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We can call a spade a
spade, but if we have sin on our hands we condemn ourselves in the act of
calling other sinners out to be sinners. The Savior's message is that
there is forgiveness for those who repent, not that God is going to kill
anyone associated with Babylon.
God calls people OUT of Babylon and that message we certainly can
deliver. The Gospel is not a negative message or one of fear.
God is not seeking to scare people into His camp.
As concerns the
persecution time, that has already happened and it was the dark period of
humanity called the Dark Ages. God promised that it would never
recur. Yet, we take it upon ourselves to preach that God will not keep
His word and persecution will come again! Let's read the Scriptures
about that, Judy!
- Then let them which be in Judaea
flee into the mountains: (Mat 24:16 KJV)
- Let him which is on the housetop not come
down to take any thing out of his house: (Mat 24:17 KJV)
- Neither let him which is in the field return
back to take his clothes. (Mat 24:18 KJV)
- And woe unto them
that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! (Mat 24:19 KJV)
- But pray ye that your flight be not in the
winter, neither on the Sabbath day: (Mat 24:20 KJV)
- For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor ever shall be. (Mat 24:21 KJV)
This happened in the Dark
Ages and it will never happen again! EGW's view
on this comes from Uriah Smith's perspective, more than anything
else. Uriah Smith, while having done a wonderful job has not been
correct in every whit! Uriah Smith, reading Daniel concluded
from verse 1 of chapter 12 that this was a future event. But Daniel
12:1 is a rapid scan across history done as a summary for Daniel to record
based on chapter 11 content...
So, this anticipation and
fear is not something that we really need to embrace as we do, else what is
the Savior's prophecy about where it says that it would be as the days
of Noah, in the end days??? In Noah's days there was no persecution,
Judy! Our trouble and fear should be not to fall in love with
the easy life... and forget our obligations...
Dennis Kean
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