Conflicts in the Last
Days
Note: September 11, 2001, brought
shock and dismay to the United States of America and to the rest of the world
over the airliner attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Though
Ellen G. White did not predict these specific events, she foresaw trouble of
various kinds coming on the world in the last days before Jesus' return. Below
we have gathered some statements, mostly from the compilation Last Day
Events {LDE} and the devotional book Maranatha {Mar}, which may be
especially meaningful in light of current events.
Warning and
Assurance from Jesus
Christ upon the Mount of Olives rehearsed
the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: "Ye shall hear of
wars and rumors of wars: . . . Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,
in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows" [Matt. 24:6-8]. While
these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of
Jerusalem, they have a more direct application in the last days.--5T 753
(1899). {LDE 18}
The nations are in unrest. Times of
perplexity are upon us. Men's hearts are failing them for fear of the things
that are coming upon the earth. But those who believe in God will hear His
voice amid the storm, saying, "It is I; be not afraid."--ST Oct. 9, 1901. {LDE
19}
In the days of Noah the overwhelming
majority was opposed to the truth, and enamored with a tissue of falsehoods.
The land was filled with violence. War, crime, murder, was the order of the
day. Just so will it be before Christ's second coming.--1BC 1090 (1891). . . .
The terrible reports we hear of murders and
robberies, of railway accidents and deeds of violence, tell the story that the
end of all things is at hand. Now, just now, we need to be preparing for the
Lord's second coming.--Letter 308, 1907. {LDE 23}
Wars and
Disasters
The tempest is coming and we must get ready
for its fury by having repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ. The Lord will arise to shake terribly the earth. We shall see troubles
on all sides. Thousands of ships will be hurled into the depths of the sea.
Navies will go down, and human lives will be sacrificed by millions. Fires will
break out unexpectedly and no human effort will be able to quench them. The
palaces of earth will be swept away in the fury of the flames. Disasters by
rail will become more and more frequent. Confusion, collision, and death
without a moment's warning will occur on the great lines of travel. The end is
near, probation is closing. Oh, let us seek God while He may be found, call
upon Him while He is near!--MYP 89, 90 (1890).
In the last scenes of this earth's history
war will rage. There will be pestilence, plague and famine. The waters of the
deep will overflow their boundaries. Property and life will be destroyed by
fire and flood. We should be preparing for the mansions that Christ has gone to
prepare for them that love Him.--Mar 174 (1897). {LDE 24}
God's
Purpose in Calamities
What mean the awful calamities by
sea--vessels hurled into eternity without a moment's warning? What mean the
accidents by land--fire consuming the riches that men have hoarded, much of
which has been accumulated by oppression of the poor? The Lord will not
interfere 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 sinners may
be afraid and tremble before Him.--3MR 311 (1902). {LDE 27, 28}
Coming
Events Are in the Hands of the Lord
The world is not without a ruler. The
program of coming events is in the hands of the Lord. The Majesty of heaven has
the destiny of nations as well as the concerns of His church in His own
charge.--5T 753 (1889).
These symbolical representations [the fiery
serpents in the wilderness] serve a double purpose. From them God's people
learn not only that the physical forces of the earth are under the control of
the Creator, but also that under His control are the religious movements of the
nations. Especially is this true with reference to the enforcement of Sunday
observance.--19MR 281 (1902).
In the great closing work we shall meet
with perplexities that we know not how to deal with, but let us not forget that
the three great Powers of heaven are working, that a divine hand is on the
wheel, and that God will bring His purposes to pass.--Ev 65 (1902). . . .
In the annals of human history, the growth
of nations, the rise and fall of empires, appear as if dependent on the will
and prowess of man; the shaping of events seems, to a great degree, to be
determined by his power, ambition, or caprice. But in the Word of God the
curtain is drawn aside, and we behold, above, behind, and through all the play
and counterplay of human interest and power and passions, the agencies of the
All-merciful One, silently, patiently working out the counsels of His own
will.--PK 499, 500 (c. 1914). {LDE 29, 30}
New York
City
God has not executed His wrath without
mercy. His hand is stretched out still. His message must be given in Greater
New York. The people must be shown how it is possible for God, by a touch of
His hand, to destroy the property they have gathered together against the last
great day.--3MR 310, 311 (1902).
I have no light in particular in regard to
what is coming on New York, only that I know that one day the great buildings
there will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God's power. . . .
Death will come in all places. This is why I am so anxious for our cities to be
warned.--RH July 5, 1906.
On one occasion, when in New York City, I
was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after
story toward heaven. These buildings were warranted to be fireproof, and they
were erected to glorify their owners and builders. . . .
The scene that next passed before me was an
alarm of fire. Men looked at the lofty and supposedly fireproof buildings and
said: "They are perfectly safe." But these buildings were consumed as if made
of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The
firemen were unable to operate the engines.--9T 12, 13 (1909). {LDE 112, 113}
Judgments
Coming on the Cities
Terrible shocks will come upon the earth,
and the lordly palaces erected at great expense will certainly become heaps of
ruins.--3MR 312 (1891).
When God's restraining hand is removed, the
destroyer begins his work. Then in our cities the greatest calamities will
come.--3MR 314 (1897).
The Lord gives warnings to the inhabitants
of the earth, as in the Chicago fire and the fires in Melbourne, London, and
the city of New York.--Ms 127, 1897.
The end is near and every city is to be
turned upside down every way. There will be confusion in every city. Everything
that can be shaken is to be shaken and we do not know what will come next. The
judgments will be according to the wickedness of the people and the light of
truth that they have had.--1MR 248 (1902).
O that God's people had a sense of the
impending destruction of thousands of cities, now almost given to idolatry.--Ev
29 (1903).
The time is near when large cities will be
swept away, and all should be warned of these coming judgments.--Ev 29 (1910).
{LDE 110, 111}
Catastrophe-proof Buildings Will Become Ashes
I have seen the most costly structures in
buildings erected and supposed to be fireproof, and just as Sodom perished in
the flames of God's vengeance so will these proud structures become ashes. . .
. The flattering monuments of men's greatness will be crumbled in the dust even
before the last great destruction comes upon the world.--3SM 418 (1901).
Men will continue to erect expensive
buildings, costing millions of money. Special attention will be called to their
architectural beauty and the firmness and solidity with which they are
constructed, but the Lord has instructed me that despite the unusual firmness
and expensive display, these buildings will share the fate of the temple in
Jerusalem.--5BC 1098 (1906). {LDE 111, 112}
Angels are
Holding the Winds
The prophet saw "four angels standing on
the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the
wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree." Another
angel, ascending from the east, cried to them, saying, "Hurt not the earth,
neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in
their foreheads." This points out the work we now have to do, which is to cry
to God for the angels to hold the four winds until missionaries shall be sent
to all parts of the world, and shall have proclaimed the warning against
disobeying the law of Jehovah.--RH Extra, Dec. 11, 1888. {LDE 125}
I asked my accompanying angel the meaning
of what I heard, and what the four angels were about to do. He said to me that
it was God that restrained the powers, and that He gave His angels charge over
things on the earth; that the four angels had power from God to hold the four
winds, and that they were about to let them go; but while their hands were
loosening, and the four winds were about to blow, the merciful eye of Jesus
gazed on the remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His hands to the
Father and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His blood for them. Then
another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four angels and bid them
hold, until the servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God in
their foreheads. {Early Writings, 38}
My dear brethren and sisters, let the
commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ be in your minds
continually and let them crowd out worldly thoughts and cares. When you lie
down and when you rise up, let them be your meditation. Live and act wholly in
reference to the coming of the Son of man. The sealing time is very short, and
will soon be over. Now is the time, while the four angels are holding the four
winds, to make our calling and election sure. {Early Writings, 58}
God's
Judgments are Coming
The signs of the times give evidence that
the judgments of heaven are being poured out, that the day of the Lord is at
hand. The daily papers are full of indications of an intense conflict in the
future. Bold robberies are of frequent occurrence. Strikes are common. Thefts
and murders are committed on every hand. Men possessed by demons are taking the
lives of men, women, and little children. All these things testify that the
Lord's coming is near.
The restraining Spirit of God is even now
being withdrawn from the world. Hurricanes, storms, tempests, disasters by sea
and by land, follow one another in quick succession. The signs thickening
around us, telling of the near approach of the Son of God, are attributed to
any other than the true cause. . . .
The time is right upon us when there will
be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. Even before the last great
destruction comes upon the world, the flattering monuments of man's greatness
will be crumbled in the dust. God's retributive judgments will fall on those
who in the face of great light have continued in sin. Costly buildings,
supposed to be fireproof, are erected. But as Sodom perished in the flames of
God's vengeance, so will these proud structures become ashes. I have seen
vessels which cost immense sums of money wrestling with the mighty ocean,
seeking to breast the angry billows. But with all their treasures of gold and
silver, and with all their human freight, they sank into a watery grave.... But
amid the tumult of excitement, with confusion in every place, there is a work
to be done for God in the world. {Mar 175}
We Must
Improve the Time
As yet the four winds are held until the
servants of God shall be sealed in their foreheads. Then the powers of earth
will marshal their forces for the last great battle. How carefully we should
improve the little remaining period of our probation!
Minds that have been given up to loose
thought need to change. . . . The thoughts must be centered upon God. Now is
the time to put forth earnest effort to overcome the natural tendencies of the
carnal heart. {Mar 243}
We are standing on the threshold of great
and solemn events. Prophecies are fulfilling. Strange and eventful history is
being recorded in the books of heaven--events which it was declared should
shortly precede the great day of God. Everything in the world is in an
unsettled state. The nations are angry, and great preparations for war are
being made. Nation is plotting against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. The
great day of God is hasting greatly. But although the nations are mustering
their forces for war and bloodshed, the command to the angels is still in
force, that they hold the four winds until the servants of God are sealed in
their foreheads. {Selected Messages, 1:221, 222}
This is the work that the Lord would have
every soul prepared to do at this time, when the four angels are holding the
four winds, that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed in
their foreheads. There is no time now for self-pleasing. The lamps of the soul
must be trimmed. They must be supplied with the oil of grace. Every precaution
must be taken to prevent spiritual declension, lest the great day of the Lord
overtake us as a thief in the night. Every witness for God is now to work
intelligently in the lines which God has appointed. We should daily obtain a
deep and living experience in the work of perfecting Christian character. We
should daily receive the holy oil, that we may impart to others. All may be
light bearers to the world if they will. We are to sink self out of sight in
Jesus. We are to receive the word of the Lord in counsel and instruction, and
gladly communicate it. There is now need of much prayer. Christ commands, "Pray
without ceasing;" that is, keep the mind uplifted to God, the source of all
power and efficiency. {Testimonies to Ministers, 510, 511}
Summer is
Near!
This life at best is but the Christian's
winter; and the bleak winds of winter-- disappointments, losses, pain, and
anguish--are our lot here; but our hopes are reaching forward to the
Christian's summer, when we shall change climate, leave all the wintry blasts
and fierce tempests behind, and be taken to those mansions Jesus has gone to
prepare for those that love Him. {Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 239,
240}
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