defiant , so exultant in their cruelty to God ' s commandment-keeping people , are now overwhelmed with consternation and shuddering in fear . Their wails are heard above the sound of the elements . Demons acknowledge the deity of Christ and tremble before His power , while men are supplicating for mercy and groveling in abject terror .
Said the prophets of old , as they beheld in holy vision the day of God : " Howl ye ; for the day of the Lord is at hand ; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty ." Isaiah 13:6 . " Enter into the rock , and hide thee in the dust , for fear of the Lord , and for the glory of His majesty . The lofty looks of man shall be humbled , and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down , and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day . For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon everyone that is proud and lofty , and upon everyone that is lifted up ; and he shall be brought low ." " In that day a man shall cast the idols of his silver , and the idols of his gold , which they made each one for himself to worship , to the moles and to the bats ; to go into the clefts of the rocks , and into the tops of the ragged rocks , for fear of the Lord , and for the glory of His majesty , when He ariseth to shake terribly the earth ." Isaiah 2:10-12 , 20 , 21 , margin .
Through a rift in the clouds there beams a star whose brilliancy is increased fourfold in contrast with the darkness . It speaks hope and joy to the faithful , but severity and wrath to the transgressors of God ' s law . Those who have sacrificed all for Christ are now secure , hidden as in the secret of the Lord ' s pavilion . They have been tested , and before the world and the despisers of truth they have evinced their fidelity to Him who died for them . A marvelous change has come over those who have held fast their integrity in the very face of death . They have been suddenly delivered from the dark and terrible tyranny of men transformed to demons . Their faces , so lately pale , anxious , and haggard , are now aglow with wonder , faith , and love . Their voices rise in triumphant song : " God is our refuge and strength , a very present help in trouble . Therefore will not we fear , though the earth be removed , and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea ; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled , though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof ." Psalm 46:1-3 .
While these words of holy trust ascend to God , the clouds sweep back , and the starry heavens are seen , unspeakably glorious in contrast with the black and angry firmament on either side . The glory of the celestial city streams from the gates ajar . Then there appears against the sky a hand holding two tables of stone folded together . Says the prophet : " The heavens shall declare His righteousness : for God is judge Himself ." Psalm 50:6 . That holy law , God ' s righteousness , that amid thunder and flame was proclaimed from Sinai as the guide of life , is now revealed to men as the rule of judgment . The hand opens the tables , and there are seen the precepts of the Decalogue , traced as with a pen of fire . The words are so plain that
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