Heavenly Visions

THE TIME OF DELIVERANCE

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.

IN the prophecy of Ezekiel we have a comparison of the final deliverance of God’s people with the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. He says: “And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. And I will bring you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to face. Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you, saith the Lord God. And I will cause you to pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant.” Ezekiel 20:34-37. HEVI 26.2

Instead of this people being in a literal wilderness, as were the Israelites, they come into the “wilderness of the people.” In the twelfth chapter of Revelation, is a view of the Lord’s church going into the wilderness for twelve hundred and sixty years. Revelation 12:6, 14. In the Song of Solomon the church is represented as coming out of the wilderness, and here the inquiry is raised, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning [not on civil law, nor earthly supports. No, but] upon her Beloved. Cant.8:5. Again: the church is spoken of as “she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.” Cant. 6:10. HEVI 26.3

With the church brought out of the wilderness of the people, the Lord says he will plead as he pleaded with Israel in the literal wilderness. By looking at the testimony in Exodus 16:28, 29, we see how he began to plead with them there. He said: “How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the Sabbath; therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” HEVI 26.4

By this comparison we see that as the Lord carries on this work of leading his people from “the wilderness of the people,” he will plead with them to keep his holy Sabbath. He also said that he would bring them into the “bond of the covenant.” God’s “covenant commanded” is the ten commandments. See Deuteronomy 4:13. The bond-seal, or sign of authority, of that covenant, is the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. See Exodus 31:13, 17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20. This bringing of the people into the “bond of the covenant” shows a Sabbath reform as a part of the pleading with those brought forth from the wilderness of the people. HEVI 26.5

As the deliverance of his people is to be after the manner of the deliverance of the Israelites, it is well to consider another point connected with their deliverance, which is mentioned by the prophet Hosea. He says, “By a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved.” Hosea 12:13. If there is to be a similarity to this in the final deliverance, it must be that the gift of prophecy, as has been shown in the Scripture citations, is to act its part in preparing a people for that event. As we are nearing this time of that final deliverance, and are in the very period when a people should be heralding the glorious advent of Christ, the inquiry naturally arises, Where is to be found the gift of prophecy? The Review and Herald, July 11, 1899 HEVI 26.6