Testimony Timeline – The True Witness

“The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men.” AA, p. 9.

…The gates of hell have not been able to prevail against His people. Where is the mighty Iron Roman Empire, Golden Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece? All are gone from the world scene.

Description of the Church of God

-Likened to a grain of mustard seed. Matthew 13: 31-32
-Has an unpopular message. 2 Timothy 4:2-4.
-Proclaims the sins of the people. Isaiah 58:1.
-Must be prophesied. Amos 3:7.
-The Church of God is not man-made. Revelation 18:1.
-The teaching of the church must be correct although members may be faulty. Matthew 13:47-48.
-It must come from the previous church of God. Isaiah 65:15, Zephaniah 3:12, Isaiah 1:9. The new church is the faithful remnant of the previous church.
-Angels in prophecy are the people of God. Revelation 14 & 18.

“No one hears the voice of these angels, for they are symbols to represent the people of God who are working in harmony with the universe of heaven.” Life Sketches, p. 429.

JESUS WEEPS…

During The time of the raising of Lazarus from the dead…Jesus wept; “it was not only because of the scene before Him that Christ wept. The weight of the grief of ages was upon Him. He saw the terrible effects of transgression of God’s law. He saw the history of the world beginning with the death of Abel, the conflict between good and evil had been unceasing. Looking down through the years to come He saw the suffering and sorrow, tears and death, that were to be the lot of men. His heart was pierced with the pain of the human family of all ages and in all lands. The woes of the sinful race were heavy upon His soul and the fountain of His tears was broken up as He longed to recover all of their distress. D.A. p.534.

In vision the prophet was shown that the testimony of the True Witness applies to us (God’s people) at the present time. It applies to all of us in the church of God, who profess to believe the present truth, the greater part (majority) are lukewarm believers having name but no zeal (no love of God in our hearts). The Lord does His best to shake us up from our sleep-walk of death by sending a message to us, His people during the judgment time (atonement). The message spoken will cause something to happen to us. We may find ourselves being finally given up by God when he shakes the church to get it ready for the times of refreshing so it can stand in His presence when He comes again.

WHY IS THERE THIS SHAKING?

The meaning of the shaking was shown that “it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans…Some will not bear this straight testimony (John.5:39, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me). They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people. `I saw that the testimony of the True Witness has not been half heeded. The solemn testimony upon which the destiny of the church hangs has been lightly esteemed, if not entirely disregarded’”. EW.270.

Why would someone rise up against it?? All who have left the church and who will leave rise up against the testimony of the True Witness. For example: a couple in the church breaks up and leave the church because of the pride factor…they do not believe Jesus can sustain them in their loneliness and humiliation. Example # 2: some say they left the church or will leave because of such and such a brethren or such a situation. The people leave the church because they do not want to believe the True Witness about their true condition or doubt something the Witness points out to them whether in doctrine or some point of truth.

What is our condition in this fearful and solemn time? Alas, what pride is prevailing in the church, what hypocrisy, what deception, what love of dress, frivolity, and amusement, what desire for the supremacy! All these sins have clouded the mind, so that eternal things have not been discerned. RH.1887-03-22. Said the enemy of God and man; “We can separate many from Christ by worldliness, lust and pride. They may think themselves safe because they believe the truth, but indulgence of appetite or the lower passions, which will confuse judgment and destroy discrimination, will cause their fall.” G.C. pg.517, 2nd edition. We need to better understand that our ability to discern is also greatly affected by the indulgence of our base passions. We deceive ourselves when we walk away from hearing or reading the truth and then forgetting about it (James 1:22).

Young and old, God is now testing you. You are deciding your own eternal destiny. Your pride, your love to follow the fashions of the world, your vain and empty conversation, your selfishness, are all put in the scale, and the weight of evil is fearfully against you. You are poor, and miserable, and blind, and naked. While evil is increasing and taking deep root, it is choking the good seed which has been sown in the heart; and soon the word that was given concerning Eli’s house will be spoken to the angels of God concerning you: Your sins “shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever.” Many, I saw, were flattering themselves that they were good Christians, who have not a single ray of light from Jesus. They know not what it is to be renewed by the grace of God. They have no living experience for themselves in the things of God. And I saw that the Lord was whetting His sword in heaven to cut them down. Oh, that every lukewarm professor could realize the clean work that God is about to make among His professed people! Dear friends, do not deceive yourselves concerning your condition. You cannot deceive God. Says the True Witness: “I know thy works.” The third angel is leading up a people, step by step, higher and higher. At every step they will be tested. 1T. Pg 190.

There is still some hope that the good seed of the gospel sown in our hearts can still grow, but we must break up the ground of our hearts. Throughout the parable of the sower, Christ represents the different results of the sowing as depending upon the soil. Thus He teaches that if the word of God fails of accomplishing its work in our hearts and lives, the reason is to be found in ourselves. But the result is not beyond our control. True, we cannot change ourselves; but the power of choice is ours, and it rests with us to determine what we will become. The wayside, the stony-ground, the thorny-ground hearers need not remain such. The Spirit of God is ever seeking to break the spell of infatuation that holds men absorbed in worldly things, and to awaken a desire for the imperishable treasure. It is by resisting the Spirit that men become inattentive to or neglectful of God’s word. They are themselves responsible for the hardness of heart that prevents the good seed from taking root, and for the evil growths that check its development. The garden of the heart must be cultivated. The soil must be broken up by deep repentance for sin. COL. Pg 56-57. If this is not accomplished, then all our sacrifices along with ourselves will be lost for forever.

LEADERS, MINISTERS, WORKERS & MEMBERS

We are greatly in need of faith and love, not filial love, not the love between husband and wife nor a mother’s love but the love of God from heaven. The love which loves its enemies, the love that will not be offended or quenched, this real love we need for each other and for the world. Eye salve is vital which will enable us to discern between the evil and the good and to detect sin in all its forms and disguises.

As mentioned earlier, the third angel has a part to do in this. Sometimes the question is asked if the church leaders/ministers do not have to listen to the third angel (God’s church). The first thing we need to understand is that the church is the Truth (the Word of God). All members of the church must come up to the truth, they must live the truth in their lives, and then they will be a part of the church working in harmony with the universe of heaven. The word of God has self commending power so all members of the church must become like the word of truth.

I then saw the third angel. Said my accompanying angel, “Fearful is his work. Awful is his mission. He is the angel that is to select the wheat from the tares, and seal, or bind, the wheat for the heavenly garner. “ EW. pg 118. Every soul is to be tested. Every defect in the character, unless it is overcome by the help of God’s Spirit, will become a sure means of destruction. 5T. Pg 573. We need God’s help, but we must want it and seek it with all our hearts, then it shall be given.
God will arouse His people; if other means fail, heresies will come in among them, which will sift them, separating the chaff from the wheat. 5T. Pg 707. Has this been happening?? Sometimes we hear some new idea(s) from some who may have influence. At first these idea(s) are kept personal and secret as the ones with the heresy try to gain converts within the faith; at first secretly to their strange new found idea… some are more public and we have to pay attention and speak to them privately…the detrimental effect is worse from someone who has a greater influence subtly deceiving many with their heresies.

TIME LINE: PROPHECY & REALITY

Fearful tests and trials await the people of God. The spirit of war is stirring the nations from one end of the earth to the other. 9T. Pg 17.

In the news we see China and India old enemies uniting together behind closed doors as they try to deal with the power of the “beast with the lamblike horns”, paving the way as the kings of the east. Countries are now trembling at the power of the United States (USA) after its conquest of Iraq and its present manipulation of the financial structure of the world which will lead to some gigantic financial crisis. Libya has renounced terrorism in light of this power and the US is demanding that all countries who would like to fly their passenger airlines into its territory have Air Marshals (Police so to speak) on all of their flights. The question was asked in the news; can the U.S. order such a thing from sovereign nations? The prophecy says yes, for he (U.S) will cause “the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first beast”…as he continues to exercise his great power.

THE SEALING & THE SHAKING

The Sealing passes upon the members of the church of God and then the Sunday law announcement; the prophecy states that there will be a false reformation so close (resembling) to that of the church of God, that without the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit none can discern which one is not from God. Many who are shaken out will leave the church of God and go to this false reformation as Satan will give them (false reformation) power to do miracles; all this before God’s true church receives the latter rain with great power so that the light of the angel fills the earth with God’s glory.

SUNDAY LAW & THE LATTER RAIN

The Sunday law is progressive and upon its first announcement the great majority like the leaves of autumn are blown away from the church of God and a very small number remains. These will plead with God for strength to carry forward the great work and they will be given the power from on high coming forth as a rushing wind. Enabled with the mighty power of God they go to gather the rest of the saints who are in other churches John 10:16. NOTE: Those gathered from the other churches in the latter rain are not sinners but saints (Rev.18:4); now they will have to learn very quickly what had taken years for the others. They are willing and able and accomplish all. Then the law will go forth that none can buy or sell except they have the mark of the beast, the saints leave the cities and towns, they go to the hills and mountains in secluded places, some are imprisoned and cast into the most unjust and cruel bondage.

THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES

Mercy is finished; the seven last plagues are poured out unmixed without mercy upon the earth. There is a small resurrection during the sixth plague (Dan.12:2), the 144,000 is full (Rev.3:10). Jesus leaves the temple in Heaven; the Sunday law death penalty is to be executed, the battle of Armageddon is being engaged All this Jesus saw as He wept at the grave of Lazarus; the fountain of His tears was broken up as He longed to recover the Human race from its distress.
AMEN.

Submitted by Michael Newby, Toronto, Canada.