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7:3

@@@^@0@9Verse 10 — “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.”@7@^The Christian’s life is, as it were, a building under construction. One messenger of God lays the foundation, another builds thereupon. Thus to no one messenger is given all the material with which to build.

2:2

@@@^“The germination of the seed represents the beginning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is a beautiful figure of Christian growth. As in nature, so in grace; there can be no life without growth. The plant must either grow or die. As its growth is silent and imperceptible, but continuous, so is the development of the Christian life. At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God’s purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. As our opportunities multiply, our experience will enlarge, and our knowledge increase. We shall become strong to bear responsibility, and our maturity will be in proportion to our privileges.”

2:3

@@@^What is our need of prayer this afternoon? — Let us pray to grow in grace for there can be no life without growth; to advance with the truth; to take advantage of all our opportunities; to cooperate with Divine agencies; to be willing to bear responsibilities; to realize that when we do all these, then our responsibilities will increase, and our maturity will be commensurate to our privileges.

29:4

@@@^@0@9Zech. 12:8-10 — “In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for@7 Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

3:1

@@@^There is much talk among us about “righteousness by grace” and “righteousness by faith,” also about “the righteousness of Christ.” But of what profit will all this talk be to us unless we do something to find out what these really are, and how to make them our own. We should therefore not fail in this, and we cannot fail if we seek the Lord wholeheartedly as we study through the concrete examples which the Spirit of Truth has placed at my hand.

6:1

@@@^Having been given “righteousness by grace” sufficient to cross the sea, and having come into the desert, they were then given the finest chance to exercise “righteousness by faith.” But only those who did exercise “righteousness by faith” lived on and entered the Promised Land. Those, though, who made no more use of “faith” in the desert than they did in Egypt perished in the wilderness.

9:2

@@@^The Christian church, though, did not long continue in “grace,” but it, too, in time fell even lower than the Jewish church. Necessarily something had to be done for her also if any of her members were to be made free, and if God was still to have a church on earth. Unquestionably, this “something” was none other than the Protestant Reformation. But since we all know that the Reformation has not yet accomplished its Divinely appointed purpose, has not reached the accord and faith which the Church enjoyed on the day of Pentecost, it is obvious that another attempt of revival and reformation is an absolute necessity. But to know all this for a certainty, we must turn to “the more sure word of prophecy,” to the prophet Ezekiel.

12:2

@@@^@0@9Verses 6, 7 — “And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against it.”@7@^Ezekiel was to lie down on his right side, not only for the iniquity of the house of Israel, but also for the iniquity of the house of Judah and thus bear their iniquity, too, for forty years. And so both houses (the whole of Christendom), are given the same chance, the same opportunity. The one comes first in time, and the other last. Three hundred ninety years of “grace” are given to the former, and 40 years to the latter, a total of 430 years. During this period of time they are to triumph over sin, and at last to attain “righteousness by faith,” and to be rewarded with “the righteousness of Christ.” The exact year in which this period of 430 years begins, we shall see as we continue our study.

13:3

@@@^The difference between the Reformation during the 430 years and the one after, is this: During the 430 years “grace” lingered, whereas after this period of time has run out, and while Ezekiel is up, those who fail to attain to “righteousness by faith” will themselves have to pay the price of their sins. No longer are their sins laid upon Ezekiel, and no longer is Ezekiel lying down and inactive; no longer are they to be excused upon the ground of ignorance after the warning has been sounded in their ears, for Ezekiel is plainly told:

15:2

@@@^@0(1) The doctrine of faith that made the Lutheran denomination; (2) the doctrine of the Spirit that made the Presbyterian denomination; (3) the doctrine of grace that made the Methodist denomination; (4) the doctrine of baptism that made the Baptist denomination; (5) the doctrine of the second Advent of Christ that made the First-day Adventist; (6) the doctrine of the cleansing of the sanctuary along with the Seventh-day Sabbath that made the Seventh-day Adventists. (All other sects with their additions, omissions, and deductions, have obviously branched from these six denominations.)

22:2

@@@^“There is yet much precious truth to be revealed to the people in this time of peril and darkness, but it is Satan’s determined purpose to prevent the light of truth from shining into the hearts of men. If we would have the light that has been provided for us, we should show our desire for it by diligently searching the word of God. Precious truths that have long been in obscurity are to be revealed in a light that will make manifest their sacred worth; for God will glorify His word, that it may appear in a light in which we have never before beheld it. But those who profess to love the truth must put to the stretch their powers, that they may comprehend the deep things of the word, that God may be glorified and His people may be blessed and enlightened. With humble hearts, subdued by the grace of God, you should come to the task of searching the Scriptures, prepared to accept every ray of divine light, and to walk in the way of holiness.” — @9Id.@7 pg. 25.

24:2

@@@^Hence, those Laodiceans who would avail themselves of the opportunity to partake of this feast of fresh and unadulterated “meat in due season,” who would now at the last call hold to the “righteousness by grace” already given them, — they all may enter into the “righteousness by faith” that is to be rewarded with “the righteousness of Christ,” and thus crowned with eternal life. Obviously, all others will have to bear their own iniquity and pay their own penalty. They will have to perish.

25:2

@@@^The lessons that are taught in this chapter are these: First it is pointed out that the period of “righteousness by grace” is now in the past; that we have now come to the time in which our safety lies only in practicing “righteousness by faith,” if we expect to be rewarded with the “righteousness of Christ,” and crowned with eternal life. The second lesson teaches that the Church does not yet have all the Truth, and that which she does have is contaminated, “baked on dung.” Hence the great need that we have Inspired Truth from the Throne of God; for with it we are saved, and without it we are lost.

8:3

@@@^And since the Enemy cannot get around the Truth, he does all he can to blacken character and to pick flaws in personalities. The prophet’s message nevertheless cannot be judged by the behaviour of its professors, for even the Apostles misconducted themselves before the ascension of Christ. The multitude, too, that followed Moses was anything but exemplary; in fact, in many instances they were disgraceful. And the “holy men of God” who wrote the Scriptures were faulty men. Even Moses himself was not faultless. Regardless, though, he was still Moses, and his was the only message and movement for the day.

47:1

@@@^@0@9Zech. 12:5-14; 13:1-5 — “And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of hosts their God. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. The Lord also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify themselves against Judah.@7@^“In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

41:5

@@@^And now as the day “hastens on apace” (@9Testimonies@7, Vol. 5, pg. 80), to engulf in ruin the Laodiceans who turn a deaf ear to the message which causes the shaking, virtually none but the sick, the afflicted, the outcasts, and those from the streets and the lanes, will be humble and lowly enough to respond to the warnings, to experience the transforming power of divine grace upon their hearts, the progressively sanctifying impartation of righteousness by faith, and to be among the gathered ones, as Inspiration thus further discloses:

38:3

@@@^“...The church is to be fed with manna from heaven, and to be kept under the sole guardianship of His grace. Clad in complete armor of light and righteousness, she enters upon her final conflict. The dross, the worthless material, will be consumed, and the influence of the truth testifies to the world of its sanctifying, ennobling character....” — Id., p. 17, 18.

41:1

@@@^“...books and papers that contain little of present truth are exalted and men are becoming too wise to follow a ‘Thus saith the Lord.’...many of the watchmen are asleep. They are as the blind leading the bind. Yet the day of the Lord is right upon us. As a thief it is coming with stealthy tread, and it will take unawares all who are not watching. Who among our teachers are awake, and as faithful stewards of the grace of God are giving the trumpet a certain sound?” — @9Id.@7, Vol. 6, p. 166.

5:2

@@@^I am sure that the father knew beforehand that his son was headed for hardship. He loved him and longed to spare the youth from shame, sorrow and hard trial that he was headed for. The very fact that on the boy’s return, the father met him while yet a long way off, and made a banquet for him, even after he had wasted his father’s substance and disgraced the family name, is evidence enough that the father loved the boy supremely. The boy was allowed to leave home only because nothing but experience of his own could ever demonstrate his folly, and prove the father’s love for him.

16:2

@@@^M.B., p. 148 — “Jesus, while He dwelt on earth, dignified life in all its details by keeping before men the glory of God, and by subordinating everything to the will of His Father. If we follow His example, His assurance to us is that all things needful in this life ‘shall be added.’ Poverty or wealth, sickness or health, simplicity or wisdom, — all are provided for in the promise of His grace.