Chap. 335---Day of Triumph

"Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the
prophecy of this book. Revelation 22:7.
We are rapidly approaching the end of this earth’s history; and as we realize
that Jesus is indeed coming soon, we shall be aroused to labor as never before....
We are to raise the banner on which is inscribed, “The commandments of God, and
the faith of Jesus.” Obedience to God’s law is the great issue. Let it not be put out
of sight....
The Lord desires to see the work of proclaiming the third angel’s message
carried forward with increasing efficiency. As He has worked in all ages to give
victories to His people, so in this age He longs to carry to a triumphant fulfillment
His purposes for His church. He bids His believing saints to advance unitedly,
going from strength to greater strength, from faith to increased assurance and
confidence in the truth and righteousness of His cause.
We are to stand firm as a rock to the principles of the Word of God,
remembering that God is with us to give us strength to meet each new experience.
Let us ever maintain in our lives the principles of righteousness.... We are to hold
as very sacred the faith that has been substantiated by the instruction and approval
of the Spirit of God from our earliest experience until the present time. We are to
cherish as very precious the work that the Lord has been carrying forward through
His commandment-keeping people, and which, through the power of His grace,
will grow stronger and more efficient as time advances. The enemy is seeking to
becloud the discernment of God’s people and to weaken their efficiency, but if they
will labor as the Spirit of God shall direct, He will open doors of opportunity before
them for the work of building up the old waste places. Their experience will be one
of constant growth, until the Lord shall descend from heaven with power and great
glory to set His seal of final triumph upon His faithful ones.
The work that lies before us is one that will put to the stretch every power of
the human being.... Jesus will be with you; ... and He will be your helper in every
emergency."

Chap. 334---Rewards and Punishments

"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:34.
The Saviour presents before us the scene of the last judgment when the reward is
given to those upon His right hand, and the sentence of condemnation to those upon
His left hand. The righteous are represented as wondering what they have done for
which they are to be so liberally rewarded. They had had the abiding presence of
Christ in their hearts; they had been imbued with His Spirit, and without conscious
effort on their part; they had been serving Christ in the person of His saints, and had
thereby gained the sure reward. But they had not had in view the reward they were
to receive, and the expectation of it had been no part of the motive that had actuated
their service. What they did was done from love to Christ and to their fellow-men,
and Christ identifies Himself with suffering humanity, and accounts that all deeds
done in sympathy and compassion and love to men, are done to Him....
In a subordinate sense we should all have respect unto the recompense of the
reward. But while we appreciate the promise of blessing, we should have perfect
confidence in Jesus Christ, believing that He will do right, and give us reward
according as our works have been. The gift of God is eternal life, but Jesus would
have us not so anxious concerning rewards, as that we may do the will of God
because it is right to do it, irrespective of all gain....
Those who will receive the most abundant reward will be those who have
mingled with their activity and zeal, gracious, tender pity for the poor, the orphan,
the oppressed, and the afflicted.... There are about us those who have a meek and
lowly spirit, the spirit of Christ, who do many little things to help those around them,
and who think nothing of it; they will be astonished at last to find that Christ has
noticed the kind word spoken to the disheartened, and taken account of the smallest
gift given for the relief of the poor, that cost the giver some self-denial. The Lord
measures the spirit, and rewards accordingly, and the pure, humble, childlike spirit
of love makes the offering precious in His sight."

Chap. 332---Every Work will be Brought into Judgment

"God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be
good, or whether it be evil. Ecclesiastes 12:14.
In the case of each individual there is a process going forward which is far more
wonderful than that which transfers the features to the polished plate of the artist.
The art of the photographer merely imprints the likeness on perishable substance;
but in the life-record the character is faithfully delineated, and this record, however
dark, can never be effaced except by the blood of the atoning Sacrifice.
Angels of God are taking a daguerreotype of the character just as accurately as
the artist takes the likeness of the human features; and ... it is from this that we are
to be judged!
When the Judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened, there will be many
astonishing disclosures. Men will not then appear as they appear to the human eyes
and finite judgments. Secret sins will then be laid open to the view of all. Motives
and intentions which have been hidden in the dark chambers of the heart will be
revealed.
All will appear as a real life-picture.
In that solemn and awful hour the unfaithfulness of the husband will be opened
to the wife, and the unfaithfulness of the wife, to the husband. Parents will then
learn, for the first time, what was the real character of their children, and children
will see the errors and mistakes that marked the lives of their parents. The man
who robbed his neighbor through false representations, is not to escape with his
ill-gotten gains. God has an exact record in His books, of every unjust account and
every unfair dealing.
Memory will be true and vivid in condemnation of the guilty one, who in that
day is found wanting. The mind will recall all the thoughts and acts of the past; the
whole life will come in review like the scenes in a panorama."

Chap. 333---Echo the Message

"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say,
Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the
water of life freely. Revelation 22:17.
A short time before His ascension to His heavenly throne Christ commissioned
His disciples to go into all the world as teachers of righteousness....
Among
the believers to whom the commission was given, were many from the humbler
walks of life—men and women who had learned to love their Lord and who had
determined to follow His example of self-denying service. To these lowly ones of
but limited talent, as well as to the disciples who had been with the Saviour during
the years of His earthly ministry, was the commission given to go “into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15)....
To the members of the early Christian church was given a sacred trust. They
were to be executors of the will in which Christ had bequeathed to the world the
treasure of life eternal.... In the trust given to the first disciples believers in every age
have shared. God desires that every believer shall be an executor of the Saviour’s
will.... The unselfish labor of God’s people in ages past is to His servants today
an object lesson and an inspiration. Today God’s chosen people are to be zealous
of good works, separating from all worldly ambition and walking humbly in the
footsteps of the lowly Nazarene....
“The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.” This
commission to bid others come, embraces the entire church, and applies to every
one who has accepted Christ as his personal Saviour.... Every soul who has heard
the divine invitation is to echo the message..., saying to those with whom he comes
in contact, “Come.” From the moment of conversion those who receive Christ are
to become the light of the world....
The Holy Spirit, Christ’s representative, arms the weakest with might to press
forward to victory.... The work that some are able to do may appear to be restricted
by circumstances; but wherever it is, if performed with faith and diligence, it will
be felt to the uttermost parts of the earth."

Chap. 331---The Last Judgment

"I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
... and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works. Revelation 20:12.
Now Christ again appears to the view of His enemies. Far above the city, upon
a foundation of burnished gold, is a throne, high and lifted up. Upon this throne sits
the Son of God, and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom. The power and
majesty of Christ no language can describe, no pen portray. The glory of the Eternal
Father is enshrouding His Son. The brightness of His presence fills the City of God,
and flows out beyond the gates, flooding the whole earth with its radiance.
Nearest the throne are those who were once zealous in the cause of Satan, but
who, plucked as brands from the burning, have followed their Saviour with deep,
intense devotion. Next are those who perfected Christian characters in the midst
of falsehood and infidelity, those who honored the law of God when the Christian
world declared it void, and the millions, of all ages, who were martyred for their
faith. And beyond is the “great multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, ... before the throne, and before
the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.” Revelation 7:9....
The redeemed raise a song of praise that echoes and reechoes through the vaults
of heaven: “Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.”
Verse 10. And angel and seraph unite their voices in adoration....
In the presence of the assembled inhabitants of earth and heaven the final
coronation of the Son of God takes place. And now, invested with supreme majesty
and power, the King of kings pronounces sentence upon the rebels against His
government and executes justice upon those who have transgressed His law and
oppressed His people....
As soon as the books of record are opened, and the eye of Jesus looks upon the
wicked, they are conscious of every sin which they have ever committed."

Chap. 332 -- The Latter Rain

"Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall
make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the
field. Zechariah 10:1.
Our heavenly Father claims not at our hands that which we cannot perform. He
desires His people to labor earnestly to carry out His purpose for them. They are
to pray for power, expect power, and receive power, that they may grow up into the
full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.
Not all members of the church are cultivating personal piety; therefore they
do not understand their personal responsibility. They do not realize that it is their
privilege and duty to reach the high standard of Christian perfection.... Are we
looking forward to the latter rain, confidently hoping for a better day, when the
church shall be endued with power from on high and thus fitted for work? The
latter rain will never refresh and invigorate the indolent, who do not use the powers
God has given them.
We are in great need of the pure, life-giving atmosphere that nurtures and
invigorates the spiritual life. We need greater earnestness. The solemn message
given us to give to the world is to be proclaimed with greater fervency, even with
an intensity that will impress unbelievers, leading them to see that the Most High
is working with us, that He is the source of our efficiency and strength....
God has given us talents to be used in the upbuilding of His kingdom.... Do
we ask ourselves the question, How am I using the talents my Lord has given me?
Have you given ... to God only a feeble, diseased service? ...
Are you using all your powers in an effort to bring the lost sheep back to the
fold? There are thousands upon thousands in ignorance who might be warned. Pray
as you have never prayed before for the power of Christ. Pray for the inspiration
of His Spirit, that you may be filled with a desire to save those who are perishing.
Let the prayer ascend to heaven, “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause
his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health
among all nations” (Psalm 67:1, 2).

Chap. 330---The Wicked Prepare to Attack the New Jerusalem

"Satan ... shall go out to deceive the nations ... to gather them together to battle.
Revelation 20:7, 8.
In that vast throng are multitudes of the long-lived race that existed before the
Flood; men of lofty stature and giant intellect, who, yielding to the control of fallen
angels, devoted all their skill and knowledge to the exaltation of themselves; men
whose wonderful works of art led the world to idolize their genius, but whose
cruelty and evil inventions, defiling the earth and defacing the image of God, caused
Him to blot them from the face of His creation. There are kings and generals who
conquered nations, valiant men who never lost a battle, proud, ambitious warriors
whose approach made kingdoms tremble. In death these experienced no change. As
they come up from the grave, they resume the current of their thoughts just where it
ceased. They are actuated by the same desire to conquer that ruled them when they
fell.
Satan consults with his angels, and then with these kings and conquerors and
mighty men. They look upon the strength and numbers on their side, and declare
that the army within the city is small in comparison with theirs, and that it can be
overcome. They lay their plans to take possession of the riches and glory of the New
Jerusalem. All immediately begin to prepare for battle. Skillful artisans construct
implements of war. Military leaders, famed for their success, marshal the throngs
of warlike men into companies and divisions.
At last the order to advance is given, and the countless host moves on—an army
such as was never summoned by earthly conquerors, such as the combined forces of
all ages since war began on earth could never equal. Satan, the mightiest of warriors,
leads the van, and his angels unite their forces for this final struggle. Kings and
warriors are in his train, and the multitudes follow in vast companies, each under its
appointed leader. With military precision the serried ranks advance over the earth’s
broken and uneven surface to the City of God. By command of Jesus, the gates of
the New Jerusalem are closed, and the armies of Satan surround the city and make
ready for the onset."
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