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39 - The Time of Trouble - The Great Controversy · Sacred Texts Archive

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Chapter thirty nine, the time of trouble. At that time shall Michael stand
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up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people. And there
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shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,
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even to that same time. And at that time thy people shall be
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delivered every one that shall be found written in the book. When the third
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Angel's message closes, Mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth.
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The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received the latter
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reign, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, and they are prepared
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for the trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to and fro in heaven.
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An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done. The
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final test has been brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves
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loyal to the divine precepts have received the seal of the Living God. Then
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Jesus ceases his intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts his hands and with
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a loud voice says it is done, and all the angelic hosts lay off
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their crowns as he makes the solemn announcement. He that is unjust, let
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him be unjust still. And he which is filthy, let him be filthy
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still. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. And
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he that is holy, let him be holy still. Every case has been
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decided for life or death. Christ has made the atonement for his people and
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blotted out their sins. The number of his subjects is made up the kingdom
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and Dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven is about
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to be given to the heirs of salvation, and Jesus is to reign as
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King of kings and Lord of lords. When he leaves the sanctuary, darkness
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covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time, the righteous must
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live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. The restraint which
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has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the
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flying impenitent. God's long suffering has ended. The world has rejected his mercy,
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despised his love, and trampled upon his law. The wicked have passed
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the boundary of their probation. The spirit of God, persistently resisted, has
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been at last withdrawn unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the
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wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great
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final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce
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winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose.
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The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon
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Jerusalem of old. A single angel destroyed all the first born of the Egyptians
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and filled the land with mourning. When David offended against God by numbering the
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people. One angel caused that terrible destruction by which his sin was punished.
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The same destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised
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by evil angels when He permits. There are forces now ready and only waiting
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the divine permission to spread desolation everywhere. Those who honor the law of God
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have been accused of bringing judgments upon the world, and they will be regarded
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as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature and the strife and bloodshed among
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men that are filling the earth with woe. The power attending the last warning
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has enraged the wicked. Their anger is kindled against all who have received the
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message, and Satan will excite to still greater intensity the spirit of hatred and
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persecution. When God's presence was finally withdrawn from the Jewish nation, priests and
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people knew it not. Though under the control of Satan and swayed by the
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most horrible and malignant passions, they still regarded themselves as the chosen of God.
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The ministration in the Temple continued, Sacrifices were offered upon its polluted altars,
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and daily the divine blessing was invoked upon a people guilty of the blood
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of God's dear son and seeking to slay His ministers and apostles. So when
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the irrevocable decision of the Sanctuary has been pronounced and the destiny of the world
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has been forever fixed, the inhabitants of the earth will know it not.
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The forms of religion will be continued by a people from whom the spirit of
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God has been finally withdrawn, and the satanic zeal with which the Prince of
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Evil will inspire them for the accomplishment of his malignant designs, will bear the
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semblance of zeal for God. As the Sabbath has become the special point of
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controversy throughout Christendom, and religious and secular authorities have combined to enforce the observance
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of the Sunday. The persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the
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popular demand will make them objects of universal execration. It will be urged that
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the few who stand in opposition to an institution of the Church and a law
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of the state ought not to be tolerated, that it is better for them
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to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into confusion and lawlessness. The
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same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought against Christ by the rulers of the
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people. It is expedient for us, said the wily Caiaphas, that one
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man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish. Not
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this argument will appear conclusive, and a decree will finally be issued against those
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who hallow the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment, denouncing them as deserving of the
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severest punishment, and giving the people liberty after a certain time to put them
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to death. Romanism in the Old World and apostate Protestantism in the New will
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pursue a similar course toward those who honor all the divine precepts. The people
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of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress described by
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the prophet as the time of Jacob's trouble. Thus, saith the Lord.
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We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.
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All faces are turned into paleness. Alas for that day is great,
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so that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's trouble.
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But he shall be saved out of it. Jacob's night of anguish,
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when he wrestled in prayer for deliverance from the hand of Esau, represents the
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experience of God's people in the time of trouble. Because of the deception practiced
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to secure his father's blessing intended for Esau, Jacob had fled for his life,
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alarmed by his brother's deadly threats. After remaining for many years in exile,
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he had set out, at God's command to return with his wives and
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children, his flocks and herds to his native country. On reaching the borders
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of the land, he was filled with terror by the tidings of Esau's approach
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at the head of a band of warriors, doubtless bent upon revenge. Jacob's
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company, unarmed and defenseless, seemed about to fall, helpless victims of violence
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and slaughter. And to the burden of anxiety and fear was added the crushing
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weight of self reproach. For it was his own sin that had brought this
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danger. His only hope was in the mercy of God. His only defense
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must be prayer. Yet he leaves nothing undone on his own part to atone
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for the wrong to his brother and to avert the threatened danger. So should
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the followers of Christ, as they approach the time of trouble, make every
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exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the people, to disarm prejudice,
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and to avert the danger which threatens liberty of conscience. Having sent his
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family away that they may not witness his distress, Jacob remains alone to intercede
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with God. He confesses his sin and gratefully acknowledges the mercy of God toward
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him, while with deep humiliation, he pleads the covenant made with his fathers
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and the promises to himself and the night vision at Bethel, and in the
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land of his exile, the crisis in his life has come. Everything is
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at stake. In the darkness and solitude, he continues praying and humbling him
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himself before God. Suddenly a hand is laid upon his shoulder. He thinks
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that an enemy is seeking his life, and with all the energy of despair,
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he wrestles with his assailant. As the day begins to break, the
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stranger puts forth his superhuman power. At his touch, the strong man seems
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paralyzed, and he falls a helpless, weeping suppliant upon the neck of his
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mysterious antagonist. Jacob now knows that it is the Angel of the Covenant with
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whom he has been in conflict. Though disabled and suffering the keenest pain,
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he does not relinquish his purpose. Long has he endured perplexity, remorse,
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and trouble for his sin. Now he must have the assurance that it is
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pardoned. The divine visitant seems about to depart, but Jacob clings to him,
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pleading for a blessing. The angel urges let me go for the day
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breaketh, but the patriarch exclaims, I will not let thee go except thou
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bless me, What confidence, what firmness and perseverance are here displayed? Had
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this been a boastful, presumptuous claim, Jacob would have been instantly destroyed.
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But his was the assurance of one who confesses his weakness and unworthiness yet trusts
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the mercy of a covenant keeping God. He had power over the angel and
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prevailed through humiliation, repentance, and self surrender. This sinful, erring mortal
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prevailed with the majesty of heaven. He had fastened his trembling grasp upon the
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promises of God, and the heart of infinite love could not turn away the
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sinner's plea. As an evidence of his triumph and an encouragement to others to
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imitate his example, his name was changed from one which was a reminder of
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his sin to one that commemorated his victory, and the fact that Jacob had
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prevailed with God was an assurance that he would prevail with men. He no
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longer feared to encounter his brother's anger, for the Lord was his defense.
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Satan had accused Jacob before the angels of God, claiming the right to destroy
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him because of his sin. He had moved upon Esau to march against him,
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and during the patriarch's long night of wrestling, Satan endeavored to force upon
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him a sense of his guilt in order to discourage him and break his hold
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upon God. Jacob was driven almost to despair, but he knew that without
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help from heaven, he must perish. He had sincerely repented of his great
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sin, and he appealed to the mercy of God. He would not be
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turned from his purpose, but held fast the angel and urged his petition with
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earnest agonizing cries until he prevailed. As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob,
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so he will stir up the wicked to destroy God's people in the time
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of trouble, and as he accused Jacob, he will urge his accusations against
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the people of God. He numbers the world as his subjects, but the
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little company who keep the commandments of God are resisting his supremacy. If he
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could blot them from the earth, his triumph would be complete. He sees
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that holy angels are guarding them, and he infers that their sins have been
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pardoned, but he does not know that their cases have been decided in the
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sanctuary above He has an accurate knowledge of the sins which he has tempted them
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to commit, and he presents these before God in the most exaggerated light,
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representing this people to be just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor
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of God. He declares that the Lord cannot, injustice forgive their sins and
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yet destroy him and his angels. He claims them as his prey and demands
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that they be given into his hands to destroy. As Satan accuses the people
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of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try them
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to the uttermost their confidence in God. Their faith and firmness will be severely
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tested. As they review the past, their hope sink, for in their
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whole lives they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their weakness
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and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their cases are
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hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He
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hopes so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn
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from their allegiance to God. Though God's people will be surrounded by enemies who
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are bent upon their destruction, Yet the anguish which they suffer is not a
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dread of persecution. For the truth's sake. They fear that every sin has
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not been repented of, and that through some fault in themselves, they will
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fail to realize the fulfillment of the Saviour's promise. I will keep thee from
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the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world. If they could
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have the assurance of pardon, they would not shrink from torture or death.
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But should they prove unworthy and lose their lives because of their own defects of
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character, then God's holy name would be reproached on every hand. They hear
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the plottings of treason and see the active working of rebellion, and there is
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a row within them an intense desire, an earnest yearning of soul, that
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this great apostasy may be terminated, and the wickedness of the wicked may come
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to an end. But while they plead with God to stay the work of
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rebellion, it is with a keen sense of self reproach that they themselves have
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no more power to resist and urge back the mighty tide of evil. They
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feel that had they always employed all their ability in the service of Christ.
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Going forward from strength to strength, Satan's forces would have less power to prevail
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against them. They afflict their souls before God, pointing to their past repentance
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of their many sins, and pleading the Saviour's promise, let him take hold
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of my strength that he may make peace with me, and he shall make
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peace with me. Their faith does not fail because their prayers are not immediately
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answered. Though suffering the keenest anxiety, terror, and distress, they do
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not cease their intercessions. They lay hold of the strength of God as Jacob
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laid hold of the Angel, and the language of their souls is, I
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will not let thee go except thou bless me. Had not Jacob previously repented
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of his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud, God would not have heard
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his prayer and mercifully preserved his life. So in the time of trouble,
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if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them, while tortured
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with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed. Despair would cut off their
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faith, and they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance.
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But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness. They have no concealed
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wrongs to reveal. Their sins have gone beforehand to judgment and have been blotted
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out, and they cannot bring them to remembrance. Satan leads many to believe
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that God will overlook their unfaithfulness in the minor affairs of life. But the
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Lord shows in his dealings with Jacob that he will in no wise sanction or
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tolerate evil. All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins and permit them
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to remain upon the books of Heaven unconfessed and unforgiven, will be overcome by
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Satan. The more exalted their profession, and the more honorable the position which
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they hold, the more grievous as their course in the sight of God,
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and the more sure the triumph of their great adversary. Those who delay a
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preparation for the day of God cannot obtain it in the time of trouble or
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at any subsequent time. The case of all such is hopeless. Those professed
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Christians who come up to that last fearful conflict unprepared, will, in their
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despair confess their sins in words of burning anguish, While the wicked exult over
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their distress. These confessions are of the same character as was that of Esau
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or of Judas those who make them lament the result of transgression, but not
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its guilt. They feel no true contrition, no abhorrence of evil. They
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acknowledge their sin through fear of punishment, but like Pharaoh of old, they
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would return to their defiance of heaven should the judgments be removed. Jacob's history
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is also an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been deceived
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and tempted and betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true
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repentance. While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send his angels
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to comfort and protect them in the time of peril. The assaults of Satan
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are fierce and determined. His delusions are terrible, but the Lord's eye is
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upon his people, and his ear listens to their cries. Their affliction is
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great. The flames of the furnace seem about to consume them, but the
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refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. God's love for
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his children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and tender as
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in the days of their sunniest prosperity, but it is needful for them to
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be placed in the furnace of fire. Their earthliness must be consumed that the
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image of Christ may be perfectly reflected. The season of distress and anguish before
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us will require a faith that can and endure weariness, delay, and hunger,
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a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The period of probation
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is granted to all to prepare for that time. Jacob prevailed because he was
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persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer.
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All who will lay hold of God's promises as he did, and be
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as earnest and persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded. Those
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who are unwilling to deny self, to agonize before God, to pray long
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and earnestly for his blessing will not obtain it. Wrestling with God, how
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few know what it is. How few have ever had their souls drawn out
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after God with intensity of desire, until every power is on the stretch,
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when waves of despair, which no language can express, sweep over the suppliant.
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How few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God. Those who
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exercise but little faith now are in the greatest danger of fallen under the power
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of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they
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endure the test, they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the
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time of trouble because they have never made it a habit to trust in God.
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The lessons of faith which they have neglected, they will be forced to
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learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement. We should now acquaint ourselves with God
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by proving his promises. Angels record every prayer that is earnest and sincere.
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We should rather dispense with selfish gratifications than neglect communion with God. The deepest
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poverty, the greatest self denial with His approval is better than riches, honors,
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ease, and friendship. Without it, we must take time to pray.
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If we allow our minds to be absorbed by worldly interests, the Lord
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may give us time by removing from us our idols of gold, of houses,
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or of fertile lands. The young would not be seduced into sin if
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they would refuse to enter any pass save that upon which they could ask God's
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blessing. If the messengers who bear the last solemn warning to the world would
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pray for the blessing of God, not in a cold, listless, lazy
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manner, but fervently and in faith, as did Jacob, they would find
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many places where they could say, I have seen God face to face,
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and my life is preserved. They would be accounted of Heaven as princes,
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having power to prevail with God and with men. The time of trouble such
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as never was, is soon to open upon us, and we shall need
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an experience which we do not now possess, and which many are too indolent
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to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than
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in reality. But this is not true of the crisis before us. The
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most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of
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trial. Every soul must stand for himself before God. Though Noah, Daniel
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and Job were in the land, as I live, saith the Lord God,
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they shall deliver neither son nor daughter. They shall but deliver their own
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souls by their righteousness. Now, while our great High Priest is making the
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atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even
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by a thought could our Savior be brought to yield to the power of temptation.
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Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold,
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some sinful desire, is cherished by means of which his temptations assert their power.
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But Christ declared of himself the Prince of this world cometh and hath nothing
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in me. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable
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him to gain the victory. He had kept his father's commandments, and there
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was no sin in him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is
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the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of
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trouble. It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us
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through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Savior invites us to
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join ourselves to him, to unite our weakness to his strength, our ignorance
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to his wisdom, our unworthiness to his merits. God's providence is the school
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in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The Lord
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is ever setting before us. Not the way we would choose which seems easier
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and pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life. It rests with
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us to co operate with the agencies which Heaven employs in the work of conforming
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our characters to the divine model. None can neglect or defer this work,
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but at the most fearful peril to their souls. The apostle John and Vision
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heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming, woe to the inhabitors of the earth
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and of the sea, for the devil is come down unto you, having
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great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. Fearful
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are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the heavenly voice. The wrath
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of Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and
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destruction will reach its culmination. In the time of trouble, fearful sights of
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a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens in token of the power
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of miracle working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings
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of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception and
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urge them on to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of
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Heaven. By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike. Deceived persons
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will arise, pretending to be Christ himself and claiming the title and worship which
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belong to the world's redeemer. They will perform wonderful miracles of healing, and
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will profess to have revelations from Heaven, contradicting the testimony of the scriptures.
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As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate
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Christ. The Church has long professed to look to the Saviour's advent as the
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consummation of her hopes. Now the great Deceiver will make it appear that Christ
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has come. In different parts of the earth. Satan will manifest himself among
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men as a majestic being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son
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of God given by John and the revelation. The glory that surrounds him is
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unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings
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out upon the air. Christ has come. Christ has come. The people
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prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces
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a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed his disciples when he was upon the
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earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In
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gentle, compassionate tones. He presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths
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which the Savior uttered. He heals the diseases of the people, and then,
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in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath
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to Sunday and commands all to hallow the day which he has blessed. He
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declares that those who persist in keeping wholly the seventh Day are blaspheming his name
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by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light and truth.
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This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion, like the Samaritans who were deceived
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by Simon Magus. The multitudes, from the least to the greatest, give
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heed to these sorceries, saying this is the great power of God. But
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the people of God will not be misled. The teachings of this false Christ
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are not in accordance with the scriptures. His blessing is pronounced upon the worshippers
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of the beast, and his image the very class upon whom the Bible declares
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that God's unmingled wrath shall be poured out. And furthermore, Satan is not
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permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ's advent. The Savior has warned his people
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against deception upon this point, and has clearly foretold the manner of his second
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coming. There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great
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signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
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the very elect. Wherefore, if they shall say, unto you, behold
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he is in the desert, go not fourth, behold he is in the
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secret chambers. Believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the
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east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the
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Son of Man be. This coming there is no possibility of counterfeiting. It
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will be universally known, witnessed by the whole world. Only those who have
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been diligent students of the scriptures and who have received the love of the truth,
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will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. By
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the Bible testimony, these will detect the deceiver in his disguise to all the
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testing time will come. By the sifting of temptation, the genuine Christian will
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be revealed. Are the people of God now so firmly established upon His word
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that they would not yield to the evidence of their senses? Would they in
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such a crisis cling to the Bible? And the Bible only Satan will,
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if possible, prevent them from obtaining a preparation to stand in that day.
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He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up their way, entangle them with
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earthly treasures, cause them to carry a heavy wearisome burden, that their hearts
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may be overcharged with the cares of this life, and the day of trial
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may come upon them as a thief. As the decree issued by the various
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rulers of Christendom against commandment keepers shall withdraw the protection of government and abandon them
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to those who desire their destruction. The people of God will flee from the
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cities and villages and associate together in companies dwelling in the most desolate and solitary
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places. Many will find refuge in the strongholds of the mountains. Like the
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Christians of the Piedmont Valleys. They will make the high places of the earth
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their sanctuaries, and will thank God for the munitions of rocks. But many
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of all nations, and of all classes, high and low, rich and
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poor, black and white, will be cast into the most unjust and cruel
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bondage. The beloved of God pass weary days, bound in chains, shut
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in by prison bars, sentenced to be slain, some apparently loved to die
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of starvation in dark and loathesome dungeons. No human ear is open to hear
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their moans, No human hand is ready to lend them help. Will the
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Lord forget his people in this trying hour? Did he forget faithful Noah when
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judgments were visited upon the antediluvian world? Did he forget Lot when the fire
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came down from heaven to consume the cities of the plain. Did he forget
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Joseph surrounded by idolaters in Egypt? Did he forget Elijah when the oath of
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Jezebel threatened him with the fate of the prophets of Bale? Did he forget
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Jeremiah in the dark and dismal pit of his prison house? Did he forget
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the Three worthies in the fiery furnace or Daniel in the den of Lions.
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Zion said, Jehovah hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
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Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on
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the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, Yet will I
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not forget thee. Behold, I have graven THEE upon the palms of my
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hands. The Lord of Hosts has said, he that toucheth you, toucheth
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the apple of his eye. Though enemies may thrust them into prison, yet
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dungeon walls cannot cut off the communication between their souls and Christ. One who
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sees their every weakness, who is acquainted with every trial, is above all
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earthly powers and angels will come to them in lonely cells, bringing light and
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peace from heaven. The prison will be as a palace for the rich in
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faith dwell there, and the gloomy walls will be lighted up with heavenly light,
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as when Paul and Silas prayed and sung praises at midnight in the Philippian
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dungeon. God's judgments will be visited upon those who are seeking to oppress and
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destroy his people. His long forbearance with the wicked emboldens men in transgression,
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but their punishment is none the less certain and terrible because it is long delayed.
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The Lord shall rise as in Mount Parisin. He shall be wroth,
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as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his
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strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange act to our
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merciful God. The act of punishment is a strange act. As I live,
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saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the
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wicked. The Lord is merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant in
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goodness and truth, for giving iniquity and transgression and sin. Yet he will
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by no means clear the guilty. The Lord is slow to anger and great
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in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked by terrible things.
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In righteousness, he will vindicate the authority of his downtrodden law. The severity
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of the retribution awaiting the transgressor may be judged by the Lord's reluctance to execute
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justice. The nation with which he bears long, and which he will not
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smite until it has filled up the measure of its iniquity. In God's account,
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will finally drink the cup of wrath unmixed with mer. When Christ ceases
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his intercession in the sanctuary, the unmingled wrath threatened against those who worship the
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Beast and his image and receive his mark will be poured out. The plagues
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upon Egypt when God was about to deliver Israel were similar in character to those
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more terrible and extensive judgments which are to fall upon the world just before the
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final deliverance of God's people, says the Revelator in describing those terrific scourges.
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There fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of
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the Beast, and upon them which worshiped his image. The sea became as
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the blood of a dead man, and every living soul died in the sea,
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and the rivers and fountains of waters became blood. Terrible as these inflictions
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are, God's justice stands fully vindicated. The Angel of God declares, thou
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art righteous, o Lord, because thou hast judged thus, for they have
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shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to
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drink, for they are worthy. By condemning the people of God to death.
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They have as truly incurred the guilt of their blood, as if it
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had been shed by their hands. In like manner, Christ declared the Jews
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of his time guilty of all the blood of holy men which had been shed
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since the days of Abel, for they possessed the same spirit and were seeking
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to do the same work with these murderers of the prophets. In the plague
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that follows, power is given to the sun to scorch men with fire,
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and men were scorched with great heat. The prophets thus describe the condition of
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the earth at this fearful time. The land mourneth because the harvest of the
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field is perished. All the trees of the field are withered, because joy
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is withered away from the sons of men. The seed is rotten under their
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cloths. The garners are laid desolate. How do the beasts groan? The
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herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture. The rivers of waters
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are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pasture of the wilderness.
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The songs of the temple shall be howlings. In that day, saith the
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Lord God. There shall be many dead bodies in every place. They shall
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cast them forth with silence. These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants
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of the earth would be wholly cut off. Yet they will be the most
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awful scourges that have ever been known to mortals. All the judgments upon men
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prior to the close of probation have been mingled with mercy. The pleading blood
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of Christ has shielded the sinner from receiving the full measure of his guilt.
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But in the final judgment, wrath is poured out, unmixed with mercy.
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In that day multitudes will desire the shelter of God's mercy, which they have
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so long despised. Behold the days come, Saith the Lord God, that
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I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread,
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nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
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And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to
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the east. They shall run to and fro to seek the word of the
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Lord, and shall not find it. The people of God will not be
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free from suffering, but while persecuted and distressed, while they endure privation and
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suffer for want of food, they will not be left to perish. That
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God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of his self sacrificing children.
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He who numbers the hairs of their head will care for them. And
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in time of famine they shall be satisfied. While the wicked are dying from
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hunger and pestilence. Angels will shield the righteous and supply their wants. To
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him that walketh righteously. Is the promise bread shall be given him. His
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waters shall be sure. When the poor and needy seek water and there is
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none, and their tongue faileth for thirst. I the Lord will hear them.
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I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. Although the
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fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The
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labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat.
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The flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no
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herd in the stalls. Yet shall they that fear him rejoice in the Lord
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and joy in the God of their salvation. The Lord is thy keeper,
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The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite
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thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee
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from all evil. He shall preserve thy soul. He shall deliver thee from
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the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover
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thee with his feathers, and under his wings. Shalt thou trust. His
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truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the
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terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day, nor for
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the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
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A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand of thy right
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hand, but it shall not come thy thee. Only with thine eyes,
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shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked, Because thou hast made
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the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most high thy habitation.
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There shall no evil befall thee. Neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
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Yet to human sight it will appear that the people of God must soon
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seal their testimony with their blood, as did the martyrs before them. They
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themselves begin to fear that the Lord has left them to fall by the hand
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of their enemies. It is a time of fearful agony. Day and night,
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they cry unto God for deliverance. The wicked exult and the jeering cry
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is heard. Where now is your faith? Why does not God deliver you
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out of our hands? If you are indeed His people? But the waiting
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ones remember Jesus dying upon Calvary's cross, and the chief priests and rulers shouting
35:42
in mockery. He saved others himself he cannot save. If he be the
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King of Israel. Let him now come down from the cross, and we
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will believe him. Like Jacob, all are rustling with God. Their countenances
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express their internal struggle. Paleness sits upon every face. Yet they cease not
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their earnest intercession. Could men see with heavenly vision, they would behold companies
36:06
of angels that excel in strength, stationed about those who have kept the word
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of Christ's patience with sympathizing tenderness. Angels have witnessed their distress and have heard
36:15
their prayers. They are waiting the word of their commander to snatch them from
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their peril. But they must wait yet a little longer. The people of
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God must drink of the cup and be baptized. With the baptism. The
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very delay, so painful to them, is the best answer to their petitions.
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As they endeavor to wait trustingly for the Lord to work, they are
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led to exercise faith, hope, and patience, which have been too little
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exercised during their religious experience. Yet, for the elect's sake, the time
36:47
of trouble will be shortened. Shall not God avenge his own elect which cry
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day and night unto him? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.
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The end will come more quickly than men expect. The wheat will be
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gathered and bound in sheaves for the garner of God. The tears will be
37:05
bound as faggots for the fires of destruction. The heavenly sentinels, faithful to
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their trust, continue their watch. Though a general decree has fixed the time
37:15
when commandment keepers may be put to death. Their enemies will, in some
37:20
cases anticipate the decree, and before the time specified, will endeavor to take
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their lives. But none can pass the mighty guardians stationed about every faithful soul.
37:30
Some are assailed in their flight from the cities and villages, but the
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swords raised against them break and fall as powerless as a straw. Others are
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defended by angels in the form of men of war. In all ages,
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God has wrought through holy angels for the succor and deliverance of his people.
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Celestial beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. They have
37:52
appeared clothed in garments that shown as the lightning. They have come as men
37:58
in the garb of wayfarers. Angels have appeared in human form to men of
38:01
God. They have rested as if weary, under the oaks at noon.
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They have accepted the hospitalities of human homes. They have acted as guides to
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be knighted travelers. They have with their own hands kindled the fires of the
38:16
altar. They have opened prison doors and set free the servants of the Lord.
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Clothed with the panoply of heaven, they came to roll away the stone
38:25
from the Saviour's tomb in the form of men. Angels are often in the
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assemblies of the righteous, and they visit the assemblies of the wicked, as
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they went to Sodom to make a record of their deeds, to determine whether
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they have passed the boundary of God's forbearance. The Lord delights in mercy,
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and for the sake of a few who really serve him, he restrains calamities
38:47
and prolongs the tranquility of multitudes. Little do sinners against God realize that they
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are indebted for their own lives to the faithful few, whom they delight to
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ridicule and oppress, though the rulers of this world know it not yet.
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Often in their counsels, angels have been spokesmen. Human eyes have looked upon
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them, Human ears have listened to their appeals. Human lips have opposed their
39:13
suggestions and ridiculed their counsels. Human hands have met them with insult and abuse.
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In the council hall and the court of justice, these heavenly messengers have
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shown an intimate acquaintance with human history. They have proved themselves better able to
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plead the cause of the oppressed than were their ablest and most eloquent defenders.
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They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would have greatly retarded the work of
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God and would have caused great suffering to his people. In the hour of
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peril and distress, the Angel of the Lord in campeth round about them that
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fear him and delivereth them with earnest longing. God's people await the tokens of
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their coming king. As the watchmen are accosted, what of the night,
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The answer is given on falteringly. The morning cometh, and also the night
40:04
light is gleaming upon the clouds above the mountain tops. Soon there will be
40:07
a revealing of his glory. The sun of righteousness is about to shine forth.
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The morning and the night are both at hand, the opening of endless
40:16
day to the righteous, the settling down of eternal night to the wicket.
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As the rustling ones urge their petitions before God, the veil separating them from
40:25
the unseen seems almost withdrawn. The heavens glow with the dawning of eternal day,
40:31
and like the melody of angel songs, the words fall upon the ear.
40:36
Stand fast to your allegiance. Help is coming. Christ. The almighty
40:40
Victor holds out to his weary soldiers a crown of immortal glory, and his
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voice comes from the gates, ajar, Lo, I am with you.
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Be not afraid. I am acquainted with all your sorrows. I have borne
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your briefs. You are not warring against untried enemies, I have fought the
40:58
battle in your behalf, and in my name, you are more than conquerors.
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The precious Savior will send help just when we need it. The way
41:07
to Heaven is consecrated by his footprints. Every thorn that wounds our feet has
41:13
wounded his. Every cross that we are called to bear, he has borne
41:16
before us. The Lord permits conflicts to prepare the soul for peace. The
41:22
time of trouble is a fearful ordeal for God's people, But it is the
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time for every true believer to look up, and by faith he may see
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the bow of promise encircling him. The Redeemed of the Lord shall return and
41:36
come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head.
41:39
They shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
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Ay, even I am he that comforteth you, who art thou that thou
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shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of
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man which shall be made as grass, And forgettest the Lord thy maker,
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and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as
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if he were ready to destroy. And where is the fury of the oppressor.
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The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should
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not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I
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am the Lord, thy God that divided the sea, whose waves roared,
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The Lord of hosts is his name, And I have put my words in
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thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand.
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Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken, but not with wine.
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Thus saith thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his
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people. Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling,
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even the dregs of the cup of my fury. Thou shalt no more
42:42
drink it again, But I will put it into the hand of them that
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afflict thee, which have said to thy soul, bow down, that we
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may go over. And thou hast slaid thy body as the ground and as
42:52
the street to them that went over. The eye of God looking down the
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ages was fixed upon the crisis which his people are to meet. When earthly
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powers shall be arrayed against them, Like the captive exile, they will be
43:06
in fear of death by starvation or by violence. But the Holy One,
43:10
who divided the Red Sea before Israel, will manifest his mighty power and turn
43:15
their captivity. They shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in
43:20
that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as
43:22
a man spareth his own son that serveth him. If the blood of Christ's
43:28
faithful witnesses were shed at this time, it would not like the blood of
43:31
the martyrs be as seeds sown to yield a harvest for God. Their fidelity
43:36
would not be a testimony to convince others of the truth, for the obdurate
43:39
Heart has beaten back the waves of mercy until they return no more. If
43:45
the righteous were now left to fall a prey to their enemies, it would
43:47
be a triumph for the Prince of darkness, says the Psalmist. In the
43:52
time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion, in the secret
43:55
of his tabernacle, shall he hide me. Christ has spoken, Come my
44:00
people, Enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee Hide
44:06
thyself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation be
44:08
overpassed. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the
44:14
inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. Glorious will be the deliverance of those
44:19
who have patiently waited for his coming, and whose names are written in the
44:22
Book of Life. End of Chapter thirty nine.