The angel . . . sware by him that liveth for ever . . . that there should be time no longer. Revelation 10:5, 6.
The message of Revelation 14, proclaiming that the hour of God’s judgment is come, is given in the time of the end; and the angel of Revelation 10 is represented as having one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, showing that the message will be carried to distant lands, the ocean will be crossed, and the islands of the sea will hear the proclamation of the last message of warning. . . .
“And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer” (Revelation 10:5, 6). This message announces the end of the prophetic periods. The disappointment of those who expected to see our Lord in 1844 was indeed bitter to those who had so ardently looked for His appearing. It was in the Lord’s order that this disappointment should come. . . .
Not one cloud has fallen upon the church that God has not prepared for; not one opposing force has risen to counterwork the work of God but He has foreseen. All has taken place as He has predicted through His prophets. He has not left His church in darkness, forsaken, but has traced in prophetic declarations what would occur, and through His providence, acting in its appointed place in the world’s history, He has brought about that which His Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to foretell. All His purposes will be fulfilled and established. His law is linked with His throne, and satanic agencies combined with human agencies cannot destroy it. Truth is inspired and guarded by God; it will live, and will succeed, although it may appear at times to be overshadowed. The gospel of Christ is the law exemplified in character. The deceptions practiced against it, every device for vindicating falsehood, every error forged by satanic agencies, will eventually be eternally broken, and the triumph of truth will be like the appearing of the sun at noonday. The Sun of Righteousness shall shine forth with healing in His wings, and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory.
Maranatha p. 18
“““““““““““““““““““`
Prayer Requests
—–
“““““““““““““““““““““`
Dear Friends,
One time while Ronnie Jay, Esther, and Brian were at Union College, she found out why I had a rule in my house that one none was to put any liquid near or on my piano. Often they thought I was just too fussy, but she learned the hard way that that was not the case. Thoughtlessly, she had placed a large, plastic glass of water on the bookcase next to her piano. The bookcase’s back was up against the piano’s side.
We all had been over to one of their friend’s house and she and Ronnie Jay were still excited from the fun evening. As they were jostling one another playfully, he became off balance and bumped into the bookcase. That plastic glass of water tipped over all over the piano keys.
Water began running out of the underside of the keyboard. Almost instantly, the water soaked into the wood and the bottom octave of keys stuck. Ronnie Jay felt terrible about it. Esther was heartsick. I suggested that they get her blow dryer. Brian, Esther, and I took turns holding the dryer near the piano attempting to dry it out, but there was just too much water. It did no good.
Then we got the idea of taking the piano apart as much as possible to let air get to the underside of the water-soaked keyboard. We got a little too zealous and began removing the stuck keys hoping that would help. It didn’t. Ronnie Jay had gone home by this time and I called him and asked him if he had a small fan we could borrow. He brought one over. Seeing the now taken apart piano made him feel even worse. It made me feel worse too. As we turned on the fan, dust that had accumulated for decades became airborne and I’m very allergic to dust. I was sick with my allergies the entire weekend.
The next evening, Esther and I attempted to put back the keys, but they had swelled too much. We all were more than sad. The classical music that she was learning for class uses those keys as well as the more widely used keys in the middle. Also, she had paid a lot of money for that piano and now she would have to pay for a repairman to come and try to fix it. I told her to get estimates and if it was too much, maybe she could find a used piano in the paper for about the same price. Sadly, the piano never did play right although she had a repairman fix it as best as he could. When they moved, they got rid of it.
Just as I had a rule in our house about no liquid near my piano to keep my piano from being wrecked, so our Great Creator has given us rules that will keep us from wrecking our life. By obeying His ten commanments, we find happiness and well-being. Paul tells us, “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Rom 7:12 Indeed, “the law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” Psa 19:7-11
When we break God’s Law, we find ourselves in an even bigger mess than we did that Friday evening. Our lives become as broken as was Esther’s piano. How much we need the Heavenly Repairman to dry our tears, fix our swollen and broken pieces, and put us all together again. Praise God! We have such an One! If we allow Him too, as we behold Him through His Holy Word, we will be “changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 24, 25
Rose