PART FIFTEEN
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST TO THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM
In this study, we will view events at the time of the Second Advent, as they relate primarily to the redeemed but also to the wicked. These are the pre-ascension events. They occur at the time of Christ's second coming, before Jesus and the redeemed begin their journey to heaven.
In the next study, we will view (1) the post-ascension events on earth, which Is the death of the living wicked, and the binding of Satan to this planet for a thousand years; and (2) the post-ascension events of the redeemed; which includes their journey to heaven, their coronation and entrance Into the Holy City, and the sentencing judgment.
1 - PRE-ASCENSION EVENTS
THE JUBILEE BEGINS
1 - The commencement of the jubilee.
“Then commenced the Jubilee, when the land should rest." Early Writings, 85:1 (286:1).
In ancient Israel, every seventh year and fiftieth year were rest years for the land. Because the seventh-day Sabbath has been violated for 6,000 years, it is quite appropriate that the land will be able to rest for the seventh thousand years. As Jerusalem was destroyed because the people refused to keep the Sabbath (Jer 17:2127), so the world will be destroyed because its inhabitants refused to keep the Sabbath. (This emphasis on Sabbath-keeping is due to the fact that the Sabbath cannot be properly observed without obeying God fully in every other way.) At last the land and people will have rest. -But at what a cost. The world is shattered and the wicked are dead.
Some try to date the Second Advent by the jubilee cycle, but this cannot be done. Why? Three good reasons: (1) No one knows the exact date the jubilee cycle should begin with. (2) God's Inspired Word has told us several times that no man will know the date of the second coming (2SM 113; GC 456-457; DA 632-633; FE 335; 1T 409; TM 55,61; 1SM 75-76; EW 22; 1 T 72-73) until it is declared in the skies at the sounding of the Voice of God. (3) There is even a question whether the Jubilee is a 49 or 50-year cycle.
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THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN
1 - Christ returns in a cloud.
"Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant." Great Controversy, 640:3-641:0.
"Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till It was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man." Early Writings, 15:2-16:0.
"At first we did not see Jesus on the cloud, but as it drew near the earth we could behold His lovely person. This cloud, when it first appeared, was the sign of the Son of man in heaven." Early Writings, 35:1.
"The clouds of heaven will clash, and there will be darkness. Then that voice comes from heaven and the clouds begin to roll back like a scroll, and there is the bright, clear sign of the Son of man. The children of God know what that cloud means." Maranatha, 279:5.
The faithful see it and hear the sound of music as it nears.
"The clouds begin to roll back like a scroll and there is the bright, clear sign of the Son of man. The children of God know what that cloud means. The sound of music is heard, and as it nears, the graves are opened and the dead are raised." 9 Manuscript Releases, 251:3-252:1.
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THE TIMING OF THE SECOND ADVENT
It is impossible for us to know when Christ will return, until He Himself tells us at the sounding of the Voice of God, just prior to that event. No man has a true message of time-setting In regard to the second coming of Christ (2SM 113), and to try to do so pleases Satan (GC 457). We have been warned against doing this (DA 632-633; FE 335; GC 456-457; 1T 409; TM 55, 61), and we should beware of doing it (TM 55, 61; 1 SM 75-76). When men do it, they only weaken the faith of God's people (EW 22; 1T 72-73).
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JESUS RETURNS FOR HIS PEOPLE
1 - Christ, veiled in humanity, departed from this world.
"Christ had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity. The disciples had beheld the cloud receive Him. The same Jesus who had walked and talked and prayed With them; who had broken bread with them; who had been with them in their boats on the lake; and who had that very day toiled with them up the ascent of Olivet,-the same Jesus had now gone to share His Father's throne. And the angels had assured them that the very One whom they had seen go up into heaven, would come again even as He had ascended." Desire of Ages, 832:2.
2 - Christ, glorified in humanity, will return again.
"The glory of Christ's humanity did not appear when He was upon the earth. He was regarded as a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from Him. But He was pursuing the path [which] the plan of God had devised. That same humanity now appears as He descends from heaven, robed in glory, triumphant, exalted." In Heavenly Places, 358:3.
3 - The appearance of Christ as He returns.
"Upon It sat the Son of man. His hair was white and curly and lay on His shoulders; and upon His head were many crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in His right hand was a sharp sickle; in His left, a silver trumpet." Early Writings, 16:0.
4 - He will return amid great glory.
"Christ will come In His own glory, in the glory of His Father, and in the glory of the holy angels. Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels, the beautiful, triumphant sons of God, possessing surpassing loveliness and glory, will escort Him on His way. In the place of a crown of thorns, He will wear a crown of glory-a crown within a crown. In the place of that old purple robe, He will be clothed In a garment of whitest white, 'so as no fuller on earth can white' (Mark 9:3) it. And on His vesture and on His thigh a name will be written, 'King of kings, and Lord of lords.' " Our High Calling, 367:2.
5 - Millions of angels accompany Him, and the glory fills the sky.
"Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror. Not now a 'Man of Sorrows,' to drink the bitter cup of shame and woe, He comes, victor in heaven and earth, to judge the living and the dead. 'Faithful and True,' 'in righteousness He doth judge and make war.' And 'the armies which were in heaven' (Revelation 19:11, 14) follow Him. With anthems of celestial melody the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng, attend Him on His way. The firmament seems filled with radiant forms-'ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.' No human pen can portray the scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor. 'His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light.' " Great Controversy, 641:0.
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EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM AS THEY AWAKEN TO THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION
1 - Every person in the world sees Him return.
"As the living cloud comes still nearer, every eye beholds the Prince of life. No crown of thorns now mars that sacred head; but a diadem of glory rests on His holy brow. His countenance outshines the dazzling brightness of the noonday sun. 'And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.' " Great Controversy, 641:0.
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THE DISPLAY OF OVERMASTERING POWER BRINGS FEAR AND APPREHENSION
1 - The wicked are terrified, and the saints are apprehensive. But Jesus reassures His own.
"Before His presence 'all faces are turned into paleness;' upon the rejecters of God's mercy falls the terror of eternal despair. 'The heart melteth, and the knees smite together, . . and the faces of them all gather blackness.' Jeremiah 30:6; Nahum 2:10. The righteous cry with trembling: 'Who shall be able to stand?' The angels' song Is hushed, and there is a period of awful silence. Then the voice of Jesus is heard, saying: 'My grace is sufficient for you.' The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy fills every heart. And the angels strike a note higher and sing again as they draw still nearer to the earth." Great Controversy, 641 :1.
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THE HEAVENS AND EARTH ARE SHAKEN
1 - His arrival in the skies shakes the earth to its foundations.
"The King of kings descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place. 'Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous around about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people.' " Great Controversy, 641:2-642:0.
Note: There is a shaking of the earth at the Voice of God (before the second advent), and a second one at the second advent. (Compare Great Controversy, 637:0 and 642:0.)
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CRYING FOR THE ROCKS TO FALL THE WICKED FLEE INTO CAVES
1 - The flight into the caves as they cry to the rocks to fall on them.
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves In the dens and In the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, arid from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?' " Great Controversy, 642:1.
2 - They call to their gods.
"When the earth is reeling to and fro like a drunkard, when the heavens are shaking and the great day of the Lord has come, who shall be able to stand? One object they behold in trembling agony from which they will try In vain to escape. 'Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him' (Revelation 1:7). The unsaved utter wild imprecations to dumb nature—their god: 'Mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne' (Revelation 6:16)." That I May Know Him, 956:1.
3 - Some of the wicked flee into caves recently vacated by the faithful.
"The hidden ones have been scattered because of man's enmity against the law of Jehovah. They have been oppressed by all the powers of the earth. They have been scattered in the dens and caves of the earth through the violence of their adversaries, because they are true and obedient to Jehovah's laws. But deliverance comes to the people of God. To their enemies God will show Himself a God of just retribution.
"From the dens and the caves of the earth, that have been the secret hiding places of God's people, they are called forth as His witnesses, true and faithful.
"The people who have braved out their rebellion will fulfill the description given In Revelation 6:15-17. In these very caves and dens they find the very statement of truth in the letters and in the publications as witness against them. The shepherds who lead the sheep in false paths will hear the charge made against them, 'It was you who made light of truth. It was you who told us that God's law was abrogated, that it was a yoke of bondage. It was you who voiced the false doctrines when I was convicted that these Seventh-day Adventists had the truth. The blood of our souls is upon your priestly garments. . Now will you pay the ransom for my soul? . . What shall we do who listened to your garbling of the Scriptures and your turning into a lie the truth which If obeyed would have saved us?'
"When Christ comes to take vengeance on those who have educated and trained the people to trample on God's Sabbath, to tear down His memorial, and tread down with their feet the feed of His pastures, lamentations will be in vain. Those who trusted in the false shepherds had the word of God to search for themselves, and they find that God will judge every man who has had the truth and turned from the light because it involved self-denial and the cross. Rocks and mountains cannot screen them from the indignation of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb." Maranatha, 290:14.
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THE INSOLENCE OF THE WICKED IS ENDED AS THEY AWAKEN TO THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION
1 - The jests and lies are replaced by praying and weeping.
"The derisive jests have ceased. Lying lips are hushed into silence. The clash of arms, the tumult of battle, 'with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood' (Isaiah 9:5), is stilled. Nought now is heard but the voice of prayer and the sound of weeping and lamentation. The cry bursts forth from lips so lately scoffing: 'The great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?' The wicked pray to be burled beneath the rocks of the mountains rather than meet the face of Him whom they have despised and rejected." Great Controversy, 642:2.
2 - That Voice they know so well, for they have heard it for years.
"That voice which penetrates the ear of the dead, they know. How often have its plaintive, tender tones called them to repentance. How often has it been heard in the touching entreaties of a friend, a brother, a Redeemer. To the rejecters of His grace no other could be so full of condemnation, so burdened with denunciation, as that voice which has so long pleaded. . That voice awakens memories which they would fain blot out—warnings despised, invitations refused, privileges slighted." Great Controversy, 642:3.
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THOSE ALSO WHO PIERCED HIM SHALL SEE HIM RETURN
1 - What a day that will be.
"What a day that will be, when those who rejected Christ will look upon Him whom their sins have pierced." Maranatha, 292:9.
2 - Those who mocked Him will see Him return.
"There are those who mocked Christ in His humiliation. With thrilling power come to their minds the Sufferer's words, when, adjured by the high priest, He solemnly declared: 'Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.' Matthew 26:64. Now they behold Him In His glory, and they are yet to see Him sitting on the right hand of power [at His third advent)." Great Controversy, 643:1.
3 - Those who robed, crowned, smote, spate, nailed, and pierced Him will also see His return in glory.
“Those who derided His claim to be the Son of God are speechless now. There is the haughty Herod who jeered at His royal title and bade the mocking soldiers crown Him king. There are the very men who with impious hands placed upon His form the purple robe, upon His sacred brow the thorny crown, and in His unresisting hand the mimic sceptre, and bowed before Him in blasphemous mockery. The men who smote and spit upon the Prince of life now turn from His piercing gaze and seek to flee from the overpowering glory of His presence. Those who drove the nails through His hands and feet, the soldier who pierced His side, behold these marks with terror and remorse. . And now there rises a cry of mortal agony. Louder than the shout, 'Crucify Him, crucify Him,' which rang through the streets of Jerusalem, swells the awful, despairing wail, 'He is the Son of God! He is the true Messiah!' " Great Controversy, 643:2-644:0.
4 - They will look upon Him and wall.
"Those who have acted the most prominent part in the rejection and crucifixion of Christ come forth to see Him as He is, and those who have rejected Christ come up and see the saints glorified, and it is at that time that the saints are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. The very ones who placed upon Him the purple robe and put the crown of thorns upon His brow, and those who put the nails through His hands and feet, look upon Him and bewail." 9 Manuscript Releases, 252:1 (1886).
5 - They will call for the rocks to fall on them.
"They remember how His love was slighted and His compassion abused. They think of how Barabbas, a murderer and a robber, was chosen in His stead, how Jesus was crowned with thorns and scourged and crucified, how in the hours of His agony on the cross the priests and rulers taunted Him, saying, 'Let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He saved others, Himself He cannot save.' All the insult and despite offered to Christ, all the suffering caused to His disciples, will be as fresh in their recollection as when the satanic deeds were done.
"The voice which they heard so often in entreaty and persuasion will again sound in their ears. Every tone of gracious solicitation will vibrate as distinctly in their ears as when the Saviour spoke in the synagogues and on the street. Then those who pierced Him will call on the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb."-Last Day Events, 275:2-3.
Note: The truth that a special resurrection (of some of the wicked of earlier ages) occurs prior to the Second Advent is shown by the fact that those who pierced Christ will see Him return in the clouds of heaven.
6 - The Jewish rulers will see His second advent.
"As they [the Jewish rulers] gaze upon His glory, [at His second coming), there flashes before their minds the memory of the Son of Man clad in the garb of humanity. They remember how they treated Him, how they refused Him, and pressed close to the side of the great apostate. The scenes of Christ's life appear before them in all their clearness. All He did, all He said, the humiliation to which He descended to save them from the taint of sin, rises before them in condemnation.
"They behold Him riding into Jerusalem, and see Him break into an agony of tears over the impenitent city that would not receive His message. His voice, which was heard in invitation, in entreaty, in tones of tender solicitude, seems again to fall upon their ears. The scene in the garden of Gethsemane rises before them, and they hear Christ's amazing prayer, 'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
"Again they hear the voice of Pilate, saying, 'I find in him no fault at all.' They see the shameful scene in the judgment hall, when Barabbas stood by the side of Christ, and they had the privilege of choosing the guiltless One. They hear again the words of Pilate, 'Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?' They hear the response, 'Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.' To the question of Pilate, 'What shall I do then with Jesus?' the answer comes, 'Let him be crucified.'
"Again they see their Sacrifice bearing the reproach of the cross. They hear the loud, triumphant tones tauntingly exclaim, 'If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross: 'He saved others; himself he cannot save.'
"Now they behold Him not in the garden of Gethsemane, not in the judgment hall, not on the cross of Calvary. The signs of His humiliation have passed away, and they look upon the face of God- the face they spit upon, the face which priests and rulers struck with the palms of their hands. Now the truth in all its vividness is revealed to them." Maranatha, 293:15.
7 - Christ promised Caiaphas that this day would come.
"[At His trial], Caiaphas, raising his right arm toward heaven, addressed Jesus in the form of a solemn oath: 'I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
"Every ear was bent to listen, and every eye was fixed on His face as He answered, 'Thou hast said.' A heavenly light seemed to illuminate His pale countenance as He added, 'Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming In the clouds of heaven. '
"For a moment the divinity of Christ flashed through His guise of humanity. The high priest quailed before the penetrating eyes of the Saviour . . For a moment he felt as if standing before the eternal Judge, whose eye, which sees all things, was reading his soul, bringing to light mysteries supposed to be hidden with the dead.
"The scene passed from the priest's vision. . Rending his robe, . . he demanded that. , the prisoner be condemned for blasphemy. 'What further need have we of witnesses?' he said; 'behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye?' And they all condemned Him." Desire of Ages, 706:3; 707:1-708:1.
8 - The Jewish leaders made their choice, and, at His coming, they will later remember it.
"Thus the Jewish leaders made their choice. Their decision was registered in the book which John saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, the book which no man could open. In all its vindictiveness this decision will appear before them in the day when this book is unsealed by the Lion of the tribe of Judah,"-Christ's Object Lessons, 294:1.
"When Christ comes the second time, not as a prisoner surrounded by a rabble will they see Him. They will see Him as heaven's King. . Then the priests and rulers will remember distinctly the scene in the judgment hall. Every circumstance will appear before them as if written in letters of fire." Maranatha, 282:7.
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THE SAINTS CRY OUT "THIS IS OUR GOD; HE WILL SAVE US!"
1 - The faithful cry, "He will save us!"
"In the lives of all who reject truth there are moments when conscience awakens, when memory presents the torturing recollection of a life of hypocrisy and the soul is harassed with vain regrets. But what are these compared with the remorse of that day when 'fear cometh as desolation,' when 'destruction cometh as a whirlwind" Proverbs 1:27. Those who would have destroyed Christ and His faithful people now witness the glory which rests upon them. In the midst of their terror they hear the voices of the saints in joyful strains exclaiming: 'Lo, this Is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us."' Great Controversy, 644:1.
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THE RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD
1 - Sequence: (1) Those that died in Christ had partaken of the divine nature. (2) After death, they were guarded by angels. (3) The second advent of Christ occurs. (4) Jesus views their graves, and sounds His silver trumpet. (5) He cries, "Awake, awake. . !" (6) There is a mighty earthquake, and the graves are opened. (7) The first resurrection occurs as all the remaining righteous dead come to life, by virtue of the character they had received from Christ's righteousness. (8) As they rise from their prison-house, by the power of the Saviour In them while living, they are clothed with Immortal glory and cry, "0 death, where is thy sting? . . " (9) The living righteous unite with them in a long, glad shout of victory. (10) The wrinkles and other marks of earth are gone, but they recognize one another.
"Amid the reeling of the earth, the flash of lightening and the roar of thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He looks upon the graves of the righteous, then, raising His hands to heaven. He cries: 'Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!' Throughout the length and breadth of the earth the dead shall hear that voice, and they that hear shall live. And the whole earth shall ring with the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. From the prison house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory, crying: '0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?' 1 Corinthians 15:55. And the living righteous and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory." Great Controversy, 644:2.
"Then Jesus' sliver trumpet sounded, as He descended on the cloud wrapped in flames of tire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints, then raised His eyes and hands to heaven, and cried, 'Awake! awake! awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise.' Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality.” Early Writings, 16:1.
"The Life-giver will call up His purchased possession in the first resurrection, and until that triumphant hour, when the last trump shall sound and the vast army shall come forth to eternal victory, every sleeping saint will be kept in safety and will be guarded as a precious jewel, who is known to God by name. By the power of the Saviour that dwelt in them while living and because they were partakers of the divine nature, they are brought forth from the dead." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:1.
" 'The hour is coming,' Christ said, 'in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth.' That voice is to resound through all the habitations of the dead; and every saint who sleeps In Jesus will awake and leave his prison-house. Then the virtue of character we have received from Christ's righteousness will ally us to true greatness of the highest order." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:2.
"The victory of the sleeping saints will be glorious on the morning of the resurrection. . The Life-giver will crown with immortality all who come forth from the grave." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:3.
"Those who sleep in Jesus will be called from their prison house. . to a glorious Immortality.. He has risen, dear friends, and in your despondency you may know. . that Jesus is by your side to give you peace.
"I know what I am talking about. I have seen the time when I thought the waves were going over my head; in that time I felt my Saviour precious to me. When my eldest son was taken from me I felt my grief was very great, but Jesus came to my side and I felt His peace in my soul. . When our friends go into the grave they are beautiful to us. It may be our father or mother that we lay away: when they come forth those wrinkles are all gone but the figure is there, and we know them.
"We want to be prepared to meet these dear friends as they come forth in the resurrection morning. . Shall we lay hold upon the hope set before us in the gospel that we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is?" In Heavenly Places, 353:1-2, 3-4.
2 - That Voice, calling forth His own, resounds through all the nations of the dead.
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth' [John 5:28-29]: This voice Is soon to resound through all the nations of the dead, and every saint who sleeps In Jesus shall awake and leave his prison house." Last Day Events, 276:2.
"The precious dead, from Adam down to the last saint who dies, will hear the voice of the Son of God and will come forth from the grave to immortal life." Desire of Ages, 606:1.
3 - Hated on earth, the beloved of Heaven come forth from their graves.
"The heirs of God have come from garrets, from hovels, from dungeons, from scaffolds, from mountains, from deserts, from the caves of the earth, from the caverns of the sea. On earth they were 'destitute, afflicted, tormented.' Millions went down to the grave loaded with infamy because they steadfastly refused to yield to the deceptive claims of Satan. By human tribunals they were adjudged the vilest of criminals. But now God is 'judge Himself.' " Great Controversy, 650:1.
4 - From mountains and mines.
“When Christ comes to gather to Himself those who have been faithful, the last trump will sound, and the whole earth, from the summit of the loftiest mountains to the lowest recesses of the deepest mines, will hear. The righteous dead will hear the sound of the last trump, and will come forth from their graves, to be clothed with immortality and to meet their Lord." 7 Bible Commentary, 909/1:2.
5 - From caverns, dungeons, caves and oceans.
"I dwell with pleasure upon the resurrection of the just, who shall come forth from all parts of the earth, from rock cavern, from dungeons, from caves of the earth, from the waters of the deep. Not one is overlooked. Every one shall hear His voice. They will come forth with triumph and victory." Last Day Events, 278:1.
8 - From caverns, dungeons, and wells.
"What a scene will these mountains and hills (in Switzerland) present when Christ, the Life-giver, shall call forth the dead! They will come from caverns, from dungeons, from deep wells, where their bodies have been buried." Last Day Events, 278:2.
7 - From mountains, caves, dens, and dungeons.
"In the vastness of the mountains, in the caves and dens of the earth, the Saviour reveals His presence and His glory.
"Yet a little while, and He that is to come will come and will not tarry. His eyes as a flame of fire penetrate into the fast-closed dungeons and hunt out the hidden ones, for their names are written in the Lamb's book of life. The eyes of the Saviour are above us, around us, noting every difficulty, discerning every danger; and there is no place where His eyes cannot penetrate, no sorrows and sufferings of His people where the sympathy of Christ does not reach.
"The child of God will be terror-stricken at the first sight of the majesty of Jesus Christ. He feels that he cannot live in His holy presence. But the word comes to him as to John, 'Fear not.' Jesus laid His right hand upon John; He raised him up from his prostrate position. So will He do unto His loyal, trusting ones." That I May Know Him, 360:3.
8 - Christ's resurrection Is a sample of what the resurrection of each of His faithful ones will be like.
"The resurrection of Jesus was a sample of the final resurrection of all who sleep in Him." Maranatha, 302:1.
9 - It is only because of our earlier union with Christ here on earth, that we will come forth from the grave.
"Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave -not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal." Maranatha, 902:6.
10 - Eternal life is only possible in and through Christ. "Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. 'I lay it down of myself.' He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ." Maranatha, 902:9.
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THE APPEARANCE OF THE SAINTS
1 - They will come forth the same in size, but with youthful, eternal vigour.
"All come forth from their graves the same in stature as when they entered the tomb. Adam, who stands among the risen throng, is of lofty height and majestic form, in stature but little below the Son of God. He presents a marked contrast to the people of later generations; in this one respect is shown the great degeneracy of the race. But all arise with the freshness and vigor of eternal youth. . All blemishes and deformities are left in the grave. Restored to the tree of life in the long-lost Eden, the redeemed will 'grow up' (Malachi 4:2) to the full stature of the race in its primeval glory." Great Controversy, 644:3-645:0.
2 - Their personal identity will be preserved.
"Our personal identity is preserved in the resurrection, though not the same particles of matter or material substance as went into the grave." 6 Bible Commentary, 1093/1:2 [The entire passage Is worth reading].
3 - They will be given a higher nature.
"When Christ comes, He takes those who have purified their souls by obeying the truth. . This mortal shall put on immortality, and these corruptible bodies, subject to disease, will be changed from mortal to immortal. We shall then be gifted with a higher nature. The bodies of all who purify their souls by obeying the truth shall be glorified. They will have fully received and believed in Jesus Christ." -3 Selected Messages, 427:3.
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LIVING SAINTS MADE IMMORTAL AND CAUGHT UP WITH THE RISEN SAINTS
1 - They are made immortal, and caught up to Jesus.
"The living righteous are changed 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,' At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord In the air." Great Controversy, 645:1.
2 - Changed in a moment, they meet their Lord in the air.
"The voice of the Son of God called forth the sleeping saints, clothed with glorious immortality. The living saints were changed In a moment and were caught up with them into the cloudy chariot." Early Writings, 35:1.
3 - They ascend amid shouts of glory and victory.
"And the graves were opened, and the saints came forth, clothed with immortality, crying, 'Victory over death and the grave'; and together with the living saints they were caught up to meet their Lord In the air, while rich, musical shouts of glory and victory were upon every immortal tongue." Early Writings, 273:0.
4 - The meeting in the sky.
"There stands the risen host. The last thought was of death and its pangs. The last thoughts they had were of the grave and the tomb, but now they proclaim, '0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?' . . Here they stand and the finishing touch of immortality is put upon them and they go up to meet their Lord in the air. . There are the columns of angels on either side; . . then the angelic choir strike the note of victory and the angels in the two columns take up the song and the redeemed host join as though they had been singing the song on the earth, and they have been. Oh, what music! There is not an inharmonious note. Every voice proclaims, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.' He sees the travail of His soul, and is satisfied." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:4
5 - When we receive holy flesh.
"When human beings receive holy flesh, they will not remain on the earth, but will be taken to heaven. While sin is forgiven in this life, its results are not now wholly removed. It is at His coming that Christ is to 'change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.' " 2 Selected Messages, 33:3.
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FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES ARE REUNITED
1 - Angela bring loved ones together. "Angels' gather together H is elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.' Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers' arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part." Great Controversy, 645:1.
2 - Infants wing their way to their mothers. "As the little Infants come forth immortal from their dusty beds, they immediately wing their way to their mother's arms." 2 Selected Messages, 260:1. (For more on children in heaven, read 2 Selected Messages, 260, and Early Writings, 19.)
3 - Friends are recognized.
"The 144,000 shouted. 'Alleluia!' as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." Early Writings, 16:1.
"We shall know our friends, even as the disciples knew Jesus. They may have been deformed, diseased, or disfigured, in this mortal life, and they rise in perfect health and symmetry; yet in the glorified body their identity will be perfectly preserved. Then shall we know even as also we are known. 1 Corinthians 13:12. In the face radiant with the light shining from the face of Jesus, we shall recognize the lineaments of those we love." Desire of Ages, 804:1.
"He will come to honor those who have loved Him, and kept His commandments, and to take them to Himself. He has not forgotten them nor His promise. There will be a re-linking of the family chain." Desire of Ages, 692:9.
4 - They meet those who brought them to Christ.
"The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they have with these souls! 'I was a sinner,' it will be said, 'without God and without hope in the world, and you came to me and drew my attention to the precious Saviour as my only hope. . Others will say, 'I was a heathen in heathen lands. You left your friends and comfortable home and came to teach me how to find Jesus and believe in Him as the only true God. I demolished my idols and worshiped God, and now I see Him face to face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to behold Him whom I love. .'
"Others will express their gratitude to those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked. 'When despair bound my soul in unbelief, the Lord sent you to me,’ they say, 'to speak words of hope and comfort. You brought me food for my physical necessities, and you opened to me the Word of God, awakening me to my spiritual needs. You treated me as a brother. You sympathized with me in my sorrows, and restored my bruised and wounded soul, so that I could grasp the hand of Christ that was reached out to save me, In my ignorance you taught me patiently that I had a Father in heaven who cared for me, You read to me the precious promises of God's Word, You Inspired In me the faith that He would save me. My heart was softened, subdued, broken, as I contemplated the sacrifice which Christ had made for me, . I am here, saved, eternally saved, ever to live in His presence and to praise Him who gave His life for me.'
"What rejoicing there will be as these redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf! And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings—how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction!" My Life Today, 353:1-3.
5 - They will meet those who gave them papers which brought them to Jesus.
"I was shown men and women studying with intense interest papers and a few pages of tracts upon present truth. They would read the evidences so wonderful and new to them, and would open their Bibles with a deep and new interest, as subjects of truth that had been dark to them were made plain, especially the light in regard to the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment. As they searched the Scriptures to see if these things were so, a new light shone upon their understanding, for angels were hovering over them, and impressing their minds with the truths contained in the publications they had been reading.
"I saw them holding papers and tracts in one hand, and the Bible in the other, while their cheeks were wet with tears; and bowing before God in earnest, humble prayer, to be guided into all truth,—the very thing He was doing for them before they called upon Him, And when the truth was received in their hearts, and they saw the harmonious chain of truth, the Bible was to them a new book; they hugged it to their hearts with grateful joy, while their countenances were all aglow with happiness and holy joy." Life Sketches, 214:3-215:1.
6 - Oh, we must be there!
"Only those who are holy, those who have followed fully the meek Pattern, will with rapturous joy exclaim as they behold Him, 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.' And they will be changed 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump' that trump which wakes the sleeping saints, and calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality, and shouting, 'Victory! Victory over death and the grave!' The changed saints are then caught up together with the angels to meet the Lord In the air, never more to be separated from the object of their love.
"With such a prospect as this before us, such a glorious hope, such a redemption that Christ has purchased for us by His own blood, shall we hold our peace? Shall we not praise God even with a loud voice, as did the disciples when Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Is not our prospect far more glorious than was theirs? Who dare then forbid us glorifying God, even with a loud voice, when we have such a hope, big with immortality, and full of glory? We have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and long for more. My whole being cries out after the living God, and I shall not be satisfied until I am filled with all His fullness." Early Writings, 110:1-2.
7 - A summary of the final triumph of the redeemed.
"The Life-giver is coming to break the fetters of the tomb. He is to bring forth the captives and proclaim, 'I am the resurrection and the life.' There stands the risen host. The last thought was of death and its pangs. The last thoughts they had were of the grave and the tomb, but now they proclaim, '0, death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory' (1 Corinthians 15:55). The pangs of death were the last things they felt.
"When they awake the pain is all gone. '0 grave, where is thy victory?' Here they stand and the finishing touch of Immortality is put upon them and they go up to meet their Lord in the air. The gates of the city of God swing back upon their hinges, and the nations that have kept the truth enter in. .
"There are the columns of angels on either side, and the ransomed of God walk in through the cherubim and seraphim. Christ bids them welcome and puts upon them His benediction: 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant: . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord' (Matthew 25:21). What is that joy? He sees of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied. That is what we labor for.
"Here is one, who in the night season we pleaded with God on his behalf. There is one that we talked with on his dying bed, and he hung his helpless soul upon Jesus. Here is one who was a poor drunkard. We tried to get his eyes fixed upon Him who is mighty to save and we told him that Christ could give him the victory. There are the Crowns of Immortal glory upon their heads, and then the redeemed cast their glittering crowns at the feet of Jesus; and then the angelic choir strikes the note of victory and the angels in the two columns take up the song and the redeemed host join as though they had been singing the song on the earth, and they have been.
"Oh, what music! There is not an inharmonious note. Every voice proclaims, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain' (Revelation 5:12). He sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied. Do you think anyone there will take time to tell of his trials and terrible difficulties? 'The former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind' (Isaiah 65: 17). 'God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes' (Revelation 21:4)." 3 Selected Messages, 430:5- 431:4.
9 - A third summary statement.
"But while anguish was upon the loyal and true who would not worship the beast or his image and accept and revere an idol sabbath, One said, 'Look up' Look up" Every eye was lifted" and the heavens seemed to part as a scroll when it is rolled together, and as Stephen looked into heaven, [so] we looked. The mockers were taunting and reviling us, and boasting of what they intended to do to us if we continued obstinate in holding fast our faith. But now we were as those who heard them not; we were gazing upon a scene that shut out everything else.
"There stood revealed the throne of God. Around it were ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands upon thousands, and close about the throne were the martyrs. Among this number I saw the very ones who were so recently in such abject misery, whom the world knew not, whom the world hated and despised.
"A voice said, 'Jesus, who is seated upon the throne, has so loved man that He gave His Life a sacrifice to redeem him from the power of Satan, and to exalt him to His throne. He who is above all powers, He who has the greatest influence in heaven and in earth, He to whom every soul is indebted for every favor he has received, was meek and lowly in disposition, holy, harmless, and undefiled in life.
"He was obedient to all His Father's commandments. Wickedness has filled the earth; it is defiled under the inhabitants thereof. The high places of the powers of earth have been polluted with corruption and base idolatries, but the time has come when righteousness shall receive the palm of victory and triumph. Those who were accounted by the world as weak and unworthy, those who were defenceless against the cruelty of men, shall be crowned conquerors and more than conquerors.' [Revelation 7:9-17 quoted.]
"They are before the throne enjoying the sunless splendours of eternal day, not as a scattered, feeble company, to suffer by the satanic passions of a rebellious world, expressing the sentiments, the doctrines, and the counsels of demons.
"Strong and terrible have become the masters of iniquity in the world under the control of Satan, but strong is the Lord God who judgeth Babylon. The just have no longer anything to fear from force or fraud as long as they are loyal and true. A mightier than the strong man armed is set for their defense. All power and greatness and excellence of character will be given to those who have believed and stood in defense of the truth, standing up and firmly defending the laws of God.
"Another heavenly being exclaimed with firm and musical voice, 'They have come out of great tribulation. They have walked in the fiery furnace in the world, heated intensely by the passions and caprices of men who would enforce upon them the worship of the beast and his image, who would compel them to be disloyal to the God of heaven.
"They have come from the mountains, from the rocks from the dens and caves of the earth, from dungeons, from prisons, from secret councils, from the torture chamber, from hovels, from garrets. They have passed through sore affliction, deep self-denial, and deep disappointment. They are no longer to be the sport and ridicule of wicked men. They are to be no longer mean and sorrowful in the eyes of those who despise them.
"Remove the filthy garments from them, with which wicked men have delighted to clothe them. Give them a change of raiment, even the white robes of righteousness, and set a fair mitre upon their heads.'
"They were clothed in richer robes than earthly beings had ever worn. They were crowned with diadems of glory such as human beings had never seen. The days of suffering, of reproach, of want, of hunger, are no more; weeping is past. Then they break forth in songs, loud, clear, and musical. They wave the palm branches of victory, and exclaim, 'Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb' (Revelation 7:10).
"Oh, may God endue us with His Spirit and make us strong In His strength! In that great day of supreme and final triumph it will be seen that the righteous were strong, and that wickedness in all its forms and with all its pride was a weak and miserable failure and defeat. We will cling close to Jesus, we will trust Him, we will seek His grace and His great salvation. We must hide in Jesus, for He is a covert from the storm, a present help in time of trouble." 3 Selected Messages, 428:2-430:4.
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST TO THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM
In this study, we will view events at the time of the Second Advent, as they relate primarily to the redeemed but also to the wicked. These are the pre-ascension events. They occur at the time of Christ's second coming, before Jesus and the redeemed begin their journey to heaven.
In the next study, we will view (1) the post-ascension events on earth, which Is the death of the living wicked, and the binding of Satan to this planet for a thousand years; and (2) the post-ascension events of the redeemed; which includes their journey to heaven, their coronation and entrance Into the Holy City, and the sentencing judgment.
1 - PRE-ASCENSION EVENTS
THE JUBILEE BEGINS
1 - The commencement of the jubilee.
“Then commenced the Jubilee, when the land should rest." Early Writings, 85:1 (286:1).
In ancient Israel, every seventh year and fiftieth year were rest years for the land. Because the seventh-day Sabbath has been violated for 6,000 years, it is quite appropriate that the land will be able to rest for the seventh thousand years. As Jerusalem was destroyed because the people refused to keep the Sabbath (Jer 17:2127), so the world will be destroyed because its inhabitants refused to keep the Sabbath. (This emphasis on Sabbath-keeping is due to the fact that the Sabbath cannot be properly observed without obeying God fully in every other way.) At last the land and people will have rest. -But at what a cost. The world is shattered and the wicked are dead.
Some try to date the Second Advent by the jubilee cycle, but this cannot be done. Why? Three good reasons: (1) No one knows the exact date the jubilee cycle should begin with. (2) God's Inspired Word has told us several times that no man will know the date of the second coming (2SM 113; GC 456-457; DA 632-633; FE 335; 1T 409; TM 55,61; 1SM 75-76; EW 22; 1 T 72-73) until it is declared in the skies at the sounding of the Voice of God. (3) There is even a question whether the Jubilee is a 49 or 50-year cycle.
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THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN
1 - Christ returns in a cloud.
"Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant." Great Controversy, 640:3-641:0.
"Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man's hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till It was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man." Early Writings, 15:2-16:0.
"At first we did not see Jesus on the cloud, but as it drew near the earth we could behold His lovely person. This cloud, when it first appeared, was the sign of the Son of man in heaven." Early Writings, 35:1.
"The clouds of heaven will clash, and there will be darkness. Then that voice comes from heaven and the clouds begin to roll back like a scroll, and there is the bright, clear sign of the Son of man. The children of God know what that cloud means." Maranatha, 279:5.
The faithful see it and hear the sound of music as it nears.
"The clouds begin to roll back like a scroll and there is the bright, clear sign of the Son of man. The children of God know what that cloud means. The sound of music is heard, and as it nears, the graves are opened and the dead are raised." 9 Manuscript Releases, 251:3-252:1.
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THE TIMING OF THE SECOND ADVENT
It is impossible for us to know when Christ will return, until He Himself tells us at the sounding of the Voice of God, just prior to that event. No man has a true message of time-setting In regard to the second coming of Christ (2SM 113), and to try to do so pleases Satan (GC 457). We have been warned against doing this (DA 632-633; FE 335; GC 456-457; 1T 409; TM 55, 61), and we should beware of doing it (TM 55, 61; 1 SM 75-76). When men do it, they only weaken the faith of God's people (EW 22; 1T 72-73).
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JESUS RETURNS FOR HIS PEOPLE
1 - Christ, veiled in humanity, departed from this world.
"Christ had ascended to heaven in the form of humanity. The disciples had beheld the cloud receive Him. The same Jesus who had walked and talked and prayed With them; who had broken bread with them; who had been with them in their boats on the lake; and who had that very day toiled with them up the ascent of Olivet,-the same Jesus had now gone to share His Father's throne. And the angels had assured them that the very One whom they had seen go up into heaven, would come again even as He had ascended." Desire of Ages, 832:2.
2 - Christ, glorified in humanity, will return again.
"The glory of Christ's humanity did not appear when He was upon the earth. He was regarded as a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. We hid as it were our faces from Him. But He was pursuing the path [which] the plan of God had devised. That same humanity now appears as He descends from heaven, robed in glory, triumphant, exalted." In Heavenly Places, 358:3.
3 - The appearance of Christ as He returns.
"Upon It sat the Son of man. His hair was white and curly and lay on His shoulders; and upon His head were many crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in His right hand was a sharp sickle; in His left, a silver trumpet." Early Writings, 16:0.
4 - He will return amid great glory.
"Christ will come In His own glory, in the glory of His Father, and in the glory of the holy angels. Ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of angels, the beautiful, triumphant sons of God, possessing surpassing loveliness and glory, will escort Him on His way. In the place of a crown of thorns, He will wear a crown of glory-a crown within a crown. In the place of that old purple robe, He will be clothed In a garment of whitest white, 'so as no fuller on earth can white' (Mark 9:3) it. And on His vesture and on His thigh a name will be written, 'King of kings, and Lord of lords.' " Our High Calling, 367:2.
5 - Millions of angels accompany Him, and the glory fills the sky.
"Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror. Not now a 'Man of Sorrows,' to drink the bitter cup of shame and woe, He comes, victor in heaven and earth, to judge the living and the dead. 'Faithful and True,' 'in righteousness He doth judge and make war.' And 'the armies which were in heaven' (Revelation 19:11, 14) follow Him. With anthems of celestial melody the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng, attend Him on His way. The firmament seems filled with radiant forms-'ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.' No human pen can portray the scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor. 'His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light.' " Great Controversy, 641:0.
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EVERY EYE SHALL SEE HIM AS THEY AWAKEN TO THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION
1 - Every person in the world sees Him return.
"As the living cloud comes still nearer, every eye beholds the Prince of life. No crown of thorns now mars that sacred head; but a diadem of glory rests on His holy brow. His countenance outshines the dazzling brightness of the noonday sun. 'And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.' " Great Controversy, 641:0.
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THE DISPLAY OF OVERMASTERING POWER BRINGS FEAR AND APPREHENSION
1 - The wicked are terrified, and the saints are apprehensive. But Jesus reassures His own.
"Before His presence 'all faces are turned into paleness;' upon the rejecters of God's mercy falls the terror of eternal despair. 'The heart melteth, and the knees smite together, . . and the faces of them all gather blackness.' Jeremiah 30:6; Nahum 2:10. The righteous cry with trembling: 'Who shall be able to stand?' The angels' song Is hushed, and there is a period of awful silence. Then the voice of Jesus is heard, saying: 'My grace is sufficient for you.' The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy fills every heart. And the angels strike a note higher and sing again as they draw still nearer to the earth." Great Controversy, 641 :1.
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THE HEAVENS AND EARTH ARE SHAKEN
1 - His arrival in the skies shakes the earth to its foundations.
"The King of kings descends upon the cloud, wrapped in flaming fire. The heavens are rolled together as a scroll, the earth trembles before Him, and every mountain and island is moved out of its place. 'Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous around about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people.' " Great Controversy, 641:2-642:0.
Note: There is a shaking of the earth at the Voice of God (before the second advent), and a second one at the second advent. (Compare Great Controversy, 637:0 and 642:0.)
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CRYING FOR THE ROCKS TO FALL THE WICKED FLEE INTO CAVES
1 - The flight into the caves as they cry to the rocks to fall on them.
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves In the dens and In the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, arid from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?' " Great Controversy, 642:1.
2 - They call to their gods.
"When the earth is reeling to and fro like a drunkard, when the heavens are shaking and the great day of the Lord has come, who shall be able to stand? One object they behold in trembling agony from which they will try In vain to escape. 'Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him' (Revelation 1:7). The unsaved utter wild imprecations to dumb nature—their god: 'Mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne' (Revelation 6:16)." That I May Know Him, 956:1.
3 - Some of the wicked flee into caves recently vacated by the faithful.
"The hidden ones have been scattered because of man's enmity against the law of Jehovah. They have been oppressed by all the powers of the earth. They have been scattered in the dens and caves of the earth through the violence of their adversaries, because they are true and obedient to Jehovah's laws. But deliverance comes to the people of God. To their enemies God will show Himself a God of just retribution.
"From the dens and the caves of the earth, that have been the secret hiding places of God's people, they are called forth as His witnesses, true and faithful.
"The people who have braved out their rebellion will fulfill the description given In Revelation 6:15-17. In these very caves and dens they find the very statement of truth in the letters and in the publications as witness against them. The shepherds who lead the sheep in false paths will hear the charge made against them, 'It was you who made light of truth. It was you who told us that God's law was abrogated, that it was a yoke of bondage. It was you who voiced the false doctrines when I was convicted that these Seventh-day Adventists had the truth. The blood of our souls is upon your priestly garments. . Now will you pay the ransom for my soul? . . What shall we do who listened to your garbling of the Scriptures and your turning into a lie the truth which If obeyed would have saved us?'
"When Christ comes to take vengeance on those who have educated and trained the people to trample on God's Sabbath, to tear down His memorial, and tread down with their feet the feed of His pastures, lamentations will be in vain. Those who trusted in the false shepherds had the word of God to search for themselves, and they find that God will judge every man who has had the truth and turned from the light because it involved self-denial and the cross. Rocks and mountains cannot screen them from the indignation of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb." Maranatha, 290:14.
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THE INSOLENCE OF THE WICKED IS ENDED AS THEY AWAKEN TO THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION
1 - The jests and lies are replaced by praying and weeping.
"The derisive jests have ceased. Lying lips are hushed into silence. The clash of arms, the tumult of battle, 'with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood' (Isaiah 9:5), is stilled. Nought now is heard but the voice of prayer and the sound of weeping and lamentation. The cry bursts forth from lips so lately scoffing: 'The great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?' The wicked pray to be burled beneath the rocks of the mountains rather than meet the face of Him whom they have despised and rejected." Great Controversy, 642:2.
2 - That Voice they know so well, for they have heard it for years.
"That voice which penetrates the ear of the dead, they know. How often have its plaintive, tender tones called them to repentance. How often has it been heard in the touching entreaties of a friend, a brother, a Redeemer. To the rejecters of His grace no other could be so full of condemnation, so burdened with denunciation, as that voice which has so long pleaded. . That voice awakens memories which they would fain blot out—warnings despised, invitations refused, privileges slighted." Great Controversy, 642:3.
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THOSE ALSO WHO PIERCED HIM SHALL SEE HIM RETURN
1 - What a day that will be.
"What a day that will be, when those who rejected Christ will look upon Him whom their sins have pierced." Maranatha, 292:9.
2 - Those who mocked Him will see Him return.
"There are those who mocked Christ in His humiliation. With thrilling power come to their minds the Sufferer's words, when, adjured by the high priest, He solemnly declared: 'Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.' Matthew 26:64. Now they behold Him In His glory, and they are yet to see Him sitting on the right hand of power [at His third advent)." Great Controversy, 643:1.
3 - Those who robed, crowned, smote, spate, nailed, and pierced Him will also see His return in glory.
“Those who derided His claim to be the Son of God are speechless now. There is the haughty Herod who jeered at His royal title and bade the mocking soldiers crown Him king. There are the very men who with impious hands placed upon His form the purple robe, upon His sacred brow the thorny crown, and in His unresisting hand the mimic sceptre, and bowed before Him in blasphemous mockery. The men who smote and spit upon the Prince of life now turn from His piercing gaze and seek to flee from the overpowering glory of His presence. Those who drove the nails through His hands and feet, the soldier who pierced His side, behold these marks with terror and remorse. . And now there rises a cry of mortal agony. Louder than the shout, 'Crucify Him, crucify Him,' which rang through the streets of Jerusalem, swells the awful, despairing wail, 'He is the Son of God! He is the true Messiah!' " Great Controversy, 643:2-644:0.
4 - They will look upon Him and wall.
"Those who have acted the most prominent part in the rejection and crucifixion of Christ come forth to see Him as He is, and those who have rejected Christ come up and see the saints glorified, and it is at that time that the saints are changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. The very ones who placed upon Him the purple robe and put the crown of thorns upon His brow, and those who put the nails through His hands and feet, look upon Him and bewail." 9 Manuscript Releases, 252:1 (1886).
5 - They will call for the rocks to fall on them.
"They remember how His love was slighted and His compassion abused. They think of how Barabbas, a murderer and a robber, was chosen in His stead, how Jesus was crowned with thorns and scourged and crucified, how in the hours of His agony on the cross the priests and rulers taunted Him, saying, 'Let Him come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He saved others, Himself He cannot save.' All the insult and despite offered to Christ, all the suffering caused to His disciples, will be as fresh in their recollection as when the satanic deeds were done.
"The voice which they heard so often in entreaty and persuasion will again sound in their ears. Every tone of gracious solicitation will vibrate as distinctly in their ears as when the Saviour spoke in the synagogues and on the street. Then those who pierced Him will call on the rocks and mountains to fall on them and hide them from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb."-Last Day Events, 275:2-3.
Note: The truth that a special resurrection (of some of the wicked of earlier ages) occurs prior to the Second Advent is shown by the fact that those who pierced Christ will see Him return in the clouds of heaven.
6 - The Jewish rulers will see His second advent.
"As they [the Jewish rulers] gaze upon His glory, [at His second coming), there flashes before their minds the memory of the Son of Man clad in the garb of humanity. They remember how they treated Him, how they refused Him, and pressed close to the side of the great apostate. The scenes of Christ's life appear before them in all their clearness. All He did, all He said, the humiliation to which He descended to save them from the taint of sin, rises before them in condemnation.
"They behold Him riding into Jerusalem, and see Him break into an agony of tears over the impenitent city that would not receive His message. His voice, which was heard in invitation, in entreaty, in tones of tender solicitude, seems again to fall upon their ears. The scene in the garden of Gethsemane rises before them, and they hear Christ's amazing prayer, 'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
"Again they hear the voice of Pilate, saying, 'I find in him no fault at all.' They see the shameful scene in the judgment hall, when Barabbas stood by the side of Christ, and they had the privilege of choosing the guiltless One. They hear again the words of Pilate, 'Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?' They hear the response, 'Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.' To the question of Pilate, 'What shall I do then with Jesus?' the answer comes, 'Let him be crucified.'
"Again they see their Sacrifice bearing the reproach of the cross. They hear the loud, triumphant tones tauntingly exclaim, 'If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross: 'He saved others; himself he cannot save.'
"Now they behold Him not in the garden of Gethsemane, not in the judgment hall, not on the cross of Calvary. The signs of His humiliation have passed away, and they look upon the face of God- the face they spit upon, the face which priests and rulers struck with the palms of their hands. Now the truth in all its vividness is revealed to them." Maranatha, 293:15.
7 - Christ promised Caiaphas that this day would come.
"[At His trial], Caiaphas, raising his right arm toward heaven, addressed Jesus in the form of a solemn oath: 'I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
"Every ear was bent to listen, and every eye was fixed on His face as He answered, 'Thou hast said.' A heavenly light seemed to illuminate His pale countenance as He added, 'Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming In the clouds of heaven. '
"For a moment the divinity of Christ flashed through His guise of humanity. The high priest quailed before the penetrating eyes of the Saviour . . For a moment he felt as if standing before the eternal Judge, whose eye, which sees all things, was reading his soul, bringing to light mysteries supposed to be hidden with the dead.
"The scene passed from the priest's vision. . Rending his robe, . . he demanded that. , the prisoner be condemned for blasphemy. 'What further need have we of witnesses?' he said; 'behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. What think ye?' And they all condemned Him." Desire of Ages, 706:3; 707:1-708:1.
8 - The Jewish leaders made their choice, and, at His coming, they will later remember it.
"Thus the Jewish leaders made their choice. Their decision was registered in the book which John saw in the hand of Him that sat upon the throne, the book which no man could open. In all its vindictiveness this decision will appear before them in the day when this book is unsealed by the Lion of the tribe of Judah,"-Christ's Object Lessons, 294:1.
"When Christ comes the second time, not as a prisoner surrounded by a rabble will they see Him. They will see Him as heaven's King. . Then the priests and rulers will remember distinctly the scene in the judgment hall. Every circumstance will appear before them as if written in letters of fire." Maranatha, 282:7.
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THE SAINTS CRY OUT "THIS IS OUR GOD; HE WILL SAVE US!"
1 - The faithful cry, "He will save us!"
"In the lives of all who reject truth there are moments when conscience awakens, when memory presents the torturing recollection of a life of hypocrisy and the soul is harassed with vain regrets. But what are these compared with the remorse of that day when 'fear cometh as desolation,' when 'destruction cometh as a whirlwind" Proverbs 1:27. Those who would have destroyed Christ and His faithful people now witness the glory which rests upon them. In the midst of their terror they hear the voices of the saints in joyful strains exclaiming: 'Lo, this Is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us."' Great Controversy, 644:1.
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THE RESURRECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD
1 - Sequence: (1) Those that died in Christ had partaken of the divine nature. (2) After death, they were guarded by angels. (3) The second advent of Christ occurs. (4) Jesus views their graves, and sounds His silver trumpet. (5) He cries, "Awake, awake. . !" (6) There is a mighty earthquake, and the graves are opened. (7) The first resurrection occurs as all the remaining righteous dead come to life, by virtue of the character they had received from Christ's righteousness. (8) As they rise from their prison-house, by the power of the Saviour In them while living, they are clothed with Immortal glory and cry, "0 death, where is thy sting? . . " (9) The living righteous unite with them in a long, glad shout of victory. (10) The wrinkles and other marks of earth are gone, but they recognize one another.
"Amid the reeling of the earth, the flash of lightening and the roar of thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He looks upon the graves of the righteous, then, raising His hands to heaven. He cries: 'Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!' Throughout the length and breadth of the earth the dead shall hear that voice, and they that hear shall live. And the whole earth shall ring with the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. From the prison house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory, crying: '0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?' 1 Corinthians 15:55. And the living righteous and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory." Great Controversy, 644:2.
"Then Jesus' sliver trumpet sounded, as He descended on the cloud wrapped in flames of tire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints, then raised His eyes and hands to heaven, and cried, 'Awake! awake! awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise.' Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality.” Early Writings, 16:1.
"The Life-giver will call up His purchased possession in the first resurrection, and until that triumphant hour, when the last trump shall sound and the vast army shall come forth to eternal victory, every sleeping saint will be kept in safety and will be guarded as a precious jewel, who is known to God by name. By the power of the Saviour that dwelt in them while living and because they were partakers of the divine nature, they are brought forth from the dead." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:1.
" 'The hour is coming,' Christ said, 'in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth.' That voice is to resound through all the habitations of the dead; and every saint who sleeps In Jesus will awake and leave his prison-house. Then the virtue of character we have received from Christ's righteousness will ally us to true greatness of the highest order." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:2.
"The victory of the sleeping saints will be glorious on the morning of the resurrection. . The Life-giver will crown with immortality all who come forth from the grave." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:3.
"Those who sleep in Jesus will be called from their prison house. . to a glorious Immortality.. He has risen, dear friends, and in your despondency you may know. . that Jesus is by your side to give you peace.
"I know what I am talking about. I have seen the time when I thought the waves were going over my head; in that time I felt my Saviour precious to me. When my eldest son was taken from me I felt my grief was very great, but Jesus came to my side and I felt His peace in my soul. . When our friends go into the grave they are beautiful to us. It may be our father or mother that we lay away: when they come forth those wrinkles are all gone but the figure is there, and we know them.
"We want to be prepared to meet these dear friends as they come forth in the resurrection morning. . Shall we lay hold upon the hope set before us in the gospel that we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is?" In Heavenly Places, 353:1-2, 3-4.
2 - That Voice, calling forth His own, resounds through all the nations of the dead.
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth' [John 5:28-29]: This voice Is soon to resound through all the nations of the dead, and every saint who sleeps In Jesus shall awake and leave his prison house." Last Day Events, 276:2.
"The precious dead, from Adam down to the last saint who dies, will hear the voice of the Son of God and will come forth from the grave to immortal life." Desire of Ages, 606:1.
3 - Hated on earth, the beloved of Heaven come forth from their graves.
"The heirs of God have come from garrets, from hovels, from dungeons, from scaffolds, from mountains, from deserts, from the caves of the earth, from the caverns of the sea. On earth they were 'destitute, afflicted, tormented.' Millions went down to the grave loaded with infamy because they steadfastly refused to yield to the deceptive claims of Satan. By human tribunals they were adjudged the vilest of criminals. But now God is 'judge Himself.' " Great Controversy, 650:1.
4 - From mountains and mines.
“When Christ comes to gather to Himself those who have been faithful, the last trump will sound, and the whole earth, from the summit of the loftiest mountains to the lowest recesses of the deepest mines, will hear. The righteous dead will hear the sound of the last trump, and will come forth from their graves, to be clothed with immortality and to meet their Lord." 7 Bible Commentary, 909/1:2.
5 - From caverns, dungeons, caves and oceans.
"I dwell with pleasure upon the resurrection of the just, who shall come forth from all parts of the earth, from rock cavern, from dungeons, from caves of the earth, from the waters of the deep. Not one is overlooked. Every one shall hear His voice. They will come forth with triumph and victory." Last Day Events, 278:1.
8 - From caverns, dungeons, and wells.
"What a scene will these mountains and hills (in Switzerland) present when Christ, the Life-giver, shall call forth the dead! They will come from caverns, from dungeons, from deep wells, where their bodies have been buried." Last Day Events, 278:2.
7 - From mountains, caves, dens, and dungeons.
"In the vastness of the mountains, in the caves and dens of the earth, the Saviour reveals His presence and His glory.
"Yet a little while, and He that is to come will come and will not tarry. His eyes as a flame of fire penetrate into the fast-closed dungeons and hunt out the hidden ones, for their names are written in the Lamb's book of life. The eyes of the Saviour are above us, around us, noting every difficulty, discerning every danger; and there is no place where His eyes cannot penetrate, no sorrows and sufferings of His people where the sympathy of Christ does not reach.
"The child of God will be terror-stricken at the first sight of the majesty of Jesus Christ. He feels that he cannot live in His holy presence. But the word comes to him as to John, 'Fear not.' Jesus laid His right hand upon John; He raised him up from his prostrate position. So will He do unto His loyal, trusting ones." That I May Know Him, 360:3.
8 - Christ's resurrection Is a sample of what the resurrection of each of His faithful ones will be like.
"The resurrection of Jesus was a sample of the final resurrection of all who sleep in Him." Maranatha, 302:1.
9 - It is only because of our earlier union with Christ here on earth, that we will come forth from the grave.
"Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave -not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal." Maranatha, 902:6.
10 - Eternal life is only possible in and through Christ. "Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. 'I lay it down of myself.' He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ." Maranatha, 902:9.
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THE APPEARANCE OF THE SAINTS
1 - They will come forth the same in size, but with youthful, eternal vigour.
"All come forth from their graves the same in stature as when they entered the tomb. Adam, who stands among the risen throng, is of lofty height and majestic form, in stature but little below the Son of God. He presents a marked contrast to the people of later generations; in this one respect is shown the great degeneracy of the race. But all arise with the freshness and vigor of eternal youth. . All blemishes and deformities are left in the grave. Restored to the tree of life in the long-lost Eden, the redeemed will 'grow up' (Malachi 4:2) to the full stature of the race in its primeval glory." Great Controversy, 644:3-645:0.
2 - Their personal identity will be preserved.
"Our personal identity is preserved in the resurrection, though not the same particles of matter or material substance as went into the grave." 6 Bible Commentary, 1093/1:2 [The entire passage Is worth reading].
3 - They will be given a higher nature.
"When Christ comes, He takes those who have purified their souls by obeying the truth. . This mortal shall put on immortality, and these corruptible bodies, subject to disease, will be changed from mortal to immortal. We shall then be gifted with a higher nature. The bodies of all who purify their souls by obeying the truth shall be glorified. They will have fully received and believed in Jesus Christ." -3 Selected Messages, 427:3.
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LIVING SAINTS MADE IMMORTAL AND CAUGHT UP WITH THE RISEN SAINTS
1 - They are made immortal, and caught up to Jesus.
"The living righteous are changed 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,' At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord In the air." Great Controversy, 645:1.
2 - Changed in a moment, they meet their Lord in the air.
"The voice of the Son of God called forth the sleeping saints, clothed with glorious immortality. The living saints were changed In a moment and were caught up with them into the cloudy chariot." Early Writings, 35:1.
3 - They ascend amid shouts of glory and victory.
"And the graves were opened, and the saints came forth, clothed with immortality, crying, 'Victory over death and the grave'; and together with the living saints they were caught up to meet their Lord In the air, while rich, musical shouts of glory and victory were upon every immortal tongue." Early Writings, 273:0.
4 - The meeting in the sky.
"There stands the risen host. The last thought was of death and its pangs. The last thoughts they had were of the grave and the tomb, but now they proclaim, '0 death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory?' . . Here they stand and the finishing touch of immortality is put upon them and they go up to meet their Lord in the air. . There are the columns of angels on either side; . . then the angelic choir strike the note of victory and the angels in the two columns take up the song and the redeemed host join as though they had been singing the song on the earth, and they have been. Oh, what music! There is not an inharmonious note. Every voice proclaims, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain.' He sees the travail of His soul, and is satisfied." Sons and Daughters of God, 359:4
5 - When we receive holy flesh.
"When human beings receive holy flesh, they will not remain on the earth, but will be taken to heaven. While sin is forgiven in this life, its results are not now wholly removed. It is at His coming that Christ is to 'change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body.' " 2 Selected Messages, 33:3.
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FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES ARE REUNITED
1 - Angela bring loved ones together. "Angels' gather together H is elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.' Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers' arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part." Great Controversy, 645:1.
2 - Infants wing their way to their mothers. "As the little Infants come forth immortal from their dusty beds, they immediately wing their way to their mother's arms." 2 Selected Messages, 260:1. (For more on children in heaven, read 2 Selected Messages, 260, and Early Writings, 19.)
3 - Friends are recognized.
"The 144,000 shouted. 'Alleluia!' as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air." Early Writings, 16:1.
"We shall know our friends, even as the disciples knew Jesus. They may have been deformed, diseased, or disfigured, in this mortal life, and they rise in perfect health and symmetry; yet in the glorified body their identity will be perfectly preserved. Then shall we know even as also we are known. 1 Corinthians 13:12. In the face radiant with the light shining from the face of Jesus, we shall recognize the lineaments of those we love." Desire of Ages, 804:1.
"He will come to honor those who have loved Him, and kept His commandments, and to take them to Himself. He has not forgotten them nor His promise. There will be a re-linking of the family chain." Desire of Ages, 692:9.
4 - They meet those who brought them to Christ.
"The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour. What blessed converse they have with these souls! 'I was a sinner,' it will be said, 'without God and without hope in the world, and you came to me and drew my attention to the precious Saviour as my only hope. . Others will say, 'I was a heathen in heathen lands. You left your friends and comfortable home and came to teach me how to find Jesus and believe in Him as the only true God. I demolished my idols and worshiped God, and now I see Him face to face. I am saved, eternally saved, ever to behold Him whom I love. .'
"Others will express their gratitude to those who fed the hungry and clothed the naked. 'When despair bound my soul in unbelief, the Lord sent you to me,’ they say, 'to speak words of hope and comfort. You brought me food for my physical necessities, and you opened to me the Word of God, awakening me to my spiritual needs. You treated me as a brother. You sympathized with me in my sorrows, and restored my bruised and wounded soul, so that I could grasp the hand of Christ that was reached out to save me, In my ignorance you taught me patiently that I had a Father in heaven who cared for me, You read to me the precious promises of God's Word, You Inspired In me the faith that He would save me. My heart was softened, subdued, broken, as I contemplated the sacrifice which Christ had made for me, . I am here, saved, eternally saved, ever to live in His presence and to praise Him who gave His life for me.'
"What rejoicing there will be as these redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf! And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings—how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction!" My Life Today, 353:1-3.
5 - They will meet those who gave them papers which brought them to Jesus.
"I was shown men and women studying with intense interest papers and a few pages of tracts upon present truth. They would read the evidences so wonderful and new to them, and would open their Bibles with a deep and new interest, as subjects of truth that had been dark to them were made plain, especially the light in regard to the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment. As they searched the Scriptures to see if these things were so, a new light shone upon their understanding, for angels were hovering over them, and impressing their minds with the truths contained in the publications they had been reading.
"I saw them holding papers and tracts in one hand, and the Bible in the other, while their cheeks were wet with tears; and bowing before God in earnest, humble prayer, to be guided into all truth,—the very thing He was doing for them before they called upon Him, And when the truth was received in their hearts, and they saw the harmonious chain of truth, the Bible was to them a new book; they hugged it to their hearts with grateful joy, while their countenances were all aglow with happiness and holy joy." Life Sketches, 214:3-215:1.
6 - Oh, we must be there!
"Only those who are holy, those who have followed fully the meek Pattern, will with rapturous joy exclaim as they behold Him, 'Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.' And they will be changed 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump' that trump which wakes the sleeping saints, and calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality, and shouting, 'Victory! Victory over death and the grave!' The changed saints are then caught up together with the angels to meet the Lord In the air, never more to be separated from the object of their love.
"With such a prospect as this before us, such a glorious hope, such a redemption that Christ has purchased for us by His own blood, shall we hold our peace? Shall we not praise God even with a loud voice, as did the disciples when Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Is not our prospect far more glorious than was theirs? Who dare then forbid us glorifying God, even with a loud voice, when we have such a hope, big with immortality, and full of glory? We have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and long for more. My whole being cries out after the living God, and I shall not be satisfied until I am filled with all His fullness." Early Writings, 110:1-2.
7 - A summary of the final triumph of the redeemed.
"The Life-giver is coming to break the fetters of the tomb. He is to bring forth the captives and proclaim, 'I am the resurrection and the life.' There stands the risen host. The last thought was of death and its pangs. The last thoughts they had were of the grave and the tomb, but now they proclaim, '0, death, where is thy sting? 0 grave, where is thy victory' (1 Corinthians 15:55). The pangs of death were the last things they felt.
"When they awake the pain is all gone. '0 grave, where is thy victory?' Here they stand and the finishing touch of Immortality is put upon them and they go up to meet their Lord in the air. The gates of the city of God swing back upon their hinges, and the nations that have kept the truth enter in. .
"There are the columns of angels on either side, and the ransomed of God walk in through the cherubim and seraphim. Christ bids them welcome and puts upon them His benediction: 'Well done, thou good and faithful servant: . . enter thou into the joy of thy lord' (Matthew 25:21). What is that joy? He sees of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied. That is what we labor for.
"Here is one, who in the night season we pleaded with God on his behalf. There is one that we talked with on his dying bed, and he hung his helpless soul upon Jesus. Here is one who was a poor drunkard. We tried to get his eyes fixed upon Him who is mighty to save and we told him that Christ could give him the victory. There are the Crowns of Immortal glory upon their heads, and then the redeemed cast their glittering crowns at the feet of Jesus; and then the angelic choir strikes the note of victory and the angels in the two columns take up the song and the redeemed host join as though they had been singing the song on the earth, and they have been.
"Oh, what music! There is not an inharmonious note. Every voice proclaims, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain' (Revelation 5:12). He sees of the travail of His soul and is satisfied. Do you think anyone there will take time to tell of his trials and terrible difficulties? 'The former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind' (Isaiah 65: 17). 'God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes' (Revelation 21:4)." 3 Selected Messages, 430:5- 431:4.
9 - A third summary statement.
"But while anguish was upon the loyal and true who would not worship the beast or his image and accept and revere an idol sabbath, One said, 'Look up' Look up" Every eye was lifted" and the heavens seemed to part as a scroll when it is rolled together, and as Stephen looked into heaven, [so] we looked. The mockers were taunting and reviling us, and boasting of what they intended to do to us if we continued obstinate in holding fast our faith. But now we were as those who heard them not; we were gazing upon a scene that shut out everything else.
"There stood revealed the throne of God. Around it were ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands upon thousands, and close about the throne were the martyrs. Among this number I saw the very ones who were so recently in such abject misery, whom the world knew not, whom the world hated and despised.
"A voice said, 'Jesus, who is seated upon the throne, has so loved man that He gave His Life a sacrifice to redeem him from the power of Satan, and to exalt him to His throne. He who is above all powers, He who has the greatest influence in heaven and in earth, He to whom every soul is indebted for every favor he has received, was meek and lowly in disposition, holy, harmless, and undefiled in life.
"He was obedient to all His Father's commandments. Wickedness has filled the earth; it is defiled under the inhabitants thereof. The high places of the powers of earth have been polluted with corruption and base idolatries, but the time has come when righteousness shall receive the palm of victory and triumph. Those who were accounted by the world as weak and unworthy, those who were defenceless against the cruelty of men, shall be crowned conquerors and more than conquerors.' [Revelation 7:9-17 quoted.]
"They are before the throne enjoying the sunless splendours of eternal day, not as a scattered, feeble company, to suffer by the satanic passions of a rebellious world, expressing the sentiments, the doctrines, and the counsels of demons.
"Strong and terrible have become the masters of iniquity in the world under the control of Satan, but strong is the Lord God who judgeth Babylon. The just have no longer anything to fear from force or fraud as long as they are loyal and true. A mightier than the strong man armed is set for their defense. All power and greatness and excellence of character will be given to those who have believed and stood in defense of the truth, standing up and firmly defending the laws of God.
"Another heavenly being exclaimed with firm and musical voice, 'They have come out of great tribulation. They have walked in the fiery furnace in the world, heated intensely by the passions and caprices of men who would enforce upon them the worship of the beast and his image, who would compel them to be disloyal to the God of heaven.
"They have come from the mountains, from the rocks from the dens and caves of the earth, from dungeons, from prisons, from secret councils, from the torture chamber, from hovels, from garrets. They have passed through sore affliction, deep self-denial, and deep disappointment. They are no longer to be the sport and ridicule of wicked men. They are to be no longer mean and sorrowful in the eyes of those who despise them.
"Remove the filthy garments from them, with which wicked men have delighted to clothe them. Give them a change of raiment, even the white robes of righteousness, and set a fair mitre upon their heads.'
"They were clothed in richer robes than earthly beings had ever worn. They were crowned with diadems of glory such as human beings had never seen. The days of suffering, of reproach, of want, of hunger, are no more; weeping is past. Then they break forth in songs, loud, clear, and musical. They wave the palm branches of victory, and exclaim, 'Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb' (Revelation 7:10).
"Oh, may God endue us with His Spirit and make us strong In His strength! In that great day of supreme and final triumph it will be seen that the righteous were strong, and that wickedness in all its forms and with all its pride was a weak and miserable failure and defeat. We will cling close to Jesus, we will trust Him, we will seek His grace and His great salvation. We must hide in Jesus, for He is a covert from the storm, a present help in time of trouble." 3 Selected Messages, 428:2-430:4.
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