The Triumph of the Remnant Church
IT is God’s purpose to enlighten the earth with His glory, and this majestic glory represents His character. When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He had a plan to be accomplished by them. They were to fill the whole earth with the glory that they had witnessed both in Egypt and at Sinai. But they did not fulfill the divine plan, and all but two died in the wilderness. Yet in spite of their failure, God still declared, “As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Numbers 14:21).
The new generation that emerged to take possession of the promised land again did not fulfill their assignment, this time by failing to completely expel the Canaanites from the land. It was God’s plan that His name should be glorified, exalted, and disseminated among the people. The idolatry so prominent in all the surrounding regions was to be eliminated, and the heathen were to be destroyed after their opportunities for repentance had been rejected. Thus their cup of iniquity was full. Why were God’s people unable to fulfill the divine plan? It was because of their disobedience to His commandments.
Nevertheless, God still has a plan to fill the earth with His glory, and now He is looking to His faithful remnant people in these last days. The apostle Paul says: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come” (1 Corinthians 10:11).
“Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people” (Psalm 96:2, 3). In holy vision the prophet Isaiah beheld the Lord sitting on His glorious throne. The angels sang and glorified His name. “And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). The Lord will use His people for the fulfillment of this prophecy in the last days.
God will be wonderfully glorified in all the earth. It is His purpose to make known His works and character as portrayed in His law of Ten Commandments. Satan has been working hard to eclipse the divine glory through the man of sin, by making void God’s holy precepts. But in the last days God will restore every divine institution. The breach made in the law will be repaired.
“God has called His church in this day, as He called ancient Israel, to stand as a light in the earth. By the mighty cleaver of truth, the messages of the first, second, and third angels, He has separated them from the churches and from the world to bring them into a sacred nearness to Himself. He has made them the depositaries of His law and has committed to them the great truths of prophecy for this time. Like the holy oracles committed to ancient Israel, these are a sacred trust to be communicated to the world.” 1
The commission has been given to the church, as depositary of the truth, to proclaim the everlasting gospel to all the inhabitants of the earth. We have been chosen by God to represent Him in the world and to be light bearers. The first call to proclaim these combined messages occurred in 1844 when the sanctuary in heaven was opened. Since then the people of God have understood the truth on the Sabbath question. The prophet writes: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament” (Revelation 11:19).
Less than a dozen faithful believers received the first rays of light of the third angel’s message. They were able to understand that our great High Priest had entered the most holy place to accomplish the final work of atonement for His people. Another great truth which was also understood is the investigative judgment. This light shone upon God’s remnant people. A great work was then before them. They went to enlighten the world.
When Satan saw that God had chosen a people to glorify His name by keeping His law, he was exceedingly wroth. He met with his angels to make a plan to hold back this work, and prevent the people from advancing. One of his plans was to cause the church to conform to the practices of the world. As they turned their attention to material things, the sublime and sacred work for souls was forgotten. Selfishness, worshiping mammon, and idolatry in dress led the church which had received great light to turn away from her sacred mission.
Again God has called His people to fulfill His designs. It was necessary for Him to extend a second call in 1888 because they had become paralyzed. Satan had once again involved them in the attractions of the world and the cares of this life. But the Lord in His mercy invited them again to their posts. The prophet says: “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee” (Isaiah 60:1–5).
The church of God has received light, and this light must shine among the people in order to receive more light. When the prophet said “shine” it meant that we should arise and transmit to the world the light that we have received. Are we getting ready to receive more light which is arising upon us? The glory of the Lord which is risen upon us is the goodness of God, His mercy and power through justification and sanctification by faith. This was the great truth presented to God’s people in General Conference capacity in 1888. This message will enlighten the earth, for it is the glory of God, it is the third angel’s message in verity, and this will enable God’s people to finish His work on earth.
Since 1888 the faithful remnant have found themselves in the phase of preparation. The straight testimony presented is clear and positive truth. The work of reformation begins among those who accept the light of the angel of Revelation 18. Among them begins the work of preparation for the latter rain. We must overcome the defects in our characters and purify the soul temple of defilement. Therefore, this work of preparation requires perseverance, time and dedication. It is a reformatory work accomplished by accepting the message of righteousness by faith. This message invites us to keep all the commandments of God, while at the same time it reveals our own righteousness as unworthy, laying in the dust the glory of man. “If the message had been of as short duration as many of us supposed, there would have been no time for them to develop character.” 2
“I know that a work must be done for the people, or many will not be prepared to receive the light of the angel sent down from heaven to lighten the whole earth with his glory.” 3
We must have knowledge of present truth and should not doubt the doctrines taught by God’s servants through His word. We are to be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Our feet should be swift and consecrated to go out from house to house to proclaim the gospel. Faith is our shield to shatter the cunningness of the enemy. Salvation granted by Jesus Christ should always be in our minds, and the word of God as a two-edged sword will enable us to fight against the powers of darkness. “For years the Lord has been calling the attention of His people to health reform. This is one of the great branches of the work of preparation for the coming of the Son of man.” 4
“The remnant people of God must be a converted people. The presentation of this message is to result in the conversion and sanctification of souls. We are to feel the power of the Spirit of God in this movement. This is a wonderful, definite message; it means everything to the receiver, and it is to be proclaimed with a loud cry.” 5
Dear brethren and sisters, unless we fall at the feet of Jesus we are unable to receive the Holy Spirit. We should say as Paul did: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24). “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). If we go to Jesus with humility, all undone and penitent, acknowledging our sins and pleading for mercy, He will forgive us and will enable us to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to finish God’s work.
The church will then be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. No spot will be found in their garments. Sinful tendencies will have already been eliminated by the power of His blood. A great power will rest upon the church, and the people of God will take part in the great commission to enlighten the whole earth. The angel of Revelation 18 will present his message in a loud cry. The message of Christ’s righteousness and the commandments of God must be proclaimed in all the world. The threefold message of Revelation 14 will be proclaimed with clarity. And the light of that other angel that will illuminate the whole earth with his glory will awaken the honest in heart.
The people of God will go forth in all the length and breadth of the earth, proclaiming the three angels’ messages. Just as the early apostles went out with the power of the Holy Spirit as witnesses for Christ to all parts of the world then known, so it shall be in our days. The remnant will finish the work entrusted to them with greater power.
“The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the church is looked forward to as in the future; but it is the privilege of the church to have it now. . . .
“The outpouring of the Spirit in the days of the apostles was the former rain, and glorious was the result. But the latter rain will be more abundant.” 6
The Holy Spirit is God’s agency to equip the remnant people to go out to proclaim the three angels’ messages.
“Hundreds and thousands were seen visiting families and opening before them the word of God. Hearts were convicted by the power of the Holy Spirit, and a spirit of genuine conversion was manifest. On every side doors were thrown open to the proclamation of the truth. The world seemed to be lightened with the heavenly influence.” 7
The people of God will be constrained by the Holy Spirit to go out to proclaim the truth. This movement is symbolized by that other angel enlightening the earth with his glory. Full of courage and determination, the remnant will be dispersed into all places and will give the final warning to the world. “Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given.” 8
What a great privilege is granted the children of God, those who surrender themselves to the power of the Holy Spirit! By His power they can overcome the world, the flesh and the devil in order to be elected and approved by Christ for the conclusion of His mighty work.
“Our publications should go everywhere. Let them be issued in many languages. ” 9
“And in a large degree through our publishing houses is to be accomplished the work of that other angel who comes down from heaven with great power and who lightens the earth with his glory.” 10
“In our erring judgment we may think it unwise to give literature to the very ones who would accept the truth most readily. We know not what may be the good results of giving away a leaflet containing present truth.” 11
The colporteur work, the church and the Holy Spirit will enlighten the world with the glory of God. The Sabbath truth will be preached in all the world. It is our duty now to sow the seed, and the seed will spring up with the showers of Christ’s grace. Thousands and thousands will be convinced about the truth.
In Revelation 17, Babylon is represented as a woman sitting upon a beast and with a cup full of wine of abominations and uncleanness. This wine represents the false doctrines which Babylon has taught all around the world.
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul and the observance of the false sabbath (Sunday) are two of the great errors taught by Babylon everywhere. Almost all churches adhere to these false doctrines. And the people of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, are to expose the sins of Babylon.
These announcements penetrate everywhere and infuriate the leaders of the churches. They appeal to the strong arm of the civil power to halt the movement of the living God. They issue a decree forbidding the people of God to keep His true Sabbath day holy. And by economic pressures, imprisonment and death threats, they seek to compel the remnant to keep Sunday (Revelation 13:16, 17).
This procedure of the wicked fills up the cup of indignation, and the sins of Babylon reach unto heaven. On this sharp stage of events the call is heard: “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4, 5).
The movement of the angel of Revelation 18 plays an important role then, because a large portion of God’s children are still in Babylon. In the time of the final warning, the Lord will call them to come out of her. The Lord has a work to perform on earth.
The third angel’s message will be closed by dividing the whole world into two classes: on one hand are the worshipers of the beast and his image; on the other side are those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. The first party is sealed with the mark of the beast, while the faithful few are sealed with the seal of the living God. The church of God becomes the church triumphant; she has overcome the beast, his image, and his mark. The name of God has been glorified in His servants. And now, as a bride, the church awaits the coming of Christ for the marriage reception.
Dear brothers and sisters who take part in this week of prayer: Stop and think about the time in which we are living. Meditate on the task that is assigned to us, and the promises which we have received from our Master. We appeal to all—let us seek the Lord while He may be found, while He is still in the heavenly sanctuary making intercession for us.