Doctrine

Messages to the World

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While the judgment hour of Revelation 14 is passing, two solemn proclamations are made to men still in probation. And the judgment scene of Daniel 7 is for the very purpose of closing our Lord’s priesthood, and of crowning Him King of kings. But the closing work of Christ as priest pertains to the acquittal of His people at His Father’s tribunal, the blotting out of their sins, and the decision accounting them worthy of that world and the resurrection to immortality. Our Lord cannot do this for people in a state of probation. His first work must therefore relate to the righteous dead. And while their cases are severally passing under examination and decision, the living righteous are being prepared for the close of their probation, and for the decision of the investigative judgment by the proclamation of the third angel. This work being accomplished, and the living righteous being accounted worthy to escape the things coming upon the earth, and to stand before the Son of man, our Lord is crowned King, and takes His seat upon the white cloud, with a crown of pure gold upon His head.

The priesthood of Christ began when He presented Himself before the Father at His ascension as our Advocate. It cannot terminate till He has secured the acquittal of His people, and the blotting out of their sins in the investigative judgment. Then His enemies, at His request, will be given Him to destroy. His Father shall crown Him king upon His throne, saying to Him, “Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” Psalm 110:1, 2; Daniel 7:9–14; Psalm 2:6–9; Acts 3:19–21; Isaiah 44:22, 23. His entrance upon the priesthood was marked by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. John 16:7; Acts 1:4; 2:1–4, 16–18. The blotting out of sins, which terminates His priesthood, brings the people of God to the refreshing, from the presence of the Father, which precedes His act of sending His Son from heaven. Acts 3:19–21.

As a priest our Lord presents the merits of His blood in behalf of all who come to God through Him. Hebrews 7:25. Even the cases of the people of God who lived during the period of the Old Testament, have to be acted upon by Christ as priest. Hebrews 9:15. They can only have redemption through His blood; and the blotting out of their sins can only be effected through His priestly work. Hebrews 9, 10.

The whole multitude of the redeemed appear before the throne in raiment that has been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:13, 14. The work of our High Priest in behalf of His people involves an immense number of individual cases. He has not only borne the sin of all these, but He makes intercession for them, and finally obtains the blotting out of their sins on showing from the record that they have completed the work of overcoming. Our Lord does not continue in His priestly office to all eternity. When He comes again it is without sin unto salvation. But He does not leave His work unfinished. He brings every part of this immense work to a conclusion before He lays it down. The following proposition is both reasonable and scriptural:

There is a period of time at the close of this dispensation devoted to the finishing of the work of human probation, i.e., to the completion of Christ’s work as priest, and of His gospel as the means of salvation. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets.” Revelation 10:7. The mystery of God is defined in the following passages:

“How that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ); which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.” Ephesians 3:3–6.

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints; to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory; whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Colossians 1:26–28.

The mystery of God is therefore seen to be the work of salvation for fallen man through the gospel of Christ. It is that which unites Jews and Gentiles in one body as fellow-heirs, having Christ in them the hope of glory. The finishing of the mystery of God is the accomplishment of the work of the gospel. This must have a twofold bearing: 1. Upon the priesthood of our Lord, to bring it to a close by completing all its immense work. 2. Upon the preaching of the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth, in causing the proclamation of its final closing messages of warning.

This work is not closed instantaneously, for a space of time is devoted to its completion. And the finishing of this work pertains both to heaven and to earth; to the priesthood of Christ, and the proclamation of His gospel to men. But the priesthood of Christ, as we have seen, is finished at the time when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment; and it is while that judgment is in session that the latest messages of warning are addressed to men. Revelation 14:6–14. We do therefore understand that the period of time devoted to the finishing of the mystery of God is precisely that space occupied by the Father in the work of the investigative judgment.

 

Mystery of God Finished

 

It is not stated that the mystery of God shall be finished when the seventh angel begins to sound; for this would denote instantaneous completion. But it is said, “In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound,” etc. This shows beyond dispute that a period of time is devoted to this work. The days of this prophecy are prophetic days, i.e., years, as are those of the fifth and sixth angels. Revelation 9. These years, which are devoted to this finishing of human probation, begin with the sounding of the seventh angel. They are the earliest years of his voice. The sounding of the seventh angel begins, therefore, with the opening of that investigative judgment that finishes human probation, that determines the blotting out of the sins of the overcomers, that accounts them worthy of the world to come, that terminates the priesthood of Christ, and that witnesses the completion of the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God.

But is not the last trumpet of John’s series of seven the same as Paul’s last trump? The reasons, which forbid their identity, are perfectly conclusive. The seventh trumpet is the last of a series, not one of which is literally heard by the inhabitants of the earth. It is the accomplishment of certain events that indicates the transition from one of the seven angels to another. The seventh is like each of the preceding six in that it is the trumpet of an angel, and in that it is a symbolic and not a literal trumpet. Revelation 8, 9, 10, 11. But the trumpet, which awakens the dead, is not blown by an angel, but by the Son of God Himself. It is not a symbolic trumpet, for it is literally heard by the inhabitants of the earth. Matthew 24:31; Zechariah 9:14–16; 1 Thessalonians 4:14–17. It is called the last trump because when the Almighty descended upon Mount Sinai, in glory and majesty, like our Lord’s second advent (Exodus 19:16–19; Hebrews 12:18–27; Matthew 16:27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8), the trump of God was heard, as it will be once more when the dead are raised. 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52.

The commencement of the seventh angel’s voice, as we have seen, is the signal for the opening of the investigative judgment; and human probation continues for a term of days, i.e., years, after that voice begins. But the trump of God is not sounded till after that investigative judgment has determined the cases of all the righteous; for when it is heard, everyone that has been accounted worthy of a part in the resurrection to immortality, is, in an instant, made immortal. We conclude,therefore, that the seventh angel begins to sound before the advent of Christ, and that the first years of his sounding are devoted to the finishing of the work of human probation.

The events under the sounding of the seventh angel, though not given in chronological order, are, from their nature not difficult to be arranged in the order of their occurrence.

  1. In the days, i.e., years of the beginning of the voice of the seventh angel, the work of human probation is finished. Revelation 10:7. This, as we have seen, involves the closing up of the immense work of our High Priest. It also requires the proclamation of the final warnings to mankind.
  2. The most holy place of the temple in heaven is opened. Revelation 11:19. This is the place where our Lord’s priesthood is finished, and as we shall hereafter see, is the place where the Ancient of Days sits in judgment.
  3. While Christ is finishing His priesthood at the tribunal of His Father, in the holiest of the heavenly temple, the judgment of the righteous dead takes place. Revelation 11:18.
  4. The coronation of Christ is announced by the great voices in heaven, and by the words of the twenty-four elders. Revelation 11:15–17. This succeeds the close of His priesthood. When Christ begins His reign, He is invested by the Father with that power which Satan usurped from Adam the first. The reign of the second Adam is the re-establishment of the empire of God in this revolted province. Christ does not take His own throne to rule His enemies with a rod of iron till He has closed up His priestly office at His Father’s right hand.
  5. The wrath of God comes upon the wicked when Christ begins to rule them with the iron scepter of His justice. It comes in the seven last plagues. Revelation 11:18, 19; 14:9–11; 18:20; 15:16; 19:11–21.
  6. The anger of the nations comes in consequence of the work of the unclean spirits under the sixth plague, who incite them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Revelation 11:18; 16:13, 14; 19:19–21.
  7. The giving of rewards to the servants of God is at the resurrection of the just. Revelation 11:18; Luke 14:14; Matthew 16:27.

The final destruction of them that corrupt the earth is at the end of the one thousand years, in the second death. Revelation 11:18; 20:7–9.

The events of the seventh trumpet do therefore extend over the whole period of the great day of judgment. The mighty proclamation, which ushers in the seventh angel and the investigative judgment and the work in the second apartment of the heavenly temple for the completion of our Lord’s priestly office, we will not consider.

We have learned that there is a space of time at the beginning of the voice of the seventh angel, which is employed in closing up the work of human probation. During this period the living righteous conclude their probation, and are accounted worthy to stand before the Son of man. Luke 21:36. This is the time of the dead that they should be judged, i.e., the time when the righteous dead are accounted worthy of a part in the first resurrection. Luke 20:35, 36; Revelation 11:18. It is when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment that Christ is crowned King; and this same event takes place under the sounding of the seventh angel. Daniel 7:9–14; Revelation 11:15–17. This shows that the judgment scene of Daniel 7 is in the days of the seventh angel, and that the judgment of the dead here brought to view is at the Father’s tribunal. Two things next claim our attention: 1. The mighty proclamation which heralds the investigative judgment at the beginning of the voice of the seventh angel. 2. The opening of the most holy place of the heavenly temple for the session of the judgment.

 

Second and Third Woes

 

The second and third woes come in consequence of the voices of the sixth and seventh angels. Revelation 8:13. There is a short space of time between the second and third woes, and hence such space must exist between the close of the sixth angel’s voice and the commencement of the seventh. Revelation 11:14. The termination of the hour, day, month and year of the sixth angel marks the conclusion of the second woe, August 11, 1840. Revelation 9:15.

At the close of the sixth angel’s voice a mighty angel descends from heaven to herald the sounding of the seventh trumpet. He has a little book open in his hand; and he places his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cries with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth. The seven thunders utter their voices, but John is forbidden to write what they utter. The angel, having made proclamation to the inhabitants of the earth, lifts his hand to heaven, and swears that time shall be no longer, but that in the days of the beginning of the seventh angel’s voice the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared to His servants the prophets. Revelation 10:1–7.

His act of placing one foot upon the sea, and one upon the land, implies that his proclamation pertains to all the dwellers upon the globe. He cries with a mighty voice like the roar of a lion, but it is a voice that gives instruction and warning to mankind; for he has a little book open in his hand, a fact which indicates that its contents form the subject of his proclamation. When he has finished his announcement, he confirms it with a solemn oath. The words of this oath give a definite idea of the nature of his proclamation.

  1. That it relates to the definite time of some grand event.
  2. That this event is the sounding of the seventh angel.
  3. That this proclamation is based upon the prophets.

The book of Daniel contains the prophetic periods which mark the very events of the seventh angel’s voice. Among the earliest of these events are the opening of the second apartment of the heavenly temple (Revelation 11:19), the judgment of the righteous dead (Revelation 11:18), the finishing of the mystery of God (Revelation 10:7), and the coronation of Christ for the destruction of His enemies (Revelation 11:15–19; Psalm 2:6–9). The prophecy of Daniel reveals this very session of the investigative judgment, at which Christ is crowned King upon His own throne (Daniel 7:9–14), and the final work in the sanctuary of God for the closing up of human probation (Daniel 8:14), and marks the very time for the beginning of this grand work.

The book of Daniel must therefore be that book out of which the angel makes his proclamation of definite time; for this book alone contains the prophetic periods, unless, indeed we add the book of Revelation, which is but a second edition of the prophecy of Daniel. Now it is a remarkable fact that the book of Daniel was by divine direction closed up and sealed till the time of the end, when the wise were to understand. Daniel 12:4–10. The same power, which placed the seal upon it, must be employed to take it off. It was by the agency of the angel of God that this book was closed up; and it is by the same means that the seal is removed. And hence when the angel descends to herald the work under the seventh trumpet, that prophecy which reveals the very events of that trumpet, and marks the time of their commencement, is open in his hand. Having made his announcement there from, he swears that time shall be no longer, i.e., that the events predicted shall occur where he then stands—at the end of the periods contained in the little book.

The time to the finishing of the mystery of God must be the burden of the proclamation of this mighty angel; for the oath, which he utters to confirm his proclamation plainly indicates its nature. He swears that time should be no longer, but that the mystery of God should be finished in the days at the beginning of the seventh angel’s voice. The time, therefore, to which he swears must be the time contained in the little book, which reaches to the events of the seventh angel’s voice.

That this oath uttered by the angel with the open book relates to prophetic time, is further evident from the record of the oath which was uttered at the time when that book was sealed up; for the man clothed in linen, standing at a time when the prophetic periods all lay in the future solemnly attests with an oath the time contained in the sealed book. Daniel 12:6, 7. But the angel of Revelation 10, having the book open in his hand, first proclaims their termination and then swears to the truth of his announcement. His oath marks the end of the time in question. It certainly does not mark the end of time considered as duration, measured by days, or years, for the closing words of the oath speak of days yet future under the seventh angel; nor does it mark the end of human probation, for the words of the oath place this also yet future under the sounding of the seventh angel. Verse 7.

Moreover, after the eating of the book by John, who in this personates the church at the time of the fulfillment of this prophecy, he was bidden to prophesy again before many peoples and nations—a clear proof that there is a message of mercy and of warning to men after the oath of the angel that time shall be no longer. Verses 7–11. We must therefore conclude that this oath has reference to the time, which the angel had announced from the book open in his hand. This oath is the complement of that in Daniel 12. In that, the man clothed in linen swears to prophetic time yet to be; in this, the angel having made solemn proclamation from the open book, lifts his hand to heaven and swears to the accomplishment of the time.

 

The Everlasting Gospel

 

What has been said is quite sufficient to show that the work of the mighty angel of Revelation 10 is of the same nature with that of the angel in Revelation 14:6, 7. His message is uttered while the living are yet in probation. It is termed the everlasting gospel, because it is that which contains the good news of the coming kingdom of God. Like the mighty proclamation of the angel of Revelation 10, which pertains to all the dwellers upon the globe, this also is addressed to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. As the angel of Revelation 10 proclaims definite time connected with the seventh angel’s voice, so this angel says with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.” There must be definite time to mark the proclamation of this angel; and as men are addressed while yet in probation, that time must be the prophetic periods of the Bible. And herein have we a parallel to the case of the angel of Revelation 10 with the open book in his hand, swearing to the fulfillment of time. That relates to the sounding of the seventh angel and the finishing of the mystery of God; this relates to the session of the investigative judgment, which, as we have seen, is the same work. As a further work of prophesying remains after the angel of Revelation 10 swears that time shall be no longer, so in Revelation 14, after the angel has announced that the hour of God’s judgment is come, the like work remains to be performed.

The period designated as the hour of God’s judgment, or the days when the mystery of God is to be finished, is not therefore ushered in by the advent of Christ, for its work is preparatory to that event. But it is announced to the inhabitants of the earth by a solemn proclamation, based on a definite time and confirmed by an immutable oath. The time must therefore be given rightly.

Whenever, in fulfillment of Revelation 14:6, 7, the announcement is made, “The hour of His judgment is come,” the time must be truthfully given. And certainly when the angel of Revelation 10 swears to the fulfillment of time, that time must there expire. Yet in each case there is a further work of prophesying or proclaiming truth to the children of men.

These Scriptures can never have their fulfillment by a succession of time messages, each disproving the truth of its predecessor, and each being in turn disproved by the one which succeeds it. When God gives these announcements, they will be rightly given, though they are to be followed by the proclamation of other truths before the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those time movements which follow the genuine, and which repeat themselves again and again in the persistent effort to fix the time of Christ’s advent, never can be in fulfillment of the solemn announcement, “The hour of His judgment is come,” or of the solemn oath that time should be no longer; for these later time movements are but a succession of efforts made to fix the definite time of Christ’s advent, though that is not revealed in the Bible, and though each movement is based upon the failure of all which have preceded it. But the genuine is given for the purpose of announcing the investigative judgment, and its truthfulness being attested by the oath of the angel, it will never be retracted to make way for successive announcements of the time of Christ’s revelation. The opening of the heavenly temple and the final work therein we will now consider.

The investigative judgment, the finishing of the work of human probation, the close of Christ’s priesthood, and His coronation upon His own throne, are events which transpire in the days of the voice of the seventh angel when he begins to sound. They precede the revelation of Christ in the clouds of heaven and are preparatory to that grand event. The field of vision during this closing period of human probation is not simply the earth, where, indeed, the fierce battle between truth and error is being fought, but the temple of God in heaven is opened to our view, and becomes the theme of prophetic discourse. Revelation 11:19; 15:5.

We have learned that the priesthood of Christ must continue till He has secured the acquittal of His people at the tribunal of His Father, where their sins are blotted out, and themselves accounted worthy of eternal life. It is at this very time and place that the Saviour changes from His priestly to His kingly office. Hence, wherever our Lord closes His priestly office, there must be the place of the judgment session described in Daniel 7.

 

No Time to Celebrate, part 2

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In this article, we will review the first five points concerning central features of the Three Angels’ Messages that we looked at last month, and further develop number six:

  1. The Three Angels’ Messages are special messages to the last generation. When Jesus comes, the people who are lost are the ones who rejected the Third Angel’s Message, received the mark of the beast and worshipped his image.
  2. The Three Angels’ Messages lead men to keep God’s law. “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12. Those are the distinguishing marks of God’s people in the last days. To help you understand who and what Babylon is, God gives twenty-five identifying marks so you will not miss it. But with God’s people it is straightforward: they keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus.
  3. The whole world, in the last days, will reject the Three Angels’ Messages. That is clear in Revelation 13:14–16; 16:12–14; 18:23, 24; 19:18, 21. Since the Third Angel’s Message is the most awful threatening and warning in the Bible, the question is why would the whole world reject a threatening and warning so plain, clear and strong?
  4. They will reject this strong, plain warning because of the great deceptions that the unclean spirits will bring upon the world. “I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them together to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” Revelation 16:13, 14. The reason the world rejects the message is because they are deceived. As we said in part one, if your faith is based on miracles, the chances are one hundred percent that you will be deceived.
  5. The result of rejecting the Three Angels’ Messages is that you will receive this mark, and drink of the wine of the wrath of God. What has the wrath of God seen in it? The seven last plagues, according to Revelation 15. If you reject the Three Angels’ Messages, you will receive the plagues. That is Revelation 15 and 16. Revelation 17 is about the great worldwide confederation that will oppose God. Revelation 18 is about the destruction of the people that oppose the Three Angels’ Messages. And Revelation 19 is about their final destruction when Jesus comes before the millenium.
  6. The devil will work miracles, specializing in a certain kind of miracle. This miracle is the impersonation of our dead loved ones, famous people of the past, the Virgin Mary or the apostles. Before it is over according to Great Controversy, 624, the devil is even going to personate Jesus Christ.

Ellen White says that some of the same gracious words that Jesus spoke, the devil will speak. He will appear more glorious than anyone mortal eyes have ever beheld. The people of this world will fall down and worship him as Christ. He is the great antichrist.

Ellen White says that the devil can impersonate your dead loved ones perfectly. The form, the shape, the voice, the accent, information that no one but you and that person knew, he can duplicate perfectly. The devil will deceive people through ministers, even through Seventh-day Adventist ministers. Selected Messages, vol. 2, 380 says, “Many of the ministers are half paralyzed by their own defects of character. They need the converting power of God.” If a minister is half paralyzed by his defects of character, can he preach to you about overcoming your defects of character, gaining perfection and overcoming sin? Not unless he wants to be a hypocrite; and if he does, he will shake in his boots the whole time. How can you talk to someone else about something that you yourself are not experiencing? You cannot preach about overcoming smoking if you are smoking.

I used to wonder why no one was preaching about perfection of character, sanctification, overcoming and forsaking sin? I read about these topics all the time in Ellen White’s writings, but rarely heard them preached from the pulpit. Now I understand why so few ministers preach it. It is because they themselves have never experienced these things. You cannot preach about overcoming sin if you are not in your own closet going through an experience with the Lord and overcoming. That is one of the ways the devil deceives people. They never hear about the necessity of forsaking and overcoming sin. The preachers do not preach about it because they cannot.

We talk about how the devil uses religion to deceive people. Ellen White says that he will come to the last generation in the “livery [that is the cloak] of heaven.” (See Testimonies, vol. 3, 456.)What is that talking about? He will come in a religious guise, seeking to gain control of the world.The devil will come to Adventists in church.

The devil will cause heresy to be preached. “Every conceivable message is coming to counterfeit the work of God, and always bearing the inscription of truth upon its banner. And those who are prepared for anything new and sensational, will handle these things in such a manner that our enemies will charge all that is inconsistent and overdone upon Mrs. E. G. White, the prophetess . ..There will be counterfeit messages coming from persons in all directions. One after another will rise up, appearing to be inspired, when they have not the inspiration of heaven, but are under the deception of the enemy. All who receive their messages will be led astray.” Selected Messages, vol. 3, 404.

“Delusions and deceptions will come in among us and will multiply as we near the end.” 1888 Materials, 1243. We are living in the time when these delusions and deceptions are multiplying.

Here is another way the devil deceives people. “Those who feel at liberty to question the Word of God, to doubt everything where there is any chance to be unbelieving, will find that it will require a tremendous struggle to have faith when trouble comes. It will be almost impossible to overcome the influence that binds the mind which has been educated in the line of unbelief, for by this course the soul is bound in Satan’s snare and becomes powerless to break the dreadful net that has been woven closer and closer about the soul.” Last Day Events, 68, 69.

If you sow unbelief, questioning and doubting, that is what you will reap. The time will come when you will be so steeped in unbelief that there will be no way to reach you. There are a lot of people in that condition all around us today, even in the church. There is one more deception we have not looked at: “The warfare against God’s law commenced in heaven. Satan was determined to bring God to his ideas, his way, to force Him to change the law of His government. This was the cause of the war in heaven. Satan worked upon the sympathies of the angelic host by his deceptive attitude.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, 37.

Can you have sympathy without any feeling? Sympathy has to do with the way you feel toward another person. The devil was successful in getting a third of the angels on his side by working on their sympathy. He still knows how to do that. The devil uses this technique to get control, not only of individuals or families, but of whole churches and conferences in the Adventist Church.

 

The Way of the Transgressor is Hard

 

God created human beings to be happy. But He says there are certain conditions under which you cannot have happiness. The Bible says that “in Your [God’s] presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forever more.” Psalm 16:11. “Good understanding gains favor, but the way of the unfaithful is hard.” Proverbs 13:15. For those who follow the Lord there is peace and joy, but not for the wicked. ” ‘There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked.’ ” Isaiah 48:22. Paul clearly describes what it is like for the wicked:

“As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one; There is none who understands. There is none that seeks after God. They have all turned aside. They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one. Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit; The poison of asps is under their lips; whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Romans 3:10–19.

Paul says for sinful men, “Destruction and misery are in their ways, the way of peace they have not known.” There is no chance for them to have joy and happiness. They will experience destruction and misery. That is what the Bible teaches from the beginning to the end.

The Bible says that if you sin and try to cover it up, you will not prosper. “He who covers his sin will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13. But for six thousand years the devil has been trying to convince people that you can sin and still have joy and happiness. The Bible says, “No, you cannot!”

During the time of the children of Israel, the Lord gave them a special service once a year called The Day of Atonement. On this Day they were to afflict their souls. “For any person who is not afflicted in soul on that same day he shall be cut off from his people. And any person who does any work on that same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.” Leviticus 23:29, 30.

“This shall be a statute for ever for you; in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you. For on that day the priest shall make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins.” Leviticus 16:29–31. God’s plan is to get rid of your sins. If your sins are forgiven and forsaken, then you will be happy. That is one of the central points of the whole ceremonial service.

“It is a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, and you shall afflict your souls. It is a statute forever.” Verse 31. The old covenant Day of Atonement came once a year. The new covenant Day of Atonement began in 1844. We are living in the anti-typical Day of Atonement. Right now, the Lord is reviewing the records of every individual.

 

Search for Hidden Sins

 

“In this great day of atonement our work is that of heart-searching, of self-abasement, and confession of sin, each humbling his own soul before God, and seeking pardon for himself individually . . . If each will search and see what sins are lurking in his own heart to shut out Jesus, he will find such a work to do that he will be ready to esteem others better than himself.” Historical Sketches, 213.

We have to go to the Lord and say, “Lord, is there anything in my life that is wrong and needs to come out.” If you ask the Lord that question, you will be surprised how fast He might answer your prayer! The Holy Spirit will put His finger right on something and say, “How about this?”

“Every man is required to afflict his soul before God. Every heart is required to be in harmony with the divine will.” Review and Herald, August 12, 1884. “Investigate the motives of every action and know that the eye of God reads all, searches out every hidden thing.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 124. I am to ask myself, “What are my motives?” That is afflicting my soul.

“An effort was made to arouse them by presenting our true position in the anti-typical day of atonement, when every man should afflict his soul before God, when sins should be confessed and go beforehand to judgment that when the times of refreshing shall come, they may be blotted out.” Review and Herald, October 21, 1884. “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment . . . and they that are otherwise cannot be hid.” 1Timothy 5:24, 25.

There was another special occasion on the Jewish calendar, which was very different from the Day of Atonement. “The Feast of Tabernacles was the great holiday of the nation.” Review and Herald, July 7, 1896. The Feast of Tabernacles represented the great celebration that the saints will enjoy when the Lord takes them to heaven. We believe in celebrating! We are getting ready for the biggest celebration of all time, but it will take place in heaven after the Day of Atonement that we are still in now.

The Day of Atonement prepares you for the great celebration. The devil’s trick is to get people celebrating when they are not ready to go to heaven. They are not ready to have their sins blotted out. He knows that they are headed straight for hellfire if they do not get sin out of their lives.

Do you want to celebrate a few years down here and then go to hellfire? Or do you want to celebrate up there forever. “The Feast of Tabernacles was the great holiday of the nation. This feast was preceded by a Day of Atonement, which occurred on the tenth day of the seventh month, when everyone was to afflict his soul by confessing his sins, both to the Lord and to his brethren. This humiliation was to prepare the way for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles.” Ibid.

The Lord says, “If you desire to have joy, peace and happiness, sin has to come out of your life.” And the devil says, “No, it does not. You can have a celebration right now!” That is deceptive. But the Christian world is falling for it. A large part of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is falling for it. The Adventist Review took a random survey of 1738 Adventists (printed in the October 30, 1997 edition); twenty-nine percent of those polled said they attend celebration churches right now.

I want to show you from the Bible how serious this is. It is impossible for me to state it too strongly. If you are going to a celebration church, you had better repent and get out of there or you will commit the unpardonable sin and go straight to hellfire. I will read it to you right now in the Bible. “You are full of noise, a tumultuous city, a joyous city. Your slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle . . .Therefore I said, ‘Look away from me, I will weep bitterly; Do not labor to comfort me because of the plundering of the daughter of my people. For it is a day of trouble and treading down and perplexity by the Lord God of Hosts in the valley of vision—breaking down the walls and of crying to the mountain . . .He removed the protection of Judah. You looked in that day to the armor of the house of the forest . . .You also saw the damage to the city of David that it was great. You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses you broke down to fortify the wall . . .And in that day the Lord God of Hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth.” Isaiah 22:2, 4, 5, 8–10, 12.

There is a time when it is not appropriate to sing, dance, wave our hands and have a good time. Do you laugh at a funeral? A funeral, the Bible says, is for mourning. The Lord tells us in verse twelve that it is time to weep and mourn. Why? Because a large percentage of Seventh-day Adventists today are going straight to destruction.

A man came along in the seventies by the name of Desmond Ford, saying you cannot find the investigative judgment in the Bible. That is not true. But people did not and still do not want to hear about the judgment. They want to feel good and to say, “Our sins are forgiven and it is all right.” The Lord says the opposite: “Search your heart, examine your life, look at your motives and ask Me to help you get sin out.”

It is time to pray, to weep between the porch and the altar and plead for God’s people. It is not time to cover up sin and to have a good time. That kind of a good time will not last. When God called for weeping and mourning, the people did not do it. “But instead, joy and gladness, slain oxen and killing sheep, and eating meat and drinking wine: Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” Verse 13.

They said, “we will not weep and mourn. We will celebrate and have a good time. We will tell the people, Be joyful and happy!” If you are joyful and happy when you are living in sin, you insult the deity and God will respond to that insult.

The Lord said, “It is time to afflict your soul. It is time to search your heart.” They said, “Oh, no, we will have a good time.” The God of heaven is a loving God. He loves us all very much, but He is not to be trifled with. Soon it will be impossible to save the rebellious. Jesus is coming in the clouds of heaven. He will tell us that there is no more sacrifice for sin. If there is sin on your record at that time, you will be lost forever. There will be plenty of gnashing of teeth when the Lord comes. Jesus said that when He comes there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, no celebrating then, because the people have not overcome their sins.

While there is still time, the Lord says, “You need to afflict your soul. You need to search your heart.” Neither the preacher, the elder nor the Sabbathschool teacher can do it for you. You have to do it for yourself. You have to go to your closet and pray saying, “Lord, is there anything in me that needs to come out so I can be ready to meet Jesus in peace?”

The people said, “We will have a good time.” The Lord said, “Yes, you will have a good time, but look what will happen to you.” “Then it was revealed in my hearing by the Lord of Hosts, ‘surely for this iniquity there will be no atonement for you, even to your death,’ says the Lord of hosts,” Verse 14. This means you have committed the unpardonable sin. People say, “Oh, it does not matter. You can worship any way you choose!” But according to Isaiah 22, when God says, “It is time to weep and mourn,” the decision you make to obey or disobey, has eternal consequences.

I am to go to my closet and say, “Lord, are my motives right? I may be doing good things, but are my motives right? Is there secret sin in my life, Lord? If so, I want it to come out now while there is time and not after probation when it is too late.” If I do that now, the time is coming when I will go to a great celebration! It is likened to the marriage supper of the Lamb. It will be the happiest time in my life and it will never end.

Ellen White said, “The command is ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that [celebrate?] sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.’ [Ezekiel 9:4.] These sighing, crying ones have been holding forth the works of life; they had reproved, counseled, and entreated. Some who had been dishonoring God repented and humbled their hearts before Him. But the glory of the Lord had departed from Israel; although many still continued the forms of religion, His power and presence were lacking. In the time when His wrath shall go forth in judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul anguish, which is expressed in lamentation and weeping, reproofs and warnings. While others try to throw a cloak over the existing evil, and excuse the great wickedness everywhere prevalent, those who have a zeal for God’s honor and a love for souls will not hold their peace to obtain favor of any.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 210.

The sin that is all around is going to send these people to destruction. The day of salvation is almost over. She talks about two classes: The people who are not grieved over their sins and the people who are sighing, crying, mourning, weeping, lamenting, reproving and counseling others to get sin out of their lives.

The people who receive the seal of God are those who look at their lives and ask, “Lord, is there anything in me that needs to be changed so that I will be ready for heaven?” If all Adventism decides to stomp their feet and clap their hands, wave, have drums and music, sing, dance, play and be joyful, I will not do it!

We are now in the preparation time. The only people who attend God’s great celebration are the ones whose robes of character have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. All the wrinkles are removed, and they are ready. When Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven, the saints will ask only one question, “Is my garment spotless? Are all the wrinkles out?”

I have visualized in my mind over and over again what it will be like to see the cloud coming and know that I am either saved or lost. There will be no changing then. The time to make your calling and election sure is now.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout . . . and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. What a celebration!

 

Our Eternal Hope

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Death is something that many people do not like to think about and often a subject of discomfort. However, as Christians, God gives us the hope of another life much better than what we can ever have in this world, and He wants us to recognize the misconceptions about death that are so prominently believed in the world. The Bible says that at the end of time almost the entire world will be deceived and will be led captive by the devil and end up worshipping evil spirits because of their lack of understanding about death. A true understanding of the issue will help us to reinforce our hope of eternal life and be ready when Jesus returns.

Working in a medical institution, one cannot help but be around death. One day a lady was brought into the emergency room shaking with fever and in terrible pain. They tried to monitor what was going on but she got worse. One of the things we were afraid of was what was happening with her heart and blood pressure. Her blood pressure was dropping and she began feeling very light-headed, and began wondering what was happening. She felt like she was slipping out of her body and in a few moments it seemed as if she was floating around near the ceiling looking down at her body. She later reported that while she was in this condition she saw a light, and it felt like she was in the presence of somebody. She said, “I began to feel the most incredibly warm and loving feeling. There was a light and I felt a presence in the light.”

There are many similar reports of near death experiences. Books sold about this subject reach best seller status. People are fascinated by the mystery and by personal accounts of the sensation of leaving one’s body.

But the reality is that people who have had these experiences never actually died. It is very important to remember that they were very near death, but they did not die. Many near death experiences resemble hallucinations. This type of sensation can be brought on, not only as a result of a person being near death and perhaps losing a realistic perspective, but also as an effect of certain drugs, chemicals, or substances.

In an article in the Saturday Evening Post, November 2, 1963, about drugs and out of the body experiences, Timothy Leary stated, “After eating certain Mexican mushrooms I realized that I had died, that I could look back and see my body in bed.” He had not really died, but when he came out of that experience, he reported that the out of body sensation had been very real and he had felt like he had died.

In his book, The Doors of Perception, Aldus Huxley states: “After taking Mescaline my body seemed to have disassociated itself almost completely from my mind. It was odd, of course, to feel that I was not the same as these arms and legs out there.” He felt disassociated from his body with his mind in a different place. Some people who have lived through similar experiences have suffered permanent brain damage or severe memory loss.

In an experiment conducted to investigate the hallucinative effects of external substances, Dr. Lodiscus Maduna gave his subject a dosage of 30% carbon dioxide and 70% oxygen. 100% carbon dioxide would be fatal, but after receiving the 30% dosage, the subject stated: “I felt as though I was looking down at myself, as though I was way out in space. I felt sort of separated.” As in the previously mentioned case, her blood pressure had dropped drastically and her brain was suffering from oxygen deprivation. She lived through a near death experience, but she did not die.

One can find many similar accounts which occurred as a result of eating a toxic substance or taking drugs, either for personal use or as part of a scientific experiment. This type of experiment is very dangerous, and may result in permanent damage to the person.

The most important aspect of these out of body or near death experiences is that they contradict what Scripture says about death. There are no scriptural accounts of people experiencing the presence of light in or close to death. The Bible says that when a man goes down to the grave, he does not return. (Job 7:9.) That does not mean he will never return to life again. Job 14:12 says, “They lay down and they will sleep and they will not stop their sleep, their sleeping will not stop until the heavens [be] no more.” Here Job refers to Jesus’ Second Coming at the end of the world. Job believed that he would be raised again at the Second Coming, but until that time should happen, he would not return, neither would he go back to his house. He also says, “When a few years are come, then I shall go the way [whence] I shall not return.” Job 16:22.

When a person enters the coffin, they will not come out unless they are resurrected. One of the most wonderful things about the gospel is that the God of heaven loves you and me. He “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him would not perish.” John 3:16.

Those who do not believe in Jesus will perish. This world does not guarantee everlasting life or immortality. Our worldly destiny is death, but we have a Friend who loved us so much that He paid the price for our sins and offered the free gift of eternal life to all who accept it.

Many accounts of near death experiences are frightfully similar to what Spiritualism teaches. Spiritualism claims that the dead are not really dead. In his book, Spiritualism, History, Phenomenon and Doctrine, J. Arthur Hill discusses the fundamental principle of Spiritualism and the idea that human beings survive bodily death and that sometimes the living are able to communicate with those who have gone before. According to Hill, Spiritualism claims that the dead communicate with the living.

This is a frightful teaching, because when the living think they are communicating with the dead, they are, as the Bible teaches, not really communicating with those who have passed away, but with evil spirits. A Spiritualist once said that there is no death in the grave yard and that he had frequent talks with the dead and could not doubt that people live after death because he had frequently talked with them.

Adam and Eve were created to have eternal life and if they had not eaten the forbidden fruit, they would never have died. The devil’s first lie was, “You will not surely die.” Genesis 3:4. God said, “If you eat of the forbidden fruit you will die.” (Genesis 2:15–17.) The devil contradicted God when he told Eve she would not die.

Spiritualists today believe the devil’s lie. They say that the dead know more than the living. They believe that the devil told the truth and that the Lord was in error. Referring to the devil, Jesus says, “There is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44.

The Bible predicts in Revelation, that evil spirits are going to deceive the whole world in the last days of earth’s history. How will this happen? The devil is now in the process of deceiving the entire world through the miracles of his evil spirits and people believe all kinds of reports. There are accounts of apparitions of the virgin Mary. Others claim to have spoken to famous men who are dead from past ages, and multitudes flock to the places where these signs or wonders have happened.

The Bible says that, “In the beginning the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7. It was not until God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils that man became a living soul. Only this combination of dust plus spirit makes man a living soul. When a person dies, the exact opposite occurs. Death is a reversal of creation. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says, “Then the dust will return to the earth as it was: and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” The Bible says, “All the while my breath [is] in me and the spirit of God [is] in my nostrils.” Job 27:3.

When a person dies, he/she stops breathing and goes into an unconscious state. The Bible says that when a person dies, his thoughts perish. “Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help. His breath goeth forth, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Psalm 146:3, 4. If somebody’s thoughts have perished and he/she is in an unconscious state, it is impossible to learn something from that person. You may think you are talking to that person, but you are actually communicating with an evil spirit capable of impersonating the dead perfectly in body form and tone of voice. In that way, people may be deceived into thinking that they are talking to the spirit of a dead person.

The element of earth minus breath equals a dead body. If you disconnect the electricity from a light bulb, the light will go off. The light bulb is still there but there is no spirit in it; there is no electricity in it. The breath of God also involves electricity. The electrical currents in the brain can be measured by taking an EEG. When somebody dies his/her brain wave registers flat because there is no current, and he/she is brain dead. Life support machines might be used to keep him/her breathing and maintain heartbeat, but if the EEG is flat, he/she is brain dead. The spirit is gone, so how much does he/she know? Nothing, for the Bible says, “The living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything.” Ecclesiastes 9:5. Neither do they praise the Lord. The Bible says, “The dead praise not the Lord.” Psalm 115:17. “For in death [there is] no remembrance of you: In the grave who will give you thanks?” Psalm 6:5.

I remember when I was a small child that I did not like going to bed and always wanted to stay up all the time. Once asleep, eight or ten hours can pass very quickly during which time it seems to the sleeper that only moments have passed. Time passes in the same way for a person who is sleeping in death and it will seem to them as if only moments had passed when they awake at the Second Coming. Even for someone like Abel, who has been dead for over 5,000 years, the resurrection will feel like waking from sleep.

This shows us how merciful God is. When a person dies, they no longer feel pain or experience disappointment. They do not look down from some other planet of heaven to watch their loved ones struggling and suffering. They do not have to go through any of those things again. They sleep peacefully, and in what seems like an instant, Jesus will come again and give them life.

The Bible teaches that human beings are mortal and the devil is mortal. The Bible says that “the soul that sins, it shall die.” Ezekiel 18:20. The devil said, “You won’t die.” The Bible teaches that human beings are mortal. The word mortal means that you are “subject to death.” (See Job 4:17; Romans 6:12; Romans 8:11; II Corinthians 4:11.) Neither does the devil have eternal life. The Lord says He is going to destroy him and bring him to ashes. God is the only One who has immortality. The word immortality means “not subject to death.” If you follow Jesus and give your life to Him you will receive the gift of immortality when Jesus comes and you will still be alive a million years from now. You will never die and you will have a life that goes on equal with the life of God.

This is the most stupendous, marvellous gift that the Lord can give to us—the gift of eternal life when Jesus comes. Romans 2:7, and I Corinthians 15:51–55 describe how it will be when we will receive immortality.

Many churches believe that man has an immortal soul. The 19th Century English parliamentary reformer and former Prime Minister of Great Britain, William Gladstone says, “The pagan doctrine of the immortality of the soul crept in through the back door of the church.” Ancestor worship is based on the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul.

In the Garden of Eden the devil told Eve that if she ate the forbidden fruit, she would not die. She ate the forbidden fruit and died, and both Adam and Eve have been dead for about 5,000 years. The devil tried to win the argument by telling another lie and invented the pagan doctrine of immortality of the soul. The ancient Egyptian religion subscribed to the idea of immortality of the soul and the Cairo museum contains many interesting artifacts which testify to this belief. They worshiped the serpent which according to the Bible represents Satan. The symbol of the serpent was used extensively in religious ceremonies. The snake’s head decorated the front of the crowns of the pharaohs. Ancient Egyptians believed in the pagan doctrine of immortality of the soul. When their rulers died they were buried with food, boats, clothes and jewels and everything thought necessary for the afterlife.

The Babylonians continued with the belief of immortality of the soul. This pagan idea of the ancient civilizations is the same doctrine that has been carried through the ages and is still taught today by Spiritualists and Satanists who believe in immortality of the soul. This was never a belief of the Hebrew people, and a thorough search of the Scriptures shows overwhelming evidence against the idea of immortality of the soul. Old Testament Bible writers used the phrase slept, or rested with their fathers, as an expression for death. Jesus, the One who created the world and everything in it (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) said when Lazarus died, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” The disciples said, “Lord, if he is asleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death, but they thought he had spoken of taking a rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.” Jesus went to Bethany to raise Lazarus and He was met by Martha who said, “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” Jesus answered her, “Your brother will rise again.” (John 11:11–14, 21, 23.) Neither Martha nor Jesus had the idea that Lazarus was in heaven, or hell, or anywhere else. They just knew that he was asleep—he was dead. Martha said, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Verse 24. Martha understood the state of the dead. But Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life.” “Take me to where he is buried. Take me to Lazarus’ tomb.” Verses 25, 34. So they went out to a cave which had a stone covering the entrance, and Jesus said to them, “Roll away the stone.” Martha said, “But Lord, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” Verse 39.

When Jesus returns, it will not matter whether a person has been dead four minutes, four days, four years, or four thousand years, because when He speaks, they will be given life. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and thus we shall always be with the Lord.” I Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

One may ask about the thief on the cross. “He said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, today you shall be with me in paradise.” Luke 23: 42, 43. The problem in this verse is the punctuation, which was added hundreds of years after the Bible was written. It should read: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you today, you shall be with me in paradise.” Jesus was saying, “I am telling you today—today as we hang on these crosses—that you will be with Me in paradise.”

Even Jesus Himself did not enter paradise the Friday of his crucifixion. Jesus was resurrected three days later on Sunday morning, the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene, so distraught from grief that she did not recognize with whom she was talking, met Him the morning of His resurrection and He said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?” The Bible says she thought He was the gardener, and she said to Him, “If you have taken Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary,” and she recognized His voice and wished to embrace Him, but Jesus said to her, “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” John 20:15–17.

Jesus did not go to paradise on the day of the crucifixion. Three days later when he saw Mary, He still had not ascended to His Father. He told her, “Go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.” Verse 17.

The resurrection of Jesus guarantees that everyone who believes in Christ will also be resurrected and taken to heaven at His coming. Jesus said, “I [am] he that lives and was dead: and, behold, I am alive forever more, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” Revelation 1:18.

For a non-believer, pagan, an atheist or an infidel, death is goodbye for all eternity, goodbye forever. If you are a Christian, then death is simply goodbye until we meet again. Goodbye until the resurrection morning. Paul tells us that when Jesus comes, all the dead in Christ will rise first. It is one of the most exciting things to think about.

Some years ago when my brother was alive, he was preaching about the resurrection. In the congregation was a woman who was suffering from the recent death of her baby. Even with the help of psychiatrists and counselors she had not been able to escape depression and come to terms with her loss. Life for her was unbearable, but that day she learned of the hope of being reunited with her baby, and God’s love inspired her to keep going. Jesus is coming, and for Christians, His return will be the most exciting event we have ever seen. Those who have died in Christ, will be reunited with their loved ones for all eternity.

The Bible says, “The person who has the Son has life, and the person that does not have the Son of God will not see life.” (1 John5:12.) It is that simple. There is nobody else in the whole universe who can give eternal life—only Jesus Christ. He desires to give the gift of eternal life to all those who choose to follow Him and not rebel against His government. The exciting part of this news is that we are now living in the last days and this event will soon come to pass. It is now that you and I need to be ready to meet Him.

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

The Offices of Christ

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Our Lord (Christ) has three grand offices assigned Him in the Scriptures in the work of human redemption. When He was upon our earth at His first advent, He was that prophet of whom Moses spake, in Deuteronomy 18:15–19. See also Acts 3:22–26. When He ascended up to heaven, He became a great High Priest, after the order of Melchizedek. Psalm 110: Hebrews 8:1–6. But when He comes again, He is in possession of His kingly authority, as promised in the second psalm. It is by virtue of this office of king that He judges mankind. Matthew 25:34–40. The transition from our Lord’s priesthood to His kingly office precedes His Second Advent. Luke 19:11, 12, 15. It takes place when His Father sits in judgment, as described in Daniel 7:9–14.

  1. The nature of the words addressed by the Father to the Son when He crowns Him king, shows that coronation to be at the close of His priestly office.

“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree; the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalm 2:6–9.

It is manifest that the giving of the heathen to the Son by the Father is not for their salvation but for their destruction. It could not, therefore, take place at the ascension of Christ, when He entered upon His priesthood, but must be when the work of that priesthood is finished. Daniel has placed the coronation of Christ at the Father’s judgment-seat. And to this fact the words of the second psalm perfectly agree. The priesthood of Christ is closed when the scepter of iron is placed in His hands. The number of His people is made up, the work for their sins is finished, and their salvation rendered certain, when all the rest of mankind are delivered into His hands to be broken by the scepter of His justice. But this cannot be till our Lord, as priest, has blotted out our sins, at the tribunal of His Father; for when the wicked are given into the hands of Christ to be destroyed, it is plain that there is no further salvation for sinners. When our Lord accepts the iron scepter of justice, He can no longer fill the office of priest, to make atonement for sins. His whole priestly office is finished when He is thus crowned by His Father. But this coronation, which is described in Daniel 7:9–14, is simply the transition from the priesthood of Christ to His kingly office. It is plain that our Lord’s priesthood is brought to a conclusion at the time when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment. We need Him as priest to confess our names at that tribunal, and to show from the record of our past lives that we have perfected the work of overcoming, so that our sins may, by the decision of the Father, be blotted out, and our names retained in the book of life. But when the people of God have thus passed the decision of the investigative judgment, their probation is closed forever, and their names being found in the book of life, when all that have failed to overcome are stricken there from, they are prepared for the standing up of Michael to deliver His people and to destroy all others with the scepter of His justice.

  1. The priesthood of Christ continues till His enemies are given Him to be destroyed.

“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The LORD at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way; therefore shall he lift up the head.” Psalm 110:1–7.

The words of verse 1, “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool,” and of verse 4, “Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek,” are addressed by God the Father of Christ, when He enters upon His priestly office, and are equivalent to saying that in due time He should have His enemies given Him to destroy, viz., at the close of His work of intercession. For this reason it is that Paul represents Him as sitting at the Father’s right hand, in a state of expectancy. Hebrews 10:13. But the words of the second psalm, bidding Him ask for the heathen, to destroy them, cannot be uttered till He finished His work of intercession. It appears that our Lord announces the close of His intercession by saying, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that 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. In response to His declaration of the Intercessor, announcing to His Father the close of His work, the Father bids the Son ask of Him the heathen that He may devote them to utter destruction. And in fulfillment of the Son’s request, the Father crowns Him king, as described in Daniel 7:9–14, as He sits in judgment, and commits the judgment into His hands.

 

Christ’s Position Invariable

 

  1. Christ, as our high priest, or intercessor, sits at the right hand of the Father’s throne, i.e., He occupies the place of honor in the presence of one greater, till He is Himself crowned king, when He takes His own throne.

The position of the Saviour as high priest cannot be one invariable, fixed posture of sitting. Indeed, although Mark says (Chapter 16:19) concerning our Lord that “he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God,” yet it is said of Stephen that “he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” Acts 7:55, 56. Some time after this, Saul of Tarsus had an actual interview with Christ, that, like the other apostles, he might be a witness in person to the fact of his resurrection. 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8; Acts 9:3–15, 17, 27; 22:6–8, 14; 26:15, 16.

The fact that Stephen saw our Lord standing at his Father’s right hand, and that after this Jesus did personally appear to Saul to constitute him a witness of his resurrection, which, in order to be an apostle, he must be, is not inconsistent with the mandate of the Father, “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

The Hebrew word yahshav, rendered sit in Psalm 110:1, is used an immense number of times in the Old Testament, and is in a very large proportion of these cases rendered dwell. Thus (Genesis 13:12), “Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain.” Again (Genesis 45:10), “And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen.” Also, “David dwelt in the country of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 27:7. These examples could be extended to a great length, and kindred uses of the word are very numerous. But it is to be observed that Abraham, and Lot, and Jacob, and David, the persons spoken of in the texts, who dwelled or, as rendered in Psalm 110:1, who sat in the places named, were not, during the time in which they acted thus, immovably fixed to those several places, but were capable of going and returning during the very time in question. And the Greek word kathizo, used in the New Testament for Christ’s act of sitting at the Father’s right hand, though more generally used in the sense of sitting, is also used precisely like yahshav in the texts above.

When our Lord went away, it was not simply that He should act as intercessor for His people, He also had another work to do. He says: “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:2, 3. We cannot doubt that this work is wrought under our Lord’s personal inspection; and it is performed during the period that He is at the Father’s right hand.

The expression, “right hand,” is especially worthy of attention. In defining the Hebrew word yahmeen, i.e. right hand, Gesenius says: “To sit on the right hand of the king, as the highest place of honor, e.g., spoken of the queen (1 Kings 2:19; Psalm 14:9); of one beloved of the king and vicegerent of the kingdom. Psalm 110:1.”

When our Lord spoke of going away to intercede for His people, he said: “I go unto the Father; for my Father is greater than I.” John 14:26–28. In fulfilling His office of intercessor, or high priest, He has assigned to Him the highest place of honor in the presence of a greater; for He sits on the right hand of His Father’s throne. He is not, however, to sustain this relation always. It lasts while He pleads for sinful men. When it ceases, the impenitent are to be made His footstool, and the dominion, and glory, and kingdom being given Him, He sits down upon His own throne. Revelation 3:21. This gift of the heathen to Christ is when the Father sits in judgment, as we have seen from Daniel 7:9–14. We can well understand that at this tribunal the question is determined with His iron scepter. The determination of the cases of the righteous in showing that they have perfected the work of overcoming, and that they are worthy to have their sins blotted out is the final work of our Lord as high priest. When this is accomplished, His priesthood is closed forever, and He assumes His kingly throne to judge His enemies and to deliver and reward His saints.

  1. The Saviour, being crowned king at the close of His priestly office, begins the exercise of His kingly power by delivering His people, and by bringing to trial, and pronouncing judgment upon, and executing, His enemies.

The one hundred and tenth psalm, though it speaks very distinctly of the priesthood of Christ, enters even more largely into the exercise of His kingly office. It very clearly reveals the fact that our Lord acts as judge by virtue of His kingly authority. Thus verse 1 assigns to him, as priest, the place of honor at His Father’s right hand, limiting His priesthood, however, by an event which changes His office from priest to king. Verse 2 states the very act of making Christ king, and makes His enemies His footstool. Thus it says: “The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion; rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” The first clause of this verse is parallel to Psalm 2:6, “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” The heavenly Zion (See Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 14:1) is the place of Christ’s coronation. The last clause is the very words of the Father to the Son, when He crowns Him king. This is sufficiently obvious from our common English version. But it is made still more evident from the French translation of Davie Martin, in which the two clauses are connected by the words, “in saying.” Thus: “The Lord shall transmit out of Zion the scepter of thy strength, in saying: Rule in the midst of thy enemies.”

 

All the Holy Angels Attend Christ

 

Our Lord being thus inducted into His kingly office, and proceeding to the exercise of His power against His enemies, the next verse states the sympathy of His people with this work: “Thy people shall be willing in the days of thy power; in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth.” Instead of “the day of thy power,” Martin’s French Bible reads, “The day that thou shalt assemble thy army in holy pomp.” This is the time when the Son of man descends in power and great glory, and the armies of Heaven, i.e.; all the holy angels attend and surround Him. Matthew 24:30, 31; 1 Thessalonians 4:16–18; Revelation 19:11–21. The people of God are to unite with Christ in His rule over the nations of wicked men. Revelation 2:26, 27; Psalm 2:6–9. The morning of this verse must be the morning of the day, which it mentions. One of the earliest events of that day is the resurrection of the just, when, like their Lord, they are born from the dead to life immortal. Revelation 20:4–6; Luke 20:35, 36; Colossians 1:18; Hosea 13:13, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:42–44, 51–54.

The fourth verse of Psalm 110 confirms with an oath the priesthood of Christ. His prophetic office is the subject of solemn promise. Deuteronomy 18:15–18. His priesthood is established by an oath. Psalm 110:4. His kingly office is the subject of a fixed decree. Psalm 2:6, 7. But the forever of His priesthood, as expressed by this verse, is limited by the fact that at a certain point of time He is to cease to plead for sinful men, and they are to be made His footstool.

It is important to observe that there are in this psalm two Lords, the Father and the Son. One in the original is called Jehovah; the other is called Adonai. The word “LORD” in small capitals is used for Jehovah. But the Lord at His right hand (verse 1) is Adonai, the Son. So we read of the Son in verse 5. “The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of His wrath.” This will evidently be in the battle of the great day of God Almighty. Revelation 6:15–17; 19:11–21; Isaiah 24:21–23.

Our Lord does not thus destroy His enemies by virtue of His kingly office until He has first judged them, for one of the first acts of His kingly power is to proceed to the judgment of His enemies. He represents Himself as judging by reason of His kingly office. Matthew 25:34, 40. It is in the exercise of this power that He judges His enemies. So Psalm 110:6 reads thus: “He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.” This is the work in the day of His power, and to this work His people shall consent. Verse 3. This is indeed the great day of His wrath, and none shall be able to stand except those whose sins are blotted out. The wicked kings of the earth shall fall before Him when He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

Instead of saying, as does our version, “He shall wound the heads over many countries,” Martin’s Bible uses the singular number, and says, “The chief who rules over a great country.” This is a plain allusion to Satan. The Hebrew word rendered wound in this text is by Gesenius defined thus: “To smite through and through; to dash in pieces, to crush.” And such will be the punishment of Satan when the God of peace shall bruise the prince of darkness under the feet of his people. Romans 16:20; Genesis 3:15; 1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14.

These passages clearly mark the transition from the priesthood of Christ to His kingly office. Human probation closes with the priesthood of Christ. Those who are found in their sins after our Lord has taken His kingly power, must be destroyed as His enemies. His priesthood terminates when He has obtained the acquittal of His people, and secured the blotting out of their sins at the tribunal of His Father. Then and there He is crowned king; and from that coronation scene He comes as king to our earth to deliver all who at that examination of the books are accounted worthy to have part in the world to come, and in the resurrection of the just. Daniel 7:9, 10; 12:1; Luke 20:35, 35; 21:36.

The righteous dead are “accounted worthy” of a part in the resurrection to immortal life before they are raised from among the dead. Luke 20:35, 36; Philippians 3:11; 1 Corinthians 15:52; Revelation 21:4–6. They awake with the likeness of Christ. Psalm 17:15. We may be certain, therefore, that the investigation and decision of their cases is an accomplished fact prior to their resurrection; for that event is declarative of their final justification in the judgment.

But Luke 21:36 uses the same expression both in Greek and in English respecting those that are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, that Luke 20:35, 36 uses respecting those who are asleep. As the latter, before the resurrection, are “accounted worthy” to be made like the angels, so the former are “accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” The things that shall come to pass before the deliverance of the saints, are the events of the time of trouble such as never was. Daniel 12:1. And those who are accounted worthy to escape these things are also worthy to stand before the Son of man at His appearing.

 

Accounted Worthy of Salvation

 

This act of accounting worthy does, therefore, relate to their eternal salvation, and is performed before they enter that great time of trouble at which they are to be delivered; for that does not commence until the standing up of Michael, which is but another term for the coronation of Christ, or the beginning of His reign upon His own throne. But Michael, or Christ, does not take His throne till He has finished His work as priest at the tribunal of His Father. It is at that tribunal that the righteous dead are accounted worthy of the resurrection to immortality, and the righteous living are accounted worthy to escape the anguish of the time of trouble, and to stand before the Son of man. Those only can be accounted worthy of this whose record in the book of God’s remembrance shows them to have been perfect overcomers. The Saviour, while yet high priest, confesses the names of such before His Father and the holy angels, and secures the blotting out of their sins. Those who shall be raised to immortality, and those who shall escape the things coming upon the earth and stand before the Son of man, are severally counted worthy of this before the priesthood of Christ is closed. We cannot therefore doubt that with both these classes the investigation and decision of the judgment is passed before the Saviour takes the throne of His glory and begins the destruction of His enemies. The righteous dead come first in the order of the investigative judgment; and while their cases are being examined and decided, probation continues to the living.

It is certainly most natural that the cases of the righteous dead should be the first to come up in the investigative judgment for their names stand first in the book of God’s remembrance. Reason would therefore teach us that these cases must earliest come into account before God. But we are not left simply to the reasonableness of this order of events. We have direct proof that probation to the living continues after the judgment hour has actually arrived: “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Revelation 14:6–14.

The first angel ushers in the hour of God’s judgment by a solemn announcement to all the inhabitants of the earth that it has actually commenced. But the second and third angels, who unite with this proclamation, deliver their messages in the judgment hour itself, and they address themselves to men still in probation. We have already learned that God the Father sits in judgment, as described in Daniel 7, before the advent of our Lord to this earth. And in Revelation 14 the fact that the hour of God’s judgment has come is announced to the inhabitants of the earth by a mighty proclamation. The judgment scene of Daniel 7 is closed by the coronation of Christ. And the judgment hour of Revelation 14 is followed by our Lord’s being seen upon the white cloud with a crown upon His head, a proof that His priesthood has then given place to His kingly office. Each of these pertains to the closing events of this dispensation. There can be, therefore, no doubt that the hour of God’s judgment announced in Revelation 14 is the time when God the Father sits in judgment, as described in Daniel 7:9–14.

 

No Time to Celebrate, part 1

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In the 1888 General Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a tremendous controversy arose. Speaking about what took place there, Ellen White said: “In Minneapolis God gave precious gems of truth to His people in new settings. This light from heaven by some was rejected with all the stubbornness the Jews manifested in rejecting Christ, and there was much talk about standing by the old landmarks.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 30. Do you know what a landmark is? If you live out in the country, you probably have stakes marking the corners of your property that show where your property ends and someone else’s begins. That is a landmark in the earthly sense. During these meetings there was a great deal of controversy over landmarks—the spiritual landmarks or the pillars of our faith. Sister White said, “But there was evidence they knew not what the old landmarks were. There was evidence and there was reasoning from the Word that commended itself to the conscience; but the minds of men were fixed, sealed against the entrance of light, because they had decided it was a dangerous error removing the ‘old landmarks,’ when it was not moving a peg of the old landmarks, but they had perverted ideas of what constituted the old landmarks.” Ibid. She was talking here about the Editor of the Review and Herald, the President of the General Conference and some others. What are the landmarks that should not be removed? Mrs. White made this clear in the same message: “The passing of the time in 1844 was a period of great events, opening to our astonished eyes the cleansing of the sanctuary transpiring in heaven, and having a decided relation to God’s people upon earth, [also] the first and second angels’ messages and the third (angels messages), unfurling the banner on which was inscribed ‘The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.’ One of the landmarks under this message was the temple of God, seen by His truth-loving people in heaven, and the ark containing the law of God. The light of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment flashed its strong rays in the pathway of the transgressors of God’s law. The nonimmortality of the wicked is an old landmark.” Ibid.

Continuing to talk about the situation in 1888 she said, “Now at the present time God designs a new and fresh impetus shall be given to His work. Satan sees this, and he is determined it shall be hindered. He knows that if he can deceive the people who claim to believe present truth, [and make them believe that] the work the Lord designs to do for His people is the removing of the old landmarks, something which they should, with most determined zeal, resist, then he exults over the deception he has led them to believe . . . That which is food to the churches is regarded as dangerous, and should not be given them. And this slight difference of ideas is allowed to unsettle the faith, to cause apostasy, to break up unity, to sew discord, all because they do not know what they are striving about themselves.” Ibid., 31.

 

The Three Angels ’ Messages

 

The landmarks that were mentioned are: the truth about the sanctuary and its cleansing, the Sabbath of the Ten Commandments (See Revelation 11:19), the Three Angels’ Messages (See Revelation 14:6–12), and the nonimmortality of the soul. The Three Angels’ Messages then, are one of the “old landmarks” and thus need to be clearly understood by God’s people.

The First Angel’s Message is an announcement that the hour of God’s judgment, is come. (See Revelation 14:6, 7.) The devil does not like that. He is trying to persuade people that they do not need to worry about the judgement, so that they will be lost. But the Bible says that it is here, and cannot be avoided, so we need to be prepared.

The Second Angel’s Message, in verse eight, announces that Babylon has fallen. Babylon here is described both as a city and as a woman. A woman, in Bible prophecy, represents a church. (See Jeremiah 6; 2 Corinthians 11; Song of Solomon 6; Ezekiel 23.)

The Third Angel’s Message in verses 9–12 is the focal point of the entire last half of the book of Revelation. It warns against worshipping the beast (who is clearly identified and described in Revelation 13:1–10) and receiving his mark. It further describes the people who receive this message and act on it. They are described as the people of God who keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus.

In this article I would like to study four central features of the Three Angels’ Messages:

  1. The Three Angels’ Messages are a special message to the people who live at the end of the world.

Revelation 19 contains one of the most dramatic descriptions of the Second Coming of Christ found in the Bible. He is described as riding on a white horse and wearing a robe dipped in blood.His name is called The Word of God, and the armies in heaven follow Him. (See Revelation 19:11–14.) As the leader of this great army, He comes to confront the united force that is arrayed against Him, as described in Revelation 19:19–21: “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worship his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” This is the war of Armageddon.

The Three Angels’ Messages are especially for the last generation that lives on the earth. If you accept the three angels’ messages and become part of God’s people who keep the commandments, you will obtain eternal life. But if you reject the Third Angel’s Message and receive the mark of the beast or worship the image of the beast, you will lose eternal life. “And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19:21.

All of the wicked will drink of the wine of the wrath of God. What is the wine of the wrath of God? Revelation 15:1 says, “Then I saw another sign in heaven great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues for in them the wrath of God is complete.” If you receive the mark of the beast, you will receive the seven last plagues. You will be part of the group that decides to fight the Lord when He comes in the clouds of heaven, and you will be destroyed.

 

Power to Overcome

 

  1. If you receive the Three Angels’ Messages and accept them, you will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, keep the commandments of God. That is the dividing line, in the last generation, between those who are saved and those who are lost. People say, “Oh, but Pastor John, I can’t keep the law.” Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5. And Paul added, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.

One of the main reasons for the gift of the Holy Spirit is to give you power so that you can keep all of God’s law. If you ask, you will receive the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will give you the power to keep God’s law. (See Luke 11:13.)

This is one of the most exciting things in the world to see happen. I have seen miracles take place in the lives of prisoner’s who were slaves to the vilest sins. Their thoughts, words and actions were all changed and their lives came into harmony with God’s law. What excuse do we have for not overcoming? If God can transform the lives of the men and women I have seen, he can change you! The Bible says that in the day of final judgment the people who are lost will be speechless because they will not have any excuse, the evidence will be overwhelming that they could have been saved.

  1. Prophecy makes it very clear that almost all of the world will reject the Three Angels’ Messages. I am told very frequently, “But Pastor John, I’m the only one in my family who believes this message. Everyone else thinks I am crazy.” If this is the way you feel, do not be discouraged; just remember that God’s people have always been a small minority. In the last days, only a small group will accept God’s way, the majority will reject the final warning and be lost.

Look at what Satan will do to ensnare them: “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 . . . He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.” Revelation 13:14, 16. This work of deception is very successful. Notice what it will be like when Jesus comes back: “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.” Revelation 19:17.

Almost the entire world will reject the Three Angels’ Messages, and in the process of rejecting it they will seal their doom. That is why all through the New Testament it is predicted that when Jesus comes back again, the whole world will mourn. Why are they going to mourn? Because they have received the mark of the beast, worshipped his image and they are not ready to meet the Lord. While the saints are rejoicing (See 2 Thessalonians 1), most of the world will be weeping and wailing at their great loss.

 

A Great Deception

 

  1. They will reject the Three Angels’ Messages because of the great deceptions that the evil spirits bring on the world. What are these great deceptions? The Bible predicts that one of them will be a great development of spiritualism within Christianity. This spiritualism, disguised with the garb of Christianity, will be accepted by many people who will not even recognize what it really is. This prophecy is being fulfilled right now in Christian churches everywhere. Does this surprise you? It has been clearly predicted in the Bible: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:13–15.

Can you tell the difference between a preacher of righteousness and a preacher of unrighteousness? If you cannot tell the difference, you are going to be deceived. Think it through. A preacher of righteousness will never come to you if you are living in fornication, adultery, abusing your body or breaking God’s law in any way and tell you to rejoice and be happy and praise the Lord because you will be saved! A preacher of righteousness will never do that! Any preacher that tries to make you happy and joyful while you are living in sin is a preacher of the devil and leading you straight to hell. Do not misunderstand me. God created human beings for happiness and He wants you to be joyful, but here is the catch. The Bible says that it is impossible to have true happiness if you are breaking God’s law. And the devil has been trying to disprove that for thousands of years, but it is still true.

People are in all kinds of sin and so they are depressed. When they go to church they need to find out how their sins and guilt can be taken away so they can receive power from the Holy Spirit to live a new life. But when they come to church, instead of hearing how to overcome, the preacher tells them to be joyful, sing, clap, wave and be happy. They get the drums and the music going and everyone gets an emotional “high,” but they are still in sin! And if you are in sin, you are on the way to eternal destruction. People are getting a “high” when they go to church, but no one has told them about confessing, repenting and forsaking their sins. They just say, “You are forgiven.” The devil is anesthetizing people today so that they are walking down the path that leads to destruction. They are clapping, dancing and singing their way to destruction.

 

Lying Wonders

 

Why do people reject the Three Angels’ Messages? Because of the deceptions of the spirits. I have just pointed out one of the big deceptions, but there are others. One of them is found in Revelation 16:13, 14: “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.”

The majority of the people in the world in the last days will be deceived because they believe what they see. The devil will perform many undeniable miracles and they will be swept off their feet.

I believe in miracles, but Jesus never ever asked anyone to believe that He was the Messiah because He worked miracles. In Matthew 4:3 we read how the devil tempted Jesus and asked Him to work a miracle to prove that He was the Messiah. This was a terrible temptation because Jesus could have done it. He could have spoken and instantly every stone in sight would have turned into a loaf of bread, but He would not do it. There is a moral principle involved here. Your faith is never to be based on miracle working. Jesus would not appease the devil by working a miracle. “But he answered and said, It is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4.

Jesus could have avoided being crucified by working a miracle. “Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.” Luke 23:8, 9. Jesus would not work a miracle even to avoid going to the cross.

In John 4 the story is recorded of a man who came to Jesus because his son was at the point of death. He appealed to Jesus to heal his son, but in his mind he said, “If Jesus heals my son, then I will know that He is the Messiah.” Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.” John 4:48. Instead of instantly healing his son, Jesus rebuked him because he was looking for miracles as a basis for his faith.

If your faith is based on miracles or what you can see, you will be deceived. You have to test every miracle that you see by the Bible. Remember what Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

There will be a small group of people who decide to live by every word in the Bible and they will live in harmony with God’s law. They are called the saints. The word “saint” comes from a Greek word that means a holy person. Paul said that God’s “law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Romans 7:12. A holy person is one whose life is in harmony with God’s law. An unholy person is one that breaks God’s law. “Here are the patience of the saints. Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12.

If you decide that you will live by every word that proceeds out of God’s mouth, you will not depend upon what you can see or hear. You will depend on what is written in God’s Book. If you do this, God promises that no plague will come nigh your dwelling. (Psalms 91:10.) God is looking for loyal people and numbers do not matter to Him. It is quality that counts with the Lord. If you want to be one of those people described in Revelation 14:12, you can be. All you need to do is make the right decision. Jesus says, “If you confess Me before men, I will confess you before My Father in heaven.”

There are many voices for you to listen to if you want to, but choose to listen to the still small voice that says, “This is the way, walk in it.” Walk in the way of God’s commandments. Walk in the way of His Word. Do not worry about what all your friends, associates, relatives or other people are doing. Choose today to walk in the way of God’s commandments.

 

God The Father, The Judge

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God the Father is in His own right the supreme Judge of man and of angels. He proposes to bring all mankind into judgment. Yet this work is only done in part by Himself in person. It is by Jesus Christ that God is to perform the larger part of His immense work. The following proposition is worthy of serious consideration.

  1. God the Father opens the judgment in person, then crowns His Son king, and commits the judgment to Him.

“I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him, thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him, the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominions, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Daniel 7:9–14.

The Ancient of Days represents God the Father. That one like the Son of man, who comes to the Ancient of Days, is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:61, 62. It is, therefore, not the Son, but the Father who sits in judgment as described in this vision. Those who stand in his presence either to minister, or to wait, are not men, but angels. This is a very important fact. Every student of the Bible is aware that the book of Revelation is a wonderful counterpart to the book of Daniel.

This very phraseology respecting those in the presence of the Ancient of Days, is made use of in the Revelation, and with the evident design of showing who are the persons intended by Daniel. Thus John says: “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” Revelation 5:11.

Daniel describes the opening scene of the final judgment. The Father presides as judge. The angels of God are present as ministers and witnesses. At this tribunal the Son of man presents Himself to receive the dominion of the world. Here He is crowned King of kings and Lord of lords. But men are not present to witness this part of the judgment, or to behold the coronation of Christ. It is the Father and the Son and the holy angels who compose this grand assembly. Our Lord cannot act as judge so long as He ministers as high priest to make intercession for them that come to God through Him. Hebrews 7:24, 25. Nor can He act as judge until He is clothed with kingly power, for it is by virtue of His authority as king that He pronounces the decision of the judgment. Matthew 25:34, 40. The coronation of our Lord at the judgment-seat of His Father marks the termination of His priesthood, and invests Him with the sovereign authority by which He shall judge the world.

  1. It is not upon the earth that the Ancient of Days holds the session of the judgment described in Daniel 7.

Those who think this session of judgment by the Father is to be held upon our earth, understand that the “ten thousand times ten thousand” who stand before Him are the vast multitude of the human family, standing at His bar for judgment. But as this vision represents the Son as coming to the Father when He is thus seated in judgment, it follows that if the Father is already upon this earth judging its inhabitants when the Son of God comes the second time, then the Father does not send his Son to the earth, but he comes first, and then the Son comes and joins him. Yet Peter said of the Father concerning Christ’s Second Advent, “He shall send Jesus Christ.” Acts 3:20.

 

Great Sound of a Trumpet

 

It would also follow that instead of the Son of man coming to gather His saints from the four quarters of the earth, He comes to find all mankind gathered at His Father’s bar. But we do know that when the Saviour comes He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and shall gather His elect from the four winds, even from the uttermost parts of the earth. Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27; 2 Thessalonians 2:1.

But should this difficulty be avoided by adopting the truth that those who stand before the Ancient of Days are angels, as those certainly must be who minister unto Him? It follows that our Lord is coming back to our earth thus preceded by His Father and the holy angels, comes unattended and alone. But this cannot be true, for when Jesus comes again it will be with all the holy angels. Matthew 25:31; 17:27; 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8.

Again the Saviour is crowned king at the judgment-seat of the Father. But that judgment-seat cannot be upon our earth, else the Saviour would have to return to this earth to be crowned; whereas He receives His kingdom while absent, and returns as king of kings, sitting upon the throne of His glory. Luke 19:11, 12, 15; Matthew 25:31; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 19:11–16.

It is certain; therefore, that the judgment scene described in Daniel 7 does not take place upon our earth. Indeed, were it true that immediately preceding the descent of the Saviour to our earth, God the Father should Himself descend in His own infinite majesty, and summon mankind to His bar, and enter into judgment with them, the subsequent advent of Jesus would hardly be taken notice of at all by men. But such is not the truth in this case. Matthew 24:29–31; 25:31, 32; Mark 13:26, 27; Luke 21:25–27, 36; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10.

  1. This session of the judgment by the Ancient of Days precedes the advent of Christ to our earth.

When the Lord comes again He is a king seated upon His own throne. Matthew 24:31; Luke 19:11, 12, 15; Revelation 19:11–16. But the tribunal of the Father is the very time and place where His coronation occurs. Daniel 7:7–14. It must then precede His advent.

When he comes the second time it is “in the glory of his Father.” Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; 2 Thessalonians1:7, 8. But it is when the Father sits in judgment that He gives this glory to His Son. Daniel 7:14. Indeed, the very majesty of the Father as displayed at this tribunal, will attend the Son when He is revealed in flaming fire to take vengeance on His enemies. 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10; Matthew 24:30, 31; 25:31. We are certain; therefore, that the revelation of Christ in His infinite glory is subsequent to that tribunal at which that glory is given to Him.

On this occasion, the Father is judge in person, and the Son presents Himself to receive the kingdom. But when the Son of man comes to our earth, having received the kingdom, He acts as judge Himself. 2 Timothy 4:1. But it is evident that our Lord’s work as judge is at a later point of time than that judgment scene at which the Father presides. We are certain, therefore, that the tribunal of Daniel 7:9–14 precedes the descent of our Lord from heaven. 1 Thessalonians 4:14–18.

  1. The coming of the Son of man to the Ancient of Days is not the same event as His Second Advent to our world.

This has been proved already in the examination of other points. Thus it has been shown from the coronation of Christ that the second advent must be at a later time than the Saviour’s act of coming to His Father in Daniel 7:13, 14, to receive the kingdom. Again, to make this the Second Advent we must have God the Father and the host of His angels here upon our earth when the Saviour comes again. But this, as has been shown, involves the contradiction of the plainest facts. We cannot, therefore, doubt that the coming of Jesus to the Ancient of Days as He sits in judgment, is an event preceding His Second Advent to our earth.

  1. The coming of the Ancient of Days, in this vision of Daniel’s, is not to this world, but to the place of His judgment scene. With regard to the place of His tribunal we will speak hereafter. We have already proved that this session of the judgment precedes the Second Advent, and that it is not held upon our earth. This fact establishes the truthfulness of this proposition.

 

Destruction of the Little Horn

 

  1. The destruction of the power represented by the little horn does not take place at the time when the Ancient of Days sits in judgment, but at a point still later, when the Son of man descends in flaming fire.

We have proved that when our Lord comes to this earth the second time, He comes as king, and must therefore come from the tribunal of His Father, for at that tribunal the kingdom is given to Him. But the man of sin, or the little horn, is destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 1:7–10. Whence it follows that the destruction of the Papacy is not at the Father’s judgment seat, but at the advent of his Son, at a still later point of time. But were it true that the judgment scene of Daniel 7 is opened by the personal revelation of God the Father to the inhabitants of our earth, we may be sure that there would be no man of sin left to be destroyed afterward by the brightness of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have already proved that the destruction of the wicked power is when Christ comes to our earth, and that he does not thus come till he has first attended in person this tribunal of his Father. And to this statement agree the words of verse 11: “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” It appears that even while this grand tribunal was in session, the attention of the prophet was called by the Spirit of God, to the great words, which the horn was speaking. “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake.” But Daniel does not represent his destruction as coming at once even then. He said, “I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.” The period of time covered by this “till” is thus filled up. The Son of God comes to his Father’s judgment-seat and receives the dominion, and the glory, and the kingdom, then descends to our earth in flaming fire, like that which comes forth from before his Father, and by the brightness of his advent destroys the little horn. 2 Thessalonians 1, 2. It is when our Lord thus comes that this wicked power is given to the burning flame.

And this is really the very point marked in verses 21 and 22 for the termination of the war against the saints. “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” But even while the Most High sits in judgment to determine the cases of his saints, the little horn is, according to verse 11, uttering great words against God. When, however, the saints have passed the test of this examination, and are counted worthy of the kingdom of God, their Lord, being crowned king, returns to gather them to himself. It is at this very point of time, the advent of the Lord Jesus, that judgment is given to the saints of the Most High, as proved by comparing 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3 with 1 Corinthians 4:5. And thus we have marked again the advent of Christ as a point of time for the destruction of this wicked power.

  1. The destruction of the Papacy is not the same event as the taking away of his dominion. Compare Daniel 7:11 and 26. The one follows after the sitting of the Ancient of Days in judgment; but the other precedes it by a certain space of time. Yet, if we read the chapter without strict attention, we would be very likely to conclude that not the little horn alone, but each of the first three beasts, had their dominion taken away at the judgment. See verses 11, 12, and 26. This, however, cannot be. For the dominion of the first beast was taken away by the second, though his life was spared; and so of each one to the last. But the little horn has a special dominion over the saints for “a time and times and the dividing of time,” or 1,260 prophetic days (see verse 25; Revelation 12:6, 14), which is taken away at the end of that period. There remains even then a space of time to “the end,” during which his dominion is consumed and destroyed. He wars against the saints, however, and prevails until the judgment is given to the saints at the advent of Christ (1 Corinthians 4:5, 6:2, 3; Revelation 20:4), when he is given to the burning flames. Daniel 7:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:8.
  2. The coronation of Christ at the judgment-seat of the Father is the same event as the standing up of Michael (compare Daniel 7:13, 14; 12:1); for Michael is Christ, and His standing up is His beginning to reign. Michael is the name borne by our Lord as the ruler of the angelic host. It signifies, “He who is like God.” This must be our Lord. See Hebrews 1:3. He is called the archangel. Jude 9. This term signifies prince of angels, or chief of the angelic host. But this is the very office of our divine Lord. Hebrews 1. Michael is the great prince that standeth for the children of God. Also He is called our prince. See Daniel 10:21; 12:1. But this can be no other than Christ. Acts 5:31.

The standing up of Michael is his assumption of kingly power. So the use of this term in Daniel 11:2, 3, 4, 7, 20, 21. But it is Jesus, and not an angel, who takes the throne of the kingdom. Daniel 7:13, 14; Psalm 2:6–12. Our Lord receives His dominion at His Father’s judgment-seat. Daniel 7. A great time of trouble follows, at which Christ delivers everyone found written in the book. This is a plain reference to the examination of the books shown in the previous vision. Compare Daniel 12:1; 7:9, 10. This shows that the judgment scene of Daniel 7 relates to the righteous, and that it precedes their final deliverance at the advent of Christ. The thrones of Daniel 7:9 will be noticed hereafter.

 

That Thy Days May Be Long

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Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12. This is a promise from God, that refers not only to your happiness and life here on earth, but also your life in the heavenly Canaan. God was talking about your days being forever.

God asks us a question in Malachi 1:6: “A son honors his father, And a servant his master. If then I am the Father, Where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is my reverence? Says the Lord of Hosts to you priests who despise My name.”

Just as we are to honor our parents, we are to honor our Heavenly Father. What is the basis of the honor, the respect, which we give to our parents or to God? Honor runs parallel with obedience, for the Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” Ephesians 6:1.

When you obey and honor someone, it is because they have authority, and you respect them. God has authority—authority above everyone else. In this article we will study to discern what God’s authority is based upon. This is vital because the devil has deliberately confused a large portion of the world on this question.

First of all let us look at the oppose question. What is the authority of the devil based upon? What is authority in this world based upon? Jesus said: “Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.” Matthew 20:25. Authority here on earth is based on the fact that the lords or rulers have power—they “lord it over them.” God’s authority is not like that. His authority is not based on power, unreasoning submission or control. Nevertheless, the devil would like people to believe that God somehow tells you what to do, and you have to do it because He is more powerful than you are.

It is amazing how many Christians believe the devil’s lie and ascribe to God the character traits of the devil. “From the beginning it has been Satan’s studied plan to cause men to forget God, that he might secure them to himself. Hence he has sought to misrepresent the character of God, to lead them to cherish a false conception of Him. The Creator has been presented to their minds as clothed with the attributes of the prince of evil himself, as arbitrary, severe, and unforgiving.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 738. [All emphasis supplied.]

The devil has presented God as clothed with the attributes of the prince of evil—arbitrary, severe, and unforgiving. He created the theory of eternal hellfire just to support that. He wanted men to believe that God would punish someone eternally for what they did in their seventy or eighty years of life. This is an example of just how severe a picture Satan has painted of God.

The first character trait the devil applies to God is that He is arbitrary. God has never in all eternity done one arbitrary thing. Look in the Bible account. It is completely against His character. God never asks anyone to do anything, “just because He said so.”

If God never exercises arbitrary authority, would God give me arbitrary authority? No! However, it seems that many today feel He has. This is one of the main reasons we are losing our young people today. Is it any wonder that youth have no interest in religion when they have been taught that God is arbitrary, or we have shown them an example of arbitrary authority? We turn our children away for, “arbitrary words and actions stir up the worst passions of the human heart.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 134.

We ask, If God is not arbitrary and He never exercises arbitrary authority, what kind of authority does He have? God clearly defined it in Deuteronomy 6:24: “And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always.” Our young people need to understand this, and we need to demonstrate it in all of our dealings with other human beings.

All God’s commandments are given for our good always. When the Lord said, Do not commit adultery or do not steal, there was a reason. For every command He has a reason in mind. You and I may not always understand His reason, but that does not mean it is not there. Eve could not figure out why God told her not to eat the forbidden fruit. So she decided to try it. People have been trying it ever since. God says not to do something, and they decide to see what will happen if they do. Sooner or later they find out, and suffer the consequences.

“And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good.” Deuteronomy 10:12, 13.

 

God Exercises Only Moral Authority

 

All the authority that God exercises is moral authority—never arbitrary, never severe or unforgiving. What does the word moral mean? It has to do with right and wrong. Something moral is right; something immoral is wrong. In other words, God’s authority is based on a principle of right or wrong.

Abraham understood this and he questioned the Lord about it. “And Abraham came near and said, ‘Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? . . . Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth be right?’” Genesis 18:23, 25.

Abraham knew that God was just, and would not let the righteous die with the wicked. So God promised Abraham, if He could find ten righteous people in the city of Sodom, he would spare the city. Sadly, there were not even ten righteous in Sodom, but God in His justice, spared as many righteous people as He could find, taking them out of the city before it was destroyed.

Moses said about God: “He is the rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice. A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4.

We need this firmly fixed in our minds. God’s Word is not a list of “do’s” and “do nots.”Following it is the only true road to happiness. We are doing the greatest injury to ourselves when we think or act contrary to the will of God. We need to teach our children this from the time they are little babies, so that when they grow up, they realize that anything God says to do is for their good.

 

Absolute Authority

 

In addition to being moral, God’s authority is absolute. God has the right to have absolute authority first of all because He has infinite knowledge. The Bible says that very clearly. “In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Colossians 2:3. Because He has infinite knowledge, He never makes a mistake, and He will never err in any of His judgments.

God also has infinite love. He loves those whom He has created, and He will never use His authority or His power in a way that will hurt them. “All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God.” Maranatha, 77. Because His knowledge, wisdom and love are infinite, He alone has the right to absolute authority.

All genuine authority is derived from the authority of God. At times God delegates authority to others. Before John the Baptist was born, God sent the angel Gabriel to talk to Zacharias. He told Him that he and his wife were going to have a son. Gabriel had authority because he was delivering a message from God.

When Zacharias did not believe, the angel said to him, I am Gabriel and I stand in the presence of God and I have come to deliver this message to you. Because you do not believe, you will be dumb until the child is born. Gabriel had authority. He did not have absolute, infinite authority as God has, but when God sent him on an errand, the message he delivered had divine authority.

God delegates His authority, not only to the angels, but also to His people. The church hasP> authority, and His ministers have authority. Where does their authority come from? It comes from the Bible. Paul said to Timothy, “Preach the Word.” 2 Timothy 4:2. If I preach the Word of God to you, that message has divine authority.

It is the same Word that gives the church divine authority. This was lost sight of by many during the Dark Ages. The Roman Church said, The Church produced the Word, therefore we have ultimate authority. If you study the history of the martyrs, you will find that they had debates on this question many times.

The relationship between the Church and the Bible is found in the Bible itself. The following is a text that the Protestant Apologists used in their debates against the Roman Catholic theologians: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of truth.” James 1:18.

The church did not produce the Word. The Word produced the church. The commandment says that it is the father who is to be honored, not the child. In the same way, the Bible is to be honored above the church, because the Bible was parented, or produced by the Word. Therefore, if we are going to keep the fifth commandment, the church has to honor the Word which brought it forth.

God not only gave authority to His church or to His ministers, but He also gave authority to parents over their children as revealed in the fifth commandment. What kind of authority do parents have over their children? We have just studied that it is not to be arbitrary, but instead authority that is in subjection to God’s Word.

Consider this. In some countries, if a child becomes a Christian against the parent’s wishes, the child could lose his life. Should that child become a Christian? Yes, he should, and he might, if necessary, need to flee from home to have liberty to follow God. A child is only to obey His parents in the Lord. He has a higher power to obey.

Moral authority always has a moral reason. I am amazed that the God of heaven, when dealing with sinful people, condescends to say to us, “Come now, and let us reason together.” Isaiah 1:18. The God of heaven does not exercise authority over His children in an arbitrary, severe, unforgiving manner.

If you want your children to open up their hearts to religion and Jesus, help them to understand this. It will completely change their religious experience. There are homes, churches, organizations and schools all over the world that tell our young people, “You do this because I said so.” That is Satanic. The devil is the one who is arbitrary. Arbitrary commands, with no moral reason, are part of the antichrist power.

Arbitrary authority is one of the reasons why so many marriages break up. As a pastor, people come to me constantly, seeking counsel because their marriages are breaking up. You ought to hear the stories that I hear. It has become clear to me that one of the reasons for this is because we are arbitrary with each other. Remember, arbitrary words and actions arouse the worst passions of the human heart.

When Jesus came to earth, he came to a world where arbitrary authority reigned. The people were accustomed to leaders like Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great, who came with an army and you did what they said or else! Husbands ruled their wives this way, and parents their children. When Jesus came to the people, He did not come with an army, a dagger. When Jesus came, He said, “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me. For I am meek [gentle] and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30. The authority of Jesus was only exercised with love and kindness.

Where is our love, our spirit of compassion? How many times has our wife or our child done something, and we have become angry and said “that’s it.” Consider God’s longsuffering with you. How many times has He forgiven you? We must learn the lesson found in Luke 6:37, 38: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Do not let the devil deceive you about God’s character, or about what your character must be like to enter heaven.

 

Kindness to Sinners

 

It is tragic the way Adventists treat each other. If God treated us the way we are treating one another, we would all be lost. I am astounded at how ready we are to condemn our brothers and sisters. And when someone stops to help these sinners, the report spreads all over the country. “This man is too easy on sin.” Was Jesus easy on sin? Jesus said to the woman who had been involved in prostitution, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:11. He forgave all of her past sins and gave her the power to live a new life.

I have preached the gospel to rapists, murderers and others who are in prison for committing terrible crimes. I came to them in Jesus’ name, and told them Jesus could take away all their guilt. That He could give them the power to live a new life and that they could have eternal life. Some were converted and baptized from these prisons. Did I make a mistake? Should I have turned away because they were sinners?

Jesus had the same problem in His day. He got in trouble for preaching the gospel to people condemned by the Pharisees. Jesus said to the paralytic man, “Your sins be forgiven you.” This man had been to the priests and the Pharisees. They condemned him to hell, and told him that because of his sin there was no hope for him. But Jesus said, I forgive you, and I offer you eternal life.

Recently, a lady in California told me her experience. She was working with some people who had been involved in drugs. She told me of the miracles that happened in their lives. She started studying the gospel of John with them, and they gave their hearts to the Lord. Within a few days they wanted to go to church with her. So she took them to church. But there was a problem. They had just come off the street. They did not have a suit or tie, or a nice dress shirt. They were wearing jeans and T-shirts. It was obvious when they arrived at the church that they were not welcome. Nobody was friendly to them. They were from the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong part of society.

The cry of my own heart is, “Lord, I want to be all done with Pharisaism. I no longer want to be arbitrary or severe. Please make me gentle and lowly in heart and give me a forgiving spirit.” If we allow the Lord to make these changes in our hearts, our homes will be like a little heaven here on earth. When our homes become like heaven, our churches will become like heaven. When people come in wearing blue jeans and with long hair, they will see that we do have something that they do not have, and they will want it. Then our churches will become evangelistic centers. When we have put away variance, strife and fighting and arbitrary authority, God will be able to pour His Holy Spirit out on us.

Do you want it to happen? Are you willing to pray, “Lord, help me to give up all this arbitrariness, severity and unforgiving spirit and help me to wear the yoke of Christ and have His spirit and character”? We must pray about this day by day. God wants to give it to us. He has been waiting to deliver us from everything that is Satanic and put His own character into our spirit, life and homes.

 

The Great Feasts of the Bible — The Harvest Feast

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The feasts in the sacrificial system all symbolized important events in the plan of salvation. The first feast, Passover, was intended to reveal, in miniature, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. The second feast was called Pentecost, and was a type of Christ’s resurrection. It was a pledge that all who died in the faith of the atoning sacrifice would be resurrected to eternal life when Jesus comes the second time. The third feast, which is called the Feast of the Harvest, was to portray the glorious celebration that will soon take place when the wedding between Christ and His church is finally consummated.

“In the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a Sabbath and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath. And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees and the willow of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute forever in your generation: Ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month. Ye shall dwell in booths seven days.” Leviticus 23:39–43.

“The Feast of the Tabernacles was not only commemorative but typical. It not only pointed back to the wilderness sojourn, but, as the Feast of the Harvest, it celebrated the ingathering of the fruits of the earth, and pointed forward to the great day of final ingathering, when the Lord of the harvest shall send forth His reapers to gather the tares together in bundles for the fire, and to gather the wheat into His garner. At that time the wicked will all be destroyed. They will become ‘as though they had not been.’ Obadiah 16. And every voice in the whole universe will unite in joyful praise to God, says the revelator. ‘Every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory. and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.’ Revelation 5:13.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 541.

In order to comprehend how this feast will affect you and me, we must understand the preparations being made which began the moment the Christian church was born. Christ commanded, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19, 20.

To obey this command a divine power was needed, by His church, so that it could shake the world. Remember that God never gives a command without providing the power. “The Pentecostal outpouring was heaven’s communication that the Redeemer’s inauguration was accomplished.” Acts of the Apostles, 39. Pentecost provided the church with power so that it could give the gospel to the whole world in one generation. “The commission that Christ gave to the disciples, they fulfilled. As these messengers of the cross went forth to proclaim the gospel, there was such a revelation of the glory of God as had never before been witnessed by mortal man. By the cooperation of the divine spirit, the apostles did a work that shook the world. To every nation was the gospel carried in a single generation.” Ibid., 593.

Imagine unlearned men becoming mighty in the truth as they were filled with the Holy Ghost. They were anointed with divine power and could speak fluently their mother tongue. But more, “They could now proclaim the truths of the gospel abroad, speaking with accuracy the languages of those for whom they were laboring. This miraculous gift was a strong evidence to the world that their commission bore the signet of heaven. From this time forth the language of the disciples was pure, simple, and accurate, whether they spoke in their native tongue or in a foreign language.” Ibid., 40.

This will happen again during the Loud Cry when Pentecost will be repeated with even greater power. “It is with earnest longing that I look forward to the time when the events of the day of Pentecost shall be repeated with even greater power than on that occasion. John says, ‘I saw another angel come from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.’ Then, as at the Pentecostal season, the people will hear the truths spoken to them, every man in his own tongue. God can breath new life into every soul that sincerely desires to serve Him, and can touch the lips with a live coal from off the altar, and cause them to become eloquent with His praise. Thousands of voices will be imbued with the power to speak forth the wonderful truths of God’s word. The stammering tongue will be unloosened, and the timid will be made strong to bear courageous testimony to the truth. May the Lord help His people to cleanse the soul temple from every defilement, and to maintain such a close connection with Him that they may be partakers of the Latter Rain when it shall be poured out.” The Review and Herald, July 20, 1886.

Those humble disciples at Pentecost became submerged in the depths of God’s love. They believed that their Saviour was alive and that He alone possessed the keys to hell and death. This gospel of the crucified and risen Saviour electrified their every action. Jehovah was their God, His honor their honor, and His trust their trust. God anointed such surrender with heavenly oil, which made it possible for them to preach the gospel with such power. “Priests and rulers trembled. Conviction and anguish seized the people. ‘They were pricked in their heart, and said . . . Men and brethren, what shall we do?’ . . . The traditions and superstitions inculcated by the priests were swept away from their minds, and the teachings of the Saviour were accepted.” The Acts of the Apostles, 43, 44.

 

History of the Church Prophesied

 

Divine prophecy portrayed step by step the outcome of this work, as outlined in the seven seals of Revelation 6. Here, the Christian church is described from Pentecost to the final harvest. “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Revelation 6:2. A white horse reveals the purity of the gospel maintained by men who knew it by personal experience with Jesus. They could say: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life.” 1 John 1:1. For sixty-nine years, from A.D. 31 to 100 A.D., the Christian church went forth conquering and to conquer.

“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” Revelation 6:4. Here we see the mystery of iniquity infiltrating the Christian church, while it was still in its infancy. Thus its purity, represented by white, slowly changes to red as the union of church and state comes into being.

“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.” Revelation 6:5, 6.

Black portrays the depth of apostasy that took place during Papal control from 325 to 538 A.D. Paganism was merged with “Christianity:” “Confiding then in the power of Christianity to resist the infection of evil and to transmute the very instruments and appendages of demon worship to an evangelical use, the rulers of the church were prepared to adopt, to imitate or sanction the existing rites and customs of the populace as well as the philosophy of the educated class. We are told by Josephus and Constantine in order to recommend the new religion to the heathen transferred into it, the outward ornaments to which they had been accustomed, the use of temples and these dedicated to particular saints and ornamented on occasion with branches of trees, incense, lamps and candles, votive offerings on recovery from illness, holy water, asylums, holy days and seasons, use of calendars, possessions, blessings on the field, sacerdotal vestments, the touchier, the shaving of the head, the ring in marriage, turning to the east, images at a later date, perhaps the ecclesiastical chant are all of pagan origin and sanctified by their adoption into the church.” John Henry Newman, The Development of Christian Doctrine, 371–373.

“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” Revelation 6:8.

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, Holy and True, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?” Revelation 6:9, 10. This is a description of the Dark Ages, from 538 to 1798 A.D.

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.” Revelation 6:12, 13.

In fulfillment of this prophecy, the great Lisbon earthquake took place on November 1, 1755. This was the mightiest earthquake ever recorded in history. Next there was a dark day on May 17, 1780. That very night the moon appeared as blood. Finally the falling of the stars took place on November 13, 1833.

The next event prophesied is the Second Coming of Christ. “And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Revelation 6:14–17.

 

Silence in Heaven

 

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” Revelation 8:1. Since a day equals one year in prophetic time, and a day contains twenty-four hours, one hour would represent about fifteen days, and half an hour would be about seven days. This silence in heaven for about seven days, will be when Christ is coming in the clouds of heaven with all His angels to gather His saints. The Feast of the Harvest was also to last seven days. So, you can easily see from both the Old and the New Testament that the event of Christ’s Second Coming will require about seven days.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written that no man knew, but He himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 19:11–16.

In this harvest process, the angels will gather the remnant saints who are living and the resurrected saints who have been resurrected, making possible a glorious celebration of the final harvest feast. Seven days are set apart by God for this occasion. “Ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days.” Leviticus 23:39.

“The feast of the harvest celebrated the ingathering of the fruits of the earth, and pointed forward to the great day of final ingathering, when the Lord of the harvest shall send forth His reapers to gather the tares together in bundles for the fire, and to gather the wheat into His garner.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 541.

The whole universe will participate in this celebration. Do we plan to participate in this thrilling event? If so, there are some serious preparations that we must make now; for probation ends a short time before the appearing of the Lord in the clouds of heaven. When this moment arrives, Christ will pronounce that, “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. And behold, I come quickly and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12.

What will be taking place on the earth at this time? “The righteous and the wicked will still be living upon the earth in their mortal state—men will be planting and building; eating and drinking, all unconscious that the final, irrevocable decision has been pronounced in the sanctuary above.” The Great Controversy, 491.

Seven days before the flood Noah and his family entered the ark. Then, God shut him in and shut the ungodly out. For seven days the people, not knowing that their doom was fixed, continued their careless, pleasure-loving lives and mocked the warnings of impending judgment. “So,” says the Savior, “shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.”

“Watch ye therefore: . . . lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping.” Mark 13:35, 36. “Perilous is the condition of those who, growing weary of their watch, turn to the attractions of the world. While the man of business is absorbed in the pursuit of gain, while the pleasure lover is seeking indulgence, while the daughter of fashion is arranging her adornments—it may be in that hour the Judge of all earth will pronounce the sentence: ‘Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.’ Daniel 5:27.” The Great Controversy, 491.

 

Protection from Deception

 

We thank God that He has not left us helpless, He has unmasked Satan’s final moves. “Satan is now using every device in this sealing time to keep the minds of God’s people from the present truth and to cause them to waver. I saw a covering that God was drawing over His people to protect them in the time of trouble; and every soul that was decided on the truth and was pure in heart was to be covered with the covering of the Almighty.

“Satan knew this, and he was at work in mighty power to keep the minds of as many people as he possibly could wavering and unsettled on the truth . . . I saw that Satan was working through agents in a number of ways. He was at work through ministers who have rejected the truth and are given over to strong delusions to believe a lie that they might be damned. While they were preaching or praying, some would fall prostrate and helpless, not by the power of the Holy Ghost, but by the power of Satan breathed upon these agents, and through them to the people. While preaching, praying, or conversing, some professed Adventists who have rejected present truth used mesmerism to gain adherents, and the people would rejoice in this influence, for they thought it was the Holy Ghost.” Early Writings, 43.

We see this happening in the churches of Babylon today, but how sad to learn that this false revival will take place in some of our Adventist churches also. “I saw that Satan was at work in these ways to distract, deceive, and draw away God’s people, just now in the sealing time. I saw some who are not standing stiffly for present truth. Their knees were trembling, and their feet sliding, because they were not firmly planted on the truth, and the covering of the Almighty God could not be drawn over them while they were thus trembling.” Early Writings, 44.

In order to be protected during this time, we must be covered by God. We are told that this covering of the Almighty consists of two garments: the righteousness of justification, which is imputed and the righteousness of sanctification, which is imparted. If we are to participate in the wedding activities, each of us must put on this wedding garment.

“Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And He said unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.” Revelation 19:7–9.

God calls this experience the sealing process. Under the power of the latter rain, the daily struggle to overcome sin will finally be realized and our characters will become like Christ. We will be sealed and enrobed in Christ’s righteousness, making it possible for the angels to separate the wheat from the tares. Then the angels will gather the sealed saints to the wedding with their Saviour to be united with Christ for eternity. When this has happened, the greatest Harvest Celebration will be held throughout the universe.

Let your mind imagine what this tremendous occasion will be like. We will meet loved ones again, who have been separated from us by death for years, nevermore to part. Our guardian angels will tell us of the many times we have been saved from the power of destroying angels. Imagine sitting down with Bible characters such as Peter, Abraham, David, Moses and Noah, Adam and Eve, and listening to the thrilling stories of their salvation? Can you fathom beholding a city three hundred seventy-five miles square with streets of pure gold and little children spreading their wings to fly to the top of the transparent walls? Can you conceive what it will be like to have the eternal vigor of youth never again to experience sickness, pain or death? What a thrill it will be to eat of the tree of life, and to drink from the river of life.

Have you ever dreamed what it will be like to take the hand of Jesus? And to see and feel the marks of the crucifixion and to look into that face of love and be invited to sit with Him on His throne? You will never cease to praise His holy name. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. Let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17

 

Examination of the Books

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The existence of records, or books, in heaven, and their use in the judgment, is plainly revealed. Thus Daniel says, “The judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:10. And John says: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12.

It is evident that the utmost importance is attached to the blotting out of the sins of the righteous from these books. When they are blotted out they can never rise up in the judgment against those who committed them; for men give account to God only for those things contained in the books. It is therefore certain that no individual can have his sins blotted out until the close of his probation. But when this work is wrought there must be an examination of the books for this very purpose.

The book of life is to be examined before the resurrection of the just. The words of Daniel render this point perfectly clear: “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, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1.

We have seen from other texts that the investigation and decision of the judgment, in the cases of the righteous, precedes the advent of the Saviour. We have also seen that there is a time before the coming of Jesus when the sins of the righteous are blotted out from the books of God’s remembrance. This is decisive proof that these books are subjected to examination before the Saviour comes again. But we have now another important fact. The book of life is examined before the deliverance of the saints. Daniel says, “At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1. The book must, therefore, be examined before the resurrection of the righteous to immortal life. This is another convincing proof that the investigation of the cases of the righteous precedes the first resurrection. This book is referred to in the following passages: Exodus 32:32, 33; Psalm 69:28; 87:6; Isaiah 4:3; Ezekiel 13:9; Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19.

The book of life is the final means of determining the cases of the righteous in the judgment; for all are delivered who are at the time of deliverance found written in it. But before this book is made the final source of appeal, it is itself to be tested by the books of God’s record. For all the names which are entered in this book of life, of those who fail to overcome, are to be blotted out. Yet it is the record of these persons’ lives that is to cause their names to be stricken from the book of life. (See Exodus 32:32,33; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5.) We must, therefore, conclude that before the final examination of the book of life in the case of the righteous, there is a prior examination of the books of God’s record to determine (1) whose record of repentance and of overcoming is such that their sins shall be blotted out, and (2) to ascertain from this book who have failed in the attempt to overcome, and to strike the names of all such from the book of life. When the books of God’s remembrance are thus examined, and the sins of the overcomers blotted out, and the names of those who have not overcome are removed from the book of life, that book becomes the final test, and an examination of its pages concludes the work of investigation preparatory to the deliverance of the saints.

We have seen that though the book of life is the final book of reference to determine who shall have part in the first resurrection, yet it must itself first be examined by the book of God’s remembrance, for the removal of the name of every person who has not completed the work of overcoming.

1.The book called “the book of remembrance” is written expressly for the righteous, and is the book which shall determine, in their cases, the decision of the judgment. This book is particularly referred to in the following passages: “Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.” Malachi 3:16–18. “Thou tellest my wanderings; put thou my tears into thy bottle; are they not in thy book?” Psalm 56:8.

“Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.” Nehemiah 13:14.

The book of God’s remembrance mentioned in these texts pertains only to the righteous; yet it appears to be a different book from the book of life; for though that book belongs alone to the righteous, it seems to be simply the record of their names (See Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8.), while the book of remembrance is the record of their good deeds. (See Malachi 3:16–18; Psalm 56:8; Nehemiah 13:14.) But should we conclude that the book of life is identical with the book of God’s remembrance, it will not essentially change this argument, for it would still follow that the record of the good deeds of the righteous, if it shows that they have overcome all their faults, and perfected the graces of the Spirit of God in themselves, is that which determines that their names shall be retained in the book of life, and their sins blotted out of the books which record them. But if the record be not such as God can accept, then their names must be removed from that book (See Exodus 32:32,33; Psalm 56:28; Revelation 3:5.), and the record of their good deeds also be blotted out to be no more remembered. (See Nehemiah 13:14; Ezekiel 3:20.)

The book of God’s remembrance contains the names of all who enter the service of God and of such only. Yet not every one of these follows on to know Him. Many that set out to overcome do not complete the work. That record, however, will show just how far they advanced in overcoming, and how and when they failed. As it contains simply the good deeds of the righteous, it will show their acts of repentance, confession, obedience, and sacrifice recorded therein. When the work is complete, then this record shows them prepared for the examination of the judgment. This, therefore, is the book out of which the cases of the righteous are to be decided, and from whose record they are to be accounted worthy of that world and the resurrection from the dead.

  1. The justification of the righteous in the judgment must precede the resurrection which is called “the resurrection of the just.” By this designation our Lord speaks of the resurrection of the righteous. (See Luke 14:14.) Paul states that this resurrection shall be at the coming of Christ. (See I Corinthians 15:23, 51–54; I Thessalonians 4:16–18.)

“But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Matthew 12:36, 37.

The justification of the judgment must be when the righteous are accounted worthy of a part in the first resurrection. But before they are thus justified in the judgment they give an account of their words. And this being true, it follows that God preserves a record of the words which we speak; also that our evil words are not blotted out until this account has been rendered. But the acquittal and the blotting out do, of necessity, precede the gift of immortality to the righteous at the advent of our Lord.

  1. The decision of the judgment in the case of the righteous must be when the blotting out of their sins takes place. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:14.

God brings the conduct of men into the judgment by means of books of record. They are judged “out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” Revelation 20:12, 13.

But the sins of the righteous are blotted out before the coming of the Lord. (See Acts 3:19, 20.) And it is manifest that their sins cannot be brought into the judgment after they are thus blotted out. But the righteous are to be judged as really as are the wicked. (See Ecclesiastes 3:17.) It follows, therefore, that their judgment must be at the time of the blotting out of their sins; for then there is an end made forever of the record of their transgressions. Now it is manifest that when this final work is wrought, it will pertain only to those who have fully repented of their sins, and have perfectly accomplished the work of overcoming. This work of blotting out sins brings our Lord’s priesthood to an end. He must be priest till then. He is not needed as priest after that. But when our Lord does blot out the sins of His people, He must present their cases individually before His Father, and show from the “book of remembrance” that they have severally repented of their sins, and have completed their work of overcoming. Then the Father accepts the statement thus made, and the evidence thus presented in the case of each one, and bids the Son to blot out the record of that person’s sins. This is manifestly the very time and occasion at which the righteous are accounted worthy of the resurrection to immortality. Their sins are thus brought into the judgment through their High Priest, and through Him the righteous render account of their sins to the Father. This account being accepted, their sins are blotted out, and themselves pronounced just before God. This is the justification of the judgment.

  1. There is a time for blotting out the names of some from the book of life, and of confessing the names of the others before the Father.

“He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5.

The time of blotting out names from the book of life precedes the deliverance of the saints. For at the time of that event everyone shall be delivered “that shall be found written in the book.” Daniel 12:1. Thus the fearful threatenings of Exodus 32:32, 33; Psalm 69:28; Revelation 22:19, is executed in the removal of names from this book before the coming of Christ. Those who overcome are the ones who have their sins blotted out. But those who fail to overcome have their names stricken from the book of life. The examination of their record must, therefore, precede both these acts of blotting out, for the express purpose of determining whether they shall have their sins blotted out, or have their names removed from the book of life. We have seen that it is at this very point that the righteous give account of their sins through their High Priest, who, from the book of God’s remembrance, shows that they have repented, confessed, forsaken, and overcome, their sinful course; also that they are thus acquitted and justified in order that they may have a part in the resurrection to immortality. Here is also the very act of the Saviour in confessing the names of His people before His Father and the holy angels, that shall close our Lord’s priesthood and place His people where they shall be forever free from all their sins. For when the book of God’s remembrance is found to prove that the person under examination is an overcomer, it is then the part of the Saviour to confess his name before His Father and the holy angels, and the part of the Father to give judgment that that person’s sins be blotted from the record. Surely it is of some account to us that we have part in the fulfillment of the promise, “I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.” Revelation 3:5. (See Matthew 10:32; Luke 12:8.)

  1. The righteous are not done with their sins till they have rendered account in the judgment. (See Ecclesiastes 3:17; 12:14; Matthew 12:36, 37.) The only account that they can render is to show that they have made perfect work of repentance and of overcoming. This must be done before they are blotted out of the record above. Our Advocate with the Father must hold His office till He has saved His people from their sins. (See 1 John 2:1; Matthew 1:21. He cannot close this work till He has seen them accepted in the judgment. Whence it follows that His office of Advocate will constrain Him to confess their names before the tribunal of His Father, and to show that their sins should be removed from the books.
  2. When our Lord has thus finished His work as priest, His people are prepared to stand in the sight of God without an atoning sacrifice. The following texts make this very clear:

“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” Micah 7:18, 19. The Lord, in the promise of the new covenant, says: “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:34. Paul quoting Jeremiah, says: “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12. “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Isaiah 43:25. “In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon them whom I reserve.” Jeremiah 50:20.

When these prophetic declarations are accomplished, we shall no longer need an Advocate, Intercessor, Mediator, or High Priest. Our sins will never after that exist even in the record of the court of heaven. Our lost innocence will then have been recovered, and we shall then be like to the angels of God, who walk in their original uprightness.

  1. The accomplishment of this work of blotting out the sins of those who overcome is marked by a declaration of awful solemnity:

“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. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12.

These words virtually announce the close of our Lord’s work as High Priest. They cannot be uttered till He, as our Advocate, has secured the blotting out of the sins of His people at His Father’s tribunal. Yet we have seen that this work of blotting out is accomplished before He comes the second time without sin unto salvation. (See Hebrews 9:27, 28.) The text under consideration is in exact harmony with these facts. The solemn announcement, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; . . . and he that is holy, let him be holy still,” is followed by these words: “And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Revelation 22:11, 12. The final work of our Lord for the removal of His people’s sins does therefore precede His return in the clouds of heaven to reward every man according to his works.

 

The Great Feasts of the Bible — Pentecost

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In the typical sanctuary service of ancient Israel it was customary for the High Priest to lay aside his pontifical robes and officiate in the white linen of an ordinary priest. So, the Son of God came down to this earth, laid aside His royal robes and garbed Himself with humanity, to offer Himself as a ransom for you and me.

Speaking of this, Paul wrote, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.” 1 Corinthians 5:7. To fulfill the requirements of the Passover, Christ became the priest and the victim. It was thus that He made an atonement for our sins. However in God’s great blueprint for complete salvation, He foresaw the need for some additional steps in order to restore man to his rightful place.

The atonement provided only for forgiveness of past sins. But sin had also separated humanity from Christ. Something must be done to reunite man with his Creator. Therefore, God devised further steps so that this could be accomplished. If such detailed plans were followed precisely, this would make it possible for finite man to comprehend how heaven and earth—now separated—could be reunited in oneness.

Immediately following the yearly Passover Sabbath is the first day of the week. “In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s Passover . . . And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, Speak unto the Children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest unto the priest: and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.” Leviticus 23:5, 9–11.

Jesus fulfilled this requirement of the wave sheaf. The Passover lamb was scheduled to die during the Passover. It was to be slain on Friday at the ninth hour, but it escaped when the veil of the temple was torn from the top to the bottom. At that precise time Christ, the true Lamb of God, died on Calvary. Then during the Sabbath hours He lay in the sleep of death in the tomb. On the first day He will present the wave sheaf offering, for every divine prediction in the Scriptures must be fulfilled.

Christ became the first fruits by His resurrection. Thus He was able to comply with the stipulations which were laid down by God in the laws of Moses a thousand years before. The first sheaf of grain was to be presented on the first day following the Passover Sabbath, not until this was presented could the harvest be gathered.

Early on the first day of the week, after the crucifixion, it is still dark. The great stone covering the entrance to the tomb is still in place, the Roman seal unbroken. Around the tomb stand the Roman guards joined by a host of evil angels. But there is also a heavenly host surrounding the sepulcher.

Suddenly, the early morning silence was broken. “There was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” Matthew 28:2. Instantly all the evil angels flee and the soldiers fall as dead men.

This mighty angel rolls away the enormous stone (it was at least six feet in diameter) as he would a pebble. Then he cried, “Son of God, come forth! Thy Father calls Thee.” Desire of Ages, 780. Immediately, Christ comes forth from the tomb as the angelic host sing with great joy: “Thou hast vanquished Satan and the powers of darkness; Thou hast swallowed up death in victory.” Ibid.

Something else happened while Christ arose. Another startling event has taken place, for an earthquake has opened a multitude of other graves. Individuals that had given their lives as a testimony to God’s truth arise from their graves. These resurrected saints are the Savior’s trophies of victory over the power of death. No longer are they captives of Satan, for they are now redeemed, brought forth from the grave as first fruits of the end time resurrection.

Christ had raised the dead many times while He was here on earth. For there was the son of the widow of Nain and the ruler’s little daughter. There was also Lazarus who had died and was buried four days. But each of these was still subject to death, and they must die again. Unlike them, these resurrected saints, who arose when Christ arose, would never die. They were raised to everlasting life.

Shortly after that event took place, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. Can you imagine her amazement when she discovered that the tomb was empty? She feared that someone had stolen the body of Jesus. “And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing Him to be the gardener, saith unto Him, Sir, if thou have borne Him hence, tell me where thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and saith unto Him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not: for I am not yet ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God.” John 20:13–17.

Do you comprehend these unforgettable words of Christ? “I ascend to My Father and your Father. To My God and your God.” This is talking about a part of the family of God. Something is about to occur that will reunite heaven and earth. And what is this wonder? Christ is about to ascend to heaven where He will present Himself to the Father as the wave sheaf, the symbol of the first resurrected life of a great harvest to come.

Immediately, Jesus leaves Mary in the garden and goes to heaven. This is why Jesus tells Mary, who is about to embrace His feet in worship, “Touch me not for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” On this resurrection morning, Christ ascended to heaven for the express purpose of conducting a brief visit with the Father in heaven, presenting Himself as the wave sheaf.

Apparently travel in space is no problem with Deity. One moment Jesus is talking to Mary and the next moment He is presenting Himself to the Father in heaven; Himself the first fruit of the eternal resurrection. In this private meeting with the Father the assurance is given that Christ’s sacrifice has been accepted by God Almighty. “He ascended to the heavenly courts, and from God Himself heard the assurance that His atonement for the sins of men had been ample, that through His blood all might gain eternal life. The Father ratified the covenant made with Christ, that He would receive repentant and obedient men, and would love them even as He loves His Son.” The Desire of Ages, 790.

When this short visit with His Father had been accomplished, Christ immediately returned to the earth. During His absence, other women arrived at the tomb. “After He had ascended to the Father, Jesus appeared to the other women, saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me.” The Desire of Ages, 793. Now the time had arrived when He can assure the disciples that He has fulfilled His pledge, “To make a man more precious than fine gold.” Isaiah 13:12.

He sends word by these women to His disciples that they are to meet Him in Galilee where He will instruct them for forty days. Acts records this: “To whom also He showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3.

Ten days after Jesus ascension to heaven, the next great event occurred which the Scripture calls Pentecost. It would be at this coming event that the covenant would be ratified with Christ and His church. Why must this be? Has Christ already died for an atonement? Yes. Has Christ arisen in victory over death? Yes. Has He already presented the wave sheaf to His Father? Yes. And has His Father not only accepted this wave sheaf but also given full approval of what He has done? Yes. Then why must there be a Pentecost? Because something more is needed. The church of God must be given divine power to give the gospel to the entire world and this cannot take place until two additional wave loaves are presented to God the Father. Every divine stipulation given in Scripture must be carried out in the plan of salvation.

“And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. Ye shall bring out of your habitation two wave loaves of two tenths deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven; they are the first fruits unto the Lord.” Leviticus 23:15–17.

What do these two loaves of bread literally represent? These verses draw our attention to a special group of saints who arose with Christ on the resurrection morning. They represent the family of God on earth. They must be reunited with the heavenly family, for they are the pledge of assurance that the resurrection of all the righteous will take place when Christ comes the second time. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:14.)

So as Christ arose from the tomb, He brought forth a multitude of captives from the grave. These were to go into the city of Jerusalem and declare to the honest of heart that Christ indeed had risen from the dead and that they were living proof for they arose with Christ. This was necessary for several reasons. The priests had paid the soldiers who had personally witnessed the resurrection to spread a lying report. “Say ye,” said the priests, “His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we slept.”

Furthermore, the Sadducees had for centuries prepared the people, under the direction of Satan, to believe that there was no such thing as a resurrection. But God never leaves an honest soul in doubt. So for forty days, while Christ prepares His disciples to preach the gospel in all the world, these risen saints go from person to person proving beyond a doubt that Jesus arose from the dead. They declared, Christ is risen and “we be risen with Him.” The Desire of Ages, 786. Thus the prophecy of Isaiah 26:19 was fulfilled: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise . . .and the earth shall cast out the dead.”

But more than this, they are an assurance to us who are alive today that God always keeps His promise, and that we shall soon witness a coming resurrection. “For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

“Thus will it be when the voice of Christ shall be heard from heaven. That voice will penetrate the graves and unbar the tombs, and the dead in Christ shall arise. At the Saviour’s resurrection a few graves were open, but at His second coming all the precious dead shall hear His voice, and shall come forth to glorious immortal life. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will raise His church, and glorify it with Him, above all principalities, above all powers, above every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come.” The Desire of Ages, 787.

Christ spent forty days with His disciples before returning to heaven with His trophies. He also knew that time was needed in heaven to prepare for a glorious homecoming. The disciples also would need time to prepare for heaven’s overflow of this great celebration by being united in prayer, at which time heaven will bestow the Holy Spirit in His fullness, ratifying the covenant with His church.

Jesus the divine Counselor is about to return victoriously to heaven’s court with His trophies. For forty days He has authenticated to His disciples that He is their living Saviour. No longer must He be associated with the tomb. Now they must think of Him as glorified before the heavenly universe. Jesus chooses the spot for His ascension. It will be the Mount of Olives upon which His feet will again rest, at the close of the millennium, when He brings the New Jerusalem to this earth. As Jesus bids His disciples good-bye, He slowly ascends from among them and He speaks the last promise: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28:20.

As His disciples watch, a cloud of glory hides Jesus from their sight as the chariots of angels receive the Saviour and carry Him up. The air is filled with the sweetest music as the angel choirs sing. Two angels in the form of men speak: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11.

These are the very same two angels who were sent to guard the tomb at the resurrection and they had also been His personal bodyguards during His life on this earth. Now they longed to welcome Jesus in the clouds, but in love for His disciples, they remained to give the disciples comfort. Meanwhile, the multitude of captives, who arose with Christ at His resurrection, has now joined with their Saviour in the clouds. They will accompany Jesus to heaven as He returns to the Father.

These risen saints are an example of what will happen when the Second Coming takes place. “When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive.” Ephesians 4:8. As Jesus ascends with His trophies, all heaven is astir in preparation to welcome the Saviour. Jesus leads the way. The multitude of His captives follow Him and the escorting angels cry out, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of glory.” Psalm 24:8.

Will you look with me at this mighty reception? Heaven’s gates swing wide open as Moses opens the gates of the city of God and the angelic throng sweeps through the city of God amid rapturous music. In the center of Jerusalem stands the mighty throne encircled by the rainbow. Countless sons of God, the representatives of the unfallen worlds, eagerly wait to celebrate Christ’s triumphant return.

Billions of unfallen angels are also in that assembly. This is the same heavenly council before which Lucifer had accused God and the Son. These are the representatives of the sinless worlds over which Satan had thought to establish his dominion. All are eager to celebrate the triumph of their King. But wait. Christ waves them back as He enters the throne.

“Not yet; He cannot now receive the coronet of glory and the royal robe. He enters into the presence of His Father. He points to His wounded head, the pierced side, the marred feet; He lifts His hands, bearing the prints of the nails. He points to the tokens of His triumph; He presents to God the wave sheaf, those raised with Him as representatives of that great multitude who shall come forth from the grave at His second coming.” The Desire of Ages, 834.

Watch as Christ approaches the Father. Sense the joy as God beholds the saints who have been resurrected and presented as trophies. Recall the pledge of God the Father and Christ the Son that took place before sin entered the universe. Recall the covenant promised to redeem sinners. Listen once again to Christ’s cry on the cross. “It is finished.” Now watch as Christ presents His trophies to the Father, one by one.

Then He pleads: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am.” John 17:24. And so it takes place. The compact is finally finished exactly as predicted a thousand years before. God responds, justice is satisfied and Satan is forever vanquished. Now Christ’s struggling children are accepted in the Beloved, for where Christ is, there His church is also, because, “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” Psalm 85:10.

Behold, the arms of the Father as they encircle His Son and now He gives the command: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” Hebrews 1:6. “With joy unutterable, rulers and principalities and powers acknowledge the supremacy of the Prince of Life. The angel hosts prostrate themselves before Him, while the glad shout fills all the courts of heaven, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing’. Revelation 5:12.” The Desire of Ages, 834.

Listen to the songs of triumph filling the air as music from the angels’ harps strike a higher note. Finally, the lost have been found. “And every creature which is in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” Revelation 5:13.

Words cannot possibly express such joy. Here is the fulfillment of our text in which Jesus said, “Say unto My brethren, I go unto My God and your God.” The family on earth is now united with the heavenly family from which it was once separated by sin. Now they are united as one. The celebration of heaven spills over, down to this very earth, for this is Pentecost. It has finally arrived.

“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Acts 2:1–4.

The universe has now accepted the Saviour. The saving gospel is now beyond question. Believers in Christ will never die. They will only sleep until Jesus comes. Now the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, fills the heart of each disciple on earth and a Spirit-led church marches to victory. “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” Revelation 6:1, 2.

When we speak of Pentecost, our memory should recall that Calvary’s atonement had been accepted, that the enemy, death, had been defeated, that Christ had ascended with His risen saints, assuring that a final resurrection is soon to take place. But above all, Pentecost assures us that we are now one with Christ. The joy of heaven’s Pentecost should be our daily experience.

Since Jesus is coming soon, we can repeat the words of Christ with authority that He spoke long ago: “I ascend unto My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.” For the family on earth was finally united with the family of heaven at Pentecost. The joy of Pentecost should be our daily experience.