God’s Wrath or Man-made Calamities?Passionate Responses to Hurricanes,Floods,Earthquakes,Fires-VIDEO AND READING,24/9/2017

 

NOTE--LUKE 21:22-23 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.  

21:25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
21:26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

NOTE–SDA BIBLE COMMENTARY, VOL. 5,PP,1123-Scenes to Be Repeated—After speaking of the end of the world, Jesus comes back to Jerusalem, the city then sitting in pride and arrogance, and saying, “I sit a queen, … and shall see no sorrow.” As His prophetic eye rested upon Jerusalem, He sees that as she was given up to destruction, the world will be given up to its doom. The scenes that transpired at the destruction of Jerusalem will be repeated at the great and terrible day of the Lord, but in a more fearful manner (Manuscript 40, 1897). 

NOTE–The End of All Things is at Hand —How many disasters are now taking place. These are admonitions to us that we are living in the last days. Daily we read of earthquakes; of the going down of many ships, with great loss of life; of destructive floods; and of the burning of immense buildings costing millions of dollars–buildings which men have pronounced fireproof, but which, when touched by the finger of God, are consumed. With a loud voice these things speak to us, saying, “The end of all things is at hand.”

 We are living in the closing period of this earth’s history. What shall we do to awaken the people to a realization of their dangerous condition? Already the plagues of God are coming upon the world; yet many of those who for years have been expecting to behold Christ at His second appearing, are assuming an attitude of listless indifference to the daily events which show that His coming is drawing near

NOTE–Securing Our Inheritance--Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Jude 7.

The outlook in our world is indeed alarming. God is withdrawing His Spirit from the wicked cities, which have become as the cities of the antediluvian world, and as Sodom and Gomorrah. The inhabitants of these cities have been tested and tried. We have reached a time when God is about to punish the presumptuous wrongdoers, who refuse to keep His commandments and disregard His messages of warning. He who bears long with evildoers gives everyone an opportunity to seek Him and humble their hearts before Him.

Everyone has opportunity to come to Christ and be converted, that He may heal them. But there will come a time when mercy will be no longer offered. Costly mansions, marvels of architectural skill, will be destroyed without a moment’s notice, when the Lord sees that the owners have passed the boundaries of forgiveness. The destruction by fire of the stately buildings supposed to be fireproof is an illustration of how in a short time earth’s architecture will lie in ruins.

The twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew gives an outline of what is to come upon the world. We are living amid the perils of the last days. Those who are perishing in sin must be warned. The Lord calls upon every one to whom He has entrusted the talent of means to act as His helping hand by giving their money for the advancement of His work. Our money is a treasure lent us by the Lord, and it is to be invested in the work of giving to the world the last message of mercy.

He who looks at earthly things as the chief good, he who spends his life in an effort to gain worldly riches, is indeed making a poor investment. Too late he will see that in which he has trusted crumbling into dust. It is only through self-denial, through the sacrifice of earthly riches, that the eternal riches can be obtained. It is through much tribulation that the Christian enters the kingdom of heaven. Constantly he is to war the good warfare, not laying down his weapons until Christ bids him rest. Only by giving all to Christ can he secure the inheritance that will endure through all eternity. –– Letter 90, May 23, 1902, to Brother Johnson, a layman.