As the Israelites impatiently waited for Moses (reminding us of how impatiently the first king of Israel, Saul, waited for prophet Samuel, and committed his first apostasy), something happened that lead worst things:
“Feeling their HELPLESSNESS in the absence of their leader, they RETURNED to their OLD SUPERSTITIONS.
“The ‘mixed multitude’ had been the first to INDULGE murmurings and impatience, and they were the LEADERS in the APOSTASY that followed.
The nation and the whole world is ‘testing the waters.’ In fits and starts, afflicted, inflicted and conflicted America, sharing the same lot with the rest of the edgy, wary and weary world is “testing the waters” to see how quickly and widely it can “open up” and rescue its rapidly-sinking economy—the other pecuniary half of the health pandemic, — without prematurely reactivating a more devastating “second wave” by this fall, as feared by the health scientists.
With sustained physical (more practical than “social”) distancing, using masks (which unsurprisingly has been turned into a “novel” fashion item, or weaponized as political statement), and other aggressive yet so common-sense sanitary and cleansing protocols to mitigate the pandemic, the much-sought after covid-19 test and contact-tracing novel mechanism, is to reveal and hopefully contain and control the spread of infection of this no-longer novel virus, until either a super vaccine, “herd immunity” is acquired on a national scale or a highly improbable permanent “cure” is found.
“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…saying,hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Rev. 7:2,3,KJV.
The sealing, preparation for the latter rain, loud cry, mark of the beast test and the close of probation occurs simultaneously with the pre-advent judgment taking place in the most holy in heaven. Our lives are passing in review right now.
“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.
Three Principal Subjects to Unite the Flock and Sanctify the Soul
Character unity, based on the heavenly standard, transcends organizational unity particularly that of spiritual Babylon’s, which is based on a global unity that demonizes the individuality of religion. The former is based on true freedom and liberty and is as unchanging, uncluttered, and everlasting in its principles and methods of achievement, as its divine Author and Example is–Jesus Christ, the humble Creator of heavens and the earth, the world’s Redeemer, merciful High Priest, Mediator and Advocate in heaven, who, like the Father, “changeth not” “neither is there any variableness nor shadow of turning,” is “the same yesterday, today, and forever,” the great I Am, and thus, unquestionably, to the earnest seeker of truth, and adopted the sons of daughters of God, is “the Author and finisher of our faith.”
Human organizational unity and all that comes with it, though based even on the most recent cutting-edge knowledge enhanced by the latest science and technology, is characterized by constantly changing concepts and priorities, increasingly spiritualistic philosophies which are but outgrowths of ancient heathen myths and esoteric wisdom, and policies that change with every political cycle, and every time there is a changing of the guards among those occupying the various ivy towers of “the great men of the earth” with craftily-designed legalese and jargon that the man on main street will never understand, thus, needs “lawyering up.”
