SDA Youth in the Last Days

   During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in all the smoke and crossfire, he had lost touch with his companions.    All alone in the jungle, he could hear the enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling quickly for cover, he carefully found his way up a high ridge where several small caves in the rock were. Quickly and quietly, he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him came up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.    As he waited, he quietly prayed, “Lord, if it is your will, please protect me. Help me to get out of this alive.”    After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He prayed again, “Please Lord, protect me.” Suddenly, his eyes focused on something near the entryway. A small little spider began to build...

A horse gallops wildly through the deep dark woods. On its back rides a terrified girl, her small, weak hands clinging to the reins draped about her horses neck. Her dress is torn and dirty and her unraveled braids fly out behind her in a tangled and wind tossed mess. The trail, full of potholes, rocks and fallen logs, snakes its way through an ominously dark and dreary forest. Dark, sinister trees threaten to grab her and pull her off of her horse. At every bump in the trail, the girl bounces, nearly losing her grip. Her knuckles whiten as she tightens her grip on the reins. She looks down at the blur of rocks and logs racing beneath her and imagines with terror what would happen if she lost her grip. Behind her sits a Man, His face a picture of tender kindness and pity. He longs to help the girl who clings so desperately to the horses reins. The girl’s eyes, full of fear and blinded by tears, look imploringly at the One riding behind her. “Little girl,” He says, His eyes s...

    The day dawned bright and sunny in the land of Moab. In a small little house on a hillside, an older woman yawned, and slowly climbed out of bed. She headed down the stairs, and into the kitchen, to find her two daughters-in-law preparing breakfast. The 3 women laughed and talked while they finished preparing breakfast, and then sat down to eat. The older woman, who’s name was Naomi, suddenly became solemn, looking quietly at her two daughters-in-law.     “Mother Naomi, what’s the matter?” One of the women, Orpah, said.     Naomi sighed, and looked kindly at the two women. “Ruth, Orpah, I have decided that it is time for me to go back to my home town in Judah. My husband and two sons are both dead, and I feel that it would be much better for me to be back in my home town, Bethlehem.”     “We will go with you!” Ruth exclaimed quickly. Orpah nodded, “Yes, we will gladly go back with you!”     Naomi shook her head. “No...