PART 9
THREE ANGELS' MESSAGES OF REVELATION 14
By condemning the people of God to death, they have as truly incurred the guilt of their blood as if it had been shed by their hands. In like manner Christ declared the Jews of His time guilty of all the blood of holy men which had been shed since the days of Abel; for they possessed the same spirit and were seeking to do the same work with these murderers of the prophets.
"When our nation, in its legislative councils, shall enact laws to bind the consciences of men in regard to their religious privileges, enforcing Sunday observance, and bringing oppressive power to bear against those who keep the seventh-day Sabbath, the law of God will, to all intents and purposes, be made void in our land; and national apostasy will be followed by national ruin.
"The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and national apostasy will be registered in the books of heaven.
"When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with Spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and Republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan, and that the end is near.
"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 (on earth). [Many interpret scriptures differently than what Jesus taught. Click here to find out the truth about the Millennium - where it would be spent.]
"It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday-sabbath; that this sin had brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.
"Those who honor the bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment-keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be placed upon their motives.
"The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that all, 'both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond' (Rev 13:16), shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death.
"The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob's trouble. Jeremiah 30:5-7.
THREE ANGELS' MESSAGES OF REVELATION 14
By condemning the people of God to death, they have as truly incurred the guilt of their blood as if it had been shed by their hands. In like manner Christ declared the Jews of His time guilty of all the blood of holy men which had been shed since the days of Abel; for they possessed the same spirit and were seeking to do the same work with these murderers of the prophets.
"When our nation, in its legislative councils, shall enact laws to bind the consciences of men in regard to their religious privileges, enforcing Sunday observance, and bringing oppressive power to bear against those who keep the seventh-day Sabbath, the law of God will, to all intents and purposes, be made void in our land; and national apostasy will be followed by national ruin.
"The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and national apostasy will be registered in the books of heaven.
"When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with Spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and Republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan, and that the end is near.
"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 (on earth). [Many interpret scriptures differently than what Jesus taught. Click here to find out the truth about the Millennium - where it would be spent.]
"It will be declared that men are offending God by the violation of the Sunday-sabbath; that this sin had brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced; and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the people, preventing their restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity.
"Those who honor the bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as breaking down the moral restraints of society, causing anarchy and corruption, and calling down the judgments of God upon the earth. Their conscientious scruples will be pronounced obstinacy, stubbornness, and contempt of authority. They will be accused of disaffection toward the government. Ministers who deny the obligation of the divine law will present from the pulpit the duty of yielding obedience to the civil authorities as ordained of God. In legislative halls and courts of justice, commandment-keepers will be misrepresented and condemned. A false coloring will be given to their words; the worst construction will be placed upon their motives.
"The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that all, 'both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond' (Rev 13:16), shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death.
"The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob's trouble. Jeremiah 30:5-7.
The decree which is to go forth against the people of God will be very similar to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews in the time of Esther. As the decree issued by the various rulers of Christendom against commandment-keepers shall withdraw the protection of government, and abandon them to those who desire their destruction, the people of God will flee from the cities and villages and associate together in companies, dwelling in the most desolate and solitary places. God's people will search their hearts to see if there are any sins unconfessed. They lift up their voices in confession and repentance.
"Many will find refuge in the strongholds of the mountains...But many of all nations, and of all classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white, will be cast into the most unjust and cruel bondage. The beloved of God pass weary days, bound in chains, shut in by prison bars, sentenced to be slain, some apparently left to die of starvation in dark and loathsome dungeons. No human ear is open to hear their moans; no human hand is ready to lend them help...Though enemies may thrust them into prison, yet dungeon walls cannot cut off the communication between their souls and Christ. One who sees their every weakness, who is acquainted with every trial, is above all earthly powers; and angels will come to them in lonely cells, bringing light and peace from heaven.
"The people of God--some in prison cells, some hidden in solitary retreats in the forests and the mountains--still plead for divine protection, while in every quarter companies of armed men, urged on by hosts of evil angels, are preparing for the work of death. It is now, in the hour of utmost extremity, that the God of Israel will interpose for the deliverance of His chosen.
"With shouts of triumph, jeering, and imprecation, throngs of evil men are about to rush upon their prey, when, lo, a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night, falls upon the earth...It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up, and clash against each other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribably glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying, 'It is done.'
"That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, 'such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.' Rev 16:17,18. The firmament appears to open and shut. The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through. The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of the hurricane, like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction. The whole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. Its very foundations seem to be giving way.
"Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness, are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the Great has come in remembrance before God, 'to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.' Rev 16:19, 21. Great hailstones, every one 'about the weight of a talent,' are doing their work of destruction. The proudest cities of the earth are laid low. The lordly palaces, upon which the world's great men have lavished their wealth in order to glorify themselves, are crumbling to ruin before their eyes. Prison walls are rent asunder, and God's people, who have been held in bondage for their faith, are set free." --The Great Controversy.
"At the day of judgment there comes to the lost a full realization of the meaning of the sacrifice made on Calvary. They see what they have lost by refusing to be loyal. They think of the high, pure association it was their privilege to gain. But it is too late. The last call has been made. The wail is heard: 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved' (Jer 8:20).'" --Testimonies, vol 7, page 17.
Continuing with The Great Controversy:
"There appears against the sky a hand holding two tables of stone folded together. Says the prophet: 'The heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself' (Ps 50:6). That holy law, God's righteousness, that amid thunder and flame was proclaimed from Sinai as the guide of life, is now revealed to men as the rule of judgment. The hand opens the tables, and there are seen the precepts of the Decalogue, traced as with a pen of fire. The words are so plain that all can read them. Memory is aroused, the darkness of superstition and heresy is swept from every mind, and God's ten words, brief, comprehensive, and authoritative, are presented to the view of all the inhabitants of the earth." --The Great Controversy.
"Many of the wicked were greatly enraged as they suffered the effects of the plagues. It was a scene of fearful agony. Parents were bitterly reproaching their children, and children their parents, brothers their sisters, and sisters their brothers. Loud, wailing cries were heard in every direction, 'It was you who kept me from receiving the truth which would have saved me from this awful hour'
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.'" --Early Writings, page 282.
Continuing from The Great Controversy:
"The people see that they have been deluded. They accuse one another of having led them to destruction; but all united in heaping their bitterest condemnation upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have prophesied smooth things; they have led their hearers to make void the law of God and to persecute those who would keep it holy. Now, in their despair, these teachers confess before the world their work of deception. The multitudes are filled with fury. 'We are lost!' they cry, 'and you are the cause of our ruin;' and they turn upon the false shepherds. The very ones that once admired them most, will pronounce the most dreadful curses upon them. The very hands that once crowned them with laurels, will be raise for their destruction. The swords which were to slay God's people, are now employed to destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and bloodshed.
"NOTE: Here it is said that at midnight God will deliver His people. It was at midnight that God interposed to deliver Israel from Egypt. (Exo 12:29,30) Immediately after the pronouncement 'It is done' the seventh plague follows. (See Job 34:20).
"After the saints had been delivered by the voice of God, the wicked multitude turned their rage upon one another. The earth seemed to be deluged with blood, and dead bodies were from one end of it to the other (Jer 25:30-38).
"Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour, and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness.
"The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of Man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant, Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror." --The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G. White.
The issuance of death decrees over worship is nothing new. The first recorded one was when Cain slew his brother Abel. There was a death decree in the time of Esther when Mordecai wouldn't bow down to Haman because he only bowed to Jehovah God. His faithfulness and devotion to God enraged Satan and caused Haman to issue a death decree to exterminate the whole Jewish nation.
There was a death decree over worship in the time of the three Hebrew worthies who wouldn't bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. There was a death decree in the time of Daniel who was thrown into the lions' den. And if you're following the flow of history and biblical prophecy, expect a final death decree to happen soon.
The great controversy between Christ and Satan began in heaven over the Law of God. This battle continues to be waged in the minds and hearts of God's people today who are making decisions daily whom they would serve. If you would like to get the complete book, The Great Controversy, free of charge, please send your request to the following address:
Three Angels' MessagesP. O. Box 9167Fleming Island, FL 32006
In conclusion I like the bring up the story again of Cain and Abel. When we understand what happened with these two brothers, we would understand everything else that happened in the world leading up to the resurrection of persecution in this country when church and state are combined.
Cain and Abel represented two kinds of worshippers--two kinds of characters. They worshipped the same God. They sacrificed to the same God. They talked and listened to the same God. But Cain wanted to do his own thing. He wanted to worship God on his own terms, not God's. He was disobedient to the commandments of God. Abel was obedient and worshipped God on God's terms. Cain slew his brother. This was the first battle of Armageddon. The battle was spirititual in nature--the forces of evil against the forces of good.
During the Dark Ages, religious people (Christians) persecuted other Christians. In Jesus' day, religious people persecuted Him and then had Him killed. The same thing would happen to His followers in the end.
In this letter, the cosmic curtain was drawn aside, and you saw a glimpse of what would transpire upon this world before too long. The prophecy in Dan 12:1 would be fulfilled: "...There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." See also Matt 24:9, 21.
In the end, there would be two kinds of worshippers and two kinds of characters. One would be obedient to ALL of God's commandments; the other would do their own thing and persecute the true worshippers of Jehovah God thinking they're doing God service (John 16:2).
Get your own personal copy of The Great Controversy and be informed of the history of the Christian Church--Satan's attempts to thwart God's plan of salvation, to demoralize and corrupt God's people, to corrupt God's worship through pagan customs and practices, to stop the Reformation, and to persecute and put to death God's people. But good will triumph over evil. Christ will triumph over Satan. The Seed of the Woman will bruise the head of the serpent.
Here's how The Great Controversy book ends: "And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold, and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise.
"The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all flow life and light and gladness throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love."
I pray with all my heart that the Spirit of God will move upon your heart that you would see the light of truth that had long been shrouded in the thick darkness of errors so popular today. God's truths were not popular in Noah's day. Only eight souls accepted God's message of salvation; the rest were swept away in the flood and died in their sins.
God's truths were not popular in Jesus' day and neither are they in our day, but His truths will lighten the world with the glory of God. The everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ, first preached to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, then to Abraham, and repeated on to the final generation, is the good news of salvation from SIN, the transgression of God's moral law. The plan of salvation is found in the sanctuary services. There we find that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There we also find God's moral law of ten commandments (His standard in the judgment) in the ark of the covenant beneath the mercy seat. The Gospel is the good news of His love and mercy and of His transforming power that changes the vilest of sinners into the likeness of Christ.
God's glorious truths will help His people make decisions to come out of Babylon and not receive the mark of the Beast but receive instead the Seal of the Living God and a crown upon their heads. I have shown you the big picture, Tom--all that's involved--the relationship between the Gospel and the Law, between Grace and Sin, and who's behind the system that dared to think of altering God's eternal Law, His spiritual mirror, and, finally, what's at stake if you remain in that system. I have given you from Jesus the last life-and-death warning of the three angels' messages of Revelation 14.
In His Service,
I'm now signing off ............Mike
"Many will find refuge in the strongholds of the mountains...But many of all nations, and of all classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white, will be cast into the most unjust and cruel bondage. The beloved of God pass weary days, bound in chains, shut in by prison bars, sentenced to be slain, some apparently left to die of starvation in dark and loathsome dungeons. No human ear is open to hear their moans; no human hand is ready to lend them help...Though enemies may thrust them into prison, yet dungeon walls cannot cut off the communication between their souls and Christ. One who sees their every weakness, who is acquainted with every trial, is above all earthly powers; and angels will come to them in lonely cells, bringing light and peace from heaven.
"The people of God--some in prison cells, some hidden in solitary retreats in the forests and the mountains--still plead for divine protection, while in every quarter companies of armed men, urged on by hosts of evil angels, are preparing for the work of death. It is now, in the hour of utmost extremity, that the God of Israel will interpose for the deliverance of His chosen.
"With shouts of triumph, jeering, and imprecation, throngs of evil men are about to rush upon their prey, when, lo, a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night, falls upon the earth...It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people. The sun appears, shining in its strength. Signs and wonders follow in quick succession. The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance. Everything in nature seems turned out of its course. The streams cease to flow. Dark, heavy clouds come up, and clash against each other. In the midst of the angry heavens is one clear space of indescribably glory, whence comes the voice of God like the sound of many waters, saying, 'It is done.'
"That voice shakes the heavens and the earth. There is a mighty earthquake, 'such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.' Rev 16:17,18. The firmament appears to open and shut. The glory from the throne of God seems flashing through. The mountains shake like a reed in the wind, and ragged rocks are scattered on every side. There is a roar as of a coming tempest. The sea is lashed into fury. There is heard the shriek of the hurricane, like the voice of demons upon a mission of destruction. The whole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. Its very foundations seem to be giving way.
"Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness, are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the Great has come in remembrance before God, 'to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.' Rev 16:19, 21. Great hailstones, every one 'about the weight of a talent,' are doing their work of destruction. The proudest cities of the earth are laid low. The lordly palaces, upon which the world's great men have lavished their wealth in order to glorify themselves, are crumbling to ruin before their eyes. Prison walls are rent asunder, and God's people, who have been held in bondage for their faith, are set free." --The Great Controversy.
"At the day of judgment there comes to the lost a full realization of the meaning of the sacrifice made on Calvary. They see what they have lost by refusing to be loyal. They think of the high, pure association it was their privilege to gain. But it is too late. The last call has been made. The wail is heard: 'The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved' (Jer 8:20).'" --Testimonies, vol 7, page 17.
Continuing with The Great Controversy:
"There appears against the sky a hand holding two tables of stone folded together. Says the prophet: 'The heavens shall declare His righteousness: for God is judge Himself' (Ps 50:6). That holy law, God's righteousness, that amid thunder and flame was proclaimed from Sinai as the guide of life, is now revealed to men as the rule of judgment. The hand opens the tables, and there are seen the precepts of the Decalogue, traced as with a pen of fire. The words are so plain that all can read them. Memory is aroused, the darkness of superstition and heresy is swept from every mind, and God's ten words, brief, comprehensive, and authoritative, are presented to the view of all the inhabitants of the earth." --The Great Controversy.
"Many of the wicked were greatly enraged as they suffered the effects of the plagues. It was a scene of fearful agony. Parents were bitterly reproaching their children, and children their parents, brothers their sisters, and sisters their brothers. Loud, wailing cries were heard in every direction, 'It was you who kept me from receiving the truth which would have saved me from this awful hour'
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.'" --Early Writings, page 282.
Continuing from The Great Controversy:
"The people see that they have been deluded. They accuse one another of having led them to destruction; but all united in heaping their bitterest condemnation upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have prophesied smooth things; they have led their hearers to make void the law of God and to persecute those who would keep it holy. Now, in their despair, these teachers confess before the world their work of deception. The multitudes are filled with fury. 'We are lost!' they cry, 'and you are the cause of our ruin;' and they turn upon the false shepherds. The very ones that once admired them most, will pronounce the most dreadful curses upon them. The very hands that once crowned them with laurels, will be raise for their destruction. The swords which were to slay God's people, are now employed to destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and bloodshed.
"NOTE: Here it is said that at midnight God will deliver His people. It was at midnight that God interposed to deliver Israel from Egypt. (Exo 12:29,30) Immediately after the pronouncement 'It is done' the seventh plague follows. (See Job 34:20).
"After the saints had been delivered by the voice of God, the wicked multitude turned their rage upon one another. The earth seemed to be deluged with blood, and dead bodies were from one end of it to the other (Jer 25:30-38).
"Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour, and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness.
"The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of Man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant, Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror." --The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan by Ellen G. White.
The issuance of death decrees over worship is nothing new. The first recorded one was when Cain slew his brother Abel. There was a death decree in the time of Esther when Mordecai wouldn't bow down to Haman because he only bowed to Jehovah God. His faithfulness and devotion to God enraged Satan and caused Haman to issue a death decree to exterminate the whole Jewish nation.
There was a death decree over worship in the time of the three Hebrew worthies who wouldn't bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. There was a death decree in the time of Daniel who was thrown into the lions' den. And if you're following the flow of history and biblical prophecy, expect a final death decree to happen soon.
The great controversy between Christ and Satan began in heaven over the Law of God. This battle continues to be waged in the minds and hearts of God's people today who are making decisions daily whom they would serve. If you would like to get the complete book, The Great Controversy, free of charge, please send your request to the following address:
Three Angels' MessagesP. O. Box 9167Fleming Island, FL 32006
In conclusion I like the bring up the story again of Cain and Abel. When we understand what happened with these two brothers, we would understand everything else that happened in the world leading up to the resurrection of persecution in this country when church and state are combined.
Cain and Abel represented two kinds of worshippers--two kinds of characters. They worshipped the same God. They sacrificed to the same God. They talked and listened to the same God. But Cain wanted to do his own thing. He wanted to worship God on his own terms, not God's. He was disobedient to the commandments of God. Abel was obedient and worshipped God on God's terms. Cain slew his brother. This was the first battle of Armageddon. The battle was spirititual in nature--the forces of evil against the forces of good.
During the Dark Ages, religious people (Christians) persecuted other Christians. In Jesus' day, religious people persecuted Him and then had Him killed. The same thing would happen to His followers in the end.
In this letter, the cosmic curtain was drawn aside, and you saw a glimpse of what would transpire upon this world before too long. The prophecy in Dan 12:1 would be fulfilled: "...There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." See also Matt 24:9, 21.
In the end, there would be two kinds of worshippers and two kinds of characters. One would be obedient to ALL of God's commandments; the other would do their own thing and persecute the true worshippers of Jehovah God thinking they're doing God service (John 16:2).
Get your own personal copy of The Great Controversy and be informed of the history of the Christian Church--Satan's attempts to thwart God's plan of salvation, to demoralize and corrupt God's people, to corrupt God's worship through pagan customs and practices, to stop the Reformation, and to persecute and put to death God's people. But good will triumph over evil. Christ will triumph over Satan. The Seed of the Woman will bruise the head of the serpent.
Here's how The Great Controversy book ends: "And the years of eternity, as they roll, will bring richer and still more glorious revelations of God and of Christ. As knowledge is progressive, so will love, reverence, and happiness increase. The more men learn of God, the greater will be their admiration of His character. As Jesus opens before them the riches of redemption and the amazing achievements in the great controversy with Satan, the hearts of the ransomed thrill with more fervent devotion, and with more rapturous joy they sweep the harps of gold, and ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of voices unite to swell the mighty chorus of praise.
"The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all flow life and light and gladness throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things, animate and inanimate, in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy, declare that God is love."
I pray with all my heart that the Spirit of God will move upon your heart that you would see the light of truth that had long been shrouded in the thick darkness of errors so popular today. God's truths were not popular in Noah's day. Only eight souls accepted God's message of salvation; the rest were swept away in the flood and died in their sins.
God's truths were not popular in Jesus' day and neither are they in our day, but His truths will lighten the world with the glory of God. The everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ, first preached to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, then to Abraham, and repeated on to the final generation, is the good news of salvation from SIN, the transgression of God's moral law. The plan of salvation is found in the sanctuary services. There we find that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There we also find God's moral law of ten commandments (His standard in the judgment) in the ark of the covenant beneath the mercy seat. The Gospel is the good news of His love and mercy and of His transforming power that changes the vilest of sinners into the likeness of Christ.
God's glorious truths will help His people make decisions to come out of Babylon and not receive the mark of the Beast but receive instead the Seal of the Living God and a crown upon their heads. I have shown you the big picture, Tom--all that's involved--the relationship between the Gospel and the Law, between Grace and Sin, and who's behind the system that dared to think of altering God's eternal Law, His spiritual mirror, and, finally, what's at stake if you remain in that system. I have given you from Jesus the last life-and-death warning of the three angels' messages of Revelation 14.
In His Service,
I'm now signing off ............Mike