Sabbath, September 25, 2010

“I was shown that a terrible condition of things exists in our world. The angel of mercy is folding her wings, ready to depart. Already the Lord’s restraining power is being withdrawn from the earth, and Satan is seeking to stir up the various elements in the religious world, leading men to place themselves under the training of the great deceiver, who work with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in the children of disobedience. Already the inhabitants of the earth are marshaling under the leading of the prince of darkness, and this is but the beginning of the end.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 49.

Destructive winds

1. What events are taking place under satanic cover?
Revelation 11:18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
Matthew 24:6, 7 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

“Satan delights in war, for it excites the worst passions of the soul and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his object to incite the nations to war against one another, for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God.” –The Great Controversy, p. 589.

Fatal influences

2. Is this limited to loss of life in war? How are the minds and souls of multitudes being corrupted?
2 Corinthians 11:14, 15 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

“If men resist the warnings the Lord sends them, they become even leaders in evil practice; such men assume to exercise the prerogatives of God–they presume to do that which God Himself will not do in seeking to control the minds of men. They introduce their own methods and plans, and through their misconceptions of God they weaken the faith of others in the truth, and bring in false principles that will work like leaven to taint and corrupt our institutions and churches. Anything that lowers man’s conception of righteousness and equity and impartial judgment, any device or precept that brings God’s human agents under the control of human minds, impairs their faith in God; it separates the soul from God; for it leads away from the path of strict integrity and righteousness.” –Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 366.

3. What will Satan achieve under the cover of spiritualism?
Isaiah 8:12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.

“Church members love what the world loves and are ready to join with them, and Satan determines to unite them in one body and thus strengthen his cause by sweeping all into the ranks of spiritualism. Papists, who boast of miracles as a certain sign of the true church, will be readily deceived by this wonder-working power; and Protestants, having cast away the shield of truth, will also be deluded. Papists, Protestants, and worldlings will alike accept the form of godliness without the power, and they will see in this union a grand movement for the conversion of the world and the ushering in of the long-expected millennium.” –The Great Controversy, pp. 588, 589.

The truth darkened

4. What has been diminished? What is rarely heard any more?
John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
2 Thessalonians 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2 Timothy 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

“There are but two parties. Satan works with his crooked, deceiving power, and through strong delusions he catches all who do not abide in the truth, who have turned away their ears from the truth and have turned unto fables. Satan himself abode not in the truth; he is the mystery of iniquity. Through his subtlety he gives to his soul-destroying errors the appearance of truth. Herein is their power to deceive. It is because they are a counterfeit of the truth that spiritualism, theosophy, and the like deceptions gain such power over the minds of men. Herein is the masterly working of Satan. He pretends to be the saviour of man, the benefactor of the human race, and thus he more readily lures his victims to destruction.” –Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 365.

The Protestant churches have completely lost the determined spirit of the old Reformers: “Here I stand. I can do no other; may God help me. Amen.” They are no longer grounded on faith in Jesus. They all say: “We are all alike; we have the same God,” etc. Even the Catholic Church says this. According to them, everyone is saved. All such churches and sects are based on false miracles.

Steps toward confederation

5. What was the result of the World Council of Churches meeting in Evanston, Illinois, USA, in 1954, where 163 Protestant and Orthodox churches and sects were represented? Are efforts still being made for unification?
Psalm 83:3 They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.
Psalm 56:6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

One of the main speakers at the World Council of Churches gathering in Evanston, Illinois, on January 16, 1955, clearly described the efforts made to unite all churches. He also pointed out that the church and the state should not be separated. He emphatically declared that by observing Sunday and attending church services on that day communism would be kept at bay. For this reason he appealed to all to join the “Lord’s Day Alliance” and require the minority (who keep another day) to do the same by means of law (Sunday law).

6. What will soon happen? Who is already laying the foundation for this?
Revelation 13:12-18 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

“The Protestants of the United States will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of Spiritualism; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.” –The Great Controversy, p. 588.

We know about the efforts that Rome is continually making to unite with the Protestant churches, their many sects, and non-Christian religions.

“The people turned upon their ministers with bitter hate and reproached them, saying, ‘You have not warned us. You told us that all the world was to be converted, and cried, Peace, peace, to quiet every fear that was aroused. You have not told us of this hour; and those who warned us of it you declared to be fanatics and evil men, who would ruin us.’ But I saw that the ministers did not escape the wrath of God. Their suffering was tenfold greater than that of their people.” –Early Writings, p. 282.

Call to preparation

7. What should we do now while there is still time?
Matthew 26:38-46 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.

“In the warning to ‘watch and pray,’ Jesus has indicated the only safe course. There is need of watchfulness. Our own hearts are deceitful; we are compassed with the weaknesses and frailties of humanity, and Satan is intent to destroy. We may be off our guard, but our adversary is never idle. Knowing his tireless vigilance, let us not sleep, as do others, but ‘watch and be sober.’ The spirit and influence of the world must be met, but they must not be allowed to take possession of the mind and heart….

“We are living in an age when all should especially give heed to the injunction of the Saviour: ‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.’ Let everyone bear in mind that he should be true and loyal to God, believing the truth, growing in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ…. The Lord is willing to help us, to strengthen and bless us; but we must pass through the refining process until all the impurities in our character are burned away. Every member of the church will be subjected to the furnace, not to consume, but to purify.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, pp. 409, 485.

For meditation

“I call upon you who are not ready for the last great controversy to wake up. You are not watching for that which is soon coming upon the earth. Human instrumentalities under the control of fallen angels, are seeking to gather in their harvest. Those who would find themselves under the protection of the angels of God must live wholly for God’s glory, prepared to stand in their lot and in their place. They are to be faithful and true, even as Daniel was, a man called by the Lord, ‘greatly beloved,’ a man who felt the need of praying and confessing his sins. Those who do as Daniel did are not asleep, but are keenly alive to their exposure to the enemy’s malignant devices. They see that their only safety is in keeping the commandments of God. They pray as Daniel prayed, confessing their sins and finding pardon.” –Manuscript Releases, vol. 11, p. 104.