The Triumph of the Remnant Church
The story is told about a man by the name of Thomas Bridges. When Thomas was born, his mother—being destitute and unable to care for him—wrapped him in a blanket, took him to the nearby hospital and left him there on the street. She did this at night, fearing that she might be seen by someone. Soon after, a passerby came and as he approached the little baby he could hear crying. Looking around he could not see anyone. As he continued walking, he came closer and closer to the sound of the baby’s cry. Then he saw a little bundle on the sidewalk near the building. To his astonishment he realized that it was a newborn baby swaddled in blankets. Not knowing what to do, he took the baby into the nearby hospital.
Handing the baby to the nurses he left without identifying himself. The baby, who was a boy, now become the ward of that hospital. The nurses loved him almost instantly. Not knowing his mother, his father, or his name, the nurses decided to name him Thomas after the name of the hospital—The St. Thomas Hospital. And for a surname they called him Bridges, since there were a number of bridges in the vicinity of that hospital.
Thomas Bridges grew to be a fine young man. He received a good education and, most importantly, he accepted Christ as his personal Saviour.
When Charles Darwin was giving his lectures on evolution, Thomas Bridges attended one of his London lectures. At that particular meeting Darwin spoke about a wild tribe he had visited at the southernmost tip of South America. These people lived very primitive lives in the jungle. Most significant about these people, as Darwin described, was that they were wild, animal-like creatures. Darwin went on to say that no power on earth could tame them, and that the wild dogs could be tamed more easily than those people could be.
When Thomas Bridges, being a Christian, heard Darwin’s description of these people, he decided to visit them.
He found them exactly as Darwin had described. Gradually, Thomas preached Christ to them. He told them of the love of Jesus and the power of Christ to change lives. As time went on, the divine power of Jesus started changing those people. Finally, the whole tribe, that were once wild and brutal, became followers of Christ. A change took place in them that no human power or wisdom could do.
Some years later, Darwin decided to visit that tribe again. Upon his arrival he found kind, orderly people, living in humble but clean houses with happy children, and kind and loving parents. Thinking that he was in the wrong place he enquired about the wild tribe. To his surprise he was told that yes, he was in the right place, and that he was indeed among the once wild tribe. It was Thomas Bridges who spoke to him about his decision to take the message of the power of Christ to them. He told Darwin that he had been right in saying in his lectures that no human power could change these people, for the power that had now changed them was the power of Christ.
Through sin we are all sinners by nature. Says David: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). The apostle Paul confirms this in his epistle to the Romans: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
In the Spirit of Prophecy we read: “Man was originally endowed with noble powers and a well-balanced mind. He was perfect in his being, and in harmony with God. His thoughts were pure, his aims holy. But through disobedience, his powers were perverted, and selfishness took the place of love. His nature became so weakened through transgression that it was impossible for him, in his own strength, to resist the power of evil. He was made captive by Satan.” 1
“God declares, ‘there is none righteous, no, not one’ (Romans 3:10). All have the same sinful nature. All are liable to make mistakes. No one is perfect.” 2
Although we live in a world of sin, and by nature we are sinners, we need not remain under the power of sin. The world in which we live is full of evil, but it is not God’s will that evil should rule in our lives. God has made provision to give us victory over sin. He has given us the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth” (Romans 1:16). Without Jesus there is no hope, for “neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).This is good news for every one of us. In Jesus there is hope for every sinner. Through Him we have forgiveness, reconciliation with God and peace. Through Christ we become “sons and daughters of God” (2 Corinthians 6:18). Through Him we have new life, which begins with the death of the old life. The apostle Paul describes the entire provision of God for the salvation of humanity. He says that we are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” This justification has brought us “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Not only that, but also “we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:1, 2).
Christian living begins by dying. There must be a death to the world and sin. We, as sinners, must believe and accept that Jesus died for our sins on the cross. We must be crucified with Christ. We must give up the deeds of the flesh. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19–21).
How do we die to sin? The inspiration gives us the answer: “Many are inquiring, ‘How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?’ You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.” 3
If we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts, He will bring conviction of our sins. He leads us to the forgiveness and empowering available through Christ.
“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
We need to understand that we are called to be a people who think, feel and act in harmony with the principles and life of Christ. The apostle Paul admonishes us to have the mind “which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
The Spirit of Prophecy enlightens our minds as to what it means to have Christ in us.
“The followers of Christ are to shed light into the darkness of the world. Through the Holy Spirit, God’s word is a light as it becomes a transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the attributes of God. The light of His glory—His character—is to shine forth in His followers. Thus they are to glorify God, to lighten the path to the Bridegroom’s home, to the city of God, to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” 4
It is important for us to understand that in order for the Holy Spirit to recreate in us the character of our Lord, we are to involve ourselves only in those things which will produce Christlike purity, Christlike habits, and Christlike thoughts. To have the mind of Christ means to have His principles in our daily living. This means that we live to please Him, not ourselves. Our lifestyle and behavior will testify to what Christ has done in us. We will demonstrate the work of Christ in us by our appearance. Our Lord loves beauty and purity. We are to attract attention to Christ, not to ourselves. Dress is symbolic language, an outward display of personal priorities. When Jesus was on earth He shunned all outward display so that people would be attracted to His goodness, His love and His character.
The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of every true child of God. It is the blessed hope of His church. It is the grand climax of the gospel. The apostle Paul admonishes us that we should be “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Jesus Himself has given us His firm assurance of His coming. We should at all times hear the words “I will come again.” I find some of the most beautiful statements in the Spirit of Prophecy which fill my heart with joy and the hope of future glory:
“One of the most solemn and yet most glorious truths revealed in the Bible is that of Christ’s second coming to complete the great work of redemption. To God’s pilgrim people, so long left to sojourn in ‘the region and shadow of death,’ a precious, joy-inspiring hope is given in the promise of His appearing, who is ‘the resurrection and the life,’ to ‘bring home again His banished.’ The doctrine of the second advent is the very keynote of the Sacred Scriptures. From the day when the first pair turned their sorrowing steps from Eden, the children of faith have waited the coming of the Promised One to break the destroyer’s power and bring them again to the lost Paradise. Holy men of old looked forward to the advent of the Messiah in glory, as the consummation of their hope. Enoch, only the seventh in descent from them that dwelt in Eden, he who for three centuries on earth walked with his God, was permitted to behold from afar the coming of the Deliverer. ‘Behold,’ he declared, ‘the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all’ (Jude 14, 15). The patriarch Job in the night of his affliction exclaimed with unshaken trust: ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: . . . in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another’ (Job 19:25–27).
“The coming of Christ to usher in the reign of righteousness has inspired the most sublime and impassioned utterances of the sacred writers. The poets and prophets of the Bible have dwelt upon it in words glowing with celestial fire. The psalmist sang of the power and majesty of Israel’s King: ‘Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence.’. . .
“Said the prophet Isaiah: ‘Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.’ ‘Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.’ ‘He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation’ (Isaiah 26:19; 25:8, 9).
“And Habakkuk, rapt in holy vision, beheld His appearing. ‘God came from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light.’ ‘He stood, and measured the earth: He beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hill did bow: His ways are everlasting.’ ‘Thou didst ride upon Thine horses and Thy chariots of salvation.’ ‘The mountains saw Thee, and they trembled: . . . the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of Thine arrows they went, and at the shining of Thy glittering spear.’ ‘Thou wentest forth for the salvation of Thy people, even for salvation with Thine anointed’ (Habakkuk 3:3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13).
“When the Saviour was about to be separated from His disciples, He comforted them in their sorrow with the assurance that He would come again: ‘Let not your heart be troubled. . . . In My Father’s house are many mansions. . . . I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself’ (John 14:1–3). ‘The Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him.’ ‘Then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations’ (Matthew 25:31, 32).
“The angels who lingered upon Olivet after Christ’s ascension repeated to the disciples the promise of His return: ‘This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven’ (Acts 1:11). And the apostle Paul, speaking by the Spirit of Inspiration, testified: ‘The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Says the prophet of Patmos: ‘Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him’ (Revelation 1:7).
“About His coming cluster the glories of that ‘restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began’ (Acts 3:21). Then the long-continued rule of evil shall be broken; ‘the kingdoms of this world’ will become ‘the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever’ (Revelation 11:15). ‘The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.’ ‘The Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.’ He shall be ‘for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of His people’ (Isaiah 40:5; 61:11; 28:5). . . .
“The coming of the Lord has been in all ages the hope of His true followers. The Saviour’s parting promise upon Olivet, that He would come again, lighted up the future for His disciples, filling their hearts with joy and hope that sorrow could not quench nor trials dim. Amid suffering and persecution, the ‘appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ’ was the ‘blessed hope.’ When the Thessalonian Christians were filled with grief as they buried their loved ones, who had hoped to live to witness the coming of the Lord, Paul, their teacher, pointed them to the resurrection, to take place at the Saviour’s advent. Then the dead in Christ should rise, and together with the living be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. ‘And so,’ he said, ‘shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words’ (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18).
“On rocky Patmos the beloved disciple hears the promise, ‘Surely I come quickly,’ and his longing response voices the prayer of the church in all her pilgrimage, ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation 22:20).
“From the dungeon, the stake, the scaffold, where saints and martyrs witnessed for the truth, comes down the centuries the utterance of their faith and hope. Being ‘assured of His personal resurrection, and consequently of their own at His coming, for this cause,’ says one of these Christians, ‘they despised death, and were found to be above it.’—Daniel T. Taylor, The Reign of Christ on Earth: or, The Voice of the Church in All Ages, page 33. They were willing to go down to the grave, that they might ‘rise free.’—Ibid., page 54. They looked for the ‘Lord to come from heaven in the clouds with the glory of His Father,’ ‘bringing to the just the times of the kingdom.’ The Waldenses cherished the same faith.—Ibid., pages 129–132. Wycliffe looked forward to the Redeemer’s appearing as the hope of the church.—Ibid., pages 132–134. . . .
“ ‘The thoughts of the coming of the Lord,’ said Baxter, ‘are most sweet and joyful to me.’—Richard Baxter, Works, vol. 17, p. 555. ‘It is the work of faith and the character of His saints to love His appearing and to look for that blessed hope.’ ‘If death be the last enemy to be destroyed at the resurrection, we may learn how earnestly believers should long and pray for the second coming of Christ, when this full and final conquest shall be made.’—Ibid., vol. 17, p. 500. ‘This is the day that all believers should long, and hope, and wait for, as being the accomplishment of all the work of their redemption, and all the desires and endeavors of their souls.’ ‘Hasten, O Lord, this blessed day!’ — Ibid., vol. 17, pp. 182, 183. Such was the hope of the apostolic church, of the ‘church in the wilderness,’ and of the Reformers.” 5
Often we wonder or are asked why God has not revealed the time of Christ’s return. No prophecy gives us the date. But we can be certain that when the right time arrives, Jesus will come. It is His solemn promise. What will happen to God’s people when He comes? Jesus Himself tells us that He will take us to His Father’s house, to His Father’s mansions.
He will prepare a new earth for us. On this new earth in which righteousness will dwell He will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life. Christ Himself will dwell with His people, and suffering and death will have passed away. The great controversy will be ended, and sin will be no more.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:1–4).
On this newly re-created planet Christ will establish His eternal kingdom. The glorious city, the New Jerusalem, is in the midst of this grand new world.
Can you imagine, my dear brethren and sisters, a world where there will be no death, no funerals, no pain, no crying, no prisons, no locked doors, no hospitals, no drugs, no hatred, no fear, no broken homes, no hunger, no thirst, no sin, no temptation, nor anything that will cause unhappiness? All that will pass away.
I wish to close with the words that the Holy Spirit inspired John to write, the words that gave him, and for us today the hope of eternal glory:
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).