History

America’s Twin Towers Toppling

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Our Days are Numbered

In the United States of America, the keepers of national security and national prosperity of the most powerful nation in the world, the Pentagon and the World Trade Center, have been attacked. We may be witnessing what could very well accelerate the shift of public trust from civil government power for security, to the church or religious power. History shows that when a nation suffers imponderable reverses and the civil government is perceived to be impotent to deal with the crisis, it turns to religion as a “city of refuge.” The same historical fact also reveals that when this happens, national religious bigotry blossoms very rapidly and persecution is not far behind.

Or it may precipitate the Third World War, if the United States resorts to “righteous” retaliation, justified, as it may seem to many. Violence breeds violence. But no military might can match or cope successfully with suicidal missions of religious convictions. When men are taught the terrible lie that death is the entrance to heaven or that a soul survives the body, what is there to stop desperate men from committing suicide as the ultimate release, or killing others as a means of gaining heaven, if the ones being destroyed are perceived as “enemies of the truth.”

Scapegoats

Finding and punishing the perpetrators of such a history-making travesty of this magnitude hardly ever gets traced back to the real masterminds. Were the true masterminds of St. Bartholomew’s Massacre in France ever brought to justice by the world’s tribunal? It was called by historian Henry White, in the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, the “. . . blackest in the black catalogue of crime, most horrible among the fiendish deeds of all the dreadful centuries . . . .” The Great Controversy, 271, 272. The king of France, then, will be blamed for “the butchery [that] continued for two months” where “seventy thousand of the very flower of the nation perished.” But who was behind it all? “The king of France, urged on by Romish priests and prelates, lent his sanction to the dreadful work. A bell, tolling at dead of night, was a signal for the slaughter. Protestants by thousands, sleeping quietly in their homes, trusting to the plighted honor of their king, were dragged forth without a warning and murdered in cold blood.” Ibid., 272. There will be scapegoats and fall guys galore, but never the ones who hatched, developed and engineered the scheme—not till the day when all the secrets of man are revealed in Heaven. All real wars, since the fall of man, have had a religious agenda in the background although not acknowledged as such by contemporary historians. Those who did acknowledge this fact were, and continue to be, discredited, not because they were inaccurate, but because they chronicled the truth. The same masterminds behind these religious wars of conquest are responsible for such misinformation campaigns as “the Reformation led by Luther was a rebellion against church authority.”

The papacy that has survived all individual popes, and the Roman Catholic Church, the “mother of harlots” (Revelation 17:5) has slowly returned to world prominence, quietly solidifying its worldwide power as prophesied in Revelation 13. All other world religions and denominations, including the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and historic Adventists as well, are splintering through internal dissension and intrigue over minor issues rendered major by spiritual myopia. Talk about the enemy from within! Sometimes we do not even need our enemies to vex us. We can discomfit each other and hand the victory to them.

“If We Lose Our Freedom, We Lose Our Nation”

A cryptic statement made by an U.S. Senator reflects the brave, yet confounded, spirits of officials at the highest echelons of government, over these well-coordinated “terrorist attacks.” It is an honest yet fearful admission of helplessness to say, “there were security lapses.” Post-war U.S. invincibility is now a myth, even as the Jews believed that Jerusalem’s walls were impregnable. Titus and his Roman horde desolated Jerusalem for at least six months in a.d. 70, literally leaving not “one stone upon another,” (Matthew 24:2) as Jesus tearfully prophesied 40 years prior.

But the “attack against freedom” to which many of our nation’s leaders referred to as “begging for retaliation against its cowardly perpetrators” was not on the incomparably more vital religious liberty issue—the ultimate freedom—but “freedom from fear of being attacked by terrorists.” Their declaration had more to do with losing temporal life and its advantages, financial wealth and stability—not freedom to worship God according to dictates of conscience as currently guaranteed by the First Amendment. It is always those things, opportunities, and the people who matter most that are taken for granted and ignored—until they are suddenly yanked away without a moment’s notice.

This is a foretaste and a forewarning of how the element of surprise has never failed. It will be the same strategy used in the final national crisis, which will also be the final and ultimate religious crisis.

“Marvelous in her shrewdness and cunning is the Romish Church. She can read what is to be. She bides her time, seeing that the Protestant churches are paying her homage in their acceptance of the false Sabbath, and that they are preparing to employ the very means which she herself employed in by-gone days. . . . The Christian world will learn what Romanism really is, when it is too late to escape the snare. She is silently growing into power. Her doctrines are exerting their influence in legislative halls, in the churches, and in the hearts of men. Throughout the land she is piling up her lofty and massive structures, in the secret recesses of which her former persecutions will be repeated. She is stealthily and unsuspectedly strengthening her forces to further her own ends when the time shall come for her to strike. All that she desires is vantage ground, and this is soon to be given her. In the near future we shall see and shall feel what the purpose of the Roman element is. Whoever shall believe and obey the word of God will incur reproach and persecution.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 397.

Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis

Definitions: Thesis: create the problem. Antithesis: manufacture and propose the solution. Synthesis: control the situation. This simple formula has been used in micro scale and macro scale for generations, increasing merely in sophistication and deadly affectivity. It began in heaven as the “mystery of iniquity.” The Problem: the Son of God was in the way of Lucifer’s ambition to be greater than the Creator. The Solution: create doubt in the minds of the angels by making it appear that he was working for their interest, ultimately resulting in rebellion. The Situation: Lucifer thought he finally had control of the situation until he and one-third of the rebellious angels were cast from heaven down to earth. What he attempted to accomplish in heaven, he simply repeated with more devilish cunning in the Garden of Eden, with devastating success. Since then he has been successful in destroying untold millions through the generations by this method employed by his agents on earth, both civil and religious.

The Decline of America’s Image of Invincibility

From the worldly point of view, the twin symbols of the United States’ might and wealth—the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., nerve center of military power, and the World Trade Center in New York, symbol of economic and financial strength, have been exposed as frightfully vulnerable. All the high-flying, budget-busting “star wars” and “missile shield technology” projects of the past and present administrations suddenly look so pitifully puny and futile. But according to The Great Controversy, page 441, America’s secrets of power and prosperity as one of the world’s greatest nations, are the principles known as Protestantism and Republicanism. The true basis of America’s success and prosperity will not be appreciated by the vast majority till they lose it—in the coming days.

Freedom Attacked, Freedom Defended

One of President George W. Bush’s earliest statements following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, was, “Freedom itself was attacked . . . Freedom will be defended.” O, that the leaders of this nation knew on what true freedom is based, as did past leaders such as James Madison, Patrick Henry, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Ulysses Grant, and others. All the current brave talk and rhetoric, in spite of inspiring human endeavors crossing political party lines and race and religious differences, to collectively deal with the crisis, will not erase one stark fact—the ultimate enemy will come from within. It will be the least suspected, for it will present itself, as it has in past generations, culminating during the Dark Ages, as Christ’s representative on earth!

All world empires, beginning with ancient Babylon, ultimately crumbled when their time was up, according to the unfailing prophetic timetable of Daniel and Revelation. They fell by Divine fiat, through a fundamental flaw from within, which the enemy recognized and used to their advantage. The last and final world-wide spiritual Babylon will fall as did its type—by forsaking God and replacing His immutable, unchangeable law of Ten Commandments with man-made laws that ultimately counterfeit the seventh-day Sabbath memorial of creation with Sunday Sabbath, and enforcing it as a law of the land. This is the final apostasy that comprises the national crisis, which leads to national destruction.

Why New York?

God’s prophet of the end was shown, in vision, the fiery destruction of fire-proof buildings in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other major cities of the United States. Here are some excerpts:

“February 15, 1904: ‘When I was last in New York, I was in the night season called upon to behold buildings rising story after story toward heaven. These building were warranted to be fireproof, and they were erected to glorify the owners. Higher and still higher these buildings rose, and in them the most costly material was used. . . .

“‘As these lofty buildings went up, the owners rejoiced with ambitious pride that they had money to use in glorifying self. . . . Much of the money that they thus invested had been obtained through exaction, through grinding the faces of the poor. In the books of heaven, an account of every business transaction is kept. There every unjust deal, every fraudulent act, is recorded. The time is coming when in their fraud and insolence men will reach a point that the Lord will not permit them to pass, and they will learn that there is a limit to the forbearance of Jehovah.

“‘The scene that next passed before me was an alarm of fire. Men looked at lofty and supposedly fireproof buildings, and said, “They are perfectly safe.” But these buildings were consumed as if made of pitch. The fire engines could do nothing to stay the destruction. The firemen were unable to operate the engines.’” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 413.

“I have no light in particular in regard to what is coming on New York, only I know that one day the great buildings there will be thrown down by the turning and overturning of God’s power.” Ibid., 412. (See also Testimonies, vol. 9, 12, 13.)

While the foregoing testimonies refer to the time when the enactment and enforcement of the Sunday Law take place in the United States, what happened to the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York is a clear sampling of what is yet to come—a great terror, an overwhelming surprise, a blinding force! The most powerful machinery to wound and kill human beings is being prepared.

Note the following statement: “Transgression has almost reached its limit. Confusion fills the world, and a great terror is soon to come upon human beings. The end is very near. We who know the truth should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise. . . .“ Maranatha, 138.

“The work of the people of God is to prepare for events of the future, which will soon come upon them with blinding force.” Ibid., 182.

“The Lord is removing His restrictions from the earth, and soon there will be death and destruction, increasing crime, and cruel, evil working against the rich who have exalted themselves against the poor. Those who are without God’s protection will find no safety in any place or position. Human agents are being trained and are using their inventive power to put in operation the most powerful machinery to wound and to kill. . . .” Ibid., 137.

Troubles Will Increase

Over 100 years ago, the Spirit of Prophecy warned: “Satan delights in war; for it excites the worst passions of the soul, and then sweeps into eternity its victims steeped in vice and blood. It is his object to incite nations to war against one another; for he can thus divert the minds of the people from the work of preparation to stand in the day of God.

“Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. . . . It is God that shields His creatures, and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. But the Christian world has shown contempt for the law of Jehovah; and the Lord does just what He has declared that He would do, He withdraws His blessings from the earth, and removes His protecting care from those who are rebelling against His law, and teaching and forcing others to do the same. Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard. . . .

“Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, is Satan exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon the inhabitants of the world. The beasts of the field will groan, and the earth will languish.

“And then the great deceiver will persuade men that those who serve God are causing these evils. The class that have provoked the displeasure of Heaven will charge all their troubles upon the faithful few whom the Lord has sent to them with messages of warning and reproof. It will be declared that the nation is offending God by the violation of the Sunday Sabbath, that this sin has brought calamities which will not cease until Sunday observance shall be strictly enforced, and that those who present the claims of the fourth commandment, thus destroying reverence for Sunday, are troublers of the nation, preventing its restoration to divine favor and temporal prosperity. Thus, the accusation urged of old against the servant of God will be repeated, and upon grounds equally well established.“ The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 406, 408.

Scenario of What is to Come

So what does the future hold? The following listing gives you a brief, general scenario of what lies ahead according to prophecy. These events are not listed in any suggested chronological order.

  1. Troubles, crimes, calamities and disasters, both domestic and worldwide, increase. (See Review and Herald, November 17, 1910; Ibid., February 26, 1914.)
  2. Immorality, infidelity, and spiritualism increase; anti-typical spiritual Sodom and Gomorrah and atheistic Egypt reinstated. (See Maranatha, 153; Counsels on Health, 615.)
  3. Economy deteriorates. (See Signs of the Times, August 24,1904; The Upward Look, 362.)
  4. Religious fervor picks up; mainstream preachers go on the offensive to get people to return to church and “old, traditional” values are revived. (See The Publishing Ministry, 38, 39; The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 415.)
  5. Political leaders, at a loss for political answers, turn to religion. (See The Publishing Ministry, 38, 39.)
  6. Political and religious leaders join hands in an attempt to solve problems. (See The Great Controversy, 450.)
  7. Spiritualistic and miraculous manifestations increase. (See Early Writings, 85; Maranatha, 156.)
  8. Calamities increase. (See Christian Service, 155.)
  9. Religious fanaticism increases; more suicidal attacks by extremists; more mass suicides; bombings and public disturbances renewed with more violent color and religious discrimination and prejudice. (See Evangelism, 610, 611.)
  10. Every principle of the United States’ Constitution is repudiated. (See Testimonies, vol. 5, 451.)
  11. Mainstream churches now join together in reversing themselves on their former position of anti-nomism; they now urge the nations to keep the Ten Commandments, where the fourth commandment is Sunday, not the seventh-day Sabbath. Moribund state Sunday Laws are revived. (See The Great Controversy, 573.)
  12. Sunday Law passes in Congress in the United States. Other nations and governments follow suit shortly. (See The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, vol. 2, 477, 478.)
  13. The Latter Rain poured out on the prepared saints—their sins are blotted out as well as the sins of all who accept the final message—this is the judgment of the living. (See The Great Controversy, 611; Review and Herald, April 21, 1891.)
  14. The Final Loud Cry of Revelation 18 goes forth throughout the world. Many miracles follow. (See The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 429, 430.)
  15. Standard after standard will be left to trail in the dust as company after company from the Lord’s army join the foe and tribe after tribe from the ranks of the enemy unite with the commandment-keeping people of God. (See Testimonies, vol. 8, 41.)
  16. The Sunday Law will now be enforced, first, by inducements and fines. (See The Great Controversy, 607.)
  17. All faithful Sabbath-keepers throughout the world suffer persecution in varied forms and in different degrees. (See Early Writings, 33, 34.)
  18. Sunday Law now enforced by death penalty. There are many martyrs, as a witness. As a result, more people are converted. (See The Great Controversy, 615, 616.)
  19. The seal of God is placed upon foreheads of the faithful. (See Early Writings, 38.)
  20. Probation closes. (See The Great Controversy, 490.)
  21. Holy Spirit fully withdrawn from the earth; Jesus casts down the censer and declares, “It is done,” signaling the end of the Investigative Judgment. Four winds of strife let loose. (See Early Writings, 279, 280; The Great Controversy, 614.)
  22. Seven last plagues begin to fall. God finally announces, “It is done.” (Revelation 16:17.) To the living saints it is like “voice of many waters,” to the living wicked, it sounds like terrible “thunder.” (See Revelation 19:6; Last Day Events, 272.)
  23. This voice of God opens up the graves for the Special Resurrection of two classes of people:
    • Those faithful of the Advent Movement who died in the faith of the Third Angel’s Message, keeping the Sabbath holy, and
    • Those who pierced Jesus’ side at the cross and the most violent persecutors of God’s people. (See Early Writings, 285; The Great Controversy, 637.)
  24. The 144,000, who have lived through six of the seven last plagues under the protection of the heavenly angels, and the specially resurrected saints now hear the voice of God
    • Announcing the day and hour of Jesus’ coming, and
    • Delivering the everlasting covenant to them that kept the law when the world made it void. (See The Great Controversy, 640.)
  25. Midnight Deliverance—the final anti-type of the midnight deliverance of ancient Israel at the Passover in Egypt. The universal death decree has gone into effect. Some try to slay God’s people but their swords fall like straw. (See Early Writings, 284, 285.)
  26. In the east, God’s living Israel, the church triumphant, see the unmistakable sign of Jesus’ appearing—a “black cloud, about half the size of a man’s hand.” (See The Great Controversy, 640.)

Message of the Hour

What we desperately need now is genuine and thorough repentance over our sins of self-righteousness (Laodiceanism) and Christ’s unity among brethren! Stop magnifying the faults of others! Never pass judgment on others based on your own personal convictions and opinions. Help one another overcome weaknesses and acquire good habits through education and example. Encourage and motivate one another to carry forward the work and message of the third angel in love, patience, longsuffering, tact, consistency, and mercy.

Remember ancient, literal Israel—the type of modern, spiritual Israel, the Seventh-day Adventist people? As God’s people, they were far from perfect, even as is modern Israel! But whenever one of them sinned, whatever sin it was, and repented, the priest did not condemn him. A divine remedy for forgiveness of sins by confession and offering of an animal sacrifice as the symbolic substitute and surety was available through the sanctuary services. After the blood was spilt and obtained, the priest interceded in the holy places for the repentant sinner. The same is true for spiritual Israel today through a much better hope, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, and His all-powerful mediatorial work as our great High Priest during this anti-typical Day of Atonement! In and through Christ alone there is complete justification and perfect, progressive sanctification by living faith that works by love and purifies the soul from sin. This is the amazing, enabling, empowering, sin-destroying, saving grace of Christ!

Secrets of Unity

“The secret of unity is found in the equality of believers in Christ. The reason for all division, discord, and difference is found in separation from Christ. Christ is the center to which all should be attracted; for the nearer we approach the center, the closer we shall come together in feeling, in sympathy, in love, growing into the character and image of Jesus. With God there is no respect of persons.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 259.

“But spiritual success comes only to those who have learned meekness and lowliness in the school of Christ.

“We should remember that the world will judge us by what we appear to be. Let those who are seeking to represent Christ be careful not to exhibit inconsistent features of character. Before we come fully to the front, let us see to it that the Holy Spirit is poured upon us from on high. When this is the case, we shall give a decided message, but it will be of a far less condemnatory character than that which some have been giving; and all who believe will be far more earnest for the salvation of our opponents.” Counsels to Writers and Editors, 72.

“Every association of life calls for the exercise of self-control, forbearance, and sympathy. We differ so widely in disposition, habits, education, that our ways of looking at things vary. We judge differently. Our understanding of truth, our ideas in regard to the conduct of life, are not in all respects the same. There are no two whose experience is alike in every particular. The trials of one are not the trials of another. The duties that one finds light are to another most difficult and perplexing.

“So frail, so ignorant, so liable to misconception is human nature, that each should be careful in the estimate he places upon another. We little know the bearing of our acts upon the experience of others. What we do or say may seem to us of little moment, when, could our eyes be opened, we should see that upon it depended the most important results for good or for evil.” The Ministry of Healing, 483.

“We cannot afford to let our spirits chafe over any real or supposed wrong done to ourselves. Self is the enemy we most need to fear. No form of vice has a more baleful effect upon the character than has human passion not under control of the Holy Spirit. No other victory we can gain will be so precious as the victory gained
over self.

“We should not allow our feelings to be easily wounded. We are to live, not to guard our feelings or our reputation, but to save souls. As we become interested in the salvation of souls we cease to mind the little differences that so often arise in our association with one another. Whatever others may think of us or do to us, it need not disturb our oneness with Christ, the fellowship of the Spirit. [1 Peter 2:20 quoted.]” Ibid., 485.

Unconverted Christians

The truly heart-converted Christian is known by his fruits—the very first of which is meekness, learned from the school of Christ. Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden.” Matthew 11:28. Working out our own salvation by our own self-righteousness is going to wear out our life forces in a very short time. “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18. He who struts around like a peacock today will be nothing but a feather duster tomorrow. Premature spiritual and physical death is the result, but Jesus came to give life, and to give it more abundantly, hence, He pleads, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:29. Meekness and lowliness of heart—not appearance nor words—is the condition for the divine rest that our Gentle Shepherd promises to the rest-less, stressed-out yet proud Christian.

“Where the Spirit of God is, there is meekness, patience, gentleness, and longsuffering; there is a tenderness of soul, a mildness which savors of Christ. But these fruits are not manifested by the unconverted. The more real need there is for this class to humble themselves before God, the less sense they have of their real standing, and the more self-confidence they assume. The more they claim to be led by God, the more overbearing they are to all around them, the more incapable of receiving any reproof, the more impatient of contradiction, and the less they feel the need of counsel. Instead of being meek and gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy, love, and good fruits, they are exacting and tyrannical; instead of being swift to hear and slow to speak [or write], they are slow to hear and swift to speak.

“They are unwilling to learn of anyone. The temper is fiery and vehement. There is a set determination, a fierceness in the very looks and deportment. They speak and act as though they would take the work out of God’s hands and pass judgment themselves upon those whom they consider in the wrong.

“A true disciple of Christ will seek to imitate the Pattern. His love will lead to perfect obedience. He will study to do the will of God on earth, as it is done in heaven. He whose heart is still defiled with sin cannot be zealous of good works; and is not careful to abstain from evil, is not vigilant and watchful over his own motives and conduct, is not jealous over his unruly tongue; he is not careful to deny self and lift the cross of Christ. These poor, deceived souls fail to keep the first four precepts of the decalogue, defining the duty of man to God, neither do they keep the last six commandments, defining the duty of man to his fellow men. [See Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14; John 14:15; Romans 14:10.]

“The fruits of the Spirit, ruling in the heart and controlling the life, are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, bowels of mercies, and humbleness of mind. True believers walk after the Spirit, and the Spirit of God dwells in them.—Manuscript 1, October 9, 1878, ‘Church Difficulties.’” This Day With God, 291.

[All Emphasis Supplied.]

10th Anniversary Issue

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Ten years ago, August 1993, the first issue of LandMarks was published. As we mark this significant milestone, it is our desire, as God has directed, to use such occasions to “call Him to the minds of the people.” The Desire of Ages, 447. We want to impress upon the minds of the readers the “great necessity of preparation of heart, by confession and humiliation, to be accepted of God and acknowledged as his dear children.” The Signs of the Times, January 4, 1883. Our regret is that ten years have passed, and we are still in this old, wicked world. How we long for heaven!

With the passage of time, changes have been made to the magazine’s format. New features, such as “Children’s Corner,” “Food for Life,” “Nature Nugget,” “Restoring the Temple,” “Ask the Pastor,” and the “Bible Study Guide” have been added to address the needs of you, our readers, to help you pre-pare for Christ’s soon return, and to help you lead balanced lives. We also enjoy hearing from you, our readers, and sharing some of your communications in “Letters to the Editor.”

Each month the goal of the LandMarks editorial staff is to bring to you truth-filled articles that will encourage you, enhance your walk with God, help prepare you for Christ’s soon return, and assist you in your work of spreading the Three Angels’ Messages. “Truth is truth, and will remain truth, and in the end will triumph gloriously.” Review and Herald, December 28, 1897. “Truth is truth, and we are to stand on the affirmative side, presenting the truth and refusing to be drawn into controversy.” Manuscript Release No. 760, 6. “Truth is truth, and it will enlighten all who seek for it with humble hearts. Error is error, and no amount of worldly philosophizing can make it truth.” This Day With God, 188.

Believing that truth is eternal, in this anniversary issue we are sharing with you articles reprinted from some of the earliest issues of LandMarks. The messages they contain are as timely for us today as they were ten years ago, if not more so. May you be richly blessed as you read these offerings of truth.

—The Editorial Staff

Hold Fast

Hold fast to truth. False gods, false men, false reasons,

Are pressing closer round us every day;

And plots, confusions, schemes, intrigues, and treasons

Would lead unwary hearts and souls away.

Hold fast to faith. Doubts, deeply multiplying,

Would draw the clouds of darkness closer down;

And unbelief, like valley mists low-lying

Would hide the glow of heaven’s starry crown.

Hold fast to love. The earth is filled with hating.

Fierce anger, lust, revenge, all clamor high,

While weary hearts are waiting, waiting, waiting,

For gentle tone and touch and kindly eye.

Hold fast to God. The world is ebbing, gliding,

Through your frail grasp, a thread of slipping sands;

But, God, the One all-constant, all-abiding,

Unchanged of old, unchanging ever stands.

The Battle of Life

The great battle of life,

The battle every man must fight,

Is the battle of self.

It is the battle that tests the worth,

the will, the power of hell, the power of faith.

On this field of fate lay Alexander,

While two demoniacs were to conquer.

Napolean lost the battle here

while Mary Magdalene was the victor.

All who win are greater than Napoleon

or even Alexander.

All who lose are less than Mary

Or even the demoniacs.

Marshall J. Grosboll

The Workings of His Providence

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The hand that intervenes…

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Romans 8:28

Throughout history, the providential hand of God has moved to guide His people and to fulfill His purposes in the execution of the plan of salvation. Incredible as it may seem, even the life and death of Jesus was part of that plan, as attested to by Peter in his sermon at Pentecost when he said, “Him [Jesus], being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death” (Acts 2:23).

The interesting portion of this statement is that Christ’s being “taken by lawless hands, … crucified, and put to death” was done “by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.”

It is doubtful that anyone living today will suffer crucifixion, although no one knows what might happen to God’s faithful during the time of trouble. However, it is undeniable that God’s hand has sometimes moved in a manner that is puzzling at the least and absolutely mysterious and even sometimes painful—mentally if not physically—at the most. It often happened in the lives of God’s faithful servants historically; it happened in Jesus’ life; it happens in our lives today.

Think of the thorough education Moses received in the courts of Egypt. “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. He received an education in the providence of God …” Although much of that education was used in shepherding the children of Israel through the wilderness, “… a large part of that education had to be unlearned, and accounted as foolishness.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 360. Moses’ learning as well as his “unlearning” were all within God’s plan, not only His plan for Moses, but for the children of Israel as well.

Think also of Joseph’s having been sold into slavery to save God’s people and spread the truth in Egypt. “In the providence of God, even this experience was to be a blessing to him. He had learned in a few hours that which years might not otherwise have taught him.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 213.

One of the things Joseph learned in those first few hours of his “captivity,” was to have a deeper trust in the providential and protecting hand of God—a lesson that it would be well for us to learn today.

Joseph’s acknowledgment that he had learned this deeper trust is revealed by what he said as recorded in Genesis 45:4–8: “And Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come near to me.’ So they came near. Then he said: ‘I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.’ ”

It is interesting that even after five years of famine during which Joseph, as a result of the providential moving of God’s hand in his life, was able to sustain his family in Goshen of Egypt, and not only his family but the entire nation of Egypt, his brothers still failed to recognize that God was leading throughout their experiences.

After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers expected him to exact due vengeance upon them for the cruelty of their deed, many years previously. Even though Joseph had explained to them years earlier that God’s providence had brought him to Egypt, they nevertheless expected that Joseph would extract revenge, once Jacob had died.

“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.’ So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, ‘Before your father died he commanded, saying, “Thus you shall say to Joseph: ‘I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you. Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.’ ” ’ And Joseph wept when they [the messengers] spoke to him. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’ Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive’ ”(Genesis 50:15–20).

The witness of Daniel and the other three Hebrew worthies in the courts of Babylon provides another example of the hand of God moving to shed light in a dark world and fulfill His plan for the salvation of the human race.

In writing about God’s faithful witnesses through time, Inspiration, in remarking about Joseph in Egypt and Daniel and his fellows in Babylon, notes that “In the providence of God these men were taken captive, that they might carry to heathen nations the knowledge of the true God. They were to be representatives of God in our world. They were to make no compromise with the idolatrous nations with which they were brought in contact, but were to stand loyal to their faith, bearing as a special honor the name of worshipers of the God who created the heavens and the earth.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 153.

Another example of God’s hand moving behind the scenes to execute His will occurred when Esther was made a queen of the Medo-Persian kingdom, again through the providential moving of God’s hand to save His people.

We know the story of Haman’s rage at Mordecai because Mordecai would not bow down to Haman’s authority to acknowledge his superior position in the government of the Medo-Persian kingdom. The spurious reasoning Haman gave to the king to do away with Mordecai is recorded in Esther 3:8: “Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain.’ ”

Let’s pause for a moment to let that sink in: “… their laws are different from all other people’s, and they do not keep the king’s laws. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them remain.”

In other words, these “certain people” keep the law of God rather than the law of man. Therefore, they should be exterminated. Inspiration tells us that the same reasoning will be used at the end of time as Satan makes one final effort to rid the earth of God’s faithful people.

We know what happened next in the story of Esther: “Misled by the false statements of Haman, Xerxes was induced to issue a decree providing for the massacre of all the Jews ‘scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces’ (Esther 3:8) of the Medo-Persian kingdom. A certain day was appointed on which the Jews were to be destroyed and their property confiscated. Little did the king realize the far-reaching results that would have accompanied the complete carrying out of this decree. Satan himself, the hidden instigator of the scheme, was trying to rid the earth of those who preserved the knowledge of the true God. …

“But the plots of the enemy were defeated by a Power that reigns among the children of men. In the providence of God, Esther, a Jewess who feared the Most High, had been made queen of the Medo-Persian kingdom. Mordecai was a near relative of hers. In their extremity they decided to appeal to Xerxes in behalf of their people. Esther was to venture into his presence as an intercessor. ‘Who knoweth,’ said Mordecai, ‘whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ (Esther 4:14, last part, KJV).” Prophets and Kings, 600, 601.

The end was that Haman was trapped in his own plot. He was the one who ended up being executed, while the object of his designs—God’s commandment-keeping people—were spared. However, the salvation of God’s people certainly was not in anyone’s thoughts when Esther was made the queen—another example of the moving of the providential hand of God.

Let’s move forward to the time of Christ. Although His entire incarnation and the events that occurred during His brief time on earth were all providential, let us focus on the final hours of that incarnation, to the time when Christ was lifted up on the cross.

In the providence of God, Pilate was moved to write an inscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin and place it on the cross above the head of Jesus.

“It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews’ (John 19:19). …

“A higher power than Pilate or the Jews had directed the placing of that inscription above the head of Jesus. In the providence of God it was to awaken thought, and investigation of the Scriptures. The place where Christ was crucified was near to the city. Thousands of people from all lands were then at Jerusalem, and the inscription declaring Jesus of Nazareth the Messiah would come to their notice. It was a living truth, transcribed by a hand that God had guided.” The Desire of Ages, 745, 746.

Decades after the crucifixion, God continued to thwart the unconsecrated purposes of man to accomplish His purposes. After failed attempts to silence the last surviving apostle, John, the soon-to-be Revelator, was banished to a lonely, remote, and rocky island.

“But the Lord’s hand was moving unseen in the darkness. In the providence of God, John was placed where Christ could give him a wonderful revelation of Himself and of divine truth for the enlightenment of the churches.

“In exiling John, the enemies of truth had hoped to silence forever the voice of God’s faithful witness; but on Patmos the disciple received a message, the influence of which was to continue to strengthen the church till the end of time. Though not released from the responsibility of their wrong act, those who banished John became instruments in the hands of God to carry out Heaven’s purpose; and the very effort to extinguish the light placed the truth in bold relief.” The Acts of the Apostles, 581.

Let’s move forward another 1400 years or so to the time of Martin Luther.

According to Inspiration, even after he had found and studied the Bible and had begun to discern the errors of the teachings of the Catholic church, “Luther was still a true son of the papal church and had no thought that he would ever be anything else. In the providence of God he was led to visit Rome. He pursued his journey on foot, lodging at the monasteries on the way. At a convent in Italy he was filled with wonder at the wealth, magnificence, and luxury that he witnessed. Endowed with a princely revenue, the monks dwelt in splendid apartments, attired themselves in the richest and most costly robes, and feasted at a sumptuous table. With painful misgivings Luther contrasted this scene with the self-denial and hardship of his own life. His mind was becoming perplexed.” The Great Controversy, 124.

The ultimate outcome of that providential visit was that Luther learned that neither he nor anyone else could “earn” salvation and that the just shall live—that is, be granted eternal life—by faith and faith alone.

Let us move up now another three centuries or so to relatively more modern times. The story of the tragedy that occurred when Ellen White was nine years old is a familiar one. The mental and physical anguish that she endured as the Lord was preparing her for His service is a puzzlement to us, at the least. After recurring doubt and much resistance to the obvious will of God, she received a detailed vision of the work that the Lord wanted her to do. Following that vision, she confided in her mother, who suggested that she relate her perplexity to Elder Stockman, who was preaching the Advent doctrine in Portland, Maine, at the time.

She recorded later, “I had great confidence in him, for he was a devoted servant of Christ. Upon hearing my story, he placed his hands affectionately upon my head, saying with tears in his eyes: ‘Ellen, you are only a child. Yours is a most singular experience for one of your tender age. Jesus must be preparing you for some special work.’

“He then told me that even if I were a person of mature years and thus harassed by doubt and despair, he should tell me that he knew there was hope for me, through the love of Jesus. …

“He spoke of my early misfortune, and said it was indeed a grievous one, but he bade me believe that the hand of a loving Father had not been withdrawn from me; that in the future life, when the mist that then darkened my mind had vanished, I would discern the wisdom of the providence which had seemed so cruel and mysterious. Jesus said to His disciples: ‘What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter’ (John 13:7). In the great future we should no longer see as through a glass darkly, but come face to face with the great beauties of divine love.” Life Sketches of James and Ellen G. White, 1880, 157, 158.

After the beginning work that eventually led to the establishment of the Seventh-day Adventist church, another great source of doubt occurred that resulted in a purifying shaking among the early professed second advent believers: the great disappointment of 1844.

In speaking of that disappointment, Inspiration noted: “They knew that God had led them by His unerring providence. Though, like the first disciples, they themselves had failed to understand the message which they bore, yet it had been in every respect correct. …” The hour of judgment had indeed come. “… In proclaiming it they had fulfilled the purpose of God, and their labor had not been in vain in the Lord. Begotten ‘again unto a lively hope,’ they rejoiced ‘with joy unspeakable and full of glory’ (1 Peter 1:3, 8).” The Great Controversy, 423.

There are many, many instances in the early development of the Adventist church in which the providential hand of God moved undeniably. Taking the time to review them is a great faith-builder. For an inspiring review of many instances in which God’s hand moved then, read Life Sketches of James and Ellen White. The first 250 pages or so were written by Ellen White and relate the trials and successes that led to the establishment of our church. To review each one here is beyond the scope of this article. So let us look at just one more: the providential manner in which the church’s property at Loma Linda was acquired.

In speaking of the property at Loma Linda, Inspiration wrote: “In the providence of God, this property has passed into our hands. The securing of this sanitarium, thoroughly equipped and furnished, is one of the most wonderful providences that the Lord has opened before us. It is difficult to comprehend all that this transaction means to us.” Loma Linda Messages, 129, 130.

A short review of a few of the details of this acquisition is quite inspirational.

“The large main building is furnished in an expensive manner. There are also five cottages, one having nine rooms, the others four each. In some of these, the verandas are so arranged that beds can be rolled out from the rooms. The grounds are beautifully laid out. There are concrete walks between all the buildings. These walks are bordered with flowers. There is a good orchard, and ample grounds for garden. There are many eucalyptus, pepper trees, and many other varieties of ornamental trees and shrubbery. Meetings can be held in the open air on the beautiful lawns. There is also another building that has been used as a bowling alley and billiard hall. This can be utilized as a meeting-house.” Ibid., 130.

The full story is given in more amazing and uplifting detail in the pamphlet Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 3b, entitled Letters from Ellen G. White to Sanitarium Workers in Southern California – b. This particular letter is headed simply, “The Loma Linda Sanitarium.” It is abbreviated SpTB03b and runs from pages 12–15 of that pamphlet.

A company had developed the property in the first decade of the 20th century at a cost of $140,000 in hopes of making it a sanitarium. When that effort failed, they tried to promote it as a worldly resort, but those efforts proved unsuccessful as well. Following these failed attempts, the Adventist church was able to acquire the property in 1906 for $40,000, paid out over several years. Truly the hand of God was guiding this entire situation.

Sometimes things happen that we cannot understand and are beyond our comprehension and even seem to be detrimental to our Christian walk. Be mindful of this promise from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians: “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5).

God’s hand moves mysteriously—sometimes in a way that pleasantly surprises, but sometimes in a way that is decidedly unpleasant. He helps the tree bear fruit both by supplying sunshine and rain, but also by an occasional pruning. Often we long for understanding that never comes. That is when we must remember the promise of Romans 8:28. Following are a couple of passages from Inspiration that give hope and courage as we deal with life’s daily challenges.

“Long have we waited for our Saviour’s return. But none the less sure is the promise. Soon we shall be in our promised home. There Jesus will lead us beside the living stream flowing from the throne of God, and will explain to us the dark providences through which He led us in order to perfect our characters.” The Review and Herald, September 3, 1903.

“The mysterious providence which permits the righteous to suffer persecution at the hand of the wicked has been a cause of great perplexity to many who are weak in faith. Some are even ready to cast away their confidence in God because He suffers the basest of men to prosper, while the best and purest are afflicted and tormented by their cruel power. How, it is asked, can One who is just and merciful, and who is also infinite in power, tolerate such injustice and oppression? This is a question with which we have nothing to do. God has given us sufficient evidence of His love, and we are not to doubt His goodness because we cannot understand the workings of His providence. Said the Saviour to His disciples, foreseeing the doubts that would press upon their souls in days of trial and darkness: ‘Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you’ (John 15:20). Jesus suffered for us more than any of His followers can be made to suffer through the cruelty of wicked men. Those who are called to endure torture and martyrdom are but following in the steps of God’s dear Son.” The Great Controversy, 47.

Describing the Loma Linda property, Ellen White wrote,

“I wish to present before our people the blessing that the Lord has placed within our reach by enabling us to obtain possession of the beautiful sanitarium property known as Loma Linda. This property lies sixty miles east of Los Angeles, on the main line of the Southern Pacific Railway. Its name, Loma Linda—beautiful hill—describes the place. Of the sixty acres comprised in the property, about thirty-five form a beautiful hill, which rises one hundred and twenty-five feet above the valley. Upon this hill the sanitarium building is situated.

“The main building is a well-planned structure of sixty-four rooms, having three stories and a basement. It is completely furnished, heated by steam, and lighted by electricity. It is surrounded with large pepper trees and other shade trees.

“About ten rods away and on the highest part of the hill there is a group of fine cottages. The central cottage has nine beautiful living rooms and two bath rooms. In the basement is a heating plant for the five cottages.

“Prettily grouped around this larger cottage are four smaller ones, having four rooms each, with bath and toilet. An interesting feature of three of these cottages is that each room has its veranda, with broad windows running to the floor, so that the beds can be wheeled right out onto the veranda, and the patients can sleep in the open air.

“Between these cottages and the main building there is a recreation building, which can be used as a gymnasium, and for class rooms and meetings.

“In all, there are ninety rooms. The buildings are furnished throughout and are ready for use.

“There is a post-office in the main building, and most of the trains stop at the railway station, about forty rods from the sanitarium.

“The seventy-six acres of hill and valley land is well cultivated, and will furnish much fruit and many vegetables for the institution. Fifteen acres of the valley land is in alfalfa hay. Eight acres of the hill are in apricots, plums, and almonds. Ten acres are in good bearing orange orchard. Many acres of land round the cottages and the main building are laid out in lawns, drives, and walks.

“There are horses and carriages, cows and poultry, farming implements and wagons. The buildings and grounds are abundantly supplied with excellent water.

“This property is now in our possession. It cost the company from whom we purchased it about $140,000. They erected the buildings, and ran the place for a time as a sanitarium. Then they tried to operate it as a tourist hotel. But this plan did not succeed, and they decided to sell. It was closed last April, and as the stockholders became more anxious to sell, it was offered to us for $40,000, and for this amount our brethren have purchased it.” Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 3b, 13.

All Bible quotes New King James unless otherwise noted.

John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

Jesus and His Off-shoot Church

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Over twenty years ago after I was dismissed as an ordained pastor from the Seventh-day Adventist Church organization and started a self-supporting church, I had a brief conversation with a fine SDA Christian man that I would like to share with you. This gentleman expressed to me that he really was planning to become a member of our self-supporting church because he was very dissatisfied with the direction the organized church was taking. It so happened that some SDA pastors heard of his intention and told him that Pastor Plummer’s church is an off-shoot, and that “he cannot be saved if he is not under the conference.” Consequently, he decided that he would remain with the SDA church organization because he did want to be saved.

The establishment of the New Testament experienced the rise of two significant off-shoot movements, namely, the John the Baptist ministry and the Jesus Christ Christian church. The existence of these two self-supporting churches created deep and far reaching concerns for the leaders of Judaism, the acknowledged God’s true established church organization of that time.

The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, p. 503, 504, informs us that “from the first century, relations between Jews and Christians were marked by hostility – the opposition between an established religion and an off-shoot claiming to have supplanted it.” The leaders of the newly formed off-shoot church sought to prove the authenticity of their movement as a God ordained entity, while on the other hand a slanderous biography of Jesus Christ circulated, with the diabolical intent to discredit the Leader and ultimately the movement!

This article will address two questions:

  1. Why was there a need for Jesus to organize and lead an off-shoot church?
  2. What is the meaning of “the Vine”?

The parable found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 21, verses 33–46, as told by Jesus is known as: The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen or The Parable of the False Husbandmen. In Christ’s Object Lessons, 284, Ellen White calls it The Lord’s Vineyard. This parable demonstrates the posture of Judaism while it was God’s church and it likewise reveals the similar attitude of the SDA church.

Matthew records the parable as spoken by Jesus thusly: “Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet” (Matthew 21:33–46).

With reference to the narrative, Jesus specifically intended to convey that while God appoints pastors over His church, it is not His intention to communicate that they are the true proprietors. They are in fact just acting in the same manner as when a proprietor would let out a vineyard to husbandmen who would labor in the cultivation of it and make an annual return. He had expended much labor and money on the vineyard without any corresponding returns due primarily to the attitude of the husbandmen. So in the parable, Christ accuses the vine-dressers, who, like base swindlers, appropriate to themselves the produce of the vineyard. Jesus says that the vineyard was well furnished and in excellent condition when the husbandmen received it from the proprietor.

The design of our Savior is to show the great favors and signal privileges God bestowed upon the Jewish people in making them His church and peculiar inheritance as caretakers of His law.

The design of Jesus is also to show the base ingratitude and abominable evils of both the Jews and especially their leaders, or husbandmen, specifically (1) In abusing and slaying the prophets and (2) In their laying violent hands upon the Son of God and in crucifying Him so that their evil purpose of taking control of the vineyard could be realized!

Furthermore, Jesus’ design in speaking the parable carries with it a prophetic application for it foretold the rejection of the Jews, the establishment of Jesus’ Christian off-shoot church and God’s calling of the Gentiles, as well as the destruction of Jerusalem, the ruin of the temple, and the reason thereof.

With reference to the lesson that Jesus wanted to convey concerning the parable of the Vineyard, the servant of the Lord states:

“Those who are true learners in the school of Christ will study with intense interest the parable of the vineyard. In this parable Christ presented the true condition of the once chosen people of God. He revealed to them their sinful breach of trust. He designed this parable to be a lesson to all, warning them that unless they walk in the ways of the Lord, keeping all His commandments, He can not bless and sustain them. The church on earth is greatly beloved by God. It is the fold provided for the sheep of His pasture. But the Lord will not serve with the sins of His people. Many times He has suffered calamity and defeat to come upon them because they have glorified themselves, weaving false principles into their practise [sic]. He willingly forgives those who repent, but He will remove His favor from those who go on sinning, exalting self, and mingling the sacred with the common. Terrible judgments will destroy those who have misrepresented Him, saying, ‘The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these’ (Jeremiah 7:4), when their example is misleading.” The Signs of the Times, October 31, 1900.

The essence of this parable is therefore seen in the question the Saviour posed to these leaders of His church and the answer that they gave. “When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto Him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons” (Matthew 21:40, 41). Ellen White commented, “The speakers had not at first perceived the application of the parable, but they now saw that they had pronounced their own condemnation. In the parable the householder represented God, the vineyard the Jewish nation, and the hedge the divine law which was their protection. The tower was a symbol of the temple. The lord of the vineyard had done everything needful for its prosperity.” The Desire of Ages, 596. 

Who are husbandmen?

They are farmers, keepers of vineyard, caretakers of cattle (see Matthew 21:33; Joel 1:11; Zechariah 13:5).

Whom do the husbandmen represent?

Firstly, the vineyard represents the Old Testament Hebrew church. God brought Israel from Egypt into Canaan, planted her a choice vine, fenced her, equipped her there, and placed her under spiritual leaders who are represented as husbandmen. That is why Jesus’ words in Matthew 21:33 were directed to the chief priests and elders.

David wrote, “Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it” (Psalm 80:8).

The Prophet Isaiah penned, “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant” (Isaiah 5:7).

Second, Ellen White shows also that the husbandmen represent the Jewish nation, “whom God had appointed to cultivate His vineyard, the world.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 16, 328.

Whom do the servants represent?

“The servants whom God sent to receive the fruits of the vineyard were the prophets and teachers through whom God had called Israel to render to Him His dues.” Ibid.

Christ was addressing people who were acquainted with the things of God. He was talking to His people, the stock of Israel, product of the wilderness church. Various prophets and patriarchs spoke of their heritage. For example, Isaiah beautifully records the parable of the vineyard in chapter 5 of his book, speaking of the house of Israel: “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein” (Isaiah 5:1, 2).

And the prophet Ezekiel in his book declared of Israel, “Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood, planted by the waters: she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters” (Ezekiel 19:10).

So, based upon the word of the Lord through the Prophet Isaiah, Israel was a vine planted in the Promised Land by the Lord. Yet, Israel was not the true vine. The Savior, as He looked sorrowfully on them, continued: “Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:42–44). This replacement would be in consequence of their rejection of Him.

This parable spoken by our Lord specifically calls our attention to the vicious actions and outrageous conduct of the husbandmen who were in charge of God’s vineyard! When they were called upon at the proper season to produce the fruit expected by the owner of the vineyard, they failed to do so. This was primarily due to the false belief that they adhered to and taught that they were and always would be the chosen people of God.

Jesus loves His church dearly, and that’s why when He came on this earth He went directly to the Jewish church for the expressed purpose of working with His people in a united effort. (See Luke 4:16–30.) Sadly, however, “He came unto His own, and His own received him not” (John 1:11).

The question that we may rightly ask now is, Why is it that the very church of His own planting rejected Him? As a preamble to answering this question, I share with you the following from John’s gospel, chapter 15, verse 1, where Jesus taught, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” In the book, The Desire of Ages, 675, we read, “Israel had been represented as a vine which God had planted in the Promised Land. The Jews based their hope of salvation on the fact of their connection with Israel. But Jesus says, I am the real Vine. Think not that through a connection with Israel you may become partakers of the life of God, and inheritors of His promise. Through Me alone is spiritual life received.”

Knowing that they were the chosen people of God, what was the attitude of the Jewish people? “The Jewish people cherished the idea that they were the favorites of heaven, and that they were always to be exalted as the church of God. They were the children of Abraham, they declared, and so firm did the foundation of their prosperity seem to them that they defied earth and heaven to dispossess them of their rights. But by lives of unfaithfulness they were preparing for the condemnation of heaven and for separation from God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 294. Their favorite expression was, “The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these” (Jeremiah 7:4). This phrase, repeated three times, expressed the pride that the people felt in the greatness of their religious institution, represented by the temple.

Again Ellen White tells us, “The Jewish leaders looked with pride upon their magnificent temple, and the imposing rites of their religious service; but justice, mercy, and the love of God were lacking. The glory of the temple, the splendor of their service, could not recommend them to God; for that which alone is of value in His sight they did not offer. They did not bring Him the sacrifice of a humble and contrite spirit. It is when the vital principles of the kingdom of God are lost that ceremonies become multitudinous and extravagant.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 297.

“The Jews” Ellen White wrote “looked upon Jerusalem as their heaven, and they were actually jealous lest the Lord should show mercy to the Gentiles.” The Desire of Ages, 29. Similarly today, like the Jewish leaders, many SDA leaders and members are very proud of their organization and they believe that being affiliated with it will ensure them salvation.

So why did the Jewish leaders and people reject Christ?

  1. They wanted to be like other nations. “And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1Samuel 8:7). “God brought His people out from slavery and idolatry that they might keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. He Himself ruled over them. But in their desire to be like the nations round them, they rejected the Lord’s rule.” The Signs of the Times, February 17, 1898. “Israel had become tired of pious rulers who kept God’s purposes and God’s will and God’s honor ever before them according to God’s instructions. They wanted a reformed religion that they might by external, flattering prosperity be esteemed great in the eyes of the surrounding nations.” Christ Triumphant, 141.
  2. Because of a deep-rooted, false belief which led them to confuse the purpose of their church organization with the purpose of Jesus. The Jews believed that affiliation with their established church organization would guarantee them salvation because, according to them, “Israel” was “the vine,” the only source of salvation! How deceived were they because their own prophets have written, “Salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2: 9). “Salvation belongeth unto the Lord” (Psalm 3:8). Also, “The Lord is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1); “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation” (Psalm 62:1). No church, religious organization, or a human being has ever been the source of salvation. Jesus is the source.
  3. Because of envy and jealousy. “Christ would have averted the doom of the Jewish nation if the people had received Him. But envy and jealousy made them implacable [hardhearted]. They determined that they would not receive Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. They rejected the Light of the world, and henceforth their lives were surrounded with darkness as the darkness of midnight.” Prophets and Kings, 712.

Why were the Jews envious and jealous of Jesus?

This leads to the fourth reason why the Jews and their leaders rejected Christ.

  1. Because the church leaders wanted the church and the glory for themselves. The gospel writer Mark tells us, “But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours” (Mark 12:7).

This intent to kill the heir was not just in their secret thoughts but was actually spoken by them. The gospel writer John reports the following:

“Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this Man doeth many miracles. If we let Him thus alone, all men will believe on Him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation. And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one Man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also He should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put Him to death” (John 11:47–53).

These Jewish leaders rejected Christ and had Him killed in order to take full possession of His church. The husbandmen wanted the vineyard to do with as they pleased. Their focus was not God-ward but self-centered! Ellen White accounts the following: “The husbandmen who had been placed in charge of the Lord’s vineyard were untrue to their trust. The priests and teachers were not faithful instructors of the people. They did not keep before them the goodness and mercy of God and His claim to their love and service. These husbandmen sought their own glory. They desired to appropriate the fruits of the vineyard. It was their study to attract attention and homage to themselves.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 292.

The servant of the Lord also revealed the depth of the church leaders’ envy and jealousy. She states, “The Jewish rulers did not love God; therefore they cut themselves away from Him, and rejected all His overtures for a just settlement. Christ, the Beloved of God, came to assert the claims of the Owner of the vineyard; but the husbandmen treated Him with marked contempt, saying, We will not have this Man to rule over us. They envied Christ’s beauty of character. His manner of teaching was far superior to theirs, and they dreaded His success. He remonstrated with them, unveiling their hypocrisy, and showing them the sure results of their course of action. This stirred them to madness. They smarted under the rebukes they could not silence. They hated the high standard of righteousness which Christ continually presented. They saw that His teaching was placing them where their selfishness would be uncloaked, and they determined to kill Him. They hated His example of truthfulness and piety and the elevated spirituality revealed in all He did. His whole life was a reproof to their selfishness, and when the final test came, the test which meant obedience unto eternal life or disobedience unto eternal death, they rejected the Holy One of Israel. When they were asked to choose between Christ and Barabbas, they cried out, ‘Release unto us Barabbas’ (Luke 23:18)!” Ibid., 293, 294.

The reasons why Christ established His “off-shoot” church are quite evident. The Jewish leaders failed to realize that “Israel,” “the choice vine,” “the vineyard,” was only an “off-shoot” of the “true vine” – Jesus Christ, who declares “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman” (John 15:1). He also said, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life …” (John 14:6). It is Jesus who constitutes the true church; It is Jesus who is the true and only source of salvation. It is Jesus who said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Indeed, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The great Protestant reformer Martin Luther wrote the following: “Christ, whom God the Father has raised from the dead is our righteousness and our victory.”

 

Pastor Ivan Plummer ministers through the Emmanuel Seventh Day Church Ministries in Bronx, New York. He may be contacted by telephone at: 718-882-3900.

Yielding Brings Ruin

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We need to have the story of Jesus written in our hearts. God has promised, under the new covenant, to write His Law into our hearts and minds—our hearts representing our affections, and our minds representing our intellectual aspects. We need to believe and to love His Law and the story of Jesus, and it needs to be more dear and precious to us than life itself. “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” Revelation 12:11. We need to come to the place that we would give our life for Christ’s sake because we love Him that much, and we do not want anything to separate us from Him.

This was the experience Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had when they refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image. We also need that experience, for things are happening all around us—increase of crime, wars and rumors of wars, and the judgments upon the land. (See Matthew 24.) The United States is speaking like a dragon.

But, we are not to be fearful. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18 that perfect love casts out all fear. We need that perfect love to cast out all fear! There is a tendency to become frightened about what the Bible tells us is going to occur in the last days. It is comforting to know that Jesus is coming again soon to redeem us. But, the Bible also speaks of a “time of trouble,” which may not appear very comforting to us. It is natural for us to be afraid. “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Matthew 24:6. We are not to be troubled or to fear or have apprehension for the future, because we know that Christ will carry us through. If we are planted on the Rock, nothing can shake us. We are to lift up our heads, because our redemption draws near.

“We have nothing to fear for the future except we forget how the Lord has led us in the past.” Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196. It is important that we remember the past, because what happened in the past is applicable to us today. “These things . . . were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” 1 Corinthians 10:11. That is us! We must study history so we will not be led astray in the future. It only makes sense that if someone else has gone through an experience we are to go through, that we look and see how the situation was handled. It is well to learn from previous mistakes, failures, and successes. We do not need to worry about the future if our soul is right with God.

Beware of Men

In Matthew 10:17-19, Jesus, giving instruction to His disciples before sending them out to witness, said to them, as well as to us, what they were going to encounter: “But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak.” These things happened over and over again. Many people have gone through these experiences, and we will face such things, too, but we are not to be frightened, for Jesus will be with us.

Protestant Reformation

During the Protestant Reformation, the Papacy tried many different tactics to destroy it. Persecution did not work, but one scheme was almost successful. If God had not intervened, the Protestant Reformation would have failed, because they were on the very verge of accepting the bait.

When Luther was brought before the Diet, he boldly declared that nothing was going to shake him. He said, “Here I take my stand; I can not do otherwise. God be my help.” (See Christ’s Object Lessons, 78.) The Diet was baffled. Here was one man, one lone monk with no backing, standing before all the great men of the empire, and they could not shake him. We need to stand as Luther, as the three worthies, and as Daniel stood. We dare not swerve our allegiance to God.

Shortly after Luther’s experience came one of the grandest moments for the Protestant Reformation, namely the “Protest of the Princes.” Instead of one man standing before the Diet, some of the most powerful princes in the empire stood on the offensive, not on the defensive. (See The Great Controversy, 197-210.)

Peace prevailed for a few years, but then came one of the most formidable obstacles to the Protestant Reformation—the Augsburg Diet in 1529 and 1530. The elector and princes were going to what seemed certain death. Their heads and morale were hanging low. It was then that Luther composed the song, A Mighty Fortress. It was timely and uplifted their spirits. It would be well for us to memorize that song.

Charles V had returned. He had vanquished Italy, and he controlled almost all of Europe. The pope had given him the order, “Crush Lutheranism.” He marched to Augsburg with that sole purpose. The princes and the elector knew it was dangerous, but Luther encouraged them. He said, “Go ahead, confess Christ before the great men in this world.” The Papists met them with warm friendship. They were trying to get them to yield to compromise, but that did not work. Next, they threatened persecution and death. That did not work either. Then they tried the most successful inducement and the most to be feared. The Romans said, “We will send three of our theologians, and you send three of yours. We will try to come to an agreement.” This was the newest and most formidable of the dangers. This plan almost crushed the Protestant Reformation.

Luther Begs to Be Excused

First, the Romanist party made amazing compromises and concessions. The Protestants put together a confession of 21 points. There were only three that the Protestants and Romanists were wrangling over. The Roman party made it appear that they had won the Reformation. They knew that if they could get the Protestants to yield once, they would eventually yield on everything. Unfortunately, the Protestants agreed at first, but Luther, from his hideout, wrote letters. From one letter we read: “I learned that you have begun a marvelous work, namely, to reconcile Luther and the pope, but the pope will not be reconciled, and Luther begs to be excused.” The Reformation was saved. He knew that when they began to yield, they stepped off the platform to sure ruin. Yielding will always bring ruin. We cannot compromise!

Whenever the church has yielded to compromise, the result has always been a lost battle. The early church was pure in the days of the apostles, but it compromised, and now we have the Roman Catholic Church. Compromise is spiritual suicide on the installment plan. We cannot pull down the banner even a little bit. Compromise may appear to look good, but it is not. That is what resulted in the Dark Ages. The Waldenses compromised, and many lives were lost. The Bohemians compromised, and their nation was bathed in blood. This sad history is for us to ponder.

We read from The Great Controversy, 607: “As the movement for Sunday enforcement becomes more bold and decided, the law will be invoked against commandment keepers. They will be threatened with fines and imprisonment, and some will be offered positions of influence, and other rewards and advantages, as inducements to renounce their faith. But their steadfast answer is: ‘Show us from the word of God our error the same plea that was made by Luther under similar circumstances. Those who are arraigned before the courts make a strong vindication of the truth, and some who hear them are led to take their stand to keep all the commandments of God.” The early Christians let down the standard to convert pagans, and it resulted in converting the church to paganism.

We, too, are going to have to answer for our faith. We must stand firm. Our God is A Mighty Fortress. He will uphold us and give us strength. We must say, as did Luther, “Here I take my stand; I can not do otherwise. God be my help.” The Great Controversy says that if Luther had yielded in one point, Satan would have won the victory. Neither can we yield in one point.

Dare to be a Daniel

Daniel was thrown into the den of lions because he prayed with his windows open, as he always did. (Daniel 6:10.) He did not compromise on one point, and God shut the lions’ mouths. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could have bowed down to tie their shoes, but that would have been compromising. They knew very well that to not bow could result in their deaths, but they stood firm, even though the greatest man in the world opposed them. (Daniel 3:12-19.) Their steadfast adherence to right converted Nebuchadnezzar. It is encouraging to know that if we stand for the right, souls may be converted. Before these experiences, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tested on the point of appetite. Because they stood firm on the Word of God then, they were able to stand the more severe trials.

We must set our faces as firm as a flint now, if we are to stand later. “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And [if] in the land of peace, [in which] you trusted, [they wearied] you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” Jeremiah 12:5. Right now we are deciding if we are going to stand as did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego or if we are going to bow down as all the other Hebrews did. We are choosing under which banner we are going to be arraigned. We are either with Luther, saying, “Here I take my stand; I can not do otherwise. God be my help”; or we are compromising.

Little Things

Some people excuse themselves, saying, “God understands.” God does understand your situation, and He tells you in His Word what you need to do. The devil is in the business of giving excuses, not God. We read in Romans 1:20 that we are all without excuse. There is no excuse if it goes against God’s Word. Daniel and his three friends stood firm in the little things. Because they had proved faithful in that which was least, they could be trusted with that which was more. “What if Daniel and his companions had made a compromise with those heathen officers and had yielded to the pressure of the occasion by eating and drinking as was customary with the Babylonians? That single instance of departure from principle would have weakened their sense of right and their abhorrence of wrong. Indulgence of appetite would have involved the sacrifice of physical vigor, clearness of intellect, and spiritual power. One wrong step would probably have led to others, until, their connection with Heaven being severed, they would have been swept away by temptation.” The Sanctified Life, 23. It is the little things in life that make up the sum of life’s big things.

Too many times we think that little things do not matter much. But little choices set us upon the path that we are going to take. If you bend a tree when it is young, it will grow bent. There are some funny looking trees, because they were bent that way when they were saplings. By compromising in little things, we prepare ourselves to compromise in big things.

Compromise and indifference in a religious crisis is one of the sins that God hates the most. We cannot flatter ourselves that we will stand when we are forced by law to disregard the Sabbath if we do not keep the Sabbath now. It is not just in the Sabbath; it is in everything of our lives. “It is the grossest presumption for mortal man to venture upon a compromise with the Almighty in order to secure his own petty temporal interest.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 249. God says what he means, and He means what He says. Right now, in the little things, we are determining our destination. “It is as ruthless a violation of the law to occasionally use the Sabbath for secular business as to entirely reject it, for it is making the Lord’s commandments a matter of convenience.” Ibid. It is just the same to compromise in any other point. It is always the principle.

Solomon compromised. This was what led to his ruin. He knew that polygamy was against God’s Law, but it was a very common practice. The first wife he took appeared to be converted, but eventually he set up an idol to another god, which he and his children worshipped—because he took one wrong step. If we, like Solomon, take that one wrong step down, it will be much easier to take the next one. We are developing habits that determine where we are going to stand. One little compromise in sin will eventually crowd out all the good.

Do you think that the Jews at their first departure from the right had any intentions of crucifing the Son of God? No, none whatsoever. But they took the one wrong step, and it led to that terrible sin. The fall of any person can be traced back to one departure from the right. We cannot, even in the slightest thing, compromise. It will not work. God considers it the grossest presumption to compromise in the smallest thing.

Compromise is the most dangerous thing we can do for our souls. In the history of the Israelites, there are many examples of failure, but, fortunately, there are encouraging examples also—Daniel and his three companions, Joseph, and others.

There is a song with these words: “Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!” We must dare, like Daniel, to stand for the right no matter what. We cannot depart in the slightest, because it will lead to us going all the way renouncing everything and being lost.

Right now we are deciding if we are going to be numbered on the Lord’s side. If we know to do right, and do not do it, we will be weighed in the balances of the sanctuary and found wanting. Different people have different temptations and problems. It may not be the Sabbath issue for you; it could be something else. We dare not depart slightly; we must stand firm as a rock. The record says of Jesus that “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” Luke 9:51. That is what we must do—set our face steadfastly to go to the New Jerusalem. We must not allow anything to hinder us. We must not compromise in the slightest, because it will be our ruin if we do. Many pleasing allurements and inducements may be held out to us, but we cannot compromise. We must, as did Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, stand erect, not allowing anything to sway us.

Cody Francis is engaged in worldwide evangelism through Mission Projects International and pastors the Remnant Church of Seventh-day Adventist Believers in the Seattle, Washington, area. His gospel service began with Steps to Life in Wichita, Kansas. Cody and his wife, Mandy, have one daughter and live in western Washington. He may be contacted by e-mail at: cody@missionspro.org.

Tour of Waldensian Valleys

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In February, I received an invitation to join a tour of the Waldensian Valleys in northern Italy. Having read about the Waldensians in The Great Controversy, I had always been impressed by their steadfast adherence to the word of God as given in the Bible and intrigued by their determination to remain true to that word in spite of the efforts of the papacy to force them to yield to the authority of the “church.”

I eagerly signed up and looked forward with great anticipation to the trip, never having been to Europe before.

Prior to the trip, tour participants received detailed instructions regarding a rendezvous point at the airport in Milan. Each member was to have a brightly colored sign, inscribed “WALDENSIAN TOUR,” which enabled us to gather at the airport in Milan without too much difficulty.

We climbed into three nine-passenger vans and left Milan for La Gianavella, the youth hostel where we were to make our headquarters for the next week. La Gianavella is a historical structure dating back to the 17th century, built by Josué Janavel (1617-1690), a prominent hero who fought against the Savoy Duke, persecutor of the Waldensian people and representative of papal authority. The hostel overlooks the Rorà valley, hidden in a chestnut woodland. It is reached by a tortuous and winding one lane dirt road, high up in the Italian Alps.

From my previous reading about the Waldensians in The Great Controversy and in J. A. Wylie’s History of the Waldenses, I had assumed that this sect faithfully adhered to the commandments of God. I learned during this trip that the primary point of contention between the Waldensians and the papacy was where authority lay – the church versus the Bible, and was not specifically a Sabbath vs. Sunday issue. I knew that historically the Waldensians were Sabbath keepers and assumed that they continued to remain faithful to the fourth commandment to this day.

I was startled and dismayed to learn that in 1975, they entered into an “integration covenant” with the Italian Methodist churches, having ultimately capitulated to the rules of the church as opposed to the law of God.

In spite of this disappointing discovery, it was inspiring to visit several of the Waldensian churches scattered throughout the valleys of the Italian Alps and learn the history of their valiant fight against papal authority, which dates back to the 12th century. It then took less than a hundred years for the Waldensians to be declared heretical and subjected to intense persecution.

In the 16th century, Waldensian leaders embraced the Protestant Reformation and joined various local Protestant regional entities. As early as 1631, Protestant scholars and Waldensian theologians themselves began to regard the Waldensians as early forerunners of the Reformation, who had maintained the apostolic faith in the face of Catholic oppression. The group was nearly annihilated in the 17th century and was confronted with organized and general discrimination in the centuries that followed.

When the Waldensians were chased from the Pellice Valley by the Duke of Savoy, they retreated into several deep valleys in the Italian Alps, eventually establishing churches, where their presence is still very prominent. The world headquarters of the Waldensian Church, its synod, is located in Torre Pellice, a now thriving town in northern Italy. The Waldensian Museum is located across a pedestrian thoroughfare from the synod building. Unfortunately, it was closed for renovation when we were there.

Our visit included stops at one of the caves where several hundred Waldensians hid from their persecutors, similar to the one where many were suffocated when the entrance was blocked, barricaded with flammable materials, and set afire—simply because they would not capitulate to papal authority.

Another inspiring site we visited was the precipice where those faithful to God’s word were thrown to their deaths unless they acknowledged the authority of the “church” as superior to the Bible.

Being a father and a grandfather, I had quite an emotional experience as I envisioned whole families making the steep trek up the mountain to their deaths, the fathers attempting to reassure their children of the love of God in spite of their ultimate fate.

We also visited the “infirmary,” where the Waldensians attempted to hide their elderly and infirm, a narrow, almost inaccessible ledge, invisible from above, that could be reached only by an extremely difficult descent through a narrow gap between huge boulders.

The determination and strong will of these faithful souls became more and more apparent as we toured the various places where they clung so tenaciously to their beliefs, beliefs which were based solely and completely on the Bible.

Perhaps, then, you can imagine my shock when I learned that today, the majority of those adhering to the Waldensian faith are Sunday keepers. It took centuries for the papacy to gain the victory, which testifies to the relentless efforts the enemy of souls exerts to lead souls astray.

What a lesson this is for us today. Will we, individually or as a sect, eventually yield to Satan’s subtle but relentless efforts to dissuade God’s people from the path of truth and righteousness? Or will we remain faithful to God’s word, even when threatened with death?

NOTE: For further information on the current beliefs of the Waldensian Methodist church, visit their website at www.chiesavaldese.org/aria_video_category.php?video_category=2. Although the original is in Italian, Google will translate it into English. It is a sad revelation of the current state of a once-faithful people.

 John R. Pearson is the office manager and a board member of Steps to Life. He may be contacted by email at: johnpearson@stepstolife.org.

Where Did Halloween Come From?

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With the loving approval of their parents, children dress up in weird costumes and play pranks on Halloween night, little realizing that, for over a thousand years, this has been the one evening in the year specially dedicated by spirit mediums and witches to the worship of Satan.

Halloween has nothing to do with Christianity. It is a festival which no one—child or adult—should have anything to do with. We need to better understand the origins of Halloween and its dangers.

Origins of Halloween

Here is where Halloween came from:

During the Dark Ages, a number of pagan customs were adopted by the dominant Christian church in Europe. One of these was devil night, which was later named, “Halloween.” This special night, celebrated, since antiquity, as the night when the devils come out and walk about the streets, was a satanic festival on October 31 of each year. The next day was called “All Saints’ Day” (or Allhallows Day or All Souls Day), so “Halloween” was the name given to “hallows evening,” or the “evening before hallows day.” Like the night before it, Allhallows Day was dedicated to honoring the dead.

The Druids were an order of priests in Gaul (ancient France) and Britain. They were devil worshipers who told the people they must hold an annual celebration to their two leading gods: the Celtic sun god and their lord of the dead. On this night, the god who brings death—Satan—was worshiped in a variety of peculiar ways. This October 31 festival was named Samhain (or Sowein; both are pronounced “SAH-win”) or “summer’s end.” The next day, the sun god was worshiped.

On the night of October 31, they believed the dead came out of the graves and walked around; so they offered up sacrifices and had special feasts to honor them. The priests of Druid taught them that if they did not do this, when they themselves died they would be reincarnated as animals instead of people.

But pretended communication with the dead is the basis of spiritualism (also called spiritism), which is one of the most dangerous practices in society; for it invites the control of demons! We should have nothing to do with anything connected with spiritism. And that includes participating in Halloween.

Druidic priests became nominally converted to Christianity when, in the early centuries, it entered their land (a.d. 433–475), and Druidic practices, including the October 31 festival to devils, came into the church (a.d. 558) at that time. To pacify the followers of Druid, in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III (a.d. 731–741) declared November 1 to be a special feast day honoring the dead. In the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV (827–844) said that it must be kept by all Christians. Church discipline would be enforced on those who refused.

It is of interest that November 1 was the first day of the Druidic New Year. This made the evening before very special. As might be expected, because the night of October 31 had for centuries been dedicated to devils, the new church ruling only intensified the celebrations that took place that night. The devils made sure of that. Soon Halloween (Hallowe’en, Allhallows Eve), originally a pagan festival, became the outstanding Christian event held every autumn.

Do Not Offend the Devil

Celebrations of all kinds took place. In Ireland, carvings on pumpkins and jack-o’-lanterns (also known as will-o’-the-wisp, fox fire, fairie fire, friar’s lantern, and corpse lantern) were made. The legend was that a man named Jack had played practical jokes on the devil and bothered him, so the devil kept him out of heaven. Jack, therefore, had to live forever on earth carrying about a lit lantern, warning people not to offend the devil. The lesson for little children: Do not offend the devil.

Yet such teachings did not help either the people nor the morals of society. Throughout Europe, on this one night of the year, it soon seemed as if all the devils came out! Indeed, that was the hidden meaning of Halloween, and the wild excitement and orgies of the people on that night seemed to fulfill it.

The Druids believed that, on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves emerged from the woods and flew in from the skies to harm people. Those evil creatures must be placated with offerings of food. On that night, the Celts went with their children to one another’s house to gather food for the devil gods.

Other Fears

Animals were feared on that night also. Dogs, owls, snakes, and pigs were particularly worshiped on that night; but, among them, the cat was regarded with a special veneration. The Druid priests taught that cats—especially black ones—were sacred. This is why, today, we think of cats, as well as skeletons, pumpkins, skulls, and children with sheets over their heads (imitating ghosts), when we think of Halloween.

Druids were supposed to be able to cast spells and bring demon spirits into cats and similar animals. By believing those lies, the people feared the priests and were in bondage to do whatever they requested.

The Celtic priests also taught that witches ride on brooms through the skies on that night and fling down curses on those who do not honor the dead by taking part in the ritual ceremonies of that night.

Similar European Festivals

As might be expected, Satan had introduced a similar October festival on the mainland of Europe among the Finns and Goths. However, it was the Druidic festival in Britain—and the date of that festival—which was adopted by the Vatican as the official harvest festival in honor of the dead.

After being adopted by nominal Christianity in the Dark Ages, the festival of Halloween spread throughout Europe and to most countries which they later colonized. Yet few today are aware that this holiday originated in paganism, not Christianity, and that it is the most dangerous “holiday” in the year. For long ages, Halloween has been a night especially dedicated to satanic agencies. Every October 31 we see the clearest evidence of that fact.

The Druid priests in North Wales taught that the devils came out of the fire on this night. So bonfires were lit, to bring them out in droves! This is why outdoor night fires are today considered a part of the Halloween experience.

In North Wales, each family was told to build a bonfire and then throw stones into it, to bring out the devils and placate the dead. Prayers were offered. In the Scottish highlands, fortune telling was done by clairvoyants during the bonfire celebrations. . . .

Prognostication

Another ancient Halloween practice was prognostication. Events of the forthcoming year (which began the next day) were predicted. The spirits were thought to give this information to the priests on that special evening. By accepting these speculations as truth, the people came to fear the power of the priests even more. It is well-known, among spiritist mediums, that those people who follow horoscopes and go to fortune tellers are easier to control. If you want devils to harass your life, then go to the prognosticators, the fortune tellers.

Our only safety is in fleeing to Christ and pleading for His protection. If we do that, regardless of our past, we will be safe.

Even today, it is at the time of this October devil festival that the psychics (a modern name for spiritist mediums) write down and publish their predictions of the following year’s events. (It is of interest that lists of these predictions made by mystics have been compiled—and then checked out the following year. Only rarely does even one predicted event occur.) Have nothing to do with fortune telling, astrology, and horoscopes. Remember where they came from and the demon power controlling them.

Special Masses

After the papal edicts were given, adopting and “sanctifying” the October 31 festival into the church, the people were taught that, the next day, special masses must be said for the dead. Children were sent out to the homes on the evening before. The people were told to either give money or some other offering that night or fast the next day, so that departed souls might be released sooner from the suffering of purgatory. Because it was simpler to do, most gave Halloween offerings. In this way, the Druidic practice of begging food from home to home continued. The church of the Dark Ages was expert at absorbing pagan customs and then calling them “Christian.”

There are those today who have tried to “Christianize” Halloween Eve even more. They dress their children in Biblical costumes and celebrate Halloween as a “harvest festival.” But the origin of the night’s celebrations remains the same. We should not ape the world in observing special sacred days originated by Satan. Separation is needed, not compromise. . . .

Should we today celebrate this pagan night, which every witch, clairvoyant, wizard, and spirit medium will tell you is the outstanding occultic night in the year? Far better to keep our children home on that night, pray to God, and read the Bible! Dedicate your life anew to the true God, and shun the amusements and follies of the devil gods. Although very inviting, they will only bring you trouble and misery, confusion of mind, and an empty life without happiness. . . .

Druidic Element

“Unlike the familiar observance of All Souls, Halloween traditions have never been connected with Christian religious celebrations of any kind. Although the name is taken from a great Christian feast (Allhollows’ Eve), it has nothing in common with the Feast of all Saints and is, instead, a tradition of pre-Christian times that has retained its original character in form and meaning.

“Halloween customs are traced back to the ancient Druids . . . Halloween fires are kindled in many places even now, especially in Wales and Scotland.

“Another, and more important, tradition is the Druidic belief that during the night of November 1 demons, witches, and evil spirits roamed the earth in wild and furious gambols of joy to greet the arrival of ‘their season’—the long nights and early dark of the winter months. They had their fun with the poor mortals that night, frightening, harming them, and playing all kinds of mean tricks.

“The only way, it seemed, for scared humans to escape the persecution of the demons was to offer them things they liked, especially dainty food and sweets. Or, in order to escape the fury of these horrible creatures, a human could disguise himself as one of them and join in their roaming. In this way they would take him for one of their own and he would not be bothered. That is what the people did in ancient times, and it is in this very form the custom has come down to us, practically unaltered, as our familiar Halloween celebration. . . .

Roman Element

“In those countries that once belonged to the Roman Empire there is the custom of eating or giving away fruit, especially apples, on Holloween. It spread to neighboring countries: to Ireland and Scotland from Britain, and to the Slavic countries from Austria. It is probably based upon a celebration of the Roman goddess Pomona, to whom gardens and orchards were dedicated. Since the annual Feast of Pomona was held on November 1, the relics of that observance became part of our Holloween celebration, for instance the familiar tradition of ‘ducking’ for apples.” Francis X. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, Harcourt, Brace and World, Inc., New York, New York, 1958, 315–316.

Cult of the Dead Rites

“Our pagan forefathers kept several ‘cult of the dead’ rites at various times of the year. One of these periods was the great celebration at the end of the fall and the beginning of the winter (around November 1). Together with the practices of nature and demon lore (fires, masquerades, fertility cults) they also observed the ritual of the dead with many traditional rites. Since All Saints and All Souls happened to be placed within the period of such an ancient festival, some of the pre-Christian traditions become part of our Christian feast and associated with Christian ideas.

“There is, for instance, the pre-Christian practice of putting food at the graves or in the homes at such times of the year when the spirits of the dead were believed to roam their familiar earthly places. The beginning of November was one of these times. By offering a meal or some token of food to the spirits, people hoped to please them and to avert any possible harm they could do. Hence came the custom of baking special breads in honor of the holy souls and bestowing them on the children of the poor. This custom is widespread in Europe. ‘All Souls’ bread’ is made and distributed in Germany, Hungary, and in the Slavic countries.

“In some sections of central Europe boys receive on All Souls’ Day a cake shaped in the form of a hare, and girls are given one in the shape of a hen (an interesting combination of ‘spirit bread’ and fertility symbols). These figure cakes are baked of the same dough as the festive cakes that people eat on All Saints’ Day and which are a favorite dish all over central Europe. They are made of braided strains of sweet dough and called ‘All Saints’ cakes’ (Heiligenstriezel in German, Strucel Swiateczne in Polish, Mindszenti Kalácska in Hangarian).” Ibid., 312, 313.

Inspired Words

“Nearly all forms of ancient sorcery and witchcraft were founded upon a belief in communion with the dead. . . . This custom of consulting the dead is referred to in the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?” Isaiah 8:19.

“This same belief in communion with the dead formed the cornerstone of heathen idolatry. The gods of the heathen were believed to be the deified spirits of departed heroes. Thus the religion of the heathen was a worship of the dead. . . .

“The deification of the dead has held a prominent place in nearly every system of heathenism, as has also the supposed communion with the dead. The gods were believed to communicate their will to men, and also, when consulted, to give them counsel. Of this character were the famous oracles of Greece and Rome.

“The belief in communion with the dead is still held, even in professedly Christian lands. Under the name of spiritualism the practice of communicating with beings claiming to be the spirits of the departed has become widespread. It is calculated to take hold of the sympathies of those who have laid their loved ones in the grave. Spiritual beings sometimes appear to persons in the form of their deceased friends, and relate incidents connected with their lives and perform acts which they performed while living. In this way they lead men to believe that their dead friends are angels, hovering over them and communicating with them. Those who thus assume to be the spirits of the departed are regarded with a certain idolatry, and with many their word has greater weight than the Word of God. . . .

“Modern spiritualism and the forms of ancient witchcraft and idol worship—all having communion with the dead as their vital principle—are founded upon that first lie by which Satan beguiled Eve in Eden: ‘Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof . . . ye shall be as gods.’ Genesis 3:4, 5. Alike based upon falsehood and perpetuating the same, they are alike from the father of lies.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 684, 685.

“In the name of Christ I would address His professed followers: Abide in the faith which you have received from the beginning. ‘Shun profane and vain babblings.’ 11 Timothy 2:16. Instead of putting your trust in witchcraft, have faith in the living God. Cursed is the path that leads to Endor or to Ekron. The feet will stumble and fall that venture upon this forbidden ground. There is a God in Israel, with whom is deliverance for all who are oppressed. Righteousness is the foundation of His throne.” Counsels on Health, 458.

Reprinted with permission from The Real Story Behind Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, Harvestime Books, Altamont, Tennessee 37301 USA, 2003, 64–73. Copies of this book may be purchased from the publisher. Visit their web site at: www.SDADefend.com.

Seventh Day Adventist Roots — The Parting of the Ways

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Following the Great Disappointment on October 22, 1844, opposition arose against the preaching of the advent message and against those proclaiming it. Most of the churches refused to admit the ministers that were preaching the coming of Christ. “Thus the impressive Millerite movement came to its tragic close, so far as its original form is concerned. The great stream ceased its onward flow and was dissipated, to use the figure aptly employed by Nichol (F. D.), like a river absorbed in the torrid sands of the desert. Here is his graphic portrayal.

” ‘The erstwhile fast-moving stream poured out over an arid, uncharted waste. The scorching sun of disappointment beat down, and the burning winds of ridicule swept in from every side. The river suddenly lost its velocity. There was no momentum to cut a clearly marked channel in this new, parched land. Sun and wind quickly began to play havoc with this directionless body of water, now spread thinly over a wide area. While a central stream of what had once been an impressive river, was more or less well defined, there were many lesser streams, which often ended in miniature dead seas, where stagnation and evaporation soon did their work. Indeed, no small part of the once large river, when evaporated under the scorching sun of disappointment, was finally returned to the sources from whence it came, the other rivers in the religious world.’ ” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, 827.

Following the Disappointment, the leaders were concerned over the confusion of opinions that became prevalent. I. E. Jones describes the confusion at that time: “Our brethren this way are catching at every conceivable hypothesis to reconcile the movement of the tenth [day of the seventh month, or October 22] . . .But supremely ridiculous, painful and dangerous, as is this state of things among ourselves, it is not as much so as the ranks of our opponents present. Who can think of the endless diversity of opinion among them on the prophecies and atonement, free will, baptism, conversion, and every Bible truth; and not say in view of his temptations to leave this [Advent] cause, ‘To whom shall we go?’ . . . Oh, I sigh, for home. Home; sweet home. But, patience my soul.” Ibid., 828.

William Miller was very perturbed by the discord that existed among the various factions that grew out of the Millerite Movement. He said, “I must confess I am pained at heart, to see the battle we are now in . . . after having silenced our common enemy . . . Every [Adventist] paper which has come into my hands recently is full of fight, and that too against our friends.” Ibid.

He was openly opposed to all the various “new theories” that had arisen in an attempt to explain the Disappointment. He denied the application of the parable of the “Midnight Cry” to the seventh month movement and stated that that was not a fulfillment of the prophecy.

“The controversy as to whether the seventh-month movement was the logical and legitimate climax of the Millerite message, or whether it was a tragic mistake, hinged on what came to be known as the ‘shut door’ doctrine. The seventh-month movement, it will be remembered, was based on two premises: (1) The typical cleansing of the ancient sanctuary on the Day of Atonement, on the tenth day of the seventh Jewish month; and (2) the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, who, after passing the expected time of the wedding, fell asleep and were roused at midnight by the cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom cometh!’ The wise virgins, who are ready to meet the coming bridegroom, enter with him into the wedding, where the door is shut after them. But the foolish ones, who failed to use their opportunity to be ready, then find themselves outside.” Ibid., 829.

In midsummer, of 1844, the cry went forth at “midnight” that the Bridegroom was to come, not in 1843, but in the seventh month of 1844. The cleansing of the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 years was to occur on the tenth day of the seventh month—the day when the sanctuary was cleansed in ancient Israel’s time. At the close of the 2300 years and the passing of the tenth day of the seventh month there were two courses open to those who refused to be discouraged by the passing of the time. Either the message containing the “midnight cry” was a delusion and the time a mistake or, the period had ended but the anticipated event was wrong.

After 1844, those that rejected the “Midnight Cry” message decided that the time was a mistake, the seventh-month a blunder and concluded that the “Midnight Cry” and the “Shut door” were still future. They said that “if the parable of the Bridegroom was yet to be fulfilled in the second advent, at a future ending of the 2300 days, they would be right in saying that the Bridegroom had not come and the door of the parable had not yet been shut. But if the time calculation had been correct —if the 2300 days had really ended in October, 1844—and the ‘Midnight Cry’ of the seventh month had been the true climax of the God-given message of a great prophetic movement, then those who held this view must necessarily believe that the parable of the virgins and the prophetic Day of Atonement had been fulfilled and that the ‘door’ of the parable—whatever it might be—had been ‘shut.’ ” Ibid., 830.

The Millerites taught that the door of the parable meant that the door of salvation would be closed at the Second Coming of Christ, when everyone would either be ready or lost. After the Disappointment, Miller and others thought that their work for the world was ended and that they were now in the tarrying time—a few days or months—until Christ should come.

In 1840, Himes and Litch had taught that after the sixth vial and trumpet ended, when the seventh trumpet sounded, the mystery of God was to be finished, the time of grace would end and probation’s door would be shut. Miller agreed with this interpretation, but added that there would be a little time to separate the good from the bad. Miller stated: “We have done our work in warning sinners, and in trying to awake a formal church. God, in His providence has shut the door; we can only stir one another up to be patient; and be diligent to make our calling and election sure.” Ibid., 831.

As time passed, this view was abandoned by the Millerites. Himes had never, since the Disappointment, believed that their work for the world had come to an end. Miller, along with some other leaders, soon came to be of the same opinion. The controversy over the “shut door” increased so dramatically that the leaders of the Millerite movement decided to convene a conference in Albany, New York, to attempt to resolve the conflicting views. The conference unanimously passed a report listing ten principles similar to the “Fundamental Principles” published in the Millerite papers, upon which they could unite. They opposed: “(1) The postmillennialists’ dream of world conversion before the advent. (2) The ‘Judaizing doctrine’ of the restoration of the literal Jews as a fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. (3) Any of the new tests advocated by various minority groups.” Ibid., 834.

But their attempt for unity was not altogether successful, and the Millerite movement was split into three groups.

The first group included J. V. Himes and others that repudiated the “shut door” and denied the validity of the seventh-month movement and that Christ’s coming was imminent. Having rejected all the views, which had made them a part of the Advent movement, they had no reason to exist and so soon, the group faded out of the picture. Litch also refused to accept the “shut door” idea and eventually broke with the Adventist groups and became a Futurist. The second group was concentrated in Maine and New York and they took extreme views stating that all probation had closed and the doom of the world was fixed. That the 2300 days were fulfilled in 1844 and the door was shut on Christ’s mediatorial work and no one else could be saved. Only those who had entered with Christ on October 22 would be saved.

The third group was smaller than the first group but soon far surpassed them in numbers. They believed and taught the validity of the seventhmonth movement and adopted Edson’s view of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary as an explanation of the Disappointment. They rejected the idea of the “shut door” (meaning the close of probation) and continued to preach the soon coming of Christ to all that would listen.

“This group, holding to the validity of the 1844 movement as a fulfillment of prophecy, saw in the Disappointment a test of those who were willing to make every sacrifice to be ready to meet their Lord, and then to hold their faith in the face of bitter disappointment. They insisted that the working of the Holy Spirit on the hearts of the participants in that movement had been proof that the Lord was in it; and consequently they felt that those who declared it all a mistake were repudiating the leading of God, and murmuring against the path in which He had led them.” Ibid., 841.

It was out of this third group that the Seventh-day Adventist Church developed. Joseph Bates, who had played a prominent role in the Millerite Movement, James White, a Millerite evangelist, Hiram Edson and others were prominent leaders. They rejected both formalism and fanaticism and became the nucleus of the Sabbatarian Adventists.

“Three key teachings, each developing independently, began to characterize the group which erelong became the Sabbatarian Adventists. And these features came to be regarded by them as interrelated in what they believed to be the prophetic charter of their mission. These three were: (1) The sanctuary, as embracing the special, or final ministry of Christ in the holy of holies of the heavenly sanctuary, thus giving new meaning to the message, ‘the hour of God’s judgment is come’ (2) the Sabbath, that is, observance of the seventh day, as involved in the keeping of the ‘commandments of God,’ and (3) the Spirit of Prophecy, or the ‘testimony of Jesus,’ to be manifest in the ‘remnant’ church, or last segment of God’s church of the centuries.” Ibid., 844, 845.

These three beliefs developed in various places. Hiram Edson and his group, after study in western New York, began to preach the sanctuary phase. Joseph Bates and others began to proclaim the Sabbath in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In Maine, Ellen Harmon’s experience and influence established confidence in God’s past leadership and in His future guidance in the Advent Movement. These three groups eventually united.

“These three primary teachings—the Sabbath, the sanctuary, and the Spirit of Prophecy, along with the old basic, established, and fundamentally evangelical positions, as well as immortality only in Christ and the foundational Adventist teachings on the second advent and the Bible prophecies —formed the basis for the emergence of a new theological system, balanced in form and Scriptural in emphasis. Slowly the doctrinal framework of the Sabbatarian Adventists took definite shape. Their convictions were crystallizing as the thinking of different leaders began to be published in 1846 and 1847—the writings of Hiram Edson, O. R. L. Crosier, and F. B. Hahn, Joseph Bates, James White, and Ellen Harmon.

“As this merging of views began to take place, and the adherents of the Edson view of the sanctuary and the Bates view of the seventh-day Sabbath first began to coalesce, there was as yet no semblance of an organization, much less of an emerging denomination. But in this way, in three separate places in three different States, and all by the close of 1844, these three distinctive teachings that were to become major doctrinal features, in a distinctive Sabbatarian Adventist setting and movement, now reached out and touched each other.” Ibid., 848–850.

“A series of six Sabbath conferences, held in 1848, with an aggregate of several hundred in attendance, was the next step. Here these three distinctive features, with their already established positions, began to be forged into a single unified body of belief. And before long the essentials of an integrated system of evangelical, doctrinal, and prophetic truth were developed as held by Seventh-day Adventists around the world.” Ibid., 850, 851.

God was leading His remnant people.

 

Seventh Day Adventist Roots, part 7

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Joseph Bates, the next personality in our list of four prominent men to associate with the Millerite movement, was born in 1792, in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. His parents were members of the Congregational Church. His father had been a captain in the Revolutionary War. At the age of fifteen, Bates took to the sea, sailing for Europe as cabin boy. He had many thrilling experiences while at sea, including surviving a collision with an iceberg; being commandeered as a gunner on the HMS Rodney, serving on blockade duty in the war between England and France; spending two and a half years as a prisoner of war and finally returning home after a six year absence. Bates married Prudence Nye, in 1818, and continued his work on ocean going vessels, rising to the rank of captain.

On his first trip as captain, he forbade anyone to drink “ardent spirits” aboard ship. On the next trip he determined to stop drinking, and later gave up smoking. In 1826, his wife placed a New Testament in his trunk. This turned out to be the beginning of a spiritual awakening for him. When one of his crewmembers became sick, Bates became anxious and, after a struggle, he began to pray. The death of the crewmember and his own responsibility, as captain, for the funeral service, brought him closer to God. At this point, he surrendered his life to Christ and began to study the Bible and pray every day. When he arrived home, Bates was baptized, and, in 1827, joined the New Bedford Christian Church, the church to which his wife belonged. The minister that baptized him refused to join Bates in his fight against liquor. With the help of the Congregationalist minister in Fairhaven he formed the Fairhaven Temperance Society. At this point, Bates gave up the use of tea and coffee.

Joseph Bates had strong convictions. While aboard ship, he gathered his crew and read them the rules for the voyage. These rules included prohibiting the use of intoxicants, swearing or washing of clothes on Sunday and the mandatory attendance at daily worship. Two of the crew were converted on the voyage. In 1826, he retired from sea service with a comfortable fortune. He turned his energies to serious church work and reform movements, always taking the side of the oppressed. Over the next few years, Bates formed a number of reform movements, each time losing some friends. In the face of opposition, he formed an antislavery society. He planned for a manual training school and, to provide labor, he planted three mulberry orchards to produce silk for market.

In 1839, a ministerial friend invited him to attend a lecture on the Second Advent. When Bates heard the message he exclaimed, “That is the truth.” He and Joshua Himes had been associated in various reform activities. Now Himes also became interested in Miller’s views on the Second Advent. Shortly after obtaining a copy of Miller’s Lectures, Bates fully accepted their teaching regarding premillennialism as the most important reform for that time.

As a member of the authorizing committee for the first General Conference, at Boston, in 1841, Bates invited Miller to hold a series of meetings in Fairhaven. He soon after became an active and successful Millerite minister. He was chosen chairman of the conference that authorized the production of lithographs of Fitch’s “1843 Chart,” and approved the conducting of campmeetings that were very successful.

Opposition to the advent message soon developed among the members of the Fairhaven Christian Church, leading him to withdraw from its membership. “In 1843 he sold his home, and most of his other real estate, and prepared to go where needed to herald the Second Coming of Christ. He had a burden to go down to the slaveholding States of the South, where other lecturers had been driven out by hostile inhabitants. Bates was warned that he would probably be killed because of his well-known abolitionist principles. Undeterred, he went into Maryland and preached to large numbers, H. S. Gurney, baritone singer, accompanying him. Their success aroused resentment and opposition, and a fiery Methodist class leader threatened to have them ridden out of town on a rail. Bates made the instant but telling rejoinder, ‘If you will put a saddle on it, we would rather ride than walk.’ This nimble reply disconcerted the man, and Bates continued: ‘You must not think that we have come six hundred miles through the ice and snow, at our own expense to give you the Midnight Cry, without first sitting down and counting the cost. And now, if the Lord has no more for us to do, we had as lief [gladly] lie at the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay as anywhere else until the Lord comes. But if He has any more work for us to do, you can’t touch us.’

“The Baltimore Patriot learned of the episode and after relating the story, said significantly: ‘The crush of matter and the wreck of worlds would be nothing to such men.’ In another incident in a little Maryland town, Bates made this reply: ‘Yes, Judge, I am an abolitionist, and have come to get your slaves and you too! As to getting your slaves from you, we have no such intention, for if you should give us all you have (and I was informed he owned quite a number), we should not know what to do with them. We teach that Christ is coming, and we want you all saved.’ ” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, 548.

On the journey home, by boat, Bates hung up the prophetic chart, sang an advent hymn and gave a lecture on the coming crisis. When they transferred to a train he continued lecturing. He visited a number of islands along the coast of Massachusetts and many were converted to the Second Advent faith.

By 1848, Bates had accepted the Sabbath and was instrumental in the proclamation of that message. He held key positions all through the Advent Movement from 1840 on. He wrote a short history of the advent cause from 1840 –1847 titled, Second Advent Way Marks and High Heaps, the first of its kind.

“Bates pioneering spirit led him west to Michigan in 1849, where, in time, he gathered a company of converts in Jackson. In 1852, he went on to Battle Creek. Arriving early in the morning, and asking the postmaster for the name of the most honest man in town, he was directed to a Presbyterian by the name of David Hewitt. Bates was soon rapping on Hewitt’s door, telling him that he had some important Bible truth for him. The Hewitts became the first converts in Battle Creek, and their home the meeting place for a growing group.

“That episode was characteristic of Bates. He would go where there were no believers, secure a schoolhouse, hall, church, or even a home, hang up his chart, and preach the new-found light on the prophecies, and churches would come into being. When, in 1860, the Sabbatarian Adventists met in conference to effect their first organization, Bates, in the chair guided the conference.

“Bates played a prominent part in the ‘Sabbath Conferences,’ which began in 1848, and helped to give shape to the infant SDA movement. He, together with White, Edson, Pierce, Andrews, and others, studied out the doctrines from the Bible. In fact Joseph Bates, with James White, was widely recognized as cofounder of the SDA denomination.” Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, 108, 109.

 

Joshua Himes—Energetic Leader

 

The fourth in our list of ministerial associates close to William Miller is Joshua V. Himes. “Judged by any standard of measurement, Joshua Vaughan Himes (1805-1895) was a remarkable character. Courageous, versatile, and a born leader, he was the great publicist, promoter, and organizer of the Millerite movement. While he was a power in the pulpit, he was an even greater power in the editorial chair. He was a really remarkable publisher, with the knack of knowing how to appeal to the public. His daring and his swiftness of action are illustrated by the speed with which he produced the first copy of the Signs of the Times. After Miller’s first suggestion, coupled with his own conviction of its need, it was under way within one week, starting from nothing.

“He had business acumen and organizational ability to a marked degree—managing conferences and giant campmeetings, as well as evangelistic and revival meetings, and keeping a great publishing and distribution project going smoothly and without needless duplication. Under his guidance the best publishing facilities the country afforded were enlisted to send forth the advent message. It was perhaps not too much to say that his was a feat unequaled in the annals of American church history, or of any other land so far as we know.” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, 549, 550.

Himes was born in Rhode Island. His father wanted him to attend Brown University, but, because of a financial crisis in the family, Joshua went to New Bedford to learn a trade. His conversion

occurred in 1823 and he joined the First Christian Church. His ability as an evangelist quickly surfaced and he felt called to preach. He was invited to begin holding meetings in various schoolhouses and soon was holding many types of revival meetings.

In 1825, Himes began his life work in the ministry and began to preach in Plymouth. Eventually, he was appointed evangelist by the Massachusetts Christian Conference. He raised up a church of 125 at Fall River and he was soon called to become pastor of the First Christian Church of Boston. He resigned in 1837 to organize and build the Second Christian Church, with its Chardon Street Chapel. The Advent message first came to him in that chapel.

Being a reformer at heart, Himes was constantly crusading against the evils of his day. He was an assistant to William Lloyd Garrison in the battle against slavery, and it was in this chapel that Garrison’s New England Antislavery Society was initiated. He promoted a manual labor school and was a cofounder of the Peace Society, for the prevention of war. The Chardon Street Chapel became the center for many kinds of reform meetings.

On November 12, 1839, a conference of Christian Connection ministers was convened in Exeter. The day before, William Miller began a series of meetings, and out of curiosity the conference adjourned to go listen to Miller and asked him every sort of question. Himes was among the group. “Greatly impressed with Miller’s humble yet effective answers to the many pointed and sometimes tricky questions put to him, Himes invited him to hold a series of meetings in his own church in Boston. Miller accepted, and that eventful day marked a turning point in both lives and launched a new epoch in the advent cause and movement.” Ibid., 551.

“Himes combined deep spirituality and strict integrity with a true instinct for popular presentation. He was just thirty-five, pleasant and genial, neat in dress, and possessed of a charming personality. He was the embodiment of energy, and had marked initiative. And his entire manner begot confidence and gave assurance of his honesty and sincerity. He was dignified in bearing, but was ever a restless and energetic promoter of some cause in which he believed. Miller stayed in Hime’s home while giving his first series of lectures in Boston. Here they had many talks about Miller’s position on the second advent and on the millennium and the prophecies related thereto.” Ibid., 552.

Himes was convinced of the general points and felt a burden to get the premillennial truth before the public. He asked Miller why he had not preached in the larger cities. Miller replied that he had not been invited but that he would go wherever he was invited to preach. Himes told Miller to prepare for a great campaign, that the doors would be opened in every state east of the Mississippi. This prediction was literally fulfilled far beyond Miller’s expectations.

Feeling the need for a publication to get his views before the public and to shield him from abusive stories circulated, Miller conveyed this to Himes who immediately agreed to start the Signs of the Times. The next week (February 28, 1840), without any subscribers and only one-dollar, Himes produced the first edition.

Believers in the advent received the paper with joy while opponents were alarmed. At the outset it was a forum for both believers and opponents to voice their opinions. With the passing of time the paper was restricted to the presentation of the positions of the Adventists.

Himes published two more editions of Miller’s Lectures and was henceforth in charge of the publication and distribution of Advent literature. Among his publications were charts, pamphlets, books, tracts, songbooks, broadsides and handbills. In order to acquaint New York City with the message of the advent, Himes began publishing the Midnight Cry in connection with an evangelistic series. Ten thousand copies each day were printed and distributed in the city. When the meetings closed, the publication continued as a weekly.

“Himes was noblehearted, generous, and selfdenying. The funds accruing from the publication venture were turned to the spread of the tidings of the second advent. He traveled some twenty thousand miles, giving a lecture a day much of the time, and held some five thousand meetings, including a remarkable series of all-day camp meetings. In many ways Himes was the leading figure in the Millerite movement—a human dynamo of energy, ever pushing the cause of publishing and preaching, organizing the various enterprises connected with the movement. Although Miller was the actual leader, he delegated much authority to Himes, who had his complete confidence. The relationship between the two was like that of father and son. Of this fellowship Himes touchingly said: ‘We had rather be associated with such a man as William Miller, and stand with him in gloom or glory, in the cause of the living God, than to be associated with his enemies, and enjoy all the honors of this world.’ ” Ibid., 554.

 

SDA Roots, part 6

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We pause in our perusal of the history of the rise of the Advent Movement to take a look at four men that unreservedly gave themselves to the propagation of the Second Advent message in 1838. We will consider their “backgrounds, talents, training, standing and diverse religious affiliations.” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, 528.

The first of this quartet of men is Dr. Josiah Litch (1809–1886). Litch was a well-known minister in the New England Methodist Conference. He was born in Higham, Massachusetts, and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church at his conversion, at the age of 17.

Near the beginning of 1838 he received a copy of Miller’s Lectures with the request that he read it and render his opinion on the truth of what it advocated. Litch disagreed with the notion of setting a time for Christ’s coming. He at first refused to read the book. However, to please his friend and to satisfy his own curiosity to discover what evidences could be summoned to support such a doctrine, Litch read the book.

The more he read the more he was convinced of the solid foundation of Miller’s position. He felt that if all the evidences Miller presented in that book were true then he, Litch, had a responsibility to also preach the messages Miller had been giving around New England and elsewhere. Being fully persuaded, of the truth of Miller’s position, he decided to present the truth as he saw it, at any cost to himself.

Litch was studious and keen of mind and immediately began to write on the theme of the Second Coming. His first product was a forty-eight page synopsis of Miller’s views entitled Midnight Cry, or a Review of Mr. Miller’s Lectures on the Second Coming of Christ, About A.D. 1843. A wide distribution of this work resulted in bringing in many friends to the Advent cause. Wherever he went, Litch preached the imminent return of Christ. Throughout New England, Litch was one of only two ministers closely identified with Miller. The other was Charles Fitch who, for a time, had taken his stand with Miller. However, shortly thereafter, he returned to his former views that there would be a temporal millenium before Christ’s coming.

In April of 1838, Litch produced a two hundred-page book entitled The Probability of the Second Coming of Christ About A.D. 1843. Because so many of the prophecies had been fulfilled, he declared, in the preface, his belief in the certainties of prophecy and that the prediction of the Second Coming would be fulfilled in due time. During this same year “He prepared articles for the public print on the subject of the seven trumpets of the Revelation. He took the unqualified position that the sixth trumpet would cease to sound and the Ottoman power would fall on the 11th day of August, 1840, and that that would demonstrate to the world that a day in symbolic prophecy represents a year of literal time.” The Great Second Advent Movement, 129.

The fulfillment of the prediction “intensified the interest of the people to hear upon the subject of fulfilled and fulfilling prophecy. Dr. Litch said that within a few months, after August 11, 1840, he had received letters from more than one thousand prominent infidels, some of them leaders of infidel clubs, in which they stated that they had given up the battle against the Bible, and had accepted it as God’s revelation to man. Some of these were fully converted to God, and a number of them became able speakers in the great second advent movement.” Ibid., 132.

It was not until 1839, in Lowell, Massachusetts, that Litch first met Miller personally. He was on the Committee of Arrangements for the first general conference that was held in October of 1840. He was one of the leading speakers at that convocation as well as in subsequent general conferences.

“In June, 1841, Litch attended the Methodist Episcopal Conference at Providence, Rhode Island. Here he was closely interrogated by the presiding bishops as to his relation to the Millerite teachings. After Litch had expounded his convictions, the bishop asked, ‘Do you think that is Methodism?’ Litch replied, ‘I do. At least it is not contrary to the articles of the Methodist Episcopal Church.’ After considerable discussion the conference also came to the conclusion that Litch held nothing contrary to Methodism, though he had at points gone beyond it. They granted his request to ‘locate’, that is, to retire from the itinerant ministry. This allowed him to devote most of his time to preaching the second advent.” The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers, 532.

Litch came to the conclusion that he had to divorce himself from the Methodist ministry that he had carried on for eight years and utilize all his energies in the advent movement. He soon became one of the leading editors of the Millerite paper, The Signs of the Times. He continued traveling and lecturing and was Miller’s companion on his trips to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and New York. Eventually he resided in Philadelphia where he became the leading Millerite representative.

Next in our list of ministers, that became closely associated with the Millerite movement is Charles Fitch who lived from 1805–October 14, 1844. He was born in Hampton, Connecticut. After graduating from Brown University, Fitch was ordained to the Congregational ministry and served at Abington, Connecticut, Warren, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut, successively. In 1836 he went to the Marlboro Congregational Chapel in Boston, and later to Newark, New Jersey, and Haverhill, Massachusetts. Fitch’s greatest contribution was made at Cleveland, Ohio, after he became the western proponent of the advent message. His other interests included his membership in the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

He was a strong opponent to slavery as revealed by a pamphlet he produced entitled, Slaveholding Weighed in the Balance of Truth, and Its Comparative Guilt Illustrated. In it he stated, “Every man has a tongue, and he can use it; he has influence, and he can exert it; he has moral power, and he can put it forth. Up my friends and do your duty, to deliver the spoils out of the hands of the oppressor, lest the fire of God’s fury kindle ere long upon you.” The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, 534.

In 1838, while he was pastor of the Marlboro Street Congregational Church in Boston, he was given a copy of Miller’s Lectures, containing his views on the Second Advent. Fitch wrote to Miller, in March, confessing his “overwhelming interest such as I never felt in any other book except the Bible.” Ibid. After carefully studying the book and comparing the message with Scripture, Fitch stated that he came to believe in the correctness of Miller’s views. On March 4 he preached two sermons on the Second Advent, creating a deep interest among his hearers. He proposed to present the whole subject of the Second Advent to a meeting of the Ministerial Association on March 6. He secured a dozen copies of Miller’s Lectures for distribution stating, “I trust that I may thereby do something to spread the truth.” Ibid.

The Association’s reaction was so negative and accompanied with so much searing ridicule and contempt that Fitch lost confidence in the advent message and he lapsed into his former views of the world’s conversion.

But his mind could not rest. He thirsted for truth and longed for holiness of life. While serving as pastor of the Free Presbyterian Church of Newark, New Jersey, in 1839, he wrote his Views of Sanctification. This was his statement of faith and he stressed sanctification by divine grace through Scripture. This prompted the appointment of a committee by the presbytery to counsel Fitch on his views on perfection. This meeting resulted in the passage of a Resolution of Censure, declaring his views to be a dangerous error and asking him to preach his views no more. Fitch replied in a Letter to the Newark Presbytery in 1840, wherein he November 1998 31 defended his views. He stated that “‘I cannot regard your admonition,’ and offered his reasons.” Ibid.

“After years of unsatisfactory living, he had found, personally and experimentally, the enabling grace of Christ. He had learned the secret of reckoning himself dead to sin. The world had lost its charm, and his heart was filled with joy. He had entered into a new life—and supported his position with an imposing array of texts. He took this stand, he adds, ‘in view of an approaching judgment.’ Then he avers, ‘If you still adhere to that opinion, I must consider myself as no longer of your number.’ The presbytery must do to him as they think our Lord requires. This he soon followed with his Reasons for Withdrawing From the Newark Presbytery, the title page adding, ‘By Charles Fitch, Pastor of the Free Presbyterian Church, Newark.’ The Preface states that he felt called to preach the ‘blessed doctrine of sanctification by faith in Christ.’ He recognized that if he did not withdraw he would be excommunicated. So he states, ‘I do hereby withdraw from you.’ Thus he bade adieu to his Presbyterian brethren.” Ibid.

When Fitch explained his perplexities to Litch the latter said, “What you need is the doctrine of the second advent to put with the doctrine of holiness.” Fitch again studied Miller’s teachings comparing them with the Bible while studying all other available writings on the subject of the Second Advent. After pursuing this course of study for a time and reviewing the Lord’s leading since leaving Brown University, he brought all this before the Lord in fasting and prayer. He stated:

“When Dear Bro. Litch named the second advent, I went to the Lord; I read my Bible, and all the works that I could obtain. I possessed myself of all the evidences in the case that I could; and then with fasting and prayer I laid them and myself with my all before the Lord, desiring only that the Blessed Spirit might guide me into all truth. I felt that I had no will of my own, and wished only to know the will of my Saviour. Light seemed breaking in upon my mind, ray after ray, and I found myself more and and more unable to resist the conviction that it was indeed the truth, that the coming of the blessed Saviour was at the door.” Ibid., 537.

Having made his decision, Fitch threw all his energies into the proclamation of the advent message. He now found doors opening wide on every hand as he joined Miller, Litch and soon Himes, along with a steadily growing number of Adventist preachers.

“And now so soon as I was ready to come out on the Second Advent, the door before me was thrown wide open, and I have been wholly unable for the last 8 months to meet one half the calls which I have received. Wherever I have been God has been with me. Since the first of Dec. last, I have preached as often as every day and about sixty times besides. I have been in all the New England States, congregations have been large in all places. Wherever I have been I have preached holiness. My usual practice has been to preach on Holiness in the afternoon, and on the Second Advent in the evening. I have seen saints sanctified and sinners led to Christ.” Ibid.

While some rejected the message and turned against Fitch, many others accepted the advent truth. Among them were Dr. and Mrs. W. C. Palmer that wrote many advent hymns, including, Watch Ye Saints, number 549 in the old Church Hymnal.

One of Fitch’s most notable productions, at least as far as Seventh-day Adventists are concerned, was his famous “1843” prophetic chart (1842) with the able assistance of Apollos Hale, who usually attended Fitch’s church.

Fitch presented his chart to the Boston General Conference in May, chaired by Joseph Bates. Plans were laid to proclaim the “Midnight Cry” more vigorously. Three hundred copies were authorized for use by the Adventist preachers.

Fitch received more calls to preach than he could fill. Wherever he spoke, large crowds gathered to hear him. The following is his own description of a typical speaking trip: “I reached this place(Montpelier) at about half past twelve o’clock on Wednesday. I had then preached thirteen times in a week, and attended many prayer meetings and then at the end of it instead of taking rest I had had a most fatiguing ride of 75 miles. A meeting however was appointed for me here on the evening of my arrival. Accordingly I went to bed, and after sleeping two hours and a half, I arose exceedingly refreshed, and preached in the evening. The audience was tolerable for numbers—though by no means such as I had left at Claremont. Yesterday I preached twice, and the audience in the evening was much increased. The spirit of the Lord was present, and truth had power.” Ibid., 540.

Toward the end of 1842, Fitch carried the advent message to Cleveland, Ohio, and to Oberlin College near Cleveland. He reveals how the faculty reacted to his messages: “I have never seen the glorious truths of the Bible, teaching the kingdom and coming of Christ, met with more determined opposition, contempt and scorn, than they have been by the Oberlin Faculty; and never, in all my life have I felt such anguish at my heart’s core, or shed such bitter, burning tears as I have at their rejection of the Word of the Lord.” Ibid., 541.

In the spring of 1843, Fitch preached a sermon entitled, “Come Out of Her My People.” He “contended that Babylon was no longer limited to the Roman Catholic Church, as held back in Protestant Reformation days, but now included also the great body of Protestant Christendom. He maintained that, by their rejection of the light of the advent, both branches of Christendom had

fallen from the high estate of pure Christianity. Protestantism was either cold to the doctrine of the second advent or had spiritualized it away.” Ibid., 544.

“But Fitch did not have much longer to live and labor. He was in Buffalo, New York, in October, 1844, when a large number of new believers requested baptism. Others had not yet fully made up their minds. Arrangements were made, and the company who were ready went with him to the lake shore and were baptized in the chilly autumn water. A cold wind was blowing as Fitch started for home in his wet garments—for they had no protective baptismal robes or waterproof waders in those days. But just then he was met by another company of tardy candidates, on their way to the lake, who similarly desired baptism. So, cold as he was, Fitch went back with them and immersed them. And then came a belated third company who had at last made their decision. At their request he turned back a second time, and baptized them also. But Fitch was seriously chilled.

“Ill as he was from the effects of this prolonged exposure, he nevertheless rode several miles the next day in the cold wind to meet another appointment. This proved too much for him, and he was stricken down with fatal illness, doubtless pneumonia, which speedily brought on his death at the early age of thirty-nine. His last triumphant words on October 14, shortly before the day of expectation, were, ‘I believe in the promises of God.’ It may confidently be said that none of the Adventist preachers were more widely loved than Charles Fitch. Couragous and resourceful, helpful and hopeful, he interpreted the love of God in word and deed, in the light of the second advent, to the thousands to whom he ministered.” Ibid., 545.

Next month we will consider the other two prominent Second Advent preachers: Joseph Bates and Joshua V. Himes.