General Conference Bulletin, vol. 7

Bible Study Hour - GOD’S MESSENGERS

GEO. I. BUTLER

May 26, 8:30 A. M.

“The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.” Isaiah 40:3-8. GCB May 28, 1913, page 161.1

This prophetic passage, recorded seven centuries or more before the first advent of Christ, was doubtless read with wonder by many who were tracing the Scriptures relating to the coming Messiah. What could this prophecy mean? Nothing very definite could be learned from the wording of the text. And yet it was a part of the Word of God, and was sure of fulfilment. It is a source of great gratification to me that the word of God abideth forever, and is fulfilled to the very letter. And as we go over the various prophecies that are so familiar to us as a people, it is a great comfort to know that they will surely be fulfilled. GCB May 28, 1913, page 161.2

Some may say, “How can we tell when this was fulfilled?” Turn to the first chapter of the gospel of John. In the fifteenth verse and onward we read: “John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” Verses 15-23. GCB May 28, 1913, page 161.3

PHOTO-Representatives of the India Union Mission in attendance at the General Conference

John the Baptist made very clear to those who came to him, that he was not “that prophet” foretold by Moses in the eighteenth chapter of Deuteronomy, nor was he Elijah returned to earth. He simply said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.” The Jewish people had been without a prophet for four or five hundred years. Malachi was the last. GCB May 28, 1913, page 161.4

When John appeared with his message, the Pharisees and rulers were disturbed. They were in spiritual darkness themselves, and they did not understand the prophetic significance of his message, and so they sent a deputation to see what John was about,—to see what he meant by stirring up the whole nation. They asked him, What is your authority for doing this? He answered them with the words of Scripture, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.” He referred directly to the passage we have chosen as our text, for his authority to speak to the people. He was a God-appointed man, sent beforehand to bring to the attention of the Jewish nation the great fact that their expected Messiah was coming, and to do all he could to bring about a spiritual reformation, thus preparing the way for the advent of the promised One. GCB May 28, 1913, page 161.5

The circumstances surrounding the birth and early training of John the Baptist, the prophecies given his parents concerning his mission, and his long sojourn in the desert,—all these facts are familiar to students of the Word. “The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel”. Luke 1:80. GCB May 28, 1913, page 161.6

John appeared at the time predicted, “preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.... Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins.” Matthew 3:1-6. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.1

The preaching of John was accompanied by a power that arrested attention and created a mighty stir. Many began to humble themselves before God, to repent of their sins, and to seek the way of salvation. Even the scribes and Pharisees were there, and to these who still claimed to be spiritual leaders, but who had failed to fulfill their sacred trust, John addressed words of stern rebuke. “Who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” he inquired. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.2

As John the Baptist proclaimed his message from day to day, many were converted, and baptized of him in Jordan. In the midst of this remarkable spiritual awakening the promised Messiah suddenly appeared at the time appointed. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.3

“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade him.” How do you suppose he knew who that was? Why should he forbid him more than others? O, John was taught of God, he knew he was standing in the presence of the Holy One of Israel, and he felt unworthy to baptize him. And so we hear him saying, “I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?” But Jesus, answering, said unto him, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.4

That was a most interesting occasion. There is something grand about it, something that melts my heart when I think of how my blessed Saviour, so mild, so meek, so humble, came to be baptized by John, so as to set an example for all that should follow. Blessed Jesus! GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.5

John’s work went on. But after the Messiah appeared, it began to be seen that John’s work was beginning to attract less attention than before. John himself recognized this. Later, when he “was baptizing in Enon near to Salim,” prior to his imprisonment, “there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.” They thought perhaps that would stir up John’s feelings, as the crowd coming to him was dwindling and the crowd thronging Jesus was increasing; but John was a man with a noble spirit, and his answer was, “A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:23-30. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.6

In these words, dear friends, John stated a great principle that is not always easy to learn. I see one of my dear brethren at the front smiling. Perhaps he has tried it. I hope so, but maybe he has not tried it so much as some of us old heads have. It is right that those who are chosen by their brethren should, under God, fill exalted positions in connection with the cause of present truth; yet we know it is possible for such men to get the feeling that perhaps they can run matters about as well as any one else could. The time may come when old age or something else makes it advisable for them to step down from positions of responsibility, and let younger men come in. It is at such times, brethren, that the principle to which John referred, applies, even in our times—” He must increase, but I must decrease.” It is a good thing to learn how to do that gracefully. I want you to learn that lesson so that you will be fully reconciled to all that may come to you in connection with the laying off of burdens you are no longer able to bear. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.7

John must have passed through an exceedingly trying experience; but the record left us reveals that he triumphed over every temptation to doubt, even after having been imprisoned. In Matthew 11 we read: “When John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” The Saviour knew of the trial of mind through which John was passing, and he answered his messengers kindly. He cast no reproaches because of the query, “Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?” “Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.” Verses 2-6. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.8

Doubtless those disciples went back and told their master just what he told them to, and no doubt it was a source of great courage and blessing to John. He had not known the condition of affairs, and now when he was assured by him whom he had himself said was the Messiah, that a mighty work was in progress,—the gospel was being preached to the poor and needy, the sick were being healed, and the dead were being raised,—I suppose John accepted that word with joy, and his heart was filled with solace and comfort. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.9

As the messengers sent by John departed, “Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?” You have seen reeds shaken by the wind, have you not? You have, if you have been observing people. The reed is influenced by every changing current. Was that the kind of man the Jews went out into the wilderness to see when they went out to see John baptizing? I think not. That man was as firm as a rock. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.10

Some may ask, Was it proper for John to ask those questions, under the peculiar conditions he was facing at the time? In reply I would say, He had not given up his faith at all, but he did not know how to understand some providences. Did you ever come into such a place, brethren? I dare say you have. I have, a good many times. Did you doubt and give up and go into despair? If you did, you made a mistake. You should have said, The Lord knows best. I am nothing but a poor mortal man, but I know that what God has said will stand. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.11

Christ continued: “But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen, a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.... And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.” Verses 9-14. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.12

The messenger who was to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, to prepare the way for the advent of the Messiah; was prophesied of by Malachi. Through the last of the Old Testament prophets the Lord said: “I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years. And I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.” Malachi 3:1-5. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.13

This prophecy was written about four hundred years before Christ. When in the fullness of time the Messiah appeared, he said that John was his messenger, and that there was no prophet that had excelled him; and it seems to me that he plainly taught that a messenger of the Lord is greater than an ordinary prophet of the Lord. That is interesting to me; I have thought of it considerably. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.14

And I cannot help believing with all my heart that in the closing work of the gospel, preparatory to the second advent of Christ, the spirit of prophecy will ever play a prominent part. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.15

There are others who have been connected with the Seventh-day Adventist denomination longer than I have. There are two here [pointing to Elders Loughborough and Haskell] on the platform. But the Lord has given me many opportunities for observation, and as I have mingled with our dear brethren and sisters, during the years that have been passing. I have been impressed that a grave danger confronts this people. It is that, as the work develops, and tens of thousands are added to our numbers, they will never conceive or understand the difficulties that confronted the pioneers; and they may lose sight of some of the fundamentals that have to do with the foundation principles of our message. O, how I wish some of you could have a glimpse of how the Lord wrought in those early days! And how I wish you might know more of how that blessed servant of the Lord, Sister White, worked many times—how she corrected this error, and that error; how she counseled in times of perplexity and discouragement. If you could know some of the facts we older ones know regarding these matters, I am sure you would love and appreciate this blessed truth more than ever. You would cherish everything that had to do with the beginnings of things, when foundations were being laid by the pioneers of this message. GCB May 28, 1913, page 162.16

I have heard about a meeting in New York where they came together after the disappointment of 1844, and everything was in disorder. But God had a servant who helped them step by step all the way along. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.1

As I look back, there have been crises when great men, intelligent men, have gone astray. But the testimony always came plainly in regard to these matters. A good many of us can remember that when pantheistic teaching was introduced, a few years ago, light came from God about it. The Lord bade his messenger “meet it,” as in a vision she saw a ship meet an iceberg and shatter it to fragments. A good many chunks of ice were broken off then. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.2

I must not stop to expatiate on this topic of the place God’s messenger occupies in the church, but I am very much interested in it, my friends. Of course I am getting very old, and may pass away soon; but I am not worrying about that. What I do worry about is how I stand in God’s sight. I have come to the point where I do not care so very much about what my brethren think, though of course it is pleasant to know that the leading men are glad to see me, and that they still think a little of Brother Butler; but, brethren, the great thing is to know, day by day, what the Lord thinks about us. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.3

I did not expect to come to this Conference; but my attendance was urged, and so I just dropped everything, and arranged to come. I did not know whether the brethren would want me to preach, but I decided that if they did, I would say just exactly what I thought; so you must pardon me, for I shall say what I think just as well as I can. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.4

I greatly fear, brethren, that there are multitudes of our people who have not half learned the value of the instruction that comes to us from the messenger of God. Brethren, if you fail to make much of the counsels of God’s chosen messenger, you will suffer great loss. When I review the life of that dear, precious woman, whom I honor more than any other person, I think what a tremendous responsibility she has carried. I have been in high offices myself. For nearly a dozen years I was president of the General Conference; and during that time I knew there was only one thing that would make my administration a safe one, and that was to follow closely what the servant of the Lord had for me. I always corresponded with her in regard to important problems, and she kindly admonished me. Sometimes the counsel came pretty close and set pretty snug; but I am glad I prayed over it a great deal, and trusted God to make matters plain; and I am glad to say that everything finally came out just had said it would. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.5

That dear woman has lived for more than fourscore years, and she, of course, feels the effects of age. I think the Lord is taking off from her some of the heavy burden of responsibility that she has previously carried. She is not so strong as she once was,—how could she expect to be, when she is eighty-five years old,—and yet she is able to look after her writings and to give us good counsel. She is not here with us this year, though she was four years ago, and really risked her life in coming, too. But, O, what a flood of light she has left for us! Those precious volumes,—what could we do as a denomination without them? And now the question is, Will we, as a people, give proper attention to these counsels? As I advance in years, I find developing in my heart an increasing desire that our people, our leading brethren, carefully study what these Testimonies say, and live up to their teachings. I am watching this point pretty closely, and I want to say a warning word here, because I am one of the old wheel horses of this denomination, or have been, at least,—I want to say that if we do not follow these things very closely, we shall fall into serious difficulties. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.6

In later years, after being called to the presidency of the Southern field, I corresponded with Sister White a great deal concerning my work in that district. Elder Daniells and Sister White had urged me to serve, in spite of my protests. I worked there six years, as hard as I ever worked in my life, and I believe God blessed me, too, during that administration. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.7

Voices: Amen! GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.8

Now, in regard to the sanitarium work, I wish to say that some three or four sanitariums were built in the South, in harmony, as we understood, with counsels received through the spirit of prophecy. Sister White and I were in constant correspondence, and I cannot tell you of the interest she manifested in building up those institutions in the Southern field. And I cannot tell you, my friends, how sad I feel when I see that some of them are likely to be dropped out. One of them, I understand, has already been closed. This is not because Sister White counseled thus, for she advised that it be permitted to live, if possible. “Why,” said a brother, “it was running in debt!” But I wish I could tell of the hard experiences many of our greatest sanitariums have had to go through. I remember when they started that sanitarium in Battle Creek, the first one, that has done so much good in the past. They hardly even had a doctor when they began, and they had to begin in a private dwelling-house. There came a time when it appeared as if everything was going to smash, entirely demoralized, and they had to gather all the men together and plead with them to lend a hand in helping to relieve a difficult situation. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.9

Then, too, there is the sanitarium at St. Helena, Cal.; I am under the impression that there was a time when they were one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars or more in debt there; and at the same time their water supply was inadequate, and they seemed to be going right on deeper into debt. Would it not have been sadly unfortunate if they had given up that institution then? That institution has been prospered by the hand of God, and it has come up to a high standard of efficiency, and is doing a noble work. The debt has been paid by the earnings. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.10

And so it is, my friends, with our sanitarium over in Colorado. I have made up my mind, though I am not much of a sanitarium man, that the devil does not like our sanitariums very well, and he will throw every influence possible in the way of stopping them. I believe those institutions might be made to prosper if we could get the right kind men to manage them. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.11

Brethren, we are getting to be a great people, and we shall have to watch our schools, our educational work, and our sanitarium work. I am so thankful that our educational work has developed, and that our children can attend our own schools. We must be careful to live close to the Lord, and pray him to guide us in all these matters, and to keep us walking in the light. O, I see dangers coming to us! I see that we are letting down the lines somewhat. I believe we are making a great mistake in our music. I believe we ought to make more use than we do of our standard hymnbook, “Hymns and Tunes.” I told you that four years ago, and now I tell it to you again. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.12

We must be guarded on all points; we must keep up the standard; we must not permit ourselves to drift like the world. Every important religious movement in the world has started encouragingly, but by and by wordliness has been allowed to prevail. The Catholic Church went into apostasy, Protestantism today is drifting in the same direction. The greatest danger we as a people have to meet, as we become numerous and prosperous, is wordliness. Let us guard against this. Let us ever cherish the high spiritual standard upheld by the pioneers of this message. May God help us, is my prayer. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.13

THE EVENING SERVICE

WASe

May 25, 7:30 P. M.

K. C. RUSSELL spoke on “The Second Coming of Christ,” using as his text Joel 2:1. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.14

He dwelt on the solemnity of the second coming of Christ. The very call of the prophet Joel to prepare for this event, which would take place many hundred years after his time, is one of great solemnity. In the same spirit and in much the same language the apostle Peter emphasizes the same great truth. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.15

Elder Russell spoke of the fatal mistake made by the people of our time in not giving attention to this momentous subject. This very neglect on their part lays the greater burden of proclaiming this truth upon us, the professed people of God. Though we as a people preach the near coming of our Lord, we do not set any time. There is no Bible warrant for the preaching of a definite time. But, while we do not teach a set time for Jesus’ return, we do hold that in the many signs in the world all about us the nearness of his blessed revelation in the clouds of heaven is clearly shown. Witness the mighty military activity in our day; the vast accumulation of wealth, the social unrest; the rapid increase of crime; the moral drift away from God. And in the face of all this is sounded the cry of peace and safety, in direct fulfillment of Paul’s prophetic word. GCB May 28, 1913, page 163.16

The one only solution to all this is the coming of Christ; and this glorious consummation we ardently desire. GCB May 28, 1913, page 164.1