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"At that time
shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the
children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such
as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at
that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be
found written in the book." Daniel 12:1.
When the third angel's message closes,
mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The
people of God have accomplished their work. They have received "the
latter rain," "the refreshing from the presence of the Lord," and they
are prepared for the trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to
and fro in heaven. An angel returning from the earth announces that his
work is done; the final test has been brought upon the world, and all
who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received
"the seal of the living God." Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the
sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, "It is
done;" and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the
solemn announcement: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he
which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let
him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."
Revelation 22:11. Every case has been decided for life or death. Christ
has made the atonement for His people and
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blotted out their sins. The number of His
subjects is made up; "the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdom under the whole heaven," is about to be given to the heirs of
salvation, and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness
covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous
must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The
restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has
entire control of the finally impenitent. God's long-suffering has
ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled
upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation;
the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn.
Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked
one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great,
final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce
winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose.
The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which
came upon Jerusalem of old.
A single angel destroyed all the
first-born of the Egyptians and filled the land with mourning. When
David offended against God by numbering the people, one angel caused
that terrible destruction by which his sin was punished. The same
destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be
exercised by evil angels when He permits. There are forces now ready,
and only waiting the divine permission, to spread desolation everywhere.
Those who honor the law of God have
been accused of bringing judgments upon the world, and they will be
regarded as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature and the
strife and bloodshed among men that are filling the earth with woe. The
power attending the last warning has enraged the wicked; their anger is
kindled against all who
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have received the message, and Satan will
excite to still greater intensity the spirit of hatred and persecution.
When God's presence was finally
withdrawn from the Jewish nation, priests and people knew it not. Though
under the control of Satan, and swayed by the most horrible and
malignant passions, they still regarded themselves as the chosen of God.
The ministration in the temple continued; sacrifices were offered upon
its polluted altars, and daily the divine blessing was invoked upon a
people guilty of the blood of God's dear Son and seeking to slay His
ministers and apostles. So when the irrevocable decision of the
sanctuary has been pronounced and the destiny of the world has been
forever fixed, the inhabitants of the earth will know it not. The forms
of religion will be continued by a people from whom the Spirit of God
has been finally withdrawn; and the satanic zeal with which the prince
of evil will inspire them for the accomplishment of his malignant
designs, will bear the semblance of zeal for God.
As the Sabbath has become the special
point of controversy throughout Christendom, and religious and secular
authorities have combined to enforce the observance of the Sunday, the
persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the popular demand
will make them objects of universal execration. It will be urged that
the few who stand in opposition to an institution of the church and a
law of the state ought not to be tolerated; that it is better for them
to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into confusion and
lawlessness. The same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought
against Christ by the "rulers of the people." "It is expedient for us,"
said the wily Caiaphas, "that one man should die for the people, and
that the whole nation perish not." John 11:50. This argument will appear
conclusive; and a decree will finally be issued against those who hallow
the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of
the severest punishment and giving
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the people liberty, after a certain time,
to put them to death. Romanism in the Old World and apostate
Protestantism in the New will pursue a similar course toward those who
honor all the divine precepts.
The people of God will then be plunged
into those scenes of affliction and distress described by the prophet as
the time of Jacob's trouble. "Thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice
of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. . . . All faces are turned into
paleness. Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is
even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it."
Jeremiah 30:5-7.
Jacob's night of anguish, when he
wrestled in prayer for deliverance from the hand of Esau (Genesis
32:24-30), represents the experience of God's people in the time of
trouble. Because of the deception practiced to secure his father's
blessing, intended for Esau, Jacob had fled for his life, alarmed by his
brother's deadly threats. After remaining for many years an exile, he
had set out, at God's command, to return with his wives and children,
his flocks and herds, to his native country. On reaching the borders of
the land, he was filled with terror by the tidings of Esau's approach at
the head of a band of warriors, doubtless bent upon revenge. Jacob's
company, unarmed and defenseless, seemed about to fall helpless victims
of violence and slaughter. And to the burden of anxiety and fear was
added the crushing weight of self-reproach, for it was his own sin that
had brought this danger. His only hope was in the mercy of God; his only
defense must be prayer. Yet he leaves nothing undone on his own part to
atone for the wrong to his brother and to avert the threatened danger.
So should the followers of Christ, as they approach the time of trouble,
make every exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the
people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger which threatens
liberty of conscience.
Having sent his family away, that they
may not witness his distress, Jacob remains alone to intercede with God.
He
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confesses his sin and gratefully
acknowledges the mercy of God toward him while with deep humiliation he
pleads the covenant made with his fathers and the promises to himself in
the night vision at Bethel and in the land of his exile. The crisis in
his life has come; everything is at stake. In the darkness and solitude
he continues praying and humbling himself before God. Suddenly a hand is
laid upon his shoulder. He thinks that an enemy is seeking his life, and
with all the energy of despair he wrestles with his assailant. As the
day begins to break, the stranger puts forth his superhuman power; at
his touch the strong man seems paralyzed, and he falls, a helpless,
weeping suppliant, upon the neck of his mysterious antagonist. Jacob
knows now that it is the Angel of the covenant with whom he has been in
conflict. Though disabled and suffering the keenest pain, he does not
relinquish his purpose. Long has he endured perplexity, remorse, and
trouble for his sin; now he must have the assurance that it is pardoned.
The divine visitant seems about to depart; but Jacob clings to Him,
pleading for a blessing. The Angel urges, "Let Me go, for the day
breaketh;" but the patriarch exclaims, "I will not let Thee go, except
Thou bless me." What confidence, what firmness and perseverance, are
here displayed! Had this been a boastful, presumptuous claim, Jacob
would have been instantly destroyed; but his was the assurance of one
who confesses his weakness and unworthiness, yet trusts the mercy of a
covenant-keeping God.
"He had power over the Angel, and
prevailed." Hosea 12:4. Through humiliation, repentance, and
self-surrender, this sinful, erring mortal prevailed with the Majesty of
heaven. He had fastened his trembling grasp upon the promises of God,
and the heart of Infinite Love could not turn away the sinner's plea. As
an evidence of his triumph and an encouragement to others to imitate his
example, his name was changed from one which was a reminder of his sin,
to one that commemorated his victory. And the fact that Jacob
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had prevailed with God was an assurance
that he would prevail with men. He no longer feared to encounter his
brother's anger, for the Lord was his defense.
Satan had accused Jacob before the
angels of God, claiming the right to destroy him because of his sin; he
had moved upon Esau to march against him; and during the patriarch's
long night of wrestling, Satan endeavored to force upon him a sense of
his guilt in order to discourage him and break his hold upon God. Jacob
was driven almost to despair; but he knew that without help from heaven
he must perish. He had sincerely repented of his great sin, and he
appealed to the mercy of God. He would not be turned from his purpose,
but held fast the Angel and urged his petition with earnest, agonizing
cries until he prevailed.
As Satan influenced Esau to march
against Jacob, so he will stir up the wicked to destroy God's people in
the time of trouble. And as he accused Jacob, he will urge his
accusations against the people of God. He numbers the world as his
subjects; but the little company who keep the commandments of God are
resisting his supremacy. If he could blot them from the earth, his
triumph would be complete. He sees that holy angels are guarding them,
and he infers that their sins have been pardoned; but he does not know
that their cases have been decided in the sanctuary above. He has an
accurate knowledge of the sins which he has tempted them to commit, and
he presents these before God in the most exaggerated light, representing
this people to be just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the
favor of God. He declares that the Lord cannot in justice forgive their
sins and yet destroy him and his angels. He claims them as his prey and
demands that they be given into his hands to destroy.
As Satan accuses the people of God on
account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try them to the
uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness, will be
severely tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink;
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for in their whole lives they can see
little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and
unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that
their cases are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never
be washed away. He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield
to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God.
Though God's people will be surrounded
by enemies who are bent upon their destruction, yet the anguish which
they suffer is not a dread of persecution for the truth's sake; they
fear that every sin has not been repented of, and that through some
fault in themselves they will fail to realize the fulfillment of the
Saviour's promise: I "will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which
shall come upon all the world." Revelation 3:10. If they could have the
assurance of pardon they would not shrink from torture or death; but
should they prove unworthy, and lose their lives because of their own
defects of character, then God's holy name would be reproached.
On every hand they hear the plottings
of treason and see the active working of rebellion; and there is aroused
within them an intense desire, an earnest yearning of soul, that this
great apostasy may be terminated and the wickedness of the wicked may
come to an end. But while they plead with God to stay the work of
rebellion, it is with a keen sense of self-reproach that they themselves
have no more power to resist and urge back the mighty tide of evil. They
feel that had they always employed all their ability in the service of
Christ, going forward from strength to strength, Satan's forces would
have less power to prevail against them.
They afflict their souls before God,
pointing to their past repentance of their many sins, and pleading the
Saviour's promise: "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make
peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me." Isaiah 27:5. Their
faith does not fail because their prayers
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are not immediately answered. Though
suffering the keenest anxiety, terror, and distress, they do not cease
their intercessions. They lay hold of the strength of God as Jacob laid
hold of the Angel; and the language of their souls is: "I will not let
Thee go, except Thou bless me."
Had not Jacob previously repented of
his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud, God would not have heard
his prayer and mercifully preserved his life. So, in the time of
trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them
while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair
would cut off their faith, and they could not have confidence to plead
with God for deliverance. But while they have a deep sense of their
unworthiness, they have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins have
gone beforehand to judgment and have been blotted out, and they cannot
bring them to remembrance.
Satan leads many to believe that God
will overlook their unfaithfulness in the minor affairs of life; but the
Lord shows in His dealings with Jacob that He will in no wise sanction
or tolerate evil. All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins, and
permit them to remain upon the books of heaven, unconfessed and
unforgiven, will be overcome by Satan. The more exalted their profession
and the more honorable the position which they hold, the more grievous
is their course in the sight of God and the more sure the triumph of
their great adversary. Those who delay a preparation for the day of God
cannot obtain it in the time of trouble or at any subsequent time. The
case of all such is hopeless.
Those professed Christians who come up
to that last fearful conflict unprepared will, in their despair, confess
their sins in words of burning anguish, while the wicked exult over
their distress. These confessions are of the same character as was that
of Esau or of Judas. Those who make them, lament the
result
of transgression, but not its guilt. They
feel
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no true contrition, no abhorrence of
evil. They acknowledge their sin, through fear of punishment; but, like
Pharaoh of old, they would return to their defiance of Heaven should the
judgments be removed.
Jacob's history is also an assurance
that God will not cast off those who have been deceived and tempted and
betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance.
While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send His angels to
comfort and protect them in the time of peril. The assaults of Satan are
fierce and determined, his delusions are terrible; but the Lord's eye is
upon His people, and His ear listens to their cries. Their affliction is
great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume them; but the
Refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. God's love for
His children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and
tender as in the days of their sunniest prosperity; but it is needful
for them to be placed in the furnace of fire; their earthliness must be
consumed, that the image of Christ may be perfectly reflected.
The season of distress and anguish
before us will require a faith that can endure weariness, delay, and
hunger--a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of
probation is granted to all to prepare for that time. Jacob prevailed
because he was persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of
the power of importunate prayer. All who will lay hold of God's
promises, as he did, and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will
succeed as he succeeded. Those who are unwilling to deny self, to
agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will
not obtain it. Wrestling with God--how few know what it is! How few have
ever had their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire until
every power is on the stretch. When waves of despair which no language
can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with unyielding
faith to the promises of God.
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Those who exercise but little faith
now, are in the greatest danger of falling under the power of satanic
delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they
endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in
the time of trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in
God. The lessons of faith which they have neglected they will be forced
to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.
We should now acquaint ourselves with
God by proving His promises. Angels record every prayer that is earnest
and sincere. We should rather dispense with selfish gratifications than
neglect communion with God. The deepest poverty, the greatest
self-denial, with His approval, is better than riches, honors, ease, and
friendship without it. We must take time to pray. If we allow our minds
to be absorbed by worldly interests, the Lord may give us time by
removing from us our idols of gold, of houses, or of fertile lands.
The young would not be seduced into
sin if they would refuse to enter any path save that upon which they
could ask God's blessing. If the messengers who bear the last solemn
warning to the world would pray for the blessing of God, not in a cold,
listless, lazy manner, but fervently and in faith, as did Jacob, they
would find many places where they could say: "I have seen God face to
face, and my life is preserved." Genesis 32:30. They would be accounted
of heaven as princes, having power to prevail with God and with men.
The "time of trouble, such as never
was," is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we
do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is
often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality;
but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid
presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of
trial, every soul must stand for himself before God. "Though Noah,
Daniel, and Job" were in the land, "as I live, saith the Lord God, they
shall deliver neither son
Page 623
nor daughter; they shall but deliver
their own souls by their righteousness." Ezekiel 14:20.
Now, while our great High Priest is
making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ.
Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power
of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain
a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his
temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: "The
prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me." John 14:30. Satan
could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the
victory. He had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in
Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in
which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.
It is in this life that we are to
separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our
precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our
weakness to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness
to His merits. God's providence is the school in which we are to learn
the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The Lord is ever setting before us,
not the way we would choose, which seems easier and pleasanter to us,
but the true aims of life. It rests with us to co-operate with the
agencies which Heaven employs in the work of conforming our characters
to the divine model. None can neglect or defer this work but at the most
fearful peril to their souls.
The apostle John in vision heard a
loud voice in heaven exclaiming: "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and
of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Revelation 12:12.
Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the
heavenly voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short,
and his work of deceit and destruction will reach its culmination in the
time of trouble.
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Fearful sights of a supernatural
character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of
miracle-working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings
of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and
urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the
government of heaven. By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be
alike deceived. Persons will arise pretending to be Christ Himself, and
claiming the title and worship which belong to the world's Redeemer.
They will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have
revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures.
As the crowning act in the great drama
of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long
professed to look to the Saviour's advent as the consummation of her
hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come.
In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men
as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description
of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13-15.
The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes
have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: "Christ
has come! Christ has come!" The people prostrate themselves in adoration
before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon
them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His
voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate
tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the
Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his
assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to
Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He
declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are
blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them
with light and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion.
Like the Samaritans who
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were deceived by Simon Magus, the
multitudes, from the least to the greatest, give heed to these
sorceries, saying: This is "the great power of God." Acts 8:10.
But the people of God will not be
misled. The teachings of this false christ are not in accordance with
the Scriptures. His blessing is pronounced upon the worshipers of the
beast and his image, the very class upon whom the Bible declares that
God's unmingled wrath shall be poured out.
And, furthermore, Satan is not
permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ's advent. The Saviour has
warned His people against deception upon this point, and has clearly
foretold the manner of His second coming. "There shall arise false
christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders;
insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. .
. . Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert;
go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For
as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west;
so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:24-27, 31;
25:31; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. This coming there is no
possibility of counterfeiting. It will be universally known--witnessed
by the whole world.
Only those who have been diligent
students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth
will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world
captive. By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his
disguise. To all the testing time will come. By the sifting of
temptation the genuine Christian will be revealed. Are the people of God
now so firmly established upon His word that they would not yield to the
evidence of their senses? Would they, in such a crisis, cling to the
Bible and the Bible only? Satan will, if possible, prevent them from
obtaining a preparation to stand in that day. He will so arrange affairs
as to hedge up their way, entangle them with earthly treasures, cause
them to carry a heavy, wearisome burden, that
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their hearts may be overcharged with the
cares of this life and the day of trial may come upon them as a thief.
As the decree issued by the various
rulers of Christendom against commandment keepers shall withdraw the
protection of government and abandon them to those who desire their
destruction, the people of God will flee from the cities and villages
and associate together in companies, dwelling in the most desolate and
solitary places. Many will find refuge in the strongholds of the
mountains. Like the Christians of the Piedmont valleys, they will make
the high places of the earth their sanctuaries and will thank God for
"the munitions of rocks." Isaiah 33:16. But many of all nations and of
all classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white, will be cast
into the most unjust and cruel bondage. The beloved of God pass weary
days, bound in chains, shut in by prison bars, sentenced to be slain,
some apparently left to die of starvation in dark and loathsome
dungeons. No human ear is open to hear their moans; no human hand is
ready to lend them help.
Will the Lord forget His people in
this trying hour? Did He forget faithful Noah when judgments were
visited upon the antediluvian world? Did He forget Lot when the fire
came down from heaven to consume the cities of the plain? Did He forget
Joseph surrounded by idolaters in Egypt? Did He forget Elijah when the
oath of Jezebel threatened him with the fate of the prophets of Baal?
Did He forget Jeremiah in the dark and dismal pit of his prison house?
Did He forget the three worthies in the fiery furnace? or Daniel in the
den of lions?
"Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me,
and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they
may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon
the palms of My hands." Isaiah 49:14-16. The Lord hosts has said: "He
that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye." Zechariah 2:8.
Page 627
Though enemies may thrust them into
prison, yet dungeon walls cannot cut off the communication between their
souls and Christ. One who sees their every weakness, who is acquainted
with every trial, is above all earthly powers; and angels will come to
them in lonely cells, bringing light and peace from heaven. The prison
will be as a palace; for the rich in faith dwell there, and the gloomy
walls will be lighted up with heavenly light as when Paul and Silas
prayed and sang praises at midnight in the Philippian dungeon.
God's judgments will be visited upon
those who are seeking to oppress and destroy His people. His long
forbearance with the wicked emboldens men in transgression, but their
punishment is nonetheless certain and terrible because it is long
delayed. "The Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, He shall be wroth
as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work;
and bring to pass His act, His strange act." Isaiah 28:21. To our
merciful God the act of punishment is a strange act. "As I live, saith
the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." Ezekiel
33:11. The Lord is "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth, . . . forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin." Yet He will "by no means clear the guilty." The Lord is slow to
anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked."
Exodus 34:6, 7; Nahum 1:3. By terrible things in righteousness He will
vindicate the authority of His downtrodden law. The severity of the
retribution awaiting the transgressor may be judged by the Lord's
reluctance to execute justice. The nation with which He bears long, and
which He will not smite until it has filled up the measure of its
iniquity in God's account, will finally drink the cup of wrath unmixed
with mercy.
When Christ ceases His intercession in
the sanctuary, the unmingled wrath threatened against those who worship
the beast and his image and receive his mark (Revelation 14:9, 10), will
be poured out. The plagues upon Egypt when God was about to deliver
Israel were similar in character to those
Page 628
more terrible and extensive judgments
which are to fall upon the world just before the final deliverance of
God's people. Says the revelator, in describing those terrific scourges:
"There fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark
of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image." The sea "became
as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea." And
"the rivers and fountains of waters . . . became blood." Terrible as
these inflictions are, God's justice stands fully vindicated. The angel
of God declares: "Thou art righteous, O Lord, . . . because Thou hast
judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and
Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." Revelation
16:2-6. By condemning the people of God to death, they have as truly
incurred the guilt of their blood as if it had been shed by their hands.
In like manner Christ declared the Jews of His time guilty of all the
blood of holy men which had been shed since the days of Abel; for they
possessed the same spirit and were seeking to do the same work with
these murderers of the prophets.
In the plague that follows, power is
given to the sun "to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with
great heat." Verses 8, 9. The prophets thus describe the condition of
the earth at this fearful time: "The land mourneth; . . . because the
harvest of the field is perished. . . . All the trees of the field are
withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men." "The seed
is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate. . . . How do
the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have
no pasture. . . . The rivers of water are dried up, and the fire hath
devoured the pastures of the wilderness." "The songs of the temple shall
be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead
bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence." Joel
1:10-12, 17-20; Amos 8:3.
These plagues are not universal, or
the inhabitants of the earth would be wholly cut off. Yet they will be
the most
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awful scourges that have ever been known
to mortals. All the judgments upon men, prior to the close of probation,
have been mingled with mercy. The pleading blood of Christ has shielded
the sinner from receiving the full measure of his guilt; but in the
final judgment, wrath is poured out unmixed with mercy.
In that day, multitudes will desire
the shelter of God's mercy which they have so long despised. "Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the
land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the
words of the Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the
north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of
the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11, 12.
The people of God will not be free
from suffering; but while persecuted and distressed, while they endure
privation and suffer for want of food they will not be left to perish.
That God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His
self-sacrificing children. He who numbers the hairs of their head will
care for them, and in time of famine they shall be satisfied. While the
wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence, angels will shield the
righteous and supply their wants. To him that "walketh righteously" is
the promise: "Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." "When
the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue
faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will
not forsake them." Isaiah 33:15, 16; 41:17.
"Although the fig tree shall not
blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive
shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls;" yet shall
they that fear Him "rejoice in the Lord" and joy in the God of their
salvation. Habakkuk 3:17, 18.
"The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is
thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor
the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
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He shall preserve thy soul." "He shall
deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome
pestilence. He shall cover thee with His fathers, and under His wings
shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt
not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by
day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the
destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side,
and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High,
thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any
plague come nigh thy dwelling." Psalms 121:5-7; 91:3-10.
Yet to human sight it will appear that
the people of God must soon seal their testimony with their blood as did
the martyrs before them. They themselves begin to fear that the Lord has
left them to fall by the hand of their enemies. It is a time of fearful
agony. Day and night they cry unto God for deliverance. The wicked
exult, and the jeering cry is heard: "Where now is your faith? Why does
not God deliver you out of our hands if you are indeed His people?" But
the waiting ones remember Jesus dying upon Calvary's cross and the chief
priests and rulers shouting in mockery: "He saved others; Himself He
cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the
cross, and we will believe Him." Matthew 27:42. Like Jacob, all are
wrestling with God. Their countenances express their internal struggle.
Paleness sits upon every face. Yet they cease not their earnest
intercession.
Could men see with heavenly vision,
they would behold companies of angels that excel in strength stationed
about those who have kept the word of Christ's patience. With
sympathizing tenderness, angels have witnessed their distress and have
heard their prayers. They are waiting the word of their Commander to
snatch them from their peril. But they must wait yet a little longer.
The people of God must drink
Page 631
of the cup and be baptized with the
baptism. The very delay, so painful to them, is the best answer to their
petitions. As they endeavor to wait trustingly for the Lord to work they
are led to exercise faith, hope, and patience, which have been too
little exercised during their religious experience. Yet for the elect's
sake the time of trouble will be shortened. "Shall not God avenge His
own elect, which cry day and night unto Him? . . . I tell you that He
will avenge them speedily." Luke 18:7, 8. The end will come more quickly
than men expect. The wheat will be gathered and bound in sheaves for the
garner of God; the tares will be bound as fagots for the fires of
destruction.
The heavenly sentinels, faithful to
their trust, continue their watch. Though a general decree has fixed the
time when commandment keepers may be put to death, their enemies will in
some cases anticipate the decree, and before the time specified, will
endeavor to take their lives. But none can pass the mighty guardians
stationed about every faithful soul. Some are assailed in their flight
from the cities and villages; but the swords raised against them break
and fall powerless as a straw. Others are defended by angels in the form
of men of war.
In all ages, God has wrought through
holy angels for the succor and deliverance of His people. Celestial
beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. They have
appeared clothed in garments that shone as the lightning; they have come
as men in the garb of wayfarers. Angels have appeared in human form to
men of God. They have rested, as if weary, under the oaks at noon. They
have accepted the hospitalities of human homes. They have acted as
guides to benighted travelers. They have, with their own hands, kindled
the fires at the altar. They have opened prison doors and set free the
servants of the Lord. Clothed with the panoply of heaven, they came to
roll away the stone from the Saviour's tomb.
In the form of men, angels are often
in the assemblies of
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the righteous; and they visit the
assemblies of the wicked, as they went to Sodom, to make a record of
their deeds, to determine whether they have passed the boundary of God's
forbearance. The Lord delights in mercy; and for the sake of a few who
really serve Him, He restrains calamities and prolongs the tranquillity
of multitudes. Little do sinners against God realize that they are
indebted for their own lives to the faithful few whom they delight to
ridicule and oppress.
Though the rulers of this world know
it not, yet often in their councils angels have been spokesmen. Human
eyes have looked upon them; human ears have listened to their appeals;
human lips have opposed their suggestions and ridiculed their counsels;
human hands have met them with insult and abuse. In the council hall and
the court of justice these heavenly messengers have shown an intimate
acquaintance with human history; they have proved themselves better able
to plead the cause of the oppressed than were their ablest and most
eloquent defenders. They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that
would have greatly retarded the work of God and would have caused great
suffering to His people. In the hour of peril and distress "the angel of
the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."
Psalm 34:7.
With earnest longing, God's people
await the tokens of their coming King. As the watchmen are accosted,
"What of the night?" the answer is given unfalteringly, "'The morning
cometh, and also the night.' Isaiah 21:11, 12. Light is gleaming upon
the clouds above the mountaintops. Soon there will be a revealing of His
glory. The Sun of Righteousness is about to shine forth. The morning and
the night are both at hand--the opening of endless day to the righteous,
the settling down of eternal night to the wicked."
As the wrestling ones urge their
petitions before God, the veil separating them from the unseen seems
almost withdrawn. The heavens glow with the dawning of eternal day, and
like the melody of angel songs the words fall upon the
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ear: "Stand fast to your allegiance. Help
is coming." Christ, the almighty Victor, holds out to His weary soldiers
a crown of immortal glory; and His voice comes from the gates ajar: "Lo,
I am with you. Be not afraid. I am acquainted with all your sorrows; I
have borne your griefs. You are not warring against untried enemies. I
have fought the battle in your behalf, and in My name you are more than
conquerors."
The precious Saviour will send help
just when we need it. The way to heaven is consecrated by His
footprints. Every thorn that wounds our feet has wounded His. Every
cross that we are called to bear He has borne before us. The Lord
permits conflicts, to prepare the soul for peace. The time of trouble is
a fearful ordeal for God's people; but it is the time for every true
believer to look up, and by faith he may see the bow of promise
encircling him.
"The redeemed of the Lord shall
return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be
upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and
mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art
thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the
son of man which shall be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy
Maker; . . . and hast feared continually every day because of the fury
of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury
of the oppressor? The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and
that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I
am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord
of hosts is His name. And I have put My words in thy mouth, and I have
covered thee in the shadow of Mine hand." Isaiah 51:11-16.
"Therefore hear now this, thou
afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: Thus saith thy Lord the Lord,
and thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people, Behold, I have taken
out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of My
fury; thou shalt no more drink it again: but I will put it into the hand
of them that afflict thee; which have said
Page 634
to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go
over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to
them that went over." Verses 21-23.
The eye of God, looking down the ages,
was fixed upon the crisis which His people are to meet, when earthly
powers shall be arrayed against them. Like the captive exile, they will
be in fear of death by starvation or by violence. But the Holy One who
divided the Red Sea before Israel, will manifest His mighty power and
turn their captivity. "They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in
that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare them, as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him." Malachi 3:17. If the blood of
Christ's faithful witnesses were shed at this time, it would not, like
the blood of the martyrs, be as seed sown to yield a harvest for God.
Their fidelity would not be a testimony to convince others of the truth;
for the obdurate heart has beaten back the waves of mercy until they
return no more. If the righteous were now left to fall a prey to their
enemies, it would be a triumph for the prince of darkness. Says the
psalmist: "In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in
the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me." Psalm 27:5. Christ has
spoken: "Come, My people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy
doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the
indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity." Isaiah
26:20, 21. Glorious will be the deliverance of those who have patiently
waited for His coming and whose names are written in the book of life.
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