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25:3

@@@^@0@9Verse 8 — “And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.”@7@^None shall be left in the “wilderness,” for there shall be a highway for all the followers of God’s Truth. Matters not what the faithful be, illiterate or otherwise, they shall not err therein. Indeed, all the “wheat” shall be gathered and put into the “barn,” the Kingdom. (See Tract No. 3, “The Judgment and the Harvest.”)

7:3

@@@^@0@9Verses 28-31 — “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”@7@^These verses explain that God’s people need to know all these things before they earn the right to walk into His Holy Kingdom. And what a wonderful privilege is ours if we but wait on the Lord, if we but remain true and faithful to His Word. Then He shall renew our strength like the eagles; we shall run, and not be weary; we shall walk and not faint.

24:3

@@@^The “strength” and the “garment,” together, therefore, are nothing less than the righteousness of Christ — faith’s action and its results. These are the prerequisites which Zion and Jerusalem of today need. These they need now because “henceforth...the uncircumcised and the unclean” — the unbelieving and the unforgiven sinners, those who do not have the “beautiful garment” on, shall be bound in bundles for the fire, no more to be found among the saints.

30:2

@@@^BRIEFLY TO SUMMARIZE OUR STUDY: We see that the time of purification of the church is at hand; that Zion (the General Conference) and Jerusalem (the local conferences) are called to “awake,” so that the daughter of Zion, the church, might be clothed with the righteousness of Christ; that she is weak; that she has not the righteousness of Christ; that the day of her redemption is now at hand; that she is to be freed from man’s rule and from hypocrisy; that Zion and Jerusalem as they are today, are no less oppressing the laity than were the Assyrian lords oppressing the children of ancient Israel; that God will not leave His people in ignorance; that they shall know it is He speaking, not an enemy as they are made to believe; that the message of the Kingdom of God is a message of comfort; that His faithful servants shall exalt His message (the Voice); that after Zion and Jerusalem awake they shall see “eye to eye,” and only those who have withstood temptation in the strength of the Mighty One will have a part in proclaiming this message in the Loud Cry (“Review and Herald,” Nov. 19, 1908); that then all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God; that God sends His Truth, not through those who are exalted and idolized by men, but through unsuspected servants; that those who do not turn from man shall fall, whereas the followers of Truth and righteousness shall live forever; that it is a sacred duty of all Truth-bearers to proclaim the message to all the brethren, for if they be not awakened @9now@7, they may sleep on forever.

16:1

@@@^Since her people have never to this day been all righteous, it is plain to see that the fulfillment of the prophecy is yet future. And in view of the fact that our message is announcing the imminent purification of the church, the time in which the angels are to sift out the hypocrites from among the faithful, the time in which the net is drawn to shore and the bad fish cast out, the cleansing of the sanctuary — the Judgment for the Living in “the house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17) is about to begin, Inspiration, therefore, in this chapter is addressing God’s church at this particular time. Since we now see that this chapter contains important timely Truth, we shall study it verse by verse.

19:2

@@@^@0@9Verse 6-9 — “The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee: they shall come up with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their windows? Surely the isles shall wait for Me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because He hath glorified thee.”@7@^Our sons and daughters in the faith shall come as a storm by air and by sea. They shall come because the Lord will glorify all His people. The call, “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues” (Rev. 18:4), shall indeed along with the wealth of the Gentiles bring out “a great multitude which no man can number.” Rev. 7:9.

21:4

@@@^@0@9Verse 18 — “Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.”@7@^Now when the world needs and longs for peace more than ever before, God, Who only is able to give it is loudly declaring that those who really want peace can have it if they but come to Him. This hope and faith in the promises of God is even now to be our only peace of mind if we really believe.

22:1

@@@^@0@9Verses 19-22 — “The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time.”@7@^When all God’s servants as one “arise and shine,” then a little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation. Then the Saints will be quickly gathered and wickedness brought to an end. This is God’s way for finishing the gospel work and we had better abandon our man-conceived ideas of it and wholeheartedly respond to God’s call if we expect to survive through the “great and dreadful day” of the Lord, if we expect to rejoice in the height of Zion’s glory. If we stand faithful to God’s Word, we shall finally behold all these wonders and live for evermore.

5:2

@@@^We are now living in a confused world. Some are of Paul and some of Apollos, of Cephas, Peter, John, and James, some of God and some of Christ. Christians are thus bickering and quarreling among themselves, one speaking against the faith of another, and at the same time all are trying to convert to Christ the non-Christian world! What darkness! To the church, which God is now creating, He says:

7:1

@@@^@0@9Verses 8, 9 — “The Lord hath sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: but they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of My holiness.”@7@^God’s people have been robbed time and again, and the most outrageous and unreasonable robbery that they have suffered has been, and still is being done by their own brethren in the faith! How? — At every upward step in Truth throughout church history and down to this day, those who have ever embraced new, unpopular truths, have in every instance been thrown out of the church which they helped build. This has been done only because on the one hand the majority have ever ruled, and on the other hand only the minority have ever been susceptible to present Truth, to “meat in due season.” The time is here, though, in which all manner of robberies shall cease. To those who are being cast out, this encouraging counsel and promise is given:

13:5

@@@^@0@9Verses 3-5 — “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with Me: for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment. For the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine Own arm brought salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me.”@7@^The statements, “I have trodden the winepress alone,” “I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold” (all in the past tense) show the Saviour’s zeal and determination to save His misled people at His first advent, though there was no one with Him to help; that is, all the priests and religious leaders — the General Conference of His day (the Sanhedrin) were against Him instead of helping Him in His work. But the statements, “for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment; for the day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and the year of My redeemed is come”; and “I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore Mine Own arm brought salvation unto Me; and My fury, it upheld Me” (all in future tense) — show the present church’s condition not only equally as bad as at His first coming, but even much worse. How true that history repeats! As the day of vengeance approaches, those who are supposed to uphold and help in the work of redemption, the ministers and religious leaders, the antitypical Sanhedrin of today (the General Conference), are seen to be hindering, standing in His way of reaching the people. Thus they incur His displeasure, and necessarily He girds Himself to free His people from the hands of unfaithful shepherds. They cause Him to stain His garments with their blood as He tramples them in His fury.

19:1

@@@^“The church has turned back from following Christ her Leader, and is steadily retreating toward Egypt. Yet few are alarmed or astonished at their want of spiritual power. Doubt and even disbelief of the testimonies of the Spirit of God, is leavening our churches everywhere. Satan would have it thus. Ministers who preach self instead of Christ would have it thus. The testimonies are unread and unappreciated. God has spoken to you. Light has been shining from his word and from the testimonies, and both have been slighted and disregarded. The result is apparent in the lack of purity and devotion and earnest faith among us.” — “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pg. 217.

8:2

@@@^@0@9Verse 16 — “That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of Truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of Truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from Mine eyes.”@7@^In this verse it is implied that the Lord is taking this strange action because His unfaithful servants have not been blessing themselves in the God of Truth. Consequently, they must have been blessing themselves in the god of falsehood; that is, they have been teaching, approving, and spreading falsehood while the Lord is endeavoring to bless all His servants with Truth fresh from His throne. To those who embrace His Truth for this time, He will never bring up their past.

11:3

@@@^“Obedience is the test of discipleship. It is the keeping of the commandments that proves the sincerity of our professions of love. When the doctrine we accept kills sin in the heart, purifies the soul from defilement, bears fruit unto holiness, we may know that it is the truth of God. When benevolence, kindness, tender-heartedness, sympathy, are manifest in our lives; when the joy of right-doing is in our hearts; when we exalt Christ, and not self, we may know that our faith is of the right order. ‘Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.’”

13:1

@@@^Then by saying, “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, that trembleth at My Word,” He positively makes known that His unfaithful servants are discharged from His work, that others, poor and of a contrite spirit who tremble at His Word, have taken their places, that what the former servants have failed to do, the latter will do. At the same time He charges the former servants that they feel rich in spirit and in need of nothing more; that they do not fear His Word. Hence the servants who are to build Him a house and to make a place for His rest, are to be men of a poor and a contrite spirit; men who tremble at His Word; men who are not proud and boastful, but who are teachable and mindful of His Word; men who are penitent and see themselves in need of everything instead of in need of nothing. Finally the Lord angrily declares:

19:3

@@@^@0@9Verses 20, 21 — “And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to My holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.”@7@^Now, in view of the fact that those who escape the slaughter of the Lord are sent as missionaries, preachers, and ministers to all the nations and peoples who as yet know not God and His gospel, there is but this conclusion: that the slaughter takes place only among God’s people; that it is the Judgment for the Living in the “house of God” (1 Pet. 4:17); that shepherds are slain because they have kept the sheep away from the Lord’s green pasture (present Truth); that the faithful laity take their places; that then the church, “bright as the sun, fair as the moon, and terrible as an army with banners,” “goes forth into all the world, conquering and to conquer.” Thus is the gospel work finished and the wicked world brought to an end.

20:2

@@@^“...We have been inclined to think that where there are no faithful ministers, there can be no true Christians; but this is not the case. God has promised that where the shepherds are not true he will take charge of the flock himself. God has never made the flock wholly dependent upon human instrumentalities. But the days of purification of the church are hastening on apace. God will have a people pure and true. In the mighty sifting soon to take place, we shall be better able to measure the strength of Israel. The signs reveal that the time is near when the Lord will manifest that his fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor.” — “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pg. 80.

23:2

@@@^“Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over His household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when He cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That He shall make him ruler over all His goods.

2:5

@@@^Let us pray for God to help us make sure that the foundation of our faith is built upon God’s Word, the solid Rock; that we might know that anything short of it will sooner or later fall; that we let the Lord have His way in us; that we let Him change our habits and practices from what they are to what they ought to be.

4:2

@@@^Again, it is written — “In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and he cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view. There are precious ones now hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal. They have not had the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you. But, it may be under a rough and uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed.” — “Testimonies,” Vol. 5, pp. 80, 81.