Testimonies for the Church Vol 1 - Lansing SDA Church

270 Testimonies for the Church Volume 1[280]The children of the world are called the children of darkness. Theyare blinded by the God of this world, and are led by the spirit of theprince of darkness. They cannot enjoy heavenly things. The children oflight have their affections set on things above. They leave behind themthe things of this world. They fulfill the command: Come out fromamong them, and be ye separate.” Here is the conditional promise: “Iwill receive you.” From the beginning, Christ has chosen His peopleout of world and required them to be separate, having no fellowshipwith the unfruitful works of darkness. If they love God and keep Hiscommandments, they will be far from having the friendship, and lovingthe pleasures, of the world. There is no concord between Christ andBelial.The prophet Ezra, and other faithful servants of the Jewish church,were astonished when the princes came to them saying: “The people ofIsrael, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselvesfrom the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations.”“And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for ourgreat trespass, seeing that Thou our God hast punished us less thanour iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;should we again break Thy commandments, and join in affinity withthe people of these abominations? wouldest not Thou be angry withus till Thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant norescaping? O Lord God of Israel, Thou art righteous: for we remain yetescaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before Thee in our trespasses:for we cannot stand before Thee because of this.” Ezra 9:1, 13-15.2 Chronicles 36:14-16: “Moreover all the chief of the priests,and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominationsof the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which He hadhallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent tothem by His messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because Hehad compassion on His people, and on His dwelling place: but theymocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and misusedHis prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, tillthere was no remedy.”Leviticus 18:26, 27: “Ye shall therefore keep My statutes and Myjudgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neitherany of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: