The Wrath of the Lamb
NP
November 26, 1897
This manuscript is published in entirety in BEcho 05/30/1898.
It was the expression of justice against sin that crushed out the life of the Son of God. It was the weight of sin that led Him to cry out on the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me,” that in the garden of Gethsemane caused Him to sweat as it were great drops of blood. [Matthew 27:46; Luke 22:44.] The wrath of God was upon Him, and He felt that His Father had forsaken Him. The sins of the transgressor were placed to His account. But in His justice the love of God was manifested toward every human being. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 1
In dying upon the cross Christ did not lessen in the slightest particular the vital claims of the law of Jehovah. He gave evidence to the universe of heaven and to unfallen angels that God will punish for the sins of a guilty world. The cross of Christ testifies to the sinner that the law is not changed to meet the sinner in his sins, but that Christ has made an offering of Himself that the transgressors of the law might have an opportunity to repent. As Christ bore the sins of every transgressor, so the sinner who will not believe in Christ as his personal Saviour, who rejects the light that comes to him, and refuses to respect and obey the commandments of God, will bear the penalty of his transgression. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 2
Although He endured the punishment in the sinner’s place that every soul who believed in Christ might become the sons and daughters of God, Christ in no sense lessened our obligations to obey His Father’s law. The atonement of Christ has given opportunity to every soul to become a child of God. But if he continues in transgression, he becomes grafted into the parent stock, the originator of sin. He draws his nourishment from Satan, and his spirit and attributes are opposed to the law of God, which is the transcript of the Father’s character, and the rule of His government. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 3
Christ can save no man in his sins. He came to bring divine power to combine with human God-entrusted capabilities, that man, by calling upon the power of Christ might overcome the temptations of Satan. Therefore whatever security men may feel in their transgression of the law of God, because Christ bore the sins of the world, will be dispelled if they will search the Scriptures for themselves. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 4
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and white mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever maketh and loveth a lie.” [Revelation 22:14, 15.] 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 5
On a torn scrap of paper, on which was left nothing but a few paragraphs, I read the story of a girl who was lost in the woods, imprisoned by snow. She swallowed a little bread which she had saved from a journey. Days and nights passed, and she lost all power to make any effort, and lay there motionless. After forty days and nights some woodmen came that way. The snow had melted, and she was found unconscious. These men gentle raised her, laid her on some boards, and carried her to the warmth of their own hearth. They took off her clothes, put her in their bed, gave her some warm soup to drink, and at last they had the joy of seeing her open her eyes. Then they learned who she was, and let her parents know in regard to her. The parents came after her, and when she was strong enough to travel, took her home. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 6
It is a wonderful story of a hardy girl, but this is not why I tell it to you. I tell it to you because I want you to understand the angel of love. Suppose, if you can, that these men had seen the helpless girl, and had passed by on the other side, leaving her to die. How cruel, how wicked it would have been. Suppose that the parents had heard what had been done by these woodsmen to the child they loved. How would that father and mother have felt toward those men. Thankful, do you think? Would they have felt simply indifferent? Would they not rather have been terribly grieved and wildly indignant? Would not their knowledge of the fact that their child might have lived if these men had been more neighborly had made more bitter their bitterness at their child’s death? Had they chanced to see these men, would they have forgiven them? Would their words to them have been soft, honeyed words? How could they forgive them! They would have upbraided and denounced them with righteous indignation, hot as their tears, intense as their love. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 7
Here, I thought was a human being’s life that was saved by human sympathy and tenderness; but how must the anger of God burn toward those who see souls in peril, ready to die, and yet say nothing, do nothing, to help. They lean over, and give all attention to the ninety and nine sheep that are within the fold, while the souls in sin are all around them, and not a hand is stretched out to save them. If one goes astray, they pass on indifferent. And that soul has all the possibilities of immortal life. To lose heaven is to lose everything, and yet how indifferent, how careless, never to give him warning, or show him the way of life. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 8
The sufferings of every man are the sufferings of God’s child, and those who pass by their fellow beings without pity or help, provoke God’s grievous anger. His righteous thunders gather, His vivid lightnings flash; it is the wrath of the Lamb. Be faithful to your fellow men, and you will please God. He loves the world; love it too, and you will be acceptable to Him. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 9
“If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his.” [Romans 8:9.] Can we all have read this? Can we individually have brought our minds to comprehend this? Learning, riches, the finest talents, may be thought to make a most useful man. But there is a sentence that spoils that high expectation; “Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting.” [Daniel 5:27.] These supposed human agents have never taken themselves in hand. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 10
There are those who could make themselves a great blessing, if they will see and recognize the blessing of God, and that it is their privilege to see and understand by experience what lessons they have to learn of Jesus. “Come unto me, all ye that are weary and are heavy laden,” He says, “and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls: for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” [Matthew 11:28-30.] There are gloomy, surly spirits that are never grateful, but a thankful spirit will find rest. All who comply with the condition will find in Christ that rest and peace that passeth understanding. 12LtMs, Ms 133, 1897, par. 11