Justice cries out: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7). You must die. Judgment thunders: “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). You must die.
But breaking through the ranks of heaven and hell there comes one with garments dyed crimson-red. His brow drops blood. His side is torn. His hands have nail prints, and His feet are bruised.
His heart is bleeding, and He throws His emaciated body across the gaping chasm between justice and mercy, and cries, “Stand back, ye lawful accusers. I die a ransom!”
I turn aside the blood-soaked mantle, and I see five bleeding wounds He bears. And I say, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). God’s love will sing while the archangel’s trumpet peals amid the crash of toppling sepulchers and the rush of the wings of the rising dead (see 1 Thess. 4:16-17).
His love shall kindle new suns after all other lights have gone out. It will be an over-billowing sea after all other oceans have swept themselves away.
The rocks will turn grey with age, and the forests will be unmoored in the hurricane. The sun will shut its fiery eyelid, and the stars will drop like burnt-out coals.
The sea will heave its last groan and lash itself into expiring agony. The continents will drop like anchors in the deep and the world will wrap itself in a sheet of flame. But God’s love will never die!
Evangeline Cory Booth
(1865-1950)
Evangeline Cory Booth was the seventh child of Salvation Army founders William and Catherine Booth. The couple’s fourth daughter, she was born in London on Christmas Day. Her mother, known as the Mother of the Salvation Army, was—like her husband—an effective and inspiring preacher.
Evangeline spent much of her time in the slums of London—often in the disguise of a ragged flower seller or a match girl. Her appearance and her compassion caused her to be called “White Angel of the Slums.”
She was called Miss Eva when she was principal of the International Training College at Clapton, which trained young women and men for missionary work. In 1904 her father gave her responsibility for all the work of the Salvation Army in the United States. She served in this capacity for 30 years.
Evangeline was in almost overwhelming demand as a speaker and preacher. In 1934, she left the United States to return to London, where she became the fourth general of the Salvation Army. She served in this position for five years.
She continued her travel, preaching and administrative duties until she retired in 1939. She died at age 85 and was buried near White Plains, New York.
