Wednesday, January 02, 2019
Tuesday, January 01, 2019
US military apologizes for New Year's tweet about dropping bombs
By Michael Burke - 12/31/18 07:15 PM EST
Sen. Warren forming exploratory committee for president
The U.S. Strategic Command on Monday apologized for a New Year's Eve tweet joking about dropping bombs.
"#TimesSquare tradition rings in the #NewYear by dropping the big ball...if ever needed, we are #ready to drop something much, much bigger," the U.S. Strategic Command's official account had tweeted earlier in the day.
Accompanying the tweet was video showing the dropping of "a pair of conventional Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP) at a test range," a spokesman told NBC News.
MOPs are 30,000-pound bombs meant for hitting underground bunkers.
U.S. Strategic Command said in a subsequent tweet Monday that the earlier message was in "poor taste."
Our previous NYE tweet was in poor taste & does not reflect our values. We apologize. We are dedicated to the security of America & allies.
The Fears And Uncertainty Of Our Time
Volume XXXVIII Issue I January 2019
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org
"Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night."
Psalm 90:1-4
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever."
Hebrews 13:8
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
I John 4:18
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
II Timothy 1:7
In this issue of the Last Trumpet Newsletter, we will examine the events of our time even as a new year brings with it much confusion and uncertainty. News reports as of late have taken on an apocalyptic tone. With conflict in the Middle East, tensions with Russia, a trade war with China, turmoil in Washington, D.C., and an American stock market roiled by instability, many people are suffering from anxiety and a fear of the unknown.
The stock market in the United States performed poorly in December 2018 with reports indicating that it will be the worst December for market trading since 1931 during the Great Depression. (1) The mainstream media is now filled with quotes from experts speculating on the uncertain future. Some of these reports are markedly glummer than others. Such as a headline from CNBC published on December 19, 2018, which states, "As fear rises on Wall Street, strategists warn the worst is yet to come." (2) Conversely, an article published by USA Today on December 23, 2018, claims that the economy is still strong despite the performance of the stock market and suggests that it is "highly unlikely" that there will be a recession in 2019. (3) Another December 2018 CNBC report suggests that one of the causes of the falling stock market is the ongoing trade war between the United States and China. (4) However, American President Donald Trump has blamed the Federal Reserve for the stock market slump, due to a rise in interest rates throughout the year of 2018. "The only problem our economy has is the Fed," Trump wrote on December 24, 2018, in reference to the Federal Reserve. He further wrote, "They don't have a feel for the market, they don't understand necessary trade wars or strong dollars or even Democrat shutdowns over borders. The Fed is like a powerful golfer who can't score because he has no touch - he can't putt!" (5)
According to an article published by Bloomberg News, United States Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held conference calls with financial regulators in late December 2018 and was assured that nothing is "out of ordinary" in the United States trading markets. Secretary Mnuchin also contacted the chief executive officers at six of the largest banks in the country and was persuaded that they were all on solid footing. (6) Ironically, Mnuchin's inquiries caused more jitters amongst stock traders, which prompted a flood of complaints. "Nothing says 'don't panic' like saying, 'I'm calling the plunge protection team tomorrow. That's the type of event that's going to startle markets and create more panic and fear when it's meant to create confidence," said Michael O'Rourke, who is chief market strategist at JonesTrading. (7) Similarly, Ian Bremmer, who is president of the Eurasia Group, was quoted as saying, "The Secretary of Treasury calling the nation's top bankers on a Sunday to confirm they have cash to lend. Not exactly confidence-inspiring." (8)
When it comes to topics such as the stock market, there is certainly a lot of chatter, but in reality, it is obvious that no one on earth knows for certain what the future may hold. Thankfully, we know the One who knows the end from the beginning, and He is never confused. Our God neither slumbers nor sleeps, and He is from everlasting to everlasting. Psalm 90:1-2 declares, "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Whether there is an economic downturn or meltdown, recession, or depression, we serve a God who knows all things and He has promised that He will never abandon us. For peace and reassurance in times of uncertainty, we need look no further than to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who as it tells us in Hebrews 13:8, is "… the same yesterday, and today, and forever." If you have not repented of your sins and dedicated your life to God, I urge you to do so now.
The Government Shuts Down Again
There was a time when it was a rare thing for the United States government to shut down. Prior to 2018, there had not been a government shutdown since 2013. Prior to 2013, there had not been a government shutdown since December 15, 1995, through January 6, 1996. (9) Yet, even as I write this newsletter, the United States is in the throes of a partial government shutdown, which is the third shutdown of 2018. This shutdown, which began on December 22, 2018, came about because President Trump and the Democrats in the Senate could not reach an agreement over the procurement of funding to build a wall along the country's southern border with Mexico. Trump, for his part, is demanding five billion dollars in government funding, which would be used to install about 215 miles of barrier along the border. (10) On December 25, 2018, Trump pledged to keep the government closed until funding for a wall or a fence is delivered. "I can't tell you when the government is going to be open. I can tell you it's not going to be open until we have a wall, a fence, whatever they want to call it," Trump insisted. (11)
Government shutdowns can sometimes end very suddenly. For example, the shutdown of February 9, 2018, only lasted nine hours. (12) It is possible that the current shutdown might be over by the time you read this newsletter. Nevertheless, it is evident that the United States government of today is highly dysfunctional. It is also evident that there is a very large segment of the American population that desperately wants to see a southern border wall built. As of this writing, donations to fund the wall totaling over 17 million dollars, have been collected from private citizens over the course of nine days. (13)
Washington May Become the First State to Legalize Human Composting
May Contain Human Remains
What would you like to happen to your body when you die?
December 30th 2018
Death Reimagined
Grandma is in the garden. No, literally.
There’s something beautiful in deciding how one’s final moments should be confined to the memory of our loved ones. Advances in technology and changing mindsets seem to have people wondering why a coffin in the ground should have to be the only option of final resting place. Residents in Washington state have a brand new vision of returning to the Earth. Now a bill being sponsored in the state’s legislature could see Washington become the first state to legalize human composting.
The bill, backed by state Senator Jamie Pedersen, would allow for the “recomposition” of human remains, a process which speeds up decomposition and turns remains into a nutrient-packed soil which could be returned to families.
“People from all over the state who wrote to me are very excited about the prospect of becoming a tree or having a different alternative for themselves,” Pedersen told NBCnews.
Although “becoming a tree” and other futuristic burial ideas aren’t entirely new concepts, Washington would become the first state to allow human composting if the bill is passed. The idea isn’t just futuristic, it’s also economical. More and more Americans are turning to crowdfunding to support funeral costs, with the average funeral costing more than $7,000 in 2017, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. The recomposition process in comparison is somewhat cheaper with costs expected to fall around $5,500.
The process is very similar to traditional composting. Unembalmed human remains are placed in a composting chamber and left to decompose with organic material like woodchips or straw. Air is occasionally pulled into the chamber to help microbes speed up decomposition and in about one month all that remains is a cubic yard of compost.
A five-month study, in which six donor bodies were decomposed, was led by researcher Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, Associate Professor of Sustainable and Organic Agriculture at Washington State. The study was carefully controlled to prevent spreading any harmful pathogens, a concern which led to the defeat of a similar bill sponsored by Pederson in 2017.
Carpenter-Boggs’ study concluded in August that the remains produced were safe and she plans to submit her research for publication in 2019. If the bill passes, it would take effect May 1, 2020. Until then, we can keep dreaming of “becoming trees” but Pederson’s bill could open doors to new burial alternatives and ways we can choose to have our memory honored.
Congresswoman Hopes Reparations Bill is Path to ‘Repair Some of the Damage’ Caused by Slavery
Nicholas Ballasy
12-30-2019 09:05:24 PM
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on Dec. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON – Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) told PJM that the federal government should conduct a study of reparations for descendants of slaves to be able to determine the best way to “repair some of the damage" that slavery has caused to the African-American community.
Jackson Lee became the lead sponsor of H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, after Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) resigned from Congress.
The legislation seeks to “address the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to study and consider a national apology and proposal for reparations for the institution of slavery, its subsequent de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.”
“It’s a commission to study the issue of what was the economic impact of the work of slaves and how does it translate in the 21stcentury. And what we want to do is to build a narrative, a story of the facts and out of that be able to access how we repair some of the damage,” Jackson Lee said during a recent interview after her speech at the annual Legislative and Policy Conference organized by Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.
NYC gender-neutral birth certificates law goes into effect Jan. 1
NEW YORK --New York City residents are about to have a new option for denoting gender on their birth certificates: gender "X."
A law allowing the choice of "X'' takes effect Tuesday. The measure passed earlier this year.
It allows people to change their birth certificates to "X'' by attesting that it reflects their "true gender identity." Parents also can choose "X'' for newborns.
New York City is joining California, Oregon, Washington state in allowing an undesignated gender option on birth certificates. A similar provision takes effect in New Jersey in February.
In 2014, New York City eliminated a policy that allowed birth certificate gender changes only if people underwent gender reassignment surgery.
Instead, the city required an attestation from a medical or mental health professional. The new law nixes that requirement.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Armed man arrested on way to Texas church to fulfill a 'prophecy'
He was carrying the loaded weapon, extra ammunition and a face shield, according to police.
Dec. 31, 2018 / 4:23 AM ET
By Associated Press
SEGUIN, Texas — An armed man wearing police tactical-style clothing who said he was on his way to a church to fulfill "a prophecy" was arrested in suburban San Antonio on Sunday.
Seguin police say a passer-by who saw the man carrying a handgun notified authorities.
An off-duty officer responded to the call and found the man carrying the loaded weapon, extra ammunition and a face shield.
Tony Albert, 33, was arrested on a drug charge and also a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Police said he was taken to the Guadalupe County jail but online records didn't indicate he was being held there.
It's not clear if Albert has an attorney.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
“Jamaica Moves” Program Secures Backing of Adventist Church
27 December 2018 | The Adventist Church in Jamaica has announced plans to formally endorse the government’s “Jamaica Moves” wellness program on January 8, 2019.
Pastor Everett Brown, president of the denomination in the country, framed the decision to support the government by saying that the denomination’s mission is to help people spiritually by doing “whatever we can to benefit mankind.”
The church will support the government by organizing a number of countrywide events in 2019, all promoting healthy habits.
The president of the General Conference of the Adventist Church, Ted Wilson, will attend some of the key wellness events planned by the denomination in early February 2019.
“We want our members to use their resources to address people’s needs within the community. We believe that a healthy person will be a more productive individual, and we want to encourage healthy lifestyles. [As such], we fully endorse [Jamaica Moves] and want to use our resources to support this process,” Brown stated, according to the Jamaica Observer.
According to the Adventist denomination’s Office of Archives Statistics and Research, there were 304,021 members and 683 churches in Jamaica as of June 30, 2017.
A Holiday Mystery: Why Did John Roberts Intervene in the Mueller Probe?
Brendan Smialowski/Pool via AP
We’re about to find out why the chief justice of the Supreme Court decided to get involved in the special counsel’s investigation.
By NELSON W. CUNNINGHAM
December 30, 2018
A mysterious grand jury subpoena case has been working itself through the D.C. courts since August. Doughty reporting by Politico linked the grand jury case to special counsel Robert Mueller. Some of us, connecting the dots, wondered whether Mueller’s antagonist in this secret subpoena battle might be President Donald Trump himself. Speculation heightened two weeks ago when the D.C. Circuit cleared an entire floor of reporters assembled for the oral argument, in order to protect the identity of the litigants.
Four days later, the D.C. Circuit judges burst the speculative bubble with a decision that halfway revealed the identity of the party litigating against the government: not Trump, but an unnamed corporation (“the Corporation”) owned by an unnamed foreign state (“Country A”). Although the case is still plenty mysterious (What foreign state? What records of what transactions? Why the hard-fought litigation?), the evident fact that Trump was not directly involved in the litigation seemingly drained further proceedings of direct suspense. Mueller watchers headed off for the holidays.
The Great Controversy: Chapter (12) The French Reformation.
Throughout Christendom, Protestantism was menaced by formidable foes. The first triumphs of the Reformation past, Rome summoned new forces, hoping to accomplish its destruction. At this time, the order of the Jesuits was created, the most cruel, unscrupulous, and powerful of all the champions of popery. Cut off from every earthly tie and human interest, dead to the claims of natural affection, reason and conscience wholly silenced, they knew no rule, no tie, but that of their order, and no duty but to extend its power. The gospel of Christ had enabled its adherents to meet danger and endure suffering, undismayed by cold, hunger, toil, and poverty, to uphold the banner of truth in face of the rack, the dungeon, and the stake. To combat these forces, Jesuitism inspired its followers with a fanaticism that enabled them to endure like dangers, and to oppose to the power of truth all the weapons of deception. There was no crime too great for them to commit, no deception too base for them to practice, no disguise too difficult for them to assume. Vowed to perpetual poverty and humility, it was their studied aim to secure wealth and power, to be devoted to the overthrow of Protestantism, and the re-establishment of the papal supremacy.
When appearing as members of their order, they wore a garb of sanctity, visiting prisons and hospitals, ministering to the sick and the poor, professing to have renounced the world, and bearing the sacred name of Jesus, who went about doing good. But under this blameless exterior the most criminal and deadly purposes were concealed. It was a fundamental principle of the order that the end justifies the means. By this code, lying, theft, perjury, assassination, were not only pardonable but commendable, when they served the interests of the church. Under various disguises the Jesuits worked their way into offices of State, climbing up to be the counselors of kings, and shaping the policy of nations. They became servants, to act as spies upon their masters. They established colleges for the sons of princes and nobles, and schools for the common people; and the children of Protestant parents were drawn into an observance of popish rites. All the outward pomp and display of the Romish worship was brought to bear to confuse the mind, and dazzle and captivate the imagination; and thus the liberty for which the fathers had toiled and bled was betrayed by the sons. The Jesuits rapidly spread themselves over Europe, and wherever they went, there followed a revival of popery.
The Great Controversy (1888), p.234.
Jackson Lee Introduces Bill Requiring Mexico to Pay for Border Wall
Earl Gibson III/Getty Images
PENNY STARR 28 Dec 2018
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced a bill without much fanfare in December that would block taxpayer funding for a border wall on the U.S./Mexico border and instead would require Mexico to foot the bill.
H.R.7332, or the Protect American Taxpayers and Secure Border Act, does nothing specific to secure the border.
The bill states:
No taxpayer funds may be obligated or expended to build a wall or barrier intended to impede travel between Mexico and the United States.
Any wall or barrier described in subsection (a) that is proposed to be built shall be paid for using funds provided by the Government of Mexico.
Securing The Southern Border —The Secretary of Homeland Security shall take such actions as may be necessary to secure the southern border by making maximum effective utilization of technology and improved training of U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents and officers.
Increase In Immigration Judges—The Attorney General may appoint 100 additional immigration judges in addition to immigration judges currently serving as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
Humanitarian Assistance —The Secretary of Homeland Security shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided to immigrants, refugees, and other displaced persons who are in need of medical assistance and aid to sustain health and life.”
“If enacted, the law would prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to construct the border wall,” Jackson Lee said in remarks about her bill published in Houston Style Magazine. She continued:
Moreover, it is a comprehensive piece of legislation that ensures that any wall that is built is paid for by Mexico; directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make occur certain procedures that improve training of agents of the United States Custom and Border Patrol; increases the number of immigration judges; and, it directs the Secretary of DHS to take all such measures to ensure that refugees at the southern border are given humanitarian assistance.
No taxpayer funds may be obligated or expended to build a wall or barrier intended to impede travel between Mexico and the United States.
Any wall or barrier described in subsection (a) that is proposed to be built shall be paid for using funds provided by the Government of Mexico.
Securing The Southern Border —The Secretary of Homeland Security shall take such actions as may be necessary to secure the southern border by making maximum effective utilization of technology and improved training of U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents and officers.
Increase In Immigration Judges—The Attorney General may appoint 100 additional immigration judges in addition to immigration judges currently serving as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
Humanitarian Assistance —The Secretary of Homeland Security shall take such actions as may be necessary to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided to immigrants, refugees, and other displaced persons who are in need of medical assistance and aid to sustain health and life.”
“If enacted, the law would prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars to construct the border wall,” Jackson Lee said in remarks about her bill published in Houston Style Magazine. She continued:
Moreover, it is a comprehensive piece of legislation that ensures that any wall that is built is paid for by Mexico; directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make occur certain procedures that improve training of agents of the United States Custom and Border Patrol; increases the number of immigration judges; and, it directs the Secretary of DHS to take all such measures to ensure that refugees at the southern border are given humanitarian assistance.
Duterte Steps Up Attacks on Catholic Church, Priests
Cecilia Yap
December 29, 2018, 6:55 AM EST
Philippine leader escalates rhetoric against Christian tenets
Calling God stupid in June, he now questions Trinity doctrine
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte stepped up his attacks against the Roman Catholic Church on Saturday, telling its leaders to clean up their ranks instead of meddling in how he runs the country as he cast doubt on Jesus and the Holy Trinity.
“To the priests, don’t meddle too much,” Duterte said in the southern Philippine province of Cotabato where he gave out land titles to farmers. The Catholic Church “has to correct itself before it can” criticize. “If not, I will really be their enemy and I will continue to attack them.”
Rodrigo Duterte
Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images
In June, the firebrand leader called God “stupid” and questioned the Bible’s story of creation as he attacked bishops who have been critical of his anti-drug campaign, which has led to the deaths of thousands. The president’s popularity fell to a record low after the comments.
On Saturday, Duterte said that if he was Jesus Christ, who Christians believe is God and part of the Holy Trinity, he wouldn’t let himself be crucified and instead would order lightning to strike to free him from the cross. There is only one God and that is the Father, Duterte said.
The comment risks undermining his popularity in a nation where Catholics make up 80 percent of the population.
— With assistance by Andreo Calonzo
Pelosi announces former DOJ official as new House general counsel
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), who is slated to take over as Speaker next month, announced Friday that former Justice Department official Douglas Letter will succeed Thomas Hungar as general counsel of the House of Representatives come January.
The House general counsel is responsible for providing nonpartisan legal advice and assistance to lawmakers, committees and staffers. They also provide legal representation for the lower chamber in the case of litigation.
"Douglas Letter has an outstanding and highly decorated record of achievement in service of America," Pelosi said in a statement. "He will bring deep experience and legal expertise to the House, as he counsels and represents our institution, Members and staff as House General Counsel."
Letter - who graduated from the University of California, Berkeley Law School - currently serves as a senior litigator at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he also teaches law. Prior to that, he served as the director of the Civil Division appellate staff at the Department of Justice.
"I look forward to serving the interests of the House of Representatives and its Members," Letter said in a statement Friday. "I am eager to apply my litigation experience as I take on the challenges and opportunities that come with the important position of House General Counsel."
Female theologians publish 'women's bible'
Female theologians publish 'women's bible' to counter claims the Holy Book is sexist in the age of #MeToo
'Feminist values and reading the Bible are not incompatible,' said Lauriane Savoy, right, who produced the book with fellow Geneva theology professor Elisabeth Parmentier
CREDIT: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP
Henry Samuel, paris 30 DECEMBER 2018 • 8:00AM
A group of Protestant and Catholic feminist theologians have released A Woman’s Bible arguing that the Holy Book is not misogynistic but a tool for female emancipation.
Sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the #MeToo movement has sent shockwaves around the world about sexual abuse around the world at home and in the workplace.
Many feminists have accused The Bible, Christianity and religion in general of bolstering a sexist view of society that casts women as subservient. They argue that the female figures in translations and interpretations of Bible texts are all prostitutes servants or saints, whose most positive roles are seducing a monarch or kissing Jesus' feet.
But authors of Une bible des femmes ("A women's bible"), published in October, say that view is often down to a misinterpretation of the Holy Book by patriarchs and sexists.
The book, they write in the introduction, aims to "scrutinise shifts in the Christiantradition, things that have remained concealed, tendentious translations, partial interpretations."
In particular, they sought to counter "the lingering patriarchal readings that have justified numerous restrictions and bans on women”.
"Feminist values and reading the Bible are not incompatible," said Lauriane Savoy, one of two Geneva theology professors behind the book.
Henry Samuel, paris 30 DECEMBER 2018 • 8:00AM
A group of Protestant and Catholic feminist theologians have released A Woman’s Bible arguing that the Holy Book is not misogynistic but a tool for female emancipation.
Sparked by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the #MeToo movement has sent shockwaves around the world about sexual abuse around the world at home and in the workplace.
Many feminists have accused The Bible, Christianity and religion in general of bolstering a sexist view of society that casts women as subservient. They argue that the female figures in translations and interpretations of Bible texts are all prostitutes servants or saints, whose most positive roles are seducing a monarch or kissing Jesus' feet.
But authors of Une bible des femmes ("A women's bible"), published in October, say that view is often down to a misinterpretation of the Holy Book by patriarchs and sexists.
The book, they write in the introduction, aims to "scrutinise shifts in the Christiantradition, things that have remained concealed, tendentious translations, partial interpretations."
In particular, they sought to counter "the lingering patriarchal readings that have justified numerous restrictions and bans on women”.
"Feminist values and reading the Bible are not incompatible," said Lauriane Savoy, one of two Geneva theology professors behind the book.
Saturday, December 29, 2018
We Are Objects of Infinite Love
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. Ephesians 2:4, 5.
The heart surrendered to God's wise discipline will trust every working out of His providence.... Temptation will come to discourage, but what is gained by yielding to any such temptations? Is the soul made any better by murmuring and complaining of its only source of strength? Is the anchor cast within the vail? Will it hold in sickness? Will it be the testimony borne in the last closing scenes of life when the lips are becoming palsied with death? The anchor holds! I know that my Redeemer liveth....
O Precious, loving, long-suffering, long-forbearing Jesus, how my soul adores Thee! That a poor, unworthy, sin-polluted soul can stand before the Holy God, complete in the righteousness of our Substitute and Surety! Wonder, O Heavens, and be astonished, O earth, that fallen man is the object of His infinite love and delight. He rejoices over them with celestial songs, and man defiled with sin, having become cleansed through the righteousness of Christ, is presented to the Father free from every spot and stain of sin, “not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33).
Let every weak, tempest-tossed soul find anchorage in Jesus Christ and not become so self-centered that he can think only of his little disappointments and the interruption of his plans and hopes. Is not the subject of the plan of salvation all-absorbing? If the infinite God justifies me, “who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died” (Verse 34). He has in His dying for man revealed how much He loves man—enough to die for Him! The law condemns the sinner and drives him to Christ. It is God that justifies and pardons.
Satan will accuse and seek permission to destroy, but it is God that opens the door of refuge. It is God that justifieth him that entereth that door. Then if God be for us, who can be against us? Oh, the bright glorious truth. Why do not men discern it? Why not walk in its bright beams? Why do not all who believe talk of Christ's matchless love? ...
God lives and reigns. All who are saved must fight manfully as soldiers of Jesus Christ; then they will be registered in heaven's books as true and faithful. They are to work the works of Jesus Christ, fight the good fight of faith.—Letter 2, December 29, 1889, to W.C. White's first wife, Mary White, who was dying of tuberculosis.
The Upward Look, p.377.
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