Bible Readings for the Home Circle Part 67

"Because _He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world_ in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given a.s.surance unto all men, _in that He hath raised Him from the dead_." Acts 17:31.

3. What message announces the judgment-hour come?

"And 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 G.o.d, and give glory to Him; for _the hour of His judgment is come_: and wors.h.i.+p Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Rev. 14:6, 7.

4. In view of the judgment-hour, what is proclaimed anew?

"_The everlasting gospel._" Verse 6, first part.

5. How extensively is this message to be proclaimed?

"To _every nation_, and _kindred_, and _tongue_, and _people_." Verse 6, first part.

6. What is the whole world called upon to do?

"_Fear G.o.d, and give glory to Him._" Verse 7.

7. What special reason is given for this?

"For _the hour of His judgment is come_." Same verse.

8. Whom are all called upon to wors.h.i.+p?

"_Him that made heaven, and earth._" Same verse.

NOTE.-There is only one gospel (Rom. 1:16, 17; Gal. 1:8), first announced in Eden (Gen. 3:15), preached to Abraham (Gal. 3:8) and to the children of Israel (Heb. 4:1, 2), and proclaimed anew in every generation. In its development, the gospel meets the needs of every crisis in the world's history. John the Baptist in his preaching announced the kingdom of heaven at hand (Matt. 3:1, 2), and prepared the way for the first advent. John 1:22, 23. Christ Himself in His preaching of the gospel announced the fulfilment of a definite-time prophecy (the sixty-nine weeks, or 483 years, of Dan. 9:25), and called the people to repentance, in view of the coming of the predicted Messiah. Mark 1:14, 15. So when the time of the judgment comes, and Christ's second advent is near, a world-wide announcement of these events is to be made in the preaching of the everlasting gospel adapted to meet the need of the hour.

9. What prophetic period extends to the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, or the investigative judgment?

"And he said unto me, Unto _two thousand and three hundred days_; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Dan. 8:14.

10. When did this long period expire?

In A.D. 1844. See reading on page 230.

NOTE.-Our Lord based His preaching of the gospel upon the fulfilment of the first part of the 2300 days, or years (Mark 1:14, 15), a prophecy which determined the time of the first advent. The whole period extends to the time of the judgment, just preceding the second advent, and at its expiration a special gospel message is sent to all the world proclaiming the judgment-hour at hand, and calling upon all to wors.h.i.+p the Creator. The facts of history answer to this interpretation of the prophecy: for at this very time (1844) just such a message was being proclaimed in various parts of the world. This was the beginning of the great second advent message which is now being proclaimed throughout the world.

11. How is the true G.o.d distinguished from all false G.o.ds?

"Thus shall ye say unto them, _The G.o.ds that have not made the heavens and the earth_, even they shall perish from the earth.... _He [the true G.o.d]

hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion._" Jer.

10:11, 12.

12. For what reason is wors.h.i.+p justly due to G.o.d?

"For the Lord is a great G.o.d, and a great King above all G.o.ds.... _The sea is His, and He made it: and His hands formed __ the dry land_. O come, let us wors.h.i.+p and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our _Maker_." Ps.

95:3-6.

13. Why do the inhabitants of heaven wors.h.i.+p G.o.d?

"The four and twenty elders fall down before Him, ... saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: _for Thou hast created all things_, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." Rev.

4:10, 11.

14. What memorial did G.o.d establish of His creative power?

"Remember _the Sabbath day_, to keep it holy.... _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."

Ex. 20:8-11.

15. What place has the Sabbath in the work of salvation?

"Moreover also I gave them My Sabbaths, to be _a sign_ between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that _sanctify_ them." Eze.

20:12.

16. How many are concerned in the judgment?

"For we must _all_ appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that _every one_ may receive the things done in his body, _according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad_." 2 Cor. 5:10.

17. What will be the standard in the judgment?

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For He that said, Do not commit adultery; said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged _by the law of liberty_." James 2:10-12.

18. In view of the judgment, what exhortation is given?

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: _Fear G.o.d, and keep His commandments_: for this is the whole duty of man. For G.o.d shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:13, 14.

NOTE.-A comparison of Rev. 14:7 with Eccl. 12:13, 14, suggests that the way to give glory to G.o.d is to keep His commandments, and that in giving the judgment-hour message, the duty of keeping the commandments would be emphasized. This is plainly shown in the description given of the people who are gathered out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people as the result of the preaching of this message, in connection with the other messages which immediately follow and accompany it. Of this people it is said, "Here are they that keep the commandments of G.o.d, and the faith of Jesus." Rev. 14:12.

The Fall Of Modern Babylon

[Ill.u.s.tration.]

The Second Angel. "Babylon is fallen, is fallen." Rev. 14:8.

1. What announcement immediately follows the judgment-hour message of Rev.

14:6, 7?

"And there followed another angel, saying, _Babylon is fallen, is fallen_, that great city." Rev. 14:8, first part.

2. What reason is a.s.signed for the fall of Babylon?