The little blue arrow points to about the time, most understand, in which we live for some time and especially now according to all the various Bible statements and prophecies. It is the period in which the gospel is preached in all the world, among all kindreds, tongues and peoples. To accomplish that mission takes a world wide church which the SdA church is. The gospel has been preached for a long time, but is currently preached mightily in all continents and countries and in just about all languages as far as I hear it presented quite recently during Discovery08. God is just waiting to save as many as possible for when He comes, nothing of sin will be able to stand. We must have quit that before He comes again. For the theology read this about the Book of Hebrews Chapter 9. Please let us know of problems in understanding by leaving a very brief contact message in the guest book and checking in there for a reply and instructions. The prophetic chart is explained in various articles, Time Prophecy, God's amazing grace, the 3 angels messages, and so on.

Nearly all books we can find today in book stores on the Book of Revelation, place the seven seals, the seven horsemen, in the future. So, dear reader, we want to show you that the majority of the prophecies found in Revelation have been fulfilled, including these we study now. The details to our topic can be found in chapter five, six and the first part of the eight chapter of the Revelation of the Apostle John. These three chapters go together as a unit, as the majority of the other chapters do as well on the themes they present. That is so because Revelation is not written in strict chronological order from chapter 1 through 22. The seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the saven last plagues cover the same ground but bring out the same ages in different images and descriptive formats. 10]

In chapter five we read,

5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

This last verse is our study. So there John describes a book which contains the future, the truth of the love of Jesus and righteousness by faith, and the final consummation of the victory of God and God's people. But more than that it contains vital information for those who live in the last days. It means to say, if we could understand this book, know how to read it, then we could prepare ourselves.

So we may ask, `Shall we do this, or shall we do that ...'

But there was no one found who could pick these `combination locks,' seven of them, and figure out how to open them so they could be taken off this book. Even if someone would know the combination, there was no one who knew the language and John means to say, when this recognition struck me, I was so depressed, felt so weak, that I cried a lot.

Then we read, how one of the elders close to me said, `Stop crying, look . . .

5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
5:6 And I beheld ...

John is told, stop crying, wipe your tears for the lion of the tribe of Judah - which means to say, it is one who has great power, something exciting, the king of beasts ... look John, take another look . . . a Lion . . . and John turns to look, and what does he see?

Now, if we go to the see elephants in a zoo and you tell someone standing in front of the elephant exhibit, `Close your eyes' and you walk them right in front of the elephant and say, `Now, open your eyes ..' - What would you expect to see?

Right, you would expect to see an elephant.

What does it say in Revelation?

We read,

". . . and, lo, in other words, I looked, and what did John see? ... "... in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, (there) stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

What are we to make of this?

God's Word means to tell us that the redemption of our Lord Jesus comes in two phases - (a) on the one hand he would be the lamb that was slaughtered and on the other hand he would be (b) the lion that would bring victory and rescue.

So we find that the Book of Revelation is just filled with these black and white contrasts. One minute it is the darkest night and the next the brightest noon day. And we just read one of these contrasted accounts.

Next this great shout of joy goes up ...

`Get up John, wipe your tears off. Be happy with us, we found someone who not only knows all the combinations of those locks, he also can read the language and tell us what it means.

It is talking about Jesus, isn't it?

The one who knows the future?

Our Lord Jesus knows the future!

He told the church in the first three chapters of Revelation, spelling out his concern and His watchcare in the first three chapters of the book, saying in effect, `As your senior pastor I have been with you in every period in the progress of the church during those long centuries in the world, down through the stream of history - so, know I will be with you even to the end . . .

So we find here again, the righteousness of Jesus and of importance in the history of the world and the church ... are the achievements of our Lord Jesus.

So we read on,

5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Did you catch it? The doctrine here very clearly explained is the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. And we just need to be aware of this, even though it is another subject, - it was this passage along with others, that lit the fires of the reformation. Because Christian people for hundreds of years had been taught that the way to God was through a priesthood here on earth.

They had been taught it was men who had to hear their prayers, be their intercessors and all of that ...

But here, in the last book of the Bible, for those who live in the last days, God is very clear, - Christ, as He unfolds the future . . . as he removes the seals, it says, `You are a kingdom of priests.' - There is no intercessor, except our Lord Jesus, the priesthood of all believers, and all you family men ... you are the priest in your home. . . . and that does not mean that you lord it over your wife, it means that you have serious spiritual obligations to your wife and to your children.

We are a kingdom of priests and of kings . . . crowns will be fitted one day on our heads in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus . . .

Let's read on,

5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen.. . .

Looking at this last verse, we learn that the word `beast' is so translated from the Greek word, `zoe,' and from that word we have our word `zoology'- `life.' The study of the forms of life. . . . The King James translators translated it as `beast', not meaning by that some hideous animal creature but just simply, `a living being.'

So you see our school system teaches unconsciously something we find originating from the Book of Revelation.

And we continue reading,

"... And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever."

In the Book of Revelation we find time and again such words ... `lives forever,' `praise Thee Lord Jesus,' for all He has done for us.

The Four Horsemen and the Seven Seals

We are ready now to study the four horsemen and the seven seals. But first we ought to know that the Book of Revelation is not a chronology. Many interpreters stumble over this bit of recognition or the lack of it. They go, well, that chapter one is Jesus and the disciples and the early Christian church and then, in the steady stream of time, right on down to where Jesus sets up His kingdom. They present chapter after chapter as a steady flow of prophecy.

That is not Revelation at all. Instead we notice it is a literary device filled with what we might call `spiritual flash backs.'

It is what you experience when you find yourself in some situation and suddenly you recall a similar situation you have experienced at another time - flash backs.

Here in Revelation then, in the first three chapters, we have the history of the church from the time of Jesus and the disciples down to the Second Coming under the symbolism of the seven churches spanning the centuries. Then you come to chapters five through eight, and you have the same history in the form of flash backs, but now under the symbolism of the four horseman and the seven seals. [See chart above. It does not give these symbols because they come before and up to the church of Laodicea.]

You have the same history presented in a different view now, a different facet of this lovely gem of the history of the church in the world, presented in a different angle or perspective. It gives us additional information with this literary device in the Book of Revelation, those spiritual flash backs - and unless we understand that, we shall never really be comfortable in understanding this book of prophecy. [14]

Today, we must realize that we live in the time of the end of the sixth seal. We shall take a look at the two verses between which we live right now. That way this book becomes very real and practical for us.

The White Horse

Let us start reading ...

6:1 And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.
6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

The white horse has been understood to symbolize purity, righteousness, goodness and Jesus. Revelation 19:8 shows that to be true. It speaks there of the church in the end time. Jesus is just ready to come and marry her, take her to His Father's house for the wedding feast, and it says, `To her was granted' that she be dressed in what color?

In fine linen of pure, white color.

We find that even today, white symbolizes purity. Think of all the white you see in hospitals where they want to give the impression of purity, sterility, etc., well, at least it was white they wore for a long time.

Therefore, it is no surprise that we find this color symbolizing the first seal. We also should know that we will give dates to these seals as on a historical time line. In some of these dates we can be precise, but in others we must generalize to within a few years.

So we use for the date of this first, white horse `seal' period 31 to 100 A.D.

About this seal, some scholars may conclude this way, `When that white horse came galloping into the mind of John in the vision, he very well may have had a flash back himself to the time just before his exile when the Parthians roamed against violent neighbors to the east. They went out to battle against them on swift white horses. And history says about the Parthians, that with their bows and arrows they were accurate to the point that from galloping full speed on their white horses, they could shoot from the hip an enemy off his horse nearly every single time. - The Parthians.

William Barklay said about this, "Still today there is a phrase in the British Isles, `The Parthian shot.' That refers to a final devastating blow, to which there is no answer."

You see, when they hit you with a Parthian shot, you had it. Such a shot would take the wind out of your sails it means to say.

So, we have here the period of the `white horse.' Purity and goodness, sinlessness. You remember how God through Isaiah (Isa. 1:18) says, "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ..."

What a wonderful time, what a victorious time for the Christian church. Why, these dates?

In 31 A.D. we have the death of our Lord Jesus. In that year He died, and three days later He is resurrected.

He gathers His disciples together about 40 days after His resurrection and gives them their final marching orders which we call `the great commission.'

"Go ye therefore .." Where? ".. into all the world."

Sure, not just Jerusalem and Judea - but into the whole world now.

Go all around the globe you missionaries and emissaries and preach the good news. And when that job is finished I come back again.

So there are the disciples in 31, 32 AD longing for the Lord to come back, but there is this big job for them to finish before ever He can come back ...

So they have this job description and great ambition and more than that, they are empowered by the Holy Spirit, and they go out to turn the world upside down for God and Christ. ... That, by the way, is the phrase they used in the first century when speaking about those Christian apostles and the disciples . . . thousands, yes, tens of thousands were won to Christ during this time and in the preaching of these apostles, the cross was the central theme. Righteousness by faith is focusing upon the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ on His cross. - Salvation by grace is trusting what Jesus had already done.

And so we find that all the New Testament had been written between 31 and 100 A.D. It was a victorious period for the church. It was a wonderful time for Christians and for Christianity.

Edward Gibbon in his `The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' said about this period of time,

"The progress of Christianity was not confined to the Roman Empire alone, but within a century after the death of Jesus it had already been to every part of the globe."

That is a big statement. He said,

`Within the confines of Rome there were 50,000 Christians by about 100 A.D., 70 years after the death of Jesus.

Over in Antioch, there were at least 100,000 Christians - 5 million Christians in the Roman Empire alone.

Should we be careful of using "almost" statements?

Let us read about it,

"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." Rom. 1:8.

He says, dear Christians, `your faith is now known throughout the whole world. That is an "almost" statement.

Next we read this,

". . . the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister." Colossians 1:23.

He is saying, the gospel is now being preached to almost every person under the sun.

What are we talking about? We are talking about the difference between `mission impossible' and `mission accomplished,' in just this short period of time.

Think about it if you will, denominations today are spending millions of dollars and millions of man hours learning to plant and grow churches. Church growth has become a big topic inside nearly every denomination.

`How to start a new church, plant it over here or there. In this dark side of the county, and over there in the city ...'

Planting churches and church growth.

And we send folks to other men who have done this successfully, and we study their methods and spend a lot of money in doing that and sometimes, tragically, these folks come back with some ideas that really do not fit into the congregation or to the board of an area and few seem to realize how much is wasted and how many problems are generated this way in communities by sending folks to locations instead of taking them back to the Book of Acts to show them how it was done in the first century A.D.

We ought to go back to the Bible and the principles only found in God's Word. We do not have to go to these mega and giga churches, we need to study our Bibles for the truths it contains and get on our knees.

The Book of Acts is the history of the first 30 years of the Christian church. In it we find evangelism explosion. We find there info about reaching out, church planting ...

During this time from 31 to 100 AD they had no radio or tv ministries; no publishing houses ... no cars, trains, airplanes - they had no paid ministry at all, they had no colporters but one by one they confronted their neighbors and their children, `Oh, I have something to tell you, something is going on in my heart, it changed my life and you come with me to my church only one time and if you do not notice the presence of God with the people of God, I never bother you again.'

And one by one, those people went out to turn the world upside down.

There came a time in Great Britain, when the wealthy folks would not hire a Methodist to be a house maid. She couldn't wash the dishes, she couldn't make the bed. They didn't want her in the house. Why? They knew good and well, that just one such maid would go on to convert the cook, the gardener and everybody else in the house.

Their witness was so vibrant. It was so very much alive - and so the period of the `White Horse', was the time of the victorious church, a pure Christian witness centered in Jesus Christ.

The Red Horse

But the story does not end there. Let us read the following verses.

6:3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.
6:4 And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

As the cowboy rides off in one direction, there comes from the other side another horse and the scene changes drastically. Power is given to the rider on the red horse to take peace from the earth. They began to kill one another. And there was given to the rider a great sword. The date for the second cowboy, the second seal is 100 to 321 AD. It begins with the close of the first seal and it ends in 321 AD when things changed in the government of Rome.

The symbolism of the red horse stands for crime and violence, bloodshed and this period of some 221 years (100 to 321 AD), would be a bloody, horrible time for Christians. It was a time of bloody persecutions too horrible to describe.

In 321 AD Rome has a new emperor to bring an end to the persecutions. What happened in 321 AD? It is the date for the Council of Nicea, the time for the red horse and the 2nd seal and all the violence invented against Christians. Emperor Constantine decided on a different course. He invited all Christians to `come out from your places of refuge and meet with us at Nicea,' a suburb of Piraeus, the harbor town of Athens in Greece. He announced, `I will guarantee your safety. If word comes to me that anyone of you has been harmed I will take it as a personal affront and I will consider it as if someone has slugged or stabbed me.' So the Christians came out of the rocks and caves at the suggestion of this promise of their emperor and history says, that most of them came into that auditorium at Nicea on stretchers and in wheel barrows, because most of these Christians had their arms and or legs cut off above the knee. Many had their eyes gauged out and their tongues cut off because of their witness.

The Roman emperor begins this meeting with this promise, `Its over now. This persecution against you Christians ends right here and right now. No more hiding. Come out into the open. Be one with us for I tell you, I am now also a Christian. Any of you harm any of these, you do it against me for I am now one of them and I shall suggest that you others out there become Christians as well.'

And Christianity was brought to the attention of the whole Roman Empire and beyond and the pagans came in droves and joined the Christain Church. From now on, those who were in business and wanted to get ahead, knew, they better now join the Christian religion and by the tens of thousands the pagans ran to the baptistries and were baptized. But even though they came out to be members of the church by outward expression, they were not by inward experience.

Peace was taken from the earth and now the period of the black horse began.

The Black Horse

In 321 AD closed the 2nd period and automatically opened the 3rd which closed in 538 AD when the church destroyed its last enemy, their last holdout. For the next 1260 years the church reigned supreme throughout the world for we read,

6:5 And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.
6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The rider of the red horse gallops into the sunset and here comes a rider on a black horse. Black symbolizes still today evil, error and spiritual darkness. . . and witchcraft and all the rest.

John C. Woodhouse (1749-??), The Apocalypse, wrote about this period of the black horse saying,

"As the stream of Christianity flowed further and further from its fountain, superstition was advanced. Tales of purgatory, pious frauds. The worship of saints and relics and images took the place of simple Christianity until the book of God was laid aside and legendary tales took its place."

And that is exactly what happened during this period of time. The time of the black horse from 321 to 538 AD.

Next we read,

6:6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

The rider of this black horse that symbolizes spiritual darkness, and magic moved into the church. He holds in his hands a pair of balances . . . and it is very obvious by the context that these balances were the scales that were used at the farmers market.

A man brings so much money and they weigh up this much wheat and this much barley.

So let us talk a bit more of the symbolism here. A `measure,' as here described in the Bible, was just a fraction less than a `quart,' and this was the amount that was given to a slave for a full days work.

Ordinarily the penny or denari here described would buy 24 measures but here it buys only three.

We also know that barley was eaten only by the very poor people. It was the food of slaves and mules.

So we have here a man who worked all day long at hard physical, manual labor and at the end of the day he is paid an amount that would purchase less than one quart of grain - not enough to feed himself three meals a day, let alone the wife and children.

Therefore, the symbolism we find here is that of a spiritual famine. A famine for the purity of God's Word. A famine for the truth of God, a desire to get away from the spiritism and the images and the incense and all those things and get back to the truth of God's Word. Enough of magic and superstition. Let us get back to God's Word.

And when John sees this pass through the church and this point in the stream of history in the world, he cries out, "Please don't hurt the oil and the wine"

Now, this is an allusion again to the Spirit of God. When Jesus ascended just after he had given the great call of the gospel commission, `Go into all the world,' he said,

I will send you someone to help you. I will send you a comforter and when he and the Spirit of truth is come, what is he going to do?

He is going to lead you into all truth and the disciples in the first 500 years went out, empowered by the Holy Spirit of God and just created wonderful things for God and Christ for the church, but when the black horse comes on the scene of time, John cries out,

`Please, don't let them destroy the work of the Holy Spirit. Please do not withdraw your Spirit from us, dear God. Don't let that happen and please preserve the wine - . And when we think of the wine we have a flash back to the Upper Room where Jesus passed the cup and said, `This grape juice symbolizes my blood that was shed for you, drink ye all of it.'

`Please, dear God, don't let the gospel be destroyed?

Please don't let us go back into the paganism from whence you have drawn us?

......

Church and State, as the result of the Council of Nicea, were welded solidly together. And in much of the Christian world today, that remains the same.

The United States of America was formed as the result of Europeans having had all they could stand of the welding together of church and state - the church telling the politicians what to do ... and so they came here to start a new country ...

And it can frighten us, when we see the great steps that we have taken and are taking in the opposite direction. That is scary. History tells us how scary that really is.

Over television, radio and in many books they have been and are preaching the idea that the forefathers of the United States never suggested that there be a separation of church and state. And we scratch our heads wondering which Constitution they are reading. What kind of interpreting history teachers did they have? Those of Rome?

And so, at this Council of Nicea, Constantine appeals to the pagans to come and join the Christian church. Compromises were made with Christianity until pagans flooded the church and Constantine promising, `No more persecutions, come out of hiding. Live a natural life, raise your children . . . but you cannot have it all your way - you are going to meet the pagans half way - there will be compromises on both sides.

And paganism infiltrated the church and great power was given the church and its headquarter in the city of Rome, the capital of the world.

To show the farce of all of this Christian idea, one day the emperor marched his army through the river and when he got to the other side, he said, `You are all Christians now. We just went through the water and you are now baptized.'

The Pale Horse

Let us read on,

6:7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
6:8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

As the black horse cowboy rides away there comes from the opposite direction a pale horse. What a contrast now.

And the rider is very different as well.

Upon this horse the rider was `Death' itself and the grave followed him. Power was given him over the 4th part of the earth and he killed many.

Well, it is fairly easy when you talk about a white horse and victory and all of that and the red horse, crime and violence and blood shed ... and a black horse ... magic and superstition ...

But a pale horse?

One Bible scholar said, `The idea here is this. If in the heat of summer you take a board and leave it laying on the grass ... or perhaps the child's plastic swimming pool ... and you leave it there on the grass for three or four days and then remove it, what will be the color of the grass underneath it?

Yes! It will be sick looking. It is anemic, it is sick.' And so the idea is that this will be a sick time for the Christian church.'

The symbol of death riding on the horse and the grave followed right behind.

Paganized Christians, having had much training, now began to kill one another.

Even though they have been through the river and were baptized, they have been through the great baptistries in the cathedrals and they have submitted to the hands of pastors ... . But it was a political thing that they had done. It was not a born again experience. Their hearts and life were not changed as that of the pagan converts up to the first century.

They came up out of the water thinking and doing the same evil things they had when they went in.

But now everybody was a Christian. The few born again Christians certainly were just that, but all these baptized pagans now were claiming Christianity and there were no groups to beat up on because everybody was a Christian, ... but if this group believed differently from the other group, then we will go over there and we get rid of them ... and that is exactly what went on during the long period of the pale horse.

They declared war upon one another.

During the period of the pale horse tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of Christians were killed by members of their own church.

They were burnt at the stake, thrown in the ring before animals, tortured in horrible ways ...

George Borrow wrote about a point in time, "In Spain there were 31,900 who were burned alive." Of the Albigenses there were a hundred thousand who were killed. 36,000 of the Dutch in the Netherlands, 50,000 amongst the Flemings and in Germany thousands upon thousands.

And you know what? Sometimes they got mixed up and other people were also killed. Life was not safe anymore.

How long did this period of the pale horse last? It closed by 1500, the period of the reformation closed it. Martin Luther, Calvin and Knox come on the scene.

The Fifth Seal

Well, we read on,

6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

The reformation opened up the period of the fifth seal which closes in 1755.

As the 5th seal opens, its says in the symbolism here, there are souls under the altar crying out.

And you may have heard that there are those again who suggest that these are literal spirits. That they were kind of gathered up and thrown in the throne room of God somehow.

That these were disembodied spirits of those who had died for Jesus and whose body rotted in some remote place on earth and that is not the idea at all.

The study we are sharing is symbolic from beginning to end. There are no such parts to be understood in a literal sense.

As the horses and their riders are symbolic so are too the other parts in these verses.

The best way to help you to understand the symbolism here is to take you back to the Garden of Eden. God said to Cain and Abel, I want each one of you to bring me an offering consisting of a little lamb. But Cain thought better. He was not a sheep herder; he was a farmer and proud of it; and so he brought a vegetable offering. When this, his offering, was not accepted by God, when it was not consumed by the fire, he got mad at his brother because Abel's offering was accepted. Perhaps this was severe sibling rivalry, and he killed his brother.

And the Bible says, that Abel's blood cried out from the ground ... Did his blood really shout? Of course not. This language is to be understood as presenting symbolisms.

Just like Abel's blood is a symbol, so are also the souls under the altar crying out in Revelation to be understood symbolically.

`Come on, O Lord. We have given our life for you.' And yet, people are dying and they ask, how long are you letting this go on.'

So let us be sure about this type of symbolism and the character of God. In the symbolism here, the martyrs are not asking for vengeance, - they are not saying, `Lord, please, today or tomorrow please catch those guys and kill them.'

That is not the point here at all.

Rather, they are saying, `Lord, how long until your character is vindicated - you are on trial here.'

The Sixth Seal

Let us read on. What comes next is good.

6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
6:13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

The great day of wrath here again showing God out of character in this symbolism here. God are given strange attributes, if you please. It says, the cup of God's indignation is full to the overflowing, that a change is about to come.

But remember, we said at the outset that we have to kind of generalize some of this. We said, in some instances we can be precise and some not.

In this 6th seal we can be again precise. When it opens there suddenly was a great earthquake. Such an event happened on November 1, 1755 as the link shows. On this day at about 10 o'clock in the morning a huge earthquake struck off the shore of Lisbon, Portugal. 50,000 people were killed in a moment and 4 million square miles were shaken and here is the thought, - there have been other earthquakes that killed more people. For example in India and China that are said to have killed a million people. But the differences between those and the one at Lisbon are several. The high victim quakes had their epicenter in a denser populated area. Millions of people were living in a very small area. The 1755 quake occurred in a more sparsely populated area. But there has never been a quake before and after, that has shaken so much of the surface of the earth.

At that time many news media wrote, that people realized that this quake moved them into the last days and not everybody laughed then about that, for they knew the Book of Revelation.

The prophecy goes on and says, `The sun became as sackcloth of hair, and the moon was turned to blood. The year was 1780, only just a few years after the great earthquake still remembered by many. The link gives you the details.

Now listen carefully, today we are living in this little gap between verses 13 and 14 of Revelation chapter 6. Verse 13 has been fulfilled but not yet verse 14 and the following.

We read there,

6:14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
6:15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
6:16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

Everybody who put things ahead of Christ is spoken of here. They do not have to be terrible wicked people, some really good people, some church folk are among them, ... but they were more interested in their job and in their business, than they were in learning what the Bible has to say about salvation and praying with their children.

So, they look up now and they see Jesus coming in the clouds and instead of being happy and welcome His appearance, they know instinctively that they are not ready to receive Him for their sins are not forgiven and His brightness begins to hurt their eyes. So they crawl under the rocks and anything that might hide them from the Son of Man coming as the conqueror into this sinful world.

We don't want to be in the presence of the Almighty, please, we much rather die. And we remember the words of the prophet were it says about the experience on that coming day,

"And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth." Zechariah 14:12.

But Revelation chapter 6 concludes with a question. We read,

"The great day of God's wrath is come? Who can survive it?"

Chapter 7 is given to answer that question. We are talking here about events that really happened and those still outstanding will really happen - rather sooner than later.

But chapter 7 tells us who shall survive the coming of the Lord in glory and power. But that is another subject. Go here to learn more.

The Seventh Seal

Let us jump over chapter 7 and read the first two verses of chapter 8 and we read there about the seventh seal. It says,

"And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets." Rev. 8:1,2.

We said in the beginning, when you study a prophecy and it is very clearly speaking prophetically, and it speaks of a day or portion thereof we interpret that `a day' then means a literal year according to the year/day principle.

Suffice it to say, that this prophetic half hour according to the year/day principle amounts to how long of a period? It figures out to be one literal week, seven days.

There is silence in heaven for a week? Why? How?

Is it possible it is silent because nobody is home?

Our Lord Jesus says,

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matth. 24:29-31.

Christ says in effect, `When I come in the Second Coming I am going to bring all of the holy angels with me.'

In Luke we read,

"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26.

He says in effect, `When I come I come in my own glory and in the glory of all the holy angels and in the glory of my Holy Father - Jesus comes, the Godhead comes, all of the holy angels come - who does that leave in heaven?

Nobody will be home in heaven for half an hour of prophetic time, for one whole week, from Sabbath to Sabbath.

There will be silence in heaven for that whole week. That is how important these things are we find described in the Book of Revelation. Do not fail to heed the words you are reading.

The seventh seal opens when Jesus comes and closes when the saints enter the holy city, their eternal home.

There is only one question with which we ought to close this article, `Are you ready? Are you ready for Jesus to come? Have you fought a good fight and stood for the right? Each one of us, are we ready for Jesus to come?

Let us pray:

`O, dear Lord Jesus, we thank thee again for the clarity of Your Word. We thank thee as we study these prophecies and see how they have been fulfilled in exact detail and that gives us assurance that the few prophecies yet remaining shall also be. These prophecies tell us, dear Lord Jesus, that there is not a lot of time left. Most of all the major prophecies have been fulfilled and we see fulfillments right in our days, and your coming is just a very short time away now. Please do not let us go back to business as usual. We set our sight on our Lord and on His cross for all eternity. There will be changes in our life as we become more and more like you. More like Jesus. We want to be like Jesus all day long. Help us please to be like Thee. Amen.'

With this message we have already reached forward to what the Church of Laodicea and the 7th seal is all about. Study it. Decide not to be lukewarm any longer, elect God as your master and glorify only Him in your life forever. Amen.

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

The World Wide Flood!
God Leading His People out of Slavery into Freedom!
How God Intended to Care for the Poor!
The Old & New Covenant!
The Hebrew Sanctuary!
What the Sanctuary Means for Us Today!
The Message of the 3 Angels!

Is it God or is it Satan? How can we know? What is the difference?

God controls all the physical features.

For example, a person who slowly dies of cancer does the process of this cancer operate on physical laws which God has ordained?

You will say, yes, of course it would operate on physical laws.

What about the spiritual aspects of judgments upon man?

Let us use the example of the seven last plagues. The spiritual aspect of these seven last plagues is primarily hate, Rev. 16. As it says in Exodus, "I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" Ex. 20:5.

When we think of the function of sin, in the sense of jealousy, selfishness and hate - it is operating by the law "... of the visitation of the iniquities of the ... fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me", and that law is God's law which is spoken of in Romans in the 8th chapter as "the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2) amplified by Paul when he writes, "the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law" (1Cor. 15:56).

Now here in the example of the seven last plagues this law is exhibited in a very distinctive way, they destroy the whole population of the earth.

So, again, the function of this law is the law of God. Therefore, when we think here of this function of the law of God in the seven last plagues, destroying the world by these particular maladies, we want to take a look using the Word of God at the process by which these plagues are accomplishing it.

(a) Well, at first sight, we would say, these plagues are based on physical laws, the wrath of God.

(b) But if you think of them happening as the law of principle as to who made the decision to hate, and to cause jealousy, and to cause all the violence which these plagues involve, then we must regard them as the plagues of Satan.

We must be sure to distinguish between God sent things and those sent by Satan.

The Hebrew prophets generally say, `God did so and so, God did this or that and so forth ...'

But we must understand how He does it.

He uses the agencies of evil to accomplish this.

On this subject we read,

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." 1.Cor. 5:5.

We read, God will permit Satan to destroy the body, that he might save the soul, the person.

When you think of this destruction as a process of law, then you have the wrath of God before you; however, if you think of it in the sense of a moral decision, `who chose to hate and who chose to build this great system of the seven heads, ten horned dragon [20], - (and the moment you got the word dragon in there you also got the word devil in there (Rv. 12:9)) - then a moral decision caused subsequent events.

The Lord Jesus pictures the condition of the whole world as that of the two men "possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way." Matth. 8:28.

These were in bondage to uncontrolled passions, in loathsome lusts. They represent what humanity would become if given up to Satan's jurisdiction.

We see, those two men who were insane and Christ drove the devils out - are representative of the whole world at the end of time.

a) We must realize, whenever men reject the Saviour's invitation, they are yielding themselves to Satan.

b) It is also true, anytime men turn away from the ten commandments, Satan will control them.

c) That is why God's law is the great issue of the controversy during the seven last plagues.

d) Satan knows that he can make an alteration in the law, and when people accept the alteration, they accept him and turn away from God.

Looking around, we see multitudes in every department of life, in the home, in business and even in the church doing this today - disregarding God's law. It is the cause to why crime and violence have overspread the earth based on what we just said in d), and moral darkness like a pall of death enshrouds the inhabitants of the earth.

This process can only get worse, much worse in the days ahead.

The only safeguard against these changes is found only in the presence of Jesus. Before man and angels, Satan has been revealed as man's enemy and destroyer and Christ as man's friend and deliverer. We must be sure that we understand the role of each clear and distinct in our mind so as not to be taken unawares. Christ never crosses over in the role of Satan and Satan never crosses over to carry out the role of Christ. Satan never does a loving, kind deed. He never does it. It is only in appearance that Satan does good. It really is not good at all.

We people may have a hard time to distinguish this, because the wheels of revelation grind slowly.

"All who have put on the robe of Christ's righteousness will stand before Him as chosen and faithful and true. Satan has no power to pluck them out of the hand of the Saviour. Not one soul who in penitence and faith has claimed His protection will Christ permit to pass under the enemy's power." {PK 587.1}

God may allow His people to be tested in the time of Jacob's Trouble but He will not permit that they'd be destroyed.

Ok, someone may say, what about Abraham?

We read in the Bible that God tempted Abraham (Gen.22:1), that He tempted the children of Israel.

How about James 1:13? In James we read, God tempts no man, and in Genesis 22;1 it says, God tempted Abraham - now what?

How are we to explain that?

That means that God permitted circumstances to occur to test their faith.

Let us reiterate the distinguishing line again.

If God permits something to happen to some people because of their own choice, to turn against the law of God and instead accept some substitute and thereby align themselves up with the 7 headed, ten horned dragon in the time of the 3rd of this world's kingdoms, if they choose to do that,

God will permit "the law of sin and death", finally, to run its course. When probation closes, and the lid of the Mercy Seat no longer pleads or holds back His blood from covering their guilt and retain their suffering, if then that person finds himself in the circumstances which he himself has created and God will permit this particular process known as the seven last plagues to occur, then Satan's course is in force.

So, by the fact that God permits it, it may be said that the plagues are the wrath of God.

But because these plagues result from a moral decision concerning the law of God, then the persons who make that moral decision are responsible for the consequences, which are the seven last plagues.

That is why we read in the Bible, "the dragon (Satan) was wroth with the woman (the church or the people)." Rev. 12:17.

That means God did not tempt Abraham or the Jews. He permitted circumstances to occur which tempted Abraham and so James 1:13 stands correct, "God tempts no man."

But in the Bible we read God doing that perhaps over a thousand times. God is blamed for what He does not prevent, because God will never take away our own free choice.

On the other hand the Bible also says,

". . . for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee." Isa. 54:9. [See here on Noah!]

Similarly God says,

"There is no fury in me." Isa. 27:4.

The only reason why it could be said that these were the plagues of God is, because He has suffered it.

Along this thought, Christ suffered for the sins of the entire world, He suffered the wrath of the entire world. On this basis we observe that the `wrath of God' means, that He suffered it in man's place, and because He controls it, and permits it to come in their suffering, people say that God does it.

God is a vigilant observer of the actions of man

That means that nothing occurs on earth or in heaven without the knowledge of the Creator, nothing can happen without His permission.

Why is that the case?

When I hit my finger with a hammer, the laws of physics make it hurt.

But is it true that Christ has suffered for my pain that I myself caused?

Yes!

Because Christ has suffered the pain of the whole human race, and whenever He permits suffering to come to a person, the suffering comes out of the conduct of the sinner himself.

That is why the Bible says, He punishes us less than our sins deserve.

Because He is holding back the pain, because He suffered it all on the cross ... but what He permits is stated as if He did it.

Keep this in mind for it is very helpful Bible explanation on seemingly many contradictions, explaining them in a truthful manner.

On this topic we read,

"Satan seeks to conceal from men the divine agency in the physical world--to keep out of sight the unwearied working of the first great cause. In this miracle all who exalt nature above the God of nature stand rebuked." {PP 509.2}

Satan is trying to conceal that God is operating in the processes of sin and death, because Christ suffered death.

Satan is trying to conceal from the world that God is involved in the physical processes and he tries to hide that God is the first great Cause, even of that which comes to sinners as a result of their own course of action.

Therefore, again, what God permits to come to the sinner as a result of his own sin, Christ has already suffered it. That is why God does not permit any suffering to come upon a sinner that He has not already suffered.

God is not waiting for people and nations to get worse and worse, no, He is waiting for us to obey His Words, keep His law and accept His salvation from sin, not in sin, before He comes, so His glory will not slay us, 2. Thess. 2:7-12, for God is to sin and sinners a consuming fire, Deuteronomy 4:24; 9:3; Hebrews 12:29. .

Therefore, to answer such a question in a sentence is leaving a lot unsaid, but in one sentence we could say, that Matthew 24:3-14 has to be fulfilled, where it says in verse 3, `And Jesus answered the disciples question,'

"Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

And Jesus answered:

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Mathhew 24:14.

"For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:38,39.

Verse 14 is the one major sign which we all can understand and examine if it takes place and judge by that how close we are. As far as I have heard from those involved in television and radio ministry, Seventh-day Adventists preach the gospel now in all lands by some means, be it the media, the Internet, by literature, printed pamphlets or letters in those languages which not many of us even heard of, all this is taking place right now. The good news gospel that Christ died for all already and has paid the price for every sin which ever has been committed, is being committed and will be committed, He is waiting for his messengers, his preachers and teachers to continue to trumpet loudly this Bible truth, so people will come to the cross, see what our sins have done to innocent Jesus and confess and repent and accept His sacrifice and thus be forgiven, so the Holy Spirit can indwell in each heart and enable people to learn and be baptized, and live henceforth the life Christ modeled for each one of us, like His disciples, to live and sin no more.

Satan's claims that God is unjust, that His law cannot be kept must be proofed false in the life of those who accept Christ who pleads His blood for each one in the sanctuary to cover their sins and blot them out of the heavenly record. When God's justice and judgment and dealing with sin and sinners is shown before all the universe as righteous, then will the end come.

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Rev. 16:12-14.

What could this mean? Is the drying up of the Euphrates a real, literal event or something symbolical? What could dry up this river over there in Iraq during this 6th plague? What does this have to do with the kings of the east, with God's church and His people, with the United States?

After Jacob had tricked his brother Esau into selling his birthright for a bowl of lentil soup, Jacob fled toward Haran and from there further east. Later, after twenty years of serving Laban, Jacob left to return to Canaan from the east. He crossed the Euphrates River with all of his family and with a flock of herds numbering in the thousands (Gen. 30:27-43; 31:11-13). How could he cross that river? We are not being informed on that. However, later, in the days of Belshazzar when the Medo-Persians came to take Babylon, they dried up the Euphrates by digging a channel to divert the water from its natural bed [45] described by the prophet when he wrote, "... Babylon that his city is taken at one end. And that the passages are stopped and the reeds they have burned with fire" where he refers to Babylon taken at one end, where the river entered the city and which had become dry and the dry reeds confirm that, (Jer. 51:31,32). Cyrus and his men stood now under the walls of the palace; the city was filled with his soldiers "as with caterpillars", (Jer. 51:14), and their triumphant shouts could be heard above the despairing cries of the astonished revelers surrounding Belshazzar and Daniel as he interpreted the writing on the wall, "Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin."(Dan. 5:25).

These accounts are harbingers of what we read in Revelation 16. How so?

Let us look for parallels between then and today.

Clearly had the prophets spoken concerning the manner in which Babylon should fall. They had exclaimed, "Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed." (Jer. 51:8).. . . Spiritual Babylon - encompassing the world - will also be destroyed suddenly. "And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise [men], her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts." (Jer. 51:57). We also read, "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go." (Jer. 50:33). This has happened already, it is happening now, and will happen soon again in spiritual Babylon after the Sunday law.

We should not imagine that God's church today is more holy and pure than in the days of Daniel, Rev. 3:14-22. Similarly we should not imagine that God's dear people of today will not be scattered in Babylon - until the waters of the Euphrates are dried up - so "that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared", (Rev. 16:12) as it happened with Daniel. Prophecy has traced the rise and progress of the world's great empires: (a) Babylon, (b) Medo-Persia, (c) Greece, (d) Rome. With each of these, as with the nations of less power, history has repeated itself. Each has had its period of test; each has failed, its glory faded, and its power departed.

"The history of nations speaks to us today. To every nation and to every individual God has assigned a place in His great plan. Today men and nations are being tested by the plummet in the hand of Him who makes no mistake. All are by their own choice deciding their destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes." {PK 536.2} Not only nations are tested, you and I are too by the One who loves us with an everlasting love. We are all deciding by our own choices our destiny, and God is overruling all for the accomplishment of His purposes.

From what we just read, we see that the drying up of the literal branch of the Euphrates - which Jacob crossed with his goats, sheep, and family, was small enough that it could run under the gates of the wall of a city - where Belshazar feasted.[62] We learn from this that this drying up of the physical Euphrates would not come up to the magnitude of one of the horrible, death-dealing seven last plagues of Rev. 16. The drying up of the river Euphrates is therefore symbolic of something more earth-shaking and cataclysmic. In prophecy, waters represent "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Rev. 17:15). In this terrible plague of Rev. 16, the vial poured out upon the Euphrates [which runs through symbolic Babylon of our day] drying up the waters, represents the "drying up" (in death) of "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" - making the world so angry and hyped up to kill God's people, that "the way of the kings of the east" will "be prepared." Rev. 16:12.

Who could be these kings of the east? We read,

"Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand. It is the cloud which surrounds the Saviour and which seems in the distance to be shrouded in darkness. The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant. Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror. Not now a "Man of Sorrows," to drink the bitter cup of shame and woe, He comes, victor in heaven and earth, to judge the living and the dead. "Faithful and True," "in righteousness He doth judge and make war." And "the armies which were in heaven" (Rev. 19:11,14) follow Him." {GC, 641}

We learn here that the `kings of the east' is Jesus and His army of angels! They are coming to save His people from the insane madness and the death decree of the people who are left, because the waters (multitudes) have been "dried up" with the death of so many millions in spiritual Babylon. While this Bible verse precedes that of the `three unclean, frog like spirits,' it intends to show before they do their work, that soon after them, Christ will come again in might and power and that there will be a positive outcome for the cause of God.

"With anthems of celestial melody the holy angels, a vast, unnumbered throng, attend Him on His way. The firmament seems filled with radiant forms - "ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." No human pen can portray the scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor. "His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise. And His brightness was as the light." Habakkuk 3:3,4. As the living cloud comes still nearer, every eye beholds the Prince of life. No crown of thorns now mars that sacred head; but a diadem of glory rests on His holy brow. His countenance outshines the dazzling brightness of the noonday sun. "And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords." Rev. 19:16. {GC 640.3}

"That time is at hand. Today the signs of the times declare that we are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Everything in our world is in agitation. Before our eyes is fulfilling the Saviour's prophecy of the events to precede His coming: "Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. . . . Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places." Matthew 24:6, 7. {Ed 179.4}
The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they recognize that something great and decisive is about to take place--that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis. {Ed 179.5}

Words echoed from the Bible where we read,

"Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof. . . . because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left." Isaiah 24:1-6.

"Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come." Joel 1:15.

"I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war." Jer. 4:19.

While it may be hard to imagine, we can assume, based on the above scriptures, that a nuclear war will occur. That is why we read,

"As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old." {GC 614.1}

The angels holding the four winds are letting them gradually blow and more horrible things will happen than the world has seen so far. Hoarded wealth will soon be worthless. When the decree shall go forth that none shall buy or sell except they that have the mark of the beast, possessions and means will be of no avail. Yet, in the midst of all the strife nothing will stop us to reach honest, seeking hearts with the last message of God's love and warning.

Let us start by saying, it is better to take the Word of God too literally than to compromise with man's fallible wisdom. It is better to stand before the Lord and plead "guilty" for taking His Word as it is written, than to stand before Him having compromised His Word.

This topic is important because people all around us are headed for judgment day. So, if you are not already acquainted with the gospel message read about it before you proceed. Go here for the Menu or here for starters.

Assuming you know the images and themes in Revelation already, I want to go down to Rev. 13:15 where it says this "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." The language surrounding the two horned beast, representing the US, North America, indicates that we have an issue of worship at stake here. If you don't worship the beast or the image of the beast you are going to be eliminated. And if you continue to maintain your believe in this book, especially the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus, then you will be under severe pressure to change your mind. Many will be under serious pressure.

Our subject, however, is not the death decree (Example), although it is woven into tonight's study, our subject is, when no man can buy or sell, "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, or the number of his name." (V 16,17).

Have you ever thought what that would do to your life style? You can't buy or sell?

A particular lady explained to me where tomatoes come from, they come from food stores - and, if that's the case and we're facing `no buy or sell,' and we can't visit food stores any longer, what will we do?

What happens to our lives, to our automobile and everything else?

We will be under an edict that says, `Stop, if you're going to maintain stubbornly your belief in the Sabbath.' `Halt! Cease and desist.' [68]

Don't you think that would effect your life style a bit? In fact, we are told that we have no idea what it will do to us because we had never really to face it or go through it.

But Jesus, as the friend he is, says .. he has told us ahead of time ... it's going to happen, and he's told us how to prepare for it. No one need be surprised here.

`That no man might buy or sell.'

It would be profitable to meditate on that, to see, just what it will take in order to be ready for such a time. You see, if we are not ready, then we are more subject to being pressured to compromise. Am I right?

If your are living on the 25th floor, in an apartment house anywhere, and the no buy no sell comes in, what happens to you? - I see! - No answers.

What is going to happen to us, if we are in that situation when this comes in. It's a solemn thought, isn't it?

I have to provide for my family, right? Oh, that we would now take advantage of the most important time in coming events, and that is today. So that when we face these times, we will be ready ahead of it.

Recently I talked to a friend of mine from one of the Pentecostal evangelical groups and he says, `Jerry, you know we're gonna be raptured before the time of trouble.'

I said, `Ok, go ahead, I am listening?'

He says, `We're not going to have to go through this time of trouble.'

And I said, `Did you know that the word rapture is not even in the Bible?'

He says, `What?' [See here on rapture.]

He was reiterating to me what he had been told from the pulpit ... what was going to happen and we wouldn't have to be ready.

And further, if you would use any other word or synonym, there is no scriptural evidence whatsoever that we're going to be raptured before the time of trouble.

Not long ago, I met a group of people, who were split off from one of these Pentecostal churches who said, the rapture is a myth. And so they have a whole new church. They are gaining adherents rapidly. What a fertile ground for evangelism.

But you know, Adventists have a version of the rapture, that is interesting. I call it the Adventist rapture. And it simply says, crawl up into a hammock, grab a grape and a banana, and wait, and God will see us through. Have you ever heard of that rapture?

We don't have to prepare, there is nothing to do, God is going to take care of us. Don't you read your Bible, etc., etc. ...

Well, I try to, But I cannot find that scenario. This is what you may encounter when you talk about, no buy, no sell, even within our own denomination, ... and any denomination of Sabbath keepers alike. That God will take care of us, we won't be raptured, but God is going to take care of us, so there is no need to make any changes in your life style. But study, don't take my word for it.

But I want to put that idea to bed. May be have a funeral for it in your experience.

We are going to start with this quotation,

"As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided ..." [GC 607]

Stop. This is an issue of enforcement, not an enactment, brothers and sisters, and you need to understand the difference.

An enactment has already taken place in 33 states of these United States. And in Virginia, guess what, they already have one in the books. 33 states with an enactment. But what we're talking about is enforcement.

If it is enacted, how long would it take to enforce it?

Not very long, would it!

Keep in mind the distinction - enactment, mostly done, the rest could be done very rapidly ... Enforcement could be a real issue. In fact it says that it will come upon us as an overwhelming surprise. Could wake up any morning and this has taken place.

The reason I say that is, because a former student of mine sent me a cartoon of President Bush at a speaking podium, holding up a document and saying something like this in the Daytona Beach, FL, newspaper, `I am going to do a favor for my right-wing constituents, I'm going to give them a Sunday law.'

Well, you smile and that was a cartoon, and they characterized (former) President Bush rather unglamorously and so forth ...

But I want to ask you a question, `Where did the cartoonist get those ideas from?'

Somebody has been talking about it! Somebody has mentioned it!

Have you heard anything about a Sunday law lately?

While it is just in the cartoon stage, I would like to suggest to you - there are people around somewhere thinking about it, or it wouldn't be in a political cartoon.

You agree with me?

That was a cartoon from 2005. Since then we know the history of 2008 and the obeisance of former president Bush rendered to the papacy with a number of visits because of his helplessness on how to solve the world's problems and his newly found infatuation with that system to bail America out. Then the leader coming to America, being received at the UN as he was and we remember that when the leader goes somewhere it is always to achieve a goal, in this case the destabilization of Protestant, capitalist America in order to turn it into a country more in the way of Mexico with the affluent middle class gone, the constitution in shambles and the people looking for a leader who they hope will solve the restless nations and multitudinous threats of war on every side.

As for such ambitions, four years after this talk was delivered, observers of events can trace the tendencies to what is described here much better. Now it is not just a cartoon anymore, now it is the Beast powers own words and Canon Law which underscores religious law making goals among "Christian" churches.

All right, let us continue ... But before you do, take a look at the plotted graphics for orientation.

"... ... As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith."

So here we have now a sequence of enforcement of a national Sunday law beginning with fines, and then imprisonment, and then the offering of inducements, the giving up your faith ...

I remember in one of the older colporteur issues of the GC there was a picture there of a Roman Coliseum , with the people sitting in the rising background auditorium, and there were a group of young people, being asked to sign a piece of paper, or, they were offering them a bag of money for to sign and they were holding up their hands . . . and arena was in the background. What does that mean?

That means that they were being threatened with their lives, to give up their faith. They were being offered bribes to give up their faith, and if you just sign here you'll be fine. No sword or lion will get you.

That is the nature of inducements - please sign that you will give up this Sabbath worship business and be on our side.

Now I have a question, `Would you rather face the enforcement of man or the seven last plagues? - Just trying to make a logical choice.

Would you rather face the wrath of man, or would you rather face the seven last plagues? That is the only time in history, where they are poured out without mercy! They are not mingled with mercy.

They are not universal, but they are the most awful scourges that have been known to man.

Wouldn't it even spark your interest logically? to choose God's side? and face the wrath of man? and then have eternal life? or face the seven last plagues and be eternally lost?

I pray that that will awake your thinking.

So, here we have three phases of enforcement of the national Sunday law an issue of worship by the way.

Now let's go to the 4th volume of the SoP for two more stages of enforcement. It gets worse and worse but look at page 422, also look at DA 121,122 - and the reason that they are important is that they say essentially the same thing in a slightly different way.

"Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that no man may buy or sell, save he that has the mark of the beast, and, finally, that whoever refuses to receive the mark shall be put to death." 4SP 422 (1884).

So here we have two more phases -- no buy, no sell -- and the death decree. And you know something? Do you know why they have a death decree? Because this * (pointing to the chart) is not working. They look at us and there are some people who take the message of Rev 13 - 17 seriously. This * no buy or sell is not achieving what it was meant to do (convincing them to turn away from their Sabbath) - look at them there, they are in the garden, they are bringing in produce, they are feeding their family, they are rejoicing, their faces are lighted up and shining with holy consecration, they are hastening from place to place, the sick are healed and signs and wonders are following the believers, look at them, they are as though they were ready for it. The only way that we ever stop the judgments of God is to eliminate them, because God blesses them. They are so as if it was planned.

And the death decree is issued ... but there is one problem with it.

It's too late, because it comes after the close of probation; and now we have got angels dressed in the garb of man of war to protect us, and Isaiah 33:16 comes in ... we flee to the Mtns., and our bread and our water will be sure. - But mark it, there will be martyrdom. There will be martyrdom.[75] But we do not have to worry about. I tell you why.

We read,

"They will deliver you up to councils, . . . yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for My sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles." Matt. 10:17, 18, R.V. for Jesus said that at some point, "... there shall not an hair of your head perish." Luke 21:18.

Persecution will spread the light. The servants of Christ will be brought before the great men of the world, who, but for this, might never hear the gospel. The truth has been misrepresented to these men. They have listened to false charges concerning the faith of Christ's disciples. Often their only means of learning its real character is the testimony of those who are brought to trial for their faith. Under examination these are required to answer, and their judges to listen to the testimony borne. God's grace will be dispensed to His servants to meet the emergency. "It shall be given you," says Jesus, "in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." As the Spirit of God illuminates the minds of His servants, the truth will be presented in its divine power and preciousness. Those who reject the truth will stand to accuse and oppress the disciples. But under loss and suffering, even unto death, the Lord's children are to reveal the meekness of their divine Example. Thus will be seen the contrast between Satan's agents and the representatives of Christ. The Saviour will be lifted up before the rulers and the people." [DA, 354][80]

... that the courage and fortitude of the martyrs was given, when it was needed. Can you imagine people singing, going to the stake, and then sing while the fires come up? I mean, that's a new order of grace, isn't it? .. because I can assure you, that that burning is painful.

And they are singing until they can no longer be heard. And God will give us that grace as surely as that is promised. Write it down, that will give you great courage.

Well - - - here is how we need to beat the Adventist rapture.

We need to determine that `no buy, no sell' takes place in probationary time.

If it is not in probationary time (of course he is helping and protecting us during the death decree), but if `no buy or sell' is not in probationary time, then we have no message to give and the `country living' message is not as effective. So let us examine it.

"I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus' work was done in the sanctuary ..." [100]

What time is that? The close of probation right? When Jesus' work is done in the sanctuary, its the close of probation.

"... and then will come the seven last plagues."

So here we have it, next the seven plagues start and there is a line right here, pointing at the middle yellow vertical line on the chart.

Now notice the sequence of events,

".... These plagues enraged the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought the judgments of God upon them, and that if they could rid the earth of us, the plagues would then be stayed. A decree went forth to slay the saints..."

Look at the sequence. Close of probation - seven last plagues - enraged the wicked - death decree.

... But what happens before Jesus finishes His service in the heavenly sanctary? Before that is the time of `no buy, no sell.' That puts us in the time before the close of the general, all inclusive probation. It puts us solidly into an area, in which preparation is needed. (*It is the time of the National Sunday Law*) And as usual, God has a plan.

Let me run through this once more, cause I see some furrowed foreheads. Let us re-examine it. The four angels were instructed to hold the four winds until Jesus is done with his work in the sanctuary. Right? Do you follow?

Then will come the 7 last plagues (EW 36,37). Close of probation, followed by 7 last plagues. The plagues enrage the wicked, may be 1 or 2 of these (graphics) blamed us and then they issue a death decree.

Well, what was the stage of enforcement just before the death decree?

Right, it was `no buy, no sell - probationary time.'

As it all turns out, God has a plan and its really simply stated. But I am here to tell you that the detail of this plan is going to take you some time to accomplish. If we start next Sunday morning, we need all the time that we have left to accomplish being ready. If some of you live on the 25th floor, it may take a little longer, so you might have to be more urgent about it.

I don't know how to express it, so I can have my people, my friends, everybody, catch the urgency of what I am saying.

Brothers and sisters, its no longer church as usual. We are in the last days. We cannot afford any more religion as usual. We can no longer have the disease of pew paralysis among us. We can no longer have sermon saturation. We can no longer have Laodiceanism and lukewarmness to a point that we make God sick (Rev. 3:16). We can no longer wait, we can no longer justify our existence because of the mistakes of others. We have a work to do - and it is so much bigger than color of the rug discussions - theological, mathematical, philosophical, you name it - we do not have time for those anymore.

Time is fast passing. Here is the plan. `Country Living,' p. 9,10; and I feel indicted by the way it starts.

"Again and again..."

What does that mean? I am not getting it. I don't get it is what she is saying. But get it now, Get it.

"... the Lord has instructed that our people are to take their families away from the cities ..."

... to where?

"... into the country, where they can raise their own provisions; for in the future the problem of buying and selling will be a very serious one."

This is in probationary time. There is no Adventist rapture in that. There is no rapture of any kind, except one of joy - heaven.

Moving into the country requires planning, detail. [140]

What are you going to do for this, or for that and the other thing when Jesus in his own life has told us that every earthly support will be cut off. Jesus starts it out with his typical statements, `Man shall not live by bread alone.' So, the Word of God is going to get us bread, if we follow the plan and do this (points to chart, obey country living).

Let us read that,

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God." Often the follower of Christ is brought where he cannot serve God and carry forward his worldly enterprises. Perhaps it appears that obedience to some plain requirement of God will cut off his means of support. Satan would make him believe that he must sacrifice his conscientious convictions. But the only thing in our world upon which we can rely is the word of God. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matt. 6:33. Even in this life it is not for our good to depart from the will of our Father in heaven. When we learn the power of His word, we shall not follow the suggestions of Satan in order to obtain food or to save our lives. Our only questions will be, What is God's command? and what His promise? Knowing these, we shall obey the one, and trust the other." [DA, 121]

"Often the follower of Christ is brought where he cannot serve God and carry forward his worldly enterprises."

That is not a bad worldly enterprise, that is our job.

"Perhaps it appears that obedience to some plain requirement of God will cut off his means of support. Satan would make him believe that he must sacrifice his conscientious convictions."

Who does that? Satan.

"But the only thing in our world upon which we can rely is the word of God. `Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.' Matt. 6:33."

Tell me what is before "first." - Nothing! - This has to be a priority. This has to be emphasized, or we are going to lose some people. This is a life and death matter. You think of the sixties when they had cars lined up at the pump. Guys would jump out and get into fist fights, because they were next. [Or think of New Orleans in 2005] Well, what do you think is going to happen over food?

" ... you can raise your own provision."

"Even in this life it is not for our good to depart from the will of our Father in heaven. When we learn the power of His word, ..."

And Jesus, our friend has said, here is what I like for you to do.

And if he is the friend we think he is, we will listen to his counsel.

"...we shall not follow the suggestions of Satan in order to obtain food (remember no buy no sell) or to save our lives (possible death)."

In the last great conflict of the Testimony,

"Our only questions will be, What is God's command? and what His promise? Knowing these, we shall obey the one, and trust the other." [DA, 121]

p. 122,

"In the last great conflict of the controversy with Satan those who are loyal to God will see every earthly support cut off."

How many is every? (How many) What will be left? `... every earthly support cut off.'

... "Because they refuse to break His law in obedience to earthly powers, they will be forbidden to buy or sell (again, no buy no sell). It will finally be decreed that they shall be put to death (again, decree). See Rev. 13:11-17. But to the obedient is given the promise, "He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." Isa. 33:16 (memorize it). By this promise the children of God will live. When the earth shall be wasted with famine, they shall be fed. "They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." Ps. 37:19.

"To that time of distress the prophet Habakkuk looked forward, and his words express the faith of the church: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Hab. 3:17, 18.

This is going to be a terrible shock. In fact we are told that we fall short in anticipation of it. [255] Most cases we anticipate at a higher level and then its not as bad. In this case we anticipate at a low level, and its worse than we anticipated. And Jesus says to us through his testimony, `Be ready, be ready, be ready.' [Esther 3:14; 1Peter 3:15; Titus 3:1]

It is not business as usual, it is not church as usual, it is not any masquerading that you are continuing to impress, that will all be swept away brothers and sisters.

And I like for you to be there for me when it happens to me, and I want to be there for you.

And Jesus wants to be there for us all. To masquerade in the area of private opinion, to masquerade in the area of worldly sins we are clinging to - - is not going to get the preparation done.

It is going to take whole hearted attention to the details of this preparation, for I can assure you on the basis of some 30 yrs now, that it takes time to get your ark built for the flood that is coming.

"The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate and solitary places. " [270]

Skipping down a bit:

"... the decree enforcing the papal sabbath will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains."

This decree right here (pointing to the chart), the papal sabbath and the beginning of the enforcement will be a warning to us.

How do I know that is probationary time?

Because people who take advantage of secluded homes among the mtns have homes. They do not have any here (in the cities) ... you are in flight, you are in desolate places, a rainbow over each praying company .. and we are fed three ways:

By angels (1Ki. 19:5; Mt. 4:11),
by ravens (1Ki. 17:6), or
by manna (Ex. 16).

But before that we never make it to that time unless we get through this (points to chart, no buy, no sell).

And God has a plan. But the Adventist rapture says, `No, all that is part of the time of trouble and God is going to take care of you.'

That is very poor eschatology (end time studies).

We need to be in the country where we can raise our own provisions on the authority of God's testimony and that is what God is calling for. If we build the ark in any other way, it will not survive the flood.

Now, I want to go into even deeper water.

"9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
9:5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house." Eze. 9:4-6.

This says, that the judgments of God come to who first?

They began `at my sanctuary' and then they started where? At the `ancient men', the leadership. Often we have in mind, that the judgments of God fall on the world first. But on the authority of the Word of God I'd like to counter that by this scripture and because of 1.Peter 4:17, {"4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" 1.Peter 4:17.}

Judgment starts first with us. And its perfectly natural because we are informed on the issues and judgment on the issues come to us first. The rest of the world is unaware - the majority of them.

5T, 211:

"Here we see that the church--the Lord's sanctuary--was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God."

Who is the church? -- We are! Its we. (Correct pronoun.) It is us. We are the church. And we are the first to experience the judgments of God.

Well, if we are first to experience God's judgments, wouldn't it make sense that we have to make a decision first?

We have to decide on what side of the question we are going to be on, on these final issues. Let me read that to you and it may be shocking ... I kind of hate giving this study at night, because some of you might not sleep after this.

But 7BC, 976 says - I tell you ahead of time a little on what it is going to say, but I'll read it - that the decision that Sabbath keeping Christians, SdAs or whatever other informed Christian about the Sabbath, who we can think of, the decision that they make in regard to the national Sunday law is an eternal one.

What does eternal mean? Reversible? Change your mind?

Let me read it,

{Tested by the Image.-- The Lord has shown me clearly that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided. . . . [Rev. 13:11-17 quoted.] . . . {7BC 976.2}

The image of the beast is the enforcement of the national Sunday law.

That is a beastly function. And the image (apostate Protestantism) will put this into effect before probation closes.

Everybody with us so far?

Now, take the next as an appeal from Jesus and not hammering from me for that is the last thing I wish to do. And I am forced to leave me with God as I am forced to leave you with God - after you have the information. But by God's grace, we are going to move forward to be ready for Jesus' coming.

... "The Lord has shown me clearly"

What does "clearly" mean? It means no doubt.

"... that the image of the beast will be formed before probation closes; for it is to be the great test for the people of God, by which their eternal destiny will be decided." [Rev. 13:11-17 quoted.]{7BC 976.2}

Now you know there are other references in here which say that we should take time for preparation, that step by step, if we are yielded to worldly demand, it won't be any problem to yield to man's demand here (graphics, no buy no sell); and accept the mark of the beast.

So, today is the most important time of coming events. Decisions that we make today. And, when we come to this, we don't have to have in implant in our skin or 666 stamped on our forehead - all they have to do is ask you a question. One simple question to find out who you are.

`Are you a Seventh day Adventist?' `Are you a Sabbath keeping Christian?' Whatever...

And the answer to that question - if you say, `No!' They know who you are, `Step right over here.'

Eternally!

Albeit! If you say, `Yes!!'

Then you are going to be subject to the wrath of man, but you accept the seal of God, EW p. 71.

Now, what could we do about it today? EW, p. 67.

"Those who would not receive the mark of the beast and the image when the decree goes forth, must have decision now. To say, Nay, we will not regard the institution of the beast."

So, today, we can say `No, to what? To the institution of the beast.

And notice that it says, `must have decision now.'

What does "must" mean?

It is absolutely essential that we make decisions daily that will help us then - to say, `No, we will not regard the institution of the beast.'

So we got one fence post in the ground about this eternal decision. Let us give direction to the fence and put another fence post in.

In 7BC 1957, "the time of God's destructive judgments is a time for mercy for those who had no opportunity to learn what is this truth. Tenderly will the Lord look on them. His heart of mercy is touched. His hand is still stretched out to save while the door is closed who would not enter. Large numbers will be admitted who in these last days hear the truth for the first time."

"But I speak not my own words when I say that God's Spirit will pass by those who have had their day of test and opportunity, but who have not distinguished the voice of God or appreciated the movings of His Spirit. Then thousands in the eleventh hour will see and acknowledge the truth." {2SM 16.1}

Notice the door is still open for those who had not heard during the latter rain and so on, but the door is closed to those who would not enter. And when we say, yes or no to the beast we are told it is an eternal decision.

Brothers and sisters, here is the point and we are in very deep spiritual waters at this moment. That decision is an eternal one for SdAs which is made way before the close of probation and for the rest of the world.

Long before we get to no buy no sell, we will have made an eternal decision because God is looking for workers under the seal of God to give the power of the rain under the loud cry to the rest of the world. He is looking for messengers to give the loud cry and the 3rd AM under the power of the Latter Rain to the rest of the world.

And this (points to chart) is the big test right here. (Buy or sell). And that is an eternal test.

We have very little time left because they are already cartooning what seems to be our close of probation - the national Sunday law.

I don't know how you feel but my heart longs that we will have the preparation necessary that no one here will be lost.

"A storm is coming relentless in its fury - are we prepared to meet it?" 8T315.

The storm is coming, bothers and sisters. It may be just around the corner - we don't know, I don't want to be another alarmist. But the other music group sings about that storm now. `When the Storm passes by.'

I cannot let you go unless I ask first a question. Would you like, based on what we studied, would you like to take steps to follow God's plan and be ready for the Coming of Jesus? If you are, would you just raise your hand? Oh, thank the Lord. I feel so much better. He is inviting us. He is entreating us. He loves us so much. Let's not stay in the temple when there is a way that we can go. We have that special sign, that we can escape like the Judean Christians did at the fall of Jerusalem. We know that special sign and we can still go and take advantage of it.

We need these guidelines in our homes, in our churches, in our schools, in our medical facilities ... can you imagine what it would do to our university level school if they couldn't go and buy or sell, and the school farms just got sold off? I just pray, brothers and sisters, that we would work with enlightened mind - not critical ones - but with enlightened mind to be ready for what is ahead of us!

[10] The Seven Various Stages Explained:

[020] Rev. 12:3; 13:1; 17:3,7,9.

[045] The account of diverting, drying up the Euphrates is found in Jeremiah 51:24-64, in particular verses 31,32. It is also talked about in the secular source by Herodotus who attributes it at first to Nicotres (See Histories, Bk. I, Sec. 185, p. 73) and then to Cyrus in Sec. 189, p. 75.

[062] The Euphrates in the days of Jacob and Daniel, was a mighty enough river between its source waters and where it converged with the other mighty river, the Tigris River, so that it could cut through desert land on its long journey to the Gulf of Persia without drying up or disappearing in the sand. Over its existence, the river changed course a number of times in various places. At Babylon, it would have been a fairly good size river. However, we are not told how wide or deep it was at the place where it entered the gates of Babylon.

[068] Today the possible scenarios to bring about such stringent laws emerge much clearer. Take for instance the health care reform of 2009; actually the limited or no health care reform bill which says on page 425, that Congress would make it absolutely mandatory that every five years people in Medicare have a required counseling session," she said. "They will tell [them] how to end their life sooner." - The government wants to do away with private health care insurance because they want to obtain complete control. Why? More than likely because they want to eliminate any possibility for people getting around Sunday law legislation and live. Government controlled health care gives that care only to those who comply, private health care would make it harder. Does that sound strange? Yes. But we live in strange times which rapidly are getting stranger and stranger. Company presidents are already instructed what to do when the `no buy, no sell' laws hit. What can we do? Pray for those that may have health problems now. Let them know what Jesus said regarding loving their lives more than Him, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matth. 16:25,26.

[075] Roman Canon law is discussed here. In the case of Christ, it stands out that the guilt and ingratitude of men appeared to be hopeless. This situation Satan pressed upon Jesus, causing the mood that the people who claimed to be all others in temporal and spiritual advantages have rejected You. They are seeking to destroy You. This will happen again as "the majority forsake us" (1T 136) to become the worst enemies of God and His people. We read, "The remnant in the time of trouble will cry, `My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (SpM 2,3) . . .One of your own disciples, who has listened to Your instruction, and has been among the foremost in church activities, will betray You. One of Your most zealous followers will deny You. All will forsake You. - Christ's whole being abhorred the thought. That those who he had undertaken to save, those whom He loved so much, should unite in the plots of Satan, this pierced His soul. The conflict was terrible. Its measure was the guilt of a world lying in wickedness. The sins of men weighed heavily upon Christ, and the sense of God's wrath against sin was crushing out His life.
Christ prayed, "O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me." Yet even now He adds, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt."
The human heart longs for sympathy in suffering. This longing Christ felt to the very depths of His being. In the supreme agony of His soul He came to His disciples with a yearning desire to hear some words of comfort from those whom He had so often blessed and comforted, and shielded in sorrow and distress. The one who had always had words of sympathy for them was now suffering superhuman agony, and He longed to know that they were praying for Him and for themselves. How dark seemed the malignity of sin! Terrible was the temptation to let the human race bear the consequences of its own guilt, while He stood innocent before God. If He could only know that His disciples understood and appreciated this, He would be strengthened. . . But He `findeth them asleep.' Had He found them praying, He would have been relieved. - We Laodiceans are asleep now. - Had they been seeking refuge in God, that satanic agencies might not prevail over them, He would have been comforted by their steadfast faith. But they had not heeded the repeated warning. `Watch and pray.' They did not intend to forsake their Lord, but they seemed paralyzed by a stupor which they might have shaken off if they had continued pleading with God. They did not realize the necessity of watchfulness and earnest prayer in order to withstand temptation. - So today we ought to fortify our mind through prayer like Jesus to be able to withstand temptation to submit in our own trying hours for the decision God's people make what to say when asked the question if we are Sabbath keepers has eternal consequences.

[080] Keep this thought in mind that not an hair of your head shall perish (Acts 27:20-25). Though many will be martyred before probation closes, the encouragment of Jesus will be like an anchor to keep you encouraged. You will know that this "holy seed" is harbored in Jesus, safe and secure. Most of this `holy seed' is still in Babylon. You and I are being put here at "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14) to quickly reach them with God's mighty 3 angels messages so that He can bring them out of Sunday keeping Babylon and the world to join us to worship God through Jesus, and keep all of His commandments "in spirit and in truth," (John 4:23,24). If God's work was finished today, Jesus could come today. There would be no need for Him to wait any longer to find people to take the places of the angels who fell (see `God's Amazing Grace', p. 344). It will not be long anymore before all this will happen. We all can have a part in it. We do not have to sit around and waste time with things of no eternal consequence.

[100] The full quote: "I saw that the four angels would hold the four winds until Jesus' work was done in the sanctuary, and then will come the seven last plagues. These plagues enraged the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought the judgments of God upon them, and that if they could rid the earth of us, the plagues would then be stayed. A decree went forth to slay the saints, which caused them to cry day and night for deliverance. This was the time of Jacob's trouble. Then all the saints cried out with anguish of spirit, and were delivered by the voice of God. The 144,000 triumphed. Their faces were lighted up with the glory of God. Then I was shown a company who were howling in agony. On their garments was written in large characters, "Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting." I asked who this company were. The angel said, "These are they who have once kept the Sabbath and have given it up." I heard them cry with a loud voice, "We have believed in Thy coming, and taught it with energy." And while they were speaking, their eyes would fall upon their garments and see the writing, and then they would wail aloud. I saw that they had drunk of the deep waters, and fouled the residue with their feet--trodden the Sabbath underfoot-- and that was why they were weighed in the balance and found wanting." EW, 36,37]

[140] Here is the rest of that quoted portion: "We should now begin to heed the instruction given us over and over again: Get out of the cities into rural districts, where the houses are not crowded closely together, and where you will be free from the interference of enemies." [CL, 9,10]

[255] We read, "Drive and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee." 2Kings 4:24. How does that relate to our topic? The woman whose son had died and who was in shock because of it, gave this message to her servant to ride out and get the prophet Elisha to come back and help her son, raise him up. In those days, to lose a son was serious, especially for a woman in her old age. They relied on their children to care for them. It would mean to have all her security for her later years cut off. That is the situation with God's people in the days we talk about.

[270] Here is the rest of the quote: "As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation, in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath, will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains. And now, instead of seeking expensive dwellings here, we should be preparing to move to a better country, even a heavenly. Instead of spending our means in self-gratification, we should be studying to economize." -- Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 464, 465, (1885) {CL 32.1}.

Till The Storm Passes By

In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face,
While the storm howls above me, and there's no hiding place.
'Mid the crash of the thunder, Precious Lord, hear my cry,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try,
For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by"
But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise
Where the storms never darken the skies.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.

When the long night has ended and the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence on the bright peaceful shore;
In that land where the tempest, never comes, Lord, may I
Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

Chorus
Till the storm passes over, till the thunder sounds no more,
Till the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe till the storm passes by.