Editorial

Knowing the Time

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“And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” Romans 13:11

“We have been asleep, as it were, regarding the work that may be accomplished by the circulation of well-prepared literature. Let us now, by the wise use of periodicals and books, preach the word with determined energy, that the world may understand the message that Christ gave to John on the Isle of Patmos. Let every human intelligence who professes the name of Christ testify: ‘The end of all things is at hand; prepare to meet thy God.’ ” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 9, 61, 62

“The coming of the Lord is nearer than when we first believed. The great controversy is nearing its end. Every report of calamity by sea or land is a testimony to the fact that the end of all things is at hand. … Is there a Christian whose pulse does not beat with quickened action as he anticipates the great events opening before us? …

“We are to prepare the way for Him by acting our part in getting a people ready for that great day.” The Review and Herald, November 12, 1914

“Our time belongs to God. Every moment is His, and we are under the most solemn obligation to improve it to His glory. Of no talent He has given will He require a more strict account than of our time.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 342

“It is a Christian duty to study the best ways of helping the people. No one is to make the way to Christ wearisome and objectionable. Remove everything that would obstruct the path.” The Signs of the Times, August 12, 1897

“All our works must be wrought in God. Each one is to do his own work in the Lord’s vineyard. We must not look for someone else to do the work that lies directly in our pathway. Personal responsibilities must be borne; personal duties must be taken up; personal efforts must be made for those who do not know Christ. And for those who do this work in faith, the Holy Spirit will work as [He] worked for the disciples on the day of Pentecost.” Ibid., August 19, 1897

The Central Theme of the Gospel

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The cross of Calvary challenges, and will finally vanquish every earthly and hellish power. In the cross, all influence centers, and from it all influence goes forth. It is the great center of attraction; for on it Christ gave up His life for the human race. This sacrifice was offered for the purpose of restoring man to his original perfection. Yea, more, it was offered to give him an entire transformation of character, making him more than a conqueror.

“Those who in the strength of Christ overcome the great enemy of God and man, will occupy a position in the heavenly courts above angels who have never fallen.

“Christ declares, ‘I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me.’ If the cross does not find an influence in its favor, it creates an influence. Through generation succeeding generation, the truth for this time is revealed as present truth. Christ on the cross was the medium whereby mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissed each other. This is the means that is to move the world.” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 6, 1113

What is the cross suppose to accomplish in our lives?

To restore me to the original perfection of Eden.

To effect an entire transformation of my character.

To make me more than a conqueror.

To attract me to Jesus Christ.

I no longer live for myself but for Him who died for me. 2 Corinthians 5:15

To deliver me from my love of this world. Galatians 6:14

The means by which my sins are forgiven. Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 15:3

As Jesus was crucified for me, my sinful nature is to be crucified for Him. Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; 5:24

To reconcile all mankind first to God and then to one another bringing peace and unity to all who accept it. Colossians 1:20

To bring redemption to all who will receive it. 1 Peter 1:17–21

To cleanse us from all sin. 1 John 1:7

To reveal Jesus as the One who in a supreme sense loves us. Revelation 1:5; 1 John 3:16

If we want to be saved at last, the story of the cross as recorded in each of the four gospels needs to be a special study in our daily life.

“If we would be saved at last, we must learn the lesson of penitence and humiliation at the foot of the cross.” The Desire of Ages, 83

Strange Voices

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Jesus said, “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly.

“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.” Luke 21:34, 35

If you are a student of prophecy, you are aware that the signs of the times are screaming that we are at the very end of earth’s history. (See also Matthew 24, Luke 17 and 21; 2 Timothy 3; 2 Peter 3; Daniel 11, Revelation chapters 7–11, 13, 14, and 17.)

As Eve did, many people are listening to strange voices, and sooner or later they will believe error, following it instead of the truth. We must choose who we listen to.

“I was shown the necessity of those who believe that we are having the last message of mercy, being separate from those who are daily imbibing new errors. I saw that neither young nor old should attend their meetings; for it is wrong to thus encourage them while they teach error that is a deadly poison to the soul and teach for doctrines the commandments of men. The influence of such gatherings is not good. If God has delivered us from such darkness and error, we should stand fast in the liberty wherewith He has set us free and rejoice in the truth. God is displeased with us when we go to listen to error, without being obliged to go; for unless He sends us to those meetings where error is forced home to the people by the power of the will, He will not keep us. The angels cease their watchful care over us, and we are left to the buffetings of the enemy, to be darkened and weakened by him and the power of his evil angels; and the light around us becomes contaminated with the darkness.” Early Writings, 125, 126

“The time of our educating will soon be over. We have no time to lose in walking through clouds of doubt and uncertainty because of uncertain voices. …

“Humble yourselves under the hand of God, warn all that they do not in stubbornness choose their own way … .

“The Lord would have us answer the prayer of Christ. Seek for unity and oneness. Seek for harmony, then we bear to the world a living testimony of the light of Jesus Christ.” The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1002–1004

He Who Is Not with Me

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“No one but Christ is given us as an example. He is our true Pattern, and each should strive to excel in imitating Him. … We are decided, wholehearted Christians, or none at all. Says Christ: ‘I would thou wert cold or hot.’ ” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 1, 126

“The Lord will have the whole man, or none at all. His favor cannot be purchased with gifts of money. He calls for the gift of the whole heart.” The Upward Look, 73

Christ laid aside His scepter with which He had ruled the universe, He laid aside His royal robe and crown of glory and came to this sin-darkened earth and hid His divinity behind humanity, the likeness of sinful flesh and became poor that we might be made rich with the riches that only He could impart. Having lived a perfect life, He gave up even this.

“To human eyes Christ was only a man, yet He was a perfect man. In His humanity, He was the impersonation of the divine character. God embodied His own attributes in His Son—His power, His wisdom, His goodness, His purity, His truthfulness, His spirituality, and His benevolence. In Him, though human, all perfection of character, all divine excellence, dwelt.” The Youth’s Instructor, September 16, 1897

“Christ’s perfect humanity is the same that man may have through connection with Christ. … He had not taken on Him even the nature of the angels, but humanity, perfectly identical with our own nature, except without the taint of sin. A human body, a human mind, with all the peculiar properties, He was bone, brain, and muscle. A man of our flesh, He was compassed with the weakness of humanity. … He breathed the very air man must breathe. He trod our earth as man. He had reason, conscience, memory, will, and affections of the human soul which was united with His divine nature.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 16, 181, 182

Think this through. After He has made so great a sacrifice to save you and me, can we claim to be His disciples without embarrassment if we have not surrendered our will to Him, acknowledging Him as the only Lord of our lives?

“Why do call Me Lord, Lord and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46

Peter – upon this rock

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“Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father which is in Heaven.’ …

“Jesus saw, in this acknowledgment, the living principle that would animate the hearts of His believers in coming ages. …

“Jesus continued: ‘And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ The word Peter signifies rolling stone. Christ did not refer to Peter as being the rock upon which He would found His church. His expression, ‘this rock,’ applied to Himself as the foundation of the Christian church. [Author’s emphasis]

“… It is the same Stone to which reference is made in Luke 20:17, 18: ‘And He beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that Stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.’

“… Christ is the rock upon which the church is built, and, in His address to Peter, He referred to Himself as the rock which is the foundation of the church. He continues:

“ ‘And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ The Roman church makes a wrong application of these words of Christ. They claim that He addressed them specially to Peter. Hence, he is represented in works of art as carrying a bunch of keys, which is a symbol of trust and authority given to ambassadors and others in high positions. The words of Christ: ‘I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven,’ were not addressed to Peter alone, but to the disciples, including those who compose the Christian church in all ages. …

“But the Roman Catholic church claims that Christ invested Peter with supreme power over the Christian church, and that his successors are divinely authorized to rule the Christian world. In still another place, Jesus acknowledges the same power to exist in all the church that is claimed to have been given to Peter alone, upon the authority of the text previously quoted.” The Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 2, 272–274

If You Are Hopeless…

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“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. …

“Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man, to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’

“Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.” John 5:2, 3, 5–9

“His disease was in a great degree the result of his own sin, and was looked upon as a judgment from God. Alone and friendless, feeling that he was shut out from God’s mercy, the sufferer had passed long years of misery. At the time when it was expected that the waters would be troubled, those who pitied his helplessness would bear him to the porches. But at the favored moment he had no one to help him in.

“The sick man was lying on his mat, and occasionally lifting his head to gaze at the pool, when a tender, compassionate face bent over him, and the words, ‘Wilt thou be made whole?’ arrested his attention. Hope came to his heart. He felt that in some way he was to have help. …

“Jesus does not ask this sufferer to exercise faith in Him. He simply says, ‘Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.’ But the man’s faith takes hold upon that word. Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life, and healthful action comes to his crippled limbs. Without question he sets his will to obey the command of Christ, and all his muscles respond to his will. Springing to his feet, he finds himself an active man.

“Jesus had given him no assurance of divine help. The man might have stopped to doubt, and lost his one chance of healing. But he believed Christ’s word, and in acting upon it he received strength.

“Through the same faith we may receive spiritual healing. … The Saviour is bending over the purchase of His blood. … He bids you arise in health and peace. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe His word, and it will be fulfilled.” The Desire of Ages, 202, 203

What is Important?

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Mary,* a woman I had known for many years, asked me to be the original executor upon her death after the original executor of her estate unexpectedly passed away.

I discovered that Mary’s financial affairs were complicated, and that her financial institutions were uncooperative. Mary held real estate and financial accounts in more than one state, and people owed her money. She and the original executor had been working diligently, and spending a lot of time in the process, to get these complications resolved.

A person had bequeathed money to Mary, but the executor of that estate was doing his best to find every legal way to withhold that money from her. It became extremely apparent that I would need help, so I retained an attorney to help me, costing the estate a considerable amount of money.

There were multiple boxes of papers that I had to go through, and as I went through each box, I wondered, “How much pleasure and satisfaction did Mary get from the money, property, and her other possessions? How much was society or the cause of God benefited?”

My late brother Marshall used to say, “We don’t really own anything in this world, we just use it until we die and then ownership goes to someone else.” In the resurrection, Mary will not own the real estate or monies she once did because at her death, they were all distributed to someone else. Paul wrote to Timothy, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” 1 Timothy 6:7

“Sad will be the retrospect in that day when men stand face to face with eternity. The whole life will present itself just as it has been. The world’s pleasures, riches, and honors will not then seem so important. Men will then see that the righteousness they despised is alone of value. …

“There will be no future probation in which to prepare for eternity. It is in this life that we are to put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness. This is our only opportunity to form characters for the home which Christ has made ready for those who obey His commandments.

“The days of our probation are fast closing. The end is near. To us the warning is given, ‘Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.’ Luke 21:34.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 318, 319

*Not her real name

Representatives of Christ

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“But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8

These words, spoken by Jesus just before His ascension, clearly states that as Christians we are to be representatives of Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20.

“What fruit does Christ expect from His disciples? The exerting of an influence like the influence exerted by the Redeemer. He expects us to follow His example of perfect goodness, living in obedience to all His commandments. Thus it is that we become Christlike. …

“Justification is the reward of faith in the righteousness of Christ. His imputed righteousness brings everyone who accepts Him as a personal Saviour into conformity to the will of God. … He who follows Christ must live in obedience to the law of God. Sin and holiness cannot unite.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 96

“No yoke that Christ has not framed is to be bound upon the necks of God’s people. Let those who have been wearing yokes of human devising cast them aside at any cost, and take the yoke of Christ. This is the instruction that God has been given me for the past years and has been repeating the past few days.

“Our heavenly Father knows how weak we are. He understands our necessities and our capacities. He has not left us to be guided or controlled by any human  will. We are to follow the word, ‘It is written.’ We gain purity of soul through the blood of Jesus, which is efficacious to cleanse us from all sin.”

“ … The work is to be done that will cause the earth to be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. This work can be done only by the whole church acting their part under the guidance and in the power of Christ.” Ibid., 98-100 (All emphasis supplied.)

Serious Questions

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The time is coming when we will have to give an account of our life (Luke 16:2). Take this ten-question test below to prepare for this.

  1. “At this time, … shall we become so like the world in practice that men may look in vain to find God’s denominated people?
  2. “Shall any man sell our peculiar characteristics as God’s chosen people for any advantage the world has to give?
  3. “Shall the favor of those who transgress the law of God be looked upon as of great value?
  4. “Shall those whom the Lord has named His people suppose that there is any power higher than the great I AM?
  5. “Shall we endeavor to blot out the distinguishing points of faith that have made us Seventh-day Adventists?” Evangelism, 121
  6. “How do I meet the inspecting eye of God?
  7. “Is my heart cleansed from its defilement?” Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, 423
  8. Am I cleansed from all impurity?

“The heart must be cleansed from its impurity, self-will must be exchanged for God’s will; God’s ways must be chosen before our own ways. Many names are registered on the church books that have no place in the Lamb’s book of life. Let the question be asked with deepest concern, ‘Is my name written there?’ ” The Signs of the Times, December 15, 1887

  1. Have I overcome my secret faults?

“There is great need that our brethren overcome secret faults. … Selfishness, uncharitableness, covetousness, envy, evil-surmising, falsehood, theft, robbery, sensuality, licentiousness, and adultery, stand registered against some who claim to believe the solemn, sacred truth for this time. How can these accursed things be cleansed out of the camp, when men who claim to be Christians are practicing them constantly?” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 146

“The unconverted heart is the habitation of the evil one, and it is filled with unholy thoughts, with evil surmisings, envy, jealousy, falsehood, and uncontrolled passions, with strife and confusion and every evil work.” PH152 – Special Testimonies Concerning the Work and Workers in the Pacific Press (1897)

  1. Is my heart free from all these?

“Let each one closely examine himself to see whether he is in the faith, whether the truth which he professes to believe has been kept in the outer court, or brought into the inner sanctuary of the soul, that he may be sanctified thereby.” Ibid.

Joshua and the Angel – Zechariah 3

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“Wonderful events are soon to open before the world. The end of all things is at hand. The time of trouble is about to come upon the people of God. Then it is that the decree will go forth forbidding those who keep the Sabbath of the Lord to buy or sell, and threatening them with punishment, and even death, if they do not observe the first day of the week as the Sabbath.

“ ‘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.’ By this we see the importance of having our names written in the book of life. All whose names are registered there will be delivered from Satan’s power, and Christ will command that their filthy garments be removed, and that they be clothed with His righteousness. ‘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.’

“In the time of trouble, Satan stirs up the wicked, and they encircle the people of God to destroy them. But he does not know that ‘pardon’ has been written opposite their names in the books of heaven. He does not know that the command has been given, ‘Take away the filthy garments’ from them, clothe them with ‘change of raiment,’ and set ‘a fair mitre’ upon their heads.

“The promise made to Joshua is made to all the remnant people of God: ‘If thou wilt walk in My ways [not in your own ways], and if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou shalt also judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.’ Who are these that stand by? They are the angels of God. Could our eyes be opened, as were those of the servant of Elisha at Dothan, we should see evil angels all around us, urging their presence upon us, and watching for an opportunity to tempt and overthrow us; we should also see holy angels guarding us, and with their light and power pressing back the evil angels.

“If we could only see the many dangers from which we are daily preserved by the holy angels, instead of complaining of our trials and misfortunes, we would talk continually of the mercies of God.” Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists (1886), 156