March 27, 2020
FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:
IT WILL SURELY COME TO PASS. “
And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than we first believed.” Rom. 13:11.
I have shared my deep convictions with you from the very beginning, by “pen and voice,” to give the message “whether they hear, or whether they will forbear.”(Eze. 3:11). This is the same plea repeated every Sabbath service, “Today, if you will hear His (the Holy Spirit’s) voice (in your conscience) harden not your hearts.” I remember sharing this vital, seldom cited quote from the Testimony of Jesus which is the Spirit of prophecy as early as February 1994 while we were still in Philadelphia. And I have been sharing the same since then through the published FMM and in discourses about the need of “strong meat” no longer “milk.” Here it is again and whether we have already entered the prophesied “early time of trouble” or not, we are much closer now:
“It is too late in the day to feed with milk. If souls a MONTH or two old in the truth, WHO ARE ABOUT to enter the time of trouble such as never was cannot hear(bear) all the straight truth, or endure the STRONG MEAT of the straightness of the way? HOW will they stand in the day of battle? Truths that we have been YEARS learning must be learned in a few MONTHS by those who now embrace the THIRD ANGEL’S Message. There is NO NEED of milk after souls are convinced of the truth. As soon as the conviction of truth is yielded to and the heart is willing, the truth should have its effect, the truth will work like leaven, and purify and purge away the PASSIONS of the natural [carnal] heart.
It is a DISGRACE for those who have been in the truth for years, to talk of feeding souls who have been months in the truth, upon milk. It SHOWS they know little of the leadings of the Spirit of the Lord, and REALIZE NOT the time we are living in. Those who embrace the truth NOW will have to STEP FAST. There will have to be a breaking up of the HEART before the Lord, a RENDING of the heart, and not of garment.” (MS 1, Feb. 4, 1854/1 MR 33, 34).
To those who have been insisting to hear ear-pleasing, peace-and-safety messages and the milk of the gospel have this corona virus crisis to truly wake up. Who knows this may be one of God’s penultimate urgent means to wake up those who are yet sleeping in the midnight of earth’s history. One thing for sure: the latter rain and loud cry of the Revelation 18 angel is on the horizon because the signs all point to the nearness of the fulfillment of Revelation 13. Some opportunities mercifully given to us, both individually and collectively,that we took for granted, may already have passed, never to present themselves again. The only thing that can be done is to repent, ask forgiveness and make the best of whatever remains.
Pray to God that this crisis may pass, but pray especially that we shall not miss the critical lessons we may have to learn by “cramming” in times of real duress. Please do not tell people “the best is yet to come” because prophecy is telling us in trumpet tones that the worst is yet to come— before the “best” which is Christ’s return, will finally take place.
Turn to the Written Word of prophecy for guidance, not your feelings, not what others are saying, and not what is “trending” on the the news and social networks, in particular. None of them saw this coming, so how will they know what to do? Don’t follow the “lost sheep”; follow the divine Shepherd as revealed in “It Is Written.” Stay calm if you truly believe God is in full control. Pastor Nat