Christian Life

Rooted and Grounded

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Our only safety is to be rooted and grounded in the love and strength of Christ.

Paul says in Ephesians 3:16–19, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” What experience must we have? We must be strengthened by His Spirit, so that we can be rooted and grounded in love. We will never fully understand the mysteries of God, but unless we are rooted and grounded in His love, we will not understand the dimensions of God’s love, or have Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith.

In Revelation 13, we read about the image to the beast. “And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.” Revelation 13:13, 14. From these verses we see that the devil will instigate the enforcement of the mark of the beast. What will his first deception be? Miracles. Today, more than ever, people are putting their faith in miracles. To many minds, if something “miraculous” takes place, they believe it is a sign of God. But are miracles a test? They are not.

Satan’s second method is a false Holy Spirit movement, a false Pentecostal experience based on feeling. The underlying issue, with both of his great deceptions, is getting people to trust in feelings. When you do not have the peace of Christ, the devil gives you something in place of it. He gives this emotional, “feel good” experience.

What does God’s Word say about that? Peter says something very interesting in 2 Peter 1:16–18: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.” Peter here recalls the transfiguration, where they were eyewitnesses of Jesus’ majesty.

The transfiguration was a type of the second coming. Elijah was there, representing those who will be alive when Jesus comes. Moses represented the dead who will be raised. This was the most dazzling sight that human eyes had ever beheld. It was awe inspiring. Look at what Peter said in the next verse: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy.” Is God’s Word above miracles? Is it above dazzling sights? It is! Peter said, “We saw the transfiguration, that miraculous sight, but we have a more sure word.”

Our senses can deceive us. Feelings can deceive us, but God’s Word never will. “We also have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19.

God’s Word is the only sure, stable thing on which we can base our faith, on this earth. It is, as the psalmist said, a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. (Psalm 119:105.) It shows us the way we should go, and is the only foundation on which we can build.

 

Abraham’s Test

 

There are many examples of faith over feeling in the Bible. Faith is simply taking God at His Word, even when we do not feel like it. It does not take faith to accept what you believe. And so faith is actually putting God’s Word over feeling.

The most severe test ever to come upon a mortal was when God directed Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Did that go against Abraham’s feelings? It was directly opposite to all of his loving, paternal feelings for his precious, only son. For three days, as Abraham and Isaac journeyed up to Mount Moriah, Abraham was tormented by a fierce inner conflict. He could not understand. It did not make sense. How could it be? The promised Messiah was to come through Isaac’s lineage. If he sacrificed Isaac, the Messiah could not come. The devil was whispering in Abraham’s ear, “Thou shalt not kill.” (See Patriarchs and Prophets, 148.) But Abraham knew that God had instructed him, and he would obey. Abraham knew that his feelings did not matter. He had to put God’s Word above feeling, above inclination—and that is what we must do.

Dependence on feelings will be the devil’s great deception in the last days. He will use it to have the national Sunday law passed, by people relying upon feeling. But the Bible says that we have to rely upon God’s Word. It does not matter how many people are against you. If Abraham had told anyone what he was doing, they would have said that he was crazy. We must rely solely upon God’s Word to be rooted and grounded. It must be the basis for our every action. We must be willing to stand by God’s Word though the heavens fall. The Bible says, “The word of the Lord endureth for ever.” 1 Peter 1:25. We must stand upon this firm platform.

How do we become firmly rooted and grounded in Christ? It takes more than just a casual study of God’s Word. Ellen White tells us in The Great Controversy that, “None but those who have fortified their minds with the truths of God’s Word will stand through the last great conflict.” The Great Controversy, 593.

What does fortified mean? It means strong, built up, strengthened. Is it a casual reading here and there? No. Do a tree’s roots ever stop growing? What happens if its roots stop growing? If the roots stop growing, the tree dies and it falls or is blown down by the wind. The Bible refers to the righteous as a tree, as a palm in the desert, and as the cedars in Lebanon. So, likewise, our roots must never stop growing, pushing deeper and deeper into the soil of God’s Word.

As we study God’s inspired Word for eternity, we will go even deeper. We can read God’s Word forever and ever, and always receive a blessing, and learn more truth. We must go deeper. We can never say, “I am rooted and grounded.” We have to constantly send our roots down deeper. There is danger of having a superficial experience, content to cling to the surface.

In the time of Jesus, there were Jews that had the entire Old Testament memorized, and most had the first five books of Moses committed to memory. They could quote you chapter and verse, but it had not taken root in their lives. They still rejected and crucified the Son of God. Knowledge alone will not save us.

 

The True Source of Wisdom

 

1 Corinthians 2:5 says, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” The wisdom of men will not suffice. Our faith must stand in the power of God. When Paul wrote this verse he was contemplating his work in Athens. The Athenians were worldly wise. When in Athens, Paul had matched wisdom with wisdom, and philosophy with philosophy. But in his next field, Corinth, he “determined not to know anything save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2. Philosophy and wisdom do not change the heart and life.

We must be searching for the truth as for hidden treasure. A gold miner cannot just pick up the gold of the ground. He has to dig down deep to find the precious treasure. That is where the truths of God’s Word are—in hidden veins that take time, effort and energy to gain. If we are satisfied to pick up a few of the nice pretty rocks on the surface, our faith is based on the wisdom of men, not on the power of God.

Jesus said to the Jews in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they that testify of me.” It is only as we learn of Christ, and accept Him into our hearts and lives, that we study so that we can ask and learn what it is Jesus wants us to do. Then we not only have the wisdom—the head knowledge—but we also have the heart knowledge.

I tell those I study with that, “A lot of people are lost by eighteen inches.” Eighteen inches is the distance from your head to your heart. Many are content to have the head knowledge, but not that personal connection with Christ. They are not studying so that they can know the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Many are studying to gain knowledge to explain all the prophecies and symbols in the book of Revelation. But one of the reasons God gave the prophecies is that the Day Star might arise in our hearts and we would be converted. It is not something which we can gain of ourselves, or get by going to church every week, by listening to what other people say. We must make the effort for ourselves. We must be digging deep into God’s Word.

The average life of a fundamental Christian is seventy-five years. He spends six months in worshipping, six years in eating, nine years in amusement, seven and one-half year in dressing, six years traveling, nineteen years in working, and twenty-three years sleeping. Do you think there’s some time that we could carve out? It says that we spent six years in eating, nine years in amusement, but only six months in worship. Who are we putting first? Are we putting God first, or are we putting amusement or appetite first? Jesus said: “Labor not for the meat” or food “which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life.” John 6:27.

Very few people go for a day without eating. Why? Because when you do not eat, it is hard to work. You become faint and weak. If we neglect reading God’s Word for just one day, spiritually we grow weak. It does not matter how much we know. If we are not daily sending roots deeper and deeper—if we are not being strengthened by reading God’s Word every day, we are not being rooted and grounded, and we will not be saved. We will be shaken out unless there is a true reformation in our hearts and in our lives.

 

Spiritual Growth

 

For a plant to grow and become rooted and grounded, it needs water, air and sunlight. The Bible refers to water. Jesus said, “I will give you living water from God’s Word.” When we spend five, ten or fifteen minutes a day, we are only sipping. He did not say, “I will give you a teaspoonful.” (David said, “my cup runneth over” Psalm 23:5.) Jesus said, “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14.

Water is the best thirst quencher there is. People drink substitutes like soda pop, but it only makes them more thirsty. Living water is all that will satisfy, and living water is God’s Word.

Another requirement for growth is air. Prayer is the breath of the soul. A person can live for only a few minutes without breathing, for a few days without water, and for a few weeks without food. Do you see then why we are told to “Pray without ceasing”?

Our prayers should be more than a formal routine. Jesus said not to use vain repetitions in prayer. Prayer should be like talking to God as to a friend. True prayer is not just saying a few set words, then getting into bed. True prayer is where we receive our strength, our nourishment, and where we receive our life.

The third requirement for plant growth and strength is sunlight. The Bible refers to Jesus as the “Sun of Righteousness,” that will “arise with healing in His wings.” Malachi 4:2.

Not only do we need to pray and spend that time drinking largely from the fountain of living water, but we also need to be doers. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24–27.

It takes more than reading from God’s Word. It takes more than prayer. If we are to be rooted, if we are to stand upon the Rock, we will be obedient to God’s Word. Then it will completely transform our lives. Jesus said, “If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32.

Do you want to be a new creature in Christ? Then you must be rooted in Christ, and continually growing to reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. You must have continual growth, or you will wither away and die.

Take time every day to dig deeply into God’s Word. Breathe the fresh air of God’s power and strength through prayer. Allow the Sun of Righteousness to arise in your heart. Do not be a forgetful hearer, but instead a doer also. Then, my friend, when the winds come, and when the storms rage around you, you will be found securely fastened to the Rock.

 

The Times of Trouble

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In Daniel 12:1 it says: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, everyone that shall be found written in the Book.” In the title of this article, notice the plural word, times, in “The Times of Trouble.” When an object is looked at with the naked eye, sometimes only one item is seen. But, if it is looked at with a magnifying glass, it can be seen that there are divisions. If one stands on railroad tracks and looks far down the tracks, in the distance they seem to come together and make one track.

When the prophets of old looked down the line of something far away, they tended to see it as a mass. Later prophets saw more detail. Sometimes in the experience of a single prophet, from an earlier vision to a later vision there will be a difference. The first vision appears to be looking at a mass and the later visions appear to be looking at more detail. That is why I have called this “The Times of Trouble.”

We know what trouble is. We know that the Christian’s life is a time of trouble. We can see reference to that frequently in the counsels of the Spirit of Prophecy. For example: “Remember that in every time of trouble, Jesus is near you, seeking to impress His image upon you. He is trying to help you to carry the cross. He is close beside you . . . He is always ready to clasp the hand stretched out for aid.” The Review and Herald, June 20, 1907. We have wonderful promises about any kind of trouble, any place, any time. But there is another use of the phrase “the time of trouble,” which is a little different. In the book, The Great Controversy, 614, we read about a great and final time of trouble.

In The Great Controversy, 594, God’s messenger writes about a problem the disciples had. There are at least three times in the New Testament when Jesus told them directly and specifically that He was going to be betrayed and crucified, and that He would rise from the grave on the third day. Yet, we are told in this reference, that the problem with the disciples was that they were just not listening to that information. They did not want to hear, because it was not in harmony with their ideas. They wanted a Messiah to come and establish a great empire of Israel. They wanted Israel to rule over all the nations. With such a dream in their minds, it was hard for them to get the clear picture, even though they were plainly told.

“The words which they needed to remember were banished from their minds; and when the time of trial came, it found them unprepared. The death of Jesus as fully destroyed their hopes as if He had not forewarned them.” The Great Controversy, 594.

Suppose they had internalized these statements that Jesus made about what was going to happen. Where would they have been on the morning of the third day, when Jesus had said He would rise again? They would have been there around the tomb, pressing as closely as they could, waiting for that huge event to take place.

They would have seen with their own eyes that blinding flash of glory. They would have seen the Roman soldiers fall as dead men to the ground. They would have seen with their own eyes the angel’s hand roll that stone away from the grave, and Jesus step forth proclaiming Himself Lord of all. How that would have strengthened their ministry! How much better it would have been when they went all over the world, as they then did, preaching, if they could have said, “We saw it. We were there. He told us that it was going to happen and it came about just like He said. We saw it with our own eyes.” Would that have made their testimony much stronger?

Instead, they missed it because they did not listen carefully. I want to apply this to our time. After telling us that the death of Jesus as fully destroyed their hopes as if He had not forewarned them, Ellen White says: “So in the prophecies the future is opened before us as plainly as it was opened to the disciples by the words of Christ.” Ibid. What future is she talking about? Notice carefully: ” . . . the events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble.” Ibid. Can you recite these events? What if you were asked, “What are the events connected with the time of trouble?” Could you immediately tell what they are? Do we have them as clearly in our minds as they ought to be?

 

Four Times of Trouble

 

Let us consider these events and see if we can be in a better position than the disciples. In spite of their great privilege, they were not prepared. “The events connected with the close of probation and the work of preparation for the time of trouble, are clearly presented. But multitudes have no more understanding of these important truths than if they had never been revealed.” Ibid.

This study is called “The Times of Trouble.” The reason is that the references to the time of trouble at first looks like it is one great big event. Then upon a careful investigation, it is found that the study naturally divides into four parts, or four phases, of the time of trouble.

Phase one is the time of preparation. I propose that we are in that time right now. Phase two is the little time of trouble which is just before the close of probation. Between phase one—the time of preparation, and phase two which is just before the close of probation, there is not a clear line drawn. Phase three is after the close of probation. Between phase two and phase three there is a very distinct line—the close of probation. Then phase four is after the death decree. This again is a very distinct line.

 

Phase One—The Time of Preparation

 

The word preparation occurs over and over in the inspired writer’s discussion of this topic. Ellen White refers to it as the time of the early rain, not the time of the latter rain, which very definitely comes later in phase two. In the Bible, they spoke of the early rain and the latter rain in relation to the barley harvest. It took the early rain in Palestine to cause the seed to sprout and grow. Near the end of the harvest season there would be a latter rain, which they could expect with confidence, which would cause the barley to mature and be ready for the harvest. Phase one is the early rain time and the preparation here involves a shaking. As I go about the country speaking to people in various places, I am often asked, “Brother Larson, do you think we are in the shaking time?” I have typically answered, “Yes.” But, I have not had time to explain all that I think about that. What I find is that we are right now in the mental shaking time, to be followed by the physical shaking.

Notice the two kinds of people, and the two kinds of mental preparing. “Those who are uniting with the world are receiving the worldly mold and preparing for the mark of the beast. Those who are distrustful of self, who are humbling themselves before God and purifying their souls by obeying the truth—these are receiving the heavenly mold and preparing for the seal of God.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 216.

Some people, at this very moment, are preparing for the mark of the beast, others are preparing for the seal of God. That is why I call this a mental shaking time. This is borne out by the statements about the two parties being formed. “As trials thicken around us, both separation and unity will be seen in our ranks.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 400.

“Here [Isaiah 8:11–16] are plainly represented two distinct parties formed from a company that was once united.” The Review and Herald July 18, 1907. Does anyone have any doubt that we are seeing two parties forming in Adventism today? Gradually, but unmistakably, two parties are forming. Those who love the Scriptures, and the Spirit of Prophecy and those who seem to be withdrawing, first from the Spirit of Prophecy, and then from the Scriptures.

 

Physical Preparation

 

In Phase one, the emphasis is more on spiritual preparation, than physical. What do inspired writings say about physical preparation? In Counsels on Diet and Foods, 131, we are advised to have the best physical and mental health that we can, because we are going to need it. She advises that we eat nourishing food, take rest for both body and mind, and make sure our health is in good shape to take what is coming.

The Lord also has something to say about where we should be living in preparation for the future: “Again and again the Lord has instructed that our people are to take their families away from the cities, into the country, where they can raise their own provisions; for in the future the problem of buying and selling will be a very serious one.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 141.

What about storing up food for the very end? She says: “The Lord has shown me in vision, repeatedly, that it is contrary to the Bible to make any provision for our temporal wants in the time of trouble. I saw that if the saints have food laid up by them, or in the fields, in the time of trouble when sword, famine, and pestilence are in the land, it will be taken from them by violent hands and strangers would reap their fields. Then will be the time for us to trust wholly in God, and He will sustain us. I saw that our bread and water would be sure at that time, and we should not lack, or suffer hunger.—The Lord has shown me that some of His children would fear when they see the price of food rising, and they would buy food and lay it by for the time of trouble. Then in a time of need, I saw them go to their food and look at it, and it had bred worms, and was full of living creatures, and not fit for use. Broadside 2, January 31. 1849. (See also Early Writings, 56, 57.) “In the time of trouble none will labor with their hands. Their sufferings will be mental, and God will provide for them.” Adventist Apocalypse, 6.

We are counseled that because of increasing tensions, we should guard our words carefully. We should avoid extremes and rash movements. Some come along impatiently saying, “Let us defy the authorities, stand up to them and tell them where to go. We do not care if they put us into jail.” Some people talk like that. But we must let the Lord lead in those matters. We do not have to set up a time of trouble before the time.

What about owning property in the very end? The Lord has clearly instructed us: “Houses and lands will be of no use to the saints in the time of trouble, for they will then have to flee before infuriated mobs, and at that time their possessions cannot be disposed of to advance the cause of present truth. I was shown that it is the will of God that the saints should cut loose from every encumbrance before the time of trouble comes, and make a covenant with God through sacrifice. If they have their property on the altar and earnestly inquire of God for duty, He will teach them when to dispose of these things. Then they will be free in the time of trouble and have no clogs to weigh them down.

“I saw that if any held on to their property and did not inquire of the Lord as to their duty, He would not make duty known, and they would be permitted to keep their property, and in the time of trouble it would come up before them like a mountain to crush them, and they would try to dispose of it, but would not be able.” Early Writings, 56, 57. Each one will not dispose of his property at the same time. God will instruct us when the right time is. (See Counsels on Stewardship, 59.)

Many who are not strong enough to handle the time of trouble will be laid in their graves before it comes.(See Counsels on Health, 375.) This will include many children. “The Lord has often instructed me that many little ones are to be laid away before the time of trouble.” Child Guidance, 566.

 

Spiritual Preparation

 

The big point is, do not defer the preparation. The things we must do to be prepared we must do now. “I also saw that many do not realize what they must be in order to live in the sight of the Lord without a High Priest in the sanctuary through the time of trouble. Those who receive the seal of the living God and are protected in the time of trouble must reflect the image of Jesus fully.” Early Writings, 71.

“All our preparation for heaven must be completed here. When Christ comes, our characters will not be changed. These vile bodies will be changed, and fashioned after the likeness of His glorious body; but there will not be a moral change wrought in us then.” The Review and Herald, August 7, 1888. Voices all over the country are telling the Seventh-day Adventist people they do not need to stop sinning at all. Jesus is going to stop them from sinning when He comes. No way. If you ever stop sinning, you are going to do it here.

This is what we are aiming for: “Christ never murmured, never uttered discontent, displeasure, or resentment. He was never disheartened, discouraged, ruffled, or fretted. He was patient, calm, and self-possessed under the most exciting and trying circumstances. All His works were performed with a quiet dignity and ease, whatever commotion was around Him. Applause did not elate Him. He feared not the threats of His enemies. He moved amid the world of excitement, of violence and crime, as the sun moves above the clouds. Human passions and commotions and trials were beneath Him. He sailed like the sun above them all. Yet He was not indifferent to the woes of men. His heart was ever touched with the sufferings and necessities of His brethren, as though He Himself were the one afflicted. He had a calm, inward joy, a peace which was serene. His will was ever swallowed up in the will of His Father.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 427, 428.

 

Phase Two–The Little Time of Trouble

 

Phase two is a short but very intense time. A time of very intense activity just before the close of probation.

Ellen White wrote about this little time: “I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God’s dear, waiting saints. I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it.” Early Writings, 85. Pause and reflect upon that. They are not keeping the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it, because they have never received the light. “And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.” Ibid.

People responding said, “What is this? We thought that at the time of trouble there would be no use to preach anymore. What is this preaching of the Sabbath at the commencement of the time of trouble?” Mrs. White wrote another article and explained what she meant. “‘The commencement of that time of trouble,’ here mentioned does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out while Christ is in the Sanctuary.” Ibid.

“At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming upon the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time [notice carefully, that little time] the ‘latter rain,’ or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come.” Ibid. 85, 86.

Today people are saying that they think the latter rain is falling here or there, but this is not correct—not this particular application of the latter rain. It comes in the short time just before the close of probation. “At that time the latter rain or refreshing from the presence of the Lord will come and give power to the voice of the third angel and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.” Ibid.

“I saw that God had children who did not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully. This enraged the churches and nominal Adventists, as they could not refute the Sabbath truth. At this time God’s chosen all saw clearly that we had the truth, and they came out and endured the persecution with us.” Ibid., 33. Are you adding all of these together? We will preach the Sabbath with great power, the Holy Spirit will come with the times of refreshing, the latter rain, the churches will be enraged, the nations will be angry, troubles will be increasing. This is a short, but very, very intense time.

People will be coming out of the other churches and uniting with us and people will be leaving us and uniting with the fallen churches. Ellen White said she saw standard after standard trailing in the dust as company after company left us to join the foe, and tribe after tribe coming in to take their places. (See Testimonies, vol. 8, 41.)

“I saw the sword, and famine, and pestilence, and great confusion in the land. The wicked thought that we had brought the judgments upon them, and they rose up and took counsel to rid the earth of us, thinking that then the evil would be stayed.” Early Writings, 33, 34.

Phase two is the time of the sealing, the time of refreshing, the time when those who have been preparing to receive the seal of God, and those who have been preparing to receive the mark of the beast will receive it.

The Sunday law comes into this period also. “Just before we entered it [the time of trouble], we all received the seal of the living God. Then I saw the four angels cease to hold the four winds. And I saw famine, pestilence, and sword, nation rose against nation, and the whole world was in confusion.” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 968. Big and climactic events will be happening. People will be making their final decisions to go one way or the other. The line will be drawn between them, and the two parties will reach their final fulfillment.

“Servants of God with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices all over the earth, the warning will be given. Signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan also works with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Revelation 13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand . . . Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord’s side.” The Great Controversy, 612.

As we continue reading in The Great Controversy, we notice that Ellen White is looking back to the past. “When the third angel’s message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants of the earth. The people of God have accomplished [past perfect, completed] their work. They have received the ‘latter rain,’ ‘the refreshing from the presence of the Lord,’ and they are prepared for the trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to and fro in heaven. An angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been brought [past perfect] upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts have received the ‘seal of the living God’. Then Jesus ceases His intercession in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, ‘It is done;’ and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the solemn announcement: ‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.’ Revelation 22:11. Every case has been [past perfect] decided for life or death. Christ has made [past perfect] the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins.” The Great Controversy, 613, 614.

 

Blotting out of Sins

 

We hear a lot from time to time about the blotting out of sins. Those who try to bring the blotting out of sins down to a time before the close of probation are mistaken. “When sin has been repented of, confessed, and forsaken, then pardon is written against the sinner’s name; but his sins are not blotted out until after the investigative judgment.” Signs of the Times, May 16, 1895. [All emphasis supplied] The blotting out of sins is after the investigative judgment.

In phase two, the number of His subjects is made up. It is a very intensive, active and shaking time. People are making their final decisions.

 

Phase Three–After Probation Closes

 

Phase three is marked by the beginning of the seven last plagues. This is when we will see the most tremendous convulsions of nature, the most enormous earthquakes, the most enormous tidal waves and the largest famines and pestilences that this world has ever seen. Daniel said there will be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.

Ellen White writes about the fall of Jerusalem when the blood was flowing down the temple steps, and when the crosses were so thick around the walls that you could hardly walk between them. She says it will be like that all over the world. During all this Satan appears as Christ. It is very, very clear that by the fifth plague of darkness, he is doing his work. (See The Great Controversy, 624.)

In Evangelism, 209, she refers to thousands of cities that will be destroyed and become as Jerusalem was during this time. Her attention was directed to a particular group at this time. “I was shown a company who were howling in agony. On their garments was written in large characters, ‘Thou art weighed in the balance, and found wanting.’ I asked who this company were. The angel said, ‘These are they who have once kept the Sabbath and have given it up.’” Present Truth, August 1, 1849. They will be in the greatest distress of all.

When Christ stands up and leaves the Most Holy Place, there is no further atonement. The devil is doing his work, trying to persuade the people that we are the cause of all these terrible things that are happening in the world. This will bring them finally to the place where they are ready to destroy us and the death decree will be made.

 

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

 

The time of Jacob’s trouble. (See The Great Controversy, 613–634.) is a particular time when Jesus says the people of God will stand without a mediator and they will not know their condition for sure.

God’s people can see the plagues falling. They can see everything that is happening all around them and their question is, “Am I right with God.” They know that there is no mediator any longer, probation has closed. If there is any sin at this point, it is hopeless.

The question comes to our mind, Why? Why does not God deliver His people out of the world and take them to the kingdom of God right now? Why do they have to go through this experience after probation has closed? The reason for this is found in Testimonies, vol. 4, 8: “The purification of the people of God cannot be accomplished without their suffering.” We probably do not understand this, and we may never understand, but it is there.

Notice this detail about the attitude of the wicked at this time. “And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire and men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they repented not to give Him glory.” Revelation 16:8, 9. Even through fear they will not repent. They are so locked in an attitude of defiance against God that nothing will change them.

Eventually the last plague comes. “There fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail.” Revelation 16:21. There is still no repentance. No matter what God does, their hearts are so locked in defiance and rebellion that they will not surrender under any conditions. He is showing the whole universe that when Christ said, “It is finished,” it was finished. There is nobody else who will repent no matter what.

 

Summary

 

Phase one: The time of preparation is now. The time when we should be building a faith that is invincible, expecting tests and trials, keeping our possessions on the altar, making spiritual preparation and recognizing that some of our loved ones may be laid in the grave in order to preserve them.

Phase two: An intense time just before the close of probation. The time of the latter rain, the seal of God, and the mark of the beast. The preaching of the Sabbath, in its final phase, with great power of the Holy Spirit, with people accepting either the seal of God or the mark of the beast. Disposing of our possessions as indicated by the Lord so the money can be used in the final proclamation.

Phase three: After the close of probation, the four angels loose the four winds and the plagues begin to fall. There will be tremendous convulsions of the earth, fires, famines, earthquakes, tidal waves, etc. At this time we have the assurance that none of the faithful will die because it would not accomplish anything.

Phase four: The time of Jacob’s trouble, which is after the death decree when it is decreed that all Sabbath keepers should be put to death.

We began our study with the statement from Ellen White that these things have been clearly laid out before us. I must agree with that. The information is there and we would have to agree with the other part of her statement that many of us do not know any more about it than if it had never been revealed.

Let us try to get this firmly fixed in our minds so that we are better prepared than the disciples were. One of the best ways, is to read the last few chapters of The Great Controversy. Read them over and over, slowly and carefully and mark everything you find there.

At this time, let us determine that we are going to use the time of preparation well. The time of preparation is tremendously important, but it is not forever. The thing to keep in our minds is that those who want to stand during that final phase must reflect the image of Jesus fully. Let us make that our goal.

 

The Main Theme of Jesus’ Preaching

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The main theme of Jesus’ preaching and teaching is how you can have eternal life, and not lose your soul in hell. Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount by telling who is going to be in the kingdom of heaven. It will be the poor in spirit, those who mourn, those who are meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, those who are merciful, those who are pure in heart, those who are peacemakers, and those who endure persecution.

He continues in Matthew 5:17–19, “Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.” Those who break the least of the commandments, will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven, or in other words, they will not be there. “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20.

The keeping of the law must be more than a mere external act that you do to please others, as the Pharisees did. True obedience comes from the heart. Jesus taught this clearly later in the Sermon on the Mount. “You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:27–30. It would be better, Jesus said, for you to lose your eye or your hand, and to gain heaven than it would be to have everything except eternal life.

Jesus continues with the same theme in Matthew chapter 6: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19–21. You cannot inherit eternal life if your heart is in this world.

Chapter seven reveals how to obtain eternal life. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Matthew 7:21–23. Only those who do the will of the Father will inherit eternal life.

Jesus taught that there is a hell fire to shun and a heaven to win. Heaven and eternal life are the goal that every Christian should be aiming for—everything else should be secondary.

 

Step by Step

 

As we go along the Christian life, at every step there are some who fall off the path. “God leads His people on, step by step. He brings them up to different points calculated to manifest what is in the heart. Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 187.

A person may be a very good health reformer, and very strict in their dress. He may be reading the Spirit of Prophecy and the Bible. He may even carefully observe the Sabbath and faithfully pay his tithe. A person may be following the Word of the Lord in every particular, until an incident occurs, that makes him upset. He might say, “That so-and-so! Do you know what he did?” Then he rationalizes that if a person can do something like that and be in the church, then he will not associate with them! He leaves that church and goes somewhere else.

Is God going to be able to take us all to heaven if we are upset with each other and there is division and dissension? If I say, “I am not going to go to church there, because of that person,” is God going to be able to take us all to heaven when we are in that kind of a situation?

Maybe someone really did do something wrong and my feelings are hurt. If I say, “Since that is the way it is, I am not going to have anything to do with it. I am leaving.” At that point I have fallen off the path. This is happening all over the world today. It is happening in Conference churches, in historic Adventist churches, and in home churches too.

The devil wants more than anything else to make us fall off the path. He will bring every attack he can against us. What can we do? If we keep in mind the main theme of Jesus’ preaching while walking up the path and keep looking ahead at our goal, we will soon be with Jesus and the saints. For us the path will not seem too long, or the trials too great. It does not bother us so much that someone hurt us, because we have a goal and we have our eyes on that goal.

 

Looking Back

 

Our trouble begins when we stop looking at the goal, and begin looking down or even looking behind. Those who look back and see all the steps they have taken on the path say, “I am so far ahead of everybody else on this path. All the people I used to know are way down there. Look at all these steps I have taken! I had better slow down.” At that point progress stops. They are no longer walking on the path. They are looking back.

It does not matter how many steps we have taken, if we are not at the destination yet, we need to keep walking up the path. If we look down because someone hurts our feelings or does something we do not like, we might become dizzy and fall off the path.

That is a grave danger for Adventists —even for people who have progressed along the path for many years. If we do not keep our eyes on Jesus and we start to look down at all the obstacles, progress stops. Mrs. White talked about this in Testimonies, vol. 1, 187: “Some endure at one point, but fall off at the next. At every advanced point the heart is tested and tried a little closer. If the professed people of God find their hearts opposed to this straight work, it should convince them that they have a work to do to overcome, if they would not be spued out of the mouth of the Lord. Said the angel: ‘God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ ”

She is talking about you and me. Are we going through tests? If we are walking up the path, we will be having tests day by day. If we are not having tests day by day, we should go to our closets and in prayer ask the Lord why. Because, if we are walking on the path, inspiration tells us that God is going to test us.

“Said the angel: ‘God will bring His work closer and closer to test and prove every one of His people.’ Some are willing to receive one point; but when God brings them to another testing point, they shrink from it and stand back, because they find that it strikes directly at some cherished idol. Here they have opportunity to see what is in their hearts that shuts out Jesus. They prize something higher than the truth, and their hearts are not prepared to receive Jesus. Individuals are tested and proved a length of time to see if they will sacrifice their idols and heed the counsel of the True Witness. If any will not be purified through obeying the truth, and overcome their selfishness, their pride, and evil passions, the angels of God have the charge: They are joined to their idols, Let them alone.” Ibid.

No matter who we are—an evangelist, a pastor, a teacher, an elder, or a deacon, we must keep moving up the path toward the Holy City. Along the way, we must overcome certain things.

If we do not overcome, the angels of God have the charge, ” ‘They are joined to their idols. Let them alone,’ and they pass on to their work leaving these with their sinful traits unsubdued to the control of evil angels.” Ibid. If there are sinful traits that we are not overcoming, we need to pray, “Lord, do not take the angels away from me. Give me power to overcome.”

“Those who come up to every point, and stand every test, and overcome, be the price what it may, have heeded the counsel of the True Witness, and they will receive the latter rain, and thus be fitted for translation.” Ibid. That is a promise to us, from the Lord. In order to do that, we need to take the long view. I am so concerned when I see Adventist people who are looking down at all the trouble around their feet, or who are looking back to see how much progress they have made.

It does not matter how much progress we have made if we are not at our destination, we must keep walking up the path. In fact, Ellen White said that we need to step fast. She wrote to people and said, “The hours of probation are fast passing. We have no time—not a moment—to lose.” Maranatha, 311. We need to keep walking up the path. We do not have time to stand still. We have a goal to reach.

 

Seeking a Better Life

 

Children who are born and grow up in the ghetto generally do not like their environment, especially when they see how other people are living outside of the ghetto. Most of these children have a goal that they will not be like their parents. They would tell you that when they grow up, they are not going to live in the ghetto. It is interesting however, that very often these children do end up living in the ghetto as adults.

When children grow up in a home where one or more of the parents drinks, the children do not like to be with a drunk father or a drunk mother—never knowing what is going to happen next. When still young, most make up their minds that they are never going to be like their parents when they grow up. Statistics show a different pattern. Forty percent of children who had one alcoholic parent will be an alcoholic. Eighty percent of the children who were raised in homes where both parents were alcoholics, will become alcoholics as adults. How can this be when all of these people decided when they were children that they were never going to be alcoholics?

First of all it is because of what they saw. Your adult life typically becomes like what you saw while you were growing up. That is the law of the human mind. “By beholding you become changed.”

There is another factor that operates in the ghetto. A child may decide that he is not going to be like his parents. However, his parents were probably in the ghetto partly because of a lack of self-discipline. If he is going to escape the ghetto, he must develop something that his parents did not have.

 

Striving For the Goal

 

Suppose that there are two brothers in the ghetto. They look around and say to themselves, “When we grow up, we are not going to be like our parents. We are not going to live in the ghetto. We are going to get an education and become physicians.”

They are determined and press forward all through high school. After graduation, they are accepted at the state university where they begin their pre-med courses. They have their eyes on a goal.

One of these young men is talented athletically and he is invited to become a member of the basketball team and accepts. The other boy looks over the situation and says to himself, “I think I should use every spare moment that I have to study.” He joins a special study group.

As time goes on, both brothers get part time jobs. One of them uses money from his part time job to buy a car. The other decides to save his money to pay his medical school expenses, and he puts it in the bank.

One of these boys develops a friendship with a girl. Considering the situation, his brother decides: “I want to get into medical school. I do not think I should take time to have a girlfriend right now. I will devote all my time to my studies.”

The one that has the car, is on the basketball team, and has a girlfriend, earns enough money so that he can buy some nice clothes. The other one says, “I think I am going to wear my old clothes and just put my extra money in the bank.”

The time comes when they both graduate from the university. One of them put everything he had into achieving that one goal. His brother had the same goal, but he was enjoying life along the way.

The brothers apply at a medical school. Suppose one of these boys is accepted, and the other one is not. He still has his girlfriend, his car, his nice clothes and he has won a lot of basketball games. But when he sought to get into medical school, he was not accepted. He says, “What is the matter? This has been my goal for years. Why am I not accepted?”

Jesus speaks about this. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13, 14.

“Strive [struggle], to enter in through the narrow gate.” Luke 13:24. Some would say, “Is not eternal life free? Why does He say to strive and struggle?”

Is there a chance that even though all Adventists have the same goal, some of them will be much more likely to reach that goal than others? When Jesus comes, there will be many who will stand outside the door that was shut by the master of the house, and knock saying, “Lord, Lord, open for us.” And He will answer and say to them, “I do not know you. Then they will say, “We ate and drank in your presence. You taught in our streets.” But He will say, “I tell you, I do not know you. Depart from me all you workers of iniquity.”

Are you striving, are you struggling? Have you decided that this goal of having eternal life is the all-consuming passion of your life? Or are you like the boy who is going through college and says, “Yes, I want to get there some day, but I am going to enjoy life now.”

Paul had his eyes fixed on the goal when he said, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12–14.

Do you have your eye on the long term goal. Are you pressing forward with one goal in mind. Can you say with Paul, “This one thing I do”? If that is your attitude, you will make it. No one at the end will say to the Lord, “I chose to make this the number one priority in my life, and I have pressed toward the goal, and now I am lost.”

 

Fanaticism to Apostasy

 

One of the reasons that so many fall off the path today is because of fanaticism. Fanaticism is going beyond what is written. It is also beating the drum on one point. To those who are in fanaticism, one subject becomes everything, and they go beyond what God has written. “The very beginning of the great apostasy was in seeking to supplement the authority of God by that of the church. Rome began by enjoining what God had not forbidden.” The Great Controversy, 289, 290.

There are things that God has not commanded, but neither has He forbidden. When someone dictates to another person that they mustdo something that God has not commanded—that is fanaticism.

Where will it lead? “Rome began by enjoining what God had not forbidden, she ended by forbidding what He has explicitly enjoined.” Ibid. That is apostasy. If we go into fanaticism, and add to what God has told us, the end-result is apostasy.

According to the Spirit of Prophecy, all the types of fanaticism that appeared at the beginning of the Advent movement will reappear at the end. That is what is happening today. All the controversies that we thought were solved years and years ago, are reappearing.

In the early ages of Christianity there were many fanatical theories that arose concerning the nature of Christ, the nature of God, and the nature of the Holy Spirit. The same theories are all surfacing again.

What can we do to keep on the path? David wrote in the Psalms, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105. Jesus is the way, He is the path. As we follow up the path, the light moves and we must keep pace with it. Jesus said, “Walk while you have the light.” John 12:35. If we do not walk while we have the light, the light will keep moving and eventually we will be left in darkness.

Strive! Keep walking up the path. So often people come up to a certain point and stop. They are afraid that if they learn truth, they will be obligated to change something. It is written down beside their names in the kingdom of heaven, that they do not want any more truth. If they do not overcome that attitude it becomes for them the unpardonable sin. We each need to ask ourselves this question: Is there something in my life where I am not following the light? If we are not following the light, it is only a matter of time until we will be in darkness.

 

Jesus Leads On

 

If we keep looking at the goal and keep walking, we will arrive at the destination. It will not be too long. The journey will not be too hard. The obstacles will not be too great.

This was a major focal point of the very first vision that the Lord gave to Ellen White. Quoting from Early Writings, 14: “While I was praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell upon me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world, but could not find them, when a voice said to me, ‘Look again and look a little higher.’ At this I raised my eyes, and saw a straight and narrow path, cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were traveling to the City, which was at the farther end of the path. They had a bright light set up behind them at the beginning of the path, which an angel told me was the midnight cry. This light shone all along the path and gave light for their feet so that they might not stumble. If they kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, Who was just before them,leading them to the City, they were safe.”

Jesus is leading us up the path. He is at the head of the line and He is leading us up the path to the Holy City. If we keep our eyes on Him, we will be safe. “But soon, some grew weary and said the City was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. Then Jesus would encourage them by raising His glorious right arm, and from His arm came a light which waved over the Advent band, and they shouted, ‘Alleluia.’ Others rashly denied the light behind them and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out,leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled and lost sight of the mark and of Jesus, and fell off the path down into the dark and wicked world below.” Ibid., 14, 15.

As we go up the path, an immediate goal is to receive more of the Holy Spirit’s power. In order for us to receive the Holy Spirit, we must be overcomers. The latter rain cannot come until we have overcome sin. (See Early Writings, 71.)

Before Jesus comes the second time there will be faithful ones, who are waiting and preparing for His arrival. There will be some who will stay on the path until they arrive at the destination. Will you be one of them? The following questions will help you to see if you are pressing up the path:

  1. Do I take time to attend a prayer group or prayer meeting every week where we can study the Bible and pray?
  2. Do I take time for my personal devotions every day? Do I have time to study the life of Jesus every day, to memorize His Word, and to pray?
  3. Do I have time to actively witness to the world that Jesus is coming soon?
  4. Who do I love and who do I like to talk about?

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33.

 

Faithful or Fooled

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In Matthew 25, Jesus  gives us a shocking illustration of the parallel between these ten bridesmaids and the people of God living before Jesus comes, but before we get to that, here is a story.

A hiker in the foothills of the mountains chanced one day upon a beautifully landscaped and meticulously groomed country estate. He stood before the polished wrought iron gate at the entrance to this estate and looked admiringly at all the beautiful flower beds. He saw how neatly every stone, that surrounded them, was kept in place. He noticed that the lawn had been cut just the right length. It was green, lush looking and well fertilized. He could not even find a stray weed growing anywhere.

Not far away the gardener was on a ladder pruning one of the cherry trees. When the gardener saw the visitor looking in at the grounds, he came to the gate to greet him. The visitor said to him, “This is a beautiful estate. It caught my attention. I have not seen anything so lovely anywhere.”

The caretaker said, “You see, sir, I am keeping it like this because I am expecting my Master to come and I want him to find everything just right.”

The hiker said, “Well, I am sure you will have no problem in doing that. How long have you worked here?”

“Oh, I have been here, sir, for thirty-four years.”

“I suppose you see your Master often?”

“Oh, no, sir, he has never been here.”

“He has never come? Not even once? Then, why do you go to all this bother if he does not come frequently?”

“You see, sir,” the caretaker said, “when he comes, I want him to find it perfect, and so I prepare it every day as though that were the day my Master would come back.”

There is a lesson in that little story for you and me.

In this week of prayer reading, we will study Matthew 24 and 25. We will begin with the story of the ten virgins which is a good introduction to Matthew 24.

Matthew 25 contains the exciting story of the wedding party. Jesus told this to His disciples as they were gathered on the Mount of Olives. The sun has set and the lights of the little village can be seen below. These bright lights announce that a wedding is going to take place.

The groom and his procession, as is typical in the Middle East, have gone to the bride’s home to fetch her and bring her back to the groom’s house. Jesus likens this to His kingdom.

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.” Matthew 25:1. In this experience the groom would take his entourage over to meet the bride. The bride would have her group of celebrants there ready to meet the groom when he came, and then with great festivity and celebration, they would march back to the groom’s new home.

These ten young ladies were waiting to join in the procession when the bridegroom would come. “Now five of them were wise and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” Matthew 25:2–4.

The story says that five of them had oil in their vessels and five did not. This shows that they all had flagons to carry extra oil, but five of them came with extra oil and five left their vessels empty. “The bridegroom was delayed.” Matthew 25:5. That is typical of many parts of the world. In America if you arrive for an announced wedding at three o’clock and no one is there, you might wait ten or fifteen minutes. Then you would conclude that someone was confused about the time, and you would get in your car and go home. But not so in Asia and in many other parts of the world. And so the bridesmaids waited.

“When the bridegroom delayed, they all slumbered and slept.” They did not expect him to be so late. They expected him perhaps to delay an hour or so, but now it was almost midnight and they were all sound asleep. They had left their lamps gently burning, because in those days, they did not have other lights to turn on. There they were sleeping soundly with their lamps burning beside them.

“And at midnight a cry was heard, ‘Behold the bridegroom is coming. Go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.” Matthew 25:6, 7.

When the cry was made they all woke up. They grabbed their lamps, and began to trim them. But the foolish realized that their oil was almost gone. They said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil. Share with us.” And the wise bridesmaids said, “No. We do not have any extra. You must go and buy your own oil.”

“The bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.” Matthew 25:10. It is a terrible thing to imagine the door being shut and some, perhaps us, being left outside. This is what Jesus said, “Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:11–13. Jesus here gives us a shocking illustration of the parallel between these ten bridesmaids and the people of God living before Jesus comes.

 

Some Are Not Prepared

 

These ten bridesmaids represent members of the church. They all believe in the Three Angels’ Messages. They all come to church on Sabbath. They warm the pew and they sing the hymns. But five are not prepared.

What do the lamps represent? They represent the Word of God. The Psalmist said, “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105.

The oil represents the Holy Spirit. There are many who claim the name of Adventism, who say they are part of God’s true church. They can show their diploma of baptism and are proud of theirmembership, but they are not prepared for the coming of Jesus.

This door that Jesus talks about is a door that you often find in Scripture. It represents the door of probation. How sad it will be if we found that we did not have the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives which would have prepared us to go through that door. What a tragedy it would be to be found outside.

Some of God’s people are shallow in the study of God’s Word. Consequently they are not filled with the Holy Spirit and are unprepared to meet Jesus! That is why Jesus said, “Watch, therefore.”

What does it mean to watch? Among the definitions of this word in Webster’s Dictionary is “to be awake, to be alert.” A reason why we should watch is also found there. This is “to ward off danger or to seize an opportunity.”

Today in the world around us there is danger. In the church there are dangers as well. It is extremely unfortunate when a historic Adventist who has espoused all the teachings of the pioneers of Adventism says, “I do not want to be a historic Seventh-day Adventist.” For one to say this, somehow the oil must have gone low. The tragedy is that there are hundreds of people who will believe whatever they hear from an appealing leader, and will become confused. They too, did not have enough oil in preparation. They had not immersed themselves in the study of God’s Word and the Spirit of Prophecy.

Some people are disillusioned. One individual gave over one hundred thousand dollars to a historic Adventist ministry, and later saw that ministry turn around and reject the foundation on which historic Adventism is built. This question was asked with tears: “What shall we do?” Jesus warned us that before He comes, apostasy in the church will become as dark as midnight. “Not only is Satan leading the world captive, but his deceptions are leavening the professed churches of our Lord Jesus Christ. The great apostasy will develop into darkness deep as midnight, impenetrable as sackcloth of hair.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 414. It requires a preparation to stand in these days.

Jesus said “Watch therefore, for you do not know the hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:42–44.

The ten bridesmaids all went to sleep because they did not know when the bridegroom was coming. Matthew 24 and 25 is a message from Jesus to His last church to be ready. It is a call for all to be faithful, to be watchful and not to fall asleep.

 

The Preparation

 

When I was a student in college, I had a classmate named Bill, who was in his last year of studying for the ministry. He was a good friend of mine. Our friendship was such that we discussed things together. On Friday nights different ministerial students would have the evening worship service.

He preached one Friday night and his message was terribly disconnected. He would go here and hit a point, and then over there and hit another point, but it was not together. It was clear that he did not even have an outline. I felt sorry for him because he was going out to preach the gospel. First he needed to learn to prepare for a sermon.

On Monday morning Bill and I were together in Bible doctrines class. I said to him, “Bill, I heard your sermon on Friday evening. I appreciate the message that you gave, but just a little word of advice from one of your friends. The next time you preach, let me suggest you make up an outline to guide you so you know where you are going.”

Bill was horrified!

He said, “Oh, I could not do that!”

“Why not?” I questioned.

He said, “I have to allow the Holy Spirit to move me.”

I exclaimed, “But, Bill, the Holy Spirit is not going to move you someplace that you have not already studied out.”

That is a mistake we sometimes make. We believe that because we are Christians, that the Holy Spirit is going to move us. He will give us thoughts to remember and to speak, without us having to make the preparation. Yes, the Holy Spirit will guide us, but we have to prepare ourselves through a full commitment and daily study of God’s Word.

 

Signs of His Coming

 

The disciples came to Jesus and said, “Tell us, Jesus, when are You going to come back? Could you give us some signs that we can have to guide us so we will know when Your coming is near?” Jesus, evidently, agreed to do that because He said, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” Matthew 24:4.

Where it says, “Do not let anyone deceive you,” I am going to use the words, “Do not let anyone fool you.” “For many will come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and will deceive (fool) many.” Matthew 24:5.

Jesus says, “And many false prophets will rise up and deceive (fool) many. Matthew 24:11. All through this chapter Jesus warns us about being fooled, until finally He says, “If anyone says to you, Look here is Christ! or There! do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders so as to deceive (fool), if possible, even the very elect.” Matthew 24:23, 24.

How can that be? Adventism is a simple message. The problem that people have, is committing themselves to abiding in the message. Some people think that you have to be able to quote the Spirit of Prophecy by heart before you can become a Seventh-day Adventist. It is much simpler than that. We all can be historic Seventh-day Adventists. We believe that old message that can be completely proven from God’s Word and is testified to in the Spirit of Prophecy.

Adventists are deceived because the deception comes right from within the walls of the church. How else would it be possible to deceive the elect? If someone tells you that Jesus is coming and He is over here in a city park, we all know that is not true. But when mixed messages come into the flock of God today, it could, if it were possible, deceive the very elect. I know of some people who at one time cherished the message of Adventism, who now have given up belief in the significance of 1844. They no longer believe in the sanctuary in heaven, or that you can overcome—and their names are still on church books.

There is a wonderful book entitled, Receiving the Word, by Samuel Koranteng Pipim. It explains that the problem today in so much of Adventism is that scholars, teachers, preachers, and church members no longer want to take the Bible literally. They begin tearing pages out of it and throwing them away.

Is it possible that we could be fooled? The message of the second angel was that Babylon is fallen? Babylon means confusion and there is quite a debate going on today whether we can call the church Babylon.

Is there confusion in God’s church today? Let us make sure it does not come into our lives. Let us make sure that we have the preparation to stand firmly on solid ground with our lamps trimmed and burning. There are those today who have let the oil of God’s Spirit run low and their spiritual life becomes very shallow.

The servant of the Lord said that in the last days many would be led from the truth. Have you read that statement? “Every man and woman should be on guard when there are deceptions abroad calculated to lead away from the truth.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 73.

Some will say, “Oh, but we have to keep our minds open to differing views.” Actually, we need to close our ears to some of the messages that are being given to us out there! Referring to Jesus’ statement, that if it were possible the very elect would be fooled, Mrs. White says: “It is because of the many and varied dangers that would arise, that this warning is given.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 16.

Those dangers are not only outside the church, they are inside the church. Today we find some rather strange worship styles in Adventism. It is shocking to realize that today there is a creeping trend toward Babylon.

“The end is near . . . New and strange things will continually arise to lead God’s people into false excitement, religious revivals, and curious developments.” Ibid. 17. This was written one hundred years ago. How did she know this? She continues. “With much that is truth there is mingled error that is accepted in its extreme meaning, and acted upon by persons of excitable temperaments.” Ibid.

Some Adventists go to worship service on Sabbath morning and dance around waving their arms. Why do they do it? They say, “We are free to let the spirit move us.” The Bible says to test the spirits. There are other spirits in the world besides the Holy Spirit.

 

Follow Only Jesus

 

“Not only is Satan leading the world captive, but his deceptions are leavening the professed churches of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 414. We must be careful that we do not get involved in following a person. We must be what we are because of Jesus Christ and His message and the power of His Holy Spirit.

The reason for much of the grievous disappointment in historic Adventism is because people have been following a person. People have been giving tens of thousands of dollars to support a person. This is God’s church. This is God’s message. It does not come because of the building or the cathedral, or the institution or the person preaching. It comes because we are a people who believe in keeping God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

There is a trend today to measure success in numbers. How many did you baptize? Unfortunately, that is too often the message we hear. They say there is joy in heaven over one sinner. It must be that there is twice as much joy over two. But we cannot be consumed with numbers. We cannot be concerned because the church may seem small. God is calling out a remnant. I want to be part of God’s remnant experience. I want my lamp to have plenty of oil and to be trimmed and burning.

The story is told of a coal miner who became a Christian. He worked in the mines where they used foul language. They ate and drank things that the Christian should not eat or drink. Whenthis coal miner became a Christian, his former friends began to make fun of him. They did everything they could to discourage him and make him feel bad. Finally, one day they devised a rather diabolical plan. Of course, they kept it all a secret. The miners worked down in the caverns of the earth all day, filling their train car with coal. At the end of the day they rolled the little car up the tracks, filled with coal that they had hacked away at, picked out and shoveled into their trolley. They were paid by the amount of coal they had dug out of the mine.

What these evil men did was to destroy the track in such a way that when the Christian miner’s trolley came up, his entire load for the day would fall over and be spilt. When he got to the top, his coal car rolled over and all of the coal spilled out—his entire day’s labor. The men who had done this were all hiding around, waiting to hear what he would say, expecting some cursing to come from his lips. Then they could jump out laughing and show him that his Christianity was only skin deep.

They listened. They watched. He stood there. Tears began to flow down his cheeks. He looked at his day’s work all gone, completely wasted. Knowing he could even be in trouble with the management. There he stood amidst his tears, and he sang, “I Need Thee Every Hour.” What a sermon those hardened miners saw that day. When times get hard, when the storms of life break and batter us, we too may sing hymns to Jesus.

In these closing hours of earth’s history, may God help us to have our lamps filled with the oil of the power of His Holy Spirit. May He help us to be watchful, to be ready. We do not know the day nor the hour when He will come back, but He said He is coming soon and that is good enough. That is the message we must give to the world. That is what we believe. Do not let anybody fool you.

Do not let these strange things that are happening, these strange winds that are blowing influence you so that the door will shut without you being inside. May God help us to be faithful.

 

Having No Root

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We can look around the world today, and we can see that Jesus is soon to come. The signs are fulfilling rapidly. Almost all of the signs that Jesus told His disciples, in Matthew 24, have already been fulfilled. We can see that Jesus is coming very, very soon, and that should fill us with hope. While we are in this world we have trials and troubles. We have to meet temptations. But it is all for our own good. We would not enjoy Heaven as much if God just took us there without trying us.

One reason we have trials is that God is going to make sure that Heaven is not going to be desecrated again. Before God can take us to Heaven, it must be demonstrated that we would not start this rebellion all over again.

What we must concentrate on now is being faithful, so that we can be there. When we are going through trials we need to think about the beauties and the glories of Heaven. If we could get just one glimpse of the New Jerusalem, we would not want anything on this earth again. Revelation tells us that the New Jerusalem has streets made of gold, walls of jasper, and twelve gates, each made of a single pearl. The beauty is unsurpassed!

Heaven is beyond our brightest conceptions. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. We can try to picture the best thing possible to our imagination, and it is going to be much better than that.

We are told that we do not have one single tree on this earth which would compare to the trees in the garden of Eden. (See The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 1, 66.) We have some beautiful trees on this earth. Think of the lofty redwoods and the giant sequoias. These do not even compare to what was in the garden of Eden.

How many people do you think could sit under the canopy of the biggest tree in the world? In one of the descriptions of Heaven, Mrs. White tells us that all the righteous will sit down underneath the tree of life. (See Early Writings,16.) I cannot even begin to imagine a tree of that size.

We could continue to list all the amazing and beautiful things that are going to be in Heaven, but the best thing about Heaven is that we are going to get to meet our Savior there. Our Savior who left Heaven, and came here to redeem us. He did all that so that we might not receive our deserved reward—death, but instead go to Heaven to live eternally with Him.

It is sad, but the vast majority of the world is not going to accept His gift. Many will choose to follow their own sinful ways. But He loves us so much that died for just you, or for just me.

Revelation 13:3 tells about a time when it will look like very few are going to be saved. It says: “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed and all the world marveled and followed the beast.” All the world, except for the few that have their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, are going to be united in worshipping and following the beast.

Why will so much of the world be deceived? Consider what Jesus said in Matthew 24:24: “For false christs and false prophets will arise, and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Almost the whole world is going to be taken captive by the delusion that you do not need to obey God’s law. If possible, even the very elect would be deceived. That should make us pray harder and study God’s Word more earnestly.

The devil is going to have many temptations that appear good. “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth, in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.” Revelation 13:13, 14.

Today people are all looking at signs and outward appearances. They are dazzled by miracles, or what they consider supernatural signs. The devil is well aware of this and he is going to show signs, and many miracles, so that, if possible, the very elect will be deceived.

How can we keep from being deceived? We must be rooted and grounded in the Word of God, and know what we believe and why we believe it.

Matthew 13:5, 6 tells us about a group of people who did not know why they believed what they did. “Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had not depth of earth. But when the sun was up, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away.” This group of people readily accepted the truth. They appeared at first to be flourishing plants, but their roots were not deep.

What happens to them? “Yet, he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately, he stumbles.” Matthew 13:21. When the sun arose, when the persecution and tribulation came, they withered away.

Persecution and tribulation are represented here as the sun. Can a plant grow without the sun? It cannot. Neither can a Christian grow and be strong without trials. We need trials and persecution to prepare us for Heaven, so that we will be ready for it, and be able to enjoy it.

The law of Heaven is self-sacrifice. Jesus came and gave all for us. What if you had not given anything for Him? Far from being a curse, our trials and our persecutions are actually the greatest blessings of our lives, and God in His mercy today, is preparing us to stand when it really gets hard. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” If we are seeking God first in everything we do, He will take care of us when the difficult times come.

You do not need to be frightened by the things ahead of us. God has promised to give us the grace to go through whatever we need to go through. Dwight Moody said, “I don’t have the faith of a martyr. I haven’t needed it yet.” God gives us grace and faith proportionate to what we need. If God calls us to give up our lives as a witness for Him, He will give us all the grace we would need to be faithful to Him.

God’s power is not shortened. His hand is not held back. He will do His part if we are willing to do ours. Now is the time for us to send down roots, so that we are not like the stony ground hearers. Then when the trial comes, we will not wither away.

 

The Majority

 

“And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.” Matthew 10:19. During the time of trouble, you are going to be asked to prove what you believe. You will have to stand alone. How will you answer when they say, “All the world believes this. You cannot be right, because everybody believes this.”

Just because the majority believes it, is it the truth? In the 1600s, scientists believed a very interesting thing. They believed that if you put a piece of meat out in the open air, flies would just spring up from the meat. They called it spontaneous generation. Everyone believed that theory. They also thought that if you took an old sweaty shirt and threw it on some hay in a bucket, mice would automatically appear. Everybody believed that, but did that make it right? No. A man called Redi came along, and said, “No, this is not true.” He put the meat in a jar, and put a screen over it, and no flies were found on the meat. He did the same experiment with the sweaty shirt and the mice. His experiments completely disproved that theory. He also proved that the truth is still the truth no matter who does or does not believe it.

Galileo said that the earth goes around the sun. But the rest of the world believed that the sun goes around the earth. For hundreds of years it had been taught that the earth was the center of the universe. But did that make it right? No. It did not matter how many people believed it. It still was not true. If only one person believed it, in fact, if no one believed it, the truth would still be the truth.

Neither was the majority right in Christ’s day. At the beginning of His ministry many people flocked after Him to hear His teachings and benefit from His miracles. But how many actually stayed with Him till the end? Not many. Most of the people had such a distorted idea of what Christ’s kingdom was going to be that they were offended by His words. You can read about it in John 6:66 “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

 

The Majority Are Shaken Out

 

In the 1840s there was a big movement called the great awakening. Hundreds of thousands of people accepted it, but when the great disappointment came, almost all lost faith. There were only a few hundred who held to God’s Word, and studied to find the truth. There was a shaking then, but God’s Word says that there is going to be an even stronger shaking in the last days. “See that you don’t refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.” Hebrews 12:25–28. Everyone is going to be shaken. Only those that are rooted and grounded, and know what they believe from God’s Word will remain.

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.” Hebrews 12:28. Paul tells us that the kingdom that God is going to establish will be unshakable. Why? Because anyone who is a part of that kingdom will have already gone through the shaking, and were immovable, because they were clinging to Christ.

Christ is the rock. When I think about this, I like to think of a barnacle. A barnacle is not very big, but it clings to the rock. When the storms come, and the waves beat against it, it clings securely to the rock. We must be like that. Only those that are clinging to the Rock, that are becoming a part of Him, that are engrafted into the olive tree, are going to stand through the shaking.

Isaiah 17 tells us something more about the shaking. ” ‘In that day it shall come to pass that the glory of Jacob will wane, and the fatness of his flesh grow lean. It shall be as when the harvester gathers the grain, and reaps the heads with his arm; it shall be as he who gathers heads of grain in the Valley of Rephaim. Yet gleaning grapes will be left in it, like the shaking of an olive tree, two or three olives at the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in its most fruitful branches,’ says the Lord God of Israel.” Isaiah 17:4, 6.

Isaiah compares the shaking to the harvest of the olive tree, when they shake the tree and almost all the olives fall on the ground. All the olives that fall on the ground he compares to the lost, but he says, a few will remain. Only a few faithful will remain.

Another example in nature is the evergreen tree. We have two kinds of trees. When cold winter weather comes, the deciduous trees loose all their leaves and are completely bare. The evergreen tree, in contrast, is green all through winter. That is how we need to be as Christians. When the cold winds blow, and the howling blizzards whirl around us, will we drop our leaves? Will we give up our faith? Or, instead, will we be like a palm tree in the desert? The sun beats upon it, and rain rarely comes, but if you dig down, the palm tree has connected to the water deep beneath the surface. It has roots that go down deep, where it reaches fresh water. We need to continually be sending our roots down deeper to that Living Water, our source of life, Christ Jesus.

 

Do You Know Why You Believe Me?

 

When Sabbath-keepers are brought before courts, to be tried for their faith, it is going to be all over the world. It is not going to be just an isolated instance. Just think, if all the cameras were on you, and they asked you, “Why are you going against the majority? Why do you refuse to be obedient to the laws of the land?” and you say, “I am not going to break the Sabbath and receive the mark of the beast—because my parents told me not to.” What kind of an impression do you think that would make? Or, “I am not going to obey you because, my minister told me I shouldn’t.”

Peter said: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15.

Do you want to be among the faithful when Jesus comes? If you do, you will be like the description that David gave in Psalms 92:12-15: “The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

“When the love of Jesus is abiding in the soul, many who are now but withered branches will become as the cedars of Lebanon, ‘whose root is by the great waters.’ The cedar is noted for the firmness of its roots. Not content to cling to the earth with a few weak fibers, it thrusts its rootlets, like a sturdy wedge, into the cloven rock, and reaches down deeper and deeper for strong holds to grasp. When the tempest grapples with its boughs, that firm-set tree cannot be uprooted. What a goodly cedar might not every follower of Christ become if he were but rooted and grounded in the truth, firmly united to the Eternal Rock.” Bible Commentary, vol. 3, 1151.

This should be our goal, and what we strive for each day. I want to be like one of those olives, that when the shaking comes, will cling to the branch. I want to be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. Now is the time for each of us to study God’s Word more fervently. We are not going to be rooted and grounded by spending 10 or 15 minutes here and there in God’s Word. It won’t work. We have to be studying it with a more intense earnestness than ever before. May the Lord help you to be rooted and grounded in Him—unshakable, no matter what comes.

 

A Bear Is Better

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Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly.” Proverbs 17:12.

A few years ago we were visiting the home of a friend and noticed a most interesting poster on the wall depicting the truth that is expressed in this verse. As you can imagine, it caught the attention of our young children, and they stood for some time studying it. We discussed it at the time. As time passed, however, I did not think much more about it.

In our family worship we often read the chapter from Proverbs that corresponds to the day of the month. Some time later, when in our worship we again read Proverbs 17:12, events that we had recently experienced had so shaped our thinking that the verse took on new meaning for us; and we were reminded of the poster that we had seen some time before. As we reflected on the significance of the wise man’s words, we began to realize that they have a depth of meaning beyond what words can adequately express. This text of Scripture has caused me to ask the Lord to deliver me from the folly of the fool! To be delivered from the folly of fools, we must have first had folly taken out of our own hearts.

The events that prepared us to better appreciate the meaning of this warning began during a visit to Yellowstone Park. While looking for a book to buy the children, I became interested in one about bears. We bought the book and began reading it during our evening worships. We prefaced our reading with Proverbs 17:12. The children, of course, wanted to know what a “fool in his folly” was.

Before they could fully understand the danger involved in the situation, they needed to more fully understand the significance of the term, a bear robbed of her cubs. One story entitled “A Mother’s Revenge”* particularly caught my attention. Although this was not necessarily the most thrilling of the bear stories, it did make the point; and I would like to briefly share it with you.

In 1907, in the virgin forest of northwest Montana, a mother bear and her cub were preparing for winter. Unbeknownst to them, a small government survey team, accompanied by some adventurous tourists, was packing into this uninhabited region. The area was a section of high and rugged mountain peaks, snowfields, and living glaciers—wholly uninhabited except by the wild animals and well-nigh-inaccessible save in the dead of winter. Soon after the party arrived, bad weather set in, making survey work impossible. The inactivity soon prompted the suggestion of a hunt, but only two hardy souls were interested. These two men, both experienced hunters, set out from camp with their horses and guns, little dreaming of the adventure that awaited them.

The men traveled some distance by horseback to a glacier, where they left their horses at the head of the basin. At this point they separated; Mr. Stiles going one direction and Dr. Penrose another. Mr. Stiles soon spotted a buck deer and began stalking it when he heard three shots in rapid succession. Paying no special attention to the reports which came from the other side of the ridge, he was about to shoot the deer when he heard two more shots, rapidly followed by a third. Immediately becoming alarmed, he ran back in the direction of the shots. Within a few minutes he came around a mass of broken boulders and saw Dr. Penrose wandering aimlessly around in the canyon bed without his gun. His hat was gone, his coat torn off, and his trousers rent. Blood poured from his head and neck, and he gripped his left arm with his crimson right hand, presenting a horrible sight. As Mr. Stiles approached him, he murmured piteously, “Water, water.” As he tried to drink the water, part of it ran out through a gash in his cheek. He then said: “Stiles, I am all in; I have had a fight with a bear.”

As the story unfolded, it revealed that Dr. Penrose had come upon a young grizzly cub. Being late in the year, the cub was large enough that it appeared fullgrown, to all but the careful observer. Dr. Penrose’s first three shots had killed the cub; and in his excitement, he failed to note that it was a cub that he had killed. Having laid his gun aside, he was bending over the young bear that he had so recently killed when suddenly, not more than sixty feet behind him, the doctor heard a cry of anger as the grief stricken and enraged mother bear rushed forward to avenge the death of her offspring.

Turning, with almost superhuman presence of mind, Dr. Penrose caught up his rifle again and fired two shots into the enraged beast. Rapidly removing his cartridge from his pocket, he worked it into the rifle and sent a third steel-jacketed bullet into the on-rushing bear. Swift and sure as were the little bullets, the bear continued her charge, her fury unchecked. With one stroke of her paw she sent him into the gulch, eight feet below. Springing down after him, she caught him in her mouth and shook him as a cat might shake a mouse, before dropping him. Again she caught him up, this time by his face, narrowly missing his eyes but tearing his cheek and throat wide open. There were five gaping wounds in his chest. His thigh was torn, the flesh hanging in ragged pieces, and his left wrist was twisted and broken. Before she could again shake her half-dead victim, the mother bear staggered, falling dead at his feet. In spite of the terrible beating that he had taken, Dr. Penrose did survive, though he spent several months recuperating from the attack.

The purpose of recounting this event is to bring home the point that, as terrible as is the wrath of a mother bear who has been robbed of her cubs, it is not so much to be feared as is a fool in his folly.

Solomon tells us what the folly of fools is. “The folly of fools is deceit.” Proverbs 14:8. As severely as Dr. Penrose was mauled by the enraged mother bear, he did live; but those who are taken with a fool in his folly, do not fare so well. The Lord has warned us, “A companion of fools shall be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:20. As you are confidently passing along the road of life, you need to be aware that lurking not far from you, possibly just around the next corner, is a secret and hidden enemy, far more dangerous than an angered mother bear—and that enemy is deceit.

 

False Friends To Be More Feared Than Open Enemies

 

In all of the stories of angry bears, we found them to be an aggressive and open enemy. Far less to be feared is an enemy who openly seeks to destroy you, than one who professes friendship, flattering with his lips, but in whose heart is hatred. The Bible describes what this secret enemy is like: “He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.” Proverbs 20:19. “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly. Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross. He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him; when he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart. Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shown before the whole congregation. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.” Proverbs 26:22–28.

Friend, a direct command from God cannot be disobeyed without terrible results, and the command is “meddle not with him.” “It is not the open and avowed enemies of the cause of God that are most to be feared. Those who . . . come with smooth words and fair speeches, apparently seeking for a friendly alliance with God’s children, have greater power to deceive. Against such every soul should be on the alert, lest some carefully concealed and masterly snare take him unaware.” Prophets and Kings, 570, 571.

“Go from the presence of the foolish man, when thou perceivest not in him the lips of knowledge.””Speak not in the ears of a fool.” Proverbs 14:7; 23:9.

In our family worship, we made a list of the texts that were descriptive of a fool in his folly, describing his deceit. It would be well for all of us to keep these words of wisdom in mind. Here is a partial list from the book of Proverbs.

  • Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 1:7
  • Fools hate knowledge. 1:22
  • He that hides hatred with lying lips, and who utters slander is a fool. 10:23
  • It is a sport of a fool to do mischief. 10:23
  • The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. 12:15
  • A fool’s wrath is presently known. 12:16
  • A fool lays open, or reveals his folly. 13:16
  • A foolish woman plucketh down her house with her hands. 14:1
  • In the mouth of the fool is a rod of pride. 14:3
  • The folly of fools is deceit. 14:8
  • Fools make a mock of sin. 14:9
  • The fool rageth and is confident. 14:16
  • A fool despiseth his father’s instruction. 15:5
  • A foolish man despiseth his mother. 15:20
  • A reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool. 17:10
  • The eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth. 17:24
  • A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. 18:6
  • A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul. 18:7
  • He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is a folly and shame unto him. 18:13
  • Every fool will be starting a quarrel. 20:3
  • A foolish man spends up the treasure. 21:20
  • A fool returns to his folly as a dog returns to his vomit. 26:11
  • A fool uttereth all his mind, but a wise man keepeth it till afterward. 29:11

After you have thoughtfully considered the traits of a fool, as the Lord has identified them for us, remember the seriousness of the matter. The wise man was not making an exaggerated statement when he warned us that a furious mother bear was less to be feared than the deceit of a fool. It is well summed up in this verse. “The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.” Proverbs 14:15.

We need to keep ever before our minds that the One who counseled us to be harmless as doves also admonished us to be as wise as serpents. (See Matthew 10:16.) We would do well to remember that “those in the synagogue of Satan will profess to be converted, and unless God’s servants have keen eyesight, they will not discern the working of the power of darkness.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 281. How sad it is that so often “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Luke 16:8.

Friends, if we are simple minded, we are liable to be destroyed because someone will come to us with fair words, concealing the hatred that is hidden in the heart. That, friends, is deceit and more dangerous than an open enemy. That which appears to be a comparatively small snake, might be worse than a dragon.

“Infidelity in many specious forms will have to be met. Satan works under disguise, and it will require a well-trained mind, sharpened by divine enlightenment, to meet his wily devices.” Signs of the Times, October 24, 1900.

We can be so thankful that the Lord has not left us to our own demise. He has promised to help the simple minded. Proverbs 1:4 tells us that if we listen to His words, they will “give subtlety to the simple.” What a fabulous promise. Even fools can become wise. “O ye simple, understand wisdom, and ye fools, be ye of an understanding heart.” Proverbs 8:5.

The terrible truth of the power of deceitful subtlety is found in the history of Adam and Eve. “If he [Satan] should come boldly upon Adam and Eve and make complaints of God’s own Son, they would not listen to him for a moment but would be prepared for such an attack. Should he seek to intimidate them because of his power, so recently an angel in high authority, he could accomplish nothing. He decided that cunning and deceit would do what might, or force, could not.” The Story of Redemption, 20.

In the passage of time, Satan has lost none of his cunning and deceitfulness. Those of God’s people whom he can not destroy through an open, frontal attack he is often successful in overthrowing by deceitfulness. As you study the book of Proverbs, you can readily see that there are several tell-tale signs that deceit may be being used.

 

Twelve Ways To Know A Fool

 

I would like to summarize twelve character traits that quickly reveal to us, regardless of profession, that a person is a fool.

  1. He indulges in flattery.
  2. He finds pleasure in evil conduct.
  3. He has a quick, or uncontrolled temper.
  4. He mocks at making amends for sin.
  5. He refuses to listen to his parents.
  6. He is talkative, speaking all of his mind.
  7. He does not listen to reproof.
  8. He is contentious and quarrelsome.
  9. He is arrogant.
  10. He spends all that he has, often living beyond his means.
  11. He is quick to answer, without pausing to give a thought-out reply.
  12. He is a talebearer, or gossiper.

 

Trials Alone Will Not Save Us

 

We face many trials; but trials, in and of themselves, will not save us, or otherwise, the whole world would be saved. “Though you grind a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with crushed grain, yet his foolishness will not depart from him.” Proverbs 27:22 NKJV. Though we may lack wisdom, our condition does not have to remain such, for we have been promised, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5. We must, however, submit our wills to God’s will in every matter of life; for “all who do not earnestly search the Scriptures and submit every desire and purpose of life to that unerring test, all who do not seek God in prayer for knowledge of His will, will surely wander from the right path and fall under the deception of Satan.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 192.

If we do this, determining to do nothing that will dishonor our Lord, He will gently reprove our wrongs and change us into His image. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

The time in which we are living is a momentous one, weighted with eternal consequences. The rapidly unfolding events in the world speak eloquently to the shortness of time. Now is the time that we must remedy the defects of our character, becoming wise in the wisdom of the Lord, lest we stumble and fall amidst the trials and temptations of the last days. “At the time of the loud cry of the third angel, those who have been in any measure blinded by the enemy, who have not fully recovered themselves from the snare of Satan, will be in peril, because it will be difficult for them to discern the light from heaven, and they will be inclined to accept falsehood. Their erroneous experience will color their thoughts, their decisions, their propositions, their counsels. The evidences that God has given will be no evidence to those who have blinded their eyes by choosing darkness. After rejecting light, they will originate theories which they call light, but which the Lord calls, ‘sparks of their own kindling,’ by which they will direct their steps.” Review and Herald, December 13, 1892.

* This story was taken from the book The Only Good Bear is a Dead Bear, by Jeanette Prodgers, and was quoted from an article that appeared in the National Geographic Magazine, February, 1908.

 

Editorial — Is Jesus Disappointed ?

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Although it seems almost blasphemous to say it, the inspired record reveals to us that many times God’s people have been disappointed with Him! The children of Israel were so disappointed from the report of the 12 spies that they became desperate and missed their opportunity of going into the promised land. Nathaniel was disappointed when he first saw Jesus. See Selected Messages, vol. 1, 414.

“The disciples had been much disappointed that Jesus had not tried to secure the co-operation of the leaders in Israel. [Jesus was in a very similar circumstance to so-called independent ministries today. He refused to link up with the structure, and the disciples thought this was a big mistake and were disappointed in Him.] They felt that it was a mistake not to strengthen His cause by securing the support of these influential men.” Desire of Ages, 294.

“After their great disappointment in the death of Christ, their faith was not strong enough to accept the fact of the resurrection.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 205.

“Disappointment usually brings unbelief.” Sketches from the Life of Paul, 84. If this is the case then why does God allow us to experience disappointment?
First we need to understand that God never disappoints His children. “He never disappoints His people.” Manuscript Release, vol. 18, 172. But He allows disappointments to come—”Test and trial comes to every child of God. The intensity of your love and fidelity will be tested by difficulties, disappointments, and trials. These your faith must overcome.” Manuscript Release, vol. 20, 229.

“God knows it is good for men to tread a hard and humble path, to encounter difficulties, to experience disappointments, and to suffer affliction. Faith strengthens by coming in conflict with doubt, and resisting unbelief through the strength of Jesus.” Signs of the Times, June 15, 1876.

Often our disappointments come because we mistake presumption for faith: “The path of faith lies close beside the path of presumption. Satan is ever seeking to lead us into false paths. He sees that a misunderstanding of what constitutes faith will confuse and disappoint. He is pleased when he can persuade men and women to reason from false premises.” Selected Messages, vol. 2, 5.

The disappointment of the disciples in 31 A.D. and the disappointment of the Adventists in 1844 were both the result of a misunderstanding of prophecy, actually a misunderstanding of a single word, in the first case, the word “kingdom” and in the second, the word “sanctuary.”

But the big question that we should ponder is not our disappointments which are often the result of unbelief or lack of faith or presumption or misunderstandings, but rather, we should ask the question, “Is my Lord disappointed in me”?

“Jesus was disappointed in His disciples.” 1888 Materials, 177. “Can the servant expect better treatment than was received by his Master? When we are disappointed in men, let us think how many times Jesus has been disappointed in those whom He came to save. How often He has sought fruit upon the figtree of His own planting, and found nothing but leaves!” Review and Herald, March 16, 1886. “The Lord Jesus is disappointed in His people. He is the Captain, they are to file under His banner.” General Conferences Bulletin, February 17, 1897.

“His soul was grieved that He was not appreciated by those He came to bless.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 108.

“The power of love was in all Christ’s healing, and only by partaking of that love, through faith, can we be instruments for His work. If we neglect to link ourselves in divine connection with Christ, the current of life-giving energy cannot flow in rich streams from us to the people. There were places where the Saviour Himself could not do many mighty works because of their unbelief. So now unbelief separates the church from her divine Helper. Her hold upon eternal realities is weak. By her lack of faith, God is disappointed and robbed of His glory.” Desire of Ages, 825.

“Let every one inquire, What is my condition before God? Is Jesus disappointed in me from year to year? Am I a fruitless tree in the Lord’s garden? It is not an orchard or a vineyard that is presented before us in the parable; it is a single tree. Its history is that it bore no fruit; its destiny is, to be cut down. The work of overcoming is an individual work. During the past summer many of our brethren have in various ways received additional light, and enjoyed precious privileges. This increased light only makes your cases more aggravated and your doom more certain, if fruit does not appear.” Review and Herald, January 12, 1886.

The Scruples of Childhood

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What do we do when we feel like the earth is shaking and reeling under our feet? when what we thought was solid ground for our feet seems to be moving? We want to reach out to something or someone to steady us. But, sometimes we cannot find anything sturdy enough to hang onto. At times like this, the following text can become the anchor to our soul: “If any man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John 7:17. This text was spoken by Jesus when people were wondering about Him—”And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; But he deceiveth the people.” John 7:12. The earth felt like it was shaking under these people’s feet. Jesus was challenging what they had been taught since babyhood. This brings a real “shaking” in a person’s mind. Martin Luther realized how difficult it is to change your mind on things you have always held. He said, ” ‘I feel more and more every day how difficult it is to lay aside the scruples which one has imbibed in childhood.’ ” Great Controversy, 143.

Scruples of Childhood

What were the “scruples” that Martin Luther was writing of that he had held since childhood? What was it that he was struggling over? We can find the answer in Martin Luther’s own words. ” ‘I feel more and more every day how difficult it is to lay aside the scruples which one has imbibed in childhood. Oh, how much pain it has caused me, though I had the Scriptures on my side, to justify it to myself that I should dare to make a stand alone against the pope, and hold him forth as antichrist! What have the tribulations of my heart not been! How many times have I not asked myself with bitterness that question which was so frequent on the lips of the papists: “Art thou alone wise? Can everyone else be mistaken? How will it be, if, after all, it is thyself who art wrong, and who art involving in thy error so many souls, who will then be eternally damned?” “Twas so I fought with myself and with Satan, till Christ, by His own infallible word, fortified my heart against these doubts.” ’ ” Ibid., quoting Martyn, 372, 373.

When Luther, in reading the Scriptures, found that Christ is the head of the body, he began questioning whether there was any head of the whole church other than Christ. There came a point in his experience where he was engaged in the Leipzig debates, and as a result of that experience, Luther began coming to grips with the issue of authority in the church. He finally came to doubt whether, after all, any other head of the whole church had been appointed upon earth except Christ. Once he accepted the principle that the authority of God’s Word is above counsels, popes and all human authority, it began to transform all human life, changing even people’s concept of the church.

This same conflict is what brought such a shaking to the Jews, described in John 7—Jesus was challenging the scruples they had held since childhood. What were these scruples? Read the story for yourself in John 7 and 8. There you will see that the present contest between Jesus and the Jews was that He had healed on the Sabbath day—against their manmade laws. John 7:23, 24. This struck at the very root of the scruples the Jews were taught from babyhood —unquestioning obedience to the priests. Today we are still struggling with this same issue. Who will we obey—God or man? Whether we like to admit it or not, we have been taught from babyhood to obey man. Just as the Jews, we have been taught that the priests are God’s church. So we continue to shake—until we wonder if we can trust anyone.

“Brethren and sisters, look up; you who are tried, tempted, and discouraged, look up. Let no weary, halting, sin-oppressed soul become faint-hearted. The promises of God that come down along the lines to our times assure you that heaven can be reached if you will continue to climb. It is ever safe to look up; it is fatal to look down. If you look down, the earth reels and sways beneath you; nothing is sure. But heaven above you is calm and steady, and there is divine aid for every climber. The hand of the Infinite is reaching over the battlements of heaven to grasp you in its strong embrace. The mighty Helper is nigh to bless, lift up, and encourage the most erring, the most sinful, if they will look to Him by faith. But the sinner must look up; he must see the glory of God above the shining ladder, and the angels ascending and descending with messages of mercy.” Review and Herald, February 17, 1885.

We had better learn what this means to look up. These words are not merely rhetoric! “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31, 32. It is not time to quit—it is time to continue holding to the Word of God, time to look up!

People today are shaking to their very roots in consternation over those they see joining back up with apostasy. The Word of God still says, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine.” John 7:17. The devil is trying to destroy God’s people—he has come down with great fury—knowing that he hath but a short time. The real question is: Are we fully surrendered. (The devil is no match for the weakest one who is surrendered to Jesus.) Are we doing His will so John 17:17 can be fulfilled for us? Are we surrendered in the area of health reform? Or are we holding out on God so we can enjoy “little” cherished impulses? What about gossip and rumors? God’s people today seem to be having a hard time telling the difference between God’s messengers giving rebuke and reproof to a sleeping church, and criticism. Friends, there is a big, BIG difference. One is under the unction of the Holy Spirit and the other comes from an unregenerate human heart. The devil knows this is a trump card for him.

Evil Surmising

Thinking about evil surmising, I wonder what was said of Jesus’ disciples. Peter—ordained three or so years earlier by Jesus—attempted murder on the “secretary” of the “General Conference President.” John and James wanted a city to be burned with its inhabitants for not allowing Jesus to pass through. (Maybe this city had a good working relationship with the “powers that be” and this would jeopardize it!) Then, what about Judas? Any of these would give fertile soil to one who had a bent toward tale-bearing and evil surmising. In fact, you would not even have to surmise; you could just talk about facts! Do not let evil surmising steal your crown. (However, the only one who went and made a deal with the priests was Judas. After that he was not a part of the disciples.)

Have you ever wondered how the spectators could tell any difference between the disciples and the priests? It would certainly be easy to rationalize, would it not? Something like this: “I see faults on both sides;” or “If that Peter has anything to do with the camp meeting, I certainly will not attend.” Oh, friends, many in Jesus’ day lost eternal life because of the false scruples they had grown up with were not thrown off through the power of the Holy Spirit. Some of the false scruples that bound them were:

#1 — That the corrupt priesthood was the church.

#2 — That the Messiah was to establish a kingdom on this earth.

#3 — That the true Messiah would come through the priesthood and clean up the corruptions.

#4 —That Jesus and His little band of faulty disciples could not be the movement of truth.

The weaknesses and faults of men mar the work of God—but they cannot stop it. The truth will triumph. Do not let David and Bathsheeba, Peter, Judas or Paul and Barnabas (with their split) keep you from triumphing with the truth. There are experiences just ahead that have not been experienced yet—do we have something ahead for us as devastating as the death of Jesus was to the disciples? If we cannot keep up with the footmen, how will we keep up with the horses in the swelling of the Jordan? Jeremiah 12:15.

Friend, if the ground you are standing on seems to be quaking, reach out and grab hold of Jesus—Jesus dying alone. He will sustain you. Take time to pray; He will hear you. God’s Word is still true. “If any man will, he will know of the doctrine.” On your knees, investigate the doctrine; not from the scruples of childhood—but from a plain thus saith the Lord. Many refuse to stand on a plain Thus saith the Lord.

“But God will have a people upon the earth to maintain the Bible, and the Bible only, as the standard of all doctrines and the basis of all reforms. The opinions of learned men, the deductions of science, the creeds or decisions of ecclesiastical councils, as numerous and discordant as are the churches which they represent, the voice of the majority— not one nor all of these should be regarded as evidence for or against any point of religious faith. Before accepting any doctrine or precept, we should demand a plain ‘Thus saith the Lord’ in its support.” Great Controversy, 595.

No one should be afraid to have what they believe come under careful investigation from the Word of God! If people are afraid, they are not clinging to truth, but to the scruples of childhood. These scruples may be either right or wrong. The only thing that will stand is what is based upon the naked, unaided Word of God.

“Never give up your faith and hope in God. Cling to the promises. Do not trust in your feelings, but in the naked Word of God. Believe the assurances of the Lord. Take your stand upon the plain ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ and rest there, feeling or no feeling.” Upward Look, 176.

Caving In

When we see one after another apparently caving in to preconceived ideas that were formed in childhood—the belief that even in apostasy, the conference is the church—we feel shaken. But, the weakest one may stand firm in the Three Angels’ Messages. Not a thing has ever happened to God’s people—His church—that He has not foreseen. His purposes are steadily marching on to a certain triumph. Consider the following quotation as one reason why the Lord allows us to witness others falling back to cooperate with apostasy.

“Before the great trouble shall come upon the world such as has never been since there was a nation, those who have faltered and who would ignorantly lead in unsafe paths will reveal this before the real vital test, the last proving, comes, so that whatsoever they may say will not be regarded as voicing the True Shepherd.” 1888 Materials, 1002.

“To those who thus yield themselves to God, having an honest desire to know and to do His will, the truth is revealed as the power of God for their salvation. These will be able to distinguish between him who speaks for God, and him who speaks merely from himself.” Desire of Ages, 456.

With our eyes anointed with the eyesalve from above we will not be found accusing or condemning those who are joining back up with apostasy. No! We will walk humbly before the Lord lest we also fall back. It is time for us to weep between the porch and the altar. “Now is the time for us to lay hold of the arm of our strength. The prayer of David should be the prayer of pastors and laymen: ‘It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law.’ Let the servants of God weep between the porch and the altar, crying, ‘Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach.’ God has always wrought in behalf of His truth. The designs of wicked men, the enemies of the church, are subject to His power and His overruling providence. He can move upon the hearts of statesmen; the wrath of the haters of His truth and His people can be turned aside, even as the waters of a river could be turned, if thus He ordered it. Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence. He who marshals the stars in order in the heavens, whose word controls the waves of the great deep—the same infinite Creator will work in behalf of His people,if they will call upon Him in faith. He will restrain all the forces of darkness, until the warning is given to the world, and all who will heed it are prepared for His coming.” Review and Herald, November 23, 1905.

“I looked for the burden bearers who in such a time as this should be weeping between the porch and the altar, crying, Spare thy people, Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach; but I heard no such supplications. A few earnest humble ones were seeking the Lord. At some of these meetings one or two ministers felt the burden, and were weighed down as a cart beneath sheaves. But a large majority of the ministers had no more sense of the sacredness of their work than children.” Review and Herald, August 15, 1882.

May you be one of these earnest humble ones who are seeking the Lord. We are told that ONLY those who are sighing and crying for the abominations done in the land will be spared the judgments of an offended God. May you be found in this small company, humbly entreating the Lord to spare His people.

God’s Gyroscope

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“And Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” II Kings 22:2.

Deep in the hearts of human beings there seems to be a need for heroes, persons whom we can admire and emulate, persons who can serve as role models for ourselves and for others. One of my personal heroes is a man named Francis Asbury. He was a minister in the time of John Wesley, and served under Wesley in England during the years 1771–1777. But Wesley became aware that scattered along the Atlantic seaboard in far-off America there were almost a thousand Methodists, who were as sheep without a shepherd, so he assigned to Francis Asbury the task of going to the new land to minister to these Methodist people.

Most of them were scattered throughout the colonized areas along the coast, but some had made their homes in the mountains and valleys of the Appalachians, and a few were even beyond the mountains in the western plains. When Asbury arrived from England, he sized the situation up and bought himself a horse. For the next forty-five years he virtually lived on the road, most of the time on horse-back, never having a home of his own. He traveled a total of two hundred and fifty thousand miles on trails and primitive roads, through the wilderness and through the towns, across the rivers and through the swamps, defying the seasons and the weather. He said that a wagon with four wheels was too pompous for him. He did at times use a two wheeled, horse drawn cart, but since the awful condition of the roads occasioned so many upsets, he usually went back to his horse and saddle.

The journals that he kept, set forth an incredible record. He taught the scriptures and preached wherever he could find an audience, in pioneer cabins, in courthouses, in village streets and in forest groves, and frequently in churches. After preaching he would often sleep on someone’s floor, and travel on the next day to another such experience. This went on until he preached his last sermon in a church in Richmond, Virginia, in 1816. When he arrived there he was too weak to stand in the pulpit, so a special chair was arranged for him. Seven days later he died, as he had lived, in someone else’s home.

During his forty-five years of ministry he had seen the Methodist membership grow from one thousand to two hundred thousand, and they were uniformly among the most godly people in any community. He waged an incessant war with Calvinism, which encouraged the people to believe that victory over sin was not necessary. I was especially interested in the fact that he gave up eating bacon in 1777 and gave up tea and coffee in 1783, and noted, in his journal, a significant improvement in his health. I see him as a spiritual first cousin to the apostle Paul, and hold him as one of my personal heroes. Nothing could turn him aside from his chosen task. He was held on course by God’s gyroscope.

Josiah’s Gyroscope

Another person who is high on my list of personal heroes is King Josiah of Judah. He also was held on course by God’s gyroscope, so that he turned not aside to the right nor to the left.

What is a gyroscope? It basically is a device consisting of three wheels, one within the other. The innermost wheel spins on an axle, like all wheels do. But the difference is that the two ends of its axle are anchored in the outer rim of another wheel, which spins in a different direction. And this second wheel’s axle is anchored in the rim of still a third wheel, which can turn in a third direction. The result of this arrangement is that the inner wheel can have great flexibility of movement.

But here is the curious fact. Once the inner wheel is set to spinning, no movement of the other two wheels can change it in any way. It will hold to its course, regardless of how the other two wheels move. In the 1850s a French scientist named Foucault discovered that this inner wheel will hold to its course even against the rotation of the earth.

In the early 1900s inventors began to exploit the possibilities of this discovery. The result is that gyroscopes are now used as automatic pilots to hold ships and planes on their courses, in cruise controls and stabilizers, and as guidance systems in torpedoes and guided missiles.

But God had used His own kind of gyroscope long before that. The inner wheel is a determination to do God’s will, regardless of circumstances or conditions. We see it in the experiences of Abraham, Moses, Joseph and many others. And we see it in an especially appealing way in the experience of Josiah, king of Judah. We look at this with interest, because his experience is so similar to ours.

Josiah came to the throne when both the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem were filled with wickedness. He was the grandson of the evil king Manasseh, of whom it is written that he made the people do worse than the heathen about them, (II Chronicles 33:9) and that he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood from one end to the other, (II Kings 21:16). Josiah was the son of the even more wicked Amon, who was slain after only two years on the throne. So, there was evil all about him in Judah and Jerusalem, and the northern kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed for its wickedness. The prophets Habakkuk and Zephaniah were prophesying a similar doom for Judah. The remaining righteous remnant was in nearly total despair. How, they questioned, were the purposes of God for Israel ever going to be fulfilled? Had the promises of God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all failed?

Josiah realized that the warnings against apostasy given to Israel through Moses, might soon be realized in the wrath of God against Judah. He sent some of his leaders to the prophet Huldah to inquire whether there was any hope for the nation. The grim answer would have reduced many men to despair, but not Josiah. There was no hope for the nation, the prophet declared. The people had gone too far to be benefited by mercy or forgiveness. They would only become more bold in their wrong doing.
But Josiah’s gyroscope was working. He had made a commitment to God to do His will regardless of circumstances, and there was no provision in that commitment for giving up. He went right ahead with his plans for teaching righteousness to Judah, and he resolutely destroyed the altars of Baal in the groves. Then he did the same thing throughout the ruined northern kingdom of Israel. He could not save the nation, but because of his steadfast stand for the truth of God, there will be many in God’s kingdom who would otherwise not be there. His gyroscope held him right on course, and when he sees the results in the kingdom of God, he will be satisfied.

Our condition is very much like that of Josiah. There is evil all about us, both in the world and in the church. According to the inspired writings, there is no hope that the church structure can be called back to doing the will of God. We read rather of a dreadful shaking time, by which God will purge the church. Well may the righteous remnant inquire, as they did in Josiah’s day, “Is there any way that the purpose of God for this church can ever be fulfilled? Have the promises made to our spiritual ancestors all failed?”

Our Gyroscope

We need to make sure of our gyroscope. For our generation, I submit that the inner wheel is our commitment to do God’s will, regardless of circumstances, the second wheel is the Bible, and the third wheel is the Spirit of Prophecy. If our gyroscope is working, nothing can cause us to turn aside, either to the right hand or to the left. We will be like those persons described in Education, 57, whose “consciences are as true to duty as the needle to the pole.”

We are confronted with evils in the churches, in the schools, in the conferences and in the hospitals. And we are confronted with another distressing problem, against which we have been warned. In her discussion of the lessons to be learned from the experience of Josiah and others of his time Ellen White writes :

“The time of waiting may seem long, the soul may be oppressed by discouraging circumstances, many in whom confidence has been placed may fall by the way.” Prophets and Kings, 387.

On Sabbath, November 16, a prominent Historic Seventh-day Adventist ministry leader stood before the cameras on a national television broadcast, and announced to his stunned supporters, to the church and to the world, that he was through with being a Historic Seventh-day Adventist. His name is John Osborne. His exact words were these:

“I don’t want to be a Reformed Seventh-day Adventist—

I don’t want to be a Historic Seventh-day Adventist—

I just want to be a Seventh-day Adventist.”

Then he appealed to the conference minister who was standing beside him to “lead him back to the church.”

To say that this caused consternation among his supporters would be an understatement. Those who have placed their confidence in him and have given millions of dollars in answer to his eloquent appeals for support, were stunned. This is because in all the ranks of Historic Seventh-day Adventists, no one has been as vocal or as vigorous in relentlessly accusing the conference structure of evil doing as this man. He had even gone so far as to publicly predict that because of the great evils in the General Conference, that it would be swept away within twelve months of the time that he spoke (1994). Now he has announced that he wants to be a part of that same conference structure, and that he is through with being a Historic Seventh-day Adventist.

His spiritual gyroscope was obviously not working, but let us pity, and not condemn. The entire scene was pitiable in the extreme. To see it was to gain the uncomfortable feeling that one was watching something that should have been hidden from view, the deep anguish of a human soul. And this anguish is being duplicated in many sorrowing homes across the land. Some have even begun calling other ministry leaders to ask whether they, too, are going to abandon the cause of Historic Adventism. The answer, of course, is a firm “No.”

To all the sorrowing ones, may I say that your sacrificial giving has been recorded in heaven, and has brought joy to our Lord. He will not forget it. And let us remind ourselves that our commitment to Christ is the center of our spiritual gyroscope, and that the Lord Jesus Christ has not changed, the Bible has not changed, and the Spirit of Prophecy has not changed. We were given full advance warning about things like this, and our faith should be strengthened, not weakened.

Let us learn what we can from this experience. First, it is worth noting that persons who take extreme views are often capable of moving from those extreme views to their exact opposites in a surprisingly short period of time. While I was doing evangelistic work in Hawaii, a young man came to see me about a personal problem. He had a remarkable ability to make music with the simple little Hawaiian instrument, the ukulele. I had once heard him play a march, Under the Double Eagle, on it, and I could hardly believe my ears. Now he had a conviction that he should make a vow to the Lord that he would never play the instrument again.
I tried to proceed carefully, since I had learned that such extreme views can be dangerous, but I urged him rather to consecrate his talent to the Lord and use it for His glory. I was not greatly surprised to learn, a few weeks later, that he had given up all religion and returned to the world. Persons with extreme views do tend to be very changeable. They need to give more attention to their stabilizing gyroscope, that would hold them on a steady course.

Second, we must be sure that we are following God, not men. Men may come and go, and may disappoint us, but God is steadfast and sure. We must not let ourselves be charmed into a personality cult.

Third, we must remember that regardless of what men may do or may not do, the purposes of God will be fulfilled. His promises have never failed and they will never fail. The shaking time will be terrible, but God’s truth and God’s people will be victorious in the end. Habakkuk was required to prophesy the doom of Judah, but he was also shown the vision of the eventual victory and restoration. Therefore he could cope with the situations as they came, and he could triumphantly write:

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will joy in the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk 3:17, 18.

His spiritual gyroscope was in good working order, as was Josiah’s, and it held them both on course, no matter what happened around them. If God would do it for them, He will do it for us. Let us see this disappointment as a call for re-consecration, and renewed dedication, and press on our way.

The Wise and the Foolish – The Test of True Discipleship

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There is a differentiating factor between the wise and the foolish virgins. As we read various descriptions of the two classes—the wise and the foolish virgins, see where you might place yourself in the descriptions or illustrations. Be honest with yourself. This is one place where it will be fatal to be self-deceived. “When the foolish virgins reached the banqueting hall, they received an unexpected denial. They were left outside in the blackness of the night.” The Review and Herald, October 31, 1899. These foolish virgins felt secure and expected entrance, but they were denied. This is not an experience we want to have.

“We all need to study as never before the parable of the ten virgins. Five of them were wise, and five were foolish. The wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. This is the holy oil represented in Zechariah. ‘Then answered I again, and said unto him, What are these two olive trees upon the right side of the candlestick and upon the left side thereof? And I answered again, and said unto him, What be these two olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the golden oil out of themselves? And he answered me and said, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord. Then said he, These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth’ (Zechariah 4:11–14). This representation is of the highest consequence to those who claim to know the truth. But if we do not practice the truth, we have not received the holy oil, which the two golden pipes empty out of themselves. The oil is received into vessels prepared for the oil. It is the Holy Spirit in the heart which works by love and purifies the soul.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 4, 1179.

Here is the same definition of the oil, but in different words. “The golden oil represents the grace with which God keeps the lamps of believers supplied, that they shall not flicker and go out. Were it not that this holy oil is poured from heaven in the messages of God’s Spirit, the agencies of evil would have entire control over men.” The Review and Herald, July 20, 1897.

Our Lord describes the foolish, without the oil of God’s grace. “The oil of grace gives to men the courage, and supplies to them the motives for doing every day the work that God appoints to them. The five foolish virgins had lamps (a knowledge of Scripture truth), but they had not the grace of Christ. Day by day they went through a round of ceremonies and external duties, but their service was lifeless, devoid of the righteousness of Christ. The Sun of Righteousness did not shine in their hearts and minds, and they had not the love of the truth which conforms to the life and character, the image and superscription, of Christ. The oil of grace was not mingled with their endeavors. Their religion was a dry husk without the true kernel. They held fast to forms of doctrines, but they were deceived in their Christian life, full of self-righteousness, and failing to learn lessons in the school of Christ, which, if practiced, would have made them wise unto salvation.” Ibid., March 27, 1894.

The difference between the wise and the foolish virgins is that the wise virgins accept and cooperate with God in His plan of redemption. They grasp the promise of the new covenant which is, “The restoration in the human soul of the image of God.” Education, 125. It is “the power of God, ‘which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:57).” Ibid., 125, 126.

Paul says, “I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8:10–12).

The Jews were not only unprepared, unready, not looking for and understanding the first advent of Christ, but fulfilled the very prophecies of Christ’s suffering, His rejection, His betrayal and death. This happened because they were driven by self and pride, they had changed their fundamental beliefs, they were foolish virgins.

Some have done the very same thing today. “In the time of the Saviour, the Jews had so covered over the precious jewels of truth with the rubbish of tradition and fable, that it was impossible to distinguish the true from the false. The Saviour came to clear away the rubbish of superstition and long-cherished errors, and to set the jewels of God’s word in the frame-work of truth. What would the Saviour do if He should come to us now as He did to the Jews? He would have to do a similar work in clearing away the rubbish of tradition and ceremony. The Jews were greatly disturbed when he did this work. They had lost sight of the original truth of God, but Christ brought it again to view. It is our work to free the precious truths of God from superstition and error.” The Review and Herald, June 4, 1889.

The prevailing popular error that it is impossible to gain victory over sin will lead many to reject Christ by rejecting the Spirit of Prophecy, which explains clearly, in complete agreement with Scripture, that we must overcome not only our sins but our propensity to sin. Many repeat with all the conviction worthy of pure truth that overcoming sin completely is impossible, but this is Satan’s lie.

Let’s look at this a little more.

All ten virgins have lamps – symbol of light—truth.

All ten are called virgins – they profess a pure truth.

All go out to meet the bridegroom – all believe that Jesus is coming again for they “go out to meet Him” (Matthew 25:6).

All ten expect entrance at the wedding feast.

All these are good attributes but the key element is missing from the foolish virgins, the oil of grace, the Holy Spirit in their lives. Steps to Christ, 58, 59 explains it like this:

“Those who become new creatures in Christ Jesus will bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, ‘love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance’ (Galatians 5:22, 23). They will no longer fashion themselves according to the former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God they will follow in His steps, reflect His character, and purify themselves even as He is pure. The things they once hated they now love, and the things they once loved they hate. The proud and self-assertive become meek and lowly in heart. The vain and supercilious become serious and unobtrusive [inconspicuous, unremarkable, bland, modest, self-effacing, unassuming]. The drunken become sober, and the profligate pure. The vain customs and fashions of the world are laid aside. Christians will seek not the ‘outward adorning,’ but ‘the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit’ (1 Peter 3:3, 4).

“There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation. If he restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, confess his sins, and love God and his fellow men, the sinner may be sure that he has passed from death unto life.”

The following two statements are from an article on the parable of the ten virgins entitled “A Solemn Lesson.” “Repentance for sin is the first step in conversion. Repentance is an intense hatred of sin in all its forms. … He who is truly repentant, he who is regenerated, hates sin. All manner of selfishness is distressing to him. Indifference to God on the part of those around him grieves him.” The Signs of the Times, August 13, 1894. The wise virgins are regenerated. They have been born again.

This experience is no happenstance. It is no accident. It is a conscious choice. Again, Steps to Christ describes the path of the wise virgin. “Many are inquiring, ‘How am I to make the surrender of myself to God?’ You desire to give yourself to Him, but you are weak in moral power, in slavery to doubt, and controlled by the habits of your life of sin. Your promises and resolutions are like ropes of sand. You cannot control your thoughts, your impulses, your affections. The knowledge of your broken promises and forfeited pledges weakens your confidence in your own sincerity, and causes you to feel that God cannot accept you; but you need not despair. What you need to understand is the true force of the will. This is the governing power in the nature of man, the power of decision, or of choice. Everything depends on the right action of the will. The power of choice God has given to men; it is theirs to exercise. You cannot change your heart, you cannot of yourself give to God its affections; but you can choose to serve Him. You can give Him your will; He will then work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure. Thus your whole nature will be brought under the control of the Spirit of Christ; your affections will be centered upon Him, your thoughts will be in harmony with Him.

“Desires for goodness and holiness are right as far as they go; but if you stop here, they will avail nothing. Many will be lost while hoping and desiring to be Christians. They do not come to the point of yielding the will to God. They do not now choose to be Christians.

“Through the right exercise of the will, an entire change may be made in your life. By yielding up your will to Christ, you ally yourself with the power that is above all principalities and powers. You will have strength from above to hold you steadfast, and thus through constant surrender to God you will be enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith.” Steps to Christ, 47, 48. [Emphasis author’s.]

Here is where the foolish virgins fail. They are not hypocrites. Hear the words of the Lord. “The class represented by the foolish virgins are not hypocrites. They have a regard for the truth, they have advocated the truth, they are attracted to those who believe the truth; but they have not yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit’s working. They have not fallen upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and permitted their old nature to be broken up. This class are represented also by the stony-ground hearers. They receive the word with readiness, but they fail of assimilating its principles. Its influence is not abiding. The Spirit works upon man’s heart, according to his desire and consent implanting in him a new nature; but the class represented by the foolish virgins have been content with a superficial work. They do not know God. They have not studied His character; they have not held communion with Him; therefore they do not know how to trust, how to look and live.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 411.

This is serious business. “They have not studied His character; they have not held communion with Him.” We learn of God, of Jesus, His character, of His work and purpose for mankind in the holy words of Inspiration.

“The life of Christ that gives life to the world is in His word. It was by His word that Jesus healed disease and cast out demons; by His word He stilled the sea, and raised the dead; and the people bore witness that His word was with power. He spoke the word of God, as He had spoken through all the prophets and teachers of the Old Testament. The whole Bible is a manifestation of Christ, and the Saviour desired to fix the faith of His followers on the Word. When His visible presence should be withdrawn, the Word must be their source of power. Like their Master, they were to live ‘by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God’ (Matthew 4:4).

“As our physical life is sustained by food, so our spiritual life is sustained by the word of God. And every soul is to receive life from God’s word for himself. As we must eat for ourselves in order to receive nourishment, so we must receive the Word for ourselves. We are not to obtain it merely through the medium of another’s mind. We should carefully study the Bible, asking God for the aid of the Holy Spirit, that we may understand His word. We should take one verse, and concentrate the mind on the task of ascertaining the thought which God has put in that verse for us. We should dwell upon the thought until it becomes our own, and we know ‘what saith the Lord.’ ” The Desire of Ages, 390.

Do you know experientially, “what saith the Lord?” The wise virgins do. They know the voice of their Lord. What about the foolish virgins? We read, “… but the class represented by the foolish virgins have been content with a superficial work. They do not know God. They have not studied His character; they have not held communion with Him; therefore they do not know how to trust, how to look and live. Their service to God degenerates into a form. ‘They come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness’ (Ezekiel 33:31). The apostle Paul points out that this will be the special characteristic of those who live just before Christ’s second coming. He says, ‘In the last days perilous times shall come: for men shall be lovers of their own selves; … lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof’ (2 Timothy 3:1–5).” Christ’s Object Lessons, 411.

Here it is stated again: the foolish are content with a superficial work. They do not believe that it is possible to overcome. So as long as they keep their sins confessed they will be fine. They believe that Jesus did it all at the cross. All that is necessary now is to believe. This is the overpowering yet fatal deception of today.

The foolish virgins have been content with a superficial work and they do not truly know God. What we need is faith that works by love and purifies the soul.

“Those who have divine enlightenment will see the necessity of overcoming, for they will realize something of the purpose of Heaven in regard to the influence they are to exert upon others for their salvation. If those who have serious faults to overcome, would rely on God with earnest faith, he would work for them; and the more diligently they devoted themselves to the cultivation of virtue and the discharge of duty, the more grace would they receive to become like the Pattern. With the experience of conversion to Christ, a new life begins. The apostle says, ‘If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). Whoever accepts Jesus will make determined efforts to overcome through the strength imparted to him from Heaven; his whole character must and will be transformed. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of his faith, he will go on from grace to grace, from strength to strength, and power will be given him to uproot every evil. … Faith, living, active faith, works by love and purifies the soul; it becomes an abiding principle in the life. Everyone who has accepted the righteousness of Christ is placed on high vantage-ground. His conversation, his habits, will be of a high, refined character, after the example of his Lord, and then he will not lie against the truth. He will rise above all baser things into the pure atmosphere of heaven.” The Signs of the Times, October 13, 1890.

“Genuine faith is followed by love, and love by obedience. All the powers and passions of the converted man are brought under the control of Christ. His Spirit is a renewing power, transforming to the divine image all who will receive it. It makes me sad to say that this experience is understood by but few who profess the truth. Very many follow on in their own ways and indulge their sinful desires and yet profess to be disciples of Christ. They have never submitted their hearts to God. Like the foolish virgins they have neglected to obtain the oil of grace in their vessels with their lamps. I tell you, my brethren, that a large number who profess to believe and even to teach the truth are under the bondage of sin. Base passions defile the mind and corrupt the soul. Some who are in the vilest iniquity have borrowed the livery of heaven, that they may serve Satan more effectively.

“ ‘Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin’ (1 John 3:9). He feels that he is the purchase of the blood of Christ and bound by the most solemn vows to glorify God in his body and in his spirit, which are God’s. The love of sin and the love of self are subdued in him. He daily asks: ‘What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?’ ‘Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do’ (Psalm 116:12; Acts 9:6)? The true Christian will never complain that the yoke of Christ is galling to the neck. He accounts the service of Jesus as the truest freedom. The law of God is his delight. Instead of seeking to bring down the divine commands, to accord with his deficiencies, he is constantly striving to rise to the level of their perfection.

“Such an experience must be ours if we would be prepared to stand in the day of God. Now, while probation lingers, while mercy’s voice is still heard, is the time for us to put away our sins. While moral darkness covers the earth like a funeral pall, the light of God’s standard-bearers must shine the more brightly, showing the contrast between heaven’s light and Satan’s darkness.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 119, 220.

Don’t these words from Inspiration just thrill your soul? Oh, to the soul in love with our Saviour, these words are electrifying, they are life. Obedience is not drudgery.

“The service of Christ is not drudgery to the fully consecrated soul. Obedience to our Saviour does not detract from our happiness and true pleasure in this life, but it has a refining, elevating power upon our characters. The daily study of the precious words of life found in the Bible strengthens the intellect and furnishes a knowledge of the grand and glorious works of God in nature. Through the study of the Scriptures we obtain a correct knowledge of how to live so as to enjoy the greatest amount of unalloyed happiness. The Bible student is also furnished with Scripture arguments so that he can meet the doubts of unbelievers and remove them by the clear light of truth. Those who have searched the Scriptures may ever be fortified against the temptations of Satan; they may be thoroughly furnished to all good works and prepared to give to every man that asketh them a reason of the hope that is in them.” Ibid., vol. 3, 374.

Another description of the wise virgins from the pen inspired by our God: “When we seek for appropriate language in which to describe the love of God, we find words too tame, too weak, too far beneath the theme, and we lay down our pen, and say, ‘No, it cannot be described.’ We can only do as did the beloved disciple, say, ‘Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God’ (1 John 3:1). In attempting any description of this love, we feel that we are as an infant lisping its first words. Silently we may adore; for silence in this matter is the only eloquence. This love is past all language to describe. It is the mystery of God in the flesh, God in Christ, and divinity in humanity. Christ bowed down in unparalleled humility, that in His exaltation to the throne of God, He might also exalt those who believe in Him, to a seat with Him upon His throne. All who look upon Jesus in faith that the wounds and bruises that sin has made will be healed in Him, shall be made whole.

“The themes of redemption are momentous themes, and only those who are spiritually minded can discern their depth and significance. It is our safety, our life, our joy, to dwell upon the truths of the plan of salvation. Faith and prayer are necessary in order that we may behold the deep things of God. Our minds are so bound about with narrow ideas, that we catch but limited views of the experience it is our privilege to have. How little do we comprehend what is meant by the prayer of the apostle, when he says, ‘That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen’ (Ephesians 3:16–21).” The Review and Herald, November 17, 1891.

This describes the passion of the wise virgin. The foolish virgins do not thrill to these words. The foolish virgins do not understand these words. The foolish virgins are put to sleep by these words, uninterested in these themes.

“Many who profess to be Christians become excited over worldly enterprises, and their interest is awakened for new and exciting amusements, while they are coldhearted, and appear as if frozen, in the cause of God. Here is a theme, poor formalist, which is of sufficient importance to excite you. Eternal interests are here involved. Upon this theme it is sin to be calm and unimpassioned. The scenes of Calvary call for the deepest emotion. Upon this subject you will be excusable if you manifest enthusiasm. That Christ, so excellent, so innocent, should suffer such a painful death, bearing the weight of the sins of the world, our thoughts and imaginations can never fully comprehend. The length, the breadth, the height, the depth, of such amazing love we cannot fathom. The contemplation of the matchless depths of a Saviour’s love should fill the mind, touch and melt the soul, refine and elevate the affections, and completely transform the whole character.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 212, 213.

This is the definition of the wise virgin. Does it fit for you? This is one question where you cannot afford to be self-deceived. “The Lord calls upon His slumbering people to awake out of their sleep. Many who in their ignorance consider themselves to be wise—like the foolish virgins in the parable—do not realize that their lamps are going out. When they awake to their condition it will be too late for them to obtain a fresh supply of oil, and they will be unready to meet the Bridegroom.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 9, 206.