“The "time of trouble such as never was," is soon to open upon us; and we shall need an experience which we do not now possess, and which many are too indolent to obtain. It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God.” GC 622.3 In order for us to be able to stand in that great crisis, we need to have an experience. This experience, in a great degree, is lacking among the people of God.
What is this experience?
Notice Ezekiel 14:13, 14; 19, 20.
“Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD….Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast: Though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.”
We need to have the experience of Noah, Daniel and Job. Though these 3 men found themselves in trying circumstances, in a time of trouble, yet these men were delivered by their righteousness.
What was this righteousness that was theirs?
“In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Jeremiah 23:6
The righteousness that was theirs was from the LORD. There is nothing good about us, we have no inherent righteousness. “…there is none righteous, no, not one” Romans 3:10. How was this righteousness obtained? How does this righteousness become ours? “For he made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” 2 Corinthians 5:21. Christ, who knew no sin, became sin….why? …that we, who are not righteous, might be righteous. Amen!! Praise be to God!!!
What was the experience and character of Noah, Daniel and Job and why were these men delivered?
Noah:
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7. Noah was warned of God as we are warned in our day. Noah was warned of something that he could not see, we today see the approach of the national Sunday law. Noah moved with fear, today the church is asleep and steeped in selfishness while the great crisis draws near.
“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” Genesis 7:1
Why was Noah delivered? Because he did righteousness! “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.” 1 John 3:7.
Where can we find this righteousness that is of God?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16, 17. Righteousness is revealed in the gospel, it is to be believed, it is to be obeyed.
What is righteousness?
“My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.” Psalms 119:172. Noah was keeping the commandments of God. Noah was “moved with fear”, he had a first angels message experience: “Fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment is come…”Revelation 14:7
What does it mean to fear God? Of the many texts I could share, I’ll share this:
“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1. To fear God is to perfect holiness, the way we do this is to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. The spirit, having to do with the mind, the flesh, dealing with the physical. We must guard well the avenues to the soul, we must avoid the very appearance of evil, we must partake of health reform, we must partake of dress reform, we must cease to do sin.
This was Noah’s experience, this is what enabled him to be delivered. It was the experience of the first angel. This experience must be ours, but in addition to this, we must have Daniel’s experience.
Daniel:
“And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king…But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” Daniel 1:5, 8
The experience of Daniel, was to forsake the wine of the king of literal Babylon. Our experience should be to forsake the wine of spiritual Babylon.
What is done with wine?
Wine, whether literal or spiritual, is ingested, or accepted into the body. When this is done, it has an effect upon the mind. What kind of effect? Notice:
“But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.” Isaiah 28:7
“Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD’S hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.” Jeremiah 51:7
“It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink: Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” Proverbs 31:3, 4.
Wine causes one to err and stumble and to go out of the way; to be drunk or mad; to forget the law of God.
The message for us today is: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication” Revelation 14:8
Daniel was delivered because he did not defile himself with the kings wine. Today, we are admonished not to drink from that golden cup in the hand of spiritual Babylon, that cup “…full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication” Revelation 17:5
What is in this cup? Purgatory
What is in this cup? Mass
What is in this cup? Immortality of the soul
What is in this cup? Confession to man
What is in this cup? Mary as intercessor
What is in this cup? Eternal torment
What is in this cup? Sunday sacredness
What is in this cup? Man in the place of God
What is in this cup? Spiritualism
This was Daniel’s experience, this is what enabled him to be delivered. It was the experience of the second angel. This experience must be ours, but in addition to Noah and Daniel, we must have the experience of Job.
Job:
“Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:10, 11
The experience of Job was the experience of patience. What does it mean to be patient? To suffer affliction. Suffering affliction is patient endurance. In Job’s experience he lost his children, his possessions, eventually is health, the support of his friends, but he patiently endured and was delivered. The people of God in the last days are going to have to endure through trials and difficulties “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” Mark 13:13 “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12. Having the experience of Noah, Daniel and Job will bring persecution, trial and affliction and during this time we MUST have patience. “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” Revelation 3:10
The experience of Job is the experience of the third angel… “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. SDA’s will be persecuted because we will strive to keep ALL the commandments of God. We must endure affliction, hardship and trial through patient endurance. This was the experience of Job.
The experience of Noah, Daniel and Job is the experience of the 3 Angels Messages. If we do not have this experience, we cannot be delivered and spend eternity with Christ.
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