“Before us we have the great problem—the 1,100,000,000 of pagans
to convert to Christianity. That is the solid rock that looms up
in our path. Look at it; see what work has been done in 1800
years, and how much is yet to be accomplished. In India, after
more than a hundred years of mission work, we have 600,000 native
converts and 2,000,000 Christians among 260,000,000 heathen. Can
we remove that solid boulder that is as old as the hills?... Our
Methodist Church we think the most divine and ineffable. We boast
that we are going to conquer the world, and come from our palaces
and princely farms to subscribe fifty cents a head for the
undertaking! It is a burning disgrace that excites pity and
disgust.”
And as to the prospects for universal peace, the following recent
statement of the armament of Europe does not indicate that the nations are
really contemplating such a happy consummation:—
Russia: 1,519,810 men, 181,000 horses, 2,084 cannon
Germany: 835,000 men, 96,000 horses, 2,022 cannon
Austria: 856,980 men, 58,125 horses, 1,600 cannon
England: 478,800 men
France: 1,850,000 men
The remaining states of Europe make up with the above a total of about
6,000,000 men.
The Final Separation.
VERSES 40, 41: “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be
taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the
mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”
This language shows the final separation between the righteous and the
wicked. There is no elaborate explanation as to how the circumstances will
meet their fulfillment, but that is not the essential force of the text.
The line will in some cases be drawn between those who are intimately
related. Some members of the same family will be taken away by the
judgments of God, while others will be left to receive their coming Lord.
Those Who Watch Will Know The Time.
VERSES 42‐44: “Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your
Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house
had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not
the Son of man cometh.”
The injunction to watchfulness is repeatedly given by our Saviour in
connection with his teaching in reference to his second advent. These
injunctions must apply especially to those who live in proximity to that
event. This fact is convincing evidence that the Lord is not displeased
with those who anticipate his coming, and study the word in reference to
it. No one watches for that which he does not expect, and indifference or
aversion toward the coming of Christ is sure evidence of coldness toward
Christ himself. If we love Jesus, we shall love his appearing and if we
love his appearing, we shall be eagerly watching and waiting for it. But
if we knew the hour when he would come, we should not watch for his
coming, nor could we with eagerness expect his coming if we had no
knowledge of its approach. The course of time has been measured off in
definite periods down to the beginning of the present generation. The time
from the end of the prophetic periods to the coming of Christ is
emphatically the waiting, watching time. Those who watch, as our Lord
commands, will eventually know the time. No man will make it known, for it
is not revealed to man in the Scriptures. Angels will not make it known,
though they may minister to, and communicate with, the children of men.
Neither will the Son. But the Father will make it known when he speaks
again from heaven.
It is undoubtedly true that the unscriptural and irrational course pursued
by many so‐called Adventists in repeatedly setting a time of their own for
the Lord to come has had the effect to disgust many with the whole matter.
This is the enemy’s work. He will seek thus to obscure each truth by
bringing it into the shadow of reproach. But it is unwise to be thus
misled. Probably there is no prophecy that better describes the present
state of unbelief in the world in regard to the second advent, caused
partly by fanatical time‐movements, than the following:—
“Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of
Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
Tell them therefore, Thus saith the Lord God: I will make this
proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in
Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of
every vision. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor
flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the
Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to
pass; it shall be no more prolonged, for in your days, O
rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith
the Lord God.” Eze. 12:22‐25.
The burden of this prophecy is time; therefore the word here mentioned
that the Lord will speak, will be the time. Rev. 3:3, is also to the
point:—
“Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and hold
fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come
on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come
upon thee.”
Those who do not watch, will not know the hour. Those who watch will know
the hour.
The present watching, waiting position requires much faith and patience.
Says Paul:—
“Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great
recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye
have done the will of God [in proclaiming the coming of Christ],
ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that
shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live
by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure
in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but
of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Heb. 10:35‐39.
Says James: “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord.
Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and
hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be
ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth
nigh.” James 5:7, 8.
Jesus says: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will
keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world
to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Rev. 3:10.
The present position and present duty of God’s people are defined in Rev.
14:12: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
The Faithful And Wise Servant.
VERSES 45‐47: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his
lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due
season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall
find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler
over all his goods.”
In this figure, Christ is represented as the Lord of the household of
faith (see Mark 13:35; Heb. 3:6), leaving his house, and committing the
work of caring for his church to his servants. A blessing is promised
those servants who are found faithfully discharging this duty when their
Lord comes. They are to feed the flock of God, over whom the Holy Ghost
hath made them overseers. Acts 20:28. They must preach the word. 2 Tim.
4:2. They should watch for souls as they that must give account. Heb.
13:17. They will not only give meat to the household, but they will give
it in due season. They will preach the _present_ truth.
And meat in due season when Christ’s coming draws near, will be the gospel
of the kingdom. Verse 14. It will embrace warnings, instructions, and
encouragements pertaining to a message that is designed and adapted to
prepare the world for so solemn an event. Suppose, for a moment, that when
Noah had received his message of the coming flood to give to the world, he
had reasoned with worldly wisdom that as such a thing never had occurred,
and from all appearances seemed very unlikely to occur, and hence to
preach it would subject him to reproach, it would be better to avoid any
particular allusion to such an unwelcome subject. His preaching seemed to
excite only ridicule. He could retain his own private convictions and
preach the ordinary principles of righteousness, saying, “Do not so, my
brethren.” And if the people were only prepared for the flood, that would
be all that would be necessary. Of such a course we can say two things. He
would thus have proved very unfaithful to his trust, and the blood of his
fellow‐men would have been upon him; and he would have done just as
thousands are doing now. He certainly would not have represented the
faithful and wise servant. So it is now. A solemn responsibility is placed
upon the watchmen:—
“Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto
them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the
land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman:
if when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the
trumpet, and warn the people; then whosoever heareth the sound of
the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take
him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound
of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him.
But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the
watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the
people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from
among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I
require at the watchman’s hand. So thou, O son of man, I have set
thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt
hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.” Eze. 33:2‐7.
When Jesus comes, the faithful servants will be found proclaiming his
coming and teaching the necessary preparation. The Saviour speaks of such
as “faithful and wise.”
1. He is faithful. As a faithful watchman, he will give timely warning
when he sees the sword coming. His work just before the end, is seen in
the following scriptures:—
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy
mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day
of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Joel 2:1.
“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show
my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.”
Isa. 58:1.
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his
kingdom, Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long‐suffering and doctrine. For
the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned into fables. But watch thou in all
things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make
full proof of thy ministry.” 2. Tim. 4:1‐5.
2. He is wise. “He that winneth souls is wise.” He must be wise. He will
hold forth the truth in its harmony and beauty, and thus expose error and
win men to the truth. When it becomes his duty to “reprove and rebuke,” it
will be at a proper time and place, and then with all “long‐suffering and
doctrine.” He will study to show himself “approved unto God, a workman
that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2
Tim. 2:15.
The Evil Servant.
VERSES 48‐51: “But and if that evil servant shall say in his
heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his
fellow‐servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord
of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him,
and in an hour that he is not aware of; and shall cut him asunder,
and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
What the evil servant says and does, shows most clearly the position and
work of the faithful and wise servant. The evil servant says, “My lord
delayeth his coming,” because the faithful servant is proclaiming the
coming of his lord. The evil servant smites the faithful servant, because
he teaches the soon coming of his Lord. The faithful servant, true to his
commission to preach the “gospel of the kingdom” to a fallen church and a
scoffing world, toils on, and for this the evil servant smites him. Not
with the fist, perhaps, but with the tongue of obloquy and reproach. That
there should be professed servants of Christ engaged in smiting those who
are faithfully warning the world, need not cause surprise in view of the
past, but must cause sorrow in the heart of every lover of truth. The
wicked servant says in heart, and some are saying with their lips, The
Lord is not coming. The world is now just starting out upon its career of
knowledge and enjoyment. Where is the promise or indication of his coming?
Some say, He may come to‐night, he may not come in a million years, thus
neutralizing the truth. Such men will be found criticising and discounting
the Scriptures and subjecting them to the tests of human philosophy and
science. The only safety for the people is to look beyond such watchmen.
Let them take the Bible for themselves, and there discerning the truth,
embrace it, and live according to it.