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39 - The Time of Trouble - The Great Controversy · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: Chapter thirty nine, the time of trouble. At that time
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Speaker 1: shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for
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Speaker 1: the children of thy people. And there shall be a
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Speaker 1: time of trouble such as never was since there was
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Speaker 1: a nation, even to that same time. And at that
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Speaker 1: time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall
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Speaker 1: be found written in the book. When the third Angel's
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Speaker 1: message closes, Mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants
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Speaker 1: of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work.
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Speaker 1: They have received the latter reign, the refreshing from the
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Speaker 1: presence of the Lord, and they are prepared for the
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Speaker 1: trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to and fro
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Speaker 1: in heaven. An angel returning from the earth announces that
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Speaker 1: his work is done. The final test has been brought
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Speaker 1: upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal
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Speaker 1: to the divine precepts have received the seal of the
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Speaker 1: Living God. Then Jesus ceases his intercession in the sanctuary above.
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Speaker 1: He lifts his hands and with a loud voice says
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Speaker 1: it is done, and all the angelic hosts lay off
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Speaker 1: their crowns as he makes the solemn announcement. He that
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Speaker 1: is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he which
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Speaker 1: is filthy, let him be filthy still. And he that
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Speaker 1: is righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that
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Speaker 1: is holy, let him be holy still. Every case has
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Speaker 1: been decided for life or death. Christ has made the
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Speaker 1: atonement for his people and blotted out their sins. The
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Speaker 1: number of his subjects is made up the kingdom and Dominion,
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Speaker 1: and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven
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Speaker 1: is about to be given to the heirs of salvation,
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Speaker 1: and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and
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Speaker 1: Lord of lords. When he leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers
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Speaker 1: the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time, the
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Speaker 1: righteous must live in the sight of a holy God
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Speaker 1: without an intercessor. The restraint which has been upon the
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Speaker 1: wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the
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Speaker 1: flying impenitent. God's long suffering has ended. The world has
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Speaker 1: rejected his mercy, despised his love, and trampled upon his law.
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Speaker 1: The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation. The
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Speaker 1: spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn
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Speaker 1: unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the
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Speaker 1: wicked one. Satan will then plunge the inhabitants of the
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Speaker 1: earth into one great final trouble. As the angels of
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Speaker 1: God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of
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Speaker 1: human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose.
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Speaker 1: The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible
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Speaker 1: than that which came upon Jerusalem of old. A single
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Speaker 1: angel destroyed all the first born of the Egyptians and
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Speaker 1: filled the land with mourning. When David offended against God
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Speaker 1: by numbering the people. One angel caused that terrible destruction
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Speaker 1: by which his sin was punished. The same destructive power
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Speaker 1: exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised
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Speaker 1: by evil angels when He permits. There are forces now
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Speaker 1: ready and only waiting the divine permission to spread desolation everywhere.
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Speaker 1: Those who honor the law of God have been accused
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Speaker 1: of bringing judgments upon the world, and they will be
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Speaker 1: regarded as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature
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Speaker 1: and the strife and bloodshed among men that are filling
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Speaker 1: the earth with woe. The power attending the last warning
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Speaker 1: has enraged the wicked. Their anger is kindled against all
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Speaker 1: who have received the message, and Satan will excite to
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Speaker 1: still greater intensity the spirit of hatred and persecution. When
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Speaker 1: God's presence was finally withdrawn from the Jewish nation, priests
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Speaker 1: and people knew it not. Though under the control of
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Speaker 1: Satan and swayed by the most horrible and malignant passions,
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Speaker 1: they still regarded themselves as the chosen of God. The
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Speaker 1: ministration in the Temple continued, Sacrifices were offered upon its
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Speaker 1: polluted altars, and daily the divine blessing was invoked upon
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Speaker 1: a people guilty of the blood of God's dear son
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Speaker 1: and seeking to slay His ministers and apostles. So when
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Speaker 1: the irrevocable decision of the Sanctuary has been pronounced and
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Speaker 1: the destiny of the world has been forever fixed, the
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Speaker 1: inhabitants of the earth will know it not. The forms
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Speaker 1: of religion will be continued by a people from whom
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Speaker 1: the spirit of God has been finally withdrawn, and the
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Speaker 1: satanic zeal with which the Prince of Evil will inspire
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Speaker 1: them for the accomplishment of his malignant designs, will bear
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Speaker 1: the semblance of zeal for God. As the Sabbath has
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Speaker 1: become the special point of controversy throughout Christendom, and religious
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Speaker 1: and secular authorities have combined to enforce the observance of
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Speaker 1: the Sunday. The persistent refusal of a small minority to
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Speaker 1: yield to the popular demand will make them objects of
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Speaker 1: universal execration. It will be urged that the few who
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Speaker 1: stand in opposition to an institution of the Church and
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Speaker 1: a law of the state ought not to be tolerated,
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Speaker 1: that it is better for them to suffer than for
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Speaker 1: whole nations to be thrown into confusion and lawlessness. The
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Speaker 1: same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought against Christ
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Speaker 1: by the rulers of the people. It is expedient for us,
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Speaker 1: said the wily Caiaphas, that one man should die for
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Speaker 1: the people, and that the whole nation perish. Not this
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Speaker 1: argument will appear conclusive, and a decree will finally be
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Speaker 1: issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the Fourth Commandment,
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Speaker 1: denouncing them as deserving of the severest punishment, and giving
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Speaker 1: the people liberty after a certain time to put them
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Speaker 1: to death. Romanism in the Old World and apostate Protestantism
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Speaker 1: in the New will pursue a similar course toward those
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Speaker 1: who honor all the divine precepts. The people of God
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Speaker 1: will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and
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Speaker 1: distress described by the prophet as the time of Jacob's trouble. Thus,
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Speaker 1: saith the Lord. We have heard a voice of trembling,
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Speaker 1: of fear, and not of peace. All faces are turned
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Speaker 1: into paleness. Alas for that day is great, so that
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Speaker 1: none is like it. It is even the time of
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Speaker 1: Jacob's trouble. But he shall be saved out of it.
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Speaker 1: Jacob's night of anguish, when he wrestled in prayer for
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Speaker 1: deliverance from the hand of Esau, represents the experience of
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Speaker 1: God's people in the time of trouble. Because of the
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Speaker 1: deception practiced to secure his father's blessing intended for Esau,
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Speaker 1: Jacob had fled for his life, alarmed by his brother's
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Speaker 1: deadly threats. After remaining for many years in exile, he
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Speaker 1: had set out, at God's command to return with his
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Speaker 1: wives and children, his flocks and herds to his native country.
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Speaker 1: On reaching the borders of the land, he was filled
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Speaker 1: with terror by the tidings of Esau's approach at the
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Speaker 1: head of a band of warriors, doubtless bent upon revenge.
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Speaker 1: Jacob's company, unarmed and defenseless, seemed about to fall, helpless
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Speaker 1: victims of violence and slaughter. And to the burden of
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Speaker 1: anxiety and fear was added the crushing weight of self reproach.
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Speaker 1: For it was his own sin that had brought this danger.
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Speaker 1: His only hope was in the mercy of God. His
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Speaker 1: only defense must be prayer. Yet he leaves nothing undone
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Speaker 1: on his own part to atone for the wrong to
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Speaker 1: his brother and to avert the threatened danger. So should
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Speaker 1: the followers of Christ, as they approach the time of trouble,
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Speaker 1: make every exertion to place themselves in a proper light
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Speaker 1: before the people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the
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Speaker 1: danger which threatens liberty of conscience. Having sent his family
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Speaker 1: away that they may not witness his distress, Jacob remains
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Speaker 1: alone to intercede with God. He confesses his sin and
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Speaker 1: gratefully acknowledges the mercy of God toward him, while with
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Speaker 1: deep humiliation, he pleads the covenant made with his fathers
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Speaker 1: and the promises to himself and the night vision at Bethel,
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Speaker 1: and in the land of his exile, the crisis in
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Speaker 1: his life has come. Everything is at stake. In the
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Speaker 1: darkness and solitude, he continues praying and humbling him himself
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Speaker 1: before God. Suddenly a hand is laid upon his shoulder.
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Speaker 1: He thinks that an enemy is seeking his life, and
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Speaker 1: with all the energy of despair, he wrestles with his assailant.
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Speaker 1: As the day begins to break, the stranger puts forth
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Speaker 1: his superhuman power. At his touch, the strong man seems paralyzed,
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Speaker 1: and he falls a helpless, weeping suppliant upon the neck
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Speaker 1: of his mysterious antagonist. Jacob now knows that it is
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Speaker 1: the Angel of the Covenant with whom he has been
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Speaker 1: in conflict. Though disabled and suffering the keenest pain, he
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Speaker 1: does not relinquish his purpose. Long has he endured perplexity, remorse,
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Speaker 1: and trouble for his sin. Now he must have the
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Speaker 1: assurance that it is pardoned. The divine visitant seems about
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Speaker 1: to depart, but Jacob clings to him, pleading for a blessing.
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Speaker 1: The angel urges let me go for the day breaketh,
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Speaker 1: but the patriarch exclaims, I will not let thee go
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Speaker 1: except thou bless me, What confidence, what firmness and perseverance
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Speaker 1: are here displayed? Had this been a boastful, presumptuous claim,
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Speaker 1: Jacob would have been instantly destroyed. But his was the
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Speaker 1: assurance of one who confesses his weakness and unworthiness yet
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Speaker 1: trusts the mercy of a covenant keeping God. He had
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Speaker 1: power over the angel and prevailed through humiliation, repentance, and
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Speaker 1: self surrender. This sinful, erring mortal prevailed with the majesty
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Speaker 1: of heaven. He had fastened his trembling grasp upon the
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Speaker 1: promises of God, and the heart of infinite love could
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Speaker 1: not turn away the sinner's plea. As an evidence of
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Speaker 1: his triumph and an encouragement to others to imitate his example,
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Speaker 1: his name was changed from one which was a reminder
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Speaker 1: of his sin to one that commemorated his victory, and
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Speaker 1: the fact that Jacob had prevailed with God was an
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Speaker 1: assurance that he would prevail with men. He no longer
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Speaker 1: feared to encounter his brother's anger, for the Lord was
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Speaker 1: his defense. Satan had accused Jacob before the angels of God,
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Speaker 1: claiming the right to destroy him because of his sin.
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Speaker 1: He had moved upon Esau to march against him, and
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Speaker 1: during the patriarch's long night of wrestling, Satan endeavored to
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Speaker 1: force upon him a sense of his guilt in order
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Speaker 1: to discourage him and break his hold upon God. Jacob
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Speaker 1: was driven almost to despair, but he knew that without
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Speaker 1: help from heaven, he must perish. He had sincerely repented
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Speaker 1: of his great sin, and he appealed to the mercy
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Speaker 1: of God. He would not be turned from his purpose,
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Speaker 1: but held fast the angel and urged his petition with
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Speaker 1: earnest agonizing cries until he prevailed. As Satan influenced Esau
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Speaker 1: to march against Jacob, so he will stir up the
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Speaker 1: wicked to destroy God's people in the time of trouble,
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Speaker 1: and as he accused Jacob, he will urge his accusations
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Speaker 1: against the people of God. He numbers the world as
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Speaker 1: his subjects, but the little company who keep the commandments
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Speaker 1: of God are resisting his supremacy. If he could blot
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Speaker 1: them from the earth, his triumph would be complete. He
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Speaker 1: sees that holy angels are guarding them, and he infers
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Speaker 1: that their sins have been pardoned, but he does not
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Speaker 1: know that their cases have been decided in the sanctuary
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Speaker 1: above He has an accurate knowledge of the sins which
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Speaker 1: he has tempted them to commit, and he presents these
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Speaker 1: before God in the most exaggerated light, representing this people
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Speaker 1: to be just as deserving as himself of exclusion from
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Speaker 1: the favor of God. He declares that the Lord cannot,
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Speaker 1: injustice forgive their sins and yet destroy him and his angels.
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Speaker 1: He claims them as his prey and demands that they
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Speaker 1: be given into his hands to destroy. As Satan accuses
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Speaker 1: the people of God on account of their sins, the
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Speaker 1: Lord permits him to try them to the uttermost their
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Speaker 1: confidence in God. Their faith and firmness will be severely tested.
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Speaker 1: As they review the past, their hope sink, for in
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Speaker 1: their whole lives they can see little good. They are
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Speaker 1: fully conscious of their weakness and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to
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Speaker 1: terrify them with the thought that their cases are hopeless,
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Speaker 1: that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away.
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Speaker 1: He hopes so to destroy their faith that they will
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Speaker 1: yield to his temptations and turn from their allegiance to God.
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Speaker 1: Though God's people will be surrounded by enemies who are
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Speaker 1: bent upon their destruction, Yet the anguish which they suffer
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Speaker 1: is not a dread of persecution. For the truth's sake.
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Speaker 1: They fear that every sin has not been repented of,
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Speaker 1: and that through some fault in themselves, they will fail
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Speaker 1: to realize the fulfillment of the Saviour's promise. I will
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Speaker 1: keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come
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Speaker 1: upon all the world. If they could have the assurance
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Speaker 1: of pardon, they would not shrink from torture or death.
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Speaker 1: But should they prove unworthy and lose their lives because
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Speaker 1: of their own defects of character, then God's holy name
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Speaker 1: would be reproached on every hand. They hear the plottings
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Speaker 1: of treason and see the active working of rebellion, and
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Speaker 1: there is a row within them an intense desire, an
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Speaker 1: earnest yearning of soul, that this great apostasy may be terminated,
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Speaker 1: and the wickedness of the wicked may come to an end.
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Speaker 1: But while they plead with God to stay the work
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Speaker 1: of rebellion, it is with a keen sense of self
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Speaker 1: reproach that they themselves have no more power to resist
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Speaker 1: and urge back the mighty tide of evil. They feel
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Speaker 1: that had they always employed all their ability in the
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Speaker 1: service of Christ. Going forward from strength to strength, Satan's
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Speaker 1: forces would have less power to prevail against them. They
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Speaker 1: afflict their souls before God, pointing to their past repentance
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Speaker 1: of their many sins, and pleading the Saviour's promise, let
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Speaker 1: him take hold of my strength that he may make
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Speaker 1: peace with me, and he shall make peace with me.
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Speaker 1: Their faith does not fail because their prayers are not
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Speaker 1: immediately answered. Though suffering the keenest anxiety, terror, and distress,
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Speaker 1: they do not cease their intercessions. They lay hold of
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Speaker 1: the strength of God as Jacob laid hold of the Angel,
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Speaker 1: and the language of their souls is, I will not
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Speaker 1: let thee go except thou bless me. Had not Jacob
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Speaker 1: previously repented of his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud,
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Speaker 1: God would not have heard his prayer and mercifully preserved
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Speaker 1: his life. So in the time of trouble, if the
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Speaker 1: people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them,
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Speaker 1: while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed.
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Speaker 1: Despair would cut off their faith, and they could not
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Speaker 1: have confidence to plead with God for deliverance. But while
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Speaker 1: they have a deep sense of their unworthiness. They have
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Speaker 1: no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins have gone beforehand
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Speaker 1: to judgment and have been blotted out, and they cannot
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Speaker 1: bring them to remembrance. Satan leads many to believe that
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Speaker 1: God will overlook their unfaithfulness in the minor affairs of life.
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Speaker 1: But the Lord shows in his dealings with Jacob that
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Speaker 1: he will in no wise sanction or tolerate evil. All
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Speaker 1: who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins and permit
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Speaker 1: them to remain upon the books of Heaven unconfessed and unforgiven,
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Speaker 1: will be overcome by Satan. The more exalted their profession,
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Speaker 1: and the more honorable the position which they hold, the
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Speaker 1: more grievous as their course in the sight of God,
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Speaker 1: and the more sure the triumph of their great adversary.
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Speaker 1: Those who delay a preparation for the day of God
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Speaker 1: cannot obtain it in the time of trouble or at
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Speaker 1: any subsequent time. The case of all such is hopeless.
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Speaker 1: Those professed Christians who come up to that last fearful
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Speaker 1: conflict unprepared, will, in their despair confess their sins in
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Speaker 1: words of burning anguish, While the wicked exult over their distress.
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Speaker 1: These confessions are of the same character as was that
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Speaker 1: of Esau or of Judas those who make them lament
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Speaker 1: the result of transgression, but not its guilt. They feel
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Speaker 1: no true contrition, no abhorrence of evil. They acknowledge their
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Speaker 1: sin through fear of punishment, but like Pharaoh of old,
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Speaker 1: they would return to their defiance of heaven should the
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Speaker 1: judgments be removed. Jacob's history is also an assurance that
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Speaker 1: God will not cast off those who have been deceived
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Speaker 1: and tempted and betrayed into sin, but who have returned
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Speaker 1: unto Him with true repentance. While Satan seeks to destroy
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Speaker 1: this class, God will send his angels to comfort and
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Speaker 1: protect them in the time of peril. The assaults of
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Speaker 1: Satan are fierce and determined. His delusions are terrible, but
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Speaker 1: the Lord's eye is upon his people, and his ear
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Speaker 1: listens to their cries. Their affliction is great. The flames
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Speaker 1: of the furnace seem about to consume them, but the
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Speaker 1: refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire.
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Speaker 1: God's love for his children during the period of their
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Speaker 1: severest trial is as strong and tender as in the
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Speaker 1: days of their sunniest prosperity, but it is needful for
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Speaker 1: them to be placed in the furnace of fire. Their
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Speaker 1: earthliness must be consumed that the image of Christ may
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Speaker 1: be perfectly reflected. The season of distress and anguish before
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Speaker 1: us will require a faith that can and endure weariness, delay,
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Speaker 1: and hunger, a faith that will not faint though severely tried.
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Speaker 1: The period of probation is granted to all to prepare
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Speaker 1: for that time. Jacob prevailed because he was persevering and determined.
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Speaker 1: His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate prayer.
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Speaker 1: All who will lay hold of God's promises as he did,
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Speaker 1: and be as earnest and persevering as he was, will
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Speaker 1: succeed as he succeeded. Those who are unwilling to deny self,
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Speaker 1: to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for
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Speaker 1: his blessing will not obtain it. Wrestling with God, how
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Speaker 1: few know what it is. How few have ever had
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Speaker 1: their souls drawn out after God with intensity of desire,
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Speaker 1: until every power is on the stretch, when waves of despair,
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Speaker 1: which no language can express, sweep over the suppliant. How
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Speaker 1: few cling with unyielding faith to the promises of God.
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Speaker 1: Those who exercise but little faith now are in the
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Speaker 1: greatest danger of fallen under the power of satanic delusions
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Speaker 1: and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if
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Speaker 1: they endure the test, they will be plunged into deeper
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Speaker 1: distress and anguish in the time of trouble because they
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Speaker 1: have never made it a habit to trust in God.
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Speaker 1: The lessons of faith which they have neglected, they will
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Speaker 1: be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of discouragement.
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Speaker 1: We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving his promises.
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Speaker 1: Angels record every prayer that is earnest and sincere. We
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Speaker 1: should rather dispense with selfish gratifications than neglect communion with God.
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Speaker 1: The deepest poverty, the greatest self denial with His approval
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Speaker 1: is better than riches, honors, ease, and friendship. Without it,
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Speaker 1: we must take time to pray. If we allow our
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Speaker 1: minds to be absorbed by worldly interests, the Lord may
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Speaker 1: give us time by removing from us our idols of gold,
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Speaker 1: of houses, or of fertile lands. The young would not
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Speaker 1: be seduced into sin if they would refuse to enter
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Speaker 1: any pass save that upon which they could ask God's blessing.
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Speaker 1: If the messengers who bear the last solemn warning to
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Speaker 1: the world would pray for the blessing of God, not
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Speaker 1: in a cold, listless, lazy manner, but fervently and in faith,
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Speaker 1: as did Jacob, they would find many places where they
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Speaker 1: could say, I have seen God face to face, and
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Speaker 1: my life is preserved. They would be accounted of Heaven
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Speaker 1: as princes, having power to prevail with God and with men.
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Speaker 1: The time of trouble such as never was, is soon
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Speaker 1: to open upon us, and we shall need an experience
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Speaker 1: which we do not now possess, and which many are
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Speaker 1: too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that
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Speaker 1: trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality. But this
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Speaker 1: is not true of the crisis before us. The most
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Speaker 1: vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In
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Speaker 1: that time of trial. Every soul must stand for himself
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Speaker 1: before God. Though Noah, Daniel and Job were in the land,
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Speaker 1: as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver
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Speaker 1: neither son nor daughter. They shall but deliver their own
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Speaker 1: souls by their righteousness. Now, while our great High Priest
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Speaker 1: is making the atonement for us, we should seek to
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Speaker 1: become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could
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Speaker 1: our Savior be brought to yield to the power of temptation.
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Speaker 1: Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can
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Speaker 1: gain a foothold, some sinful desire, is cherished by means
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Speaker 1: of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared
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Speaker 1: of himself the Prince of this world cometh and hath
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Speaker 1: nothing in me. Satan could find nothing in the Son
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Speaker 1: of God that would enable him to gain the victory.
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Speaker 1: He had kept his father's commandments, and there was no
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Speaker 1: sin in him that Satan could use to his advantage.
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Speaker 1: This is the condition in which those must be found
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Speaker 1: who shall stand in the time of trouble. It is
20:49
Speaker 1: in this life that we are to separate sin from
20:51
Speaker 1: us through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our
20:55
Speaker 1: precious Savior invites us to join ourselves to him, to
20:59
Speaker 1: unite our weakness to his strength, our ignorance to his wisdom,
21:03
Speaker 1: our unworthiness to his merits. God's providence is the school
21:07
Speaker 1: in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness
21:10
Speaker 1: of Jesus. The Lord is ever setting before us. Not
21:14
Speaker 1: the way we would choose which seems easier and pleasanter
21:17
Speaker 1: to us, but the true aims of life. It rests
21:21
Speaker 1: with us to co operate with the agencies which Heaven
21:23
Speaker 1: employs in the work of conforming our characters to the
21:26
Speaker 1: divine model. None can neglect or defer this work, but
21:30
Speaker 1: at the most fearful peril to their souls. The apostle
21:34
Speaker 1: John and Vision heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming,
21:38
Speaker 1: woe to the inhabitors of the earth and of the sea,
21:41
Speaker 1: for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
21:44
Speaker 1: because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
21:47
Speaker 1: Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from
21:50
Speaker 1: the heavenly voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his
21:54
Speaker 1: time grows short, and his work of deceit and destruction
21:57
Speaker 1: will reach its culmination. In the time of trouble, fearful
22:01
Speaker 1: sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in
22:04
Speaker 1: the heavens in token of the power of miracle working demons.
22:08
Speaker 1: The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings
22:11
Speaker 1: of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten
22:14
Speaker 1: them in deception and urge them on to unite with
22:16
Speaker 1: Satan in his last struggle against the government of Heaven.
22:21
Speaker 1: By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike. Deceived
22:25
Speaker 1: persons will arise, pretending to be Christ himself and claiming
22:29
Speaker 1: the title and worship which belong to the world's redeemer.
22:33
Speaker 1: They will perform wonderful miracles of healing, and will profess
22:36
Speaker 1: to have revelations from Heaven, contradicting the testimony of the scriptures.
22:41
Speaker 1: As the crowning act in the great drama of deception,
22:44
Speaker 1: Satan himself will personate Christ. The Church has long professed
22:49
Speaker 1: to look to the Saviour's advent as the consummation of
22:51
Speaker 1: her hopes. Now the great Deceiver will make it appear
22:55
Speaker 1: that Christ has come. In different parts of the earth.
22:59
Speaker 1: Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being
23:02
Speaker 1: of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of
23:06
Speaker 1: God given by John and the revelation. The glory that
23:09
Speaker 1: surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have
23:13
Speaker 1: yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air.
23:17
Speaker 1: Christ has come. Christ has come. The people prostrate themselves
23:22
Speaker 1: in adoration before him, while he lifts up his hands
23:25
Speaker 1: and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed his
23:28
Speaker 1: disciples when he was upon the earth. His voice is
23:32
Speaker 1: soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle, compassionate tones.
23:37
Speaker 1: He presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which
23:40
Speaker 1: the Savior uttered. He heals the diseases of the people,
23:43
Speaker 1: and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims
23:47
Speaker 1: to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday and commands all
23:50
Speaker 1: to hallow the day which he has blessed. He declares
23:54
Speaker 1: that those who persist in keeping wholly the seventh Day
23:57
Speaker 1: are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his
24:00
Speaker 1: angels sent to them with light and truth. This is
24:03
Speaker 1: the strong, almost overmastering delusion, like the Samaritans who were
24:08
Speaker 1: deceived by Simon Magus. The multitudes, from the least to
24:11
Speaker 1: the greatest, give heed to these sorceries, saying this is
24:15
Speaker 1: the great power of God. But the people of God
24:18
Speaker 1: will not be misled. The teachings of this false Christ
24:21
Speaker 1: are not in accordance with the scriptures. His blessing is
24:25
Speaker 1: pronounced upon the worshippers of the beast, and his image
24:28
Speaker 1: the very class upon whom the Bible declares that God's
24:31
Speaker 1: unmingled wrath shall be poured out. And furthermore, Satan is
24:35
Speaker 1: not permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ's advent. The
24:38
Speaker 1: Savior has warned his people against deception upon this point,
24:42
Speaker 1: and has clearly foretold the manner of his second coming.
24:46
Speaker 1: There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall
24:49
Speaker 1: show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible,
24:53
Speaker 1: they shall deceive the very elect. Wherefore, if they shall say,
24:57
Speaker 1: unto you, behold he is in the desert, go not fourth,
25:01
Speaker 1: behold he is in the secret chambers. Believe it not.
25:05
Speaker 1: For as the lightning cometh out of the east and
25:07
Speaker 1: shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming
25:11
Speaker 1: of the Son of Man be. This coming there is
25:14
Speaker 1: no possibility of counterfeiting. It will be universally known, witnessed
25:19
Speaker 1: by the whole world. Only those who have been diligent
25:23
Speaker 1: students of the scriptures and who have received the love
25:26
Speaker 1: of the truth, will be shielded from the powerful delusion
25:29
Speaker 1: that takes the world captive. By the Bible testimony, these
25:33
Speaker 1: will detect the deceiver in his disguise to all the
25:37
Speaker 1: testing time will come. By the sifting of temptation, the
25:41
Speaker 1: genuine Christian will be revealed. Are the people of God
25:44
Speaker 1: now so firmly established upon His word that they would
25:48
Speaker 1: not yield to the evidence of their senses? Would they
25:51
Speaker 1: in such a crisis cling to the Bible? And the
25:54
Speaker 1: Bible only Satan will, if possible, prevent them from obtaining
25:58
Speaker 1: a preparation to stand in that day. He will so
26:01
Speaker 1: arrange affairs as to hedge up their way, entangle them
26:05
Speaker 1: with earthly treasures, cause them to carry a heavy wearisome burden,
26:09
Speaker 1: that their hearts may be overcharged with the cares of
26:11
Speaker 1: this life, and the day of trial may come upon
26:14
Speaker 1: them as a thief. As the decree issued by the
26:17
Speaker 1: various rulers of Christendom against commandment keepers shall withdraw the
26:21
Speaker 1: protection of government and abandon them to those who desire
26:24
Speaker 1: their destruction. The people of God will flee from the
26:27
Speaker 1: cities and villages and associate together in companies dwelling in
26:31
Speaker 1: the most desolate and solitary places. Many will find refuge
26:36
Speaker 1: in the strongholds of the mountains. Like the Christians of
26:40
Speaker 1: the Piedmont Valleys. They will make the high places of
26:42
Speaker 1: the earth their sanctuaries, and will thank God for the
26:45
Speaker 1: munitions of rocks. But many of all nations, and of
26:49
Speaker 1: all classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white,
26:53
Speaker 1: will be cast into the most unjust and cruel bondage.
26:57
Speaker 1: The beloved of God pass weary days, bound in chains,
27:01
Speaker 1: shut in by prison bars, sentenced to be slain, some
27:05
Speaker 1: apparently loved to die of starvation in dark and loathesome dungeons.
27:10
Speaker 1: No human ear is open to hear their moans, No
27:12
Speaker 1: human hand is ready to lend them help. Will the
27:16
Speaker 1: Lord forget his people in this trying hour? Did he
27:20
Speaker 1: forget faithful Noah when judgments were visited upon the antediluvian world?
27:25
Speaker 1: Did he forget Lot when the fire came down from
27:27
Speaker 1: heaven to consume the cities of the plain. Did he
27:30
Speaker 1: forget Joseph surrounded by idolaters in Egypt? Did he forget
27:35
Speaker 1: Elijah when the oath of Jezebel threatened him with the
27:37
Speaker 1: fate of the prophets of Bale? Did he forget Jeremiah
27:41
Speaker 1: in the dark and dismal pit of his prison house?
27:45
Speaker 1: Did he forget the Three worthies in the fiery furnace
27:47
Speaker 1: or Daniel in the den of Lions. Zion said, Jehovah
27:52
Speaker 1: hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can
27:55
Speaker 1: a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not
27:58
Speaker 1: have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they
28:00
Speaker 1: may forget, Yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I
28:04
Speaker 1: have graven THEE upon the palms of my hands. The
28:08
Speaker 1: Lord of Hosts has said, he that toucheth you, toucheth
28:11
Speaker 1: the apple of his eye. Though enemies may thrust them
28:15
Speaker 1: into prison, yet dungeon walls cannot cut off the communication
28:18
Speaker 1: between their souls and Christ. One who sees their every weakness,
28:23
Speaker 1: who is acquainted with every trial, is above all earthly
28:26
Speaker 1: powers and angels will come to them in lonely cells,
28:29
Speaker 1: bringing light and peace from heaven. The prison will be
28:33
Speaker 1: as a palace for the rich in faith dwell there,
28:36
Speaker 1: and the gloomy walls will be lighted up with heavenly light,
28:39
Speaker 1: as when Paul and Silas prayed and sung praises at
28:41
Speaker 1: midnight in the Philippian dungeon. God's judgments will be visited
28:46
Speaker 1: upon those who are seeking to oppress and destroy his people.
28:50
Speaker 1: His long forbearance with the wicked emboldens men in transgression,
28:54
Speaker 1: but their punishment is none the less certain and terrible
28:56
Speaker 1: because it is long delayed. The Lord shall rise as
29:00
Speaker 1: in Mount Parisin. He shall be wroth, as in the
29:03
Speaker 1: valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his
29:06
Speaker 1: strange work, and bring to pass his act, his strange
29:09
Speaker 1: act to our merciful God. The act of punishment is
29:13
Speaker 1: a strange act. As I live, saith the Lord God,
29:17
Speaker 1: I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
29:20
Speaker 1: The Lord is merciful and gracious, long suffering, and abundant
29:24
Speaker 1: in goodness and truth, for giving iniquity and transgression and sin.
29:29
Speaker 1: Yet he will by no means clear the guilty. The
29:32
Speaker 1: Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and
29:35
Speaker 1: will not at all acquit the wicked by terrible things.
29:38
Speaker 1: In righteousness, he will vindicate the authority of his downtrodden law.
29:42
Speaker 1: The severity of the retribution awaiting the transgressor may be
29:46
Speaker 1: judged by the Lord's reluctance to execute justice. The nation
29:51
Speaker 1: with which he bears long, and which he will not
29:53
Speaker 1: smite until it has filled up the measure of its iniquity.
29:56
Speaker 1: In God's account, will finally drink the cup of wrath
29:59
Speaker 1: unmixed with mer. When Christ ceases his intercession in the sanctuary,
30:04
Speaker 1: the unmingled wrath threatened against those who worship the Beast
30:07
Speaker 1: and his image and receive his mark will be poured out.
30:11
Speaker 1: The plagues upon Egypt when God was about to deliver
30:14
Speaker 1: Israel were similar in character to those more terrible and
30:17
Speaker 1: extensive judgments which are to fall upon the world just
30:20
Speaker 1: before the final deliverance of God's people, says the Revelator
30:25
Speaker 1: in describing those terrific scourges. There fell a noisome and
30:29
Speaker 1: grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of
30:31
Speaker 1: the Beast, and upon them which worshiped his image. The
30:35
Speaker 1: sea became as the blood of a dead man, and
30:37
Speaker 1: every living soul died in the sea, and the rivers
30:41
Speaker 1: and fountains of waters became blood. Terrible as these inflictions are,
30:45
Speaker 1: God's justice stands fully vindicated. The Angel of God declares,
30:51
Speaker 1: thou art righteous, o Lord, because thou hast judged thus,
30:55
Speaker 1: for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets,
30:57
Speaker 1: and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they
31:00
Speaker 1: are worthy. By condemning the people of God to death.
31:04
Speaker 1: They have as truly incurred the guilt of their blood,
31:06
Speaker 1: as if it had been shed by their hands. In
31:10
Speaker 1: like manner, Christ declared the Jews of his time guilty
31:13
Speaker 1: of all the blood of holy men which had been
31:15
Speaker 1: shed since the days of Abel, for they possessed the
31:18
Speaker 1: same spirit and were seeking to do the same work
31:21
Speaker 1: with these murderers of the prophets. In the plague that follows,
31:25
Speaker 1: power is given to the sun to scorch men with fire,
31:28
Speaker 1: and men were scorched with great heat. The prophets thus
31:32
Speaker 1: describe the condition of the earth at this fearful time.
31:35
Speaker 1: The land mourneth because the harvest of the field is perished.
31:39
Speaker 1: All the trees of the field are withered, because joy
31:42
Speaker 1: is withered away from the sons of men. The seed
31:46
Speaker 1: is rotten under their cloths. The garners are laid desolate.
31:50
Speaker 1: How do the beasts groan? The herds of cattle are
31:53
Speaker 1: perplexed because they have no pasture. The rivers of waters
31:57
Speaker 1: are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pasture
32:00
Speaker 1: of the wilderness. The songs of the temple shall be howlings.
32:04
Speaker 1: In that day, saith the Lord God. There shall be
32:06
Speaker 1: many dead bodies in every place. They shall cast them
32:09
Speaker 1: forth with silence. These plagues are not universal, or the
32:14
Speaker 1: inhabitants of the earth would be wholly cut off. Yet
32:17
Speaker 1: they will be the most awful scourges that have ever
32:20
Speaker 1: been known to mortals. All the judgments upon men prior
32:24
Speaker 1: to the close of probation have been mingled with mercy.
32:28
Speaker 1: The pleading blood of Christ has shielded the sinner from
32:31
Speaker 1: receiving the full measure of his guilt. But in the
32:34
Speaker 1: final judgment, wrath is poured out, unmixed with mercy. In
32:38
Speaker 1: that day multitudes will desire the shelter of God's mercy,
32:42
Speaker 1: which they have so long despised. Behold the days come,
32:46
Speaker 1: Saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine
32:49
Speaker 1: in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a
32:51
Speaker 1: thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
32:55
Speaker 1: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from
32:57
Speaker 1: the north even to the east. They shall run to
33:00
Speaker 1: and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and
33:02
Speaker 1: shall not find it. The people of God will not
33:05
Speaker 1: be free from suffering, but while persecuted and distressed, while
33:09
Speaker 1: they endure privation and suffer for want of food, they
33:12
Speaker 1: will not be left to perish. That God who cared
33:16
Speaker 1: for Elijah will not pass by one of his self
33:18
Speaker 1: sacrificing children. He who numbers the hairs of their head
33:22
Speaker 1: will care for them. And in time of famine they
33:25
Speaker 1: shall be satisfied. While the wicked are dying from hunger
33:29
Speaker 1: and pestilence. Angels will shield the righteous and supply their wants.
33:34
Speaker 1: To him that walketh righteously. Is the promise bread shall
33:37
Speaker 1: be given him. His waters shall be sure. When the
33:40
Speaker 1: poor and needy seek water and there is none, and
33:43
Speaker 1: their tongue faileth for thirst. I the Lord will hear them. I,
33:46
Speaker 1: the God of Israel, will not forsake them. Although the
33:50
Speaker 1: fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in
33:53
Speaker 1: the vines. The labor of the olive shall fail, and
33:56
Speaker 1: the fields shall yield no meat. The flock shall be
33:58
Speaker 1: cut off from the fold, and there shall be no
34:01
Speaker 1: herd in the stalls. Yet shall they that fear him
34:03
Speaker 1: rejoice in the Lord and joy in the God of
34:06
Speaker 1: their salvation. The Lord is thy keeper, The Lord is
34:10
Speaker 1: thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not
34:13
Speaker 1: smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The
34:17
Speaker 1: Lord shall preserve thee from all evil. He shall preserve
34:20
Speaker 1: thy soul. He shall deliver thee from the snare of
34:23
Speaker 1: the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover
34:27
Speaker 1: thee with his feathers, and under his wings. Shalt thou trust.
34:31
Speaker 1: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt
34:35
Speaker 1: not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for
34:37
Speaker 1: the arrow that flieth by day, nor for the pestilence
34:40
Speaker 1: that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth
34:44
Speaker 1: at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and
34:48
Speaker 1: ten thousand of thy right hand, but it shall not
34:50
Speaker 1: come thy thee. Only with thine eyes, shalt thou behold
34:54
Speaker 1: and see the reward of the wicked, Because thou hast
34:57
Speaker 1: made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most
35:00
Speaker 1: high thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee. Neither
35:04
Speaker 1: shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. Yet to human
35:08
Speaker 1: sight it will appear that the people of God must
35:10
Speaker 1: soon seal their testimony with their blood, as did the
35:13
Speaker 1: martyrs before them. They themselves begin to fear that the
35:17
Speaker 1: Lord has left them to fall by the hand of
35:19
Speaker 1: their enemies. It is a time of fearful agony. Day
35:23
Speaker 1: and night, they cry unto God for deliverance. The wicked
35:27
Speaker 1: exult and the jeering cry is heard. Where now is
35:30
Speaker 1: your faith? Why does not God deliver you out of
35:33
Speaker 1: our hands? If you are indeed His people? But the
35:36
Speaker 1: waiting ones remember Jesus dying upon Calvary's cross, and the
35:40
Speaker 1: chief priests and rulers shouting in mockery. He saved others
35:44
Speaker 1: himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel.
35:48
Speaker 1: Let him now come down from the cross, and we
35:50
Speaker 1: will believe him. Like Jacob, all are rustling with God.
35:54
Speaker 1: Their countenances express their internal struggle. Paleness sits upon every face.
36:00
Speaker 1: Yet they cease not their earnest intercession. Could men see
36:04
Speaker 1: with heavenly vision, they would behold companies of angels that
36:07
Speaker 1: excel in strength, stationed about those who have kept the
36:10
Speaker 1: word of Christ's patience with sympathizing tenderness. Angels have witnessed
36:15
Speaker 1: their distress and have heard their prayers. They are waiting
36:19
Speaker 1: the word of their commander to snatch them from their peril.
36:22
Speaker 1: But they must wait yet a little longer. The people
36:26
Speaker 1: of God must drink of the cup and be baptized.
36:28
Speaker 1: With the baptism. The very delay, so painful to them,
36:32
Speaker 1: is the best answer to their petitions. As they endeavor
36:36
Speaker 1: to wait trustingly for the Lord to work, they are
36:39
Speaker 1: led to exercise faith, hope, and patience, which have been
36:43
Speaker 1: too little exercised during their religious experience. Yet, for the
36:47
Speaker 1: elect's sake, the time of trouble will be shortened. Shall
36:51
Speaker 1: not God avenge his own elect which cry day and
36:53
Speaker 1: night unto him? I tell you that He will avenge
36:56
Speaker 1: them speedily. The end will come more quickly than men expect.
37:01
Speaker 1: The wheat will be gathered and bound in sheaves for
37:03
Speaker 1: the garner of God. The tears will be bound as
37:06
Speaker 1: faggots for the fires of destruction. The heavenly sentinels, faithful
37:11
Speaker 1: to their trust, continue their watch. Though a general decree
37:15
Speaker 1: has fixed the time when commandment keepers may be put
37:18
Speaker 1: to death. Their enemies will, in some cases anticipate the decree,
37:22
Speaker 1: and before the time specified, will endeavor to take their lives.
37:26
Speaker 1: But none can pass the mighty guardians stationed about every
37:29
Speaker 1: faithful soul. Some are assailed in their flight from the
37:33
Speaker 1: cities and villages, but the swords raised against them break
37:36
Speaker 1: and fall as powerless as a straw. Others are defended
37:40
Speaker 1: by angels in the form of men of war. In
37:43
Speaker 1: all ages, God has wrought through holy angels for the
37:46
Speaker 1: succor and deliverance of his people. Celestial beings have taken
37:50
Speaker 1: an active part in the affairs of men. They have
37:53
Speaker 1: appeared clothed in garments that shown as the lightning. They
37:57
Speaker 1: have come as men in the garb of wayfarers. Angels
38:01
Speaker 1: have appeared in human form to men of God. They
38:04
Speaker 1: have rested as if weary, under the oaks at noon.
38:07
Speaker 1: They have accepted the hospitalities of human homes. They have
38:11
Speaker 1: acted as guides to be knighted travelers. They have with
38:15
Speaker 1: their own hands kindled the fires of the altar. They
38:18
Speaker 1: have opened prison doors and set free the servants of
38:21
Speaker 1: the Lord. Clothed with the panoply of heaven, they came
38:25
Speaker 1: to roll away the stone from the Saviour's tomb in
38:29
Speaker 1: the form of men. Angels are often in the assemblies
38:31
Speaker 1: of the righteous, and they visit the assemblies of the wicked,
38:34
Speaker 1: as they went to Sodom to make a record of
38:37
Speaker 1: their deeds, to determine whether they have passed the boundary
38:40
Speaker 1: of God's forbearance. The Lord delights in mercy, and for
38:44
Speaker 1: the sake of a few who really serve him, he
38:46
Speaker 1: restrains calamities and prolongs the tranquility of multitudes. Little do
38:52
Speaker 1: sinners against God realize that they are indebted for their
38:55
Speaker 1: own lives to the faithful few, whom they delight to
38:58
Speaker 1: ridicule and oppress, though the rulers of this world know
39:02
Speaker 1: it not yet. Often in their counsels, angels have been spokesmen.
39:07
Speaker 1: Human eyes have looked upon them, Human ears have listened
39:10
Speaker 1: to their appeals. Human lips have opposed their suggestions and
39:14
Speaker 1: ridiculed their counsels. Human hands have met them with insult
39:18
Speaker 1: and abuse. In the council hall and the court of justice,
39:22
Speaker 1: these heavenly messengers have shown an intimate acquaintance with human history.
39:27
Speaker 1: They have proved themselves better able to plead the cause
39:29
Speaker 1: of the oppressed than were their ablest and most eloquent defenders.
39:34
Speaker 1: They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would have
39:37
Speaker 1: greatly retarded the work of God and would have caused
39:40
Speaker 1: great suffering to his people. In the hour of peril
39:44
Speaker 1: and distress, the Angel of the Lord in campeth round
39:47
Speaker 1: about them that fear him and delivereth them with earnest longing.
39:52
Speaker 1: God's people await the tokens of their coming king. As
39:56
Speaker 1: the watchmen are accosted, what of the night, The answer
39:59
Speaker 1: is given on falteringly. The morning cometh, and also the
40:02
Speaker 1: night light is gleaming upon the clouds above the mountain tops.
40:07
Speaker 1: Soon there will be a revealing of his glory. The
40:10
Speaker 1: sun of righteousness is about to shine forth. The morning
40:14
Speaker 1: and the night are both at hand, the opening of
40:16
Speaker 1: endless day to the righteous, the settling down of eternal
40:19
Speaker 1: night to the wicket. As the rustling ones urge their
40:23
Speaker 1: petitions before God, the veil separating them from the unseen
40:27
Speaker 1: seems almost withdrawn. The heavens glow with the dawning of
40:31
Speaker 1: eternal day, and like the melody of angel songs, the
40:34
Speaker 1: words fall upon the ear. Stand fast to your allegiance.
40:38
Speaker 1: Help is coming. Christ. The almighty Victor holds out to
40:42
Speaker 1: his weary soldiers a crown of immortal glory, and his
40:45
Speaker 1: voice comes from the gates, ajar, Lo, I am with you.
40:49
Speaker 1: Be not afraid. I am acquainted with all your sorrows.
40:52
Speaker 1: I have borne your briefs. You are not warring against
40:56
Speaker 1: untried enemies, I have fought the battle in your behalf,
41:00
Speaker 1: and in my name, you are more than conquerors. The
41:03
Speaker 1: precious Savior will send help just when we need it.
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Speaker 1: The way to Heaven is consecrated by his footprints. Every
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Speaker 1: thorn that wounds our feet has wounded his. Every cross
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Speaker 1: that we are called to bear, he has borne before us.
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Speaker 1: The Lord permits conflicts to prepare the soul for peace.
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Speaker 1: The time of trouble is a fearful ordeal for God's people,
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Speaker 1: But it is the time for every true believer to
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Speaker 1: look up, and by faith he may see the bow
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Speaker 1: of promise encircling him. The Redeemed of the Lord shall
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Speaker 1: return and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy
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Speaker 1: shall be upon their head. They shall obtain gladness and joy,
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Speaker 1: and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Ay, even I
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Speaker 1: am he that comforteth you, who art thou that thou
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Speaker 1: shouldst be afraid of a man that shall die, and
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Speaker 1: of the son of man which shall be made as grass,
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Speaker 1: And forgettest the Lord thy maker, and hast feared continually
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Speaker 1: every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as
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Speaker 1: if he were ready to destroy. And where is the
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Speaker 1: fury of the oppressor. The captive exile hasteneth that he
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Speaker 1: may be loosed, and that he should not die in
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Speaker 1: the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I
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Speaker 1: am the Lord, thy God that divided the sea, whose
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Speaker 1: waves roared, The Lord of hosts is his name, And
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Speaker 1: I have put my words in thy mouth, and I
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Speaker 1: have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand. Therefore
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Speaker 1: hear now this, thou afflicted and drunken, but not with wine.
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Speaker 1: Thus saith thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God that pleadeth
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Speaker 1: the cause of his people. Behold, I have taken out
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Speaker 1: of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs
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Speaker 1: of the cup of my fury. Thou shalt no more
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Speaker 1: drink it again, But I will put it into the
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Speaker 1: hand of them that afflict thee, which have said to
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Speaker 1: thy soul, bow down, that we may go over. And
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Speaker 1: thou hast slaid thy body as the ground and as
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Speaker 1: the street to them that went over. The eye of
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Speaker 1: God looking down the ages was fixed upon the crisis
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Speaker 1: which his people are to meet. When earthly powers shall
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Speaker 1: be arrayed against them, Like the captive exile, they will
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Speaker 1: be in fear of death by starvation or by violence.
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Speaker 1: But the Holy One, who divided the Red Sea before Israel,
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Speaker 1: will manifest his mighty power and turn their captivity. They
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Speaker 1: shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that
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Speaker 1: day when I make up my jewels, and I will
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Speaker 1: spare them as a man spareth his own son that
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Speaker 1: serveth him. If the blood of Christ's faithful witnesses were
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Speaker 1: shed at this time, it would not like the blood
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Speaker 1: of the martyrs be as seeds sown to yield a
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Speaker 1: harvest for God. Their fidelity would not be a testimony
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Speaker 1: to convince others of the truth, for the obdurate Heart
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Speaker 1: has beaten back the waves of mercy until they return
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Speaker 1: no more. If the righteous were now left to fall
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Speaker 1: a prey to their enemies, it would be a triumph
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Speaker 1: for the Prince of darkness, says the Psalmist. In the
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Speaker 1: time of trouble, he shall hide me in his pavilion,
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Speaker 1: in the secret of his tabernacle, shall he hide me.
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Speaker 1: Christ has spoken, Come my people, Enter thou into thy chambers,
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Speaker 1: and shut thy doors about thee Hide thyself, as it were,
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Speaker 1: for a little moment, until the indignation be overpassed. For behold,
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Speaker 1: the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the
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Speaker 1: inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. Glorious will be
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Speaker 1: the deliverance of those who have patiently waited for his coming,
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Speaker 1: and whose names are written in the Book of Life.
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Speaker 1: End of Chapter thirty nine.