Friday Morning Manna
April 17, 2020
Nathaniel Fajardo
email:[email protected]
CALAMITY AND CRISIS REVEAL CHARACTER
“The time of trouble is the crucible that is to bring out Christ-like characters. It is designed to lead the people of God to renounce Satan and his temptations.” – E.G. White, Review and Herald, Aug. 12, 1884.
Central to our topic in this edition, at this global moment of the Covid-19 Crisis, is the parable of the ten virgins, which is a parabolic-prophecy having a double-application rather than full-bore type-antitype when the historical midnight cry and the soon-coming latter rain-powered final loud cry of the fourth angel of Revelation 18 are compared, the former preceding the latter.
Just to quickly show you how the parable of the ten virgins, the latter rain (also called “the times of refreshing come from the Lord,” Acts 3: 19), and the final loud cry are God’s potent mix, compacted together for earth’s stupendous closing events, revealing how and why the antitypical “Daniel’s people,” the living saints at that time, “whose names shall be found written in the book” were prepared and fully equipped to stand in “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time” (Dan. 12: 1),—I quote a passage from the inspired pen of God’s last day messenger-prophet, who wrote, as God’s prophets in the past usually did, for and in the person of those not merely “extraordinary” people living in an “extraordinary time,” but sealed, as well those being sealed, living, not dead saints, who proclaim with “unwonted power” as well as those who receive the glorious end of the third angel’s message:
“I heard those clothed with the armor speak the truth in great power. It had effect. I saw those who had been bound; some wives had been bound by their husbands, and some had been bound by their parents. The honest who had been held or prevented from hearing the truth, now eagerly laid hold of it. All fear of their relatives was gone. The truth alone was exalted to them. It was dearer and more precious than life. They had been hungering and thirsting for the truth. I asked what had made this great change. An angel answered: ‘It is the latter rain, the refreshing from the presence of the Lord, the loud cry of the third angel.”- Ibid, Testimonies for the Church, pp. 182, 183.
Hereunder is a more specific passage showing the correct correlation of the momentous historical midnight cry of the Advent movement of 1844 to the rapidly-approaching final loud cry of Revelation 18 wherein the stupendous closing events of earth’s final test takes place and will close in earth’s probation. The seven last plagues (Rev. 16)are immediately poured out successively, on all who “worshipped the beast and its image” and received his mark in their foreheads and in their hands.” Rev. 13: 15-18; 14: 9-11; 6: 15-17 , and Christ’s second immediately after in orderly chronology. Notice:
“You are getting the coming of the Lord too far off. I saw the Latter was coming as the midnight cry, and ten times the power.” – Vision of Aug. 24, 1850, Washington, N.H., Sept. 1852. Spalding-Magan Unpublished MSS Testimonies (of E.G. White), p. 4, Leaves of Autumn Books, Inc. Payson, Az.
The coming final loud cry (which was sadly aborted by the 1888 watershed denominational crisis, which God, in His mysterious mercy towards the remnant, held back the four winds of strife, which the four angels assigned to this work were just about to let them loose (Rev. 7: 1-3), will be ten times the power of the midnight cry of 1844 that even harks back to the special times of ancient apostate Israel whenever they heartily responded to the stern warnings given by God through His true prophets and special messengers–which were always few and far in between, and oftentimes, only one in a given generation, such as Elijah, a type of John the Baptist’s message and work to prepare for the first coming of Christ and the final antitype of those proclaiming the third angel’s message until it “swells into the loud cry of the fourth angel.” Notice:
“Like a tidal wave the movement swept over the land. From city to city, from village to village, and into remote country places [in the U.S.] it went, until the waiting people of God were fully aroused [the “ten virgins” waking up]. Before this proclamation [of the midnight cry], fanaticism disappeared, like early frost before the rising sun. Believers once more found their position, and hope and courage animated their hearts. The work was free from those extremes [such as the many forms of fanaticism, repetitious time-settings and yes, conspiracy theories that are insult to the already injured sufferers on account of this pandemic] which are ever manifested when there is human excitement [such as is happening in this covid-19 crisis] without the controlling influence of the word [‘It is written,’ ‘thus saith the Lord,’ ‘to the law and the testimony’] and Spirit of God. It was similar in character to those seasons of humiliation and returning to the Lord which among ancient Israel followed messages of reproof [not ‘peace-and-safety’ messages such as “once-saved-always-saved, predestination or “another gospel,’ or the popular money-making ‘prosperity gospel’] from His servants. It bore the characteristics which mark the work of God in every age. There was little ecstatic joy, but rather deep searching of heart, confession of sin, and forsaking of the world. A preparation to meet the Lord was the burden of agonizing spirits. There was persevering prayer, and unreserved consecration to God.” – Ibid. Spirit of Prophecy, 1884 ed., vol. 4, p. 249.
Q. Is this the same attitude and spirit of the remnant today, at this very time of the covid-19 crisis? If not, then there is far-greater, eternal life-determining crisis!
The Parable of the Ten Virgins is given in Matt. 25: 1-13 with cross references to the Parable of the Wedding Garment (Matt.22: 1-14) and Luke 12: 36 where Jesus, parabolically says, “He shall return from the wedding.” That’s because this wedding of weddings does not take place anywhere on earth but in the most holy in the heavenly sanctuary (where Christ is now and still is, both merciful High Priest mediating but also as righteous “Judge of all the earth,” examining and judging the lives of all who profess to be His followers “by books that were opened”), as announced by the first angel of Revelation 14 that found its fulfillment in the Advent movement of 1840-1844.
This one-and-done, progressive pre-advent judgment period, which is not a predetermined fixed time period, because all prophetic time-periods, reckoned from the beginning of the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9, are all embraced within the 2300-day/year prophecy of Daniel 8: 14—the longest prophetic time period in the Bible of 2,300 years, starting with the common starting point of the three prophesied successive decrees issued by three pagan Persian kings to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, completed as prophesied within that specific time period, to the beginning of the advent movement in 1840-1844 and onward to this very moment.
The termination of all prophetic-time periods in 1844 was also announced by “another mighty angel” of Revelation 10 “who swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and earth that there should be time (not “delay,” as the NKJV and the NIV mistranslated it as ‘no longer.” See Rev. 10: 5, 6. This repetition is not an exercise in useless redundancy; not ever in the Bible. Rather, it demands the closest attention of the Bible student to the divinely-announced precise date when all prophetic time-periods end, not are merely “delayed.” And by this a stern warning raised against any form of time-setting; it is one of Satan’s most deadly of his “unnumbered schemes” for these last days
The ongoing pre-advent or investigative judgment announced by the first angel’s message in 1840 and began on October, 1844, under which the remnant church is currently “being weighed in the balances of the sanctuary,” has never been interrupted since then, not when God “held back the four winds of strife from being unloosed” in 1888 nor by anything or any changing circumstances since then and certainly not during this prophetically highly-significant end-time global Covid-19 crisis. Notice the date when this was originally Great Controversy as part of Conflict of the Ages Series was published, 1884, then reckon why the author wrote, “for forty years,” meaning, since 1844:
“Solemn are the scenes connected with the closing work of atonement. Momentous are the interests therein involved. The Judgment is now passing in the sanctuary above. Forty years has this work been in progress. Soon—none know how soon—it will pass on to the cases of the living [it began with the cases of the dead of those who professed faith in Christ, starting with Adam]. In the awful presence of God our lives are to come up in review. At this time above all 0thers it behooves every soul to heed the Savior’s admonition, ‘Watch and pray, for ye know when the time is [when one’s name and life is taken up in review, not the second advent!]. [Mark 13: 33, 33, 35, 36 quoted]. . . .
“How perilous is the condition of those who, growing weary of their watch [as the ten virgins did], turn to the attractions of the world. While the man of business is absorbed in the pursuit of gain [the main reason why they want the business-crippling pandemic to end quickly], while the pleasure-lover is seeking indulgence [even in the midst of this supposedly deadly and fearful pandemic!], while the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments [its just everywhere],—it may be at that hour the Judge of all the earth will pronounce the sentence, ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.’ [Remember that individual probation closes at death, or when he has committed the unpardonable sin by grieving away the Holy Spirit by persistent refusal to accept heaven’s invitation to repent while still alive, even before earth’s probation ends].”
“Every soul that has named the name of Christ has a case pending at the heavenly tribunal. It is court week with us [for the remnant church], and the decision passed in each case will be final.” Ibid, Great Controversy, 1884 ed., pp. 314, 315.
Now we zero into the focal point, surrounded by all others we considered above:
“It is in a crisis that character is revealed. When the earnest voice proclaimed at midnight, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him, and the sleeping virgins were roused from their slumbers, it was seen who had made preparation for the event. Both parties were taken unawares; but one was prepared for the emergency, and the other was found without preparation. SO NOW, a sudden and unlooked-for calamity, something that brings the soul face-to-face with death [doesn’t this sudden and unlooked-for Covid-19 calamity has strangely put all people, globally, face-to-face with death?], will show whether there is real faith in the promises of God. It will show whether the soul is sustained by grace. [But] the great final test comes at the close of human probation, when it will be too late for the soul’s need to be supplied.”
“The ten virgins are watching in the evening of this earth’s history. All claim to be Christians. All have a call, a name, a lamp, and all profess to be doing God’s service. All apparently wait for Christ’s appearing, But five are unready. Five will be found surprised, dismayed and outside the banquet hall. [the marriage supper of the Lamb, Rev. 19: 9, 17].
“At the final day, many will claim admission to Christ’s kingdom, saying, ‘We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou hast taught in our streets.’ ‘ Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have we cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works?’ But the answer is, ‘I tell you, I know you not whence you are; depart from Me.’ Luke 13: 26; Matt. 7: 22.
“In this life they have not entered into fellowship with Christ; therefore they know not the language of heaven, they are strangers to its joy. What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God.’ 1 Cor. 2: 11.
“Saddest of words that ever fell on mortal ear are those words of doom, ‘I know you not.’ The fellowship of the Spirit [‘Today, if you will hear His voice?”], which you have slighted, could alone could make you one with the joyous throng at the marriage feast. In that scene you will not participate. Its light would fall on blinded eyes, its melody upon deaf ears. Its love and joy could awake the cord of gladness in the world-benumbed heart You are shut out from heaven by your own unfitness for its companionship.” – Ibid, Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 412, 413.
(To be continued next Friday, God willing)