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ALONE
WITH GOD
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Spiritual Answers and Reasons
for Faith |
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The Morning
Light is Breaking
While the world was shrouded in darkness, and no prophet's
voice could be heard; while Israel with a few individual
exceptions, was engulfed in sin and idolatry, forsaken of
Cod; while the then known world was under the rule of
pagan Rome, and heathenism held sway in the hearts of men
everywhere—suddenly there appeared "one crying in
the wilderness" and saying, "Repent ye: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. " After four hundred
long years of silence, a prophet appeared, yea, more than
a prophet. John, the looked for Elias, the harbinger of a
new day, was now preparing the way for Messiah to begin
his ministry. " There was a man sent from God whose
name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear
witness of the light." John 1: 6, 7. Of John and his
work, the angel told Zacharias this: "And many of the
children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of
Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:16, 17.
Zacharias said of him, "And thou, child, shall be
called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go
before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give
knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of
their sins." Luke 1:76, 77.
This was the dawning of a new day,
the breaking forth of earth's most glorious day— the day
of salvation. The prophets foresaw this, and spoke of it
as a clear morning. Isaiah foretold it in these words:
" The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir,
Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night:
if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come." Isa.
21: 11, 12. Dumah signifies silence. This was the time of
silence from Malachi to Christ. The inquirer asks,
"What of the night?" namely, What time of night
is it? The watchman cried, "The morning cometh.
" This morning was the clear morning of the Christian
era. "For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise
upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the
Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the
brightness of thy rising. " Isa. 60:2, 3. This time
of darkness was the night of Judaism. But it was foreseen
that the Lord would arise and that his glory would be
seen. This refers to the ushering in of the better
dispensation. The coming of Christ was to be a beautiful
sunrise, and the Gentiles were to come to the brightness
of his rising. "But unto you that fear my name shall
the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;
and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
" Mal. 4: 2.
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