Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. Revelation 9:14, 15.
The history of nations that one after another have occupied their allotted time and place, unconsciously witnessing to the truth of which they themselves knew not the meaning, speaks to us. To every nation and to every individual of today God has assigned a place in His great plan. Today men and nations are being measured by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes. . . .
All that prophecy has foretold as coming to pass, until the present time, has been traced on the pages of history, and we may be assured that all which is yet to come will be fulfilled in its order.
In the year 1840, another remarkable fulfilment of prophecy excited widespread interest. Two years before, Josiah Litch, one of the leading ministers preaching the second advent, published an exposition of Revelation 9, predicting the fall of the Ottoman empire. According to his calculations, this power was to be overthrown “in A.D. 1840, sometime in the month of August;” and only a few days previous to its accomplishment he wrote: “Allowing the first period, 150 years, to have been exactly fulfilled before Deacozes ascended the throne by permission of the Turks, and that the 391 years, fifteen days, commenced at the close of the first period, it will end on the 11th of August, 1840, when the Ottoman power in Constantinople may be expected to be broken. And this, I believe, will be found to be the case.”–Josiah Litch, in Signs of the Times, and Expositor of Prophecy, Aug. 1, 1840.
At the very time specified, Turkey, through her ambassadors, accepted the protection of the allied powers of Europe, and thus placed herself under the control of Christian nations. The event exactly fulfilled the prediction. . . . A wonderful impetus was given to the advent movement.
Maranatha p. 152
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Prayer Requests
——Please pray for the following evangelism events that are taking place in the near future: Diane
Prineville, OR (Oct 7 – Jan 13) Celebrating Life in Recovery 12 step program based on Steps to Christ for our church family Oct. 7 – Jan. 13 to spiritually and emotionally prepare our church members to offer this to the public in the future. Please pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to work in each member’s heart both now and during this program. Thank you!
Rice Lake, Clear Lake, and Frederic, WI (Jan 16-17) Please pray for this revival event
Kingston, Jamaica (Jan 30-31) Doug Batchelor will present “Edge of Eternity”
Phoenix, AZ (January-February, 2015) It Is Written
——no heat and 8° not a good combination. Can’t go to work on time because water pipes will freeze if I leave. Repairman is in Cherokee till later this afternoon. Prayers would be appreciated. Connie
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Dear Friends,
When Eileen was five, we moved to southern Alabama as Ron had been accepted at a college there. Alabama was the third state we had lived in and we found that in each place there were adjustments to make as things are very different in different areas of the country. Some of the adjustments were cultural: some were geographical.
As we walked in the yard of the house we had rented, we noticed that there was a large colony of ants. Since ants are everywhere, we didn’t think too much about it. The ants’ mound was much larger than any we had seen, but I thought that perhaps it was just a different variety of ant. It was a different variety alright. We soon learned just how different.
One day Eileen got too close to that anthill. Instantly, that anthill looked like it was boiling with ants. Quickly, I got Eileen away from their nest, but still a few ants bit her. At that moment, a car that had been driving by stopped. The woman inside had seen Eileen step on the fire ant’s mound and knew she was in trouble even though I had rushed to her side. The lady called me over to her car, explained about fire ants, and gave me some medicine that takes away the pain from their bites fairly well. How thankful I was that God had sent someone to help us!
If people in that car had come by a little earlier or a little later, they would not have seen the problem we were having. God, in His mercy, worked out all the details so they drove by at just the right time. Moreover, He put it in that woman’s heart to help us. God is so good!
Just as that lady took the time to help us understand something important that we had not known before, so when we see someone who has been bitten by the “fire ants” of the enemy, do we take time to explain about the Remedy? Jesus says, “Go ye therefore, …Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matt 28:19,20 Do we heed the call? How often our Loving Guide places within our path someone who needs to learn of Him. How many times He works circumstances so we are in the right place at the right time so He can work through us. Yet, are we willing to help or do we go on with our own plans, all wrapped up in our own little world?
Many times, we think that we have to go to a foreign country to work for Jesus and fail to see the witnessing opportunities all around us. It takes time and effort to help someone else on the path to Heaven, but it is worth it. We are promised, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” Ps 126:5, 6 Jesus promises to give us the Holy Spirit that our witnessing may not be in vain. He says, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?&nb! sp; Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:9-13 There are many ways to share our faith that God will show us if we ask will Him. One person I know works on his Scripture memory cards as he is standing in checkout line at the store. This often will start a conversation that leads to the sharing some gem from God’s Word. Another person witnesses while getting a haircut. Eileen witnesses to repairmen who come to our house. Brian witnessed to the tow truck driver Wednesday night when they were stranded and had to be towed fifty miles.
Let us ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to know what to say and when to say it. Let us focus on the task before us to bring the Good News of Salvation to all mankind. Let us be diligent in bringing those around us to the foot of the cross that someday soon they may stand with us on that sea of glass and receive a glorious crown from Jesus’ own nail-scarred hand. (Rev 15:2; 2:10)
Rose
Ottoman Empire in Prophecy