus would not take up his life again; but his courage failed him when the Saviour came forth, having paid the full ransom of man, and enabled him to overcome Satan in his own behalf in the name of Christ, the Conqueror. The arch-enemy now knew that he must eventually die, and that his kingdom would have an end.
In this scene of the resurrection of the Son of God is given a lively image of the glory that will be revealed at the general resurrection of the just at the second appearing of Christ in the clouds of heaven. Then the dead that are in their graves shall hear his voice and come forth to life; and not only the earth, but the heavens themselves, shall be shaken. A few graves were opened at the resurrection of Christ; but at his second coming all the precious dead, from righteous Abel to the last saint that dies, shall awake to glorious, immortal life.
If the soldiers at the sepulcher were so filled with terror at the appearance of one angel clothed with heavenly light and strength, that they fell as dead men to the ground, how will his enemies stand before the Son of God, when he comes in power and great glory, accompanied by ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands of angels from the courts of heaven? Then the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and be removed as a cottage. The elements shall be in flames, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll.
At the death of Jesus the soldiers had beheld the earth wrapped in profound darkness at midday; but at the resurrection they saw the brightness of the angels illuminate the night, and heard the inhabitants of heaven singing with great joy and triumph: Thou hast vanquished Satan and the powers of darkness! Thou hast swallowed up death in victory! "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accused them before our God day and night."
The casting down of Satan as an accuser of the brethren in heaven was accomplished by the great work of Christ in giving up his life. Notwithstanding Satan's persistent opposition, the plan of redemption was being carried out. Man was esteemed of sufficient value for Christ to sacrifice his life for him. Satan, knowing that the empire he had usurped would in the end be wrested from him, determined to spare no pains to destroy as many as possible of the creatures whom God had created in his image. He hated man because Christ had manifested for him such forgiving love and pity, and he now prepared to practice upon him every species of deception by which he might be lost; he pursued his course with more energy because of his own hopeless condition.
Christ came to earth to vindicate the claims of his Father's law, and his death shows the immutability of that law. But Satan thrusts upon man the fallacy, that the law of God was abolished by the death of Christ, and he thus leads many professed Christians to transgress the Father's commandments, while they assume devotion to his Son.
The Christian world is not sufficiently acquainted with the history of Satan, and the terrible power that he wields. Many look upon him as a mere imaginary being. Meanwhile he has crept into the popular mind; he sways the people—he assumes the character of an angel of light—he marshals his trained forces like a skilled general—he has gained profound knowledge of human nature, and can be logical, philosophical, or hypocritically religious.
He now prepared to work upon the minds of the priests in regard to the event of the resurrection of Christ. He knew that, having already fallen into his trap, and committed the horrible crime of slaying the Son of God, they were entirely in his power, and their only course to escape the wrath of the people was to persist in denouncing Jesus as an impostor, and to accuse his disciples of stealing away his body that they might declare him to be risen from the dead.
After the exceeding glory of the angelic messenger had faded from the heavens and from the sepulcher, the Roman guards ventured to raise their heads and to look about them. They saw that the great stone at the door of the sepulcher was removed, and they arose in consternation to find the body of Jesus gone and the tomb empty. They turned from the sepulcher, overwhelmed by what they had seen and heard, and made their way with all haste to the city, relating to those whom they met the marvelous scenes they had witnessed. Some of the disciples, who had passed a sleepless night, heard the wonderful story with mingled hope and fear. Meanwhile a messenger was dispatched to the priests and rulers, announcing to them: Christ whom ye crucified is risen from the dead!
A servant was immediately sent with a private message summoning the Roman guard to the palace of the high priest. There they were closely questioned; they gave a full statement of what they had witnessed at the sepulcher: That an awful messenger had come from heaven with face like the lightning for brightness, and with garments white as snow; that the earth shook and trembled, and they were stricken powerless; that the angel had laid hold of the immense stone at the door of the sepulcher, and had rolled it away as if it had been a pebble; that a form of great glory had emerged from the sepulcher; that a chorus of voices had made the heavens and earth vocal with songs of victory and joy; that when the light had faded out, and the music had ceased, they had recovered their strength, found the tomb empty, and the body of Jesus nowhere to be found.
When the priests, scribes, and rulers heard this account, their faces were blanched to a deadly pallor. They could not utter a word. With horror they perceived that two-thirds of the prophecy concerning Messiah had now been fulfilled, and their hearts failed them with fear of what might be about to take place. They could not question the evidence of the witnesses before them. Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified one, had indeed risen from the dead.
When they had recovered from their first shock at hearing this news, they began to consider what course they would best pursue, and Satan was present to suggest ways and means. They felt that they had placed themselves where they had no alternative but to brave it out, and deny Christ to the very last. They reasoned that if this report should be circulated among the people, they would not only be stripped of their honor and authority, but would probably lose their lives. Jesus had said that he would rise from the dead and ascend to heaven; they determined to keep the people in ignorance of the fulfillment of his word. They thought this could be done if the Roman guard could be bought with money.
But they found upon trial that the guard could be induced by large bribes to deny their former report, and to testify that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus in the night, while the sentinels slept. It was a crime punishable by death for a sentinel to sleep at his post; and, in order to secure the evidence they wished, the priests promised to insure the safety of the guard. The Roman soldiers sold their integrity to the false Jews for money. They came in before the priests burdened with a most startling message of truth, and went out with a burden of money, and with a lying report upon their tongues which had been framed for them by the priests.
Meanwhile a messenger had been sent, bearing the news to Pilate. When he heard what had occurred, his soul was filled with terror. He shut himself within his home, not wishing to see any one; but the priests found their way into his presence, and urged him to make no investigation of the affirmed neglect of the sentinels, but to let the matter pass. Pilate at length consented to this, after having a private interview with the guard, and learning all the particulars from them. They dared not conceal anything from the governor for fear of losing their lives. Pilate did not prosecute the matter farther, but from that time there was no more peace or comfort for him.

The Value of Self-Examination

He who reflects upon his own conduct and daily walk, faithfully dealing with himself, setting his own affections and thoughts in order, will have so much to do, that he will find little time or disposition to do wrong.

The Inner Life.

By A. S. Hutchins

“IN proportion as the inner life is vivid, the outer life will be affective,” so in proportion as we lose a clear sense of our high and holy obligation to God, and suffer our hearts to grow cold, and our affections to attach themselves to the things of this world, will our influence for good be inefficient and powerless. Says the apostle, “Set your affections on things above, not on things on earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”
How merciful, how compassionate, is our kind Heavenly Parent, to devise the plan of salvation, whereby fallen, ruined, lost man, might through obedience and faith, gain an endless life of ineffable bliss in the kingdom of God.
Here we may enter the service of our blessed Master, deny self, bear the daily cross, overcome the evil traits of our nature, grow in grace, sacrifice for the good of others, and soon wear a crown of glory, and forever reign with Christ. This thought is sufficient to thrill our entire being. To energize the soul, to give tone and force to the whole life. The earnest Christian feels he has a work to do, an object to accomplish. The glory of God and the salvation of precious souls absorb his mind, yea, inspire his soul with zeal and activity, and lead him out from the world, and up to a high standard of morality, Christianity, and usefulness. His mark is high. Successfully he aims to hit it.
Mark the contrast between this man and the purposeless professor. Mark his lack of devotion; his tardy pace heavenward. How heavily the golden moments hang upon his hands. He lives and acts as though a temporal millennium were his to do good and get right in.
Day after day, and month after month, see him in society, in the public gatherings and places of amusement, debate, strife, and contention, where in a long life, he could not lead one soul to Christ. The godly mourn over him, while the sinner may censure his course.
Oh! how much better to spend the fast passing moments of probation in the closet, in reading the word of God, in meditating upon the perfections of his spotless character; to labor to have our life “hid with Christ in God,” to gather a few souls to the bleeding, blessed Jesus, who shall eternally be stars in the overcomers’s crown.
Oh! for a vivid sense of the untold, the unutterable, the matchless blessedness of denying self, of leading lives of usefulness, and of finally entering into the joy of the Lord.
A. S. HUTCHINS.

The Atonement.

By L. D. Santee

I KNOW that the Saviour on Calvary died To save fallen man from death's dark control; His temples were wounded, and pierced was his side, And in death on the cross, he poured out his soul; Yes, Jesus the Saviour came down from above, That mortals might enter the haven of bliss; Oh! if there is aught that can fill me with love, It is this, it is this!
And now he is pleading the penitent's part; He offers his blood in atonement for sin; He says to the fallen, O give me thy heart, And through gateways of crystal you'll soon enter in. He offers a home with the skies ever blue, In that beautiful region of joy and of bliss; Oh! if there is aught that could make us be true, It is this, it is this!
Our glorified Saviour will soon come again, Surrounded by clouds while bright angels attend, He'll banish from Zion all sorrow and pain, His saints will rejoice, for their sorrows will end; With glorified bodies they'll leave this dark earth, And soar through the skies to the city of bliss; Oh! if there is aught that to joy can give birth, It is this, it is this!
L. D. SANTEE.

VINDICATION OF THE TRUE SABBATH.

By J. W. Morton

Divine Appointment of the Seventh Day.

BY J. W. MORTON.
[IN the following able treatise on the divine appointment of the Sabbath of the Bible, the writer makes use of an argument or two which we might not employ. Yet we can commend it to the readers of the SIGNS, especially to those who have been, and still are, misinformed in regard to a very plain, important, and ancient institution of Jehovah. This brief discussion of a small, but intensely interesting, portion of the Sabbath controversy, is designed especially for the perusal of those Christians, styled orthodox, who do not keep holy the seventh day of the week.]

CHAPTER IV—CONCLUDED.

YOUR SIXTH PROOF.
1 COR. 16 : 2 : "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."
Your premises are, 1. That the apostle here commands the Corinthians to make public collections on the first day of the week. 2. That therefore public assemblies were accustomed to be held on that day. Whence you infer that the first day of the week is the Sabbath.
I deny both your premises. The apostle simply orders that each one of the Corinthian brethren should lay up at home some portion of his weekly gains on the first day of the week. The whole question turns upon the meaning of the expression, "by him;" and I marvel greatly how you can imagine that it means "in the collection box of the congregation." Greenfield, in his Lexicon, translates the Greek term, "by one's self, i. e., at home." Two Latin versions, the Vulgate and that of Cæstallio, render it, "apud se," with one's self, at home. Three French translations, those of Martin, Osterwald, and De Sacy, "chez soi," at his own house, at home. The German of Luther, "bei sich selbst," by himself at home. The Dutch, "by hemselven," same as the German. The Italian of Diodati, "appresso di se," in his own presence at home. The Spanish of Felipe Sico, "en su casa," in his own house. The Portuguese of Ferreira, "para isso," with himself. The Swedish, "naer sig sielf," near himself. I know not how much the list of authorities might be swelled; for I have not examined one translation that differs from those quoted above. Now, if your premises are false, your inference is not only unnecessary, but wholly inadmissible.
YOUR SEVENTH PROOF.
REV. 1:10: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day."
You premise that the Lord's day is the first day of the week. Whence you infer that the first day of the week is the Sabbath.
You here assume the principal point in dispute, namely, that God has appointed the first day of every week to be kept in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ. Is every friday the "Lord's day," because he was crucified on Friday? You answer, No. Is every Thursday the "Lord's day," because he ascended on Thursday? You answer, No. So when you ask, Is every first day of the week the "Lord's day," because he arose on the first day? I answer, No. And is it too much that I should ask you to prove your assumption? I have never yet met with an attempt to prove it.
But, were this even proved, your inference would not be necessary. The first day might be the "Lord's day," and yet not the Sabbath. Would the bare mention of this day by the apostle John, even if it were certain that he referred to the first day of the week, repeal or alter the fourth commandment? Certainly not. But you ask, What day did he mean? I reply, Most probably he meant the seventh day, since we know from several scriptures that this is in fact the Lord's day. See Neh. 9:14, and Isa. 58:13. But you ask again, Why did he not say "the Sabbath," if he meant it? I reply by asking you, Why did he not say "the first day," if he meant it?
Brethren, who can say that from any or all of the texts commented upon above, the inference is necessary, that the first day of the week is, and that the seventh is not, holy? But this is precisely what you infer from them. On the sole authority of these passages, together with that one in which Christ says that he is "the Lord of the Sabbath," you have no hesitation in affirming that the first day of the week is the very Sabbath day spoken of in the fourth commandment, and that the seventh day of the week is not now more holy than any other; or, in other words, that the blessing which God put upon it in the beginning (Gen. 2:2, 3), has been taken from it, and given to another day. What! because "there remaineth a sabbatism to the people of God," therefore, the seventh day must have ceased to be the Sabbath! Because "we will be glad and rejoice" in "the day which the Lord hath made," therefore, the seventh day must have ceased to be holy! Because Christ showed himself to his disciples once or twice on the first day of the week, therefore, the seventh day cannot be the Sabbath! Because the Pentecostal effusion of the Holy Ghost happened on the first day of the week, as is clearly demonstrated by arithmetical calculation, therefore, the seventh day cannot claim to be the Sabbath! Because the disciples met once "to break bread" on the first day of the week, therefore, God must have unsanctified the seventh day! Because the Corinthian and Galatian Christians were commanded to "lay by them in store" on the first day of the week, for the relief of the poor saints, therefore, the seventh day can be nothing more than a working day! Because John was "in the Spirit on the Lord's day," therefore, the seventh day cannot be "the Lord's day," as it used to be! Because Jesus Christ is "Lord of the Sabbath," and has the right to change it, or even to annihilate it(!), therefore, the seventh day must have ceased to be a day of rest! O brethren, you dare not say that any of these inferences flow from the Scriptures as necessary consequences. But if they are not necessary—if there is any way of avoiding them without doing violence either to the text or context—how can you ask me to believe that the first day is, and the seventh day is not, holy?

CONCLUSION.

"THE Sabbath was made for man." I am a man; therefore, the Sabbath was made for me. God has blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week, and commanded me to keep it holy for that reason; therefore, as long as the seventh day continues to be divinely blessed and sanctified, I am bound to keep it holy. But it is nowhere said in the Bible that God has removed the blessing from this day, or that he has unsanctified it. You say so, indeed; but you are neither the authors nor the finishers of my faith; nor will your unsupported assertion a thousand times repeated amount to a divine revelation. If you assert that it is the will of God that I should cease to regard the seventh day as holy, I ask, Where is this revealed? What prophet or apostle has said so, directly or indirectly? It is not enough for you to answer that the first day has been blessed and sanctified, as a memorial of the work of redemption. That assertion, if it were true, would not prove that the seventh day is not holy. No, brethren, your own conscience must tell you that there is not one syllable in the Bible on which to ground the doctrine, that God has unsanctified the seventh day of the week.
But one of your ministers has told me that God did not bless and sanctify any particular day of the week, but only the Sabbath institution. To this I have only to say, "Let God be true and every man a liar." The Holy Ghost says (Gen. 2:2), "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it;" and again (Ex. 20:11), "Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Now, if you assert, with these scriptures staring you in the face, that God never blessed and sanctified any particular day, but only the Sabbath institution, do you not make God a liar in order to excuse your own rebellion? O brethren, I perceive that these texts are an eye-sore to you, and that in your hearts you wish they were out of the Bible. If you loved them, you would not flatly contradict them. I appeal to your own consciousness, Is it not your great effort, when you take up the fourth commandment, to convince yourselves and others that God's Spirit does not mean what he says, in as plain language as any Sabbatarian could employ; that is, that "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God"? And when you take up those passages in the New Testament which have been considered above, do you not labor to convince yourselves that the same Spirit does not mean what he does not say; that is, that the first day is the Sabbath?
You do not believe that what God says a dozen times, or more, can be true; but you are sure that what he does not say even once is infallibly true; and that nothing but stupidity and skepticism would presume to doubt it. When you are told that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and the testimony of God's Spirit, plainly uttered in one dozen passages, together with the uniform practice of the church as long as we can trace the inspired history of the Sabbath, is offered in proof of the assertion, you shut your eyes, and declare that you can see nothing, and that all this proves nothing. But when you tell me that the first day is, and the seventh is not, the Sabbath, and quote, as proof, Acts 20:7, and a few other passages, not one of which says one word about the Sabbath, or the seventh day, or a day of rest, or holy time, or exercises which are proper only on the Sabbath, you affirm that you have proved your position beyond all doubt, and that the only reason why I cannot see the evidence is because the vail of Judaism is over my eyes. The moral law says, "The seventh day is the Sabbath;" but you say, "No; the seventh day is not the Sabbath; you do not understand the law; you mistake its meaning." Neither that law, nor any other in the Bible, says, "The first day is the Sabbath." Notwithstanding, you dare to lift up your hands, and swear by the living God that the first day is the Sabbath. But this is not all. Oh, that it were! The Holy Ghost has said, not only in the record that God made on Adam's heart and in the covenant of works, but also in the written law given at Mount Sinai and in several other passages of Scripture, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." But you have repeatedly sworn by the infinite, eternal, and unchangeable Jehovah, that this assertion is not true—that the seventh day is not the Sabbath of the Lord our God—that it is a common working day. Because I can no longer join you in this Heaven-daring oath, you have declared me unworthy of the confidence of a Christian people, and forbidden me to perform any longer the functions of a missionary of the cross. You have told the church that, having violated my ordination vows, I have forfeited my ministry, and that my seat at the Lord's table is vacant. You have thus flung upon the heedless winds the mad-dog cry of "suspended minister," "covenant breaker," and "disturber of the church's peace.
But think not, brethren, beloved in the Lord, that the treatment which I have received at your hands shall deter me from proclaiming what I believe to be God's truth, as God may give me utterance. That you wish to do what is right, I do not doubt. That you believe you do God service in thrusting me from your Christian embraces, is evident enough. That many of you love me yet, and pray for me, I can but hope. But that you all sin in not searching the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so, I do firmly believe.
And now, brethren, I cannot close this treatise without uttering a word of warning to every one of you, which will, I fear, be very generally disregarded by you. Yet "woe is me," if I utter it not! Do not, I beseech you, be angry at any thing I have written, or refuse to hear my parting words because I am a "suspended minister." You have loaded me with reproach, not because I have committed any crime, but because I have pleaded for the integrity and immutability of the moral law. I am neither a thief, nor a murderer, nor a robber of churches; but I do most firmly believe that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord my God, and that you, and all others who do not keep it holy, are guilty before God of a gross violation of the moral law. And can I, under those circumstances, regard your reproaches as a legitimate expression of the divine displeasure? No! That I am really unworthy of the gospel ministry, I confess. That I am not sufficient for these things, I know. But, after having been regularly called to this responsible work, I will not be driven from it for such a cause. Know, then, ye rulers in the house of God, that I am still a minister of Jesus Christ, sent forth to proclaim the terrors of God's law to the rebellious and impenitent, and to promise the grace of the gospel to the penitent and believing. Know, also, ye professors of the Christian religion who neglect the sanctification of the seventh day, and especially ye ministers of Jesus who "teach men so," that you make dark what God has made plain; that you pluck out of the hand of God's schoolmaster one of those rods wherewith he would lash the carnal heart; that you hide one of God's candles under a bushel, and compass yourselves about with sparks and a fire of your own kindling; that you provoke the Holy Spirit, in rejecting his testimony and teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Yes, brethren, though my words fall upon your ears as an idle tale that you believe not, I declare to you, in the name of Him whom your doctrine dishonors and your philosophy insults—in the name of that suspended minister to whom all the ends of the earth shall look for salvation—that, if you repent not, the Holy Ghost will bear witness against you in the awful day of retribution that you have refused his words, and that you have "put darkness for light, and light for darkness!"
Think not that I am your enemy, because I thus speak. Think not that I have no confidence in your piety, because I rebuke you sharply. Think not that I am proud, boastful, and self-confident, because I dare to approach you, who are vastly my superiors in knowledge, and remind you of your duty. I would gladly have avoided this public exhibition of my sentiments. Had it been possible to withhold my testimony, you would never have seen these pages. "But necessity is laid upon me." And think not, I beseech you, that I am against the church of our Redeemer, or would hinder her prosperity, because I oppose a human institution which Christians very generally observe. "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy."
Continue reading: THE SANCTUARY OF THE BIBLE