The prophet heard the voice of God calling His church to her appointed work, that the way might be prepared for the ushering in of His everlasting kingdom. The message was unmistakably plain:
(PK 375.1)
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“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, And the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.”Isaiah 60:1.
(PK 375.2)
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“For, behold, the 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.”Isaiah 60:2~3.
(PK 375.3)
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“Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: All they gather themselves together, they come to thee: Thy sons shall come from far, And thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.”Isaiah 60:4.
(PK 375.4)
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“And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, And their kings shall minister unto thee: For in My wrath I smote thee, But in My favor have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day nor night; That men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, And that their kings may be brought.”Isaiah 60:10, 11.
(PK 375.5)
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“Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth:
For I am God, and there is none else.”Isaiah 45:22.
(PK 375.6)
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These prophecies of a great spiritual awakening in a time of gross darkness are today meeting fulfillment in the advancing lines of mission stations that are reaching out into the benighted regions of earth. The groups of missionaries in heathen lands have been likened by the prophet to ensigns set up for the guidance of those who are looking for the light of truth.
(PK 375.7)
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“In that day,” says Isaiah, “there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest shall be glorious. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people.... And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.”Isaiah 11:10-12.
(PK 376.1)
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The day of deliverance is at hand. “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.”2 Chronicles 16:9. Among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, He sees men and women who are praying for light and knowledge. Their souls are unsatisfied; long have they fed on ashes. See Isaiah 44:20. The enemy of all righteousness has turned them aside, and they grope as blind men. But they are honest in heart and desire to learn a better way. Although in the depths of heathenism, with no knowledge of the written law of God nor of His Son Jesus, they have revealed in manifold ways the working of a divine power on mind and character.
(PK 376.2) 2 I
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At times those who have no knowledge of God aside from that which they have received under the operations of divine grace have been kind to His servants, protecting them at the risk of their own lives. The Holy Spirit is implanting the grace of Christ in the heart of many a noble seeker after truth, quickening his sympathies contrary to his nature, contrary to his former education. The “Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9), is shining in his soul; and this Light, if heeded, will guide his feet to the kingdom of God. The prophet Micah said: “When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.... He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness.”Micah 7:8, 9.
(PK 376.3)
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