Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Malachi 4:1.
Notwithstanding that Satan has been constrained to acknowledge God’s justice and to bow to the supremacy of Christ, his character remains unchanged. The spirit of rebellion, like a mighty torrent, again bursts forth. Filled with frenzy, he determines not to yield the great controversy. The time has come for a last desperate struggle against the King of heaven. He rushes into the midst of his subjects and endeavors to inspire them with his own fury and arouse them to instant battle. But of all the countless millions whom he has allured into rebellion, there are none now to acknowledge his supremacy. His power is at an end. The wicked are filled with the same hatred of God that inspires Satan; but they see that their case is hopeless, that they cannot prevail against Jehovah. Their rage is kindled against Satan and those who have been his agents in deception, and with the fury of demons they turn upon them.
Saith the Lord: “Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit.” “I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire…. I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee…. I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee…. Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” Ezekiel 28:6-8, 16-19….
Fire comes down from God out of heaven. The earth is broken up. The weapons concealed in its depths are drawn forth. Devouring flames burst from every yawning chasm. The very rocks are on fire. The day has come that shall burn as an oven. The elements melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein are burned up.
Maranatha p. 347
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Prayer Requests
—– Please continue to pray for Pastor S, that God will continue to bless the listeners to his programs about Daniel and Revelation. Shelley
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Dear Friends,
When we lived in North Carolina, we had an apartment right across the street from the church and school. It was good for Eileen since she could just walk across the street to go to school. We did not have to drive to church either. There was a nice playground that she and Ronnie Jay loved. We were happy there.
One day the son of the land lady told us we would have to move. (It turned out that he was moving to Wilmington and wanted his mother’s house. He made his mother move into our garage apartment. He was not a nice man.) I was having many trials and this one seemed like it would crush me. I just did not understand why this was happening. I felt very discouraged.
After hunting for another place to live, I found a trailer that, although still in the city, was surrounded by trees and fields. We also found that behind the trailer was a warehouse that the snack food trucks kept their food in. It did not take my children long to discover that if they were outside when the trucks came, the drivers would give them the day-old food that they could not sell. Every day they would come back with their arms loaded with food. It was like having a bakery outlet store for free! We were having a very hard time financially and this helped our grocery bill tremendously.
The front yard was a lovely place where we enjoyed having worship on warm evenings. One evening as the children and I were under those tall pine trees and I was playing the guitar and we were singing songs of praise to our Heavenly Father, as little screech owl came and landed on a post about 10 feet from us. He seemed to enjoy the music. He watched us and we watched him. He stayed there all the time we were having worship. That was such a thrill for us! I suddenly realized that we were happier there than we ever were in the apartment. I knew then that what had seemed like a great difficulty, was really a great blessing sent to us from our Great Provider.
Sometimes we cannot see why things happen the way they do. We feel like our world is crashing in on top of us. But God has His hand over all. He takes those circumstances and works them around for our good. He says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Ps 32:8 It may not happen as quickly as we would like, or in the way that we would like, but if we allow Him to, He will untangle all the tangled threads of our lives and make the path straight.
“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. Ps 31:1-3, 24
Let us put our trust in God when things go wrong. Let us turn to Him when all men forsake us. He is our comfort! He is our strength! He is our Fortress and deliverer! Amen.
Rose
Sin and Sinners Destroyed