Lesson # 12, Vision Five-N0 Escape for the Lost.

[Clive Nevell]

"Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you?" (Amos 5:18)

"The long-suffering of God is wonderful, because He puts contraint on His own attributes; but punishment is none-theless certain." (2SM 372)

Blessings
Clive

[Richard Myers]

Why is it that we see so much "present truth" through out the Bible? Does not this verse ring true today? Can we tie it in with a few other verses that show it to be "present truth"?

Richard

[Clive Nevell]

The Signs of the Times, December 7, 1882, paragraph 10-16

Article Title: Importance of Right Associations

"It is God who holds in his hands the destiny of souls. He will not always be mocked; he will not always be trifled with. Already his judgments are in the land. Fierce and awful tempests leave destruction and death in their wake. The devouring fire lays low the desolate forest and the crowded city. Storm and shipwreck await those who journey upon the deep. Accident and calamity threaten all who travel upon the land. Hurricanes, earthquakes, sword and famine, follow in quick succession. Yet the hearts of men are hardened. They recognize not the warning voice of God. They will not flee to the only refuge from the gathering storm.

Many who have been placed upon the walls of Zion, to watch with eagle eye for the approach of danger, and lift the voice of warning, are themselves asleep. The very ones who should be most active and vigilant in this hour of peril are neglecting their duty, and bringing upon themselves the blood of souls.

Let no one put aside the warning, and say, "It does not mean me. I will not be disturbed by this excitable message." It is the evil servant who says in his heart, "My Lord delayeth his coming." Professedly a servant of Christ, he may not, in words, deny that the Lord is soon to come; but his actions show that he puts off that day to a distant period. He guiltily presumes-on the supposed delay; he becomes careless, and his works testify his unbelief. He adopts the maxims and conforms to the practices of the world.

As soon as the evil servant begins to lose the spirit and power of the message, he manifests his unbelief. He smites his fellow-servants. He is ready to pass censure on those who are better than himself. "The poison of asps is under their lips." His course is downward. Erelong he may be found "eating and drinking with the drunken"--uniting with worldlings in their gatherings for pleasure, and, to all intents and purposes, one with them. Such is the condition of very many among us to-day

In the instruction given by our Saviour to his disciples are words of admonition especially applicable to us: "Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." Watch, pray, work--this is the true life of faith. "Pray always;" that is, be ever in the spirit of prayer, and then you will be in readiness for your Lord's coming.

The Christian life is a warfare. The apostle Paul speaks of wrestling against principalities and powers as he fought the good fight of faith. Again, he declares, "Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin." Ah, no. Today sin is cherished and excused. The sharp sword of the Spirit, the word of God, does not cut to the soul. Has religion changed? Has Satan's enmity to God abated? A religious life once presented difficulties, and demanded self-denial. All is made very easy now. And why is this? The professed people of God have compromised with the powers of darkness.

The path to Heaven is no smoother now than in the days of our Saviour. All our sins must be put away. Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off. The right eye or the right hand must be sacrificed, if it cause us to offend. Are we willing to renounce our own wisdom, and to receive the kingdom of Heaven as a little child? Are we willing to part with self-righteousness? Are we willing to give up our chosen worldly associates? Are we willing to sacrifice the approbation of men? The prize of eternal life is of infinite value. Will we put forth efforts and make sacrifices proportionate to the worth of the object to be attained?"

Blessings
Clive

[M.A. Crawford]

"...The most significant fact about an altar is that it is a place of worship where sinners approach God through their penitential sacrifice to receive His assurance of forgiveness and answers to their prayers. Hence, the Old Testament pictures Yahweh as zealously guarding the altar and warning Israel not to have anything to do with pagan altars and alternative worship practices (Deut. 12:2, 3).

"By Amos's lifetime, idolatrous worship at false altars had sprung up, plunging Israel into spiritual lethargy and bankruptcy. Where the worship of God is compromised through human-centered practices or by denying the need to worship Him at all, we desecrate the sacred altar. The He must sound the words of Judgment: 'Smite...shatter...slay' (Amos 9:1, RSV).

"Amos refers three times to the Lord swearing to uphold His judgment (Amos 4:2; 6:8; 8:7). At last the judgment has come. The Lord stands at the altar and finds Israel guilty. End-time events will be similar. To us who have the full light of His truth, who know both God's grace and judgment, the close of probation will bring that message from which there is no escape: 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy. See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work' (Rev. 22:10-12, NRSV).

"There is no escape from divine wrath and judgment (Amos 9:1). Neither mountains nor the depths of the sea, neither distance nor any force under the sun (9:1-6), can provide refuge. 'Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there' (Ps. 139:7, 8, NIV).

"Unrepentent sinners stand helpless before God's unfailing judgment. Those who reject Him have no mediator on that last day. Of them, the Bible says that they 'hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"' (Rev. 6:15-17, NIV)" (Adult Sabbath School Quarterly, Teacher's Edition, pp. 141, 143).

M.A.

[Clive Nevell]

Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, January 11, 1887, paragraph 22-24

Article Title: Our Present Duty and the Coming Crisis

"In the time of trial just before us, God's pledge of security will be placed upon those that have kept the word of his patience. If you have complied with the conditions of God's word, Christ will be to you a refuge from the storm. He will say to his faithful ones, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." The Lion of Judah, whose wrath will be so terrible to the rejecters of his grace, will be the Lamb of God to the obedient and faithful. The pillar of cloud will speak terror and wrath to the transgressor of God's law, but light and mercy and deliverance to those who have kept his commandments. The Arm strong to smite the rebellious, will be strong to deliver the loyal. Every faithful one will surely be gathered. "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."

Brethren you to whom the truths of God's word have been opened, what part will you act in this momentous time of the closing scenes of earth's history? Are you awake to these solemn realities? Do you realize the grand work of preparation that is going on in heaven and earth? Let all who have received the light, who have had the opportunity of reading and hearing the prophecy, take heed to keep those things that are written therein; "for the time is at hand." Let none now venture to tamper with sin, or remain in a state of lethargy and stupid indifference. Let not the destiny of your soul hang upon an uncertainty. Know for yourselves that you are fully on the Lord's side. Let the inquiry go forth form sincere hearts and trembling lips, Who shall be able to stand? Have you, in the precious hours of probation mercifully granted you, been putting the very best material into you character-building? Have you been purifying your souls from every stain? Have you followed the light? Have your works corresponded with your profession of faith?

It is possible to be a formal, partial believer, and yet be found wanting, and lose eternal life. It is possible to practice some of the Bible injunctions, and be regarded as a Christian, and yet perish because you are lacking in essential qualifications that constitute Christian character. The destroying angels have the commission from the Lord, "Begin at my sanctuary." And "they began at the ancient men which were before the house." If the warnings which God has given are neglected or regarded with indifference, if you suffer sin to be cherished, you are sealing your soul's destiny; you will be weighed in the balances and found wanting. Grace, peace, and pardon will be withdrawn forever; Jesus will have passed by, never again to come within the reach of your prayers and entreaties. While mercy still lingers, while Jesus is making intercession for us, let us make thorough work for eternity."

Blessings
Clive

[Clive Nevell]

This week our lesson shows that God will not tolerate sin, He is still patient with the sinner, that the judgement is bad for those who have accepted Jesus as their Saviour, and that God is our Judge.

God's plan is for all to be saved and it is up to us to accept that plan of salvation.

In heaven Satan and God could not co-exist and was cast out. For those who do not want to follow God's way there will be "weeping and nashing of teeth"

"Unfortunately not evry sinner will be saved from his or her sins...In the end evry sinner will be punished; the crucial question is, Who ultimately faces that punishment? Through the Cross, God made a way for us to escape that punishment ourselvesa, but only if we accept it. If not, punishment will fall upon us." (Teachers edition, p. 138)

Blessings
Clive

[Clive Nevell]

 

That I May Know Him, pages 355,356.

Chapter Title: A Safe Hiding Place

"Satan will bring in pleasing fables to meet the minds of all who love not the truth. With angry zeal he will accuse commandment keepers. . . .Satan claims the world, but there is a little company who withstand his devices and contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Satan sets himself to destroy this commandment-keeping company. But God is their tower of defense. He will raise up for them a standard against the enemy. He will be to them "as an hiding place from the wind," and "as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land" (Isa. 32:2). He will say to them, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain" (Isa. 26:20, 21). "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:10).

Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast . Isa. 26:20.

It will not be long until the gathering storm will burst upon the world that is so asleep in sin. . . . When the earth is reeling to and fro like a drunkard, when the heavens are shaking, and the great day of the Lord has come, who shall be able to stand? One object they behold in trembling agony from which they will try in vain to escape. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him" (Rev. 1:7). The unsaved utter wild imprecations to dumb nature--their god: "Mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne'" (Rev. 6:16).

Creation is loyal to her God, and deaf to the frenzied call. That unrequited love is now turned to wrath. Sinners who would not let Jesus take away their sins are rushing from place to place in search of a hiding place, crying, The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and our souls are not saved! . . .

That Lamb whose wrath will be so terrible to the scorners of His grace will be grace and righteousness and love and blessing to all who have received Him. The pillar of cloud that was dark with terror and avenging wrath to the Egyptians, was to the people of God a pillar of fire for brightness. So will it be to the Lord's people in these last days. The light and glory of God to His commandment-keeping people are darkness to the unbelieving. They see that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. The arm, long stretched, strong to save all who come unto Him, is strong to execute His judgment upon all who would not come unto Him that they might have life. God grant that while mercy still lingers, while the voice of invitation is still heard, there will be a turning unto the Lord. The sure provision has been made to shelter every soul and shield those who have kept His commandments until the indignation be overpast."

Blessings
Clive