October 2021 Signs of the Times Newsletter!

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October 2021 Signs of the Times Email Newsletter FREE offer at end of newsletter!   The Signs of the Times newsletter is a collection of stories and quotes from past issues of Signs and These Times. ***************************      Thirty men, red-eyed and disheveled, lined up before a judge in a San Francisco police court. It was the regular morning crowd of “drunks and disorderlies.” Some were old and hardened. Some still hung their heads in shame. Just as the momentary disorder attending the bringing in of the prisoners quieted down, a strange thing happened. A strong, clear voice from below began singing.      “Last night I lay a-sleeping,      There came a dream so fair.”      Last night—it had been for them all a nightmare or a drunken stupor. The song was such a contrast to the horrible fact that no one could fail of a sudden shock at the thought the song suggested.      “I stood in old Jerusalem,      Beside the temple there.”      The song went on. The judge had paused and made a quiet inquiry. A former member of a famous opera company, known all over the country, was waiting trial for forgery. It was he who was singing in his cell. Meantime the song went on and every man in the line showed emotion. It was impossible to proceed with the business of the court, yet the judge gave no order to stop the song. The police sergeant, after an effort to keep the men in line, stepped back and waited with the rest. The song moved on to its climax.      “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, sing for the night is o’er.      Hosanna in the highest, hosanna forevermore.”      In an ecstasy the last words rang out and then there was silence.      The judge looked into the faces of the men before him. Every man was touched by the song; not one in whom some better impulse was not stirred. He did not call the cases singly—a kind word of advice, and he dismissed them all. No man was fined or sentenced to the work-house that morning. The song had done more good than punishment could have accomplished.—From Educational Messenger, Signs of the Times. Quote: “Brother Persistence has won scores of revival victories on the very ground where Brother Feeble Effort failed.”—From The Revivalist, Signs of the Times. *************************** Don't miss the November issue of Signs of the Times: To order Signs, call: 1-800-765-6955 or ONLINE. ***************************      From ancient times comes the story of the great king Xerxes and the words that ensued from his reflection on the brevity of life. The Hellespont had been bridged at Abydos, and upon a near-by prominence had been placed a marble throne from which this mighty monarch surveyed the march of the greatest army the world had ever seen.      The great Persian army was moving toward the treasuries of Europe. Says Herodotus, "And seeing all the Hellespont covered with ships and all the shores and plains of Abydos full of men, then Xerxes pronounced himself a happy man and after that he fell to weeping.      "Artabanus, his uncle, therefore, perceiving him weep, asked as follows: '0 king, how far different from one another are the things which thou hast done now and a short while before now! For having pronounced thyself a happy man thou art now shedding tears.' Xerxes answered, 'Yes, for after I had reckoned up it came into my mind to feel pity at the thought, how brief 'was the whole life of man, seeing that of these multitudes, not one will be alive when a hundred years have gone by!'"—By Charles Lee Paddock, The Watchman Magazine, October 1928. Quote: “In speaking of persons, if you can not say a pleasant word, say nothing.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times, November 21, 1911. *************************** NEW from Pacific Press—Christmas in My Heart, Vol. 30. Many people look forward to the new volume of Christmas in My Heart to give away as gifts, or to add to their own collection. Compiled by Dr. Joe Wheeler, this series has become a classic. Read the first chapter of this book ONLINE. Order online or from your local Adventist Book Center—1-800-765-6955. ***************************      “God has forgotten us,” a hungry little girl wailed to her sister.      The sister’s lip trembled, but she bravely replied: “No, God has not forgotten us. He has told somebody to help us, and somebody has forgotten us.”—From Near-East Relief Circular, Signs of the Times, December 6, 1921. Quote: “Bad men or devils would not have written the Bible, for it condemns them and their work. Good men or angels could not have written it, for, in saying it was from God when it was their own invention, they would have been guilty of falsehood. Therefore the only remaining possibility is that God Himself is the Author of the Bible.”—By Flavel, Signs of the Times, November 11, 1952. *************************** CLICK HERE to see the largest collection of tracts available. ***************************      When World War II ended, Henry Gerecke, a middle-aged US Army Chaplain, was appointed spiritual advisor to 15 of Adolf Hitler's top men-the Nazi criminals of the famed Nuremberg, Germany, War Trials.      Chaplain Gerecke was asked to sacrifice his personal considerations to minister to some of the most hated and feared men in the world, men responsible for the murder of 6 million Jews in concentration camps, men like Hermann Goering, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Wilhelm Keitel, Rudolf Hess, and Karl Doenitz.      When the proposition first came to him that he become the chaplain to the indicted Nazis, Gerecke was shaken and perplexed. Searching his heart and mind, he wrestled within himself for an answer. "How can a humble preacher, a one-time farm boy, make any impression on the disciples of Adolph Hitler? he asked himself.      Now that the war was over, he looked forward to returning to America after years of separation from his wife and family. "I had plenty of reason for bitterness toward these men," Gerecke reflected later. "I had been at the concentration camp in Dachau, where my hand had been smeared with human blood seeping through a wall. My oldest son, although he survived the fighting, had been literally ripped apart.      "But slowly the men in prison at Nuremberg came to me--not war criminals—but simply lost souls whom I was being asked to help. I determined as never before to hate the sin, but love the sinner."      Gerecke made up his mind that by the grace of God he would bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to these hated and feared men. In the aftermath of the war, the world might have written off these Nazi leaders as hopeless, but he knew that through the cross forgiveness is possible for anyone.      One by one, those of Gerecke's men who were sentenced to death were led to the gallows. Some remained hard to the end. But seven had received Christ as their personal Saviour.      Henry Gerecke died in 1961. He was a man who simply and boldly put into practice the love of God for sinners. Perhaps Nazi Albert Speer described him best when he said, "Chaplain Gerecke was a man with a warm heart. He cared!"—Anonymous, Our Times, May/June 1993. Quote: “Short prayers have long wings.”—Unknown, Signs of the Times,November 7, 1906. *************************** Place this in your church bulletin or newsletter: Want to connect with your neighbor? Maybe a loved one far away? Each monthly issue of Signs of the Times® offers a compelling presentation of the full gospel message. The result is changed lives! Send a subscription today. Order from your Adventist Book Center by phone: 1-800-765-6955 or online: https://adventistbookcenter.com/signs-of-the-times-magazine.html ***************************      A little girl came in her night clothes very early one morning to her mother, saying:      “Which is worse, mama, to tell a lie or to steal?”      The mother, taken by surprise, replied that both were so bad that she couldn’t tell which was the worse.      “Well,” said the little one, “I’ve been thinking a good deal about it, and I think what’s worst: it’s to lie than to steal. If you steal a thing you can take it back, unless you’ve eaten it; and if you have eaten it you can pay for it. But,” and there was a look of awe in the little face, “a lie is forever.”—Selected, Signs of the Times, July 26, 1905. Quote: “Other books we may read and criticize. To the Scriptures we must bow the entire soul, with all its faculties.”—By E. N. Kirk, Signs of the Times, June 17, 1908. *************************** Everything you need to give a Bible study is found in one place: www.ToolsForEvangelism.com ***************************      When Henry Drummond, the writer, was forty-six years of age, he was thought to be dying of a mysterious disease. Weary of the philosophy of evolution, he said to Sir William Dawson, a scientist and a devoted Christian, “I am going back to the Bible to believe it as I once did. I can no longer live in uncertainty.”      He did go back. His intellectual wandering ceased, and his soul weariness vanished. It will be the same with you, friend, if you turn back to the Great Book which has outlived the centuries and the philosophies of men.—By H. M. S. Richards, Signs of the Times, November 11, 1952. Quote: “Try to secure some part of each day for meditation. Apart from men we can look ourselves more honestly in the face, lift up our hearts to God, and give our panting lives a chance.”—By Stevenson, Signs of the Times, July 29, 1913. *************************** Looking for an Adventist eBook? CLICK HERE for the largest selection anywhere! *************************** As Jesus Prayed By Charles E. E. Sanborn How much we need instruction!      How little yet we know About the way that Jesus prayed,      As he went to and fro! Sometimes He prayed the entire night,      His dear face bathed in tears. Could we but pray as Jesus prayed      How few would be our fears. O, if our Saviour needed prayer,      How much our need today! Can we neglect this means of grace      And conquer in the fray? No, so we can not victory win;      We must without delay— Like holy men of old—implore,      “Lord, teach us how to pray.”—Signs of the Times, February 11, 1913. *************************** NEW Signs of the Times special issue for Christmas—A King Is Born! CLICK HERE for a FREE sample copy. (Offer good in North America Through October 31, 2021.) *************************** Compiled by Dale Galusha. Please pass this newsletter on to others.