General Conference Bulletin, vol. 5

CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO THE FINISHING OF THE WORK

A. G. Daniells

Sermon by A. G. Daniells, Sabbath, April 4, 3 P. M.

Since our meetings opened one week ago last night, we have given a little study to the time in which we live, the message we have to give, and the special providences of God that have been brought into existence to help us to give the message. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.3

In our study, we have found that we have reached the last days of human history. We have found from the Scriptures that, from the most ancient patriarch to the latest apostle who wrote the Word of God, all taught clearly and continuously the truth that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would come to this earth a second time, and come as King of kings and Lord of lords. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.4

We have found that not all in all ages have been justified in looking for this coming in their generation. Even as late as apostolic times. believers in Christ were instructed that they were not to look for the coming of Christ in their day. They were told that His coming would not take place at that time; that there were prophecies to be fulfilled, a work yet to be done, covering centuries, before the Saviour would come. It was pointed out that the man of sin should be revealed and do his work; that his power would be broken, and that that would mark the time of the end, the day of God’s preparation; that then the generation would have come that might look for Jesus Christ to come in His glory, and establish His everlasting kingdom. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.5

We have found that the prophecies referred to have been fulfilled, that the generation has come that is to look for the coming of Christ, and proclaim that event to the world. We have also found in our study that with the coming of that generation there would be revealed a special message to be given to the world, a message that would proclaim to men of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples that Christ is coming. We found that, when that message shall have been given to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, the end will come. Christ will leave the courts of heaven, and come to this earth for His people. We have also found that, when the generation comes that is to hear the proclamation of the Advent message and witness the coming of Christ, the work of God in the earth is to be finished in that generation, and we are justified in proclaiming to the world that there shall be delay in this work no longer. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.6

This afternoon I wish to add one thought to this line of study, and that is this, What are the supreme conditions upon which or by which God’s people at this time shall be able to finish the work committed to them? We have for a long time been in the place, have been at the time, have been in the hour, and with the message, when the work of God is to be finished; and we have been assured that, had we done our duty fully, the message would have been given, the work would have been finished, and Christ would have come before to-day. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.7

Brethren, none of us can see all this matter without asking ourselves the question: What is hindering this work? What is hindering it to-day? Or, in other words, What is the thing to do that will cause this people now to rise up and finish the delayed work? Is not that a question of supreme interest to every one to-day? Without casting any reflections, let us ask the question, What is required to bring an end to this thing? What is it? I will read two or three scriptures in connection with this point. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.8

In the twenty-eighth chapter of Isaiah, beginning with the fifth verse, I read, “In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people, and for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.” The remnant people have come, and now is the time for God to give the crown of glory and the diadem of beauty to His people; now is the time for Him to come forth and give the spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for a strong power to him that turns the battle to the gate. The hour has come for the battle to turn to the very gate of the enemy, and bring this controversy to the very consummation. Who is to be the strength of the remnant people in doing that?—“The Lord of hosts.” GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.9

The twenty-first verse: “The Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perizom, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act.” What is that work that He is to do? What is that act that He is to perform? It is with and through the residue of His people, the remnant people. And what is that which is to bring this great work to an end? It has been carried on before all the nations of unfallen worlds for six thousand years, and has been going on with the living and dying here in this world for that length of time; but some day it will be consummated, thank God; some day it will be brought to an end. That will be the accomplishment of His work. His strange work, His act. His strange act, among men. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.10

Now the same thing is presented in Romans 9:28: “For He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” The statement has come to us that the hour has come for the close of God’s work, and that there shall be delay no longer. This was first written eighteen hundred years ago, by the apostle John, and it has been revealed to us that the hour of which John spoke has come, and that no longer will there be delay in closing the work of God. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.11

In connection with this I will read from the twelfth chapter of Ezekiel the message that comes to us with great force. The twenty-first verse and onward: “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.” Is not that a precious promise made to us at this time? It gives us personal assurance; it gives us a strong assurance that God has set His hand to accomplish the work and bring to pass His act, His strange act, among the children of men. GCB April 7, 1903, page 106.12

Let us read one more scripture upon this line. Joel 2:23: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain.” Then, beginning with the twenty-eighth verse, we read: “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out My Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.” GCB April 7, 1903, page 107.1

Brethren. in these scriptures that I have read we have these thoughts presented to us: First. the unqualified promise of God that His people will take hold of His work in the earth to finish it, to bring it to an end. In addition to this, we have the promise set before us of the means by which He will do it. He will give to His people what He calls “the latter rain.” We are fully assured that the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel which we have read began with Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles. The disciples, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, set before the people the fact that what then took place was the fulfillment of the words of Joel. The outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church in that special manifestation, therefore, was the beginning of the fulfillment of these words. That was the early rain. But there is to be a latter rain. The early rain was given to cause the seed to spring up and bear fruit. The latter rain is given to ripen that fruit for the garner. The early rain came at the beginning of the dispensation; the latter rain will come at its close. Pentecost was introduced by the manifestation of the Spirit of God in mighty power in the salvation of men and the extension of the gospel; the outpouring will come again with the manifestation of the same power, but in greater extent, to close up the work, and usher in the kingdom of God. GCB April 7, 1903, page 107.2

The scriptures relating to the time of the early rain inform us that the disciples were fully instructed that they never could do the work committed to them without receiving the Holy Spirit in its fulness. They were told not to try to do their work without it. They were told to tarry in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. If we can learn anything at all from this lesson, it is this: that the people who have the closing work to do can not do it without the Spirit of God; they can not do this without the latter rain. So, in a word. the one supreme consideration, the one great requirement of the people of God to-day, is the presence, in its fulness. of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. That alone is our sufficiency. That power will fit us for service, and will give us that fitness for service that will cause us to perform the service, and to perform it in such a way that we shall finish the service that it qualifies us to perform. GCB April 7, 1903, page 107.3

So to-day our great need is the indwelling of the Spirit. Our great need is to be possessed of the Spirit of God. Let Him come and take His place in our hearts, and He will bring with Him all other blessings: all other requirements will come with Him. Why should we lose sight of this fact for a single day? Why should not every laborer keep his eyes constantly upon this great truth? Why should not this whole denomination keep its eyes upon this fact? If we should do this, it would not be long until we would receive that endowment that we require for this work. The reason we do not is because we forget this fact; we wander away from it; we fail to comply with the conditions necessary, and so we can not receive the Spirit in its fulness. GCB April 7, 1903, page 107.4

I want to read a statement that came to us as a people some years ago: “Jesus longs to bestow the heavenly endowment in large measure upon His people.” Then why not permit Him to do it? Why does He not do it? There must be some reason why He does not; there must be some cause for this failure to bestow what He longs to bestow upon His church. Who is responsible for the existence of that thing which hinders Him from bestowing the full endowment upon His church?—We are responsible. Oh, my brethren, let us take this home! We are responsible for this delay; we have cut off this blessing that hangs over our heads; we are standing in the way of the bestowal of this mighty power to qualify us for service. GCB April 7, 1903, page 107.5

This statement was given to this people more than ten years ago. These years have passed. I want to tell you that this hour to which we have come to-day is a solemn hour; this time is full of meaning. We face to-day the greatest situation that we as a people have ever faced in our history. During the last ten years Jesus Christ has been waiting to bestow this “heavenly endowment” upon His people. The message that they have had to give has been delayed, the edge of the sword has been dulled. the progress of the work has been hindered, and instead of the large increase of souls, but little in the aggregate has been accomplished. Instead of the plain. clear manifestation of the divine power in the teaching of this Word. in the giving of this message with power, there has been a very manifest tameness and weakness. GCB April 7, 1903, page 107.6

Ten years ago these expressions should have aroused this people. We should be heralding to the world in power the message that will bring men to their knees. It has lost its full, definite, specific point, and something has been taking its place in a large measure. We have been side-tracked. I believe God calls us back to give a clear. ringing message, and do the specific work of setting this people and this whole message to their supreme place in the world. No power will ever attend this message to finish it until it is brought back and lifted up and given its supreme place in our hearts and before the world. GCB April 7, 1903, page 107.7

“Jesus longs to bestow the heavenly endowment in large measure upon His people.” Christ ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. When, after Christ’s ascension, the Spirit came down as promised, like a rushing, mighty wind, filling the whole place where the disciples were assembled, what was the effect?—Thousands were converted in a day. We have taught, we have expected, that an angel is to come down from heaven; that the earth will be lightened with his glory. Oh, may God help us to get beyond the talking of this thing! GCB April 7, 1903, page 108.1

“Then we shall behold the ingathering of souls similar to that witnessed on the day of Pentecost. But this angel comes bearing no soft, smooth message, but words calculated to stir the hearts of men to their very depths. That angel is represented as crying mightily with a strong voice, saying: ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.’ ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her plagues.’ Are we indeed as human agencies to cooperate with the divine instrumentalities in sounding the message of this mighty angel who is to lighten the earth with his glory?” You know the source of these stirring words. GCB April 7, 1903, page 108.2

Here are warnings, instruction, and promises to us: “A passive piety will not answer for this time.” “The weak shall be as David. and David as the angel of the Lord.” “Then the church will possess divine vitality throughout.” The remnant that is raised up in behalf of God’s work to-day needs to be mightily vitalized, that it may strike the blow that God has lifted it to strike, that it may aim the shaft, and send it to the mark which God designs it to hit. This great controversy is not play. All heaven is pitted against the powers of darkness, and the powers of darkness are pitted with fearful earnestness against the powers of heaven. This great controversy will end in a mighty conflict and a mighty crisis, and you and I, dear friend, must stand in all the fierceness of this mighty conflict. We can not be soft, easy, passive individuals, not knowing where we stand. Men must know where they stand at this hour. Men knew at the beginning of the sixteenth-century Reformation. Luther was a man who knew about his bearings. GCB April 7, 1903, page 108.3

God says that this people must have divine vitality for the work, and He tells us that it must come with this heavenly endowment that Christ longs to bestow upon the church. “How great and widespread must be the power of the prince of evil, which can be subdued only by the mighty power of the Spirit! Disloyalty to God, transgression in every form, has spread over our world. Those who would preserve their allegiance to God, who are active in His service, become the mark of every shaft and weapon of hell.” “If those who have had great light have not corresponding faith and obedience, they soon become leavened with the prevailing apostasy; another spirit controls them.” GCB April 7, 1903, page 108.4

It is the most dangerous thing under heaven for a man to trifle with the light of heaven that God puts into his soul. Just the moment a man ceases to live up to the light, he puts himself where he will receive error into his mind and heart, and he joins the very apostasy that he was at first raised up to meet and overthrow. Christ said, “While ye have the light, believe in the light,” and “walk in the light,” lest darkness come upon you. The only security of a man in the light is to continually disseminate that light against error and apostasy. GCB April 7, 1903, page 108.5

What I have just read is a call to this people to come back and examine the pillars of their faith, examine their foundations, get their bearings, and rise up in the strength and name and power of God, and enter this conflict anew. GCB April 7, 1903, page 108.6

“Let not the fear of man, the desire for patronage, be allowed to obscure a ray of heaven’s light.” Why is that caution thrown in? Why does the Spirit of God send this warning to us?—Because we are in danger of doing that very thing. GCB April 7, 1903, page 108.7