The Signs of the Times
May 5, 1887
A Sabbath Reform
“And the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” ST May 5, 1887, par. 1
In holy vision John saw a door opened in Heaven. It is the arm of Almighty Power that has opened this door, and no man can shut it. Through this open door is revealed the temple of God, in the Most Holy Place of which is the ark, and in this ark is the law of ten commandments, written with the finger of God on tables of stone. ST May 5, 1887, par. 2
Glancing down the stream of time, the prophet sees a people whose attention is directed to the temple of God. The light that shines from the open door arrests their attention, and they begin to see that it contains the law of ten commandments. The angel of Revelation 14 is represented as flying in the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” This angel presents a message that is to be proclaimed to the world just before Christ comes in the clouds of heaven to take his elect to himself. Just prior to this time, then, the attention of the people is to be called to the down-trodden law of God, which is contained in the ark of the testament. ST May 5, 1887, par. 3
The people of God are seeking for light; and as they examine his law, precept by precept, they find in its bosom the fourth commandment as it was instituted in Eden, and proclaimed in awful grandeur from Sinai's mount: “Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it.” ST May 5, 1887, par. 4
They see that instead of observing the seventh day, the day that God sanctified, and commanded to be observed as the Sabbath, they are keeping the first day of the week. But they honestly desire to do God's will, and they begin to search the Scriptures to find the reason for the change. Failing to find any scriptural authority for the custom, the question arises, Shall we accept a truth that has become unpopular, and obey the commandments of God, or shall we continue with the world, and obey the commandments of men? With open Bibles they weep, and pray, and compare scripture with scripture, until, convinced of the truth, they conscientiously take their stand as keepers of the commandments of God. ST May 5, 1887, par. 5
As the Scriptures were opened to the first seekers for truth, they saw what their work must be. Said the prophet: “And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” ST May 5, 1887, par. 6
Many and determined were the efforts made to overthrow the faith of those who would build up the old waste places, and heal the breach in the law of God. How hard evil men, headed by the prince of darkness, tried to close the door that had been opened into the sanctuary where Jesus had entered to make atonement for his people! Christ had opened the door, or ministration, of the Most Holy Place, and light was shining out, that all who desired might see the claims of the fourth commandment, and believe. God had established his law, and not a jot or tittle of it was to be annulled. ST May 5, 1887, par. 7
As those who had received the light of truth went forth to present it to others, they met opposition on every hand. Their names were cast out as evil, and they suffered privation and want; and yet from the first the work has moved steadily forward. Thousands have accepted the truth in America, and it has been carried to all parts of the world; people of all languages and nationalities are taking their stand upon it. ST May 5, 1887, par. 8
Many more will yet accept the truth on the Sabbath reform; but we must not expect a large number of the great men of earth to obey; the cross is too heavy for them to lift. How was it in Christ's day? Many of the rulers and chief men of the Jews believed his teaching; but they would not acknowledge it for fear of losing influence with their fellowmen. The same spirit exists today; and that which prevented the Pharisees from confessing the truth, will prevent many from confessing it now. ST May 5, 1887, par. 9
The questions for each one to settle are, What is truth? and, What is your aim in life? If your object is to meet the world's standard, to accept the world's maxims and practices, the words of truth will have little weight with you. But if you have an earnest desire to answer the claims that God has upon you, if your desire is to be connected with God, and to reach the highest round of the ladder of progress in the divine life, then, when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. But it is your own efforts, through the grace of Christ, that will bring you perfection of character. When the path of duty is opened before you, you are not at liberty to consult your own convenience; you are required to walk in the path of humble obedience. All who enter Heaven will do so as conquerors. You will have battles to fight; you will have difficulties to meet that can only be overcome by strong, determined resistance. But eternal life is worth a life-long, persevering effort. ST May 5, 1887, par. 10
We are not at liberty to cast our souls away; we are not at liberty to place ourselves under Satan's influence, and become slaves to his will. “Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price,” even the precious blood of the Son of God; “therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” We belong to God. He has claims upon us which we cannot throw off; we may ignore them, we may refuse to yield to his wise requirements, but they are nevertheless binding upon us. Says the True Witness, “I know thy works.” Every day of our lives we have something to do to improve our God-given abilities. He has given us reasoning powers; and if we in any way weaken those powers, we shall be called to an account by the righteous Judge of all the earth. He has given us talents; and if these talents are rightly employed, our ability to work for the Master will be increased. ST May 5, 1887, par. 11
When the light of truth shines upon our path, and conscience is convicted, shall we turn away from the Heaven-sent warnings because all will not obey them? Shall we ask our friends and acquaintances whether it is best for us to obey the invitations of the Spirit of God?—No; these friends may make us err, but they cannot pay a ransom for our souls. ST May 5, 1887, par. 12
None are forced to accept of Jesus and his truth, but all are invited to do so. Life and death are placed before us, and it is for us to choose which we will have. A great work is to be done for us all before we can attain to perfection of Christian character. The mighty lever of truth takes us out of the quarry of the world, and places us in the work-shop of God, where we must submit to be hewed, and squared, and polished, if we would be fitted for the heavenly building. ST May 5, 1887, par. 13
The law of God is the standard of righteousness. It is the mirror into which we are to look to discern the defects in our character. When we look into a mirror, it reveals the defects of our dress or person; but it does not remove a single imperfection. These we must remedy ourselves. So it is with the law of God. The law is God's great mirror, or moral detector of sin; but there is no saving quality in law; it has no power to pardon the transgressor. There is a provision made for the sinner: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” Then what is the work before the sinner?—It is to exercise repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. In the precious blood of the Son of God, the stains of sin may all be washed away. There is a fountain open for Judah and Jerusalem, and the defilement of sin will be removed from all who will wash in this fountain. ST May 5, 1887, par. 14
Dear friends, you each have a case pending in the court of Heaven. Have you secured an advocate to plead in your behalf? Jesus is man's intercessor, and we must make him our friend or we shall lose our case. Now is the time for us to walk humbly with God, to watch unto prayer, and be diligent students of the Scriptures, that we may know the truth and obey it, and gain eternal life in the Paradise of God. ST May 5, 1887, par. 15
Basel, Switzerland.