Signs of Christ’s Soon Return
17
God. But we seem to sit as though we were paralyzed. God of heaven,
wake us up!—
Selected Messages 2:52
(1890).
God has not restrained the powers of darkness from carrying for-
ward their deadly work of vitiating the air, one of the sources of life
and nutrition, with a deadly miasma. Not only is vegetable life af-
fected but man suffers from pestilence.... These things are the result
of drops from the vials of God’s wrath [
God takes responsibility for
that which he allows or does not prevent. See
Exodus 7:3
;
8:32
;
1
Chronicles 10:4, 13, 14
.] being sprinkled on the earth, and are but faint
representations of what will be in the near future.—
Selected Messages
3:391
(1891).
Famines will increase. Pestilences will sweep away thousands.
Dangers are all around us from the powers without and satanic work-
ings within, but the restraining power of God is now being exercised.—
Manuscript Releases 19:382
(1897).
I have been shown that the Spirit of the Lord is being withdrawn
from the earth. God’s keeping power will soon be refused to all who
continue to disregard His commandments. The reports of fraudulent
transactions, murders, and crimes of every kind are coming to us daily.
Iniquity is becoming so common a thing that it no longer shocks the
senses as it once did.—
Letter 258, 1907
.
God’s Purpose in Calamities
What mean the awful calamities by sea—vessels hurled into eter-
nity without a moment’s warning? What mean the accidents by land—
[28]
fire consuming the riches that men have hoarded, much of which has
been accumulated by oppression of the poor? The Lord will not in-
terfere to protect the property of those who transgress His law, break
His covenant, and trample upon His Sabbath, accepting in its place a
spurious rest day.
The plagues of God are already falling upon the earth, sweeping
away the most costly structures as if by a breath of fire from heaven.
Will not these judgments bring professing Christians to their senses?
God permits them to come that the world may take heed, that sin-
ners may be afraid and tremble before Him.—
Manuscript Releases
3:311
(1902).