Tag: Nehemiah

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Daily Manna

I CAN BUT CHOOSE NOT TO ‘COME DOWN’ (Last of 6 Parts)

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

I CAN BUT CHOOSE NOT TO ‘COME DOWN’ (Last of 6 Parts)

“The course of Nehemiah should have a strong bearing upon our minds as to the MANNER of meeting this kind of opponents. Nehemiah made his supplication to God, while his own spirit was HUMBLED. He clung to God with UNWAVERING FAITH. THIS IS THE COURSE THAT WE SHOULD PURSUE.

Time is too precious to be devoted by the servants of God to VINDICATING THEIR CHARACTER, blackened by those who hate the Sabbath of the Lord. We should MOVE FORWARD with unwavering confidence, believing that God will give HIS TRUTH great and precious victories. In HUMILITY, MEEKNESS, and PURITY OF LIFE, RELYING UPON JESUS, we should carry a CONVINCING [not controlling] power with us that we have the truth.

“We do not understand, AS IT IS OUR PRIVILEGE, the faith and confidence that we may have in God, and the GREAT BLESSINGS which [this kind of] faith will give us [as Nehemiah’s faith did].

“An IMPORTANT WORK is before us. We are to obtain a MORAL FITNESS for heaven. Our WORDS and our [life] EXAMPLE are to tell upon the world [around us]. Angels of God are actively engaged in ministering to the children of God.

Precious PROMISES are upon record ON CONDITION of our obedience to God’s requirements [know what they are lest we be deceived by its counterfeits]. Heaven is full of the richest of blessings, all waiting to be COMMUNICATED to us.

If we feel our NEED and COME to God, in SINCERITY [the opposite of hypocrisy] and in EARNEST faith [the opposite of listless, shallow, or merely based on “feelings”], we shall be brought into CLOSE CONNECTION with heaven [not earth!] and shall be CHANNELS of light to the world [fallen, sin-cursed earth].

“The WARNING needs to be often sounded. ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ (1 Pet. 5:8, KJV).” E. G. White, Vol. 3 Testimonies for the Church, pp 574-5.

This brief series focusing on Nehemiah’s faithful work and exemplary example in finishing up the rebuilding and repairing the breach of the walls of Jerusalem within the specified time within the 70-week prophecy of Daniel 9, points forward to two antitypical applications:

1) the worldwide work of restoring the Decalogue in its rightful place in the plan of redemption of the everlasting gospel with particular emphasis on creation Sabbath of the fourth commandment as being the seal of God versus the mark of the beast antichrist
2) the individual rebuilding and restoring our sin-devastated characters, fitting it up for eternity, the work of sanctification. The law is written in the hearts and minds, no longer just on two inanimate tables of stone. Justification is our “title” to heaven; sanctification is our “fitness” for heaven, and the seal of God in our foreheads is our “passport” to heaven.

It is my hope and prayer that all of you will join, voluntarily and willingly, the work of rebuilding and restoring these two antitypical “walls” (the institutional and individual) before probation ends, individually at death, or at earth’s close of probation, typified by the closing of the one door to Noah’s literal ark at the end of 120 years and seven days before it started to rain.

As Jesus warned, “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it in the days before the coming of the Son of man in His glory with all His angels.” Bless all, NMF

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Daily Manna Devotionals

I CAN BUT CHOOSE NOT ‘TO COME DOWN’ (Part 2)

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

I CAN BUT CHOOSE NOT ‘TO COME DOWN’ (Part 2)

Based on the application of the type-antitype mechanism, it is quite easy to see that the three main enemies conspiring as a confederacy against Nehemiah and the prophesied sacred work of rebuilding the walls and repairing the breach, namely, Sanballat the Samaritan, Tobiah the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian find their final antitype in the global union of Romanism. apostate Protestantism, and Spiritualism that will unitedly conspire against the antitypical Zerubbabels, Ezras, and Nehemiahs in the “three angels’ messages and work of restoring the downtrodden law of God and repairing the breach on the Sabbath of the fourth commandment by the commandment-keeping remnant church of prophecy.

Nehemiah was undertaking the last leg of the literal restoration of the physical walls started earlier by Zerrubabel, followed by Ezra, the spiritual antitype of which are the last call for repentance, revival. reformation in the restoration of the rightful place of God’s law and His Sabbath in the plan of redemption of the everlasting gospel, incorporating fearful warning against worshipping the beast and his image and receiving the mark of the former, in contrast to receiving the seal or mark of God in the forehead.

“In this case [of the type in Nehemah’s time] a SPIRIT OF HATRED AND OPPOSITiON to the Hebrews formed THE BOND OF UNION and created a mutual sympathy among DIFFERENT BODIES of men who might OTHERWISE have WARRED with one another.

This well illustrates what we frequently witness in our day in the existing union of men of different denominations to OPPOSE PRESENT TRUTH, men whose only bond seems to be THAT WHICH IS DRAGONIC in its nature, manifesting bitterness and hatred against the remnant who keep the commandments of God.

This is specially seen in FIRST DAY, NO DAY, and ALL-DAYS ALIKE Adventists [three classes of second Advent believers who did not keep the fourth commandment Sabbath, at that time] who seem to be famous for hating and slandering one another, when they can SPARE TIME from their efforts to misrepresent, slander, and in every way abuse Seventh-day Adventists.” – E. G. White, Vol. 3, Testimonies for the Church. p. 372.

NOTE: In Christ’s time, the three dominant sects in the religious spectrum of NT Judaism composing the Great Sanhedrin (national Council) were the Pharisees, the orthodox, fudamentalist, “conservative religious sect or party chiefly of the middle class, the Sadducees, a minority religio-political party representing the wealthy, aristocratic, “liberal,” secular-minded wing of Judaism, and the lesser Herodians, usually thought of as “court officials of Herod” or “Herod’s soldiers.”

They did not like each other but temporarily united when they found a common enemy in Jesus Christ!

(To be continued). Bless all, NMF

Categories
Daily Manna Devotionals

I CAN BUT CHOOSE NOT ‘TO COME DOWN’

FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:

I CAN BUT CHOOSE NOT ‘TO COME DOWN’

“I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, while I leave it, and come down to you?” Neh. 6:3, KJV.

Nehemiah’s shining example of having “an eye single to the glory of God” by being consistent, unmovable, steadfast, intellectually and spiritually TRUE to the work of rebuilding the wall and repairing the breach” “as the needle is to the pole,” was a powerful and TIMELY reproof, counsel, encouragement, and vitalizing inspiration for me, personally.

The Holy Spirit led me to additional magnification of its antitypical end-time application in the following SOP quotes which I am sharing with all who are interested and discern present, sealing truth in it (emphasis mine).

“I was shown (Jan. 3, 1875), that God’s people should not for ONE MOMENT RELAX THEIR WATCHFULNESS OF THEIR VIGILANCE. Satan is upon our track. He is determined to overcome God’s commandment-keeping people with his TEMPTATIONS.

If we give NO place to him, but RESIST his devices, steadfast in the faith, we shall have STRENGTH to depart from all iniquity. Those who keep the commandments of God will be a POWER in the land IF THEY LIVE UP to the light and privileges. They may be PATTERNS of piety, holy in heart and conversation.
We shall not have EASE, that we may CEASE WATCHFULNESS AND PRAYER.

As the time draws near for Christ to be revealed in the clouds of heaven, Satan’s temptations will be brought to bear with GREATER POWER upon those who keep God’s commandments, for ‘he knows his time is short’ [Rev. 12:12, last part].

“The work of Satan will be carried out through AGENTS. Ministers who hats the law of God will employ ANY means to lead souls from their LOYALTY to God. Our bitterest enemies will be among the first-day Adventists [those who believe the second coming but keep Sunday in her time and who are going to form the “image of the beast” in our day, Rev. 13].

Their hearts are fully determined to make WAR against those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. This class to TALK, WRITE, and ACT OUT the most bitter hatred against us.

“We need not look for fair dealing or for JUSTICE at their hands. Many of them are inspired by Satan with INSANE MADNESS against those who are keeping the commandments of God.

We shall be maligned and misrepresented, all our motives and actions will be misjudged, and our CHARACTERS will be attacked. The ‘wrath of the dragon’ [Rev. 12: 17] will be manifested in this manner. BUT I SAW THAT WE SHOULD NOT BE IN THE LEAST DISCOURAGED.

OUR STRENGTH IS IN JESUS, OUR ADVOCATE. IF IN HUMILITY WE TRUST IN GOD, and hold fast to His promises [know what these specifically are by studying your Bible], He will give us GRACE and HEAVENLY WISDOM to ‘withstand ALL the wiles’ of Satan and come off victors.

“In my recent view I saw that it will NOT increase our influence or bring us into favor with God to retaliate or COME DOWN FROM OUR GREAT WORK TO THEIR LEVEL IN MEETING THEIR SLANDERS.

There are those who will resort to ANY SPECIES of deception and gross falsehood to gain their object and deceive souls, and to cast STIGMA upon the law of God and those who LOVE TO OBEY IT. They will REPEAT the most inconsistent and vile falsehoods, OVER AND OVER, until they MAKE THEMSELVES BELIEVE that they are truth!

These are the strongest arguments they have to use against the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. We should not allow our FEELINGS to control us and DIVERT us from WARNING the world [the last merciful warnings to mankind contained in the three angels messages of Rev. 14 are not “peace-and-safety,” “love only” messages!].

“The case of Nehemiah was presented before me. He was engaged in building the walls of Jerusalem, and the enemies of God were determined that the walls should NOT be built. [Nehemiah 4: 7, 8 quoted].” E.G. White, Vol. 3 “Testimonies for the Church,” pp. 570-1.

(To be continued). Fortify your minds with the testing truths for these last days in preparation for earth’s final and bitterest “winter” hastening upon mankind and the church, specifically. Bless all, NMF