Needed afliction
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.” (Ps. 119:71).
We need affliction, even though we don’t like it. It comes because we deserve it, and never because we don’t deserve it. “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” (Prov. 26:2). Our God will dispense pain and trouble; but He will always blend it with mercy. “O LORD, I have heard Thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Hab. 3:2).
Yet, this punishment is not His preferred method to save us. To come unto Him, to trust under the shadow of His wings, to set at His feet and learn from His lips, “Thus saith the LORD,” and His, “Verily, verily I say unto you,” is the method He delights in. He wants us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds through communion with His.
But He has the other alternative method of instruction,which He uses only when necesssary—the furnace of affliction. “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee.” (Jer. 2:19). As long as we want to remain His children, He wants to be our Father. He rejoices to give us of His goodness. But if we wander away and begin to hurt others and treat them like the devil does, then He is obligated to turn into what appears our enemy and He will work to drive the devil out of us.
“And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.” (Deut. 28:63). “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me:
That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil [divine vengeance]: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isa. 45:5-7).
This was the case with Israel, and it was written down to send a message to all succeeding generations who would choose Jehovah as their God. “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.” (Isa. 30:8).
“This is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD.” (Isa. 30:9). “To Israel He saith, All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people,” “which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; a people that provoketh Me to anger continually to My face.” (Rom. 10:21;Isa. 65:3).
“Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave My people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not Me, saith the LORD.
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me, saith the LORD.” (Jer. 9:2-6).
“How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken Me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.
Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” (Jer. 5:7-9).
“A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jer. 5:30,31).
“Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not.” (Jer. 7:8, 9). “They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” (Jer. 32:35).
“And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by My name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.” (Jer. 7:13-15). “Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this? …
And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. …
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.” (Jer. 9:9,11,15,16).
“And he [the king of Babylon] shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.” (Jer. 32:5). The brutal force of Nebuchadnezzar was discipline, due punishment. For Zedekiah to fight against it was to increase its severity. To submit was to have some mercy and save his nation. “He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.” (Jer. 21:9).
But, at least he would live. And to those who would fight against their due punishment, sure death would be theirs. Over one hundred years before, they had been warned because of continued lawlessness, “It was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” (Isa. 22:14). Now that sentence would finally be executed. All the weapons Judah could muster would not withstand the LORD’s judgments on them.
“Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.
And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.” (Jer. 21:4-6).
They had not learned to surrender to Jehovah and His righteousness during years of peace; now they would have to learn surrender under extreme circumstances, to the king whom Jehovah had raised up to besiege and remove the degraded Jews from His holy land.
So it will be in the great final conflict of the controversy between righteousness and sin. While new life and light and power are descending from on high upon the disciples of Christ, a new life is springing up from beneath, and energizing the agencies of Satan. Intensity is taking possession of every earthly element. With a subtlety gained through centuries of conflict, the prince of evil works under a disguise. He appears clothed as an angel of light, and multitudes are “giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Timothy 4:1. Desire of Ages, p. 257.
Today, here at the juncture of time and eternity, our LORD is raising up a great enemy against the people called by His name. Protestants are heading into a great time of tribulation; the plans are made against them, and even now being implemented. Transgression pervades and weakens the masses; laws to rein in freedom are being made and passed; we see the stage being set for great trouble on the Earth, even as the Jews saw the ramparts going up all around to besiege Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s day. Do we know that it is because we have grievously sinned against the Lord our God, because we have not gotten personally acquainted with Him?
An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in moneymaking, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.
Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing of real communion with God. They are in too great haste. With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ’s loving presence, pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel. They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens they return to their work. Education, p. 260.
“They bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not Me , saith the LORD.
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me, saith the LORD.” (Jer. 9:3-6).
Will we take God’s word to ourselves, the words we see from God through Jeremiah? Will we let scripture be profitable for our instruction and doctrine? Will we examine ourselves as the Jews should have done; will Protestants arraign ourselves before the Law of God at this late moment, as they should have been doing since America became a nation, to know if we personally know the Lord, and are circumcised “in the heart”? (Jer. 9:26). “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1Cor. 11:31).
Or will we, as Israel did, continue on the same course of stubborn resistance to admit our corruption, and reap the same desolation they reaped? Will ancient Israel’s history be repeated in America today, and we hear their judgment, “Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts”? (Isa. 22:14).
We may be religious; we may be faithful church-goers. So were the Jews.
“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment….
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom ; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah .
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread My courts?
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” (Isa. 1:4-6,10-15).
Won’t we do what they refused to do, and seek God for His convicting assessment of our corrupted characters? Will we apply His incriminating word to ourselves? Will we bear up under the strong language of the Spirit of Prophecy and hear, not the counsel of a mere woman, but the straight testimony of “the Faithful and True Witness” from heaven to the Laodicean church of God? (Rev. 3:14). And will we, by hearing the Lord’s real disposition toward our sinfulness, be led to true contrition and repentance?
We need to heed the admonition of David. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.” (Ps. 119:71). “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” (Ps. 119:67). We need David’s humility and surrender to the Holy Spirit.
Daniel had foretold that in the Dark Ages, when God’s people would be in similar dangerous circumstances as the Jews were in Jeremiah’s day, it was “to try them, and to purge, and to make them white.” (Dan. 11:35). But the purification only came when, “some of them of understanding shall fall,” as Satan “made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.” (Dan. 7:21).
The troubles Christ sends is only for our good, to make us more like Him, to learn to lay down our strife, our personal self-defense, our weapons; and be humble and gentle like Jesus. We all are “by nature the children of wrath,” by inheritance ready to take up arms for self-preservation; our first birth is “in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” (Eph. 2:3). So, the Lord’s troubles put us to the test, over and over the same ground, if we will submit, for us to eventually to see our inborn hating and fighting nature which is so unlike Him, and which risks our eternal life with Him.
But it is also to remove the truly consummate rebels from among His people. Those who refuse to see their deficiency, but who will fight to the very end, will fight to their eternal death. “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Matt. 26:52).
Protestants have had the Bible, and have professed to hold it as the basis for all doctrine. If they truly studied their Bibles, they should know all these things. Yet, we hear rumors today of Protestants taking up arms in preparation for the big trouble to come, to fight against the big trouble that is their due punishment. We have fallen away from obedience to God’s law and we know not the Lord; but they refuse to be corrected. The Lord has one word for them, “Though ye fight..., ye shall not prosper.” (Jer. 32:5).
It’s the same message that many Israelites heard when they refused the 40 year sentence to live out their lives and to die in the wilderness of Sinai for their continued rebellion. They decided to fight their way into Canaan rather than to accept the judgment of the LORD. And Moses’ word to them was, “Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.” (Num. 14:41-43).
“And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.” (Jer. 21:5). He had already given them generations of warning, which they dismissed altogether. Now there would attempt to prevent the divinely arranged retribution upon them.
“For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.” (Isa. 8:11-15). “And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him.
Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.”
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isa. 8:17,18,20).
The real war is a spiritual one. Are we learning to surrender to Jesus? Are we entering into a heart to heart covenant with Him that results in submission to His will? Are we being transformed by His righteousness which we see in Him?
Is the LORD putting His name in our forehead? “In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jer. 23:6).
We are to strive to enter in at the strait gate. But this gate does not swing loosely on its hinges. It will not admit doubtful characters. We must now strive for eternal life with an intensity that is proportionate to the value of the prize before us. It is not money or lands or position, but the possession of a Christlike character, that will open to us the gates of Paradise. It is not dignity, it is not intellectual attainments, that will win for us the crown of immortality. Only the meek and lowly ones, who have made God their efficiency, will receive this gift. —Southern Watchman, April 16, 1903.
Receiving His righteousness is the great fight for today. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1Tim. 6:12). We are not to stockpile weapons in some vegan compound. We are not to wage war as in Waco, or to conspire to assassinate our enemies, as did Dietrich Bonheoffer. We are not to join in the fray, and die on the battlefield as did the Reformer Zwingli, who was so much more needed to lead the Reformation on through waters dangerous with unbelief and erroneous theology.
We are counseled to “weep between the porch and the altar.” (Joel 2:17). We are to take up the sword of conviction and of repentance. “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31). “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is His name.” (Ex. 15:3).
“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2Cor. 10:4-6).
“First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt. 7:5).
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12).
“The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:12-13). Salvation is the prize to fight and wrestle for.
“Thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” (Ps. 18:28-35).
“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” (Eph. 6:17-18).
But does fighting the fight of faith presuppose that we should not forewarn others of the coming trouble and give them its details? Are not the whole books of Habakkuk and Joel for describing the terrors of Babylon, to give the Jews one last motivation to return to Jehovah and His Law? And is not Revelation 9 and 13 for that purpose for us today?
What we’ve seen in 9/11 and in the behind the scenes history of America over the past 150 years are not conspiracy theories. They are real and true signs of the times. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1Thess. 5:1-4). “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [holds him back] will [continue to restrain him], until he be taken out of the way.” (2Thess. 2:5-7).
Though He spent most of His time acquainting people with His Father and bringing them to trust in Him, Jesus also informed them to look for earthly events as signs that would herald His second coming and the end of the kingdom of sin. We are witnessing those signs today. Christ told us of them because He cares for us. He wants His children to have peace of mind when all who would not listen would be in turmoil, with “men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” (Lk. 21:26).
Jesus comforts us with a preview of the tribulation, “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matt. 24:6-8).
“What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Mk. 13:37). And no doubt, as Jesus did, Paul had the same motive as his Lord when he foretold world events to his flock.
So, we should faithfully relay to others current developments leading to the revealing of the Son of Perdition today. But with that bad news we need to as faithfully link it with the only truly good news, repeating the lessons of faith, of Jesus and His love.
Christ the Good Shepherd. Christ the True Vine. Christ, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. Christ, the Son of God in human flesh, one with us. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1Jn. 5:12).
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Quench not the Spirit.
Despise not prophesyings.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.
Brethren, pray for us.
Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” (1Thess. 5:5-26).
Soon grievous troubles will rise among the nations—trouble that will not cease until Jesus comes. As never before we need to press together, serving Him who has prepared His throne in the heavens and whose kingdom ruleth over all. God has not forsaken His people, and our strength lies in not forsaking Him.
The judgments of God are in the land. The wars and rumors of wars, the destruction by fire and flood, say clearly that the time of trouble, which is to increase until the end, is very near at hand. We have no time to lose. The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecies of the eleventh of Daniel have almost reached their final fulfillment.
Soon strife among the nations will break out with an intensity that we do not now anticipate. The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they realize that something great and decisive is about to take place, that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.
A moment of respite has been graciously given us of God. Every power lent us of Heaven is now to be used in working for those perishing in ignorance. There must be no delay. The truth must be proclaimed in the dark places of the earth. . . . A great work is to be done, and to those who know the truth for this time, this work has been entrusted.
In the last scenes of this earth’s history, war will rage. There will be pestilence, plague, and famine. The waters of the deep will overflow their boundaries. Property and life will be destroyed by fire and flood. We should be preparing for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for them that love Him. There is a rest from earth’s conflict. Maranatha, p. 174.
The enemy is working with an increasing intensity, and the powers of darkness are uniting with evil men to form a confederacy against the people of God. Shall we be able to meet every assault of the enemy with the sword of the Spirit? Can we follow the example of our Lord at every step, and when tempted to disloyalty to God, say, “It is written.” Our adversary is acquainted with the Bible, and he knows that if you are to stand his fierce assaults of temptation, you will have to wear the armor of Christ’s righteousness. We are not safe in placing ourselves on the ground of the enemy, we must keep our feet in the way that is cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, that we may not be as false lights along the shore. The Saviour has commanded, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” You should never rest until you know how to win souls to Christ, and give all the praise and honor and glory to God for your success.
Let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may lift us up. Signs of the Times, April 4, 1892 par. 7,8.
Opposition is the portion of all whom God employs to make an advance move in his work by presenting truth specially applicable to their time. The controversy between Christ and Satan is to increase in intensity to the close of this earth’s history. Those who dare to present truths that are not in harmony with the popular churches and with the world, will thereby become the objects of slander, reproach, and falsehood. Many who at first but partially unite with scoffers, finally lend themselves fully to Satan, to oppose and overthrow what God would build up. Signs of the Times, June 21, 1883 par. 12.
“I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (Jn. 9:4). “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Lk. 21:28).
We need affliction, even though we don’t like it. It comes because we deserve it, and never because we don’t deserve it. “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” (Prov. 26:2). Our God will dispense pain and trouble; but He will always blend it with mercy. “O LORD, I have heard Thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive Thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.” (Hab. 3:2).
Yet, this punishment is not His preferred method to save us. To come unto Him, to trust under the shadow of His wings, to set at His feet and learn from His lips, “Thus saith the LORD,” and His, “Verily, verily I say unto you,” is the method He delights in. He wants us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds through communion with His.
But He has the other alternative method of instruction,which He uses only when necesssary—the furnace of affliction. “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee.” (Jer. 2:19). As long as we want to remain His children, He wants to be our Father. He rejoices to give us of His goodness. But if we wander away and begin to hurt others and treat them like the devil does, then He is obligated to turn into what appears our enemy and He will work to drive the devil out of us.
“And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.” (Deut. 28:63). “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known Me:
That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil [divine vengeance]: I the LORD do all these things.” (Isa. 45:5-7).
This was the case with Israel, and it was written down to send a message to all succeeding generations who would choose Jehovah as their God. “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.” (Isa. 30:8).
“This is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD.” (Isa. 30:9). “To Israel He saith, All day long I have stretched forth My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people,” “which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts; a people that provoketh Me to anger continually to My face.” (Rom. 10:21;Isa. 65:3).
“Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men; that I might leave My people, and go from them! for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men.
And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not Me, saith the LORD.
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me, saith the LORD.” (Jer. 9:2-6).
“How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken Me, and sworn by them that are no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.
Shall I not visit for these things? saith the LORD: and shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” (Jer. 5:7-9).
“A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and My people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?” (Jer. 5:30,31).
“Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit.
Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not.” (Jer. 7:8, 9). “They built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” (Jer. 32:35).
“And now, because ye have done all these works, saith the LORD, and I spake unto you, rising up early and speaking, but ye heard not; and I called you, but ye answered not;
Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by My name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
And I will cast you out of My sight, as I have cast out all your brethren, even the whole seed of Ephraim.” (Jer. 7:13-15). “Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the LORD: shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this? …
And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. …
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known: and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.” (Jer. 9:9,11,15,16).
“And he [the king of Babylon] shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.” (Jer. 32:5). The brutal force of Nebuchadnezzar was discipline, due punishment. For Zedekiah to fight against it was to increase its severity. To submit was to have some mercy and save his nation. “He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.” (Jer. 21:9).
But, at least he would live. And to those who would fight against their due punishment, sure death would be theirs. Over one hundred years before, they had been warned because of continued lawlessness, “It was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.” (Isa. 22:14). Now that sentence would finally be executed. All the weapons Judah could muster would not withstand the LORD’s judgments on them.
“Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city.
And I Myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.
And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence.” (Jer. 21:4-6).
They had not learned to surrender to Jehovah and His righteousness during years of peace; now they would have to learn surrender under extreme circumstances, to the king whom Jehovah had raised up to besiege and remove the degraded Jews from His holy land.
So it will be in the great final conflict of the controversy between righteousness and sin. While new life and light and power are descending from on high upon the disciples of Christ, a new life is springing up from beneath, and energizing the agencies of Satan. Intensity is taking possession of every earthly element. With a subtlety gained through centuries of conflict, the prince of evil works under a disguise. He appears clothed as an angel of light, and multitudes are “giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” 1 Timothy 4:1. Desire of Ages, p. 257.
Today, here at the juncture of time and eternity, our LORD is raising up a great enemy against the people called by His name. Protestants are heading into a great time of tribulation; the plans are made against them, and even now being implemented. Transgression pervades and weakens the masses; laws to rein in freedom are being made and passed; we see the stage being set for great trouble on the Earth, even as the Jews saw the ramparts going up all around to besiege Jerusalem in Jeremiah’s day. Do we know that it is because we have grievously sinned against the Lord our God, because we have not gotten personally acquainted with Him?
An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in moneymaking, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10.
Many, even in their seasons of devotion, fail of receiving the blessing of real communion with God. They are in too great haste. With hurried steps they press through the circle of Christ’s loving presence, pausing perhaps a moment within the sacred precincts, but not waiting for counsel. They have no time to remain with the divine Teacher. With their burdens they return to their work. Education, p. 260.
“They bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not Me , saith the LORD.
Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.
And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.
Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know Me, saith the LORD.” (Jer. 9:3-6).
Will we take God’s word to ourselves, the words we see from God through Jeremiah? Will we let scripture be profitable for our instruction and doctrine? Will we examine ourselves as the Jews should have done; will Protestants arraign ourselves before the Law of God at this late moment, as they should have been doing since America became a nation, to know if we personally know the Lord, and are circumcised “in the heart”? (Jer. 9:26). “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1Cor. 11:31).
Or will we, as Israel did, continue on the same course of stubborn resistance to admit our corruption, and reap the same desolation they reaped? Will ancient Israel’s history be repeated in America today, and we hear their judgment, “Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts”? (Isa. 22:14).
We may be religious; we may be faithful church-goers. So were the Jews.
“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward.
Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment….
Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom ; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah .
To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread My courts?
Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto Me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth: they are a trouble unto Me; I am weary to bear them.
And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” (Isa. 1:4-6,10-15).
Won’t we do what they refused to do, and seek God for His convicting assessment of our corrupted characters? Will we apply His incriminating word to ourselves? Will we bear up under the strong language of the Spirit of Prophecy and hear, not the counsel of a mere woman, but the straight testimony of “the Faithful and True Witness” from heaven to the Laodicean church of God? (Rev. 3:14). And will we, by hearing the Lord’s real disposition toward our sinfulness, be led to true contrition and repentance?
We need to heed the admonition of David. “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes.” (Ps. 119:71). “Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.” (Ps. 119:67). We need David’s humility and surrender to the Holy Spirit.
Daniel had foretold that in the Dark Ages, when God’s people would be in similar dangerous circumstances as the Jews were in Jeremiah’s day, it was “to try them, and to purge, and to make them white.” (Dan. 11:35). But the purification only came when, “some of them of understanding shall fall,” as Satan “made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.” (Dan. 7:21).
The troubles Christ sends is only for our good, to make us more like Him, to learn to lay down our strife, our personal self-defense, our weapons; and be humble and gentle like Jesus. We all are “by nature the children of wrath,” by inheritance ready to take up arms for self-preservation; our first birth is “in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind.” (Eph. 2:3). So, the Lord’s troubles put us to the test, over and over the same ground, if we will submit, for us to eventually to see our inborn hating and fighting nature which is so unlike Him, and which risks our eternal life with Him.
But it is also to remove the truly consummate rebels from among His people. Those who refuse to see their deficiency, but who will fight to the very end, will fight to their eternal death. “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Matt. 26:52).
Protestants have had the Bible, and have professed to hold it as the basis for all doctrine. If they truly studied their Bibles, they should know all these things. Yet, we hear rumors today of Protestants taking up arms in preparation for the big trouble to come, to fight against the big trouble that is their due punishment. We have fallen away from obedience to God’s law and we know not the Lord; but they refuse to be corrected. The Lord has one word for them, “Though ye fight..., ye shall not prosper.” (Jer. 32:5).
It’s the same message that many Israelites heard when they refused the 40 year sentence to live out their lives and to die in the wilderness of Sinai for their continued rebellion. They decided to fight their way into Canaan rather than to accept the judgment of the LORD. And Moses’ word to them was, “Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment of the LORD? but it shall not prosper.
Go not up, for the LORD is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.
For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you.” (Num. 14:41-43).
“And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath.” (Jer. 21:5). He had already given them generations of warning, which they dismissed altogether. Now there would attempt to prevent the divinely arranged retribution upon them.
“For the LORD spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,
Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
Sanctify the LORD of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread.
And He shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.” (Isa. 8:11-15). “And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for Him.
Behold, I and the children whom the LORD hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.”
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” (Isa. 8:17,18,20).
The real war is a spiritual one. Are we learning to surrender to Jesus? Are we entering into a heart to heart covenant with Him that results in submission to His will? Are we being transformed by His righteousness which we see in Him?
Is the LORD putting His name in our forehead? “In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Jer. 23:6).
We are to strive to enter in at the strait gate. But this gate does not swing loosely on its hinges. It will not admit doubtful characters. We must now strive for eternal life with an intensity that is proportionate to the value of the prize before us. It is not money or lands or position, but the possession of a Christlike character, that will open to us the gates of Paradise. It is not dignity, it is not intellectual attainments, that will win for us the crown of immortality. Only the meek and lowly ones, who have made God their efficiency, will receive this gift. —Southern Watchman, April 16, 1903.
Receiving His righteousness is the great fight for today. “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.” (1Tim. 6:12). We are not to stockpile weapons in some vegan compound. We are not to wage war as in Waco, or to conspire to assassinate our enemies, as did Dietrich Bonheoffer. We are not to join in the fray, and die on the battlefield as did the Reformer Zwingli, who was so much more needed to lead the Reformation on through waters dangerous with unbelief and erroneous theology.
We are counseled to “weep between the porch and the altar.” (Joel 2:17). We are to take up the sword of conviction and of repentance. “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31). “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is His name.” (Ex. 15:3).
“(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2Cor. 10:4-6).
“First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” (Matt. 7:5).
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12).
“The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” (Heb. 4:12-13). Salvation is the prize to fight and wrestle for.
“Thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” (Ps. 18:28-35).
“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” (Eph. 6:17-18).
But does fighting the fight of faith presuppose that we should not forewarn others of the coming trouble and give them its details? Are not the whole books of Habakkuk and Joel for describing the terrors of Babylon, to give the Jews one last motivation to return to Jehovah and His Law? And is not Revelation 9 and 13 for that purpose for us today?
What we’ve seen in 9/11 and in the behind the scenes history of America over the past 150 years are not conspiracy theories. They are real and true signs of the times. “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” (1Thess. 5:1-4). “Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [holds him back] will [continue to restrain him], until he be taken out of the way.” (2Thess. 2:5-7).
Though He spent most of His time acquainting people with His Father and bringing them to trust in Him, Jesus also informed them to look for earthly events as signs that would herald His second coming and the end of the kingdom of sin. We are witnessing those signs today. Christ told us of them because He cares for us. He wants His children to have peace of mind when all who would not listen would be in turmoil, with “men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth.” (Lk. 21:26).
Jesus comforts us with a preview of the tribulation, “Ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matt. 24:6-8).
“What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” (Mk. 13:37). And no doubt, as Jesus did, Paul had the same motive as his Lord when he foretold world events to his flock.
So, we should faithfully relay to others current developments leading to the revealing of the Son of Perdition today. But with that bad news we need to as faithfully link it with the only truly good news, repeating the lessons of faith, of Jesus and His love.
Christ the Good Shepherd. Christ the True Vine. Christ, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. Christ, the Son of God in human flesh, one with us. “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1Jn. 5:12).
“Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.
And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Quench not the Spirit.
Despise not prophesyings.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it.
Brethren, pray for us.
Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” (1Thess. 5:5-26).
Soon grievous troubles will rise among the nations—trouble that will not cease until Jesus comes. As never before we need to press together, serving Him who has prepared His throne in the heavens and whose kingdom ruleth over all. God has not forsaken His people, and our strength lies in not forsaking Him.
The judgments of God are in the land. The wars and rumors of wars, the destruction by fire and flood, say clearly that the time of trouble, which is to increase until the end, is very near at hand. We have no time to lose. The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecies of the eleventh of Daniel have almost reached their final fulfillment.
Soon strife among the nations will break out with an intensity that we do not now anticipate. The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they realize that something great and decisive is about to take place, that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.
A moment of respite has been graciously given us of God. Every power lent us of Heaven is now to be used in working for those perishing in ignorance. There must be no delay. The truth must be proclaimed in the dark places of the earth. . . . A great work is to be done, and to those who know the truth for this time, this work has been entrusted.
In the last scenes of this earth’s history, war will rage. There will be pestilence, plague, and famine. The waters of the deep will overflow their boundaries. Property and life will be destroyed by fire and flood. We should be preparing for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for them that love Him. There is a rest from earth’s conflict. Maranatha, p. 174.
The enemy is working with an increasing intensity, and the powers of darkness are uniting with evil men to form a confederacy against the people of God. Shall we be able to meet every assault of the enemy with the sword of the Spirit? Can we follow the example of our Lord at every step, and when tempted to disloyalty to God, say, “It is written.” Our adversary is acquainted with the Bible, and he knows that if you are to stand his fierce assaults of temptation, you will have to wear the armor of Christ’s righteousness. We are not safe in placing ourselves on the ground of the enemy, we must keep our feet in the way that is cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in, that we may not be as false lights along the shore. The Saviour has commanded, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” You should never rest until you know how to win souls to Christ, and give all the praise and honor and glory to God for your success.
Let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may lift us up. Signs of the Times, April 4, 1892 par. 7,8.
Opposition is the portion of all whom God employs to make an advance move in his work by presenting truth specially applicable to their time. The controversy between Christ and Satan is to increase in intensity to the close of this earth’s history. Those who dare to present truths that are not in harmony with the popular churches and with the world, will thereby become the objects of slander, reproach, and falsehood. Many who at first but partially unite with scoffers, finally lend themselves fully to Satan, to oppose and overthrow what God would build up. Signs of the Times, June 21, 1883 par. 12.
“I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” (Jn. 9:4). “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Lk. 21:28).
posted by David | 12:05 PM
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