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tops. Soon will there be a revealing of His glory. The Sun of
Righteousness is about to shine forth. The morning and the night
come hand in hand,—the opening of endless day to the righteous,
the settling down of eternal night to the wicked.”
As the wrestling ones urge their petitions before God, the vail
separating them from the unseen seems almost withdrawn. The
heavens glow with the dawning of eternal day, and, like the melody
of angel songs, the words fall upon the ear, “Stand fast to your
allegiance. Help is coming.” Christ, the almighty victor, holds out
to his weary soldiers a crown of immortal glory; and his voice
comes from the gates ajar: “Lo, I am with you. Be not afraid. I am
acquainted with all your sorrows; I have borne your griefs. You are
not warring against untried enemies. I have fought the battle in your
behalf, and in my name you are more than conquerors.”
The precious Saviour will send help just when we need it. The
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way to Heaven is consecrated by his footprints. Every thorn that
wounds our feet has wounded his. Every cross that we are called to
bear, he has borne before us. The Lord permits conflicts, to prepare
the soul for peace. If we had no storms, no shadows, we could not
appreciate the sunshine. The time of trouble is a fearful ordeal for
God’s people; but it is the time for every true believer to look up,
and by faith he may see the bow of promise encircling him.
“The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head; they shall
obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. I,
even I, am he that comforteth you; who art thou, that thou shouldst
be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall
be made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker; ... and hast
feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as
if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
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The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should
not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I am the Lord
thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared. The Lord of
hosts is his name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have
covered thee in the shadow of mine hand.”
“Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken, but not
with wine: Thus saith thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth
the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the
cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt
no more drink it again. But I will put it into the hand of them that
afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go
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over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to
them that went over.” [Isaiah 51:11-16, 21-23.]
The eye of God, looking down the ages, was fixed upon the
crisis which his people are to meet, when earthly powers shall be
arrayed against them. Like the captive exile, they will be in fear of
death by starvation or by violence. But the Holy One who divided
the Red Sea before Israel, will manifest his mighty power and turn
their captivity. “They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that
day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him.” [Malachi 3:17.] If the blood of Christ’s faithful witnesses were shed at this time, it would not,
like the blood of the martyrs, be as seed sown to yield a harvest
for God. Their fidelity would not be a testimony to convince others
of the truth; for the obdurate heart has beaten back the waves of
mercy until they return no more. If the righteous were now left to
fall a prey to their enemies, it would be a triumph for the prince of
darkness. But Christ has spoken: “Come, my people, enter thou
into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as
it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For,
behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of
the earth for their iniquity.” [Isaiah 26:20, 21.] Glorious will be the deliverance of those who have patiently waited for him, and whose
names are written in the book of life.
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Chapter 35—God’s People Delivered
As the time appointed in the decree against God’s people comes,
the inhabitants of the earth unite to destroy the disturbers of their
peace. In one night they determine to strike the decisive blow that
shall forever silence the voice of the reprover. The waiting ones,
in their solitary retreats, are still pleading for divine protection. In
every quarter, companies of armed men, urged on by hosts of evil
angels, are preparing for the work of death. With shouts of triumph,
with jeers and imprecations, they are about to rush upon their prey.
But lo, a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night,
falls upon the earth. Then a rainbow, shining with the glory from
the throne of God, spans the heavens, and seems to encircle each
praying company. The angry multitudes are suddenly arrested. Their
mocking cries die away. The objects of their murderous rage are
forgotten. With fearful forebodings they gaze upon the symbol
of God’s covenant, and long to be shielded from its overpowering
brightness.
By the people of God a voice, clear and melodious, is heard, say-
ing, “Look up,” and, lifting their eyes to the heavens, they behold the
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bow of promise. The black, angry clouds that covered the firmament
are parted, and like Stephen they look up steadfastly into Heaven,
and see the glory of God, and the Son of man seated upon his throne.
In his divine form they discern the marks of his humiliation; and
from his lips they hear the request, presented before his Father and
the holy angels, “I will that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am.” Again a voice, musical and triumphant,
is heard, saying, “They come! they come! holy, harmless, and
undefiled. They have kept the word of my patience; they shall walk
among the angels;” and the pale, quivering lips of those who have
held fast their faith, utter a shout of victory.
It is at midnight that God manifests his power for the deliverance
of his people. The sun appears shining in its strength. Startling
signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with
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terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold
with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature
seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark,
heavy clouds come up, and clash against each other. In the midst of
the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence