Seventh-day Adventists have been called to this critical period of the world's history to perform the greatest publicity job ever undertaken by any religious ill organization. This great Advent Movement exists for only one purpose: to communicate a distinct and positive message, a message that grows increasingly timely with each passing day—a reformatory message that will stir the religious world, and a universal message that will penetrate to the farthest corners of the earth. We have been told that a voice is to go forth to arouse the nations. This voice is to be heard clearly above today's competitive din. If it is to become effective and more persuasive as a communicator of spiritual truths it will come, not by accident, but by design.
How can we be assured that this vital last-day message will penetrate the hearts of men and women everywhere and persuade them to accept Christ in the setting of the third angel's message? What can be done to break through the barriers of apathy, prejudice, and indifference? What can we do to become more persuasive in communicating spiritual truths? What can we do to accelerate our church program so that we may quickly reach the multitudes?
The presentation of our message is to "be the highest, greatest work carried on in the world at this time."—Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 11.
Therefore, we must not slacken our pace, but on the contrary, plan for more effective methods of communication, of dealing with others. We must startle thinking men and women. We must capture their minds with the timely truths designed for this hour.
From reading Psalm 102:13-16 we know that prior to the coming of Christ in His glory He is going to build up His church. It will exert a tremendous influence in the world and make a great impact among all the nations of the earth. God says He will favor His church. The Hebrew word here used means "to deal graciously" or to "be merciful." It doesn't necessarily mean that people will always agree with the church, or that it will be acceptable to them. There will always be those who despise and reject truth. But in spite of this, truth will triumph.Every position of truth taken by our people will hear the criticism of the greatest minds; . . every position we take should be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures.—Evangelism, p. 69.When the message of God meets with opposition, He gives it additional force that it may exert greater influence. Endowed with divine energy, truth will cut its way through the strongest barriers and triumph over every obstacle. Isn't that why we are meeting here—to find out how we can exert a greater influence in the world? to discover what we can do to break down these barriers?
In the writings of Isaiah will be found a number of profound statements concerning the exaltation of God's chosen people and the role they are to play in the world. Ellen G. White points out that if Israel of old had "been true to her trust, all the nations of earth would have shared in her blessings."—Prophets and Kings, p. 370.
Let us now review a remarkable prophecy and also a promise:
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Isa. 2:1-4).
This is a prophecy that God made concerning Judah and Jerusalem. I know that this prophecy has been misunderstood and misapplied. There are three widely accepted interpretations: The first is that this text refers to a millennium when the Jews will be restored to their ancestral home and they will rule the earth and accomplish the conversion of the world. That is the generally accepted interpretation by Protestant organizations. Another says that this text refers to a time when a counterfeit religious revival will take place at the close of earth's history by an apostate Christianity designed to convert the world. But I believe that neither of these fits the prophecy that is made here concerning Judah and Jerusalem. Rather, here is described God's original plan that ancient Israel should become God's agency for the salvation of the world. But since Israel failed, the prediction here made is to be fulfilled by God's chosen people today in giving the gospel message to earth's remotest bounds.
To determine the true meaning of Isaiah 2:1-4 and its significance for the church today, we must study it in its context in chapter 2 and in the context of the Scripture as a whole. It concerns, first of all, Judah and Jerusalem. There is no indication here that it would concern some apostate organization or false churches that would arise to fulfill this prophecy.
Second, "It shall come to pass in the last days" or "latter days," as the Revised Version states. What period did the speaker have in mind? We can only gather this from the context.
How far was this in the future? Notice some of the expressions found in this second chapter. The concept of the last days refers to the manifestation of the majesty of God (verse 10)—that day in which "the Lord alone shall be exalted" (verses 11, 17); and the last refers to the time when He shall arise "to shake terribly the earth" (verse 19). We have the parallel passage in Micah 4:1-3.
Ellen G. White comments on Micah, the fourth chapter. To my knowledge she doesn't refer to Isaiah 2, but the two are almost identical. She mentions that in this chapter (Micah 4) is revealed one of the many practical lessons "that contain great encouragement" for the church today. These scriptures are "a treasure house of precious pearls, and all need [to study] them."—Counsels to Parents and Teachers, p. 456. Surely these words do not describe a counterfeit religious revival.
Notice the expression "the mountain of the Lord's house." This is the usual designation for the Temple—the place the Lord chose as the center of His worship. The Temple became the center and the symbol of Judaism and the Jewish religious system. If the "mountain of the Lord's house" is a figurative expression for the religion of God's chosen people, as we know it is, then the "mountains" must be the other religions of the world. The true worship would be established among the mountains, the verse says, of the earth. This is quite obvious, and the "top of the mountains" is equivalent to saying that the God of Israel will be honored and His truth exalted above all other religions.
It is easy to parallel the exaltation with numerical superiority, and I think that is where we fail. We sometimes feel that when God does exalt His people they must be numerically great, and equal to many of the great religious bodies. The true people of God will always be a minority. However, my own concept is that, before probationary time ends, this great Advent Movement will be one of the greatest modern religious movements the world has ever seen. And so I believe that Isaiah 2: 1-4 is especially applicable to God's people and particularly to the Advent Movement today.
Through Israel, God planned to provide the nations of earth with "a living revelation of His own character." As people of all lands saw the beauty of character revealed in the lives of the chosen people, they would be led to acknowledge the superiority of God, and would admit that the truth of the Israelites was better than their own.
"Even the heathen would recognize the superiority of those who served and worshiped the living God."—Christ's Object Lessons, p. 289.
Here is the parallel: "This promise of blessing should have met fulfillment in large measure during the centuries following the return of the Israelites from the lands of their captivity. It was God's design that the whole earth be prepared for the first advent of Christ, even as to-day the way is preparing for His second corning."—Prophets and Kings, pp. 703, 704.
But Israel failed—failed to meet the conditions under which God could have fulfilled Isaiah 2:1-4, and many other Old Testament promises. And here is a sad comment: "With fatal shortsightedness, they turned again and again from their glorious destiny, and selfishly appropriated to themselves that which would have brought healing and spiritual life to countless multitudes."—Ibid., p. 705.
We must lead our people away from the idea that they alone are the true people of God. God has other people who are honest and sincere, and they will one day come and join this great Advent Movement. We must place ourselves in a true relationship with them so that we can win them to God's final cause.
The remnant church today replaces ancient Israel. These Old Testament covenant promises and privileges have all been permanently transferred from literal to spiritual Israel. This is the subject of Romans 9-11. The Spirit of the Lord enlarges on this concept, and here is a key quotation regarding the transfer of the Old Testament promises and the covenants to modern Israel: "That which God purposed to do for the world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally accomplish through His church on earth to-day." —Prophets and Kings, pp. 713, 714.
Today it is spiritual Israel, who in the past "were not a people" but now are the chosen people of God. They have been raised up to show forth the praises of the One who has called them "out of darkness into his marvellous light."
Since this transfer has been made to the remnant church, we then have been endowed with great and unique privileges and blessings, and through the truths of His Word we are to reveal God's glory and His excellency. Through His people Christ is to manifest His character and the principles of His kingdom.
We need to comprehend more fully the tremendous impact that the Adventist Church is to make on the Christian and non-Christian world during earth's final probationary time. Today significant events in the religious world have brought more prominently to the front the teachings and work of Seventh-day Adventists.
This does not necessarily mean that the church will be led into the fatal position of universal popularity. We are not to look forward to the time when the whole world will be at our feet. It will never happen. But what will happen is that the Lord will so arrange affairs in the religious world that the significant and testing truths on which the destiny of all professed Christians hang will be brought to the front and become a subject of examination and discussion.
God means that testing truth shall be brought to the front and become a subject of examination and discussion, even if it is through the contempt placed upon it. The minds of the people must be agitated.—Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 453.
We know only too well that organized opposition will arise in many quarters. We also know that efforts will be made to thwart the work of God by minimizing the powerful influence of our timely message. However true this may be, if we are to accomplish our God-given task, we must not think abstractly of the world as a massive, inanimate body bent solely on our extermination. We know that in every country "thousands of voices" will be imbued with power to speak forth the truth. Many of these "voices" will come from God-fearing men and women in other persuasions.
We must launch into the greatest publicity program the religious world has ever witnessed. The Seventh-day Adventist Church exists for the sole purpose of communication. In communicating, we must always remember that we are dealing with human beings, and not with organizations. Human beings are influenced through association and fellowship. This principle was demonstrated in the life of Christ. He was not exclusive. The multitudes followed Him through the streets and sat with Him on the hillsides. He was the most popular figure in Palestine. He was in the world but not a part of the world. And so with Seventh-day Adventists. We are expected to exert an increasing influence on those around us. We must surmount our own inner barriers that separate us from others. We must free ourselves from "exclusivism" and in Christian association let God's wonderful love in our lives appeal directly to the hearts of others.
You ask what is the best form of publicity for the Seventh-day Adventist Church? The answer, I am sure we will all agree, is word-of-mouth publicity. More powerful than gimmicks and gadgets is personal testimony, or witnessing for God. Incidentally, it is also the least expensive medium.
Why should Seventh-day Adventists hang back in telling people about the attractions of their church? Without this kind of publicity the church would soon languish and die.
It was my privilege a few weeks ago to spend some days in Spain. Seventh-day Adventists in Spain are a classic example of the value of word-of-mouth publicity. In that country the law denies to Protestant churches all use of the usual methods of communication. Regulations require the churches to be inconspicuous in architecture. Their churches do not look like churches. They look like places of business, or like little stores along the street. The authorities don't want them to stand out. No sign or symbol is permitted to mark the building as a church. However, our churches are packed with eager listeners.
In Spain we are maintaining our vitality by word-of-mouth publicity. It is doubtful whether there is anything more effective or more persuasive than the spoken word. "But there remains a factor without which no publicity can be helpful," says Ralph Stoody, in A Handbook for Church Public Relations. "Backing the broadcast, and the news story, the form letters . . . the signboards and the posters, . . . there must be reality. There must be a church that is a church. There must be a fellowship of Christians worshipping together, studying together, working together, building better lives, a better community, and a better world,"—Page 244. And I would add, instilling in the minds of all the hope of the soon-coming of the Lord Jesus.
To close I quote from Howard B. Weeks, in his good book Breakthrough:
"Our own attitudes toward the society in whose midst God has placed us will determine our success in communicating perhaps more than will any present unfavorable attitudes of that society toward our church. Let us not regard the community merely as a field of conflict from which we may retreat with a handful of the faithful, burning over the rest as barren ground. Rather, let us regard it as a society of God's children, to all of whom He would have us minister, and all of whom He would, if possible, save."—Page 30.
When we show this attitude toward the society around us, the prophetic picture of Isaiah 2:3 will be quickly fulfilled:
"Many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. . . ; and he will teach us of his ways."
