Who Gives the Loud Cry?
Many assume the loud cry will be given by a powerful religious organisation, a recognised denomination, or a movement with great influence. Yet the Scriptures present a different picture.
God commanded ancient Israel:
Leviticus 19:9–10
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.
This was far more than an agricultural law. It illustrated God’s final work of gathering the last faithful souls before the close of probation. We are living in the time of the gleaning, when Christ is gathering the last grains into His heavenly garner. The great harvest has long been underway, but before probation closes, the final work is the gathering of the last scattered grains. The final work is not about building another organisation. It is about gathering faithful souls who tremble at God’s Word wherever they may be found.
Throughout Scripture, God has always had a faithful remnant.
Isaiah 11:12
And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
Zephaniah 2:1
Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired.
Amos chapter 5 opens with a lament over a fallen church. Though the visible body had departed from God, His invitation remained.
Amos 5:4
For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live.
Later He says:
Amos 5:15
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
God’s concern has always been for those who remain faithful to His truth, even when organised religion has departed from Him.
This principle has existed throughout Biblical history. God has never measured His people by the size of an organisation but by their faithfulness to His truth.
When Jesus spoke with the woman of Samaria, the religious world was deeply divided. There were the Jews centred in Jerusalem, the descendants of the northern kingdom of Israel, and the Samaritans. Each believed they possessed the true worship and each opposed the others. Yet Jesus did not point people to a religious organisation or earthly institution. He pointed them to the Father.
John 4:23
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
The same principle applies today. We have several organisations that sincerely believe they alone represent God’s final remnant. Many defend their denomination more vigorously than they defend the truth itself.
I do not claim that one particular group is above another or that one denomination alone will give the loud cry. Scripture simply does not support such a conclusion.
The issue has never been loyalty to an organisation. The issue has always been loyalty to Jesus Christ and to the truth He has revealed.
God’s faithful people may be found wherever men and women love truth more than position, tradition, history, or denominational identity. They may presently be found inside different churches, independent fellowships, home churches, or even standing alone. God knows those who are His.
The loud cry will be given by those who are completely surrendered to Christ and filled with His Spirit. They will defend present truth regardless of what organisation they belong to or have come out from. They are united, not by membership records, but by the Spirit of God and obedience to His Word.
Our responsibility is not to defend a movement simply because it is our movement. We are called to defend truth. We are to point people back to the original Advent faith, to the original truths established from the Scriptures, and to the messages faithfully proclaimed by those whom God raised up. Truth, not organisation, is our foundation.
Jesus Himself is our perfect example. He never exalted Himself or sought to build a following centred upon His own person. Although He was the Messiah, His constant desire was to glorify His Father.
John 8:50
And I seek not mine own glory.
John 14:10
The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
His entire life was one of complete selflessness. Likewise, God’s last-day people are not called to exalt themselves, their ministry, their church, or their denomination. They are called to exalt Christ, proclaim His everlasting truth, and allow the Holy Spirit to gather the honest-hearted from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
Revelation identifies God’s final people, not by the name of an earthly organisation, but by their character.
Revelation 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
The loud cry itself is God’s final call.
Revelation 18:4
Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Notice that God says, My people are already within the various bodies from which He is calling them. His people are identified before they come out. Their identity is found in Christ, not in an organisation.
The loud cry will not be produced by human machinery, ecclesiastical authority, or organisational prestige. It will come through humble believers who love Christ supremely, defend His truth without compromise, and follow the Lamb wherever He leads. Many of these faithful souls will be little known to the world, yet they will be mighty because the Holy Spirit works through them.
As the harvest draws to its close, Christ is still gleaning. He is still gathering the outcasts of Israel. He is still calling a nation not desired. He is still seeking honest hearts wherever they may be found.
The final question is not, Which organisation gives the loud cry?
The final question is, Am I willing to follow Jesus Christ and His truth wherever He leads, even if it costs me everything?