“GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son.” Notice, God is the speaker, whether unto the fathers or unto us; whether by the prophets or by his Son. In time past God spoke by the prophets; in these latter times God has spoken by his Son.SITI June 30, 1887, page 391.1

“At sundry times and in divers manners,” that is, at different times and in different ways, he spake by the prophets. But at whatever time or in whatever way, the prophecy came not by the will of man, “but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” None of the prophets of God ever spake of their own will, or out of their own hearts, but the Spirit of God spake by them. “The sweet psalmist of Israel said, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.” 2 Samuel 23:1, 2. When the prophet had spoken, his task was done; it was the word of God, and whether men would hear or whether they would forbear, rested with themselves. “Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears. And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord God; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.” Ezekiel 3:10, 11.SITI June 30, 1887, page 391.2

A good illustration of the “sundry times” at which God spake unto the fathers by the prophets is found in the book of Haggai. There are only two short chapters in the book, but yet the word in it came at four different times. Chapter 1, verse 1, says, “In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai.” Again, “In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai.” Chap. 2:1. Again, “In the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet.” Chap. 2:10. “And again the word of the Lord came unto Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month.” Chap. 2:20. Here we have the fact stated that the word of the Lord came to him the first day of the sixth month, the twenty-first day of the seventh month, and the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, twice in the same day, all in the same year. And that is all the prophesying that Haggai did. In other words, four times this holy man of God spake as he was moved by the Holy Ghost.SITI June 30, 1887, page 391.3

The “divers manners” in which the Lord spake by the prophets, was by visions and dreams. “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.” Numbers 12:6. There was yet another way, which was by Urim and high priest, but after the early days of Israel in Palestine it seems to have been used only occasionally, as the only mention of it after the time of Saul (1 Samuel 28:6) is in Ezra 2:63 and Nehemiah 7:65, when Israel first went up from captivity.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.1

Of course a dream from God was in a certain sense a vision, but visions were not always seen through dreams. Yet like things were revealed whether shown through a dream or by a vision when wide-awake. The prophecy of the seventh chapter of Daniel was revealed to him in a dream. “Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed; then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters.” Daniel 7:1. It was in the same way that the prophecy of the second chapter was made known. “Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision.” Daniel 2:19. But the prophecy of the eleventh chapter was revealed to him in the day-time, while he was out by the side of the river Tigris (chap. 10:4). The vision of the ninth chapter also was given him while he was wide-awake and praying. The vision of the eighth chapter was also given him while he was awake and in the palace at Susa, on business for the king of Babylon.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.2

Ezekiel’s visions seem to have all been given him when awake. That of the first chapter was given while he was “among the captives by the river of Chebar.” The heavens opened and he saw visions of God. The vision of chapter eight to eleven was given as he was sitting in his house and the elders of Judah sitting before him. This was a most remarkable vision. Ezekiel was one of those who had been carried captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar. These captives were placed in a colony on the river Chebar, in Chaldea. Ezekiel, as has been stated, sat in his house in Chaldea, with the elders of Judah before him. Suddenly a vision from God fell upon him. He saw an appearance of a glorious personage glowing as fire. This personage put forth the form of a hand and took him by a lock of his hair, and seemed to lift him up between heaven and earth, and carried him in vision to Jerusalem. Although it was a vision, it was just as real to the prophet as though he had been carried literally and bodily from Babylon to Jerusalem. He was taken in vision to Jerusalem, and was shown the idolatrous practices of those who yet remained there. He was shown a hole in a wall, and was commanded to dig there. He digged a little space and found a door. He went in and found a place where idolatry was carried on secretly. He saw on the walls portrayed all round the pictures of creeping things and abominable beasts, and all the idols of their worship, and seventy of the principal men of the nation standing there burning incense to these idols, and in the midst of all, apparently as the chief in the wicked work, he saw one whom he recognized as Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.3

Then he was brought to another part of the temple, and there he saw the Hebrew women weeping for Tammuz, the Babylonian god of lust. Next he was taken to the inner court of the temple, between the very porch and the altar, and there he saw about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun. Then he saw six men drawing near with slaughter weapons, but there was another among them having a writer’s inkhorn by his side; and Ezekiel heard his heavenly guide saying to this one, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” The others were to follow after and slay utterly all, but not to come near any man upon whom was the mark.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.4

Next the prophet was taken to another part of the temple, and at the door of the eastern gate he saw twenty-five men, among whom he recognized a certain other Jaazaniah, and Pelatiah, princes of the people. Then said the guide to him, “These are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city.” Aftereward he was again taken up and brought back in the vision to Chaldea, and the vision went up from him, and he told his brethren of the captivity all that he had seen in Jerusalem.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.5

Thus we see that when God gives a person a vision, distance is nothing. Here were a lot of men and women carrying on wicked practices in Jerusalem, some of them in secret chambers in the dark, others devising mischief and giving wicked counsel. But there was a man, sitting in his own house down in Chaldea, who saw it all. He saw exactly what they were doing, he knew just what they were saying, he looked them right in the face and called them by name. How little these people thought that all that they were saying and doing was known, not only to God, but also to one of their fellow-men, through whom it was to be made known to all the others.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.6

Thus God “at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.”SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.7

But at the last God spake by his Son. This is not believed now as the truth really is and as it ought to be believed. It is actually taught, and the belief is gaining ground, that when Jesus came he conducted matters upon his own responsibility, while God in some mysterious way stepped aside. But it is not so. God spake by his Son. This is what he promised to do. The Lord said to Moses: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” Deuteronomy 18:18, 19. God speaks by him, and whoever will not hearken to God’s words so spoken must render his account to God. God will require it of him. “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.”SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.8

Thus God promised to do, thus Jesus says he did: “I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.... Whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak.” John 12:49, 50. “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself.” “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.” “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” God spake by the prophets, and he spake by his Son, who was “that Prophet” above all prophets.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.9

Yet, although God is the speaker both by the prophets and by his Son, there is an important difference in the manner in which he spake by them and by him. While God spake through the prophets by vision and dream, we never read of Jesus having either a vision or a dream. The prophets spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, but, as we have seen, it was only upon occasion that the Holy Spirit, moved them to speak. Jesus spake also as he was moved by the Holy Ghost, but he was moved by the Holy Spirit all the time, “For God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” John 3:34. God gave the Spirit by measure unto the prophets, and they spake according to the measure given. But unto the Son God gave not the Spirit by measure, therefore he always spake from the immeasurable fullness of the Spirit of God, and there was no room for either vision or dream. His whole life might be called on constant, limitless vision.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.10

Thank God that he has not only spoken unto the children of men by the prophets, but that he has also in his loving-kindness spoken unto us by his Son. “For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.” Therefore whosoever it be that will not hearken to the words which he speaks in his Father’s name, God will require it of him, and how shall he render the account?SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.11

“The Reformation Repudiated” The Signs of the Times 13, 24, pp. 376, 377.

“The Law of God” The Signs of the Times 13, 25, pp. 392, 393.