Bible

Parallels and Present Truth

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During a recent prayer meeting, a member of our church spoke of having shared the different periods of present truth with someone. That brought to mind the parallels between the three periods of present truth and the three angels’ messages.

We all know the first angel’s message, which warns that judgment has begun.

“Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come … .” Revelation 14:7

Let’s compare the first stage of present truth—Noah’s message of the destruction of the Earth by the Flood—with the first angel’s message. God had judged the state of mankind and found it wicked, evil, and worthy of destruction.

Noah’s Message of Destruction and the First Angel’s Message

“Then the Lord saw [discerned or perceived] that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ ” Genesis 6:5–7

Noah’s message to the world, the present truth for his day, was “If you truly fear God and worship Him as the Creator, you will get on this ark.”

Though there may have been a difference between the words of Noah’s message and the first angel’s message, the concept is the same. Judgment had been made and God will cleanse the Earth of sin.

“… ‘take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.’ Our danger is presented before us by Christ Himself.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 309. Christ’s words should sink into the hearts of all who believe present truth.

The judgment of the world in Noah’s day was announced by Noah under the divine direction of Christ. Present truth—the judgment of the world today—was announced by John the Revelator, also under the divine direction of Christ.

“So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.’ ” Genesis 6:12, 13

“ ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ ” Revelation 14:7

“He [Christ] knew the perils we should meet in these last days, and would have us prepare for them. ‘As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.’ They were eating and drinking, planting and building, marrying and giving in marriage, and knew not until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the Flood came and swept them all away. The day of God will find men absorbed in like manner in the business and pleasures of the world, in feasting and gluttony, and in indulging perverted appetite in the defiling use of liquor and the narcotic tobacco. This is already the condition of our world, and these indulgences are found even among God’s professed people, some of whom are following the customs and partaking of the sins of the world. Lawyers, mechanics, farmers, traders, and even ministers from the pulpit are crying, ‘Peace and safety,’ when destruction is fast coming upon them.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, 309

Did destruction come fast upon the antediluvians? Noah preached for 120 years, but when the execution of judgment came, it came swiftly. The first angel’s message has gone forth since 1843, well over 120 years. God in His mercy has extended man’s probation, but He won’t wait forever. It is indeed time to “fear God and give glory to Him.”

Present Truth in Christ’s Day

As Jesus spoke to the woman at the well, she “said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When He comes, He will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ ” John 4:25, 26

“The Messiah has come, and I am He.” Was He accepted by the church of His day? No, in fact, if you believed in Him, you were forced to leave the church if you were brave enough to publicly admit it.

John 9 tells the story of the man born blind. On the Sabbath day, Jesus restored restored this man’s sight. When he returned to the synagogue, he was questioned by the church authorities. “How were your eyes opened?” Verse 10

The man answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.” Verse 11

The Pharisees concluded that because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, He was a sinner and could not be from God, and therefore, could not be the Messiah.

The formerly blind man said, “Whether He is a sinner or not, I do not know, but I do know that I was blind and now I see.” Verse 25

When questioned a second time about how his vision was restored, the man answered, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” Verse 27

You can imagine how that was received by the jealous and self-righteous Pharisees. Even though it might have been involuntary, the result was that the man was disfellowshiped, and he came out of Babylon.

Babylon and the Second Angel’s Message

This story reveals clearly that, during Jesus’ day, if you believed Him to be the Messiah, you had to leave the church. Whether you left voluntarily or were involuntarily expelled by church authority, you came out of Babylon. The mainstream church, which at one time stood for the truth, had fallen by forcing its members to drink of the wine of her error and disbelief.

And thus, we see a parallel to the second angel’s message: “… ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.’ ” Revelation 14:8

Present Truth Today and the Third Angel’s Message

Present truth warns us against accepting the mark of the beast by worshiping the beast and its image. The image is the false sacredness of Sunday. When the law of the land requires the observance of Sunday as the only legal day of worship, those who concur, whether they agree by consent or by action, will have accepted the mark. Here we see the exact and unquestioned alignment between present truth for today and the message itself.

“Fearful is the issue to which the world is to be brought. The powers of earth, uniting to war against the commandments of God, will decree that ‘all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond’ (Revelation 13:16), shall conform to the customs of the church by the observance of the false sabbath. All who refuse compliance will be visited with civil penalties, and it will finally be declared that they are deserving of death. On the other hand, the law of God enjoining the Creator’s rest day demands obedience and threatens wrath against all who transgress its precepts.” The Great Controversy, 604

“Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” Revelation 14:9–11

Soul-Saving Message

Notice that there is a two-stage execution of the judgment. First, they will receive the wrath of God—the seven last plagues. Then they are tormented with fire and brimstone. These are totally and completely avoidable, simply by loving and willing obedience to the law of God.

There is no question that the present truth message was the soul-saving message for its time.

The eight who got on the ark were saved.

Eleven men and a few women in Jesus’ day believed that He was the Son of God and the long-awaited Messiah and were saved.

In both cases, the number who believed as a percentage of the total world population was insignificant. Will it be the same during this period of present truth?

There is an aspect of this last soul-saving message of present truth that does not get the emphasis that it should. It is addressed in this passage.

“The soul-saving message, the third angel’s message, is the message to be given to the world. [It is present truth for our day.] The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are both important, immensely important, and must be given with equal force and power. The first part of the message has been dwelt upon mostly, the last part casually. The faith of Jesus is not comprehended. We must talk it, we must live it, we must pray it, and educate the people to bring this part of the message into their home life.”  Reflecting Christ, 82

Keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus is the ark of safety for our day, but the ticket for boarding that ark is the righteousness of Christ. And the only way to obtain that righteousness is by exercising the same faith that Christ manifested; the faith that led Him to the cross.

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12

“We believe without a doubt that Christ is soon coming. This is not a fable to us; it is a reality. We have no doubt, neither have we had a doubt for years, that the doctrines we hold today are present truth, and that we are nearing the judgment. We are preparing to meet Him who, escorted by a retinue of holy angels, is to appear in the clouds of heaven to give the faithful and the just the finishing touch of immortality. When He comes He is not to cleanse us of our sins, to remove from us the defects in our character, or to cure us of the infirmities of our tempers and dispositions. If wrought for us at all, this work will all be accomplished before that time. When the Lord comes, those who are holy will be holy still. Those who have preserved their bodies and spirits in holiness, in sanctification and honor, will then receive the finishing touch of immortality. But those who are unjust, unsanctified, and filthy, will remain so forever. No work will then be done for them to remove their defects, and give them holy characters. The Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation. It is now that this work is to be accomplished for us. …

“We are now in God’s workshop. Many of us are rough stones from the quarry. But as we lay hold upon the truth of God, its influence affects us. It elevates us and removes from us every imperfection and sin, of whatever nature. Thus, we are prepared to see the King in His beauty and finally to unite with the pure and heavenly angels in the kingdom of glory. It is here that this work is to be accomplished for us, here that our bodies and spirits are to be fitted for immortality.” Counsels on Health, 43, 44

That can only be achieved by accepting the third angel’s message and acting accordingly. May it be so with all of us!

“Let nothing lessen the force of the truth for this time. The present truth is to be our burden. The third angel’s message must do its work of separating from the churches a people who will take their stand on the platform of eternal truth.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, 61

John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

Look and Live

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I have worn glasses since I was 11 years old. A few years ago, my eye doctor told me I was developing cataracts. He said we would keep an eye on them and remove them when they were bad enough. I didn’t know what bad enough meant. All I knew was it had become very difficult for me to drive at night. The headlights of the cars coming at me were just huge starbursts of light. My depth perception was off, so it seemed to me that they were in my lane, and this caused me to hug the curb. I also fell a few times, mainly because I didn’t see the last step.

Then in December 2025, I went for my annual eye appointment only to find that my regular eye doctor had retired and the eye group assigned me to a new doctor. The day I went in, he did what eye doctors do and told me again that I had cataracts that could be removed in a year or two. The same thing I’d been told every year for a long time. But then he said, “However, if you would like to have them removed now, I would be glad to recommend you to one of our eye surgeons.” No one had ever given me that option before; I had always been told to wait. So, I had the cataracts removed, first one eye and then the other, and new clear lenses inserted in their place.

Since I was far-sighted, I chose the standard lenses—artificial, intraocular lenses. The procedure, phacoemulsification, took about 15 minutes to perform. The surgeon made two tiny incisions in my eye and blasted the cataract with an ultrasonic probe. This allowed him to gently break up and remove the cloudy lenses (the cataracts) and insert the clear lenses. The lenses were positioned so that I would see 20/20 in the area of my eye (my middle vision) that I use most for working on the computer and playing the piano, although I would still have to wear glasses to see clearly near and far away.

Having pristine 20/20 vision made me think about how Jesus changes us and makes us all new. The Bible tells us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” Hebrews 12:2, first part

“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if the eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.” Matthew 6:22, 23

“Keep the conscience tender, that you may hear the faintest whisper of the voice that spoke as never man spoke. Let all who would wear the yoke of Christ show an inflexible purpose to do right because it is right. Keep the eye fixed on Jesus, inquiring at every step, Is this the way of the Lord? …

“Do not imitate men. Study your Bibles, and imitate Christ.” Our High Calling, 341

“We will move steadfastly on, looking to Jesus, learning of Jesus, obtaining the love of Jesus, our hearts melted in tenderness toward each other.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 285

“But looking to Jesus you will find encouragement. May you have the blessing of the Lord every day. My dear sister, may the Lord bless and sustain you.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 265

“Our only safety is in continually looking to Jesus. By living faith, we must appropriate the precious promises; for every promise and command, necessary for our salvation, must become a part of us, that we may become one with Christ.” The Review and Herald, September 3, 1889

“There will be no taste for trifling conversation in those who are looking to Jesus for strength, depending upon His righteousness for salvation. By faith they accept Jesus as their personal Saviour, and become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Medical Ministry, 145

“Let us study the life and death of Christ. Let us do all in our power to work out the plan of God. What tongue can tell, what pen unfold the mighty results of looking to Jesus and living His life?” The Upward Look, 200

“Trust in God. Be careful not to give the enemy any advantage by your unguarded words. Keep looking to Jesus. He is your strength.” That I May Know Him, 185

“The greatness, the breadth, of the plan of salvation invests it with incomparable grandeur, but it can only be spiritually discerned, and it increases in greatness as we contemplate it. Looking to Jesus dying upon the cross, and knowing that it was our sin that placed the innocent Sufferer there, we are bowed down before Him in wonder and love.

“All who come to Christ for a clearer knowledge of the truth will receive it. He will unfold to them the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and these mysteries will be understood by the heart that longs to know the truth. A heavenly light will shine into the soul temple and will be revealed to others as the bright shining of a lamp on a dark path.” Ibid., 205

“Keep looking to Jesus. He is your strength. By steadfastly beholding him, you will be changed into the same likeness.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 12, 1901

“No one need despond who commits his soul to Jesus. We have an all-powerful Saviour. Looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith, you can say, ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ ” The Upward Look, 321

“The knowledge of Christ reveals the depths of sin and its offensive character, while by faith we see the cleansing stream, the blood of Christ which washes away every spot, every stain of sin. This salvation is not half appreciated. Salvation brought to us through the blood of Jesus is not estimated of priceless value. By faith this gift must be fully accepted as the great gift of God through Jesus Christ. The burden of our sins and of our sorrows was laid upon One who is merciful to pardon, mighty to save.

“Why cannot we trust that love which has been expressed to us in such infinite sacrifice that we might live?

“Look in faith to the cross. Look and live. This will be our study and song throughout eternity.” This Day With God, 176

“If you are conscious of your sins, do not devote all your powers to mourning over them, but look and live. Jesus is our only Saviour; and although millions who need to be healed will reject His offered mercy, not one who trusts in His merits will be left to perish. While we realize our helpless condition without Christ, we must not be discouraged; we must rely upon a crucified and risen Saviour. Poor, sin-sick, discouraged soul, look and live. Jesus has pledged His word; He will save all who come unto Him.” Counsels for the Church, 48

“Man is poisoned by sin; but a remedy has been provided for the fallen race in the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Every hope that we have of salvation out of Christ is a vain hope. We cannot dishonor our Saviour more than by doubting that He will save us. Whatever may have been our life of transgression, however deep may be the stain of our sin, there is One who is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. Jesus is the remedy for sin. We may have intellect, but human intelligence can devise no way of salvation; we may have earthly possessions, but that will not provide a ransom for the sin of our soul. Salvation is the gift of God through Christ, and the promise is, ‘Whosoever believeth on Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’

“It is not enough to have a nominal faith. We must have faith that will appropriate the life-giving power to our souls. We suffer great loss because we do not exercise simple, living faith in Christ. We should be able to say, ‘He is my Saviour; He died for me; I look to Him as my complete Saviour and live.’ We are to look to Christ day by day. We are to regard Him as our example in all things. This is faith. The true believer in Christ is represented by a branch connected with a living vine. The sap and nourishment of the vine extends through every vein and fiber of the branch, and thus the branch becomes knit with the life of the vine, and bears precious fruit. Every soul that abides in Christ will do the works of Christ. Those who love God will keep His commandments; for Christ has said, ‘I have kept My Father’s commandments.’ Jesus made an infinite sacrifice in leaving His majesty, to come to a fallen world, that He might lift up sinful man; and everyone that is connected with Christ, as the branch is united with the vine, will manifest the spirit of his Redeemer.

“We honor our Lord and Master when we place implicit confidence in Him. If we distrust the message that He has sent us, we shall be in a position similar to that of the Israelites who were bitten by the fiery serpents, but who would not look and live. If we accept the message of love that has come to us in invitations, exhortation, and reproof, it will prove life and healing to our souls.

“We should not be satisfied with anything less than a close connection with Christ. Freedom and salvation are offered to us, and we should grasp the precious promises of God by living faith.” The Signs of the Times, March 10, 1890

“Look to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:22

“You cannot make yourself any better; Jesus can do all this. When the Israelites were bitten by the fiery poisonous serpents whose sting was certain death, the brazen serpent was lifted up on a pole, and Jesus, enshrouded in the cloudy pillar, bade Moses tell them, ‘Look and live.’ The same Jesus has bidden me tell you, Look and live. Do not climb the pole, but only look. I present Christ to you. Look and live. There is hope, comfort, and peace for you. There is even joy in the Holy Ghost for you. Now I bid you in the name of Jesus, Look and live. …

“Satan would have your soul; shall he have it? Say, No, never; it is Christ’s property. Satan says, ‘Curse God and die.’ Will you do it? He curses God for you, that you may repeat his wicked blasphemy. Will you do it? No, for Jesus has died; He has purchased your life. Your soul is His property, and He will take you by the hand; He will draw you away from perdition; He will make you, as John, His beloved disciple, to win the crown of eternal life. He bids you, through me, His humble servant, ‘Look and live.’ ” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 150, 151

“Let the eye be fixed on the Son of Righteousness. … see His tenderness, His pity, His large, broad love, and His great compassion.” Daughters of God, 147

“Our only hope is to look and live.” The Review and Herald, February 26, 1889

Hard Sayings

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“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.’ The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, ‘How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?’

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.’

“These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. Therefore, many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can understand it?’ ” John 6:51–60

This exchange between Jesus and His disciples was the catalyst that caused many, even most, of Jesus’ disciples to abandon Him. John wrote, “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more,” (verse 66); despite Christ’s explanation found in verse 63 that His words were the flesh and blood that His disciples were to feed on.

Even today, when confronted with the qualifications to be met in conservative Adventism for walking the narrow way, many professed disciples of Christ likewise go back to the broad road and walk with Him no more. Sadly, many are probably unaware that they have made such a choice—equally unlikely to be aware of or concerned about the consequences of their choice.

There is an interesting two-part article in The Review and Herald, April 12 and 19, 1870, in which Mrs. White addresses the reaction of many when confronted by hard sayings.

“Some professed followers of Christ may be inclined to say, as did the disciples at a certain time as they listened to the earnest truths which fell from the lips of the divine Teacher, ‘This is an hard saying, who can hear it?’ Many may think that the way is made too straight; when we talk of self-denial and sacrifice for Christ’s sake, they think we dwell too much on these points.”

It seems that most professed followers of Christ prefer to hear of the Christian’s reward and the glories of heaven, and not of the narrow road they must walk to reach those glories. We know that those who are faithful will inherit all things, but the great question with us should be, “Who may abide the day of His coming; and who shall stand when He appears?” Who shall be counted worthy to receive the exceeding great and precious reward that shall be given to all who overcome?

The answer to who will inherit all things is both simple, and a hard saying. We are told that if we would be sharers in the glory of Christ, we would first be partakers of His sufferings. Paul alluded to this in his second letter to Timothy, when he wrote, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

Paul also tells us that without holiness, no man can see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Without purity of life, achieved through the trials and sufferings of meeting life’s daily challenges, it is impossible for us to be polished into living stones and prepared to dwell with the saints and the holy, sinless angels in a pure and holy heaven.

John tells us that we must be pure, just as Jesus is pure (1 John 3:2, 3). We know from the counsel that has been so lovingly provided in the Spirit of Prophecy, no sin, no impurity of any kind can pass through the pearly gates of the golden city of God. So, the question for us to settle is, Will we turn from all sin and comply with the conditions God has given us so that we may become His sons and daughters? To become members of the royal family, He requires us to completely separate from the world. This is demonstrated in this hard saying: “Come out from among them and be separate.” 2 Corinthians 6:17. The context makes it clear that as believers we are to separate from unbelievers, even if that includes some degree of separation from our own family members.

If you are the only Adventist in your family, there is a similar hard saying, recorded in Matthew 10.

“ ‘Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to “set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,” and “a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.” He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.’ ” Verses 34–37

Both Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy make it clear that God must be first in the priorities of our lives.

“… [P]erhaps while one member of the family gives his heart to God, others do not. They are still under the control of the Saviour’s worst enemy, and they feel annoyed and angry that division has come into the household. He who has accepted Christ is no less dutiful than before; on the contrary, he is more kind, more faithful, more affectionate, because his nature is being purified, sanctified, and ennobled by the truth. But the Master of the Christian and the master of the unbeliever are in deadly conflict; and so, the contest goes on in many homes. While the Christians are pleading earnestly with God that their relatives and friends may be drawn to Christ, while their hearts are breaking with longing that their loved ones may share His joy and peace, the hearts of the unbelieving are bound as with fetters to Satan’s car, and they are asking, as did Pharaoh, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice?’ ” The Bible Echo, March 19, 1894

Without a doubt, faithful Seventh-day Adventists believe that Christ is coming soon, and believing this, we feel compelled to plead with family and friends to prepare for the coming of the Son of Man. We do not want any—especially our own family members—to be among those who will call for rocks and mountains to fall on them. Instead, along with us, we want them to be among those who will enter in through the gates into the city, arrayed with palm leaves of victory and crowned with starry crowns. We are compelled to plead with them to abandon their unchristlike character traits and habits and perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. It is perfection that is required, and nothing short of perfection will enable anyone to see the King and enjoy the glories of eternity.

Once we have overcome our sins and put away all traces of lawlessness, we are then, and only then, in the condition needed to receive the finishing touch of immortality. Many are waiting and expecting that a more favorable opportunity than the present will come when we can put away sin more easily than now, when it will not require such great humility and sacrifice, and we will not have to make the effort required to perfect holiness in the fear of God. Can it be that while we are waiting for a better, more convenient time, our probation may close and we be found dead in trespasses and sin?

Our grasp, our view, should be fastened upon the eternal. We must realize that we have available to us the strength that is mighty to cling to, which will be to us a stronghold and fortress in the day of trouble, affliction, and peril. But will that better time and that more favorable opportunity ever come to those who would say to the Spirit of God, as did Felix, Go Thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for Thee? Is the opportunity ever to come when we can leave sin any more easily than at the present moment? Is the time coming when we can take hold of the truth any more easily than now? Satan has come down with great power and is working with great activity to weave his net around unguarded souls and thereby take them captive in his snares to prevent them from being partakers of the glories that are to be revealed at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Are we willing that Satan should carry out his purposes? Many have yielded themselves willingly to his influence, and by their course of action tempt the devil to tempt them. It is for us to make every effort to turn from iniquity to the living God through the exercise of the free will bestowed upon us by a loving God.

As Christ continued this remarkable sermon, He clarified a bit later exactly where the emphasis must be placed in achieving the perfection that overcoming demands. “Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48. Perfection in our position is what the Son of God requires. “Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25

The life Jesus speaks of here is that life which measures with the life of God, the life that is to be eternal, a life forevermore in the kingdom of glory, without sorrow, without pain, without sickness, without distress, and without death.

As Christ thus presents the possibility of eternal life to His followers, is it not of more consequence than the life of this world? Our attention should not be turned in the direction of anxiety or fear, or in dread of obeying hard sayings.

This perfection that Christ called for in the Sermon on the Mount must be reached, in spite of the hard sayings that lie between here and the achievement of that perfection.

We must pray always. There is no resting spot here; there is no period when we can relax our efforts, no period when we can safely cease striving, agonizing, to enter in at the strait gate.

The truths found in God’s word must be brought to bear upon us, and we must lay hold of them. If we do this, they will have a sanctifying influence upon our lives; they will polish us as living stones for the kingdom of glory, so that when our probation closes, we will see the King in His beauty and dwell in His presence forevermore.

The question now is, Are we willing to make the sacrifice? Are we willing to eat of the bread of life? Are we willing to “Come out from among them, and be … separate?”

Obeying the truth requires us to stand alone in our position to serve God, even when others around us are not willing to yield to the claims that Christ has upon them, even if they are our closest friends and dearest relatives.

We must have our mind’s eye fixed upon eternal realities, the immortal inheritance. It should be our purpose in life to honor and glorify upon the earth Him who died that we might receive the immortal inheritance and enjoy the realities of eternity.

We can only do so when we comply with the hard sayings that He, in His love for us, has given us. Then our reward is assured.

John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

The Man Who Would Not Give Up, Part 2

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When the time came for Jacob to return to the land of his father, he approached the country of his birth with trepidation, anticipating the welcome he would receive from his twin brother, Esau, who was on his way to meet Jacob with 400 armed men. To help soften his brother’s heart, Jacob sent him expensive gifts. He did everything he could, but he knew that it was not enough.

Jacob had learned something, friend, that you and I need to learn. He was shrewd and knew how to make business deals, but he was in a situation now where those skills were useless. There was no business deal that he could make that would get him out of this. He knew that unless the Lord intervened, it would be all over.

Plea for Help

So, Jacob went to the Lord in prayer: “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Jehovah. You said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you: I am not worthy for any of your mercies which you have done with your servant.’ ” Genesis 32:9, 10

Jacob had divided his family into two camps, thinking that if the people in one camp were killed, those in the other camp would be able to flee from danger. Then he had crossed over the Jordan.

His plea to God continues: “Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; because I am terrified lest he should come and strike me and the mother with the children. And now, You said, ‘Indeed, I will deal well with you, and I will make your descendants, your seed, as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ” Verses 11, 12

Only these few verses of Scripture are recorded, so we do not know the entire contents of his prayer. He was, no doubt, praying there for hours, pleading with the Lord. From these verses, you can understand the gist of his prayer. “Lord, You promised. You are the One who told me to come back here, and You said that You would deal well with me. You said that my descendants would be like the sand of the sea, which could not be numbered for multitude. Now we are all about to get killed.”

“He arose in that night and took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven sons and passed over the Brook Jabbok.” Verse 22

Jacob continued to pray into the night hours. He was alone, totally unprotected, having sent his family and everything that made life dear to him a distance away. In describing the region where he was praying, Ellen White wrote: “It was in a lonely, mountainous region, the haunt of wild beasts and the lurking place of robbers and murderers. Solitary and unprotected, Jacob bowed in deep distress upon the earth. It was midnight.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 196

Midnight came, and his mind was still filled with doubts and questionings: “Maybe the Lord cannot fulfill His promises to me, because I am such a bad sinner. I am a crook and a liar. Maybe, even though He promised this to me, it will not happen, because I am so sinful, and now all my children, my wives, and everything will be killed, because of what I have done.”

If you are a father, you can understand Jacob’s anguish. For most fathers, it would be easier to die themselves than to watch their children be killed. This is why, during the Dark Ages, to torture the Waldenses, the agents of Rome would kill their sons before them, cut off their heads, and tie them to the necks of their fathers, then march the fathers to their own deaths.

Bless Me

Suddenly, as Jacob was praying, “There wrestled with him a man until the breaking of day. And He saw that He did not prevail against him, and He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh went out of joint as He was wrestling with him. And He said, ‘Send Me away, because the dawn is coming.’ And he [Jacob] said, ‘I cannot send You away unless You bless me!’ ” Verses 24–26

You see, when his thigh was touched, Jacob realized instantly that he was dealing with a supernatural being, with Someone from heaven. He was not dealing with another man; an average man would not be able to touch your hip and throw it out of joint. Yes, Jacob knew who he was struggling with.

“So He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’

“And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.’

“Then Jacob asked, saying, ‘Tell me Your name, I pray.’ And He said, ‘Why is it that you ask about My name?’ And He blessed him there.” Verses 27–29

The Meaning

What is the meaning of this story? During this night, Jacob struggled with the Lord Jesus. Jacob called the name of this place Peniel, which means “The Face of God,” because he said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” Verse 30

What lesson can we learn from this? Have you ever met someone who has wrestled hard to overcome sin in his or her life, and he or she says, “I can never do it; I guess I will just have to be lost”? Jacob wrestled as hard as he could to overcome. At first, he thought he was fighting Esau, one of Esau’s men, or a robber or a murderer who was going to kill him. He was determined to overcome, but he found that he could not. If you have a besetting sin in your life, you cannot overcome it any more than Jacob could overcome, unless you are blessed.

Confess and Forsake

Over and over again that night, it came to Jacob’s mind that he had stolen from his brother, and he had lied to and deceived his father. He recognized that he was going through all of this because of his sins. But in the midst of it all, even though he thought he would be killed, he continued to fight.

While those sins kept coming to his mind, he also thought to himself, “But I have repented. I have told the Lord over and over again for 20 years that I am sorry, and I want to be forgiven. I am not that man anymore. The Lord has promised me.”

The promise is very clear in the Bible. “He who hides his rebellions, his transgressions, will not prosper. But the one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. Jacob’s transgressions were rebellions. They were deliberate transgressions against the Law of God; they were not sins of ignorance.

Although the book of Proverbs had not yet been written in Jacob’s time, he knew the principle. He knew that if a person confessed and repented of his sins, God had promised mercy. And he kept saying, as he was fighting, “Lord, I have repented. I have confessed. I have tried to do everything I know to make it right. I am not living like that anymore.”

This experience was also recorded by Hosea: “He wept and pleaded.” Hosea 12:4. For what was he pleading? He wanted the assurance that his sins were pardoned and that they would not be held against his account. He continued to weep and plead until, it says, “He had power over the Angel and prevailed.”

This is quite a statement, that a human being would have power over an angel! This was the Angel of the covenant. Jacob was fighting with Jesus Christ Himself!

No Excuse for Sin

This is the story of a sinful human being who, in humility, self-surrender, and repentance, prevailed with the Majesty of heaven. He did not use either divine promises or the character defects of his brother to excuse his own sin. Remember this. A confession is not an excuse; there is no excuse for sin.

“Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God.” The Desire of Ages, 311

There is no excuse for sin and Jacob did not make excuses for his sin. He did not say, “Lord, I sinned because so and so did this wrong.” Many believe this constitutes a confession, but it is an excuse and unacceptable to God. Jacob came to the knowing he needed to be cleansed.

Time to Come

This story about Jacob and the Angel—called “Jacob’s Time of Trouble”—when a helpless, unworthy person claimed God’s promise of mercy to repentant sinners, is used in the Bible as a symbol of future events.

“Because thus Jehovah said, ‘A voice of trembling we have heard of dread, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, if a male bears a child. Wherefore do I see every male with his hands upon his loins as a woman giving birth to a child, and they have turned all faces into paleness? Alas! Because that day is great, so there is none like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.’ ” Jeremiah 30:5–7

If you look at the whole context of this prophecy, you will understand that this is a prophecy about the end of time. We are approaching the time when the plan of salvation is going to be completed.

Hebrews teaches that Christ is our High Priest. He is an all-powerful mediator. Even if you are the worst and weakest of sinners, you have an all-powerful Mediator who, if you call upon Him, can help you. He specializes in helping people who are considered helpless, and this is what the strongest of Christians have to learn, too. This is what Jacob had to learn.

Time of Jacob’s Trouble

Christ’s work as mediator in man’s behalf is almost done. Jesus will soon stand and say, “He who is unjust, shall be unjust still; and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and the righteous one, let him do righteousness still; and the holy one, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every one according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12

Soon after this pronouncement is made, the time of Jacob’s trouble will begin, because the plan of salvation will be over. It is the end of probation. Soon after this pronouncement is made, if you are still hanging onto some sin, filthy and unjust, you will stay that way forever. If you are righteous and holy, you are going to stay righteous and holy forever.

Bible prophecy tells us, in Revelation 13:15, that a time is coming when all those living on the earth will have to choose either the mark of the beast or the seal of God. Those who choose to worship and obey God will find that a death decree has been enacted against them. Just like Jacob, in danger of losing his life and the lives of his family at the hands of Esau, those who love God must rely on Him to save their lives. Was Jacob in danger of losing his life? Yes, he was. Every member of his family was in danger of losing his or her life.

Jacob knew that if the Lord had not worked a miracle on Esau’s heart, he and his family would have lost their lives. He knew that the only way he would be saved was by the mercy of God; and this is the only way you and I will also be saved.

Repent and Confess

Almost driven to despair, Jacob began to plead for deliverance. Imagine having to wrestle with someone from midnight until almost dawn! But Jacob did not give up. God’s people will face this same experience during the last days in their final struggle with the powers of evil (Jeremiah 30:5–7). It will seem to each person that his or her case is hopeless. God’s people will have a deep sense of their shortcomings. This is the feeling the devil tries to impress upon people until they are tempted to lose all hope. The devil wants us to believe that our hold on God is broken. But God’s people will, like Jacob, hold fast to the hand of God, pleading His promised mercy, confessing and repenting from their sins.

My dear friend, right now is the time when we must remove sin from our records. With all our heart, filled with humility, we must see the Lord and tell Him that we want to be through with sin. Repentance means that a person is sorry for his or her sins—sorry enough to stop repeating them. Confess the sin. If it is a private sin, confess it to the Lord. If you have injured someone, go to him or her and make it right. Jacob had to make things right with Esau.

Just think of coming to the end of the world and realizing the devil can point at you and say, “This sin you have concealed; you have never repented of it; you have never confessed it!” If this is true, what will happen? You will lose salvation. Now is the time to make sure there is nothing on your record for which you have not repented and confessed.

Remember, the other person’s sin does not excuse your sin. You can never say to the Lord, “I sinned because he sinned.” He does not accept this, or any, excuse. No matter what another person may do, you are not responsible for it, but you are responsible for what you say and do.

Assurance of Salvation

Are you going to be as persevering in your Christian walk as Jacob was in his struggle with Jesus? If you are willing to continue the fight, then you are absolutely guaranteed that you will be saved, just like Jacob.

Mrs. White penned a very encouraging statement about Jacob’s experience. “Jacob’s history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by self-surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 202, 203. Jacob learned that he could not do it on his own and we must learn this, too.

“Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely [only] upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Saviour.” Ibid., 203. Acknowledging that we are unworthy, we place our trust in His merits. If we do this, we are given the promise: “None will ever perish while they do this.” Ibid.

What good news! If you realize that you are helpless and you put your complete trust and confidence in Him, you cannot perish, because you serve an all-powerful Mediator.

“The long, black catalogue of our delinquencies is before the eye of the Infinite. The register is complete; none of our offenses are forgotten. But He who listened to the cries of His servants of old, will hear the prayer of faith and pardon our transgressions. He has promised, and He will fulfill His word.” Ibid.

Greatest Need

Many people believe that we need more talent, education, money, or manpower to finish God’s work and have the victory over evil. But these things are not the instruments by which the great controversy will be won.

“The greatest victories to the church of Christ or to the individual Christian are not those that are gained by talent or education, by wealth or the favor of men. They are those victories that are gained in the audience chamber with God, when earnest, agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power.” Ibid.

Do not say, “We need more money; we need more education; we need more talent; we need more manpower.” It would be nice to have all of those things, but what we need more than anything else is to go to the audience chamber and pray, “Lord, I am not going to quit asking until a change happens in my life.”

When God sees that you are serious, a change will happen in your life. If we lay hold of His promises, He will say to us, “I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11:19, 20. Claim this promise and say, “Lord, I must have a change in my heart or I am lost, and I am not going to give up. I am going to keep asking. I am going to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and I am going to plead with you for this until I have it.”

John Knox went to the Lord and prayed, “Lord, if You don’t give me Scotland, I am just going to die.” He kept praying, and Scotland became a Protestant country as the result of one man’s prayers. Just think what could happen if people went to the Lord and said, “Lord, I am like Jacob. I am helpless. I am vile, and I am wretched. I know I must have a change in my heart or I will be lost, so I am not going to quit asking. I am coming to You, because I have a great need. I want to be ready for heaven, and I want You to change my heart and my life.” God would gladly hear and answer such a prayer! He heard Jacob’s cry for help, and He is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34).

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is the Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be reached by email at historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at 316-788-5559.

The Man Who Would Not Give Up

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Several examples are given in the Bible of men and women who would not give up. One outstanding example of this is found in the Old Testament, and because this man would not give up, you will meet him in heaven someday, if you are saved. The Holy Spirit is working on your heart, but you have to make the decision to never give up. There have been (and still are) people who have found themselves in a situation where they could be saved, but they gave up, and they lost out. There are several such examples in the Bible, but here, we want to learn about the person who would not give up, and who was saved as a result.

This Bible story is about one of the most well-known men in the entire Bible, and you have probably read the story of his life in the book of Genesis. This man was a miracle child. His father’s wife had been unable to have children. After 20 years, his father prayed, “Lord, you promised that we would have children, and through us all the world would be blessed. My wife cannot conceive. What am I going to do?” The Lord answered his prayer (Genesis 25:21), and his wife became pregnant with twins.

But these two babies were rambunctious, fighting inside her womb. She went to the Lord concerned, and He told her that two nations, two peoples struggled within her body, and that one would be stronger than the other when they became men (Verses 22, 23).

When these twin sons were born, the coloring of the first was red, so in Hebrew, they named him Edom or red. In English, he is called Esau (Verse 25). When the younger was born, the Bible says that he grabbed hold of his brother’s heel. In Hebrew, he was named Yàaqob or heel grabber. In English, he is called Jacob. The name heel grabber implied a person of cunning, someone to be wary of because he will take advantage of you. That is exactly the kind of person Jacob became.

Firstborn Responsibilities

Until modern times, it has been the custom—not just with the children of Isaac and Abraham, but throughout the Middle East—that the firstborn had certain responsibilities which the other children did not have. For example, the firstborn was to be responsible for the welfare of their parents and to support them in their old age. When the firstborn became an adult, he or she was expected to resolve their siblings’ problems. Because the firstborn child had these extra responsibilities, it was an ancient custom that, when the father’s inheritance was divided among his children, the firstborn was to receive a double portion.

Isaac had only two children, so it is easy to calculate. If the firstborn received a double portion, it would mean that the firstborn would receive two-thirds of the family estate and the other child would be given one-third.

Theft and Deceit

Jacob was just a few minutes younger, but he was the heel grabber, a smart businessman, one who knew how to take advantage of circumstances. He knew when the opportunity was ripe.

One day, Jacob while caring for the flocks and herds, he made a lentil stew. Esau, who had been hunting, returned ravenously hungry and, smelling the savory dish Jacob had prepared, said, “Please give me something to eat. I am so hungry; I am about to die.”

Jacob recognized a golden opportunity, and he responded: “I will give you a bowl of stew, if you will sell me your birthright.” Talk about a deal! Isaac was a very wealthy man. One-third of his estate would be worth several hundred thousand dollars in today’s money. How would you like to double your net worth for a bowl of lentils? That was one expensive meal. A slave to his appetite, Esau agreed. “I will do it.” He said. It was a foolish thing for Esau to do, but it was a sharp thing for Jacob, although a very wicked thing.

Are you aware of the meaning of the eighth commandment? If I sell you something for much more than it is worth, because you are ignorant and do not know any better, I have stolen from you. And if I buy something from you for much less than it is worth, because you do not know its worth, I have stolen from you. Jacob stole from his brother. He was a thief in the worst sense, because he stole from his own family. But it got worse. He eventually deceived his own father.

Jacob stole from his brother and deceived his own father. It is terrible to steal from your own brother, and it is just as bad or worse to lie and deceive your own father. God did not keep Jacob from having to bear some very terrible consequences for those two sins all the rest of his life.

When reading the Bible, people could say, “These are the chief characters of the Bible, and look at all of the awful things they did.” But what they do not see is that the chief characters of the Bible paid a terrible price for the horrible sins they committed. The Bible teaches that sin always has consequences.

Esau became very angry with Jacob, and it is not difficult to understand why. How would you feel if you had just lost several hundred thousand dollars to your brother—cheated out of it because you were nearly out of your mind with hunger? Would you become angry? I have seen people become angry for a lot less than that!

Esau said, “I am going to do away with him. Instead of getting one-third of the inheritance, as I am now supposed to receive, I will get the whole thing.” And Jacob had to flee from home, never to see his parents again.

The Whole Inheritance

In 1955, the very first airliner with a bomb on board crashed. At that time, it was not mandatory for air travelers to go through security before boarding an airplane. A passenger bought his or her ticket, deposited their baggage, walked through a door, and got on the plane. I have done that, and I have seen my father do it many times. The world then was not as wicked as it is today.

This airplane came down in a field near Longmont, Colorado, within ten miles of where my family lived. A bomb in the baggage compartment had exploded, killing everyone on board. An investigation revealed that a man, whose mother was traveling on this plane, had hidden a bomb in her luggage. He had a time clock on the bomb, timed to explode over the Rocky Mountains. He planned that the plane would go down in the Rocky Mountains, and it would be considered just an accident. Everything would be completely destroyed; no one would know what had actually happened. But the plane departed late. Consequently, the timer went off, the bomb exploded, and the plane crashed in a field 15-20 miles east of the Rocky Mountains.

Why had this man performed such a deadly act? He did not want to wait for his mother to die a natural death; he wanted to receive his mother’s life insurance—his inheritance—right then.

That was Esau’s problem. He wanted his inheritance, and he thought, “Jacob stole my inheritance from me. I will not only get back a double portion; I will get the whole thing.” So, Jacob had to flee for his life. He went to his mother’s brother, Laban, and served him for 20 years (Genesis 28–30).

20 Years of Guilt

Picking up the story in Genesis 31, we find that Jacob, now a fugitive, had been serving Laban for 20 years. He had come to Laban with nothing, but the Lord had blessed him, and he had become a very wealthy man. Laban’s sons were jealous of all the wealth that Jacob had acquired. They said, “He has taken all of our father’s wealth.”

Laban had deceived Jacob, so instead of having one wife, he had two, and Jacob’s entire life was troubled. Laban’s deception and the trouble that resulted from having two wives were a consequence of his sin and he knew it. The sin that he had committed against his brother and father bothered his conscience all those 20 years. That entire time he thought, “I would not be in this situation if I had not deceived my father and robbed my brother.”

Return to Your People

Then the Lord gave Jacob instruction to return to his people: “Jehovah spoke to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.’ ” (Verse 3). Jacob was anxious about returning home. Esau lived back home.

Jacob called Rachel and Leah out into the field and talked with them. They agreed that Jacob and his household should follow God’s counsel (Verses 4, 14–16). Believing that Laban would not let him go, he left secretly while Laban was away shearing his sheep. Jacob packed up—lock, stock, and barrel—and left Uncle Laban’s land. Because of the thousands of cattle, sheep, and goats, they were unable to travel very fast, so when Laban learned they were gone, he was able to easily overtake them. God had intervened on Jacob’s behalf regarding Laban, and the two parted peaceably. The first part of God’s promise was accomplished.

Close to Home

Can you imagine the tumultuous thoughts in Jacob’s mind, as he drew close to his journey’s end? For the last 20 years, Jacob had lived in a faraway land. During that time, Esau assumed that, as a consequence of Jacob’s absence, he, Esau, would inherit everything upon Isaac’s death. But now Jacob returns. Jacob owns two-thirds of the inheritance. Esau’s net worth would drop by over 60 percent when Jacob returned home. This is also on Jacob’s mind. He knows that the reason he is in this difficult situation is because of his own sin. He knows what is going through Esau’s mind.

Interests of Brothers

Let’s look at the difference between Esau and Jacob. They both wanted the birthright. The birthright involved more than a double portion of the family’s wealth. It also involved a blessing. The one holding the birthright would become the progenitor (ancestor) of the Messiah. Esau wanted the double portion of property and worldly wealth, but Jacob wanted the blessing, to be the progenitor of the Messiah.

Jacob, actually, in spite of all his character deficiencies and faults, was a very, very remarkable person. He chose spiritual blessings over temporal blessings, a rare type of person in this world.

Jacob knew his return would excite fear in his brother’s heart and that Esau could do him great injury. He thought that Esau could decide even now to take revenge against him and kill him, taking the entire inheritance for himself.

Gifts of Appeasement

So, as Genesis 32 tells us, in an effort to appease Esau, Jacob sent very expensive gifts to him, worth many, many thousands of dollars today, including a large herd of cattle. After delivering the cattle, Jacob’s servants returned and told Jacob that Esau was on his way, with 400 men, to meet Jacob (Verses 3–6). Verse 7 tells us that Jacob was “exceedingly afraid and distressed.” In fact, the entire encampment—wives, children, and servants alike—were terrified of what Esau would do.

Jacob did everything he could. He continued to send expensive gifts to Esau. He divided his family into two camps, so that if the people of one camp were killed, the others might be able to flee. Yes, Jacob did everything he could, but he knew that it was not enough. Jacob and his family were about to meet Esau’s wrath.

Divine Help Needed

Jacob was a shrewd businessman and knew how to make deals. But those skills were useless now. There was no business deal that he could make that would get him out of this, and he knew that unless the Lord intervened on his behalf, it was going to be all over.

Jacob was standing in the realization that there was nothing he could do to save himself. This is a reality we also must learn. We cannot be good, keep God’s commandments, nor be made ready for heaven on our own. It doesn’t matter how smart and shrewd a person we are.

Just as Jacob realized he needed divine help, we must know that we cannot save ourselves by anything we do. Divine power must be operating in our lives or we are lost. The Bible is very clear about this. We may try our whole lives, but we will never be able to develop enough self-control or power; we can never make ourselves a good person.

I have been a preacher for a long time, and I learned long ago that I am a lot more afraid of the good people than of the bad people. People who think they are good do not realize that, as the Bible says, the “heart [is] deceitful above all [things], and desperately wicked.” Jeremiah 17:9. The bad people at least know they need help.

Jacob was a smart man, but the Lord allowed him to suffer the consequences of his actions, and thereby recognize that unless he had divine help, it was all over. The sooner that you and I learn that lesson, the better off we will be.

To be continued …

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is the Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be reached by email at historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at 316-788-5559.

God’s Omnipotence

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In Daniel 4:13, Daniel tells of his experience when King Nebuchadnezzar asked Daniel to explain his dream about a watcher and a holy one. In the dream, the watcher was a guest, though uninvited, at Belshazzar’s sacrilegious feast, decades later, after which his kingdom was taken from him.

The king let wine, power, and pride control him, and he took the lead in the riotous blasphemy occurring at this feast.

This same watcher who had come to Nebuchadnezzar, looked on this scene of debauchery and the desecration of the sacred temple articles during Belshazzar’s feast, and soon, the unseen and uninvited guest had seen enough and made His presence felt. At the moment when the sacrilegious revelry was at its height, a bloodless hand came forth and moved along the wall, tracing flaming characters of doom.

“ ‘Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin’ was written in letters of fire. Only four characters were traced by that hand on the wall facing the king, but they showed that the power of God was there.”

Belshazzar had been given many opportunities to know and do God’s will. He had seen his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, banished from the society of men. He had seen the intellect in which the proud monarch gloried taken away by the One who had given it. He had seen the king driven from his kingdom and made the companion of the beasts of the field. But Belshazzar’s love of amusement and self-glorification overshadowed the lessons he should never have forgotten; and he committed sins similar to those that had brought judgments on Nebuchadnezzar. He wasted the opportunities graciously granted him, neglecting to take advantage of the opportunities within his reach to learn the truth. “What must I do to be saved?” was a question that the great but foolish king thought unworthy of consideration.

We know the rest of the story. Daniel was called in to explain to the king the meaning of the words that the hand of the Omnipotent one had burned into the wall of the banquet hall.

Could the curtain be rolled back before those who have never given their hearts to God, with others who are Christians in name but who are unrenewed in heart and unsanctified in temper, they would see that God’s eye is ever upon them. They would feel as shaken from their carnal security as was the king of Babylon. They would realize that in every place, at every hour in the day, there is a holy Watcher who balances every account, whose eye takes in the whole situation, whether that situation is one of faithfulness or one of disloyalty and deception.

This scene should remind us that we are never alone. We have a companion, whether we choose Him or not. Remember that wherever we are, whatever we are doing, God is always with us. To our every word and action, we have a witness—the holy, sin-hating God. Nothing that is said, or done, or thought, can escape His infinite eye. Our words may not be heard by human ears, but they are heard by the Ruler of the universe. He reads the inward anger of the soul when the will is crossed. He senses the offense we feel when we think we have been slighted. He hears the expression of profanity, whether vocalized or not. In the deepest darkness and solitude, He is there. No one can deceive God; none can escape from their accountability to Him.

While this fact should be a cause for alarm to the unfaithful, it is a reason for hope and encouragement for the faithful. Knowing that our God watches over us every moment of every day should be of great comfort to those who continually seek to know and do His will. David undoubtedly had this thought in mind when he wrote Psalm 139.

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

“If I say, ‘Surely the darkness shall fall on me,’ even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.” Psalm 139:1–18

Thus, David speaks of the omnipresence of God:

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”

Acknowledgment of this component of God’s personality, for want of a better word, leads to consideration of another aspect of God that is now manifested and will be even more magnificently revealed once time and eternity meet—His omnipotence. The combination of the two—His omnipresence and His omnipotence—speak to the incomprehensible nature of His power.

Consider these statements from the pen of Inspiration that address this all-powerful aspect of His nature.

BAPTISM

“The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, powers infinite and omniscient, receive those who truly enter into covenant relation with God. They are present at every baptism.” God’s Amazing Grace, 143

Undoubtedly, more than one baptism occurs at any given time throughout the world. Nevertheless, we are told that Jesus is one of the Holy Three who are present at every one.

Baptisms might be considered singular events. At any baptism, it is usually one person being baptized at a time. However, Inspiration speaks of events when there will be untold numbers of saints being served, apparently in incomprehensibly quick succession, if not simultaneously.

“My brethren and sisters, God is your strength, and He does not want you to go crippling along in this life. And when you enter the gate of the New Jerusalem you will read over the gate, ‘Blessed are they that do His commandments.’

“Jesus will welcome you, and with His own hand place the crown upon the brow of all those who enter there.” Sermons and Talks, Book 1, 45, 46

Just how many are there upon whose brows Jesus will place the crown of life? In Genesis 32, we find the story of Jacob’s return from serving Laban and his anticipation of meeting Esau, who he fears is intent on his destruction. In verse 12, appealing to God for protection, Jacob reminds God that He had assured him that his descendants would be as the sands of the sea.

We can speculate about how many that might be, but the Internet provides a clue. It reports that one cup of sand can contain anywhere from two million to 15 million grains of sand, depending on the size of the grains and their degree of packing density. The total number of grains of sand worldwide is a number too great for finite minds to comprehend. Nevertheless, we are assured that Jesus Himself will individually crown all of Jacob’s descendants, “which cannot be numbered for multitude.”

In Exodus 32:13, Moses is pleading with the Lord to spare the rebellious Israelites who have just made and worshiped a golden calf. He states, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom you swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven … .’ ”

Here is another number that is too great for the finite mind to comprehend. There are an estimated 200 billion trillion stars in the observable universe, according to astronomers. That’s 200 sextillion, or a 2 followed by 23 zeroes. This number is derived by multiplying the estimated number of galaxies in the universe by the average number of stars, like those found in the Milky Way, in a galaxy.

Just how Jesus will crown that many is another fact beyond the comprehension of the finite mind.

Now consider this statement:

“… those who love and obey God will partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb in the kingdom of God, and Jesus Himself will serve them.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 63

That will be quite a feast, and the thought of being individually served by the Master Servant is quite humbling.

Clearly, the Son of God possesses attributes that we cannot comprehend from our finite, human perspective. When we read these inspired statements regarding His accomplished acts, which seem completely impossible to us, we can only exclaim in awe, “Our God is an awesome God.”

John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

Fear God

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The Bible story of Abraham and Isaac provokes the greatest depth of emotion.

“Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, ‘Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then He said, ‘Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.’

“So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.’

“So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’

“And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’

“Then he said, ‘Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’

“And Abraham said, ‘My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.’ So, the two of them went together.

“Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

“But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’

“So, he said, ‘Here I am.’

“And He said ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ ”

Genesis 22:1–12

What must have been going through Abraham’s mind as he took Isaac on that three-day journey to the place that God directed as the place of sacrifice.

Was he silently praying that the trip be long? Or that it would soon be over? With each successive step, his desire for God to give him some sign of a change in plans must have been more and more ardent.

One cannot begin to imagine what Abraham must have been thinking as he raised the knife to sacrifice Isaac.

We know—and Abraham must have reminded himself—that God had promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as the sand of the sea. So, even though God had commanded Abraham to kill the only means by which His promise was to be fulfilled, he by faith went forward to obey God, not knowing how but nonetheless convicted that God would somehow do what He promised and make a great nation of Abraham’s descendants.

But it was at the point when Abraham raised the knife to sacrifice Isaac that God knew how truly faithful Abraham was and how fully He could trust him. Scripture says in Genesis 22:12, “And He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.’ ”

This text presents an interesting puzzle. We know that God knows the end from the beginning. We therefore have to believe that God knew that Abraham would do as He had commanded him. So, I suggest that this exercise was for the benefit of Abraham and Isaac—to show them more fully that God truly loved them and would fulfill His promise through them regarding the destiny of His people. This trial also showed them the blessings that accrue from obedience.

As you can imagine, inspired writings have much to say about this story. “Abraham’s test was the most severe that could come to a human being. Had he failed under it, he would never have been registered as the father of the faithful. … The lesson was given to shine down through the ages, that we may learn that there is nothing too precious to be given to God.” Our High Calling, 191

Another purpose to this test was to show succeeding generations that there is nothing that we can render to God whose value exceeds what He deserves for having given us the opportunity for everlasting life.

“It is when we look upon every gift as the Lord’s, to be used in His service, that we secure the heavenly benediction. Give back to God your entrusted possessions and more will be entrusted to you. Keep your possessions to yourself, and you will receive no reward in this life and will lose the reward of the life to come.” Ibid.

This story not only helps us to understand why Abraham is called the father of the faithful, but it also gives us some degree of understanding of what it means to fear God.

One common definition of the term to fear God is “to regard Him with reverential awe … with wonder, admiration, and respect that is accompanied by devotion and perhaps even some degree of amazement.”

Reverence can be defined as “honor and respect that is deeply felt and outwardly demonstrated.” Because of the Lord God’s awesome and omnipotent power and majesty, He is deserving of the highest level of reverence. Not only are we to afford reverence to God, but Leviticus 19:30 tells us that we are to reverence His sanctuary. Why is that? Because that is where He promises to meet with His people. In that same chapter, the importance of obedience and of keeping the Sabbath is mentioned at least four times as a means of showing the reverence and godly fear that followers of Christ are to manifest in our relationship with our Creator.

The Bible records reverence as the automatic response of everyone who encounters the awesome grandeur of God. “So Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and they fell on their faces. And the glory of the Lord appeared to them.” Numbers 20:6

The glory of God is an awesome thing to contemplate, and undoubtedly even more awesome to actually witness. Inspiration tells us that God “speaks” to us, continuously manifesting His glory, if we had but eyes to see and ears to hear. In every bird song, in the scent and beauty of every flower, and in the beauty of unspoiled natural landscapes His glory is displayed.

Another example of the revelation of God’s glory to man is found in Judges 13. In this chapter, we find the story of the birth of Samson. It begins with the story of Manoah and his wife’s reactions when God reveals Himself to them.

“Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, ‘What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass we may honor You?’ And the Angel of the Lord said to him, ‘Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?’ So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on—it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground.” Verses 17–20

They were so awed, so overcome by this magnificent and inexplicable display that they involuntarily showed the honor and respect that is “deeply felt and outwardly demonstrated,” showing the reverential awe and godly fear that is due to our Creator.

Another example is of God’s children failing to manifest godly fear and the consequences of not trusting in His promises as found in 1 Chronicles 21. Here we find the children of Israel trying to estimate the number of enemy combatants over whom they might win the victory, rather than relying by faith on God’s promise to be their Defender.

After David numbers the people, it is recorded in 1 Chronicles 21, “… the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, ‘It is enough; now restrain your hand.’ And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.” Verses 14–16

This story might well explain a different aspect of fearing God. At His command, the destroying angel had just slain 70,000 men. When David and the elders saw the angel standing with his sword drawn and stretched out over Jerusalem, they fainted. What but a fear of God could cause such a reaction?

The fear of God is a character trait that is often cited as a qualification for entering into His service. We are given one such example when Moses was leading the children of Israel during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

“In the days of the theocracy, when Moses was endeavoring to carry alone burdens so heavy that he would soon have worn away under them, he was counseled by Jethro to plan for a wise distribution of responsibilities. ‘Be thou for the people to Godward,’ [i.e., stand before God for the people], Jethro advised, ‘that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: and thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.’ Jethro further advised that men be appointed to act as ‘rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.’ These were to be ‘able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.’ ” The Acts of the Apostles, 92, 93

We learn from this story that those who fear God are truthful and unselfish, both required character traits of those seeking character perfection.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul also addresses the subject of fearing God, instructing them to perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). He gives similar instructions to the Ephesians. “Submitting to one another in the fear of God.” Ephesians 5:21

In Hebrews 12:28, Paul tells us to “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

Peter also wrote of this attitude. “Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” (1 Peter 2:17), four short pieces of inspired advice, any one of which is worthy of deep study.

One of the wonderful things about our God is that He doesn’t tell us to do something without also telling us how to do it, and He often tells us in a variety of ways.

Solomon, speaking to one of his sons, gave this advice:

“My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.” Proverbs 2:1–5

This advice can also be interpreted as God speaking to us.

When I was a very young child, my mother would read the Bible to me. One of the first things I noticed that some of the words were printed in red. She told me that these were the words of Jesus. Then I noticed that she never read from the book of Revelation. When I asked her why, she told me that no one understood that book, which in hindsight seems contrary to its name, since Revelation means revealed, not hidden.

I have since learned that Seventh-day Adventists are unique in their call to fear God, gleaned solidly from the book of Revelation. That call began in 1843, as explained from this manuscript:

“The first and second messages [Revelation 14:6–8] were given in 1843 and 1844, and we are now under the proclamation of the third [1896]; but all three of the messages are still to be proclaimed. It is just as essential now as ever before that they shall be repeated to those who are seeking for the truth. By pen and voice, we are to sound the proclamation, showing their order and the application of the prophecies that bring us to the third angel’s message. There cannot be a third without the first and second. …

“ ‘And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters’ [Revelation 14:6, 7].

“This message, if heeded, will call the attention of every nation and kindred and tongue and people to a close examination of the word, and to the true light in regard to the power that has changed the seventh-day Sabbath to a spurious sabbath. The only true God has been forsaken, His law has been discarded, His sacred Sabbath institution has been trampled in the dust by the man of sin. The fourth commandment, so plain and explicit, has been ignored. The Sabbath memorial, declaring who the living God is, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, has been torn down, and a spurious sabbath has been given to the world in its place. Thus, a breach has been made in the law of God. …

“In the first angel’s message men are called upon to [fear and] worship God, our Creator, who made the world and all things that are therein. …

“The message proclaimed by the angel flying in the midst of heaven is the everlasting gospel, the same gospel that was declared in Eden when God said to the serpent, ‘I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.’ ” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 17, 6, 7

It is only by heeding the call of these three angels that we can hope to have that Godly fear that assures us of a mansion on the other side of the Jordan.

Fear God and worship Him that made heaven and earth. Come out of Babylon.

By keeping the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath, and the faith of Jesus, we are assured of the safety that Godly fear provides and equally assured of avoiding the mark of the beast.

If we are to have everlasting life, then we must first have all of these character traits. Study God’s word. Reread Proverbs 2. Study the lives of Abraham and Job. Even Satan recognized Job as one who feared God.

“Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.” 1 Peter 2:17

John R. Pearson is the office manager and Steps to Life board member. He can be reached by email at johnpearson@stepstolife.org or by phone at 316-788-5559.

Escaping the Trap

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Every single person in the world has the opportunity to be saved because Jesus paid the price for our sins. Since that is the case, why does the Bible tell us that the number of people who will not be saved is as the sand of the sea? (see Revelation 20).

The devil has many traps set for us in this world, but let’s look at one specific trap that will cause you to forfeit eternal life. Have you already been caught in this trap? How would you know? If so, is there any way to get out?

“Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!” Amos 5:18, first part. These are the people who are looking for Jesus to come, and the prophet says, “Woe.” “For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it?” Verses 18, last part–20

“A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare [trap] of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:24–26

The devil’s traps are very successful, and as we study what is soon to come upon the world, we will see that our entire Western civilization is caught in a trap, though totally unaware of it. Let me share a real-life example.

Linda* asked to speak with me about her adult daughter, with whom she had opposite political views. While Linda tried to persuade her daughter to be open to other things, her daughter had no interest in doing so. Linda didn’t want to lose her daughter over politics, so they finally agreed not to talk about it; in essence, they agreed to disagree. So, here’s the question: How is it that her daughter’s worldview is so diametrically opposed to Linda’s worldview?

The problem with this situation is this: If a civilization is going to survive, it must be able to transfer its value system—its worldview—from one generation to the next. If it cannot, it will cease to exist, and a different civilization will take its place. Linda’s experience is not an isolated occurrence; we see it happening right now in the United States.

Both the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy predicted this situation during the end times. “By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy [Sunday laws] in violation of the law of God, our nation will disconnect herself fully from righteousness. When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 451

T. Jones wrote Two Republics. Republican governments have been rare in the history of the world. Rome began as a republic and so did the United States—Jones’ two republics. Our government is based on and operates as Rome did when it was a republic. Both republics had a senate comprised of elected senators, and as a republic, there would be no monarchy, no king. Today, we often hear one group of people refer to the United States as a democracy, while another group refers to it as a republic. Is there a difference? The Merriam-Webster dictionary indicates that the two words have been used interchangeably since the late 1700s. The founding fathers who established the original 13 colonies and wrote the Constitution of the United States—which is based on certain moral and religious principles—saw no distinctive difference in the meaning of the two words. In the 1700s, both words meant “the power to govern is held by the people rather than a monarch.”

Democracy originates from the Greek roots, meaning “rule by the people,” where the people vote directly in favor of or against decisions, policies, laws, and other matters. Regardless of whether we speak of a direct democracy or a representative democracy, they both mean “government by the people.” Republic originates from the Latin roots meaning “public good” or “public affair.” Republic, simply put, means “state” or “country.” Democracy is most frequently used to emphasize a system, while a republic is the concrete result of that system. The term democratic republic is also used to describe the United States government. A democratic republic is a system that combines elements of both a democracy and a republic. And while the government—be it a democracy, a republic, or a democratic republic—is run by elected representatives of the citizenry, the citizens themselves hold authority and power. The representatives may wield the power, but that ability is granted to them by a simple vote of the people, and can be lost at the next election.

Neither of these words is included in the Declaration of Independence. Yet, this document clearly expresses that governments—our government—should be and are established “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” It would seem that the shared meaning of these two words matters far more than their differences.

Source: merriam-webster.com/grammar/democracy-and-republic; governmentvs.com/en/what-is-democratic-republic/ model-41-0

As Americans, as long as we respect and uphold the Constitution and its principles, we will have a Protestant form of government. We move through time, passing our worldview, philosophy, and value system from one generation to the next. However, Mrs. White tells us that every principle of our Constitution will be repudiated. Why would that be? Suppose we are unable to pass the worldview, philosophy, and value system of the current generation to the next. As each generation comes and goes, the value system changes. In that case, the worldview becomes skewed, and subsequent generations will completely reject the moral and religious principles of the generations who came before them. We see it in the news, in our neighborhoods, on the job, even in our churches. The farther the generations go from the principles of their elders, the more wicked the world becomes.

It was, and is, God’s purpose that His children would pass on their values and worldview, through their children, to the next generation. “For I [the Lord] have known him [Abraham], in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Genesis 18:19. And God tells us concerning Abraham that he “obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” Genesis 26:5. Abraham was obedient to the word of God and His commandments, and he commanded his children after him, just as God designed, that they should live and learn and have the same worldview that he had.

“ ‘This is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. … You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.’ ” Deuteronomy 6:1, 2, 5–9

A few hundred years before the coming of Christ, it became fashionable for young Jewish men to travel to Alexandria, Egypt, to obtain a higher education. This higher education was based on Greek philosophy. What is philosophy? “The love of wisdom.” “A systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, value, mind, and language.” Over time, philosophy became an advanced study of speculative subjects like logic and ethics. (wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy).

The average person today has no idea of the significant influence Greek philosophy has had on our entire civilization in the United States. Two examples can be found in the sports and entertainment industries. The Bible talks about the races which became, over time, our present-day Olympics (1 Corinthians 9:24, 25). The Greeks also built the first theaters and conducted plays—dramas, comedies, and tragedies. Today, we see this influence on Broadway and off-Broadway, in movie theaters, and on television, and the internet.

As the Jewish youth studied philosophy, they began to interpret the Bible differently. You see, the thing about philosophy is that it doesn’t matter if something is or isn’t. Philosophy enables the student to show that something can have many different meanings. So, by the time Christ came to this world, we find the establishment of the Sadducees who didn’t believe in angels or demons, heaven or hell, or the resurrection. They valued debate and philosophical discussion. And it was their adherence to philosophy that, in some measure, was influential in the Jewish nation’s rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. A very clever trap, set by the devil, that cost the Jewish nation, after they crucified Christ, the privilege of being God’s chosen and favored people. And the devil is laying this same trap for you and me.

“The Lord presented before Israel the results of holding communion with evil spirits, in the abominations of the Canaanites: they were without natural affection, idolaters, adulterers, murderers, and abominable by every corrupt thought and revolting practice. Men do not know their own hearts; for ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.’ Jeremiah 17:9. But God understands the tendencies of the depraved nature of man. Then, as now, Satan was watching to bring about conditions favorable to rebellion, that the people of Israel might make themselves as abhorrent to God as were the Canaanites. The adversary of souls is ever on the alert to open channels for the unrestrained flow of evil in us; for he desires that we may be ruined, and be condemned before God.

“Satan was determined to keep his hold on the land of Canaan, and when it was made the habitation of the children of Israel, and the law of God was made the law of the land, he hated Israel with a cruel and malignant hatred and plotted their destruction. Through the agency of evil spirits strange gods were introduced; and because of transgression, the chosen people were finally scattered from the land of promise. This history Satan is striving to repeat in our day.”

“God is leading His people out from the abominations of the world, that they may keep His law; and because of this, the rage of ‘the accuser of our brethren’ knows no bounds. ‘The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.’ Revelation 12:10, 12.

“The anti-typical land of promise [heaven] is just before us, and Satan is determined to destroy the people of God and cut them off from their inheritance.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 688, 689

You and I don’t know how bad we are, but God does. God knows man’s natural heart and He has both the desire and the power to complete the transformation necessary in the heart of man to restore him once again into His own image.

Evil spirits are taking over our world, and almost no one recognizes it. Satan laid the trap for man then, and he is working to do it again now; with very successful results. He is determined to cut you off from the eternal inheritance that Jesus bought for you with His life.

What is the Trap and How Does It Work?

The Spirit of Prophecy is very clear that we must have a true understanding of the true science of education.

“ ‘Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.’ ” The Christian Educator, August 1, 1897

Studies in Christian Education, written by E. A. Sutherland, a pioneer and Adventist educator, compiles quotations from the Spirit of Prophecy regarding the true science of education.

“A brief survey of the history of the Protestant denominations shows that their spiritual downfall in 1844 was the result of their failure ‘to understand the true science of education.’ Their failure to understand and to practice the Christian education unfitted them to proclaim to the world the message of Christ’s second coming. … The Protestant denomination could not give the third angel’s message, a reform movement, which is a warning against the beast and his image, because they were still clinging to those doctrines and those principles of education which themselves form the beast and his image. It is important that … Seventh-day Adventists study seriously the causes of the spiritual decline of these churches in 1844, lest we repeat their history, and be cast aside by the Spirit of God, and thus lose our place in the kingdom. …” Op. cit. 5, 6

“It was the desire for liberty of conscience that inspired the Pilgrims to brave the perils of the long journey across the sea, to endure the hardships and dangers of the wilderness, and with God’s blessing to lay, on the shores of America, the foundation of a mighty nation. … “The Bible was held as the foundation of faith, the source of wisdom, and the charter of liberty. Its principles were diligently taught in the home, in the school, and in the church, and its fruits were manifest in thrift, intelligence, purity and temperance. … It was demonstrated that the principles of the Bible are the surest safeguards to national greatness.” The Great Controversy, 292, 296

What you spend your time studying is what you will really believe. If you spend two hours a week studying the Bible, but ten hours studying Greek philosophy, which will you look to as the source of wisdom?

He Prepared a Place

“The Puritans had joined themselves together by a solemn covenant as the Lord’s free people, ‘to walk together in all His ways made known or to be made known to them.’ Here was the true spirit of reform, the vital principle of Protestantism. (Ibid., 291.)” Op. cit., 7, 8

Why did the Pilgrims Flee to This Country?

“The order of Jesuits found its special mission in combatting the Reformation. As the most effective means of arresting the progress of Protestantism, it aimed at controlling education. ‘It developed an immense educational activity’ in Protestant countries, ‘and earned for its schools a great reputation. … More than any other agency it stayed the progress of the Reformation and it even succeeded in winning back territory already conquered by Protestantism. … It worked chiefly through its schools, of which it established and controlled large numbers. … Every member of the order became a competent and practical teacher.’ (A History of Education, 167–169).” Op. cit., 15

The Protestant Reformation was halted, and the Roman Catholic Church won back more than half of its advance throughout Europe. Protestantism appeared to be dying. But the Lord prepared the New World and sent the Pilgrims, who believed the Bible was the source of all wisdom, the charter of liberty, and the only foundation of religion (sola scriptura), to establish a nation based on Republicanism, Protestantism, and the principles of the Bible.

Only as Good as Your Memory

How did the Jesuits teach? “ ‘The memory was cultivated as a means of keeping down free activity of thought and clearness of judgment.’ (The Philosophy of Education, Karl Rosenkranz, 270, 271).’ ” Op. cit. 16

“For ages education has had to do chiefly with the memory. …

“The education that consists in the training of the memory, tending to dis[1]courage independent thought, has a moral bearing which is too little appreciated. As the student sacrifices the power to reason and judge for himself, he becomes incapable of discriminating between truth and error, and falls an easy prey to deception. He is easily led to follow tradition and custom.” Education, 230

Do you see the problem? Primarily memorizing things makes a person an easy prey to deception. Easily led to follow tradition and custom, he cannot discern between good and evil, allowing others to control him. This is the Jesuit system of education.

“ ‘In the place of self-government, “their [the Jesuits’] method of discipline was a system of mutual distrust, espionage and informing. Implicit obedience relieved the pupils from all responsibility as to the moral justification of their deeds.” ’ (The Philosophy of Education, Karl Rosenkranz, 270, 271)…

“ ‘Originality and independence of mind, love of truth for its own sake, the power of reflecting, and of forming correct judgments, were not merely neglected, they were suppressed in the Jesuits’ system.’ (A History of Education, 171–173).” Op. cit., 16

“ ‘How was it that the church of Rome, having lost a large part of Eu[1]rope, not only ceased to lose, but actually regained nearly half of what she had lost? This is certainly a most curious and important question.’ ” Op. cit., 18

What is Happening Today?

“She [the church of Rome] is determined to conquer and bring back humiliated, broken down, and completely subjugated, the Protestant denominations. She has everywhere, through her Jesuit teachers, editors, and public officials, men at work to fashion public sentiment, to capture the important and controlling positions of government and most of all, to obtain control through her teachers of the minds of Protestant children and youth. She values that eternal principle, and makes use of it. …

“The secret of the rejection of the Protestant denominations in 1844 is contained in the educational history just given. … while they clung to the forms of Protestantism, their educational system continually instilled into the student the life of the Papacy. This produced a form of Protestantism imbued with the Papal spirit. This spells Babylon.

“Certain divine ideas of reform in civil government were received from God by some men in this country during the days of the wounding of the Papacy. These men dared teach and practice these truths. They fostered true principles of civil government to such an extent that the third angel’s message could be delivered under its shelter. But the Papal system of education, as operated by Protestant churches, was a constant menace to this civil reform, because the churches would not break away from the medieval classical course with the granting of degrees and honors—without which it is difficult for aristocracy and imperialism in either church or state to thrive. … The civil reformers repudiated all crowns, titles, and honors that would have perpetuated European aristocracy and imperialism. The churches, because they still clung to the Papal educational system, became responsible, not only for the spirit of the Papacy within themselves, but also for the return of imperialism now so plainly manifesting itself in our government, and especially noticeable in such tendencies toward centralization as the trusts, monopolies and unions.” Op. cit., 20, 22, 23

How Will You Relate to This?

“Assimilation is a law of human nature.” The Upward Look, 123

What does that mean? Assimilate means to “absorb or integrate into a wider society or culture.” What you take in becomes part of your worldview, your value system, and your character.

In the world today, it is necessary to train and develop skills so a person can earn a living. But in the process of learning these needed skills, almost unconsciously, people are learning a lot of something else. What are they learning? According to the law of assimilation, the person takes in the value system, worldview, and philosophy of their teacher, classmates, boss, coworkers, and others with whom they associate, changing their philosophy, standards, and values. The teachers who teach today were taught yesterday by other teachers, who were trained by others, and so on.

In the 19th century, Charles Darwin wrote The Origin of the Species. The devil has used this book to deceive a large number of mankind into believing that there is no God, and that there was no creation. Almost the entire educational world teaches the theory of evolution. How did Charles Darwin come up with the theory of evolution?

“After taking part in the witchcraft ceremonies, not only was his [Charles Darwin’s] mind affected but his body also. “It is not commonly known that Charles Darwin, while a naturalist aboard the Beagle, was initiated into witchcraft in South America by nationals. During horseback travels into the interior, he took part in their ceremonies and, as a result something happened to him. Upon his return to England, although his health was strangely weakened, he spent the rest of his life working on theories to destroy faith in the Creator.” The Evolution Cruncher, Vance Ferrell, 25, 26

What happens to you when you start taking part in witchcraft ceremonies? Evil spirits take control of your mind. You believe you came up with the idea, but it came from evil spirits, and these evil theories are taught in universities all over the world, destroying faith in the Bible. If evolution is true, then the Bible is a fiction. But as Christians, we know that the Bible is the truth, thus making the theory of evolution and other topics of study generated by evil spirits fiction.

“In the study of language and literature from what fountains are the youth taught to drink?—From the wells of paganism; from springs fed by the corruptions of ancient heathendom. They are bidden to study authors, of whom, without dispute, it is declared that they have no regard for the principles of morality. …

“Besides these there is a multitude of fiction writers.” Education, 226, 227

Take, for example, the Harry Potter books. People think that the books are fiction and good entertainment. However, everything that enters the mind is education, and evil spirits teach a great deal of the education provided in the world today.

In the book Harry Potter and the Bible: The Menace Behind the Magick (Richard Abanes), it says, “Any time the dark side of the supernatural world is presented as harmless or even imaginary there is the danger that children will become curious and find too late that witchcraft is neither harmless nor imaginary. In a culture with an obvious trend toward witchcraft and New Age ideology, parents need to consider the effect that these ideas may have on young and impressionable minds.”

The civilization of our forefathers—belief in the principles of the U.S. Constitution—is being destroyed, and a civilization based on Greek philosophy, the errors of Egypt, and the Canaanites is developing.

How Do I Get Out?

If the Holy Spirit has revealed to you that you are caught in this trap, is there a way out? Praise God, my friend, there is. We must reject the world’s philosophies and immerse ourselves in the study of God’s word. Many who have received their education, including masters or doctorate degrees, through the false educational system of the world, still maintain a primitive faith in the word of God. How did they keep this faith? The answer is always the same. They recognize that there was something wrong with what they were being taught, and they would spend two or more hours a day praying and studying the Bible.

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day. You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts.” Psalm 119:97–100

Friends, if you think more like a Greek philosopher than like a Bible-believing Christian, take out the book and study it from cover to cover. Study the life of Jesus and ask the Lord to impress these words of truth on your mind that you may escape the devil’s trap. *not her real name

Pastor John J. Grosboll is the Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be reached by email at historic@stepstolife.org or by telephone at 316-788-5559.

Appeal on Immortality

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Men of reason and common sense, give your serious attention to the following points. Read your Bibles again. Read carefully, read prayerfully. See if these things be true or not. Dare to think for yourselves. Do not trust to commentaries. Do not build your faith on bodies of divinity. Go to the fountain head of truth. “The words of the Lord are tried words.” “The law of the Lord is perfect.” This cannot be said of the writings or opinions of any man, or number of men, however wise or holy they may be. To err is human. God and His truth alone are infallible. Show yourselves true Protestants, and cast away the “traditions of men.” You have the Bible. The wisest and holiest of the “fathers” had no more. Your ministers have nothing else to guide them—at least they ought not. “The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the book for Protestants.” Go then to your Bibles, and see if the God-dishonoring doctrines to which I am directing your attention are found there or not. Excuse me if I tell you, that, however full of these doctrines human books and sermons may be, God’s Bible does not contain them.

Rather, believe that man is mortal and condemned to die, but Christ is “come that they [mankind] may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

“The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23

Is It Reasonable

… to suppose that God created man an immortal being, and yet never once in His holy word informed us of the fact?

… to suppose that if man naturally possessed immortality, God’s word would recommend us to seek for it, as it does in Romans 2:7?

… to suppose, that if men were naturally immortal, God’s word would so plainly assure us that “God only hath immortality?” 1 Timothy 6:16

… to suppose that words, when found in the Bible, must have a meaning attached to them, which no man in his senses would ever think of attaching to them in any other book? For instance, the words life and death, when found in the Bible, must (as theologians tell us) mean “happiness” and “misery”; but, if found in any other book in the world, they would simply mean “existence” and “cessation of existence.”

… to suppose that in all the vast multitude of passages in which Christ promised eternal life to His followers, He did not literally mean what He said? This He could not, if all men have immortal life by nature. In that case, the wicked would live with the righteous throughout eternity.

… to suppose, in all the vast multitude of passages in which death is threatened as the punishment of the sinner, that loss of happiness is all that is meant? An unhappy man is as truly alive as the most happy being in existence; and if he be immortal by nature, will continue alive through all eternity. In no plain, common-sense language can any immortal being be said to suffer death.

… to suppose that infinite wisdom would invariably use language which was only calculated to mislead mankind, or which none but doctors of divinity could unravel? Would God speak in riddles to men in the great matters which concern their salvation?

… and more in accordance with the wisdom and love of God to suppose that He would give His creatures such a revelation, as plain, common-sense people could easily understand? He has done so; if men would use their reason in reading the Bible, as they would do in reading any other book.

… to believe that men go to heaven or hell immediately at death, and then hundreds or thousands of years afterward are taken out to be judged, and to see to which they deserve to be sent? Should we deem it right to send a man to a state’s prison for ten years, and then bring him out for trial to see if he deserved such a punishment? And “shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

… that such prominence should be given in Scripture to the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead, if that event only means a “reunion” of a lump of clay, with the conscious thinking and real man—the soul; and which is said by theologians to be as capable of happiness or misery, without the body as with it?

… to talk about a “death that never dies,” when there is not a word in Scripture to sanction such a contradictory phrase? Would it not be equally reasonable to speak of the reward of the righteous as a “life that never lives?” Is there not as much common sense in the one as in the other?

… to be so constantly, both in sermons and prayers, talking about “immortal souls,” “never-dying souls,” “deathless spirits,” and other such expressions, when there is not from Genesis to Revelation one single passage to warrant the use of such language?

… to say that eternal death and eternal torment are synonymous expressions (as theologians tell us)—for how then can it be said in Revelation 21:4, “There shall be no more death?”

… to believe that a hell of fiery torment and ceaseless misery is to exist forever, when God says, “Behold, I make all things new?” Revelation 21:5

… to believe in the eternal torment of the wicked, when more than two hundred passages of Scripture plainly affirm that they shall “die,” be “consumed,” “devoured,” “destroyed,” “burnt up,” “be as though they had not been?”

… to believe that the righteous in their glorified state can be indifferent to, and unaffected by, the endless sufferings of countless millions of their fellow beings; among whom would probably be found parents, children, husbands, and wives? Is it possible that they will be destitute or deprived of qualities which are considered most lovely and godlike in this life (piety, sympathy, compassion, commiseration for others’ woes)? Will insensibility to the woes of the wretched ever become a virtue? Will that which is a vice in this life, become a grace in the glorious future life? Is the standard of virtue thus variable, that what is vicious here, is to be gracious hereafter?

… to believe that a God of infinite rectitude will punish with eternal torment the heathen who have never heard of Christ, and who therefore could not reject Him? Is it possible that God can cast into one indiscriminate mass of fiery torment, the least wicked among the heathen, together with the most guilty in this Christian land, for such must be the case if their souls are immortal, and if their torment is to be eternal? There can be no degrees in that which is infinite. Is it not far more reasonable to believe the apostle’s words literally, “For as many as have sinned without the law, shall also perish without law?” Romans 2:12

… to believe that God is such a vindictive Being, that His justice cannot be satisfied with the death of the offender? To believe that He must be constantly pouring floods of fiery wrath upon the wretched being through the ever-rolling cycles of eternity?

Is it not far more reasonable to believe that immortality is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord? Romans 6:23

Forty Questions on Immortality

  1. Who is immortal? “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” 1Timothy 1:17
  2. Are not all men possessed of immortality? “He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords: who only hath immortality.” 1Timothy 6:15
  3. Are not all men created immortal? God “alone has immortality.” 1Timothy 6:16
  4. Is there any way by which men may obtain immortality? “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2Peter 1:4
  5. Is this immortality revealed by Plato or Socrates, or by familiar rapping spirits, or in nature—or is it through Jesus Christ and His gospel? “By the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” 2Timothy 1:10
  6. Who has power to bestow immortality upon man? “… the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23
  7. Will God give this gift to all persons whatever their works may be? God “will render to every man according to his deeds.” Romans 2:6
  8. What will be the portion of those who are contentious and obey not the truth? “But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil.” Romans 2:8, 9, first part
  9. To whom will God impart immortality? “To those who by patient continuance in doing good, seek for glory, honor, and immortality.” Romans 2:7
  10. What shall be their reward? “Eternal life.” Romans 2:7
  11. Upon what conditions may we obtain this blessing? “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.” 1Timothy 6:12, first part
  12. When do men obtain immortality? Is it at death or at the resurrection? “And the dead will be raised incorruptible.” 1Corinthians 15:52, last part
  13. How shall those who are not dead become incorruptible? “We shall be changed.” 1Corinthians 15:52
  14. When will this change take place? “At the last trump.” 1Corinthians 15:52
  15. How suddenly will the change occur? “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump.” 1Corinthians 15:52
  16. Will this change be a change of the internal, or the external and physical, corruptible man? “For this corruptible must put on incorruption.” 1Corinthians 15:53, first part
  17. What, then, becomes immortal? “This mortal must put on immortality.” 1Corinthians 15:53, last part
  18. What scripture will be fulfilled when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality? “Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1Corinthians 15:54, last part
  19. Who will be raised from the dead? “All that are in their graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth.” John 5:28, 29, first part
  20. Will the unburied arise? “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades [the grave] delivered up the dead which were in them.” Revelation 20:13
  21. Will different classes of characters arise in the resurrection? “There will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.” Acts 24:15
  22. For what are the good raised? “They that have done good unto the resurrection of life.” John 5:29, first part
  23. To what will all others be raised? “They that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:29, last part
  24. Will a man’s destiny at last be in accordance with his previous life? “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7, last part
  25. What will be the portion of the ungodly? “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.” Galatians 6:8, first part
  26. What will be the reward of the saint? “He who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Galatians 6:8, last part
  27. Where now is the Christian’s life? “Your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3
  28. How, then, should we live? “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.” Galatians 6:9
  29. What will be the fate of those who sow to the flesh? “They will utterly perish in their own corruption.” 2Peter 2:12, last part
  30. Is it possible for man to be utterly destroyed? “Fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28, last part
  31. What is the wages of sin? “For the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23
  32. Is this death merely a bodily death? “The soul who sins shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20, first part
  33. If the wicked turn away from his wickedness and do right, what then? “He preserves himself alive.” Ezekiel 18:27, last part
  34. When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits sin, what will be his fate? “Because of the iniquity which he has done that he dies.” Ezekiel 18:26, last part
  35. As he first dies in his iniquity, and then dies for his iniquity, what must this last death be called? “The second death.” Revelation 21:8
  36. What is the result attained by the man who converts a sinner from the error of his ways? “He will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” James 5:20, last part
  37. What has God placed before us to excite us to action? “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing.” Deuteronomy 30:19, first part
  38. How does God manifest His love to men? “God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
  39. What is our Saviour’s complaint concerning mankind? “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” John 5:40
  40. What is the command of God to all? “Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, says the Lord God. ‘Therefore, turn and live.’ ” Ezekiel 18:31, 32

Source: adventbeliefs.com/assets/BBR/17/Appeal-on-Immortality-James-White

Everything Was Given

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“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell (sheol), behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”

Psalm 139:7–10

The Mariana Trench

One hundred twenty-four miles east of the Mariana Islands in the western North Pacific Ocean lies the Mariana Trench. It is part of the Izu-Bonin-Mariana subduction system. It coincides with the subduction zones that form the boundary between two tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate, which is subducted beneath the Mariana Plate.

The Trench is more than 1,580 miles long and an average of 43 miles wide. Its deepest areas are Nero Deep, 31,693 feet; Challenger Deep, 36,201 feet; and Sirena Deep, 35,463. The temperature at the bottom of the Trench is 35–39°F.

The first descent to the bottom of the Trench occurred on January 23, 1960, making a record dive of 35,814 feet into Challenger Deep. On March 26, 2012, the submersible Deepsea Challenger made a dive to 35,756 feet, setting a new world record depth for a solo descent.

In 2009, the Trench was established as a US National Monument. The Mariana Trench Marine National Monument encompasses 95,216 square miles of submerged land and waters within the Mariana Archipelago. Although it includes some of the Mariana Trench, it does not encompass Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Trench.

Source: britannica.com/place/Mariana-Trench; wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Trench

Outer Space

Earth ends, and outer space begins at the Kármán line, approximately 62 miles straight up from the surface of the planet. However, because the Kármán line is partly a reality and partly a human construct, scientists continue to debate the actual distance, which could range from 18.5 miles to 1 million miles.

The physical aspect of the Kármán line roughly marks the altitude where traditional aircraft can no longer fly. Commercial aircraft have a maximum flying altitude of 42,000 feet, and helicopters, both civilian and military, have a maximum altitude of 40,280 feet. However, US military aircraft have a maximum flying altitude of 50,000 feet, except the U-2 spy plane, SR-71 Blackbird, and the X-15. They, along with the Soviet MIG-31 and MIG E-266M, can reach altitudes as high as 354,200 feet (67 miles).

Source: simpleflying.com/how-high-can-military-planes-fly; Wikipedia.org/wiki- Kármán_line; astronomy.com/space-exploration/the-karman-line-where-does-space-begin

To Every Corner

According to NASA, the Earth’s radius is 3,963 miles at the equator, its widest point due to the equatorial bulge, and 3,950 miles at the poles. This results in an Earth diameter of 7,913 miles at the equator, but it is slightly smaller, 7,900 miles when measured from pole to pole. The equatorial circumference of Earth is 24,901 miles, but the meridional circumference (North Pole to South Pole) is 24,860 miles.

Source: space.com/17638-how-big-is-earth

The Eruption Heard Around the World

From May 20 to October 21, 1883, the island of Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait experienced repeated volcanic eruptions. On August 27, 1883, the most destructive of the eruptions—registering as a six on the VEI (volcanic explosivity index) destroyed over 70% of the island and its surrounding archipelago and caused it to collapse in upon itself, creating a caldera. It is one of the deadliest and most destructive volcanic events in recorded history.

The explosion was heard 1,930 miles away in Perth, Australia, and 3,000 miles away in Rodrigues near Mauritius (an island country off the southeastern coast of East Africa).

The acoustic pressure wave circled the globe more than three times, rupturing the eardrums of sailors aboard the RMS Norham Castle just off the coast of Sumatra, 630 miles away. The explosion generated multiple tsunamis and killed at least 38,417 people, including 3,000 people, the entire population of the island of Sebesi, 7.5 miles from Krakatoa.

Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/1883_eruption_or_Krakatoa

“The coming of Christ to our world was a great event, not only to this world, but to all the worlds in the universe of God. Before the heavenly intelligences He was to take upon Himself our nature, to be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet to leave an example of perfect purity and unblemished character.

“Satan and his angels exulted as they discovered that the Son of God had taken upon Himself the nature of man, and had come to be man’s substitute, to engage in the conflict in our behalf. The human family had been overpowered by the deception of the enemy … .

“Satan gloried in the opportunity of besieging the Son of God with fierce temptations. Because He had taken upon Himself the nature of man, Satan deemed that his victory was certain, and with every malignant device in his power he strove to overcome Christ. The steadfast resistance of Christ to the temptations of the enemy brought the whole confederacy of evil to war against Him. Evil men and evil angels united their forces against the Prince of peace.

“The issues at stake were beyond the comprehension of men, and the temptations that assailed Christ were as much more intense and subtle than those which assail man as His character was purer and more exalted than is the character of man in his moral and physical defilement. In His conflict with the prince of darkness in this atom of a world, Christ had to meet the whole confederacy of evil, the united forces of the adversary of God and man; but at every point He met the tempter, and put him to flight. Christ was conqueror over the powers of darkness, and took the infinite risk of consenting to war with the enemy, that He might conquer him in our behalf.

“The Redeemer of the world clothed His divinity with humanity, that He might reach humanity; for, in order to bring to the world salvation, it was necessary that humanity and divinity should be united. Divinity needed humanity, that humanity might afford a channel of communication between God and man, and humanity needed divinity, that a power from above might restore man to the likeness of God.

“Christ was God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the tokens of divinity, which had commanded the homage of angels and called forth the adoration of the universe of God. He made Himself of no reputation, took upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of sinful flesh. For our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich.

“He humbled Himself to pass through man’s experiences, and He would not turn aside from the plan by which salvation could come to man. Knowing all the steps in the path of His humiliation, He refused not to descend step by step to the depths of man’s woe, that He might make expiation [atonement] for the sins of the condemned, perishing world. What humility was this? It amazed the angels. Tongue can never describe it. Pen can never portray it. The imagination cannot take it in. Sinless and exalted by nature, the Son of God consented to take the habiliments of humanity, to become one with the fallen race. The eternal Word consented to be made flesh. God became man.

“But He stepped still lower; He humbled Himself to bear insult, reproach, accusation, and shameful abuse. In the world which He had made, which was sustained by the word of His power, there seemed to be no room for Him. He had to flee from one place to another until His life work was accomplished. He was betrayed by one of His followers and denied by another. He was mocked and taunted. He was crowned with thorns, and forced to bear the burden of the cross.

“He was not insensible to ignominy and contempt; He submitted to it, but He felt its bitterness as no other being could feel it. Pure, holy, and undefiled, He was yet arraigned as a criminal before the eyes of the world. From the highest exaltation, the adorable Redeemer took step after step in the path of humiliation. He consented to die in the sinner’s stead, that by a life of obedience, man might escape the penalty of the law.

“He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death. And what a death! It was the most shameful, the most cruel—the death upon the cross as a malefactor. He died not as a hero in the eyes of men, loaded with honors; He died as a condemned criminal, suspended between the heavens and the Earth—died a lingering death, exposed to the tauntings and revilings of a debased and profligate mob.

“ ‘All they that see Me laugh Me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head.’ He was numbered with the transgressors, and even His kinsmen according to the flesh disowned Him. … He expired amidst derision. But all His sufferings were counted as of small account in consideration of the result He was working out in behalf of man, and for the good of the whole universe.

“He expired on the cross exclaiming, ‘It is finished,’ and that cry rang through every world, and through heaven itself. The great contest between Christ, the Prince of life, and Satan, the prince of darkness, was practically over, and Christ was conqueror. His death answered the question as to whether there was self-denial with the Father and the Son.

“Through the death of Christ, a door of hope was opened for fallen man. Man was under sentence of death for the transgression of the law of God. He was under condemnation as a traitor, as a rebel; but Christ came to be his substitute, to die as a malefactor, to suffer the penalty of the traitors, bearing the weight of their sins upon His divine soul. He descended lower and lower, till there were no lower depths of humiliation to sound, in order that He might lift up those who would believe in Him, and cleanse the guilty from moral defilement, and impart to them His own righteousness. He died to make an atonement, to redeem, cleanse, restore, and exalt man to a place at His right hand.

“Through His life upon Earth, He scattered blessings wherever He went. Though at His word legions of angels would render Him homage, yet He walked the Earth unhonored, unconfessed. In place of praise, He met reproach. He walked among men as one of the poor and lowly. Though He healed the sick, relieved the oppressed, bound up the brokenhearted, yet few called Him blessed, and the great of the Earth passed Him by with disdain.

“As a member of the human family He was mortal, but as God He was a fountain of life to the world. He could have withstood the advances of death and refused to come under its dominion, but voluntarily He laid down His life that He might bring life and immortality to light. He bore the sin of the world, endured the penalty, yielded up His life as a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. Contrast His suffering and humiliation with the riches of His glory, with the wealth of praise pouring forth from immortal tongues, with the anthems of adoration, with the homage of millions of holy angels in the heights of the sanctuary, and seek to comprehend what manner of love inspired the heart of Jesus.

“How much has God loved the race of men?—Look to Calvary. As you behold Jesus upon the cross, does not the heinous character of sin appear? It was sin that caused the death of God’s dear Son, and sin is the transgression of the law. Says the prophet: ‘Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. … It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied … .’ ” The Signs of the Times, January 5, 1915

To the deepest parts of land or sea, to the highest points and farthest distances of the sky or universe, man barely can comprehend the love of God in His creation, nor, even faintly, the love that led Him to sacrifice His Son for man’s salvation.

“The love of God is so deep, so full, that it could only be expressed in giving for our sakes His own beloved Son to poverty, to shame, to humiliation, to mockery, and to death. He was the most costly and precious offering that could be given to the world, and in Him all heaven was given.” The Bible Echo, November 25, 1895

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38, 39