Matthew 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
The above verses were taken from Christ’s discourse with His disciples, pertaining not only to the demise of Jerusalem of old, but also to the end time events that would usher in the final conflict between good and evil on planet earth, and the subsequent end of human probation.
The prophecies, as recorded by Matthew, have dual meaning because some predictions pertained to the invasion and destruction by the Roman Cestius, and also the 1260 years of papal persecution while some other aspects of the prophecies pertain to the here and now.
The servant of the Lord, in describing the horrors in the days of Titus, says that the situation back then had deteriorated to the point where satan himself was at the head of the nation, and many crimes too horrible to mention took place at his instigation.
He had taken the reins of control, although he also remained completely hidden from view, working his will through those human agents who had become fully demon possessed, even though they knew it not. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 88] The long-suffering of God toward Jerusalem only confirmed the Jews in their stubborn impenitence. Then God withdrew his protection from them, and removed his restraining power from Satan and his angels, and the nation was left to the control of the leader she had chosen.
Her children had spurned the grace of Christ, which would have enabled them to subdue their evil impulses, and now these became the conquerors. Satan aroused the fiercest and the most debased passions of the soul. Men did not reason; they were beyond reason. Satan was at the head of the nation, and the highest civil and religious authorities were under his sway.
Hence the reason why Jesus wept as he stood upon Mt olives, and with prophetic eye observed the dark days that lay ahead, not only for the chosen people, but also for persons who would be living during the time when the final conflict would take place.
When you read in the Bible that Jesus wept, it was not for being sad about Lazarus because He was just about to raise Lazarus from the dead, so it would be irrelevant for Jesus to weep for him.
Jesus’ weeping was about being sorry for those who would reject His messiahship, and the consequence of their rejection of Him, in spite of the abundance of undeniably convincing evidence that was given to them. This He referred to when, as He hung on the cross, people mourned for Him. Let’s read:
Luke 23: 27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.
Thus, after the servant of The Lord describes all the gory details of what took place back then, under the Roman Titus, she then makes the following cryptic statement, which aught to be a cause for concern, to any rational thinking person who is studying end time prophecies. Let’s read:
[Great Controversy pp 88] The Savior's prophecy concerning the visitation of judgments upon Jerusalem is to have another fulfillment, of which that terrible desolation was but a faint shadow.
In other words, what she is saying is that what took place under Titus is a joke when compared to what’s heading our way. Indeed, that is what Daniel is also saying, because the prophet is basically telling us in a nutshell that we ain’t seen nothing yet. Let’s read:
Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Therefore, because of the urgency of the moment, the final movements that will close off probationary time for earth’s inhabitants, will accelerate greatly, and alarming developments are scheduled to take place with such rapidity, that they will defy reason, and as a result folks will be at a loss for a response.
In lieu of what The Savior has predicted, together with the other Bible prophets who treat upon this subject, it is prudent that the remnant people of God who know what is coming, be prepared in such a manner that we will not be swept off of our feet by the swift incoming tide of snares and adversities.
We are not going to dwell too much on what those final movements will be, or how they would unfold, for most of us are already acquainted with what is predicted to come to pass in the last days of earth’s history.
Instead, we are going to deal with the deeper, and more important question of how to survive, and be prepared to remain anchored in Christ, when the winds of strife are let loose, thus triggering those rapid movements being referred to.
There are two statements coming from the pen of inspiration that we must therefore address, as it pertains to us living in readiness. Those statements refer to latent tendencies in our character that have not been completely overcome, and which we often sweep under the rug by making excuses for failures.
If the veil was to be lifted, we would see the devil grinning from ear to ear when we make excuses for our shortcomings. He loves to hear Christians blame other people, circumstances, the weather, feelings, impulse, and most of all, he loves to hear the most favorite of all words, the devil made me do it.
With many Christians, including the remnant people of God there are invisible skeletons hiding out in our closets, which only surface from time to time when the right set of circumstances converge.
Temptations, as they are concocted, and delivered by devils are not circumstances that do occur in any haphazard manner. They are devices and snares that are well studied, and thought out, prior to bringing them to the Christian.
Several components are carefully considered, such as timing you at your weakest moment, studying the files they have on you, to see which points you have historically been susceptible on.
And there are other contributing factors which are brought into the equation, such as prime location, the time of day, or night, ambience, and influence that may, or may not obtain.
If Bathsheba’s husband was at home at the time, we most likely would never have read of David’s fall in that instance, and furthermore, for her to become pregnant from just a one night’s stance would take considerable planning and surgical execution.
Therefore, for the Christian to think that temptation occurs in a haphazard manner is to misunderstand what the Bible teaches about man’s diabolical foe, who has years of experience under his belt, with a clear knowledge of what works best, in any given situation.
Sinful tendencies which are allowed to fester, and breed undetected and unaddressed, while we hope that triggering mechanisms of satan will somehow be skirted, without fervent prayer and a stern self-denial, is an absolute nonstarter.
The skeletons in our closet must now be confronted and overcome permanently, before the big one hits, for the final movements will produce rapid currents of temptations and snares that will be coming at the Christian with increasing severity and frequency.
In other words, any sin that is not overcome now will gain the mastery over us, when the right set of circumstances are converged by devils. And in most instances, he is not looking for three or four issues. The devil only needs one, through which he could shake us down from our perch.
The following excerpts bring this grim reality to light with the hope that all concerned will stand up, and take notice. In other words, now is not the time to be playing church, but instead, we should be honest with ourselves, asking the tough questions about the man in the mirror.
And if we have a problem with some sinful, latent tendency, or some skeleton in our closet which trips us up, ever so often, we should now ask The Lord to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 88] Her children had spurned the grace of Christ, which would have enabled them to subdue their evil impulses, and now these became the conquerors. Satan aroused the fiercest and the most debased passions of the soul. Men did not reason; they were beyond reason.
The meaning of the word “Arouse”: To awaken that which is dormant, to stir up. Now, let’s consider this folks; in order for something to be awakened, it first has to be in existence in a dormant or a latent state, for no one could arouse, or awaken anything that is nonexistent in your character. Let’s read:
[The Great Controversy pp 88] Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foot-hold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power.
But Christ declared of himself, “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory.
What is being referred to is some responding chord in us that triggers the wrong reaction whenever the right set of circumstances converge. Some cherished sin, or a dormant tendency that we may be privately clinging on to, that has not been confronted for what it is.
David did not originally have any deliberate plans to sleep with Bathsheba. He had not spent days, and nights drooling over the prospect of a rendezvous. But, on the spur of the moment, when the right set of circumstances converged, he was overcome.
The same is true of Peter, for although he carried a loaded gun, he had no premeditated, or deliberate intention of shooting the high priest’s servant in the ear. But when the devil converged the right set of circumstances, Peter, like David also fell.
Again, the same can be said of Jacob, when he went in to deceive his father, Isaac. He had not planned to tell such brazen lies on God, but when in the heat of moment, Isaac pressed him about finding the meat so soon, he got tripped up by a question he was not expecting, and as is too often the case, God was the only way out, to him. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 717] Man is contending with foes who are stronger than he. “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places.” Ephesians 6:12.
This leads us to our case study of the man, Moses, who for years had endured the winds of strife which were coming from a multitude of insubordinate folk. They wore him down over the years with complaints and murmuring, and on several occasions, they had almost stoned him.
The journey to Canaan would have taken but a few days, but because of the attitude of the multitude, it was now going to take forty years. Thus, Moses was in no mood to take further insults and threats to his person when they clamored for water.
Thus, satan, ever on the lookout for opportunities to trip us up, observed that change in mood that came over Moses. He studied his countenance carefully, and he correctly determined that Moses could be a prime target for temptation if the right circumstance could be brought about.
Therefore, he pulls the files he has on Moses, and to his delight, he discovers that there is one point on which he has been successful with Moses in times past. He runs the tape on Moses, in different cases when his temper tantrums surfaced. Let’s read:
Exodus 2: 11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren.
12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?
14 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, surely this thing is known.
After years of the people wearing Moses’ patience thin, who knows, there may still be some answering chord, some latent, dormant tendency that has not been completely uprooted, that could be aroused if the right set of circumstances were to converge.
Thus, he determines to try it once again. There must be some way that he could tick off Moses to the point where he will lose his cool, trip a fuse, and sin in the process, for that is the end game of every temptation; it’s always to get persons to sin.
And so, he goes to work through the people, as he moves upon them to bring again the old charge that Moses had led the multitudes into a wilderness full of hardship instead of leading them to Canaan. Thus accusations, and impugning of motives will be used as catalysts to trigger a wrong response. Let’s read:
Numbers 20:2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people chode with Moses, and spoke, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!
4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there?
5 And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.
6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 417] The two brothers went on before the multitude, Moses with the rod of God in his hand. They were now aged men. Long had they borne with the rebellion and obstinacy of Israel; but now, at last, even the patience of Moses gave way.
“Hear now, yoo rebels,” he cried; “must we fetch you water out of this rock?” and instead of speaking to the rock, as God had commanded him, he smote it twice with the rod. The water gushed forth in abundance to satisfy the host. But a great wrong had been done. Moses had spoken from irritated feeling. His lack of patience and self-control was evident.
[Testimonies Vol. 6 pp 656] Strength of character consists of two things—power of will and power of self-control. The real greatness and nobility of the man is measured by the power of the feelings that he subdues, not by the power of the feelings that subdue him. The strongest man is he, who, while sensitive to abuse, will yet restrain passion and forgive his enemies.
As we were writing out the Bible study, we were just wondering if in our own lives there might be some latent tendency, some dormant propensity that may have gone undetected or unaddressed for years and which might bubble up to the surface if the right set of circumstances were to be converged by devils.
There are basically two types of skeletons that you would find in your closets, namely, the ones that are really dead, and the ones that are just subdued. The ones that are really dead refer to former cravings or indulgences that have been uprooted by Christ.
As a general rule of thumb, these would not faze the Christian anymore for they have become permanent bygones, and as such they are not really a problem.
But the skeletons that are just subdued are the ones that are deep seated, usually having being indulged in your early, and adolescent years, into adulthood, and which the devil has successfully tripped us up on, over and over again, but since baptism they only surface on occasion, when the right circumstances converge.
Now, just because they do not erupt nearly as often as they used to in former years some Christians may take it for granted that these have been overcome, but lo and behold, when sudden temptation comes, out of the blue without warning, and the situation is favorable, the old devil succeeds yet again, much to our chagrin.
These issues, which are usually no more than one or two at the most, are the ones that are described as being the latent tendencies that have the potential to bubble up to the surface when, in times of fierce temptation, the old man may resurrect briefly, only to disappear into the shadows, to await another opportune moment.
Thus, the Christian who is engaged in serious soul-searching has to ask himself or herself, is there one latent tendency that could tick me off if the right set of circumstances are converged by devils?
This will call for us to be honest with ourselves and with God, for if these issues are not confronted and addressed now, they will most likely surface again in the future.
Final movements will be rapid ones, and it is quite possible, that in the process, some might lose their benefits such as Social Security or cuts to Medicare or Medicaid. We don’t know just yet, but everything may eventually be on the chopping block.
Could it be that if things were to take a turn for the worse suddenly, that some, like Moses will become ticked off, and might blow a fuse in the heat of the temptation, on the spur of the moment? Remember, Moses had behaved himself quite well for many years, earning him the coveted title of the meekest man on earth.
Now folks, if the meekest man upon the earth could blow a fuse under sudden temptations, what about the you and me in the here and now, who are often ticked off by bad drivers on the road every day?
Again, we must do due diligence as we ask God to search us, for we cannot approach the final conflict of the ages with latent tendencies unaddressed, for if we do the final movements that will be rapid ones will sweep us off of our feet, as the heat of the fire is scheduled to be turned up several notches. Let’s read:
1st Peter 5: 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
9 Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
Patriarchs & Prophets pp 717] It is impossible for us in our own strength to maintain the conflict; and whatever diverts the mind from God, whatever leads to self-exaltation or to self-dependence, is surely preparing the way for our overthrow.
As soon as Satan can separate the soul from God, the only Source of strength, he will seek to arouse the unholy desires of man's carnal nature. The work of the enemy is not abrupt;
It is not, at the outset, sudden and startling; it is a secret undermining of the strongholds of principle. It begins in apparently small things—the neglect to be true to God and to rely upon Him wholly, and the disposition to follow the customs and practices of the world.
In closing, we are strongly advised not to take the victory for granted, nor should we presume that just because we may not have slipped up on a particular issue for many years, that we stand free and clear. As we have seen, this is not necessarily the case in every situation.
The urgency of the moment calls for soul searching of no ordinary character, confession of latent, sinful tendencies, and the humbling of our hearts before God, so that we may be victorious before the storm bursts upon us, for sacred history teaches us that God always gives the victory, before the battle, not merely during the battle.
We therefore close with two passages of Scripture that we would do well to ponder, even as we see cracks beginning to appear in the new abnormal. Let’s read:
Psalms 139: 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts.
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Romans 9: 28 For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
God Bless!