Survival | Lesson 3, Part 1

Greetings MOL Family!

Welcome back to our third lesson on – survival…

Who Shall Be Able To Stand?

Revelation 6, the 12th verse begins with the Lisbon earthquake in 1755. But these next few verses that we shall read, reach on down to our time, into the future. As we read them, see where we are in this sequence of events.

…I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casts her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? – Revelation 6:12-17

Who will survive, in other words? Who will live through that glorious appearing of the Son of God? Isn’t it too bad friends, that Jesus (for 6,000 years) has been pouring out His life, and all Heaven has been enlisted in the work of saving men; and when Christ finally comes to get His redeemed, so few will be ready to meet Him. So many will be praying for the rocks and mountains to cover them. Isn’t that too bad?

But thank God, there’re going to be some who will give the answer to this question, “Who will be able to stand?” They are pictured in Revelation 7, immediately following. The sealing of the 144,000 is brought to view here, and this special group, the sealed ones, will stand through the time of trouble and be ready to welcome the Savior at His appearing. They are the survivors; they stand, when all the world goes down. They live with everlasting burnings. They endure that glorious appearing without being consumed. They are the survivors. We’ll want to study that sealing of the 144,000 more fully another time.

Let’s look now at Isaiah 25:9 and I want you to hear what they sing as they see Jesus coming. At the very time that these multitudes of earth, these armies of earth who have been in battle against the remnant, the very time that they are wailing, crying for the mountains to cover them, there are songs ascending from all over this world from the remnant church. Listen as they sing:

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation. – Isaiah 25:9

Isn’t that a wonderful anthem? Oh, how sweet it will sound in the ears of Jesus, as He comes seated on that beautiful cloud. And He sees this little group here, that one over there, this one yonder; and from all of them that glad cry of welcome: “This is the Lord, we have waited for Him.”

Today, we will study that expression – “This is the Lord, we have waited for Him.” I think it will mean more to us, perhaps, than ever before, as we enter deep, deeper into study. You remember in Revelation 14:12 that the remnant church is spoken of especially as being what kind of people? — a patient people. “Here is the patience of the saints.” The long waiting for the coming of Jesus both calls for and develops patience!

We’re going to see some very important reasons why patience, or waiting for the coming of Jesus, is so necessary in this time; if we are to be among the survivors.

Except the Little Remnant

First, I want to study with you what satan is going to try to do to counterfeit the coming of Jesus. Let’s turn to Matthew 24. This is one of the great chapters in the Bible for survival training; those who wish to survive. You remember that during that last week that Jesus was on earth, one day He was seated on the Mount of Olives. A few of His closest disciples came to Him and asked Him a question:

…what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? – Matthew 24:3

It is significant that Christ first words were:

…Take heed that no man deceive you – Matthew 24:4

Is it possible to be deceived about the second coming of Christ? Apparently, this was uppermost in Christ’s mind. “Take heed that no man deceive you.” Then in the next verse He said why:

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. – Matthew 24:5

Now down through the ages since our Lord was here the first time, people have arisen from time to time claiming to be Jesus. The Bible has foretold His 2nd coming, but my friends most of these have been rather crude frauds. But in the closing hour of human history we are to witness the supreme endeavor of the devil to get people to accept someone other than Jesus as the returning Lord. And he is going to undertake that job himself.

Now here in Matthew 24, Christ warns us specifically of this attempt:

Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. – Matthew 24:23

Somebody then is going to come and say, “Why, Jesus has come; He’s over there!” Or, “Christ is come! He’s yonder.” I don’t doubt that the television men will be out there taking “his” picture. I don’t doubt that it will be flashed all over the world, bounding back from that tele-star out there in space. Doubtless millions, perhaps billions of people will see “him”. And the word will ring around this globe, “Christ has come”.

It will be no crude affair. When satan appears as Christ, he’s going to come looking like people expect Jesus to come. He is going to appear to meet the specifications of the appearance of Jesus in the first chapter of Revelation — glorious.

His voice will be beautiful, full of melody. He’s going to heal the sick. He’s going to do other wonderful works. As he goes from place to place, the multitudes enthusiastically will bow before him, prostrate themselves before him. And every religion in this world, every church in this world, except the little remnant, will say, “Christ has come”.

This being, who claims to be Jesus, will say that he has changed the Sabbath from the 7th day to the 1st day. He will command all to hallow the day he has blessed. He will point out that the little group who refuse to come into line with his commands, and with the laws of the state (for by this time, the mark of the beast will be enforced) are worthy of death. Thus, those who cling in simple faith to obedience to the commandments of God will indeed be ostracized.

Read the description of what I have just presented briefly, in The Great Controversy, pages 624-625. Notice every line. We will not try to read it all now, but oh my dear friends, there is something here that we must ponder over; and read again, and again. This one sentence after the description:

Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. – Great Controversy, pg. 625

There is something here that science will not be able to detect. Those who have trusted to science will say, “Here are miracles indeed”. Yet if you were to go down the street and knock at one door after the other, and find Christian people who claim to believe the Bible, 9 out of 10 will probably tell you that miracles, great miracles, mighty miracles such as the healing of the sick and other signs, are indeed evidence of the power of God.

But now I want you to notice in the book of Revelation, some very clear statements. However, before we leave this Matthew 24, notice we read the 23rd verse; notice the 24th verse Christ says:

For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders… – Matthew 24:24

Who’s going to work these signs and wonders? — False Christs and false prophets. Doubtless there will be some lesser manifestations before this great anti-Christ appears that I have described; for Christ speaks of it here in the plural – false Christs, and false prophets. But all of them are going to show what? — Great signs and wonders. This proves they’re true, doesn’t it? Oh, no. But they will deceive, and they would deceive if it were possible who? — The very elect. Do you know who the elect are? They are the survivors. They’re the only survivors. You and I should hasten our preparation to make our calling and our election sure. These are the sealed ones, friends. All the devil’s deceptions can’t shake them. God help us be among the number, what do you say?

This Is Our God

Now turn over to the Book of Revelation, 16:14. Here we have another clear prediction of the miracles that are to be worked down here in this closing moment of human history, to fasten the multitudes in this terrible deception.

…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. – Revelation 16:14

Miracle working demons are going to gather the nations of earth in this terrible deception. Now do you see friends, new force in that song of the remnant, as they welcome Jesus’ coming in the clouds? “…Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him…” This is the Lord we have waited for Him. They have waited through the time when all the world around them has accepted a false Christ. They have turned down the anti-Christ who has come in the guise of Christ, with the words of Jesus, with the miracle working power that He manifested — The healing of the sick and all. They have said, No, this is not Christ.

This is the devil. This is not our Lord. This is the prince of this world, a rebel against the government of God. And it will be against the evidence of our senses. He’ll look like Jesus. He’ll talk like Him. He’ll act like Him. He’ll work miracles like Him. Tell me, if you were sick and you saw people all around you being healed by this being, what would you do? It’s going to be a wonderful thing to have a simple faith in the Bible, that will enable us to wait right through that, and pay no attention to it. Like Eve at the tree, those who linger and look will be deceived! We need to be so subtle that we’ll have no interest.

Would you go to hear the devil speak? Well then why go hear his agents? We need to school ourselves in closing our eyes and ears to the seductive, deceiving work of the devil. Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures, and who have received the love of the truth, will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. Thank God, there’re going to be some that wait right through it and say, “This is not our Jesus, this is not our Lord.

We’re waiting for the real One. He’s coming in power and glory in the clouds of Heaven, surrounded by the myriads of the angel hosts, as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even unto the west. We’re waiting for that glorious appearing, not some being walking around on this earth claiming to be Jesus.” Do you see friends? Oh, God help us to dig deep into the Word. This is the Lord, we have waited for Him.

“God’s purpose in giving the third angel’s message to the world is to prepare a people to stand true to Him during the investigative judgment…” {Manuscript Releases, vol. 1; pg. 228; par.3}

Until next week – Invite a friend, and we’ll see you then… 

-Continue on to the next study-

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* This study has been adapted from classes taken by Elder W.D. Frazee.