General Conference Bulletin, vol. 6

The Sermon - GOD’S PROPHETIC PURPOSES

L. R. CONRADI

May 28, 9:15 A. M.

We as a people study no portion of the Word of God more than the prophecies. This morning I would direct your attention first to the book of Ezekiel, and to that which the prophet saw at the God’s messenger. We can not read the entire first chapter now, but you may read it at home, in order to become familiar with the connection. As the hand of the Lord came upon Ezekiel, he says: “I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.” Ezekiel 1:4. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.5

The very first thing he beheld was a fiery cloud; and what did he see in the midst of this cloud? “Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures.” Verse 5. In chapter 10:15 we read: “The cherubim were lifted up. This is the living creature that I saw by the river of Chebar.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.6

Of these four living creatures that came thus early to the attention of the prophet, he says: “And they went every one straight forward: whither the Spirit was to go, they went.” Notice that the four living creatures go wherever the Spirit directs them to go. The power of the Holy Spirit directs the movements of the four living creatures; and the prophet further declares: “They turned not when they went.” Sometimes, you know, we have to turn about. We have eyes that can look forward, not backward; the range of our vision is circumscribed. Not so with these living creatures described by the prophet Ezekiel. In whatever direction they may go, they are going straight forward. Nothing like this is seen in this world. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.7

In verses 17, 18 the prophet tells us why these creatures need not turn about: “When they went, they went upon their four sides: and they turned not when they went. As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.” How fast do these creatures move? Verse 14: “The living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.” The cherubim, directed by the Spirit of God, move as the lightning. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.8

These four living creatures that passed before Ezekiel in his first prophetic vision, were not all that the prophet saw, although they were the first. Note verses 15, 16: “Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces.” The living creatures above; the wheel upon the earth. “The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. Remember, the wheel on the earth, the living creatures above. These were connected; did they move together in harmony? Verses 18, 19: “As for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful; and their rings were full of eyes round about them four. And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the Spirit was to go, they went, thither was their Spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the Spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.9

Who is in the living creatures?—The Spirit of God. Who is in the wheels?—The Spirit of the cherubim, the four living creatures. Then how must they move?—In most perfect harmony, continually. In other words, Ezekiel saw God ruling over the four living creatures,—his throne,—the four living creatures carrying out his commands; he saw the four living creatures in the world working to carry out God’s prophetic purposes. That is the very first thing the prophet perceived through this symbol of wheels within wheels. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.10

Now let us study, for a few moments, the early experiences of others called to the prophetic office. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.11

Take another prophet, Jeremiah. God sanctified him to be a prophet unto the nations; but Jeremiah said (Jeremiah 1:6): “Ah, Lord God! behold, I can not speak; for I am a child.” And we all ought to be children; there are none of us to-day who can speak, and if we felt that more, God’s Spirit could work better with us. But when Jeremiah said, “I can not speak; for I am a child,” the Lord said unto him, “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee.” Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched Jeremiah, and said unto him, “Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.” Now who speaks?—Not Jeremiah, the child, but the Lord. And the Lord is ready to do the same for his humble children to-day. It surely ought to give us confidence when we have God’s word in our mouths. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.12

But notice the responsibility that now rests upon Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:10): “See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant.” That is a terrific responsibility, one from which a person might shrink. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.13

Then the Lord said to Jeremiah, “What seest thou?” and he replied, “I see a rod of an almond tree.” Now that had some significance. We know that when Moses went out, he had a rod in his hand, and the Red Sea divided before him. “Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it.” Verse 12. When a prophet speaks, will that word become true? The Lord says: “I will hasten my word to perform it.” Jeremiah knew that the word of God was in his mouth, and that the Lord was ready to perform it. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.14

Let us notice Zechariah’s experience: His prophecy was given sixteen years after the command had gone forth to build and restore Jerusalem. The children of Israel expected that in the year 538 Babylon would fall and Jerusalem be rebuilt. They were freed about 536, sixteen years having passed when they went forth. But the city had not yet been built, and how was this to take place? We find the answer in Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” That was the great lesson; the Spirit of God was to do the great work, and would do it, if the people were willing to allow the Spirit to work. The Lord even promises that the mountain before Zerubbabel shall become a plain if necessary, in order that his word may be carried out. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.15

In Zechariah 4:10 we read: “For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.” Sometimes we see the work small when we go to a mission field like China, India, or Africa. How is this work going to be accomplished, in the face of the opposition of governments and people? The Spirit of God will remove all these mountains, and carry out his prophecy. We must not become discouraged, even though the work in many of these populous fields be small now; for the Spirit of God will work if we will give him the opportunity. We must not put off the day of the Lord and say, “We are not able to do it.” We are well able, if we trust in God as our guide, and let him work in and through us. This is a lesson that every one of the prophets received. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.16

Let us illustrate. Please turn with me to Genesis 37. You remember how a shepherd boy, the youngest of twelve children, was given a dream by God. In the sincerity of his heart he related this dream to his brothers, and from that time they set themselves against him. One day the father sent the boy with a message to his brethren. “And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.17

What were these men trying to hinder?—The fulfillment of a dream that God had given to Joseph. But who had the direction of the matter, the brethren of Joseph, or the four living creatures? The wheels within the wheels were about to move. Let us see these wheels move, one after another. We shall see them carrying out the very design that God had revealed to Joseph, in spite of the efforts of his own brethren to turn it aside. GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.18

Joseph was sold as a slave, he was put into prison, and finally called forth, and stood next to the king. And the time came when his own brethren came and fell down before him. Did Joseph say to himself, “Now I have you, my friends; I have just been waiting for this time, when I might get you into my power”? In Genesis 50:18 we read: “And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring it to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 317.19

If God meant this for good to Joseph, why should he punish his brethren? He was able to see God’s providence in it all. God had worked out the fulfillment of his dream, and his heart was so filled with gratitude that he could not cherish hatred against his brethren. “Now therefore fear ye not,” he said, “I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.1

Brethren, I believe that if we would watch the providence of God more in our lives, we would often speak kindly to people, where we speak harshly to them. GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.2

This experience is mentioned in Psalm 105. Beginning with verse 15, it says: “Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.3

Who sent the man?—God. His brethren thought they were getting rid of him. But God’s purpose was being carried out. Notice, it says, “The word of the Lord tried him.” That very experience that was intended to thwart God’s purpose fitted Joseph for his high position, and afterward he realized it. God tries us at times, and it seems very hard; but if we can see, in the crucible and in the test of the fiery furnace, God’s blessing, we shall thank the Lord that he is cleansing and fitting us for his own work. GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.4

There is another experience following that of Joseph. Let us read that in Exodus 1:8: “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: come on, let us deal wisely with them.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.5

Now let us see the carrying out of human wisdom. What does Paul say God will do with human wisdom?—He will make it foolishness. Let us see how God made the wisdom of the mighty men of Egypt foolishness: “Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens.... But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied.” That plan did not help them. Now let us see what their next plan was: “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, ... and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ... if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.6

Hard work had not stopped the providence of God. Now let us see how their next plan worked out: “The midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them.” Did the midwives suffer by it? In verse 21 we read: “And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.” They did not have any difficulty; but how about the king?—The Lord said, Pharaoh, you want to kill every Hebrew child; but I will use you to prepare my instrument to deliver the children of Israel. Moses was hidden among the flags by the river when he was three months old, and Pharaoh’s daughter came down to the water, and found him. She adopted Moses, and Pharaoh paid for his education. The king was the very man who was trying to hinder the purpose of God, yet he paid for the education of Moses. I am thankful to serve such a Lord. GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.7

We see these things over and over again. In Russia, where the government has tried to exile our brethren and our ministers to the Caucasus and Siberia, they have paid their railroad fare, fed them, clothed them, and when they reached there, they raised up good churches. That is the way the Lord leads out in this message. Can we trust him? GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.8

The very Pharaoh who tried to act wisely, really acted very foolishly; but God used the king’s course for the carrying out of his own good purpose. I need not give you any more illustrations; for these suffice to show the workings of the wheels within the wheels. GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.9

Let us notice a point in the book of Revelation. We find John on the isle of Patmos. He was the only remaining of Patmos. He was the only remaining apostle; and naturally hundreds and thousands of believers looked to him. He was filled with the Spirit of God; but he was removed to this lonely isle. John was now nearly a hundred years old, and in exile, but what is the very first thing he says? He must have longed to return to Asia, to preach the gospel; but he was in exile. Nevertheless God had a providence and a purpose when he permitted John to go to that island,—he gave him there the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Would you want to miss the book of Revelation to-day? Let us see what John himself says in the tenth verse [chapter 1] and onward: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia.... And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of man.... And he had in his right hand seven stars.” Is that vision worth while to be understood to-day? Let us consider it for a moment. “And out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.” What is the sword?—The Word of God. That Word will go throughout the world, and carry out his purposes. What is this vision in the 20th verse?—“The mystery.” To whom is it a mystery?—To the world. Does the world see Christ in this work? Do you see him in it? Then you see the mystery. “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.10

What do we believe the seven churches are?—The church of God in all ages. If it is the church of God in all ages, how about the angels? How many ministers did he hold in his right hand? He walks among the church of God, and holds all the ministers in his right hand. If Brother Shaw is sent down to India, with twenty or thirty other missionaries, Christ holds them in his right hand. If some are sent to Africa, Christ holds them in his right hand. If some of our ministers are sent to Russia, he holds them in his right hand. I was often thankful out in the desert, among the wild beasts, among the dangers of the Russian revolution, to keep quiet and say, “My Saviour, thou dost hold me in thy right hand.” GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.11

I will tell you one instance. We were in danger by reason of the Russian revolution. The trains had stopped for weeks. I was away up in the Caucasus. I had to cross the Caucasus Mountains,—a thirty-six-hour ride through dangerous country. A man said: “You will stop here for weeks. There are no trains going.” I went up to the post-office, and fortunately was able to send a telegram home, telling where I was. I walked back to the depot. The same man met me, and said, “You seem to have an awful amount of luck. The train will go.” I took the train at one o’clock. We went on till the next morning, and in the morning our train stopped, and hundreds and thousands of people were carrying red flags, and crying, “Down with the czar! Down with the government! Down with the police!” They came and took the engine away from our cars. GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.12

I looked out of the window, and the first man I saw on the platform was a Seventh-day Adventist minister. I stepped out. “Well,” he said, “your coming is God-sent. We will have a meeting this evening.” The train stopped sixty hours, and I had four meetings, and then the train went on. GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.13

I believe that the wheels of God on earth to-day are working for this people. I believe that our blessed Saviour is in our midst to-day to finish this work, and I believe that he holds the missionaries and ministers and workers in his right hand. He says, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end.” He is with this denomination if we keep near the Lord. He will be with us, he will guide us, he will give us a glorious victory if we consecrate ourselves fully to him. While we may be poor and weak and sinful, he is at the door, ready to come in and sup with us. I want that blessed Saviour to sup with me during this week. I want him to sup with our missionaries who are going back to hard fields. I want him to sup with every brother and sister, young and old, at this meeting. Then we shall go forth strengthened in the Lord, knowing that Christ Jesus our Lord will carry out his work for this time triumphantly in a little while. GCB June 4, 1909, page 318.14