Prophecy

Prophecy Fulfilling

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We are living in an age of the world when there is a great lack of real devotion to God and His truth. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the earth, and another spirit is fast gaining control of the hearts and minds of men. Yet there is no lack of form in religious work. Large and costly churches are still being erected; bells are pealing, morning, noon, and evening, summoning the worshipers to the temple of prayer. Neither are large congregations infrequent. But to the observant, there is a decided lack of the fruits of the Spirit of God, which gives little encouragement to those who expect to see their pre-millennium hopes realized in the near future.

With this condition of things confronting the religious world, and the fact that prophecy applies where the conditions prevail, would it not encourage the hearts of the faithful to examine anew the prophetic utterances of the past?

To the writer, a prophecy in the book of Ezekiel seems to find a fitting application to the present conditions: “And as for thee, son of man, the children of thy people talk of thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, everyone to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. And, they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but do them not: for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goeth after their gain. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. And when this cometh to pass (behold it cometh), then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them.” Ezekiel 33:30–33, R. V.

Perhaps many of our workers could at this time, like our Saviour in His days while in the flesh, say to the people: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:21

While this may be true, it should be most encouraging to every worker; for it is but the logical outcome of another prophecy found in Paul’s exhortation to Timothy: “But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.” 2 Timothy 3:1–5, R. V.

Where and when this condition prevails, Ezekiel 30:31–33 will surely find a fulfillment.

But he whose heart is filled with longing desire to meet his Lord in peace, will find in this condition of things encouragement to labor for souls; for amid all this Babylon, there are precious souls who sigh and cry for the abominations of Israel. “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain, O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God! Behold, the Lord God will come as a mighty One, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, He shall gather the lambs in His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that give suck.” Isaiah 40:9–12, R. V.

Without doubt the prophet Isaiah is here looking down through the ages, to the coming of the Lord to reward His faithful flock. But the feeding of that flock is intrusted to His under-shepherds. The apostle Paul in his instruction to the elders of the church at Ephesus realized this important trust, which he sets forth in the following words: “Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Ghost hath made you bishops, to feed the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28, R. V.

The apostle Peter also sensed the solemn work: to which God called him. The elders of the church in general, he exhorts to “tend the flock of God which is among you, exercising the over sight, not of constraint, but willingly, according unto God; nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:2, 3, R. V.

In that noted prophecy of Jeremiah concerning the restoration of the scattered remnant, it is recorded: “And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and multiply. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be lacking, saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:3, 4, R. V.

Brethren and sisters, the remnant work is intrusted to our hands. Are we feeding the flock? Are we bringing them to the fold? Are we fruitful? Do we fear? The love of God casteth out all fear. Are we dismayed? “Fear thou not; … for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.” Isaiah 41:10. Are we lacking? “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

While true devotion to God and the principles, of righteousness are fast departing, the gathering call is being sounded through the earth: “Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Revelation 18:4

“Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1. A little longer, and the message will have done its sealing work, and the faithful will have been gathered into the fold.

Let us praise God for a place and part among His workers.

Published in the The Review and Herald, September 10, 1901

The Christian America Project 2.0

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In the previous two articles on issues related to the separation of church and state, we traced the history of the formation of the idea of the great separation and the threats posed to it by human nature and contemporary global trends in politics, society, and religion. In this article, I would like to look at selected historical and contemporary examples of the crumbling of the wall separating church and state.

A brief history of religious freedom in the Roman Empire

In the November issue of LandMarks, I wrote that man’s age-old thinking about politics is political theology, that is, politics as a sphere of social life regulated by religion. From its beginnings, Christianity has stood in steadfast opposition to the pagan world, a world that requires conversion and lives under the rule of demonic supremacy. Therefore, Christians have sought to maintain a biblical separation from the pagan world, not accepting the relationship between light and darkness. To put it another way, Christians did not think about political theology. However, in the fourth century, an epochal change occurred. Emperor Constantine created a new world order.

In 313, the Edict of Milan was promulgated jointly by the emperor of the western part of the Roman Empire, Constantine the Great, and the emperor of the eastern part, Licinius. The promulgation of this document established religious freedom in the Roman Empire because the imperial document was not merely tolerant but expressed the idea of religious freedom based on the belief that true faith and worship could not come from coercion. Until then, Christianity had been an illegal and persecuted religion, but from then on, Christianity became a legal religion and, more specifically, was legally equated with other religions of the Roman Empire.1

Certainly, the religious freedom brought about by the promulgation of the Edict of Milan was extremely valuable and good. What is worth noting is that religious freedom was something unusual in the ancient world, something unprecedented. The Edict of Milan was promulgated not in the vacuum of socio-religious life but in the specific religious and political context of the ancient world. This context assumes a symbiotic relationship between religion and politics, creating a homogeneous social system in which religion and the state are mutually supportive. The Edict of Milan did not fit into such a world. It is also clear that Christianity, with its religious-political dualism, i.e., the professed principle of separation of religion and politics, in line with Jesus’ words on paying taxes: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God, the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21), did not fit the pagan world of the time. “In the ancient states, political purpose was equated with religious purpose and political power with religious power. The monarch was both ruler of the state and high priest.”2

Beginnings of the union of church and state

Christians now had to choose to transform and overcome the prevailing pagan principle of the union of religion and state or to submit completely to this principle. Unfortunately, Christianity chose the second option. Within a relatively short period of time, after the edict was issued, the Christian Church merged with state power, using the state’s coercion to enforce what it considered to be orthodoxy and exterminate what it considered to be heresy.

The birth of the Christian state

In 380 A.D., Emperor Theodosius issued the Thessalonian Edict, which established Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire.3 The church gained influence over the state, but the state also gained influence over the church. The balance of gains and losses of the union of church and state seemed unequivocally positive but led to the greatest deviation in Christianity. Christians, led by church leaders, adapted very quickly and very easily to the new order of things, recognizing in it the restoration of God’s theocratic covenant with Israel. Christian dissidents who did not benefit from this union were persecuted by the state and established Catholicism.4

Thus was born a political-religious alliance, its roots dating back to the Tower of Babel, which would later develop into a power that would usher in a theocratic totalitarian system in medieval Europe, bloodily persecuting all opposition. The Bible calls this political-religious power the beast. Nimrod founded the world’s first empire in which religion and the state were one.5

Christian inspired legislation

The construction of a new political-religious system was highly promising, and it may have seemed that Christianity had achieved a transformation in the cruel and decadent pagan culture of the Roman Empire, influencing the state to make legal and social changes. The Roman state passed many Church-inspired laws: the abolishment of crucifixion as a punishment, the elimination of bloody gladiatorial performances, and banned other cruel rituals. The state abolished the burning of birthmarks on the faces of slaves, and their liberation was encouraged. Pro-family laws emerged: the prohibition of abortion, adultery, and concubinage, restrictions regarding divorce, and assistance for widows and orphans. In addition, the emperor ordered soldiers to say public prayers on Sunday, supported the Church’s finances, placed Christian symbols in public places, and legally sanctioned Sunday, banning work on that day.6

Initially, the Edict of Milan by Emperor Constantine granted everyone the freedom to practice their religion according to their conscience, but later the Edict of Thessalonica by Emperor Theodosius established Christianity as the state religion, thereby invalidating the right to practice religion according to one’s conscience.

However, morality and religion imposed by state laws never lead to a true renewal of the heart. Religious legislation resulted in intolerance, and it didn’t take long before using state coercion to enforce religious laws was established. In short order came persecution—first of non-Christians, and later of Christians who disagreed with the official Church in something. Finally, Pope Leo I sanctioned the death penalty for heresy in the fifth heresy.7 Only those Christians who led lives in desolate places where the power of the imperial might of papal Rome did not reach remained free from persecution.

Christian America before the Constitution

We should note that Protestantism has also proved vulnerable to the temptation to use state coercion in matters of faith. Political theology is written into human sinful nature more strongly than we may think. Yes, the Reformation brought to the world the extraordinary light of God’s truth, progress, and much good for humanity. However, it did not abolish the church-state connection in Europe, which was the root cause of intolerance and lack of freedom of conscience and speech. Anabaptists, persecuted by both Catholics and most Protestants, were among the few Protestants who denied the church-state connection.8

A historical example is the Anglican Church’s persecution of dissenters. During the 16th and 17th centuries, thousands of religious nonconformists were forced to seek refuge on the American continent. Many of those who failed to escape were imprisoned, tortured, and killed. Therefore, America is referred to in Revelation as the “land” that came to the aid of God’s people (Revelation 12:15, 16). Here, we find another paradox of history, which is not a paradox but a confirmation that the mentality of people operating in terms of political theology is extremely difficult to eradicate. The same people who found refuge from religious persecution in Europe on American soil persecuted Christian minorities, such as Baptists and Quakers.9

The lack of separation of church and state in America caused Protestant newcomers, mainly Puritans, to try to transfer the model of church-state relations to American soil. How oppressive and tyrannical a social system can be when the church influences politics is shown by the example of religious laws introduced in the state of Virginia in 1610; of particular interest is the law on the observance of the so-called Christian Sabbath, or Sunday: “Every man and woman shall repair in the morning to the divine service and sermons preached upon the Sabbath day, and in the afternoon to divine service, and catechising, upon pain for the first fault to lose their provision and the allowance for the whole week following; for the second, to lose the said allowance and also be whipped; and for the third to suffer death.”10

The Christian America Project

Just as in the days of the Roman Empire, the church, through its influence on politics, sought the moral renewal of the empire, so today, the religious right in the U.S. is influencing politics and the government to enact legislation that the Christian right believes will halt the moral decline of the American people and lead to their moral renewal.

Social barometer—the Supreme Court

In relation to the wall of separation of church and state, a peculiar barometer of changes is taking place in politics, society, and religion. This barometer is the Supreme Court of the United States and its decisions because “the responsibility for interpreting American constitutional principles lies precisely with the Supreme Court, its jurisprudence clarifies the understanding of all principles, including those relating to religious freedom. The endless number of new doubts related to the interpretation of constitutional principles also allows the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence to admit a certain amount of dynamism. It is all the greater because this institution is not an interpretive monolith, but a place where different positions and opinions clash. An example of such divergence is precisely the coexistence in the Supreme Court of different positions on the assessment of the degree of separation of state and church between supporters of strict separation and supporters of symbiosis of the spheres of politics and religion, allowing the state to adapt, in a certain way, to the religious needs of citizens. The problem of the degree of separation of church and state is often an issue of public debate, in which the opinion of the Supreme Court is treated as conclusive.”11

The role of the President of the United States

However, let us remember that the Supreme Court does not operate in a vacuum. The President of the United States has a fundamental influence on public opinion on this issue, and his attitude, both formal and informal, to religious freedom and the social role of churches, has repeatedly set the boundaries of the separation of state and church.12

If the influence on the understanding of the separation of church and state becomes a question not of constitutional guarantees but more of the will of the majority, then we have a problem that threatens the very existence of the separation of state and church. A democratic majority elects the President, and the President appoints certain judges whose ideological profile agrees with the ideological profile of the democratic majority. The Supreme Court, structured in this way, then decides the degree of separation of church and state by a majority vote. We must then ask: Is the United States a democracy, ruled by a majority, or is it a constitutional republic, in which it is decided not only by the electoral vote of the people but also by constitutional principles that stand above the current majority?

Pro-religious Supreme Court of a global superpower

We certainly are living in perilous times for the idea of separation of church and state, for the Supreme Court, in which conservatives are in the majority, in a series of recent rulings, has undermined this wall of separation, thus undermining American legal traditions designed to prevent government officials from promoting any particular faith.13

Conservative judges appointed by President Donald Trump seek to minimize the impact of President Jefferson’s separation wall. In three 2022 cases, the court backed a Washington State soccer coach who officials suspended for leading a Christian prayer with players after a game. Using the doctrine of free speech and the right to the free exercise of religion, the judges found that the coach had the right as a citizen to lead the post-game prayer. In addition, the judges approved taxpayer money for students to attend religious schools in rural areas without public high schools nearby. Finally, the Supreme Court overturned the City of Boston’s decision to remove a flag with a cross from the front of City Hall. In that case, too, the right to free speech and the right to the free exercise of religion provided the basis for supporting the display of the flag on public property. Currently, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court supports the trend of linking free speech to religiously motivated activities.14

However, as Judge Sonia Sotomayor, quoted by Reuters, accurately noted, such an approach “brings us to a place where the separation of church and state becomes a violation of the Constitution.”15

Now let’s take a look at the composition of the Supreme Court, because something is very wrong here. “The current Court consists of six conservative Catholics in the majority: Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett, as well as a liberal Catholic (Justice Sotomayor), a Jew (Justice Kagan) and a Protestant (Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson).”16

These decisions of the Supreme Court in a country with hundreds of different faiths are alarming and puzzling. The Supreme Court now has a majority of Catholic justices who will be able to advance their interests and political-religious agenda. This was not an accident but a deliberate, planned action. Random events do not exist in big politics, and it is all the more frightening because, as Ellen White noted: “The Roman Catholic Church, with all its ramifications throughout the world, forms one vast organization under the control, and designed to serve the interests, of the papal see. Its millions of communicants, in every country on the globe, are instructed to hold themselves as bound in allegiance to the pope. Whatever their nationality or their government, they are to regard the authority of the church as above all others. Though they may take the oath pledging their loyalty to the state, yet back of this lies the vow of obedience to Rome, absolving them from every pledge inimical to her interests.”17

Pro-religious President of global superpower

President Donald Trump believes he received miraculous divine protection during a near-fatal attack in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.18 In other words, President Trump feels anointed by God to play a historical role and repay the debt of gratitude for saving his life by divine intervention on the day of the assassination attempt. How can such a debt be repaid? If only by implementing a Christian-nationalist agenda allowing churches to participate in power, giving Christians a privileged position in the country, and thus disregarding the separation of church and state. This is what the Christian right wants, and this is what President Trump promised at the National Religious Broadcasters annual meeting in Nashville on February 22, 2024, attended by leaders of the largest evangelical communications media. “If I get in, you’re going to be using that power at a level that you’ve never used before.”19 He continued: “I really believe it’s the biggest thing missing from this country, the biggest thing missing. We have to bring back our religion. We have to bring back Christianity in this country.”20

The horizon of prophetic time

Under these conditions, the majority of Christian churches in the U.S. will gain influence similar to that which the churches held over the government in the days of Constantine the Great. Then, an alliance of Catholics and Protestants will use the state’s authority to implement a religious agenda, just as in the Middle Ages. This is the future. The U.S. still upholds religious freedom and the separation of church and state. However, history does not stand still. Current societal trends, Christianity, and politics are causing the eschatological perspective to accelerate sharply. The wall that separates church and state stands, but we must fervently defend it. In the dynamically changing world around us, let us be vigilant. Let us prudently read the signs of the times and be ready to bear witness to truth and freedom.

Marcin Watras lives in Katowice, Poland. He is interested in the philosophy of religion and trends in society. He works for the European Union.

 Endnotes:

  1. Zbigniew Jaworski, Wolność religijna według Edyktu Mediolańskiego – w 1700 rocznicę wydania, published by Biuletyn SAWP June 2014, Vol. 9, No. 11 (1), pp. 17–29
  2. , p. 22
  3. The Edict of Thessalonica, February 2, 2021, historytoday.com/archive/months-past/edict-thessalonica, accessibility: 01.08.2025
  4. Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Volume III: Nicene and Post-Nicene Christianity. D. 311–600, Publisher Grand Rapids 2002, p. 55
  5. Dave Hunt, Kobieta jadąca na bestii, publishing house Fundacja Świadome Chrześcijaństwo 2024, p. 51
  6. , pp. 54–75
  7. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 93
  8. , p. 85
  9. Mark A. Noll, Protestantyzm, publishing house Uniwersytet Łódzki 2017, pp. 59, 60
  10. Articles, Lawes, and Orders, Divine, Politique, and Martiall for the Colony of Virginea, in William Strachey, For the Colony in Virginea Britannia: Lawes, Divine, Morall, and Martiall, etc. (London: Walter Barre, 1612), 1–7, 19, from the website: religioninamerica.org/rahp_objects/excerpts-of-colonial-laws-related-to-religious-establishment-and-toleration/, accessibility:
    01.12.2025
  11. Marcin Pomarański, Współczesny amerykański fundamentalizm protestancki, publishing house UMCS, p. 75
  12. , p. 78
  13. Lawrence Hurley, Andrew Chung, U.S. Supreme Court takes aim at separation of church and state, June 29, 2022, reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-takes-aim-separation-church-state-2022-06-28/, accessibility: 01.15.2025
  14. Michael Kryzanek, The Doctrine of Separation of Church and State, 30 May, 2023, bridgew.edu/stories/2023/doctrine-separation-church-and-state, accessibility: 15.01.2025
  15. Lawrence Hurley, Andrew Chung, U.S. Supreme Court takes aim at separation of church and state, 29 June 2022, reuters.com/legal/government/us-supreme-court-takes-aim-separation-church-state-2022-06-28/, accessibility: 01.15.2025
  16. Marci A. Hamilton and Leslie C. Griffin, How Did Six Conservative Catholics Become Supreme Court Justices Together?, 3 May 2023, https://verdict.justia.com/2023/05/03/how-did-six-conservative-catholics-become-supreme-court-justices-together, accessibility: 01.16.2025
  17. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 580
  18. Peter Smith, White evangelical voters show steadfast support for Donald Trump’s presidency, 7 Nov 2024, pbs.org/newshour/politics/white-evangelical-voters-show-steadfast-support-for-donald-trumps-presidency, accessibility: 01.19.2025
  19. Trump Promises to Grant Christians Unprecedented Political Power, youtube.com/watch?v=CbVqE6pacc8, accessibility: 01.19.2025
  20. Ibid.

Global Trends from a Prophetic Perspective

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At the writing of these words, the presidential election in the United States has already been decided. It is strongly felt that the history of this world has become more dynamic since that moment. The eschatological (end time) perspective has significantly accelerated. Certain historical events, viewed through an eschatological lens, can either speed up or slow down the passage of time. In this sense, time is not a constant but is subject to various changes. The history of this world demonstrates that geopolitical realities, which may appear utterly unshakable and eternal, often prove to be highly unstable, fragile, and susceptible to change. The dynamics of history can be surprising, though they tend to follow a fairly predictable mechanism of emergence, growth (expansion), disintegration, and decline—and occasionally, the rebirth—of states and civilizations. While geopolitical changes can occur relatively quickly, shifts in political systems within individual countries happen with even greater dynamism. The most dynamic, however, are changes in social sentiments.

In response to a specific crisis, public sentiment can transform at an extremely rapid pace, essentially overnight. The recent events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic are a perfect example of this. Crisis leads to change. A political-economic crisis triggers political-economic change. A religious crisis brings about religious change. Crises are naturally embedded in the stages of history. While not every change is preceded by a crisis, every crisis invariably leads to some form of change. I do not intend to turn a specific political event into a definitive turning point in world history. There have been many such turning points, and when connected, they form a line that, as defined by Jesus Christ, has a predetermined end. What matters is not the individual or event but the broader trajectory of the political and social change we are experiencing. This is not about sensationalism or media narratives and slogans but about seeing the bigger picture—assembling the puzzle pieces to understand the current political, social, and religious trends. Ultimately, these trends will lead to the breakdown of the wall separating church and state in the U.S., bringing us closer to fulfilling the role attributed to the United States in Revelation 13.

A Broader Perspective

Since the end of World War II, the world has operated under a bipolar system in which the United States led the “West” against the totalitarian Soviet empire. In 1980, the social movement “Solidarity” emerged in Poland, marking the beginning of the end of the communist system in Central and Eastern Europe. On February 6, 1989, negotiations began in Poland between the communists and representatives of Solidarity, which led to the end of the communist dictatorship in Poland just four months later.1

The fall of communism in Poland and the transition to a democratic and capitalist political system influenced the process of communism’s collapse across all of Central and Eastern Europe. However, few predicted that a power like the Union of Soviet Socialist Russia (USSR) would collapse under its own weight just three years later, on January 1, 1992, and become part of history.2 Thus, a new world order emerged, a new era in which the U.S. became the global hegemon—a political, military, and economic superpower.

The world entered a golden decade of Pax Americana, in which the U.S. displayed multilateral dominance in the global system, expanding American values of democracy and free markets. With the beginning of the new millennium, we can observe the rise of emerging powers—BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China)—and the relative decline of the West, including the U.S. Globalization and shaping a multipolar international order favor the rapidly developing China in its struggle for global primacy with the West. China is already an unquestionable economic and trade powerhouse, systematically modernizing and implementing new technologies while increasing its military potential. However, it is worth noting that China has only a potential perspective for growth toward a new role as a world leader. At the same time, the U.S. remains the only global superpower and intends to maintain this global primacy. Therefore, a confrontation between the U.S. and China is inevitable if it intends to halt China’s rise. However, some, such as Ivo Daalder, the former U.S. ambassador to NATO, believe that “The Pax Americana will officially end on Jan. 20, 2025, when the U.S. inaugurates Donald J. Trump as its 47th president.”3

The position of the U.S. as the sole global superpower fits precisely into the Adventist scenario of the end times. Identifying the “beast from the earth,” resembling a lamb in Revelation 13, as the U.S. fulfills all the conditions that can only be realized by a power such as the United States. As the sole superpower, only this power can compel the world to accept the “mark of the beast.”4 This is confirmed by the language used in the brief description of the beast with the lamb-like horns. The Greek word poiei (“to make” or “to cause”) appears five times, which highlights its role as the global enforcer.5

The (Un)Holy Alliance

The overthrow of communism in Europe was achieved through the cooperation of the United States and the Vatican. The world learned of the secret alliance that was formed on June 7, 1982, thanks to the investigative journalism of Carl Bernstein that was published in Time magazine in February 1992. This cooperation resulted in burying communism, thus allowing the U.S. to achieve global political hegemony, while the Papacy emerged as the undisputed global moral authority.6 And so it happened! Communism fell, and from then on, in Eastern and Central Europe, the Catholic Church gained political influence that it had not held since the Middle Ages.

In the history of U.S. and Vatican relations, this was not the first meeting of heads of state. The first meeting between a U.S. president and the pope occurred in 1919. Many years later, in 1959, the second meeting occurred. The meeting between President John F. Kennedy and Pope Paul VI in 1963 sparked a cascade of meetings between American presidents and popes, with 29 such meetings by 2021. This shows a clear upward trend in the number of meetings, indicating the tightening cooperation between these two global players for the sake of common global interests.7

The Gulf. Does anyone still perceive a gulf?

The political cooperation between the U.S. and the Vatican, symbolized by the political alliance described in Time magazine, is one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is the powerful alliance between Protestants and Catholics, which today is essentially ready to fulfill its eschatological role. These two aspects of cooperation demonstrate the mutual understanding between Protestants and Catholics regarding the main directions of socio-political actions despite their theological differences. Even these theological differences no longer concerned Protestants once they understood the significance of the Reformation and the nature of Roman Catholicism.

Today, anti-Catholic sentiment has long ceased to be fashionable in Protestantism. Now, not only is the Roman Catholic Church respected and accepted by Protestants as one of the Christian Churches, but the current trend is such that many evangelical Christians are converting to Roman Catholicism. For young Protestants, the “move to papal Rome” has become fashionable because they want to belong to a church with ancient roots. At the same time, these young people often do not understand why the Reformation occurred.

An example of this trend is J.D. Vance’s abandonment of evangelical Christianity in favor of the Roman Catholic Church.8 Ellen White wrote long ago that there once existed an abyss between Protestants and Catholics, an abyss that no one questioned. However, she prophesied that Protestants would reach out across this gulf: “When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.”9 She also wrote: “There is an increasing indifference concerning the doctrines that separate the reformed churches from the papal hierarchy; the opinion is gaining ground that, after all, we do not differ so widely upon vital points as has been supposed … .”10

It’s interesting, then, what Protestants are saying today. Let’s take a look at the statement of Protestant theology professor Stanley Hauerwas: “… like many Protestants, I don’t see the gulf between us and our Catholic brothers and sisters as particularly pronounced. The separation I once saw as default now makes less sense to me.”11 He further argues: “Most of the reforms Protestants wanted Catholics to make have been made.”12 Really? Rome has not carried out any reforms of its false doctrines and dogmas that would address the issues raised by the Reformation. So why does a professor of theology such as Stanley Hauerwas claim this has happened? At the end of his article, Hauerwas shares a candid admission: “… a number of my Protestant graduate students have become Roman Catholics over the years. … They convert because Catholicism is an intellectually rich theological tradition better able to negotiate the acids of our culture. They also take seriously that Roman Catholicism represents a commitment to Christian unity toward non-Catholic Christians and between the poor and those who are not poor. I have watched these students join the Catholic Church over the years. They are not wrong. And yet, I remain a Protestant. It is hard for me to explain why that is.”13

If a Protestant theologian holds such views, imagine how the average Protestant perceives the Roman Catholic Church. Many evangelical Christians likely consider Catholics to be fellow Bible-believing Christians, or conversely, many evangelical Christians might actually consider themselves to be Catholics. Am I exaggerating? Unfortunately, this is the reality for many contemporary evangelical Christians in America. It has even reached the point where some Protestants openly proclaim that the Reformation is over.

At a conference of Pentecostal leaders associated with the ministry of Kenneth Copeland, which took place on January 21–23, 2014, Anglican Bishop Tony Palmer, referencing the 1999 Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification issued by the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, publicly declared that Luther’s protest is over. Palmer then asked, “If there is no more protest; how can there be a Protestant Church? Maybe now we’re all Catholics again.”14 This Anglican bishop and papal agent blatantly lied and manipulated the naive Pentecostals, who eagerly accepted every word of Palmer. After this statement, Palmer presented a short video message from Pope Francis, expressing his “longing” for the end of the division between Catholics and other Christians. The entire performance concluded with the Pentecostal leaders receiving the Pope’s blessing, after which they prayed for him, blessed him, and recorded their message for him on their smartphones.

The Reformation is still alive

This segment of evangelical and Pentecostal Christians, who desire so much to return to Rome, fails to understand that rejecting the Reformation means restoring totalitarian power to the Roman Church, which will lead once again to the persecution of those who stubbornly hold to their Biblical beliefs that oppose Catholic dogma. “The theological differences between Catholics and Protestants were once so great that millions preferred to die rather than compromise with Rome. Even the inquisitors were so convinced of the importance of these differences that they tortured and killed those with differing beliefs. The fact is that the doctrine of the Roman Church has not changed since the time of the Reformation. What has changed is the Protestants.”15

As long as the papacy continues to teach its false, unbiblical doctrines, the Reformation will remain alive in those Protestant churches that stay faithful to God’s word. As long as the principles of the Reformation remain alive in the hearts of every true Christian, we can be confident that the system foretold in Revelation chapter 13 will not arise.

Contemporary Protestant Fundamentalism

The neo-Marxist cultural revolution is destroying the principles, laws, and values of Western civilization. Developed over centuries, it also poses a threat to freedom of conscience. This left-wing progressivism manifested in censorship, climate hysteria, gender ideology, and LGBT+ issues, as well as the mutilation and manipulation of children through gender transition, leads to the point where conservative Christian churches are unwilling to passively observe the moral decay of society, especially as they begin to lose followers.16

Conservative Protestant churches in America have allied with conservative Catholics to counteract these unfavorable cultural changes. However, this action is not based on preaching the gospel but on organized efforts to influence politics and the government to implement policies that will halt the moral decline of the American nation.17 Thus, in the 1970s, the religious right was born, with the primary goal of restoring Christian America through influencing American politics and government. Politically-engaged conservative Christians aimed to elect conservative activists and politicians at all decision-making levels, influence legislation, and appoint judges to the Supreme Court who would share their views. Restoring Christian America for Protestant fundamentalists meant dismantling the Jeffersonian wall of separation between church and state. This would allow for legal, social, and moral changes through the political leaders they selected. “Unfortunately, while the religious right takes an undeniably positive stance on moral issues, the situation is different when it comes to personal liberty and religious freedom. The Adventist scenario of recent events, clearly described in the book The Great Controversy, can only unfold if the United States rejects the principles of the separation of church and state, as laid out in the First Amendment to the Constitution, principles to which the religious right has openly declared war.”18

There is something in the psyche of Seventh-day Adventists that causes us to react when someone tries to undermine the importance of the separation of church and state. This is not only due to our understanding of the prophetic role of the U.S. in an eschatological perspective, but also because history has shown that wherever the separation of church and state is lacking, discrimination against nonconformists and, ultimately, persecution of religious minorities occurs. This has always been the case in history. That is why John Locke wrote: “… so that neither one party may disguise their persecution and cruelty, contrary to the spirit of Christianity, under the guise of concern for the state and respect for the law, nor that others may seek to cover up their own immoral behavior and lawlessness under the pretext of religion—in short, so that no one may deceive themselves or others by pretending to be a faithful subject of the ruler or a sincere worshiper of God—I believe that, first and foremost, a separation between the affairs of the state and the affairs of religion must be made, and the boundaries between church and state must be justly defined. If this separation is not achieved, no dispute will ever come to an end—disputes between those who genuinely care for the welfare of souls or the state, or those who merely pretend to care.”19 Unfortunately, the religious right in the United States either does not understand this or, worse, refuses to understand it. From the Pharisees to today’s religious right, fundamentalists have always had good intentions but misguided zeal. Unable to draw people toward their religion through love and logic, they resort to wielding the secular sword.20 In the next article, we will look at selected examples from history to see what the lack of separation between church and state leads to.

Marcin Watras lives in Katowice, Poland. He is interested in the philosophy of religion and trends in society. He works for the European Union.

Endnotes:

  1. “1989. Czas, w którym wygasała czerwień”, January 31, 2019, https://dzieje.pl/aktualnosci/1989-czas-w-ktorym-wygasala-czerwien, accessibility: 05.11.2024
  2. “Upadek ZSRR: Koniec imperium zła”, November 24, 2018, https://historia.rp.pl/historia/art9546571-upadek-zsrr-koniec-imperium-zla, accessibility: 05.11.2024
  3. Ivo Daalder, “The end of Pax Americana”, Politico, November 8, 2024, politico.eu/article/pax-america-donald-trump-us-elections-president-reelection-deport/, accessibility: 10.11.2024
  4. Clifford Goldstein, Dzień smoka, publishing house “Znaki Czasu”, Warszawa 1996, p. 22
  5. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 85
  6. Carl Bernstein, “The Holy Alliance: Ronald Reagan and John Paul II”, Time, February 24, 1992, https://time.com/archive/6719650/the-holy-alliance-ronald-reagan-and-john-paul-ii/, accessibility: 11.11.2024
  7. Papieskie audiencje dla prezydentów USA, November 29, 2021, ekai.pl/papieskie-audiencje-dla-prezydentow-usa/, accessibility: 11.11.2024
  8. youtube.com/watch?v=fVHdhnfVldE&t=1s
  9. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 451
  10. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 563
  11. Stanley Hauerwas, “The Reformation is over. Protestants won. So why are we still here?”, The Washington Post, October 27, 2017, washingtonpost.com/outlook/the-reformation-is-over-protestants-won-so-why-are-we-still-here/2017/10/26/71a2ad02-b831-11e7-be94-fabb0f1e9ffb_story.html, accessibility: 12.11.2024
  12. Ibid.
  13. Ibid.
  14. youtube.com/watch?v=fxup_QnfSHg
  15. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 103
  16. America’s Changing Religious Landscape, report Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, pewresearch.org/religion/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/, accessibility: 17.11.2024
  17. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 88
  18. Clifford Goldstein, Dzień smoka, publishing house “Znaki Czasu”, Warszawa 1996, p. 46
  19. John Locke, List o tolerancji, publishing house PWN, Warszawa 1963, p. 7
  20. Jonatan Dunkel, Apokalipsa, publishing house Orion plus 2001, p. 87

The Loud Cry

by

Studying the second coming of Christ thrills us with anticipation. The next most exciting subject is the loud cry, for it stirs our hearts for the climax of victory. Surrounding the loud cry is a large cluster of events that begins with the national Sunday law and ends with the close of probation.

Courage or Compromise?

Revelation 18 contains the introduction of the loud cry that is to be given to the entire world.

“After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hateful bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.’

“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.’ ” Verses 1–5

This most powerful message of the loud cry will begin as soon as the United States of America enacts the national Sunday law. Immediately, Rome will compel every nation on earth to follow the United States and declare Sunday the universal day of worship.

“Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 395

“All nations and tongues and peoples will be commanded to worship this spurious sabbath. This is Satan’s plan to make of no account the day instituted by God, and given to the world as a memorial of Creation.

“The decree enforcing the worship of this day is to go forth to all the world.” Maranatha, 214

Here, the loyal Sabbathkeepers will face the crisis of their lives. Would they rather die than sin against God, or will they compromise to avoid conflict and death? Will they accept the mark of the beast or the seal of God? Only a small remnant will receive the seal of God, and the Holy Spirit will pour out the latter rain, enabling them to give the loud cry quickly to the entire world. Keep in mind that the sealing is a progressive work, and as men and women all over the world come to understand what is taking place in the loud cry, they will make their decisions in response to the three angels’ messages to accept or reject God’s final appeal. Divine power will be displayed in their lives by the words they will speak.

Satan will manifest himself as Christ returning to the earth.

“Satan sees that he is about to lose his case. He cannot sweep in the whole world. He makes one last desperate effort to overcome the faithful by deception. He does this in personating Christ. He clothes himself with the garments of royalty which have been accurately described in the vision of John. He has power to do this. He will appear to his deluded followers, the Christian world, who received not the love of the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (transgression of the law), as Christ coming the second time.

“He proclaims himself Christ, and he is believed to be Christ, a beautiful, majestic being clothed with majesty and, with soft voice and pleasant words, with glory unsurpassed by anything their mortal eyes had yet beheld. Then his deceived, deluded followers set up a shout of victory, ‘Christ has come the second time! Christ has come! He has lifted up His hands just as He did when He was upon the earth, and blessed us.’ ” Last Day Events, 164

I believe this to be Satan’s attempt to counterfeit the mighty work of the fourth angel.

Let’s look at the sequence once again.

  • National Sunday law
  • Universal Sunday law
  • Sealing
  • Latter rain
  • Loud cry, which Satan tries to counterfeit with his satanic manifestations

God provides tremendous information to us as He sends the fourth angel to empower the loud cry so that nothing on earth can stop it. This makes it possible to reveal that Babylon is fallen, unmask her sins, and call His people to come out of her lest they should participate in her plagues.

We must be aware that the Lord has people in all other churches.

“The Lord has His representatives in all the churches. These persons have not had the special testing truths for these last days presented to them under circumstances that brought conviction to heart and mind; therefore, they have not, by rejecting light, severed their connection with God.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 70, 71

“Notwithstanding the spiritual darkness and alienation from God that exist in the churches which constitute Babylon, the great body of Christ’s true followers are still to be found in their communion.” The Great Controversy, 390

We are not to be discouraged by the many within our church who are captivated by false teachings. Though they may leave God’s true church by the millions, millions in other churches will heed the loud cry and come out of Babylon, taking their place among God’s people. This is encouraging!

How are God’s people to react to this Sunday law?

We must never give the impression that we are resting on Sunday in honor of the Sunday sabbath. We may quietly work within our home on Sunday; we may quietly rest during part of Sunday as we do on any other day, remembering it is a work day as God has spoken, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work.” Exodus 20:9

“We must take a firm stand that we will not reverence the first day of the week as the Sabbath, for it is not the day that was blessed and sanctified by Jehovah, and in reverencing Sunday, we should place ourselves on the side of the great deceiver.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 388

What a wonderful God we serve. He cares so much for us that He tells us what we may or may not do so that we do not have to fail.

“The people will soon find out what you believe about Sunday and the Sabbath for they will ask questions. Then you can tell them, but not in such a manner as to attract attention to your work. You need not cut short your work by yourself laboring on Sunday. …

“Refraining from work on Sunday is not receiving the mark of the beast. … In places where the opposition is so strong as to arouse persecution, if work is done on Sunday, let our brethren make that day an occasion to do genuine missionary work.” Last Day Events, 139

Years ago, an attempt was made to pass a Sunday law in Australia. Notice the counsel Ellen White offered.

“At one time those in charge of our school at Avondale inquired of me, saying: ‘What shall we do? The officers of the law have been commissioned to arrest those working on Sunday.’ I replied: ‘It will be very easy to avoid that difficulty. Give Sunday to the Lord as a day for doing missionary work. Take the students out to hold meetings in different places, and to do medical missionary work. They will find the people at home and will have a splendid opportunity to present the truth. This way of spending Sunday is always acceptable to the Lord.’ ” Testimonies, Vol. 9, 238

Conducting Sabbath school for the children on Sunday is acceptable, but never conduct a worship service on Sunday. There is a vast difference between these two programs.

“When the practices of the people do not come in conflict with the law of God, you may conform to them. If the workers fail to do this, they will not only hinder their own work, but they will place stumbling blocks in the way of those for whom they labor, and hinder them from accepting the truth. On Sunday there is the very best opportunity for those who are missionaries to hold Sunday schools, and come to the people in the simplest manner possible, telling them of the love of Jesus for sinners, and educating them in the Scriptures. …

“The light that I have is that God’s servants should go quietly to work, preaching the grand, precious truths of the Bible—Christ and Him crucified. His love and infinite sacrifice—showing that the reason why Christ died is because the law of God is immutable, unchangeable, eternal. The Sabbath must be taught in a decided manner, but be cautious how you deal with the idol Sunday. A word to the wise is sufficient.” Maranatha, 177

Mrs. White provides straightforward counsel regarding obedience to the laws of earthly government and God’s law.

“The people of God will recognize human government as an ordinance of divine appointment and will by precept and example teach obedience to it as a sacred duty so long as its authority is exercised within its legitimate sphere. But when its claims conflict with the claims of God we must choose to obey God rather than men. The word of God must be recognized and obeyed as an authority above that of all human legislation. ‘Thus saith the Lord’ is not to be set aside for a ‘Thus saith the church or the state.’ The crown of Christ is to be uplifted above all the diadems of earthly potentates.” Last Day Events, 142

The loud cry is the second angel’s message found in Revelation 14:8.

A fearful judgment will come upon those who will worship the beast and his image. This test prepares a people to obey God in the final conflict.

“This warning is brought to view in Revelation 14. Here is a threefold message represented as proclaimed by heavenly beings and immediately followed by the coming of the Son of man to reap ‘the harvest of the earth.’ ” The Great Controversy, 311

Notice what makes the loud cry so different from what the men of God preached for years.

“Heretofore those who presented the truths of the third angel’s message have often been regarded as mere alarmists. Their predictions that religious intolerance would gain control in the United States, that church and state would unite to persecute those who keep the commandments of God, have been pronounced groundless and absurd. … But as the question of enforcing Sunday observance is widely agitated, the events so long doubted and disbelieved is seen to be approaching, and the third message will produce an effect which it could not have had before. …

“Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them. The sins of Babylon will be laid open. The fearful results of enforcing the observances of the church by civil authority, the inroads of spiritualism, the stealthy but rapid progress of the papal power—all will be unmasked. By these solemn warnings, the people will be stirred.” Ibid., 605, 606

The loud cry includes far more.

The loud cry is a mighty appeal with a message of obedience to the law of God made possible by the enabling grace of Christ. It is a message of righteousness and justification by faith. Revelation 14:12, “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” This is a revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Saviour.

“The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 363. The message is to be a revelation of God’s character, how God’s love can lift a man out of the pit of sin and give him complete victory over every sin.

“The last message of mercy to be given to the world is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 415, 416

“The message of Christ’s righteousness is to sound from one end of the earth to the other to prepare the way of the Lord. This is the glory of God, which closes the work of the third angel.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 19

When will this glory of God be manifested to all the earth?

“When do her sins reach unto heaven [Revelation 18:2–5]? When the law of God is finally made void by legislation.” Last Day Events, 198. This is the clear result of the universal Sunday law.

Now is the time for God to act.

God commissions the fourth mighty angel to join with the third angel’s message.

“I saw another mighty angel commissioned to descend to the earth, to unite his voice with the third angel, and give power and force to his message. Great power and glory were imparted to the angel, and as he descended, the earth was lightened with his glory. The light which attended this angel penetrated everywhere, as he cried mightily, with a strong voice, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.’ ” Early Writings, 277

The loud cry will penetrate the deepest darkness.

“Amidst the deepening shadows of earth’s last great crisis, God’s light will shine brightest, and the song of hope and trust will be heard in clearest and loftiest strains.” Education, 166

The message will be given all over the earth.

“During the loud cry, the church, aided by providential interpositions of her exalted Lord, will diffuse the knowledge of salvation so abundantly that light will be communicated to every city and town.” Evangelism, 694

“In every city in America, the truth is to be proclaimed. In every country of the world, the warning message is to be given. …

“In heathen Africa, in the Catholic lands of Europe and of South America, in China, in India, in the islands of the sea, and in all the dark corners of the earth, God has in reserve a firmament of chosen ones that will yet shine forth amidst the darkness, revealing clearly to an apostate world the transforming power of obedience to His law.” Last Day Events, 208, 211, 212

The whole earth is to be enlightened.

“Servants of God, with their faces lighted up and shining with holy consecration, will hasten from place to place to proclaim the message from heaven. By thousands of voices, all over the earth, the warning will be given. Miracles will be wrought, the sick will be healed, and signs and wonders will follow the believers. Satan also works, with lying wonders, even bringing down fire from heaven in the sight of men. Revelation 13:13. Thus the inhabitants of the earth will be brought to take their stand.

“The message will be carried not so much by argument as by the deep conviction of the Spirit of God. The arguments have been presented. The seed has been sown, and now it will spring up and bear fruit. The publications distributed by missionary workers have exerted their influence, yet many whose minds were impressed have been prevented from fully comprehending the truth or from yielding obedience. Now the rays of light penetrate everywhere, the truth is seen in its clearness, and the honest children of God sever the bands which have held them. Family connections, church relations, are powerless to stay them now. Truth is more precious than all besides. Notwithstanding the agencies combined against the truth, a large number take their stand upon the Lord’s side.” The Great Controversy, 612

Thousands will be converted.

“The time is coming when there will be as many converted in a day as there were on the day of Pentecost, after the disciples had received the Holy Spirit.” Evangelism, 692

The evil concepts taught by the ministers and priests of Babylon will be swept away.

“The safeguards which false shepherds have thrown around their flocks will become as nought; thousands will step out into the light, and work to spread the light. Heavenly intelligences will combine with the human agencies. Thus encouraged, the church will indeed arise and shine, throwing all her sanctified energies into the contest; thus the design of God is accomplished; the lost pearls are recovered.” Ibid., 692, 693. Oh, how we should praise God for the return of many backsliders.

“When the storm of persecution really breaks … many who have strayed from the fold will come back to follow the great Shepherd. The people of God will draw together and present to the enemy a united front.” Testimonies, Vol. 6, 401

Such statements should encourage our hearts.

“Thousands in the eleventh hour will see and acknowledge the truth.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 16

The loud cry message will go rapidly.

The loud cry will spread like lightning, flashing from the east to the west.

“The bright light going among the living creatures with the swiftness of lightning represents the speed with which this work will finally go forward to completion.” Testimonies, Vol. 5, 754

In other places, we are told that it will spread like the fire in the stubble.

“When divine power is combined with human effort, the work will spread like fire in the stubble. God will employ agencies whose origin man will be unable to discern; angels will do a work which men might have had the blessing of accomplishing, had they not neglected to answer the claims of God.” Selected Messages, Book 1, 118

The prophet Amos describes the finishing of God’s work on earth in this way:

“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed.” Amos 9:13 KJV. Yes, we shall be overwhelmed with the speed of which the gospel will go.

“These conversions to truth will be made with a rapidity that will surprise the church, and God’s name alone will be glorified.” Selected Messages, Book 2, 16

“The final movements will be rapid ones.” Testimonies, Vol. 9, 11

“For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.” Romans 9:28

The loud cry will come with great power.

The latter rain will fall with ten times the power of the midnight cry given in 1844.

“I saw the latter rain was coming as [suddenly as] the midnight cry, and with ten times the power.” Spalding and Magan Collection, 4

How can we contain ourselves when we realize what’s soon to come?

“Souls that were scattered all through the religious bodies answered to the call, and the precious were hurried out of the doomed churches, as Lot was hurried out of Sodom before her destruction.” Early Writings, 279

The vast majority will reject the message.

“Some will listen to these warnings, but by the vast majority they will be disregarded.” In Heavenly Places, 343

God never forces the will, but false ministers will denounce the truth to hold the people.

“The popular ministry, like the Pharisees of old, filled with anger as their authority is questioned, will denounce the message as of Satan and stir up the sin-loving multitudes to revile and persecute those who proclaim it.” The Great Controversy, 607

What a thrill to our souls! Laymen of faith and prayer will finish the work of the loud cry.

“As the time comes for it to be given with greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments, leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions. Men of faith and prayer will be constrained to go forth with holy zeal, declaring the words which God gives them.” Ibid., 606

Uneducated men and even children will finish this work.

“Many … will be seen hurrying hither and thither, constrained by the Spirit of God to bring the light to others. The truth, the word of God, is as a fire in their bones, filling them with a burning desire to enlighten those who sit in darkness. Many, even among the uneducated, now proclaim the words of the Lord. Children are impelled by the Spirit to go forth and declare the message from heaven. The Spirit is poured out upon all who will yield to its promptings, and, casting off all man’s machinery, his binding rules and cautious methods, they will declare the truth with the might of the Spirit’s power. Multitudes will receive the faith and join the armies of the Lord.” Evangelism, 700

God Himself will take charge of this final work.

“Let me tell you that the Lord will work in this last work in a manner very much out of the common order of things, and in a way that will be contrary to any human planning. There will be those among us who will always want to control the work of God, to dictate even what movements shall be made when the work goes forward under the direction of the angel who joins the third angel in the message to be given to the world. God will use ways and means by which it will be seen that He is taking the reins in His own hands. The workers will be surprised by the simple means that He will use to bring about and perfect His work of righteousness.” Testimonies to Minsters and Gospel Workers, 300

“Those who receive Christ as a personal Saviour will stand the test and trial of these last days. Strengthened by unquestioning faith in Christ, even the illiterate disciple will be able to withstand the doubts and questions that infidelity can produce, and put to blush the sophistries of scorners.

“The Lord Jesus will give the disciples a tongue and wisdom that their adversaries can neither gainsay nor resist. Those who could not, by reasoning, overcome satanic delusions will bear an affirmative testimony that will baffle supposedly learned men. Words will come from the lips of the unlearned with such convincing power and wisdom that conversions will be made to the truth. Thousands will be converted under their testimony. …

“There are many men in our world who are like Cornelius. … As God worked for Cornelius, so He works for these true standard-bearers. … They will obtain a knowledge of God as Cornelius did through the visitation of angels from heaven.

“When divine power is combined with human effort, the work will spread like fire in the stubble. God will employ agencies whose origin man will be unable to discern. Angels will do a work which men might have had the blessing of accomplishing had they not neglected to answer the claims of God.” Last Day Events, 207

Indeed, the loud cry will finish the work many today consider impossible. The work will be finished quickly, and Jesus will come.

Pastor Lawrence Nelson served the Seventh-day Adventist church for over fifty years as a pastor and evangelist, then in Conference, Union, and General Conference leadership. He was also the director of Keep the Faith Audio Tape Ministry. Pastor Nelson passed to his rest on April 18, 2012.

Nearer the End

by

“The work is nearing its close. We are nearer the end
than when we first believed.”

Evangelism, 398

Mrs. White wrote this statement in 1909. It isn’t difficult to look around at current events and the feelings expressed by the population of the world to know that this statement is even more appropriate now than it was 115 years ago.

Those who diligently study the Scriptures can, with certainty, acknowledge that they are seeing prophecy fulfilled right before their eyes. Those of us who were taught that Jesus’ coming is very soon and have lived our entire lives believing that it could happen in our lifetime must surely feel that “it is near—even at the doors!” Matthew 24:33, last part

“There is a great work to be done, and we have only a little while in which to do it.” Evangelism, 398, 399

But the question we must all ask ourselves today, every day, is, Am I ready for Jesus to come?

“We are nearing the end of time, and we want now, not to meet the world’s tastes and practices, but to meet the mind of God; to see what saith the Scriptures, and then to walk according to the light which God has given us. …

“Many professed Christians are in a fair way to lose both worlds. To be half a Christian and half a worldly man makes you about one-hundredth part a Christian and all the rest worldly.

“The mind must be educated and disciplined to love purity. A love for spiritual things should be encouraged; yea, must be encouraged, if you would grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth. … The will must be exercised in the right direction. I will be a whole-hearted Christian. I will know the length and breadth, the height and depth, of perfect love. … Ample provisions are made by Christ to satisfy the soul that hungers and thirsts for righteousness.” The Faith I Live By, 152

“We are to fix the eye of faith steadfastly upon Jesus. When the days come, as they surely will, in which the law of God is made void, the zeal of the true and loyal should rise with the emergency, and should be the more warm and decided, and their testimony should be the more positive and unflinching. But we are to do nothing in a defiant spirit, and we shall not, if our hearts are fully surrendered to God.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 405

“The righteousness which God requires is internal as well as external. The heart must be purified, else Christ cannot be enthroned there. The life must be conformed to the will of God.

“External forms cannot take the place of inward piety. The Jewish teachers exalted themselves as righteous; they called all those who differed from them accursed, and closed the gates of heaven to them, declaring that those who had not learned in their schools, were not righteous. But with all their criticisms and exactions, with all their forms and ceremonies, they were an offense to God. They looked down upon and despised the very ones precious in the sight of the Lord. …

“Human devices, human plans, and human counsels will be without power. Only in Christ Jesus will the church near the period of Christ’s coming be able to stand. She is required of her Redeemer to advance in piety, to have increasing zeal, understanding better as she nears the end that her own ‘high calling’ is ‘of God in Christ Jesus.’

“There are glorious truths to come before the people of God. Privileges and duties which they do not even suspect to be in the Bible will be laid open before the followers of Christ. As they follow on in the path of humble obedience, doing God’s will, they will know more and more of the oracles of God, and be established in right doctrines.

“The baptism of the Holy Spirit will dispel human imaginings, will break down self-erected barriers, and will cause to cease the feeling that ‘I am holier than thou.’ There will be a humble spirit with all, more faith and love; self will not be exalted. … Christ’s spirit, Christ’s example, will be exemplified in His people. We shall follow more closely the ways and works of Jesus. … The love of Jesus will pervade our hearts.” That I May Know Him, 114

Our work in the final days of Earth’s history is to be a beacon of God’s love, the bearers of the good news that Jesus Christ has died to offer forgiveness and a new life to all who would surrender themselves to Him. But before we can bring this news to a dying world, we must be fit ourselves to bear it. Satan knows that he has but a short time to bring his own message—a deceptive message so mingled with truth that even some of God’s people—the very elect—could be, and sadly will be, deceived.

“As we near the end, temptations will be stronger and more seductive, but we need not yield to them, we need not open the door of the heart and invite Satan to enter. There is no power in earth or hell to compel [anyone] to sin and dishonor [their] holy faith … .

“I advise you to make a halt, to turn around and decide that it is best to be Christians in the full acceptation of the term. Submit your will to God, that you may choose the path of righteousness and truth. Let not your passions sway your reason, and iniquity triumph over truth.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 13, 89, 90

“Many things intended to deceive us will come, bearing some of the marks of truth. Just as soon as these shall be set forth as the great power of God, Satan is all ready to weave in that which he has prepared to lead souls from the truth for this time.

“Some will accept and promulgate the error, and when the reproof comes that will place matters in the true light, those who have had little experience and who are ignorant of the oft-repeated workings of Satan, will cast away with the rubbish of error that which has been before them as truth. Thus the light and warnings which God gives for this time will be made of no effect.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 404

We must suit up for the conflict—put on the whole armor of God—call upon the Holy Spirit for the power to fight through the army of darkness bringing the light of glory to shine all around, even into the darkest corners.

“Day after day is passing into eternity, bringing us nearer to the close of probation. As never before we must pray for the Holy Spirit to be more abundantly bestowed upon us, and we must look for its sanctifying influence to come upon the workers, that those for whom they labor may know that they have been with Jesus and have learned of Him.

“We need spiritual eyesight, that we may see the designs of the enemy, and as faithful watchmen proclaim the danger. We need power from above, that we may understand, as far as the human mind can, the great themes of Christianity and their far-reaching principles. …

“We are living in the last days, when error of a most deceptive character is accepted and believed, while truth is discarded. … He calls upon us to work diligently in gathering up the jewels of truth, and placing them in the framework of the gospel. In all their divine beauty they are to shine forth in the moral darkness of the world.” Gospel Workers, 288, 289

“The third angel is represented as flying swiftly through the midst of heaven, proclaiming his message with a loud voice. This representation symbolizes the work of God’s agencies near the end of time. With joyful countenances and uplifted heads, with the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness shining upon them, with rejoicing that their redemption draweth nigh, they go forth as soldiers of the cross.

“They make it manifested that they have tasted the power of the world to come, that they are not standing on sliding sand, but on the solid Rock, that they cannot be easily moved away from the faith once delivered to the saints. They are strengthened by their Leader to cope with difficulty, and are messengers of righteousness, representing Christ and revealing the triumphs of His grace.” Manuscript Releases, Vol. 18, 137

Jesus came to this world as a man that He might make salvation free to all who would accept it. This He accomplished when He gave up His life on the cross. He is called the Pattern Man, bearing our human nature, yet still one with God. He lived a life meant to be the pattern for all who are willing to commit their lives to His service and leadership. Loving kindness, compassion, integrity, holiness, righteousness, honesty, purity, and sinlessness—all are represented in the character of Christ, the same character that we can develop when we follow in His footsteps.

But the men in Jesus’ day, hated him. There is a stark difference between Christ’s character and the character of sinful man. All who do not love and follow Him hate Him because of the purity and holiness of His character, traits of character they do not themselves possess.

“The difference between the character of Christ and the character of other men of His day was everywhere apparent; and because of this difference the world hated Him. It hated Him for His goodness and His strict integrity. And Christ declared that those who manifest the same attributes would be likewise hated. As we near the end of time this hatred for the followers of Christ will be more and more manifest.

“Christ took humanity and bore the hatred of the world that He might show men and women that they could live without sin, that their words, their actions, their spirit, might be sanctified to God. We can be perfect Christians if we will manifest this power in our lives. When the light of heaven rests upon us continually, we shall represent Christ. It was the righteousness revealed in His life that distinguished Him from the world and called forth its hatred.” The Upward Look, 303

Still, in spite of the hatred of the world, God sends His people out to bear the gospel of salvation to a world in desperate need of saving.

“Everywhere are seen wrecks of humanity, broken-down family altars, ruined homes. There is a strange abandonment of principle, the standard of morality is lowered, and the earth is fast becoming a Sodom. The practices which brought the judgment of God upon the antediluvian world, and which caused Sodom to be destroyed by fire, are fast increasing. We are nearing the end, when the earth is to be purified by fire.” Evangelism, 678

“But near the end of earth’s harvest a special bestowal of the spiritual grace is promised, to prepare the church for the coming of the Son of men. This outpouring of the Spirit is likened to the falling of the latter rain; and it is for this added power that the Christians are to send their petitions to the Lord of the harvest ‘in the time of the latter rain.’ In response, ‘The Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain.’ …

“Those only who are constantly receiving fresh supplies of grace will have power proportionate to their daily need and their ability to use that power. Instead of looking forward to some future time when, through a special endowment of spiritual power, they will receive a miraculous fitting up for soul winning, they are yielding themselves daily to God, that He may make them vessels meet for His use. Daily they are improving the opportunities for service that lie within their reach. Daily they are witnessing for the Master wherever they may be … .” My Life Today, 60

“The work for these last days is a missionary work. Present truth, from the first to the last letter of its alphabet, means missionary effort. The work to be done calls for sacrifice at every step of advance. The workers are to come forth from trial, purified and refined, as gold tried in the fire.” The Review and Herald, November 18, 1902

Are we ready? God is calling us to surrender right now, to put away our sins when they are revealed to us. We are not to try a little today or a little tomorrow to give up sin. We are called to give up all of our sins today. Christ provides sufficient provision that anyone, all men and women, possessing a character like His, may be more than overcomers.

Judy Rebarchek is the managing editor of the LandMarks magazine. She may be contacted by email at judyrebarchek@stepstolife.org

Guards on the Wall

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I have often wondered how the prophecies of the book of Revelation concerning the establishment of a global political, economic, and religious system might be fulfilled. More specifically, I continue to ponder how the wall separating church and state will be demolished in the Western world. The destruction of this wall and this great separation is necessary for realizing all the components of the totalitarian system described in the book of Revelation. What must happen for this to come about? After all, we live in an era of secularism, humanism, human rights, and liberal democracy. It seems unthinkable.

The origins of the idea of the great separation

The idea of the separation of church and state is not accepted worldwide. There are countries where this idea is entirely foreign and hostile, as their political systems are based on the integration of state and religion into a single entity. But is this idea of separation self-evident for the Western world, something the West has always nurtured and acknowledged? The answer is no; separation was not always self-evident (although we have become so accustomed to it that we sometimes fail to see how unconventional it is).

The idea of separation took root in the 16th century within the radical branch of the Protestant Reformation known as Anabaptism. It was then formulated in the next century into concrete constitutional solutions proposed and implemented by figures such as William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. Penn, fascinated from a young age by Quaker doctrine, aimed to establish Pennsylvania as an official Quaker colony, respecting the fundamental Quaker principle of religious freedom. This principle was enshrined in the first constitutional document (Frame of Government) and applied to all who believed in one God. In this way, Penn was ahead of his time, a precursor of religious freedom in America, which only truly triumphed after the War of Independence in 1776.1 Pastor Roger Williams also wholly rejected the Puritan theocracy in Massachusetts, eventually founding the colony of Rhode Island. This colony was the first in modern times to completely separate church and state under the principle that the government cannot compel anyone to adhere to any particular religious beliefs or practices. Williams became a leading figure in the tradition of state neutrality concerning religion and political liberalism in America. He was also one of the few colonists who vocally protested against the extermination of Native Americans.2

The sphere of faith and state coercion

John Locke, the English political philosopher, developed the concept of the separation of church and state in his work titled A Letter Concerning Toleration, in which he presented the justification for the doctrine that the state should not interfere in religious life and should guarantee religious freedom. Locke argues that tolerance is the criterion of the “true church.” God did not grant people the right to compel others to accept their own religion. The realm of faith lies beyond the reach of state power, and the responsibility for seeking the best path to salvation should rest with the individual. The separation of religion from politics simultaneously presupposes the existence of religious freedom and freedom of conscience within the state. However, according to Locke, religious tolerance has its limits. It does not extend to those who claim privileges that exempt them from obeying state law, nor to those who are unwilling to tolerate others with different beliefs, nor to a church whose faith requires obedience to a foreign ruler, which includes not only Muslim communities but also, notably, the Roman Catholic Church.3

Tolerance

There can be no doubt that the idea of ​​religious freedom formulated by Penn, Williams, and Locke is one of the most important values ​​defining the identity of countries belonging to the circle of Western culture. For liberal thought, “… the starting point … was the fight for religious freedom, i.e., freedom of conscience, which logically led into the fight for complete freedom of thought and speech.”4 John Locke breaks with the traditional understanding of tolerance as disapproval of the tolerated behavior. In the traditional sense, tolerance was not a value or a virtue; it was an attitude adopted for social reasons. Tolerance involved patiently enduring behavior considered wrong in order to maintain social peace. We also read in A Letter Concerning Toleration that Locke departed from this understanding. He elevated tolerance to the status of a civic virtue, a foundation of modern society. For Locke, tolerance is a natural consequence of the Christian attitude of love for one’s neighbor. It is the result of separating the secular and spiritual spheres.5 Let us therefore summarize: the world before the idea of ​​separation of church and state was formulated and implemented by radical Protestant thinkers in the 17th century was a world in which the unity of religion and state was the foundation of the political system. Starting with the builders of the first civilizations, through the period of the Papacy in medieval Europe, until modern times, people have known no other political order except this union of church and state.

Polish experiment

In my view, an exceptionally interesting case is the history of the idea of tolerance in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which since 1569, was a federal state composed of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania—the former Poland. While in Western Europe during the 16th century people were killing each other in the name of God, a remarkable event occurred in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In 1573, the Polish parliament enacted a pioneering document in European history—the Warsaw Confederation, which was a document guaranteeing religious freedom in the Commonwealth. Poland thus became a safe haven for all those persecuted for their faith.6 Everything changed in Poland when the wars of the 17th century between Protestant Sweden, Orthodox Russia, and Muslim Turkey (the Ottoman Empire), as well as the Counter-Reformation led by the Jesuits, ended religious tolerance in Poland. The once-established religious freedom in a state is not something guaranteed and can unfortunately prove very fragile, as evidenced in Poland during the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, Poland’s Constitution guarantees the separation of church and state; however, the Catholic Church has a significant influence on state politics, which in practice means that the constitutional separation of church and state is often questioned.

An idea materialized in reality

The practical realization of the idea of the separation of church and state began with the Constitution of the United States of America, specifically the First Amendment of 1791, which stipulated that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” From the provisions of the First Amendment, two clauses concerning religious freedom are derived: the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The first emphasizes the neutral character of the state, thus necessitating the separation of church and state and the prohibition of establishing any religion as the official one. The second clause underscores the rights of all religious groups to freely practice their religion within the United States and prohibits the authorities from any interference in their doctrine or worship.7 According to Mark Noll, an American historian specializing in the history of Christianity in the United States, “From the perspective of European Christians, the American experiment in establishing the separation of church and state was doomed to failure, as nothing similar had been attempted in European history before.”8 However, it was indeed the United States that set the direction for other countries. In Europe, revolutionary France introduced legislation regulating the separation of church and state in 1795, and later other countries followed suit. Today, the principle of the “great separation” is the dominant solution in democratic states, essentially in most countries around the world—at least formally.

Sixteen words

As Clifford Goldstein once observed: “We may think that the Constitution clearly and specifically defines our religious freedoms. Not quite. The basis for these assurances for a nation of two hundred fifty million citizens with hundreds of different denominations is found in just sixteen English words: ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ ”9

Religious diversity in the United States

The ideas of religious freedom and pluralism enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution have allowed the development of a society with extraordinary religious diversity. A 2008 analysis of the religious composition of U.S. citizens reveals the presence of adherents to virtually all religions in the world. The largest group is Christians, constituting 78.4% of the population, with Protestants comprising 51.3%.10 This study shows that American society remains predominantly shaped by Protestant tradition, which influences American political culture. The principles of religious freedom and the separation of church and state are indeed owed to Protestant thought and Enlightenment ideals. If Protestants, who uphold the legacy of William Penn, Roger Williams, and John Locke, guard religious freedom in the U.S., the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution will be preserved. However, if Protestantism in the U.S. turns against the principles of religious freedom, embracing the legacy of Puritan theocracy, then religious freedoms will be trampled upon and constitutional guarantees nullified. In that case, the United States will speak with the dragon’s voice.

Fragile matter

The separation of church and state is the foundation of freedom and tolerance in every country where such freedom exists. The United States currently protects religious liberty and the separation of church and state. However, according to the prophecy of Revelation 13, she will lead the world into religious deception, creating the “image of the beast,” a global religious-economic-political system. It is regrettable that this country, where millions of people have found refuge from war and persecution, religious freedom, and prosperity, will become a country that will trample on religious and civil liberties and force obedience to religious commands. The U.S. will become a tyrant. The lamb will become a beast and speak with the dragon’s voice.

Does anyone in the U.S. speak the dragon’s language? Yes, there are Protestant and Catholic fundamentalists who believe in the idea of ​​a Christian America, who would replace Jefferson’s wall of separation of state and religion. Fundamentalists see the American state as politically and economically weak, with unjust laws and demoralized customs, for which fundamentalists blame the principles of secularism, rationalism, religious tolerance, liberal pluralism, and individualism. They are convinced that the changes will be achieved with the help of their elected political leaders who will make the legal, social, and moral changes they want.11 Ellen White warns of such a scenario: “When the leading churches of the United States, uniting upon such points of doctrine as are held by them in common, shall influence the state to enforce their decrees and to sustain their institutions, then Protestant America will have formed an image of the Roman hierarchy, and the infliction of civil penalties upon dissenters will inevitably result.”12 The religious right in the U.S. persistently and consistently strives to realize the “image of the beast,” and one dreadful day, according to Bible prophecy, it will eventually succeed in its efforts.

A thin veil

What surrounds us—the entire structure of our political, social, and religious reality—seems remarkably stable, predictable, obvious, and routine. We can feel calm and secure. We enjoy religious freedom—freedom of conscience, speech, and the press. All these wonderful, hard-won freedoms and civil rights are part of our everyday life. We benefit from the prosperity and liberty of the Western world. We observe and experience this serene social and political reality as if we were strolling down the street in an American town, enjoying the sight of white houses, neatly trimmed green lawns, flowers in gardens, and the gentle breeze swaying the American flag at each home. Yet behind this sleepy, blissful everyday life lurks a shadow, a sinister darkness, a sense of dread and fear. We suspect that within the structure of this cheerful daily reality lies a crack, a glimpse of something else. Instinctively, we might sense a lurking, hostile, and terrifying alternative reality. The veil separating these two realities—one real, the other potential—seems incredibly delicate and fragile. Behind the orderly routine of our liberal democratic world lies a demonic darkness of political theology, the union of religion and state, religious despotism, and religious persecution.

The nature of the human mind

In his book Sacred and Profane: The Nature of Religion, Mircea Eliade, the Romanian religious historian, argues that the religious sphere is primordial compared to the secular world. According to Eliade, humans are inherently spiritual beings. Religion represents the most profound expression of the human mind. People are naturally open to the religious sphere, as the human mind is fundamentally oriented towards what is sacred and transcendent, which it can revere. Thus, from the dawn of history, humans have been religious beings and have remained so—often unconsciously—up to the present day.

Although many people in Europe and the Western world live in a desacralized and highly secularized world, stripped of religious feelings, they remain religious at a profound level of their minds because humans are intrinsically religious beings. This means that such individuals have a deeply rooted potential to reclaim a religious experience of life.13 If this is the case, then religious individuals who interpret their faith in a legalistic manner will be inclined to impose their religious truths on others. In legalistic religions, there is a significant potential for authoritarianism and despotism, especially towards other religious adherents and those who follow different religious doctrines. Furthermore, religious but sinful human nature often seeks to impose its will and authority upon others.

The illusion of stability

Political theology is the concept of viewing politics as a sphere of social life regulated by religion. Mark Lilla, an American philosopher, highlights that political theology represents a primordial form of human thought, serving for millennia as a deep well from which ideas and symbols were drawn to organize social life and inspire actions both good and evil. However, due to intellectual complacency, there has been a neglect in recognizing that political theology has not vanished and still possesses the ability to shape human thought and life. In the era of the “great separation,” which began roughly four hundred years ago, Western civilization represents an anomaly. What started as a thought experiment evolved into a practical experience within the societies from which we inherit our values. The experiment continues, yet, increasingly, people in the West forget why separation of church and state was initiated in the first place and what challenge it was originally meant to address. Meanwhile, that challenge has never ceased to exist. This mental fragility is disconcerting; hence, our world of liberal democracy and religious tolerance remains precarious. Concepts such as modernization, secularization, democratization, and others function as the fairy tales of our times. They provide people in the West with the illusion that they are safe. These concepts serve in our culture the same role that fairy tales do: they make the world comprehensible, reassure us of the irreversibility of ongoing processes, and absolve us from responsibility for maintaining the world in its current form.14

Conclusions and perspectives

If sinful human nature is essentially religious and if man’s eternal thinking about politics is political theology, then we can better understand how in a world where liberal democracy prevails and societies are very secularized, civil rights and religious freedoms are universally recognized—there will be the emergence of an oppressive religious-political-economic system. A dark night is coming for the world. A great crisis is coming, which will allow the demons of theocracy and religious persecution to once again take over human minds and entire societies. I wrote that the United States was the first to establish the constitutional separation of church and state, setting the course for other countries that followed. Unfortunately, in the times just before the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, “America, the land of religious liberty, shall unite with the papacy in forcing the conscience and compelling men to honor the false sabbath, the people of every country on the globe will be led to follow her example.”15 However, as long as the wall separating the church from the state stands, we have an obligation to guard it to the very end, praying to the Lord for grace and defending the principles of freedom in speech, acting against hostile forces seeking to introduce, through state-sanctioned and/or state-instigated violence, a new social order based on “religious” doctrines.

Endnotes:

  1. A. Noll, Protestantyzm, publishing house Łódz University 2017, p. 58
  2. Ibiden, p. 60
  3. Tomaszewska, Bóg i religia w filozofii Johna Locke’a, published 29 August 2022, https://teologiapolityczna.pl/anna-tomaszewska-bog-i-religia-w-filozofii-johna-lockea, accessibility: 15.07.2024
  4. Walicki, Nieporozumienia wokół liberalizmu, “Przegląd polityczny”, no. 109/110, Gdańsk 2011, p. 25
  5. Drelich, List o tolerancji o kilku ograniczeniach zasady tolerancji, http://liberte.pl/list-o-tolerancji-o-kilku-ograniczeniach-zasady-tolerancji, accessibility: 05.07.2012
  6. Szczepańska, Taka tolerancja religijna istniała tylko w Polsce. Dzieje konfederacji warszawskiej, published 28 January 2024, https://historia.dorzeczy.pl/nowozytnosc/543291/konfederacja-warszawska-taka-tolerancja-religijna-byla-tylko-w-polsce.html, accessibility: 17.07.2024
  7. Pomarański, Współczesny amerykański fundamentalizm protestancki, publishing house UMCS, pp. 73, 74
  8. A. Noll, Protestantyzm, publishing house Łódz University 2017, p. 70
  9. Goldstein, Dzień smoka, publishing house Znaki Czasu, Warszawa 1996, p. 63
  10. S. Religious Landscape Survey: Religious Affiliation, report Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2008/02/01/u-s-religious-landscape-survey-religious-affiliation/, accessibility: 18.07.2024
  11. Pomarański, Współczesny amerykański fundamentalizm protestancki, publishing house UMCS, pp. 14, 15
  12. Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 445.1
  13. Eliade, Sacrum a profanum. O istocie sfery religijnej, publishing house Aletheia 2022, p. 221
  14. Lilla, Bezsilny Bóg – religia, polityka i nowoczesny Zachód, publishing house W.A.B. 2009, pp. 9-12
  15. Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, p. 18.2

Marcin Watras lives in Katowice, Poland. He is interested in the philosophy of religion and trends in society. He works for the European Union.

Two Images

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As King Nebuchadnezzar looked down on the plain of Dura and watched the men building his huge image of gold, he was thinking about the dream that he had had not too long before. In it, he had seen an image of gold, silver, bronze, and iron, with feet that were a mixture of iron and clay, and he remembered what Daniel had said about the image as he interpreted his dream.

“ ‘You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all—you are this head of gold.’ ” Daniel 2:37, 38

He felt proud thinking of himself as the head of gold. He wanted to reign forever and be seen by all as the king of kings. The rest of the dream involved other kingdoms that were to come after him, and a stone that would crush not only those kingdoms, but his own. He did not like that part of his dream, so he decided that the best way to ensure that part of the dream didn’t happen was by building a giant image of pure gold. His heart filled with pride, he was determined that all the people would see and know that his kingdom was forever.

This is one of the manifestations of selfishness. Pride takes the place of reason and causes men to think of themselves and not of others. Exalting oneself is the beginning of pride. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Philippians 2:3

The Israelites had a long history of idol worship. They remembered the stories of how Jacob buried the idols that Rachel had taken from her father’s house, how Moses had broken the tablets of the ten commandments when he saw their ancestors dancing around and worshiping the golden calf. They knew of God’s hatred of image worship. In fact, the second commandment listed on the tablets of stone, written by God’s own finger, commanded that they were not to bow down to images.

They had heard of Elijah and how God had told him to destroy the images of the false prophets and to slay them all for their heresy. Yet when the Babylonians and their captives were all gathered on the plain of Dura before the great image of gold, and the music stopped, they obediently bowed before it, except for three young men. As the Israelite captives bowed before the image of gold, they had forgotten the words of God, “ ‘You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way; for every abomination to the Lord which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.’ ” Deuteronomy 12:31

The pride of the king had been damaged, and those three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, were about to experience a trial by literal fire. They were thrown into the fiery furnace for their obedience to God. Miraculously, Jesus Himself was in the fire with them and saved them (Daniel 3).

This example of defiance toward the king of Babylon was told to remind us of a future event that is soon to take place. Another image is about to be set up that will try the world on threat of death. In his dream, King Nebuchadnezzar saw the image composed of four different metals, representing four kingdoms:

Babylon – head of gold

Medo-Persia – chest and arms of silver

Greece – belly and thighs of bronze

Roman Empire – legs of iron

But after all this, another empire of a different sort was to come. It was represented as a mixture of iron and clay.

Daniel described it like this: “ ‘Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast [Roman Empire], which was different from all the others, exceedingly dreadful, with its teeth of iron and its nails of bronze, which devoured, broke in pieces, and trampled the residue with its feet; and the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows.’ ” Daniel 7:19, 20

Then the angel Gabriel explains this last beast power and the little horn, “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces. The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom. And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall subdue three kings. He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time.’ ” Verses 23–25

This little horn is also identified as the first beast of Revelation 13. Here it is shown as a mixture of all the other kingdoms before it. We know it is the same power because of some of the same identifying marks. “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.” Verses 5–7. This last power, the fourth kingdom of Daniel 2, represented by the feet of iron and clay of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream, receives its power from the dragon beast of Daniel 7, which represented the Holy Roman Empire and ultimately became the papacy or the Roman Catholic Church.

After 538 AD, the Roman Catholic Church became the de facto Christian entity that ruled over nations and men. Over the centuries, kingdoms rose and fell but, behind the scenes, the Roman Catholic Church was the power spoken of in Daniel 2 and 7. In Revelation 18:13, it describes it as marketing in the “souls of men.” For 1,260 years it ruled with as much cruelty as the pagan Roman Empire before it, keeping the world ignorant of God’s word, until the Protestant Reformation with the printing press made God’s word available to the common man once again.

As we understand this part of the prophecy, it sets up the scene to understand the two images of the future. First let’s continue to understand this first image of Revelation 13. Once we understand that the papacy is the first beast, then we can see clearly how the image that will be set up later resembles it in some ways.

When we talk about images, it is helpful to understand what an image is. Webster’s dictionary describes it this way:

  • “a visual representation of something, such as a likeness of an object produced on a photographic material, or a picture produced on an electronic display (such as a television or computer screen);
  • the optical counterpart of an object produced by an optical device (such as a lens or mirror) or an electronic device;
  • a mental picture or impression of something;
  • a mental conception held in common by members of a group and symbolic of a basic attitude and orientation.”

So, an image does not have to be a carved statue, but simply a “visual representation” of something.

The second beast of Revelation 13 will then make an image or likeness to the first beast, the papacy. A likeness can look like the original. It can share some of the same characteristics of the original, but it is not the original. So, this image will resemble the papacy in some ways, but will be different in others. Also, we must remember that this image will resemble the dragon that gave it the power to begin with. “Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority.” Revelation 13:2

Like the papacy during its reign from 538 AD to 1798 AD, this is not a benevolent power, but a persecuting power. Why? Because its power comes from the dragon. “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Revelation 12:9. The dragon, which represents both the pagan Roman power and the power behind it [Satan, the great dragon], gives its power to the new Roman power that is clothed in a false Christianity. It will have the likeness of Christianity, using Christ’s name, claiming the apostles as its founders, using the Bible for its references, just as Satan did when he tempted Christ, but it will also use its own doctrines and policies that do not represent true Christianity.

As Satan used scripture to present himself as an angel of light to tempt Christ, so the papacy uses scripture to push its own agendas. Recently, the courts have granted people who lost their jobs for refusing to work on the “Sabbath” to be compensated and ruled it illegal to terminate their employment. Yet the “sabbath” that they referred to was not the biblical Sabbath but Sunday, the day of worship changed by the papacy. As time goes on, we will see many more of these false doctrinal arguments presented to the world. This way, the image to the papacy attempts to frame its power as righteous and based on the Bible, while behind the scenes, it is a deception to get the world to accept the laws and commandments of men rather than the law of God.

We are warned not to bow down or worship any image, but like the Israelites in Babylon who bowed before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, so the Christian world will bow down to the new image in the last days. These images, or likenesses, are in reality the representation of the character of Satan. Let’s look at some of these characteristics of the image that will not allow us to buy or sell unless we submit to its power.

First of all, Revelation 13:14, first part, says that he (the second beast) will deceive us. How will we be deceived? “And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast….”

If we do not love the truth, if we do not know the truth, this image to the papacy will fool us into believing we are following God. “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,” “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 9, 10

Those who will follow the image will be those who do not love righteousness. Now, no one would admit they do not love truth and righteousness if they call themselves Christians. But Paul warns that just such a thing will happen. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 2 Timothy 3:1–5. As Christians, we must look inward to examine ourselves to see if any of these traits are in us, because if we have even one, then we will be fooled by the image of the beast into thinking we are righteous.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon was a “type” of the spiritual Babylon at the end of time. It was full of pride and selfishness. The king believed he was righteous in his acts to exalt himself above the God of heaven, even as the Babylon of Revelation has exalted itself above God. Babylon (or the Roman Catholic Church) is full of wickedness. “And he [the angel] cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!’ ” Revelation 18:2. The doctrines and policies of the papacy have a form of godliness, but it is rebuked by God’s angel exclaiming that it exists by the power of Satan.

In King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the image was destroyed by a stone that became a great mountain. As the Rock, which represents Jesus, crushed the feet of the image in the dream, so it will be with spiritual Babylon. This is a prophecy that shows the end of Satan’s rule and his kingdom. At the second coming of Jesus, the beast (papacy), the image (the false prophet), and all who follow them will be destroyed. “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. … Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19:11, 20, 21

There is a second image that we also must look at. This image is a much different type of image. We find it in the very first book of the Bible. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26, 27

This image reflects the likeness of God Himself—very different from that of the beast power. When Adam and Eve were first created, they had the likeness of God. Every aspect of creation, whether animate or inanimate, was created in its own individual likeness, but mankind was created in the likeness of God. Remember an image is something that is like, but not the same as something else. Adam and Eve had all the characteristics of God. Their hearts were pure and kind, without sin. They walked with God in the garden of Eden, they handled and took care of every living thing in the garden. They had clear minds that were curious and ever learning the true science of creation. They were part of the family of God and communed with the angels of God.

Only beings with this image can ever be in the presence of God. Their character and demeanor were without spot or blemish. “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.” Psalm 36:7. What a contrast between these perfect humans and the humans today. Paul writes about the characteristics of the image of God. If we are to overcome the image of the beast, we must reflect God’s character. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering.” Colossians 3:12

Our character is to be without spot or blemish by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Paul again admonishes us by contrasting the image of Satan with the image of God. “Now the works of the flesh [the image of the beast] are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:19–23

With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the image of Satan is destroyed, and our characters are restored to the image of God, replaced with God’s character and lovingkindness. The two images are warring within us for dominance. One leads to everlasting destruction, the other leads to everlasting life. If we are not to be fooled by the image of the beast, we must do away with the attitudes of the world. We are told to be separate from the world. This separation is not physical but spiritual. When we entertain in our minds the agendas of the world, we pollute our character, and we will not reflect the image of God. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” Ephesians 4:31. The world wants to draw us into its strife and contentions, but God’s people will do away with all of these things that tarnish the character of God.

These two images—the image of God and the image of the beast—are very different from one another. The image of the dragon or Satan is an image of force. It goes against the true teachings of the Bible. Adhering to the false teachings of the papal church, it creates an image that is dictatorial and persecuting. This image wants to use force to further its idea of a world power. It dominates the world through wars and riches, dragging the people down into its depths of depravity.

But the image that God wants to create in us is a benevolent one. It will not raise a hand to hurt another. It will bend a knee to care for a suffering human. It is always kind in its words and seeks to uplift rather than tear down. It reflects the character of Jesus and as it is created in us, we, too, will reflect that character or image of the One who cares for us. There are two paths, two images, two likenesses that we can choose from. Which one will you choose?

 Michael C. Wells is the director of Anointing Oil Ministries.

The Bride of Christ

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The subject of the bride or wife of Jesus poses somewhat of an enigma in the Bible. Is it the people, the living church, or is it the New Jerusalem, the Holy City? Is there a contradiction here? There are inspired statements to support each view. The following are the two positions from inspiration:

  1. In the first set of scriptures, the bride of Jesus is unquestionably His church. “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:2. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:25–27. The Spirit of Prophecy agrees with the word. “They must not put on their citizen’s dress, but the wedding garment. They have been married to Christ, and the robe of His righteousness is to clothe them. The church is the bride of Christ, and her members are to yoke up with their Leader. God warns us not to defile our garments.” The Gospel Herald, May 28, 1902
  2. However, in the second set of scriptures, we find something different. The wife of Jesus is the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, while the church represents the guests at the marriage supper. “Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9, last part, 10. Mrs. White concurs emphatically again, “Clearly, then, the bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church. In the Revelation, the people of God are said to be the guests at the marriage supper. Revelation 19:9. If guests, they cannot be represented also as the bride.” The Great Controversy, 427. [Author’s emphasis.] The last sentence appears to contradict the idea that the bride of Christ is the church. So, is there a way to harmonize the two somewhat disparate positions?

Starting from the premise that there are no real contradictions in the Scriptures because the authorship is the Holy Spirit throughout, it behooves us to make a determined attempt to make sense of the two positions. Thankfully we have the Spirit of Prophecy to point us in the right direction.

Just before commenting on the Holy City being the bride of Jesus, our prophet says the following: “In the summer and autumn of 1844 the proclamation, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh,’ was given. The two classes represented by the wise and foolish virgins were then developed. … The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom.” Ibid., 426

It mirrors the words of Daniel 7:14, first part, “And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him.”

The key to unlocking the puzzle of the bride of Jesus is contained in the proper understanding of the marriage. It is unlike any ordinary marriage since it occurs in the context of royalty. Both secular and sacred histories record instances when marriages were contracted as a means of sealing the political ties between rival kingdoms. Frequently, these marriages resulted in the restructuring of territorial boundaries as land was exchanged according to a mutual pact. Similarly, the marriage of Jesus has to do with His receiving a kingdom, as opposed to a wife in the normal sense. Several times in the gospels Jesus used the parable of a man going away to receive a kingdom as an analogy to His own situation. (e.g., Luke 19:12). In John 18:36, Jesus told Pilate: “My kingdom is not of this world: if My kingdom were of this world, then would My servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is My kingdom not from hence.”  Therefore, the kingdom He receives is from His Father in heaven. It is a heavenly bestowal.

To understand the implications of this statement, we must look closely at the composition of a kingdom. As with other forms of government, a kingdom is a method of governing intelligent beings. In a democracy or a republic, the people rule themselves through a representative form of government, as in the U.S.A. A kingdom, on the other hand, is ruled by a king, the monarch—a single individual who holds absolute power in his hands as in many ancient and modern nations. It is in essence a dictatorship, which on earth inevitably devolves into corruption and abuse according to the dictum “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But not so in heaven. God being infinite in love, compassion, and wisdom is a benevolent dictator-king, looking out unselfishly for the supreme happiness of His subjects.

But no matter the form of government, they all have two inseparable components in common—the geographical area—the physical territory defining their jurisdiction, and the people—the subjects of the government. One without the other cannot represent a functioning state. When the Shah of Iran was deposed on February 11, 1979, he was granted asylum in the U.S.A. Here he set up a “government-in-exile,” hoping someday to be reinstated to his throne. With no territory to control, however, his government was nothing more than a shadow force with no real power. But even if they did have a geographical area to call their own, if they had no human subjects, the government would again be just a mirage.

And so will it be at the end because Satan has not ceased his illegal claim to the world. Notwithstanding the tolling of his death knell at the cross of Calvary, he will eventually make an all-out, do-or-die attempt to make good his claim in the last moments of time. But God will have His end-time Jobs to again deny him the victory and extinguish his hopes forever. Deserted by his disillusioned followers, Satan will finally sink into oblivion in total ignominy, totally alone.

Applying the two-fold aspects of a kingdom to the marriage of Jesus, we gain a crucial understanding. By receiving from the Father the title to the New Jerusalem, the capital of His kingdom, He obtains the authority, the right to rule the physical universe as King. Notice the following inspired words: “The Holy City, the New Jerusalem, which is the capital and representative of the kingdom, is called ‘the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ Said the angel to John: ‘Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.’ He carried me away in the Spirit, … and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” Revelation 21:9, last part, 10. “Clearly, then, the bride represents the Holy City, and the virgins that go out to meet the bridegroom are a symbol of the church.” The Great Controversy, 426, 427. Thus, even though the Holy City is a physical, inanimate structure, it qualifies as the bride of Jesus by granting Him legal right to the full territorial jurisdiction of the universe. But what about His living bride? They are present as well in the persons of the virgins (the church), the angels, plus the beings of other worlds. Thus, the two components of a functioning kingdom merge together in the marriage. And so it is that with reference to the territory, the bride is the Holy City, (the physical, geographical component of the kingdom) while in the context of His subjects, the bride is the church (the living, intelligent part of the kingdom). And since the true church on earth is one with the church in heaven, (see The Acts of the Apostles, 11) every intelligent being in the universe forms part of the bride of Jesus.

It is of much interest and significance that the Holy City is described as a “bride adorned for her husband.” (Revelation 21:2). It is obviously a structure of such surpassing magnificence and glory as to eclipse anything else in the material universe of heaven. Clearly, God will have outdone Himself in creating this dazzling masterpiece of workmanship from the precious elements of the universe. It is as it were a dowry for His Son. Since Jesus was the Father’s agent in creation (Colossians 1:16), and because He said in John 14:1–3 that He was going away to “prepare” a place for us, we know that He [Jesus] was involved in the planning and execution of the construction of the Holy City. Clearly, He did not just speak it into existence, but personally fashioned it with His own hands—just like He did Adam and Eve. It is a fit place for His living bride. Mrs. White describes it in sublime language: “There is the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the glorified new earth, ‘a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.’ ‘Her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.’ ” The Great Controversy, 676. We will never in eternity cease to be awed and thrilled by the marvelous intricacies of this breathtaking edifice, our eternal home.

As alluded to above, the parable of the ten virgins bears significantly on the question of the bride of Jesus. It is a prophecy with two separate fulfillments. The first fulfillment occurred in 1844 which Inspiration explains as follows: “The coming of the bridegroom, here brought to view, takes place before the marriage. The marriage represents the reception by Christ of His kingdom.” Ibid., 426

The midnight cry (consisting of the first two angels of Revelation 14) at this time announced the coming of Jesus before the Father for His nuptials. He comes to the marriage, which has been in process ever since. But soon, the ceremony will be over. “Having received the kingdom, He will come in His glory, as King of kings and Lord of lords, for the redemption of His people, who are to ‘sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,’ at His table in His kingdom (Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:30) to partake of the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Ibid., 427

Now, at the second fulfillment, the Loud Cry (composed of all three angels of Revelation 14, plus the angel of Revelation 18) will go forth announcing the “consummation” of the marriage—the completion of the makeup of His subjects and the coming of Jesus from the marriage to take His living bride to Himself. It will be time for the antitype of the Feast of Tabernacles in the Holy City in heaven to celebrate the marriage.

The Spirit of Prophecy provides an insightful view of the closing events: “Every case had been decided for life or death. While Jesus had been ministering in the sanctuary, the judgment had been going on for the righteous dead, and then for the righteous living. Christ had received His kingdom, having made the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins. The subjects of the kingdom were made up. The marriage of the Lamb was consummated. And the kingdom, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, was given to Jesus and the heirs of salvation, and Jesus was to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.” Early Writings, 280. Here again we have the two elements of a kingdom blended into one—the physical “kingdom” and the living “heirs of salvation” together constituting the glorious, unified bride of Jesus.

The apostle Paul portrays the church as “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Ephesians 5:27. This condition of the living bride of Jesus is achieved before He concludes His most holy place ministry. Today the professed people of God are a mixed multitude composed of both wheat and tares. But as Jesus explained in Matthew 13:38, “The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one.” Since only the “children of the kingdom” can occupy the Holy City, God must somehow remove Satan’s people from His church at some point. This He does at the very end. It is a very traumatic process depicted in Selected Messages, Book 2, 380: “Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall.” Notice, Satan comes close to winning, only to fail again! “It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place. None but those who have been overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony will be found with the loyal and true, without spot or stain of sin, without guile in their mouths.” The “church” that “remains” is “the precious wheat” identified here as the (144,000) guileless saints “without spot or stain of sin.” So it is true that the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest. But a shaking and sifting process begins the separation before the final painful split in the great crisis of the Sunday laws. The result is the purified true “church,” God’s end-time Jobs, who will deliver Satan the coup de grâce, calling curtains on his illicit kingdom forever.

This is when the great majority of the tares separate from the wheat while a few, quite surprisingly, still keep company with the faithful until they fall away at last just before Jesus returns in the clouds of glory. Notice this amazing, seemingly unlikely scenario portrayed by Inspiration: “While praying at the family altar, the Holy Ghost fell on me, and I seemed to be rising higher and higher, far above the dark world. I turned to look for the Advent people in the world but could not find them—when a voice said to me, ‘Look again, and look a little higher.’ At this I raised my eyes and saw a straight and narrow path, [Matthew 7:14.] cast up high above the world. On this path the Advent people were travelling to the City, which was at the farther end of the path. … But soon some grew weary, and they said the City was a great way off, and they expected to have entered it before. … Others rashly denied the light [the midnight cry] behind them, and said that it was not God that had led them out so far. The light behind them went out leaving their feet in perfect darkness, and they stumbled … and fell off the path down in the dark and wicked world below. … They fell all the way along the path one after another, until we heard the voice of God like many waters, [Ezekiel 43:2. Joel 3:16. Revelation 16:17.] which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. [Ezekiel 12:25. Mark 13:32.]” A Word to the Little Flock, 14

Friend, the door is still open for us to participate in the marriage of Jesus. We can still choose to be part of the living bride of the Lamb. Let us resolve to make certain that we will never identify with the tares who lose their faith in the last moments of time. The glorious prospects God has in mind for us in the hereafter cannot be comprehended by the human mind, much less expressed by human tongues. “But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Living in the incredibly beautiful city of God, the physical bride of Jesus, with Jesus Himself the chief attraction in it, what will it be like?! Dwelling in the light from the throne of God, feasting from the tree of life, regaled by the sublime orchestral and choral music of the angels, enthralled by the mysteries of the universe and the science of salvation taught by Jesus Himself, each succeeding day more ecstatic than the last, who can begin to imagine it?! Oh, we cannot afford to miss out on the experience for anything in this decrepit old world! May God give us the grace to “Strive with all the power God has given [us] to gain the crown of everlasting life, that [we] may cast it at the feet of the Redeemer, and touching the golden harp, fill all heaven with rich music. God help [us] to gain eternal life, that [we] may see His face.” Manuscript 31, 1901. Amen and Amen!

All Scripture from the King James Version

[Emphasis supplied.]

Dr. Sudhir Pandit is a retired cardiologist living in Arkansas with his wife Dorothy. He is proud to call himself a historic Seventh-day Adventist. He, with his wife, is involved in backing two self-supporting ministries in India.

As in the Days of Noah

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The world is in turmoil and the nations are enraged, but this will not come as a surprise to anyone who is a Bible student. In studying our Bibles, we read about end time prophesies. “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.’ ” Psalm 2:1–3

We see the obvious wickedness of war and the human tragedy, but miss the underlying causes of it all. As we read in the Psalms, it is because of the world’s hatred for God. That might seem a strange statement when we think of all the religious organizations in the world, yet the reason for all the heartache and misery is because the world does not love God.

Isaiah says, “Unless the Lord of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been made like Gomorrah.” Isaiah 1:9. A remnant is the very last of something. In this case, there will be very few in the last days who love God and are called His people, compared to the billions in the world who have no love for Him at all.

Noah and his family were the remnant, saved out of a people whose thoughts and hearts were continually wicked. They did not care for the law of God, nor did they adhere to it, and because of this attitude, there was murder and war, adultery and fornication. They took what they wanted even if it belonged to another. They hated and were greedy and self-centered. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis 6:5. Sounds a lot like today, doesn’t it?

There will always be acts of kindness done toward people. We see this all the time during disasters, wars, and times of strife—people coming to the need of their fellow human beings. But these acts must be attributed to the workings of God on the hearts of men, because the minds of men and women are overrun by thoughts of self rather than a desire to follow the law of God.

If we examine ourselves, will we find that we are in perfect obedience to God? Is love for God the first thing we think of in the morning? Do we pray and offer thanksgiving as we start each day? Do we study His word and is His law foremost in our minds? Jesus tells us that it is not so with most living in the world today.

“But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37–39

Why did they not know that a flood was coming? Noah had been telling them for over 100 years. They had ample warning. They could see the huge ocean liner Noah was building. Why did they not believe in the disaster that was about to befall them? They were carrying on in their daily lives, wrapped up in the cares of this world and not in the leading of God and His Son Jesus. They were busy finding “love.” They were busy entertaining guests at parties. They were busy with their business practices and gaining wealth. There was no time given to the consideration of God’s law and righteousness.

It is the same in our day. Many people give lip service to God, claiming to be righteous, as the Pharisees did in Jesus’ day. They make a show of piety by going to church, attending the social gatherings, volunteering in the community, and paying their tithe to support their local church or conference; but their hearts refuse the workings of the Holy Spirit. Unconverted and unchanged, not having experienced the power that would make them heavenly citizens, they remain citizens of the world.

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day come on you unexpectedly.” Luke 21:34. For most it is nothing more than the cares of this world that weigh them down and they do not seek to spend time with God each day.

“Cares, riches, pleasures, all are used by Satan in playing the game of life for the human soul. The warning is given, ‘Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.’ 1 John 2:15, 16. He who reads the hearts of men as an open book says, ‘Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life.’ Luke 21:34. And the apostle Paul by the Holy Spirit writes, ‘They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil; which, while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.’ 1 Timothy 6:9, 10.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 55, 56

God will not spare any in this world who have not permitted a change to be made in their character and heart. He did not spare the angels who sinned and were cast from heaven with Satan, nor did He spare the world in Noah’s day. “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 2:4, 5. “For I am the Lord, I do not change.” Malachi 3:6, first part. Why do we think He would now save those of this world who have the same character and choose to walk the same path?

The people who will be saved are those who are mourning and crying over the wickedness in this world and in their own hearts. They will be calling on God to cleanse their hearts and renew their lives through His grace, with His law, the ten commandments, as the mirror that reflects their standing with God. When obeyed out of love for God, it is this law that will bring peace and love and conversion to the heart.

“ ‘Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ ” Joel 2:12. As we read His commandments and clearly see our true condition, we will see that only one prayer is appropriate.

“Look on my affliction and my pain, and forgive all my sins.” Psalm 25:18

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Psalm 51:7–10

God wants to write His law in our hearts and purge our sinfulness. He is asking today for us to accept His Holy Spirit to enter into and remove the wickedness from our minds. When we let Him cleanse our hearts, submitting to His will and not our own, this is His promise: “ ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ ” Hebrews 10:16, 17

We must ask for the grace of God to fill us and redeem us from this world. If we have not accepted this saving grace from Jesus, we are still in the clutches of Satan and sin. There is only one result of sin and that is eternal death. But Jesus, if we let Him, can change our hearts. He paid the price; He only asks that we accept His sacrifice and leave all sin behind. That is what Jesus meant when He said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” Luke 9:23

Jesus has repeatedly said that we cannot enter heaven, we cannot have salvation, unless we leave all sin behind. To the woman accused of adultery, He said, “… ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.’ ” John 8:10, 11. Jesus knows the degradation that sin has caused in the world. He knows mankind’s struggles in dealing with sin, but sin cannot enter heaven again, and anyone who continues to harbor sin in their heart will not enter that holy place.

Jesus would rather us enter heaven maimed or lame if that is what it takes for us to be rid of sin (Matthew 5:30). Jesus does not want to condemn us for our sins, He would rather forgive us of our sins (John 3:17), but we must follow His instructions, “go and sin no more.”  Jesus came to save us from sin, not as we continue in sin. When Joseph was told that Mary was to give birth to the Saviour of the world, the angel of God specified why Jesus was coming to this world. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. If we are His people, we will have done away with sin through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we see nations rage and wars abound, as we watch the world slowly destroying itself, it is time to start looking to God for answers. The world is filled with pain and suffering, but Jesus can bring peace and happiness even in times of suffering. Call on Jesus today, ask Him to show you His goodness, give all to Him, and let Him sort out the rest. Jesus can help you overcome any obstacle in your life. He wants us to be ready for His soon coming. We have limited time here to prepare our hearts and minds for that glorious event. Our lives are but a whisper of time. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” James 4:14, last part

What matters is how we spend our time in this life. Be a part of God’s last-day remnant. Make your life count for Jesus, and He will make your eternal life secure.

[Emphasis supplied.]

Michael C. Wells is the director of Anointing Oil Ministries.

Sudden Death

by

“Concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1–6

Suppose a sudden disaster occurred on planet earth, and all life came to an end except for one – you. The whole planet, everywhere you look, the cities and the great works of mankind are broken down and burned, utterly destroyed; only their charred remains, like broken skeletons, are left. There is no electricity, so there are no telephones, televisions, radios, no newspapers or magazines, no stores or food, no cars, buses, trains or planes. Who won the presidential election or the Super Bowl or the World Series, your promotion and all your fancy possessions, all your relationships are totally meaningless. Everywhere you look are the bodies of people, animals, birds scattered over the face of the earth. Many of them unrecognizable, many remaining just as they fell. The whole world is deafeningly silent and dark. Suddenly all of man’s proud accomplishments are now a thing of the past. And only you are left to survey it.

This will one day happen on planet earth. We find it spoken of in Jeremiah 25:31–33: “ ‘A noise will come to the ends of the earth—for the Lord has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Behold, disaster shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the farthest parts of the earth. And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.’ ”

Isaiah describes it further in chapter 26, verse 21, “For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.” All the dead, human, animal, and fowl, will be left lying on the ground, not to decompose, but to remain, preserved as they died, for all the years of the millennium.

We also see in Jeremiah 4 that there will be no light. The sun will not shine, and it will begin to be very cold. There will be no rainfall or snow. In this way the earth will become like a frost-free freezer, preserving the bodies of the dead. Jeremiah says, “I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth [this is Jesus’ second coming (Revelation 6)]. I beheld, and indeed there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger” (verses 23–26).

This is a description of when Jesus has come and taken the righteous with Him to heaven. God blots out the light of the sun for a thousand years and earth becomes a deep freeze, a place of perpetual preservation for those souls who died from the brightness of His coming. “Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. ‘I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible’ ” (Isaiah 13:9–11).

But one soul, Satan, is left behind to live on this planet amid all the destruction during this thousand year period. Revelation 20 calls this earth “the bottomless pit,” and verses 1–3 tell us that an angel comes down from heaven “with the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.” The angel binds Satan to this devastated earth, this bottomless pit, for a thousand years. He has nowhere to go. With no one to deceive, he is left to wander this earth in darkness, to stumble among the fallen bodies of the dead and the remains of the broken cities.

At the end of the thousand years, Revelation 20:3, last part, says, “But after these things he must be released for a little while.” Jesus returns to the earth for the last time. He brings back with Him the light of the sun and all the wicked who had no part in the first resurrection will be raised to receive their judgments.

Let’s look back to the time before these unbelievable catastrophic events happen and see how God prepares us for them.

God is not willing that any should perish. He would love to save every soul who has ever been born. He wants to wake up the inhabitants of the earth. Sadly, only a very few respond. For most, in spite of all that God will do, they will not be awakened. In the days of Noah, only eight out of the whole world were saved, but God will still put forth every effort, His heart of love using any means to save every soul who will choose to be saved.

God uses prophecy to leave signs that we can recognize as we draw closer to the end. Seeing these signs, we can realize the end is near and prepare our lives. Prophecy warns us of judgments, but also extends the invitation to be saved from the wrath of God. The disciples asked Jesus when they should expect the last days and His coming. His response is found in Luke 21:9, first part: “But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately.” [Emphasis supplied].

Jesus says there will be wars. When World War I and World War II were fought, many people thought the end might be near. Had they read their Bibles, they would have read that there would be wars, but Jesus says that even after these things happened, “the end will not come immediately” (Luke 21:9, last part).

He continues in verse 11: “And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” God now withdraws His sustaining hand from a sin-filled world as it sinks lower and lower day by day. He has shielded the world for thousands of years, but no longer. The world will begin to experience calamity upon calamity.

There have been disasters in the world throughout its history, and many have made the history books, but the difference between these past disasters and those we experience today is the rapidity with which the disasters come and their worldwide prevalence. Life just doesn’t exist for very long without a disaster somewhere in the world. It is an undeniable fact that today, disasters are rapidly increasing as we have never seen before. People don’t know what to expect next. The Bible says this would be so.

Revelation 17 and 18 describe for us the judgments that God has brought and will bring against the inhabitants of the earth, throughout history and through to the end of time. In Revelation 18:4–7, the angel says, “Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow.” The Bible says the first will be last and the last first (Mark 10:31). And those who have been the richest will become the poorest and those who have been the most glorified will become the most dejected. Those who have been the most blessed will be left the most ravaged. “Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire for strong is the Lord God who judges her” (verse 8). The Bible says it will come quickly, suddenly. She’ll be sitting as a beautiful queen and suddenly there will come disaster upon disaster.

This method of judgment is coupled with the message of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Revelation 14:6 and 7 reveal the second method used by God to wake up the people of the world: “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come, and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ ”

Jesus tells more about these disasters to come upon the earth in Matthew 24. After talking about famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places, it says that these are the beginnings of sorrows (verses 7, 8). Verse 9, first part: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you.” It is when the disasters go forth that God’s message is also going to go forth to the world. The desire is that people will be moved to accept Christ, but instead, their anger is aroused and their conscience is pricked and instead of accepting the message, they turn against the messengers. “… and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another” (verses 9, last part, 10).

Yes, by and large, the world’s response to the invitation to accept the Lord will be no. While God is trying to wake people up, Satan is working to keep them asleep; and he has more success because most of the inhabitants of the earth are already his children. The Lord is using His two methods of judgment and the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, but the devil has many ways of keeping people asleep. Jesus speaks of these in Luke 21:34–36. He says, “Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Satan keeps people so occupied with the things of this world, the cares of this life, that many are barely surviving and they don’t think they have the time to prepare for what God is telling them to expect.

Matthew 24:37–39 gives us the example of how it was in the days of Noah, “ … For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (verse 38). For 120 years Noah preached the message of sudden destruction and for all that time the majority of the people just went about their daily lives. They heard that the flood would come, but the devil was so successful at keeping them consumed with the things of this life that “the flood came and took them all away.”

The devil succeeded so well then that he is doing it again. But there is more. As he keeps us focused on the things of the world, the environment, society, politics, he surrounds us with the sights and sounds of evil until our hearts grow hard and we become insensitive to the sinfulness around us. “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (verse 12).

Another effective method used by the devil is opposition from our family and friends. “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will send some of you to your death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake” (Luke 21:16, 17). Matthew 10 also speaks of this in verse 21: “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.” But the devil isn’t finished.

While he keeps us occupied with the things of the world so that we don’t have the time to prepare our lives, while evil is all around us and our hearts grow hard and careless and while we are receiving opposition from those we love and care for the most, there comes a great revival, one that will deceive almost everyone. “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Now we see in 2 Corinthians 11:13, 14 that Satan becomes directly involved: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” He tells the people of the world that it is time to get ready for Jesus to come. We’ve seen the signs and now it is time to get ready. Where past revivals have been opposed, rejected, this revival will be accepted by all, almost.

There is a difference between Satan’s revival and God’s revival. God’s revival leads to sacrifice of self, obedience to God’s law, a change in life and character. Satan’s revival is based on emotion and excitement. The elements of a revival will be seen, but these things are not the result of the working of the Holy Spirit. “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). There will be power, plenty of power, signs and many disasters, all meant to help bring about this revival.

A call to come to the altar and accept the Lord, to be saved and accept His miracle working power and the Holy Spirit will go out and people will come; but it will not be the Holy Spirit that they will receive. It’s a deception we find in verse 10: “And with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” They have a love of religion, a love for preaching, a love for miracles performed, and a love for what they believe to be the Holy Spirit, but they do not have a love of the truth. “And for this reason God will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (verses 11, 12). The devil will deceive them to believe that they are saved, that everything will be okay. They will be given a false confidence in their own experience rather than confidence in their relationship with Jesus Christ.

Many religions today that have created teachings of their own based on another spirit that is not according to the Bible and the Bible only, have many sincere believers who believe that they have a love for the truth, but what truth? The Bible teaches that the purification and perfecting of our characters and lives are the necessary preparation for what is soon to come upon the earth. But the beliefs of these religions, for instance the Mormon Church, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Catholic Church, are based on teachings not found in the Bible. They are taught that it is okay to do many things that are contrary to the Bible including that the Sabbath should be Sunday and preparation for the end does not include character perfection. The Bible tells us that the spirit of anti-christ claims the power to change God’s law. Thus we must assume that these religions are being influenced by the devil or one of his agents.

If nothing else works, the devil has one final tactic to keep us in a lost condition. We read about this in Hebrews 12:2, 3: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” Have you ever been discouraged? The devil will work to bring discouragement in your life, but the Bible says when this happens to look to Jesus, and you will find courage and strength.

Luke 13:25 says that the time will come when the Master of the house will shut the door. Looking again at Noah’s day, the Lord shut the door then, too. What did that mean? Those who were not inside the ark were shut out. We find this applicable today in Matthew 7:21. It says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” There are many who listened to preaching week after week and heard the Holy Spirit speaking to them. They have prophesied and done many wonders in the name of God, but they find themselves now hearing the words from Jesus, “ ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’ ”(verse 23).

Why would Jesus say this to them? Because the preparation they had made for the end was not the necessary preparation. It is needful to have a love of the truth, to surrender our lives to the in-working of the Holy Spirit, and to seek to do the will of God and obey His law.

An incalculable number of people have died over the course of this world’s history. Many will be raised to life at Jesus’ coming. But the 144,000, those still living when Jesus comes, will be found with God’s character, His name written in their minds. Every person can develop God’s character. Not one sinner has fallen so low that God cannot make them over again, give them a new life, a new heart, a new mind and a new character. There’s not one person who cannot stand before the throne of God faultless and pure and holy, clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Imagine being sick and only having a month to live. If I were facing only a month of life, I think I would be very serious about what I did during that month. Would you? I’d want my heart pure and cleansed. I’d want to spend time in the Bible and on my knees asking the Lord to give me a heart like His.

The 144,000 are those who have looked only to Jesus as their perfect example. Those who are alive on the earth when Jesus is revealed are going to be like Him. They will be permitted to sit with Him on His throne because they will have had His experience. Revelation 3:21 says, “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame.” “Those who place themselves under God’s control, to be led and guided by Him, will catch the steady tread of the events ordained by Him to take place.” Testimonies, vol. 7, 14.

The devil works determinedly to keep our focus on ourselves and the things of this world that are important to us.  He will even use our families, our jobs, and other necessary aspects of this life to keep us too busy to have time for what is spiritually needful. This statement found in The Great Controversy, 625, has always meant a great deal to me. It describes the need for watchfulness, prayer and Bible study in spite of how much the devil is trying to keep us otherwise occupied: “Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world captive. By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his disguise. To all the testing time will come. By the sifting of temptation the genuine Christian will be revealed. Are the people of God now so firmly established upon His word that they would not yield to the evidence of their senses? Would they, in such a crisis, cling to the Bible and the Bible only?”  Maranatha, 160. “Satan will, if possible, prevent them from obtaining a preparation to stand in that day. He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up their way. …” Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4, 443.

Everyone will be tested. Everyone will have to decide – Christ or Satan.

“Christians should be preparing for what is soon to break upon the world as an overwhelming surprise, and this preparation they should make by diligently studying the word of God and striving to conform their lives to its precepts. The tremendous issues of eternity demand of us something besides an imaginary religion, a religion of words and forms, where truth is kept in the outer court.” Conflict and Courage, 260.

We cannot imagine the disasters that will yet take place on this earth. But we are given hope in Psalm 91: “ ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust.’ … A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. … Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. … He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him” (verses 2, 7, 9, 10, 15).

Pastor Marshall Grosboll, with his wife Lillian, founded Steps to Life. In July 1991, Pastor Marshall and his family met with tragedy as they were returning home from a camp meeting in Washington state, when the airplane he was piloting went down, killing all on board.