THE GOSPEL FOR OUR DAY

The gospel message for this time of the judgment hour is set forth in the vision of Revelation 14:

"I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.

"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:6-12.

When this message has been heralded to all nations, according to prophecy the end will come, for the next scene brought before the prophet's vision was the coming of Christ to reap the harvest of the earth:

"I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle." Verse 14.

The outline of the message given here reveals certain main features:

1. A Gospel Message

It is not a new or another gospel. There is but one gospel. This message is "the everlasting gospel" in terms that meet the situation in the time of the judgment hour. The advent movement carries the blessed message of full salvation from sin by faith in Jesus Christ.

2. A Solemn Warning

The message is God's final answer to the age-long perversions of His truth. Even the warnings uttered vibrate with the saving grace and winning power of God's love in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the vision of Daniel 8, the prophet was shown the working of apostasy in the latter times, as it "cast down the truth to the ground" and "practiced and prospered." But in answer to the question, "How long?" the great prophetic period of the 2300 years was given, at the end of which (in 1844) the judgment work in heaven was to begin. When that work is finished, Christ's glorious appearing will end the reign of sin and error.

And while the closing judgment work is proceeding in heaven, this message of the judgment hour lifts up on earth the standard of truths trodden underfoot, and the Lord utters His last warning against sin and apostasy. It is a terrible word that He speaks. Bengelius described it as—

The Lord is in earnest with men in this hour when the judgment, now passing on the dead, must also soon seal the eternal destiny of all the living. Hence the message challenges every soul to a decision.

Looking forward to the time when this message should be due, John Wesley wrote:—

These warnings are part of the "everlasting gospel." Whosoever, therefore, preaches the full gospel of Christ in these last days must sound this solemn call.

3. A Call to Loyalty to God

"Fear God," is the call, "Worship Him." In the preceding vision of the thirteenth chapter, the Lord had shown the prophet the work of an ecclesiastical power, symbolized by a leopardlike beast, that was to speak great things, and that was to persecute believers through long centuries, warring against God's truth and His sanctuary. "All the world wondered after the beast." The prophet said,

"All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb." Rev. 13:8.

While worldly influence and the voice of popular religion exalt this ecclesiastical power and give glory to it, the gospel message calls all men to worship God.

"Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him.... If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark,[I] ... the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God."

The issue, it is clear, involves the question of authority. Shall God be recognized as supreme? or shall this ecclesiastical power, whose rise and work were foretold in the prophecy, be recognized as the great authority?

The Work of the Papal Power

Any comparison between this leopard beast of Revelation 13 and the "little horn" of the fourth beast of Daniel 7, shows plainly that the same power is represented in each. The same voice is heard "speaking great things," the same persecuting spirit is shown, the same warfare against God's truth. It is the Roman Papacy, in its exaltation of human authority above the divine, that "lawless one" of Paul's prophecy, setting itself forth as God in the temple of God, treading underfoot the word and the law of the Most High, as foretold by Daniel:

"He shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws." Dan. 7:25.

Against the recognition of the assumed authority of this power, the gospel message of Revelation 14 sounds its solemn warning: "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark."

The Image to the Papacy

What is this image? Plainly an image to the Papacy must be some religious authority or federation not organically of the Papacy itself, but adopting papal principles and seeking to enforce these principles by civil power, just as the Papacy has ever done, where possible. This development in likeness of the Papacy was shown the prophet in the latter part of the vision of Revelation 13. He saw the image formed, and in vision witnessed its determined efforts to enforce upon men the mark, or sign, of the Papacy:

"He exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.... And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast." Rev. 13:12-17.

The Mark, or Sign, of Papal Authority

The Roman Papacy sets forth the Sunday institution as the mark of the authority of the church to substitute ecclesiastical tradition and custom for the Word of God. Thus, Monsignor Ségur, in "Plain Talks about the Protestantism of Today," says:

It was to this change in the Sabbath by tradition, contrary to the plain command of God to keep holy the seventh day, that the famous Council of Trent appealed when it gave Rome's answer to the Reformation cry of "The Bible and the Bible only." The council had long debated the ground of its answer. The historian says:

Ever since this memorable council, the Sunday institution has been held forth as the mark of the power of the church to command religious observances. Thus, again, Keenan's "Doctrinal Catechism" says:

The prophecy of Daniel declared that this power would "think" to change the times and laws of the Most High; and the change of the Sabbath commandment is set forth as the mark of the church's authority above the written law of the Most High.

Most remarkable of all, Protestant organizations are defending the unscriptural observance of the humanly established first-day sabbath in contradiction to the law of God, which declares that "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God." And these organizations, in denial of the Protestant principle of religious liberty, are seeking power to enforce Sunday observance by civil law. But this is to make a very image to the Roman Papacy—a church using the power of the state to enforce religious observance.

It was all foretold in the prophetic word. The prophet was shown (Rev. 13:11-17) this likeness or image to the Papacy—ecclesiastical organizations not of the Papacy itself, but following papal principles in this matter—seeking to compel men to receive the mark of the papal apostasy.

Against the workings of both the Papacy and this image to the Papacy, the last message of the "everlasting gospel" lifts its warning cry:

"If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God."

It is the time of the judgment hour, when God was to lift up the standard of truths long trodden underfoot. In the heavenly sanctuary Christ's closing judgment work is going forward, preparatory to His coming in consuming glory to end the reign of sin. On earth the Lord is sending the last gospel message to men, warning against sin and error, and calling all men to worship God, and to keep "the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

The Sign of Jehovah's Authority

God also has His sign, or mark, of authority. He bases His claims to supreme authority upon the fact of His creative power. As Creator, His is the authority and the power.

"The Lord is the true God.... He hath made the earth by His power." Jer. 10:10-12.

And the divinely established memorial of this creative power is the holy Sabbath. The Sabbath is the mark, or sign, of the true God:

"Hallow My Sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God." Eze. 20:20.

On one side is the mark, or sign, of apostasy from God; on the other the mark, or sign, of loyalty to God. Which mark will men receive, as the issue is pressed upon every soul for decision? On which side shall we stand? Under whose banner shall we be found when the judgment hour closes?

The test that came to Pilate comes anew to men as Christ's message presses for acceptance. "What shall I do then with Jesus?" asked the Roman governor—and yielded to popular clamor. His fatal decision in the time of testing warns us to decide for Christ and for the word of his salvation now, in this hour of God's judgment.

The message of Rev. 14:6-14 is going to all the world now. Every year thousands of new voices join in telling it. Printing presses are printing it in many languages. Schools and colleges in every continent are educating thousands of Seventh-day Adventist youth, keeping before them, as the highest aim of life, the hastening of the advent message to the world. Sanitariums in many lands, while training medical missionary evangelists, are at the same time ministering to the sick, and teaching the principles of Bible health and temperance. The movement necessarily emphasizes every principle of "the everlasting gospel," while pressing upon all the solemn issue that loyalty to Christ now means to turn from unscriptural tradition and custom to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. However ancient the custom of observing Sunday, it is but an innovation, setting aside the Word of God and the example of Jesus Christ. As St. Cyprian said: "Usage without truth is only an antiquated error." The clear light of Holy Scripture now calls the believer away from the path of error to the way of light.

In times past Christian believers have been unwittingly following the lead of the Papacy in this matter. The Lord holds no man accountable for light that he did not have. Reformation is a progressive work. Of the past we may say with Paul:

"The times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness." Acts 17:30, 31.

Now, with this "hour of God's judgment" already come, the entire covering of papal tradition is to be torn aside, and when Jesus comes in glory, in every land will be found believers having the faith and keeping the commandments of God.

All this was shown to John on the Isle of Patmos,—the coming of the judgment hour, the rise of the advent movement, and the heralding of the last message to the nations.

What John saw in vision nearly two thousand years ago, we see fulfilling before our eyes today. But it is not enough to see it; we must have a part in it, be a part of it.