THE QUIET HOUR

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 15 June 1935, Page 2

THE QUIET HOUR

By Rev. H. Curran

“THINGS THAT MUST SHORTLY OOME TO PASS.” THE TRIBULATION. Many are asking to-day: “Will the church go through the tribulation?” Others may ask: “What is meant by the tribulation?” As far as our space will permit, we shall endeavour, if briefly, to answer these questions. But as this subject, and subjects closely connected with it, would take up a lot of space-, if fully dealt with, we shall only be able to give a little more than an outline. THE CHURCH WILL NOT GO THROUGH

the tribulation. The Christians are called the salt. “Ye are the salt of the earth.” (Matt, 5: 13). Salt is a preservative. And we Christians, even if despised by the worldly, are preserving this wicked world from judgment. While righteous Noah and his family were outside the ark, God would not destroy the world. While righteous Lot and his daughters were in Sodom, God would not deal with those wicked cities. But when Noah was safely in the ark, the flood came, and when Lot was safely in Zoali, then the fire fell.

God said: “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou be come thither.” (Genesis 19: 22). God cannot, and will not, deal with the wicked till He lias called His own away, and they are in a plac.e of safety. Then what is called “Jacob’s Trouble” will come. “Alas! For that day is great, so THAT NONE IS LIKE IT:

it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.” (Jer. 30: 7). “And there shall be a time of trouble sucli as never was since 'there was a nation even to that same time.” (Daniel 12: 1). In Rev. 7 : 14, it is spoken of as the “Great Tribulation.”

In Rev. 19: 19, 29, we read of the Beast and the False Prophet. This Latter is THE ANTI-CHRIST.

who will rise up when the church is taken up, and He will make a covenant with the Jews for seven years, and break it in the middle. See Daniel 9: 27. He is spoken of in 2 Tlies. 2: 9, “Even Him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with power and signs and lying wonders.” He is called the “Anti-Christ.” (1 John 2: 18). “Another beast coming up out of the earth.’’ (Rev. 13: 11). “That man of sin. . . the son of perdition.” (2 Tlies. 2: 3). “The false prophet.” (Rev. Id: 13). Daniel 11: 30, speaks of him thus: “And the King shall do according to his will, and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself aliove every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished.” The whole of the seven years, the 70th week of Daniel, will be a very terrible time, with the Christians taken out of the earth, and the Beast, and False Prophet reigning. But the latter half of the seven years will be more awful than t'his world has ever known.

It is spoken of ns 1260 days, 42 months, or time, times, and a half a time. In these three and a half years the world will pass through such an awful experience that the Lord said: Except those days should he shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall lie shortened.’’ fMatt. 24 : 22). WHAT REVELATION 7 REVEALS. If any of our readers would like to study more fully the period called “The Tribulation,” I would advise them to read carefully and prayerfully from the sixth to the nineteenth chapters, because the whole of these chapters refers to that dreadful time. Many are afraid of this Book, while many think it is a sealed book. Don’t make such a great mistake. “Revelation” does not spell or mean “Concealation.” It is something “revealed”—something made known; disclosed ; divulged.

SOME REVEALED FACTS of that period from Revelation: In Rev. 13, we read of a Beast, a great ruler in that day, and “The dragon (the devil) gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority” (v. 2). “And I beheld another Beast (AntiChrist). . . And lie exercisetli all the power of the first beast before him and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast. . . And he doeth great wonders, so that ho maketh fire to come down from Heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth (those left behind after the Lord has taken up the believers), by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast. . . And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And lie ca.useth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save that ho had the mark, or the number of his name” (verses 1117). THE ALTERNATIVE.

These two monsters, the Beast, and the False Prophet, will compel the people to worship the image or have the death penalty passed upon them. But God has a- say in matters, and says: “If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in liis forehead, or in his hand, the .same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and' he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in t-hel presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have NO REST DAY OR NIGHT, who worship the beast and' his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Rev. 14: 9-11). In chapter 16: 10, 11, we read:

“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast $ and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they knawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains, and repented not. of their deeds.” Dear readers, none of us need face that Great Tribulation. All who accept Christ as their Saviour will be safe in the glory before that time comes. (To be Continued).