By John Thiel

Our object in meditation in the love of God is chronicled in Ephesians.

Ephesians 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Here we are made aware of what is our aim in studying Gods word and going through different topics of truth. Our motive is to understand Gods love that we may be able to comprehend the depth and length and that we might be filled with the fullness of God we are looking at every detail of God’s love. There are some aspects of Gods love that may surprise us. Every aspect of God’s love needs to be discovered. It is a multi-dimensional figure. Not only the length and depth but also the height. It is four-dimensional and it passes knowledge. If we are going to contemplate Gods love, we are to let it burn into our system. If Gods glory and love was to be here today, we would not be able to contemplate it. Sinful flesh feels uncomfortable with the glory of God. This multi-dimensional picture was revealed in 1844. The message of Gods truth was piece meal. 1844 we read the experience of those who applied themselves to these messages.

The subject of the sanctuary was the key which unlocked the mystery of the disappointment of 1844. It opened to view a complete system of truth, connected and harmonious, showing that God’s hand had directed the great advent movement and revealing present duty as it brought to light the position and work of His people. {GC 423.1}

Over the years of studying what was shown, I’m to take their word. Everything was in harmony.

The grand truths of sacred history possess amazing strength and beauty, and are as far-reaching as eternity. What more important knowledge can be gained than that which outlines the fall of man, and the consequences of that sin which opened the floodgates of woe upon the world; which tells of Christ’s first advent? The incarnation of Christ, His divinity, His atonement, His wonderful life in heaven as our advocate, the office of the Holy Spirit–all these vital themes of Christianity are revealed from Genesis to Revelation. Each is a golden link in the perfect chain of truth. {CT 427.3}

When you experience the golden linked chain every item is not an argument but a point of truth. There is no wink link. What happens if you have a strong chain and one of the links is weak? The chain will break. We are only secure in holding fast the truth.

How Did The SDA Church Come To These Truths?

The Bible is its own interpreter. With beautiful simplicity one portion connects itself with the truth of another portion, until the whole Bible is blended in one harmonious whole. Light flashes forth from one text to illuminate some portion of the Word that has seemed more obscure. {OHC 207.5}

Have you experienced this? Or are there chapters in the bible you can’t work out? Christ’s lessons will bear close study. What does it require for us to get that picture? Tact, skill, deep laborious searching in order to pick up and link together. It is wonderful when you gain this discovery. There is nothing unimportant. The weakest link will make that chain break.

We Have a Warning

God is leading out a people and establishing them upon the one great platform of faith, the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus. He has given His people a straight chain of Bible truth, clear and connected. This truth is of heavenly origin and has been searched for as for hidden treasure. It has been dug out through careful searching of the Scriptures and through much prayer. {3T 447.1}

I must lay down my opinion, and build my repertoire of knowledge based on the pioneers of Adventism knowledge.

Brother B is doubting point after point of our faith. If he is right in his new theories, the body of Sabbathkeepers is wrong. Shall the established faith in the strong points of our position, which has led us out from the world and united us a distinct and peculiar people, be given up as erroneous? Shall we receive the faith of this one man, with the evidences he gives us of the fruits of his religious character? Or will Brother B yield his judgment and opinions, and come to the body? If he had not blinded his soul by receiving prejudice, and by cherishing wicked opposition to the work of God, he would not have been left to such darkness and deception. {3T 447.2}

This brother was picking to pieces the truth. Shall we receive the truth of one man? Come to the body.

I was shown that the only safe position for Brother B is to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn the way of life more perfectly. His doctrine shall drop as the rain, and His speech shall distill as the dew, upon the heart of the humble and teachable. Brother B must obtain a teachable disposition. He is not to sit as a judge, but as a learner; not to cavil, but to believe; not to question and find fault and oppose, but to listen. {3T 448.1}

As we surrender our own opinions that have been displayed by Adventism, we continue in the light of all this on the subject of Gods love – another dimension. A segment rarely recognized. What has Gods love to do with the wars of this world? A subject by many laid aside.

Psalms 9:16 The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

Babylon

As we come to this topic of wars, who exercises in wars? The wicked – throughout earth’s history. When the Babylonian empire arose, it was under King Nebuchadnezzar. He raised the Babylonian empire. Who caused him to rise? God. He was raised by God for the purpose of military action to subdue Israel. It was Nebuchadnezzar used by God to teach Judah a lesson! In his love to teach Israel he did this.

He then used the captives of Judah to lead the captives to God. Daniel introduced Nebuchadnezzar to the God of Israel. When Belshazzar corrupted the kingdom, what did God do to teach him a lesson? He rose up Cyrus. He was raised and brought to the point where God could use him. Cyrus conquered Babylon. They were found wanting. How did God deal with this man? Through war!

Rome

Then came Rome.

Daniel 10:20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.

Jesus and Gabriel were working together. He had to preserve Judah so Jesus could be born. God used the activities of this political military nation. God uses evil men. He is known by the way he judges. After Jesus, the nation that fought against him was surrounded by the Roman armies. Was Rome going to get away with it? What would happen to the empire that crushed Jerusalem? The horn power came out of a he goat.

Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.

10And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.

11Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

12And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.

In this passage of Scripture we see how Rome would be punished and even the people of the most high. The revelation of Jesus Christ has also to do with wars as well.

Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servant’s things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

What was revealed in Revelation 8?

Revelation 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

8:4 And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.

8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.

The ministry of Jesus in the sanctuary in his high priestly work. Here is the revelation of Jesus. The angel that took the censer is Jesus. Jesus is also an angel.  When the Censer is thrown down, there are thunderings and lightnings. This is the finish of Jesus work in the sanctuary.

Revelation 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Revelation 16:17 And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.

18And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

Here it is the same picture, the revelation of Jesus until the outpouring of Gods wrath upon the nations. It is part of the seven trumpets. Wars continued and the fall of the Roman Empire.

The Golden Chain

Daniel 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.

41And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay.

42And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

43And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

45Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Daniel describes the legs which is Rome. They shall not cleave to one another. The kingdom of iron never ceased, it continues in the feet of the statue.

Revelation 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.

8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.

9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

This is a description of what happened to Rome continued. Rome rose again in the form of the papacy! Rome continued as a kingdom but it is all to do with warfare.

Daniel 7:7-8 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.

The eyes of a man speaking great things. It’s the Roman power of the papacy.

Daniel 7:11 I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.

12 As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.

This is all warfare.

Daniel 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

24 And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

This we know was the papacy. How will God punish the papacy?

Daniel 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

We know that the papacy was conquered and wounded by war – Napoleon. God used war to deal with spiritual wickedness. How does Revelation 8 deal with this?

Revelation 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. 7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. 12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. 13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

The fall of the Roman empire came by Barbaric tribes. This is a detailed description of the fall of the Eastern Roman empire. We come to the fall of this image.

Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

This is the seventh trumpet. If all the other trumpets were about the fall of the Roman empire, then what is this? Lets establish firstly, what the word trumpet means. It means war.

Jeremiah 4:19 My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war. 20 Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment. 21How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet? 22For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. 23I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.  26I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. 27For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Here the prophet clearly sees war. How long for? Till the world sees total destruction. The end of time!  What is the big issue? War. Trumpet after trumpet will continue to sound. War will be part of the judgment.

Revelation 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

When we come to Armageddon, what are these three powers? If we are not spiritually alert? They are not in harmony with Gods spirit. I come as a thief. Spirits of devils. The great day of God almighty. If God has done it one way, he will do it again.

If such scenes as this are to come, such tremendous judgments on a guilty world, where will be the refuge for God’s people? How will they be sheltered until the indignation be overpast? John sees the elements of nature–earthquake, tempest, and political strife– represented as being held by four angels. These winds are under control until God gives the word to let them go. {TM 444.3}

John sees the elements of nature and political strife.

Four mighty angels hold back the powers of this earth till the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads. The nations of the world are eager for conflict; but they are held in check by the angels. When this restraining power is removed, there will come a time of trouble and anguish. Deadly instruments of warfare will be invented. Vessels, with their living cargo, will be entombed in the great deep. All who have not the spirit of truth will unite under the leadership of satanic agencies. But they are to be kept under control till the time shall come for the great battle of Armageddon. {7BC 967.8}

Summary

Jeremiah 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. 13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. 15 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. 16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.

Jeremiah 25:27 Therefore thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among you…

Jeremiah 25:30Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. 31 A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. 32 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 33 And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.

Evil on the city of Jerusalem. Whirlwind means war and strife. The final whirlwind. This is God’s love. Where is God’s love in this destruction?

Psalms 9:16. The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.

I will recompense them he says.

Psalm 34:21 Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.

The disobedient and unthankful have great reason for gratitude for God’s mercy and long-suffering in holding in check the cruel, malignant power of the evil one. But when men pass the limits of divine forbearance, that restraint is removed. God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression; but He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown. Every ray of light rejected, every warning despised or unheeded, every passion indulged, every transgression of the law of God, is a seed sown which yields its unfailing harvest. The Spirit of God, persistently resisted, is at last withdrawn from the sinner, and then there is left no power to control the evil passions of the soul, and no protection from the malice and enmity of Satan. God destroys no man. Everyone who is destroyed will have destroyed himself. {COL 84.4}

God Is Not The Executioner

Ezekiel 38:21 And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother. 22 And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. 23 Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

What will this final war be called and like? Every man will use the sword against each other. This is Gods love in the wars of this world. What does he do with his people? Hide yourself from the wrath;

Isaiah 26:20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. 21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

Isaiah 63:4 For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

Jesus is in drenched in blood. Then he comes and says, the year of the wicked and the year of my redeemed. The same breath of Gods fury is his love, they destroy themselves, and this is God’s love. God has drawn a picture for us of his love.

To those who receive Christ as a personal Saviour, the veil that conceals the glory of God from human discernment is drawn aside. With the eye of faith they behold eternal realities. {UL 213.6}

None of us are to muddy the waters in the way God has drawn the picture.

Amen.