We Must Prepare or Come Home with Me

“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark or the name of the beast, 9r the number of his name.” Revelation 13: 16,17

Here is a clear prediction that a mark will be enforced, and we know that mark is the mark of apostasy, the false rest day, the change of the Sabbath from Saturday, the seventh day, to Sunday, the first day.

“The Sabbath will be the great test of loyalty, for it is the point of truth especially controverted. . . While one class, by accepting the sign of submission to earthly powers, receive the mark of the beast, the other, choosing the token of allegiance to divine authority, receive the seal of God.” GC p. 605

Everyone will receive the seal or the mark. While the day in each case is a sign, the sign represents an experience, an experience of total allegiance to God on the one hand, or total submission to man on the other. And the way to prepare for this overwhelming surprise is to get in the habit of ..looking heavenward to Jesus rather than depending on men.

Now, what’s going to happen to the people that depend on men? “That no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark.” Those who are depending on men will be forced, literally forced, into submission. This is a very interesting text because it is quite in harmony with the spirit of the present generation.

Today it would be unpopular to advocate a death decree against people who keep Saturday. At the moment the atmosphere is one of the ecumenical spirit, of pulling together for peace. But on the other hand, economic sanctions, as they are called, are looked upon as proper coercive weapons. The United Nations has been called upon at various times to enforce sanctions.

People are prepared for the idea that if there are those who will not cooperate, perhaps the best way to deal with them is just to cut off their bread and butter;

Therefore God’s children are to be prepared, to settle two important things:
1.) One is that we are willing for God to provide for us in as meager or generous a way as He sees best, and the other;
2.) is that. we will do our best to work with Him to provide in preparation for that day.

“The Protestant world have set up an idol Sabbath in the place where God’s Sabbath should be, and they are treading in the footsteps of the Papacy. For this reason I see the necessity of the people of God moving out of the cities into retired country places, where they may cultivate
the land and raise their own produce.” S.M. book 2, p.359

Written in 1897, this is one of the early calls to get our people out of the cities into retired country places, where they may cultivate the land and raise their own produce and bring their children up with simple, healthful habits.

But the faithful children of God are going to be prepared when an overwhelming surprise will fall upon the whole world.

Noah was well prepared before the flood. The people back there were just as much surprised as though there had been no warning. They ate and drank and married and gave in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the Ark. They knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’ Matthew 24:39.

The world is going to be just as surprised today as though they had never been warned; and yet God in His love is warning them, and will continue to warn them until every soul gets the warning, just as in Noah’s day.

The people who heed the warning, God’s remnant people, along with keeping the Sabbath, will break loose from the confederacies. They will break loose from the situations that would make it impossible for them to obey God’s law and they Will establish themselves out in the country in “retired places” where they can “raise their own produce,” and “bring the children up with simple, healthful habits.”

“We are not to locate ourselves where we will be forced into close relations with those who do not honor God. A crisis is soon to come in regard to the observance of Sunday… We are to place ourselves where we can carry out the Sabbath commandment in its fullness and we are to be careful not to place ourselves where it will be hard for ourselves and our children to keep the Sabbath There are troublous times before us.” S.M. Book 2 pg. 359

One of the agencies that will have a part in bringing about this boycott over the Sunday law is the labor unions. In recent years we have seen the churches, both Catholic and Protestant, linking up with the labor unions in the drive for Sunday laws.
“The trade unions win be one of the agencies that will bring upon this earth a time of trouble such as has not been since the world began.” 5Mbook2p.192

There is warning after warning on this. “The word of the people of God is to prepare for the events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force.” Ibid.

“Those who claim to be the children of God are in no case to bind up with the labor unions that are formed or that shall be formed. This the Lord forbids. Cannot those who study the prophecies see and understand what is before us?” SM Book 2 p. 144

See how the different parts of the world’s program all fit together and the different parts of God’s program fit together. If you were the devil and you were trying to get people into the confederacies where would you have them live? In the cities…But if you had Heaven’s point of view and you were trying to keep people away from these confederacies, where would you have them live? Out in the country. It’s just that simple. “There followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, the great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Rev. 14:8

“He cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen..- .Arid I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her my people.” Rev. 18:2-4

I want to ask you something. Where does the person have to be that says “Come out?” He has to be out. If we are partakers of the spirit of this world, if we are in the unknowns and combinations of this world, how can we give the message; “Come out”? And if our hearts, like Lot’s poor wife, are in Sodom, how can we urge anybody to leave it? It’s true we must visit the cities to give them that message, but it will be to say “come home with me”. That’s what Enoch did, didn’t he? Oh, dear brethren and sisters, let us get that spirit to say, “Come out”.

But we will never be able to give that message, as we should unless we have a true understanding of the values of country living and a real appreciation of the blessings of country life. Lot didn’t have that. How many converts did he get as he preached there? Not one! He wasn’t enthusiastic about leaving Sodom. He went down there in the first place because of the pressure from his family. He “pitched his tent toward Sodom”. Gen. 13:12. He probably had no intention of moving in, but it seemed more convenient as time went on. He would have greater advantages commercially and socially; and it worked out that way. He was an honored man in Sodom. I believe he thought it was a fine thing to have influence that he could use for God; but did it accomplish anything as far as the people of Sodom were concerned? Not a thing.

Why? Because he had the “city mind”. He didn’t have the “country mind”.

How different was Abraham’s contact with Sodom. Gen. 14. It was a wonderful experience when he saved the lives of people and the King of Sodom.

Oh, dear brethren and sisters, do you see how vital it is that we cherish the privileges, the royal privileges, of living in the country, rather than thinking it is a sacrifice?

When Lot was called out of Sodom, the angels of God had to pull him out – literally. Then the Lord said, “Lot, see the mountain. Flee! Escape for thy life!”

“Oh now!” he says “I can’t go up there, some evil would overtake me.” He had become so used to city streets and city conveniences, he was afraid of country life. So he picked up a little city and said, “Couldn’t you let me there? Won’t you spare that one?” And the merciful Lord said, ‘~AII right”. You see what 1 mean.

My dear brethren, he didn’t understand. He didn’t appreciate the goodness of God in making it possible for him to live in the country. He went to Zoar, but soon left it to live in a cave. Zoar was destroyed as Sodom had been. And there is recorded the awful story of the immoral conduct of his daughters. They had learned it down there in the city, just as young people are learning it in the cities today. What a terrible record; but it’s written there for us, because Jesus says, “As it was in the days of Lot thus shall it be in the days when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17:28, 30.

And that’s the great problem today.. People are so wedded to these advantages, social, political, commercial, educational, that it is hard to break them loose. But read this:

“But ere long there will be such a strife and confusion in the cities that those who wish to leave them will not be able. We must be preparing for these issues. This is the light that is given me.” SM book 2 p. 192

One of the greatest things that we need to do to resist these pressures is to get our minds in shape so that we think as God thinks instead of the way the world thinks. Jesus came down here and took our poverty that we might share heaven’s riches, and those who get the spirit of thy message will be willing to be poor in order that they may save their children, rather than be rich in this world for a few days. “Who will be warned?” We say again, “Out of the cities.” Do not consider it a great deprivation, that you must go into the hills and mountains, but seek for that retirement where you can be alone with God, to learn His will and way… I urge our people to make it their lifework to seek for spirituality. Christ is at the door. This is why I say to our people, “Do not consider it a privation when you are called to leave the cities and move out into the country places.” SM book 2 p. 355, 256

If we consider it a privation to live in the country we won’t stay there long. Sooner or later, we’ll be back to the city. We will pay our money down and so much a month for who knows how long in order to get this or that and the other thing. We’ll have to get in this harness. We’ll have to be driven by the lash. We’ll have to be chained like the galley slave and work our lives away so that our children can have all these so- called marvelous advantages and conveniences that modem city life offers.

But all the while, out in the country with God are rich treasures in contact with nature: the glow of sunshine, unobscured by the city’s smog, the glories of the flowers, the trees, the lakes, the mountains, the fellowship of working with God instead of just working with machines! Shall we count our blessings? Shall we rejoice in the privileges of royalty? And meanwhile, not as hermits, but as Enoch’s, as evangelists, let’s reach out and say to the weary multitudes, to all who will listen, “Come out”.

May our dear Lord Jesus Christ put in our hearts such a view of what’s ahead as shall stir us to do our best to gather in His remnant in this last hour.
AMEN