A Necessary Preparations

 

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

This Bible verse reveals to us very important things. In the third angel’s message, God warns us not to take the mark of the beast and his image in the forehead or in the hand. Immediately after, He says what the punishment will be for those who do so. The transgressors shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, deprived of mercy, which is poured out in the cup of his indignation. Thereafter, the Lord reveals what will be the character of those who will come out as overcomers, and He says, “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

The time is short. Soon the last scenes of the history of this world will be fulfilled as prophesied in the Holy Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy. A great work of preparation has to take place within us so that we do not remain in a lethargic, indifferent condition, believing that we are saved because our names are written in the books of the church. We should be sure that we are totally on the side of the Lord. When I meditate upon these things, I find myself before a great dilemma:

Shall I have the patience of the saints who keep the commandments of God in spite of the terrible persecution of the beast to prevent me from keeping them? Shall I have the perfect faith and trust that Jesus had in the Heavenly Father? Jesus’ parable about the faith of the widow, who insistently bothered the unrighteous judge so that he would do justice to her, ends with the following question, “When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Satan always tries to make us lose faith because thus he hopes we shall abandon God and transgress His commandments. The wicked will do everything possible to force the keepers of God’s law to take the mark of the beast. How prepared are we to face this situation? Is it enough that the Lord has revealed to us the prophecy regarding the beast and his image and that He showed us what will happen to those who refuse to worship Him? Shall we deny ourselves for the sake of Jesus Christ as He denied Himself for us? Shall we have the strength to say, “No, I shall not worship the beast and his image,” like Daniel had the power not to fall down and worship the great golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar had built, when the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kind of musical instruments sounded? Or shall we deny the Lord like Peter did when the Lord was undergoing judgment at the hand of the high priest? But Peter repented and cried bitterly after that. If our faith in Jesus and our patience is well founded and unmovable, we shall be counted among those who confess their Lord, otherwise the following verses will be fulfilled, “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not [himself], neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many [stripes]. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few [stripes]. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Luke 12:47, 48.

The third angel’s message says, “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God…” Is our faith so strong so as to overcome all fear before the threats of the worldly power? What would happen if all of a sudden we read on the front page of the newspaper, in big letters, that the Sunday law has been sanctioned? Let us seriously meditate upon this. Are we in the faith?

Have we the faith of Jesus? Have we the faith of Enoch, of Noah, of Daniel?
Not long ago there was a terrible seaquake, 7 degrees Richter, near the island of Kithera, in Greece, at the depth of 70 kilometers. This quake was so powerful that the African tectonic plaque got one meter closer to the European plaque. The seaquake shook Kithera and many old houses and churches in the island collapsed as big rocks fell off the steep mountaintops. A huge rock fell on the wall of a house and then rolled away from it. The dwellers of that house rushed into the street as they realized there was an earthquake and were amazed to see a huge hole that the rock had made on the ground, next to the couch where they had been sitting a short time before.

How will our faith be when the Sunday law comes out and opens a big hole in our peaceful and secure way of life? “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5.

The houses in Kithera were marked with a red, yellow and green X. The red color indicated that they were bound to collapse in case of another earthquake; the yellow color indicated that they needed to be restored so that they would not fall down in a possible second earthquake, and the green color that they were strong and would not collapse. The time the Sunday law is issued will be a critical period for all of us. Is the structure of our faith like the one of those houses that were marked with a green X–ready to resist the shaking or is it maybe like the ones marked with a read X–ready to collapse?

If the latter is the case, what is the solution?
“Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” Luke 12:40.
What does the Lord mean when He says we should be ready? He means we should grow in perfection. We should understand that to have an imperfect character is a sin. This thought troubles me greatly because when I look at myself I see those traits of character I have not yet overcome. When I read the Holy Scriptures and the Spirit of Prophecy, I come across that measure which I have not yet reached, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. I am called to be perfect in my thoughts, in my words, in my purposes, in my character, in my love to the Lord and my neighbour. It is only when we realize how far we are from reaching the goal that we feel what the apostle Paul says, “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:24. There is only one solution, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed , and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. “ Revelation 3:18, 19.

The solution for our imperfection is repentance. Before this is granted to us we have to desire it, understand our imperfection and our need of repentance. In Steps to Christ, in the chapter about Repentance, pages 25, 26 we read, “It is the virtue that goes forth from Christ that leads to genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear in his statement to the Israelites when he said, ‘Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.’ Acts 5:31. We can no more repent without the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned without Christ.” Every day we should come to the Lord and believe that if we confess our sin He will help us and give us power to overcome.

The white raiment the Lord wants us to buy represents Christ’s righteousness. We have to ask for it! We need to insist in prayer. If we tell Him: “Lord, my own righteousness is just a filthy rag. Please, change it and give me your righteousness. I want to be like you!” He will answer our prayer and give us gold tried in the fire to become rich . This is Jesus’ faith. Our faith will be tried through hard trials and we shall come out clean like the gold of Ophir. This message that the Faithful Witness gives to the church of Laodicea shows the real spiritual condition of this church. The Faithful Witness does not say that the lukewarm attitude of the church cannot change. It can, if the church takes heed to His counsel, shows zeal and repents.

We think that because the Lord gave us so much light we are rich and in need of nothing. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” Galatians 6:3. “When people realize that they are nothing, then they are ready to dress Christ’s righteousness.” Christ our Righteousness, Wagner.

In the Spirit of Prophecy, we read which condition of holiness we have to reach as we wait for the glorious coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Enoch was a man of strong and highly cultivated mind and extensive knowledge; he was honored with special revelations from God; yet being in constant communion with Heaven, with a sense of the divine greatness and perfection ever before him, he was one of the humblest of men. The closer the connection with God, the deeper was the sense of his own weakness and imperfection…

“In the midst of a life of active labor, Enoch steadfastly maintained his communion with God. The greater and more pressing his labors, the more constant and earnest were his prayers. He continued to exclude himself, at certain periods, from all society. After remaining for a time among the people, labouring to benefit them by instruction and example, he would withdraw, to spend a season in solitude, hungering and thirsting for that divine knowledge which God alone can impart…

“The wickedness of men had reached such a height that destruction was pronounced against them. As year after year passed on, deeper and deeper grew the tide of human guilt, darker and darker gathered the clouds of divine judgment. Yet Enoch, the witness of faith, held on his way, warning, pleading, entreating, striving to turn back the tide of guilt and to stay the bolts of vengeance…

“The godly character of this prophet represents the state of holiness which must be attained by those who shall be ‘redeemed from the earth’ (Revelation 14:3) at the time of Christ’s second advent. Then, as in the world before the Flood, iniquity will prevail. Following the promptings of their corrupt hearts and the teachings of a deceptive philosophy, men will rebel against the authority of Heaven. But like Enoch, God’s people will seek for purity of heart
and conformity to His will, until they shall reflect the likeness of Christ.” Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 85- 88.

“But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” Rev. 10:7.

Dear brothers and sisters, are we looking forward to that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ? Titus 2.13.

Shortly will Jesus come to take His bride to Him, and the question is: Shall we rejoice and say, “Lo, this [is] our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this [is] the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (Isaiah 25:9) Or shall we tell the rocks and mountains, “Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb?” (Rev. 6:16)

We often see how abruptly a life ends and this should make us meditate. A Christian should be always ready, with his lamp burning, with enough oil so that his light will not go off and he may be able to receive the bridegroom when His voice will be heard at midnight. We need the baptism of the Spirit. Without this gift, without the latter rain, we shall not be able to stand in the faith and to preach the last message of mercy to mankind before the time of probation closes forever. Neither shall we be able to come out victorious over the beast and his image.

In Revelation chapter 18, John sees an angel who comes down from heaven with great power and the earth is lightened with his glory. And with a loud voice says, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” Revelation 18:1-5.

These are the ones who receive the latter rain–the power of the Holy Spirit to cry in a loud voice and invite people to abandon the fallen churches and worship and obey the living God.

“Through the church eventually will be made manifest the final and full display of the love of God to the world that is to be lightened with its glory.” TM, p. 50.

What a great privilege and responsibility!
With the power of the Holy Spirit we have to reveal to the world God’s love and glory. The only way to fulfill this mission is to die daily to self and be baptized with the Holy Spirit. When we shall totally submit to the Spirit, He will clean us from every sin and make it possible for us to reflect the heavenly light. A new creature, created in God’s image, imbued with the Holy Spirit received in the Latter Rain will carry forward the message of salvation and lead many souls to repentance.

“The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling halls. The highest excitement prevails, yet probation’s
hour is fast closing, and every case is about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be forever shut.” DA, p. 636.

“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Amen.

Teresa Corti