I am very thankful to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ for the opportunity He has given us to be saved for all eternity. Every day is a gift from God; every heartbeat is a result of His goodness and mercy which endures forever. Let us be thankful to God for giving us Jesus, His Son, for remission, or propitiation (as Paul mentioned in his epistle to the Hebrews), for the sins which we have confessed and forsaken. The questions for us to ask are, “do we have a message in the Bible that requires all our attention for its proclamation? Is there a present truth for our time that we should proclaim with power? Are we called according to the Bible to be responsible for the proclamation of the last message of warning ever to be given to the world which is, in reality, a message from Jesus Himself?” To answer these questions I will use the Bible, along with the Spirit of Prophecy.

The last words Jesus spoke are very important and relevant for us today. He said, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20.  In this Bible text we have been given a commission which is followed by a promise. The commission is for us to be “teaching them”. To understand what Jesus meant, let me give you an illustration. Children go to school to learn from their teachers and the textbooks they study from. They are taught according to the time in which they live and the technology available, in order for them to make something of themselves in this life. After their graduation they obtain a Diploma which shows that they are now capable and skilled men and women for the job in the field they have prepared for. This principle applies to anyone, anywhere, at any time. If you want a career, you have to go to school in order to be fitted for a job. We have the privilege and opportunity to learn from Jesus. He is our Teacher and Master and He prepares us for a great task. The school we should go to is the church, as we read from inspiration; “The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. From the beginning it has been God’s plan that through His church shall be reflected to the world His fullness and His sufficiency. The members of the church, those whom He has called out of darkness into His marvelous light, are to show forth His glory. The church is the repository of the riches of the grace of Christ; and through the church will eventually be made manifest, even to ‘the principalities and powers in heavenly places,’ the final and full display of the love of God. Ephesians 3:10.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9

Jesus spoke the words in Matthew 28:18–20 to His disciples. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” This command was relevant to the Disciples in their time and it is also relevant to us today. Although this command was given in the 1st century it is still valid for us today in the 21st century. Jesus’ words had a profound impact in their lives then; and they should have a profound impact in the lives of consecrated men and women today. Jesus is giving this command to you also. He is telling you to go and teach all the things that He has commanded you, and promises, “lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” I believe we live in the time of the end as we see most of the prophecies in Revelation have been fulfilled. In fact, we are at the verge of Jesus’ second coming. Look around the world today and see the things which were predicted 2000 years ago in the prophetical chapter of Matthew 24.

Jesus told His Disciples how they would accomplish this great task. He said in John 14:15–18 “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” Think of what He is saying here? God longs to pour out the Holy Spirit upon you and me—upon His faithful Church. Have you ever wondered why the disciples had such death-defying faith? The question is—what gave them the courage to proclaim the Gospel to the ends of the earth in spite of such overwhelming odds? Why were they so different after Pentecost? Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit upon them, is the outpouring of Heaven’s power. Peter makes this clear to us in Acts 2:39: “The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Ellen White, God’s servant, wrote the following: “When Christ gave His disciples the promise of the Spirit, He was nearing the close of His earthly ministry. He was standing in the shadow of the cross, with a full realization of the load of guilt that was to rest upon Him as the Sin Bearer. Before offering Himself as the sacrificial victim, He instructed His disciples regarding a most essential and complete gift which He was to bestow upon His followers—the gift that would bring within their reach the boundless resources of His grace. ‘I will pray the Father,’ He said, ‘and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ John 14:16, 17. The Saviour was pointing forward to the time when the Holy Spirit should come to do a mighty work as His representative. The evil that had been accumulating for centuries was to be resisted by the divine power of the Holy Spirit. . . .

“The lapse of time has wrought no change in Christ’s parting promise to send the Holy Spirit as His representative. It is not because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment of the promise is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, all would be filled with the Spirit. Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, spiritual declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring all other blessings in its train, is lacking, though offered in infinite plenitude.” –The Acts of the Apostles p. 48–50

Both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy clearly reveal the fact that the promise of the Holy Spirit is for each one of us. God longs to pour out the Holy Spirit upon His church today.

As we study the experience of the followers of Jesus in the upper room and specifically the necessary preparation they made prior to receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we will understand the preparation we need to make prior to the final outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the end time—which is called the Latter Rain. Do you want to receive the latter rain and fulfill God’s plan? I believe you do and so do I. There are some conditions that need to be fulfilled on our part. God is always more than willing to fulfil His part when we cooperate with Him and do our part. Why is Pentecost significant? The prophet Joel tells us, “It shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.” Joel 2:28

“Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:3.  Recognizing the significance of Christ’s command the disciples obeyed His instructions. There in the upper room in Jerusalem they prayed, repented of their sins, confessed their lack of faith, humbled their hearts, and surrendered their lives anew to the Holy Spirit’s working. The Christian Church began its existence by praying for the Holy Spirit and, in obedience to the word of their Master, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and for ten days they prayed for the fulfilment of God’s promise. These ten days were days of deep heart searching.

What about us? Are we doing the same today as individuals and as a church? Do we confess and forsake our sins? Do we humble ourselves before God, asking for the Holy Spirit? By the grace of Christ the disciples were changed into what they were. It was sincere devotion and humble, earnest prayer that brought them into close communion with Him.

“Shall we be less earnest than were the apostles? Shall we not by living faith claim the promises that moved them to the depths of their being to call upon the Lord Jesus for the fulfillment of His word: ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’ (John 16:24)? Is not the Spirit of God to come today in answer to earnest, persevering prayer, and fill men with power?” –In Heavenly Places, p. 333. The descent of the Holy Spirit was the divine signal that the disciples had a Friend at the throne of God who would daily empower them to accomplish His mission.

What about our mission? In Revelation 14:6–12 we can read of the commission given by Christ to His faithful and loyal church. Today, thousands of people are waiting on the shores of eternity, looking out on a confused, uncertain world, anxiously awaiting a message of deliverance. They are looking for a way out of this terrible situation into which we have come. Most people agree that if ever the world needed a message from God to show us what to do, it is now. As we survey Bible history, we discover

that God always met emergencies by sending a message to prepare men and women for the coming crisis. He did not leave mankind in darkness regarding the future. At each time of crisis He sent a specific message of preparation. Accepting His warning meant life; rejecting it meant death. Heeding the admonitions given meant eternal security; rejecting them meant damnation.

To illustrate this principle let us go back to the days of Joseph in Egypt. Egypt faced seven consecutive years of famine. Suppose God had not sent a message of warning to prepare the people for what was coming on the nation. Thousands would have perished. In the days of Noah the world faced universal catastrophe. Men had become so wicked, so vile, so corrupt, that God determined to wipe them off the face of the earth with a flood. He told Noah about it so that the patriarch could warn the people and get as many of them ready for the crisis as possible. Noah preached, “The flood is coming. Repent of your sins. Obey God. Work with me on this ark that God has commanded me to build.” Unfortunately, the majority of the people were so preoccupied with pleasure, jobs, families, and friends that they did not accept Noah’s invitation. They felt that he was a deluded, fanatical old man. It was God’s intent that thousands would experience salvation in the days of Noah. The plans for the ark that Noah built were in reality blueprints for scores of arks that could have been built. What a pity so few accepted Noah’s warning! It is not that they could not know; it is rather that they would not know. To accept Noah’s message meant a willingness to endure unpopularity and ridicule; it meant a willingness to stand alone, a determination to, as Jesus said, “seek. . . first the kingdom of God”. To accept Noah’s message meant to reorder life’s priorities so that following God was the most important factor in life.

Many times God sent specific messages that called men and women to make the most important decisions of their lives. Life-and-death issues were at stake. Take Noah’s day, for example. The gospel had never been preached in that kind of setting before, nor has it since. Suppose Adam had preached in his day that the Flood was coming. It was coming. But not for a thousand years approximately. Therefore, it would have been an untimely warning. Suppose Moses, who lived after the Flood, had preached, “A flood is coming.” It would not have been true, because the Flood had already come and gone. The point is obvious. The message that Noah preached was particularly adapted for his age, for the era just before the Flood. The Bible speaks of messages that are particularly adapted for a definite period of time as “present truth.” The apostle Peter states it in these words: “Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.” 2 Peter 1:12

God says, “Be established in the present truth.” In other words, let the truth that applies particularly to this time fill your minds. Let it occupy your full attention. There is one thing that is certain—no one can be established in the present truth unless he knows what the present truth is. Does the Bible record a message of truth as important for our time as Noah’s message was for his day? Does it contain a special message to prepare a people to get ready to meet Jesus when He comes? Is there a message as vital for us to understand today as Noah’s message was for the people in his day? Most assuredly yes! Not only did God warn that the conditions of the world in the last days would be similar to the days just before the flood, but He promised to send a message to prepare a people for the coming destruction as He did in the days of Noah. That message is found in the book of Revelation 14 and this is our message for today and today and today.

In review, we have seen that God has a message for today to be preached in all the world with power. How can we fulfil this commission? We have the example of the disciples in the upper room which reminds us that Jesus does not change—He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The promise is given to everyone who believes and takes God’s word in his daily practice, teaching people by example and precept. By doing so he warns the people in this world by giving the opportunity for every individual to make up their mind for or against Christ.

It is my wish and prayer that you and I may experience the power of the Holy Spirit afresh in our lives and may our hearts be open to everything that God has for His remnant and faithful people today. I want to close with this statement.

“It is not the plan of God to rain down means from heaven in order that His cause may be sustained.  He has entrusted, or deposited, ample means with men, that there shall be no lack in any department of His work.  He proves those who profess to love Him by placing means in their hands, and then tries them to see if they love the gift better than the Giver.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 659 

Nicholas Anca