We are building our spiritual house. Some are building their house on the solid rock, while others are building on a sandy foundation.
“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24–27
Sixty-two years ago, there was a terrible rainstorm in Toronto, accompanied by a hurricane named Hazel. Eighty-one people died, and many houses were washed away along the river banks, and disappeared, never to be found again. People who had built their houses on these river banks did not know of the danger to their houses and to their lives until it was too late to save themselves.
We are building a house of faith. From the outside, they all may look good and solid, but when the rains descend, and the floods come, and the winds are blowing, then the differences will be seen. Some houses will stand firm, while others will fall. Some are wise builders and others foolish.
Wise builders are found in the Bible. Enoch, who walked with God; Noah, the preacher of righteousness; Abraham, the father of faith; Moses, the greatest leader; Job, the man of patience; Joseph, the moral giant. They all started with the same characters as everyone else. They had nothing better than what we have in the beginning. They built their buildings using the same tools and materials that are available to us.
The foolish builders were Cain and the people in the time of Noah; also Korah, Dathan and Abiram, Balaam, and Judas. They all were religious, but did something wrong in their building process. Even the Laodicean church has many foolish builders in it. All their buildings are going up, only to be destroyed in the wind and floods that are testing their foundations.
“A storm is arising that will wrench and test the spiritual foundation of every one to the utmost. Therefore avoid the sand bed; hunt for the rock. Dig deep; lay your foundation sure. Build, oh, build for eternity! Build with tears, with heartfelt prayers. Let every one of you from henceforth make your life beautiful by good works. Calebs are the men most needed in these last days. That which will make our churches vigorous and successful in their efforts is not bustle, but quiet, humble work; not parade and bombast, but patient, prayerful, persevering effort.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 129–130
When is the time to build, and when is the time for wind and rain? These both are going on now, today. Many are blown away now, many are offended, and many are losing their faith, while others are being rooted and established in the faith, and building for eternity from the solid timbers, and on the sure foundation, that is Jesus Christ.
When the rain was falling, and Noah was inside the ark, now the whole world would have entered in, but the door was closed. While the door was still open, they did not believe that the words of Noah were true. The same thing happened with the Jewish nation. Jesus said, “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.” Luke 19:42
The angel of the Laodicean church thought that they were rich and increased with goods, and had need of nothing, while the complete opposite was true; they did not know their true condition.
Many accidents happen on the highways, also to airplanes, and ocean liners. Many of the people who perished in these disasters lost their eternal life also because, not expecting to die, they were not prepared for death.
Yet all these disasters and calamities have been only a small foretaste of what is coming upon our world in the near future. Jesus said, “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Matthew 24:20–21
“And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time.” Daniel 12:1
Now our time could be called “preparing for the storm”. The signs are clearly visible, the clouds are gathering for the storm. The time will come when we must leave our homes and flee to the woods and mountains. Not only do God’s people see the storm coming, but also the world leaders tremble as they see these storm warnings. They are afraid of the possible World War Three.
To a Bible student, these are not only a possibility but a fact. The word of God, which has never failed yet, leaves us not a shadow of a doubt that these events are before us. This same certainty occurred as the destruction came upon Jerusalem, because they rejected Jesus, and the message of His disciples. This is the time when Sister White writes to God’s people, “Draw together, draw together, draw together.” The world is our enemy, and the fallen churches hate us also. Sister White writes, “I saw the nominal church and nominal Adventists, like Judas, would betray us to the Catholics to obtain their influence to come against the truth. The saints then will be an obscure people, little known to the Catholics; but the churches and nominal Adventists who know of our faith and customs (for they hated us on account of the Sabbath, for they could not refute it) will betray the saints and report them to the Catholics as those who disregard the institutions of the people: that is, that they keep the Sabbath and disregard Sunday.” –Spalding and Magan Collection, p. 2
The Sunday-keeping churches hate the one church which still keeps the Sabbath during the Sunday law. Everything is getting worse in the world. There will be more crime, more murders, more wars. Also, more storms, earthquakes, and floods. The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy tell us that the angels are holding back the winds a little longer so that the work of God, the sealing of His servants, will be finished (Revelation 7:1–4).
When the great ship, Titanic, was plowing through the sea, seemingly so safe and secure, people were dancing, drinking, feasting, laughing, and joking on the night of their death. They faced eternity, completely unprepared.
Today this is repeated; even professing Christians are more interested in good times and enjoyment, rather than preparing for the coming storm, and for heaven.
“Many a star that we have admired for its brilliance will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 81
The Lord is working for us; He is purifying us and preparing us for the coming storm.
“But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.” Malachi 3:2–3
God is purifying us in the fiery trials. Every wrong characteristic must be cleansed away from us. The love of money must be overcome; it is the root of all evil. We must learn charity, like the poor widow who gave up her last two mites in the offering. “No charity is complete unless it reveals an appreciation of the gospel. Those who now, in this time of emergency, selfishly hold on to their means, will soon suffer the loss of all they have. Those who are truly converted, and who have more than sufficient for their immediate necessities, will freely impart of their abundance to help those who are poorer than they.” –AU Gleaner, December 19, 1906
Neglected duties can take our salvation away. God has given us talents which we must use in His work. “A Christian who does not work cannot be healthy. Spiritual disease is the result of neglected duty.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, p. 235–236
One of the characteristics that we must learn is patience. As time goes on, many who have not enough patience will become tired of waiting and turn back to the world.
Worldliness must be burned away in the fire of affliction; also selfishness, pride, and love of pleasure. Finally, God will have a small remnant left, who are drawn into close unity, seeking encouragement and support from each other. They have built their house of faith on solid rock, on Jesus Christ.
One brick looks so insignificant, but when you put one on top of another, the great building is made, and a beautiful character is created. The Good Samaritan may have less knowledge than the priest and the Levite, but he had a practical religion which was more important. His character building was far more advanced than the characters of the priest and the Levite.
Are you ready for the coming storm? Are you ready to leave all behind and flee to the mountains?
Is your spiritual building finished, and is it on solid foundation? Then you are ready for the time of trouble and persecution, and also for the coming of Jesus and for eternal life. Amen.
Timo Martin