26 – The Loud Cry and the Latter Rain

[chapter] of Revelation, the third angel’s message is to be proclaimed with great power by those who give the final warning against the beast and his image.” –Last Day Events, pp. 201, 202.

“Thus the message of the third angel will be proclaimed. As the time comes for it to be given with greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments, leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power–all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings the people will be stirred.” –The Great Controversy, p. 606.

4. What will happen when the truth goes forth with great power? How will all sincere souls respond?

Revelation 18:1-5 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. ² And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. ³ For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. ⁴ And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. ⁵ For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.

“Before the final visitation of God’s judgments upon the earth there will be among the people of the Lord such a revival of primitive godliness as has not been witnessed since apostolic times. The Spirit and power of God will be poured out upon His children. At that time many will separate themselves from those churches in which the love of this world has supplanted love for God and His word. Many, both of ministers and people, will gladly accept those great truths which God has caused to be proclaimed at this time to prepare a people for the Lord’s second coming.” –The Great Controversy, p. 464.

“Servants of God, endowed with power from on high with their faces lighted up, and shining with holy consecration, went forth to proclaim the message from heaven. Souls that were scattered all through the religious bodies answered to the call, and the precious were hurried out of the doomed churches, as Lot was hurried out of Sodom before her destruction. God’s people were strengthened by the excellent glory which rested upon them in rich abundance and prepared them to endure the hour of temptation. I heard everywhere a multitude of voices saying, ‘Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.’ ” –Early Writings, pp. 278, 279.

5. What bonds that have been hindrances to the gospel in the past will then be broken?

Matthew 10:35-39 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. ³⁶ And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. ³⁷ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. ³⁹ He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

Isaiah 61:1, last part … To bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.

“I heard those clothed with the armor speak forth the truth with great power. It had effect. Many had been bound; some wives by their husbands, and some children by their parents. The honest who had been prevented from hearing the truth now eagerly laid hold upon it. All fear of their relatives was gone, and the truth alone was exalted to them. They had been hungering and thirsting for truth; it was dearer and more precious than life. I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered, ‘It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel.’…

“A compelling power moved the honest, while the manifestation of the power of God brought a fear and restraint upon their unbelieving relatives and friends so that they dared not, neither had they the power to, hinder those who felt the work of the Spirit of God upon them. The last call was carried even to the poor slaves, and the pious among them poured forth their songs of rapturous joy at the prospect of their happy deliverance. Their masters could not check them; fear and astonishment kept them silent. Mighty miracles were wrought, the sick were healed, and signs and wonders followed the believers. God was in the work, and every saint, fearless of consequences, followed the convictions of his own conscience and united with those who were keeping all the commandments of God; and with power they sounded abroad the third message.” –Early Writings, pp. 271, 278.

Steadfast in spite of opposition

6. What evil work will advance while God’s power is wonderfully manifested?

Revelation 13:15, 16 And he had power to give life to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. ¹⁶ And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads. 

“I was pointed down to the time when the third angel’s message was closing. The power of God had rested upon His people; they had accomplished their work and were prepared for the trying hour before them. They had received the latter rain, or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and the living testimony had been revived. The last great warning had sounded everywhere, and it had stirred up and enraged the inhabitants of the earth who would not receive the message.” –Early Writings, p. 279.

“I was shown the heresies which are to arise, the delusions that will prevail, the miracle-working power of Satan–the false christs that will appear–that will deceive the greater part even of the religious world, and that would, if it were possible, draw away even the elect.” –Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, p. 352.

7. Knowing the measures that will be taken against God’s people, is there any reason to fear or tremble?

Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

1 John 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

“The Lord desires to see the work of proclaiming the third angel’s message carried forward with increasing efficiency. As He has worked in all ages to give victories to His people, so in this age He longs to carry to a triumphant fulfillment His purposes for His church. He bids His believing saints to advance unitedly, going from strength to greater strength, from faith to increased assurance and confidence in the truth and righteousness of His cause.

“We … are to cherish as very precious the work that the Lord has been carrying forward through His commandment-keeping people, and which, through the power of His grace, will grow stronger and more efficient as time advances. The enemy is seeking to becloud the discernment of God’s people, and to weaken their efficiency, but if they will labor as the Spirit of God shall direct, He will open doors of opportunity before them for the work of building up the old waste places. Their experience will be one of constant growth, until the Lord shall descend from heaven with power and great glory to set His seal of final triumph upon His faithful ones.” –Selected Messages, book 2, p. 407.

For personal study

“There will be thousands converted to the truth in a day who at the eleventh hour see and acknowledge the truth and the movements of the Spirit of God.” –Last Day Events, p. 212.

“Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai.” –Early Writings, p. 14.

* * *

Missionary Report
for the General Conference Broadcasting and Website

To be read on Sabbath, June 27, 2015

The Special Sabbath School Offering
will be gathered on Sabbath, July 4, 2015 

“Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,…” 2 Peter 3:11, 12. 

In 2014, a commemoration was held marking one hundred years since the Reform Movement was propelled into existence. One of the presenters was asked, “Why do we mark the centennial of the Reformation? Should we not be celebrating in heaven? How many more years have to pass before Jesus comes?” These questions and more can be asked by the faithful believer, but the answer was already written many years ago, as we can read in The Desire of Ages, p. 633: “By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord’s return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God.” “It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:12, margin). Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69.

According to a count done in 2012, there were about 7.046 billion people in the world. And according to reports presented at the World Assembly that same year, the membership in the Reform Movement was approximately 37,469 people. That being the case, we have to ask ourselves, How are the three angels’ messages going to be preached? How much time do we have before Jesus returns? These and other questions can overwhelm our hopes of seeing that great day. But, turning to the Bible, we read what the Lord said through the prophet Daniel: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Daniel 12:4.

It is true that various sciences have increased with many scientific inventions. Technology has invaded and engulfed human beings to the point where they cannot live without having some electronic apparatus in their hands. Among the billions of people is a virtual world where they interact by doing something simple like reading a message all the way up to conducting business on a corporate scale. The Internet has revolutionized not only the content of multimedia, business, and education but also the expression of faith.

Because technology has made such great advances in various aspects of life, God’s people need to take advantage of these means to witness for the truth, to proclaim the three angels’ messages, and to declare the truth to the world. The systems developed by technology make it possible to reach millions of people with a relatively small outlay of funds, especially in the areas of broadcasting and dispensing of information through a powerful website. The Multimedia Department needs to carry out various projects in these two areas of its plan. Your donations are needed for up-to-date equipment (hardware and software), tech fees, personnel, and travel expenses to broadcast from the headquarters and abroad.

The General Conference is also working to create websites in various languages; this will make it possible to reach souls more quickly and economically and to provide necessary education. Furthermore, it is possible to conduct meetings online, and perhaps in the not-too-distant future even delegates’ meetings can be conducted online with some delegates attending via the Internet.

Through our Livestream virtual television channel, we reached seventy-five countries in just one month in 2014, such as China, Japan, New Zealand, Yemen, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Belgium, and others. Our plan is to have a daily broadcast schedule; but to move forward, we need people who are available and capable in more languages. In our social networks in both English and Spanish, we reach five thousand people per week, and we want to continue with this arduous task. We need to create more apps for cell phones with the little that we have carried out so far. We have people interested in studying the Bible course, and so we want to advance our missionary outreach.

Dear brothers and sisters throughout the world, we want to continue to work; but we want to do it with your help, with a generous offering from your heart, remembering the Lord’s promise, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35. “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither month nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” Matthew 6:19, 20. Invest in the bank of heaven where everything is safe, and the Lord will prosper His work.

–Noe Chappa Cruz, Multimedia Department Leader