The Second Advent Movement—The Last Gospel Message

Notes

Read other prophecies which show that the High Priest is about to close His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary and to take the kingdom.

Why is it necessary that the unchanged law of God should be presented to the people on the proclamation of this last Gospel message?

In this seventh and last reform movement in the development of the Gospel the same fundamental truth of righteousness by faith which has characterized all the past movements is to be proclaimed to all the world "with a loud voice."

Only the message of the complete righteousness of Christ, received by faith, can give boldness in this time of judgment. Read 1 John 4:17.

"Men can not with impunity reject the warnings which God in mercy sends to them. A message was sent from Heaven to the world in Noah's day, and their salvation depended upon the manner in which they treated that message. Because they rejected the warning, the Spirit of God was withdrawn from the sinful race, and they perished in the waters of the Flood. In the time of Abraham, mercy ceased to plead with the guilty inhabitants of Sodom, and all but Lot with his wife and two daughters were consumed by the fire sent down from heaven. So in the days of Christ. The Son of God declared to the ⟦unbelieving?⟧ Jews of that generation, 'Your house is left unto you desolate.' Looking down to the last days, the same infinite Power declares, concerning those who received not 'the love of the truth, that they might be saved,' 'For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.' As they reject the teachings of His word, God withdraws His Spirit, and leaves them to the deceptions which they love."—" Great Controversy," page 431.

"The experience of the disciples who preached 'the Gospel of the kingdom' at the first advent of Christ, has its counterpart in the experience of those who proclaimed the message of His second advent. As the disciples went out preaching, 'the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand,' so Miller and his associates proclaimed that the longest and last prophetic period brought to view in the Bible was about to expire, that the judgment was at hand, and the everlasting kingdom was to be ushered in. The preaching of the disciples in regard to the time was based on the seventy weeks of Daniel 9. The message given by Miller and his associates announced the termination of the 2,300 days of Dan. 8:14 of which the seventy weeks form a part. The preaching of each was based upon the fulfilment of a different portion of the same great prophetic period."—Id., page 351.

"The work of the investigative judgment and the blotting out of sins is to be accomplished before the second advent of the Lord. Since the dead are to be judged out of the 'things written in the books,' it is impossible that the sins of men should be blotted out until after the judgment at which their cases are to be investigated. But the apostle Peter distinctly states that the sins of believers will be blotted out 'when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and He shall send Jesus Christ.' When the investigative judgment closes, Christ will come, and His reward is with Him to give to every man as his work shall be."—Id., page 485. It follows from this paragraph that the message of the judgment hour is the last Gospel message.

"The subject of the sanctuary and the investigative judgment should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. Otherwise, it will be impossible for them to exercise the faith which is essential for this time, or to occupy the position which God designs them to ⟦fill."—Id.,⟧ page 488.