THE FINAL WARNING MESSAGE FROM JESUS CHRIST TO THE WORLD

PREAMBLE

In the time of Noah, God granted the world a period of 120 years to choose between good and evil. Due to their failure to take advantage of God’s given opportunity to repent and return to Him, they were destroyed by the great flood. Also, today, a period of probation and grace has been granted before the great destruction of the world by fire. The Lord has many children who have never heard the truth for this time. Are you one of them? This is the final warning message for you and the world. It is sure that: “when they say, peace and safety! Then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape,” 1 Thessalonians 5:3.

This document is a portion of some of the most outstanding and vital writings concerning the end of the world by many authors and experts in Bible and prophecy. Of more significant and particular importance, it includes everything Jesus Christ has revealed in the Bible on the subject. It is written in a simple manner that is easy to understand. Many Bible references are provided so the reader can easily verify everything written here. Numerous Bible texts have been cited without including their written content. This was done so that the reader may study his own Bible and verify the truth of this last message from Jesus Christ to the world. It is a message of warning, comfort, hope, and love to all in error and darkness. Let us be like the people of Berea “in that they received the word with readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so,” Acts 17:11. The Lord always warns men of the judgments that will fall upon them before it happens. We have been warned of the second coming of Jesus and the destruction that will soon overwhelm the world. All of those who pay attention will be saved. Please check carefully by searching Scripture all that is said in this document to see if these things are so.

 

INTRODUCTION

This is the final warning message from God to the world.

A short time before His departure to heaven, Jesus gave us the history of our future, as He spoke to His disciples of that period. It is a history that we should continuously remember because it is the present truth for us, and our eternal and happy destiny depends on us paying close attention. Otherwise, we will die forever when this can be avoided.

The Lord, beforehand, has said that afflictions, disasters, famine, deceptions, treasons, and persecutions are coming quickly and will be nothing like anything we have seen before. In His Word, the Holy Bible, He reveals all we need to know to be ready. We know that Christ undoubtedly will come again. Our most crucial everyday task is to be prepared.

Full of love, Jesus has declared, “Let not your heart be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions… I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know,” John 14:1–4.

 

Are you Ready?

THE GREAT BOOK OF GOD

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. He made man, male and female, in His likeness and image Genesis 1–2. This fact makes Him the absolute owner of everything. When the psalmist recognized this fundamental and eternal truth, he cried: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein,” Psalms 24:1. Similarly, the heavenly angels who were present and witnessed the creation of man and earth proclaimed: “Fear God, and give Him glory… and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of water,” Revelations 14:7.

                  Undoubtedly, God is the only one worthy of our obedience and worship, as He is the Creator of all things. As sinners in great need of God’s grace, we have another powerful reason to worship and obey God. Jesus is not only our Creator but also our Redeemer and Savior. We are His by creation and redemption.

God, in His wisdom, chose to write every human being and you personally a love letter that we know as the Holy Bible. The grand central theme of the Bible is to provide you with the knowledge of the true and eternal things necessary for your salvation.

Genesis describes the following truths:

• “God’s original purpose for the world and us as individuals.”

God created man in His likeness and image, Genesis 1:26–27. He gave them lordship and dominion of the earth. They were to multiply and live in perfect peace as stewards of a beautiful planet, Genesis 1:28–31. Living in complete obedience to God, they were to be forever happy, enjoying unimaginable happiness in total harmony with heaven, Genesis 2:15–17.

• “The beginning of the great controversy between Jesus (God) and Lucifer (Satan/devil) began.”

Man’s worst enemy, the ancient serpent, the devil, was cunning, and he deceived the couple and stripped them of the lordship God had given them. Satan took ownership of the planet through deception and lies. In his heart, he desires to be the master of the world and wants for himself the worship that we owe only to God. Consequently, death enters our planet due to man’s disobedience, Genesis 2:17, 3:1–13.

• “The plan of salvation (redemption) of sinful man.”

At the moment that Adam and Eve sinned, the plan of salvation was put into action to provide us all with an opportunity to regain that which was lost, Genesis 3:15. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was to give His life for our sin because it is written: “The soul that sins, it should die,” Ezekiel 18:4. “Surely, He had borne our griefs, carried our sorrows: … He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: … and by His stripes, we are healed… and the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all… He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth, He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter,” Isaiah 53:4–7.

The Lamb of God came to the world to die our death as a substitute so that we may have abundant eternal life.

It has been almost 2,000 years since, after being whipped, the soldiers took Jesus to the common hall … “And they stripped Him, and put on Him a scarlet robe and a platted crown of thorns upon His head and a reed in His right hand… And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and struck Him on the head… And after they had mocked Him, they… led Him away to crucify Him,” Mathew 27:26–31.

“And about the ninth hour (three in the afternoon). Jesus cried with a loud voice… My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me!” Matthew 27:46

Precisely at three in the afternoon, he again cried loudly and “gave up His spirit,” Matthew 27:50.

Past the Sabbath (Saturday), as it began to dawn the first day of the week (Sunday), there was a great earthquake. “For the angel of the Lord descended from heaven… rolled back the stone… And the angel answered and said unto the women… He is not here: for He is risen, as He said,” Matthew 28:2–6.

Some days after this, Jesus ascended to heaven, where He has been for almost 2000 years; from where He will return very soon to judge the living and the dead with His reward in His hand, to give everyone according to their work, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

• “The spiritual nature of words and principles that battle for supremacy.”

The Bible says that it is not by force nor army that the conflict is fought, but by God’s Spirit, Zechariah 4:6. In Ephesians 6:17, the Apostle Paul explains that the sword of the spirit is the Word of God. Adam and Eve battled with the serpent during the temptation they faced. However, the conflict was only a war of words, principles, and God’s commandments. In the same way, it happened with Jesus in the wilderness when the devil tempted Him.

After forty days without eating, He was hungry, and the tempter came without force or firearm. He initiated the fight with one word, raising doubt, he said: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread,” Matthew 4:3. Using the Word of God, the most powerful weapon in the conflict, and the only one we have to defeat the great deceiver, faithfully Jesus responded: “It is written.” Depending entirely on our heavenly Father and trusting in Scripture and God’s promises like the ones revealed by the prophet Isaiah. “Do not be afraid; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; I will always help you; I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness,” Isaiah 41:10.

Obeying God’s will, He continued: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God,” Matthew 4:4.

At the end of the controversy, we see that the weapons used by our Lord were and will always be the same. They are our weapons also, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the principles, statutes, decrees, and commandments of God. As we have seen, force and violence have no place in this war. Our enemy will certainly use violence and compulsion against us, but as children of God, we are not to do the same. Our instruction is to turn the other cheek.

This was not the end of the temptation crisis. Jesus ended it with authority when He said: ““Go away, Satan: for it is written. You shall worship the Lord your God, and He only shall you serve.”  Then the devil left Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him,” Matthew 4:10–11. This is the way it will be with all those who submit to God, develop Christ’s mind, and are obedient till death. If we do this, we will take part in horrible anguish, but in the end, we will be victorious with Jesus, and then we will be glorified and have eternal life and glory without end.

• “From Genesis to Revelation, the controversy is amplified, and all necessary details are added so that man may fully understand the plan of salvation. The entire Bible teaches and tracks God’s work of love for us through the chronicles, stories, psalms, and prophecies to its great culmination.”

                  It is your duty and that of every person to verify for yourselves the truthfulness and reality of this conflict and how it affects all aspects of our daily personal lives. Knowingly or unknowingly, at this precise moment, you are deciding on which side of this controversy you find yourself. It is essential to know that the Bible is its own interpreter and that the Holy Spirit will guide you, if you so desire, to a perfect understanding without needing an outside interpreter, 2 Peter 1:20‑21.

                  The Bible is called the Word of God because it is the voice of God. We should love it and obey it. Every morning it is our duty to study it very carefully with prayer and beg for the direction of the Holy Spirit who inspired it, 2 Timothy 3:16. It needs to be studied with interest and humility to understand God’s will with all its restrictions and requirements. To find what God wants us to do, we must study His Word with the mindset of a child. Our only desire should be: “I want to know how God wants me to live; that I may obey everything He says without adding or taking away anything.”

                  The entire Bible is the revelation of the glory of God. It is the instrument designated by God for the salvation of man. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6. Therefore, by faith, we should accept, believe, and obey the Holy Scriptures. This leads to an abundant, happy, and prosperous life, here and now, and in the near future, eternal life Mathew 19:29.

The Bible is our wisdom and our intelligence. “It is a holy book, inspired by God and written by holy men. It is a perfect guide for all of life’s circumstances.” Everything in the Bible is inspired by God. Both the Old and New Testaments are of equal value. One is not complete without the other. Everything in it should be obeyed since it was written for our teaching and prosperity.

Almost 6,000 years have passed since the fall. The promised Messiah in Genesis 3:15 came to this world over 2,000 years ago. Today we stand at the doorstep of His second coming, which is inevitable because the Lord Jesus said: “I will come again,” John 14:3.

The world finds itself on the eve of Earth’s final crisis. The social signs, natural disasters, the abundance of immorality, economic instability, and the threats of war announce that events of a gravity never seen before are about to take place.

                  God is about to change His relationship with the world. We know that the final events will be like labor pains, 1 Thessalonians 5:3. The time of trouble has already begun; this time of terrible uncertainty will continuously worsen until the second coming of Jesus. Are you ready?

A terrifying anguish has begun to take hold of nations and individuals. Unimaginable difficulties await us all; these will not cease until Jesus returns. God’s punishments will follow each other quickly. We face illnesses, hunger, bloodshed, fires, earthquakes, floodings, hurricanes, calamities, the last plagues, and a worldwide economic collapse. These things will be so terrible that mothers will eat their own children.

                  We must not be unbelieving in these stormy times; let us not be discouraged, but let’s have faith in God’s Word because it is true and worthy of being received by everyone.

God always warns us beforehand of the judgments that will fall upon us. The Lord always has a way out for His children who serve Him with love and faith. There is nothing to fear, but it is crucial to pay attention.

                  We should know by heart and be very familiar with the last message given to us, Revelation 14:6–10. We need to live the Gospel of Jesus in our daily lives and in our dealings with God and men, 1 John 2:6. To be victorious, it is necessary to have a personal experience in walking in the footsteps of our Lord; doing that which is good, Matthew 9:5, Acts 10:38, Luke 9:2, and obeying His commandments, Matthew 7:21, 1 John 2:3. God’s judgments are for the disobedient and unbelieving.

We must place ourselves under God’s control to be guided by Him. Part of our daily duty is to carefully and deeply search Scripture, especially the books of Daniel and Revelation, to clearly understand the sequence of the final events, as God has determined for them to take place for “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets,” Amos 3:7. In the history of the nations, the fulfillment of prophecy is evident. “We also have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place,” 2 Peter 1:19.

                  As never before, a very slow and attentive study of the Word of God is required of us. The light God revealed through Daniel was given for these last days, Daniel 12:9. Together with the messages of Revelation, the content of these two books, should occupy the first place in our thoughts.

                  The day God has designated to decide the destiny of all souls forever and for the conclusion of the history of the world is at the door.

None of us should consider ourselves free from the danger of being deceived or surprised. Do not allow an erroneous interpretation to rob you of the conviction of the signs that put us on notice of this great event. Today is the time to stay awake, be watchful, and pray without ceasing. Let’s be very careful not to fabricate events or speculations that the Word of God has not revealed. Neither should we remove a single detail, even of unimportant appearance, from prophecy as it is written.

There will be a sifting among God’s people, but it is the mark of the beast that has been proclaimed. The seal of God is also clearly identified in the Bible. We will study this later. For now, let us look at the signs of the last days and the end of the world.

SIGNS OF THE SOON RETURN OF CHRIST

In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus warned us about the signs that would take place before His second coming. As He answered the disciple’s question, He used the destruction of Jerusalem to teach us about how these things will be, including the world’s final destruction by fire. Through the Apostle Peter, the Lord tells us that in His coming, “the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,” 2 Peter 3:12.

Christ found Himself with His disciples on the Mount of Olives when He explained God’s terrible judgments that would occur before His return. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of war…For nation shall rise against nation … and there will be famines, and pestilences (fatal contagious infections in epidemics (regional) and pandemics (worldwide)), and earthquakes, in diverse places. All these are the beginning of sorrows,” Matthew 24:6–8.

These prophecies found partial fulfillment in the destruction of Jerusalem. However, they apply to the end of time in a more direct and ample manner. Remember, that this has already started and will worsen and grow as time progresses until Christ returns.

                  Luke 21:25–26, dealing with the same subject as Matthew 24:29, says: “there will be signs in the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations…Men’s hearts failing them for fear and for the expectation of those things that are coming on the earth.”

In Revelation, the Lord Jesus amplifies the signs. The Apostle John says: “And I saw when He opened the sixth seal … there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood, and the stars of heaven fell to the earth…,” Revelation 6:12–13.

It’s essential to remember that all this is for the time of the end. When did the end of time begin? We will explain this later, but since it is necessary to know this to understand these things better, according to prophecy, the time of the end began in 1798, Daniel 12:4–7. We have been living in the end of time since then.

These signs were announcing the arrival of the beginning of the time of the end. In Matthew 24:6, Jesus says, “for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”

This earthquake is not the earthquake of Revelation 16:18, which coincides with the second coming of Jesus, “such a mighty and great earthquake that had not occurred since men were on the earth.” The earthquake we are talking about is a sign that occurred on November 1^st, 1755. It is known as the Lisbon earthquake because it was in Portugal, where it had its epicenter.

                  Let us not forget that these calamities are on the rise. All are signs, but not all are specific. The closer we get to Jesus’ return, the signs’ frequency, severity, and intensity will increase.

                  Another specific sign was the day of darkness on May 19^th, 1780; it covered a large part of North America. It was so dark that the lamps had to be turned on starting mid-morning. Many thought that it was the end of the world.

                  The third sign presented itself the same day as the previous one, close to midnight; the dense darkness ended, and the moon appeared red like blood.

                  The fourth event was a spectacular rain of stars, documented in the American Encyclopedia and many other documents, on November 13^th, 1833.

                  In regards to the anguish of the nations, all we need to do is hear or see the news in the communication media to be aware that all nations are restless and worried in fear of what we live every day. The world finds itself in a very unstable condition.

Jesus continues by saying, “many false prophets will rise, and will deceive many,” Matthew 24:11. The deceptions of the end of time are many and of very different varieties; but all of them are directed by Satan, “who deceives the whole world,” Revelation 12:9. In previous times rose, and today and tomorrow will rise false prophets who deceived and will deceive and lead many into the wilderness. Magicians and sorcerers will drag the people behind them to mountainous solitude. As other things we have mentioned up to this point, and like others, we will study soon; as time passes, everything will be on the rise, and they will work with much more power than the one manifested up to today. These individuals will pretend to have miraculous power, and their message will be very pleasing to modern men.

The Lord Jesus advises us beforehand that there will be more “false Christs, and false prophets, and will show great signs and wonders, so much that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect,” Matthew 24:24. Even the fallen angels will perform miracles to convince the people of the lies they tell and teach as coming from God, “for they are spirits of demons, performing signs,” Revelation 16:14. They teach false doctrines contrary to the Bible to get the people to follow them and to control the minds of men, they will perform great wonders. The purpose of the miracles and wonders of the enemies of God and men is to convince everyone that their false teachings and doctrines are true. But what does the Bible say regarding these things?

The Word of God teaches that we shall not consult enchanters or fortune-tellers, much less the dead. We must ask God in prayer for every question regarding the truth of any commandment and biblical teaching. The answer is always found in the Holy Bible. For these situations, we have the answer in Isaiah 8:19–20. ““And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” answer, should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and the testimony: if they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.”” For us, the great principle of the Protestant Reformation of “Sola Scriptura” is always present. Only the Bible, and the Bible only. No one needs to be deceived; we have the sure Word of God, faithful and worthy of being received by all.

                  The Bible is the greatest educational book that is above all other word or writing because it is the voice of God. Many who pretend to respect it place different opinions and other books above it and exalt human reason well on top of divine wisdom, knowledge, and commandments. Many will be eternally lost due to this extremely grave error. We should all seek our Lord God fervently on our own to avoid being deceived by those who pretend to be specially taught by God. We are followers of Jesus Christ and no one else. When we agree with other people, then we may follow Jesus together as the remanent church that God has for the end of time. Just as in the time of Noah, God had only one ark. He has only one ark for the end of the world; that ark is the true church. Soon we will study and find that true church in the Bible.

                  “The foundation of the moral depravity of the world are gluttony and intemperance.”  Satan continuously tempts us so that we may satisfy our passions, appetites, and tastes. As we are defeated, we pay a very high price, which costs us our health and, in many cases, even our lives. The primary objectives in our lives are entertainment, diversion, drink, food, and dress. What we live in today is the same state of affairs as before the great flood but at a higher level. This state of immorality, corruption, and squandering is another remarkable sign of the very soon termination of the history of this earth.

A great majority of people were submerged in a belief of falsehood and firmly opposed the truth in the time of Noah. The entire world participated in violence in all places. There were wars everywhere, and crime and homicide were part of daily living, just as it is today. This is the way it will also be before the second coming of Jesus.

                  We now live in the “perilous times of the last days for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unforgiving, slanderers, without self–control, brutal, despisers of good… lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness,” 2 Timothy 3:1–5.

In every social disturbance, evil angels incite men to violence. Violence has reached such a level that God has begun to pour out His judgments. All the terrible acts of violence tell us that the end is near. Are you ready for the second coming of our Lord?

“The Lord has stood up to shake the earth terribly; what we see now is the beginning of labor pains as upon a pregnant woman. Soon we will see more extraordinary disasters. Thousands of ships and entire naval fleets will sink. Unexpected fires will suddenly ignite, and there will be no way to extinguish them. There will be millions of deaths all over the world.”  Along with them will come confusion, wrecks, and deaths on many roads, railways, and airways. Every type of disaster will occur more frequently and be of greater magnitude. It is time to seek the Lord while He can still be found, let us do it now while He is near. The time of grace will end soon. The end is near.

We are living the times the Lord spoke of beforehand so that we may prepare ourselves. As we now see, war prevails, and epidemics, death, and hunger abound. Soon the sea will exceed its limits. God’s judgments will come sooner than we think. The Spirit of God is gradually leaving the earth.

Very soon, God’s protective power will be denied to all those who continue to disregard His commandments. Sadly, most of the earth’s inhabitants will continue with disdain as Satan has blinded them so much; iniquity being so common it no longer shakes their senses.

These calamities are not whimsical outbursts of a nature in disarray. Jehovah is the God of nature, and it obeys His voice and executes His will. These unnatural disasters are God’s instruments by which He intends to awaken a sense of the grave danger in which we find ourselves.

The series of events that follow in Earth’s history is in the hands of the Lord, who is in charge of the destiny of nations, individuals, and the church. The completed development and course of human events are under the management and direction of the Lamb of God, who will return as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. “Behind all the play and counterplay of men, we can contemplate the angels of our God who silently execute the precise will of the Almighty.”

With all these signs and calamities, among other means, the Lord calls men and women to think and solemnly reflect on all of them. It is clearly visible that God’s purpose is to awaken the church, His own, from their lethargy and lukewarm spirituality to prepare us for His second coming. The time to be zealous and repent from our indifferences and negligence is now. The Lord says: “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. All those that I love, I rebuke and punish. Therefore, be zealous and repent,” Revelation 3:18–19. It is necessary to be fully awake, totally consecrated, wholly converted, and entirely dedicated to God. We remain excessively inactive as if we were paralyzed. Are you awake?

 

WHEN SHALL THESE THINGS BE?

Jesus blended the description of the destruction of Jerusalem and the day of His coming when He answered the disciples’ question in Matthew 24:3. Out of mercy towards them, He combined the description of both crises; the destruction of the temple and His second coming. Many Christians have mistakenly established dates for the coming of Christ. They will continue to do so only to end up in disappointment and failure. The Lord has declared that the specific time is a mystery that God has not revealed. “But of the day and the hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only,” Matthew 24:36.

The Lord has kept secret that time because our duty is to be continuously prepared and in expectation of His return. Immediately before His return, the Lord will reveal the exact time of the second coming of Jesus because “surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets,” Amos 3:7. We should not live disturbed for not knowing the exact time of His coming. Our work is to prepare ourselves and everyone who also loves the coming of the Lord and give the message that Jesus is coming soon. We should not look for or provide an excuse to delay anyone’s preparation.

What we can know with certainty is the date God established for the judgment. In Exodus 25:8, God told Moses, “And let them make me a sanctuary.” For this, God showed him a model in Exodus 25:40 for them to build a replica of the heavenly Sanctuary, which Christ entered after His resurrection, to carry out His work of Mediator and High Priest Hebrews 8:1‑2; 9:24.

 

DIAGRAM: THE TABERNACLE OF REUNION-Is the name of the Sanctuary in the Old Testament Exodus 26:1

 

In the courtyard was the Altar of Sacrifice, or Altar of Burnt Offerings, where the lamb was offered to atone for sin. This lamb symbolized Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” John 1:29. Here was the laver where the High Priest washed off the blood from his hands before entering the Holy Place. The laver is a symbol of baptism, which is practiced nowadays in the name of the Son, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. The high priest is also a symbol of Christ. Our High Priest entered the heavens and ended the system of sacrifices here on Earth because when Jesus came to the world, He fulfilled all the prophecies regarding Him in the Old Testament. The truth was presented, and symbols were no longer necessary.

In the Holy Place was the seven-branch candlestick, which symbolizes Christ, the “light of the world,” John 9:5. The table of unleavened shewbread represents Christ, “the bread which came down from heaven,” John 6:41 – without sin and the altar of incense symbol of Christ as prophet.

Between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place was the veil, which was torn in two when Jesus died, Matthew 27:50–51, because now the precious blood of Jesus gave us direct access to God’s throne in heaven.

In the Most Holy Place was the Ark of the Testimony, which contained the Ten Commandments, and on the cover were two gold cherubim, Numbers 7:89. In the middle of them was where God’s glory was presented to the people. Only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the Most Holy Place to atone for the sins of the people, Leviticus 23:27.

 

When Jesus died, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom,” Matthew 27:51. This was the earthly Sanctuary in Jerusalem. With this tearing of the veil, the system of sacrifices that symbolized and pointed to the death of the true Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, came to an end. This lamb represented Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. The Lamb of God, the Promised Messiah, and Jesus are the same person.

After His resurrection, Jesus ascends to heaven to continue His function as High Priest in the heavenly Sanctuary, in the Holy Place where the seven candlesticks are found, Revelation 1:13–14.

Revelation 19:13 calls Jesus “THE WORD OF GOD. The same Apostle John calls Jesus the “Word” and irrefutably declares that the “Word” is God John 1:1.

After hearing John the Baptist and following Christ for a short time, Andrew, the disciple of Jesus, looks for Simon Peter and tells him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translates to “the Christ”), John 1:40–41. Both Messiah and Christ mean “anointed.”

The Bible declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, Emmanuel, the Savior of the world, the only begotten Son of God.

It is the prophecy of Daniel 9 that confirms that Jesus is the Messiah while at the same time establishing God’s date for the judgment. The first angel of Revelation 14 says with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come,” verse 6.

Daniel was astonished and did not understand the vision of the little horn and the cleansing of the Sanctuary, Daniel 8:8–14. Even after the angel, Gabriel came to explain the vision, Daniel 8:16, and even though he added other crucial details, Daniel 8:23–26, the prophet remained confused and without understanding. But Gabriel comes again to give Daniel wisdom and knowledge, Daniel 9:21‑22.

Daniel 9:24–27 begins the interpretation about when the Messiah appears and when God’s judgment takes place. “Seventy weeks are determined…to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity…and to anoint the Most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: … And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off… And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the middle of the week, He will cause the sacrifice and offering to cease…”

The decree to rebuild Jerusalem is registered in Ezra 7:7, 12, 13 in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes of Persia. The seventh year of King Artaxerxes is the year 457 B.C. It is important to remember the biblical principle that one prophetic day equals one literal year, Ezekiel 4:6.

Let’s review some important points:

• God assigned Israel, the Jewish nation, 490 years (70 weeks) as a privileged nation. From Artaxerxes’ decree to rebuild the temple (Autumn of 457 B.C.) to the stoning of Stephen (in 34 A.D.), Acts 7.
• Jesus appeared as the Messiah in the autumn of year 27 when He was anointed by the Holy Spirit precisely 483 years (69 prophetic weeks) later.
• In the middle of week 70, Jesus was crucified. This occurred 3 ½ years after He was anointed. The crucifixion took place in the spring of the year 31 A.D. The anointment of Christ was carried out when John the Baptist baptized Him in the river Jordan.
• Stephen was stoned 3 ½ years later in the autumn of 34 A.D. This was the fulfillment of the 70-week prophecy. This was the end of the assigned time to the Jews as a privileged nation, and the gospel began to be preached to the Gentiles.

Returning to Daniel 8:14, we learn that the Sanctuary will be cleansed “Unto two thousand and three hundred days.” Using Ezekiel’s 4:6 scale of one day for one year, we realize that the heavenly Sanctuary will be cleansed in 2300 years.

The explanation for the significance of this cleansing is provided to us in the earthly Sanctuary. This Sanctuary was cleansed yearly on the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 23:27–30. To purify the Sanctuary, it was necessary to remove all impurities and filth. These impurities and filth are sinful things, Leviticus 16:11‑28.

The Day of Atonement was a day of reconciliation with God. What has separated us from God and has made us His enemies is sin. This was a great day of forgiveness.

That great day, the high priest, in this case, Aaron, who is a symbol of Christ, the true High Priest, would make reconciliation for the sin of the people, Leviticus 16:15. For that, he would cut the throat of the sacrifice, which is also a symbol of Christ. He would take the blood into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, the top of the Ark of the Covenant. In this way, the people were cleansed of all their sins.

That day, all persons would afflict their souls with genuine repentance, they would confess all their sins and abandon them, and God, who is merciful, would forgive them. Those who did not repent died, “For any person who did not afflict his soul on that same day, shall be cut off from his people,” Leviticus 23:29. This was a day of judgment which symbolized the final judgment; the one, every one of us, will face on the second coming of Lord Jesus.

Now the Sanctuary is filthy, filled with all the sins and rebellions of the Israelites. The animals used as sacrifices represented Jesus. This is why the Bible says, “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin,” 1 John 1:7. The person’s sin would symbolically pass to the slayed animal. The priest would then carry the blood into the Sanctuary. The sins of the people would then contaminate the Sanctuary, and consequently, it needed to be cleansed.

The Bible establishes that “the soul who sins shall die,” Ezekiel 18:4. In the plan of salvation, for love, God “gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16. Jesus with His perfect and sinless life fulfills the demand of the law which states that each one will pay for their own sin, with their own life. Because of that life of absolute obedience, He is able to pay the price of our sins and become our substitute if we so want it. For this, He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And since “without shedding of blood there is no remission of sins,” Hebrews 9:22, it became necessary that our Lord Jesus pour out His precious blood on the Cross of Calvary to carry our sins. The sin of all human beings has contaminated the Heavenly Sanctuary, which is in need of being purified. In heaven, sin cannot exist. It must be eradicated and destroyed.

Jesus took our sins to heaven when He presented Himself before God, the Father, for us, as our substitute and High Priest in the Holy Place. He presents Himself with His self-sacrifice and with His own blood, not the blood of animals, which were only symbols and figures of heavenly things at another time. He presented Himself to remove the sin that separated us from God and to reconcile us with Him, Hebrews 9:23–28.

When were the 2,300 years reached to cleanse the Sanctuary? This solemn event is the beginning of God’s judgment, the Day of Atonement, to reconcile the world with Himself through the precious blood of Christ, His Son, which began at the end of the 2,300 days prophecy.

In Daniel 9:24, we find the point of departure of the 2,300 years from which the prophecy of the 70 weeks (490 years) is cut or determined from the vision of 2,300 days. This clearly establishes that the 2,300 days (2,300 years) prophecy of Daniel 8:14 and the one of the 70 weeks (490 years) of Daniel 9:24‑27 are two parts of only one prophecy.

As we have already seen, the 70 weeks and the 2,300 days prophecies are tied to each other as they began simultaneously.

• We arrive at the end of the 70 weeks in the year 34 A.D.; these 70 weeks are 490 years.
• Adding the 1810 years from the 2,300 to the year 34, we see that the prophecy was fulfilled in 1844.

What happened in heaven in 1844? Daniel 7:7–14 presents a judgment scene where the judgment was set, Daniel 7:10, and one like the Son of Man (Jesus) coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days (God the Father), Daniel 7:13. This is a scene of the judgment that takes place after 1798 (the beginning of the end of time) and before the second coming of Jesus. As we study Daniel 8, we see that the judgment of Daniel 7 corresponds exactly to the cleansing of the Sanctuary in Daniel 8:14. Let us remember that the cleansing of the Sanctuary, the judgment, and the Day of Atonement speaks of the same thing. The investigative pre–advent judgment began in heaven in 1844.

In Revelation 11:15, the seventh angel sounds the trumpet and announces the start of the judgment. “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.” In verse 19, we see that “the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple.”   Here is where our Lord Jesus reveals that in 1844, He passed from the Holy Place, where He initiated His work, Revelation 1:12–13, when He ascended to heaven, to the Most Holy Place because the hour of His judgment had come at the precise moment as prophesied by Daniel. We know Jesus entered the Most Holy Place because the Ark of the Covenant (or testimony) is found there. What a solemn thought to know that the Day of Atonement, the day of the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary, and God’s great judgment have been in session in heaven for more than 175 years (2020–1844=176).

Prophecy comes to its fulfillment quickly! The period of grace for man is coming to an end very soon; every soul’s destiny will be set forever. The day of God’s wrath nears in a hurry! Are you ready? The false sentinels say: “Everything is in peace?” Whom do you trust? The permanent and sure Word of God or the fables and Satan’s lying and false arguments?

 

END TIME DECEPTIONS

 

Many live as if our Lord has delayed His coming, like the unfaithful and evil servant; they say in their hearts: “My master is delaying His coming,” Matthew 24:48. This has resulted in one of the greatest deceptions because it leads people to a reckless waste of the privileges and opportunities we now have. They end up not preparing themselves for that great day. Time passes, opportunities are no more, and we die without preparation. When we open our eyes again, Jesus will be in front of us, but it will be too late; all opportunities are gone. “The master of that servant will come one day when he does not expect him and at an hour that he is not aware of, … and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” Matthew 24:50–51. It is written, “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry,” Hebrews 10:37.

In Eden, Satan disguised himself as a serpent and used trickery against Eve. Throughout history, he has used deceit and will continue to use it until the end of his days. He is filled with great wrath because “the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him,” Revelation 12:9.

Let’s take a look at other of the devil’s most effective tricks. We must never forget that sin itself is deceptive and numbs our moral perceptions. We must recognize and accept that we are all sinners. We must deal permanently with our own sins to be able to see clearly. If we don’t do this, we will remain blind.

For this, we must self-examine and search Scripture with prayer and humility. By careful study of the Bible and continuous submission to God, the Holy Spirit will enable us to see our mistakes. If we confess our sins and abandon them, the tempter will no longer appear as an angel of light but as he truly is, a deceiver. God promises spiritual discernment, but all His promises are conditional. If we fulfill the condition, the promise will be kept, and if we do not fulfill the condition, the promise will not be kept.

The greatest deception is not to believe that Satan exists. Amazingly, many supposed Christians do not believe in a personal and literal devil. This is so because they do not believe in the Bible, the Word of God; they twist Scripture and say that his name is employed to represent man’s evil thoughts and desires. That is a grave and fundamental error because it is also unbelief. The harm caused by the elimination of only one Bible truth is incalculable. This destroys the faith in the Word of God, the lie detector and people get lost as they cannot benefit from the great sacrifice offered for them to be saved. As we separate ourselves from the great truths of the Bible, the clear privileges and commandments of God, we leave our minds open to accept all types of lying miracles, fables, and false doctrines.

No one needs to surrender to Satan’s temptations. God always has a way out prepared for us, but we choose whether to take advantage of it or not. In God’s Word, we have the provision of all divine help if we want to overcome it. All of us who have faith in Christ, our Lord, have the power to come out triumphant from every temptation, just as Jesus did.

Christ has informed us in advance that deceivers will rise among us, Matthew 24:11. The church will be in greater danger due to the lies of these than for the persecutions of our enemies. All doctrine should be tested by the Word of God. It must be rejected if it is not in harmony with its teaching. Search the Scriptures carefully, take your time, and see if everything written in this document is true.

Today, like in the days of the Apostles, men try to destroy our faith in the Word of God through tradition, science, and philosophy. Our enemy uses criticism, evolution, spiritualism, the false doctrine that we can become gods, and its partner that teaches that God is present in nature, all to take people on prohibited ways of perdition. Many, including a significant number of Christians, are submerged in speculations, false concepts, and confusing beliefs.

False teachers and scientists who do not know God contradict the Word of God and exalt and worship nature in place of the Creator, even though the Bible and nature itself clearly give testimony that God is the Creator of all things.

We all depend on the Bible to know the beginning of the history of the world, the creation of man, and his fall. Through the Bible, we know how sin and death entered the world. Without the Word of God, our minds are left subdued to superstition, false theories, the thoughts of fallen men, and the falsely called science. God did not leave us alone to be entangled in human conjectures and untrustworthy theories.

“When people do not believe the Genesis narrative, they lose the simplicity of faith. The Holy Scriptures should not be judged according to the scientific ideas of men. The scientific theories of men should be evaluated and tested by the Bible. Science and the Bible do not contradict each other, as they have the same author.”  Correctly understood, they do not contradict each other as they are in perfect harmony. God’s sure and permanent Word has been inspired by Himself, and science is not. Science is infested with errors as its basis of study is a fallen and imperfect nature. The power of God governs and sustains nature. In return, it obeys His voice and fulfills His plans, as we see in Joshua 10:12–13, when Jehovah, at Joshua’s request, held the sun still at Gibeon and stopped the moon for almost one whole day. In 2 Kings 20: 8–11, we see that the shadow went backward ten degrees at God’s command. Even the winds and the sea obey Him, Matthew 8: 26–27. The earth also complies with His orders, Numbers 16: 28–33.

It is God’s power that sustains all His creation. An inherent power does not exist in any created thing. Neither is there a mechanism that, once it is placed in action, it continues to act on its own accord with its inherent energy. Even every breath and heartbeat in us depends totally on His power.

“The genealogy of our lineage has been revealed in several books of the Bible. There is no place to think that the human being, the crown of God’s Creation, made in God’s likeness and image in a marvelous and terrifying manner, and with so much love, could have its origin in a series of germs, mollusks, or quadrupeds.”

Another significant error is the belief that we can communicate with the dead, who know nothing and do not exist. We will study the state of the dead in the next topic. Spiritualism is a very popular false theology. It presents the deceased as if they were in heaven, worshipping God and enjoying His company. The Bible clearly establishes that this is false, Psalms 6:5; 115:17. The Apostle Peter also declares that King David died and was buried, but he did not go to heaven, Acts 2:29, 34. When we die, we do not exist; we cease to be, Psalms 104:29. Not a single Bible text teaches that the dead go to heaven. The dead do not exist, they know nothing, their mind is in forgetfulness, Ecclesiastes 9:5, and it is impossible to communicate with them.

What is Jesus coming for the second time?  He comes to fulfill His promise made to the disciples in John 14:3, “I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Where is Jesus? In heaven! Where are the disciples? In their graves, they do not exist. They are dust. Jesus is coming to resurrect them because they are not with Him in heaven.

Before resurrecting Lazarus, Jesus said to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live,” John 11:25. He also said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; … and those who hear His voice will come forth; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,” John 5:25–29.

According to the Bible, Jesus is coming a second time to resurrect King David and the apostles who are in their graves in a state of dust, along with all those others who have done good, to take them to heaven. It is not possible that the Lord comes from heaven to resurrect the living or to take to heaven those who are already there.

The faithful and true Word teaches that Jesus is coming for the dead saints who remain in their graves until today by saying: “For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” 1 Thessalonians 4:16. We, as God’s people, should be prepared to reject these spirits with the Bible’s truth that the dead do not exist. They know nothing and that apparitions are spirits of demons.

““On the first day of Creation, the Bible declares, “So the evening and the morning were the first day,” Genesis 1:5. The same is said of the substance of the other six days of the week of Creation. Each of these periods was one day composed of morning and evening, exactly the same as any other day that has passed up to today. They will continue to be this way forever. The Word of God testifies of Creation in the following manner, “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it existed,” Psalms 33:9. How much time did God need to create the earth and its fullness?  Who is man to determine how much time God needed to call the countless worlds of the infinite universe into existence when God has clearly revealed that about this planet?  Does the Creator of the infinite universe not know how much time He took to make each of the things He has created?  Are we to forcefully twist and distort the Word of God so that we can fit in our tiny brain that which surpasses our understanding?””

“This does not require a brilliant or extraordinary mind, nor is total comprehension necessary. It only requires faith. An absolute belief, trust in God’s Word, and unmovable obedience are all needed because we lack the capacity to understand God’s mysteries. However, we can believe them, even when we don’t completely understand them. The Bible was not written to prove the existence of God, which we will all see very soon.”

The Bible was written to provide us with knowledge of all things. We have more than enough knowledge to believe and accept that which has been revealed up to now. So that we may live and walk by faith, trusting that God loves us more than our mothers and knows what is best for us, so that we may choose His ways and abandon ours.

“It is true that the remains of men, animals, and plants, much bigger than the ones we know today, have been found. However, the interpretation that they existed before the time mentioned by Moses in Genesis is entirely incorrect. The Bible itself provides ample explanation. Before the great flood, the development of animal and plant life was highly superior to what we know today. After the great flood, there were notable changes on the surface of the earth; however, it conserved many proofs of the previous life. These things testify to the veracity of the Word of God and do not contradict it in any way.”

After six days of work, God rested on the seventh day. He sanctified it, choosing it, and putting it apart forever as the day of rest for humankind. As the Lord blessed the seventh day in Eden, He established a monument of His Creation in time. He gave it to Adam as the representative of humanity for us to keep as an act of gratefulness and recognition that God is the Creator of heaven, earth, seas, and man. As we observe this day, we remember that we are a creation of His hands, that the Lord is the legitimate owner of everything, and that we are His subjects under His absolute authority as owner and Creator. In this manner, He instituted the Sabbath for all humanity. When the conflict between Jesus and Satan ends “from one Sabbath to another,” the inhabitants of a new Earth will “come to worship before Me, says the Lord,” Isaiah 66:23.

“Another great deception is that by exploiting the erroneous theory of evolution, Satan will try to exchange the true day of rest for one of the six days of work, contradicting the will of God. This enormous falsehood leads to the grave mistake of declaring that God is not the Creator and that sin and death existed before the fall and deception of Adam and Eve.”

We have seen only some of the most significant errors and deceptions that Satan uses to deceive the world. The master deception of the ancient serpent is that the devil will not only appear as a human being. “When the world rejects the truth, Satan will personify Jesus Christ. He will present Himself as an angel of light, he will speak with a melodious voice, he will heal the sick, will appear to resurrect the dead, and he will make fire descend from heaven. The world will welcome him as the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.”  Fascinating and enchanting as a serpent, he will influence the human imagination and convince the world of his lies by performing lying miracles and wonders. All the children of disobedience will be deceived because they refused to “receive the love of the truth, to be saved,” 2 Thessalonians 2:10.

 

 

WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

We know that when a person dies, they cease to exist, and their life has ended. So, why do millions of people believe they are in contact with the dead?

Let us go to the beginning to see how things really are. “And the Lord God formed man of dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul,” Genesis 2:7. Here we see that when we are created, two things combine to form one soul; a body of dust and the breath of life. A soul is a person. At the time of death, the process is reversed; “You take away their breath, they cease to exist, and return to their dust,” Psalms 104:29. It is because of sin and disobedience that death enters the world. This is why God said, “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground; for out of it you were taken: for dust you are, and to dust you shall return,” Genesis 3:19.

When we die, two things take place: “the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit (breath of life) will return unto God who gave it,” Ecclesiastes 12:7. Only the breath of life returns to God, not the soul; not the person. Where are the dead? They do not exist; they no longer are. They are not in heaven or hell but in their tombs. A person very loved by God, King David, where is he?  “For David did not ascend into the heavens,” Acts 2:34; “let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day,” Acts 2:29. It is true that David will be saved in heaven, but this has not taken place yet. God’s plan is that the dead wait in their tombs until the day of resurrection in the second coming of Jesus when “all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth… those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,” John 5:28–29; “For the Lord, Himself will descend from heaven… And the dead in Christ will rise first,” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

In addition, we know that the dead cannot think because when “His breath goes away, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish,” Psalms 146:4. The person who dies “shall return no more to his house, neither does his place know him any more,” Job 7:10; neither can he remember anything because in the grave “there is no remembrance,” Psalms 6:5; and “The dead do not praise the Lord,” Psalms 115:17.

“The dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also, their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more portion forever in anything that is done under the sun,” Ecclesiastes 9:5–6. The dead cannot intervene in anything in any way. They cannot have contact with the living; this is impossible. Death is not life in another place. Death is to cease to be.

Let’s return to the initial question; why are there millions of people who believe they are in contact with the dead? The belief that the spirits of the dead communicate with the living is defined as spiritualism. This false belief has its origin in Satan himself; it is a colossal and ancient deception that has been presented in the disguise of the New Age, and many Protestant and Catholic churches have accepted the serpent’s original lie who said to Eve, “You will not surely die…you will be like God,” Genesis 3:4–5.

This falsehood is the foundation of the false doctrine of the soul’s immortality. Today, most churches teach this capital error; that man naturally has immortality and that somehow, he lives after he dies; either in the presence of God, purgatory, or hell. This is contradictory to the teachings of the Bible, which say: “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality” 1 Timothy 6:15–16; this is why Jesus declares: “I have the keys of hades (grave) and of death,” Revelation 1:18; and He also says “the Son gives life to whom He wants,” John 5:21; “And I give them eternal life,” John 10:28, because “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he will live,” John 11:25.

From the beginning of the fall, people who pretend to communicate with the dead have existed. Today, we have spiritualists everywhere who pretend to do the same. They include supposed visitors from other worlds, which they call apparitions of “protective spirits,” visiting spirits of family members, friends, or beings from other planets. All of them are “spirits of demons,” Revelation 16:14.

When God guided Israel to the promised land, they resided in Shittim for a short time; “and the people began to commit fornication with the daughters of Moab, and they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baalpeor,” (an idol and false god of the Moabites), “and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel,” Numbers 25:1–3.

This is an abomination. It is abhorrent to God because it is not only a terrible offense, it is high treason. This violates the greatest of all commandments of God’s law which states: “Thou shall not have other gods before Me,” Exodus 20:3. It is also disobedience of the second commandment, “Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image…Thou shall not bow down to them nor serve them: for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,” Exodus 20:4–5. In other words, God’s people committed spiritual adultery. The Lord is a jealous God who wants to rescue His people from idolatry. God hates idolatry as it corrupts and degrades the mind, leading to all sensuality and sins. Let’s look for God with all our hearts while he can be found, separate from every cherished idol we have, and unite with the Almighty through grace and faith because we have a merciful Savior who forgives our sins. Even though everyone who persists in treating God lightly will not be left unpunished, Jesus begs us all to repent.

All actions of this nature are spiritualism as they are customs that deal with the dead and place God aside, calling him a liar. The Bible explains what Israel did in Shittim; “They joined themselves unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead,” Psalms 106:28. This is even more serious because “I say, that the things which these Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to the demons, and not to God, and I would not want that you should have fellowship with demons,” 1 Corinthians 10:20. To deal with the dead or idols is to worship the devil.

Spiritualism was declared an abomination to the Lord from the beginning of the controversy and is solemnly prohibited under the penalty of death. “Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God,” Leviticus 19:31. “A man or woman who is a medium, or who has a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them,” Leviticus 20:27. Obviously, this includes witchcraft and sorcery, and all types of presentations pertaining to enchantment, magic with which someone pretends to heal or dominate the forces of nature and foretell the future; popular superstition of possessing magical powers due to a pact with the devil and other malignant spirits. All these things are essentially the same, and all are forbidden under the penalty of death because they are an abomination to God our Lord.

“Satan is making the world believe that the Bible is pure fiction or a book appropriate only for the infancy of the species, one of little importance that should be put aside as it is out of fashion. To overthrow the Word of God, he offers spiritualistic manifestations. This is his preferred instrument as it is totally under his control; with it, he can make the world believe whatever he wants. In this way, he places God’s Book as fables of little importance and makes the world’s Savior an ordinary man.”

Today, spiritualism has millions of followers and has opened its way into scientific societies; it has invaded the churches and found favor in legislative bodies and supreme courts of all the world’s nations. This worldwide deception resurfaces the sorcery condemned and prohibited by One who knows all things under a new disguise.

A proper comprehension of the state of the dead is essential to protect ourselves from these deceptions, which are almost irresistible. We will do well to remember the words of our Lord Jesus: “Take heed that no one deceives you,” Matthew 24:4.

We must not forget that Satan always backs up his false doctrine with lying miracles to make people believe it. When he presented Eve with his false doctrine of immortality, he said, “You shall not surely die” he backed up his lie with a lying wonder; the apparition of a talking serpent. The serpent never spoke. Serpents do not speak; it was Satan who spoke. Let’s not forget that the dead do not talk, but demons do.

We should have the prophet Isaiah’s words ever-present: “And when they say to you, seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, respond: should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them,” Isaiah 8:19–20.

Satan’s power is increasing rapidly, and some of his followers will have the ability to perform wonders very soon. They will even make fire come down from heaven in plain view of man. Utilizing magnetism, these modern magicians will explain all the miracles our Lord Jesus performed; many will believe that the mighty miracles done by the Son of God when He was on the earth were done through this same magnetic power. Like in Moses’ time, the signs and wonders of God, which He performed with His authority before the pharaoh, most of which were imitated by Egypt’s magicians; before the final liberation of the saints, God will powerfully work for His people, and these modern magicians will be allowed to imitate God’s work.

“The time to take hold of God’s hand is now because all the wonders and significant signs of the devil have an endpoint to deceive and defeat God’s people. Our eyes and minds should be fixed on Christ, full of grace and love. We should not experience the fear of the wicked, nor should we fear or revere what they reverenced, but we must be brave in favor of the truth. If our eyes were to be open, we would see around us these evil angels plotting some way to harm or destroy us; but we would also see the angels of God sheltering us with their power because God’s vigilant eye is always on Israel for good, and He will protect and save His people, if only we trust Him.”

 

OTHER SATANIC DECEPTIONS OF THE LAST DAYS

We are very near the end of earth’s history, and Satan works as never before “he has come down to us, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time,” Revelation 12:12. He is acting as the director of the Christian world, independent of God and against God because he is the true antichrist. He works with incredible intensity through lying miracles. The Apostle Peter warns us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” 1 Peter 5:8.

Satan works through fallen angels and evil men who present themselves as false christs, false prophets, and false Christians. “According to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,” Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9.

“We have much more to fear of the enemies integrated into the church than the external enemies. The most powerful fortress of any vice is that life that appears virtuous and honorable but fosters a sin or harbors a vice. The genius, talent, sympathy, and even the most generous and kind actions may be Satan’s voice to call us into ruin. The professed defenders of the truth have frequently demonstrated to be the most significant obstacles to its advancement. Unbelief promotes the expressed doubts, the cherished darkness, the lack of consecration, disputes, and worldliness, and encourages malignant angels’ presence, and clears the way for Satan’s plans.”

““Only Jesus Christ, only God, has life in Himself John 5:26; this is why only Jesus can exclusively say, “I am the resurrection, and the life,” John 11:25. As Satan has no power to resurrect the dead, demonic spirits will appear before us and present themselves as our dead loved ones and relatives to teach us that the day of rest and other biblical doctrines have been changed.”” This is why it is necessary to understand the true condition of the dead, as we studied in the previous topic. They will also present themselves as the apostles contradicting what they wrote in the Bible under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration when they were alive here on earth, denying the divine origins of the Bible. God’s holy angels will also appear as men obeying God’s commandments to defeat the enemy’s plan.

Satan relies on two fundamental errors; the immortality of the soul, knowing that only God “alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light,” 1 Timothy 6:16, and that the dead “no longer are and return to their dust,” Psalms 104:29; and the other error of the holiness of a false day of rest, when he knows that the true day of rest is the seventh day: “Thus the heavens and earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done and rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made,” Genesis 2:1–2.

“His agents will perform miraculous healings and assure that they have received heavenly revelations contrary to the testimony of the Holy Scriptures. God’s people will not be deceived because the false christ’s teachings do not agree with the Bible. His blessings will be directed to those who worship the beast and its image, precisely over the ones whom the Bible says will receive God’s wrath without mixture.” We know miracles don’t prove anything and cannot replace the Bible. We must cling to the protestant reform’s concept of “Sola Scriptura.” Always remembering, “And when they say to you, seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter, respond: should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them,” Isaiah 8:19‑20.

“Before God’s judgments are poured out on earth, there will be a revival of piety among God’s people, which has not been seen since apostolic times. The latter rain will accompany it. Our principal enemy wants to prevent this work, but it is impossible because the Holy Spirit, who is God, will do whatever He wants. Since this is how it is, before God produces such movement, the devil will attempt to prevent it, introducing a false imitation. There will be an emotional agitation, a mixture of what is true with what is false, very appropriate to mislead anyone who is not anchored on Christ and in the Holy Scriptures. He will make it seem like an extraordinary blessing from God is being poured over the churches, which he has under his seductive power.”

In other words, before the actual events, there will be a false revival and a false latter rain in the supposed God’s people. However, no one needs to be seduced; in the light of God’s Word, it is not difficult to determine the true nature of these movements.

““During these false imitations, we will see a manifestation of strange things. There will be shouting along with drums, music, and dance. To this, Satan’s instruments will join, resulting in a carnival, which will be called the work of the Holy Spirit. The music in many homes is already directed in such a way that Satan has turned it into a trap. A trap that will be perfected for this time of false presentations. This music gives way to a practice that removes the mind from the direction of the Holy Spirit. We will do well to remember that God’s work is always characterized by serenity and dignity; this will continue until the end of the world as God does not change.

To this carnival, something we have seen in some churches for a long time will be added; a false speaking in tongues. Some people have already been deceived by considering fanaticism, false agitation, and the false speaking in tongues like gifts God has given to the church. The fruit of all this has not been good. “You will know them by their fruits,” Matthew 7:16. Fanaticism and noise are not unique evidence of faith as they do not harmonize with Bible teachings.

Some are unsatisfied with a church gathering unless they feel a specific power, happy moments, and excitement. The influence of these reunions is of no benefit. Once the feeling of happiness has disappeared, they descend lower than before the assembly because their happiness does not come from a trustworthy source. Spiritually beneficial gatherings are characterized by solemnness and soul searching, where one looks to know oneself and fervently, with profound humility, makes a solid effort to learn from Christ.””

“Now, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him,” 2 Thessalonians 2:1. “Let no one deceive you by any means: for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first; and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4. In general terms, the devil works through diverse human instruments. But in the latter days, a little before the second coming of the Lord Jesus, he will carry out a personal role, and his deception will climax when he falsifies the coming of Christ personally.

“Satan will dress up in the royal robe described by John in his vision in Revelation 1:13–16. He will proclaim himself as Christ, and the people will believe him, as he will present himself as a beautiful and majestic being; dressed in splendor, with a soft voice and comforting words, with a glory that has not been surpassed by anything that human eyes have ever seen until that moment. His deceived followers will then, with a triumphant shout, burst into Christ has Come! Christ has come!

Satan will manifest himself in this dazzling manner in various places. The deceived people will kneel in worship before him as he raises his hands and pronounces a blessing over them as Christ did when He blessed His disciples when He was on the earth. In a melodious and soft voice and a kind and compassionate tone, he will cure the aches of the people. Then, he will assure them that he has changed the seventh day of rest (Saturday) to the first day of the week (Sunday), and he commands them to keep and sanctify the day he blessed.

As he cannot drag the whole world behind him and sees that he is about to lose his case, Satan makes a last desperate effort to defeat the faithful by performing other deceptions. Disguised as Christ, he will walk the earth as a maker of wonders. With a beautiful language, he will speak noble words and carry out good deeds. He will falsify justice perfectly, that if possible, he would deceive the elect. Presidents, governors in high offices, and crowned heads will bow down before his false teachings. But, at one point, there will be a marked difference to Christ: Satan will lead people away from God’s law.”

Satan will not be allowed to reproduce precisely the second coming of Jesus Christ. In another topic, we will study how the true coming of Jesus will be, and we will notice some significant differences to avoid being deceived.

There will be very sick people that will heal in front of us. Miracles will be performed before our eyes. Are we ready for this test?

Satan will come “with all power and signs and lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:9. The devil’s lying wonders are the ones that will captivate the world because “He performs great signs so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the Earth in the sight of men,” Revelation 13:13.

“In this time of apostasy, the antichrist will be accepted as if he were God, the true Christ; and the law of God will be invalidated entirely in all the nations of the world. The rebellion against God’s law would have matured. When deceived men exalt Satan to God’s place, the Omnipotent will oppose the churches who unite to exalt Satan, and Christ will pronounce the following sentence: “Therefore her plagues will come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she will be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judges her,” Revelation 18:8.”

If those through which great wonders and miracles are accomplished are willing to excuse their neglect of God’s law or any change in it, even though they may possess great power in every sense, this does not mean they have God’s great power because miracles don’t prove anything. God’s power is never given to the disobedient. On the contrary, the power which operates in the children of disobedience is the power of the great deceiver.

The Bible will never be replaced by miraculous manifestations. Obedience to the Word of God is essential, not miracle–working, speaking in tongues, or prophesying. Jesus clearly states, “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them. I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Matthew 7:21–23.

“Marvelous inspirations aside from the Bible will not be given; there will not be revelations from God contrary to what has already been revealed. No corrections will be written in the Bible, as God does not make mistakes.”  He has complete knowledge of all things: past, present, and future. There will not be any changes because “the law of the Lord is perfect… the testimony of the Lord is sure,” Psalms 19:7.

Jesus Christ says to the disobedient and unfaithful: “But why do you call Me Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say?”  Luke 6:46; And He says to all of us: “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15.           

Let’s cling to God’s Word, and beg God to engrave it in our minds and hearts, so that we may carry it in our bones and marrow so that no one can take it away from us and that we may be guided by it at all times because only the Word of God makes us wise to salvation.

 

 

THE LATTER RAIN

In Leviticus 26:1–4, God explains in more detail the conditions of the covenant He made with His people. “You shall not make idols for yourselves; nor graven image, neither a standing image, neither shall you set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down to it: for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord. If you walk in My statutes, keep My commandments, and do them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.”

Later on, God gives the rain an application for the end of time; “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain to the earth,” Hosea 6:3.

The early and latter rain symbolizes the work and the pouring down of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for the true church, as mentioned above, for those who keep God’s commandments, the Sabbath, and have the piety of the primitive church in the time of the apostles, and are prepared to receive the Holy Spirit as our brethren were in the beginning when Jesus established His church. Scripture says: “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down the former rain, and the latter rain as in the beginning,” Joel 2:23. The former rain has already been poured out.

It is our privilege to prepare ourselves to receive the latter rain and patiently wait as Jesus has ordered us to “be patient until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain,” James 5:7.

To illustrate the work of the Holy Spirit, the Lord employs natural processes in the birth, growth, and maturity of the fruits of the land.

In the Orient, the early rain falls at sowing time. The seed must germinate and sprout. The latter rain comes at the end of the season to mature the grain and prepare it for harvesting.

Similarly, God gives His Holy Spirit to carry out the spiritual growth process in stages. The ripening of the grain represents the termination of the work of grace in the person. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the character is perfected in the image of God to be completely transformed in the likeness of Christ.

The latter rain prepares the church for the coming of Jesus. Without the work of the former rain, there is no eternal life, and the latter rain has nothing to perfect; the seed did not germinate.

Applying what this means to the church, analyzing the conditions and requirements of the early rains, and putting it into practice, we can prepare ourselves to receive the latter rain.

In keeping with Jesus’ promise, which He made when He said, “But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth,” John 15:26; the former rain came in the year 31 A.D., on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:1, fifty days after the resurrection of Christ, Acts 1:3, according to the promise, John 14:16, 26. Jesus remained on the earth for forty days and then ascended to heaven. Ten days after His ascension, the Holy Spirit was poured out, Leviticus 23:15–16.

In obedience to Christ’s command, the disciples waited for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem. As they gathered together and were all of one accord in one place, suddenly the Holy Spirit came from heaven, Acts chapter two.

The first lesson for us is that they did not wait in idleness; they “were continually in the temple praising and blessing God,” Luke 24:53. Just like them, as we wait for the fulfillment of the latter rain promise, we should humble our hearts with true repentance, and confess and abandon our unbelief and worldliness.

The disciples fervently prayed for their lack of consecration, to be qualified to find men in their daily living and speak words that would guide sinners to Christ. It was necessary for them, as it is for us also, to put aside all differences, all desire of supremacy, and all conflict as we look to be one with Christ and our brethren. Our greatest longing should be to have Christ’s mind and be of the same judgment, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 2:16; 2 Corinthians 13:11.

The outpouring of the Holy Spirit came after the disciples reached a perfect unity. Is it your greatest ambition to reveal the likeness of Christ’s character and work to enhance His kingdom?

““The measure of the Holy Spirit we receive is proportional to our desire to receive Him, the faith with which we ask, and the use we make of the light and knowledge that we possess.

Under the former rain, we must obtain a renovation of our spiritual life, an awakening of our mental faculties, a heart where only Christ reigns, and a resurrection of our spiritual death. A transformation of ideas, habits, and practices must accompany this.

Our greatest and most urgent need is true repentance, followed by a reformation of our spiritual life, as mentioned above. It’s impossible to receive the latter rain if we still have sins of which we have not repented, confessed, or abandoned. For it is written, “He that covers his sins will not prosper, but who so confesses and forsakes them will have mercy,” Proverbs 28:13. We must confess before God those sins that we feel should not be confessed under any circumstance because God is great in forgiving; and to rest from such heavy burden that no one else knows, except God. If this isn’t so, the latter rain will not rest upon us.””

Today, our work is to hand over our soul without reservation to Christ, a total surrender to God so that He may make us suitable for the times of refreshing in the Lord’s presence: ideal for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This requires much more than what we do in church. We must convert into active workers in Christ’s service.

The Lord has not revealed a specific time when the outpouring of the Holy Spirit will occur. What we do know is that it will be the same time when the powerful angel of Revelation 18:1 will descend from heaven to join His voice with the third angel of Revelation 14:9. “At that time, the outpouring of the latter rain will prepare the saints of the Most High to survive the period when the seven last plagues are poured out. The time for the latter rain is before the close of probation, before the last seven plagues, and before the great time of trouble. The Holy Spirit will be poured out with much greater abundance than on the day of Pentecost. This may occur today, or at any moment the church is prepared to receive Him.”

Not everyone will receive the latter rain. All those who do not make an effort to fulfill the conditions mentioned above and only expect that when the refreshing arrives, it will descend upon them, eliminate their faults, and correct their mistakes will be found wanting. The latter rain will pass them, and they will not receive it.

We must do individual work. We need to pray and work more and talk less. We must live to the highest level of light that we have to receive more light. If we do not make progress every day by putting to work all the Christian virtues we have received, the Holy Spirit will come, and we will not recognize Him. He will be poured out on the people around us, but we will not perceive Him or receive Him.

“Those that do not make a decisive effort but simply expect to be forced to work by the Holy Spirit will perish in darkness. It is not for us to calmly sit down and remain idle in God’s work.

To wait for the entire church to revive is a grave mistake. That will never happen. Many people in the church do not pray as they should; their prayers are not fervent or effective because they are not converted. They continue to live as if they don’t know Jesus because, in reality, they don’t know Him, because they have rejected the love of the truth. They have a pious appearance but deny its effectiveness. These people sadden and resist the Holy Spirit.”

Among the Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals are many very conscientious Christians who walk to the maximum level of the truth God has revealed to them; the Lord will work in their favor.

Many of God’s people are still in Babylon, a false religious system; however, in Revelation 18, God exhorts them to come out of her. The majority of Christ’s disciples are still found in the various churches that profess the Protestant and Catholic faith despite the spiritual darkness and the estrangement from God, which is observed in the churches that constitute Babylon.

The invitation is: “Come out of her, my people, that you not be partakers of her sins, and that you may not receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven and God has remembered her iniquities,” Revelation 18:4–5.

Later we will identify Babylon, the little horn of Daniel 7, and the beast of Revelation 13. We will also study the reasons why the wrath of God is poured upon her until there is absolute and total destruction.

The outpouring of the latter rain prepares the true church to give the loud cry of the angel of Revelation 18. By God’s mandate, the warning messages of the three angels of Revelation 14:6–12 have been continuously delivered to the world since 1844. Before the great flood, Noah gave us his admonition message for 120 years, and then the great flood arrived when they did not expect it. Today, in 2021, we have reached 177 years since this message of Revelation 14 was given. The Lord is at the door. There will not be another warning message after this one. Sadly, the world has decided not to listen. Due to the world’s rejection of the triple warning of the three angels of Revelation 14:6–12, and because the time of grace has not come to an end, the last warning message from Christ to the world continues to be given with the intent to invite God’s people, who are still in Babylon, to come out of her and not receive of her punishments.

A short time after God determines that the message has fulfilled its purpose, and there is no possibility that another person on the planet may repent; because the world’s cup of iniquity is full, the time of grace comes to an end, and the last seven plagues begin along with the wine of God’s wrath, which will be poured out without mixture, Revelation 14:10.

The latter rain also revives and strengthens the church of the Living God, enabling it to go through the great time of trouble. This brings divine protection to prevent the plagues from touching the dwelling of His faithful children, like it did in the time of Moses, Exodus 9:3–6, 26; 10:23; 12:13.

When the great time of trouble arrives, and God pours out the last seven plagues, His children will dwell in the secret place of the Most High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. For us are the promises: “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plagues come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands, they shall carry you, that your foot does not dash against a stone,” Psalms 91:10–12, and Isaiah 33:16 says, “bread will be given him, his water will be sure.”

 

THE ORIGIN OF EVIL, THE GREAT CONFLICT, AND SIN

“Before the fall of Adam and Eve, there was no sin, and death did not exist. Peace reigned in all the universe, along with joy and love to God for being who He is. Christ was one with the Eternal Father by nature, character, and purpose. Jesus was the only being in the universe who could enter all of God’s counsels and plans. All the heavenly beings, all things in heaven and earth, were created by the Father through Christ. All heaven and the newly created earth rendered homage and adoration to Christ as much as the Father.”

The foundation of God’s government is love. God has given us freedom of choice so that we all serve Him voluntarily out of love and gratitude. The option to obey or disobey is always open before us, as God is never pleased by anything that is forced.

This principle was established in Genesis 2, immediately after man’s creation. We see that the Lord “made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” Genesis 2:9. Man had free access to choose from any tree to eat. Precisely with these three options came a commandment: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for, in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die,” Genesis 2:16–17.

The Lord has placed before us good and evil with the intent that we use our liberty correctly, always choosing good. But reasonably, with good, the option for evil was provided, if it were not so, we would be forced to do good, but God does not desire a forced submission. God’s wish is that we voluntarily choose Him and His commandments.

The freedom of choice has always existed in heaven, as it has here on Earth. The origin of evil first emerged in heaven when a celestial being chose by himself to pervert his will. Sin was born in the number one cherub, Lucifer. This angel had been the most exalted by God in honor and glory among heaven’s inhabitants after Christ.

Jehovah the Lord says this about this covering cherub “you were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom. And perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering…you were an anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you,” Ezekiel 28: 12–15.

Lucifer could have continued to enjoy God’s favor, loved and honored by all the angels in heaven, but he chose the wrong way. Ezekiel the prophet says: “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor,” Ezekiel 28:17. Little by little, his heart was filled with an enormous desire for self-exaltation. God tells him, “You set your heart as the heart of God,” Ezekiel 28:2. “For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High,” Isaiah 14:13–14. This sublime angel coveted the honors that the Eternal Father granted His Son, and Lucifer aspired to a power that only Christ had the right to practice.

There is no reason for sin to exist. It has no reason to be. There is no explanation for a perfect being full of wisdom and beauty to rebel against his Creator. This is why the Bible calls the existence of sin the mystery of iniquity, 2 Thessalonians 2:7.

This makes evident that freedom of choice, free will, with which we were created, truly exists. We were created with total freedom and free to love and honor God or disobey Him. Always keeping in mind that all elections have consequences, both good and bad.

In this way, the peace and harmony in heaven were broken. Lucifer was admonished with love and mercy by celestial counsel. He was reminded of the righteousness and kindness of the Creator and the nature of His holy law, which is sacred and cannot be annulled or modified. Setting himself apart from God’s established order, he would dishonor his Maker and bring his own ruin. But jealousy and pride in his glory and the desire for supremacy led him to rebel against Christ and persist in a spirit of resistance, which with time, became more stubborn.

““In a short time, he abandoned the place he occupied in the immediate presence of the Father as he was not granted the sovereignty, the same authority, and power that the Father and the Son of God enjoyed. Lucifer spread a spirit of unhappiness among the angels insinuating that God’s laws and commandments imposed unnecessary restrictions. He told them that he was not looking to exalt himself but was trying to ensure true freedom for all the inhabitants of heaven so they could reach a superior level of existence.

By God’s grace and mercy, Lucifer was not immediately expelled from his position, nor when he presented his false assertions before God’s faithful angels. He was tolerated and kept in heaven for a long time. On several and repeated occasions, he was offered forgiveness if he would repent and voluntarily submit to God. If he had done so, he would have been restored to his occupation and corresponding position in God’s plan. He persisted in his ways and insisted that he did not need to repent, and he surrendered himself entirely to this great conflict against his Maker, putting aside the little obedience he still kept to God.

He dedicated all the power of his remarkable intelligence only to deception; Satan is the origin of the lie, and this is why Jesus says of him, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth… When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it,” John 8:44. He began with the ones closest to him by bonds of trust and love. He made them believe that he had been unfairly judged, that they had not respected his position, and that they wanted to restrict his freedom. When Christ counseled him to leave his evil ways, he presented him the great truth which was later written for us in Isaiah 55:7; “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Instead of following Jesus’ advice to repent, he lied and shamelessly accused the Son of God of wanting to humiliate him before all of heaven’s inhabitants, completely changing the nature of Christ’s intent to reconcile him with God. He accused all those he could not bribe or bring to his side of being indifferent to the interest of the celestial beings. He developed politics to confuse the angels with subtle and contrary arguments to God’s intentions. Perverting even the simplest, he produced doubts regarding the Lord’s most definite declarations.

God allowed the Satanic work to continue until it became an active rebellion. Since God’s government includes not only the inhabitants of heaven but also the ones from all other created worlds, Satan thought that if he could drag the angels into his revolt, he would also be able to win over the different world’s inhabitants. This made it necessary for God to allow the plans of iniquity to develop completely so that its merciless and perverse nature appears in plain view for all to see. As Lucifer had availed himself of false arguments and fraud, he had great deceptive power; now, he had the advantage as not even God’s loyal angels could fully discern the true character of this work nor where it would lead.

Until then, sin had not existed in the universe, and the holy beings had no idea of its terrible and frightening nature, as never before had the law of God been broken. “Sin is the transgression of the law” 1 John 3:4. Satan upheld that the changes he demanded in God’s governing laws were necessary to conserve harmony in heaven. He assured God’s law should be perfected because God only desired His glory. “The law of the Lord is perfect,” Psalms 19:7; it has no need to be changed or modified up to the smallest detail. It became necessary to allow the changes Lucifer proposed to be known, along with the results of those changes. More than six thousand years have been required to unfold the mystery of iniquity, and we have already seen that Satan’s work condemns him, and in a short time, we will see this seducer unmasked.

As the inhabitants of heaven and the universe were not prepared to understand the terrible and frightening nature nor the consequences of sin, when it was decided that Satan could not remain in heaven any longer, God did not destroy him. It was essential to allow evil to mature so that God’s justice and mercy and immutable holy law would irrefutably remain forever.

When it was announced that Lucifer and his followers would be expelled from the celestial mansions, this rebellion chief expressed his despise for God’s law. Again, he repeated that the angels did not need subjection and that the Creator’s statutes restricted their liberty. He declared that his main objective was to ensure the abolition of the law so that all celestial beings in heaven could reach a higher level of glorious existence once free of these restrictions.

Every member of the resistance group blamed Christ for their rebellion. They claimed that if they had not been censured, they would not have rebelled. Arrogant, stubborn, and blasphemous, they claimed to be innocent victims of an oppressive power.

Today, the same spirit that fostered the rebellion in heaven continues to inspire it here on earth. Satan follows the same politics with men as he did with the angels. Today, his spirit reigns in the children of disobedience in the world. In the same manner, they try to release the break of God’s law and promise to all those who have the itch to hear plentiful freedom through the transgression of the ten eternal precepts that do not change and will never change; because God “is the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” Hebrews 13:8.

When the Lord walked among us, He declared, “Think not that I am come to annul the law or the prophets; I am not come to abrogate but to fulfill,” Matthew 5:17.

When God’s messengers are sent to admonish the sinners, Satan induces the sinner to find self–justification with those who sympathize with him, as these others are also walking the path of sin. Supported by these disobedient, instead of correcting their mistakes, seeking God with all their heart so that the Holy Spirit guides them to genuine repentance and abandon their sins, they become offended against those who reprimanded them. This malignant spirit which manifests itself against those who bravely condemn sin, will continue to increase until the end. It has existed since the days of the righteous Abel, Genesis 4:1–8.””

In the beginning, we reviewed the story of Adam and Eve, and we saw that death entered the world through their disobedience. Abel, their second son, is the first death in the history of the world.

As human beings, we have no solution for death. Still, as soon as sin and death entered the world, God offered His only Son, the promised Messiah, Genesis 3:15. In regards to this, the Bible declares: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.

At the fulfillment of time, the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, was born of the virgin; “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel,” Isaiah 7:14; in the town of Bethlehem, as it is written “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little… yet out of you shall come forth to Me, the one to be Ruler in Israel,” Micah 5:2.

More than 2,000 years have passed since Christ, out of love and mercy, came to earth for the first time to resolve the enormous problem of death and sin. The crucifixion we also studied at the beginning.

Satan drove the world to reject Christ, and with a greater power, he will prompt the world to reject the Savior a second time. However, things will be very different this time as Jesus comes as “Lord of lords and King of kings,” Revelation 17:14.

Even though he still has the power to deceive and tempt men, Satan is a defeated enemy. His deceptive and murderous character showed itself in his fight against Christ during the Savior’s earthly ministry. In this horrific and cruel war against Jesus, the entire universe, and the heavenly angels’ sympathies they could have had for Satan were uprooted. Christ’s death is the irrefutable argument in man’s favor. The penalty of the law fell upon Him, who was and is equal to God. Man was set free to accept God’s justice, a priceless gift for us because His love for us is greater than that of a mother for her children. At the same time, He offers us the power to defeat Satan. Even more, He promises us, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne,” Revelation 3:21.

There is only one thing we must do, repent for our sins, humble ourselves at the feet of Jesus, confess and abandon all sin because it is written: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty,” Exodus 34:6–7. It is also written, “Come unto me, all of you who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest,” Matthew 11:28, “And the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out,” John 6:37.

Jesus did not come to earth to suffer and die, only to redeem man. He also came to obey the law, exalt it, and make it honorable. It was neither only so that man could keep and respect God’s law but also to show all the worlds in the universe that the law of God cannot be changed or modified. If this were possible, it would not have been necessary for Jesus to die to atone for its transgression. Christ’s death is proof that God’s law is unchangeable.

Very soon, God’s declaration over Satan will be fulfilled “Therefore I brought fire from your midst; I devoured you, and turned you to ashes… and you shall be no more forever,” Ezequiel 28:18–19.

By this time, the entire universe would have seen the nature and results of sin. We will see that God’s ways are righteous and true. God’s love will establish His glory and the beauty of His holiness, and before His incredible presence, the entire universe will delight in obeying His will because His holy law will be carved in our hearts of flesh and not of stone. Then we will live happily for eternity because “affliction will not rise up a second time,” Nahum 1:9.

 

THE SIFTING

 

Cleaning and separating the grain from its impurities by passing it through a sieve or screen is the process of sifting. God uses this action to show us that no one can escape His judgments. In the Old Testament, He tells the people of Israel, “For surely I will command, and will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as the grain is sifted in a sieve, yet not the smallest grain shall fall to the ground,” Amos 9:9.

Here Israel also represents the true church of the last days. The Lord Jesus describes the final separation of the righteous and the wicked, which takes place a little before He comes, using the parables of the wheat and the tares and the fisherman’s net in Matthew 13:24–30; 47–50. (Please find and study these two parables before continuing).

In all churches of the world, there are only two groups of people; the obedient children of God and the disobedient children of the devil. The true Christians are represented by the wheat, the false Christians by the tares. In the growing phase, the wheat and the tares are identical; the enormous difference occurs when they mature. This is why the Lord has advised us to keep away from false prophets and brethren “who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits,” Matthew 7:15–16.

A little before the second coming of our Lord Jesus, the sifting separates the obedient from the disobedient. There will only be two groups; on one side, those who serve a false religious system, who worship its image and have the mark of the beast on their foreheads or their right hand; on the other side, the true church not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, which keeps the commandments of God and has the testimony of Jesus Christ, sealed on their forehead with the seal of the Most High.

The Lord explains the parable: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so that it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and will cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, he who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:37–63.

The Lord is coming soon. In every church, there will be a separate process to purify it. The Lord will use a sifting method because there are among us wicked men who do not love or honor God “because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved” 2 Thessalonians 2:10; “having a form of godliness but denying its power,” 2 Timothy 3:5.

In this time of sifting, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. The Lord will not consider innocent those who know the truth and do not obey His commandments, decrees, rights, and statutes. Adversity will eliminate from the church the multitudes of those who profess the religion, as these are according to the parables of the sower; “those who hear the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself but endures for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles,” Matthew 13:20–21.

Very near is the time when each of us will be tested. We will be pressured to accept the mark of the beast. “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or their forehead, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name,” Revelation 13:16–17.

For those who, step by step, yield to the demands of the world and conform to worldly customs, it will be easy to yield to the authorities and follow laws established by men before they submit themselves to mocking, insults, and threats of imprisonment and death.

So that we are not surprised, the Lord Jesus has told us beforehand: “Then will they deliver you up to be afflicted, and will kill you: and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will be offended and will betray one another, and will hate one another,” Matthew 24:9–10. The Lord warns us, “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the churches; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service,” John 16:1–2.

We must be prepared for the time when we will be punished or censored and persecuted for Christ’s sake, they will speak all types of evil against us, lying so that we blame God or think He has abandoned us or lose our faith. Due to these false accusations against their family members and friends, entire families will be lost for a lack of preparation, prayer, and Bible study. We should be the first to prepare ourselves so we do not lose faith under such circumstances.

““Among us, “shall men rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves,” Acts 20:30. Through these superficial readers, which have no anchor and are like quicksand, Satan will introduce false doctrines. These will slide toward convenience and comfort. Through these means and other instruments and in different ways, Satan will work to disturb the trust of God’s remnant people in the true testimony because he knows that “where there is no prophecy, the people will disperse,” Proverbs 29:18.

For not paying attention to the warnings and reprimands of the Testimonies of God’s Spirit, a wave of all errors will submerge the world in a sea of confusion. After a slight distrust in the vital points of the faith, doubt of the Scripture follows, and then comes a downward course that culminates in an incurable perplexity that ends in destruction. Frequently this process will be shared with apostate men who previously have occupied positions of responsibility in all leadership ranks in God’s church.

Very soon, we will face the imposition of laws contrary to the Word of God. These laws will eliminate all whom God has not appointed, and Jesus will have a pure and true ministry prepared for the latter rain.

God’s shaking will blow away multitudes like dry leaves. It will appear that the church is about to fall, but it will not. It will stand while the straw is separated from the precious wheat. It is a terrible trial, but it must take place so that the gold can be separated from the scum in the church.

Soon opposition will rise, fanaticism and religious intolerance will return to the center, and the spirit of persecution will ignite. Then the lukewarm and the hypocrites will hesitate and abandon the faith, but the true Christian will remain firm as a rock, with more conviction and hope than in his days of peace and prosperity.

This time of God’s destructive judgments is the time of mercy for those who have not had the opportunity to learn the truth. The Lord watches them tenderly. His merciful heart is moved, and His hand is still extended to save. In the meantime, the door closes for the careless and indifferent, who choose to remain in darkness and refuse to enter. Their places will soon be filled by others who recently have accepted the truth and decided to leave the ranks of the enemy and unite with God’s people, keepers of the commandments of God.”” Are you one of them?

“These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Remember therefore what you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I come upon you. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life,” Revelation 3:1, 3, 5.

The Loud Cry: The Call to Come Out of Babylon

“The Lord Jesus has representatives in all the churches, people who have not had presented to them the extraordinary truths contained in this message that Christ sends them. Among Catholics, Evangelicals, and Protestants are many conscientious Christians who walk in the light they have received up to this moment.” This message is especially sent to you on behalf of Jesus because it will awaken conviction in your hearts and minds as you study and meditate on the truths in this document. When you receive these truths in your hearts, God will work in your favor.

Jesus Christ, in Revelation 18, exhorts His people to come out of Babylon. “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons… Come out of her, My people, so you do not share in her sins and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached heaven and God has remembered her iniquities,” Revelation 18: 2, 4, 5. According to this Scripture passage, many of God’s people are still in Babylon. Do you know what Babylon is? Is it possible that you are in Babylon and don’t know it?

Using symbolism, God describes Babylon as a woman prostitute sitting on a beast. “One of the seven angels came…saying to me, Come; I will show you the judgment of the great harlot… with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication… and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy… the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet and adorned with gold… having in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the filthiness of her fornication, and on her forehead, a name was written: MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH,” Revelation 17:1–5.

The New Testament church is the legitimate successor of God’s people and is described as “the Lamb’s wife and the great city, the holy Jerusalem,” Revelation 21:9–10. In 1 Peter 2:4–6, the apostle speaks of the church as “living stones… to offer spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes in Him will by no means be put to shame.”” This is a reference to the unity and relationship of Christ with His church. The true church is also symbolized by Zion, the city of David, 2 Samuel 5:7; 1 Kings 8:1; this is why the inhabitants of Jerusalem were given the name of sons and daughters of Zion, Psalms 48:11–12; Isaiah 1:8; 10:32.

In Jeremiah 6:2, God symbolizes Zion, His church, as a “lovely and delicate woman.” In Revelation 12:1–2, Jesus describes the true church as “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” In a later topic, we will identify the true church of the last days.

In the Bible, the true church and the false church are both symbolized by women and cities. A pure woman and a holy city represent God’s true church. A corrupt and adulterous woman and an unholy city represent a fallen church. Babylon is a fallen church.

To better understand this situation and identify Babylon, we must understand what she is involved in. First, the Bible reading in Revelation 17:1‑5 teaches that she is a church engaged in fornication. Fornication is idol worship; this idolatry violates Jehovah’s law, the first and most important commandment. It is also a blasphemous religious system; it is a profane, irreverent, disrespectful, and contemptuous entity in speech, writing, or actions concerning God, or anything held as divine. Finally, it is filled with abominations intensely repugnant, hateful, and disgusting to God.

To identify this fallen church, note that the beast mounted by the great harlot is the same beast described in Revelation 13:1, “and I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns… and upon his heads the name blasphemy.”

In Daniel 7:23, the Bible teaches that a beast is a kingdom. In prophecy, beasts represent kingdoms, governments, and governing earthly organizations. The beast of Revelation 13:1 comes out of the sea, and “the water that you saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues,” Revelation 17:15. Water in prophecy represents the peoples of the world. Let’s see only some of the things that identify the beast of Revelation 13:1–10, upon which Babylon, a universal false religion system, sits:

• It receives its power, the seat of its authority, from the dragon, Revelation 13:4. The dragon is “called the Devil and Satan which deceives the whole world,” Revelation 12:9.
• This beast becomes a world power, Revelation 13:3,7.
• It rules during 42 prophetic months (prophetic months have 30 days), which are equivalent to 1260 literal years, Revelation 13:5.
• He is accused of blasphemies, Revelation 13:5–6.
• He receives a deadly wound that heals, Revelation 13:3.
• He is worshipped, Revelation 13:4,8. This means he is a religious power.
• He makes war against God’s saints, Revelation 13:7.
• He has a mystic number: 666, Revelation 13:18.

There is only one world power that fulfills all these characteristics. History proves that only the papacy, a universal religious system, received its seat and great authority from the Roman Empire, Daniel 7:24. It was a world power for 1260 years. It began in 538 and ended in 1798. It killed approximately 150 million Christians who refused to worship him. In addition, it had the blasphemous pretension of forgiving sins and that the bishop in Rome was “God on Earth.”

The symbolism here represents a mother church and its daughters. The great Roman church has always called itself the mother church. At a given time, the daughters “protested” and separated themselves with the name of protestants. The name Babylon includes both the mother and daughters. Sadly, God individualizes the mother and daughters as fallen. Soon all these churches will unite again and be one, the Roman Catholic Church.

In Babylon, many sincere Christians remain; Jesus calls these His children, Revelation 18:4. Are you one of them? The Lord is calling them out of Babylon because His children will gladly accept the order and obey the voice of their Master.

Revelation uses the ancient custom of assigning a number value to official names or titles to identify this power. The principal title of the Roman bishop is “Vicarius Filii Dei.” Revelation 13:18 says, “He who has understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescores and six.”

Adding the numeric values of the letters that have value, we come to the sum of 666.

 

It is also essential to remember who the only true and legitimate representative of Jesus Christ on earth is. The Lord told us, “I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth,” John 14:16–17. Ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven, on the day of Pentecost, being the apostles together and of one accord, this promise was fulfilled “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit,”

Acts 2:1–5.

Only God can forgive our sins; only Jesus Christ is our mediator between God and us because of His sacrifice in Calvary, where He shed His most precious blood to pay the price required by the immutable law of God so that we may be saved. Only in the name of Jesus is their salvation, and there is no other name by which we may be saved, Acts 4:12. Today, the Holy Spirit is God with us, the only representative of Christ, of the Deity, on earth. He is in charge of God’s work in the world. We are waiting for the moment when He will be poured out upon us in all His plenitude, as the latter rain, to enable us to finish God’s work as He has commanded us. Amen!

History proves that papal Rome took the power and authority of pagan Rome, and since then, it has ruled in its place. Daniel and Revelation identify the first beast of Revelation 13 and Babylon as the papacy. In general terms, all the preachers of the Protestant Reformation taught it. Even the New Catholic Encyclopedia states that Babylon here represents Rome.

Babylon originated after the great flood when wicked men defied God, guided by Nimrod, and doubted God’s given word. They began to build a tower so high that God could not destroy them with another flood after God had promised that such a thing would never be repeated. In response, God confused their language, so they could not understand each other. Since that day, the name Babel or Babylon means confusion. The ancient city of Babylon, ruled by King Nebuchadnezzar in the time of the prophet Daniel became the origin and center of all Satanic false religious systems, which confused God’s people and opposed His truth. Genesis 10:9–10:11:5–9; Daniel.

Today “the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication,” Revelation 17:2. Pure wine in the Bible represents true doctrine, and the wine which makes one drunk, fermented wine, symbolizes false doctrines or erroneous teachings, Jeremiah 51:7, which produce spiritual drunkenness. Precisely for this deception and for causing this confusion, God will punish Babylon, but before this, He invites His children to come out of her to keep them from receiving her plagues. Revelation 14:8–10 says: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication… If any man worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on his forehead; or on his hand, he will drink the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation.”

Some of the false teachings, contrary to the Bible, for which God will punish Babylon are:

• The Ten Commandments are not in force (the Ten Commandments are eternal) (Babylon has changed a few).
• The holiness of Sunday (a false day of rest; Sunday is the first day of work) (Very soon, we will study about the true day of rest).
• There is a second opportunity (this does not exist) (We have already studied about the judgment. Soon we will study about the 1000 years).
• The secret rapture (it’s a lie). We will study the second coming of Jesus later.
• The eternal torment (does not exist). We will study hell or the Lake of Fire later.
• The immortality of the soul (only God is immortal).
• False baptism (there is only one true biblical baptism).
• Worship or bowing down to statues (This is contrary to the second commandment).
• The virgin Mary did not sin (we are all sinners).
• Mary is a co-redeemer with Christ (only Christ died for us).
• Call priest and pope father (God is our only father).
• Confess our sins to a priest for forgiveness (only God can forgive sin).
• The pope is God’s representative on earth (the only and true representative of God on earth is the Holy Spirit).

Guided by the Holy Spirit, even children can understand the Bible’s truths completely. Sometimes we feel incapable of understanding, but this is not so; the problem is that most of us have been falsely taught. We have been taught the traditions of men as commandments of God, which produce confusion because it is deception.

The change in Babylon, a false universal religious system, is progressive. This is why it is necessary to be attentive to the signs of the times that Jesus has given us because their fulfillment will be perfect. “Now learn a parable of the fig tree. When its branch is yet tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So likewise, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors,” Matthew 24:32–33.

The sins of Babylon reach heaven when God’s law is finally invalidated by human decree in legislative sessions of the entire world. Chapter 18 of Revelation points to the time in which, due to the rejection of the triple admonishment of Revelation 14:6–12, the church will reach the state predicted by the second angel, as we have already seen above. In that time, the majority of God’s people will find themselves in Babylon and be called to come out and separate their communion with her by the loud cry of the angel of Revelation 18 and the other voice from heaven Verse 4. This is the final warning message from Jesus Christ to the world.

We have denounced the sins of Babylon. Up to this point, we have seen a few. Later, we will see other frightening and disastrous results of the imposition of the church’s observances by civil authority, the spiritualism invasions, and the secret progress of the papal power. “And he will speak great words against the Most High;” Daniel 7:25; “By reason of transgression, the host was given to him along with the continuous daily sacrifice; and it cast down the truth to the ground, and it did whatever it wanted, and prospered,” Daniel 8:12; “And he will destroy wonderfully and will prosper, he will do arbitrarily, and will destroy the mighty and the holy people. Through his shrew policy, he will also cause deception to prosper in his hand; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and by peace will destroy many,” Daniel 8:24–25. “With flatteries, he will corrupt the violators of the covenant; but the people that do know their God will be strong, and will act boldly… yet they will fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days…they will be aided with a little help… and the king will do according to his will; and he will exalt himself, and magnify himself… and will prosper,” Daniel 11:32–36. But as this message does, everything will be unmasked; thousands of thousands will hear these solemn admonitions, and moved, many will come out of Babylon. Are you one of them?

In other words, this message presents justification by faith in Jesus and invites all people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is manifested in obedience to all of God’s commandments, which begin with “you shall not have other gods before Me” and “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

This message has been given for many years, and as it grows, it becomes a loud cry, accompanied by great power and glory, which the Holy Spirit provides as the latter rain. The Holy Spirit will support God’s people during this time of trouble, as He has done up to this day because the storm of persecution converts this message into a loud cry.

“God will employ forms and ways to allow us to see that He is in control. The Lord will work in this final phase in a manner very different than the one He is accustomed to, contrary to all human plans. We will be surprised at the simple means He will use to carry out and perfect His work.

He will raise men and women from among the ordinary people to do His work, as in ancient times, He called fishermen. Those who do not understand the necessity of what must be done will be left behind. Few great men will be used. The anointment of the Holy Spirit is the only qualification required. God will demonstrate that He does not depend on educated, conceited mortal beings. Small children moved by God’s Spirit will go out and proclaim the truth for this time. Thousands of voices will preach this message all over the world.

Many among us will have to appear before legislative courts, kings, and earthly wise men to answer for our faith. No one should deceive themselves into believing they don’t need to study because a superficial understanding of the truth will not be enough to explain the Scriptures clearly or avoid getting confused. We do not know what God will require of us individually.

The great majority of those disloyal to God’s commandments will not believe this solemn admonition. The servants of God will be held as fanatics. The popular and false ministers will denounce this message as if coming from Satan and will incite the multitudes to persecute and insult us. Let’s remember that even from the Catholic Church, God’s children will come out with much greater zeal than those of us who, up to now, have been in the ranks to proclaim the truth.”

Most people who read this final message from Jesus will not make the right decision until they see the abovementioned events. I beg you to take your Bible and verify for yourself the things written here. Carefully study this message, but do not get rid of it; your eternal life may depend on it. If you wish to share it, make a copy, and keep yours.

We will continue with other great Bible truths. We still need some.

THE SEAL OF GOD

 

“The entire Christian world is involved in a great conflict between faith and unbelief, between Jesus Christ and Satan. We will all choose a side. There can only be two groups because there is no middle ground. Each group is clearly marked, either with the seal of the living God or the mark of the beast or its image. Some do not participate in the controversy on either of the two sides. They will try to appear neutral and not side against the truth, but they will neither identify themselves with Christ for fear of losing their properties and suffering reproach. These will be counted among the enemies of Jesus.

As we get closer to the Lord’s second coming, the line of separation between the children of light and those of darkness will become more and more defined. We will disagree more and more. Those of us who have been born again are dead to the world and live to God and are chosen to come out, while the others belong to the world and will perish with it.”

The angels directed by Jesus Christ, as described in Ezekiel 9:4, will go through the midst of the true church “and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it” before the coming of our Lord. This will be the same as before the Exodus from Egypt and before Jehovah executed His judgments on all the false gods and unbelieving people in that nation; God said, “take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood,” Exodus 12:22. “Now the blood shall be a sign for you and the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague will not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt,” Exodus 12:13.

This sealing has already begun, and God is now sealing a people who will live and reign with Him for eternity. We are all now voluntarily or unconsciously choosing either God’s seal or the mark of the beast. Which one do you choose?

Revelation discloses the sealing of God’s people. “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels whom it was granted to harm the earth, and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads,” Revelation 7:2‑3.

Romans 4:11 defines this sign as a seal of the righteousness of the faith, and Ephesians 4:30 adds that the chosen were sealed with the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. Here we see that the seal may involve truth or a requirement of God. It may also indicate that God possesses the sealed object and approves.

The purpose of a seal is to validate or authenticate a statute or law that a person or power proclaims. Examples of this in Scripture are 1 Kings 21:8, Esther 3:12, 8:8.

The essential components of a seal are three; the legislator’s name, his title or position, and the territory over which he rules as the sovereign power. For example, our present-day president in 2020:

Name – Donald Trump

Title – President

Territory – U.S.A.

All the laws have the seal of the power or authority that establishes precepts, statutes, decrees, edicts, commandments, or mandates. Therefore, the law of God must have His seal. God’s law is the Ten Commandments, which He wrote on stone tablets with His finger. They are written in Exodus chapter 20. God’s seal is found in verses 8–11.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you will labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it, you will do no work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days, the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it” God blessed and sanctified the seventh day when He rested after His creation was completed, Genesis 2:1–3. Here we see the seal of God:

 

Name: Jehovah (the Lord your God)

Title: Creator (made)

Territory: Heavens and the Earth

God’s people have His seal, the seventh day, the day of rest, the Sabbath. “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested,” Exodus 31:17. Let’s remember that the Israel of the Old Testament is the equivalent of the church in the New Testament. Both are the people of God. The Sabbath was made for all humanity at the time of creation, Genesis 2:1–4. It is also a sign of redemption because we were redeemed of sin and death through the precious blood of Christ, Ephesians 1:7. Jesus rested in the grave the Saturday after He finished the work of redemption, Luke 23:54–24:3.

The Ten Commandments are eternal because God is eternal. He never changes or makes mistakes. This is why our Lord Jesus said, “it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail,” Luke 16:17. Just as Jesus and Paul, the gentile Christians kept the Sabbath, Acts 13:42. This verse refers to events that took place more than three and a half years after the death of Jesus. Verse 43 shows that the church kept the true day of rest, the seventh day while living under grace. To live under grace is to keep the commandments. Jesus Christ Himself expected His disciples to keep the seventh day Sabbath even forty years after His departure because when He spoke to them about the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 A.D., He anticipated them to “pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath,” Matthew 24:20.

In the same manner, Revelation refers to those who will be saved at the end of time as “those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” Revelation 14:12. This includes Sabbath observance as it deals with the fourth commandment. When we live in a new earth and new heavens, we will keep the Sabbath for eternity Isaiah 66:22–23.

Even the churches who today keep Sunday, the first day of the week, as the Sabbath or day of rest agree:

Baptist: “There is no evidence in Scripture of a change of the seven–day Sabbath institution to the first day of the week” – Baptist Manual.

Catholic: “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line that authorizes the holiness of Sunday” – Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers.

Christian: “There does not exist in any part of the Bible any suggestion of such a change” – Observance of the First Day.

Methodist: “For example, let’s take the matter of Sunday… There is not a single passage that says that Christians should observe that day” – Harris Franklin Rall, Christian Advocate; July 1, 1941.

Lutheran: “The observance of the day of the Lord (Sunday) is not founded in any of the commandments of God” – Confession of The Faith of Augsburg.

Note: Remember that in the Bible, the Lord’s Day is always Sabbath, the day of rest, the seventh day.

Other churches, such as the Church of Christ, Episcopal, and Presbyterian, say the same thing as those mentioned above in their official theology documents and doctrine manuals.

Revelation 12:17 and Matthew 7:21 point out that the salvation Christ brings with Him in His second coming is for the ones who obey and not for the disobedient.

Jesus tells us the problem is, “why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” Matthew 15:3. Today, Jesus says to you, “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15.

We serve whom we obey. Will we serve Jesus and worship Him on His holy day or will we serve and worship mistaken men, guided by Satan, to replace the seventh–day Sabbath with a false day of rest?

 

 

THE MARK OF THE BEAST

 

In Revelation, Jesus Christ teaches that very quickly, all of earth’s inhabitants are dividing themselves into only two groups: one group obeys and follows the commandments of God. At the same time, the other does whatever Satan wants.

We have learned that the seal of God and the mark of the beast cannot be seen. They are a spiritual and intellectual bond lived in our daily life, whether it is to the truth or a lie. We know that the seal of God is placed upon those who, with a full conscience, keep the true day of rest; the seventh day of the week, as the Bible teaches that the day of rest is the sign of loyalty to God, Ezekiel 20:12. Certainly, this separation of the two groups has already begun and progresses rapidly.

The most terrible and frightening language which makes us tremble in the book of Revelation is used when it discusses the mark of the beast. The beast represents Satan. The description that Jesus makes about the punishment that those who receive the mark of the beast will suffer is sufficient for us to consider this issue very seriously.

In this book, the following specifications regarding Satan’s (the beast) mark are established:

1. Every person that receives this mark will be lost.
2. The majority of the people will accept this mark.
3. The civil authorities will try to force the people to receive the mark through enacted laws.

To properly understand this, let us first consider that the beasts in prophecy represent earthly kingdoms, governments, or governmental organizations; Daniel 7:23. Waters in prophecy represent the people of the world, Revelation 13:1, 17:15. We have also learned that Babylon and this beast of Revelation 13:1 are the same power.

This is not an attack directed against our Christian friends, but a biblical presentation of a false Roman religious system led by Satan and the beast mentioned above. Many sincere and loving Christians militate in the Roman, protestant, and evangelical communities to whom Jesus’ call is directed, “come out of her, My people,” because they happily serve Jesus and God calls them children. God does not want any of them to participate in the plagues poured over Babylon. The only way to avoid them is by coming out of there, as Lot did when he left Sodom, obeying God’s voice so that he would not perish in the city’s punishment, Genesis 19.

What, then, is the mark of the beast? Let’s allow the papal system to tell us what its mark of authority is. “Sunday is our mark of authority… the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Saturday is proof of this fact” Catholic Record London, Ontario, Canada, September 1923.

On page 50 of the Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine by Peter Geiermann says:

Q:       Which is the day of rest?

A:       Saturday is the day of rest

Q:       Why do we observe Sunday in place of Saturday?

A:       Because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity of Saturday to Sunday

The papacy pretends to have changed the law of God, transgressing the commandment, by calling Sunday the day of worship in place of Saturday. This is how it pretends that because the world observes Sunday, it is a sign of its authority and power. Many Catholic sources, too many to cite, testify of this supposed change.

This cannot be, as the powerful Governor of the universe rules over men and whose authority must be respected, will never invalidate His eternal law. This is why the message is clear, both in Daniel 7 and its parallel prophecy, Revelation 13, that the beast will “think to change times and laws,” Daniel 7:25. The papacy only thinks that it can change God’s Day of worship. The seventh day of the fourth commandment continues to be valid and in full force; Sunday has always been and will always be a day of work because “six days you shall labor and do all your work,” and consequently, it is not a holy day.

“You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord which I command you,” Deuteronomy 4:2. “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail,” Luke 16:17. Never has the Lord authorized that even a dot or a comma be changed in His holy law because it is perfect, Psalms 19:7.

In the only eight texts that deal with Sunday in the New Testament, it is always called the first day of the week, and there is no mention of transferring to it the holiness of the seventh day (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:19, Mark 16:1–2,9, Luke 24:1, John 20:1,19, Acts 20:7–11,1 Corinthian 16:1–2). For this reason, immediately before His farewell, Jesus leaves us this final warning, “if anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book,” Revelation 22:18–19.

The wrath of God will be upon those who “receive his mark on his forehead or on his hand,” Revelation 14:9–10. Remember that we are dealing with symbols; the mark is not literal. The forehead represents the mind with which we serve God, Romans 7:25. The hand is a symbol of the work of men, Ecclesiastes 9:10. Those who accept the observance of Sunday as a holy day are symbolically marked on their foreheads because, in their minds, they have voluntarily taken Sunday as the day of worship in response to the authority and power of whom they have chosen to follow. The mark of the beast is the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week. Others of a similar mentality will agree to work on Saturday to avoid persecution or death, and for that, they are symbolically marked on their right hand.

“Up to today, nobody has received the mark of the beast. No one will be marked before the worldwide law prohibiting buying or selling without the mark is passed. The test consists of the observance of Sunday when the mark is imposed by law. Saturday observance will be the cornerstone of loyalty to God when the decree that forces men to sanctify a false day of rest is enacted. After receiving the light in this final message from Jesus Christ to the world, those who continue disobeying the commandments of God and exalting human laws above God’s laws in the great crisis that is about to take us by storm will receive the mark of the beast.”

The violation of the seventh day Sabbath is a serious problem because “whosoever transgresses the law commits sin; for sin is the transgression of the law,” 1 John 3:4. Those who today knowingly violate the true day of rest, God’s holy day, will lose their ability to think and see clearly and will end in darkness, John 12:35. The observance of the seventh day is not just simply a matter of choosing a day, but a question of loyalty to Christ or the antichrist, another name for the beast. The antichrist wants to take for himself the place of Christ. The Lord clearly states; “He who is not with Me is against Me,” Matthew 12:30. We must do as the disciples of Christ did when they confronted a test; “we ought to obey God rather than men,” Acts 5:29. The saints who are victorious over the diabolic alliance and its mark have followed the warning given in Revelation 14:9–11, because they have reconciled themselves with God and have received the promise of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and because of that; they “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus,” Revelation 14:12.

 

THE UNITED STATES IN PROPHECY

 

The beast of Revelation 13:1 has been clearly identified as papal Rome and Babylon. Still, it is evident that it is not alone because another power is revealed in the same chapter.

During the 1260 years, the Roman church was the main religion and, in many ways, the political center of the Western world. Since its beginnings in the year 538, its power grew so much that at a particular moment in history, Pope Gregory VII after humiliating Henry IV, emperor of the Holy Germanic Roman Empire, boasted that his duty was to bring down the arrogance of the kings.

The little horn of Daniel 7:8, which was allowed to speak “great words against the Most High, and persecute the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand until a time and times, and half a time,” Daniel 7:25; is the same power as the beast of Revelation 13:1, and the same beast that the woman sits upon in Revelation 17:3.

Revelation 13:5 states that the beast was given “a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and authority to continue for forty–two months.”

In prophecy, a time is one year, Daniel 4:16; 7:25; Revelation 12:14; 12:7, times are two years, and half a time is half a year. This equals three and a half years, the same as forty–two months or 1260 days. Using the prophetic principle of a day for a year, we see that these are 1260 literal years.

As we have mentioned above, the papacy established its power in the year 538 after destroying three powers that were in its way, “and he will subdue three kings,” Daniel 7:24. Justinian’s decree, which for the first time in history made the pope head of the church and corrector of heretics was given in the year 533 but became effective in 538 when there was no other power to oppose the pope from having total supremacy.

His power of 1260 years ended in 1798; by means of the Protestant Reform and the French Revolution, the power and authority of the Roman church ended in pieces. The pope, Pius VI, was captured by the French army under Napoleon in 1798. He died in exile in 1799.

Despite all this, Revelation speaks about a resurgence. “And I saw one of his heads as it was wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast,” Revelation 13:3. Even though it does not have the political power yet, that it exercised in Gregory’s VII era, the papacy advances in gigantic steps peacefully and silently. Nowadays, it is an influential power in the entire world, both in the religious and political environment. In 2015, Pope Francisco’s speech in the U.S. Congress was a historic first fruit. The Bible says that this influence will grow.

Around the end of the 42 months (1798), when the papal power received its mortal wound, appears another power. “Then I saw another beast coming out of the Earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon,” Revelation 13:11.

This power differs from the previous power, which came out of the water, Daniel 7:2–3, which symbolizes many people because this beast was “coming out of the Earth.” This beast didn’t need to subdue other powers to establish itself. This nation was to come out of an unoccupied territory with very few people. Like the Earth’s plants, it was born and gradually and peacefully grew. It could not come from the populous nations who battled in the turbulent ocean of the Old World.

We find this nation in the new world around the year 1798, whose power was developing to become powerful and significant, attracting the world’s attention as a whole. It would establish itself as a world power and receive the authority and power of the first beast (the papacy) and, consequently, the power of the dragon (Satan). Only one nation fulfills the details and features characteristic of this prophecy. There is no doubt that it describes the United States of America. The USA was established as a nation in 1776. In the silence of the earth, this great empire constantly grew in power and glory to become the superpower we know today.

“He had two horns like a lamb.” The horns represent youthfulness, innocence, and meekness, the character features of the U.S. when it “came out of the Earth” in 1798.

The constitution guarantees the people the right to govern themselves and establishes that the elected representatives by popular vote may enact and enforce laws. Religious freedom was also granted to each person to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience. “Republicanism and Protestantism are the nation’s fundamental principles and the secret of its power and prosperity.” These two principles are symbolized by “the two horns like a lamb.” But this beast “spoke like a dragon, and exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed,” Revelation 13:12. “Telling those who dwell on the Earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived,” Revelation 13:14.

““The horns like a lamb and the dragon’s voice symbolize a strange contradiction between what he professes to be and what he practices. The “speaking” of the nation represents the laws of its legislative and judicial authorities. Through laws soon to be established, he will deny the principles of peace and liberty that he expressed as the foundation of his government and politics. The prophecy demonstrates that very soon, this nation that “speaks like a dragon and exercises all the authority of the first beast” will develop a spirit of intolerance and persecution as the nations represented by the dragon and the beast, like the leopard, have done so many times before. The declaration that the beast with two horns “causes the Earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast” indicates that all the power and authority of this nation will be employed by the first beast, Babylon, to impose some observance in homage to the papacy.””

Even though this seems impossible, we must keep in mind that it is God who is saying these things, an Almighty and All-knowing being to whom; “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him to whom we must give account,” Hebrews 4:13. Our God does not do anything without first revealing it to His servants the prophets and “He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness,” Daniel 2:22. Of this, the prophet Daniel gives testimony when he says; “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets,” Daniel 2:28. The Lord God says of Himself “For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, … My counsel will stand, and I will do all My pleasure,” Isaiah 46:9–10. “I am the first, and I am the last, … I announce what is coming, and what is about to come,” Isaiah 44: 6–7.

This same power, the USA, orders the Earth’s inhabitants to make “an image to the beast.” What is the image of the beast? How will it be made? To understand this, it is necessary to study the features of the beast himself: the papacy. Let us remember that apostate Protestantism and the papacy are Babylon.

History shows that the primitive church became corrupt, broke away from the simplicity of the gospel and accepted pagan rituals and customs, and consequently lost the Holy Spirit and God’s power. To control the people’s minds, it looked for support from the civil power. This resulted in that one church, the papacy, controlling the state’s power, using it to promote its interests, especially to eradicate “heresy.” For the U.S. to form an “image of the beast,” the papacy must control the civil government in such a way that the authority of the state can be used to fulfill its objectives.

“Every time that the church dominated civil power, used it employed it to punish those who did not accept its doctrines. For example, we have the case of the dissidents in the Church of England. During the XVI and XVII centuries, thousands of non-conforming ministers were forced to abandon their churches, and many pastors and parishioners were penalized, imprisoned, tortured, and suffered martyrdom.

Apostasy induced the primitive church to seek help from the civil government, and the Bible predicts that “apostasy” will come first and then “the man of sin is revealed,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3. Thus, the apostasy in the church prepares the way for the image of the beast to be formed. Today we live “in the last days and perilous times have come… men are lovers of themselves… lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying its power,” 2 Timothy 3:1–5.

For many years, a movement has been growing in the protestant churches in favor of a union with the Roman Catholic church based on common doctrine points. This ecumenism movement has almost reached its climax, it has progressed, and very soon, it will be completed.”

“When the principal churches of the United States unite to influence the state to enact their own decrees and statutes, then protestant America will have formed an image of the beast, the Roman Catholic Church. The civil penalties against the dissidents will come naturally. The Sunday law will follow these, the imposition to keep Sunday as a holy day, the mark of the beast in opposition to the fourth commandment, which declares that the only holy day, the true day of rest, instituted by God since creation, is the seventh-day Sabbath; Saturday the seventh day of the week. In other words, the image of the beast is the union of church and state. When this takes place, the church will control the state, as Jezebel did Ahab, King of Israel, 1 Kings 21:25.”

Those who keep the commandments of God will be placed in contrast with the ones who worship the beast and his image and receive its mark. The most characteristic feature of the beast and his image is the transgression of God’s commandments. Daniel says that the little horn, the papacy, will “think to change times and laws,” Daniel 7:25. The second commandment, which prohibits the worship of images, has already been removed from the law. The fourth commandment has been adulterated to authorize the observance of the first day of the week instead of the seventh day of rest.

“With the imposition of a religious duty with the help of secular power and law, the protestant churches will raise an image of the beast; the observance of Sunday in the United States will be equal to the imposition of worshiping the beast and its image.”

 

 

THE TRUE SPIRIT OF THE BEAST AND THE DRAGON

 

“The Protestants today consider Roman Catholicism with much favor. They maintain that it is unjust to judge the Catholic Church of our days by the abominations and the absurdities of an age of ignorance and darkness, excusing its horrible cruelties as a result of the barbarism of the past, and they argue that modern civilization has made her change its thinking and feelings.”

What is certain is that the papal church will never abandon its pretensions of being infallible and incapable of error. The Bible, which contains the sure and permanent word of prophecy, says: “He was granted to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed,” Revelation 13:15. Lucifer’s and the papacy’s pretension will never disappear; both the angel that at one time was the most honored by God and Babylon, the capital of false worship, will always want to be “like the Most High,” Isaiah 14:14. The entire world will have to decide whom they will serve and worship as in the times of Joshua and the prophet Elijah, Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21.

Let us not allow ourselves to be deceived; the Catholic Church’s posture on freedom of the conscience has always been the same, it has never changed, and it never will. In the Encyclical of August 15, 1854, Pope Pius IX declares: “The doctrines or absurd and erroneous extravagances in favor of the freedom of the conscience are one of the most pestilent errors; one of the plagues that should be most feared in a state.”

Referring to this power, Daniel 8:25 states: “Through his cunning, he shall cause deceit to prosper in his hand.” The peaceful and kind tone that Rome employs in the United States does not mean a change in thinking. She is tolerant because, at this time, she does not have the power she desires. Bishop O’Conner says: “Religious freedom is tolerated only until the opposite can be practiced without danger to the Catholic world.” The Archbishop of Saint Louis said: “Heresy and unbelief are crimes, and where the Catholic religion is part of the country, they are punished the same as other crimes.” Every leader of the catholic church takes an oath of obedience to the pope, not God, where he promises: “I will oppose all dissident heretics and rebels against our Lord (pope), or his successors, and I will persecute them with all my power,” Josiah Strong, Our Country, chapter 5, paragraphs 2-4.

There are indeed many true Christians in the Roman Catholic Church. They serve God according to the best light they have. God sees them with tender mercy because they have been educated in a bad and deceitful faith. The Lord will make the truth penetrate with this document through the darkness that surrounds them, and when they hear Jesus’ invitation: “Come out of her (Babylon) my people,” Revelation 18:4, many will come out and join the faithful people of God; the only being in the universe worthy of being worshiped; because He and only Him, is the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer. To Him be the honor, the glory, the power, and the blessing! Amen!

““The papists place the cross on their churches, alters, and garments. The badge of the cross is seen everywhere. But the teachings of Christ are buried under a heap of absurd traditions, false interpretations, and rigorous requirements. They exalt the symbol of Christ’s sufferings while with their lives; they deny Him whom that symbol represents because they have an appearance of piety but deny the efficacy of it.

The veneration of images, the invocation of the saints, and the exaltation of the pope are Satan’s devices that intend to make null and void the second commandment, Exodus 20:4–5, of God’s law; to keep the people away from God and His Son. To strengthen his pretensions of being like God, they try to distract the people’s attention away from the Only One who is able to ensure their salvation, without any concern that they are leading them to external ruin and perdition.

At present, the Catholic Church puts forth to the world a gentle face and presents excuses for the horrible cruelties of the past. She dresses in garments like the ones of Christ, but in reality, she has not changed. Today, all the principles formulated by papists in times past and the doctrines of the dark ages are still professed. The papacy is the same entity that ruled the world in the times of the Protestant Reformation and still holds to be true the same proud pretensions and assumes the prerogatives of God. Her spirit today is as cruel and tyrannical as when she destroyed human liberty and killed the saints of the Most High.

The Protestants would do well to study the Bible because it would reveal to them the true character of the papacy. Still, many are too wise in their own opinion that they do not feel the need to humbly seek God to lead them to the truth, and they do not know either the Holy Scriptures nor the power of God, “because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason, God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,” 2 Thessalonians 2:10–11. They desire a way to forget God, but one that appears to remember Him. The papacy is the perfect solution for these people; because it is appropriate to both kinds of people who populate almost the entire world; those who want to be saved on their own merits and those who want to be saved in their sins. This is the secret of papal power.””

“The movements at present that are at work in the United States of America are to ensure the support for the institutions and practices of the Roman church. This opened the door for the papacy to recover in Protestant America, the supremacy it lost in the old world. The main objective is to impose Sunday observance, the institution the papacy claims as the sign of its authority. This carries with it the spirit of the papacy, which is a supreme veneration for human customs and traditions over the commandments of God.

The protestant teachers present the same assertions of divine authority in favor of the observance of Sunday but suffer from the same lack of biblical evidence as the papal directors. This is why they fabricate miracles to supply the absence of a commandment from God, and in this way, they make people believe their lies. When God makes His judgments fall upon men for this blatant violation of His holy law, they will assure, completely wrong, as the papacy did in the past, that the punishment is for not having observed Sunday as the day of rest.

Rome has its sights on re-establishing its power, and all its determination has been placed on recuperating its lost supremacy. When the principle that the church can employ or direct the state’s power has been established in the USA, Rome’s triumph will be secured, and it is time to prepare to leave and abandon the big cities. This will soon be followed by civil laws that will make mandatory all religious observations in opposition to the right of freedom of religion and conscience.”

“Very soon, the entire world, especially the Protestants, will know the true intentions and purpose of the papacy. The catholic church is very discreetly increasing its power. Her doctrines exert her influence in the churches, the hearts of men, and the legislative chambers. Her magnificent and imposing buildings with their secret enclosures are ready to resume her ancient persecutions. Stealthily, it is accumulating its forces, and without raising suspicion, soon it will reach its objectives and strike at the precise moment. In a very short time, anybody who obeys God’s Word will be persecuted and shamed.”

“In violating God’s law and rejecting the divine precepts, sin will no longer be a fault, and justice will no longer be desirable. This will result in a social state where chaos will reign supreme. While those faithful and obedient to God’s commandments are the object of mockery, the multitudes will eagerly accept Satan’s deceptions. They will sink in their disorderly desires living in the sins that brought upon the judgments of God.

The rejection of the divine laws soon leads to contempt of human laws. God’s law will be openly trampled because it’s an obstacle to its material prosperity for the unsanctified mind, as it prohibits greed, lies, and fraud. Each individual will take his neighbors’ possessions by force; the strongest will become the wealthiest. Life will not be respected. Marriage will not be protected for the family. Children will not hesitate to act against their parents’ lives if these oppose the desires of their corrupt hearts. The world will become an ensemble of thieves and assassins, and peace will disappear from the earth. The world will be invaded by an overwhelming wave of envy, suspicion, hypocrisy, indifference, rivalry, disputes, and treasons.”

““The courts are corrupt; “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter,” Isaiah 59:14. At this point, Satan will have destroyed the faith in the Bible, which is like destroying the Bible itself. Like in past times, the great dragon will work through the apostate church to promote his objectives. The religious organizations will have clung to the papal error of the immortality of the soul and the conscious state of the dead, forgetting, Isaiah 8:20; they would have rejected the only possible defense against the deceptions of spiritism. Through these two capital mistakes, the immortality of the soul and the sanctity of Sunday, Satan will entrap man in his net. He will form a triple alliance between protestants, the Catholic Church, and spiritism to tremble the rights of our conscience granted by God to all men.

Through spiritism, many miracles will be made, the sick will heal, and many wonders that cannot be denied will be realized. The spirits will profess to believe in the Bible and will show respect for the authorities of the church, and their work will be accepted as a manifestation of divine power.””

The members of the churches love what the world loves and are ready to join them. Satan has resolved to unite them into one body. For not having accepted the love of the truth, Satan will seduce them to accept spiritism completely. Today, almost the entire world has already accepted spiritualism because it believes that the dead go to heaven, and treats the Bible as a fable that displeases them, ignoring the certainty that “you are dust, and to dust, you shall return,” Genesis 3:19, and “you take away their breath, they die and return to dust,” Psalm 104:29.

“For ignoring the Scriptures, which clearly state that the dead know nothing, nor hear, nor see, neither have a part in this world, as they do not exist and are no more when demonic spirits present themselves as the dead descending from heaven and perform miracles and wonders; the world will accept them. Then, the papists will boast that the miracles are a sure sign that their church is the true church. The whole world will easily be deceived by this great power, and the protestants, who have discarded the truth’s protective shield, God’s Word, will be jointly seduced. Papists, Protestants, and the worldly will equally accept this deception. In this union, they will see a great movement for the conversion of the world and the beginning of the long-awaited millennium.”

The papal millennium is a false doctrine as the biblical millennium begins with the second coming of Jesus Christ and the first resurrection Revelation 20. In addition, during these one thousand years, Satan remains bound. We will study this later.

““Spiritism makes Satan appear as the benefactor of the human race, who heals the people’s illnesses and claims to present a higher and new religious system. Still, he will work as a destroyer without the knowledge of men until it’s too late. His blessings will sink men in vices and violence to later cast them into eternal perdition. He will instigate men to make war to distract them from the work of preparation necessary to survive the day of the Lord, which will be dreadful and terrible “for the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:17.””

Satan exercises dominion over all those who have rejected Christ and do not have His protection. He will make some prosper and will bring ruin on others as he did to Job, and then he will make them believe that it is God who afflicts them. While he presents himself as the doer of all good, he will produce illness and disasters that heavily populated cities will be reduced to rubble and desolation. For many years we have seen his work everywhere: in the destruction and calamities of land and sea, horrendous hurricanes, terrible storms, floods, fires, earthquakes, and tornados. He destroys almost-ripened crops and produces hunger and anguish for all of us. He spreads harmful emissions through the air, and thousands of people perish in the pestilence (like the Covid-19 pandemic). These illnesses will become more frequent and more disastrous. The destruction will fall on men and animals.” “The earth mourns and fades away; the haughty people of the earth languish. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant,” Isaiah 24:4–5.

This is happening because the Holy Spirit slowly removes Himself from the Earth. God protects His created beings and keeps them away from the lying destroyer. The Christian world has increased its disdain for Jehovah’s law and like Isaiah, the prophet says: the Lord is moving His blessings away from the world and His protective care from those who rebel against His law and teach and force others to do the same.

““After his destructive work, the great deceiver will persuade all men that the ones responsible for all these evils are those who serve God. The part of humanity that has provoked God’s displeasure will blame these calamities on the ones who obey the divine commandments. They will declare that the faithful and obedient are the ones who offend God by transgressing the Sunday day of rest; and that the sin of proclaiming in full force the fourth commandment causes the loss of respect for Sunday and rejects divine favor, disturbing the people and taking away their temporary prosperity. In this way, the accusation made against God’s servant in ancient times will be repeated for similar motives; “then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, he that troubles Israel?” And Elijah answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals,” 1 Kings 18:17–18. These false charges will awaken the people’s wrath, and they will follow the same conduct of apostate Israel against Elijah.””

“The miraculous power of spiritualism will harm those who prefer to obey God before men. Communications from the spirits will come; they will declare that God sent them to convince those who reject Sunday of their error and will firmly state that the laws of the land should be obeyed as the law of God. They will support the testimony that the moral degradation is due to the desecration of Sunday. Great will be the indignation against all those who refuse to accept their assertions.

While Satan tries to destroy those who honor God’s law, he makes others accuse them of transgressors of the law, as men who dishonor God and bring His judgments on the world. Through force and fear, he tries to control our conscience to be worshiped as God. For this, he will work through religious and civil authorities under his power, inducing them to pass human laws contrary to God’s law.”

“The keepers of the Bible Sabbath will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as transgressors of society’s moral restrictions, and as the cause of the anarchy and corruption which has brought upon the world the judgments of God. Their faithfulness to God and great care of their own conscience will be presented as unreasonable, stubborn, and rebellious against authority, and disloyal to the government.”

“The pastors who consider the obligation to keep the divine law of no value will preach that we must obey the civil authorities because God instituted them. In the legislative congress and courts, the ones who keep God’s commandments will be victims of false accusations and unjust sentences. Their words will be taken out of context, and the worse intentions will be attributed to them.”

As the protestant churches reject the clear arguments of the Bible in defense of God’s law, they will think of silencing in whichever way the faith of those whom they cannot refute with the Bible. It is a fact that today they are already assuming the attitude that will result in the persecution of those who, with a clear conscience, refuse to do what the rest of the Christian world is doing and to recognize the assertions in favor of the papal day of rest.

“The church and state will unite to make everyone honor Sunday, either through bribery or force. Due to their lack of divine authority, they will use overwhelming ordinances. Political corruption, which has destroyed the love, justice, and respect for the truth in many countries of the world, is rapidly advancing in the U.S. of free America. Soon here in the U.S., we will see the people’s representatives and legislators assure for themselves the public’s favor by giving into popular demands of a law that imposes Sunday observance.”  When this happens, all the world will follow their example, and the freedom of conscience (the right to choose) will no longer be respected. The prophet’s words will be realized: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the remnant offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” Revelation 12:17.

 

 

GOD’S CHURCH REVEALED

There are hundreds of denominations and churches in the world that are called Christians. The majority of them claim to be God’s true church, and all are very similar to each other. For the seeker of truth, this is frustrating. Thank God for clearly describing His church in the book of Revelation.

Let’s first look at some crucial aspects of the essence of knowing: the church for which Jesus comes back.

“The church is the community of believers who confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, Redeemer, and Savior and that only in Christ there is salvation, 1 John 4:14; Acts 4:12. The church is composed of all those who have accepted the invitation to come out of the world, and it is the continuation of God’s people from the Old Testament times, Israel. We gather to worship, to be in communion with each other, to receive instruction in God’s Word, to celebrate the Lord’s supper, to serve humanity, and to proclaim the Gospel in all the world. The church receives its authority from Christ, who is the Word in the flesh, and from Scripture, which is the written Word of God. The church is God’s family; we are adopted as children and live based on the new covenant. The church is the body of Christ, a community of faith of which Christ Himself is the head. The church is Christ’s wife for whom He died to sanctify and purify it. When He returns this second time triumphantly, He will present Himself a glorious church, the faithful of all ages, bought with His precious blood on the cross in Calvary, a church without blemish or wrinkle but holy and without defect (Genesis 12:3, Acts 7:38; Ephesians 4:11–15; 3:8–11; Matthew 28:19–20; 16:13–20; 18:18; Ephesians 2:18–22; 1:22–23, 5:23–27; Colossians 1:17–18).”

Jesus Christ said that the time preceding His second coming would be like the days of Noah, Luke 2:26. At that time, there was only one escape route from the world’s destruction, Noah’s Ark. This is the way it will also be immediately before the coming of our Lord. The true church is Noah’s Ark of the last days; the person who does not belong to it when Jesus returns will surely eternally die. The good news is that one still has a little time to leave the world and Babylon and join the true church. Regarding how many systems of faith or churches Jesus has, Paul says that Jesus Christ only has “one body, and one spirit” … there is only “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God,” Ephesians 4:4–6.

The true church is not yet ready to be taken to heaven, but it is rapidly becoming complete, and there is no time to lose. Regarding this, the Good Shepard says, “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice: and there shall be one–fold, and one shepherd,” John 10:16. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me,” John10:27. Are you one of these sheep? What are you waiting for? Stand up and enter the Lord’s fold immediately.

The church is also called Zion in the Bible, and prophecy repeatedly symbolizes God’s church using the figure of a virtuous woman. The name Zion was also applied to the city of Jerusalem, Isaiah 33:20, and the entire nation of Israel, Isaiah 40:9. In Revelation 21:9–10, the Lamb’s wife, the church, is symbolized by the “great city, the holy Jerusalem.” For the false church, prophecy also uses the figure of a woman, but in this case, it’s an adulterous unfaithful woman. As previously seen, the Bible uses a figure of a harlot, a prostitute. The city of Babylon, in prophecy, represents the apostate and false church.

In the same way as the prophet Jeremiah describes God’s people, the church, like “a comely and delicate woman,” Jeremiah 6:2; Jesus Christ introduces His church as “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars,” Revelation 12:1.

This woman represents God’s church of all times. She is dressed with the sun because the sun represents Jesus and His righteousness, Malachiah 4:2. The moon under her feet represents the system of sacrifices of the Old Testament because as the moon only reflects the sun’s light, the system of sacrifices only reflected the light of the Gospel of Christ of the New Testament, Hebrews 10:1. The crown of twelve stars represents the work of the twelve disciples that crowned the first years of the church, Matthew 10:1–4. The symbolism of the moon and the sun represent the church before the cross and the church after the cross.

To the church, a male child is born, Revelation 12:5, as prophesized by Isaiah; “For unto us a Child is born, unto us, a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6. This child is Jesus who later “was caught up unto God, and to His throne,” Revelation 12:5.

Before the birth of the child, a red dragon appeared in heaven… “stood before the woman which was ready to delivered, to devour her Child as soon as it was born,” Revelation 12:3–4. The great dragon “called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels (demons) were cast out with him,” Revelation 12:9. This happened after the war in heaven between Satan and Jesus Christ, Revelation 12:7.

As soon as the Child was born, Satan tried to kill Him through his agent here on earth “Herod… was exceedingly angry, and he sent forth and put to death all male children who were in Bethlehem and all its districts, from two years old and under,” Matthew 2:16.

When Satan fails in his plan to kill Jesus and finds himself expelled on earth, “he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child,” Revelation 12:13, and he continues to do so today “having great wrath because he knows he has a short time,” Revelation 12:12.

“The woman (the true church) fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days,” Revelation 12:6. “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent,” Revelation 12:4.

The woman, the true church, was persecuted for 1260 literal years. In previous topics, we saw that 42 months, 3 ½ years, and 1260 days are the same period, and utilizing the prophetic principle of a day for a year, we know that these are 1260 literal years.

In both texts, Jesus tells us that the woman fled into the wilderness. The desert or wilderness in prophecy symbolizes few people and places with a small population. This reminds us of the beasts of Revelation 13; the first one rose out of the sea, multitudes of people, and the second (USA) came out of the earth, a place with a small population.

As we have already studied, the papacy was firmly established in Rome in 538, when the catholic bishop was proclaimed as the head of the entire church. At this time, Revelation 13:2 was fulfilled because the dragon gave the first beast, the papacy, “his power, and his seat, and great authority.” At this moment began Satan’s 1260 years of oppression through the papacy, his representative on earth, against the woman, the true church.

“The true Christians, the woman, were forced to choose between sacrificing their integrity and accepting papal worship and ceremonies, or spend their lives in prison or die tormented, at the stake, or under the executioner’s ax.” The persecution released upon the faithful a fury not previously seen until that time, and the world became a vast battlefield because “the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood,” Revelation 12:15.

““The arrival of the Roman Catholic Church to power marked the beginning of the Middle Ages. As its power grew, the darkness increased and became denser. The faith passed from Christ, the true foundation of the church because He is the rock, the chief cornerstone upon whom the church is founded, Ephesians 2:20, to a man of dust, the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting the Son of God to obtain forgiveness of their sins and eternal salvation, the people turn to the pope, priests, and prelates: sinful men in need of forgiveness themselves. The people were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that nobody could approach God except through him, intending to occupy Christ’s place. John, the apostle, warned us against this deception and revealed the impostors, “Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist who denies the Father and the Son,” 1 John 2:22. As time passed, the faithful were also taught that the pope occupied the place of God and, therefore, they should obey him. A slight deviation from the dispositions of the pope would find them deserving of the most severe bodily punishments for their transgressions. The despise of God’s law, and exaltation of human laws and traditions always result in horrible corruption.

Not only were the people taught to accept the pope as their mediator but also to trust in their work for the atonement of their sins. When the Bible clearly states that only “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin,” 1 John 1:7.

To earn God’s favor, as if God and His salvation could be bought, they were submitted to long pilgrimages, work of penitence, the worshiping of relics, the construction of temples, altars, and shrines, the donation of large amounts of money to the church, and many other similar things. Indeed, these things and others worse than these will continue to be utilized to dominate the faithful.””

““Every day the darkness became denser. Image worship became more generalized, candles were lit, and prayers were offered everywhere to these idols. The most absurd and superstitious customs and traditions prevailed. Reason completely lost its power in almost all parishioners. On the other hand, the bishops were lovers of corrupt and sensual pleasures. This behavior of false leaders will be on the rise. It will fulfill the scripture that says: “For men shall be lovers of themselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers… fierce, despisers of good… lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having the form of godliness but denying its power,” 2 Timothy 3:2–5.””

This was followed by a horrible proposition by Pope Gregory VII in the XI century, which proclaimed the perception of the Roman church, the same one which for a long time had been engaged in sexual abuse of children, and he declared that the church had never erred and could never be wrong according to the Holy Scriptures. However, the proof from Scripture always was lacking and will always be absent. The arrogant and proud pontiff also claimed for himself the right to depose emperors and that no sentence he pronounced could be revoked by any man.

What enormous contrast between the despotic pride of such an arrogant pontiff and the humility and meekness of Christ, who presents Himself calling at the door of the human heart, begging to be allowed to enter it to bring forgiveness, peace, and rest! Revelation 3:20.

““The centuries that followed witnessed a constant increase in the error of the doctrines sustained by Rome. False doctrines will continue to augment until their climax when Jesus Christ returns for a second time. The time of grace is about to expire, and it is time that “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still,” Revelation 22:11.

One of the principal errors introduced is the belief in the immortality of man and his conscience state after death. On this false doctrine, the saints’ invocation and Mary’s worship were established. From this false doctrine also derived the false teachings of an eternal torment (hell); which biblically does not exist; for those who die without repenting and supposedly are sent to purgatory, an invention that only exists in the imagination of evil and lying men to take advantage of the fears and vices of their followers.”” Soon we will study Revelation’s lake of fire.

“To satisfy its greed for power and riches, the apostate church invented the doctrine of indulgences. With these, the forgiveness of sins, present and future, was granted, along with eliminating all deserving grief and punishments. The people were also taught that through monetary payments to the church, one could free oneself of sin and the dead from purgatory fires.

This is how the Roman Catholic church has filled its vaults and sustained its magnificence, the luxury and vices of those who pretend to be the representatives of the One who did not have a place to lay his head.”

So, where is the true church of Christ?

““When Rome decreed that the light of God’s Word be extinguished by worshiping God in an unknown language, the people were left in darkness. For this, heaven had already made provision for other agents to preserve the church. Many Albigensians and Waldensians, expelled from their homes by the persecution, left France and Italy and established themselves in Bohemia. They worked zealously in secret, and in this way, the true faith was kept from century to century. Their work raised the interest and fears of the clergy. A short time later, it was decreed that everyone who abandoned Romanism would die at the stake.

During this time, God selected men of humble condition, oblivious to lineage pride and the influence of the clergy’s fanatism, to reform the church and maintain the truth intact. From Creation and the fall of man to today, and till the end of the world, God has kept a faithful remanent that, through the grace of Christ, has kept the true biblical doctrines pure and without contamination. The world has always had the light of heaven because God has taken it upon Himself to ensure that the truth does not die. Christ Himself has done this; this is why He declares: “I am the light of the world,” John 8:12, and “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” John 14:6. The true church has always been present on earth.

History records the beautiful way in which God has done things. God raised reformers everywhere; John Hus in Bohemia, Jerome in Prague, and Wycliffe in England. In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli, and in Germany, Martin Luther, both Roman Catholic priests knowledgeable of the Roman heresies but consecrated to God and the truth that Christ revealed.

Persecution burned against the preachers of the truth. They followed their master’s orders: “When they persecute you in this city, flee to another,” Matthew 10:23. The truth penetrated everywhere. The persecution only served to spread the truth. Uselessly, they resorted to jail, torment, fire, and sword. Thousands of believers sealed their faith with their blood, but the work went forth by divine will. In 1529, the German Christian princes presented a protest in favor of the reform before the Diet of Speyer. Through this means, God assured future generations freedom of thought and freedom of conscience. This protest gave the reformed church the name Protestant, and its principles are the true essence of Protestantism. The protestant reformers had built upon Christ, and God held in check all the forces that opposed the truth.

Years of conflict and darkness followed in both Germany and Switzerland. But the Omnipotent never abandoned the cause of His people. He raised workers in other countries because His powerful hand would free His children at the end of the designated time. In France, much before Luther was known, the dawn of the French reform had already begun through Lefevre and shortly thereafter through Farel, one of his students. Among them were many other leaders like Berquin.

Among others, God prepared the Frenchman, John Calvin, to attend His cause. Even though his career was not immaculate, nor were his doctrines without error, he was the instrument used by God to make known truths especially important for his era. Let us always remember that God’s truth is progressive. It is continuously given in portions according to divine design. Through him, God maintained the principles of Protestantism and established reforms, the simplicity, and purity of life in place of the corruption and arrogance taught and practiced by Romanism.

In the 1600s, also came about, Spain’s awakening. While in the lower countries and Scandinavia, an energetic protest against papal tyranny rose. A protest that began six hundred years before Luther’s time, by two bishops sent in a delegation to Rome, which other men rose to repeat century after century. This conflict of the ages, the great controversy that began in heaven and then came to earth, a war between Jesus Christ and Satan, will not end until 1,000 years after Jesus returns a second time. Then a short time after that, there will be new heavens and a new earth Revelation 20 and 21.

At the same time that Luther fought to give Germany the Bible, God’s Spirit impelled Tyndale so that the truth would make progress in England.

In the sixteenth century, the 42-month prophecy was fulfilled. This is the same prophecy, also known as the 1260-day prophecy. This is when the true church would be persecuted by the dragon that “was enraged with the woman; he went to make war with the rest of her offspring,” Revelation 12:17, a small remanent of people who remained faithful to God. She is the church of Jesus Christ of all times.

This time is the one prophesied by Daniel and John, during which the church of Christ was given to suffer under Roman oppression. The 1260 years of temporal papal domination began in 538 and ended in 1798. On this date, after the French Revolution, when the Bible was rejected and burned, the French people despised the gift of grace from God, and the Holy Spirit’s hold on the people was removed. All the world was able to appreciate the consequences of voluntarily rejecting the light. Then a French army entered Rome and took the pope prisoner, who died in exile, the papacy’s “mortal wound,” Revelation 13:3.

Sadly, even though the English reformers renounced Romanism, they conserved many forms. Many of the faithful feverishly desired to return to the purity and simplicity of the primitive church. But they could not join the Anglican church in good conscience because said church conserved customs that were monuments of idolatry. Even more, the civil powers sustained the church because there was no separation of church and state, and it did not consent that anybody had opinions different than hers. Attendance was required by law, and it was prohibited to assemble without a permit under prison sentence, exile, or death.

In the seventeenth century, England’s monarch declared that he was resolved to force the Puritans to conform, or otherwise, they would be expelled from the country or treated worse. Stalked, persecuted, and imprisoned, they convinced themselves that to serve God according to their conscience, they would have to abandon England.

Even though they lived in exile, their love and faith grew; they trusted in the Lord’s promise “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth,” Revelation 12:16.

God’s hand showed them a land beyond the sea, where they could establish a state and leave their children the precious legacy of freedom of religion. The way was prepared for the woman to reach America, the land of liberty, with the “two wings of a great eagle.” Soon the world admired the peace and prosperity of a church without a pope and a state without a king.

Guided and protected by God, the true church; that is the rest of her because the great majority of Christians followed the apostate church; reached America, where Jesus provided freedom of religion when the prophesied time came to an end in 1798.””

““A short time after that, there was a great interest in a very significant prophecy. In America, William Miller played an essential part. He found that the true and personal return of Jesus is clearly taught in the Bible; “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first,” 1 Thessalonians 4:16. The Savior declares, “they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” Matthew 24:30. “And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect,” Matthew 24:31. With profound interest, he studied the book of Daniel and Revelation.

As he found several chronological periods in his study and according to his understanding, he determined that since God does not do anything without first telling His servants the prophets, following the dates of historical events in God’s Word would lead him to the second coming of Christ, since many signs of the end of time had been fulfilled.

The prophecy of Daniel 8:14, which we have already studied, seemed to reveal with more clarity the time of the second advent “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Erroneously he thought that the earth was the sanctuary and mistakenly deduced that the prophecy referred to the purification of the earth. He reached the correct conclusion of the date of the prophecy; October 22, 1844; but the mistake was on the event predicted by the prophecy. As we previously studied, the judgment began in heaven in 1844, which is what the prophecy reveals, not the second coming of Jesus.

Time before, in 1833, Miller received from the Baptist church, of which he was a member, a license to preach. He took up travel and preaching without pause through the entire country to announce that Christ was about to return.

Recently, the prophecy of the sixth seal had been fulfilled in North America, “And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind,” Revelation 6:13. This event is recorded in many history books and other historical documents, because it happened in the United States on November 13, 1833.

This, accompanied by another remarkable fulfillment of prophecy, awakened the general interest. Two years before, Josiah Litch, another of the leading pastors preaching the second advent, published an explanation of Revelation Chapter 9. He declared that on August 11, 1840, the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople (Istanbul) would fall according to prophecy. The event took place and was precisely fulfilled as predicted. This caused the Millerite Movement to extend from 1840 to 1844 rapidly.

During this time, there was significant opposition to Miller’s Adventist message. When God’s enemies conspired to take his life upon leaving one of his gatherings, there were angels present to save him from the danger; and Satan and his emissaries were frustrated in their plans to take the Lord’s servant’s life. The work was not yet finished, and the movement continued to increase into the thousands. Many accepted Christ’s advent doctrine and joined the Adventist movement.

Those who accepted the message kept watching for the coming of Jesus Christ with great hope. Sure, that the encounter was close, they approached the awaited day with solemn tranquility, full of enthusiasm for the peace, prosperity, and happiness that they would soon have because of the glory that was about to manifest itself. The joy of such a precious and happy expectation was indescribable and never before experienced. A few weeks before the determined time, they abandoned the majority of worldly businesses. The believers searched their thoughts and feelings deeply as if they were about to die to be even with God and make sure that they had confessed all their sins. Everyone felt the need to have the certainty that they were prepared to receive the Savior in glory. They looked for the assurance of the purity of their souls and a character cleaned of sin by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus. Everyone manifested the meekness and humility of Christ and begged for grace before the throne of mercy, asking for a true experience of repentance, confession, forgiveness, and acceptance from God. God had proposed Himself to test His true church of that time. For that reason, He Himself covered the error committed in the calculation of the prophetic periods, not allowing it to be discovered by the Adventists nor the adversaries. The designated time arrived, the time of great expectation passed, and Christ did not appear to deliver His people. Those that waited for their Savior with sincere faith experienced a bitter disappointment, a great disappointment.””

““However, God’s intentions were being fulfilled as described in Revelation 10. This was the last prophecy of a specific time given to men as declared by the “mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire” (this angel is Jesus Christ). “He had a little book open in his hand” (this little book is the book of Daniel, which was sealed so that no one could understand it until this time; it began to be understood in about 1790 together with the book of Revelation), “And swore by Him who lives forever and ever… that there should be time no longer,” Revelation 10:1, 2, 6. The fact that John the beloved disciple ate the little book and was sweet in his mouth and bitter in his stomach, Revelation 10: 8–10, symbolized the great disappointment of God’s people in 1844. The sweetness of precious expectation of seeing Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven was as sweet as honey, but when Jesus did not appear, the experience turned bitter as wormwood.

Jesus and all the heavenly hosts contemplated the tried believers with love and sympathy. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they returned to the Holy Scriptures to continue to study. In a short time, the Lord transformed the great disappointment into an enormous blessing; He revealed to them their mistake along with other fundamental doctrines which characterize the true church of Christ of the last days.””

All the biblical doctrines and beliefs that are the true foundation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Lord re-established and maintains them in only one body, His true church, those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” Revelation 12:17. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,” Revelation 19:10.

Thus, God’s church of the last days has the gift of prophecy and keeps all of God’s commandments for the love of Jesus; as Jesus keeps saying, “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15; as it is impossible to love Christ and not love His commandments, 1 John 5:3.

Many sincere Christians in the churches do not observe all the commandments, nor possess the seal of God (seventh-day Sabbath), and do not have the spirit of prophecy. Sadly, even though they call themselves Christian churches, they are not the true church of God to which He is calling His people; “Come out of her, My people” is the invitation from Jesus for His children to come out of Babylon.

According to Revelations 12 and 14, the following points identify the true church of God of the last days. The last days began when “time will be no longer;” in 1844, Jesus Christ entered the Most Holy place in heaven’s Sanctuary. At that moment began the pre-advent investigative judgment in heaven, the one mentioned by the first angel of Revelation 14:6–7 “for the hour of His judgment has come.”

Identifying Points:

• God’s church appears after the persecution of the Dark Ages (this lasted 1260 years, from 538 to 1798). This true church appeared after 1798: in America, she fled into the wilderness with two wings of a great eagle.
• It teaches the same truths as the Apostles of Christ.
• It keeps the commandments of God, including the seventh day, Sabbath, the sign between God and His people; the sign chosen and given by God Himself.
• It has the gift of prophecy.
• It preaches the final message of Jesus Christ for the end of time, Revelation 14.
• It is a worldwide missionary church.
• It teaches salvation by faith in the blood of Christ.

The only world church that fulfills all these identifying points is the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. It was established in 1863, 19 years after the great disappointment. It is established in at least 192 countries in the world. It has more than 20 million baptized members. It is the remnant church of the Bible, composed of every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. It keeps the commandments of God, comes together every Saturday to worship God, and has preached the second coming of Christ since 1844. It has missions in the entire world and teaches, among other doctrines, justification by faith. The Bible and only the Bible are the foundation of all its doctrines. It has the gift of prophecy in the ministry of Ellen G. White.

It is of the utmost importance to enter God’s ark, the only and true church, today. As it was to enter the ark in the days of Noah because Christ comes only for that one church, and that church is the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

 

THE SUNDAY LAWS

God created heaven and earth in six days and rested on the seventh. He blessed and sanctified that day and placed it aside from the other days as a holy day to Himself, Genesis 2:1–3. His people have observed that day throughout all generations since Creation.

The man of sin sitting in the temple of God and showing himself as God thought to change the times and the law. The papacy, pretending to demonstrate that he was not only equal to God but superior to Him, changed the day of rest by placing the first day of the week in place of the seventh. The Protestants have taken this false day of rest to be considered sacred. In the Bible, it is called the fornication of the woman. God’s accusation against Babylon is “because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” After all, she has committed adultery against God by giving false doctrines to the world.

This is the way Satan defies the Lord’s authority by working in a manner contrary to God’s commandments and purpose. Satan intends to erase the memory of the holy day by replacing it with a day that does not carry the credentials of the Most High, a day which is not a sign between God and His people so that the church forgets God and so that God will abandon them. In this way, Satan can destroy them.

“In this war between Satan the dragon, and the woman, the true church, the fourth commandment Sabbath, the seventh day, will be the great point of discussion, controversy, and debate,” since it is in this commandment where the Great Legislator identifies Himself as the Creator of heaven and earth “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested THE SEVENTH DAY, wherefore the Lord blessed THE SABBATH DAY, and hallowed it,” Exodus 20:11.

The primary purpose of having “four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree,” Revelation 7:1, is to give the true church time to proclaim the warning; “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, the great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication… if any man worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength in the cup of His indignation,” Revelation 14:8–10. This is so because God loves us so much that: “The Lord… is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Peter 3:9. It is necessary to avoid the mark of the beast, as we have already seen, which is to accept the false sabbath, Sunday. If this does not occur, we will bring upon ourselves ruin and eternal perdition.

“The Sunday movement is progressing in darkness, and many do not see where this occult current is leading. They do not see that if the protestant government of the USA removes the principles, that have made her a free and independent nation, from its constitution through the incorporation of laws that will promote the papal falsehoods and deceptions, it will sink us into the horrors of the catholic Romanism of the Dark Ages. These blind leaders of the blind directly attempt against religious liberty because they do not understand the obligations imposed by the biblical day of rest nor the false foundation upon which the institution of Sunday rests. Time will end very soon, and an unimaginable crisis will overtake us all.”

We should feverously dedicate ourselves to earnest and efficacious prayer to beg that this calamity be deferred until we can do the work that has been neglected for such a long time; it is time to pray without ceasing. This is the time when the church of Laodicea, the church of the last days, must abandon its blindness, its lukewarmness, and its wretchedness to give itself to the task of this work with urgency.

Many in the church are asleep, in tranquility, and calmly awaiting the event. I admonish you to buy the gold, the white raiment, and the eye salve that Jesus offers in Revelation 3:18; the Lord will not save those who do not make a minimal effort to do the work He has entrusted us. Our job is symbolized by the angels of Revelation 14:6–11.

We should clearly see that the “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation,” Daniel 12:1, rapidly draws near, and gives the warning so that men and women do not proceed by ignorance a course of action that they would avoid if they knew the truth. We should love our neighbor as ourselves and love him as Christ loves us. This is the second commandment after the greatest commandment, which is to love the Lord our God with all our mind, with all our heart, and with all the strength of our soul. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets, Matthew 22:36‑40.

Let’s remember that “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” John 3:16; and “that, while we were sinners, Christ died for us,” Romans 5:8. The Lord came to put down His life so that we may have eternal life and abundant life.

We have a sublime and magnificent work that the Lord has given each one of us. A more extraordinary privilege can never be granted. We should do this work with goodwill and firmness trusting in God’s promises which are gained without measure.

“When our nation renounces the principles of its government, Protestantism will give its hand to the papacy, and the protestants will place all their influence and power on the papacy’s side. Then, through a national decree that imposes the false day of rest, life and vigor will be given to Rome’s corrupt faith, reviving its tyranny and oppression on the conscience of men. At this time, the prophecy of Revelation 13:12 will be fulfilled, as the beast with the two horns like a lamb (USA) will force the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast (the papacy).” Remember that the mark of the beast is to keep Sunday as the seventh day of rest, which Rome claims as its characteristic sign of supremacy.

To observe Sunday as a holy day is to worship the papacy, and we place ourselves on Satan’s side. “This union will not occur through a change in Catholicism because Rome never changes. Protestantism will be the one to change. Rome pretends to be infallible.”

“When the state, influenced by the principal churches of the U.S., united by common points of doctrine, imposes the decrees and institutions of these churches, then the image of the beast will have been formed. The image of Babylon is the union of church and state. This will cause a national apostasy, the governing bodies will accept the religion of the papacy, and God’s law will be made null and void. The inhabitants of all the earth will be induced to follow the example of the United States. All the world will support the Sunday legislation. When this substitution of the day of rest becomes universal, God will manifest Himself as the time for God to act has come. The Lord will stand up in His majesty and powerfully shake the earth, resulting in national and world ruin. Satan will provide his interpretation; he will declare that the calamities that fill the earth result from the Sunday violation by a small group of people.”

The entire world will be incited to animosity and hostility against the true church, the Seventh-Day Adventists. All Christianity will be divided into two groups, the ones who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and those who worship the beast and his image and receive the mark of the beast.

The national Sunday law is the sign to LEAVE and abandon the big cities for the Adventists. We should be prepared beforehand to leave and flee to a deserted and solitary place in small towns. Places prepared with anticipation for this time, where we will live and work in groups until the death decree comes when we will flee to caves in the mountains. The destruction will be more severe for the large cities, and it starts with them. Today is the time to prepare to leave the cities. It is time to prepare the place where we will live to work until the death decree or have a specific, real, and defined plan to reach this objective quickly when indicated.

We should look for places outside of the cities but close to them as it is from there that we will enter and leave them every day to give the warning message to all the people according to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. From there, we will work until we are allowed, until the decree that prohibits us from buying or selling is enacted. This will be proclaimed a short time before the time of grace comes to an end. This law is the sign to FLEE the cities and remain out in the country until the death decree. Even though we do not know, everything appears to indicate that there will be a period of several years between the decree of no buy or sell and the death decree.

““Immediately before the death decree, we will flee to the mountains from our homes in the country because the wicked people will move forward to kill us and strip us of our possessions before such mandate is enforced. This death decree occurs a little after the beginning of the seven last plagues, between the second and third, a short time after the no one may buy or sell decree, and the end of the time of grace. God’s people recognize the human government as a divine ordinance. But when its demands conflict with God’s, we must choose to obey God before men. God’s word is above all human legislation. The “Lord says” should not be put aside for a “church or the state says.” It is best to die than to sin; to suffer need than to steal; to go hungry than to lie.””

“When our freedom to work on Sunday is taken away, let us not get angry or become defiant. Let us be meek and humble, submit to God in prayer, and abstain from working on Sunday. Not working on Sunday is not accepting or receiving the beast’s mark. Sunday should be used to do genuine missionary work for as long as possible. We may celebrate evangelism meetings, give Bible studies, and do medical missionary work.

When a great effort is made to impose the observance of Sunday, it will be a precious opportunity to present the true day of rest before the world. The Sunday question must be emphasized first so that the day of rest of the fourth commandment may be presented before the legislative assemblies by the Lord’s attorneys.”

 

THE SMALL TIME OF TROUBLE

This is a short period of time precisely before the last seven plagues fall Revelation 16. During this time, Christ is still in the Sanctuary, finishing the work of salvation. In this short time, affliction will come upon the earth, and the nations will become angry, but they will be kept in check to keep them from preventing the realization of the work of the third angel of Revelation 14. This is the work that we should be doing; our message is “if anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation,” Revelation 14:9–10.

“God’s law will be invalidated by Satan’s instruments. They will not hesitate to force men, even against their own conscience, to observe the day that the nation declares as the day of rest because, by that time, religious liberty in the United States would have come to an end. The Seventh Day Adventists will fight the battle for the seven-day Sabbath.

The apostate church and the state will emphatically oppose God’s people. All those who do not submit to the national council’s decrees, and obey the federal laws that mandate to keep the day of rest instituted by the man of sin above God’s holy day, will feel the oppression of the image of the beast; which is the triple alliance of the civil power, the papacy, and the protestant churches.”

The spiritual war of Christian against Christian in which one of the two groups dominated by strong deceptions unites with the civil powers to persecute the saints of the Most High; those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ; is the beginning of what the Bible calls the battle of Armageddon, Revelation 16:16. Conflict in which the kings of the earth will be gathered for “the battle of that great day of God Almighty,” Revelation 16:14. This gathering of the nations occurs under the sixth plague of the last plagues. As soon as the nations gather in Armageddon, the seventh angel will pour out his bowl, and the decree “It is done” is pronounced from the throne of God, Revelation 16:17. With this gathering, the earth’s rebellion reaches its climax, and God intervenes to execute “the fierceness of His wrath” upon apostate Babylon and to free His own people, Revelation 16:19; 17:14; 18:20; 19:2; 19:15.

We have already seen how this conflict ends, but let’s return to the short time of trouble. Those of God’s people who live in the last days will know what it means to be persecuted because of the truth. “Injustice will prevail in the courts. The law of God will mean nothing to the judges, the law of men will be supreme, and no favor will be given to those that do not bow to the idol, the false day of rest.”

“Before the courts, we will renounce our rights, but we will ask that God’s right to receive our service be recognized. The Adventists will be treated with scorn; governing parties, religious ministries, and church members in union with the wealthy, the genius, and the educators will conspire against us in live voice and pen, with boastful threats and ridicule. They will try to destroy our faith. Due to our defense of the biblical truth, we will be treated as blasphemous traitors.”

We will not be left to fight alone, we will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and in the moments of our greatest need, we will remember the words of Jesus: “Remember the word that I said to you “a servant is not greater than his master.” “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you,” John 15:20; “some they will kill and others they will persecute,” Luke 11:49; “they will lay their hands on you, delivering you to the synagogues (churches) and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake. I will give you a mouth and wisdom that all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. But it will turn out for you an occasion for testimony… You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends… and you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost,” Luke 21:12–18.

In the same manner and of equal importance, we will remember, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you,” Matthew 5:10–12.

Let’s be of good cheer in these moments because they will be extremely difficult times; we will be denounced as enemies of law and order, as violators of the moral restrictions of society, and as the cause of the anarchy and corruption which bring the high judgments of God upon the earth; for following the scruples of our conscience we will be classified as obstinate, stubborn, and rebellious against all authority and disloyal to the government. But in these moments of anguish; the Lord Jesus will be with us, and His presence will give us joy and a good spirit; just as He did with the three Hebrews in the burning fiery furnace in ancient Babylon in the times of King Nebuchadnezzar.

“If we want to serve God without fear on these bad days, according to the dictates of our conscience, we need a greater preparation than the one we have today. To have the courage and firmness necessary, we must acquire a better knowledge of God and His Word. We should prepare to be treated with violence and cruelty, persecuted and insulted; our motives will be condemned, and our best efforts will be disfigured, and our names defamed.”

Nothing that happens should surprise us. We do not need to marvel about any horrific event, Matthew 24:9–24. The Lord Jesus tells us, “See, I have told you beforehand,” Matthew 24:25. Those who trample God’s law have the same spirit as those men who insulted and betrayed Jesus. Without any remorse of conscience, they will perform the works of their father, the devil.

“Satan has a thousand disguised attacks that will be launched against God’s faithful people, who keep the commandments, to force them to violate their conscience. Catholicism’s persecutions against the protestants of the past, through which the religion of Jesus was wiped out in the Dark Ages, will be used again in a more violent way against the people of God of the last days for keeping the commandments of the Most High. These will be imitated when postmodern Protestantism and the papacy unite, an event about to take place.

The true church will have very similar experiences as the primitive church, as those that occurred during the Day of Pentecost and the time that immediately followed. Remember and study the book of Acts very carefully; it is there where our Lord tells us the things that await us, although they will be worse for us. We see that in a short time, John and Peter were persecuted and taken before the council; the church fervently asks for trust and courage. Stephen is grabbed and later stoned; James is killed, and Peter imprisoned, and after his conversion, Paul is stoned in Lystra; disturbances are reported everywhere wherever the Gospel of Jesus is preached, Paul is brought before the governing people; there is talk about hunger, cold, shipwreck, whippings, jails, shortages, infamies, injustices, insults, and many other similar things.

God’s people will be deprived of all earthly support. When the decree stipulates that no one can buy except those who have the mark of the beast is imposed, wealth and resources will be of no value. We should invest all we have in the work of Christ before this decree is proclaimed. Today, God is asking us to do everything we can to warn and admonish the world.

Satan hopes that for fear of not having food, shelter, and clothes, we join the world in the transgression of the law of God. When the defenders of the truth refuse to honor Sunday, some will be thrown in jail, others will be exiled, and others will even be treated as enslaved people.

Today all this seems impossible, but as God’s restraining Spirit slowly moves away from men, and these fall under Satan’s control, who hates the divine principles, we will see very strange things. The love and the fear of God will not exist in the hearts of these men, and because of it, they will be extremely cruel, 2 Timothy 3:1–5.”

““We have the perspective of a long struggle; we will live with the risk of imprisonment, loss of property and all possessions, and even life itself. Many will be executed, many will be thrown in jail, and many will flee from the large cities as well as small towns to save their lives. Others will be betrayed by “parents and brothers, relatives and friends.””

“Today is the time to cultivate faith in God. We will not receive the courage, strength of character, and grace of the martyrs and disciples until we are placed in a situation when it will be needed. Only when we preach Christ crucified to satisfy the hunger of the lost souls and are genuinely interested in the salvation of the people as Christ is, will faith, hope, and courage come into our hearts.

Rejoice in the afflictions, crosses, temptations, adversities, and varied trials that afflict us today, and learn the lessons of patience, faith, self–denial, and love; because these are the means that God employs to refine, sanctify, and prepare us for the tribulation which is drawing near.

As enmity against those who observe the Lord’s Day of rest inches in, many will be deprived of their homes, and God’s people will scatter. God will allow this to give us the privilege and absolute duty to go to places where people are still willing to hear the Word of God because there, the opportunities will be more favorable. Unselfish efforts will be made to save the lost, and many who have gone astray will return to the fold to follow the Great Shepherd, John 10:16.

When the defiance of God’s law becomes almost universal, and His people are afflicted by their fellow men, God will intervene. The fervent prayers of His people will be answered. God will allow Satan to reveal his lying, accusing, and homicidal character all the way to the end. In this way, God’s triumph will be more glorious and complete.

We will have more to fear from the internal enemies, infiltrated among the people of God, than the external ones. The most significant obstacles to the vigor and success of Christ’s work come much more from the church itself than the world. In the church, there is much-promoted disbelief, expressed doubts, and harbored darkness.

We will have to struggle with many lies and events contrary to the Bible. Demon spirits will appear as loved relatives teaching that the day of rest has been changed from Saturday to Sunday. Some of these lying spirits will represent the apostles as contradicting what they wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They will deny the divine origin of the Bible. They will assure that man’s soul is immortal, that when he dies, he doesn’t die; he only passes from one place to another, and that God’s holy day is Sunday. They will perform miraculous healing and declare that they bring revelations from heaven contrary to the Holy Scriptures, 1 Timothy 4:1.

The enemy of the souls will introduce a revival of the primitive piety before the true event comes. He will make it seem that God’s special blessing has been poured upon the churches that he has under his seductive power. There will be an emotional excitement, a mixture of that which is true with that which is false to mislead the unprepared.”

Music is already a trap; it will be altered to produce disconcerted noises that stun the senses as it will be improperly used, resulting in an unnatural sound. “There will be shouting accompanied by drums, music, and dance. This influx of satanic instruments, together with racket and shouting, which will result in a carnival, will be called the work of the Holy Spirit.”

“These noisy services will accompany fanaticism, false excitement, and a false speaking in tongues. However, God’s people will not be misled. In the biblical light, it is not difficult to determine the nature of these movements, 2 Timothy 3:16. Anywhere the testimony of the Bible is neglected, we can rest assured that God does not dispense His blessings there.”

 

THE END OF THE TIME OF GRACE

The time of grace are the years that God has granted man to reach repentance, confess his sin, be forgiven, and receive the gift of salvation from our Lord Jesus. Individually to all of us, the opportunity of grace (probation) ends the day we die. After the first death, judgment comes to us all. For those who are alive immediately prior to Jesus’ return, grace ends a short time before the second coming of Jesus. God will not contend with man or Satan forever. In prophetic terms, the time of repentance is over when the precious blood of Jesus is no longer disposable to atone for sin. The seven last plagues are ready for the impenitent, only for those who do not repent from their sins and do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. After the closure of the time of grace, the plagues are poured upon those who refused the invitation from God to be saved. The Bible says, “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power; and no man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled,” Revelation 15:8.

“No one knows when the time of grace will end, this is kept in secret in the counsels of the Almighty. However, we do know some chronological details about many prophesized events. For example, we know that the image of the beast will form before this time ends. The image of the beast will be an excellent test for God’s people, as it was for Daniel’s three friends.” The answer to the laws to force the conscience of men, which are the three decrees that are being prepared for the saints of the Most High: the holiness of Sunday, not being able to buy or sell unless they accept the mark of the beast, and the death decree for refusing to worship the beast is:

“If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up,” Daniel 3:17–18.

We also know that the time of grace ends when the sealing of God’s people is completed. Precisely, just before entering the great time of trouble, which begins when the short time of trouble and the time of grace are both over.

As we previously saw in Ezekiel 9:2–4, the Lord ordered the man clothed in linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side, to put a mark on the forehead of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within the city; so that death (the plagues) does not reach them. This angel returns to heaven from earth and communicates to Jesus that the saints are numbered and sealed. At this moment, Jesus, who has been officiating before the Ark of the Ten Commandments, drops the censer and, raising His hands, He exclaims in a loud voice: “It is finished,” Revelation 8:5; 16:17. The time of grace ends here. Jesus ceases to intercede for man, there is no more forgiveness of sin.

Revelation 7:3, talking about the sealing, says, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” Verse 4 continues by saying, “And I heard the number of those who were sealed. One hundred and forty–four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel were sealed.” 144,000 is a symbolic number representing all of God’s faithful who are alive when the time of grace comes to an end, and only they are the ones who go through the great time of trouble. They are an exceptional group because there is no more intercession in heaven, and the Holy Spirit has left the earth. This does not mean they are alone, but they will go through “a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time,” Daniel 12:1.

At this moment, the time of great trouble begins, and the four angels of Revelation 7:1 stop holding the earth’s four winds. Famine, pestilence, and sword are turned loose. Nation rises against nation, and the entire world enters into confusion.

The time of grace will end suddenly and unexpectedly. When Jesus stops interceding for man, everyone’s case will have been decided forever. The pre–advent investigative judgment has ended. Sadly, those who have neglected the justification and sanctification of their souls by not obeying or paying attention to the warning message are found asleep. The time of grace will end a short time before Jesus Christ appears in the clouds of heaven.

In the time of Noah, the time of grace for the wicked ended, and none of them knew it. For seven days, Genesis 7:1, 4, after Noah entered the ark where God locked him to save him from the great flood, the people unknowingly and indifferently continued their habitual search for pleasures despite the warnings of the judgment that threatened them; “and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man,” Matthew 24:39. Inadvertently as a thief in the night, 1 Thessalonians 5:2. While, the businessman is absorbed in his eagerness for profit, and the pleasure seeker runs behind them, and while the fashion-slave is adorning herself; the moment when the Judge of all the Earth pronounces this sentence will arrive: “you have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting,” Daniel 5:27.

““After the end of the time of grace, the righteous and wicked will continue to live on the earth, unaware that the final decision has been pronounced in the heavenly sanctuary. The forms of religion will continue in effect, but the Holy Spirit will be absent in them; and the satanic zeal that inspires them to fulfill the cruel purposes of the prince of darkness will resemble the passion for God. The wheat and the tares will remain in contact with each other “until the harvest,” so everyone may see the contrast.

Gladly will fables and errors be accepted; unbelief and the prohibited pleasures will continue. The falsely professed God’s people will join the world, living as it lives and partaking in its sinful pleasures, and when the luxury of the world becomes the luxury of the church, Jesus will come like a thief, Revelation 16:15.

When ministers, farmers, businessmen, lawyers, influential persons, and men of pious appearance “say: peace and safety, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they will not escape,” 1 Thessalonians 5:3. The terrible plagues will begin to fall (note that the last plagues occur after the close of probation (grace) and during the great time of trouble). There will be a “famine of hearing the words of the Lord,” Amos 8:11, by those who despised it and took it lightly. “They will wander from sea to sea, and from north to east, they shall run to and from, seeking the word of the Lord, but will not find it,” Amos 8:12.””

“At this point in time, the last solemn warning has been given by God’s people. The last prayers have been offered; the last tears have been poured out for a rebellious church and wicked people. Then, those who professed the truth, but did not live it, will quickly give houses and land, dollars miserably kept, to receive the consolation and an explanation of the way of salvation or to hear from the faithful ministers a word of hope or a prayer, but they will not have it. These cases have been decided and permanently fixed forever; their thirst will never be satisfied, probation has ended.”

When God’s punishments fall without mercy, the wicked will enormously envy the condition of those who abide under “the shadow of the Almighty.” Because the Lord’s pavilion will hide and protect those, who have loved Him and obeyed His commandments!

We must take maximum advantage of our present opportunities. No other time of grace will be given to us to prepare for heaven; the Lord has been “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” Exodus 34:6, toward us. Glory be to His Holy Name! This is our only and last opportunity. There will not be a time of grace after this one, nor after the second coming of our Lord. Those who say that there will be, are deceived and lost. No one can nor should wait for a second time of grace. There will not be a temporary millennium. The one thousand years of Revelation 20 are easily understood and clearly described so that no one is deceived. There is nothing written there that speaks of another opportunity. Those one thousand years have another purpose; we will study them very soon.

 

WORSHIP IN THE CONFLICT

We were all created with an inherent need to worship. We all worship something. “In ancient times in Egypt, a pharaoh, a man, was worshipped; in other lands, people worshipped statues of fish, gods with several heads, and other various supposed deities. Some worshipped the sun, moon, stars, and other things in nature.

Nowadays, most do not bow before a statue of a frog, but they do to a statue of a human they consider a saint. All human beings, including the atheist and the worldly, worship something: money, power, clothes, jewelry, food, fashion, their children, their parents, themselves, drugs, sex, music, rock-n-roll stars, actors, politicians, fame, sports, or the athlete. Be it what it may, what we love is our god. Where we center our attention, the reason for what we live and invest our time, resources, and our being, that is what we worship.”

Worship is at the center of the cosmic conflict between Jesus Christ and Lucifer; it is the central issue of the controversy. That which we obey or worship is our god. In this universal battle, to worship and love is to obey; to obey is to love and worship.

In Exodus 20, the Lord God wrote on two stone tablets, with His own finger, His will for us: the ten commandments. The first commandment is: “You shall have no other gods before Me,” Exodus 20:3; the second is: “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity… of those who hate Me, but showing mercy… to those who love Me and keep My commandments,” Exodus 20:4–6.

It is evident that to love God is to keep His commandments. Those who do not keep them is because they have other gods and hate the Lord.

In Babylon, in the times of the prophet Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel 3, the image of the beast rose for the first time in the Bible. The power of the government and the false religion united; in a type of union of church and state, a death decree was proclaimed to all peoples, nations, and languages on behalf of the King, verse 4, to all who did not bow down and worship the image would be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, verse 6. There were among the multitude three Jewish men, true worshipers of God, the Most High, who did not respect (feared) the king and did not worship the statue that the king had stood up, verse 12, then these three Hebrews were bound and cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace, verse 21. The Lord Jesus did not free them from this trial, but He accompanied them and protected them from suffering harm, verse 25. This test symbolizes the one we, who live in the last days of this world, will go through.

This story teaches us the importance of true worship. Here it’s imperative to remember and keep ever present the words of Samuel the prophet, who said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to pay attention than the fat of rams,” 1 Samuel 15:22. These three Jews paid attention and took the words of the Lord very seriously and proposed in their hearts to obey God without caring about the consequences, even if it cost them their lives.

We must remember that these two commandments are at the same level as “thou shall not kill,” “thou shall not steal,” and the rest of the commandments. Correct and adequate worship is so important because it is the foundation for the issues of the last days before the second coming of Christ. If our worship is incorrect or inadequate, it will cost us eternal life. We are studying this subject because our Lord Jesus wants us to understand it clearly. Let’s see what worship is, how it is done, why it’s crucial, whom we worship, and whom we should worship.

The Lord begins His final warning message to the world by saying: “Fear (respect and obey) God, and give glory to Him… worship Him that made heaven and earth… Babylon is fallen, is fallen… If any man worships the beast and his image… The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God…,” Revelation 14:6–10. In these texts, God clearly warns us that He is the only one worthy of worship because He is the Creator, and there is no other.

Let’s begin by examining the root of the problem. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,” Jeremiah 17:9. As professed religious individuals, we are not willing to examine ourselves to the most minimal details to see if we are in the faith of Jesus. It is terrible and unfortunate to see how most professed Christians rely on a false hope. “Some find comfort in an experience they had years ago, but when they reach this time which demands that they examine their conscience for not having a daily spiritual experience, they have nothing to support them. Apparently, they believe that they will be saved just by professing faith. But until they abandon the sins that God hates, they will not be able to offer God the worship He looks for and desires.” When they confess and forsake those hidden and secret sins, Jesus will come and dine with them, and they with Him. Only then will they be granted the divine power of Jesus, and will grow in Him and triumphantly will be able to say: “thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Corinthians 15:57. These lukewarm believers displease the Lord because they are ballast to those who want to be faithful followers of Jesus. They are a stumbling stone to the unbelievers, and because of their twisted conduct, malignant angels rejoice. Like Satan’s angels, they are a curse to God’s cause in the whole world. Of these, Jesus says: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me,” Matthew 15:8.

The Lord Himself tells us how to worship God in John 4:24: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” Jesus Christ gives us the two fundamental principles of true worship: one, in spirit, and two, in truth.

“In spirit” means that our worship must emerge out of our love for God; we love Him with all our heart, with all our mind, and all our might for who He is because we know Him intimately, and we have a live and personal daily continuous experience with Him. We have a profound friendship and trust in Him. We know His thoughts, feelings, and sensations because He shares them with us. We always carry an infinite thankfulness in our hearts for being created and for Him having extended His grace and forgiveness through His beloved Son, who poured out His very precious blood, redeemed us from death, and granted us His righteousness, and because we are saved for eternal life.

We live the religion that comes from God because it is the only one that leads to God. We have been born of the Holy Spirit; we are new creatures in Christ; now, we live only to serve Him correctly, as He wishes. We live only for God, to please and obey Him in all things. Our food is to do His will. This has purified our hearts, renewed our minds, and given us a new capability to know and love God. We are inspired to a voluntary obedience to all His requirements. Such is a true homage and proper and correct worship. This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s work.

At the same time, worship should be “in truth.” For this, it is necessary to have a correct knowledge of God, of who He is, and what He requires of us. In other words, the doctrine is equally important. For example, it is essential to know that we worship a God who does not burn people in hell for eternity. We will study the lake of fire doctrine five subjects later.

This document does not have the purpose of being a study of biblical doctrines. However, they are included at the end of this subject in a very concise manner with some Bible text references only to benefit the reader, who may not have had the privilege or the opportunity to study them. If you desire, you may approach the Seventh Day Adventist Church, where you will find proper teaching and help.

Jesus is the central focus of all true doctrine and the experience of a true Christian believer. Even though it is not done in detail, there is sufficient information here to study them in-depth and corroborate each. Each belief is founded in the Bible and centered on Jesus Christ. Each one reveals how He is; because there is no one else like Him; and what a relationship with Him means; both things are essential to worship God in spirit and truth.

We have seen two components of true worship that God requires of us; the experience which results from knowing and obeying God and the objective truths revealed about God in the Holy Scriptures. ““The spirit without truth always leads to superficial sentimentalism, which God hates, because it is only based on the emotion and whim of the supposed worshiper.” This individual presents himself to the divine worship service with a disrespectful attitude, dress, and behavior; he lacks a proper disposition to worship God because he does not know God and doesn’t know how He is. This worshiper has the mentality of going to a noisy place, which is more a carnival than a worship service, to which he attends in a garment of false grace, without wearing the white raiment of the righteousness of the saints, Revelation 19:8, because he does not know the truth about the requirements of the grace of a Holy God. These believers say they love God without having to obey nor live with works of faith for love. These people are like trees that do not bear good fruit, ignoring that it is written: “every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire,” Matthew 3:10, and that to love God is to obey Him, as Christ says: “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15.

On the other hand, the truth without spirit leads to an inherent formalism like the one of the Pharisees in the time of Jesus, which is also despicable to our Heavenly Father; because it is worship by forced obedience, and without love, love is the spirit of the law. “God is love,” 1 John 4:8, and all His commandments and requirements have their foundation in the principle of love; as all of them reflect God’s character and give testimony of who God is, therefore, it is impossible to worship God without love and one’s own choice.””

It is impossible to worship God without both things together; the spirit and the truth are the two faces of the same coin. But there is more; the place of worship, the day, and the hour are what God chooses, Deuteronomy 12:11.

In ancient Israel, in the beginning, after being taken out of Egypt, God gave His people the reunion tabernacle, Exodus 25:9; 27:21, which we studied briefly in the third subject. This was the place chosen by God for the people to congregate. Many years later, God chose King Salomon’s temple as their meeting place; after that, it was the synagogues, and finally, the church was established by the apostles after the resurrection of Jesus. In which we “consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more, as you see the day approaching,” Hebrews 10:24–25. The day of reunion is the same one given to man since the beginning and for eternity; “and from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me, says the Lord,” Isaiah 66:23. Saturdays at nine A.M., the morning sacrifice was offered by divine ordinance, and the evening sacrifice at three P.M., the same hour in which the Lord Jesus yielded up His spirit in calvary.

“In 1 Chronicles 16:1–36, we see an exemplary worship meeting. It is a solemn celebration, respectful and cheerful with many components: hymns, psalms, prayer, offerings, joy, fellowship, faith, respect, reverence, admiration, praises, Scripture reading, and testimony; everything is done remembering the mercy, the grace and love of God for us. Rendering God all honor, glory, power, wisdom, wealth, and blessings.

Our faithfulness to God, church attendance, personal ministry, daily living, treatment of others, in all possessions, and all things are part of worshiping the Almighty.”

Remember that love and money are inseparable. The primary purpose of money is to be used for the glory of God; “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy to the Lord,” Leviticus 27:30. “There you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, all of your choice offerings which you vow to the Lord,” Deuteronomy 12:11. Jesus says, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s,” Matthew 22:21.

The tithes and offerings make obvious whom we worship and what is in our hearts. At the same time, with our faithfulness, we tell God that we love Him, trust Him, and are His obedient stewards, and recognize that the earth and its fullness belong to Him and only Him. The recently born–again Christian’s minimal commitment is 10% of his gross income, only 10% because he was just born. The mature Christian’s minimal commitment is 20%, 10% tithe, and 10% offerings. With this, we minimally participate in support of the Gospel of Jesus, and God is satisfied. To take from this money for some other purpose is to steal from God, and it is the same as eating the prohibited fruit as Adam and Eve did in Eden.

1 Chronicles 16:29 says: “Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!” We worship God by developing a holy character like that of Christ in ourselves, looking for moral perfection, and living the Christian norms of conduct every moment and every day: love, mercy, righteousness, patience, tolerance, generosity, goodness, humility, joy, peace, kindness, meekness, self-denial and other similar things; living in a manner that we carry with us the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

“The importance of Saturday as a commemorative institution of Creation is that it always reminds us of the true reason for which God should be worshipped because He is the Creator, and we are His creation. For this reason, the Sabbath is part of the foundation of the worship service. The true motive of divine worship resides in the distinction between the Creator and His creatures.”

“Nothing that is holy and belongs to God’s worship should be treated with carelessness or indifference. We should at all times keep in our minds a distinction between the sacred and the common. Vast ideas, noble thoughts, and aspirations will strengthen our thoughts regarding divine things. Amen!”

Beliefs of the Seventh–Day Adventist:

1) Holy Scriptures

The Holy Scriptures, Old and New Testament, are the written Word of God, given by divine inspiration. The inspired authors spoke and wrote as the Holy Spirit moved them. In this Word, God has committed to humanity the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are His will’s supreme, authoritative, and infallible revelation. They are the standard of character, the test of experience, the definitive revealer of doctrines, and the trustworthy record of God’s acts in history. (Ps. 119:105; Prov. 30:5, 6; Isa. 8:20; John 17:17; 1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; Heb. 4:12; 2 Peter 1:20, 21.)

2) The Trinity

There is one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three coeternal Persons. God is immortal, all-powerful, all-knowing, above all, and ever-present. He is infinite and beyond human comprehension, yet known through His self-revelation. God, who is love, is forever worthy of worship, adoration, and service by the whole creation. (Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 6:8; Matt. 28:19; John 3:16; 2 Cor. 1:21, 22; 13:14; Eph. 4:4–6; 1 Peter 1:2.)

3) God the Father

God, the Eternal Father, is the Creator, Source, Sustainer, and Sovereign of all creation. He is just and holy, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. The qualities and powers exhibited in the Son and the Holy Spirit are also those of the Father. (Gen. 1:1; Deut. 4:35; Ps. 110:1, 4; John 3:16; 14:9; 1 Cor. 15:28; 1 Tim. 1:17; 1 John 4:8; Rev. 4:11.)

4) God the Son (Jesus Christ)

God, the Eternal Son, became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him, all things were created, God’s character was revealed, humanity’s salvation is accomplished, and the world is judged. Forever truly God, He became also truly human, Jesus the Christ. He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and, in our place, was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven to minister in the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf. He will come again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of all things. (Isa. 53:4–6; Dan. 9:25 27; Luke 1:35; John 1:1–3, 14; 5:22; 10:30; 14:1‑3, 9, 13; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:3, 4; 2 Cor. 3:18; 5:17–19; Phil. 2:5–11; Col. 1:15–19; Heb. 2:9–18; 8:1, 2.)

5) God the Holy Spirit

God, the Eternal Spirit, was active with the Father and the Son in Creation, incarnation, and redemption. He inspired the writers of Scripture. He filled Christ’s life with power. He draws and convicts human beings, and for those who respond, He renews and transforms into the image of God. He extends spiritual gifts to the church. (Gen. 1:1, 2; Luke 1:35; 4:18; John 14:16–18, 26; 15:26; 16:7–13; Acts 10:38; Rom. 5:5; 2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Peter 1:21.)

6) Creation

God has revealed in Scripture the authentic and historical account of His creative activity. He created the universe, and in a recent six-day creation, the Lord made “the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them” and rested on the seventh day. (Gen. 1–2; 5; 11; Exod. 20:8–11; Ps. 19:1‑6; 33:6, 9; 104; Col. 1:16.)

7) Nature of Humanity

Man and woman were made in the image of God with individuality, power, and freedom to think and to do. Though created free beings, each is an indivisible unity of body, mind, and spirit, dependent upon God for life, breath, and all else. When our first parents disobeyed God, they denied their dependence upon Him and fell from their high position. The image of God in them was marred, and they became subject to death. Their descendants share this fallen nature and its consequences. (Gen. 1:26–28; 2:7; 3; Ps. 8:4–8; Acts 17:24–28; Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12–17; 2 Cor. 5:19, 20.)

8) The Great Controversy

All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God’s adversary, and led into rebellion a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into this world. Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. (Gen. 3; 6–8; Isa. 14:12–14; Ezek. 28:12–18; Rom. 1:19‑32; 5:12–21; 8:19–22; 1 Cor. 4:9; Heb. 1:14; 1 Peter 5:8; 2 Peter 3:6; Rev. 12:4–9.)

9) The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ

In Christ’s life of perfect obedience to God’s will, His suffering, death, and resurrection, God provided the only means of atonement for human sin so that those who by faith accept this atonement may have eternal life, and the whole creation may better understand the infinite and holy love of the Creator. (Isa. 53; John 3:16; Rom. 1:4; 3:25; 4:25; 8:3, 4; 2 Cor. 5:14, 15, 19–21; Phil. 2:6–11; Col. 2:15; 1 John 2:2; 4:10.)

10) The Experience of Salvation

In infinite love and mercy, God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that in Him we might be made the righteousness of God. Led by the Holy Spirit, we sense our need, acknowledge our sinfulness, repent of our transgressions, and exercise faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord, Substitute and Example. This saving faith comes through the divine power of the Word and is the gift of God’s grace. Through Christ, we are justified, and delivered from the lordship of sin. Abiding in Him, we become partakers of the divine nature and have the assurance of salvation now and in the judgment. (John 3:16; Rom. 3:21–26; 8:1–4, 14–17; 5:6–10; 10:17; 2 Cor. 5:17–21; Gal. 1:4; 3:13, 14, 26; 4:4–7; Eph. 2:4‑10; Heb. 8:7–12; 1 Peter 1:23; 2:21, 22.)

11) Growing in Christ

By His death on the cross, Jesus triumphed over the forces of evil. He who subjugated the demonic spirits during His earthly ministry has broken their power and made certain their ultimate doom. Jesus’ victory gives us victory over the evil forces that still seek to control us as we walk with Him in peace, joy, and assurance of His love. Now the Holy Spirit dwells within us and empowers us. Continually committed to Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are set free from the burden of our past deeds. We no longer live in the darkness, fear of evil powers, ignorance, and meaninglessness of our former way of life. In this new freedom in Jesus, we are called to grow into the likeness of His character, communing with Him daily in prayer, feeding on His Word, meditating on it and His providence, singing His praises, gathering together for worship, and participating in the mission of the Church. We are also called to follow Christ’s example by compassionately ministering to the physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of humanity. As we give ourselves in loving service to those around us and in witnessing His salvation, His constant presence with us through the Spirit transforms every moment and every task into a spiritual experience. (1 Chron. 29:11; Ps. 1:1, 2; 23:4; 77:11, 12; Matt. 20:25–28; 25:31–46; Luke 10:17–20; John 20:21; Rom. 8:38, 39; 2 Cor. 3:17, 18; Gal. 5:22–25; Eph. 5:19, 20; 6:12–18; Phil. 3:7–14; Col. 1:13, 14; 2:6, 14, 15; 1 Thess. 5:16–18, 23; Heb. 10:25; James 1:27; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:18; 1 John 4:4.)

12) The Church

The church is the community of believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We join together for worship, fellowship, instruction in the Word, the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, service to humanity, and for the worldwide proclamation of the gospel. The church is God’s family. The church is the body of Christ. (Gen. 12:1–3; Exod. 19:3–7; Matt. 16:13–20; 18:18; 28:19, 20; Acts 2:38–42; 7:38; 1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:22, 23; 2:19–22; 3:8–11; 5:23–27; Col. 1:17, 18; 1 Peter 2:9.)

13) The Remnant and its Mission

The universal church is composed of all who truly believe in Christ, but in the last days, a remnant has been called out to keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This remnant announces the arrival of the judgment hour, proclaims salvation through Christ, and heralds the approach of His second advent. (2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Peter 1:16–19; 4:17; 2 Peter 3:10–14; Rev. 12:17; 14:6–12; 18:1–4.)

14) Unity in the Body of Christ

The church is one body with many members, called from every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. We are all equal in Christ. Through the revelation of Jesus Christ in the Scriptures, we share the same faith and hope and reach out as one witness to all. This unity has its source in the oneness of the triune God, who has adopted us as His children. (Ps. 133:1; John 17:20–23; Acts 17:26, 27; 1 Cor. 12:12–14; 2 Cor. 5:16, 17; Gal. 3:27–29; Eph. 4:3–6, 11–16;

Col. 3:10–15.)

15) Baptism

By baptism, we confess our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and testify of our death to sin and of our purpose to walk in the newness of life, and are received as members by His church. Baptism symbolizes our union with Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, and our reception of the Holy Spirit. It is by immersion in water. It follows instructions in the Holy Scriptures and acceptance of their teachings. (Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts 2:38; 16:30–33; 22:16; Rom. 6:1–6; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12, 13.)

16) The Lord’s Supper (Communion)

The Lord’s Supper is a participation in the emblems of the body and blood of Jesus as an expression of faith in Him, our Lord and Savior. Preparation for the Supper includes self-examination, repentance, and confession. The Master ordained the service of foot-washing to signify renewed cleansing, to express a willingness to serve one another in Christlike humility and to unite our hearts in love. (Matt. 26:17–30; John 6:48–63; 13:1–17; 1 Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:23–30; Rev. 3:20.)

17) Spiritual Gifts and Ministries

God bestows upon all members of His church in every age spiritual gifts. Given by the agency of the Holy Spirit, who apportions to each member as He wills, the gifts provide all abilities and ministries needed by the church to fulfill its divinely ordained functions. Some members are called by God and endowed by the Spirit for functions recognized by the church in pastoral, evangelistic, and teaching ministries particularly needed to equip the members for service. (Acts 6:1–7; Rom. 12:4–8; 1 Cor. 12:7‑11, 27, 28; Eph. 4:8, 11–16; 1 Tim. 3:1–13; 1 Peter 4:10, 11.)

18) The Gift of Prophecy

The Scriptures testify that one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church, and we believe it was manifested in the ministry of Ellen G. White. Her writings speak with prophetic authority and provide comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction to the church. (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14–21; Heb. 1:1–3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.)

19) The Law of God

The great principles of God’s law are embodied in the Ten Commandments and exemplified in the life of Christ. They express God’s love, will, and purposes concerning human conduct and relationships, binding upon everyone at every age. These precepts are the basis of God’s covenant with His people and the standard in God’s judgment. (Exod. 20:1–17; Deut. 28:1–14; Ps. 19:7–14; Matt. 5:17‑20; John 14:15; 1 John 2:3; 5:3; Rev. 12:17; 14:12.)

20) The Sabbath

The gracious Creator, after the six days of Creation, rested on the seventh day and instituted the Sabbath for all people as a memorial of Creation. The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath. It is a symbol of our redemption in Christ, a sign of our sanctification, and a token of our allegiance. The Sabbath is God’s perpetual sign of His eternal covenant between Him and His people. (Gen. 2:1–3; Exod. 20:8‑11; 31:13‑17; Lev. 23:32; Deut. 5:12–15; Isa. 56:5, 6; 58:13, 14; Ezek. 20:12, 20; Matt. 12:1–12; Mark 1:32; Luke 4:16; Heb. 4:1–11.)

21) Stewardship

We are God’s stewards, entrusted by Him with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth and its resources. We are responsible to Him for their proper use. We acknowledge God’s ownership by faithful service to Him and our fellow human beings and by returning tithe and giving offerings for the proclamation of His gospel and the support and growth of His church. (Gen. 1:26–28; 2:15; Haggai 1:3–11; Mal. 3:8–12; Matt. 23:23; 1 Cor. 9:9–14.)

22) Christian Behavior

We are called to be godly people who think, feel, and act in harmony with biblical principles in all aspects of personal and social life. For the Spirit to recreate in us the character of our Lord, we involve ourselves only in those things that will produce Christlike purity, health, and joy in our lives. (Lev. 11:1–47; Rom. 12:1, 2; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 10:31; 2 Cor. 10:5; Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 Peter 3:1–4; 1 John 2:6.)

23) Marriage and the Family

Marriage was divinely established in Eden and affirmed by Jesus as a lifelong union between a man and a woman in loving companionship. For the Christian, a marriage commitment is to God and the spouse and should be entered into only between a man and a woman who share a common faith. Regarding divorce, Jesus taught that the person who divorces a spouse, except for fornication, and marries another, commits adultery. God blesses the family and intends that its members assist each other toward complete maturity. Parents are to bring up their children to love and obey the Lord. (Gen. 2:18–25; Exod. 20:12; Deut. 6:5–9; Prov. 22:6; Mal. 4:5, 6; Mark 10:11, 12; John 2:1–11; 2 Cor. 6:14; Eph. 6:1–4.)

24) Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary

There is a sanctuary in heaven, the true tabernacle that the Lord set up, not humans. In it, Christ ministers on our behalf, making available to believers the benefits of His atoning sacrifice offered once and for all on the cross. He began His intercessory ministry, typified by the high priest’s work in the holy place of the earthly sanctuary. In 1844, at the end of the prophetic period of 2300 days, He entered the second and last phase of His atoning ministry. The investigative judgment reveals to divine intelligence who among the dead are asleep in Christ and, therefore, in Him, are deemed worthy to have a part in the first resurrection. It also makes manifest who among the living are abiding in Christ, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, and in Him, therefore, are ready for translation into His everlasting kingdom. It declares that those who have remained loyal to God shall receive the kingdom. Completing this ministry of Christ will mark the close of human probation before the Second Advent. (Num. 14:34; Ezek. 4:6; Dan. 7:9–27; 8:13, 14; 9:24–27; Heb. 1:3; 8:1–5; 9:11–28; Rev. 14:6, 7; 20:12; 22:12.)

25) The Second Coming of Christ

The second coming of Christ is the blessed hope of the church. The Savior’s coming will be literal, personal, visible, and worldwide. (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; John 14:1–3; Acts 1:9–11; 1 Cor. 15:51–54; 2 Tim. 3:1–5; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; Rev. 1:7; 14:14–20; 19:11–21.)

26) Death and Resurrection

The wages of sin are death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day, death is an unconscious state for all people. (Eccl. 9:5, 6, 10; John 5:28, 29; 11:11–14; Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:51–54; 1 Thess. 4:13–17; 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 20:1–10.)

27) The Millennium and the End of Sin

The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ with His saints in heaven between the first and second resurrections. During this time, the wicked dead will be judged. At its close, Christ, with His saints and the Holy City, will descend from heaven to earth. The unrighteous dead will then be resurrected, and Satan and his angels will surround the city, but fire from God will consume them and cleanse the earth. The universe will thus be freed of sin and sinners forever. (Jer. 4:23–26; Ezek. 28:18, 19; Mal. 4:1; 1 Cor. 6:2, 3; Rev. 20; 21:1–5.)

28) The New Earth

On the new earth where righteousness dwells, God will provide an eternal home for the redeemed and a perfect environment for everlasting life, love, joy, and learning in His presence. (Isa. 35; 65:17–25; Matt. 5:5; 2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 11:15; 21:1–7; 22:1–5.)

*These abstracts of the “Beliefs of the Seventh–Day Adventists” were taken from the Seventh–Day Adventist Church website. For more information, please visit the following internet website: https://www.adventist.org/beliefs/.

 

THE GREAT TIME OF TROUBLE

(THE SEVEN LAST PLAGUES)

As the time of grace ends, this horrible great time of trouble begins. The angel of mercy, Revelation 7:2‑3, abandons the earth, and the seven last plagues are poured out upon the wicked, while God is refuge and protection for His faithful. One trumpet behind another will sound, Revelation 8:12; a bowl behind another bowl, Revelation 16:1, will be poured out in succession upon the transgressors of the law of God who live on the earth, and there will be no pause until the end.

The four powerful angels of Revelation 7 release the four winds, which they have been holding because the children of God are now complete and sealed with the seal of God. A time of difficulties and anguish will come as never before. There will be a conflict of such nature that it is impossible to describe it, and the whole world will be involved in ruins.

Jesus’ prophesy in reference to the judgment of Jerusalem and its destruction in Luke 21 was not but a pale reflection of what is about to take place on earth. Remember that during the siege of Jerusalem, the mothers ate their children. In what happened to the holy city, we can see the condemnation of a world that rejected the mercy of God and trampled His law.

“The justice revealed in the sinner’s punishment is undoubtedly the glory of God, as is the manifestation of His mercy and love. He is true, righteous, patient, kind, and merciful. He will execute judgment upon the gods of this world as He did in Egypt. He will destroy the earth with fire, floods, earthquakes, and plagues.”

Another lie of our days is that since God is love, that will impede Him from destroying the sinner. Men reason in their inferior norms and conclude that God will do as they imagine, conveniently forgetting or simply ignoring that God says: “These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was like you, but I will rebuke you, and set them in order before your eyes. Now consider this, you who forgot God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you,” Psalms 50:21–22. In addition, the Lord says, “Vengeance is Mine and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them,” Deuteronomy 32:35.

Sin’s character is so offensive to God that it cannot be measured. God is the Legislator of the universe and a moral Governor. As such, He makes and executes His laws. Laws that, if they have no penalty, have no force. It is written: “The soul who sins shall die,” Ezekiel 18:4. “Behold, a white horse, and He who sat on him was called Faithful and True… out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations… then the beast was captured, and with him, the false prophet… and the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh,” Revelation 19:11, 15, 20, 21.

One may reason that a loving father would not allow his children to suffer the fire of eternal death, having the power to help. But for the good of His faithful children and the security of the whole universe, God will punish with a painful and permanent death those who do not repent from their sins. God will punish the transgressor as He has said. God does not work according to man’s plan because; “the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein,” Psalms 24:1. He will apply an infinite justice that man does not have the right to administer to his fellow men. Noah would have gravely displeased God if he had drowned one of his mockers and harassers, and yet God drowned the entire world that did not heed the warning given for salvation. Who says that God will not do what He says He will do? “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: He has said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?,” Numbers 23:19.

Up to this moment (the year 2021), the judgments we suffer are not the plagues of the wrath of God, the ones He will pour out upon those who have the mark of the beast. “The judgments previous to the plagues do not come directly from the Lord; they come in the following manner: the Lord warns, corrects, and shows us the only sure way; if those who have been the object of His care follow their own course independent of the Spirit of God and choose their own way, then the Lord will not entrust His angels to prevent Satan’s attacks against them. It is Satan’s power that today works on the sea and earth, bringing calamity and anguish, securing his prey, because God’s protection is little by little leaving this sinful world. When the time of grace comes to an end, the Holy Spirit will be completely separated from those who rejected Jesus Christ’s warning message, and they will be abandoned to Satan’s will. God’s plagues will be poured out upon Babylon and her followers.”

“The angels of God who demolished and destroyed Jericho, Joshua 6, and in one night, killed one hundred eighty-five thousand soldiers of the Assyrian army, 2 Kings 19:35, and filled Egypt with mourning with the deaths of the country’s firstborn, Exodus 12:29, await divine permission to pour out the last plagues and sow desolation everywhere on the planet.”

When Christ ceases to intercede for sinful man in the Heavenly Sanctuary, God Almighty’s wrath will be poured out without mixture upon those who worship the beast and his image and have received his mark, Revelation 14:9–10.

““Soon the time will come when a short time after the no buy or sell decree, the Holy Spirit will depart from the earth, and the angel of mercy will return to heaven, the time of probation ends, and the four angels release the winds and then; “And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels; go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth” Revelation 16:1. “And the first went… and a loathsome, foul sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image,” Revelation 16:2.

“Then the second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man, and every living creature in the sea died,” Revelation 16:3.

These two plagues infuriated the wicked against the righteous; they thought that we had brought upon them God’s judgments, and if they could eradicate us from the earth, they would stop. A decree to kill the saints of the Most High was enacted. In condemning God’s people to death, the ones who did it are as guilty of their bloodshed as if they had spilled it with their own hands.””

“Then the third angel poured out his bowl on rivers and springs of water, and they became blood,” Revelation 16:4. As terrible as these plagues are, God’s righteousness and justice are fully vindicated. The same angel, after having poured out that third bowl declares: “You are righteous, Oh Lord, the One who is and who was and who is to be because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink because they deserve it,” Revelation 16:5‑6.

In the fourth plague, the sun is given power “to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat,” Revelation 16:8–9. The prophets describe the state of the earth during this awful time. “The field is wasted, the land mourns; all the trees of the field are withered; as a result, the joy has withered away from the sons of men. “The seed is rotten… the storehouses are laid desolate.” How does the beast groan? The herds of cattle are perplexed because they have no pasture! … the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness,” Joel 1:10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20. “And the singers of the temple shall be wailing in that day, says the Lord God. Many dead bodies everywhere; they shall be thrown out in silence,” Amos 8:3.

“These plagues will not be universal; if so, the earth’s inhabitants will be destroyed entirely.” Before the end of the time of probation, the atoning blood of Christ prevented the sinner from receiving the full punishment of his guilt, but now the wrath of God is poured out pure without a mixture of mercy. In these days, there will be a hunger for hearing the words of the Lord, and they will seek everywhere for it “but will not find It,” Amos 8:11–12.

“And the fifth angel poured out his bowl upon the seat of the beast, and his kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed their tongues for pain. And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and sores, and repented not of their deeds,” Revelation 16:10–11.

God’s people will be persecuted, afflicted, and will suffer privation and lack of food, but as the prophet Elijah, they will not be abandoned to perish. “The Lord is your keeper: the Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord will preserve you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.” “Surely, He will deliver you from the fowler’s snare and perilous pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you will take refuge; His truth will be your shield and buckler. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. Surely with your eyes, you will see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, the Most High, your dwelling place; no evil will befall you, nor any plague come near your dwelling,” Psalms 121:5–7; 91:3–10.

“All the faithful, just like Jacob, wrestle with God. Their countenance expresses the agony of their souls. They are pale but do not cease in fervent prayer. There will be companies of mighty angels stationed around them; they have heard their prayers and have witnessed their anguish. The angels await their Chief’s order to pull them from the danger, but they must wait a little more.”

“Their enemy will advance before the established date to take their lives but will not be able to cross the cordon of the powerful angels. Some will be attacked as they flee from the cities and small towns. However, the weapons raised against them will break and fall as if they were made out of straw. Angels will protect others in the form of warriors.”

The prophet says: “and the heavens declare His righteousness; for God, Himself is Judge,” Psalms 50:6. “After the fifth plague, a hand holding two stone tablets appears in the sky; this is the holy and just law of God, which was proclaimed from Sinai in the midst of thunder and lightning, Exodus 19:16‑18.”

““Now it is revealed again by God Himself as the norm of the judgment because it was given to us as a guide for life; to love God above everything else, with all our mind, and all our heart, and all the strength of our soul. This is the first and greatest commandment, and in these ten words, it is further explained in the first four commandments. Here is also the second commandment which is similar to the first. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” this is further explained in the last six commandments. The hand opens the tablets, and the Decalogue precepts are so clear that all the inhabitants of the earth can read them inscribed like with letters of fire.””

“The lost will condemn the false pastors, and they will learn the lesson, but it will be too late; they are eternally lost. The unfaithful pastors prophesized flattering things, inducing their listeners to disrespect and mock the law of God and persecute those who kept it and sanctified it. Those who admire them the most will rise against them to annihilate them with the weapons that were to be used to destroy God’s people.”

“The sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared,” Revelation 16:12.

Spirits of demons will search for the kings of the earth and all over the world to imprison all men with deceptions and induce them to join Satan in his last battle against the government of God. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of demons, 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,” Revelation 16: 13–14.

Here the prophecy once again identifies Babylon from which these demon spirits emerge; the three components of this triple alliance participate; they are the dragon (Satan), the beast (the papacy), and the false prophet (Protestantism).

“Now two great antagonistic powers are gathered to fight the last great battle between good and evil. On one side, the Creator of heaven and earth. All who are on His side carry on them His seal; they are obedient to His commandments. On the other side is the prince of darkness and with him those who have the mark of the beast; disobedience to the commandments of God, Creator of the universe, apostasy, and rebellion.”

“And the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying: It is done. And there were voices, and thunder, and lightning; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceedingly great,” Revelation 16:17–21.

The second coming of Christ occurs under the seventh and last plague. The earthquake is indescribably devastating, Revelation 6:14–17. Every piece of hail weighs about sixty pounds. The worldwide religious, political, and economic confederation (The Great Babylon), which persecuted God’s people imposing the mark of the beast, suffered total and complete destruction.

The Almighty, whose garment has written “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,” leads the celestial hosts who ride on white horses dressed in fine linens, white and clean. “His eyes were as a flame, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but Himself. And He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood: His name is called the Word of God… And out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations…and He treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God,” Revelation 19:11–16. “The whole earth is agitated, and it swells as the waves of the ocean. Its surface splits, and its foundations give way. The marine towns are swallowed up for their corruption by the infuriated waves. The large, majestic, haughty, and arrogant cities are ravaged as if swept by a broom. The palaces and costly splendid buildings in which the magnates of the earth have squandered their wealth in search of personal glory fall in ruins before their eyes.”

We continue with God’s counsel and will for His faithful children during the great time of trouble.

 

 

THE GREAT TIME OF TROUBLE

(THE LIFE AND EXPERIENCE OF THE RIGHTEOUS)

The time of grace has come to an end; the four winds of the earth are loose, and the four angels that were holding them, Revelation 7:1, and the angel of mercy have left their posts. Jesus Christ no longer intercedes on behalf of humanity in the heavenly sanctuary; His work of intercession is finished. The wrath of God is poured out pure without mixture upon those who refused to repent and accept the salvation Christ offered with so much patience and love.

The children of God who remain on the earth at this time carry the seal of the living God and are symbolically represented by the one hundred and forty-four thousand servants of our God, Revelation 7:4. This group is different and special because they will go through the great time of trouble without an intercessor. They will suffer an unimaginable and undesirable painful ordeal. “This trial is horrible and beyond all comprehension. These times that await us require a faith capable of supporting fatigue, delay, and hunger along with the worse hardship.”

““Today we do not possess the experience necessary to go triumphantly through this “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,” Daniel 12:1; due to our indifferent, negligent, and lazy attitude. The divine restraining Spirit will abandon the governing bodies and the wicked people. They will be left under the control and direction of Satan. Men will create laws by which, unless God shortens the time, all flesh will perish, Matthew 24:22.

The Lord will call many to rest before this time of tribulation because He knows who will be capable of withstanding the trial which will come upon those who remain alive. Many little ones will die before this time, but we will again see our children when we find them in the heavenly courts.

Satan’s purpose is to wipe out God’s servants from the face of the earth so that there is no one who can dispute his supremacy in the world. Those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ will feel the wrath of the dragon and his hosts to erase them from the earth.

The seven last plagues will enrage the wicked against the righteous because they will think that we brought the judgments of God upon them and that if they can eradicate us from the earth, the plagues will stop.””

This is very sad because the murderers are professed Christians but are not disciples of Christ. They are false believers deceived by Satan. They believe that they follow Jesus, but because of having rejected the light of the truth, for not loving the Bible, and refusing to be new creatures in the Lord, they follow Satan. They loved the lie because they found it pleasing, and the change in the lifestyle demanded by Jesus was not convenient for them; they changed the Bible to adjust it to the lifestyle they wanted. They hated the conversion God offered and followed their convictions as they pursued their own thinking and thoughts, justifying themselves in a twisted and adulterated biblical truth.

They chose to be “lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God,” 2 Timothy 3:4 because they are lovers of themselves and “despisers of good,” 2 Timothy 3:3. They accepted the spirit of Satan, a falsification of the Holy Spirit. Like Cain, they turn against their brothers. Of these, Jesus said: “They will put you out of the synagogues, yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think he offers God service and these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me,” John 16:2–3.

““Men will be so deceived by this malignant spirit that Satan has blown upon them in such a complete way that they will declare that the plagues are the result of the desecration of the first day of the week, a false sabbath, the mark of the beast. The popular churches will declare from their pulpits that the world is being punished because Sunday is not honored as it should be. They will demand that not even minimal tolerance, zero tolerance, should be granted to the few that oppose an institution of the church and state law. It is better, they will say, that those few suffer and not that entire nations perish. About one thousand nine hundred and ninety years ago, this same argument was presented against Jesus “nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not the whole nation should perish,” John 11:50. This reasoning will be decisive.

When the death decree is proclaimed against all those who do not honor Sunday, God’s people will flee from their homes in the country to join small groups and live in the most deserted and solitary places. Many from all nations and of all classes, great and small, rich and poor, black and white, will be forced into the most unjust and cruel servitude. God’s faithful will go through days of affliction; chained, imprisoned in jails, sentenced to death, and some abandoned in repugnant and dark dungeons to die of thirst and hunger.

The children of God will be in different places all over the world; they will be tested individually and not in groups. Each one alone will have to withstand the trial and tribulation by oneself as if there were no other person in the world.

In these distressful times, the lands and houses of the saints will be of no value; they will not be able to rid themselves of their possessions to contribute to the progress of the truth. If we want to do something for the progress of the gospel, we must do it today. If you wish to know when and for how much you should sell your properties, ask the Lord. He will show you what you should do and when. We must have ever present in our minds; “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,” Matthew 6:19–20 and “Sell what you have and give alms,” Luke 12:33, and in this way, we return God His property in offerings that promote His work in the world.

All of God’s children who are alive during this time will go through Jacob’s trouble and affliction. It will be a time of terrible agony. Their pale faces will express the agony of their souls. “For thus says the Lord: We have heard the voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask now, and see whether a man is ever in labor with a child. So why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, like a woman in labor, and all faces turned pale? Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it: and it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it,” Jeremiah 30:5–7.

The righteous will have an extremely profound feeling of unworthiness; it will be a time of severe mental suffering for not being able to remember their sins. These have been examined and erased, and they will not be able to remember them. But they will remember the greatness of God’s mercy and their sincere repentance and beg for the fulfillment of Christ’s promises for repented sinners. Their faith will not be lacking, and they will take hold of the power of God.

God’s people will not be free of suffering; even though persecuted, anxious, and deprived of essential needs and food on an earth filled with violence, hunger, and illness, they will not be abandoned to perish. The Lord prepares His people for this trial, where the people will deny themselves and will eat only enough to sustain life. We must learn to trust in God entirely and by faith, depend totally on His power.””

An extreme need, a suffering, even though much lesser but similar to the one the Lord Jesus experienced in the wilderness of temptation, will force the righteous to live off of bread and water during this time. But for them “will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given to them, and their water will be sure,” Isaiah 33:16. And for having “made the Lord… your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways,” Psalms 91:9–11. God will provide them with food, and they will be protected by the ministry of the holy angels.

“Even though there will be no intercessor for them during this time when the darkness will encircle the earth, nothing nor nobody will be able to intercept the communication of their souls and Jesus. The Lord knows all their weaknesses and sees all their trials; He is above all the powers of the earth, and He will send His angels to all the darkest and solitary places to provide them with the light and peace of heaven. The dungeons will turn into castles because those with such faith dwell there, and from there, hymns and prayers of praise, joy, faith, and hope will ascend to our God. The sad and gloomy walls will be lit with heavenly light in the same manner as when Paul and Silas prayed and sang to God at midnight from the dungeon in Philippi, Acts 16:25.

As with the prophet Elisha, there will be companies of powerful angels around those who keep the Word of God and have the patience of Christ, 2 Kings 6:16–17. Angels filled with tenderness and sympathy who have witnessed their anguish and heard their prayers; only await their boss’ order to pull them out of danger; because the sweet and tender Jesus will send help when we need it most. God’s people will remain firm, and Satan and his army will not be able to destroy them because angels of exalted strength will protect them.”

Our preparation consists of submitting ourselves entirely to God and collaborating with the Holy Spirit, who, together with our Father and our Savior, will work out our sanctification. We must conscientiously with great effort and, by the grace and power of Christ, reach perfection. We must constantly keep an ongoing war against our carnal minds. Christ is our example; we are His disciples; He kept the commandments of our heavenly Father, and there was no sin from which Satan could take advantage; we must do the same. This is the condition in which those that will be able to survive the great time of trouble must find themselves. We are confident that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ,” Philippians 1:6. We must learn to control ourselves and overcome the sins which surround us. As long as life lasts, there will not be a moment of rest; the fight is unrelenting, even though we will never be able to reach the goal; we proceed to perfection with all our being, knowing that in this life, we will never have it. “For this is the will of God your sanctification,” 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

These 144,000, all who have gone through the great time of trouble which has never been since there have been people, those who stood without an intercessor during the pouring of God’s final judgments, are the only ones who will sing “the song of Moses, and the song of the Lamb.” A song of liberation, the song of their experience, an experience that no other group has ever known. “And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King, King of the Saints!,” Revelation 15:2–3.

““The saints of the Almighty will see themselves surrounded by Satan’s hosts and evil men. It is midnight; the skies are blackened. God’s people are locked up in awful prison cells or hidden in tight places in the forest and mountains, begging for divine protection. There is no way to escape death and the extermination of those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus appears certain. Everywhere there are companies of wicked armed men, instigated by legions of malignant angels, uttering triumphant and mocking shouts and desires to harm, ready to undertake the work of death and annihilation; they are about to launch themselves against their prey when suddenly dense darkness, much more profound than the blackness of the night, falls upon the earth. “And the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air,” Revelation 16:17. An intensely formidable and terrible thunder deafens all the wicked with its roar. God is about to show His power to rescue His people, and God’s voice, similar to the noise of many waters, shakes the heavens and the earth.””

“These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens; because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which will come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I come quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name,” Revelation 3:7, 10–12.

THE RETURN OF CHRIST

 

““The foundations of the earth shake; the buildings fall with frightful roaring. The sea boils like a pot, and the entire planet is terribly shaken. There is a clearing of indescribable glory amid the most intense darkness, “and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying: It is done,” Revelation 16:17. The most arrogant and magnificent cities are swept away, the world is shaken with great force and staggers like a drunk, the sumptuous palaces in which the magnates have squandered their riches topple over in total ruin before their eyes. The prison walls come apart from top to bottom.

This is followed by “voices, and thunders, and lightning, and there was a great earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth,” Revelation 16:18. The seventh angel has poured out his bowl, and the seventh plague is in all its fury. The glory of God’s throne crosses the atmosphere: “Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him,” Revelation 1:7. The mountains are moved like a grass blade in the blowing wind, and broken stones appear everywhere. The world is in disarray and swells as the waves of the ocean; the mountain ranges sink, inhabited islands disappear, the earth’s surface splits, infuriated waves swallow the marine ports, and the enormous hail does its work of destruction. “And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent,” Revelation 16:20–21.

The graves are open “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt,” Daniel 12:2. All those who died in the faith of the Lord’s message come out of the tomb glorified to hear the peace covenant that God makes with those who kept His law. “They who pierced Him,” Revelation 1:7, those who laughed and mocked the agony of Christ in the crucifixion and the most fierce enemies of His truth and of His people of all ages of human history, are resurrected to see Him in His glory and to contemplate the honor with which the faithful and obedient are rewarded. This resurrection of the wicked takes place a little after the last plague; it is known as the special resurrection because the punishment and the shame will be greater for this evil group.””

““In a short time, a space opens in Orion from where God’s voice comes to declare the day and the hour of the return of Jesus. The 144,000 saints are all alive and recognize and understand God’s voice, but the wicked only hear the roar of thunder and earthquakes. With their eyes fixed up high, the faithful hear God’s voice; His words resonate throughout the entire world with the rumble of a dreadful thunderclap. In the midst of this terrifying and solemn spectacle, at the end of every phrase, the saints, illuminated by God’s glory and with the brightness of Moses’ countenance when he came down from Mount Sinai, exclaim Glory to God! Hallelujah! Then God pours out His everlasting blessing upon those who honored Him by sanctifying the seventh day Sabbath and then resounds a potent shout of victory over the beast and his image.

The lost desperately curse the mute nature, their god, “And said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall upon us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!,” Revelation 6:16. The wicked are sorrowful because God has overcome, indifferent to their sinfulness, and sorry for the result, but do not repent of their wickedness.””

““Soon a small black cloud appears in Orion, about one-half the size of the palm of a hand. God’s people know it’s the sign of the Son of man. In solemn silence, they contemplate as it approaches the earth, closer and closer, becoming brighter and more glorious until it turns into a great white cloud, which base is like consuming fire and above it the rainbow of the covenant. Jesus marches in front as a great conqueror accompanied by millions of millions of angels: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him in white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS,” Revelation 19:11‑16.””

““Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, descends in the cloud of angels, wrapped in flames of fire, mounted on a white horse. Those who played the most prominent role in His rejection during the ages of the world’s history and the crucifixion were raised in the special resurrection that, together with the lost who remained alive up to that moment in the history of redemption of sinful man, contemplate the scene. Now the greatest enemies, deceivers, and evildoers that have existed in the world since the beginning are present. Kings, presidents, priests, pastors, criminals, false prophets, false christs, generals, soldiers, governors, judges, lawyers, and more; accompany the beast and the false prophet.

Those who put on Him a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns upon His head and struck Him with the reed they had placed in His right hand, and the ones who ran nails through His hands and feet, contemplate Him and are filled with sorrow. They all remember how they despised His love and abused His compassion. Some think about how Barabbas, an assassin and thief, was chosen in His place; and how Jesus was crowned with thorns, flagellated, and crucified. The governors and priest remember how in the hours of His agony on the cross, they mocked Him, saying: “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, I am the Son of God,” Matthew 27:42–43.

All the insults and embarrassments directed against Christ, all the suffering caused upon His disciples, and all saints in all the ages will be as fresh in their minds as when they carried through all these satanic deeds.””

““At the same time, the graves of the dead saints are open, and the faithful dead as they hear Christ’s voice: Awake, those who sleep, and rise! Resurrect to eternal life. The living saints and the 144,000 are transformed in the twinkling of an eye; and the saints from all ages are caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. “But I would not have you to be ignorant concerning those who are asleep… that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17. “Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed 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 15:51–52.

The precious dead, from Adam to the last deceased saint, will hear the voice of the Son of God and will come out of the grave where they were placed to have immortal life. Between the oscillations of the earth, the Son of God calls the sleeping saints to life. The entire world will tremble under the steps of the extraordinary multitude of all nations, tribes, tongues, and people. This multitude comes out redressed in the glory of immortality, shouting: “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?,” 1 Corinthians 15:55.””

““Due to the terrible outpouring of God’s wrath without a mixture of mercy, the wicked inhabitants of earth fall: priests, government officials, ordinary people, rich and poor, great and small, for having worshipped the beast and his image and for having received the mark of the beast on their foreheads or on their hand they have drunk “of the wine of the wrath of God,” Revelation 14:10. “And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; they shall not be lamented, neither gathered nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground,” Jeremiah 25:33. “The Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming,” 2 Thessalonians 2:8. “And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh,” Revelation 19:21, “for our God is a consuming fire,” Hebrews 12:29; for sin and the sinners who rejected His grace and forgiveness.

Years of probation were granted for them to form holy characters for heaven, but they did not want to love all that is pure; they never learned the language of heaven, and now it is too late. A life of rebellion against God disabled them for heaven. The purity, the holiness, and the peace that reign there will be a torment for them. Their own decision and choices determined the situation and destiny of the wicked. Their exclusion from heaven is an act of their own will and an act of justice and mercy on God’s behalf.””

““Jesus Christ “will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other,” Matthew 24:31. The angels will take the children to their mothers. While the glorified saints reunite with their friends whose death had kept apart for a long time, to never again separate, and with songs of joy they go up to the city of God, “the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven,” Revelation 3:12.

On that day, the redeemed will shine in the glory of the Father and the Son because it is written; “Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever,” Daniel 12:3. Playing their gold harps and singing; Christ has overcome! The angels will welcome the King and the trophies of His victory; “the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” Revelation 7:14. A song of triumph will be sung, Christ has overcome! It will fill the whole heavens. The Lord Jesus will enter the celestial atriums accompanied by His redeemed testimonies that His suffering and sacrifice were not in vain. The Savior rejoices to see in His kingdom the souls that were saved by His agony and humiliation, and with unbreakable love, He admits each one of them, saying, “enter into the joy of your Lord,” Matthew 25:21.

“The angels bring from the city brilliant crowns, one for each with their name inscribed on it. Some crowns were very bright and filled with stars, others had few, but all were perfectly satisfied with their own crown. All the crowns had gems according to the behavior of each of us. There will be no saved with a crown without stars.”

Jesus places with His right hand each crown of glory on the heads of all those who overcame. To all is given the victory palm and the brilliant harp. All the hands masterfully play the cords of the harps. “Behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, people, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands,” Revelation 7:9. Before the redeemed stands the holy city. Jesus widely opens the doors, which are twelve pearls, and through them enter all those who kept the truth.””

“These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: Do not fear any of these things which you are about to suffer. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life,” Revelation 2:8, 10.

THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS

 

Our right to heaven is found in the righteousness of Christ and the outpouring of His precious blood, and only in Christ and His righteousness. There is no better title of ownership than the one Christ has given us by His victory on the Cross of Calvary. There are no sweeter and more glorious words than: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,” Matthew 25:34. The property title of the heavenly mansions which the Lord went to prepare for us, has our name on it. Eternal mansions are ours in a country without end. Amen!

Let us cultivate thoughts of God’s presence in us, and let us continuously keep in sight the eternal realities; this shield protects us against the enemy attacks to break the peace of Christ which is in our hearts. This provides us with serenity in the storms, strength and safety in uncertain times, and the faith that elevates us above all the things we are susceptible to.

The Great Master places before our contemplation His attractive and marvelous possessions. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and our mind on the future life and its enormous blessings. As we compare the temporal worries with the near glory, our mind is profoundly impressed by the contrast between them, and our entire being finds joy and tranquility.

The company and love of God and our Lord Jesus, the enhancement and elevation of all our physical and intellectual faculties through the eternal centuries are powerful motives and stimuli which strengthen and activate us to dedicate to our Creator and Savior the loving and excellent service of our mind and heart. Let’s be in peace with God and harbor the certainty that we are saved because the Lord Jesus promised it. Eternal life for us has already begun, except for the moment in which we now live; we will spend it all in a new heaven and a new earth. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away… Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people. God, Himself, will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away,” Revelation 21:1, 3–4. We will be the happiest people!

““We, the redeemed, will participate in the occupations and pleasures that gave happiness to Adam and Eve in the beginning. We will see the extraordinary beauty and glory of Jesus. The new earth will be of unsurpassable splendor, and all in it will be of such sublime glory that it is impossible to describe. We will enjoy the incomparable depths of the love of the Savior. We will rejoice in an excellent understanding of “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” And in His “unsearchable judgments, and His ways past finding out!,” Romans 11:33. No limited intelligence can comprehend the glory of God’s paradise.””

“From God’s and the Lamb’s throne comes out a river of water of life, clear as crystal. On either side of the river is the tree of life, which produces twelve splendid fruits, giving each month its fruit,” Revelation 22:1–2.

““There will be fields of tall green grasses with gold and silver streaks of the most beautiful appearance, which causes admiration with its elegant ripple. The forests will be splendent and glorious. All kinds of animals will live together in perfect union; the lion, the lamb, the leopard, and the wolf.

We will live with the lushness and vigor of eternal youth and reach the human race’s perfect stature in its original glory. No one will need rest; we will always feel the morning freshness which will never diminish: “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint,” Isaiah 40:31. The acquisition of knowledge will not tire the intelligence nor dimmish the energy. Free of all illness and defect, we will have a vigorous constitution, everything in heaven is health, and happiness is guaranteed.

The peace and harmony of heaven will not be contaminated by the presence of any impolite or rude person. All of us will look for the happiness and interest of others; there, everything is elevated and noble. The joy and happiness of those around us will be our greatest joy. There will be no conflicts of any kind, and no one will ever harm another. The greatest will be the least in self-esteem, and the least will be the greatest in gratitude and richness of His love.””

““There will be no obscure errors that cloud the intelligence. The truth and knowledge will be clear, vigorous, and perfect; doubt will not exist.

In heaven, love reigns, and there are no unpleasant elements or discord. There will be no temptations nor sin; there will be no tempter nor tree that offers the opportunity to sin or fall into temptations. We will see God, the Father, and the Son face to face; this will be our supreme joy. We will have a tender and intimate relationship with our Creator and Savior. Sympathy and goodwill live in each heart and will be expressed in every look.

We all will understand the work of the angels in our own life. We will converse with the angel who was our guardian from the first moment; who watched our steps and covered our head in the day of danger; who was with us in the valley of the shadow of death, who marked our resting place; and was the first to greet us in the morning of resurrection, and by him know the story of God’s intervention in our individual lives and the dangers from which He delivered us.

Our greatest privilege will be to continue to testify for God through eternity, as God has said: “Therefore you are My witnesses, says the Lord, that I am God,” Isaiah 43:12. We will be God’s witnesses forever. We will testify to all the beings from worlds that did not fall that God is much more than what we have been told and of His love, His justice, His grace, and mercy. Of the patience and tenderness with which He has always treated us.

We will always be happy and cheerful with frequent melodies and songs. Our singing will be the song of our experience and declare God’s glory: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For you alone are Holy,” Revelation 15:3–4. That divine and celestial melody is indescribable.””

““Before us will open an infinite field of learning and knowledge, all things that today are behind a dark veil will be made available to open examination before our eyes, something that we only have glimpses of through microscopes and telescopes. The treasures of the universe, which have been gained through centuries and centuries past in the contemplation of God’s work by beings who have not fallen, will be taught to us. We will embark on untiring flights to faraway worlds, and with a clear vision, we will get to know suns, stars, and planetary systems which circle around the Divinity’s throne. As it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him,” 1 Corinthians 2:9.””

““Throughout eternity the themes of redemption will be revealed to us; we will better understand Christ’s glory. The story of the beginning of sin, the fatal lie, and the perverse work of Satan will be shown to us. We will also see and understand our Lord Christ’s work of truth, how without deviating from what is right, He faced error and defeated it. Our redeemer will always carry the marks of the crucifixion. Sin’s cruel work will leave only its eternal footprints on the head, side, hands, and feet of the body of our Savior. “And one will say to Him, what are these wounds between Your hands? Then He will answer: Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends,” Zechariah 13:6. We will always have a clear and intelligent knowledge of the cost of our salvation. Our Redeemer’s wounds and scars will be our greatest motivation to tell the entire universe the story of our redemption.””

““There Jesus will guide us to the living current that flows from God’s throne, and He will clarify all the perplexities of life for us. Where we only saw confusion and disappointment, broken purpose, and ruined plans, we will see a great and triumphant purpose and perfect harmony. The difficult-to-understand things will have their explanation, and the mysteries of God’s grace will be revealed to us.

All the work and burdens we carried in obscurity and loneliness, happy only to know that we have put into action agents that work for good by our faith in Jesus Christ, will be rewarded. Our joy will constantly grow through eternity with the fruit of our labors.

“As knowledge is progressive, so also love, reverence, and happiness will constantly increase. Our gratitude will forever be more fervent.” All faculty will develop, and all aptitudes will grow. We will carry forward the greatest enterprises, we will achieve the highest aspirations, and we will realize the greatest ambitions.””

“The conflict has ended. There is no more sin nor sinners. From the One that created everything springs life, light, and contentment throughout the infinite space. From the most imperceptible atom to the most vast world, all things declare in perfect jubilation that God is love.”

“These things says He who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent. To him who overcomes I will give him to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God,” Revelation 2:1, 4, 5, 7.

“These things says He who has the sharp two–edged sword: to him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written,” Revelation 2:12, 17.

 

THE LAKE OF FIRE

(HELL)

Many people confront serious problems when they study the subject of hell in the Bible. They feel moved because they read that the lost “will be tormented day and night forever and ever,” Revelation 20:10. These words fill their minds with serious and important questions about God’s love, mercy, and justice.

The lake of fire is the eternal punishment, hell, for those who are lost. It is an essential part of God’s plan to abolish sin and save the righteous for all eternity. This also makes evident the mercy and justice of God. Even hell itself declares that “God is love,” 1 John 4:8.

Are all the wicked punished forever, regardless of the degree and number of their sins? How can a God of love be so cruel? How can God do away with sin if He keeps the sinners alive in the fire forever? Is this perhaps a false and twisted doctrine by Satan to deceive us about the truth and God’s character?

Millions have turned their back on Jesus due to the false teaching about hell. As the character and reputation of the great God of heaven are in play, we will carefully examine the biblical evidence to avoid being deceived; the Holy Spirit is our teacher and, as always, will lead us to all truth according to the promise of our Lord Jesus. “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come. He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come,” John 16:13.

According to 2 Peter 2:9, the wicked and the unrighteous, the unforgiven, will be “reserved to be punished on the day of judgment.” When will this day of judgment be? The Bible always explains itself. Revelation 20 says: “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison, and will go out to deceive the nations… to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea… and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them,” verses 7–9.

Let’s pay attention and clearly understand what the Word of God says; “If anyone has an ear, let him hear,” Revelation 13:9. Hell is not a place; it is an event that takes place one thousand years after the second coming of Christ when God makes fire descend from heaven to eradicate sin from the world; the fire consumes and does not keep alive, the unrighteous who did not accept Christ as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

On the other hand, it is impossible for anyone to be in hell or heaven today, as all the dead have ceased to exist and have turned into dust because when God “takes away their breath, they die and return to their dust,” Psalm 104:29. In other words, the dead are dust and do not exist or live anywhere, they are not people, and hell has not taken place yet. Jesus Christ, talking on this subject, declares: “and has given Him authority to execute judgment also because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation,” John 5:27‑29. If the dead were to go to heaven or hell, which today does not exist, then they are not dead and continue to live; whom is Jesus going to resurrect on His return? According to this popular and false doctrine that the soul never dies, there is no one in the graves. Is Jesus wrong? Impossible! “The soul who sins shall die,” Ezekiel 18:20.

It is also essential to know that the death of the consumed lost (wiped out and totally destroyed), Jesus calls it “the second death,” Revelation 21:8, because, unlike the first death, there is no resurrection possible from this one. This second death is eternal; the person who suffers it will forever cease to be; never again will he live.

At the end of the one thousand years, Revelation 20:9 says that the holy city, the beloved city comes down from heaven, and the lost of all ages are resurrected, and Satan induces them to attack the city to try to capture it. At the beginning of the assault, fire from God descends from heaven and consumes all of the lost, as it happened in Sodom and Gomorrah. This is the “hell” of the Bible. Where Sodom and Gomorrah existed, only ashes are found. These neighboring cities “are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” Jude 7. This fire is eternal in its effect, not in its duration.

The fire will come and embrace all those who do evil, and they will be tow. The fire will extinguish, and the wicked will be trodden down as they will “be ashes under the soles of your feet,” Malachi 4:3. “For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more” and “the wicked shall consume; into smoke, they shall vanish away,” Psalm 37:10, 20.

Jesus says that He is coming “to give to every one according to his work,” Revelation 22:12. Some will suffer a longer time and more intensely than others. Still, very soon, everyone will convert into ashes, and the fire will disappear. The greatest tragedy is not to be destroyed in hell but not to get to heaven to an eternity with Christ.

Satan also will suffer the same punishment; he will be converted into ashes, and his existence will end. Of the devil, God says: “and never shall you be anymore,” Ezekiel 28:19.

Jesus came to save that which was lost. The message of John the Baptist is the same invitation of Christ to the world; “repentance for the remission of sins,” Mark 1:4. I invite you also; “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Because of this, the apostle declares, “The Lord… is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance,” 2 Peter 3:9. Because many refuse to open the door of their heart, the loving and tender petition and promise of Jesus is: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me. To he who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne,” Revelation 3:20–21.

An intense pain that cannot be described will pierce God’s heart when He destroys the sinner whom He loves so much that He gave His only begotten Son for him. Because there are no words to describe such a painful act for a God of love, the Bible calls it His strange work because it is completely contrary to God’s nature of love, mercy, and forgiveness. “For the Lord shall rise up… that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act” Isaiah 28:21.

We still have time, let us abandon our wicked ways and our evil thoughts and return to God, who will have mercy upon us and will forgive our sins, and He will never again remember them. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell,” Matthew 10:28.

 

THE MILLENNIUM, THE THIRD COMING OF CHRIST,

AND THE EXECUTIVE JUDGEMENT

Sadly, much of what is said about the one thousand years of Revelation is untrue. The Bible is very clear regarding this period of time. Still, the majority of people, due to their laziness and lukewarm spirituality, prefer to believe the lie rather than study for themselves the evident truths of the Word of God, those that even children understand. These are the words that Jesus directs to the church of the last days: “you do not know that you are lethargic, miserable, poor, blind, and naked… As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent,” Revelation 3:17–19. If we continue in this shameful situation, we will be deceived for not obeying Jesus’ commandment that says: “Search the Scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me,” John 5:39.

At the time of the first coming of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem, the people were taken by surprise and were not prepared. This was true even though hundreds of Old Testament prophesies described His first coming with precise details. Likewise, today, hundreds of biblical prophesies regarding the second coming of Christ have been erroneously applied.

Jesus “will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven,” Acts 1:11, said the angels to the disciples who were present during Christ’s ascension. It is very clear that the coming of our Lord will be completely visible because He returns on a cloud in bodily form.

He will come accompanied by clouds of angels because; “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory,” Matthew 25:31. “And every eye will see Him,” Revelation 1:7.

This glorious coming will be “as the lightning,” Matthew 24:27, and more potent than thunder; “for the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God,” 1 Thessalonians 4:16. “The Lord will roar from on high… He will roar mightily… a noise will come to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He is the Judge of all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, says the Lord,” Jeremiah 25:30‑31.

The Bible says that all the righteous will be resurrected in the second coming of Jesus if we are dead and transformed if we are alive, 1 Corinthians 15:52 and then all of us will be caught up in the clouds to live eternally with God, 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The dead who rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ will remain in their graves. The unrepented living will die with the brightness of His coming.

This second coming also initiates the one thousand years of Revelation when Jesus fulfills John’s vision: “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for one thousand years, and He cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little while,” Revelation 20:2‑3.

At the start of the one thousand years they sit on thrones, they that “judgment was committed to them… who had not worshiped the beast or his image… and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years,” Revelation 20:4. At the same time “the blessed and holy take part in the first resurrection, the second death has no power over them, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,” Revelation 20:6.

“When the one thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations,” Revelation 20:7–8: the ones who have recently resurrected in the second resurrection, “the rest of the dead did not live again until the one thousand years were finished,” Revelation 20:5. This is the resurrection of the wicked of which the Lord says: “And those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation,” John 5:29. “To these wicked the Lord will manifest Himself from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction and excluded from the Lord’s presence and the glory of His powers,” 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9.

Jesus will return to bring “every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:14. He brings His reward with Him to give everyone according to their work. There are only two rewards, eternal life, and eternal death. Eternal death is the second death, which has no power over those who come out of their graves in the first resurrection.

Remember that in this time, “the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground,” Jeremiah 25:33. The prophet as he contemplates the scene he says, “I beheld the earth, and, too, it was without form, and void,” Jeremiah 4:23; “because all the birds were filled with their flesh,” Revelation 19:21.

During the one thousand years, the earth remains void and in disarray. It is the abyss, the prison that God has for Satan. All the righteous are in heaven, and all the wicked are dead. There is no one on earth to be deceived by Satan. He will remain here for one thousand years, tied down by a chain of circumstances with his underlings.

After participating in the “marriage supper of the Lamb,” Revelation 19:9, another phase of this divine judgment takes place in heaven. The righteous who have received the authority to judge analyze the decision of all the wicked dead, God’s treatment towards them, and the enormity of God’s attempts to save them. “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books,” Revelation 20:12. We are all satisfied with the verdict of the Judge of all men, and joyful and cheerful we sing: “Great and marvelous are Your works; Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, Oh King of saints!,” Revelation 15:3.

God’s judgment is only one; “every man’s judgment comes from the Lord,” Proverbs 29:26. For God “will bring every work into judgment … whether good or evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:14. Only God is the Judge as only He “is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart,” Hebrews 4:12. “As it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,” Hebrews 9:27. It is important to know that even though it is only one judgment, it is a process of three phases: 1) investigation, 2) judicial decision, and 3) sentence execution.

The investigative pre–advent judgment is the first phase; as we already know, it began in 1844. This is the part of the judgment where the evidence is analyzed to see if the person genuinely repented, accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, confessed and abandoned all his sins and implored for the forgiveness granted by God, and accepted Christ as his substitute and His precious blood poured out in Calvary by which his salvation was bought, because only “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin,” 1 John 1:7. Only these will receive the crown of eternal life because they have “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb,” Revelation 7:14. These are the ones who keep the commandments of  God and have the faith of Jesus.

All those who do not repent and confess their sins will carry them upon themselves and be passed to the second phase of the judgment because they have been weighed in the balances and were found wanting.

The next phase is the judicative judgment, in which the judicial decision is made for the lost. The sentence for all those who did not accept the repentance that Christ offered them will be the second death, eternal death because they will cease to be forever. Let us understand that the many of superficial and deceptive repentance will not enter the kingdom of heaven; “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death,” 2 Corinthians 7:10. These never were born again, they have no works of repentance; they were indifferent to the law of God; they did not keep or obeyed the commandments of Jehovah, they never feared God nor concerned themselves for their salvation with fear and trembling. Are you one of them? I trust in God that you are not. This phase of the judgment begins with the second coming of Jesus and finishes at the end of the one thousand years.

At the end of this period of time, we will see “the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepare as a bride adorned for her husband,” Revelation 21:2. This will be Christ’s third coming to the earth and “the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with you,” Zechariah 14:5.

At this point, we reach the last phase of the legal protocol, which is the executive judgment, where the sentence previously defined is carried out: “When the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison,” Revelation 20:7. This is now possible because “the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished,” Revelation 20:5. This is the resurrection of damnation, the second resurrection. This event releases  Satan because he once again has someone to deceive; the circumstances have changed.

Satan deceives the lost again; “they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them,” Revelation 20:9. This event is the true hell. Everyone will suffer according to their wickedness; the intensity and duration of their sufferings will be in relation to the gravity of their works. The fire extinguishes when its work of destruction is complete. Forever they will cease to be; this is the second death from which there is no resurrection because it is eternal death. “And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all people who fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues will dissolve in their mouths. It shall come to pass in that day that a great panic from the Lord will be among them,” Zechariah 14:12–13.

The sentence pronounced upon Satan will be executed by Jesus Himself: “Your heart was lifted because of your beauty, you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they may gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitudes of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore, I bring forth a fire from your midst; it will devour you, and I will bring you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who behold you. All they that know you among the people will be astonished at you; you will become a terror, and you will be no more forever,” Ezekiel 28:17–19.

 

The final call

it is clear that God is love, that His kindness is infinite, and that His mercy is forever. In the writings of the prophets, God’s love for a lost humanity and His marvelous plan to save it are clearly revealed. How much more than what I have done, says Jesus, could I have done in favor of My lost sheep? The Lord has done all that He could do to save us. At this very moment, the Lord is gathering from all nations and people the precious fruits of His magnificent work, which He has been waiting to do for many years.

Our soul is filled with hope, and our heart melts to know that there is no sin so great and foul that God cannot forgive. The only unforgivable sin is the one that is not confessed. God made us as individuals with moral freedom to obey or disobey. The Lord does not force anyone, of free will and out of love for God; we must want to get near God to save our souls. “It is us who decide if we want to be free from the slavery of sin and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.”

Christ, with His love, constrains our hearts and saddens us according to God to forgive us. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince us of sin. When these three Divine Persons move our hearts, we recognize that we are like filthy rags worthy of death and eternal death because there is nothing good in us. We accept our guilt as violators of God’s commandments because all we have done is interweaved with sin and selfishness. We understand that only the blood of Christ can cleanse us of all sins and uncleanliness. We fall to the ground because we feel like trash because we are hypocrites and liars. Like the tax collector of the parable, we stop at a distance for our unworthiness, and we do not dare to raise our eyes to heaven, and with a broken, contrite, and humiliated heart with tears running down our cheeks to the ground, we cry out, “God, be merciful to me a sinner,” Luke 18:13.

This painful and sincere repentance is accompanied by the confession of our sins because we know that without it, our confession is not acceptable to God. We commit ourselves to total reform, and we receive the peace of Christ in that instant. We raise ourselves determined that nothing will hold us back, and through true baptism (by immersion), we publicly testify that we are now sons and daughters of the Most High. Once born again, we abandon our past life, leave behind all that offends God, and give ourselves to absolute obedience to the commandments of the Lord in the newness of life.

The most significant problem of the majority of Christians is that they live a false religion. Their conversion is so superficial that they do not know the self–denial and obedience that the Gospel of Christ requires of us. They live in idolatry as they worship themselves more than anything else. For not giving into the convincing of their sins by the Holy Spirit, they remain partially blind.

In general terms, as Christians, we are fascinated with the world and worldly things; we do not believe what we say. We are always contending for supremacy and indifferent to God’s will and our neighbor’s needs. Our confessions are insincere and do not come from the heart. In the rare times that we recognize our wickedness, we excuse our conduct and justify our behavior blaming certain circumstances that, if it were not for them, we would not have done what we did. We are religious but continue being the same as before, and now it’s worse because we are “like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness,” Matthew 23:27.

To reach true and genuine repentance, the first thing we must do to be saved is recognize and accept our real condition. Jesus tells you and me which is our true condition; “you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,” Revelation 3:16; “and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked,” Revelation 3:17. As professed Christians, this is the true spiritual condition of most of us. Is this your spiritual condition? Think and ponder carefully before you answer the question. Christ’s evaluation of our spiritual state is right at the center of the target. Our religion is false because we accept Jesus as Savior at our convenience and reject Him as Lord because His wishes and commandments are disgusting to us. This makes us vomitable.

The false religion many Christians live is due to their consideration of God’s law as a restriction to their happiness, and an overwhelming yoke from which they free themselves gladly. They do not have the mind nor feelings of Jesus, who says: “take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light,” Matthew 11:29–30. To obey God’s commandment is to enter the Lord’s rest: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,” 1 John 5:3. For the faithful Christian who follows Jesus wherever He goes, his greatest daily delight is to keep the Lord’s law. True religion and happiness are to keep the law of liberty.

As we live and practice stone ritualism instead of true worship, we have rendered ourselves useless to God; even more, we are obstacles because our false religion serves only to lead others astray, and it works their ruin instead of their salvation. In Isaiah 1:4, the Lord describes us as, “Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, depraved children!” What have you done for the Lord?

Sin is not only an erroneous action but also an evil thought or desire. It is not doing good; it is a resistance to God’s authority in our daily living or a state of internal rebellion. It is that sin that is at the center of a religious experience of forms and appearances but lacks grace, piety, and the true love of Christ.

The Lord makes His final call; “wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, relieve the oppressed, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool,” Isaiah 1:16–18.

Jesus invites us to genuine repentance; “Let the wicked forsake his ways, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return to the Lord, as He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon,” Isaiah 55:7. “Concerning your former conduct, put off the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor… nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole, steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you,” Ephesians 4:22–32. “Visit orphans and widows in their trouble,” James 1:27, because “blessed is he who considers the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,” Psalms 41:1‑2.

“I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me,” Revelation 3:18–20. Amen!

 

 

WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Very soon, all Christianity will be completely divided into only two large groups; those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus and those who worship the beast and his image. One group will have the seal of the living God, and the other the mark of the beast. We will be on the side loyal to God or the side of the rebellion against our Creator and Redeemer. We will be cold or hot. We will belong to the true church or one of the false churches of Babylon. We all must choose; there is no middle ground; everyone must show which side we are on. What should we do?

First, we must accept and recognize that our biggest problem and greatest and urgent need is the preparation for this imminent and terrible crisis. The times that await us are of anguish and hardship. We require a faith capable of withstanding fatigue, delay, and famine, a faith that does not falter despite the harshest trials. We need a faith that we do not possess at present. Such an experience is necessary, which we do not have because of our laziness and negligence. We are lacking the preparation, a preparation that only Christ can give us. What should we do?

Let us allow Christ Himself to tell us; He is our Captain, our Pastor, and we follow His voice and commands as sheep of His pasture because this is how we will arrive safely at the port.

In His revelation, the Lord Jesus left us in writing all that we need to do and know. The counsel for the end of time church, which is Laodicea, is as follows: “These things says the Amen, and the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing; and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed, and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent,” Revelation 3:14–19.

Laodicea is the remnant church, the true church of the last days. It is modern Israel. It is the Seventh Day Adventist Church, the church for which Christ is coming. The Lord wants for Himself “a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish,” Ephesians 5:27.

The divine diagnosis is critical, and one hundred percent correct. Remembering that “whatever things were written before were written for our learning,” Romans 15:4; we can clearly see our actual situation. We should carefully study the books that contain the light we do not like but that the Lord had given us in words of warning, caution, reproach, and admonitions, as the ones that follow.

These words are for us. They accompany the message given to the church of Laodicea. “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! For the Lord has spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me. The ox knows its owner and the ass his master’s crib, but Israel does not have understanding, My people do not know. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupt! They have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel, and they have gone away backward. All heads are sick, and all hearts are faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; they have not been closed or bound up or soothed with ointment. If it were not that the Lord of hosts left us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah,” Isaiah 1:2–6,9.

The prophet Jeremiah also has words for the last days church, words that join Christ’s reproach in Revelation. “My people have changed their glory for what does not profit. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be afraid, be very desolate, says the Lord. For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns; broken cisterns that hold no water,” Jeremiah 2:11–13. God’s complaint against His people is expressed even more severely: “lift up your eyes to the desolate heights and see: Where have you not lain with men? By the road, you have sat for them like an Arabian in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with your whoredom and wickedness. For this reason, the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain. You have had a harlot’s forehead, and you refuse to be ashamed,” Jeremiah 3:2–3.

Like the True Witness, both prophets also counsel in a similar manner because in all three cases, He who speaks is the same person, Jesus. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before My eyes; cease to do evil. Learn to do good; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, defend the fatherless, and plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be like crimson, they shall be as wool,” Isaiah 1:16–18. “Return, backsliding Israel, says the Lord … for I am merciful… only acknowledge your inequity, that you have transgressed against the Lord, your God, and have scattered your charms to alien deities… Return… for I am married to you…and I will bring you to Zion,” Jeremiah 3:12–14.

What should we do? We should accept the fatal diagnosis and follow the True Witness’s counsel. We should start by recognizing that we are miserable sinners and then seek God with all our hearts and confess our sins with profound repentance and painful sorrow to abandon them. This should be our second step. Through a humble confession and an authentic and genuine repentant and fervent prayer, let us pray the tax collector’s prayer, which he went up to the temple to pray, and “standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying: God be merciful to me a sinner,” Luke 18:13. We should also pray King David’s prayer which he prayed after gravely sinning and having pronounced against himself a death sentence. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions… for I acknowledge my transgressions… against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight… wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow… hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me… the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” Psalms 51.

We need to renew our spiritual life, give life to the powers of our mind and heart, and resurrect from spiritual death. We must reorganize our priorities and change our ideas, thoughts, habits, and practices according to God’s will, clearly written in His Word. Our lifestyle should be totally transformed; it should include our nutrition, rest, physical activity, work, speech, dress, health, and more. This is the only way to partake of the latter rain.

This message from Christ to His church is very candid, but it does not take away from being a message of love. He says it Himself, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent,” Revelation 3:19.

The purpose of this message is to break our arrogance, our showing off, and our pride. At the same time, it exposes the deception of our self–righteousness and sufficiency, which are like repugnant filthy rags. To produce in us a spirit of humility and a sincere confession and repentance. Go to Christ’s feet with a contrite heart and beg Him to clean and change our hearts. Only in this way will there be an end to our unbelief, worldliness, lack of consecration, and desire to be number one.

Those who do not accept this message will continue to be lukewarm, presumptuous, and self-sufficient with their own righteousness. All these will fall during the sifting, will not participate in the latter rain, and will be lost forever. All of us who receive this testimony will be moved to profound repentance. We will obey with all sincerity and be left purified and prepared to withstand the day of great trouble.

The author of this surprising accusation is Jesus, our Savior and best friend. He speaks to us singularly because He speaks to each of us individually. There is no flattery because He wants our salvation. He is clearly saying that your heart is very deceptive, Jeremiah 17:9. Know that you are lukewarm, you profess to love the truth, but you are deficient in Christian devotion and fervor. You have one foot in and the other out only because you don’t want to run the risk of the unbelievers. You are not willing for the self to die and follow the principles of My faith closely. You dedicate little effort and energy to God’s work and identify very little with its interests. You are always ready to abandon your post in My work when your personal and worldly interests demand it. Your heart has not received My grace.

I am about to vomit you out of My mouth because your lukewarmness gives Me nausea.

You are a continuous burden for those who wish to be faithful followers of mine. You are also a stumbling stone for the unbelieving. You say I am rich and of exalted spiritual condition, but your natural state is deplorable, “you are miserable and poor.” You have indeed received great light from Me, but you are “foolish people, without understanding, who have eyes and see not; who have ears and hear not,” Jeremiah 5:21. “Surely you are poor; and foolish: for you do not know the way of the Lord, the judgment of your God,” Jeremiah 5:4, as you are blind and walk by feeling, like in darkness and without light. “We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men,” Isaiah 59:10.

Even though I invited you to the marriage supper of the Lamb, you remain naked and are not wearing the wedding garment I gave you. This is so because your blindness does not allow you to see that this white linen garment is the justification of the saints, and you prefer your self-righteousness.

What should we do? Follow Christ’s counsel in this message of love, consolation, hope, and certainty. After denouncing our sad spiritual condition and fully diagnosing our illness, He offers the remedy. Our triple sickness of blindness, poverty, and nakedness; is cured with a wonderful triple medicine that only Christ has; gold refined in fire to make us rich, white garments to cover our nakedness, and eye salve to make us see.

The gold refined in the fire is faith and love, two essential fruits of the Holy Spirit that are inseparable. Love is the essence and maximum summary of the ten commandments. It is the supreme guiding principle of a converted life, like that of Christ. “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love,” 1 John 4:8.

Love eliminates greed and selfishness and creates generosity, benevolence, and interest in the progression of God’s work in its place, the work of redemption and salvation of sinful man, and the well–being of our neighbor. He who is hungry, naked, sick, poor, imprisoned, and has no roof over his head. For it is written, “He who has mercy of the poor honors his Maker,” Proverbs 14:31, and we become participants of the promise that says: “He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord, and God will pay him back,” Proverbs 19:17. Love makes us take a strong and active interest for those who are lost, all the souls for whom Christ died.

Love guides us so that our tithes are faithful and our offerings generous because it also replaces resentment, envy, covetousness, and jealousy. It erases wrath and grudges; selfish ambition and neutralizes hate; and introduces peace, goodwill, and joy. We recognize that we are God’s administrators and that what we possess belongs to Jesus. They are goods to help the needy. We no longer think only of our comforts.

Faith, another of God’s gifts, along with love, establishes a formidable relationship between our souls and God. It makes God’s forgiveness accessible to us and places in our disposition the fulfillment of all of God’s promises. Faith is another active principle that manifests itself in the true believer’s life through voluntary obedience to the commandments of God. Jesus clearly states, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven,” Matthew 7:21. Forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ along with love are the marvelous therapy that Jesus offers us for all the ailments: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” Psalms 32:1.

For those who are still in Babylon, the first step should be immediate. They need to obey the Master’s voice without hesitation, which says: “Come out of her, My people, that you do not partake in her sins, and you will not receive her plagues,” Revelation 18:4. Babylon is sentenced to certain total destruction. All her leaders and followers, including Satan, will participate in the second death, which is eternal death. It is necessary to quickly come out of her and join the true church, the remnant seed of the woman of Revelation 12:7, “which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” As we already know, this is the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

Everything written in this section of this document applies to the true church and all those who join it without regard to where they came from. We must also comprehend and always remember that the Adventist Church is Noah’s ark of the end time. Whoever is not in it during this time or after the end of the time of grace will be lost. It is time to come out of Babylon!

Let’s look at the second medicine of our triple remedy. The white garment is Christ’s righteousness imparted to the sinner, “for the white linen is the justification of the saints,” Revelation 19:8. It is the purity of Christ’s character that covers the forgiven sinner, justified because “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin,” 1 John 1:7 when he strips away his own blemished character; “for this is the will of God, your sanctification,” 1 Thessalonians 4:3.

The third component of the True Witness’s cure is an eye salve to heal our spiritual blindness. Once again, the reception of the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom, grace, and power that enables us to discern between good and evil, true from false, and to recognize and resist sin in any form and disguise.

The True Witness offers an effective and complete treatment that calls us to a profound and sincere repentance to receive forgiveness of our sins once confessed. He promises to give us the Holy Spirit to produce in us a total conversion, a reform, and our sanctification, which continues throughout our lives. This revival and true reform will accelerate the outpouring of the divine power in the latter rain, the preaching of the everlasting gospel, and the sealing of the saints. Each of us needs this reform and revival to successfully go through the great time of trouble and receive our Lord in all His glory with great joy. What should we do?

Those of us who want to remain steadfast during these dangerous times must understand for ourselves the testimony of the Scriptures. Only those of us who have diligently studied Scripture and received the love of the truth in our hearts, and have strived to purify our souls through obedience, will be protected from the powerful deception which will captivate the world. “Search the Scriptures,” John 5:39 says the Lord Jesus; study the Bible like never before. Unless we come up to a higher and holy level, we will not be ready for the appearance of our Lord.

Dangerous times await us, and the enemy pursues us. We must love the truth and obey it. We must awaken from our spiritual stupor and surrender body, soul, and mind to God’s discipline.

We must dedicate more time to fervent prayer. By the power of the Holy Spirit, who is totally involved in our preparation to receive Him in all His plenitude, and by individual efforts, realized by the grace and merits of Jesus, we will reach the perfection of our character. We will develop it by engaging in rough and severe battles against our ego and having conflict after conflict against our passions, appetites, and inherited tendencies. We must severely criticize ourselves and not allow a single unfavorable trait to go without correction. God’s angels urgently help all those who persist in resisting the powers of darkness and procure to help themselves, relentlessly begging God for His mercy. The angels will do nothing for those who do not try to help themselves. We need to learn to pray with the same intensity and fervor as Jacob in the night of great trouble.

“If Jacob had not repented and confessed his previously committed sin, God would not have listened to his prayer and would not have saved his life. If we conserve unconfessed sins, we will be annihilated. All of us who attempt to excuse and hide our sins, leaving them unconfessed and without being forgiven, will be defeated by Satan.” We should be able to say as Christ said, “for the prince of the world comes, and he has nothing in Me,” John 14:30.

“It is up to us to remedy the defects of our character, and cleanse our souls of all contamination, because this is the only way that we will receive God’s seal, and only then the latter rain will be poured upon us.” What should we do?

“We must surrender our souls entirely to God so that a new power takes possession of our hearts.” Only Christ is capable of carrying out this supernatural change for us.

““Let’s consecrate ourselves to God every morning; this is our first daily chore. Let our prayer be: “Take me, Oh Lord, as totally Yours! I place my plans at Your feet. Use me in Your service today. Dwell in me, and may my entire work be done in You.” This is a daily matter in everything; our greatest joy should be the glory of God. In other words, we must be born again every morning. Our plans should be put into action or abandoned according to God’s indications.””

Jesus Christ is the nobleman of the parable, who left to receive the kingdom from His Father to then return. Our Lord has also called His servants and has given us many mines, and said to us: “Do business till I come,” Luke 19:13. Therefore, as we wait for our King and Redeemer, we should fervently work with an unbreakable faith. “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come, and will not tarry,” Hebrews 10:37. “Let us fear God and keep His commandments; for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil,” Ecclesiastes 12:13–14.

The Faithful and True Witness says: “Behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work,” Revelation 22:12.

“These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness: to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne,” Revelation 3:14, 21.

THE TIMELINE

 

The timeline of the final events of the world according to Bible prophecy is presented here. Many of the extraordinary events of the last days are emphasized. The fundamental Biblical texts are cited for the reader’s better understanding. It begins with the signs of the end of the world, followed by the start of the judgment, the end of probation (time of grace), the second coming of Jesus, and ends with eternity. In between these events, many other essential occurrences are provided, such as the sifting (shaking), the sealing, and the laws that establish the mark of the beast with its allies which act against God’s people. In addition, other events are included, like the latter rain, the loud cry, the persecution, the little and the great time of trouble, the seven last plagues, Armageddon, and the 144,000. Also presented are the 1,000 years of Revelation in their correct place, the two resurrections, the third coming of Jesus, the three phases of the judgment, the lake of fire, the purification of the earth, and the creation of new heavens and new earth. A meticulous study of the entire document is highly recommended, searching every subject for more detail and better information and the understanding necessary to be prepared because the Lord says: “Now I tell you before it comes, that, when it does come to pass, you may believe,” John 13:19.