General Conference Bulletin, vol. 4

BIBLE STUDY

W. W. PRESCOTT

By Elder W. W. Prescott, 9 a. m., April 3 1901.

GOD’S messengers have a message. A man who has not a message, no matter what place he occupies, is not God’s messenger, because God’s messengers have a message. They have always had a message. They have a message today: and being called out, as this people have been called out, to give a message, the most important thing for every one of us to know is, What is the message? GCB April 4, 1901, page 42.12

We may phrase it in a great variety of ways, and always speak the truth, when we know what the message is. Every one of us here who has been connected with this movement, and especially those who have grown old in this movement, know that this message is the advent message. Then we must learn what the advent message is, because that is the message to be given now. There is no doubt about it. That will do the work. Every one who is to give the advent message must know what the advent message is. What is it? GCB April 4, 1901, page 42.13

The advent message is not a new message, yet it is new every morning, and fresh every evening. But really the advent message has been in the earth ever since the gospel was preached to man. In the first preaching of the gospel, when God himself, in few words, preached the whole gospel of hope and salvation to man, in saying, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel,” the advent message was proclaimed; and from that time to this, it has been nothing but the advent message. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.1

But in this generation there is something true concerning this advent message, that, while it might have been a long time ago, yet never has been; and that is the thing that characterizes the present advent message. That thing is just this: When the advent message was first proclaimed in Eden, there was nothing said about time; yet the message that there was to be a coming One in the flesh took such a definite hold upon those who heard it, that they believed that message was to be fulfilled right in their generation. So when Cain was born, his mother thought the advent message was fulfilled right there, and she said, “I have gotten a man from the Lord,” That is the promise. How disappointing to the father and the mother, to say nothing of other intelligences looking on, when the hope that the advent message was being fulfilled in that son was all dashed to the ground, in the fact that he turned aside, and instead of being a messenger of life, became a taker of life. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.2

So the world had to wait. There was a delay then in the advent message, and that delay went on and on. Then Israel was brought up out of Egypt, and hope was being restored that the advent message would be really fulfilled, and that song of praise, and of promise, in the fifteenth chapter of the book of Exodus brings out that advent message. I will read the closing words, beginning with the eleventh verse: “Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them. Thou in thy mercy hast led forth the people which thou hast redeemed: thou hast guided them in thy strength unto thy holy habitation. The people shall hear, and be afraid; sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; all the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away. Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, which thou hast purchased. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established. The Lord shall reign forever and ever.” GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.3

That is the advent message, plain and straight; and yet when the children of Israel were brought into the land, and into the mountain of God’s inheritance, and into his sanctuary, instead of going right forward and accepting that message, they turned their attention to the things of earth: and because they were now where they could see the land that was promised,—because they could begin to see something coming out of that message,—they turned right away from the message to the things that were the consequence, the things connected with the message, and forgot the message itself. Then, of course, they turned away from God. And then the message was put off again, and again delayed. And it kept delaying. In David’s time it seemed as if it was just then to be fulfilled. Every outward circumstance would seem to indicate it: but there was the same difficulty again. Outward things, visible things, those which ought to have been merely object lessons,—forms from which the reality could come forth,—were taken for the reality, and the reality was delayed. Then the promise came in, and told how long would be that delay; not because the Lord wanted it that way, but because the people took such a course as to make it so. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.4

Then there was the object-lesson, the open teaching, the manifestation to all the universe of the first chapter, as it were, of the open Book of the advent message, and he was here in the flesh. That is the advent message. The appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: not simply over there, but now in the flesh.—and over there, because now in the flesh. That is the advent message. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.5

And the advent message began to be laid before the people in open page and the people that sat in darkness saw a great light; and then the light was again covered, and the very church that was brought out by that actual advent experience, and the people that were brought out by that very advent experience, went right over the same ground again, and took the outward, visible appearances, through which the message ought to be revealed, for the message itself, leaving the message out. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.6

Now when you have simply the outward appearances and the outward forms for the message, but not the actual advent message in the forms, those forms will be prostituted to the worst kind of wickedness. And because there had been the plainest teaching that the world had ever known, of what the advent message actually is,—the presence and appearing of Christ upon the earth, because that truth was perverted, the world went into the greatest darkness that it has ever known. And so the development and the completion of the advent message was put off. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.7

Then light broke again through the darkness, and the true advent message began to be proclaimed, not simply in handling dates and prophecies; but in handling the fact, and in experiencing the manifestation of God through Christ, and the Spirit in the flesh. He began to appear again in the world. Now that was again perverted, and the completion of the advent message was delayed again. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.8

In this generation, a people have been called out to complete the advent message, and it will be done. How do we know? Some one says, “Why, they have always talked about the coming of the Lord, and he has not yet come.” Are we any wiser than all the good men who have gone before? The wisdom of God shines out clearer now than ever before. That will make a people wiser if they will receive it. But how do we know definitely? Turn to the tenth chapter of Revelation. Remember now this one word,—that from Adam’s generation until today the advent message has been in the world, but the completion of it has been delayed by the people. Now what have we come to? GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.9

“And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things when the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven. And swore by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer.” “That there should be time”—that there should be delay—“no longer.” For that word “time” should be read “delay;” and you will find it so in the margin of the Revised Version, because the whole question from Adam down to this time concerning this advent message has been on the part of the people a delay, because of their attitude toward it. But the time has come, the word, the oath of God has gone forth that “in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished”—there shall be no more delay. Thank the Lord. That brings before us the thought that we have come to the time in this glorious but ever new, advent message, when it is about to be finished. GCB April 4, 1901, page 43.10

What is the real advent message? Let me say that while dates, and figures, and historical events all have their places in the advent message, they are not the advent message. You may have all the dates, all the answerings of history to prophecy—you may be able to make them perfectly clear to all the people, and yet not give the advent message. What is the advent message? It is the appearing of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Where? In the flesh. Whose flesh? Answer for yourselves. I say, My flesh. But it is still just as true that the advent message means the actual, visible appearing of the Man, Christ Jesus, on this earth. But first, before the Head appears, He will build the body from the head. That is what the advent message is to this Conference. This has been set forth with such clearness and with such simplicity as only the wisdom of God can give in a great truth that is infinite, so that minds just like ours can grasp it, live in it, and abide, and be blessed in it, and our minds can go on to all eternity living in it, and by it, and being blessed in it, and never exhaust the same truth. But we must advance in the truth, or we do not have the truth. GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.1

Now I would like in few words to set your minds to thinking in a good, broad way, so that you may have something to think about until we go on further. I want to make plain, in a few words from the Scripture, that this advent message, when it is understood, is so comprehensive that it takes in every phase of truth that God wants a people to know, in order to be prepared for the completion of the advent message. I read from Haggai 1:1-13:— GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.2

“In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet, saying, is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses, and this house lie waste? Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house: and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord. Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little: and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house. Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew and the earth is is stayed from her fruit. And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labor of the hands. Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord. Then spake Haggai the Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.” GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.3

What did the Lord say?—“I am with you.” Immanuel! That is the advent message. “Build me a house;” I want to dwell with you. That is the appearing of the Lord; that is the advent message. Let me have the house; give me the opportunity to rule through you, and I will build the house through you, in you. I will make you the house. Whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence, steadfast unto the end? “Then spake Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, in the Lord’s message, unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.” Immanuel! God with us. GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.4

“And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.” GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.5

Now that is simply the outward lesson, in that most wonderful kind of instruction,—object teaching,—that teaching which the Lord employs more than any other one kind, because he knows that it is best adapted to the mind that he has made so that men should be able to take hold upon realities. GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.6

Now that message has been given by the Lord simply concerning the building of the house, so that he may have his own dwelling-place, and dwell in it, and that the temple he designed should be his own temple, and that he should take his place in that temple, and shine forth from it to all the world, and give from it, just as he did of old, the message of salvation that should reach the people. What was the message of old, in the tabernacle? What was the message that was to go forth, not in words, but in the object-lesson itself? GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.7

In order to get the right view of truth, we must consider it from the right standpoint. We must not take just one thing, and make that all the truth. A truth is in harmony with all other truth, and no one truth shuts out any other truth. Our minds do not always grasp that; but seeing one truth, another thing comes in, and we do not see how the points fit together, and so turn away from that, as if it were not truth. We may not understand it all; but if we have the spirit of truth, we shall know that it is truth, and shall study to know what it is? GCB April 4, 1901, page 44.8

Upon coming into the tabernacle of old, what was the first thing that would impress one, without which nothing else could make any impression concerning the tabernacle? The fact that there in the tabernacle were the seven candlesticks burning all the time and giving light. Suppose there had been everything else in the tabernacle, but no candlesticks. There were no windows in it; it was shut up from all which was outside. You would simply have been in darkness. But the seven-branched candlestick lighted up the whole tabernacle night and day. It was continually burning to shed light. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.1

What does that mean? Turn to the fourth chapter of Revelation. Instead of being a book that hides the truth, and to perplex and confuse people’s minds, it is the final gift of God to mankind to uncover and unify all other truth in the Bible. Describing the sanctuary not now upon earth, but in heaven, it says: “And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.” GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.2

How many Spirits does God have? Why, God is God. Yes, certainly. But what are these seven Spirits of god? Turn to Isaiah eleven. Always let the Lord speak, rather than man: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord: and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord.” GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.3

How many manifestations of that Spirit does that give?—Just seven. But it is one Spirit. Those are the seven Spirits of God, which are the one Spirit, working this way to give light, to give understanding, to transform, to build, to organize, or reorganize, to build the temple, and fill the temple. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.4

In that tabernacle the light of the glory that appeared between the cherubim, so great that even with the veil hanging, the priest sometimes had to go outside - that light was the constant teaching of this very advent message, the appearing of the Lord, his manifested presence. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.5

But go further. He wanted to appear for salvation. If he had appeared before the face of all the people in the fullness of unveiled glory, it would have been to the destruction of the people, and not to their salvation. So in the tabernacle, built so that no light should shine through into the inner apartment, was where the greatest unveiling of the light and glory of his manifested presence was,—his advent right among them. But in order that the priest might minister and live, something must veil that glory even from him; so constantly, there hung the veil before the ark. The veil did not reach up on to the top, so that no light should come forth. Light would shine forth in spite of the veil, and lighten up the place sometimes so that the priest had to retire. The purpose was not to hide the light, but to reveal it in the measure that man could look upon it and live. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.6

When the high priest alone, once a year, went right in before that very presence, not in robes of glory and beauty, but in the plain white linen, then the censer and the smoke of incense must be both the intercession and the hiding-place. Then, that the people might get the benefit of the light and glory that is to shine out from the temple, there is another veil hung, so that even though the priest, in robes of glory and beauty, may stand before the first veil, the people were not to be shut away from this light of glory. O, no: but the veil must be hung, another veil even, in order that the light and glory might shine forth for salvation, and not for destruction. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.7

So when the advent message in fact appeared in the world, the light and the glory were veiled: divinity was veiled in humanity. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. But in order that that advent message might actually appear as a fact to the people, that light and glory which are the very center of it all, the appearing of glory for salvation, must be veiled. Our way into the holy place, into the very presence of the Infinite glory, is opened, yet veiled; but “having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart.” Not in fear, no. The glory is for salvation. Do not be afraid of the glory. Be afraid to be where that glory is manifested, if we are not hidden in Christ Jesus; but, hidden in him, say, Let the glory dawn. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.8

When that advent message is actually given, actually ministered, the advent message is the ministry of the very life, and presence, and power of Jesus Christ by his Holy Spirit, in the temple, the body,—and when by the actual giving of that advent message the work is accomplished, and every one in all the world has heard and decided about it, that builds up the body, edifying the body; and when the body is built upon the invisible Head, the visible head will appear and join itself to the body, and that will end the advent message. It will not end the experience, but it will end the advent, the message to the world, so far as probation, salvation, and preaching the gospel are concerned; for all of this work will be done. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.9

Then the only thing is to give the actual advent message. Shall we give the dates and figures and historical facts, and show the people that from generation to generation and from century to century, the Lord’s word has been fulfilled in all these events?—Certainly; but let them see, and you see, and your minister in that thing the advent message. That is all. Will there be any lack of life and power in the advent message then?—I tell you, Nay. Will there be more than one message then?—I tell you, Nay. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.10

In that advent message are medical missionary work, health reform, the whole question of the sanctuary, and the inheritance of the saints. In that advent message is the whole question of the nature of man. There is truth in it, and God wants us to get all the truth that is found in that simple advent message. I tell you, brethren, it is for us to know what the advent message really is. Why, the man that knows that message will live giving it, will die giving it. You will love it. You will live for the advent message. It is God’s message. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.11

Turn with me to the first epistle of John. Let me say that if those who are called in the providence of God to deliver the message at this time, know what they are doing, they will all speak the same thing, and that will be the advent message. That is all there is to speak. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life; for the life was manifested.” Now, brethren, you can easily put them together. Life and light; two l’s go together. Darkness and death; two d’s go together. He who is the prince of darkness is the one who has power of death. He who is the Lord, our righteousness, in him is life, and his life is the light of men. GCB April 4, 1901, page 45.12

Now, one doesn’t shut out the other, but if you get them in the right relation, you will never get confused studying these different phases of truth, and you will never confuse the people in teaching these different phases of truth in itself. You will never fail to make it clear to them that you are simply resting their minds by using different figures, different illustrations, different experiences to teach one thing all the time, but you do not want to say the same thing, or use the same object-lesson all the time. People tire of it just as people tire of eating the best food there is made for every meal. Now, do not misunderstand that. We won’t go into that, but it is something real. GCB April 4, 1901, page 46.1

Life and light mean the same—not mean the same but are the same. See the difference. The life was manifested. Now, when life was manifested light was manifested. “We have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us; that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.” This John was the one who in his experience with the Saviour was nearest to him. He was the one that learned on his bosom. By yielding to the working of the Lord, he was brought into that close touch with the Lord that he experiences these things. Therefore the Lord knew that he would reveal it to others. What does he write?—“This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” Now, that is the advent message. That is simply the New Testament statement of an Old Testament object-lesson. GCB April 4, 1901, page 46.2

Light! God’s light! That is the message, and in him is no darkness at all. I feel perfectly free to say to you that in this message. “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all,” is bound up all the truth that any one needs to know. But we can not say this all at once. For. “if we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if we talk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” Then there is cleansing from all sin in knowing that truth that God is light. “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” That is because God is light, and light is life, and is the cleansing power of the universe; and because that light and that life are manifested, we have cleansing from our sins. That is what cleanses. GCB April 4, 1901, page 46.3

Turn to the fourth chapter of Romans, and let it reveal another thought. “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly; his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying “Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. “When David said that, he was describing the righteousness of faith. That is clear. And that righteousness by faith is the simple forgiveness of sin, and forgiveness of sin comes by walking in the light, and believing that he is the light. When you start out on faith, doesn’t the field broaden out a little? We start out with a narrow line, and there is hardly room to get through, there is hardly room to walk; but it begins to open up and you follow it, and the light begins to spread, and you will walk in that very ocean that was brought out last night. But it all depends upon starting right toward it now. You will not get to that ocean of light by going in some other direction, or by stopping in the way before you get there. The light goes into darkness except as we let it shine. GCB April 4, 1901, page 46.4

Then the whole question of righteousness by faith, the whole question of the life of God in man, is the advent question. Do not misunderstand me now. Do not say that I do not believe in the near, actual, visible appearing in the clouds of heaven of the man Christ Jesus. That is what I am looking for all the time. But I want to tell you that no truth is of any value to any one when that truth is outside of him. And that is the attitude that we personally, and altogether, sustain to this question of the actual advent of the Lord right here in our midst by his Spirit. That settles the time of his actual, visible appearing in the clouds of heaven; for haven’t we known that it might all have happened years ago, and the advent message to this world have been closed up long ago?—Certainly. What hinders it?—It is the hindering of the advent message in our own selves. That is what hinders the completion of the advent message in the personal appearing in glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. GCB April 4, 1901, page 46.5

We are brought to that time right here, and in this Conference, when we are going to take sides on this advent question. Now do let us take sides on the right side. Just let us have the advent message right here. It is here. Let it appear, and let there be set forth here and now one more grand object-lesson that shall last from now till we see the appearing and manifestation in the flesh of Jesus Christ our Lord. GCB April 4, 1901, page 46.6