Appointed time

    Quotations from the writings of Ellen G. White with the phrase . . .

              A t    t h e    a p p o i n t e d    t i m e        (  3  RELATED  PHRASES )                      

                       The  phrase  'At the appointed time'  appears  69  times in the published writings of EGW            Page not on Original site                                                   Related phrase:   Act at the appointed time  - - 

  But the word of God had not failed; neither did it meet its final accomplishment in the occupation of Canaan by the Jewish people. “To Abraham and his seed were the promises made.” Galatians 3:16. Abraham himself was to share the inheritance. The fulfillment of God’s promise may seem to be long delayed—for “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” ( 2 Peter 3:8); it may appear to tarry; but at the appointed time “it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:3. The gift to Abraham and his seed included not merely the land of Canaan, but the whole earth. So says the apostle, “The promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.” Romans 4:13. And the Bible plainly teaches that the promises made to Abraham are to be fulfilled through Christ. All that are Christ’s are “Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise”—heirs to “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away”—the earth freed from the curse of sin. Galatians 3:29; 1 Peter 1:4. For “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;” and “the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Daniel 7:27; Psalm 37:11. { PP 169.4} 

 

 
Scoffers pointed to the things of nature, — to the unvarying succession of the seasons, to the blue skies that had never poured out rain, to the green fields refreshed by the soft dews of night,— and they cried out: “Doth he not speak parables?” In contempt they declared the preacher of righteousness to be a wild enthusiast; and they went on, more eager in their pursuit of pleasure, more intent upon their evil ways, than before. But their unbelief did not hinder the predicted event. God bore long with their wickedness, giving them ample opportunity for repentance; but at the appointed time His judgments were visited upon the rejecters of His mercy. { GC 338.1} and { 4SP 209.1 } and  { Mar 263.3} 

 

  The proclamation, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,” in the summer of 1844, led thousands to expect the immediate advent of the Lord. At the appointed time the Bridegroom came, not to the earth, as the people expected, but to the Ancient of Days in heaven, to the marriage, the reception of His kingdom. “They that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door was shut.” They were not to be present in person at the marriage; for it takes place in heaven, while they are upon the earth. The followers of Christ are to “wait for their Lord, when He will return from the wedding.” Luke 12:36. But they are to understand His work, and to follow Him by faith as He goes in before God. It is in this sense that they are said to go in to the marriage. { GC 427.1} 

 
  At the appointed time began the onward movement, the ark, borne upon the shoulders of the priests, leading the van. The people had been directed to fall back, so that there was a vacant space of more than half a mile about the ark. All watched with deep interest as the priests advanced down the bank of the Jordan. They saw them with the sacred ark move steadily forward toward the angry, surging stream, till the feet of the bearers were dipped into the waters. Then suddenly the tide above was swept back, while the current below flowed on, and the bed of the river was laid bare. { PP 484.1} 

 

  At the appointed time the hosts of Israel, with richly clad representatives from many foreign nations, assembled in the temple courts. The scene was one of unusual splendor. Solomon, with the elders of Israel and the most influential men among the people, had returned from another part of the city, whence they had brought the ark of the testament. From the sanctuary on the heights of Gibeon had been transferred the ancient “tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle” ( 2 Chronicles 5:5); and these cherished reminders of the earlier experiences of the children of Israel during their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of Canaan, now found a permanent home in the splendid building that had been erected to take the place of the portable structure. { PK 38.1} 
 
  The command was issued by one who seemed to stand in the very presence of Jehovah; and Ahab obeyed at once, as if the prophet were monarch, and the king a subject. Swift messengers were sent throughout the kingdom with the summons to meet Elijah and the prophets of Baal and Ashtoreth. In every town and village the people prepared to assemble at the appointed time. As they journeyed toward the place, the hearts of many were filled with strange forebodings. Something unusual was about to happen; else why this summons to gather at Carmel? What new calamity was about to fall upon the people and the land? { PK 143.2} 

 

 The very same Satan is at work to undermine the faith of the people of God at this time. There are persons ready to catch up every new idea. The prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation are misinterpreted. These persons do not consider that the truth has been set forth at the appointed time by the very men whom God was leading to do this special work. These men followed on step by step in the very fulfillment of prophecy, and those who have not had a personal experience in this work, are to take the Word of God and believe on “their word” who have been led by the Lord in the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. These messages, received and acted upon, are doing their work to prepare a people to stand in the great day of God. If we search the Scriptures to confirm the truth God has given His servants for the world, we shall be found proclaiming the first, second, and third angels’ messages. { 2SM 111.2} 
 

  The greater man’s influence for good, under the control of the Spirit of God, the more determined will be the enemy to indulge his envy and jealousy toward him by religious persecution. But all heaven is on the side of Christ, not of Antichrist. Those who love God and are willing to be partakers with Christ in his sufferings, God will honor. Antichrist, meaning all who exalt themselves against the will and work of God, will at the appointed time feel the wrath of Him who gave Himself that they might not perish but have eternal life. All who persevere in obedience, all who will not sell their souls for money or for the favor of men, God will register in the book of life.—Manuscript 9, 1900. { 3SM 402.1} 

 

  God willed that the passage of the Israelites over Jordan should be miraculous. Joshua commanded the people to sanctify themselves, for upon the morrow the Lord would do wonders among them. At the appointed time, he directed the priests to take up the ark containing the law of God and bear it before the people. “And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.” { 4T 157.1} 
  God willed that the passage of the Israelites over Jordan should be miraculous. Joshua commanded the people to sanctify themselves, for upon the morrow the Lord would do wonders among them. At the appointed time, he directed the priests to take up the ark containing the law of God and bear it before the people. “And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee” ( Joshua 3:7). — Testimonies for the Church 4:156, 157. { YRP 259.5} 
 
Sabbath, July 4, has been set apart as the day when an offering for Australasia shall be taken. My brethren and sisters in America, I plead with all earnestness that at the appointed time you shall do your best to help meet the necessities in our sister field. Let parents and children unitedly give of their means. Let old and young remember that in God’s sight they are all little children, and that at this time they are to reveal their obedience to their heavenly Father by giving freely in answer to this call. Upon, those who do this, will rest heaven’s richest blessings. { Needs July 4, 1903, par. 28 }

 

  Christ, as commander of heaven, was appointed to put down the rebellion. Satan and all his sympathizers were cast out of heaven. Then was begun the work which, before the foundations of the world were laid, Christ had engaged to do. At the appointed time he came to our world in human flesh, that he might become man’s substitute and surety. Christ came to prove that “God is love.” This was disputed by him who was once a covering cherub in heaven, and who, in consequence of his ambitious project, developed a character that made him at war with God. This world became the scene of the great conflict between Christ and Satan. { RH May 30, 1899, par. 4 }

 
  The whole agency of evil is working to oppose God. The spirit that led to the apostasy in heaven is in unceasing activity in all parts of the world. Satan flatters his subjects with the assurance that their forces will be sure to conquer. Before the first coming of Christ, it seemed as if the world were wholly given into the control of the enemy. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, ... to redeem them which were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” All heaven was interested in this great event. At the appointed time the Instructor appeared. Who was He? — The Son of God Himself, the eternal Word. He came to give the world an evidence of the love of God by dying for the fallen race. He gathered to His own pure, sinless soul the penalty resting upon the sinful race, and offered Himself as a sacrifice. { ST December 14, 1904, par. 5 }

 

 

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