The Final
Generation
A Short Treatment
of Scripture
and Spirit of Prophecy
With Reflections by
Pastor David Sullivan
Submitted for the Edification
of the People of God
Guiding Scriptural
References
Psalm 119: 33-35: “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your
statutes,
And I shall keep it to
the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law;
Indeed, I shall observe
it with my whole heart.
Make me walk in the path of Your commandments,
For I delight in it.”
1 Peter 2:24: “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”
John 17:17, 19: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."
1 Peter 1:22: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently."
2 Corinthians 7:1: "Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Philippians 2:12-15: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world."
John 15:3: "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."
Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:4: “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:16: “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
John 15:5-8: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
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Galatians 5:22-25: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
John 17:3: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
2 Corintians 7:1: “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
2 Corinthians 3:3: “Clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-4: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor.”
2 Thessalonians 2:13: “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.”
1 Peter 1:2: “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”
Vindication: of
Ourselves, of God
According to his faith, so was it unto Job. “When He hath tried me," he said, "I shall come forth as gold." Job 23:10. So it came to pass. By his patient endurance he vindicated his own character, and thus the character of Him whose representative he was. And "the Lord turned the captivity of Job: . . . also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. . . . So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning." Job 42:10-12. Education, 156
Pray, pray earnestly and without ceasing, but do not forget to praise. It becomes every child of God to vindicate his character. You can magnify the Lord; you can show the power of sustaining grace. Bible Echo, January 1, 1888
It may at times be necessary for the servant of God to vindicate his own character, and to defend his course, that the Lord’s name may be glorified, and the truth be not
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reproached. Let all who are treated with neglect or injustice, follow the example of Samuel, taking care not to make self prominent, but to maintain the honor of God. Let the injured one, instead of dwelling upon the wrongs which he has suffered, show the people how they have wounded Christ in the person of his servant. Many hearts would thus be led to humiliation and repentance, when if personal feelings were aroused, they would be as hard as stone. Signs of the Times, July 27, 1882
Just before us is the closing struggle of the great controversy when, with "all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness," Satan is to work to misrepresent the character of God, that he may "seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." If there was ever a people in need of constantly increasing light from heaven, it is the people that, in this time of peril, God has called to be the depositaries of His holy law and to vindicate His character before the world. Those to whom has been committed a trust so sacred must be spiritualized, elevated, vitalized, by the truths they profess to believe. Never did the church more sorely need, and never was God more solicitous that she should enjoy, the experience described in Paul’s letter to the Colossians when he wrote: We "do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God." Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, page 746
In heaven God is all in all. There holiness reigns supreme; there is nothing to mar the perfect harmony with God. If we are indeed journeying thither, the spirit of heaven will dwell in our hearts here. But if we find no pleasure now in the contemplation of heavenly things; if we have no interest in seeking the knowledge of God, no delight in beholding the character of Christ; if holiness has no attractions for us-- then we may be sure that our hope of heaven is vain. Perfect conformity to the will of God is the high aim to be constantly before the Christian. He will love to talk of God, of Jesus, of the home of bliss and purity which Christ has prepared for them that love Him. The contemplation of these themes, when the soul feasts upon the blessed assurances of God, the apostle represents as tasting the powers of the world to come." Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, page 745
In the process of making
right choices, living godly lives of integrity, we not only show who we really
are; we reveal the One to whom we belong.
We do not live in a vacuum. Our
actions and behaviors have far-reaching effects. We influence others by our example. We also show forth the praises of our God,
who enables us to live a life that is pleasing to Him.
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Two Concurrent
Aspects of Redemption
Through Jesus, God’s mercy was manifested to men; but mercy does not set aside justice. The law reveals the attributes of God’s character, and not a jot or tittle of it could be changed to meet man in his fallen condition. God did not change His law, but He sacrificed Himself, in Christ, for man’s redemption. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself." 2 Cor. 5:19. Desire of Ages, 762
The law requires righteousness,--a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God’s holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can "be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Rom. 3:26. Desire of Ages, 762
Human nature is depraved, and is justly condemned by a holy
God. But provision is made for the repenting sinner, so that by faith in the
atonement of the only begotten Son of God, he may receive forgiveness of sin,
find justification, receive adoption into the heavenly family, and become an
inheritor of the
The moral image of God has been lost, but those who are laborers together with God are to restore in men the likeness of Christ. They are to impart ideas that will work their salvation, and that will prepare them to be temples of the Holy Ghost. . . .
It is a knowledge of the perfection of the divine character, manifested to us in Jesus Christ, that opens up to us communion with God. It is by appropriating the great and precious promises that we are to become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. . . .
We may attain unto glory and
virtue, though weak, sinful mortals, by learning daily lessons in the
The highest work of God is the redemption of the fallen race. He calls for all the faculties and powers of His co-workers to be put to the tax for this one achievement, the salvation of souls, the triumph of His grace and love. The pure heart is more precious than treasures of gold and silver, more valuable than diamonds. Manuscript Releases, Volume 9 (No. 764)
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The true object of education is to restore the image of God in the soul. In the beginning God created man in His own likeness. He endowed him with noble qualities. His mind was well balanced, and all the powers of his being were harmonious. But the Fall and its effects have perverted these gifts. Sin has marred and well-nigh obliterated the image of God in man. It was to restore this that the plan of salvation was devised, and a life of probation was granted to man. To bring him back to the perfection in which he was first created is the great object of life--the object that underlies every other. It is the work of parents and teachers, in the education of the youth, to co-operate with the divine purpose; and is so doing they are "laborers together with God." 1 Corinthians 3:9. Patriarchs and Prophets, 595
The plan of salvation
encompasses the span of our existence.
It’s aim is the restoration of the image of God in the soul. God’s restoration process is comprehensive,
in that it provides for our justification before God through the death of Jesus
Christ for our sins, and it provides for our transformation of character
through the indwelling of Jesus Christ.
This is His plan for us, while we are in this world, preparing for the
next.
Christlikeness:
For All Generations
God’s ideal for His children is higher than the highest human thought can reach. . . . The plan of redemption contemplates our complete recovery from the power of Satan. Christ always separates the contrite soul from sin. He came to destroy the works of the devil, and He has made provision that the Holy Spirit shall be imparted to every repentant soul, to keep him from sinning.
The tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong act. Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God.
The ideal of Christian character is Christlikeness. As the Son of man was perfect in His life, so His followers are to be perfect in their life. . . . He bids us by faith in Him attain to the glory of the character of God.
A well-balanced character is
formed by single acts well performed. One defect, cultivated instead of being
overcome, makes the man imperfect, and closes against him the gate of the
Whatever your work may be, do it faithfully. . . . As you work in this way, God will place His approval on you, and Christ will one day say to you. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Matt. 25:21. The Faith I Live By, 44
Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, or a day. It is a continual growth in grace. We know not one day how strong will be our conflict the next. Satan lives, and is active, and every day we need to cry earnestly to God for help and strength to resist
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him. As long as Satan reigns we shall have self to subdue, besetments to overcome, and there is no stopping place, there is no point to which we can come and say we have fully attained.
Philippians 3:12: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus."
The Christian life is constantly an onward march. Jesus sits as a refiner and purifier of His people; and when His image is perfectly reflected in them, they are perfect and holy, and prepared for translation. A great work is required of the Christian. We are exhorted to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Here we see where the great labor rests. There is a constant work for the Christian. Every branch in the parent vine must derive life and strength from that vine, in order to yield fruit. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, page 340
God is purifying unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. He is sitting as a refiner and purifier of silver. When the dross and tin are removed, then His image will be perfectly reflected in us. Then the prayer of Christ for His disciples will be answered in us: "Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth." When the truth has a sanctifying influence upon our hearts and lives, we can render to God acceptable service and can glorify Him upon the earth, being partakers of the divine nature and having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Oh, how many will be found unready when the Master shall come to reckon with His servants! Many have meager ideas of what constitutes a Christian. Self-righteousness will then be of no avail. Only those can stand the test who shall be found having on the righteousness of Christ, who are imbued with His spirit, and walk even as He walked, in purity of heart and life. The conversation must be holy, and then the words will be seasoned with grace. Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 2, page 317
God’s ideal for His people
has always been the purification and transformation of character. Our generation is not the only one to
experience the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Throughout the ages, men and women, boys and
girls, who surrendered to the Lord and His ways, discovered that God’s strength
alone can uphold us. It is His kindness
that leads us to repentance; and that repentance leads us to fruitful lives of
goodness. Believers in all ages have
been able to cast their cares on Him, and receive His grace in time of need. Believers in all ages have been admonished to
live to please the God who saves us.
Cooperation With God
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Phil. 2:12.
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There is no carelessness allowed here, there is no indolence, there is no indifference, but we are to work out each of us, our own salvation with fear and trembling. Why? Let us see: "Wherefore, my beloved, . . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Phil. 2:12). Well, then, you say, am I to go around fearing and trembling all the way? Yes, in one sense, but not in another sense.
You have the fear of God before you, and you will have a trembling lest you will depart from the counsels of God. There will be that trembling. You will be working out your own salvation all the time with fear and trembling. Does it rest here? No, let us hear how the divine power comes in: "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (verse 13). Here are man’s works, and here are God’s works. They both cooperate. Man cannot accomplish this work without the help of the divine power.
God does not take man with his own natural feelings and deficiencies and place him right in the light of the countenance of God. No, man must do his part, and while man works out his own salvation, with fear and trembling, it is God that worketh in him to will and to do of His own good pleasure. With these two combined powers, man will be victorious, and receive a crown of life at last. He stands in view of the haven of bliss and the eternal weight of glory before him, and he fears lest he will lose it, lest a promise being left, he shall come short of it. He cannot afford to lose it. He wants that haven of bliss, and strains every energy of his being to secure it. He taxes his abilities to the utmost. He puts to the stretch every spiritual nerve and muscle that he may be a successful overcomer in this work, and that he may obtain the precious boon of eternal life. . . .
When the world sees that we have an intensity of desire, some object that is out of sight, which by faith is to us a living reality, then it puts an incentive to investigate, and they see that there is certainly something worth having, for they see that this faith has made a wonderful change in our life and character.-- Manuscript 13, Dec. 1, 1888, sermon, Des Moines, Iowa. This Day With God, 344
All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us. Desire of Ages, 668
As Christ lived the law in humanity, so we may do if we will take hold of the Strong for strength. But we are not to place the responsibility of our duty upon others, and wait for
them to tell us what to do. We cannot depend for counsel upon humanity. The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else. If we come to Him in faith, He will speak His mysteries to us personally. Our hearts will often burn within us as One draws nigh to commune with us as He did with Enoch. Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know, after presenting their case before
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Him, just what course to pursue. And they will receive not only wisdom, but strength. Power for obedience, for service, will be imparted to them, as Christ has promised. Whatever was given to Christ--the "all things" to supply the need of fallen men--was given to Him as the head and representative of humanity. And "whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." 1 John 3:22. Desire of Ages, 668
It is not legalistic to
say that believers have a role to play in the plan of salvation; in the
restorative process of God. Our role is
to allow, to trust, to surrender the will, to permit, to avail ourselves. This is a role which carries absolutely no
merit, but which rests fully on the merits of Christ. God will provide for us the strength, power,
patience, and wisdom to accomplish His will in our lives. If we are but willing to submit to His control,
He will change us into His likeness.
The Final Generation
Christ designs that heaven’s order, heaven’s plan of government, heaven’s divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth. Thus in His people He is glorified. Through them the Sun of Righteousness will shine in undimmed luster to the world. . . . The church, endowed with the righteousness of Christ, is His depositary, in which the riches of His mercy, His grace, and His love, are to appear in full and final display. Christ looks upon His people in their purity and perfection, as the reward of His humiliation, and the supplement of His glory--Christ, the great Center, from whom radiates all glory. Amazing Grace, 80
We cannot use the Holy Spirit; the Spirit is to use us. Through the Spirit, God works in His people "to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13). But many will not submit to be led. They want to manage themselves. This is why they do not receive the heavenly gift. Only to those who wait humbly upon God, who watch for His guidance and grace, is the Spirit given. The promised blessing, claimed by faith, brings all other blessings in its train. It is given according to the riches of the grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity to receive.
The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. Those only who are thus taught of God, those only who possess the inward working of the Spirit, and in whose life the Christ-life is manifested, can stand as true representatives of the Saviour. . . .
Christ promised that the Holy Spirit should abide with those who wrestle for victory over sin, to demonstrate the power of divine might by endowing the human agent with
supernatural strength and
instructing the ignorant in the mysteries of the
When one is fully emptied of self, when every false god is cast out of the soul, the vacuum is filled by the inflowing of the Spirit of Christ. Such a one has the faith that
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purifies the soul from defilement. He is conformed to the Spirit, and he minds the things of the Spirit. He has no confidence in self. Christ is all and in all. Amazing Grace, 212
There can be no growth or fruitfulness in the life that is centered in self. If you have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour, you are to forget yourself, and try to help others. Talk of the love of Christ, tell of His goodness. Do every duty that presents itself. Carry the burden of souls upon your heart, and by every means in your power seek to save the lost. As you receive the Spirit of Christ--the Spirit of unselfish love and labor for others--you will grow and bring forth fruit. The graces of the Spirit will ripen in your character. Your faith will increase, your convictions deepen, your love be made perfect. More and more you will reflect the likeness of Christ in all that is pure, noble, and lovely. Christ’s Object Lessons, 67
"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." Gal. 5:22, 23. This fruit can never perish, but will produce after its kind a harvest unto eternal life.
"When the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come." Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.
It is the privilege of every Christian not only to look for but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, (2 Peter 3:12, margin). Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain. Christ’s Object Lessons, 68-69
In these last days, when iniquity shall abound, and the love of many shall wax cold, God will have a people to glorify His name, and stand as reprovers of unrighteousness. They are to be a "peculiar people," who will be true to the law of God when the world shall seek to make void its precepts; and when the converting power of God works through His servants, the hosts of darkness will array themselves in bitter and determined opposition. . . . There will be a constant conflict from the time of our determination to serve the God of heaven, until we are delivered out of this present evil world. There is no release from this war. . . . Amazing Grace, 333
The important thing about
the final generation believers is not that they are somehow different or a “cut
above” earlier, less-developed generations of believers. The central aspect for us to grasp is that at
a time when Satan is maligning and misrepresenting God the most, God’s people
show the world what God is truly like; they vindicate His
character before the
world, before the angelic host—fallen and unfallen—and before the witnessing
universe. A stark contrast between light
and darkness occurs. All can clearly see
that “God is
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love”, for the law of God,
which contains His eternal principles of government—that law is vividly on
practical display in the lives of His people.
The fact that we
experience more of the disastrous and degenerative effects of sin than any
previous generation, makes this radical transformation of our lives all the
more incredible. It’s such a powerful
demonstration of who God is and what He can do, that the devil is forever
silenced in his accusations against God.
The Time of Trouble
The "time of trouble, such as never was," is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God. "Though Noah, Daniel, and Job" were in the land, "as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness." Ezekiel 14:20.
Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me." John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.
It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Our precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God’s providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The Lord is ever setting before us, not the way we would choose, which seems easier and pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life. It rests with us to co-operate with the agencies which Heaven employs in the work of conforming our characters to the divine model. None can neglect or defer this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls. The Great Controversy, 622-623
Had not Jacob previously repented of his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud, God would not have heard his prayer and mercifully preserved his life. So, in the time of trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and
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they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance. But while they have a deep sense of their unworthiness, they have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins have gone beforehand to Judgment, and have been blotted out; and they cannot bring them to remembrance.
Satan leads many to believe that God will overlook their unfaithfulness in the minor affairs of life; but the Lord shows in his dealings with Jacob that he will in nowise sanction or tolerate evil. All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins, and permit them to remain upon the books of Heaven, unconfessed and unforgiven, will be overcome by Satan. The more exalted their profession, and the more honorable the position which they hold, the more grievous is their course in the sight of God, and the more sure the triumph of their great adversary. Those who delay a preparation for the day of God cannot obtain it in the time of trouble, or at any subsequent time. The case of all such is hopeless.
Those professed Christians who come up to that last fearful conflict unprepared, will, in their despair, confess their sins in words of burning, anguish, while the wicked exult over their distress. These confessions are of the same character as was that of Esau or of Judas. Those who make them lament the result of transgression, but not its guilt. They feel no true contrition, no abhorrence of evil. They acknowledge their sin, through fear of punishment; but, like Pharaoh of old, they would return to their defiance of Heaven, should the judgments be removed.
Jacob’s history is also an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been deceived, and tempted, and betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto him with true repentance. While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send his angels to comfort and protect them in the time of peril. The assaults of Satan are fierce and determined, his delusions are terrible; but the Lord’s eye is upon his people, and his ear listens to their cries. Their affliction is great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume them; but the Refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. God’s love for his children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and tender as in the days of their sunniest prosperity; but it is needful for them to be placed in the furnace fire; their earthliness must be consumed that the image of Christ may be perfectly reflected. The Great Controversy, 620-621
A crisis is right upon us. We must now by the Holy Spirit’s power proclaim the great truths for these last days. It will not be long before everyone will have heard the warning and made his decision. Then shall the end come.
It is the very essence of all right faith to do the right thing at the right time. God is the great Master Worker, and by His providence He prepares the way for His work to be accomplished. He provides opportunities, opens up lines of influence, and channels of working. If His people are watching the indications of His providence, and stand ready to co-operate with Him, they will see a great work accomplished. Their efforts, rightly directed, will produce a hundredfold greater results than can be accomplished with the same means and facilities in another channel where God is not so manifestly working. Our work is reformative, and it is God’s purpose that the excellence of the work in all lines shall be an object lesson to the people. In new fields especially it is important that
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the work be so established as to give a correct representation of the truth. In all our plans for missionary operations these principles should be kept in mind.
Christian Experience and Teachings, 220
Right now, at this time,
we have the privilege of confessing our sins to one another and to God, that
our sins may go beforehand into judgment.
Judgment begins with the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17). We believe that Jesus Christ, our heavenly
Advocate, is currently coming to the close of His mediatorial work for us. The pre-Advent judgment—the examination of
God’s people—is coming rapidly to a close.
Now is the time to make our calling and election sure. Now is the time to humble ourselves before
God, surrendering all known sins to Him, and asking for the complete filling of
the Holy Spirit. Then the times of
refreshing will come to us, and we will finish the work He has given to us,
with power and demonstration of God’s glory.
During the time of
trouble, and particularly the time of Jacob’s trouble, our eternal destinies
are already sealed. Probation has
closed. The Lord Jesus has taken off His
priestly robes, and He has put on His royal robes. He stands ready to come to this earth with
power and great glory, to vindicate His people, who have vindicated Him in
their lives. He comes to rescue us from
this dark world. He comes to glorify us.
Even though Jesus will be
in the role of Michael, the Captain of the Host, our salvation during the time
of trouble will still be based on His merits, His shed blood. By that point, we will so hate sin and we
will be so sensitive to any departure from His will, that the very thought of
our past sins will greatly disturb us.
Only those individuals who
have unconfessed and unforgiven sins on the books of heaven will be overcome by
Satan during the time of trouble. These
individuals are not actually true disciples of Jesus Christ. Their sins have not gone beforehand to
judgment. Their sins are not under the
blood. They will actually bear their own
sins. It will be said of them, “he who is filthy, let him be filthy still” (Rev.
22:11). When the seven plagues begin to
fall, these individuals will suffer.
They will not be protected by God’s sustaining grace during that time.
We who have confessed our
sins and forsaken them will come to the close of human probation as God’s
special property. It will be said of us,
“he who is righteous, let him be righteous
still” (Rev. 22:11). Our
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sins have been
forgiven. We are under the blood. Our sins have been borne by the Lord Jesus,
the sin-bearer. They have now been
actually removed from the record books of heaven, for the heavenly sanctuary
has been cleansed of all record of our sins.
Satan will try his best to
remind us of our past failures and sins.
He will press his attacks in such a way that we will probably have
moments of doubt regarding our salvation and standing with God. But his attacks will have no weight or
validity whatsoever. This is because our
sins have gone beforehand to judgment.
They have been forever dealt with.
They are under the blood of Jesus Christ.
Our momentary despair will
give way to seasons of joy, as we recall the precious words of Scripture. The promises related to God’s abiding
presence and watchcare, and those related to the blessed assurance of
acceptance with God through His Son, will be especially meaningful to us at
that time. The Holy Spirit will fill us
with His joy and peace, as we witness the terrible calamities that are
befalling our world.
Though frightened often,
and often in anguish, we will regularly experience divine intervention during
this time. There will be constant
evidences of His presence and protection, as angels, in the form of mighty warriors,
stand between us and those who mean to harm us.
Our bread and water will be sure.
Soon we will see the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens.
__________
The task which remains for
us now is to humble ourselves before God, asking for His Spirit to reveal to us
the parts of our lives that are obstacles to spiritual development. We are to go forth from our knees with the
authority of Jesus Christ—out to the hedges and highways—out to where precious
souls are lost in sin and misery. We are
to befriend people, waiting for the teachable moment. We are to teach them all things whatsoever
Jesus has commanded in Scripture. We are
to baptize them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Then we are to encourage them to use their
gifts to, in turn, reach out to those who are being saved.
We should not be
minimizing the importance of obedience in the believer’s life at this
time. Nor should we be placing a lesser
importance on issues of lifestyle. The
Gospel of Jesus Christ has
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always challenged men’s
lifestyles in every way. The ways of
this world are corrupt. This world is in
a fallen state. Yet in so many ways the
church has become more and more like the world in its fallenness. It is not necessary for us to participate in
the sins of this world in order to have an incarnational ministry to this
world.
People long for something
better, something more lasting, something more real, something bigger than
themselves, something that will challenge them, something that will bring
enduring happiness, something that will
answer their questions. They long for
peace, for truth, for community. God
wants to give all of this to them. He
wants them in His remnant church, which is a kind of corral in these last days,
into which He gathers His people from all over the world—all those who are
honest in heart, and searching for a real God.
If we take our own
teachings seriously, people will take them seriously too. This is because they are attracted to that
which works. If a relationship with
Jesus Christ is making such a difference in our lives, that we talk different,
eat different, sleep different, think different, spend different, and we
frequent different places than we did before—they will take note that we have been with Jesus, and they will want to
be with Him too.
Obedience to God’s
commands and to His will transforms us from the inside out. People notice that kind of change. It’s attractive.
When we love, as God
loves, those whom He has placed in our lives, they will be drawn to Him and
want to know more about Him. It is
obedience to the truth that makes a person more loving and more kind—more
interested in the needs of others.
Obedience is a good thing. It
makes us more like Jesus.
Adherence to the will of
God honors God as well. We honor God
with our willing obedience. All true
obedience derives its strength from God.
It pleases God when we utilize His power to overcome the besetting sins
in our lives. It brings Him pleasure
when we choose to unite our wills with His will, so that our wills become invincible.
May the Lord bless us as
we continue to grow in grace, and learn to trust Him more fully. Maranatha!