THE GREAT CONVOCATION CONCLUDED

As our Lord arose to speak, all heads were deeply bowed for a few moments and then most earnest
attention was given. We all hung on His words as when He spoke the sermon on the mount on
earth. The theme was: "The coming dispensation, now about to be ushered in, when He shall once more
descend to the earth taking with Him all this mighty host of saints and angels, when will occur the
resurrection of the bodies of all His saints."
The great host listened with profound attention and received the word with great gladness, for everyone
was deeply interested personally in the matter. Thousands of saints shouted aloud with joy at the
thought that so soon would occur the "redemption of the purchased possession."
The angels themselves were dancing for joy, for our Lord had said that they should take a most
prominent part in the great event. Very many, indeed, of the unnumbered and countless host had been
waiting for this even for thousands of years, and waiting for their spiritual bodies which we knew would
be given us at that time. Then we should be equal to the angels themselves, which the elders now are,
and are preferred before them, for the place of the elders indicated this, being near the throne.
The pathos and feeling which our Lord manifested during this sermon was beyond anything we were
accustomed to on earth. We were melted into deep emotion. He enlarged at great length on the ideas
which Paul had advanced so long ago while writing under divine inspiration when he said: "having made
known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in
Himself: That in the dispensation of the fullness of time, He might gather together in one all things in
Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth even in Himself." He called attention to the
superior advantage the elders now have on account of their resurrection. He described to the mighty host
the order of events in connection with the closing history of His spiritual reign on earth, the events of the
last times, the great political changes, and devastating wars of the closing period. He declared also that
in the last times great effort would be made among the leading civilized nations to bring about a peaceful
settlement of national troubles. That much had been done and much remained to be done.
How quickly I thought of the words of the prophets when he wrote concerning this same theme: "They
shall beat their swords into plow shares and their spears into pruning hooks." (Isaiah 2:4)
He went on to speak of the worldly character of many of the churches on earth, their loss of spiritual
power, and the very great slowness of making disciples of all nations, many of the churches having
almost forgotten their real mission in bringing the world back to God, as He repeated again some of His
words uttered so long ago: "The church is the salt of the earth; but if the salt hath lost its savor
wherewith shall it be salted?" (Matthew 5:13) As He spoke upon this point a holy fervor and deep pathos

clothed His words until the mighty throng most solemnly bowed their heads with the very impressive
thought that His words had a deep meaning suited to many thousands of us only a little while ago.
Oh, how many of us whispered to ourselves and to those about us, "If I only could go back even for a
brief time, how differently I would live and labor for the great end for which our Lord suffered and
died."
He spoke also of the fearful formalities in so many of the Protestant and Catholic churches, of the
corruptions and whoredoms so extant throughout the world. As He was speaking of the degeneracy of
His church on earth, I most deeply felt the force of His words uttered nearly two thousand years ago,
"When the son of man shall come, will He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18: "But," said He, "there is
a very great throng of blood-washed souls who are looking for His return and faithfully toiling while
waiting for their adoption into this mighty host above." He hinted again that the time was drawing near
when He, with all this great host, with millions in paradise and all parts of the celestial city, should again
go back to celebrate the earth’s great Sabbath.
Mighty angels with their trumpet voices should lead the hosts until the thousands of thousands of
chariots should slacken their speed and slow to a halt in the regions of a terrestrial world. Then the great
trump of God should be sounded, of which the blast of Sinai was but a little hint, and awaken all the
dead saints who should instantly rise with spiritual bodies and each soul of us should have our own.
When He had thus spoken, all this mighty host led by the angels, shouted, "Hallelujah! the Lord
omnipotent reigneth!"

"And further," He said, "the living saints who have never died will never
die. Death shall have no dominion over them, but from thenceforth is destroyed forever, and with them
we shall be joined in one great united church, world without end." Again the great host said,
"Hallelujah!"
But the most solemn and pathetic of all His utterances from the throne before the great assembly was His
reference to a present condition of the church on earth. He referred to a new and most cunning device of
Satan, the old enemy of man, to introduce into the church of all Christendom a most

destructive criticism
of the Holy Scriptures. "This," He declared, "is a revelation of the man of sin — the son of perdition,
only in a new form in the last days. The mystery of iniquity was at work in the early days of the church
in the various forms of the spirit of anti-Christ, but it was withheld until the Gentile world should have
their opportunity of salvation. But now that wicked one is being revealed whose coming is after the
working of Satan and with all deceivableness in them that perish because they received not the love of
the truth that they might be saved. So they are denying much of the Holy Scriptures of God, nearly all
the Old Testament saints and all that is miraculous, even assailing His own divine origin, miracles and
atonement. And so God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie. (II Thessalonians
2:11) "Oh, Satan," he cried, "thy doom will soon be sealed in the vortex of hell."

I can only repeat a tithe of His sermon. When He closed, a number of the elders followed Him with brief
expositions of truth along some lines on which He had touched.
Many, like ourselves thought how clearly the blessed Book of God on earth has told us many of these
things, and what comfort, as well as sorrow, to the saints to know the great things which are yet before
us!
Far in the distance as our eyes could reach we saw the seats glittering like the purest gold, raised
amphitheater like, to a great elevation which entirely encircled the majestic throne.
Many responsive hymns were sung, those in the distance responding with choruses, which seemed like
great waves of the sea that rolled in splendor over the great throngs of the redeemed. At last, the great
convocation was drawing toward its close. Our Lord now arose and with a voice distinctly heard to the
utmost bounds of the throne, invited us to a royal banquet given by Himself in honor of the last
arrivals. The doxology of heaven was sung by the great host. Our Lord’s benediction and dismissal
followed. We all repaired to a great pleasure ground adjoining the throne on the east. Many hundreds of
rows of tables, more than twenty-four furlongs in length, were spread before us. These were loaded with
the richest viands that paradise ever knew. A hundred varieties of the tree of life grow everywhere in the
city, but especially in the valleys and upon the hillside of paradise. Twelve kinds of fruit grow on each
tree. From these the tables were most gorgeously furnished. The angels were waiters at the tables and
surely we lacked for nothing.
As we were eating, Bohemond arose and said: "My brother, Seneca, look at what is before us." I arose
and looked across the great sea of human spirits interspersed with many thousands of angels whose
delight it was to serve these honored guests. Far toward the center of this great dining hall was a
stupendous fountain, a fountain of fountains. It was indeed immense in its dimensions and the height of
its spray. The royal gardens, fountains and palaces of the kings of the earth could in no wise be
compared to it. From this fountain we were all refreshed and also from the river of life from which its
multitude of branches have their source.
While eating and drinking with the saints of all ages, and in the presence of our King, we certainly
thought of the words of the book and how truly the beloved disciple had written concerning these great
occasions. "And the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto
living fountains of water, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. (Revelation 7:17) Indeed I
thought to myself, "and who can ever cry again but those of the lost ones who shall lift up their eyes,
being in torment."
During the banquet the great chorister sang many new and beautiful hymns of praise. While our Lord
gave everyone such a glad welcome, and especially those who had so recently entered the doorways of
paradise and passed through the gates of the city and were now forever at home. Many of the ancient
men and women also took part in short words of welcome.
David also tuned his harp and sang in meter the words of the beloved disciple, which nearly everybody
in heaven knows. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed
away. And He that sat upon the throne said: Behold I make all things new. And He said unto me write,
for these words are true and faithful. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto
him that is athirst, of the fountain of the water of life freely, and he that overcometh shall inherit all
things and I will be his God and he shall be my son." (Revelation 21:4-7) Again the congregation
shouted, "Hallelujah," and the chorister sang the dismissal.
We were now soon scattering for distant points of the city. A hundred thousand chariots were filled with
the busy hosts of heaven. Salutations and momentary good-byes were heard everywhere. Smiling happy
faces knew no limit to the joyful expressions and greetings with which every soul overflowed. Not one jar or discord or ruffled feeling or disappointed look was to be seen anywhere. Oh, this was heaven
indeed!
When the great concourse had somewhat disappeared, there still remained an innumerable company of
saints and angels. The returning chariots were bringing multitudes of others in place of those who had
gone. Those who led the music and sang their sweet solos had nearly all gone. The seats of the elders
were vacant, but hosts of others were crowding in. As one of the elders passed near us, Bohemond and I
called him to us for a conversation.
He said, "let us step on a chariot and go to a quiet place." In a few moments we were slowing up at one
of the fountains just outside one of the gateways to the throne. After giving us a drink from the fountain
he said: "We will now walk to yonder cluster of trees." From them we gathered some fruit and sat down
to have him explain the mystery to us. (Seneca Sodi)