Will my brethren now arouse to do their work? The signs reveal to us that "the night cometh, in which no man can work." The time is coming in which you can neither buy nor sell. That will be a serious time for the people of God. Now you can sell and give alms. Now you can send your treasure before you into heaven, and God calls for your means to advance his cause. Let this Christmas-time and the entering in of a new year testify to the zeal of God's people. There has been a withholding from God of tithes and offerings. The question is asked, "Will a man rob God?" And the answer comes, "Ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?--In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." Wonderful statement, and how true! Shall we humble our souls before God, and confess our sin in robbing him? Shall we be zealous and repent? Shall we redeem the failures of the past? "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it." Shall we obey God, and bring in all our tithes and offerings, that there may be meat to supply the demands of souls hungering for the bread of life? God invites you to prove him now, as the old year draws to its close, and let the new year find us with God's treasuries replenished. Let us literally prove the Lord, by bringing all the tithes and offerings into his storehouse, and let us repent of our robbery toward him. He tells us that he will open the windows of heaven, and pour us out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. He pledges his word, "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field saith the Lord of hosts" Thus his word is our assurance that he will so bless us that we shall have still larger tithes and offerings to bestow. "Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts."

Vil mine brødre nu vågne op til deres gerning? Mange tegn viser, at natten kommer, da ingen kan arbejde. Tiden nærmer sig, da I hverken kan købe eller sælge. Det vil blive en alvorsfuld tid for Guds folk. Nu kan I sælge og give almisse. Nu kan I sende jeres skatte forud til Himmelen. Gud beder jer om at fremme hans sag med jeres midler. Lad denne jul - tid og ind i et nyt år, bevidne Guds floks iver. Guds tiende og offergaver har været holdt tilbage. Spørgsmålet er således: "Vil et menneske berøve Gud?" Og svaret kommer: "Hvorved har vi bedraget dig?" Med tienden og offerydelsen! I trues med forbandelse og bedrager dog mig, ja alt folket gør det! Bring hele tienden til forråds huset, så der kan være mad i mit hus; sæt mig på prøve dermed, siger Hærskares Herre, om jeg da ikke åbner eder himmelens sluser og udøser velsignelse over eder i overmål. . . . siger Hærskares Herre." Skal vi adlyde Gud, og bringe al vor tiende og offergaver ind, så der er midler til de sjæle der hungrer efter livets brød? Gud indbyder jer til at prøve ham nu, ligesom de gamle år drager til sin slutning, og lader det nye år finde os med Gud rigdomme dækket ind. Lad os bogstaveligt prøve Herren, ved at bringe al tiende og offergaverne i laden, og lad os angre vort røveri imod ham. Han fortæller os at vi vil åbne himlens vinduer, og udgyde en velsignelse, der ikke skal være plads nok til at modtage det. Han lover i sit ord: "Jeg vil for eders skyld skræmme æderne, så at de ikke ødelægger eder landets afgrøde, og vinstokken på marken skal ikke slå eder fejl, siger Hærskares Herre." Sådan er hans ord vor forsikring om at han vil velsigne os så vi får endnu mere tiende og flere gaver at give af. " Vend om til mig, så vil jeg vende om til eder, siger Hærskares Herre."