Brothers and Sisters, every thing in our world is agitation, God is giving us clear warnings that time cannot continue much longer. Infact we are told in inspiration that:
“In fires, in floods, in earthquakes, in the fury of the great deep, in calamities by sea and by land, the warning is given that God’s Spirit will not always strive with men.–3MR 315 (1897). {LDE 26.2}
Even as I type, there is a terrible flood taking place in Georgia that researches are saying that they have not seen the like, in nearly 60 to 100 years. To read article click here. Another news article said that this event was, “called a 100-year storm…” which means not that it happens once in a hundred years but that this was a highly unlikely and unnatural event! To read the full article click here
What does all this mean??
The time is at hand when there will be sorrow in the world that no human balm can heal. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn. Disasters by sea and by land follow one another in quick succession. How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man; but in them all, God’s purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger. {PK 277.1}
What is God’s message to His people in all the calamities that He is allowing Satan to bring about in our great cities of today? :
“ ‘Out of the cities; out of the cities!”–this is the message the Lord has been giving me.” {CL 31.4}
Why? Notice the response from inspiration. “…the floods will come…” {CL 31.4}
Infact notice the whole paragraph, for we are told that more than floods are coming to these wicked cities (that have become the dwelling places for the majority of God’s precious children):
“‘Out of the cities; out of the cities!”–this is the message the Lord has been giving me. The earthquakes will come; the floods will come; and we are not to establish ourselves in the wicked cities, where the enemy is served in every way, and where God is so often forgotten. The Lord desires that we shall have clear spiritual eyesight. We must be quick to discern the peril that would attend the establishment of institutions in these wicked cities. We must make wise plans to warn the cities, and at the same time live where we can shield our children and ourselves from the contaminating and demoralizing influences so prevalent in these places.–Life Sketches, pp. 409, 410. (1906) {CL 31.4}
You see, God is seeking not only to get us out of the cities but to bring us into close contact with Himself, that we might develop in us an experience that will prepare us for a home in heaven and to successful go through that terrible crisis that is just a head of us! This is God’s great desire and purpose for giving to us His plan of country living (and you can begin this plan of country living right now, wherever you are! Country living is more than a location, it is a way of life. You can began this way of life by seeking to come close to Jesus through contact with God through both the Bible and nature. Watch how these two points are brought together in inspiration. (1) coming out of the busy live of the cities. For the purpose of (2) coming into contact with God (through the agency of country living):
“To many of those living in the cities who have not a spot of green grass to set their feet upon, who year after year have looked out upon filthy courts and narrow alleys, brick walls and pavements, and skies clouded with dust and smoke,-–if these could be taken to some farming district, surrounded with the green fields, the woods and hills and brooks, the clear skies and the fresh, pure air of the country, it would seem almost like heaven. {CL 19.2}
“(1) Cut off to a great degree from contact with and dependence upon men, and separated from the world’s corrupting maxims and customs and excitements, (2) they would come nearer to the heart of nature. God’s presence would be more real to them. Many would learn the lesson of dependence upon Him. Through nature they would hear His voice speaking to their hearts of His peace and love, and mind and soul and body would respond to the healing, life-giving power. –The Ministry of Healing, pp. 190-192. (1905) {CL 19.3}