Monday, February 25, 2019

A Firm Foundation.


CHAPTER 29  (The Great Controversy)

A Firm Platform

I saw a company who stood well guarded and firm, and would give no countenance to those who would unsettle the established faith of the body.  God looked upon them with approbation.  I was shown three steps -- one, two and three -- the first, second and third angels' messages.  Said the angel, Woe to him who shall move a block, or stir a pin in these messages.  The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance.  The destiny of souls hangs upon the manner in which they are received.  I was again brought down through these messages, and saw how dearly the people of God had purchased their experience.  It had been obtained through much suffering and severe conflict.  Step by step had God brought them along, until he had placed them upon a solid, immovable platform.  Then I saw individuals as they approached the platform, before stepping upon it examine the foundation.  Some with rejoicing immediately stepped upon it.  Others commenced to find fault with the laying of the foundation of the platform.  They wished improvements made, and then the platform would be more perfect, and the people much happier.  Some stepped off the platform and examined it, then found fault with it, declaring it to be laid wrong.  I saw that nearly all stood firm upon the platform, and exhorted others who had stepped off to cease their complaints, for God was the master builder, and they were fighting against him.  They recounted the wonderful work of God, which had led them to the firm platform, and in union nearly all raised their eyes to heaven, and with a loud voice glorified God.  This affected some of those who had complained, and left the platform, and again they with humble look stepped upon it.

I was pointed back to the proclamation of the first advent of Christ.  John was sent in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming.  Those who rejected the testimony of John were not benefited by the teachings of Jesus.  Their opposition to the proclamation of his first advent placed them where they could not readily receive the strongest evidence of his being the Messiah.  Satan led on those who rejected the message of John to go still further, to reject Jesus and crucify him.  In doing this, they placed themselves where they could not receive the blessing on the day of Pentecost, which would have taught them the way into the heavenly Sanctuary.  The rending of the vail of the temple showed that the Jewish sacrifices and ordinances would no longer be received.  The great Sacrifice had been offered, and had been accepted, and the Holy Spirit which descended on the day of Pentecost carried the minds of the disciples from the earthly Sanctuary to the heavenly, where Jesus had entered by his own blood, and shed upon his disciples the benefits of his atonement.  The Jews were left in complete deception and total darkness.  They lost all the light they might have had upon the plan of salvation, and still trusted in their useless sacrifices and offerings.  They could not be benefited by the mediation of Christ in the Holy place.  The heavenly Sanctuary had taken the place of the earthly, yet they had no knowledge of the way to the heavenly.

Many look with horror at the course the Jews pursued toward Jesus in rejecting and crucifying him.  And as they read the history of his shameful abuse, they think they love Christ, and would not have denied him like Peter, or crucified him like the Jews.  But God who has witnessed their professed sympathy for his Son, has proved them, and has brought to the test that love which they professed for Jesus.

All heaven watched with the deepest interest the reception of the message.  But many who profess to love Jesus, and who shed tears as they read the story of the cross, instead of receiving the message with gladness, are stirred with anger, and deride the good news of Jesus' coming, and declare it to be delusion.  They would not fellowship those who loved his appearing, but hated them, and shut them out of the churches.  Those who rejected the first message could not be benefited by the second, and were not benefited by the midnight cry, which was to prepare them to enter with Jesus by faith into the Most Holy place of the heavenly Sanctuary.  And by rejecting the two former messages, they can see no light in the third angel's message, which shows the way into the Most Holy place.  I saw that the nominal churches, as the Jews crucified Jesus, had crucified these messages, and therefore they have no knowledge of the move made in heaven, or of the way into the Most Holy, and they cannot be benefited by the intercession of Jesus there.  Like the Jews, who offered their useless sacrifices, they offer up their useless prayers to the apartment which Jesus has left, and Satan, pleased with the deception of the professed followers of Christ, fastens them in his snare, and assumes a religious character, and leads the minds of these professed christians to himself, and works with his power, his signs and lying wonders.  Some he deceives in one way and some in another.  He has different delusions prepared to affect different minds.  Some look with horror upon one deception, while they readily receive another.  Satan deceives some with Spiritualism.  He also comes as an angel of light, and spreads his influence over the land.  I saw false reformations everywhere.  The churches were elated, and considered that God was marvelously working for them, when it was another spirit.  It will die away and leave the world and the church in a worse condition than before.

I saw that God had honest children among the nominal Adventists, and the fallen churches, and ministers and people will yet be called out from these churches, before the plagues shall be poured out, and they will gladly embrace the truth.  Satan knows this, and before the loud cry of the third angel, raises an excitement in these religious bodies, that those who have rejected the truth may think God is with them.  He hopes to deceive the honest, and lead them to think that God is still working for the churches.  But the light will shine, and every one of the honest ones will leave the fallen churches, and take their stand with the remnant.

See Matthew chap.3; Acts chap.2; 2Corinthians 11:14; 2Thessalonians 2:9-12; Revelation 14:6-12

Mat 3:1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 
Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
Mat 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 
Mat 3:4  And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 
Mat 3:5  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 
Mat 3:6  And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 
Mat 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 
Mat 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 
Mat 3:9  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 
Mat 3:10  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 
Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 
Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 
Mat 3:13  Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 
Mat 3:14  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 
Mat 3:15  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 
Mat 3:16  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 
Mat 3:17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 
Act 2:4  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 
Act 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 
Act 2:6  Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 
Act 2:7  And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? 
Act 2:8  And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 
Act 2:9  Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 
Act 2:10  Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 
Act 2:11  Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. 
Act 2:12  And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this? 
Act 2:13  Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine. 

Act 2:14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: 
Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 
Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 
Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 
Act 2:18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 
Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 
Act 2:22  Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 
Act 2:23  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 
Act 2:24  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. 
Act 2:25  For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 
Act 2:26  Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 
Act 2:27  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 
Act 2:28  Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance. 
Act 2:29  Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 
Act 2:30  Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; 
Act 2:31  He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 
Act 2:32  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 
Act 2:33  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. 
Act 2:34  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, 
Act 2:35  Until I make thy foes thy footstool. 
Act 2:36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 
Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 
Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
Act 2:39  For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 
Act 2:40  And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 
Act 2:41  Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. 

Act 2:42  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 
Act 2:43  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 
Act 2:44  And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 
Act 2:45  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 
Act 2:46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 
Act 2:47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. 

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 
Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 
Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 
Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 


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