FRIDAY MORNING MANNA April 13, 2018
Nathaniel Fajardo email:[email protected]
Biblical Numerology: NUMBER SEVEN – Part 43
The war behind all wars will be carried on till close of time
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those he cannot otherwise seduce—is compulsion by cruelty.”
– E. G. White, Great Controversy, p. 591, par 3.
Mr. Evolutionist, lend an ear. Humanity is sobbing non-stop, pleading, expecting, and hoping that this brand and branch of vaunted science will have an erudite but understandable explanation as to why mankind as a whole, the nations, and the major religions of the world are in such a harassed and dangerous foul mood, seemingly obsessed or simply enslaved by a “peace-through-war” mentality with its war sciences and strategists working round the clock. What’s going on?
Quoting Paul’s’ epistle to the Romans, yes, to those in Rome then and now, literally and spiritually: “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but we ourselves also.” Romans 8: 22, 23, K.J.V.
In your erudite understanding of the “natural” process, and yes, “doctrine” of evolution as a more rational and empirically scientific alternative to the “head case” of a literal six-day creation week, just where is mankind today in the march of the evolutionary process? Is homo sapiens, as we know and see it with our startled eyes and spinning heads, the culmination, the end product, the very best possible there is ever to be of the evolution of man? Is it still ongoing? If we live long enough, which is highly improbable, is there more of the same to come? How bad will it be?
Sorry, peace-mongers.
That is, the professional and deft purveyors of counterfeit peace—the ones achieved through compromise galore—the password of man-made truces, always, by nature cagey, all too fleeting even by the short-fused, constantly being lowered standards of impatient but powerful mortals, particularly mercurial yet somehow charismatic leaders who are able to muscle in their ideas to reshape national and even global conversations, trajectories, and ever-changing policies And upon resumption of the conflict even more is lost, the ultimate casualties, again and again being principle and truth.
So says God’s Word: “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape’ (1 Thess. 5: 3). Who shall not escape? The sly, false-peace-mongers who deceive themselves and countless others to indulge a counterfeit sense of security and let their vigilance-guards down. Many Christians at the outset of their born-again experience learn there is whole armor of God detailed in Ephesians 6: 10-18. In their new-found fervor and zeal, they put it on by faith and begin “fighting the good fight of faith” as Paul did.
Then some crowd-pleasing charlatan happens along and glibly sweet-talks them into believing that “they are already saved.” Aha! so what’s the use for all these vigilance and “watching unto prayer lest ye enter into temptation” thing? Ah so Old school, Old Testament, that’s the shadowy Mosaic dispensation laws; fanaticism, etc., are the quick answers. “And they shall not escape” the righteous judgments of an offended God for the stumbling and suffering it caused His faithful followers.
The war against individuality in religion; against religious liberty, freedom to worship God according to the dictates of conscience. Ellen G. White wrote:
“We have an individuality and identity that is our own. No one can submerge his identity with that of any other. All must act for themselves, according the dictates of their own conscience. As regards our responsibility and influence, we are amenable to God as deriving our life from Him. This we do not obtain from humanity, but from God only. We are His by creation and by redemption.” Faith I Live By, p. 165.
Clearly reflecting the core thought of the Biblical teaching on the origin and divinely-endowed
right of man, which the founding Fathers cherished and sought to preserve in the Constitution,
specifically in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, Alonzo Trevor Jones wrote:
“RELIGION is ‘the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it.”
LIBERTY is ‘the state of being exempt from the domination of others, or from restricting
circumstances. In ethics and philosophy, the power in any rational agent to make his choices
and decide his conduct for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily, in accordance with reasons
or motives.’
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, therefore, is man’s exemption from the domination of others, or from
restricting circumstances: man’s freedom to make his choices and decide his conduct for
himself, spontaneously and voluntarily: in his duty to his Creator, and in the manner of
discharging that duty.’”
Keep that in mind, religious liberty and true freedom lovers. It will come in more than handy
when changes begin to accelerate, as they surely will, according to prophecy. Its’ not and if but
a when. By better understanding the principle and true nature of religious liberty, by definition
and practice, through prophecy and history, one can better discern and quickly separate the
genuine signs of the times versus genuine “fake news” and official deflections and m Both Bible
prophecy and secular history record the fact that it was the papacy that ascended the throne of
the Roman Caesars. One respected historians says: “Out of the ruins of political Rome, arose
the great moral Empire in the ‘giant form’ of the Roman Church.’ (A.C. Flick, The Rise of the
Medieval Church, 1900, p. 150).
Prayerfully read and study Revelation chapters 12 and 13 and the three angel’s messages
instead of wasting rapidly-disappearing time, resources, and opportunities socializing on the
social networks of these last days. It is engaging and even much more than that, enslaving, as in
opioid addiction if you haven’t already found out like millions of others. For some, and the
frightening numbers are increasing, it will have been too late.
“In chapter 13 (verses 1-10) is described another beast, ‘like unto a leopard,’ to which the
dragon gave [three distinct things] ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority.’ This symbol, as
most Protestants have believed, represents the papacy which succeeded to the power and seat
and authority once held by the ancient Roman empire [through the line of Roman emperors].
Of the leopard-like beast it is declared: ‘There was given unto him a mouth speaking great
things and blasphemies . . . And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme
His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to
make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds
[tribes], and tongues [languages], and nations.’ This prophecy which is nearly identical with
the description of the little horn of Daniel 7 [the one we have been covering in the past issues],
unquestionably points to the papacy.”- Ellen G. White, Great Controversy, 1911, p. 439.
Three main earthly powers warring against God’s law and persecuting His saints symbolized as a holy woman and her children
“Under the symbols of a great red dragon, a leopard-like beast, and a beast with lamb-like horns [not a ‘lamb-like beast,’ as some say]—the earthly governments which would especially engage in trampling upon God’s law and persecuting His people, were presented to John [in Revelation]. The war is carried on till the close of time. The people of God, symbolized by a holy woman and her children, were represented as greatly in the minority. In the last days only a remnant still existed. Of these John speaks as they ‘which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.’ Rev. 12: 17.’ 7 BC 972 (Signs of the Times, Nov. 1, 1899)
“The line of prophecy in which these symbols are found begins with Revelation 12, with the dragon that sought to destroy Christ at His birth. The dragon is said to be Satan (Rev. 12: 9); he it was that moved upon Herod to put the Savior to death. But the chief agent of Satan in making war upon Christ and His people during the first centuries of the Christian Era [CE, A..D., New Testament times] was the Roman Empire, in which paganism was the prevailing religion. Thus while the dragon, primarily, represents Satan, it is, in a secondary sense, a symbol of pagan Rome [Imperial Rome].”- Ibid, Great Controversy p. 438.
“In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be the head of over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority.’ Rev. 13: 2. And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation.
Daniel 7: 25; Revelation 13: 5-7. Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or suffer death by the rack, the fagot, or the headsman’s ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus: ‘Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.’ Luke 21: 16, 17, K.J.V. Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: ‘The woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her a thousand two hundred and three-score days.’ Revelation 12: 6.”- Ibid, pp. 54-55.
Q. What is our sure safeguard against the soon-coming conflict? A. The original Protestant’s Creed: “The Bible and the Bible only!” Yes, read that again and again! You have been warned!
“To the law and the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.’ Isa. 8: 20. The people of God are directed to the Scriptures [not their religious leaders or pastors] as their safeguard against the influence of false teachers and the delusive power of spirits of darkness. Satan employs every possible device to prevent men from obtaining a knowledge of the Bible; for its plain utterances reveal his deceptions. At every revival of God’s work, the prince of evil is aroused to more intense activity; he is now putting forth his utmost efforts for a final struggle against Christ and His followers.
The last great delusion is soon to open before us. Antichrist is to perform his marvelous works in our sight. So closely will the counterfeit resemble the true, that it will be impossible to distinguish between them except by the Holy Scriptures. By their testimony every statement and every miracle must be tested. Those who endeavor to obey all the commandments of God will be opposed and derided. They can stand only in God. In order to endure the trial before them, they must understand the will of God as revealed in His word; they can honor Him only as they have a right conception of His character, government, and purposes, and act in accordance with them. None but those who have fortified the mind with the truths of the Bible will stand through the last great conflict. To every soul will come the searching test, Shall I obey God rather than men? The decisive hour is even at hand.” Ibid 539. (Continued next week)