| CHRISTIAN LIFE AND DOCTRINE | February 1995 |
Blessed Is He That Waiteth
“Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” —Daniel 12:12
ONE OF THE means by which the Lord has tested the faith and devotion of his consecrated people is by permitting them to wait patiently for the fulfillment of his promises. There has never been any delay in the outworking of God’s plan. Every feature of it has developed exactly “in due time” (I Tim. 2:6) as planned by the divine Architect. But God has not always revealed the time features of his plan to his servants in advance, with the result that in many instances it has seemed to them that the “vision” has tarried.—Hab. 2:3
There were many long centuries of waiting before the promises of God concerning a Messiah began to have a fulfillment in the First Advent of the Master. And even to the disciples of that time there seemed to be a delay. Following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, when he appeared to his disciples for the last time before the ascension, they inquired, “Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) The very wording of this question seems to breathe their deep yearning for a more speedy fulfillment of God’s promises concerning the Messianic Kingdom.
But while the ‘due time’ had arrived for the coming of Christ as the Redeemer of the world, there were still to be ‘days of waiting’ for the fruition of all the hopes engendered by the promises of God concerning him. Through the angel, God had said to his servant of old, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Dan. 12:9) Jesus knew of this sealing of the vision, so he replied to his anxious disciples, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.”—Acts 1:7
We are not to understand from this statement that the Lord was displeased with the desire of the disciples to know the times or seasons; nor that his people would never understand more concerning the time features of the divine plan. It was merely that then it was not the divine will for them to comprehend. The time features of the plan pertaining to the establishment of the kingdom were still sealed, “shut up” “till the time of the end,” and the time of the end had not yet come.—Dan. 12:9
The Scriptures admonish the Lord’s people to watch, with the expectation that when the due time arrives for them to understand more clearly where they are on the stream of time as it relates to the plan of God, this knowledge would be granted to them. That due time was not in the days of Daniel, nor of any of the prophets of the Old Testament. Through Habakkuk the Lord declared, “The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”—Hab. 2:3
‘At the end it shall speak’—blessed assurance this, reminding us that though Daniel was told to shut up and seal the vision, it was merely to be until the ‘time of the end’. But even so, there is nothing here to indicate that the time features of the plan would be revealed with any degree of clarity in advance. It is largely a matter of the truths pertaining to any particular period becoming understandable when that time arrives. There was promised a great unfolding of the vision of truth at the time of the end, and the fact that this vision is made plain constitutes one of the principal proofs that the ‘time is at hand’!
The entire church class, from Pentecost down to the present, has been a waiting class—waiting and watching to discern the meaning of the vision which had been sealed. It was not given to the Early Church to be blessed with the knowledge which later was to be “made plain upon tables.” (Hab. 2:2) Nor were those of the Middle Ages favored with this much-desired understanding. The ‘days of waiting’ embraced also the Reformation period, during which many searched diligently to know the “times and the seasons” which the Father was continuing to keep “shut up” and “sealed.”—I Thess. 5:1
As the due time approached a little nearer, the faithful watchers were permitted a glimpse of some of the time features of the plan, and indistinctly they saw that the end of the age was indeed approaching. Misapplying what they saw, it was erroneously supposed that Jesus was to come in the flesh, and that the earth was to be destroyed. These watchers were permitted to make mistakes, but through them, nevertheless, attention was called to important prophecies, which, in the light of subsequent developments and the providences of God, contributed in a large measure to the unsealing of the vision when God’s due time arrived.
Three time measurements had been recorded by the Prophet Daniel, all having the same starting point—1260; 1290; and 1335 “days,” or ‘years’. The year 539 A.D. was the common starting point for each of these divine measuring rods. From that date, the 1260 years reached to 1799 A.D., which was the end of Papacy’s power to persecute the true church. The 1290 years reached to the beginning of the cleansing of the sanctuary (See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 3, pages 86-120); and the 1335 years to 1874, the time when, in fulfillment of the promise, the Lord’s faithful watchers began to experience the ‘blessedness’ promised to those who would be watching when that time was reached.
And what was the ‘blessedness’ which came to the Israel of God at the close of the 1335 ‘days’? It was the unfolding of the vision which had been sealed. It was then that this vision, long ‘shut up’ and silent, began to speak. Centuries had passed, and to many of the consecrated it undoubtedly seemed as though the vision had tarried. Particularly was this true of William Miller, and others, who verily believed that the consummation of all things was due in 1844. But now God’s great time clock had ticked off the additional symbolic days. The end of the 1335 years had been reached, and the vision opened to the entranced view of the watchers.
THE SEVEN BLESSINGS
And oh! the blessedness that came with the opening of the vision! In the beginning of the Gospel Age Jesus indicated certain blessings which would come upon those who were to represent him in the earth throughout the age. These are commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. (Matt. 5:1-12) All the Lord’s people, in every part of the age, who have complied with the conditions upon which these blessings were to be available, have experienced the joys which they have contained. But there is another set of Beatitudes, or blessings, which belong only to those who live at the close of the age following the end of the 1335 days. These are the blessings foretold in our text, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh” to this time.
There are seven of these beatitudes of present truth, all having to do with the unfolding of the vision and the consummation of the divine plan for the church, and the end of the present evil world. They are blessings which come to the Lord’s people when the ‘days of waiting’ are over; when the ‘mystery of God is finished’; when the ‘time is at hand’. They are recorded in the Book of Revelation, and properly so, for this marvelous book of the Bible is what we might call the sum of all the prophecies. It is the revelation of Jesus Christ—his unfolding of the vision to those who, at the proper time, would be patiently waiting and earnestly watching for the unfolding of the divine plan.
The first of these dispensational beatitudes is that of Revelation 1:3:—“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” In the opening verse of this chapter we are informed that the purpose of the book was to reveal things “which must shortly come to pass.” In a general way the book deals with the experiences of both the true and the counterfeit church throughout the entire age. These experiences therefore began to come to pass shortly after the book was written. Indeed, in a limited way, they were already in course of development. The ‘mystery of iniquity’ already had been working.
But while the history of both the true and the false church is recorded in the Book of Revelation, little was understood of its real meaning until the time of the end. True, it served to reveal and identify the Antichrist to some of the reformers, but its dispensational truths pertaining to the divine plan, and what to expect when the consummation of the age was reached, remained shut up until after the 1335 days had been reached. We cannot say even now that all the symbols of this book are clearly understood; but the plan of God which it reveals has been made plain. Truths which pertain to the saints and the divine will for them in this harvest time at the end of the age, have been unfolded. The great ‘blessing’ of this knowledge has been experienced ‘by him who readeth, and by all who have heard the words of this prophecy’.
And what is this knowledge which was sealed up until the time of the end? When the vision of present truth began to open, the Lord’s people were able to understand the mystery of Christ and the church—that the “body is not one member, but many.” (I Cor. 12:12,14) The inspiring promises of the Master, recorded in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, took on a new and blessed meaning in the light of this knowledge concerning the true position of the church in the plan of God.
The throne scene of divine glory set forth in Revelation 4 reveals the perfect blending of God’s wisdom, justice, love, and power. And oh, how meaningful is the 5th chapter of Revelation, setting forth as it does the great fundamental truth concerning the sacrifice of “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) How we rejoice to know that the time is coming when “every creature” in heaven and on earth will be praising “him who sitteth upon the throne,” and also giving glory to the “Lamb”—honoring him even as they honor the Father!—Rev. 5:12,13; John 5:23
THE HOLY AND UNHOLY CITIES
Because the time is at hand for the vision to be unsealed, we are now blessed by knowing that the efforts of fallen man to establish the kingdom of Christ have resulted merely in the building of an unholy city, which the Revelator calls mystic Babylon. (Rev. 17:5) But oh, the joy to realize that with the downfall of Babylon there comes from God out of heaven a holy city, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Abraham looked for this city, but was not privileged to see it. Daniel foretold that the God of heaven would establish a kingdom, but the details of that kingdom, and the rich blessings which were to result from its setting up in the earth, Daniel was not privileged to see.
But now the time is at hand! Soon the city of God will be established! The powers of the old heavens are being shaken, and the symbolic earth of Satan’s creation is being removed to make way for the “new heavens and the new earth” wherein will dwell righteousness. (II Pet. 3:13) We now see, and are entranced with the vision, that in the new heavens and new earth there is to be no more death; that tears will be wiped away; that all things will be made new.
Now we see that our wily Adversary, the Devil, who goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, is soon to be bound. We know what it means to be beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the Word of God, and are inspired with the hope of sharing in the joys of the first resurrection, to live and reign with Christ a thousand years. By faith we rejoice to see the Millennial throne, white and pure, set up; and the dead, small and great, granted a standing before God and enlightened by the knowledge revealed through the open books. See Revelation, chapter 20.
And how truly blessed it is to see by faith the river of life flowing from underneath the throne of God and of the Lamb! (Rev. 22:1) And what a glorious incentive to faithfulness is the hope of soon being united with our heavenly Bridegroom, and of having the privilege to say to a dying world, “Come, and partake of the water of life freely.”—vss. 17,18
These are some of the glorious features of the truth which have brought blessings to the class which has waited for the culmination of the 1335 days. Blessed indeed are those who read, and those who hear these truths, an understanding of which is now given to the faithful watchers because ‘the time is at hand’.
“THEIR WORKS DO FOLLOW”
The second dispensational beatitude is recorded in Revelation 14:13. We quote: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” The truth set forth in this beatitude could apply only following the 1335 days. This, together with Paul’s statement regarding the last members of the body of Christ, are the only scriptures which indicate that a Christian in dying does not remain unconscious in death. (I Thess. 4:15-17; I Cor. 15:51-53) The Apostle Paul said of himself, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (II Tim. 4:8) Paul did not expect to receive his reward immediately at death, neither did the other apostles.
However, Paul did write that when the trump of God begins to sound, and the Lord descends from heaven, “the dead in Christ shall rise first,” and indicated also that those who would be alive at that time and “remain” in the flesh, would be “caught up” to meet their Lord and their brethren in the spiritual phase of the kingdom. (I Thess. 4:16,17) Paul also, in writing concerning the resurrection, explained that those who die after the last trump begins to sound would be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. (I Cor. 15:51,52) These scriptures harmonize with the second beatitude of Revelation, which, in explaining the matter further, tells us that when the time is at hand, those who die in the Lord, while ceasing from their labors, do not remain inactive in death, but continue their service beyond the veil. What a blessing it is to know that we are now living in the time when this is true.
What are the ‘works’ which continue beyond the veil, following the cessation of the labors of individual saints this side the veil? To find the answer to this question we need only to go back a few verses in the same chapter, and there we read, “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 God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come. … And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen.”—Rev. 14:6-8
In addition to the ‘work’ of preaching the everlasting Gospel and declaring that the hour of God’s ‘judgment is come’, and that ‘Babylon is fallen’, the saints of this period also warn against the dangers of worshiping the beast and its image. The Revelator then adds, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” In other words, John is telling us that those who preach the everlasting Gospel, who declare that the hour of God’s judgment is come, who proclaim that Babylon is fallen, and warn against worshiping the beast, are the ones who exercise the true patience of the saints, and are faithful in keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.
Laboriously, yet with joy, they patiently continue in the work which the Holy Spirit commissioned them to do, the glorious work of proclaiming “glad tidings unto the meek”; of binding up “the brokenhearted”; of proclaiming “the acceptable year of the Lord”; and now, when the time is at hand, “the day of vengeance of our God”—the time of his judgment having come. (Isa. 61:1,2) It is a blessed privilege, a labor of love indeed, by which the consecrated prove their devotion to God, and demonstrate by their zeal that they are truly inspired by the faith of Jesus and are filled with his Spirit, that they are glad to be beheaded for the witness of Jesus and the Word of God. (Rev. 20:4) And oh, the blessedness to realize that because we are living in the time of the end, when they have finished their sacrificial labors this side the veil, “their works do follow them”!
“I COME AS A THIEF”
The third beatitude, and one which is rich with blessings for those who wait and watch at this time when the vision is no longer sealed, reads: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” (Rev. 16:15) Here is a blessing which is dependent upon faithfulness in watching. When the disciples asked Jesus concerning the signs of his second presence and the end of the age, he explained to them that no man then knew the day nor the hour, but he admonished them to watch, in order that they might know of his presence when the time did arrive.
Paul wrote that the day of the Lord would come upon the world as “a thief in the night,” but added, “Ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” He then adds, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”—I Thess. 5:1-6
It becomes apparent, then, that those who are faithful watchers at the end of the Gospel Age are truly blessed, because to them it is given to know that the Bridegroom is present—as a ‘thief’ to the world, but to them he is the Chief Reaper of the harvest, the one who has come to reckon with his servants, and to serve meat in due season. Knowing this, they keep their garments of righteousness well girded about them, and unspotted from the world. Failing to watch, they are left in darkness. Instead of being blessed and protected, they become exposed to the errors and blinding influences of Satan which lead still further into outer darkness of the world. Truly, “Blessed is he that watcheth”!
“THE MARRIAGE SUPPER”
Revelation 19:9 reads: “Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.” This is the fourth present truth beatitude, and how rich it is in meaning—a meaning that is comprehensible only because ‘the time is at hand’, and the sealed-up vision of truth has been opened. As a rule, two suppers were customary in connection with the Jewish marriage ceremony. One of these preceded the wedding, and the other, to which a much more general invitation was extended, followed the wedding.
Jesus promised that when he returned he would “gird” himself, and serve his disciples with “meat in due season.” (Luke 12:37-44) In this time of the end we have experienced the fulfillment of this promise. Rich indeed, faith-strengthening and spiritually nourishing has been the ‘food’ made available by the returned Christ, and dispensed to the household of faith by the “faithful and wise servant.” (Matt. 24:45-47) This delectable feast of truth is enjoyed by the saints this side of the veil prior to the marriage of the Lamb. And oh, what rejoicing there has been on the part of those who have gathered around the table of the Lord to partake of these rich viands of “present truth.”—II Pet. 1:12
But there is to be another feast—the marriage supper of the Lamb. This will follow the time when the bride and Bridegroom are united—the bride having made herself ready for the glorious occasion. The bride will of course also partake of this feast, but she does not need to be especially invited. The bride of the Lamb will be at the marriage supper of the Lamb because she IS the bride. It is her friends, her companions which follow her, who are invited to the marriage supper in order that they may have this wonderful share in the joys of the occasion.—Ps. 45:14
While this beatitude is expressive of a wonderful blessing which will come to the “great multitude” (Rev. 7:9-17) following the marriage of the Lamb, its meaning is clearly understood now by the little flock—the true and faithful followers of the Lamb—and in that meaning they rejoice. One great cause of the joy which has filled the hearts of the watchers as the result of truth’s vision being unsealed in this ‘time of the end’ is the fact that thereby the wideness of God’s mercy and love has been revealed.
We know now—and in that knowledge we rejoice—that God’s plan provides blessings for others than ourselves. So we are made happy to know that a ‘great multitude’ who, while not of the “more than conquerors” (Rom. 8:37) and thus qualified to be the bride of Christ, nevertheless, after coming up out of “great tribulation,” are to be invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. How glad we will be to see them all there, and to rejoice in their great blessing! And how happy they will be, after coming through the great tribulation and having received a spiritual resurrection, to be servants before the throne!
THE FIFTH “BEATITUDE”
The next special blessing, so inspiring and full of meaning to the watchers in this time of the end, is recorded in Revelation 20:6, and reads: “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the Second Death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Here is represented an enhanced glory and an exaltation of nature beyond that referred to in the previous beatitude in which the superlative degree of blessing available to the great multitude is shown to be the spirit nature and the privilege of a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The blessings of the first resurrection are still quite beyond the ability of our finite minds to comprehend. But the knowledge that there IS to be a ‘first resurrection’, and that those who participate in it are to be exalted to the divine nature, to live and reign with Christ, in contradistinction to the resurrection of the world of mankind as human beings, is a great blessing which has meant so much to the Lord’s people in this time of the end.
These are “to live and reign with Christ a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:4) Not until the end of the 1335 days did the Lord’s people receive a clear understanding concerning the reign of Christ for a thousand years, and that this reign is for the purpose of blessing all the families of the earth. To most Christians previous to that time, the heavenly hope was merely that of escaping eternal torture, and playing a harp forever instead of burning in hell.
But oh, the blessedness to learn the purpose of the first resurrection, and that there is to be an afterward of blessing for all mankind. How blessed, indeed, it is to know that those who share in the first resurrection are to be both “kings and priests,” and as such to reign over and bless the human race for whom Christ died. (Rev. 5:9,10) Truly, the blessing of this knowledge has filled the hearts of the Lord’s people during the harvest time, and has encouraged them to be ‘holy’, completely set apart to the doing of God’s will, in order that they might be found worthy to live and reign with Christ.
“BEHOLD I COME QUICKLY”
The sixth ‘beatitude’ of Revelation reads, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:7) Here is emphasized the importance of obedience to present truth. It is essential for the consecrated to ‘keep’ every feature of the truth. We are to be “doers of the Word, and not hearers only,” James reminds us; and this is just as true of dispensational truth as it is of the other doctrines. (James 1:23) None can hope to be truly blessed by God during this time of Christ’s Second Presence who, for whatever reason, is either in darkness concerning the significance of the times in which we are living; or who, knowing of the times, minimizes the importance of such knowledge as a guide to Christian living.
“Behold, I come quickly!” This was recorded at the beginning of the Gospel Age, and in Revelation is portrayed the sequence of events which were to precede and lead up to Christ’s actual coming and the period of his Second Presence. To the last stage of the church, Jesus is shown as standing at the door and knocking, ready to come in and sup with those who open to him. It has been important, then, for the Lord’s people through the entire Gospel Age to be faithful watchers, to keep the sayings of the Book of Revelation as they could be understood.
And now He who was to ‘come quickly’ has come, and the knowledge of this, more than anything else, is responsible for the blessedness which has come to the Lord’s people since the end of the 1335 days. But if we are to be truly blessed it is necessary to be loyal to present truth, to keep with true and faithful hearts all the commands of the Lord which belong to this time. We cannot expect to be among those who are blessed by the knowledge of the times in which we live if we merely hear and read, and do nothing more about it.
John the Revelator was so entranced by the vision of truth that he fell down at the feet of the angel who had been used by the Lord to show the vision to him. But the angel said, “See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.” (Rev. 22:8,9) God uses human instruments on occasions as his ‘angels’, and this has been true with respect to the vision of present truth. “That faithful and wise servant” was an angel indeed, used by the Lord to make plain the glorious truths pertaining to the Lord’s presence, the work of the harvest, and the many other glorious doctrines by which the consecrated are so richly blessed today.
And how glad we are that this ‘fellow servant’ was faithful to the ‘sayings of this book’, particularly the one immediately following the admonition to worship God rather than his servant. It reads, “Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.” (vs. 10) No true servant of God will keep hope-inspiring knowledge to himself unless directly commanded by the Lord to do so. It was because ‘that servant’, and his fellow servants throughout the harvest period, sacrificed their lives to tell out the glad message by which we are blessed today, that these dispensational beatitudes mean so much to us.
Contrast this command to “seal not … for the time is at hand,” with what the angel said to Daniel. We quote: “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Dan. 12:9) This leaves no doubt that the due time for the unsealing of the vision was to be in the “time of the end.” Now that time is at hand! Daniel was told that while many in the time of the end would be purified and made white, the wicked would do wickedly, and that none of the wicked [unjustified ones, unconsecrated ones] would understand. (vs. 10) This harmonizes with what the Revelator records concerning the time when the vision would be unsealed—“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still.”—vs. 11
This indicates that while the Lord wants us to uncover the message, to tell it out for the benefit of the consecrated, we are not to expect that a proclamation of the truth at this time will change the course of the world, nor convert those who love unrighteousness. The truth appeals only to those who are either already holy, or those who at heart love righteousness but have lacked the opportunity to learn the truth of God’s plan. Concerning these and commenting on this text, Pastor Russell wrote:
“There are some who are not saints because they have never properly grasped the conditions of the divine call of the present time, but who are, nevertheless, righteous persons who desire to live uprightly, honorably, honestly, who are sincere and truthful in their own hearts, and in their dealings with others so far as their knowledge permits. To these lovers of righteousness, of truth, as well as to the holy, the revelations of the divine plan now unfolding, commend themselves, and intensify their love for righteousness and appreciation of full consecration to the Lord.”—Reprints page 3572
“RIGHT TO THE TREE OF LIFE”
The final ‘beatitude’ recorded by the Revelator reads: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” (vs. 14) This ‘blessing’ seems to apply primarily to the restitution class, those who enter into the city. The ‘little flock’, the ‘bride’ of Christ, are a part of the city—the city which will be God’s haven of security and salvation for the redeemed world of mankind during the thousand-year kingdom period.
But to know that this blessing is coming to the world constitutes a great source of joy to the Lord’s people even now. Indeed, it was the restoration of the glorious restitution doctrine which helped so materially in illuminating every other phase of the truth. It was this great truth which gave luster to the entire plan of God, for it gave assurance of the Creator’s interest in all mankind, and that he had made provision for their blessing.
And so it is, that if the truth of the divine plan has been received into unselfish hearts we will rejoice as much in the blessings coming to the world—those who will enter through the gates into the city—as we do in God’s wondrous provisions for ourselves. It is appropriate that in setting forth these beatitudes which cheer our hearts so much in this time of blessedness, the world in general is not overlooked. This is a good guide for us. Let us never become so engrossed in our own spiritual feasting and rejoicing that we lose sight of any of the people whose blessing is provided for in God’s plan.
Pastor Russell was guided by this principle. In the later years of his ministry he seldom served at a convention or visited an ecclesia without arrangements being made for a public meeting in addition to his service on behalf of the Bible Students attending the convention. The whole Bible, and the entire plan of God breathes the divine Spirit of interest in, and love for, all men, all nations. It is therefore fitting, especially as a reminder to help prevent us from becoming selfish, that in this final chapter of Revelation and of the Bible, a blessing should be pronounced upon those who enter into the city. The promise of old was that all the families of the earth are to be blessed, and here we have this final reminder that the promised blessing will be realized when they enter into the city.
Truly, then, “Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” That blessing is now our daily portion.
We are blessed by reading and hearing the message.
We are blessed in our labor of love in proclaiming the message, and in the happy realization that when that labor is ended, we will continue the same work on the other side of the veil.
We are blessed as watchers on Zion’s hill, having discerned the presence of our King and the first gray streaks of approaching dawn.
We rejoice in realizing that the marriage of the Lamb is near, and that if we are faithful in making ourselves ready we will soon be united with him in glory. And we are glad that our ‘companions’, the ‘great multitude’, are to be blessed with the privilege of sitting down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
We are blessed by the glorious hope of a share in the first resurrection; and this joy that is set before us is enhanced by the knowledge that we are to have the privilege of ‘blessing all the families of the earth’.
And the richness of our blessing in all these things depends upon our measure of faithfulness in obeying the truth that has been revealed in this ‘time of the end’.
Surely we want to be faithful; the more so as we know we are serving the true God of love—the one who loves the whole world as well as the church, and is the divine Architect and Master Workman in building the glorious and holy city into which all may enter if they will, and be blessed!