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Midnight Cry
289
oppressors. With high hopes and joyful anticipations they vied with
one another in showing honor to their King. Many spread out their
garments as a carpet in His path, or strewed before Him the leafy
branches of the palm. In their enthusiastic joy they united in the glad
acclaim, “Hosanna to the Son of David!”
When the Pharisees, disturbed and angered by this outburst of
rejoicing, wished Jesus to rebuke His disciples, He replied, “If these
should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Luke
19:40
. Prophecy must be fulfilled. The disciples were accomplishing
the purpose of God; yet they were doomed to a bitter disappointment.
But a few days had passed ere they witnessed the Saviour’s agonizing
death and laid Him in the tomb. Their expectations had not been
realized in a single particular, and their hopes died with Jesus. Not
till their Lord had come forth triumphant from the grave could they
perceive that all had been foretold by prophecy, and “that Christ
must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead.”
Acts 17:3
.
In like manner was prophecy fulfilled in the first and second angels’
messages. They were given at the right time and accomplished the
work which God designed to accomplish by them.
The world had been looking on, expecting that if the time passed
and Christ did not appear, the whole system of adventism would
be given up. But while many, under strong temptation, yielded
their faith, there were some who stood firm. They could detect no
error in their reckoning of the prophetic periods. The ablest of their
opponents had not succeeded in overthrowing their position. True,
there had been a failure as to the expected event, but even this could
not shake their faith in the Word of God.
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God did not forsake His people; His Spirit still abode with those
who did not rashly deny the light which they had received, and
denounce the advent movement. The apostle Paul, looking down
through the ages, had written words of encouragement and warning
for the tried, waiting ones at this crisis: “Cast not away therefore
your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye
have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye
might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall
come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith:
but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him.