General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4

BIBLE STUDY

S. N. HASKELL

9:15 a.m., April 5.

Yesterday we presented the fact that there was a time in 1844 when the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the angel, of God conducted the minds of the people into the ark of his testaments, and there they saw the ten commandments. And it was the truth that was developed by the work of the High Priest in heaven that resulted in this denomination’s separating from all others. It must be self-evident that there would be a people on the earth that would be in harmony with the truth revealed by the opening of the ark of his testament in the heavenly courts. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.1

One thought we tried to present yesterday was that as the work in the heavenly sanctuary closes, the work in the earthly temple is finished and completed. The church is then perfected. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.2

This, I understand to be the work of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish to read in the twenty-first chapter of Luke a verse to introduce some other thoughts concerning this point. “Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.” Verse 34. To my mind, there is a volume in this expression, “Take heed to yourselves.” It refers to the people of God as a whole, and to them individually. It is as if Christ appealed literally to us, as he did upon the earth, and should say this morning, “Take heed to yourselves.” What shall we take heed concerning? “Lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life.” Why?—“For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.” Because the day of the Lord will come as a snare. That is the way the day of the Lord is coming, and that is the reason we should take heed concerning the things mentioned here. The thirty-sixth verse shows the conclusion of all this: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Now, the word “accounted” signifies “a trial by the investigative judgment.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.3

This expression in the twenty-first chapter and the thirty-sixth verse is addressed to those who will be alive on earth when probation ends, or when the work of salvation closes. But in the twentieth chapter and the thirty-fifth verse the righteous dead are referred to: “But they which are accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage.” Thus before the Lord comes, that is, before the resurrection takes place, there will have been an accounting of every case, and as it is then decided, so it will be eternally. But when this decision takes place, it will be as unknown to the individual as the coming of a thief in the night. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.4

It is the most solemn part of this message. A definition of the word “accounted” I will read from an expression in Ecclesiastes 7:27: “Behold, this only have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account.” Then there will be in this time of the judgment a considering of the cases of God’s people one by one. It begins upon the dead, and passes over to the living; and when the work is thus accomplished in the hearts of God’s people, all the work for them is done. Every one of us here this morning must pass through just such a crisis. The time will come when we will step over the deciding line. We will come up before God to find it out after we have done this, and this is what makes it so important in each life. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.5

There are many expressions that teach this. Matthew 22:11. “And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: and he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.” “Then said the king to his servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.6

This represents a certain class. They are found among God’s people. They are in, but how? They believed the theory of the heavenly sanctuary, but did not put on the wedding garment. And so when the king came in to see the guests, to investigate the cases of his people, and to see who had on a wedding garment, this one was discovered, and he was transferred to his proper place. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.7

Turn to the parable of the ten virgins. This same truth is brought out and made clear. Five of the virgins were wise, and five of them were foolish, and I will say here that this is the one parable in the Bible which conveys any idea of the number of those connected with the work of God that fail of having the experience necessary to save them. There are four parables, each one of them having different phases, but this is the only one that states a number. I do not understand by this that it is the exact number, but there will be a large proportion that will fail to have on the wedding garment. They fail to appreciate the work of God, and therefore they fail of the experience necessary to save them in the day of God. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.8

A few words from the tenth verse: “And while they went to buy, the bride-groom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” Those whose oil had become exhausted, thus preventing them having light, came and asked the wise to give them of their oil. But one man can not give another his experience. If there was ever a time in the history of the world when men ought to be acquainted with God it is the time in which we live. We ought to know that God is ours, and hide in him, knowing we are there. We can not hang our experience on somebody else; because their experience in God is for themselves, and they can not give us that experience. They can merely direct us to him who gives the experience,—our Lord Jesus Christ. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.9

“Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore; for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Then because we do not know the day or the hour, because we can not tell when our cases may come up before God, we should be in a watching position. We should have a right character formed, and be sure that we are on the right side. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.10

Notice another text that can be placed with this one, in the twelfth chapter of Luke, thirty-sixth verse, which refers to a subsequent period: “And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.” In one case it was their Lord when he goes to the wedding; in the other case, when he returns from the wedding. And when he returns from the wedding, and all cases have come up before God, then it is that they are to have this experience, that they may be accepted of Christ as he comes. GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.11

Now some verses before this, beginning with the thirty-first: “But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your GCB April 7, 1901, page 106.12

Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.1

I do not know how many rich people will go into glory when the Lord comes. I have nothing to say respecting that. But I will tell you, It will be a wise thing to lay up your treasure in the kingdom of glory. If you have any influence in this world, if your wealth is in your influence and the advantages you may have had in this world, if your wealth is in dollars and cents, no matter what your wealth is in, I would recommend you to transfer it to the kingdom just as quickly as you can. GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.2

How can I do it? says one. You can invest it in the cause of Christ. Do you think it will pay?—I think it will pay. I propose, for one, to give all I have to go over on the other side. “There is that which giveth and yet increaseth, and there is that which withholdeth more than is meet, and it tendeth to poverty.” What God would have us do, will be to give liberally. If we have a talent of any kind (and we all do have one), we will use it for God’s glory. My brethren, if there ever was a time in the world when our talents should be used in behalf of God’s work, it is when the battle goes hard. One reason why God permits the battle to go hard at times, is to test men’s souls, and prove on which side they will cast their influence. There are some men who say, “Oh, we have not done anything very bad;” and probably they never did anything very good. We would better stir ourselves when there is a sound of a going in the top of the mulberry trees; and if we make a mistake, we should confess the mistake and do better just as quick as we can. But we ought to do something, and make a move. And when we do this, God will come to our side. GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.3

I have often thought of a remark that Elder James White used to make. “I pity the man that never made a mistake,” said he, “because he never did anything.” But the man who does something, is likely to make mistakes. I never shall forget the advice he gave me once. I have never related it in public before. It was after some severe trials through which I had passed. I did not know that anybody noticed it. Elder White took me off by myself. “Now,” said he, “the Lord has led you in this, young man. If you will always be true to your conscience, God will tell you when you make a mistake. Now be true to your convictions.” The Lord wants we should be true to men and women, and to him. And when it seems that everything is lost, then is the very time for us to throw all we have right in the gap. We should be true in the cause of Christ. GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.4

But another thought right here. You will notice there are two points of time brought to view in these parables I have read. There is an individual examination that goes on in heaven, and we all pass an individual point of time ourselves. And there will be a time when the work is done for the church, when Christ leaves the heavenly sanctuary; and then it is that he that is holy will remain so, and he that is filthy will remain so. GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.5

I wish to read here from “Great Controversy” one or two expressions concerning the ending of probation:— GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.6

“The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state—men will be planting and building, eating and drinking, all unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above. Before the flood, after Noah entered the ark, God shut him in, and shut the ungodly out; but for seven days the people, knowing not that their doom was fixed, continued their careless, pleasure-loving life, and mocked the warnings of impending judgment. ‘So,’ says the Saviour, ‘shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ Silently, unnoticed as the midnight thief, will come the decisive hour which marks the fixing of every man’s destiny, the final withdrawal of mercy’s offer to guilty men. “Watch ye therefore; ...lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.’ “ GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.7

You may ask, What will insure us a knowledge of God, that we may be saved? I will read again, on page 625:— GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.8

“Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures, and who have received the love of the truth, will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. [Or takes them in a snare, as we read in the text.] By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his disguise. To all, the testing time will come. By the shifting of temptation, the genuine Christian will be revealed. Are the people of God now so firmly established upon his word that they would not-yield to the evidence of their senses?” GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.9

Let us ask ourselves the question: Are we so firmly established upon his word that we would not yield to the evidences of our senses? Satan will work in a way that will even require a faith beyond our senses to detect his cruel working. We must have our feet planted upon God’s word. Would we, in such a crisis, cling to the Bible, and the Bible only? Satan will, if possible, prevent us from obtaining a preparation to stand in that day. He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up the way, and so entangle us in earthly schemes, in order that we may be made to carry a heavy, wearisome burden, and our hearts overcharged with cares, that the day of trial may come upon us as a thief. GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.10

I call attention to another thought. God has taught us that he prepares men, through various circumstances, until the grand moment, and their attitude under those circumstances tells whether or not they are worthy of the kingdom of God. It has always been so; and what has been in the past is simply to point out what will be in the great day of the investigate judgment; and so all the Bible, God calls into service down here. The truth from Genesis to Revelation culminates in the final work of God with his people here upon the earth. GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.11

A few instances will illustrate this fact. The first one will be found in 2 Kings, fifth chapter. You remember the Syrians took Israel captive. Why do you suppose God brought that Syrian army against Israel at all? Was it not that Israel could seek God, and God would work in a miraculous manner for their deliverance, so that they could be convinced of the true God?—O yes, that is why it was; but did they do it?—No. So they were taken captive; and there was a little maid who had considerable religion. She was brought into the family of Naaman, the captain of the Syrian army. He was afflicted with leprosy. The maid pitied him in true missionary spirit, and said: Would that my lord—my prophet was here; he would cure this leprosy. She had only one thought, and that was goodness to him who, apparently, was her enemy. GCB April 7, 1901, page 107.12

The report of what she said came to the captain, and he started off to find the king of Israel, carrying $48,000 worth of presents. When he came to the king of Israel, he said, Cure me of my leprosy, and I will give you all this wealth. The king of Israel said, You come to pick a quarrel with me; I can not cure your leprosy. So he sent out word, and told how that the king of Syria had sent that captain to pick a quarrel with him. What do you suppose all these circumstances were designed of God for? It was to let the prophet of Israel do what God designed his people should do when they first went up there. That was all. Well, finally, the prophet heard of it, and sent for him to come, and said. He shall know that there is a God in Israel. So the captain came to his house, but he did not go out to see him. He simply sent out word: Go down and wash in Jordan seven times, and you will be cured. It took some pride out of the captain’s heart, but at length, under the influence of his servant, he washed seven times, and was cured of the leprosy. Then he was so happy that he came back, and went to offer the prophet a present. “No,” said the prophet, “I don’t want anything.” Now do you see God’s purpose in all that? It was to bring about an acknowledgment of God. But there was a man who stepped in and spoiled the plan, and that was a servant named Gehazi. After the captain had gone, and the prophet had not taken anything, he thought he ought to have something; so he says, “I will go out after him.” I will read 2 Kings 5:20-27:— GCB April 7, 1901, page 108.1

“But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him. So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? And he said, all is well. My master hath sent me, saying. Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him. And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants. The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed forever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 108.2

I know nothing more than what the record states. But that was to Gehazi the testing point of his life. He ought to have known the design of God in Naaman’s coming to the prophet. Therefore when he pursued the captain, and said, The prophet has concluded to take a small reward he lied. In this he reached a point where he forfeited forever his relationship to that prophet. His future history shows this. There came a culminating point in his experience, and instead of considering the providence of God, he made a fatal mistake, from which he never recovered. What is the object in recording this? It was to teach us that down in the investigate judgment there will be a time when men will pass their dividing line. May God help us to be true to him. We want an enlightened mind, an illuminated heart, and tender consciences, and a spirit that is quick to discern. Man can not do this with human wisdom. There is not human wisdom enough in this world, there never was, and never can be, to understand the mind of the Spirit of God. How I wish I could present the thoughts as they come up in my mind while I think of it! How many of this congregation, do you suppose, have passed over this line? I do not know that there is one; but the promise comes to every one of us to-day, that we can have eternal life if we will. But I am sorry to think that in the work in which we are engaged, there may be thousands who will be untrue when the great opportune moment comes. They will pass the line, and find themselves on the wrong side. God teaches us that we should take warning by the circumstances recorded in the Bible, and prepare for our own experience in these times in which we live. GCB April 7, 1901, page 108.3

I will call your attention to one other circumstances in the thirty-ninth chapter of Isaiah. It was the time when the messengers of the King of Babylon were sent to Hezekiah. The king had been sick, and God sent word to him to set his house in order, for he should die, and not live. God knew what was best; and he told Hezekiah that the time had come for him to die. Hezekiah turned over his face to the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying: Let me live. The Lord sent word back to him: “I have added fifteen years to your life.” The first thing that we have recorded that he did after he was restored, was this account of the messengers from the king of Babylon. Vs. 1,2: “At the time Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah: for he had heard that he had been sick and was recovered. GCB April 7, 1901, page 108.4

And Hezekiah was glad of them, and shewed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasurers: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 108.5

How many of us have done the same thing? The messengers from Babylon came to congratulate him on his recovery. Was not God back of it all? What do you think he did it for? It was for him to tell these messengers how God had restored him. [Voices: Amen.] It was to tell him of the wonderful work of God, and how it had been made manifest in his behalf, and to tell him about the truth. He did not think of that; he had a lot of gold in the house, and rich vessels, and because the messengers had come a long way, and from a rich kingdom, he thought he would just show them that they were some great people, too; and he did. GCB April 7, 1901, page 108.6

Isaiah came to him about that time: “The came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon. Then said he, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All that is in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them. Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, hear the word of the Lord of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 108.7

The grand opportunity came for Hezekiah to magnify God; but he did not think of that opportunity; he only reasoned in the ordinary way, and said, I will show him what a wealthy kingdom we are; what a strong people we are. So he did. And the result of this was that there was seed sown in the hearts of these messengers that bore fruit finally in taking the wealth of Jerusalem captive to Babylon. GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.1

You all are familiar with the sad story reaching down through the Babylonian captivity. O, how merciful our God is! I have thought much of that expression in Psalms which tells us that “His mercy endureth forever;” and then the exhortation: “Let the redeemed say so,”—not merely think so, but say so, Say what?—That “his mercy endureth forever.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.2

[Voices: Amen!] GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.3

I believe if we would talk that way a little more, we would not have half so much grumbling to do. When you feel like complaining, brethren, just say, The Lord’s mercy endureth forever. Who shall say it?—Let those who have been redeemed from the hand of the enemy say it. Have you been redeemed from the hand of the enemy? You may say, I know it. How many times have you said, “His mercy endureth forever?” Brethren, you may know very many things, but God gave you a tongue with which to speak, and he wants you to say it. GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.4

Every man reaches deciding points in his life. There was Abraham. He passed the time of test, and you know he passed it all right. He had two or three trials first however; but when he left his servant down in the plain, to go up on Mount Moriah and offer his son, he revealed just how much faith he had. Said he, Wait here until we go up yonder and return again. Who was to return?—We. Do you think he expected to offer up his son Isaac? Well, how do you think he would have come out then?—Isaac would have had a resurrection, would he not? Abraham’s faith in God’s promise was so great that he was certain that God would raise his son from the dead, in order to fulfill his promise. We should have the same kind of faith. We do not hear so much about Abraham after his great trial; but that was not the end of his life. His wife Sarah died, and he married Keturah, and had six children; but not much more is said about him. He had made a great point is his life, and had passed it safely. O I would to God that we were as successful. GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.5

I might take one more who passed it on the wrong side, and that was Baalam. He was a prophet of God, and it was understood throughout the heathen nations, that whatever Baalam blessed was blessed, because he spoke the words of God. God told him who Israel was as they came into his country, and what they wanted. He was asked, however, to come and curse Israel. But, said God, they are my people, they are blessed. And so Baalam said to the servants, I can not go with you. But Balak knew the weak points in Baalam’s character. He sent again by more young man, who offered him great wealth, and Baalam said, I will go to God again. GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.6

When God tells us something, and it is clear, brethren, it is time for us to obey. [Voices: Amen!] “Well,” says one, “what if we should die in obeying?” Then die, and have a good resurrection. The spirit of obedience is much better than sacrifice. It is more acceptable to God than to give your life. To obey may take your life, but God wants you to obey. GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.7

A heart that is true to God is worth more than all this world. A conscience that is alive and susceptible to the influence of God’s Holy Spirit is a very valuable commodity. And do you want to know how you can obtain such a conscience as that?—Always obey God. You may say, “I might get into difficulty.” If you have an integrity to serve God and hold fast his promise, he will bring deliverance; for God lives. If the Red Sea is to divide, the Red Sea will divide. If it be necessary for the sun and moon to stand still, they will stand still. All nature is in subjection to the child of God who holds fast his integrity and believes God’s word. Take the case of Joshua. The Lord said to him: “I have given those five kings into your hands,” and Joshua went out to take them, that is all; and because the day was not long enough to take them, Joshua looked up, and said, “Sun, stand still!” Could he not have done the work to-morrow or the next day?—Possibly he might: I do not know anything about that, but I know Joshua believed that God had given the kings into his hands, and it was his business to go and take them. The day was not long enough for him to do this, so he said, “Sun, stand still.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.8

I called on a skeptic in Queensland, and asked him to give us some money for our meeting-house. We should all feel that the wealth of the gentiles belongs to God; so I asked a gentile to help us. Said he, “I do not believe in your religion.” “That does not make any difference,” said I, “we would like some money.” “Well,” said he, “I do not believe in any religion whatever;” I do not believe in your Bible.” I said, “That does not make any difference; we would like some money; we can not build until we get it.” We talked for a moment, and then he asked me if I believed the account of the sun standing still. I said, “Do you believe that God created this world?” He answered, “Yes; but if the sun stood still, that would throw everything out of course.” Then I said, “You believe that God created the universe; do you not think that he could cause the sun and moon to stand still and prevent confusion? Could he not have made it just that way, if he had chosen?” He said he had not thought of that. He then offered me some stimulants, which I politely refused, saying that I had not come for these, but I needed money. He left the room, saying, “I know what you want.” He soon returned, bringing me a liberal check; and as he handed it to me, he said, “If you need more, call again.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.9

Brethren, we have not enough faith in God. If God tells us to go out to battle, I want to ask in the name of the Lord, if he does not send his angel before us? It is for us to watch the openings, and step in, in his providence. Then we shall see a revelation of his power. GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.10

But when we depart from integrity by planning and scheming of ourselves, we soon find that our feet slip, and we can not discern the leadings of God’s providences. May the Lord grant us his blessing, and finally save us in his kingdom. GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.11

“We should preach God’s glory day by day, not by words only, often not by words at all, but by our conduct. If you wish your neighbors to see what God is like, let them see what he can make you like. Nothing is so infectious as example.” GCB April 7, 1901, page 109.12