Godsloveandlaw's Blog

In continuing our post we look at more references —

REFERENCE ELEVEN —

“..God’s restraining of the four winds is His holding back the image of the beast’s activity (Rev. 13:15-17) against the saints, while His restraining the four angels that they hurt not is His holding back the executing of His vengeance (Isa. 63:1-4; Jer. 51:18) upon the sinners who trouble the church, until after the sealing of the 144,000 is completed. Being coupled, these two hurtings bring the time of trouble such as never was.

   Revelation 7:1-3, therefore, reveals a two-fold conflict: wicked men against God (the blowing of the winds) and God against them (the angels hurting them).  But though the blowing of the winds and the hurting of the angels after the servants of God are sealed, will bring the “time of trouble,” yet “every one that shall be found written  in the book” “shall be delivered.” Dan. 12:1.

   From these facts we see that this time of trouble is held back in order to safeguard the sealing of the 144,000 servants, lest they, “the very elect,” be brought down to worship the image of the beast, or be killed for refusing.” (Tract 8, p.22-23)

Wonderful illumination. The winds held back and angels held back, we see, have two fold purposes.  The sealing was see is omni-important and it’s being done is primary before any letting loose of trouble (winds).

 

REFERENCE TWELVE —

“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.  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.” (Rev. 13:15-17.)

   This drastic decree of the two-horned beast shall be adopted by the nations of the world, and the image of the beast, which will demand obedience to an ecclesiastical form of worship, will be internationally set up.  The mark of the beast is Sunday observance.  Under one pretext or another, the careless and indifferent will worship the image of the beast, and receive the mark.

Only those who have fortified themselves with faith in God knowledge of His Word, and obedience to divine precepts through sanctification of the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, will be able to escape the crutches of the devil.  When God’s people are restrained from buying and selling, their only source of sustenance will be through divine providence.  One way or another, for that short time, God will provide and care for His people.  But it may be in a similar circumstance as in the wilderness journey.

   “The time is not far distant, when, like the early disciples, we shall be forced to seek a refuge in desolate and solitary places.  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.” — “Testimonies to the Church,” Vol. 5, pp. 464, 465. (SRod, vol. 2, p.110)

This one seems to warn the great multitude as it mentions heading to the “desolate and solitary places”. This as we know affects the great multitude ( at least part) and not the 144,000 who stand safe with the Lord on Mt. Zion (Israel).

REFERENCE THIRTEEN —

“The anger of the nations” will follow upon the two-horned beast’s decree “that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Rev. 13:15); at the same time the notorious woman, Babylon the Great, will ride the scarlet-colored beast (Rev. 17) and rule the nations. This “same crisis will come up on our people in all parts of the world.”–Testimonies, Vol. 6, p. 395.

Concerning this anger of the nations, the world-wide confederacy against those who refuse to worship the beast and his image, the Lord predicted through the prophet Zechariah: “And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.” Zech. 12:3. ( Answerer, vol. 2, p.93)

 

REFERENCE FOURTEEN —

Question: 
   “Will the nominal churches be united, before the slaughter of Ezekiel 9, and before the Loud Cry of the Third Angel’s message takes place?

Answer: 
   The churches may incompletely confederate almost any time, but the union of church and state (the image of the beast) will take place only after the “investigative judgment” of the dead is completed, for the fact that the “anger of the nations” (the time of trouble, Dan. 12:1), “the wrath of God” (the seven last plagues, Rev. 15:1, and the “time to judge the dead” (Dan. 8:14), are events separate and distinct, one following the other.” — “Early Writings,” p. 36.

   Therefore, the persecution against the church by the “image beast” arises in the time of the judgment of the living — the time of the Loud Cry — after the sealing of the 144,000. (Study our tract, “The Dardanelles of the Bible,” and “The Shepherd’s Rod,” Vol. 2, pp. 84-125.) (Sym. Code, vol. 2, no. 7,8, p.12)

One of the clearest reference for our timeline. The death decree must take place “in the time of the judgment of the living — the time of the Loud Cry — after the sealing of the 144,000.”

REFERENCE FIFTEEN —

“After twenty years of faithful service in Padan-Aram, in the sharp, overreaching employ of Laban, his uncle, Jacob at last turned his face and his steps homeward toward his father’s house in the land of promise.

   But trouble overtook him.  While grappling with his fears as to the outcome of his imminent meeting with Esau “there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” Gen. 32:24

   Here lay down the man Jacob and rose up the man Israel, exemplifying the agonizing experience through which his posterity must victoriously pass before they, too, receive a new name, pass from sons of Jacob to sons of God, become Israelites indeed.  Having gained the victory over this test, “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” they will reach home, the land of promise — the happy end of their long and troubled journey.

   On this trying and testing time the Spirit of Prophecy comments: “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” — Early Writings, pp. 36, 37. (See also Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 202, 203.)  (SRod, vol. 1, p.62)

Our last reference is perhaps the most difficult to understand. The reason is that we know that the SRod seems to point the Jacob experience  as applying to the 144,000 in their way to the promise land (See FB, p.12-13) Yet SOP describes this time as applying to the Great Multitude. 

 

SUMMARY  —

The weight of evidence has shown the clear timeline of the “death decree” and likewise time of trouble. It will be after Ezekiel 9 and affecting the great multitude (Rev. 7:9) in the time of the Loud Cry
. The 144,000, those “escaped” from the S.D.A church judgment (Isaiah 66:15-21), will not be affected by this death decree. But we must keep in mind that there will be battles (God’s people versus Satan’s people) and no doubt many of His people will be tested and perhaps thrown in prison, yet preserved. The smart evil ones should know during this time by what the 144,000 are capable of doing, that they cannot be touched, let us read —

“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;

A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.

The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array.

Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded.

They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (Joel 2:1-11)

So while the nations attempt to cause damage to those who do not “worship the beast”, the powerful counter movement will be in full gear led by God’s appointed “army” the 144,000. What a time to be alive, destroyers and  ” saviors” doing battle for the souls of mankind!

“Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” (Obadiah 1:21)

This entry was posted on September 1, 2018 at 4:17 am and is filed under End times, Final Events, Jacob's Time of Trouble, Loud Cry, Sunday law, Who are the 144K?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.