John Thiel Mp3

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:  9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

During this hour of divine service, I want to lead our minds to present truth and all that is associated in that present truth, our present experiences. Ever since 1844, we have been living in the biblical description of the time of the end. The activity of this time of the end is described in Revelation chapter 7. This is the activity specifically described in the period of the time of the end.

Revelation 7:1–4 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, and there was sealed.

Here is a succinct description of our time, ever since 1844. The angels of God holding the winds of destruction, that whirlwind, holding it, while God is sending an angel to this earth that seals the servants of God in their forehead. The raising up of the 144,000 during that period of time. We are told that the third angel is the sealing angel. The third angel’s message.

Therein lies the sealing activity, the angel that is saying to the other angels, hold the winds of strife until we have sealed the servants of our God in their forehead. It is the message of the three angels that sealing experience, that work of God’s people being sealed, which is called present truth for us.

“The Lord has shown me that precious souls are starving and dying for want of the present sealing truth, the meat in due season.” (Review and Herald, September 1, 1849, para. 8)

What is the present truth? What is this meat in due season? It is the sealing work. And people are starving and dying for the want of it.

“and that the swift messengers should speed on their way and feed the flock with the present truth. I heard an angel say, speed the swift messengers, speed the swift messengers, for the case of every soul will soon be decided either for life or for death.” (Review and Herald, September 1, 1849, para. 8)

Do we realise what we are living under? As I ponder these things, it fills me with great care that I don’t get distracted from this present truth, because it has to do with life or death. Not only life or death of a person, of a present life on earth. It’s to do with life or death eternally. For we are getting on now to 180 years from the commencement of the sealing work, which has been proceeding. If you recall in our studies of the past, it was in 1848 that the third angel came and that there was going to be a war in Europe that would have spread into a world war. The angels were told, hold this strife, don’t let it release it until we have sealed the servants of our God in the forehead. That threat of war in 1848 in Europe suddenly just abated like that. From that time onwards, this sealing work has been going on, getting on to 180 years now. The angels have been holding those winds of strife, and we saw them looking back, letting it slip into the First World War, then pulled back again, and letting it slip again into the Second World War, then pulling it back again. For all these years, we have been observing the gathering of the jewels, the theme of our conference that we had here. We saw that God is gathering his jewels in this period of time.

We saw the history of Adventism through to the First World War. We saw how Adventism at the mainstream Advent church had abdicated from their true stand on the war issue and were going to war in Europe and how the General Conference took its place with those that went to war instead of with the ones that were disfellowshipped, the 2%. We saw all this in the study of that camp time.

From that time of the First World War, the continuing activity of the angels sealing God’s people has been going on.

“I was shown that precious souls are starving and dying for the want of the present sealing truth.” (Review and Herald, September 1, 1849)

In 1849 she wrote that and it’s been going on and we can see it. Souls are starving for this kind of message in this chaos of the world in which we are living now. From this period of the camp, we studied into Revelation 12:17, that the woman, the church, Satan was angry with her there, but there was the failure of the Adventist church and the faithful people standing up who were the seed of that woman, the church. Then there is something very interesting which is very necessary to understand as we live now in this closing work of the gathering of the jewels.

Revelation 12:17 And the dragon, Satan, was wroth with the woman. He’s always been wroth with the church. But he was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony.

Who? What is this present experience? The present experience over this sealing time is that the majority of the church went astray in the First World War. He was angry with the woman and he managed to get her off the trail. There was a seed that was produced from the church. That seed was faithful in the First World War, but as it continued, it also began to fall into decay. All the way from the First World War to our time, we know how modernism has taken hold of even those who profess to be reformers. Then there is the remnant of that seed. Now, we are in a position, by our choice, that we will not fraternise with any error, any teaching that is not in harmony with this present truth. If we are that people, what did we read here?

Don’t you feel it? Satan, the dragon, makes war with those. He makes war with them. If I and you have made our decision decidedly to be among this remnant of the woman’s seed, then the present truth includes the reality of Satan making war with us. He’s not just angry with us. He is deliberately making war with us. Is it not incumbent upon us to understand his strategy, his practice more than any other time in the Christian era. To understand, to realise what Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5, 8 and 9, our scripture reading. This was always the case for God’s children, but is it even more now that we need to understand what the Apostle Peter wrote there? That’s 1 Peter we read, chapter 5.

1 Peter 5:8–9 — Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Isn’t that what we need in this time? Be sober. It’s a life and death issue. Be vigilant. Be wide awake. Watch closely. Because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour. He’s making war with us at this time. So now he wants to devour us in the war. Whom resists steadfast in the faith. Knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. Your brethren that are scattered all abroad. The remnant of the woman’s seed. He is making war with us. Be sober. Watch. Be vigilant.

Revelation 12:12 — He knows that he has but a short time.

How real is that now? He wants to rattle us and destroy us. He does not want us to remain loyal and faithful to the very end. He is making war. Therefore it is incumbent upon us to realise this and incumbent upon me to be a faithful servant to make his device is clear, to give meat in due season in this sealing present truth. We return to that sealing, present sealing truth and read it there from early writings where Satan’s warfare is addressed very, very clearly.

“Satan is now using every device in this sealing time to keep the minds of God’s people from the present truth and to cause them to waver. I saw a covering that God was drawing over his people to protect them in the time of trouble. And every soul that was decided on the truth and was pure in heart was to be covered with the covering of the Almighty.” (Early Writings, p. 43, para. 2)

What is this covering? What is she referring to?

“Satan is using every device, as we read, in this sealing time… Some of these agents of Satan were affecting the bodies of some of the saints… Those whom they could not deceive and draw away from the truth by a satanic influence… Oh, that all could get a view of it as God revealed it to me, that they might know more of the wiles of Satan, and be on their guard.” (Early Writings, p. 44, para. 1–2)

What are we to know? The wiles of Satan. This is what the Lord has impressed upon me that I need to give that meat in due season to understand the wiles of Satan.

“I saw that Satan was at work in these ways to distract, deceive and draw away God’s people just now in this sealing time… I saw some who were not standing stiffly for present truth. Their knees were trembling and their feet sliding, because they were not firmly planted on the truth, and the covering of Almighty God could not be drawn over them while they were thus trembling. Satan was trying his every art to hold them where they were until the sealing was passed, until the covering was drawn over his people, and left without a shelter from the burning wrath of God in the seven last plagues. God has begun to draw this covering over his people, and it will soon be drawn over all who are to have a shelter in the day of slaughter. God will work in power for his people, and Satan will be permitted to work also.” (Early Writings, p. 44)

Can you see the picture? He is making war with those people who are going to be sealed. Do you want to be sealed? Be aware. Be informed. Know clearly the devices that Satan is going to and is using and that we may have already been affected by. What was that? Think carefully about what I’ve been reading. He is at work to keep our minds from the present sealing message. He is using every device. He is trying his every art to hold them where they were. If they were trembling, to hold them there until the sealing was passed. As we consider carefully what this sealing message is actually really all about, you recall this quote from The Faith I Live By.

“Just as soon as the people of God are sealed in their foreheads — it is not any seal or mark that can be seen, but a settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually, so that they cannot be moved.” (The Faith I Live By, p. 287)

That’s the sealing. Settling into the truth, both intellectually and spiritually. What is Satan doing? Our intellectual and spiritual faculties are needed to be sealed. We need to focus fully on this sealing message. That’s what I read in the beginning, that she was shown that people are starving and dying for want of the present sealing truth, meet in due season. As we are to settle into this detail of the work of the angels, while the other angels are holding the winds of strife, what is actually involved in settling into the truth and not to become distracted. Can you see here? What did we read there? He’s using every device to distract, deceive, and draw away God’s people from this sealing work.

That was what was there on page 44 of Early Writings – To distract, deceive, and draw away God’s people from this settling into the message intellectually and spiritually. Distract my mind. Distract my affections. My spirituality. Distracting me. So, this is the question now. Can we? Is the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy clear to show us what these devices are?

Can we identify these devices, these wiles of Satan to distract, deceive, and hold us where we are instead of progressing? Vigilance. What did we read there in 1 Peter 5? We are to be vigilant. My mind needs to be alert, not in a state of unconsciousness or confusion. I’m settling into the truth both intellectually and spiritually. Notice with me the subtle way in which Satan is doing his work so that we may be alert to this subtle thing.

“There is no safety anywhere. Satan has come down with great power and is working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. Those who do not follow in Christ’s footsteps will find themselves following another. They listen to strange voices until they cannot distinguish the voice from the true shepherd. Little by little they ceased to heed the warnings, the reproofs, the instructions, little by little. Human wisdom came in. Human imaginations were followed. Much reliance is placed upon human exertion and devices, and they imperceptibly, imperceptibly to themselves, go on until they are fully satisfied with their own wisdom, their own inventions, and are filled with their own doings.” (That I May Know Him, p. 212, para. 2)

There’s much to meditate here. How does that reveal itself in living reality. Little by little, I’m listening to the different voices, voices that Satan has put in there to deviate us from following the pure voice of the shepherd, the meat in due season. We start to listen to this and that and the other. That is amazing. It goes on to say, that I begin to not distinguish the voice of the true shepherd and little by little I’m not listening to the warnings, to the reproofs. My human wisdom is the part that I’m looking for. Human wisdom. I’m trying to sort out a question. I’m trying to sort out a conclusion from God’s word by human wisdom instead of a thus says the shepherd. That’s how it happens, little by little. much reliance is placed upon human exertion and devices and they imperceptibly go on until they are fully satisfied with their own wisdom, their own inventions, and are filled with their own doings. Not the doings of God’s will, their own doings. That’s how subtly Satan does this work. Then what are those devices by which he achieves this slow process of distraction, temptation, confusion?

If we do not walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we slowly fall into this terrible danger. Well, this is Satan’s work, to distract us from seeing Jesus and following Him. That’s his work.

“When the mind dwells upon self, it is turned away from Christ, the source of strength and life. Hence it is Satan’s constant effort to keep the attention diverted from the Savior and thus prevent the union and communion of the soul with Christ… the pleasures of the world, life’s cares and perplexities and sorrows, the faults of others, or your own faults… many who are really conscientious and who desire to live for God, he, Satan, too often leads to dwell upon their own faults and weaknesses, and thus by separating them from Christ, he hopes to gain the victory… We should not make self the center and indulge anxiety and fear as to whether we shall be saved. All this turns the soul away from the source of our strength. Commit the keeping of your soul to God and trust in Him. Talk and think of Jesus. Let self be lost in Him. Put away all doubt. Dismiss your fears. Say with the Apostle Paul, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. Rest in God. He is able to keep that which you have committed to him… If you will leave yourself in his hands, he will bring you off more than conqueror through him that loved you.” (Steps to Christ, p. 71)

What a story. What a simple answer to our vigilance. What we’re to watch for. To watch Jesus closely and as soon as I’m looking anywhere else, I’m not following in his footsteps and that’s where Satan will get me. So plain. Let’s have another closer look at how that actually reveals itself in our experience.

“We are not to be overwhelmed with the thought of our sins and errors that we shall cease to pray… Some realize their great weakness and sin and become discouraged. Satan casts his dark shadow between them and the Lord Jesus, their atoning sacrifice. They say, ‘It is useless for me to pray. My prayers are so mingled with evil thoughts that the Lord will not hear them.’… These suggestions are from Satan… In his humanity, Christ met and resisted this temptation. And he knows how to succor those who are thus tempted. In our behalf, he offered up prayers with supplications, with strong crying and tears… Many, not understanding that their doubts come from Satan, become faint-hearted and are defeated in the conflict. Do not, because your thoughts are evil, cease to pray… If we could in our own wisdom and strength pray aright, we could also live aright and would need no atoning sacrifice. But imperfection is upon all humanity. Educate and train the mind that you may in simplicity tell the Lord what you need. As you offer your petitions to God, seeking for forgiveness for sin, a purer and holier atmosphere will surround your soul.” (Heavenly Places, p. 78, para. 3)

That’s where you want to stay, in that atmosphere. You don’t want to let the dark shadow of Satan come along and create a negative atmosphere. That’s dealing with our own faults that Satan so successfully is trying to achieve his ends. But now the other one, or the faults of others. What are Satan’s devices in reference to the faults of others?

Read the following in detail because I’m not rereading it all. Sister White is shown Satan counselling with his cahoots, with his angels. He’s there working in the warfare against us in the sealing time. What is he counselling there?

“As the people of God approach the perils of the last days, Satan holds earnest consultation with his angels as to the most successful plan of overthrowing their faith. He sees that the popular churches are already lulled to sleep by his deceptive power. By pleasing sophistry and lying wonders, he can continue to hold them under his control. Therefore he directs his angels to lay their snares especially for those who are looking for the second advent of Christ and endeavoring to keep all the commandments of God.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 472, para. 1)

“The Sabbath, he says, is the great question which is to decide the destiny of souls. We must exalt the Sabbath of our creating. We have caused it to be accepted by both worldlings and church members. Now the church must be led to unite with the world in its support. We must work by signs and wonders to blind their eyes to the truth and lead them to lay aside reason and the fear of God and follow custom and tradition.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 472, para. 3)

“But our principal concern is to silence this sect of Sabbath keepers. We must excite popular indignation against them… we will show what we can do with those who will not swerve from their allegiance to God. We led the Romish Church to inflict imprisonment, torture and death upon those who refused to yield to her decrees. And now that we are bringing the Protestant churches and the world into harmony with this right arm of our strength, we will finally have a law to exterminate all who will not submit to our authority. When death shall be made the penalty of violating our Sabbath, then many who are now ranked with the commandment keepers will come over to our side.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 473, para. 1)

You’ve got to realise how Satan is working here, that when dear self is so important to you, you will fall when the threat of death really comes. That’s why many Seventh-day Adventists have fallen in the First World War. Because they were shot for their faith. They had a human wisdom to work their way through that. Before these harsh things are going to be inflicted upon us, it says:

“Before proceeding to these extreme measures, we must exert all our wisdom and subtlety to deceive and snare those who honor the true Sabbath.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 475, para. 1)

“We must cause distraction and division. We must destroy their anxiety for their own souls and lead them to criticize, to judge and to accuse and condemn one another and to cherish selfishness and enmity. For these sins God banished us from his presence and all who follow our example will meet a similar fate.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 475, para. 2)

Can you feel the dark shadow of Satan penetrating our mind as we read this and as we are affected by this subtlety of Satan to turn us into these complicated relationship situations which he is working and then with our mind being affected about my own faults we’re looking at everything that he is directing our attention to instead of Jesus and if he can do that — look at the effect upon God’s children who are very precious. We are a church family. We hold together because we love the truth together.

“Brethren sometimes associate together for years and they think they can trust those they know so well, just as they would trust members of their own family. There is a freedom and confidence in their association which could not exist between those not of the same faith. This is a very pleasant, while mutual faith and brotherly love last. But let the accuser of the brethren gain admittance to the heart of one of these men controlling the mind and the imagination, and jealousies are created, suspicion and envy are harboured, and he who supposed himself secure in the love and friendship of his brother, finds himself mistrusted and his motive misjudged… The false brother forgets his own frailties, forgets his obligation to think and speak no evil, lest he dishonor God and wound Christ in the person of his saints. And every defect that can be thought of or imagined is commented upon unmercifully, and the character of the brother is represented as dark and questionable. There is a betrayal of sacred trust… The things spoken in brotherly confidence are repeated and misrepresented, and every word, every action, however innocent and well-meaning, is scrutinized by the cold, jealous criticism of those who were thought too noble, too honorable to take the least advantage of friendly association or brotherly trust. Hearts are closed to mercy, judgment, and the love of God, and the cold, sneering, contemptuous spirit which Satan manifests toward his victim is revealed.” (Bible Commentary, vol. 3, p. 1162, para. 6)

As I read this, can you see what Satan tries to do? His wiles, his devices, that when the mind is affected by my own faults and the faults of others, this is how he begins to weave his web.

Thwarting Satan’s Devices

To thwart his devices is the message I want to now conclude with. We read it in Philippians 2:1-3. I have permitted the words of inspiration to fill us with the fear of falling a prey to Satan. We don’t want this, but while we have this sense of what I was reading, of how this is done, and haven’t we been under this terrible shadow of the enemy in the past experiences? You can feel the shadow. You can feel the joy just slowly being eclipsed by a shadow. Here is the counsel now when this sort of thing happens.

Philippians 2:1–3 — If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies… Fulfill ye my joy, that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem the other better than themselves.

To practice that, to look at the beautiful love of Jesus and to be affected on thinking only the good in the brother or sister. Only that, regarding them more important than me. Not, oh, they’re not as faithful as me. Oh no, none of that. That’s Satan’s suggestion again. Itself. We’re not looking to Jesus. The consolation, the love of Jesus. That’s what the counsel here is to thwart the devices of Satan by doing this, doing it.

1 Corinthians 13:4–7 — Charity suffereth long and is kind. Charity envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

We know this scripture very well. What does love do? The same love that Jesus had. What does it do? Beautifully here, this is the counsel. This is where the love of the brethren shuts out Satan’s devices, because the love of Christ is something that suffers long and is kind. It suffers by the mistreatment of others, but is kind. It envieth not, vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly. Seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. Oh, to meditate on every meaning of those statements. Not easily provoked, not rejoicing in iniquity, rejoicing in the truth, bearing all things, believing all things, hoping all things, enduring all things. That is the device of God against Satan. Every detail needs to be concentrated on. And then I come to this beautiful quote from the Spirit of Prophecy in Acts of the Apostles, because if we have this love.

“The purest joy springs from the deepest humiliation. The strongest and noblest characters are built on the foundation of patience, love and submission to God’s will… Christ-like love places the most favorable construction on the motives and acts of others. It thinketh no evil… It does not needlessly expose their faults… it does not listen eagerly to unfavorable reports, but seeks rather to bring to mind the good qualities of others.” (Acts of the Apostles, p. 319, para. 1–2)

Oh, to practice this. Then we will thwart the devices of Satan. And the war that he is raging upon those of us who have chosen to be the remnant of the woman’s seed — we will be those who will, under this present truth, be safeguarded and be sealed among the 144,000 and protected from all the terrible things that are going to come. So, as we travel along together, let us keep our vision upon Jesus. And as the dark shadow of Satan comes across our path, and any one of these things that I have read, dismiss it immediately. Dismiss it. You don’t want to be under the dark shadow. Look upon Jesus, his atoning love. Keep him clear in your mind and meditate upon him and bearing each other in that love. And in doing so, we will secure the sealing activities of the angels and we will be untouched by Satan’s focus of war upon us. My prayer is that we will do this and we will be safe in this warfare. That will be our protection. Keep Jesus in your mind. Meditate upon him. Don’t meditate upon each other’s faults. Don’t meditate upon your own faults. Keep them right out of your vision. Look upon Jesus. This is the answer. If you don’t do it, you will slowly, slowly fall for the enemy.

And we have seen it for those who used to be among us. We have seen it. May we learn to put into practice what the Lord has shown us here.

Amen.