As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. Luke 17:26.
I was shown that a terrible condition of things exists in our world. The angel of mercy is folding her wings, ready to depart. . . . The law of God is made void. We see and hear of confusion and perplexity, want and famine, earthquakes and floods; terrible outrages will be committed by men; passion, not reason, bears sway. The wrath of God is upon the inhabitants of the world, who are fast becoming as corrupt as were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Already fire and flood are destroying thousands of lives and the property that has been selfishly accumulated by the oppression of the poor. The Lord is soon to cut short His work and put an end to sin. Oh, that the scenes which have come before me of the iniquities practiced in these last days, might make a deep impression on the minds of God’s professing people.
As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of man shall be revealed. The Lord is removing His restrictions from the earth, and soon there will be death and destruction, increasing crime, and cruel, evil working against the rich who have exalted themselves against the poor. Those who are without God’s protection will find no safety in any place or position. Human agents are being trained and are using their inventive power to put in operation the most powerful machinery to wound and to kill. . . .
My brethren and sisters . . . , I make my appeal to you. . . . The lives of many are too delicate and dainty. . . . They think themselves Christians, but they do not know what practical Christian life signifies. What does it mean to be a Christian? It means to be Christlike. . . . Co-operate with God by working in harmony with Him. Expel from the soul-temple everything that assumes the form of an idol. Now is God’s time, and His time is your time. Fight the good fight of faith, refusing to think or to talk unbelief. The world is to hear the last warning message.
Maranatha p. 137
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for the family and friends of Dr. Herbert Douglass who passed away yesterday.
—– Please keep Ron O. in your prayers. He’s fighting an infection with antibiotics. Tom
——Please continue to pray for Brian as he travels home from Macau. Pray also for God’s leading. Also pray for Eileen as she has a gas leak in her stove and possibly her furnace. Pray that it will not be expensive to fix. Rose
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Dear Friends,
Over the years, we have moved to many different cities and states. Wherever we go, one of the first things we do is find a church to attend where we can feel totally at one with the service. This has sometimes been difficult. Some places we have attended have been a real blessing. They are truly a place to come and worship our Great Redeemer. Others have been less than the best.
When we first attended one such church, the worship service helped us keep our focus on God. Little by little, that focus was lost. During the prayer request and praise time, some began to praise other members of the congregation instead of praising God. Soon more members joined in this misdirected praise. Strangely, once praise was focused upon one another instead of on the great King of the Universe, the spirit of unity suffered. Things went from bad to worse and eventually many members went elsewhere or just quit going to church altogether. It was very sad.
One day, our Dear Saviour was filled with sadness as He saw the deterioration of the worship service in the temple. The ceremonies, established by God, first at the gates of Eden after sin entered the world (Gen 3) and then more illustratively shortly after the Exodus, lost their meaning to most. Even the priests had lost sight of the true “Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 Gradually, the service became nothing more than a form, a ceremony, but a little above the ceremonies of the nations around them. The leaders cheated the people who came to bring their offering. Many turned away in sadness or disgust. How heartsick this made the One of Whom all these services pointed. John records the fulfillment of David’s prophecy in Psalm 69. “And the Jews’ Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” John 2:13-17 “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17
How careful we should be to worship God aright and not make the same mistake that those church leaders did at the time of Christ. Church is not a social club. Church is not to make business contacts. Church is not a place to look at others and compare ourselves among ourselves. Church is a place to come to worship the One Who gave Himself for us that we might have eternal life in His Heavenly Home. How vital it is that we keep our focus on our Great Creator Who longs to meet us in His Sanctuary. “O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Ps 95:1-6
“O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.” Ps 34:3 “Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Let us ever look “unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb 12:28, 2
Rose