Blog Archives - WELCOME TO THE JOY OF TROY

October 31, 2020

10/31/2020

KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE

        Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.--1 Peter 3:15

    Many who profess to believe the truth for these last days will be found wanting. They have neglected the weightier matters. Their conversion is superficial, not deep, earnest, and thorough. They do not know why they believe the truth, only because others have believed it, and they take it for granted that it is the truth. They can give no intelligent reason why they believe.

    Many have allowed their minds to be filled with things of minor importance, and their eternal interest is made secondary. Their own souls are dwarfed and crippled in spiritual growth. Others are not enlightened or edified by their experience or by the knowledge which it was their privilege and duty to obtain. Strength and stability are with truehearted professors.

    Christ and Him crucified should become the theme of our thoughts and stir the deepest emotions of our souls. The true followers of Christ will appreciate the great salvation which He has wrought for them; and wherever He leads the way, they will follow. They will consider it a privilege to bear whatever burdens Christ may lay upon them.

    It is through the cross alone that we can estimate the worth of the human soul. Such is the value of men for whom Christ died that the Father is satisfied with the infinite price which He pays for the salvation of man in yielding up His own Son to die for their redemption. What wisdom, mercy, and love in its fullness are here manifested! The worth of man is known only by going to Calvary. In the mystery of the cross of Christ we can place an estimate upon man. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 634-635)

REFLECTION: We must examine well the foundation of our hope, for we shall have to give a reason for it from the Scriptures.  This delusion will spread, and we shall have to contend with it face to face; and unless we are prepared for it, we shall be ensnared and overcome. But if we do what we can on our part to be ready for the conflict that is just before us, God will do His part, and His all-powerful arm will protect us. (Early Writings, 88)

October 30, 2020

10/30/2020

NOTHING ESCAPES GOD

        There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.--Hebrews 4:13

    Here is presented before us the great and solemn day when the judgment is to set and the books be opened, and the dead are to be judged according to the things that are written in the books. I have questioned in my mind, as I have seen the people in our cities hurrying to and fro with business, whether they ever thought of the day of God that is just upon us. Every one of us should be living with reference to that great day which is soon to come upon us....

    Do we consider from day to day that a record is going up to heaven of all our actions here? If we would take heed to our ways, and if we would have the fear of God before us, our lives here would be far better than they are today. We are here as probationers, on trial. God is testing us; God is proving us to see what characters we shall build up. Angels of God in heaven are sent to our earth to weigh moral worth. And our heavenly Father has sent us the message of warning, that we shall get ready for that day of final reckoning. He has bid us to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation that surrounds us....

    It is our privilege to understand the great responsibilities that God has placed upon us, so that we shall not be in darkness as to what is coming upon our world. We cannot afford to meet that day without a preparation. But when we think of this great and solemn event of Christ's coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, we should live in humiliation before God lest we fail of the grace of God and prove ourselves unworthy of eternal life. (Manuscript 6a, June 27, 1886)

REFLECTION: If we were to cherish an habitual impression that God sees and hears all that we do and say and keeps a faithful record of our words and actions, and that we must meet it all, we would fear to sin. Let the young ever remember that wherever they are, and whatever they do, they are in the presence of God. No part of our conduct escapes observation....Every act, every word, every thought, is as distinctly marked as though there were only one person in the whole world, and the attention of heaven were centered upon him. (Patriarchs and Prophets, 217-217)

October 29, 2020

10/29/2020

IN A LITTLE WHILE

        The great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?--Revelation 6:17

    Yet a little while, and He that is to come will come and will not tarry. His eyes as a flame of fire penetrate into the fast-closed dungeons and hunt out the hidden ones, for their names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

    These eyes of the Saviour are above us, around us, noting every difficulty, discerning every danger; and there is no place where His eyes cannot penetrate, no sorrow and sufferings of His people where the sympathy of Christ does not reach. They reach the persecuted ones everywhere. Inasmuch as ye have done this to one of the least of My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. Every deed of darkness that Satan united with wicked men may do, Christ's eyes like a flame of fire detect, and it is noted and registered by the great Heartsearcher.

    The child God will be terror stricken at the first sight of the majesty of Jesus Christ. He feels that he cannot live in His holy presence. But the word comes to him as to John, "Fear not." [Revelation 1:17.] Jesus laid His right hand upon John; He raised him up from his prostrate position. So will He do unto His loyal, trusting ones, for there are greater revelations of the glory of God to be given them.

    There is also to be a revelation to the transgressors of the law of Jehovah--them that made void the law of God, that have taken their stand on the side of him who thought to change times and laws. From the terror-stricken myriads comes the cry, "The great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Revelation 6:17. (Manuscript 56, May 21, 1886)

REFLECTION: They will be overpowered with terror and shame as they behold the exalted one coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Then shall the bold defier, who lifted himself up against the Son of God, see himself in the true blackness of his character. The sight of the inexpressible glory of the Son of God will be intensely painful to those whose characters are stained with sin. The pure light and glory emanating from Christ will awaken remorse, shame, and terror. (The Review and Herald, April 1, 1875)

October 28, 2020

10/28/2020

PATMOS

        I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.--Revelation 1:9

    As John, exiled upon the Isle of Patmos, was startled from his contemplation of [the works of] God in nature and as on bended knee he was praying to Him, he hears a voice saying, "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." [Revelation 1:11.]

    At the sound of the voice, John falls down in astonishment as if dead. He is unable to bear the sight of the divine glory. But a Hand raises John up, and the voice he remembers as the voice of his Master. He is strengthened and can endure to talk with the Lord Jesus. So will it be with the remnant people of God who are scattered--some in the mountain fastness, some exiled, some pursued, some persecuted.

    When the voice of God is heard, and the brightness of the glory is revealed, and the trial is over, the dross removed, they know they are in the presence of One who has redeemed them by His own blood. Just what Christ was to John in his exile, He will be to His people who are made to feel the hand of oppression for the faith and testimony of Jesus Christ.

    These very martyrs will one day be resplendent with the glory of God because He has faithful ones who have been loyal where the world, the churches, have made void His holy law. These were driven by the storm and tempest, of persecution to the crevices of the rocks, but were hiding in the Rock of Ages; and in the fastness of the mountains, in the caves and dens of the earth, the Saviour reveals His presence and His glory. (Manuscript 56, May 20, 1886)

REFLECTION: Patmos, a barren, rocky island in the Aegean Sea, had been chosen by the Roman government as a place of banishment for criminals; but to the servant of God this gloomy abode became the gate to heaven. Here, shut away from the busy scenes of life, and from the active labors of former years, he had the companionship of God and Christ and the heavenly angels, and from them he received instruction for the church for all future time. (The Acts of the Apostles, 570-571)

October 27, 2020

10/27/2020

THE WAITING IS OVER

        In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.--1 Corinthians 15:52

    When Christ the great Lifegiver shall come in the clouds of heaven, to raise the dead, there will be a terrible earthquake. The trump of God will be heard resounding through earth's remotest bounds, and the voice of Jesus will call forth the dead from their graves to immortal life.

    You have not seen Christ coming with power and great glory which shall illuminate the earth from the east to the west, from north to south, like the lightning's flash. (Letter 2, August 24, 1874)

    The living righteous are changed "in the moment, in the twinkling of an eye." At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. Angels "gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers' arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part, and with songs of gladness ascend together to the City of God.

    On each side of the cloudy chariot are wings, and beneath it are living wheels; and as the chariot rolls upward, the wheels cry, "Holy," and the wings, as they move, cry, "Holy," and the retinue of angels cry, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty." And the redeemed shout, "Alleluia!" as the chariot moves on-ward toward the New Jerusalem. (The Great Controversy, 645)

    Before the glory of Him who is to reign, the mountains will tremble and bow, the rocks will be moved out of their place; for once more will the Lord shake not alone the earth, but the heavens also. The scattered ones who have fled for their lives to the rocks, the dens, the caverns of the earth, because of the fury of the oppressor, will be made glad at the voice of God. (Manuscript 56, May 21, 1886)

REFLECTION: What a scene will these mountains and hills [in Switzerland] present when Christ, the Lifegiver, shall call forth the dead! They will come from caverns, from dungeons, from deep wells, where their bodies have been buried. They will come forth with the sound of the trumpet and the voice of God at that last great and terrible day of the Lord. (Letter 97, April 29, 1886)

October 26, 2020

10/26/2020

ARMAGEDDON

        For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.--Revelation 16:14

    Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token of the power of miracle-working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them to unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven. By these agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike deceived.

    Persons will arise pretending to be Christ Himself, and claiming the title and worship which belongs to the world's Redeemer. They will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have revelations from heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures. (The Great Controversy, 624)

    We would lose faith and courage in the conflict if we were not sustained by the power of God. Every form of evil is to spring into intense activity. Evil angels unite their powers with evil men and, as they have been in constant conflict and attained an experience in the best modes of deception and battle, and have been strengthening for centuries, they will not yield the last great final contest without a desperate struggle.

    All the world will be on one side or the other of the question. The battle of Armageddon will be fought. And that day must find none of us sleeping. Wide awake we must be, as wise virgins having oil in our vessels with our lamps. What is this? Grace, grace! The power of the Holy Ghost must be upon us and the Captain of the Lord's host will stand at the head of the angels of heaven to direct the battle. (Letter 112, December 22, 1890)

REFLECTION: The battle of Armageddon is soon to be fought. He on whose vesture is written the name, King of Kings and Lord of lords, leads forth the armies of heaven on white horses, clothed in fine linen, clean and white. (Manuscript 172, 1899)

October 25, 2020

10/25/2020

GOD KNOWS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING

        Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure."--Isaiah 46:10

    The whole earth heaves and swells like the waves of the sea. Its surface is breaking up. Its very foundation seem to be giving way. Mountain chains are sinking. Inhabited islands disappear. The seaports that have become like Sodom for wickedness are swallowed up by the angry waters. Babylon the great has come in remembrance before God, "to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath." Great hailstones, every one "about the weight of a talent," are doing their work of destruction. Verses 19, 21.

    The proudest cities of the earth are laid low. The lordly palaces, upon which the world's great men have lavished their wealth in order to glorify themselves, are crumbling to ruin before their eyes. Prison walls are rent asunder, and God's people, who have been held in bondage for their faith, are set free. (The Great Controversy, 637)

    "Like as a Father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him, for he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." [Psalm 103:13, 14.] He knows our heart, for He reads every secret of the soul. He knows whether or not those for whom petitions are offered would be able to endure the trial and test that would come upon them if they lived.

    He knows the end from the beginning. Many will be laid away to sleep in Jesus before the fiery ordeal of the time of trouble shall come upon our world. This is another reason why we should always say after our earnest petition, "Nevertheless not my will, but thine, O Lord, be done." [Luke 22:42.] Such a petition will never be registered in heaven as a faithless prayer. (Manuscript 26a, August 5, 1892)

REFLECTION: God knows the end from the beginning. He is acquainted with the hearts of all men. He reads every secret of the soul. He knows whether those for whom prayer is offered would or would not be able to endure the trials that would come upon them should they live. He knows whether their lives would be a blessing or a curse to themselves and to the world. This is one reason why, while presenting our petitions with earnestness, we should say, "Nevertheless not my will, but Thine be done." Luke 22:42. (The Ministry of Healing, 230)

October 24, 2020

10/24/2020

ESCAPE THE SEVEN FINAL PLAGUES

        I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."--Revelation 18:4

    The young, as well as those who are older, will be required to give a reason for their hope. But the mind, designed by God for better things, formed to serve Him perfectly, has dwelt upon foolish things, instead of eternal interests....Those who give up the mind to be diverted with foolish stories and idle tales, have the imagination fed, but the brilliancy of God's word is eclipsed to them. The mind is led directly from God. The interest in His precious word is destroyed.

    A book has been given us to guide our feet through the perils of this dark world to heaven. It tells us how we can escape the wrath of God, and also tells of the sufferings of Christ for us, the great sacrifice that has been made that we might be saved and enjoy the presence of God forever. And if any come short at last, having heard the truth as they have in this land of light, it will be their own fault; they will be without excuse.

    The word of God tells us how we may become perfect Christians and escape the seven last plagues. But they took no interest to find this out. Other things diverted the mind, idols were cherished by them, and God's Holy Word was neglected and slighted. God has been trifled with by professed Christians, and when His Holy Word shall judge them in the last day, they will be found wanting.

    That word which they have neglected for foolish storybooks, tries their lives. That is the standard; their motives, words, works, and the manner is which they use their time are all compared with the written word of God; and if they come short then, their cases are decided forever. (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, 125-126)

REFLECTION: Among earth's inhabitants, scattered in every land, there are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Like the stars of heaven, which appear only at night these faithful ones will shine forth when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. (Prophets and Kings, 188)

October 23, 2020

10/23/2020

HELP FROM ANGELS WHO EXCEL IN STRENGTH

        He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.--Psalm 91:11-12

    Could men see with heavenly vision, they would behold companies of angels that excel in strength stationed about those who have kept the word of Christ's patience. With sympathizing tenderness, angels have witnessed their distress and have heard their prayers. They are waiting the word of their Commander to snatch them from their peril. But they must wait yet a little longer. The people of God must drink of the cup and be baptized with the baptism. The very delay, so painful to them, is the best answer to their petitions.

    As they endeavor to wait trustingly for the Lord to work they are led to exercise faith, hope, and patience, which have been too little exercised during their religious experiences. Yet for the elect's sake the time of trouble will be shortened. "Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him?...I tell you that He will avenge them speedily." Luke 18:7, 8. The end will come more quickly than men expect. The wheat will be gathered and bound in sheaves for the garner of God; the tares will be bound as fagots for the fires of destruction.

    The heavenly sentinels, faithful to their trust, continue their watch. Though a general decree has fixed the time when commandment keepers may be put to death, their enemies will in some cases anticipate the decree, and before the time specified, will endeavor to take their lives. But none can pass the mighty guardians stationed about every faithful soul. (The Great Controversy, 630-631)

REFLECTION: No one who professes to be a follower of Christ is left without some burden of responsibility. He is to let his light shine forth to the world. All heaven is interested for the salvation of souls. The angels that excel in strength have their commission to work for the perishing souls of men. Thousands and tens of thousands are engaged in active warfare, seeking to repulse the hosts of darkness, setting captives free from the power of the enemy. (The Review and Herald, February 3, 1891)

October 22, 2020

10/22/2020

SEARCHING EVERYWHERE--FINDING NOTHING

        With their flocks and herds they shall go to seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them.--Hosea 5:6

    In the plague that follows, power is given to the sun "to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat." Verses 8, 9. The prophets thus describe the condition of the earth at this fearful time: "The land mourneth;...because the harvest of the field is perished....All the trees of the field are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men." "The seed is rotten under their clods, the garners are laid desolate....How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture....The rivers of water are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness." "The songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast them forth with silence." Joel 1:10-12, 17-20; Amos 8:3.

    These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants of the earth would be wholly cut off. Yet they will be the most awful scourges that have ever been known to mortals. All the judgments upon men, prior to the close of probation, have been mingled with mercy. The pleading blood of Christ has shielded the sinner from receiving the full measure of his guilt; but in the final judgment, wrath is poured out unmixed with mercy.

    In that day, multitudes will desire the shelter of God's mercy which they have so long despised. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: and they shall wander from the sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11, 12. (The Great Controversy, 628-629)

REFLECTION: And as mercy's sweet voice died away, fear and horror seized the wicked. With terrible distinctness they heard the words. "Too late! too late!"...

In the time when God's judgment are falling without mercy, oh, how enviable to the wicked will be the position of those who abide "in the secret place of the most High"--the pavilion in which the Lord hides all who have loved Him and have obeyed His commandments! (Maranatha, 271)