Earth’s Last Crisis
7
We are standing on the threshold of the crisis of the ages. In quick
succession the judgments of God will follow one another—fire, and
flood, and earthquake, with war and bloodshed.—
Prophets and Kings,
278
(c. 1914).
There are stormy times before us, but let us not utter one word of
unbelief or discouragement.—
Christian Service, 136
(1905).
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God Has Always Warned of Coming Judgments
God has always given men warning of coming judgments. Those
who had faith in His message for their time, and who acted out their
faith in obedience to His commandments, escaped the judgments that
fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving.
The word came to Noah, “Come thou and all thy house into the
ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me.” Noah obeyed and was
saved. The message came to Lot, “Up, get you out of this place; for the
Lord will destroy this city” (
Genesis 7:1
;
19:14
). Lot placed himself
under the guardianship of the heavenly messengers and was saved. So
Christ’s disciples were given warning of the destruction of Jerusalem.
Those who watched for the sign of the coming ruin, and fled from the
city, escaped the destruction. So now we are given warning of Christ’s
second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the world. Those
who heed the warning will be saved.—
The Desire of Ages, 634
(1898).
God Has Told Us What to Expect in Our Day
Before His crucifixion the Saviour explained to His disciples that
He was to be put to death and to rise again from the tomb, and angels
were present to impress His words on minds and hearts. [See
Mark
8:31, 32
;
9:31
;
10:32-34
.] But the disciples were looking for temporal
deliverance from the Roman yoke, and they could not tolerate the
thought that He in whom all their hopes centered should suffer an
ignominious death. The words which they needed to remember were
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banished from their minds, and when the time of trial came it found
them unprepared. The death of Jesus as fully destroyed their hopes as
if He had not forewarned them.
So in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as
it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ. The events
connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for