I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. Revelation 14:6, 7.
At the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.
“The commencement of that time of trouble,” here mentioned, does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary. At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time the “latter rain,” or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.
[The angel of Revelation 14] presents a message that is to be proclaimed to the world just before Christ comes in the clouds of heaven. . . . Just prior to this time, then, the attention of the people is to be called to the down-trodden law of God, which is contained in the ark of the testament. . . .
They see that instead of observing the seventh day, the day that God sanctified, and commanded to be observed as the Sabbath, they are keeping the first day of the week. But they honestly desire to do God’s will, and they begin to search the Scriptures to find the reason for the change. Failing to find any scriptural authority for the custom, the question arises, Shall we accept a truth that has become unpopular, and obey the commandments of God, or shall we continue with the world, and obey the commandments of men? With open Bibles they weep, and pray, and compare scripture with scripture, until, convinced of the truth, they conscientiously take their stand as keepers of the commandments of God.
Maranatha p. 170
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—– Please pray for Jaime husband of Melissa. Jaime was in a motorcycle accident on January 21, 2015. A car ran a red light causing the accident. He was airlifted to the hospital where he had surgery. He had extensive injuries that will require a lengthy recovery. Thank God that because he was wearing a helmet he had no head injuries. Pray for healing for Jaime and for strength for Melissa during this stressful time.
—–Please pray for Mary who is having surgery today. Rose
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Dear Friends,
When I was a little girl, I spent nearly every evening with my grandfather, Edwin Harmon. He told me the most wonderful stories of when he was a boy. I’d ask for them over and over. One time, I asked him why he had a little bluish mark on his lip. Thus began a story I had not heard before.
When he was still in grade school, he and his little brother, Harold, were playing with a group of boys from the neighborhood one day. Having free time was a rare thing back in the late 1800’s, so the boys wanted some exciting adventure. They decided to go to the town’s gravel pit and play on the piles of gravel. They knew that this was strictly forbidden because of the danger of being buried alive, and that the owner of the gravel pit had posted a guard at the entrance to keep everyone out.
That is what made it all the more appealing to these boys, who were wanting fun and excitement. Somehow they sneaked in and started climbing on the mounds. At first they were quiet, but as their little “king of the mountain” game progressed, all thoughts of the guard vanished and they began to laugh and shout. Before long, the guard heard them and grabbed his gun. Firing toward the boys, but not meaning to hit any of them, he shouted for the boys to get out.
It did not take a second shot for those boys to be convinced that they should leave. Away they ran like scared rabbits! My grandfather had felt a little sting on his lip when the man shot at them, but it was only after he was far away from the pit, that he tasted the salty taste of blood. The bullet had grazed his lip. Ever after, he would have a little blue mark where some of the gunpowder “tattooed” him.
How often it is the same in our life. We think that we can “get by” with some forbidden pleasure, but the results forever change our life. Sin scars. Sin leaves its mark. The Great Redeemer has given many such examples in His Holy Word. One such example is Lot. He had lived with his uncle Abraham until he was so prosperous that the two men had to dwell a little distance from each other. Abraham, although in a position to choose the best for himself, let Lot choose the area where he wished to dwell. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.” Gen 13:10,11 That choice resulted in a loss of all that was dear to him. He lost his wife, his family, his possessions, everything.
Another example is King David. His one moment of indiscretion, changed his life forever. From that moment, his kingdom began to decline. The guilt that he felt kept him from rebuking his children as he should and this changed the way they viewed sin. The course of their lives spiraled downward to the point that it cost some of them their lives. The baby which was born out of his affair with Bathsheba died shortly after birth. His firstborn went beyond his father’s lust and it cost him his life. His well-beloved son coveted the throne and began plotting against him. (2 Sam 13-19)
How easy It is to make a wrong choice. One unguarded moment can change the whole course of our lives. One wrong decision can lead us down the wrong path. How much we need God’s wisdom and care. Only then can we keep from ruining our lives. We do not possess this wisdom naturally. It is a gift from our Great Creator.
James tells us” If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5 Our Loving Guide has promised, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Ps 32:8 What a wonderful God we serve! He promises to guide us and to instruct us in every aspect of our life. Our part is to cooperate with him. We must not stubbornly refuse His leading. If we turn from His instruction, we will suffer a great loss, a loss that He does not want us to experience. If we refuse to listen to His voice, our life will take a downward course.
May we close our ears from the first suggestion of the enemy. May we turn from the momentary pleasures this world has to offer. May we walk in the path that leads to everlasting joy is my prayer.
Rose