whom they would serve and worship . " Then shall ye return , and discern between the righteous and the wicked , between him that serveth God and him that serveth Him not ." Malachi 3:18 .
The enemies of God ' s law , from the ministers down to the least among them , have a new conception of truth and duty . Too late they see that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the seal of the living God . Too late they see the true nature of their spurious sabbath and the sandy foundation upon which they have been building . They find that they have been fighting against God . Religious teachers have led souls to perdition while professing to guide them to the gates of Paradise . Not until the day of final accounts will it be known how great is the responsibility of men in holy office and how terrible are the results of their unfaithfulness . Only in eternity can we rightly estimate the loss of a single soul . Fearful will be the doom of him to whom God shall say : Depart , thou wicked servant .
The voice of God is heard from heaven , declaring the day and hour of Jesus ' coming , and delivering the everlasting covenant to His people . Like peals of loudest thunder His words roll through the earth . The Israel of God stand listening , with their eyes fixed upward . Their countenances are lighted up with His glory , and shine as did the face of Moses when he came down from Sinai . The wicked cannot look upon them . And when the blessing is pronounced on those who have honoured God by keeping His Sabbath holy , there is a mighty shout of victory .
Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud , about half the size of a man ' s hand . It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness . The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man . In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth , becoming lighter and more glorious , until it is a great white cloud , its base a glory like consuming fire , and above it the rainbow of the covenant . Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror . Not now a " Man of Sorrows ," to drink the bitter cup of shame and woe , He comes , victor in heaven and earth , to judge the living and the dead . " Faithful and True ," " in righteousness He doth judge and make war ." And " the armies which were in heaven " ( Revelation 19:11 , 14 ) follow Him . With anthems of celestial melody the holy angels , a vast , unnumbered throng , attend Him on His way . The firmament seems filled with radiant forms-- " ten thousand times ten thousand , and thousands of thousands ." No human pen can portray the scene ; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendour . " His glory covered the heavens , and the earth was full of His praise . And His brightness was as the light ." Habakkuk 3:3,4 . As the living cloud comes still nearer , every eye beholds the Prince of life . No crown of thorns now mars that sacred head ; but a diadem of glory rests on His holy brow . His countenance outshines the dazzling brightness of the noonday sun . " And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written , King of kings , and Lord of lords ." Revelation 19:16 .
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