Wounded in the house of His friends, by F.M.

"And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.-Zechariah 13:6 Yes, long ago Jesus came to this earth - the "house of His friends" - and was mortally wounded. But this would not be the last time His presumed friends would wound Him. This book is the story of a time much closer to ours, when Jesus came near again, bringing with Him a priceless gift to present to His church - the full measure of the Holy Spirit in Latter Rain power. But though some few accepted it fully with joy, many others chose to wound the Giver by resisting and rejecting His gift. The Latter Rain that might have been was delayed - and waits even yet to resume. This story is our chance to learn from the past, to avoid repeating it - it's another chance to welcome the Giver fully and receive His gift with unbounded gratitude. (From the Back Cover) Wounded in the House of His Friends is really a summary volume, in The Return of the Latter Rain series-Vol. 1 being first published in 2010. The RLR manuscript represented a simple, yet unique compilation of Ellen White statements on the subject of the latter rain and the loud cry, placed in chronological order. Originally, the manuscript's main objective was to address the core questions surrounding the 1888 episode that have plagued Adventism since the 1890s: Did in fact the Lord send the beginning of the latter rain and the loud cry in 1888-and were they accepted? As the RLR manuscript continued to develop it began addressing many other related topics and issues. As a consequence, the first volume drawn from the original manuscript only covered the years 1844 to 1891. Work will continue on the series, covering in greater depth the main theme in Wounded, as well as many of the other related topics and issues that surround the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference and its aftermath. (From the Introduction)

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

These selected readings focus on God’s great love for us, reflecting the fact that He is deeply interested in every aspect of our daily lives. We invite you to read each day’s devotional with His great love for you in mind, trusting that as you meditate on each passage you will come to appreciate more than ever how much God cares for you.

Renowned African-American poet Sonia Sanchez explores the pain, self-doubt, and anger that emerge in women's lives: an unfaithful life partner, a brutal rape, the murder of a woman by her granddaughter, the ravages of drugs. Sanchez transforms the unspoken and sometimes violent betrayals of our lives into a liberating vision of connection in emotional redemption, compassion, and self-fulfillment.

The Return of the Latter Rain is a historical review of the Seventh-day Adventist history from 1844 through 1891, especially in light of the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference and the beginning of the latter rain and the loud cry. Ellen White stated: "The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. . . . This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure" (1888 Materials, pp. 1336-1337). Sadly, however, Ellen White also stated: "An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord's message through Brethren Waggoner and Jones. By exciting that opposition, Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world" (1888 Materials, p. 1575). Thankfully though, the same latter rain is about to return!

This monumental new study of the book of Revelation, part of The New International Greek Testament Commentary, will be especially helpful to scholars, pastors, students, and others who wish to interpret the Apocalypse for the benefit of the church.