I do not believe that Seventh-day Adventists should enter into any new organization, because if they do, that will be apostasy from the truth. We must stay with the organization that God has given to us. I want to study that with you tonight, because this is something many people--they are reading, but they are like the man in the Bible, they see men like trees walking--do not understand the subject. I do not know how far we will get, but I hope that we will get far enough so that you will understand that it is vitally important that we not enter any new organization. Thousands of years ago in heaven, God presided over a wonderful organization, a wonderful government. Now this government that God presided over had representatives. We read in Patriarchs and Prophets on page 36 about a time when God called a meeting shortly before the overt beginning of the great controversy and all the representatives of the unfallen worlds were present. Now we need to remember that although Gods government had representatives, it was not a democracy and no elections were ever held, because God is not only the Creator, but He is a great king. Jesus Christ the only begotten son of God had equal authority, divinity and power with the Father, and shared His throne.

"The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence. The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father" LHU 18.

Do you believe that? This has been one of the major issues of the great controversy for thousands of years: Is the Son equal with the Father? Have you met people of religions who believe that they can worship the Father but they will not acknowledge the Son as being equal with the Father? Jesus once said, "The one that hates Me hates My Father also." So this has been a major issue of the great controversy ever since the beginning. Christ was:

"Not a son by creation, as were the angels, nor a son by adoption, as is the forgiven sinner, but a son begotten in the express image of the Fathers person, and in all the brightness of His majesty and glory, One equal with God in authority, dignity, and divine perfection. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" ST 5/23/95.

The Father made that clear to all the angels at this meeting. In this government, in this organization in heaven that God the Father and the Son presided over, both the Father and the Son had absolute authority and power. They had a law which governed the entire universe; however, their rule was very beneficent and mild. In fact, the rule of Jesus Christ was so mild, Ellen White says, that it almost came to the angels as a surprise that God had a law when Lucifer brought it up as a point of contention. We know that the government or the organization of God had the following characteristics:

1. Only the service of love was desired. The use of force is contrary to the principles of Gods government (DA 22).

2.We know that God willed to give to both the angels and to men freedom of will. Friend, that is the highest possible kind of freedom.

3. We know that although each angel, each man, each woman is given freedom of will, it is also true that each person is responsible for the choices he makes. Gods government is moral. That is, it is based on ethical principles which each citizen must at all times be in harmony with to remain a subject of the Divine government.

4. To prevent the possibility of making a seriously wrong choice that would bring disaster and suffering on oneself and others, God had and still does have a law which explicitly defines morality, that is, the difference between right and wrong. This law, although very brief, is comprehensive enough to maintain peace and order and allow for the fullest development of happiness of all creatures in the universe and is of such pivotal importance that Ellen White describes it over and over again as the foundation of Gods government. If we had time, I could take you to the book of Psalms and some other places in the Bible and show you from the Bible itself that Gods law is the foundation of His government. You might also like to read in that regard the Great Controversy, page 493.

We need to remember that in Gods government, the truth is always primary and to communicate anything at all that is not true is to step outside the parameters of Gods government and to start your own private organization, your independent organization or government. If you start dealing with something that is not true or communicating something that is not true, you have stepped outside of the parameters of Gods government. That is what Jesus said about the devil. He said to the Jews of His time (By the way, they started a separate organization; they started a new organization that was outside of Gods government.):

"You are of your father the devil . . . . He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own, for he is liar and the father of it" John 8:44.

You see, if you start dealing in falsehood, you have stepped outside of Gods government. You have started a new organization.

5. There was no hierarchy in Gods government. In other words, there was only one Father, one Lord who was all in all. A hierarchy is a layered system of government; but in Gods government, there is no hierarchy. You have only one Lord. That eliminates all layers and puts everybody on a level; there is only one Lord. Jesus said to His disciples that they were to have one Lord; they were not to have hierarchical forms of government like the Gentiles (Matthew 20:20-28). Anytime that you create a hierarchy you have stepped outside of Gods government; you have created a new organization, and that is apostasy from the truth.

6. Jesus Christ being one with the Father from eternity was exalted above all created intelligences and was the One who participated in the counsel of the Deity.

7. Another characteristic of Gods government is the necessity of work. Did you know that? That is one of the principles of Gods government--the necessity of work or producing results (John 5:17-27). Jesus says, "My Father works and I work" Heaven is a place of intense activity. The Father and the Son are both constant and earnest workers and so are all the angels. If we are to be members of Gods organization, we must become laborers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9).

Now there was an angel who wanted to reorganize the government of God; he wanted to start a new organization. He did not claim that he was doing this. That is an interesting thing about people who start new organizations; they never claim that this is what they are doing. Lucifer said that all he wanted to do was to improve on Gods government, but the government of God being perfect, any change would not be an improvement. God would not consent to a new government, a new organization. God Himself had established the order of heaven.

Lucifer decided to dispute the supremacy of Christ so he started to organize a new organization. As he started this attempt, he wanted, first of all, to change the law of God. Specifically, he wanted to change the first commandment. Lucifer wanted to be like God Himself. He was already the highest angel in heaven, but he wanted to be like God Himself. Have you ever seen a book called How to Get Your Bosss Job? Well, Lucifer wanted his bosss job, and the only way that he could be equal with his boss was to become like God Himself. He wanted to change the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" Exodus 20:3. Lucifer did not like that commandment; he wanted to be like God and in order for him to do that, that commandment had to be changed. Now, it is important to recognize that whenever there is an attempt to change Gods law, men have entered into a new organization which God has not authorized.

Lucifer began to insinuate doubts concerning the laws of God, intimating that they were not necessary for angels. He claimed to be loyal to the Divine government and to be working for its stability when actually he was fomenting discord and rebellion. Many of Gods loyal, faithful and true Seventh-day Adventist people today are being accused of separating from Gods faithful movement; have you heard about this? They have been accused of starting a new organization. The charge has been tossed about far and near in various printed materials and needs to be carefully examined. Before you can rightfully accuse someone of separating and starting a new organization, you must know what it means to stay with a movement and stay loyal to Gods organization.

Let us begin by looking at a few inspired statements.

"But let it ever be remembered that the work must move solidly and in complete harmony with Gods plan of organization" 1SM 112.

Does God have a plan of organization? This statement says He does. If you and I step outside of that, we are starting some new organization.

"Gods work is the same in all time" PP 373.

Do you believe that? Some people think that there was an organization back there, then there was a Jewish church, then the Apostolic church, then a church in the wilderness, then the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Lutheran church and all these different churches. Listen, friend, the church of God has been one ever since the beginning of time--it has just been one. "Gods work is the same in all time." The Seventh-day Adventist Church is not some new church that sprung up in the 19th century; it is the remnant of the womans seed. What does the word remnant mean? It means the last, not something new.

"Gods work is the same in all time, although there are different degrees of development and different manifestations of His power" Ibid.

The apostle Paul made this very clear in the New Testament. The problem is, when we read the New Testament, we do not pay attention to what it really says. In Ephesians 4, Paul says concerning the church, there is one body. Now what does the word one mean? Have you ever thought about that? That is an unequivocal statement. The church up in heaven and the church down here are not two; did you know that? It is just one. Ellen White says this over and over again--the church in heaven and the church on earth are one. So the church is just one in space. If you are talking about the people of God all over the world and all the other worlds and in heaven, it is still just one. Paul says so. Do you believe what the Bible says? It is just one.

Not only is the church just one as far as space is concerned, it is just one as far as time is concerned. From the days of Adam and Eve until the end of the great controversy, the church is just one--not six or three or two, just one. If you want to read something interesting about this, read the first chapter of Acts of the Apostles. It states this over and over again. Watch the pronouns; they are singular. There is one body.

"Gods work is the same in all time, although there are different degrees of development and different manifestations of His power to meet the wants of men in different ages. Beginning with the first gospel promise and coming down through the patriarchal and Jewish ages and even to the present time, there has been a gradual unfolding of the purposes of God in the plan of redemption" Ibid.

So Gods plan is simply unfolding. God does not just quit and start and then quit and start. Some people have gotten the idea, "Well, this failed so God had to start something else." Oh, no. Gods plans never fail; they always work.

The church is just one; there is only one body; that is what the Bible says, one body. We are not a new church; we are simply the remnant of the womans seed. If we step outside the boundary of Gods organization, we have started a new one, and that is what we have been commanded not to do.

"Christ designs that heavens order, heavens plan of government, heavens divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth" DA 680.

Did you get it? What is Christs plan; what is His design? That the plan of government in heaven, the order that is in heaven, heavens divine harmony, shall be represented in His church on earth. See, it does not change every few hundred years with some new development; it is something that keeps going. The exciting thing is that it is going to keep going until the end.

Now we have already seen a few of the prominent characteristics of heavens order and plan of government. We are assured from what we have just read from inspiration that Gods work is the same in all time so that we may know when we are remaining true to Gods organization and when we have stepped off of Gods organization, even though we may call ourselves by the same name.

The church of God must have the same type of government as in heaven. To attempt to establish a different type of government is to start a new organization.

Did you get that? If you attempt to establish a different kind of government than that is in heaven, you have started a new organization, and that is apostasy from the truth.

When a new organization is started, to give it legitimacy, it almost always retains the same name of the original organization. Now I could give you a number of examples. Let me read that sentence again; it is a pivotal sentence to understand. When a new organization is started, to give it legitimacy, it almost always retains the same name of the original organization.

When God gives you a name, you have that name forever. There was a time when God gave His true church, His true followers, a name, and it is a name that I love. In the Hebrew language it is the name Isra-El, which means Prince of God. In English we just say Israel. That is a name God gave to His people.

In reference to the 144,000 right at the end of time, Ellen White refers to them as the Israel of God. You will have that name forever in fact, if you go into the New Jerusalem, you are going to be with one of the 12 tribes. The 144,000 are all going to be part of one of the 12 tribes. You have to be the seed of Abraham to go in, the spiritual seed of Abraham.

Here is the catch. When Israel apostatized from the Lord, did they start a hierarchical method of organization? Yes, they did. In the time of Christ, the church was hierarchical; Ellen White is very clear on that. Through the ministry of Jesus, the power of the hierarchy was almost broken in Galilee, but it was not quite broken; it came back and crucified Him. When they apostatized, did they change their name or keep the same name? They kept the same name. Now, they were part of the devils church; Jesus told them they were in John 8:44. He told them that they were the devils children, but they still had the same name.

There came a time when the Jews rejected Christ as the Messiah. Did they change their name or did they still call themselves Jews? They kept the same name. You can go down through history and find that when Gods true people left Him and formed some new organization, they always kept the same name.

But the real organization, the original organization, will not only have the name, it will have the identifying marks. Gods plan of organization for His church today is no different than His plan of organization in heaven at the beginning of the great controversy. Our responsibility is to find out what that plan of organization is and to repent and come into harmony with it so that we are not condemned in the judgment for starting a new organization, which is always apostasy from the truth. This is very serious, friend, to leave Gods organization and start something independently from Him. Very serious.

I want to outline a few ways that this is done. How do you start a new organization? We need to know how a new organization is started so that we will know what not to do. I found something very interesting I want to read to you.

"God has a church, and these churches are organized on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone" Testimonies to South Africa, 7. (All emphasis supplied)

Now that sentence is so profound that you have to read it over and over and think a long time to take it in. She says, "God has a church and these churches are organized on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone." Now let us think that through. If we cease to teach and preach and operate according to the principles of the Old and New Testament, we have stepped off of the foundation and we are starting a new organization because the true church is organized on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone. That is inspiration. I am sorry to tell you this. I do not enjoy telling you this, but I have to tell the truth. This is what happened to the Roman church. There was a time when the Roman church was part of spiritual Israel.

"Romanists have persisted in bringing against Protestants the charge of heresy and willful separation from the true church. But these accusations apply rather to themselves. They are the ones who laid down the banner of Christ and departed from 'the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 1:3)" GC 51.

You see, if you lay down the banner of Christ, if you depart from the truth that was once delivered unto the saints, you have started a new organization. The only saving way out of that situation is to repent, confess, make restitution and make a commitment to get back and stand again on the truth of Gods Word and come back into New Testament order and organization. If that is not done, all is lost for that organization.

If anyone is accused of starting a new organization, it should first be proved that they have left Gods organization. Paul went all over the world organizing and establishing new churches; but none of these new churches were new organizations. They were just an enlargement of Gods organization. Every home church or every church established on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets is likewise an enlargement of Gods organization on earth, His church. Here is another statement on the importance of organization. This is something that those of you who are in home churches need to study carefully. A church is to be highly organized because everything n heaven is in perfect order.

"We now need skillful generals to organize into working companies the Lords believing children. Nothing must be looked upon as too great for us to undertake, if the Captain of the Lords host plans the work and arranges the battle and leads us forth, 'terrible as an army with banners. Every movement will be a victory. We need Jesus as our constant Leader" Testimonies to South Africa, 44.

We are to be organized into working companies. The work of God is not going to be finished by some motley group, with everybody going off and doing their own thing. We do not do anything on our own. We counsel together with the body of Christ and we are to be coming more and more organized. Ellen White stated that the Roman church separated from the true church by laying down the banner of Christ and departing from the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. That is not the only time that this has happened. It has happened many times since then and it could happen to any church--a home church, a large church, a conference or a larger structure. We need to understand what happened to the Roman church so that we will recognize it if it should happen where we live.

The time came when the majority of the Roman church decided that they would celebrate the resurrection of Christ, not on Passover day but on the Sunday nearest to the Passover day. If the Passover day occurred on a Sunday, then they would not celebrate it then, but they would celebrate it on the next Sunday. These yearly resurrection celebrations were early steps in the separation from the true church. Separation from the true church seems never to be just a one, great big step process. Oh, no; separation from the true church is not one, great big step. It is a thousand tiny steps. Each one of those steps is so small that the person who has lost their first love or is in a lukewarm spiritual condition never perceives that anything has happened.

The time came, however, when the Roman church decided that they were going to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, not just once a year, but every Sunday. Notice that celebration worship has a long history. Not only this, they decided not to worship on the Sabbath of the Lord. So they decided both to worship on Sunday and not to worship on the Sabbath of the Lord as Jesus and the apostles did and as is commanded in both the Old and the New Testament. I have a whole sermon to show that the Sabbath commandment is commanded in the New Testament.

When the church came to the place where they decided not to worship on the Sabbath of the Lord, when they would actually discard, change, abolish and break the fourth commandment every week, there was definitely a protest. We know that there was a protest because of what was said about those who protested. Some of the members would not go along with it; they would not go along with breaking one of the commandments of God in order to institute a man-made ordinance or law to observe Sunday as the day of worship. These people were "forced out of the church" because the majority, you know, carries the vote.

Now suppose that you had been one of these members who had been forced out of the Roman church because you would not acquiesce to Sunday observance. Suppose that now you have lost your previous pastor who is keeping Sunday; you have lost most of your former brethren who are now keeping Sunday; you have lost the church building, the finances. From a human and physical point of view, you have just lost everything. The people in the Roman church are saying that you have separated from the church; they are calling you a separationist. Suppose that one of them meets you downtown in the city of Rome one day and says to you, "Why did you leave the church?" What should you say? Well, if you understand who and what the true church is, you could reply, "Why have you left the church?"

You see, the vast majority left the true church. Because they were the majority, they still had the building, the organization, the finances, everything from the human point of view. They thought that their former brethren, who would not go along with them, were cast out and forced out of the church; but the opposite to human appearance happened. Actually, what happened was that the few who were cast out and accused of forming a new organization were the only ones who really stayed with the church. They did not have the building. It looked like they did not have the money or anything else, but they were the church. The majority had separated from the true church.

"The church is the pillar and ground of the truth" 1 Timothy 3:15.

When you separate yourself from the truth, you have left the church. If 99 out of 100 separate themselves from the truth, they separated from the church and the one that is left is still the only true church in that area.

Now what we have just studied has paramount importance because of the common accusation floating around about various groups "separating from the church." The people who are in the process of separating from the true church are those who are trying to change the fundamental doctrines of Adventism--that is who is separating from the church! The ones who are laying down the banner of Christ, those are the ones who are separating from the church. Those are the ones who are starting a new organization. The ones who are departing from the faith that was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3) are the ones who are separating from the church and are starting a new organization.

The people who are staying with the church today are the minority. The ones who are defending the doctrines that were once delivered unto the saints, those are the people who are staying with the church--the ones who are holding a loft the banner of Christ on which are inscribed the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. This minority may all be disfellowshiped as in the city of Rome in the early centuries, but they are still the only true church. Jesus said to Pilate:

"Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" John 18:37.

God has given to Seventh-day Adventists the present truth (2 Peter 1:12). If we leave this present truth, we have left the movement Oh, friend, can you get this? We must think straight. It is just like it was in the Roman church--the people, from a human point of view, who they thought had left the church were the only ones who stayed in it and the ones who they thought had stayed in it were the ones who had left it

"The burden of the warning now to come to the people of God nigh, and afar off, is the third angels message. And those who are seeking to understand this message will not be led by the Lord to make an application of the Word that will undermine the foundation and remove the pillars of the faith that has made Seventh-day Adventists what they are today" 25M 103.

If you are going to stay with Gods movement, if you are going to stay with the church and not start a new organization, you must stay with the foundation and with the pillars of the truth that God has given to this people.

"I saw a company who stood well guarded and firm, giving no countenance to those who would unsettle the established faith of the body. God looked upon them with approbation. I was shown three steps-the first, second, and the third angels messages. Said my accompanying angel, 'Woe to him who shall move a block or stir a pin of these messages. The true understanding of these messages is of vital importance" EW 258.

The three angels messages are foundational. If you move a block or stir a pin of that, a divine curse is upon you. You have left the true church; you have started a new organization; you have become independent.

Now what is this platform? It is the three angels messages of Revelation 14:6-12. We are forbidden to step off the platform and we are forbidden to tamper with it. Now let us just review a few things so we understand what we are talking about. The first angels message of Revelation 14:6-7 proclaims that the hour of Gods judgment has come. This message cannot be proclaimed with a loud voice unless you understand the investigative judgment, the sanctuary and the 2,300 days.

Do you see why the devil has introduced a frontal attack against the investigative judgment Isn't it something that all over Adventism our scholars and our learned men cannot seem to comprehend the investigative judgment and there are all kinds of questions and, "Well, we just cannot find it in the Bible." Friend, it is in your Bible. It is all through the Bible. If you no longer know what the 2,300 hundred days mean, if you do not know what the investigative judgment is, if you are all confused about the sanctuary, if you do not know about the day-year principle and you do not know what 1844 is, if you do not know about these things, you have stepped off of the platform! You have become independent from the Lord; you have a new organization of your own going.

How about the second angels message? The second angels message is about Babylon. Have you heard of anyone who calls himself a Seventh-day Adventist and does not even know who Babylon is? or does not even know who the Antichrist is? If you are that mixed up, you are off the platform; you are wallowing around in the mud somewhere.

Then there is the third angels message. Do you know who the beast is? Do you know what the image to the beast is? what the mark of the beast is? If you do not know what these things are, you are no longer on the platform; you are starting some new organization. Then there is Revelation 14:12. Oh, that is my favorite part of the three angels messages.

"Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God and faith of Jesus" Revelation 14:12.

Here it is pointed out unequivocally who Gods people are in the last days. They are those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus. You cannot keep the commandments, of course, unless you do have the faith of Jesus. Has that been attacked? Have you heard of anybody who claims to be an Adventist and is not sure whether or not he can overcome sin? Well, if you cannot overcome sin, which is the transgression of Gods law, how can you then be a part of a group that keeps the commandments if you do not know whether or not they can be kept Do you see, friend, if you do not know the truth about overcoming, you are not on the platform of the three angels messages that the Lord has built for His people to stand on. You are not an Historic Seventh-day Adventist. Those who are mixed up on this are part of a new organization.

You can see in what we have reviewed that there are a lot of people who think they are Adventists who have stepped off of the platform. They are no longer a part of the movement; they are separationists; they started a new organization. Friend, it is high time, if any of you have done that, to decide and say, "Lord, help me to get back on the platform again," because there is not very much more time. It is time to get back on the platform where the church militant stands. Very soon the opportunity for repentance and reform, for getting back on the platform with the church militant, will be over for professed only Seventh-day Adventists.

"In every age [Would that include our age?] there is given to men their day of light and privilege, a probationary time in which they may become reconciled to God. But there is a limit to this grace. Mercy may plead for years and be slighted and rejected; but there comes a time when mercy makes her last plea. The heart becomes so hardened that it ceases to respond to the Spirit of God. Then the sweet winning voice entreats the sinner no longer, and reproofs and warnings cease" DA 587.

Oh, I read that statement and trembled for our people over and over again. There are people today, some of them not very far from right here, who want to destroy independent ministries. They want to destroy us all; they want to get us off the air they want to stop us from publishing; they would like to get us put in jail, or worse. Now, what the Lord will allow them to do, I do not know, but let me tell you something, friend. If God allows the voice of warning and reproof to be shut down, do you know what that means, according to this statement? If we are stopped from preaching--I do not know what the Lord will allow. I could be in prison next week. Nobody knows what tomorrow holds. We have to leave all in the hands of the Lord. Paul landed in prison a long time before he thought he would--and the voice of reproof and warning ceases, that means that probation is over for the Adventist Church.

People need to think through the seriousness of what is going on today. God might allow us to be shut down one of these days. I tremble for our people should that happen. The church is to be weighed in the balances and the sentence pronounced. The awful possibility of the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization staffing a new organization independent from God is a matter of prophecy. Did you know that? Ellen White prophesied that what we are seeing today could happen. We are going to look at 12 main points of this prophecy having to do with a new organization in Adventism. You can read it yourself in Selected Messages, volume 1, pages 204, 205. It was a conditional prophecy in Ellen Whites day, but it is coming to pass in our day. Following, we will look at the 12 main points of this prophecy.

"The enemy of souls has sought to bring in the supposition that a great reformation was to take place among Seventh-day Adventists, and that this reformation would consist in giving up the doctrines which stand as the pillars of our faith and engaging in a process of reorganization" 1SM 204.

What was the reformation going to consist of? Giving up the foundation, stepping off the three angels messages. Forget about the investigative judgment; do not preach about Babylon anymore. Preach a love and unity message. Ellen White said what the result of this would be and here is what results are predicted:

1. Principles of truth that God has given to the remnant church would be discarded; our religion would be changed.
2. The fundamental principles that have sustained the work in the 19th century would be accounted as error.
3. A new organization would be established.
4. Books of a new order would be written.
5. A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced.
6. The founders of this system would go into the cities to do a wonderful work.
7. The Sabbath would be lightly regarded. Notice how she stated that, "The Sabbath of course, would be lightly regarded, as also the God who created it" 1SM 204.
8. Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement.
9. The leader of this new movement would teach that virtue is better than vice, but God being removed,
10. they would place their dependence upon human power, which, without God, is worthless.
11. Their foundation would be built on the sand.
12. Storm and tempest would sweep away the structure.

Now let us evaluate each one of these 12 points.

Point 1: Has our religion been changed? have our teachings been changed? If you get the book Apostasy is the Issue by Dr. Ralph Larson, it will show conclusively that this has occurred. Many authors have substantiated this fact You can look at our little booklet, Issues: The Real Issue, the Side Issues and the Pseudo Issues, also by Dr. Ralph Larson, which substantiates the fact that our religion has been changed and our teachings have been changed; there is no question that this has happened.

Point 2: Ellen White predicted that the fundamental principles would be changed. What are the fundamental principles? You cannot know what it means to change the fundamental principles unless you know what the fundamental principles are, so I am going to go through with you what the fundamental principles are--those doctrines that have made Seventh-day Adventists what they are.

"Messages of every order and kind have been urged upon Seventh-day Adventists, to take the place of the truth which, point by point, has been sought out by prayerful study, and testified to by the miracle-working power of the Lord. But the way-marks which have made us what we are, are to be preserved, and they will be preserved, as God has signified through His Word and the testimony of His Spirit. He calls upon us to hold firmly, with the grip of faith, to the fundamental principles that are based upon unquestionable authority" Special Testimonies, Series B, 59.

Now, friend, there are fundamental principles. They are waymarks that have made Seventh-day Adventists what they are and we are to cling to these. They are of unquestionable authority. Now let us look at a few other points about the fundamental principles.

1. The main point is that there are the doctrines or the teachings that have made Seventh-day Adventists what they are. The fundamental principles will not lead a man to transgress Gods law. (See RH 7/5/92.) If you are following the fundamental principles and they are not being changed, they will not lead you to transgress Gods law.

2. When the fundamental principles are given up, usually opposition to the visions of Ellen White are an early manifestation. (See the biography of Ellen White, The Progressive Years, vol. 2, 149.)

An article by James White in the Signs of the Times, 1874, briefly explains the fundamental principles of the Seventh-day Adventist faith. Part of these fundamental principles included the doctrine of the investigative judgment beginning in 1844, the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, and not only a profession but a demonstration of living according to the counsels of the Spirit of Prophecy. These things are fundamental principles, if you get away from that, you have changed the fundamental principles.

Point 3: The third result of this new development, this reformation that the devil will try to bring into Adventism, if it happened, would be a new organization would be established.

When do you establish a new organization? When did the Roman church separate from the true church and establish a new organization? When they laid down the banner of truth and departed from the faith which was once delivered to the saints (GC 51).When that has happened, whenever you have laid down the banner of Christ and depart from the faith that was once delivered to the saints and when the organization supports those changes, then you no longer have the same organization; you have a new organization.

Now let me explain it another way. When did the angels in heaven form a new organization? When they decided to follow Lucifer instead of following Jesus Christ, they had formed a new organization. And the same things are still true! Because, friend, surely you have read in your Bible, Who is the head of the church? Jesus is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22, 23). He is the head of the organization. He is the head of the church. Well, if I decide to have a new leader and follow Lucifer, have I stepped out and started a new organization? I certainly have.

If any organization or group of human leaders changes leaden so that Jesus is not the head of their organization, that is a new organization. Now, has that ever happened in Adventism, or is there any possibility of that happening? I am going to share with you six statements--six is a good number for anything that has to do with Lucifer. These statements are about changing leaden. Now these were written to Adventists.

"There are some who in the past have had a correct experience, but who have changed leaders" Special Testimonies, Series B, "Physicians and Ministers Instructions to Seventh-day Adventists," 19.

Notice, in the past they were on the foundation; they were part of the movement; they had a correct experience, but had changed leaden. Friend, what happens when you change leaden? You have started a new organization because Jesus is the head of the church.

"Not all, but many have been beguiled. There are leaders who, before God can own and accept them, must first be converted, and led back to God" Ibid.

We are not condemning anybody; but we would like everybody who stepped off the organization, who stepped away from the platform, who has gone away to follow Lucifer, to come back and get back on the platform and acknowledge Christ as the head of the church. That is what we would like. We are not condemning anybody; but we have to recognize the facts.

"There are leaders who, before God can own and accept them, must first be converted, and led back to God. The beauty of His holiness is eclipsed by their unsanctified words and acts. They are strangers to God" Ibid.

Have you thought that through? Do you know who this is written to? This is written to leading Adventist ministers and it says, "Some of you are strangers to God." They have no union with Him. Now, Christ is the head of the church. If you are really part of the church and you have not started a new organization, you are part of the body of Christ. You have union with Christ. But she says they have no union with Him. Why? Well, they changed leaders. They started a new organization. Now, they still call themselves Seventh-day Adventists.

"Let none suppose that because they have been used as the Lords instrumentalities, they are all-sufficient. The Lord uses men and honors them by giving them His wisdom, as long as they are true to Him, and do not gather glory to themselves. Those who take themselves out of the Lords hands, and think themselves capable of managing the work, are not led by His Spirit, but by 'another spirit. Satan steps in, and they change leaders. Then comes crookedness and subtlety of the serpents guile" UL 135.

Satan steps in; they change leaden. Who does that happen to? It happens to people who take themselves out of the Lords hands and they think they are capable of managing the work.

"If you indulge stubbornness of heart, and through pride and self-righteousness do not confess your faults, you will be left subject to Satans temptations" RH 12/6/1890.

This puts the finger right on one of our biggest problems in Adventism. Oh, friend, if we could only help every Seventh-day Adventist to recognize that when we have sinned and done something wrong, we must confess it or we will be left as subjects to Satans temptations. There are people among us who have not confessed their sins for ten or twenty years. I could give you specific examples.

"If when the Lord reveals your errors you do not repent or make confession, His providence will bring you over the ground again and again. You will be left to make mistakes of a similar character, you will continue to lack wisdom, and will call sin righteousness. (What will happen? Eventually you are going to call sin righteousness and righteousness sin.) The multitude of deceptions that will prevail in these last days will encircle you, and you will change leaders, and not know that you have done so." Ibid.

That is scary friends! If there is sin in your life, the Lord says that it must be repented of. It must be confessed. If it is not and you just go on, you will become the sport of the same temptations; you will eventually call sin righteousness and righteousness sin and you will change leaden. The most scary thing of all is that you will not even know it!

Remember, when did the angels start a new organization? When they did not acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and started following Lucifer, they had started a new organization, and that was apostasy from the truth. And it is still the truth. If you start listening to the wrong leader and you disconnect yourself from the body of Christ by doing that, change leaden, you have started a new organization.

"I would caution all believers [everybody, not just ministers] to learn to maintain a godly jealousy over yourselves, lest Satan shall steal your heart away from God, and you slip unconsciously into work in Satans lines, without perceiving that you have changed leaders, and be found in the treacherous power of a tyrant" RH 11/8/1856.

Here you have it again. Can this happen to anybody? Oh, friend, it can happen to anybody. And if you have changed leaden, what have you done? You have become a member of a new organization. You are no longer a part of the body of Christ because the body of Christ acknowledges Jesus as the head. If you have a different leader, you are not a part of the body of Christ.

"This is a time when Satans deceptive power is exercised, not only upon the minds of those who are young and inexperienced, but upon the minds of men and women of mature years and of broad experience. Men in positions of responsibility are in danger of changing leaden. This I know; for it is plainly revealed to me. I have been instructed that the enemy seeks to link up with men bearing large responsibilities in the Lords work" Special Testimonies, Series B, "Physicians and Ministers Instructions to Seventh-day Adventists," 48.

What does the devil try to do? If there is somebody bearing large responsibilities in the Lords work, he likes to cozy up to them and work along with them; get them working with him. That is the devils plan. We need to pray for every leader in Gods work 1 want to tell you that this can happen to anybody. Do not think that I am talking to somebody out there; I am not talking to somebody out there; this can happen to me. I do not want it to happen to me and I do not want it to happen to you. That is why this instruction was given.

"Men have broken Gods laws, and despised and trampled on His Sabbath. Thus they have broken their contract with God, and He cannot work in their behalf. The Lord tells us in words too plain to be misapprehended that that metal of the faith of His once chosen people is corrupted. They have a spurious faith. They have changed leaders, and no longer bear the Kings sign. They cannot be trusted in time of test or trial, for they will act a traitors part. They do not draw from the Lords foundry." 15MR 36.

Do you see, friend? If you change leaden, you have started a new organization, and that is apostasy from the truth.

Point 4: A fourth result of this great reformation that the devil would seek to bring in among Seventh-day Adventists would be that books of a new order would be written. That has happened so many times. Questions on Doctrines is just the first one. You could have a whole library of books of a new order these days.

Point 5: A system of intellectual philosophy would be introduced. If you would like to see if a system of intellectual philosophy has been introduced, you just read a book like The Word Made Flesh by Dr. Larson. You know, when you take a text of Scripture and it says one thing, and by the time you get through explaining it, it says another, you have made it say the opposite of what it says--a system of intellectual philosophy has been introduced.

Point 6: The founders of this system would go into the cities and do a wonderful work.

Did you know that the great apostasy in the second century began with a tremendous evangelistic thrust? Many people do not know that. That is how the great apostasy came in during the second century. They wanted to have more successful evangelistic campaigns. They did not want to baptize just 5, 10 or 20 people in the evangelistic campaign; they wanted to baptize them by the thousands.

In order to get more people into the Christian church, they lowered the standards for coming in. Friend, if you have been around as long as I have in Adventism, you saw this happen already decades ago. We started lowering the standards. We starting bringing people in and they did not even know what they were being brought in to. Now I am not saying this to criticize anybody; I personally am saying this with great sorrow. Some of you along with me have gone and tried to help these people actually become Seventh-day Adventists. They do not even know what they are and they are called Seventh-day Adventists. Ellen White says the founders of this new system would go into the cities and do a wonderful work Here is predicted large scale evangelistic campaigns, but the result would not be people who were taught that they could keep all of Gods law. Sabbath keeping would be lax among the new converts. This pin-points the problem we have had in Adventism now for many years. There is no question that this has happened in Adventism.

Point 7: She says the Sabbath would be lightly regarded.

Now notice, Ellen White does not say that the Sabbath would be given up, she says that the Sabbath would be lightly regarded. In other words, the Sabbath would not be given up, but it would not be strictly kept. Is that happening anywhere out there? Let me ask you a question. If the church organization were to condone sending your children to school on Sabbath, would that fulfill this prophecy? This has been happening for many years in some parts of the world and the true and faithful Seventh-day Adventists who were willing, even if they were thrown into prison or if their children were taken away from them, to keep Gods law were persecuted even worse because their brethren would not stand up for the truth. Can you imagine what it would be like to be in a country where there was no religious liberty and you decided to keep Gods commandments and someone came to you and said, "All the rest of the people in your church are sending their children to school on the Sabbath"? Can you imagine the kind of predicament this would put you in?

Point 8: Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. Nothing.

I could tell you so many stories about that, and then you really would think I was critical; but I would just be reciting the facts.

If there is somebody who preaches historic Adventism, put them out in the pasture somewhere where they will not have any influence--way out in the desert somewhere where there is not much population, not many Adventists--let them work out there. Get them out of here. Get them a call to go to Africa or somewhere. Have you ever seen that happen? Well, if everything else fails and you cannot get them to Africa and you cannot get them out to pasture, you just have to fire them! Have you ever seen that happen?

Nothing, she said, would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. This started happening a long time ago. Elder Andreason had his credentials taken away over 30 years ago for standing up for the truth.

Nothing would be allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. Today what is happening is that anybody, anywhere who protests the apostasy and will not bow down to the new theological ideas which are being promoted all over the world is, first of all, stripped of church office. After that they are ostracized from all church functions. 1 mean, they are not even allowed to pray or to announce a song in public service. Finally, they are censured, and, if nothing else works, they are disfellowshiped.

Nothing is allowed to stand in the way of the new movement. It has been happening, friend. We are finding this happening in every part of the world where we have traveled, and we have traveled in most of the continents of the world. If the majority of some local church somewhere stands for historic Adventism, the church is then disbanded and then it is reorganized without the true and faithful Seventh-day Adventists in it.

Point 9: The leaders would teach that virtue is better than vice.

In other words, they would give lip service to much theological truth. People would come out from the camp meeting and the church service and say, "Oh, Pastor John, it was a wonderful sermon." They would give lip service. They would teach that lip service is better than vice and that would help the people think that everything was going along all right.

Point 10: They would put their dependence on human rather than divine power.

When a church who is supposed to be the bride of Christ, puts her trust in the arm of the state, either the legislative, judicial or the executive branches of government, have they fulfilled this prophecy? They have! If a church begins to sue members who do not agree with the leaders who are changing the historic doctrines of the church, is that church fulfilling this prophecy? They are! It has been going on now for several years.

Point 11: Now when all of those things happen, Ellen White says, their foundation is on the sand.

What does it mean to have your foundation on the sand? It means that your life practice is not in harmony with the teachings of Christ. (See Matthew 7:24-17.) Your life practice, not what you say but what you do, is not in harmony with the teachings of Christ. This is what it means to have your foundation built on the sand.

When you step off of the foundation of the three angels messages, you end up with a foundation that is on the sand. When you will no longer preach them and you want to preach a peace and safety message, a love and unity message, when we have been called to do a work similar to Elijah and John the Baptist, then you are stepping off of the true foundation; you are building a new foundation on the sand. How much preaching of the three angels messages is taking place where you live? Have you noticed any so-called Adventist preachers who are afraid to preach the three angels messages today? What will be the result?

Point 12: This is the only point that! know of in all the 12 points that has not yet been fulfilled, but here is what is going to happen: Storm and tempest sweep away the structure.

Friend, we must not have a new organization. The reason for all the independent ministries springing up, the reason for the home church movement is that God still has a loyal and faithful people in the world who say, "We are not going to be a part of a new organization. We want the original organization. We want to be part of this second advent movement."

It is thought by many that we do not need to concern ourselves about unsanctified ministers because "God will take care of it The Sunday law crisis will come and shake them out and God will correct everything that is wrong at the head of the work" Have you heard anybody say that? This is a mixture of truth and error. Let me explain that a little bit. Part of that statement is a quotation from Ellen White and I believe what Ellen White says, but you have to read all the statements about the shaking before you start drawing conclusions.

The shaking will indeed culminate in a Sunday law crisis and it will indeed shake out all the unsanctified ministers; there is no question about that. But the Sunday law crisis is not the beginning of the shaking; it is the end of the shaking. You see, the shaking begins as the result of the introduction of false doctrine among Gods people (TM 112).This started happening in Adventism decades ago.

The second phase of the shaking is the presentation of the straight testimony (EW270). That has been in progress in Adventism now for several years. These two developments separate the church into two distinct groups (2SM 114).

In the third phase of the shaking, the church will be sifted by fiery trials and the Sunday law crisis will not start but will finish the shaking and sifting process. Some people are relaxing, saying, "Oh, dont worry; everything will be all right," and the shaking is nigh unto being over, friend! The reaction of people to the shaking process which is now well under way, will, in most cases, determine the decision that they will make in the Sunday law crisis so soon to come. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us.

"Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death" ST 81.

Have you thought that through? What is happening in your life? I want to make an appeal to you.Are you walking along, step by step conforming to the world in one thing after another because that is the easier way to go? If you are doing that, Ellen White says that when the Sunday law crisis comes, you are going to be shaken right out. You see, you are determining right now what is going to happen to you in the Sunday law crisis. Whether or not you are able to stand up for the truth now and withstand a little persecution will determine whether or not you will be able to stand then. You will not be able to just go along and conform--if someone makes a threat that they will take your children away from you if you do not send them to school on Sabbath, so you capitulate with that and you capitulate with something else--and then when the Sunday law crisis comes all of a sudden become strong. That is not going to happen. That is just not the way it is going to be. If you are going to stand up then, you are going to have to stand up now.

Whether or not we are yielding to worldly demands and conforming to worldly customs right now makes all the difference in the world in our eternal destiny. Do you realize that? You see, right now, what you are doing, the decisions that you are making day by day, will determine whether or not you will be able to stand up for Jesus in the Sunday law crisis. The person who is so afraid that they will not stand up for the truth now because, "1 might get disfellowshiped. They might take my offices away from me. I had better not start a home church, I might get into trouble." I want to tell you that a person who is afraid to stand up for the truth now is never going to stand up for the truth then. The way we get ready to stand up for the truth then is to stand up for the truth now in the little tests and trials we are having right now.

The purpose of the shaking, Ellen White says, is to purify the church. This process began a long time ago and it is not something that begins and ends with the Sunday law crisis. That is simply the final end of a process that already has been taking place for a long time.

In most churches today, the majority have rejected the straight testimony. Ellen White says that the destiny of the church hangs upon their reception or rejection of that message (EW 270). So we find that many Adventist churches now, today, are casting out the true and faithful. We see this happening all around. When this occurs, that church has gone through the second phase of the shaking and the true and faithful who are meeting in someones home, they are the true church. The rest, who have the building, the pastor, the organization, the money and everything else, are the professed only church. They still have the name, they still have the profession, but they have been shaken out of the true church. They have a new organization. Do not think that! made any of that up. (Here are a few inspired references to check this out. GC 378; 614-615; 5T 210, 211; 5T 681, 682.) What I am telling you was prophesied and is happening.

These forms of religion are powerless to give spiritual strength to remain true in a Sunday law test (RH 5/1/83). When the Sunday law test comes, then it is going to be manifest whose synagogue we are really members of. If we support unsanctified ministers, we will meet the same fate as they meet

"As there are woes for those who preach the truth while they are unsanctified in heart and life, so there are woes for those who receive and maintain the unsanctified in the position which they cannot fill" 2T 552.

Friend, it is time to think straight and ask, "Lord, are you well-pleased with the way I am conducting my religious life?" Ellen White says that as the storm approaches--are we app roaching a storm? We are approaching a storm and the only way you are going to survive the storm is if you are connected to the Lord Jesus. If you are riveted to that Rock, there is no emergency that our divine Lord cannot handle..

"As the storm approaches, there will be a large class who have professed faith in the third angels message, but have not been sanctified through obedience to the truth, will abandon their position, and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to chose the easy, popular side" FLB 336.

People are preparing to do that right now.

"Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren" Ibid.

We are seeing this happen already. It is an amazing thing who is developing right now into our most bitter enemies. It is not who you thought. It is the people who you thought were your friends, your brothers. Those who join in the ranks of the opposition are presently still calling themselves Seventh-day Adventists, but they are opposing with all their might the true and faithful Seventh-day Adventists and are trying with all their power to keep control of the minds of Gods people. They hate this truck out there (Joshua from [PCTN] and would do anything to sabotage it.

Around the world there is a gigantic tidal wave taking place that many Seventh-day Adventist ministers are trying to stop. People are searching and finding historical Adventism--the same doctrines of the Bible that electrified our pioneers and made the Seventh-day Adventist Church what it has been.

These people are finding out that the present Seventh-day Adventist churches in their localities no longer practice historic Adventism, so they are assembling in home churches which are not recognized by the conference. It is then plain that they are not united to the church.

But the question needs to be asked again, Who and what is the church? Since the remnant of the womans seed consists of those who love God and keep His commandments and have the Spirit of Prophecy, if you are united with an organized body of historic Adventist believers, you are united with the church. You need to have two Historic Seventh-day Adventists who are agreed and unified to have a church (Matthew 18).

Actually, to be truly united with the church, instead of having a new organization, you must have a mutual spiritual experience. Oh,! wish we could all comprehend that the church is a spiritual thing. If this spiritual experience is lacking we are not united with the church, no matter what our physical membership is or where it may be located.

"Union is strength, and the Lord desires that this truth should be ever revealed in all the members of the body of Christ. All are to be united in love, in meekness, in lowliness of mind" LHU 295.

Unity is what we need. Some people are just concerned if their name is on a church book somewhere. The unity of the church, being part of the body of Christ, being part of the true organization, involves being united in love, meekness and lowliness of mind, not just having your name on a piece of paper. Do you want that kind of unity? Do you want to really be united with the body of Christ? We are to ever show courtesy and respect for one another and we are all to be under the control of the Holy Spirit.

A home church is just as much a part of the organized body as the largest church. In the New Testament church, many churches were home churches. Each home church that is organized according to the New Testament model and has the spiritual qualifications for being a part of the body of Christ is part of the organized body. If a group of other churches, like a conference, decides not to recognize a home church whose members are keeping the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus, that home church will still be a part of the remnant of the womans seed because that which makes a home church part of the body of Christ is not whether or not other churches recognize it, but whether or not she has the spiritual qualifications listed in Revelation 12:17.

It is time to think straight! It is a wonderful fact and very exciting to me, that representatives from home churches from various parts of the world have been meeting with each other. A wonderful spirit of unity is developing because they are all studying the same books and have a willingness to follow all the divine counsel given to Gods people in these last days. When we are all under the control of the Holy Spirit, we are going to have unity. There is going to be a unity developed among the people of God in the last days that has not been seen since the days of the apostles. I would like to be a part of it, would you?

I often feel that I am not worthy to be a part of this, but l have said, "Lord, You sent Jesus to die for me and I do not want His sacrifice for me to be in vain. I pray that I might be under His blood, that His blood will cover my imperfections and that You will fill me with the Holy Spirit." Oh, friend, do you want that experience? Do you want to be under the blood and filled with the Holy Spirit?

Whether or not you have that spiritual experience is the determining factor as to whether or not you are part of the body of Christ. Those who do not have this experience because they have changed leaders are part of a new organization, and that is apostasy from the truth.

Abbreviations

DA -The Desire of Ages
EW -Early Writings
FLB -The Faith I Live By
GC -Great Controversy
LHU -Lift Him Up
MR -Manuscript Releases, 1MR, etc.
PP -Patriarchs and Prophets
RH -Review and Herald
SM -Selected Messages, 1SM, etc.
ST -Signs of the Times
T -Testimonies for the Church, 1T, etc.
TM -Testimonies to Ministers