Author Topic: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives  (Read 20051 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« on: March 25, 2016, 06:36:29 AM »
On the Mount of Olives


Listen to   On the Mount of Olives



 



     Christ's words to the priests and rulers, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:38), had struck terror to their hearts. They affected indifference, but the question kept rising in their minds as to the import of these words. An unseen danger seemed to threaten them. Could it be that the magnificent temple, which was the nation's glory, was soon to be a heap of ruins? The foreboding of evil was shared by the disciples, and they anxiously waited for some more definite statement from Jesus. As they passed with Him out of the temple, they called His attention to its strength and beauty. The stones of the temple were of the purest marble, of perfect whiteness, and some of them of almost fabulous size. A portion of the wall had withstood the siege by Nebuchadnezzar's army. In its perfect masonry it appeared like one solid stone dug entire from the quarry. How those mighty walls could be overthrown the disciples could not comprehend. 
     As Christ's attention was attracted to the magnificence of the temple, what must have been the unuttered thoughts of that Rejected One! The view before Him was indeed beautiful, but He said with sadness, I see it all. The buildings are indeed wonderful. You point to these walls as apparently indestructible; but listen to My words: The day will come when "there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
     Christ's words had been spoken in the hearing of a large number of people; but when He was alone, Peter, John, James, and Andrew came to Him as He sat upon the Mount of Olives. "Tell us," they said, "when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Jesus did not answer His disciples by taking up separately the destruction of Jerusalem and the great day of His coming. He mingled the description of these two events. Had He opened to His disciples future events as He beheld them, they would have been unable to endure the sight. In mercy to them He blended the description of the two great crises, leaving the disciples to study out the meaning for themselves. When He referred to the destruction of Jerusalem, His prophetic words reached beyond that event to the final conflagration in that day when the Lord shall rise out of His place to punish the world for their iniquity, when the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. This entire discourse was given, not for the disciples only, but for those who should live in the last scenes of this earth's history.
     Turning to the disciples, Christ said, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many." Many false messiahs will appear, claiming to work miracles, and declaring that the time of the deliverance of the Jewish nation has come. These will mislead many. Christ's words were fulfilled. Between His death and the siege of Jerusalem many false messiahs appeared. But this warning was given also to those who live in this age of the world. The same deceptions practiced prior to the destruction of Jerusalem have been practiced through the ages, and will be practiced again.
     "And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet." Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, men wrestled for the supremacy. Emperors were murdered. Those supposed to be standing next to the throne were slain. There were wars and rumors of wars. "All these things must come to pass," said Christ, "but the end [of the Jewish nation as a nation] is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." Christ said, As the rabbis see these signs, they will declare them to be God's judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people. They will declare that these signs are the token of the advent of the Messiah. Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His judgments. The people have looked to themselves. They have not repented and been converted that I should heal them. The signs that they represent as tokens of their release from bondage are signs of their destruction. 
     "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." All this the Christians suffered. Fathers and mothers betrayed their children. Children betrayed their parents. Friends delivered their friends up to the Sanhedrin. The persecutors wrought out their purpose by killing Stephen, James, and other Christians. 
     Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people a last opportunity to repent. He manifested Himself through His witnesses in their arrest, in their trial, and in their imprisonment. Yet their judges pronounced on them the death sentence. They were men of whom the world was not worthy, and by killing them the Jews crucified afresh the Son of God. So it will be again. The authorities will make laws to restrict religious liberty. They will assume the right that is God's alone. They will think they can force the conscience, which God alone should control. Even now they are making a beginning; this work they will continue to carry forward till they reach a boundary over which they cannot step. God will interpose in behalf of His loyal, commandment-keeping people. 
     On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned show their attachment for Christ. Others are offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their practice. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness, and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the light. 
     Christ gave His disciples a sign of the ruin to come on Jerusalem, and He told them how to escape: "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled." This warning was given to be heeded forty years after, at the destruction of Jerusalem. The Christians obeyed the warning, and not a Christian perished in the fall of the city. 
     "Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter; neither on the Sabbath day," Christ said. He who made the Sabbath did not abolish it, nailing it to His cross. The Sabbath was not rendered null and void by His death. Forty years after His crucifixion it was still to be held sacred. For forty years the disciples were to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath day. 
     From the destruction of Jerusalem, Christ passed on rapidly to the greater event, the last link in the chain of this earth's history,--the coming of the Son of God in majesty and glory. Between these two events, there lay open to Christ's view long centuries of darkness, centuries for His church marked with blood and tears and agony. Upon these scenes His disciples could not then endure to look, and Jesus passed them by with a brief mention. "Then shall be great tribulation," He said, "such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." For more than a thousand years such persecution as the world had never before known was to come upon Christ's followers. Millions upon millions of His faithful witnesses were to be slain. Had not God's hand been stretched out to preserve His people, all would have perished. "But for the elect's sake," He said, "those days shall be shortened." 
     Now, in unmistakable language, our Lord speaks of His second coming, and He gives warning of dangers to precede His advent to the world. "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 show great signs and wonders; insomuch 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. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." As one of the signs of Jerusalem's destruction, Christ had said, "Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." False prophets did rise, deceiving the people, and leading great numbers into the desert. Magicians and sorcerers, claiming miraculous power, drew the people after them into the mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was spoken also for the last days. This sign is given as a sign of the second advent. Even now false christs and false prophets are showing signs and wonders to seduce His disciples. Do we not hear the cry, "Behold, He is in the desert"? Have not thousands gone forth into the desert, hoping to find Christ? And from thousands of gatherings where men profess to hold communion with departed spirits is not the call now heard, "Behold, He is in the secret chambers"? This is the very claim that spiritism puts forth. But what says Christ? "Believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."   
     The Saviour gives signs of His coming, and more than this, He fixes the time when the first of these signs shall appear: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 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."
     At the close of the great papal persecution, Christ declared, the sun should be darkened, and the moon should not give her light. Next, the stars should fall from heaven. And He says, "Learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that He is near, even at the doors." Matthew 24:32, 33, margin.
     Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we may know when He is near, even at the doors. He says of those who see these signs, "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." These signs have appeared. Now we know of a surety that the Lord's coming is at hand. "Heaven and earth shall pass away," He says, "but My words shall not pass away." 
     Christ is coming with clouds and with great glory. A multitude of shining angels will attend Him. He will come to raise the dead, and to change the living saints from glory to glory. He will come to honor those who have loved Him, and kept His commandments, and to take them to Himself. He has not forgotten them nor His promise. There will be a relinking of the family chain. When we look upon our dead, we may think of the morning when the trump of God shall sound, when "the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52. A little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty. A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our eyes. A little longer, and He will present us "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Jude 24. Wherefore, when He gave the signs of His coming He said, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." 
     But the day and the hour of His coming Christ has not revealed. He stated plainly to His disciples that He Himself could not make known the day or the hour of His second appearing. Had He been at liberty to reveal this, why need He have exhorted them to maintain an attitude of constant expectancy? There are those who claim to know the very day and hour of our Lord's appearing. Very earnest are they in mapping out the future. But the Lord has warned them off the ground they occupy. The exact time of the second coming of the Son of man is God's mystery. 
     Christ continues, pointing out the condition of the world at His coming: "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Christ does not here bring to view a temporal millennium, a thousand years in which all are to prepare for eternity. He tells us that as it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man comes again.
     How was it in Noah's day? "God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Genesis 6:5. The inhabitants of the antediluvian world turned from Jehovah, refusing to do His holy will. They followed their own unholy imagination and perverted ideas. It was because of their wickedness that they were destroyed; and today the world is following the same way. It presents no flattering signs of millennial glory. The transgressors of God's law are filling the earth with wickedness. Their betting, their horse racing, their gambling, their dissipation, their lustful practices, their untamable passions, are fast filling the world with violence. 
     In the prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction Christ said, "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." This prophecy will again be fulfilled. The abounding iniquity of that day finds its counterpart in this generation. So with the prediction in regard to the preaching of the gospel. Before the fall of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached to "every creature which is under heaven." Colossians 1:23. So now, before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be preached "to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Revelation 14:6, 14. God "hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world." Acts 17:31. Christ tells us when that day shall be ushered in. He does not say that all the world will be converted, but that "this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory. 
     After He had given the signs of His coming, Christ said, "When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." "Take ye heed, watch and pray." God has always given men warning of coming judgments. Those who had faith in His message for their time, and who acted out their faith, in obedience to His commandments, escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving. The word came to Noah, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me." Noah obeyed and was saved. The message came to Lot, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city." Genesis 7:1; 19:14. Lot placed himself under the guardianship of the heavenly messengers, and was saved. So Christ's disciples were given warning of the destruction of Jerusalem. Those who watched for the sign of the coming ruin, and fled from the city, escaped the destruction. So now we are given warning of Christ's second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Those who heed the warning will be saved.
     Because we know not the exact time of His coming, we are commanded to watch. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching." Luke 12:37. Those who watch for the Lord's coming are not waiting in idle expectancy. The expectation of Christ's coming is to make men fear the Lord, and fear His judgments upon transgression. It is to awaken them to the great sin of rejecting His offers of mercy. Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With vigilant watching they combine earnest working. Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co-operate with the divine intelligences in working for the salvation of souls. These are the faithful and wise servants who give to the Lord's household "their portion of meat in due season." Luke 12:42. They are declaring the truth that is now specially applicable. As Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses each declared the truth for his time, so will Christ's servants now give the special warning for their generation. 
     But Christ brings to view another class: "If that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him."
     The evil servant says in his heart, "My lord delayeth his coming." He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words he declares that the Lord's coming is delayed. He banishes from the minds of others the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure seeking. He smites his fellow servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master. He mingles with the world. Like grows with like in transgression. It is a fearful assimilation. With the world he is taken in the snare. "The lord of that servant shall come . . . in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites."
     "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:3. The advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers. They are saying, "Peace and safety." Like the priests and teachers before the fall of Jerusalem, they look for the church to enjoy earthly prosperity and glory. The signs of the times they interpret as foreshadowing this. But what saith the word of Inspiration? "Sudden destruction cometh upon them." 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth, upon all who make this world their home, the day of God will come as a snare. It comes to them as a prowling thief.
     The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is asleep, asleep in carnal security. Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, "All things continue as they were from the beginning." "Tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant." 2 Peter 3:4; Isaiah 56:12. We will go deeper into pleasure loving. But Christ says, "Behold, I come as a thief." Revelation 16:15. At the very time when the world is asking in scorn, "Where is the promise of His coming?" the signs are fulfilling. While they cry, "Peace and safety," sudden destruction is coming. When the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the various money-making lines is carried on without regard to principle; when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, Christ comes as a thief. 
     Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord's appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win. 
     The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling hells. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation's hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut. 
     Solemnly there come to us down through the centuries the warning words of our Lord from the Mount of Olives: "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 ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." 

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2016, 07:11:19 AM »
As we near the end, trials shall increase. Those who are truly converted will be used of God to encourage the faith of others. So it has been, so it will be. Think about the resurrection when Stephen shall meet Paul (Saul). When Stephen died at the hands of Saul, he had no idea his murderer would write most of the New Testament. What a meeting that shall be. How will it be in our lives on that most wonderful day?

   Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people a last opportunity to repent. He manifested Himself through His witnesses in their arrest, in their trial, and in their imprisonment. Yet their judges pronounced on them the death sentence. They were men of whom the world was not worthy, and by killing them the Jews crucified afresh the Son of God. So it will be again. The authorities will make laws to restrict religious liberty. They will assume the right that is God's alone. They will think they can force the conscience, which God alone should control. Even now they are making a beginning; this work they will continue to carry forward till they reach a boundary over which they cannot step. God will interpose in behalf of His loyal, commandment-keeping people. 
     On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned show their attachment for Christ. Others are offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their practice. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness, and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the light. 
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Following the Lamb
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2016, 06:36:07 AM »
As we near the end, trials shall increase. Those who are truly converted will be used of God to encourage the faith of others. So it has been, so it will be. Think about the resurrection when Stephen shall meet Paul (Saul). When Stephen died at the hands of Saul, he had no idea his murderer would write most of the New Testament. What a meeting that shall be. How will it be in our lives on that most wonderful day?

Richard, I appreciate your question as to "how will it be in our lives on that most wonderful day?" and I am moved to answer that our lives on that day will bear the fruit of what we have sown in our lives today and each day that we are coming nearer to Jesus' soon return. If today we are choosing to daily spend time beholding the loveliness of Jesus, if today we are allowing Christ to live in our hearts by faith so that all the fruits of the Spirit are in our lives, and not one is missing, then our lives on that day will be the glorious culmination of all that we have experienced in humble faith! I look forward to the day when all our trials will seem as nothingness to be in the very presence of Jesus.

And yet I realize solemnly that Satan is our enemy, and he is doing his utmost to keep people unprepared for the coming of Jesus. May we take warning from this stirring statement:

The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling hells. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation's hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut. {DA 636.2}

These four ways in which Satan is seeking to keep souls unprepared causes me to realize that it can happen even to those whose names are on the church books. Our only safety is in continually beholding the loveliness of Jesus, confessing our continual need of His powerful grace to keep us, and being humble, teachable servants who are willing to take warning.

Jesus is coming soon! Look up to Him continually, and share the news with those around you!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

JimB

  • Servant
  • Assistant Administrator
  • Posts: 7446
  • Pro 12:28 in the pathway thereof there is no death
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2016, 05:46:24 AM »
Christ said, As the rabbis see these signs, they will declare them to be God's judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people. They will declare that these signs are the token of the advent of the Messiah. Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His judgments. The people have looked to themselves. They have not repented and been converted that I should heal them. The signs that they represent as tokens of their release from bondage are signs of their destruction.

This probably isn't some kind of deep spiritual truth but something struck me about this. Just like the rabbis of Jesus time it appears that most religious leaders of today also mis-read the signs of the end that even the world can see. In the near future and some are actually now saying that our nation is in trouble because we've wandered from God and need to keep Sunday. This will distract people and have them looking the wrong direction for help. Laws and legislation will not help.
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2016, 06:45:00 AM »
Amen, Jim. Each time I read this chapter this statement jumps out. We know that impetus is given to make a Sunday law by religious leaders who have said and will continue to say the destruction we see coming on America and the world is because the Sun Day has been desecrated. Notice this:

Christ said, As the rabbis see these signs, they will declare them to be God's judgments upon the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people. They will declare that these signs are the token of the advent of the Messiah. Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His judgments. The people have looked to themselves. They have not repented and been converted that I should heal them. The signs that they represent as tokens of their release from bondage are signs of their destruction. 


When the Trade Towers fell, we see the beginning of His judgments upon America. But, just as the Jews were deceived, so too are many today deceived. Jerry Falwell pointed to the Muslim attack on New York as a judgment from God. But, he said it was because of the sins of New York including having established a wall of separation between church and state. Actually, it was more than New York, it was an attack on America also, and for the very same sins. But, not because of a wall of separation between church and state. Babylon wants to pull the wall down and make religious laws to enforce a Sun Day law. They want to do just what Islam does, attempt to force the conscious by means of force.

Satan is causing destruction through many channels in an attempt to blame God. But, in reality these are judgments coming upon the world, but most are not from God's hand. He is using sin to punish sin. He has removed His hand of protection and is allowing the winds to blow upon America and other professing Christian nations. Islam is on the attack, just as they were in the past. The Ottoman Empire is rising again just as the Bible predicted. Turkey is no longer a nation that separates church and state. She is on the move and will conquer Jerusalem.

These events will all be used to bring in international Sun Day laws under the pretext that the world has not kept the Sun Day holy. As these disasters mount, we may understand they are indeed judgments. "Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His judgments. The people have looked to themselves. They have not repented and been converted that I should heal them."

Yes, Jim, you are right. What happened in the past has already begun to take place today. What a deception! But, the wise will understand because they are not looking to themselves, but to Christ. May God give us more of His Spirit that we might rightly represent Him.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Following the Lamb
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #5 on: September 21, 2016, 08:40:12 AM »
Amen, Jim and Richard! We must continually look to Jesus, and treasure up His words experientially in this daily thoughtful hour with Him:

Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we may know when He is near, even at the doors. He says of those who see these signs, "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." These signs have appeared. Now we know of a surety that the Lord's coming is at hand. "Heaven and earth shall pass away," He says, "but My words shall not pass away." 

Filling our hearts and minds with Jesus is essential preparation for the time in which we live!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

JimB

  • Servant
  • Assistant Administrator
  • Posts: 7446
  • Pro 12:28 in the pathway thereof there is no death
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #6 on: December 17, 2016, 05:15:19 AM »
There are some even in our church that tell us there is nothing we can do to hasten or delay when the Lord will return. However, from the following counsel it looks like we have been slack in our duties. :(   It is in our power to hasten the day.

By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Pastor Sean Brizendine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Following the Lamb
Jesus is Coming SO SO SOON!!!
« Reply #7 on: December 17, 2016, 06:48:30 AM »
Amen, Jim! And while there are those who think we cannot hasten Jesus' second advent, there are others who remain in a Laodicean condition, and by their lives say that Jesus is not coming soon. A Laodicean who is unrepentant and unconverted is delaying Jesus' coming, and needs to realize that such a spiritually lost condition is that of the evil servant.

The evil servant says in his heart, "My lord delayeth his coming." He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words he declares that the Lord's coming is delayed. He banishes from the minds of others the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure seeking. He smites his fellow servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master. He mingles with the world. Like grows with like in transgression. It is a fearful assimilation. With the world he is taken in the snare. "The lord of that servant shall come . . . in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites."

Only by abiding in Jesus can we be saved from such a spiritual condition ourselves, and help others realize their CONTINUAL NEED OF JESUS to do ANY GOOD THING!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2016, 09:17:04 AM »
There are some even in our church that tell us there is nothing we can do to hasten or delay when the Lord will return. However, from the following counsel it looks like we have been slack in our duties. :(   It is in our power to hasten the day.

By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.

Amen, Jim!  We may hasten the soon coming of Jesus. What a blessing!!  And, you are correct in what you say about we having been slack in our duties. What means Jesus? "Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come..." Two truths stand out here. Jesus has not come, so the church has not done her duty. Where is the acknowledgement by the church? Why the silence in regards to this? Because the much of the leadership as well as the people are in a Laodicean condition believing all is well, not knowing the church is "miserable, wretched, poor, and blind, and naked." Multitudes are in a lost condition and perishing without eternal life.

The second truth stated is that of duty. What is the "appointed work" that the church has not done? This will come as a shock to most in the church, but it ought not. Our work is "giving the gospel to the world," and we have not been doing that very well. How can a Laodicean give to the world something he does not have? He cannot.

Pastor Sean explains this so we may understand:

Only by abiding in Jesus can we be saved from such a spiritual condition ourselves, and help others realize their CONTINUAL NEED OF JESUS to do ANY GOOD THING!

We are nearing the judgment, and those who  bear the message of warning to the world must have clean hands and pure hearts. They must have a living connection with God. The thoughts must be pure and holy, the soul untainted. A man may exhaust the moral energies of his nature, and yet accomplish nothing, because he himself has not received the golden oil from the heavenly messengers; therefore it cannot flow forth from him, imparting spiritual life to the needy. We must learn of Jesus what it means to abide in Christ. We must possess the living water which can only come when we allow Christ to take control of the whole heart.

Before Jesus can come, the church must not only understand the gospel, but must live it. The perversion of the gospel in the church must cease if we truly want to hasten the soon coming of Jesus.

     Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win.
     The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling hells. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation's hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut.
     Solemnly there come to us down through the centuries the warning words of our Lord from the Mount of Olives: "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 ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." 
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

JimB

  • Servant
  • Assistant Administrator
  • Posts: 7446
  • Pro 12:28 in the pathway thereof there is no death
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #9 on: March 14, 2017, 05:54:41 AM »
Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord's appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win.

If this has ever been true it is now. I also realize that things will be getting worse and not better no matter who is in power and leadership. The last few years I've heard numerous times even from unbelievers that something isn't right. Weather and nature are turned out of order. There are wars and rumors of wars and all sorts of disasters. Even the world sees something is wrong and blame the wrong thing but they know something isn't right.

What is interesting is that just about 2 or 3 summers ago I was taking a Sabbath walk with a fellow church member and I mentioned how I believed the end was very soon and he surprised me by saying that he's heard that all his life. You could tell he wasn't convinced. He seemed to me to be fulfilling this verse....

2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

How sad that even some our people fall into this thinking when the signs are becoming even stronger. :(

But those who recognize what's going on will not be taken by surprise and will be able to look Jesus in His face when He returns to gather His ransomed children!
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2017, 06:37:51 AM »
Amen, Jim. I too, am at times surprised who it is that expresses such a thing. It is true, we do not know the hour or day, but how can one who has been given great light not see that Jesus is even at the doors? It is amazing.

Well...here is another chapter that does not concentrate on revealing the great love God has for His children, but rather attempts to warn the lost of their soon destruction if they do not turn from their sin. God's love is revealed, but we see a review being given of the justice of God which has come upon the wicked and will again in the near future. It is the love of God that pleads with an obdurate and impenitent generation that has been revealed in this presentation. And, the faithful are encouraged.

     Because we know not the exact time of His coming, we are commanded to watch. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching." Luke 12:37. Those who watch for the Lord's coming are not waiting in idle expectancy. The expectation of Christ's coming is to make men fear the Lord, and fear His judgments upon transgression. It is to awaken them to the great sin of rejecting His offers of mercy. Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With vigilant watching they combine earnest working. Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co-operate with the divine intelligences in working for the salvation of souls. These are the faithful and wise servants who give to the Lord's household "their portion of meat in due season." Luke 12:42. They are declaring the truth that is now specially applicable. As Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses each declared the truth for his time, so will Christ's servants now give the special warning for their generation. 


And what is that warning message? Its beginning is described here: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people..." Rev.  14:6.

Sadly, many don't understand this part of the message. Too many begin with the "mark of the beast" or "Babylon" or even "Fear God, the hour of His judgment is come." But, we must present the loveliness of Jesus and the power of grace before we present the second and third angels' messages. What happened to "Give glory to God"? What does this mean? It means to represent the character of God to the world. How can we do that? We must first allow the gospel to transform the heart. Then, we may give the last warning message to a world soon to perish. If we have not been transformed (converted) in character, how can we expect the world to believe they can "give glory to God"?  We must first live the message we are giving before others will believe it.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Following the Lamb
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2017, 09:21:49 AM »
Amen, Jim and Richard! We are given the opportunity to form a character described in Revelation 14:1-5, that we may clearly give the message of the everlasting gospel!

Revelation 14:1-5
And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.


After He had given the signs of His coming, Christ said, "When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." "Take ye heed, watch and pray." God has always given men warning of coming judgments. Those who had faith in His message for their time, and who acted out their faith, in obedience to His commandments, escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving. The word came to Noah, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me." Noah obeyed and was saved. The message came to Lot, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this city." Genesis 7:1; 19:14. Lot placed himself under the guardianship of the heavenly messengers, and was saved. So Christ's disciples were given warning of the destruction of Jerusalem. Those who watched for the sign of the coming ruin, and fled from the city, escaped the destruction. So now we are given warning of Christ's second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Those who heed the warning will be saved.

God awakens souls to see their need by revealing His loveliness and by giving strong warnings! Praise God that He knows what is needed to help prepare us, and as we take heed to the warning and choose to form character after the divine similitude, we can have courage for what faces us!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #12 on: June 09, 2017, 05:05:59 AM »
Amen!! 

Jesus is coming soon!  And, then we shall be changed. How so? Not character, for that is changed when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the heart at conversion. What happens at the second coming? We are given holy flesh!!  No more contending with evil flesh. Like Adam in the beginning we will have no bent towards sin. Then, our flesh will be as the new heart, holy and pure.

Why has Jesus not come? Because we, Seventh-day Adventists have not given the gospel to the world. Instead there are multiple false gospels in the church. They are allowed to deceive those who are looking unto man, instead of God and His Word.

    By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory. 


And, if we will not allow Christ to have the whole heart, then there is judgment to come. But, the truly converted will escape the fast coming judgments which will fall upon the unconverted.

     God has always given men warning of coming judgments. Those who had faith in His message for their time, and who acted out their faith, in obedience to His commandments, escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving.

When we study the seven trumpets in Revelation, we find that God has always warned of coming judgments upon false religion, Rome. The rejector of truth will reap what they have sown.

    Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord's appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win. 





Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Pastor Sean Brizendine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Following the Lamb
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #13 on: June 09, 2017, 08:00:41 AM »
Amen, Richard! I was led to the same paragraph you quoted in your post--I will share it again with a  few statements bolded that stand out:

   Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord's appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win. 

May our prayer be, "Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief!" We need Jesus continually in the times we live--and only by abiding in Him can we not just intellectually KNOW the true gospel of His grace, but actually LIVE the gospel--it is the gospel lived in our daily experience--the revelation of the loveliness of Jesus as seen in all of the fruits of the Spirit in our lives without one missing--that help others to know that there is a God who still is able to change vile sinners into saints--not by changing their flesh, but by giving them a new heart and a new mind--to prepare them for the new bodies they will receive at the soon appearing of Jesus in power and great glory!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Pastor Sean Brizendine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Following the Lamb
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #14 on: September 04, 2017, 07:16:10 AM »
We are in the last moments of this earth's history. But we are not to be anxious or impatient; we are to surrender all to Christ and manifest forth His Spirit that others may see Christ living in us, giving us victory over our fallen nature--true self-conquest by the power of the indwelling Christ. In reading today from the sections of the Bible that correlate with the reading from Desire of Ages chapter 69 today, I was blessed by this simple, profound thought: "In your patience possess ye your souls" (Luke 21:19). True patience comes from Jesus. We must have Him to be patient, or we lose Him, eternal life, and our own soul's joyful communion with Him if we sin against Him. Let us stay vitally connected to Jesus today!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #15 on: September 04, 2017, 09:07:27 AM »
Amen, Pastor Sean. Patience is a virtue we do not possess unless we abide in Christ and He in us. Love, joy, peace, and long-suffering are fruits that we have only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Have not we seen the prophecies fulfilling that tell us Jesus is even at the doors? Why are so many lacking the fruits of the Spirit? Why has not the church seen revival and reformation? Is there not great danger in putting off salvation? The Lord's coming is at hand!

     The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling hells. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation's hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut. 


Solemn thought!



Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

JimB

  • Servant
  • Assistant Administrator
  • Posts: 7446
  • Pro 12:28 in the pathway thereof there is no death
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #16 on: November 30, 2017, 05:35:48 AM »
"If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee." Revelation 3:3. The advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers. They are saying, "Peace and safety." Like the priests and teachers before the fall of Jerusalem, they look for the church to enjoy earthly prosperity and glory. The signs of the times they interpret as foreshadowing this. But what saith the word of Inspiration? "Sudden destruction cometh upon them." 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth, upon all who make this world their home, the day of God will come as a snare. It comes to them as a prowling thief.

I've heard some say what does it matter what you believe so long as you believe in Jesus. But the comments I bolded (sp?) remind me of a couple of things. There is in the Christian world today what I call the health & wealth gospel. They only look for and preach good times, good money, and good health here and now, not putting their treasure in Heaven. Then there are the ones who preach preach "peace & safety" by saying that they will be raptured before the days of trouble. How surprised and confused they will be. It does matter what one believes when it comes to doctrine. A true and full surrender to Christ (believing in Him) must come first but the rest definitely matters also.
By communion with God in nature, the mind is uplifted, and the heart finds rest.  {DA 291.1}

Pastor Sean Brizendine

  • Full Member
  • Posts: 3002
  • Following the Lamb
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #17 on: November 30, 2017, 07:14:24 AM »
Amen, Jim! We are on the very verge of Christ's return. How important that we heed Christ's words and allow our focus to be heaven, His words that will not pass away!

"Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade. Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our Lord's appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of the first great apostate. Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win." {The Desire of Ages, page 636, paragraph 1} 

Let us look to Christ continually--and help prepare others for His coming so He can return sooner! We can be a part of hastening His return!
"When we live by faith on the Son of God, the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives; not one will be missing." {The Desire of Ages, 676.4}

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #18 on: December 01, 2017, 05:35:07 AM »
Amen!! Jesus is coming soon!!!  Sudden destruction is coming. Ought we warn the wicked? Does God want men to fear Him? Many teach otherwise even though the Bible says "Fear God and give glory to Him. They say fear does not mean fear, but love. 

    Because we know not the exact time of His coming, we are commanded to watch. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching." Luke 12:37. Those who watch for the Lord's coming are not waiting in idle expectancy. The expectation of Christ's coming is to make men fear the Lord, and fear His judgments upon transgression. It is to awaken them to the great sin of rejecting His offers of mercy. Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With vigilant watching they combine earnest working. Because they know that the Lord is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co-operate with the divine intelligences in working for the salvation of souls. These are the faithful and wise servants who give to the Lord's household "their portion of meat in due season." Luke 12:42. They are declaring the truth that is now specially applicable. As Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses each declared the truth for his time, so will Christ's servants now give the special warning for their generation.

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

  • Servant
  • Posts: 44592
  • Grace, more than a word, it is transforming power
    • The Remnant Online
Re: The Desire of Ages--69--On the Mount of Olives
« Reply #19 on: February 25, 2018, 05:22:54 AM »
How important that we heed Christ's words and allow our focus to be heaven, His words that will not pass away!

"Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell to shun and a heaven to win." {The Desire of Ages, page 636, paragraph 1} 

Let us look to Christ continually--and help prepare others for His coming so He can return sooner! We can be a part of hastening His return!

Amen, Pastor Sean. Jesus is coming soon, but many will not be ready, for there are only few who believe God with the whole heart. Many who profess to love God supremely do not. So many have been led astray by false teachers. The deceptions that were so successful with Israel are today just as successful. When the truth is presented, many will reject it because it condemns what they are doing, even many of those who call themselves Christians.

   On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned show their attachment for Christ. Others are offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their practice. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own safety, bear false witness, and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who reject the light. 

The great deception that has come into the church is a false gospel. How can we hasten the coming of Jesus if the gospel being spread around the world is not the gospel at all, but is "another gospel" that Paul condemned? We cannot.

There are some even in our church that tell us there is nothing we can do to hasten or delay when the Lord will return. However, from the following counsel it looks like we have been slack in our duties. :(   It is in our power to hasten the day.

By giving the gospel to the world it is in our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to look for but to hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin. Had the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to our earth in power and great glory.

Amen, Jim. There is a reason why we are still on this Earth. If we had not rejected the gospel message in 1888 Jesus would have come. And, if we had been giving the gospel since then, Jesus would have come. Let us look unto Jesus and His Word, and He will teach us what is the gospel of grace, then we can indeed hasten the soon coming of Jesus.

     The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling hells. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation's hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut. 
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.