“‘EVEN thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.’
Thousands and tens of thousands of living men,
eating and drinking,
buying and selling,
planting and building
—fluttering,
like the butterflies in a summer’s day,
about the perishing flowers of-a perishing world
—steeping all their senses in the earthly business of the passing hour
—making everything a business;
pleasure,
daily avocation,
necessary labor,
natural appetites,
even ‘ eating and drinking,
everything made a business of,
and the soul absorbed and quenched therein
—’whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things!’ Phil, iii, 19.—
The, farmer at his market!
the planter with his trees!
the builder at his house!
the tradesman in his shop!
the student at his books!
the reveler at his feast!
the gambler at his cards!
the rake at his brothel!
the usurer at his gold!
the nobleman at his pomp!
the king at his court!
the soldier at his blood!
the laborer at his toil!
the idler at his folly !
the drunkard at his drink!
the glutton at his meat!
Each at his sin!
Each in his day dream!
Each in his soul’s poison !
The Lord bears it no longer.
His mouth has sent forth the word of all-desolating vengeance.
The vengeance-storm obeys,
and gathers
and thickens,
and, rolls on,
and hangs over.
One moment’s pause
— the world is still merry, and laughing, and busy, and ‘knows not.’
One moment’s pause
—the preachers are preaching—peradventure the sinner may repent.
One moment’s pause
—hark! believers, the pause is for you
—hark! ‘A great sound of a trumpet.’
—Angels are sent with it.
—The Lord can do nothing till you are in refuge, being merciful unto you. See, 0, see!
—They are gathering together the Son’s elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt, xxiv, 31.
The gathering is over
—all are in safety
—not one is forgotten.
—0! dreadful!
— The storm is bursting
—thousands who began to be gathered have fallen back
—the last trumpet sounds louder and louder
—0 ! dreadful! ‘voices, and thunders, and lightnings,’ [Rev. xvi, 18,] in the heavens
—’ weeping, and wailing and gnashing of teeth,’ on the earth.
—The storm is burst upon the poor, guilty world ! Every living soul has drank it! And
—0 the omnipotence of MY GOD, the Son of Man !
—the heavens are passing, away with a great noise, and the elements are melting with fervent heat and the earth and all the works that are therein, are burning up!
— ‘ Seeing then that, all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be disolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat!’ “
Quoted in the Review and Herald, November 22, 1853, page 156
Seventh-day Adventist Doctrines 