thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the knife, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved. What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of the Lord, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. The emphasis of prophecy is our need as God's people to be found in him without spot and blameless. Another emphasis of prophecy is that the day of the Lord is going to come as a thief in the night. And this is no doubt talking about the second coming of Christ, but the events that lead up to the second coming of Christ are going to come as an overwhelming surprise as well. Now Sister White said, and we've been using this particular quote as perhaps the focus of this entire study. In the Great Controversy, 594, she said, the events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble are clearly presented, but multitudes have no more understanding of these important truths than if they had never been revealed. In Review and Herald, April 4, 1893, she says this, the events of the future will be discerned by prophecy and will be understood. Now there's some that hesitate to study prophecy because they're not so sure that we can really have confidence in what's ahead. We can have a good understanding of what's taken place in the past and fulfillment of prophecy, but we cannot be too dogmatic. That's a word that's used often. We cannot be too dogmatic about what's ahead, but that's not how the spirit of prophecy describes the situation. It says the events of the future will be discerned by prophecy. The events connected with the close of probation are clearly presented. These will be understood. Now she also tells us that these are important truths. We need to understand these things, brothers and sisters. This is how we will be able to walk through these end-time events is if we understand the relationship to one another and what comes before what and what follows after that.