The disciples later revealed their faith as follows: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Peter said: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). Paul said: “After that, [Christ] was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians 15:6-8).

Thus the message of the apostles resounded through the centuries. History reveals a cloud of witnesses. They saw Christ in their life, lived with Him, and experienced Him. Those who do not want to believe the historic writings cannot deny the fact that the message of Christ is a great blessing that has changed our world. And in this process He became our elder brother.

Today we are all free of these doubts. Jesus Christ is a reality. He is risen, He lives! Not only does He really live, but He has become our Intercessor and Defender in the heavenly court. Paul writes: “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man” (Hebrews 8:1, 2). Our High Priest watches with great care over our well-being. Now that we still live in the hour of probation, it is high time to appropriate His character and be His true sons and daughters. The great light of the “Loud Cry” will cover the world with a revelation of His character developed in his followers. The love of God for the world is the essence of the plan of salvation.

The events around the resurrection of Jesus were overwhelming, and yet they contain more than is obvious at first.

The promises that Jesus gave His disciples extend to our time and we have ample proof that they are true. Peter writes: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount” (2 Peter 1:16-18). Peter, John, and James saw Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration. Later generations saw similar manifestations. But not all understood them.

Let us consider the story of certain Greeks who wanted to see Jesus when, besides them, other people heard a voice from heaven. Jesus asked His Father: “Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him” (John 12:28, 29). There are two different reports on the same event.

Not everyone experiences being a Christian in the same way. This is clearly shown by the object lessons in Matthew 25.

The ten virgins: All of them are filled with the thought to be ready at the second coming of Christ. Five of them are declared to be ready, the other five go through the greatest disappointment of their life.

The parable of the talents: Two of the servants are declared to be true servants of their Master; one is called “wicked and slothful.”

The parable of the sheep and the goats: Those on His left see that their part will be everlasting punishment.

Jesus intends to reveals Himself to us so that we may become partakers of His life.

An example: We all read about the greatest miracle that Jesus performed, the resurrection of Lazarus who had already been dead for four days. When Jesus met Martha, the sister of Lazarus, she said: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” And when Jesus answered her, “Thy brother shall rise again,” she misunderstood Him as referring to the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Jesus’ last question was: “Believest thou this?” When Jesus commanded that the stone be rolled away from the grave, Martha in alarm said to Jesus: “Lord, by this time he stinketh,” meaning, “leave Him in the grave.” With a little reprimand Jesus responded: “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:21, 23, 25, 26, 39, 40). A few moments later Lazarus walks out of the grave and proclaims the glory of God.

The example of Martha shows that her faith was not strong enough. Like her, there are many today who struggle with unbelief.

First of all, we should understand one thing: No one of us was able to plan his or her existence in advance. None of us came into this world by our own will. And it was one chance to become citizens of a new, sinless kingdom. God sent His own Son to be the Surety for the fulfillment of God’s promise. Jesus paid the ransom for our sins, although humaniy fell into sin by their own free will. And He is still the source of our power in our fight against evil.

The gospel is the good news for us. Everyone should know it. When Jesus announced the principles of His kingdom, He said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). No one should get entangled in this earthly life if their primary desire is citizenship in the eternal kingdom.

While parents seek to secure a better life for their children, they often forget the plans of God for their existence on this earth. We are all called to prepare for heaven. As far as being chosen for it, that depends on how much importance we give to the heavenly call. Is this the main priority in our life?

“ ‘This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life’ (1 John 5:11, 12). And Jesus said, ‘I will raise him up at the last day’ (John 6:40). Christ became one flesh with us, in order that we might become one spirit with Him. It is by virtue of this union that we are to come forth from the grave - not merely as a manifestation of the power of Christ, but because, through faith, His life has become ours. Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal.”1

This was the meaning of the message given to God’s servants in 1888 in order to promote among them a revival and a reformation. And this is the most compelling need for God’s people who expect the last message to swell into a Loud Cry. We have to come out of the traditional condition of Laodicea and reach the condition of the remnant of Laodicea.

In Jesus’ sermon on the “bread of life” He said: “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:54). “To eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ is to receive Him as a personal Saviour, believing that He forgives our sins, and that we are complete in Him. It is by beholding His love, by dwelling upon it, by drinking it in, that we are to become partakers of His nature. What food is to the body, Christ must be to the soul. Food cannot benefit us unless we eat it, unless it becomes a part of our being. So Christ is of no value to us if we do not know Him as a personal Saviour. A theoretical knowledge will do us no good. We must feed upon Him, receive Him into the heart, so that His life becomes our life. His love, His grace, must be assimilated.”2

This is the beginning of the heavenly life right here on earth.

People have not only heard of it, but they have experienced it. History shows that men, women, and children remained faithful to Jesus at the cost of their life as Satan’s armies stood arrayed against them. They believed in the promises of the Lord which apply to us as well. “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).

We have maintained a spiritual connection with Christ since we accepted Him by faith.

“Our present trying, waiting, watching state, is represented by a dark night; and the coming glory before us, by the morning. There are two parts to the morning: first, the dawn of day, and second, full day light, which is completed by the rising of the sun. So in the glad morning before us; the day of rest will dawn at the voice of God, when His light, and glory, rest upon us; then we shall rise from glory to glory, till Christ appears, to clothe us with immortality, and give us eternal life. O, Glory! Hallelujah!! my poor heart is set on fire for the kingdom, while I dwell on this sweet prospect, before the true believer. If we ‘hold fast’ but a few days more, the dark shades of night will vanish before the glory of the preparatory scenes of the coming of the Son of man.”3

“Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19). He left this earth to be seen again only when He comes the second time. His disciples, however, would still see Him. At first they did not understand Him. Therefore, they added: “Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” (verse 22). In answer, Jesus pointed to the close relationship we are to have with the Father and the Son (verse 23).

Martha said: “Yes, I believe that Lazarus will arise on the great final day,” but the miracle was just about to happen. It is the same with us: We believe that we will have eternal life in the end, but we can attain it now. We lose out on many things by taking this attitude. Eternal life starts here. Death is just a short sleep until the resurrection day. We are still walking by faith, but soon we will also be walking by sight.

Our life in heaven will be the life of Christ, which begins on earth. Paul understood this when he said: “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

“Christ was obedient to every requirement of the law. He said of Himself, ‘I delight to do Thy will, O My God; yea, Thy law is within My heart’ (Psalm 40:8). When on earth, He said to His disciples, ‘I have kept My Father's commandments’ (John 15:10). By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God’s commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life.”4

According to biblical history, Enoch lived together with Adam for 308 years. He had watched how Adam’s life was approaching its end, and he desired to come into a closer relationship with God and lead a godly life. “Enoch was a holy man. He served God with singleness of heart.”5 God took him. “By the translation of Enoch the Lord designed to teach an important lesson. There was danger that men would yield to discouragement, because of the fearful results of Adam's sin. Many were ready to exclaim, ‘What profit is it that we have feared the Lord and have kept His ordinances, since a heavy curse is resting upon the race, and death is the portion of us all?’ But the instructions which God gave to Adam, and which were repeated by Seth, and exemplified by Enoch, swept away the gloom and darkness, and gave hope to man, that as through Adam came death, so through the promised Redeemer would come life and immortality. Satan was urging upon men the belief that there was no reward for the righteous or punishment for the wicked, and that it was impossible for men to obey the divine statutes. But in the case of Enoch, God declares ‘that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him’ (Hebrews 11:6). He shows what He will do for those who keep His commandments. Men were taught that it is possible to obey the law of God; that even while living in the midst of the sinful and corrupt, they were able, by the grace of God, to resist temptation, and become pure and holy. They saw in his example the blessedness of such a life; and his translation was an evidence of the truth of his prophecy concerning the hereafter, with its award of joy and glory and immortal life to the obedient, and of condemnation, woe, and death to the transgressor.”6

We should reach in this life the same condition as Enoch did. Just as he lived and was taken by the Lord, so should we live that we may be taken up into heaven. He reflected more and more the character of Jesus through the communion he had with God. Paul writes about his own experience: “Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body” (2 Corinthians 4:10).

How do we act if we have this life? Happiness, peace, and security are some of the attributes we will display outwardly as well. The follies of worldly fashions will not attract us; the glorification of our Saviour will be our main object. Christ taught: Whoever wants to live in heaven must learn the way of heavenly life while he or she is here on earth.

“Heaven is to begin on this earth. When the Lord's people are filled with meekness and tenderness, they will realize that His banner over them is love, and His fruit will be sweet to their taste. They will make a heaven below in which to prepare for heaven above.”7

“A heavenly character must be acquired upon earth, my brother, or you will never possess it; therefore you should engage at once in the work which you have to do. You should labor earnestly to obtain a fitness for heaven. Live for heaven. Live by faith.”8