What are you doing Elgee? CHARTING THE FUTURE 2008 - the most interesting years of recent times. I received a copy of the book “The World Awake” subtitle: A few months are left before the Sunday law. I read the story of a deacon in Arizona. He was pondering and praying about the end of the world. The gentleman had this experience in 2006 and he believed NSL will be passed in America. What my thought about the book.. It seemed to me that it is possible that SL will be passed in may 1 2006 but not probable to me. Prediction at this time will be very risky. I should be fastened to inspiration. Looking back , it did not pass in the summer of 2008. Th economic collapse in the fall, National apostasy will be followed by national ruin. Email about a prediction from people with inside information which will trigger martial law and there will be no election in America. It ought to happen in Sept 3. There was an increasing pitch among sdas what they would do with their money in the bank. Particular things did not happen. THE Great Controversy: Living in urgent times. Those things that are happening or infos in the email are possible scenarios. People of the book we are called. When we are caught in this kind of hype, it damaged our credibility. Predictions are being made by people which did not happen and I believe it hurts us. What happened in the fall of 2008 made me looked back to the inspiration and compare. News: In September 2008, Roadblocks in the US, vaccinations will be enforced. homes will be searched and guns will be seized. So Sept has come gone and so it is another sting or chuckle. My presentation is a work in progress. What I’ve tried to lay out is not a time chart but a sequence of events that should be helpful , I find it helpful for me in filtering rumors and filtering things that come along whether by the internet or whether by any other source as to whether or not these things are reliable. So we’re going to begin in a place where we can start. There are significant events that happened before the fall 2009 in prophecy and Im gonna lay out in the chart several waymarks here that are familiar to most of you and everyone. If some of this is not familiar to you some will be elaborated this morning and some will not be explained in detail so I hope you will come and talk to me if there is something here that you are drawing a blank and you never heard of this before. Because we can spend more time one on one in exploring that to help you establish that on your own mind so it’s really not my purpose to hammer out each one of this waymarks but we’re gonna start by laying this out between now and the second coming we know that there is National Sunday law and there’s the close of probation. SO let’s take a look at the events in between the major waypoints and I wanna start with the Great Controversy p 582 We have also a more sure word of prophecy … 2 Peter 1:19 The Last great conflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the long standing controversy concerning the law of God. Upon this battle we are now entering. The Great Controversy, 582. This was written a long time ago but it comes from a chapter the title of which I think is very fitting for the time that we live in right now so I’m gonna call this time period between now and the NSL ‘The Impending conflict.” Which is as we are going to see here in a few moments involves a number of increasing aspects. In revelation 18:10 we read these words: Standing afar off for the fear of her torment saying, alas alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour is thy judgment come. Revelation 18:10 Many people in the world, many people who do not even know anything about the Bible have heard of Babylon and they know that Babylon plays an important part in prophecy in the last days. Certainly a symbolic application for Babylon in these last days which represents all of the devils systems in this world combined really and it’s captured in this idea of Babylon which in the olden days Babylon was the city of the world. SO once again this plays an important part. What i want to bring out this morning is something that was new to me as I look more closely into this and that is we are not only to understand the prophecies in the book of revelation about Babylon in the book of revelation as being symbolic or spiritual, but we are also to understand them in a literal sense and just as Babylon was the mega city of its day we are to understand the prophecies about Babylon had a literal application to the cities of our days. And in a very real sense the cities have become the focal point in everything that happens in the world. Now Im not gonna ask you to just rely on my word for that , I wanna show you a very interesting statement that brought me to this conclusion. Listen to the statement in Manuscript releases vol. 21. p 91. “Let all who would understand the meaning of these things read the eleventh chapter of Revelation. Read every verse and learn the things that are yet to take place in the cities. Read also the scenes portrayed in the 18th chapter of the same book.” Manuscript Releases Vol . 21, 91 Pretty interesting here to note that the 11th chapter of revelation talks about what major development in world history. (the French revolution) What’s interesting is that there is a city that is part of this prophecy is captured in a description of a city. Sodom. And that is applicable to the events that happened during the French revolution. SO it’s just a little background to understand what Mrs White is saying here when she said this. There is a literal connection she is making I noticed. She is telling us that the prophecies in revelation 18 which are about Babylon had literal application to the cities if you want to know whats going to take place in the cities. So It turns out that the cities are becoming central. In GC p 589, Increase in Disaster and Disease He (Satan) will bring disease and disaster until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. GC 589 Storm and tempest, war and bloodshed,-- in these things he delights, and thus he gathers in his harvest. And so completely will men be deceived by him that they will declare that these calamities are the result of the desecration of the first day of the week. Cities are the major focal points of Satans target. Two categories: disease and disaster. (Note: natural and man made disasters). E.g. (twin towers 911) Katrina, Tsunami in Japan. Question of the enforcement of Sunday Law Agitated “From the pulpits of the popular churches will be heard the statement that the world is being punished because Sunday is not honored as it should be. And it will require no great stretch of imagination for men to believe this. They are guided by the enemy, and therefore they reach conclusions which are entirely false. Review and Herald September, 17, 1901 True Calamities in disease are developing moving toward a position where fingers are pointed in the violation of Sunday is causing all these things. She gets more specific. Men in responsible positions will not only ignore and despise the Sabbath themselves, but from the sacred desk, will urge upon the people the observance of the first day of the week, pleading tradition and custom in behalf of this man-made institution. They will point to calamities on land and sea—to the storms of winds, the floods, the earthquakes, the destruction by fire, as judgments indicating God’s displeasure, because Sunday is not sacredly observed. Christian Service 155 Satan puts his interpretation upon events as they think, as he would have them, that the calamities that fills the land are a result of Sundaybreaking. Thinking to appease the wrath of God these influential men make laws enforcing Sunday observance. Last Day Events p 129. Going back to our chart we see that this increase in disaster and disease in metropolitan areas leads us into an agitation of the question in enforcement of Sunday observance. By the way there is something here that I wanna Insert : there are many cities that will be swept away. that this will lead us into NSL. I have a question for you. Because for many years many Adventists have believed that the signal to leave the cities will be the NSL. If in fact the destruction of the cities which takes to NSL we need to rethink this. If in fact God wanted His people to stay in the cities through the destruction and devastation and not leave until the sl, this will be the first time ever in earth’s history that God did not warn His people to get out of the way before the judgment came. Realize that. Because always in the past God has warned His people of coming judgments and done so we will be removed out of the way. Some of us would like to think otherwise, I know a pastor who said Im just gonna die in the cities when they’re destroyed. This has not been God’s plan. From the human point of view, wouldn’t have it been impressive if Lot and his family came tiptoeing out from Sodom ? It would have been impressive. But that’s not the way God works. Right? You gotta’ get out before destruction comes. Was it not the same thing in the case of the destruction of Jerusalem? (E.G. Destruction of Jerusalem) Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Why? Because they heeded Christ’s warning and they left the city when the signal had been given. In volume 5 of the testimonies. We need to look for what we can find about the subject and it makes it clear . It turns out that the signal to leave the cities came a long time ago. So we find the increase in disasters and diseases that leads to this agitation of the SL question. By the way some have suggested that sl may be passed secretly. That does not fit inspiration because this is the great final test. And it is something that s agitated. Not to suggest the secret movements behind the scenes we know that but in the final analysis it becomes a major issue that’s agitated publicly. In revelation chapter 18:1 we read: And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power and the earth is lightened with his glory. Revelation 18:1 (The Loud Cry) It has been confidently declared that this land could never become other than what it has been-the defender of religious freedom. But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated the event so long doubted and disbelieved is soon to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before. GC 606. (3rd message swells to Loud cry) Why is it that the third message produces an effect which it could not have before? Because it is culturally relevant for one thing because it speaks the things that are happening right before people’s eyes. So it has a new credibility and an urgency to the world that it didn’t have before. And there’s another reason which it has power too which we will look at in a moment but right now we’re going to place on our chart the third message swells to loud cry. There is a pattern you have disasters in disease increasing overtime you have a third message that swells into loud cry. Increasing in intensity overtime. The Loud Cry As the third message swells to a loud cry and as great power and glory attend the closing work, the faithful people of God will partake of that glory. It is the latter rain which revives and strengthens them to pass through the time of trouble.” Last Day Events, 201 The Latter Rain “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he hath given you’re the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.” Joel 2:23 At that time the ‘latter rain’ or refreshing from the presence of the Lord will come to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.” Early Writings 86 Purpose of the latter rain: This is pretty interesting to me because I heard people argue what the purpose of the latter rain is whether to prepare the saints or to get power to the message. It’s for both. about the purpose to get power to the third message and to prepare the saints. Shaking TIme We are in the shaking time. Testimonies for the Church vol 6, p 332 1900 This was written in 1900. The shaking was going on in 1900. How does this fit in everything we are looking at? I want you to notice something. In the book Evangelism we find this: In the absence of persecution there have drifted into our ranks men who appear sound and their Christianity questionable, but who, if persecution should arise, would go out from us.” Evangelism, 360. The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. “ Last Day Events 173-174 (Shaking) This time of crisis that is coming related to the NSL causes a shaking. Now we’ve already been told that shaking had begun a long time ago. But this fits in with the pattern, right? Because things start mild and they increased overtime. The shaking is just like that. And as we continue to go through this chart we see that in each case in each aspect begins somewhat mild and increases in intensity. So let’s move into this next section now because we’d seen what will take us to the National Sunday Law and I wanna take a closer look to the NSL itself and how that is developed. To get started I’m gonna read an explanatory statement from the book Early writings. This is an explanatory statement from Mrs White that she added later. And it’s on pages 85 and 86 of Early Writings. She is commenting on something that had been misunderstood and you notice that it starts in page 33. So She’s gonna address on something that she said in page 33 of early writing and she’s going to explain it more in detail and the reason she’s gonna explain it is because of there was a use of a phrase the time of trouble and that become problematic for some people. Because she was talking about the Sabbath being preached more fully in the time of trouble but people thought that the time of trouble that s after probation closes so what would be the point of preaching the Sabbath more fully if decisions are already final? And so she had to clarify her use of the phrase ‘time of trouble’ and so here where she does that. The little time of trouble: On page 33 is given the following: “I saw that the holy Sabbath is, will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God’s dear, waiting saints. I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, (so here’s the use of that phrase) we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. So here’s her explanation for the use of that phrase ‘the tine of trouble.’ This view was given in 1847 when there were but very few of the Advent brethren observing the Sabbath, and of these but few supposed that its observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers. Now the fulfillment of that view is beginning to be seen. SO she is simply saying when this first came out, people don’t understand this will be a significant issue. And now we are seeing this is becoming a significant issue. Now here’s core of her explanation “ The commencement of that time of trouble, “ here mentioned does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary.” “At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel.”Early Writings, 85-86 So this is we are introduced into this idea of what we call “A Little Time of Trouble” It’s a time of trouble that it is appropriate to call it a time of trouble but it is prior to the close of probation. It’s while decision can still be made. And so we’re gonna put that here in this time period the litte time of trouble. Let’s take a look at how sl is developed during this period of time because inspiration is very specific and we’re gonna start again in the book revelation chapter 13 this time: And he causeth all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads” “And that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name Revelation 13:16-17 (Deut 6:6-8 Exodus 31:13) Now this is of course is connected to NSL and im not gonna take the time this am to explain that connection. I just put extra bible text here for you to read and study. I find this really interesting because in Deuteronomy 6:6-8 God says that His law is to be like frontlets between the eyes and bind them on thy hands. Pretty interesting because the mark of the beast is given where? In the hand or in the forehead. So we know that the devil is gonna have a counterfeit for everything that God has put and so we would expect that God has a mark for the hand and the forehead as well. In Deuteronomy 6 it is applying God’s commandments, God’s law but what’s the heart of the ten commandments? The Sabbath that’s where the God of the commandments identified. SO I find this parallel very interesting. In exodus 31:13 we alse read about the Sabbath is a sign. These language of a sign a mark, These are synonymous kind of terms what we are talking about. So that s the connection with the mark of the beast and NSL. But I want you to notice something that in Rev 13 there will be an economic boycott but if you keep reading you will also find out that ultimately there is a death decree. Right? Now what does that tell us? That NSL starts somewhat mild and then increases in intensity. Same pattern being laid out for us here. So notice as we read in The Great controversy p 607 National Sunday Law “As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be treated with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faiths. GC, 607 “In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off. Because they refuse to break His law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell. It will finally be decreed that they shall be put to death . See Revelation 13:11-17” . The Desire of Ages 121-122. Start’s smaller and getting bigger. “As America, the land of religious liberty shall unite with the papacy in forcing the conscience and compelling men to honor the false Sabbath, the people of every country on the globe will be led to follow her example.” Testimonies for the Church Vol 6, 18 The remarkable fact here is it’s going to be global. That’s not the only statement take a look at this one. Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world.” Testimonies for the Church Vol 6, 395 So we put this little picture here it is somewhat localized and the becomes international. Picture a garden seminar: the experience. Keep in mind that there has been devastation and destruction disasters and increasing problems in buying and selling and the position of having a store of food would be of great advantage. Now I understand part of the reason that people are confused about this is because of the misused of the quote from the Spirit of Prophecy which says it is contrary to Bible religion to make provisions in the time of trouble. But here’s we have to apply that rule that has always kept us oin the straight path and that is precept upon precept a little here a little there. You take everything you can find in a subject and it helps you understand something. One of the first thing that I discovered as I was pondering this statement is that this statement not making provisions for the time of trouble came from a lady who herself talking about Mrs White in her own household with canned hundred of foods every year. There’s canned of hundreds of fruits every year. There’s a count of 800 courts of fruits. That’s a lot of canning isn’t it. A year supply of fruits and she wanna share it with people. SO how does this work? This is the same person who said, don’t to make provisions during the time of trouble. But this is another reason why we looked at that clarifying that statement about the time of trouble. There are two times of trouble. She clarified which time she is talking about. Because after this we are getting to the great time of trouble. We need to understand which time of she is talking about. Here are the clues, it’s in last day events p 264. The Lord has shown me repeatedly that it is contrary to the Bible to make any provision for our temporal wants in the time of trouble. I saw that if the saints had food laid up by them or in the field in the time of trouble, when sword, famine, and pestilence are in the land, it would be taken from them by violent hands, and strangers would reap their fields. Last Day Events 264 How is it that I know that she is talking about the great time of trouble and not the little time of trouble? Here’s how I know coz inspiration has told us. Notice this statement : “Again and again the Lord has instructed that our people are to take their families away from cities, into the country, where they can raise their own provisions; for in the future the problem of buying and selling will be a very serious one. We should now begin to heed the instruction given us over and over again; get out of the cities into rural districts, where the houses are not crowded closely together, and where you will be free from the interference of the enemies.” Adventist Home, p 141 Satan Personates Christ “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; in so much that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you. Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.” Matthew 24:23-26 “As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the Savior’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation. Revelation 1:13-15 “The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: “ Christ has come! Christ has come! The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ has blessed His disciples when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then , in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion.” GC 624. “The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided.” Selected Messages Vol 2, 80 Judgment starts in the House of God “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17 (See Also Ezekiel 9) “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time;” and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1 “When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time, the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. God’s long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn.” “Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.” GC 614 The Seven Last Plagues “And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.” Revelation 15:1 “I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was in done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues.” Early Writings, 36 Christ ceases His intercession in the sanctuary, the unmingled wrath threatened against those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark ( Revelation 14:9,10), will be poured out. The plagues upon Egypt when God was about to deliver Israel were similar in character to those more terrible and extensive judgments which are to fall upon the world just before the final deliverance of God’s people.” GC, 627-628 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:15 “I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus’ work was done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues. These plagues enraged the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought the judgments of God upon them, and that if they could rid the earth of us, the plagues would then be stayed. A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance.” Early Writings, 36-37 “Says the revelator, in describing those terrific scourges: There fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image.’ The sea ‘became as the blood of a dead man” and every living soul died in the sea.’ And the rivers and fountains of waters … became blood.’ Terrible as these inflictions are, God’s justice stands fully vindicated.” “The angel of God declares: Thou art righteous o Lord, … because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood saints and prophets, and has given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.’ Revelation 16:2-6. By condemning the people of God to death, they have as truly incurred the guilt of their blood as if it had been shed by their hands.” GC, 628 What does this tell us/ If the death decree comes as a result of plagues plural, and if the spirit says where does the death decree comes. Between the second and third plague.( By condemning…) “A decree will finally be issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment and giving the people liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death. Romanism in the Old World and apostate Protestantism in the New will pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts. The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress described by the prophet as the time of Jacob’s trouble. “Thus saith the Lord: We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. . . . All faces are turned into paleness. Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it. Jeremiah 30:5-7 GC 615-616 “As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness, will be severely tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink; for in their whole lives, they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away.” “He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God. Though God’s people will be surrounded by enemies who are bent upon their destruction, yet the anguish which they suffer is not a dread of persecution for the truth’s sake; they fear that every sin has not been repented of, and that through some fault in themselves they will fail to realize the fulfillment of the Savior’s promise: “I will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world.’ Revelation 3:10. If they could have the assurance of pardon they would not shrink from torture and death; but should they prove unworthy, and lose their lives because of their own defects of character, then God’s holy name would be reproached” GC, pp 618-619 Second Coming: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” ‘And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:30-31 (That’s the Rescue Mission) “It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up and clash against each other.” “In the midst of the angry waves is one clear space of indescribable glory, whence comes the voice God like the sound of waters, saying: “It is done.” Revelation 16:17.” GC 636 Matthew 24:30-31
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 23:37:30 +0000
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