The Desire of Ages
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 69: On the Mount of Olives
This chapter is based on Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke
21:5-38.
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The day will come when "there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
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Christ's words to the priests and rulers, "Behold, your
house is left unto you desolate" (Matthew 23:38), had struck terror to
their hearts. They affected indifference, but the question kept rising in their
minds as to the import of these words. An unseen danger seemed to threaten
them. Could it be that the magnificent temple, which was the nation's glory,
was soon to be a heap of ruins? The foreboding of evil was shared by the
disciples, and they anxiously waited for some more definite statement from
Jesus. As they passed with Him out of the temple, they called His attention to
its strength and beauty. The stones of the temple were of the purest marble, of
perfect whiteness, and some of them of almost fabulous size. A portion of the
wall had withstood the siege by Nebuchadnezzar's army. In its perfect masonry
it appeared like one solid stone dug entire from the quarry. How those mighty
walls could be overthrown the disciples could not comprehend. {DA 627.1}
As Christ's attention was attracted to the magnificence of
the temple, what must have been the unuttered thoughts of that Rejected One!
The view before Him was indeed beautiful, but He said with sadness, I see it
all. The buildings are indeed wonderful. You point to these walls as apparently
indestructible; but listen to My words: The day will come when "there
shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." [628]
{DA 627.2}
Christ's words had been spoken in the hearing of a large
number of people; but when He was alone, Peter, John, James, and Andrew came to
Him as He sat upon the Mount of Olives. "Tell us," they said,
"when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and
of the end of the world?" Jesus did not answer His disciples by taking up
separately the destruction of Jerusalem and the great day of His coming. He
mingled the description of these two events. Had He opened to His disciples
future events as He beheld them, they would have been unable to endure the
sight. In mercy to them He blended the description of the two great crises,
leaving the disciples to study out the meaning for themselves. When He referred
to the destruction of Jerusalem, His prophetic words reached beyond that event
to the final conflagration in that day when the Lord shall rise out of His
place to punish the world for their iniquity, when the earth shall disclose her
blood, and shall no more cover her slain. This entire discourse was given, not
for the disciples only, but for those who should live in the last scenes of
this earth's history. {DA
628.1}
Turning to the disciples, Christ said, "Take heed that
no man deceive you. For many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and
shall deceive many." Many false messiahs will appear, claiming to work
miracles, and declaring that the time of the deliverance of the Jewish nation
has come. These will mislead many. Christ's words were fulfilled. Between His
death and the siege of Jerusalem many false messiahs appeared. But this warning
was given also to those who live in this age of the world. The same deceptions
practiced prior to the destruction of Jerusalem have been practiced through the
ages, and will be practiced again. {DA 628.2}
"And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that
ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not
yet." Prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, men wrestled for the
supremacy. Emperors were murdered. Those supposed to be standing next the
throne were slain. There were wars and rumors of wars. "All these things
must come to pass," said Christ, "but the end [of the Jewish nation
as a nation] 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." Christ said, As
the rabbis see these signs, they will declare them to be God's judgments upon
the nations for holding in bondage His chosen people. They will declare that
these signs are the token of the advent of [629] the
Messiah. Be not deceived; they are the beginning of His judgments. The people
have looked to themselves. They have not repented and been converted that I
should heal them. The signs that they represent as tokens of their release from
bondage are signs of their destruction. {DA 628.3}
"Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and
shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My name's sake. And
then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one
another." All this the Christians suffered. Fathers and mothers betrayed
their children. Children betrayed their parents. Friends delivered their
friends up to the Sanhedrin. The persecutors wrought out their purpose by
killing Stephen, James, and other Christians. [630] {DA 629.1}
Through His servants, God gave the Jewish people a last
opportunity to repent. He manifested Himself through His witnesses in their
arrest, in their trial, and in their imprisonment. Yet their judges pronounced
on them the death sentence. They were men of whom the world was not worthy, and
by killing them the Jews crucified afresh the Son of God. So it will be again.
The authorities will make laws to restrict religious liberty. They will assume
the right that is God's alone. They will think they can force the conscience,
which God alone should control. Even now they are making a beginning; this work
they will continue to carry forward till they reach a boundary over which they
cannot step. God will interpose in behalf of His loyal, commandment-keeping
people. {DA 630.1}
On every occasion when persecution takes place, those who
witness it make decisions either for Christ or against Him. Those who manifest
sympathy for the ones wrongly condemned show their attachment for Christ.
Others are offended because the principles of truth cut directly across their
practice. Many stumble and fall, apostatizing from the faith they once
advocated. Those who apostatize in time of trial will, to secure their own
safety, bear false witness, and betray their brethren. Christ has warned us of
this, that we may not be surprised at the unnatural, cruel course of those who
reject the light. {DA
630.2}
Christ gave His disciples a sign of the ruin to come on
Jerusalem, and He told them how to escape: "When ye shall see Jerusalem
compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let
them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the
midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter
thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are
written may be fulfilled." This warning was given to be heeded forty years
after, at the destruction of Jerusalem. The Christians obeyed the warning, and
not a Christian perished in the fall of the city. {DA 630.3}
"Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter; neither
on the Sabbath day," Christ said. He who made the Sabbath did not abolish
it, nailing it to His cross. The Sabbath was not rendered null and void by His
death. Forty years after His crucifixion it was still to be held sacred. For forty
years the disciples were to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath
day. {DA 630.4}
From the destruction of Jerusalem, Christ passed on rapidly
to the greater event, the last link in the chain of this earth's history,—the
coming of the Son of God in majesty and glory. Between these two events, there
lay open to Christ's view long centuries of darkness, centuries for His [631]
church marked with blood and tears and agony. Upon these scenes His disciples
could not then endure to look, and Jesus passed them by with a brief mention.
"Then shall be great tribulation," He said, "such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." For more than a thousand
years such persecution as the world had never before known was to come upon
Christ's followers. Millions upon millions of His faithful witnesses were to be
slain. Had not God's hand been stretched out to preserve His people, all would
have perished. "But for the elect's sake," He said, "those days
shall be shortened." {DA
630.5}
Now, in unmistakable language, our Lord speaks of His second
coming, and He gives warning of dangers to precede His advent to the world.
"If any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it
not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show
great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say
unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the
secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be." As one of the signs of Jerusalem's destruction, Christ had said,
"Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." False
prophets did rise, deceiving the people, and leading great numbers into the
desert. Magicians and sorcerers, claiming miraculous power, drew the people
after them into the mountain solitudes. But this prophecy was spoken also for
the last days. This sign is given as a sign of the second advent. Even now
false christs and false prophets are showing signs and wonders to seduce His
disciples. Do we not hear the cry, "Behold, He is in the desert"?
Have not thousands gone forth into the desert, hoping to find Christ? And from
thousands of gatherings where men profess to hold communion with departed
spirits is not the call now heard, "Behold, He is in the secret
chambers"? This is the very claim that spiritism puts forth. But what says
Christ? "Believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and
shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be." {DA 631.1}
The Saviour gives signs of His coming, and more than this,
He fixes the time when the first of these signs shall appear: "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon [632]
shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers
of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of
man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall
gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other." {DA 631.2}
At the close of the great papal persecution, Christ
declared, the sun should be darkened, and the moon should not give her light.
Next, the stars should fall from heaven. And He says, "Learn a parable of
the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know
that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know
that He is near, even at the doors." Matthew 24:32, 33, margin. {DA 632.1}
Christ has given signs of His coming. He declares that we
may know when He is near, even at the doors. He says of those who see these
signs, "This generation shall not pass, till all these things be
fulfilled." These signs have appeared. Now we know of a surety that the
Lord's coming is at hand. "Heaven and earth shall pass away," He
says, "but My words shall not pass away." {DA 632.2}
Christ is coming with clouds and with great glory. A
multitude of shining angels will attend Him. He will come to raise the dead,
and to change the living saints from glory to glory. He will come to honor
those who have loved Him, and kept His commandments, and to take them to
Himself. He has not forgotten them nor His promise. There will be a relinking
of the family chain. When we look upon our dead, we may think of the morning
when the trump of God shall sound, when "the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52. A little
longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty. A little longer, and He will
wipe all tears from our eyes. A little longer, and He will present us
"faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Jude
24. Wherefore, when He gave the signs of His coming He said, "When these
things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your
redemption draweth nigh." {DA 632.3}
But the day and the hour of His coming Christ has not
revealed. He stated plainly to His disciples that He Himself could not make
known the day or the hour of His second appearing. Had He been at liberty to
reveal this, why need He have exhorted them to maintain an attitude of constant
expectancy? There are those who claim to know the very day and hour of our
Lord's appearing. Very earnest are they in mapping out [633] the
future. But the Lord has warned them off the ground they occupy. The exact time
of the second coming of the Son of man is God's mystery. {DA 632.4}
Christ continues, pointing out the condition of the world at
His coming: "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son
of man be. For as in the days that were before the Flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into
the ark, and knew not until the Flood came, and took them all away; so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be." Christ does not here bring to view
a temporal millennium, a thousand years in which all are to prepare for
eternity. He tells us that as it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son
of man comes again. {DA
633.1}
How was it in Noah's day? "God saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his
heart was only evil continually." Genesis 6:5. The inhabitants of the
antediluvian world turned from Jehovah, refusing to do His holy will. They
followed their own unholy imagination and perverted ideas. It was because of
their wickedness that they were destroyed; and today the world is following the
same way. It presents no flattering signs of millennial glory. The
transgressors of God's law are filling the earth with wickedness. Their
betting, their horse racing, their gambling, their dissipation, their lustful
practices, their untamable passions, are fast filling the world with violence. {DA 633.2}
In the prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction Christ said,
"Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he
that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and
then shall the end come." This prophecy will again be fulfilled. The
abounding iniquity of that day finds its counterpart in this generation. So
with the prediction in regard to the preaching of the gospel. Before the fall
of Jerusalem, Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declared that the gospel was preached
to "every creature which is under heaven." Colossians 1:23. So now,
before the coming of the Son of man, the everlasting gospel is to be preached
"to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Revelation
14:6, 14. God "hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the
world." Acts 17:31. Christ tells us when that day shall be ushered in. He
does not say that all the world will be converted, but that "this gospel
of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;
and then shall the end come." By giving the gospel to the world it is in
our power to hasten our Lord's return. We are not only to look for but to
hasten the coming of the day of God. 2 Peter 3:12, margin. Had [634]
the church of Christ done her appointed work as the Lord ordained, the whole
world would before this have been warned, and the Lord Jesus would have come to
our earth in power and great glory. {DA 633.3}
After He had given the signs of His coming, Christ said,
"When ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is
nigh at hand." "Take ye heed, watch and pray." God has always
given men warning of coming judgments. Those who had faith in His message for
their time, and who acted out their faith, in obedience to His commandments,
escaped the judgments that fell upon the disobedient and unbelieving. The word
came to Noah, "Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I
seen righteous before Me." Noah obeyed and was saved. The message came to
Lot, "Up, get you out of this place; for the Lord will destroy this
city." Genesis 7:1; 19:14. Lot placed himself under the guardianship of
the heavenly messengers, and was saved. So Christ's disciples were given
warning of the destruction of Jerusalem. Those who watched for the sign of the
coming ruin, and fled from the city, escaped the destruction. So now we are
given warning of Christ's second coming and of the destruction to fall upon the
world. Those who heed the warning will be saved. {DA 634.1}
Because we know not the exact time of His coming, we are
commanded to watch. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He
cometh shall find watching." Luke 12:37. Those who watch for the Lord's
coming are not waiting in idle expectancy. The expectation of Christ's coming
is to make men fear the Lord, and fear His judgments upon transgression. It is
to awaken them to the great sin of rejecting His offers of mercy. Those who are
watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With
vigilant watching they combine earnest working. Because they know that the Lord
is at the door, their zeal is quickened to co-operate with the divine
intelligences in working for the salvation of souls. These are the faithful and
wise servants who give to the Lord's household "their portion of meat in
due season." Luke 12:42. They are declaring the truth that is now
specially applicable. As Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and Moses each declared the
truth for his time, so will Christ's servants now give the special warning for
their generation. {DA
634.2}
But Christ brings to view another class: "If that evil
servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to
smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of
that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him." [635]
{DA 634.3}
The evil servant says in his heart, "My lord delayeth
his coming." He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff
at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words
he declares that the Lord's coming is delayed. He banishes from the minds of
others the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men
to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and
stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The
evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in
pleasure seeking. He smites his fellow servants, accusing and condemning those
who are faithful to their Master. He mingles with the world. Like grows with
like in transgression. It is a fearful assimilation. With the world he is taken
in the snare. "The lord of that servant shall come . . . in an
hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his
portion with the hypocrites." {DA 635.1}
"If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee
as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."
Revelation 3:3. The advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers. They are
saying, "Peace and safety." Like the priests and teachers before the
fall of Jerusalem, they look for the church to enjoy earthly prosperity and
glory. The signs of the times they interpret as foreshadowing this. But what
saith the word of Inspiration? "Sudden destruction cometh upon them."
1 Thessalonians 5:3. Upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth, upon
all who make this world their home, the day of God will come as a snare. It
comes to them as a prowling thief. {DA 635.2}
The world, full of rioting, full of godless pleasure, is
asleep, asleep in carnal security. Men are putting afar off the coming of the
Lord. They laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, "All things
continue as they were from the beginning." "Tomorrow shall be as this
day, and much more abundant." 2 Peter 3:4; Isaiah 56:12. We will go deeper
into pleasure loving. But Christ says, "Behold, I come as a thief."
Revelation 16:15. At the very time when the world is asking in scorn,
"Where is the promise of His coming?" the signs are fulfilling. While
they cry, "Peace and safety," sudden destruction is coming. When the
scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of
work in the various money-making lines is carried on without regard to
principle; when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his
Bible, Christ comes as a thief. [636] {DA 635.3}
Everything in the world is in agitation. The signs of the
times are ominous. Coming events cast their shadows before. The Spirit of God
is withdrawing from the earth, and calamity follows calamity by sea and by
land. There are tempests, earthquakes, fires, floods, murders of every grade.
Who can read the future? Where is security? There is assurance in nothing that
is human or earthly. Rapidly are men ranging themselves under the banner they
have chosen. Restlessly are they waiting and watching the movements of their
leaders. There are those who are waiting and watching and working for our
Lord's appearing. Another class are falling into line under the generalship of
the first great apostate. Few believe with heart and soul that we have a hell
to shun and a heaven to win. {DA
636.1}
The crisis is stealing gradually upon us. The sun shines in
the heavens, passing over its usual round, and the heavens still declare the
glory of God. Men are still eating and drinking, planting and building,
marrying, and giving in marriage. Merchants are still buying and selling. Men
are jostling one against another, contending for the highest place. Pleasure
lovers are still crowding to theaters, horse races, gambling hells. The highest
excitement prevails, yet probation's hour is fast closing, and every case is
about to be eternally decided. Satan sees that his time is short. He has set
all his agencies at work that men may be deceived, deluded, occupied and
entranced, until the day of probation shall be ended, and the door of mercy be
forever shut. {DA 636.2}
Solemnly there come to us down through the centuries the
warning words of our Lord from the Mount of Olives: "Take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness,
and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares."
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to
escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
man." {DA 636.3}
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"The Least of These My Brethren"
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